Making Bank: The Personal Finance Lessons They Never Taught Us in School by Claudio M. Ghipsmann
This book was born out of the author’s experience in getting into debt during college, due to all the credit card companies hounding him to get a credit card and not having the knowledge to control his spending.
He outlines the foundations of personal financial concepts, like 401-K, IRAs , Roth IRAs, etc. that may be helpful for people to know in today’s complex world.
The author uses simple to understand diagrams and definitions to explain how credit cards work, how banks work, how to make a budget. If you have a college student getting ready to go out into the world I recommend you give them this book as a graduation present. The author doesn’t preach or judge just puts the facts out there to help us make informed decisions about our money.
He gives the reader the fifteen most important takeaways from this book:
1-You need to make bank every month and spend less money than you bring in.
3-Your balance sheet tells you how rich or poor you are because it tells you what your net worth is.
15. Being rich isn’t everything, but being financially secure is. Happiness is not measured with what’s in a bank account, but what it’s in the heart. This is my mom’s greatest financial lesson to me.
I found the book very informative and educational without making me feel stupid. The author is writing from experience and wants all of us to succeed at handling our finances.
This book was sent to me free of charge by phenix & phenix for review.
Happy Reading!
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Delcroix Academy: Book One: The Candidates by Inara Scott
Book Description:
Dancia Lewis is far from popular. And that's not just because of her average grades or her less-than-glamorous wardrobe. In fact, Dancia's mediocrity is a welcome cover for her secret: whenever she sees a person threatening someone she cares about, things just...happen. Cars skid. Structures collapse. Usually someone gets hurt. So Dancia does everything possible to avoid getting close to anyone, belieiving this way she can supress her powers and keep them hidden.
But when recruiters from the prestigious Delcroix Academy show up in her living room to offer her a full scholarship, Dancia's days of living under the radar may be over. Only, Delcroix is a school for diplomats' kids and child geniuses--not B students with uncontrollable telekinetic tendencies. So why are they treating Dancia like she's special? Even the hottest guy on campus seems to be going out of his way to make Dancia feel welcome.
And then there's her mysterious new friend Jack, who can't stay out of trouble. He suspects something dangerous is going on at the Academy and wants Dancia to help him figure out what. But Dancia isn't convinced. She hopes that maybe the recruiters know more about her "gift" than they're letting on. Maybe they can help her understand how to use it...But not even Dancia could have imagined what awaits her behind the gates of Delcroix Academy.
Review:
This was a fun read. There are no vampires or werewolves, just ordinary kids with “special talents.” When Dancia is recruited to Delcroix she must take the Delcroix Pledge and “promise to use her talents only to advance the common good and to achieve the betterment of humanity.”
At first she doesn’t understand what’s so special about her and why she’s given a full scholarship to Delcroix. She tries not to stand out, but she needs up making friends and enjoying being different. During a pottery class she laments
“Sometimes I wished I could use my power, just once, and show them all that I wasn’t just a pitiful lump of clay, a badly formed bowl that wouldn’t even hold water.”
Once Dancia stumbles onto the real reason she was recruited she realizes that she’s not weird, but that she can do a lot to help humanity and be a normal person with a normal life.
If you like Harry Potter, this is a good replacement. It has action, suspense, good vs. evil, and a girl trying to determine what’s right and wrong and being her best. I'm looking forward to the series and hope it is as good as this one.
Happy Reading!
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New Tricks by David Rosenfelt
Description from back of book:
Attorney Andy Carpenter is about to represent an adorable Bernese mountain dog puppy, whose owner was brutally murdered, in a custody fight. Few can rival Andy’s affection for dogs, and he’s determined to keep Waggy from falling into the wrong hands. But this playful pup possesses a valuable secret that some people will resort to violence to obtain. It will take more than Andy’s usual courtroom theatrics to save Waggy, including help form the lawyer’s golden retriever, Tara. Andy soon discovers that everyone around him is in danger, including his longtime girlfriend, Laurie—and only some high-risk new tricks will save those he cherishes most.
My review:
This was a fun, cozy mystery that anyone who is an animal lover will enjoy. This mystery has laughs and suspense to keep you interested from start to finish. I loved Andy because he’s funny and sarcastic and just a fun character. He usually helps dog clients, but this time he has to help a man prove his innocence. Steven Timmerman is accused of killing his dad and his step mom and Andy’s called in to prove it. Timmerman was a multi millionaire who also showed dogs as a hobby. As the case progresses, more questions turn up than answers. One man, CharlesRobinson, wants custody of the dog because Timmerman was a friend, and wants to see if Waggy has the right moves to be a champion like his sire. The judge wants Andy to decide, but Andy’s unclear has to whether that’s the best place for the dog. When Robinson ends up dead, then Andy has to figure out who killed Timmerman and the others.
