50 Simple Things You Can Do to Improve Your Personal Finances - Ilyce R. Glink - Glink's preface reminds the readers that "money won't buy you happiness. It just gives you options." Then she lists 50 simple steps to hold on to more of your money. You have to start by getting organized and taking the time to gain a complete understanding of your current financial state. Learn to track all your spending, you'll be surprised how frivolously some of your money is spend. Break your bad spending habits, live below your means and talk with your partner about finances. Everybody will gain from reading Glink's simply written book.

 

Six Action Shoes - Edward DeBono -- Each shoe represents certain guidelines to follow in various business situations.  Perhaps this management fad didn't gain a foothold in American business. 

 

Alex Rider: The Gadgets - Anthony Horowitz - Alex Rider, the junior star of the British Secret Service, has used various gadgets in his adventures. Unfortunately, readers of Alex’ adventures weren’t privy to the specifications and ful potential of these gadgets until now. Horowitz offers readers the blueprints and specifications of Alex’ gadgets. My favorite is the Canondale Bad Boy Bike.

Giggler Treatment - Roddy Doyle -- Adults oft times are mean to children, or so it seems to the Gigglers, who are magical creatures. So these adults deserve the Giggler Treatment, to have fresh dog poo placed in their path to soil their shoes. Mr. Mack is the next victim but he doesnt deserve the Giggler Treatment. Enjoy the canine pungency of this silly book.

 

Harry Potter und der Stein der Weisen (Harry Potter #1 in German) - Joanne K. Rowling - This delightfully magical story of the boy wizard doesn't forfeit any of its charm in German. And the favorite candy is still Bertie Boott's "Bohnen in allen Geschmacksrichtungen."

 

Junie B. Jones Series #1-19 - Barbara Park - Junie is your everyday nearly six years old kindergartner. She says that K should be called "zero grade" because it comes before 1^st Grade, that her mom has "mybrain headaches" and that "glum is when the happy is gone right out of you." Junie B. always speaks her mind, usually loudly, isn't sure what to think of her baby brother and has fun adventures with scissors. Book #18 has Junie B. finally starting 1^st Grade and her misadventures continue. This chapter book series is easy and enjoyable to read.

 

Junie B. Jones #20-Junie B., First Grader: Toothless Wonder - B. Park - Junie B. becomes the first student in her first grade class to lose a top tooth. After the initial excitement, Junie B. remembers the horror stories she has heard about the Tooth Fairy . What will Junie B. do and will her parents survive this latest childhood disaster? As always, Park wonderfully describes the follies of childhood.

 

Junie B. Jones#21-Junie B., First Grader: Cheater Pants- B. Park - Her weekend was so filled with activities that Junie B. forgot all about her homework until late Sunday night when her dad told her to go to bed. Thus on Monday morning, Junie doesn’t have her homework ready but she sees that May left her work sitting on her desk and so Junie decides to copy May’s work. Mr. Scary notices and tells Junie that she is cheating. Later, Junie needs an answer on a test and a classmate provides the answer. Again Junie is caught cheating. She does eventually learn her lesson and continues in her first grade adventures.

 

Junie B. Jones #22-Junie B., First Grader: One-Man Band-B. Park - The first grade classes plan to hold a kickball tournament and Junie B. is practicing her kicking when she hurts her big toe. Although she can’t play, Junie B. still plans to participate in the tournament by performing during the half-time show. Oh, but nothing is ever simple when Junie B. is involved. Barbara Park continues to delight her readers and allows her readers to re-live their personal experiences from first grade through Junie B.

 

Junie B, Jones # 24 - Junie B., First Grader: Boo...and I Mean It!-Barbara Park - Junie B. believes that witches and monsters are real and therefore, she doesn’t want to go out on Halloween unless she wears the scariest costume she can find. Junie’s indulgent mom plays along and helps Junie design a scary clown costume. Now Junie is Screamy the Clown! Will this costume help Junie overcome her fear of witches and monsters? Read the book.

 

Junie B. Jones #26: Junie B., First Grader: Aloha-ha-ha! - Barbara Park - First grader Junie B. is all aflutter about her family’s vacation to Hawaii. Since she’s shared her excitement with room one, Mr. Scary assigns Junie to report on her vacation and take pictures to share with the class. Though it sounds suspiciously like homework, Junie B. accepts the task. Of course, a trip with Junie B. will bring surprises and frustrations. And the pictures prove it. Barbara Park continues to delight her readers with Junie’s antics.

