Book Review: A Matter of Life and Death

Title: A Matter of Life and Death

Author: Phillip Margolin

Publisher: Minotaur Books

Publication Date: March 9, 2021

Rating: 5 out of 5

Margolin's latest book brings Portland Defense Attorney Robin Lockwood one of her most difficult trials. When a homeless man is arrested for killing a prominent judge's wife, the case against him seems hopeless for him. His DNA and prints are all over the scene and he is seen fleeing the property by the husband who has an airtight alibi. Yet, Lockwood senses the man is innocent and the case is too pat.

This is the fourth in the Robin Lockwood series and it reunites her with Amanda Joffe, another defense attorney and the star of another one of Margolin's series. Sadly, Joffe gets too little time here, but it is still great to have them back in a murder trial. I love the setting in Portland, Oregon, as it is my adoptive hometown and I can picture the locations described.

I almost gave this 4 stars, but Margolin tacks on a related murder trial in the last part of the book. And this one, too, seems open and shut but ends with a wallop, a sudden courtroom twist. Three murders, all related, with Lockwood and Joffe. What's not to love about this one. It is likely to hit my best of books read list for 2020, I liked it that much.

Thank you to NetGalley for sending me an advance review copy for free;  I am leaving this honest review voluntarily. 

Book Review: Surviving Remote Work

 Title: Surviving Remote Work

Author: Sharon Koifman

Publisher: DistantJob (Self-Published)

Publication Date: November 17, 2020 

Rating: 3 out of 5

2020  has changed how we work. Many of us have had to work remotely in this pandemic year. My team and I have been working from home since March. So, when I was offered an advance copy of this book, I jumped at the chance, hoping it would improve my remote management skills. Sadly, most of this information is obvious, or we've worked it out by working remotely.

Koifman's breaks his book into a section for managers and a section for remote workers. His main points are clear: have good technology, such as computers, webcams, headsets, routers, etc; minimize distractions; focus on culture and good worker mental health. But come on, who doesn't know that. Most of us don't need this book; those that do will probably never realize they need it and won't come near it.

What made this worse for me was that the proof copy I received was full of typographical and grammatical errors and plain omissions. In many cases, it was like trying to read something a  5 year-old had written. (Maybe his child did write some of this!) That really distracted me. As much as I love working remotely, this book was not a winner for me.

Thank you to NetGalley for sending me an advance review copy for free;  I am leaving this honest review voluntarily. 

Turkey Day 2020

This has been an unprecedented year, with ravaging wildfires in Australia in January, followed by a global pandemic in March. Here in the US, we are celebrating Thanksgiving in our small personal bubbles, wearing masks, and socially distancing or isolating from others. For me, that means just me and my wife for a chicken pot pie dinner.

So, this year, I am focusing on movies that feature pandemics, virus outbreaks, or masks. See if you can recognize and remember these great movies from yesteryear, when we could actually go sit in a movie theater without a mask, and without fear of airborne viruses.

If you are new to "Turkey Films", check out the "rules" laid out in the first of these annual posts from way back in 2011.

Oh, and happy (crappy) Thanksgiving to all.

• Turkey War Z
• The Man in the Turkey Mask
• 12 Turkeys
• Turkey am Legend
• 28 Turkeys Later
• Turkeyland
• The Turkey Strain
• The Silence of the Turkeys
• The Turkey of Zorro
• Conturkeygion

Book Review: The Ultimate Guide to Aromatherapy

Title: The Ultimate Guide to Aromatherapy -- An Illustrated Guide to Blending Essential Oils and Crafting Remedies for Body, Mind and Spirit  

Author: Jade Shutes & Amy Galper

Publisher: Quarto Publishing Group

Publication Date: November 10, 2020 

Rating: 4 out of 5

I love oil diffusers. In fact I have two in my house, along with over 30 different essential oil flavors. I got this book because I wanted to get some new blending ideas. This book let me down there, since it doesn't have a lot of these. (But you can find many in various on-line blogs or websites.) Instead, this book is a wonderful reference resource to all things essential oils. Combined with beautiful artwork, this is an educational coffee table book.

