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Pamela S. (Cosmina) - - Reviews

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The Accidental Mother
The Accidental Mother
Author: Rowan Coleman
Book Type: Paperback
  • Currently 3.6/5 Stars.
 208
Review Date: 9/23/2008
Helpful Score: 2


Great book about the career gal who inherits two young children when her best friend dies suddenly. The challenge of learning to care for these two lively and loving little girls is the most different kind of challenge Sophie has ever faced and it changes everything. It also brings into her life the love she didn't even know she was missing. The story hold few surprises but the characters are wonderful. A good read.


The Aftermath: A Novel of Survival
The Aftermath: A Novel of Survival
Author: Samuel C. Florman, Samuel C. Florman
Book Type: Hardcover
  • Currently 4/5 Stars.
 2
Review Date: 10/25/2017


One of my favorite post-apocalyptic reads and I have read a lot of them. It was a written for those who enjoy an explanation of the science around the events, as well as, readers who enjoy the human reactions and complications. Some contrivance of the plot in the beginning which will put off some. I had a hard time with the idea that getting their computers working again was the most important thing to work on for some of these people. But in the end, all is brought together and a very satisfying story.


All the Tea in China (Rollicking Regency, Bk 1)
All the Tea in China (Rollicking Regency, Bk 1)
Author: Jane Orcutt
Book Type: Paperback
  • Currently 3.5/5 Stars.
 52
Review Date: 4/3/2009
Helpful Score: 5


This was an interesting journey book. When this on-the-shelf spinster meets a strange missionary visiting England, she could hardly know that the adventure of a lifetime was around the corner. All the things that make her an unmarriagable Bluestocking in her hometown, make her a desirable, exciting woman in his eyes, and in his heart, on the long sea journey to China. Adventure and romance within these pages. This romance novel is very appropriate for teenagers and Christian women who do not enjoy books with explicit sex or offensive language.


All We Know of Heaven
All We Know of Heaven
Author: Jacquelyn Mitchard
Book Type: Hardcover
  • Currently 3.8/5 Stars.
 14
Review Date: 8/12/2009
Helpful Score: 3


I am not sure why this book is recommended for teens except that it is about teens. I couldn't put this book down. I am a big fan of this author. I also loved her book, "The Breakdown Lane", which also features a teen main character. The technique of telling one girl's story through her thoughts as she lies in a coma is very well done. Telling about the heartbreaking experience of the two couples whose girls are the victims of the accident, is very well done. This book is similar to "All the Numbers" and just as great a emotional novel. Get the kleenex ready for this one.


Autumn in Scotland
Autumn in Scotland
Author: Karen Ranney
Book Type: Paperback
  • Currently 3.6/5 Stars.
 113
Review Date: 9/23/2008
Helpful Score: 2


I loved this book. The hero comes into the story with such sadness and lack of love in his life that he doesn't tell the lady he finds at the castle that was once his home, who he really is. The love story is not too predictable and the side characters are too much fun.


Bad Boys Down Under (Bad Boys)
Bad Boys Down Under (Bad Boys)
Author: Nancy Warren
Book Type: Paperback
  • Currently 3.7/5 Stars.
 98
Review Date: 11/8/2008


Of all the BAD BOYS and their stories (and I have read them all) this is my favorite. I enjoyed the character connections between the three novellas and the characters themselves were well drawn. The romance was believable and HOT. The locations in Australia were interesting.


Bean By Bean: A Cookbook: More than 200 Recipes for Fresh Beans, Dried Beans, Cool Beans, Hot Beans, Savory Beans...Even Sweet Beans!
Review Date: 4/25/2013


I collect cookbooks and have loved this author's books for a long time. I could only give this one two stars. I was really dissapointed with the recipes, infomation and layout of this cookbook. I have been trying to use more legumes and beans in my kitchen and this caught my eye. There is just not one new idea or bite of information here. Everything can be found in books that have been out for years. The recipes are ho-hum. I just don't get why this great chef bothered to publish this mediocre cookbook.