Junie B. Jones #27: Jinue B., First Grader: Dumb Bunny - Barbara Park -Lucille, who likes to brag about her family’s wealth, invites all the students of Room One to her party which will include an Easter egg hunt. Whoever finds the golden egg will receive an invite for a swim in Lucille’s heated pool. Junie B. would love to find the golden egg, but she isn’t the only student hoping for that particular prize. However, another surprise awaits Junie B. in the form of a bunny costume. Barbara Park captures the essence of a first grader to a "T’ with Junie B.

Time Warp Trio Series - Jon Scieszka -- Joe, Fred and Sam are three buddies who have the weirdest adventures all because of a magical book which Joe received as a birthday gift. The boys haven't quite figured out what triggers The Book, but their trips have included the past and the future. Each time, they have to orient themselves and then locate The Book to determine how to return to their own time. Silly wordplay and the comic illustrations by Adam McCauley make these easy reading books fun.

 

Time Warp Trio: Viking It and Liking It - Jon Scieszka - Joe, Sam and Fred are just goofing off, forgetting all about The Book that allows them to travel through time, when a green mist fills the room and the buddies find themselves on a beach. The boys were talking about Thursday, also known as Thor's Day, and now the friends are being attacked by Vikings. These Vikings discovered North America. Our intrepid time travelers survive their ordeal, although they did worry about the Valkyries coming to escort them to Valhalla, and eventually return to their own time.

 

24/7 - Jim Brown - A group of contestants, with mixed backgrounds, are stranded on a Caribbean island and the film crew and host have just died a horrible death on live television. Now the ultimate survivor show begins with the mysterious "control" calling the shots and the viewing public voting off a contestant every day. Trouble is, voting off means that the particular contestant won't receive his daily dose of vaccine and will die; "control" infected the contestants with the same virus that killed the film crew. Treacherous traps and personal challenges, coupled with the daily possibility of death, test the contestants mettle. 24/7 is an exciting page-turner.

Alias: Recruited - Lynn Mason - Higher schooling supposedly would bring order to Sydney's life but she still feels confused and afloat. To put it bluntly, Sydney feels that her life sucks. She has no boyfriend, no job, no social life and she is taking too many difficult credits. Does life have anything special in store for Sydney? Well, she is approached by a CIA operative to consider working for the government. Sydney accepts the welcome change and challenge and eventually she is invited to become an operative in a covert CIA group called "SD-6." Mason's book is an entertaining prequel to the fascinating television series.

Cherry Blossoms at Night - Bruce Holmes - A Japanese madman wants to control America. As part of his insane nightmare, he hired a naive scientist to create a most lethal viral agent which has been introduced into, and contaminated, nearly 80% of the worlds oil reserves. Throughout the world, but especially in America, people can no longer drive their cars or use any contaminated gasoline. And 500,000 kamikazes are poised to invade California. The exhilarating action of this novel sweeps the reader from one locale to another, including Utah locations.

 

No Comebacks - Frederick Forsyth -- I enjoy reading interesting short stories especially when the endings surprise me. Each of the stories in Forsyth's collection presents the reader with an ending á la O'Henry.

 

Snow Falling on Cedars - D. Guterson -- This well-written mix of family saga, WWII horrors, Japanese prejudice, personal introspection and family feuds, all set on a small island of the Washington coast, didn’t do much for me.

A Tale of Two Cities - Charles Dickens -- It was the best of times, it was the worst of times, it was really boring in the middle and beware of women who knit. 

 

After the Storm Comes the Rainbow - Paul H. Dunn - Early in this inspirational volume, Dunn reminds the reader "that our Father in Heaven, loving as He is, doesn't always remove our heartaches from us." Each story illustrates that growth and change can be painful, for how can we appreciate the good without making any effort or without paying any price? Dunn also reminds us that our time on Earth is finite and that we need to cherish all of our moments.

 

Charly - Jack Weyland - Doing a small favor for his dad turns Sam's life upside down. The favor is simple; just take a business associate's daughter, Charly who is from New York, on a date. But straightlaced Sam doesn't know the impact vivacious Charly will have on his life and personality. They interact like the proverbial oil and water and yet love blossoms albeit, not without trials, tests, ferriswheel rides and cross-country flights. This timeless love story will have you laughing and crying and laughing again. Also read the sequel Sam.

 

Chicken Soup for the Latter-day Saint Soul edited by Jack Canfield, Mark V. Hansen, Sherm and Peg Fugal - Do you remember the Especially for Mormons collections of thoughts and stories? Peg and Sherm Fugal edited those volumes. For the 175^th anniversary of the LDS Church, the Fugals were able to collaborate with the editors of the Chicken Soup books to create a new collection of uplifting, inspiring, humorous, and faith building stories of LDS themes. My favorite stories include "The Iron Rod" and "Pizza, Soggy Cereal and the Atonement."