The authors introduce the subject of aromatherapy in part 1, and the ways that these oils can get into the body in part 2 But it is part 3 that is so informative, outlining dozens of essential oils, what their medicinal properties are, what they pair with, and how to use them. Although not quite what I was seeking this book is a treasure trove of scented knowledge on this topic.

Thank you to NetGalley for sending me an advance review copy for free;  I am leaving this honest review voluntarily. 

Book Review: Fun Virtual Team-Building Activities

Title: Fun Virtual Team-Building Activities

Author: Hassan Osman

Publisher: Self-published

Publication Date: July 27, 2020

Rating: 4 out of 5

In the midst of pandemic with most white-collar workers working from home, how do you maintain employee engagement and morale? As a team manager and leader, I have been thinking long and hard about this question. One way is to have some fun with virtual team-building games. And this is where Osman's little book comes in. He provides 18 activities that anyone can use.

This book is all about quality not quantity, and can be read easily in an hour. Of the 18 activities I plan to use at least half with my team. What differentiates this book from others or from websites that give game ideas is that the author also provides slides and spreadsheets that you can immediately use to help team-members understand the games. Where a game requires tracking answers Osman gives you spreadsheets ready for use. 

I've tried one activity already, weekly reply all, and have cued up half a dozen others to keep my team together and engaged. I would have given this 5 stars if there were a few more ideas or if I thought I would use all 18. Regardless, for the price, this ebook is great value and well worth a shot.

I received an advance review copy for free, and I am leaving this review voluntarily.

Book Review: Heartbreak Bay

Title: Heartbreak Bay

Author: Rachel Caine

Publisher: Thomas & Mercer

Publication Date: March 9, 2021

Rating: 5 out of 5

The fifth book in the Stillhouse Lake series, this could be the best of the series. I loved the story, the suspense, the drama, the characters. It's the real deal.

Once again all the primary characters are present and center stage. Once again, Gwen Proctor, former wife of serial killer Melvin Royal, finds herself in the middle of a hate campaign against her and her family. This time, however, it seems connected to a spate of killings. It all starts when two one-year olds are found in their car seats drowned in their mother's car in an isolated lake. Did their mother kill them? Was she abducted? Is there something more sinister going on?

What makes Caine's gripping, twisting thriller so good is the characters its heart. This time she varies the perspective, writing different chapters from the viewpoint of each of the three main characters: Gwen, her common-law husband, Sam, and her detective friend Kezia. The mystery kept me engrossed to the very end. Hopefully, this won't be the last book in the series. But the afterword suggests it might be. I'm sending prayers and thoughts to the author to beat the cancer that she is battling.

Thanks to Thomas & Mercer and NetGalley for giving me early access to this book in return for an honest review.  

Book Review: Take Back Your Life

 

 

Title: Take Back Your Life

Author: Levi Lusko

Publisher: W Publishing Group

Publication Date: August 4, 2020

Rating: 5 out of 5

According to the sub-title, Pastor  Lusko’s book is “a 40 day interactive journey to thinking right so you can live right”. That describes the book very well. It is written as a devotional with 40 days of 10 minute readings. Each chapter is prefaced with a Bible verse and interesting commentary from Lusko’s life. At the end of each chapter is his ‘Breathe, Thank and Live section” which are personal, interactive questions for meditative thought and prayer specifically focused on changing your life.

I’ve been reading this book as a mature Christian, but have found it to be refreshing and surprisingly freeing. For all of its apparent simplicity, it resonated with me in a deep way. It has reminded me of things I knew, but had become dry and dusty. I particularly like the short but pertinent prayers that precede the questions. Taking time to breathe and think through these, even writing in the small space provided, has caused more self-reflection that I’ve done in a while. (One minor nit-pick is that the space for answering questions could be larger, as I wanted to write more than the space allowed.) Do I sound vulnerable? That would be one outcome from one of the chapters: “freedom looks like vulnerability.” Indeed, one of the statements in that chapter shot an arrow straight to my heart saying: “don’t do work that is safe” just a day after I volunteered to take on a huge project that will stretch me greatly. This book, and the spirit / Spirit in which it was written, is having an effect. And that is what Lusko intended in the first place.