This is a fast paced romp filled with suspense and laughs. Anyone who likes a cozy mystery will enjoy this read.
David Rosenfelt and his wife established the Tara Foundation and have rescued over four thousand dogs, mostly golden retrievers.
Happy Reading!
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The idea of In My Mailbox is to bring books to the attention of our blog readers and to encourage interaction with other blogs
How In My Mailbox works:
1. Every week we'll post about what books we have received that week (via your mailbox/library/store bought)! Preferably posts will be made every Sunday, but feel free to choose a day that works best for you.
2. Everyone that agrees to participate will try to visit each other's list and leave comments!
3. Everyone is welcome to join! You can join at anytime and you DO NOT have to participate every week.
4. Be sure to sign the Mr. Linky Widget (that will be posted each Sunday with my In My Mailbox post) so that others can easily find your "In My Mailbox" post! You DO NOT have to title your post "In My Mailbox"
5. Link back here, to The Story Siren, on your In My Mailbox post, so that other people can find more information about IMM.
Monday
Running the Books: The Adventures of an Accidental Prison Libraraian
by Avi Steinberg (Random House)
Wednesday
The Wisdom of the Sufis by Kenneth Cragg (Axios Press)
The Byzantine Achievement by Robert Byron (Axios Press)
Thursday
Arthur of Albion by John Matthews,Pavel Tatarnikov (Barefoot Books)
Saturday
Big Nate Strikes Again by Lincoln Peirce (Harper Collins)
Happy Reading!
Happy Reading!
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My Only Sunshine by Lou Dischler (Hub City Press) Oct. 1, 2010
Book description:
In 1962, as the Cubans point their Russian missiles right at the sugarcane plantations of Red Church, Louisiana, nine-year-old Charlie Boone and his gravel-eating younger brother, Jute, are fixed on velvet ants and the declining health of a horse named Lunch Time. Their father has been sent upriver after a botched convenience store holdup and a walloping with a can of Crisco. Their mother, too, has vanished. Memaw and Pawpaw insist she disappeared in a hurricane. But Charlie hasn't given up hope, fondly remembering her singing a campaign song as he dozed in her lap: ''You are my sunshine, my only sunshine...''
When Charlie's long-lost uncle Dan rolls up at the grandparents' farm in a stolen Buick the trunk loaded with erotic contraband, a beautiful girlfriend at his side the misadventures begin. After taking over Charlie's bedroom, the latter-day Bonnie and Clyde grab a laundry bag and head for the Great Southern Bank of Baton Rouge. Thinking they plan to bring back a pair of breakfast pigs, Charlie attempts to dig a pen and opens a mysterious gusher of salt water. Meanwhile, the good people of Red Church turn on the air raid sirens. Amidst the confusion of a coming Armageddon, Charlie tries his hand at strip poker and whiskey drinking. He is promptly dispatched to reform school, where his real education begins.
The intertwining stories of Charlie and his uncle Dan in Lou Dischler's hilarious novel build to an uproarious climax in which an alligator is loosed from a suitcase, the Holy Ghost pays a visit, and Charlie's once-lowlife family is raised up by a 5-million-ton geological oddity--what Pawpaw calls ''an honest to God fact of nature.'' Buckle up for a big dose of Cajun comedy as Charlie takes charge.
I loved this book. It was a tragically comedic book that reminded me of Clyde Edgerton. Charlie and Jute are lovable characters that are just typical boys that don’t know any better. This book grabbed my attention on the first page and kept me interested during the whole show. I highly recommend this book to anyone who likes books about the south and the interesting characters that inhabit the area.
I received this book free of charge from Hub City Press for my honest review.
Happy Reading Everyone!
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Teaser Tuesdays is a weekly meme, hosted by MizB of Should Be Reading. Just do the following:
1. Grab your current read
2. Open to a random page
3. Share two “teaser” sentences from somewhere on that page
4. BE CAREFUL NOT TO INCLUDE SPOILERS! (make sure that what you share doesn’t give too much away! You don’t want to ruin the book for others!)
5. Share the title & author, too, so that other TT participants can add the book to their TBR Lists if they like your teasers!
Mine is from New Tricks by David Rosenfelt p. 2
I find that my vacations are getting longer and longer, almost to the point that vacationing is my status quo, from which I take infrequent “work breaks.” Two things enable me to do this: my mostly inherited wealth, and my laziness.