Frightful and Joyous Journey of Family Life - H.W. Goddard - By relating personal experiences and insights, Goddard teaches all parents that family life is indeed a "frightful and joyous journey." Mr. Goddard uses scriptural quotations to support his teachings. He also fills his book with humor and hard-earned wisdom. Many parenting books are available to the public. Let Journey find a place in your home.

 

Nauvoo: A Place of Peace, A People of Promise - Glen M. Leonard - The history of Nauvoo gains life in Leonard's exhaustively researched and masterfully presented book. Readers will discover the good and negative aspects of living in Nauvoo and living among the Saints. Nauvoo is a valuable resource for all.

 

Nauvoo: The City Beautiful - John Telford - Nauvoo has held a prominent place in LDS history since Joseph Smith first saw the land. But not all Saints can visit this historic town. However, everybody can now enjoy Nauvoo through Telford's beautiful photo book. Simple explanatory text accompanies the many impressive photos. Nauvoo is indeed a beautiful city.

Sacred Places: Ohio and Illinois - L.Berrett, K.Perkins, D.Cannon -- Much LDS history happened in Ohio and Illinois and this book carefully and succinctly details all the important sites and events of the area and era. Filled with many maps, pictures and photographs, Sacred Places will aid your study of LDS history.

 

Saint Behind Enemy Lines - Olga K. Campora -- Olga was reared in Czechoslovakia before the Iron Curtain fell. She questioned her beliefs and eventually found the LDS church. Olga's conversion story and her clandestine missionary activities are inspiring.

 

Sam - Jack Weyland - It has only been five weeks since Charly died and Sam can't sleep, in fact, he builds model airplanes at night and then crashes them daily. Sam's job is his escape but life is bleak. When he finally decides to re-enter the dating game, his first dates are disasters. Then he meets Lara Whyte. Sam and Lara get on each other's nerves but love attempts to grow. However, Sam still yearns for his dead wife Charly. Will Sam find happiness?

 

Aunt Dimity Beats the Devil - Nancy Atherton -- A rare book collection housed in a grim British castle leads Lori Shepherd on a ghost ridden quest. Lori receives guidance from her deceased Aunt Dimity through a supernatural journal. This book is pure mind candy for the British mystery fan.

 

Baby on the Car Roof - collected by T. Craughwell -- You've all heard the amazing stories that just sound too outlandish to be true and yet you are assured that the stories are true. Perhaps, you've just been fooled by an urban legend. Baby... is an engaging collection of urban legends. You've got to read about the two hunting buddies, the frozen lake and the brand new SUV.

 

Blown Sideways Through Life - Claudia Shear - Have you ever gone from one job to another in rapid succession? Well Claudia literally blew through sixty-plus jobs in just a few years. Why? She doesn't say but waiting tables was among her least favorite things to do. This supposedly funny book lost much of its appeal because of Claudia's Brooklyn trained crude language.

 

A Cup of Chicken Soup for the Soul - J. Canfield, M. Hansen, B. Spilchuk- Every uplifting, thoughtful or entertaining story in this collection is rather short, just right to read in a few moments. The story of Brian and the worms is one of my favorites.

 

Fifty Acres and a Poodle - Jeanne M. Laskas -- Jeanne grew up in suburbia watching Green Acres. She always dreamed of living on a farm but her life kept her in the city. Now as an adult, Jeanne and her friend Alex take the plunge and buy a farm. Of course, Jeanne and Alex are at a loss when it comes to farming. Their misadventures and terrific neighbors make for entertaining reading.

 

G'Day! Teach Yourself Australian - Colin Bowles - This humourous little book is written for all the non-Aussie blokes and tarts who want to sound Australian without appearing to be dills. Get on your blower and share your new ripper vocabulary with all your mates. G'Day isn't arty farty so give it a burl.

 

God's Little Devotional Book for Graduates - Honor Books Editors -- This handsome volume contains 150+ two-page devotionals. Each will provide the reader with insight into his new journey. I laughed at the definition of status on page 64.

Learning to Talk Bear - R. Cheek -- This self-published book about Grizzlies and human interaction provides insight into the lives of Grizzly Bears. RC tells the readers about several studies that track Grizzlies. These studies not only show where the bears travel, search for food and hibernate, but also how often they have contact with humans. Even I, who am not an outdoors type, found this book interesting.

The Melancholy Death of Oyster Boy and Other Stories - Tim Burton -- Burtonesque drawings coupled with delightfully demented verse will have your funny bone working overtime. Unless, of course, you're dead.

Remedies for the "I Dont' Cook" Syndrome - Janet Peterson -- Too often, families can't eat dinner together anymore.  Or mom runs out of time and makes do with something premade and frozen, or even makes a run to the family's favorite fast food place.  Now this collection of simple to follow recipes, without exotic ingredients, will allow mom to cook and reunite her family at the dinner table.