As Lusko says in his preface, “this experience isn’t about checking a box, it’s about changing your life.” Like much of life, you will get out of this what you put in. 

Great news: I have one free copy of this book to offer as a giveaway. Please leave a comment on this post, telling me why you'd like the free copy, before September 5 and I will select the winner randomly.

Disclosure (in accordance with the FTC’s 16 CFR, Part 255:  “Guides Concerning the Use of Endorsements and Testimonials in Advertising”):  Many thanks to Propeller Consulting, LLC and HCCP for providing this prize for the giveaway and review.  Choice of winners and opinions are 100% my own and NOT influenced by monetary compensation.  I did receive a sample of the product in exchange for this review and post.

#TakeBackYourLife  #FlyBy

Top Reads of 2019

I read 73 books in 2019, a total of 22095 pages. The oldest book I read was published in 1974 (The Summer of the Great-Grandmother) and the newest was a beta version of a book that will be published in 2020 (Boundless Ambition). I rate 26 a 5/5, I gave six a 3/5, and the remainder scored 4/5.

Here are the top 5. Only one of these books was from an author I had previously read. I have already read more books by Cavanaugh and have more Ruth Ware books on my list for 2020. On to the books.

In a Dark Dark Wood by Ruth Ware (2015)

A female crime writer is invited to a hen party (bacholerette party) in a cabin in a dark wood. But she hasn’t seen this friend in a decade and their parting was on bad terms. Why was she invited? This English psychological thriller alternates between Nora in the present, who cannot recall what happened although she was found covered in blood and taken to the hospital, the recent past in the wood, and the distant past. Some have called this the next Gone Gone, it is an atmospheric gothic crime thriller that kept me reading.

The Andromeda Evolution by Daniel Wilson (2019)

For 50 years Fairchild Air Force Base, Project Eternal Vigilance has been watching for the Andromeda strain without even a single incident. And then a drone shows the presence of the alien substance deep in the Amazon in Brazil. This sets into motion a story that finds a small team, that spans both earth and space, in a literal race against time to save humanity form extinction. It is necessary to have read Michael Crichton’s original 50 year-old book (The Andromeda Strain) to understand some of the nuances of this book. But unlike other readers, who found this book disappointing, after I read both I really enjoyed this one, much more than its predecessor.

The Institute by Stephen King (2019)

In the middle of the night, a sinister team kills a boy’s parents in Minneapolis and kidnaps him. Luke Ellis wakes in the institute, a place that houses children with supernatural talents. What are the doctors and staff trying to get out of these children? Billed as horror, this is more of a thriller. The latest book from King starts quite slow with a section about an ex-cop traveling slowly up the eastern coast that seems to have no relation to the story. I almost gave up, but persevered and am glad I did. King ties it all together in the final third.

The Defense by Steve Cavanaugh (2016)
Who ever heard of a con man becoming a defense lawyer? Hello Eddie Flynn, the hero in the first of a series of legal thrillers. But Flynn has given up on his law career at the start of this book. That is, until he meets the head of the mob in New York City. The crime lord tells Flynn he has kidnapped his daughter and forces him to be his defense attorney in his trial for murder. The catch is that Flynn to wear a bomb to court to blow up the courtroom and kill the main prosecutor witness. Although you have to suspend disbelief a little, this is a crackling story that literally explodes off the page. This is one of my new favorite legal thriller authors.

The One Minute To Do List by Michael Linenberger (2015)

Obviously not a thriller or fiction of any kind, this  radically changed my approach to managing my tasks at work. I read Linenberger’s 100 page book in a couple of hours and decided to give his approach a try. I liked it so much, I bought his 500 page book (Total Workday Control) to use his advanced tools (Manage Your Now) for MS Outlook. It has allowed me to get my tasks under control and manage them in 15 minutes each day. 1MTD is a great starting point, and better yet the pdf version is available for free from his website (https://www.michaellinenberger.com/TheOneMinuteTo-DoList-Ed2-Free-Edition.pdf).