Note: We received a complimentary copy of this book for an honest review.
“Revenge is a dish best served cold” – Star Trek II: The Wrath of Khan.
So. You may want to break out your winter gear and an extra blankie for the newest action/adventure book by Jeffrey Schmoll. Cuz we’re talkin’ Edmond Dantes-esque revenge here as expert writing, pitch-perfect pacing and a lightning-fast plot race across pages and places like a runaway freight train in The Colonel’s Revenge.
Yeppers, this story has it all. Unusual settings: Angola, Namibia and South Africa. Friends lost on the battlefield. Diamonds, gems, treasure. A desperate fight for survival in a brutal, illegal gold mine. Losing a family. Finding a grandson. Love. Loyalty. Betrayal. Second chances. And enough high-octane adventure to send you into orbit. I’ll let Mom tell ya more. (Cuz, ya know. Mom. Insert eye roll here.)
Kimber here. Saying you might want to stock up on tissue before tackling one of the best non-fiction books we’ve read all year. It’s Jackie Kurtz’s Kindness Heroes: Ordinary People Doing Extraordinary Things. Cuz we just finished it. And Mom is doing that sniffly, sparkly-eyed thing. Again. Cuz, ya know. Mom. (Insert eye roll here.)
We received a complimentary copy of this book for honest review.
Note: We received a complimentary copy of this book for honest review.
It’s Christmastime in 1984 Dearborn, Michigan. High Schooler James Christie is attending a Christmas Eve party. Ex-San Francisco detective/ace private investigator Johnny Wong is also attending the party at the Christie mansion. It’s a good thing the detective is in attendance. Because when industrial magnate and family patriarch David Christie falls dead at said party shortly after changing his will, the hunt for the killer is on in this faith-flavored seasonal whodunit.
There’s also superstition. Strange things that go bump in the night. The Christie family curse. Missing pictures. The Third Army. Suicide. Microchips and Silicon Valley. A gold pen. An ancient pact.
This book moves well and is an interesting read. It’s packed with plenty of misdirections, red herrings, and clever clues. It’s a good effort. The cover art is terrif! But it’s not yet ready for prime time. Here’s why:
Kimber here. I bet you think Her Crankiness is… 100% cranky, right? So do I. (Don’t tell Mom, okay? Let’s just keep this our little secret.)
But every once in a while Mom surprises me. Not that I’m surprise-able. But …
Wait. Where was I?
Oh yeah. Mom and I read a trio of books recently that were … surprising. They were quite different from each other, too. Think dogs and cats. (Well, okay. Maybe not cats. But you get the picture.)
Anyway, the first book is a delightful Christian romance from Kim Vogel Sawyer. The second is a non-fiction “travel tome with a twist” from Joseph F. Smith, M.D. There’s also an historical fiction novel by Kristin Hannah.
All get an Official Thumbs Up from Her Crankiness. Here’s why (short version):
Know the feeling? You’re skipping merrily along. Loving a new book. Buried in an engaging, entertaining story with top-notch writing. You feel like you’re on a first-name basis with most of the characters. Would love joining them for a hot cuppa and a good chat. Or invite them over for dinner.
Then, all of a sudden, the book winds down. The story concludes. The characters resolve whatever they’re resolving. Or not.
But one way or another, the book ends.
You sigh. Because, why wouldn’t you? You’ve been carrying these characters around in your head for… hours. Days. Maybe weeks. Or more. You’re so invested in these characters and their lives that leaving them feels… sad. Like you’re saying goodbye to dear friends. And closing that last page?
Double sigh.
Because you wished it would never end.
And have you noticed? A good book always ends too soon. Always.
Mom distinctly recalls one of the first books that ever evoked this feeling. She was in the fourth grade. Or maybe it was the third? Like, back when dinosaurs roamed the earth. The book was Born Free: A Lioness of Two Worlds by Joy Adamson. True story of Elsa, an orphaned lion cub. Elsa was raised by humans who loved her enough to set her free.