Happy Reading!
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The idea of In My Mailbox is to bring books to the attention of our blog readers and to encourage interaction with other blogs.
How In My Mailbox works:
1. Every week we'll post about what books we have received that week (via your mailbox/library/store bought)! Preferably posts will be made every Sunday, but feel free to choose a day that works best for you.
2. Everyone that agrees to participate will try to visit each other's list and leave comments!
3. Everyone is welcome to join! You can join at anytime and you DO NOT have to participate every week.
4. Be sure to sign the Mr. Linky Widget (that will be posted each Sunday with my In My Mailbox post) so that others can easily find your "In My Mailbox" post! You DO NOT have to title your post "In My Mailbox"
5. Link back here, to The Story Siren, on your In My Mailbox post, so that other people can find more information about IMM.
Happy Reading!
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Adam & Eve : a novel by Sena Jeter Naslund
Book Description from Harper Collins website
Due out September 28. 2010
What happened to Eden?
The New York Times bestselling author of Ahab's Wife, Four Spirits, and Abundance returns with an audacious and provocative novel that envisions a world where science and faith contend for the allegiance of a new Adam & Eve.
One of the most imaginative and inspired writers of our time, Sena Jeter Naslund masterfully uses her craft to lay bare the poignant complexity of humanity—the passion and despair, the ignorance and frailty, the genius and resilience that define us. From Victorian London to civil-rights-era Alabama, from nineteenth-century New England to revolutionary Paris, her novels offer profound insight and startling truths about human experience. Now, with Adam & Eve, she delivers her most ambitious and encompassing tale to date.
Set against the searing debate between evolutionists and creationists, Adam & Eve expands the definition of a "sacred book," and suggests that true madness lies in wars and violence fueled by all religious literalism and intolerance. A thriller, a romance, an adventure, and an idyll, Adam & Eve is a tour de force by a master contemporary storyteller.
My review:
I loved this book. I’ve never read any of her other books, but this one was lyrical and she painted a picture as if she were applying paint to canvas.
Both Lucy and Adam experience a rebirth of themselves while in “Eden” and discover life again and are able to learn to love again.
Memorable passage:
The old man was like a mountain spring, and the words from his lips
Flowed unceasingly over jagged rocks and smooth, flat stones, over
toads and watercress. Minnows swam in his words, and then a
gigantic whale whose passing was interminable. Yards and yards
of gray whale blocked Adam’s vision like the passing of a freight
train at a rural crossing, till finally the way was clear and that
moving assemblage no longer blocked the vista.
I think that anyone who reads this book will be moved and understand how Lucy & Adam become whole again after the tragedies in their lives. If you like literary fiction then this is a book you must read.
Happy Reading!
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Saving Sky by Diane Stanley
Book description:
In this provocative title, award-winning author Stanley asks young readers to consider what courage might look like in an America under psychological and physical siege. Growing up off the grid on a New Mexico ranch, Sky is cocooned from the country's escalating fears over war and terrorist attacks. Then her friend Kareem is falsely arrested at the local Home Depot, setting off a chain of events that utterly upends Sky's sense of security: police arrest Kareem's parents, Kareem goes into hiding, and Sky is interrogated by the police about her role in Kareem's disappearance. As fears mount, the U.S. slips deeper into anarchy, and foreign-born American families pay the price as they are rounded up and interned. Sky and her family fight back the only way they can—by hiding and protecting Kareem on their vast, isolated ranch. To categorize this novel solely as science fiction would be wishful thinking, and parallels to our contemporary times appear on every page. The recognizable adult characters, from the truly good to the fearful to the insidiously evil, are drawn straight from today's headlines, while the young people manifest a courage few can emulate.
This book for children grades 5-8 is powerful and Diane Stanley does a good job of explaining why some people act a certain way in tragic situations.
When Sky and her sister, Mouse and their mom witness a confrontation between a man and an Arab family it brings them into the current situation that 9/11 brought to the country, even though Sky’s parents have isolated them from the tragedy. Later Mouse asks her mom why that man acted the way he did and mom responds
Oh, Mouse, because they were scared, I guess. And worried. And they were looking for someone to blame. It’s wrong, it’s terrible; but people do weird things when they feel threatened.
Later when Sky’s mom calls her at school to let her know that a classmate’s father has been arrested and that they have to keep Kareem safe does the full impact hit her. She just sees it as helping her mom keep her promise to Kareem’s dad, but until the Department of Homeland Security finds her at school to ask where Kareem went does she realize that what her family is doing is breaking the law.
