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I review nearly all fiction and nonfiction genres, including: • Literary Fiction • Science Fiction • Fantasy • Mystery & Thriller • Historical Fiction • Memoir & Biography • General Nonfiction Please note: I do not review poetry, romance, elementary school children’s books, or extremely graphic horror. If you are an independent author, small press publisher, or self-published writer looking for an honest book review, feel free to contact me at: plappen@yahoo.com. In addition to appearing on Dead Trees Review Blog, my reviews are also posted on major book platforms to maximize author exposure: • AmazonGoodreadsLibraryThingMidwest Book Review
Showing posts with label white. Show all posts
Showing posts with label white. Show all posts

Sunday, February 19, 2023

Yearnings: Rendezvous: Stories for the Young of Heart

 Yearnings: Rendezvous: Stories For the Young of Heart, Randy Lee White, 2016

 

This book of short stories is all about a boy's growing up. The same couple of characters are in all of these stories.

 

A game of chess is compared to a game of Cowboys and Indians. An apple stealing expedition is stopped by a unique guard animal. One of the boys gets too close to an ape at the zoo. There are re-tellings of "The Tortoise and The Hare" and "The Three Little Pigs" (the wolf has just gotten out of prison, and is looking for revenge).

 

The author deals with more serious subjects, including suicide, domestic violence and some cliff diving that ends very badly.

 

Each story is only a couple of pages long, and each is very well done. This is an entertaining read for everyone, especially for those who want to reminisce about their time growing up.

Tuesday, September 3, 2019

And Then I Met Margaret

And Then I Met Margaret: Stories of Personal Transformation, Rob White, Mind Adventure Press, 2013

It is normal, and reasonable, for a person to read, or listen to, self help gurus like Stephen Covey, Marianne Williamson or Tony Robbins. However, it would be a big mistake to ignore life lessons that happen every day, taught by average people.

The author grew up in small-town Massachusetts. In his tweens, one winter, he found a deer with its foot stuck in the ice. He did his best to reassure the deer that he was only there to help. He intentionally stood between the deer and a policeman who was about to shoot it. The deer eventually got free. Soon afterwards, his father wanted to introduce him to the tradition of deer hunting. After his encounter with the deer, White refused to take part.

Another tradition, right after high school, is to get a job in either of the two factories in town. White decided that he would rather go to college. He was caught cheating on an English Literature final exam. Did the teacher blow the whistle, or did White get a second chance? After a number of years as a teacher, a job that he enjoyed, he gave it up to enter the world of buying and selling real estate. Like anything else, there were days when he felt on top of the world, and days when he wondered how he ever thought he could be a success in real estate. Meantime, the life lessons continued, from the most unlikely sources.

This is an excellent book, almost reaching the level of being a wonderful book. The stories are very easy to understand, and they are only a few pages each. The life lessons here are applicable to anyone in any stage of life. It is very highly recommended.