Others (most are fiction. Non-fiction titles are noted with “NF.”):
1. Black Beauty – Anna Sewell
2. Where the Red Fern Grows – Wilson Rawls
3. Peter Pan – J.M. Barrie
4. The Silver Brumby – Elyne Mitchell
5. Through Gates of Splendor – Elisabeth Elliot (NF)
6. At Home in Mitford – Jan Karon
7. Because of Winn-Dixie – Kate DiCamillo
8. Island of the Blue Dolphins – Scott O’Dell
9. The Christmas Box – Richard Paul Evans
10. A Tale of Two Cities – Charles Dickens
11. Les Miserables – Alexandre Dumas
12. Charlie and the Chocolate Factory – Roald Dahl
13 & 14. Brighty of the Grand Canyon, King of the Wind – Marguerite Henry
15. A River Runs Through It – Norman Maclean
16. A Tree Grows in Brooklyn – Betty Smith
17. Waking the Dead – John Eldredge (NF)
18. Christy – Catherine Marshall
19. The Robe – Lloyd C. Douglas
20. Where the Crawdads Sing – Delia Owens
21. Keep Walking, Your Heart Will Catch Up – Cathay Reta (NF)
22. A Year in Paradise – Floyd Schmoe (NF)
23. The Applause of Heaven – Max Lucado
24. Walking Home: Common Sense and Other Misadventures on the Pacific Crest Trail – Rick Rogers (NF)
Note: We received a complimentary copy of this book for honest review.
“I’m awake! I’m awake!” harketh Her Momness.
“With your eyes closed? Snoring to beat the band?” says I, Kimber the Magnificent. Well, can’t say I blame Mom. Cuz this short story collection is the next best thing to Sominex. Here’s why:
“What a kick in the passport!” Mom hooted after finishing Karen Gershowitz’s Travel Mania: Stories of Wanderlust. “It’s fun and educational!” (She’s outside turning handsprings. Don’t tell anyone, okay?)
“But Mom,” says The Level-Headed One. “You say that about every travel book!”
Ever see someone try to stop hand-springing halfway through?
“I do not!” barks Mom.
Okay, fine. Whatevs, says I, Kimber the Magnificent. But tell me, Mom. What makes this book so splendiferous?
By Daniel G. Block (Indie author/North Air Entertainment, 2025)
Genre: Non-fiction – Memoir
Pages (print): 334
Via: Author request
Note: We received a complimentary copy of this book for honest review.
Other note: Trail Creek was “Originally written by the late Dr. Daniel G. Block, professor of Biology at the University of Montana, Western and carefully edited and prepared for publication by his grandson, Zach Block with the assistance of the North Fork Landowners Association.”
“Some day we will return – and cry together.”
Throw another log on the fire and grab a hot cuppa for this highly readable and imminently engaging memoir by the late Daniel G. Block, educator, biologist, and natural storyteller. As bright as a summer sun and as big as a Montana sky, this true story of love, life, and adventure on “the last true frontier” pulls at the heartstrings as it whispers of memories of early, unforgettable years on the North Fork of the Flathead River in Montana and the “tonic of the wilderness.” Set largely in the post-WWII years of 1946 through the early 1950s, Trail Creek: A North Fork Saga is Walden-esque and Walton-esque in both style and substance.
Glad you asked. The answer is cuz I’M SO EXCITED!!
Mom: Kimber, that’s not new. You’re always excited. Just likd you love everyone. (Except maybe the neighborhood powder puff. But let’s not get picky here, okay?)
Kimber: I know. But Im soooo happy and super excited! Cuz its a favorite time of year! As in, Spring! New life! Warmer weather! Trees budding! Mud drying! Burgers on the barbie… What?
Oh yeah. Spring. And Easter! Oh yes. Oh Yes. OH YES! Like this:
They thought it was over. Friday felt like a final defeat. But Sunday morning was just getting started.
Cuz Easter isn’t just a story. It’s the Most Momentous Event in Human History. The Ultimate Triumph. The Everlasting Hope. Easter changes everything.
And one of our favorite books celebrating Easter is pretty new. In fact, it was released just last year by indie author Caleb Backholm. It’s called Two Weeks Till Sunday.
You know it’s Pawsome cuz we say so. It also garnered a very rare 5.0.
Kimber: Jackpot! It’s a beautiful spring day. The sun is shining. The sky is a perfect bowl of blue. The neighbor’s cat is visiting relatives elsewhere. And Her Grumpiness is only half as grumpy as usual.
What a deal!
Speaking of “deals,” I’ve got a two-fer for you today. Sort of. One’s a “repeat surprise.” I’ll let Her Grumpiness tell us about that in a min. So kindly keep your shirt on, okay? The other is a Second Sigh. As in, we loved the author’s first book but this second one is a stinker. Which is why Her Grumpiness is only half as grumpy as…
Well, wait. Here she is now.Mom, is that the second or third bowl of cookies ’n cream ice cream? “Mind your own beeswax;” Mom chirps.
Pages & Paws 