Four months after Kareem and his dad were arrested, Sky has to read her winning essay about courage. Instead she reads what Kareem wrote:
I know that having courage doesn’t mean you aren’t afraid. It means that
even when you are, especially when you are, you keep doing what you have to,
and what is right.
Those arrested were taken to an internment facility like what was used during WWII with the Japanese Americans. At the end of Sky’s reading of Kareem’s essay she tells her Governor and other important people that we have the power to stop this insanity.
I loved this book and feel it’s an important one to read to or with your kids and then talk to them about what they’ve read.
This book was sent to me free of charge by Harper Collins children for review.
Happy Reading !
Teaser Tuesdays is a weekly meme, hosted by MizB of Should Be Reading. Just do the following:
1. Grab your current read
2. Open to a random page
3. Share two “teaser” sentences from somewhere on that page
4. BE CAREFUL NOT TO INCLUDE SPOILERS! (make sure that what you share doesn’t give too much away! You don’t want to ruin the book for others!)
5. Share the title & author, too, so that other TT participants can add the book to their TBR Lists if they like your teasers!
Mine is from Saving Sky by Diane Stanley p. 37
With nothing to sell, the shops would all close one by one until Santa Fe became a ghost town. Whatever it was you wanted or needed, you’d better be prepared to grow it yourself, or make it, or buy it locally – because otherwise, you wouldn’t be able to get it at all.
Happy Reading!
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Lizards in the Sky : Animals Where You Least Expect Them
Claire Eamer
If your child is an animal lover and likes unusual animals then they will love this book. This book is about animals that live where you wouldn’t expect animals. For example, the burrowing owl doesn’t live in a tree it lives in a hole in the ground. If you’ve read the book Hoot then you’ve heard of these little guys.
Another animal is a kakapo, which is the world's biggest parrot that doesn't fly.
Ho about an olm? It's a salamander that lives in limestone caverns.
These are just some of the animals your child will learn about in this book. I highly recommend this book for any animal lover. This book is for anyone 9-12, but it would be a great book for families to share.
This book was sent to me by Annick Press free of charge for a review.
Happy Reading!
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The Trials of Zion by Alan M. Dershowitz A Review
(Oct 1, 2010)
Book description:
A shocking act of terror brings the Middle East to the point of explosion. As the resulting political conflict threatens to erupt, a young Jewish-American lawyer joins the defense team of an arrested but possibly innocent Palestinian. Soon the lawyer's father, a famed criminal attorney, must win the Palestinian's case or risk losing his daughter forever. To do so, he must take into account the tormented history of the Holy Land from every possible angle. THE TRIALS OF ZION combines the tension of the greatest courtroom dramas with the action of a fast-moving thriller, all set against the colorful backdrop of one of the most complex cultural settings in the world. Filled with memorable characters, this novel offers readers not only compelling suspense, but a panoramic view of the history of a beloved and bitterly contested land, and a sharply controversial perspective on the sources of--and the possible solutions to--the world's longest and most crucial international crisis.
My review:
I’ve heard the name Alan Dershowitz in relation to high profile trials, but not as a thriller author. I enjoyed this book that brings in the conflicts of the Middle East and how our government has tried to help improve the area unsuccessfully.
This book has it all, religious zealots who think their group has a right to destroy anyone who doesn’t see things their way, rogue intelligent agents and prejudice between Arabs, Jews, Christians and atheists. This book weaves history and religion together along with the law, both American and Israeli to produce a book with page turning moments that leave you wanting more.
I recommend this book to anyone who loves thrillers and legal dramas.
This book was sent to me free of charge for review by Hachette Book Group.
Happy Reading!
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The idea of In My Mailbox is to bring books to the attention of our blog readers and to encourage interaction with other blogs.
How In My Mailbox works:
1. Every week we'll post about what books we have received that week (via your mailbox/library/store bought)! Preferably posts will be made every Sunday, but feel free to choose a day that works best for you.
2. Everyone that agrees to participate will try to visit each other's list and leave comments!
3. Everyone is welcome to join! You can join at anytime and you DO NOT have to participate every week.
4. Be sure to sign the Mr. Linky Widget (that will be posted each Sunday with my In My Mailbox post) so that others can easily find your "In My Mailbox" post! You DO NOT have to title your post "In My Mailbox"
5. Link back here, to The Story Siren, on your In My Mailbox post, so that other people can find more information about IMM.