 

Wake Up and Smell the Coffee - Andrew Frothingham & Tripp Evans - This small book is the perfect antidote to the ubiquitous collections of touchy-feely daily affirmation books that have flooded the market in recent years. Some of my favorite thoughts include "You arent your own best friend," "Change is as likely to make things worse as to improve them" and from July 2^nd "This year is half over and you've done nothing."

 

What Kids Need to Succeed: Proven, Practical ways to Raise Good Kids - P. Benson, J. Galbraith & P. Espeland - All children are heavily influenced by their surroundings and by the adults with whom the children interact. All these factors are assets and this book will guide you in building your children's external and internal assets. These assets consist of support, empowerment, boundaries & expectations, constructive use of time, commitment to learning, positive values, social competencies and positive identity. How many of these assets does your child already have and how many times a day do you support your child and tell him/her that you love them? What Kids Need to Succeed has worthwhile information for all parents and adults dealing with children.

What Would You Do If... - Shalmarie Bunker & Kim Osborne - Can you as a busy parent be constantly aware of what your children are doing or what they are exposed to? Have you prepared your precious children for the difficult and enticing choices they might be faced with? Do you even know all the different challenges your children experience? What Would You Do If... provides you, as the parent, with a template of role plays to enact with your children and answer these questions. The authors have carefully and thoughtfully selected the types of situations most faced by young children. You can prepare your children to overcome everyday challenges with the guidance found in this book.

 

A Year in Provence - Peter Mayle - Mayle and his wife were swept off their feet by French cuisine and the beautiful countryside of Provence. They decided to move into and renovate an ancient farmhouse. Little did they realize that their British coordinated lives would clash with the lackadaisical Provencal lifestyle. But oh, their adventures are fun to read about and experience vicariously.

 

Branch Point - Mona Clee -- The Cuban missile crisis ended disastrously. Scientists sheltered in a protected lab endeavor to change history by developing time travel. They are successful; three intrepid travelers go to the past to avert the Cuban disaster but once you change history other troubles await. This is one of my favorite time travel novels.

 

Obelisk - J.K. Jones - Most plant, animal and human life ended on Earth during the Cataclysm of 2479 C.E. But humanity had spread among the stars and quickly rallied to restore plants, animals and humans to the wounded home planet; unfortunately, nearly all of humanity's artistic treasures were destroyed and could not be replaced. Then a couple of centuries later, humans discover an alien technology which eventually leads to the development of time travel to alternate Earths. Archeologists will rescue the artistic treasures from these alternate Earths but at what price to the time stream continuum? Although based on a video game, Obelisk was fun to read.

 

Star Trek: Eugenics Wars #2 - Greg Cox - (STEW#1 reviewed on the regular Science Fiction page) The Chrysalis Project was successfully halted by Gary Seven and Roberta Lincoln. But now the genetically engineered Chrysalis children are adults and each strives for dominance in his/her respective countries. Of course, Khan Noonien Singh craves to rule all the world and actively creates havoc throughout the world and assassinates his rivals. Turbulent world events present evidence of Khans meddling. How can Seven and Lincoln rescue this pitiful planet Earth from Khan's dominance? STEW is a thrilling addition to the collection of Star Trek stories.

 

Star Trek: Lives of Dax - edited by Marco Palmieri - Throughout the television series and books, tantalizing details of the Dax symbiont's life have been dangled in front of the fans. And now fans can appease their hunger for information about Dax. From meeting a Vulcan high official, to thwarting the theft of prototype Federation technology, to becoming an ambassador, Dax the symbiont has led a richly varied life. This short story collection was quite entertaining.

 

Star Trek: New Frontier #12: Being Human - Peter David - Each of David's ST: New Frontier books presents the Star Trek themes in a far different light. David constantly surprises his readers and Being Human is no exception.

 

ST: New Frontier: Missing in Action - Peter David - How does Mackenzie Calhoun manage to always attract trouble. On their way to help resolve the civil war brewing in the newly formed Thallonian Protectorate, Calhoun and his crew aboard the U.S.S. Excalibur are transported to a completely alien universe. Here, Calhoun and crew become pawns in an eons old war between two races. This war could easily encompass Calhoun’s universe. Meanwhile, the Romulan Empire is thrown into turmoil. STNF Missing . . . provides a fun addition to David’s body of work in this branch of Star Trek lore.

Star Trek: Treks Not Taken - Steven R. Boyett - A well-written parody becomes as popular as the actual book parodied. And Boyett clearly is finely skilled at poking literary fun at Star Trek and the authors who have not written these stories. Crichton, Heller, Rice and Clancy are just a few of the authors whose writing styles fall prey to Boyett's farcical imagination.