Change Me into Zeus's Daughter: A Memoir Review

Average Reviews:

(More customer reviews)and I found the book to be a moving and entertaining memoir. I am sure it will become a bestseller. However; this story does not belong to Barbara alone. It also belongs to her Mother and her seven siblings. I know this because I am the author's sister. When I first learned Barbara was going to write this book I was very uneasy. I had put this life in the past and did not want to re-live it. It was very painful and humiliating. When I received my copy I knew then that I would read it. The book got thrown against the wall many times, once my wonderful husband even took the book away from me because it brought back so many painful memories, some in the book, most that are not, many I had forgotten and did not ever want to remember again. But it also served to remind me of what a special person my mother was. This story is about the determination of one woman who watched all her dreams shatter but remained strong in an era which did not recognize alcoholism as a disease or child abuse as a problem. She was my rock, my best friend and the one person who kept me sane through the madness when I was not even sure I deserved to have a place on this earth. I am sure she is in a special place in heaven where she can forever sing the beautiful music she loved so much because she has already lived through hell on earth. I miss her every day of my life. I cannot speak for my brothers and sisters, but I know that each and every one of us earned the right to be called "survivor". I consider myself to have had two lives, the one I lived before the day my father put that gun to his head and pulled the trigger and the one that started the same day. Because for me that was the day the abuse ended. I was 38 years old. This book is destined to be a bestseller and I am very proud of my sister. I also hope this book will help to make people understand that alcoholism and child abuse are serious problems that exist in every race, society, income bracket and if you know of someone who needs help, don't just talk about, call someone.
Love you Barbara

Click Here to see more reviews about: Change Me into Zeus's Daughter: A Memoir

Click here for more information about Change Me into Zeus's Daughter: A Memoir

Read More...

The Betrayal (Fear Street Saga Trilogy, No. 1) Review

Average Reviews:

(More customer reviews)Living in 1692 Massachusetts, Susannah Goode was an innocent, naive young girl. Her only mistake: loving the son of her family's bitter rivals, the Fiers. A young man whose angry father sentenced Susannah and her mother to burn at the stake. Leaving Susannah's father so devestated that he turned to the black arts and curses the Fiers for all eternity. Wherever the Fiers go, they taint the very ground with their pressence. No one who crosses their path can escape the curse - no matter how innocent or evil they are. And two hundred years later, innocent Nora Goode, whose like Susannah loved a Fier, pays the price - and now she must record the history of the evil that decimated the Fiers. I always wondered why so many bad things happened on Fear Street, and now I know - and it makes it that much more creepy!

Click Here to see more reviews about: The Betrayal (Fear Street Saga Trilogy, No. 1)

Nora knows the secrets behind the horrifying things happening on Fear Street and reveals the dark legacy that marked the start of the terror three hundred years earlier, when a young girl was burned at the stake.

Click here for more information about The Betrayal (Fear Street Saga Trilogy, No. 1)

Read More...

Why Johnny Can't Read: And What You Can Do about It Review

Average Reviews:

(More customer reviews)I found this book back in 1987 right before my first child turned 5. After reading the book, I decided I had better teach my son to read myself before the local public school had a chance to mess him up. I couldn't believe how fast he learned to read! Using this book made it simple, easy, and fun for him. We spent no more than 15 minutes a day going through the exercises in the book (my son was very hyperactive back then with a very short attention span!). After about 3 weeks Andrew was able to read simple children's books, and very soon progessed to higher-level reading. Once he learned HOW to read (thanks to Flesch's method), he was able to quickly progress on his own. Sometimes he wanted me to read to him; other times he wanted to read to me. I helped him whenever he got stuck on a word that was not spelled the way it sounds. Even though there are a lot of English words which are (unfortunately and annoyingly) spelled contrary to phonic rules, such as "eye," once you learn to read by phonics, the "sight words" aren't that hard to learn. Most of them are figured out by the context and are then quickly memorized. But FIRST, you need to learn the phonics!
Anyway, since my first son learned to read so fast and well, thanks to this book, naturally I turned to it again 5 years later when my second son was almost 5. However, it turned out that Collin had no interest in learning to read at that point. I felt no need to rush or pressure him, so I put the book away. A few months later I got the book out again to see if he was interested yet, and he was. Learning to read was fast and fun, just as with my first son.
For both of my boys, the first word they learned to read was CAT. At first, when they sounded out the letters for c-a-t, the sounds were separate, and it didn't sound like any word they knew. So I told them to say the sounds faster and blend them together. After a few attempts of this, "cat" came out of their mouths. I will never forget the looks of joy and amazement on their faces when that happened! They had just figured out HOW to read! That was the turning point, and reading as been easy and enjoyable for them ever since.
A couple of years later my husband said he thought we should start home schooling our boys. At first I didn't think I was up to the challenge until he reminded me that I had already taught the boys to read--and that's supposed to be the hard part. Once a person can read, learning is mostly a matter of self-education (with the parents as guides). He was right!
In summary, I love this book! It has helped my family greatly, and I believe that it would be very helpful for anyone wanting to teach a child to read.

Click Here to see more reviews about: Why Johnny Can't Read: And What You Can Do about It

The classic book on phonics--the method of teaching recommended by the U.S. Department of Education. Contains complete materials and instructions on teaching children to read at home.

Click here for more information about Why Johnny Can't Read: And What You Can Do about It

Read More...

Mageborn: The Blacksmith's Son: Mordecai's journey to master magic draws him into an ancient battle for the future of humanity. (Volume 1) Review

Average Reviews:

(More customer reviews)At first, I was somewhat worried about reading this novel; the synopsis is pretty brief, and many of the other reviews at the time (shortly after publication) were short, "this is the only review I've written" types that I always assume are shills. At less than a buck though, I was willing to take a risk, and was pleasantly surprised. Manning's produced a novel that is an example of good, traditional fantasy. The writing is consistently fun and vivid, the pacing quick while still filling in the necessary detail, the dialogue scans well, and you can both believe in and empathize with the characters. The plot is also pretty decent; Mordecai, the protagonist, is the sole survivor of line of mages and nobles killed by assassins. Eventually his own magical powers develop, and over the period of a couple weeks he gets up to deeds of daring-do, somewhat predictably saving himself, friends and family in the process. While there isn't anything particularly inspired or new in Manning's magical system, plot, or worldbuilding, this is as good as most traditionally published fantasy novels and is well edited. Overall, a very solid effort, and well worth the price. I'd recommend this book to fantasy readers in general, and will read the sequel.

Click Here to see more reviews about: Mageborn: The Blacksmith's Son: Mordecai's journey to master magic draws him into an ancient battle for the future of humanity. (Volume 1)

Mordecai's simple life as the son of a blacksmith is transformed by the discovery of his magical birthright.As he journeys to understand the power within him he is drawn into a dangerous plot to destroy the Duke of Lancaster and undermine the Kingdom of Lothion.Love and treachery combine to embroil him in events he was never prepared to face.What he uncovers will change his understanding of the past, and alter the future of those around him.

Click here for more information about Mageborn: The Blacksmith's Son: Mordecai's journey to master magic draws him into an ancient battle for the future of humanity. (Volume 1)

Read More...