Tuesday, September 7
The Maybelline Story by Sharrie Williams and Bettie Youngs (Bettie Youngs Publishing)
Wednesday, September 8
Revolution by Jennifer Donnelly (Random House) via Shelf Awareness
Bobo’s Daughter: One Woman’s Journey to Find Hope, Healing and the Father Behind the Face Paint by Bonnie Barnett (Synergy Books via phenix & phenix)
Thursday, September 9, 2010
Put on Your Crown: Life-changing Moments on the Path to Queendom by Queen Latifah (Hachette) won from Metroreader
Saturday, September 11, 2010
Lizards in the sky: Animals where you least expect them by Claire Eamer
(Annick Press)
Happy Reading!
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When Emilia meets the wealthy, brooding Franco Villani, her life takes a thrilling, but dangerous turn. Franco will do anything to win a place in the court of the powerful Cosimo de’ Medici. Well aware that Cosimo prizes ancient manuscripts above all, Franco realizes Emilia’s Manual would be invaluable to him in more ways than one.
Infused with the mysticism of alchemy, Nonna’s Book of Mysteries is an exciting portrait of a young woman who defies convention to seek her destiny.
I loved this YA novel that takes the reader through life in Renaissance Italy and through Emilia's dreams of life as an artist. I liked Emilia and her determination to not just be a wife and mother, but a painter. This book also has some elements of fantasy when Emilia is studying her grandmother's book of alchemy. I wanted to read more about Emilia and continue the journey of her life. I'll have to wait for the other books This book and Alchemy's Daughter are part of a four book series. I think adults will enjoy this novel as well as YA. The author conceived the idea for this book while vacationing in Tuscany. She hosts alchemy parties for teen girls to help them reflect and dream their dreams to light by making alchemy jars. To learn more about these alchemy parties go to www.MysticFiction.com.
This book was sent to me free of charge by Lake Street Press for my review.
Happy Reading !
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The Report by Jessica Frances Kane Graywolf Press
This novel is based on the true story printed below:
On 3 March 1943 at 8:27PM the unopened Bethnal Green tube station was the site of a wartime disaster. Families had crowded into the underground station due to an air raid siren at 8:17, one of 10 that day. There was a panic at 8:27 coinciding with the sound of an anti-aircraft battery (possibly the recently installed Z battery) being fired at nearby Victoria Park. In the wet, dark conditions, a woman slipped on the entrance stairs and 173 people died in the resulting crush. Although a report was filed by Eric Linden with the Daily Mail, who witnessed it, it never ran. The story which was reported instead was that there had been a direct hit by a German bomb. The results of the official investigation were not released until 1946.[7] There is now a plaque at the entrance to the tube station, which commemorates it as the worst civilian disaster of World War II. It is estimated that during WWII, 80 tons of bombs fell on the Metropolitan Borough of Bethnal Green, affecting 21,700 houses, destroying 2,233 and making a further 893 uninhabitable. There were a total of 555 people killed and 400 seriously injured.[8] Many unexploded bombs remain in the area, and on Monday 14 May 2007, builders discovered a World War II 1 m long, 500 lb (230 kg) bomb.
This story is about one man’s quest to discover the truth behind what really happened on March 3, 1943. Paul Barber wants to do a documentary film about the accident and about the report that was written explaining what happened.
Laurie Dunne was the magistrate assigned to investigate the accident and write the report, until Paul shows up at his doorstep he has tried to put that day and the report behind him. Until Paul reveals that he was adopted by Ada Barber, who lost a daughter that day, Dunne didn’t want to have anything to do with rehashing the past.
When he was asked to do the report he says:
In my experience what people want to believe is more important to
them that what actually happens.
He later says,
Some in Bethnal Green were eager for the report, sure it would reveal
something to help them make sense of the senseless. Others felt only
suspicion. The inquiry, they believed, was merely an exercise in
distraction, something authorities did in order to avoid accountability.
How could someone not present that night tell them what happened?
This is a powerful phrase and I feel it’s apt for today as well. After 9/11 a lot of people were looking to blame and then turning to the government to explain it to them to make sense of those that lost their lives.
This is a powerful novel and an important one for everyone to read. One of the other important messages is one that Reverend McNelly gives:
When the magistrate is preparing to write his report he is questioning what it’s purpose is:
If the purpose of a report is to explain what caused a tragedy, then I should begin with maps and diagrams and endeavor at once to describe the particulars of the accident in detail. But if perhaps the better purpose of a report is to understand a tragedy, then I should begin with a woman in a crowd, surrounded but alone.
I highly recommend this book to anyone who’s a World War II history buff and a lover of English history during that time as well.
This book was sent to me free of charge from Graywolf Press for my review.
Happy Reading !
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