Becoming a Man: Half a Life Story
Becoming a Man: Half a Life Story
Author: Paul Monette
Book Type: Paperback
  • Currently 3.6/5 Stars.
 18
Review Date: 12/19/2009
Helpful Score: 3


I had just made the biggest decision to change my life one person can undertake. On the thousand mile car trip to my new home, I listened to an interview on NPR with Paul Monette about winning the National Book Award for this autobiography. Before I even went to unload my car, I stopped at a bookstore and bought this book. It is emotionally and powerfully honest. It is raw with the pain of the closet that imprisons gays. It shares his anger, his joy and his courageous pursuit of truth. Ultimately, this book is a brilliant work, exposing the truth of the man who wrote it. I also recommend Borrowed Time, another brilliant memoir written by Paul Monette and one of the best books I have ever read.


Big Book of Great Garden Tips & Tonics
Big Book of Great Garden Tips & Tonics
Book Type: Hardcover
  • Currently 5/5 Stars.
 1
Review Date: 10/19/2013


I think this book is great for home gardeners. All the tips and tonics are right at your fingertips or very inexpensive to buy. And they work. I don't have many unanswered questions after browsing this tome.


Blues for Hannah
Blues for Hannah
Author: Tim Farrington
Book Type: Hardcover
  • Currently 3.1/5 Stars.
 4
Review Date: 10/29/2008
Helpful Score: 1


We have read all of this author's books and this was one of the favorites. The father and son story is unpredictable. It is a pretty accurate description of the problems with committment that many men face about marriage and fatherhood, and how one man overcame it.


Borrowed Light (Borrowed Light, Bk 1)
Borrowed Light (Borrowed Light, Bk 1)
Author: Carla Kelly
Book Type: Mass Market Paperback
  • Currently 3.6/5 Stars.
 21
Review Date: 3/27/2011
Helpful Score: 4


I have only read a couple of Carla Kelly's books before Borrowed Light. I like her writing. I like her characters. I like the situations she puts the characters in. I really love the dialog between the Hero and Heroine. I loved the city vs. homesteading challenges the Heroine faced.
I don't have the same reaction to the LDS slant of this book. I don't find it any more heavy on the religious content than the other Christian romances I have read. I am a little surprised that other readers feel that it is any more pushy than the Amish or other sects Bible quoting that we read. I have been enjoying all the Christian or religious romances I read.
I think that the main theme that gives the book its title was quite beautiful: don't base your beliefs or faith in your God on anyone else's. You must find your own 'light'. All of us need to find faith for ourselves. Our husband or wife or brother or sister or mother or father cannot be the source of that faith. It must come from a sure place within each of us.
I do understand that some folks will not want to read anymore of the LDS books that Kelly writes, but I am a Catholic girl that welcomes them. She is a great writer.


A Bride in the Bargain
A Bride in the Bargain
Author: Deeanne Gist
Book Type: Paperback
  • Currently 4.3/5 Stars.
 189
Review Date: 8/8/2010


This is one of those refreshing and sweet romance novels. There is interesting information about the logging operations before machines, when log trucks were still pulled by mules. The main character is an eighteen year old woman who has no family left. She decides to join a ship full of mail order brides headed to Seattle. This is a perfect book for young girls and teens. The conflict between the hero and heroine is about doing what is right for all the right reasons. There is kissing and feelings of attraction but no explicit sex. I give it 4 stars.


The Children's Crusade: A Novel
The Children's Crusade: A Novel
Author: Ann Packer
Book Type: Hardcover
  • Currently 3/5 Stars.
 15
Review Date: 10/26/2017


Nothing from this author has had the impact of her book, the Dive From Clausen's Pier. I am not sure why. This book is well written. The topic should be interesting, but just isn't. I swapped it after 150 pages and rarely do I not finish a book.


The Dogs of Babel (Audio Cassette) (Unabridged)
The Dogs of Babel (Audio Cassette) (Unabridged)
Author: Carolyn Parkhurst, Erik Singer (Narrator)
Book Type: Audio Cassette
  • Currently 3.8/5 Stars.
 7
Review Date: 11/4/2008


The reader of this novel, Erik Singer, was just great. He moved the story along and gave the characters great voices, without seeming like he was even working at it. The story is very interesting in the spoken form because the descriptions of objects and expressions are so well written. I could even see the expressions of Lorelei, the Ridgeback dog, in my minds eye. Part love story, part mystery, part autobiographical novel. Great for commuting time.


The Dragon Earl (Regency Rags to Riches, Bk 4)
The Dragon Earl (Regency Rags to Riches, Bk 4)
Author: Jade Lee
Book Type: Mass Market Paperback
  • Currently 3.4/5 Stars.
 61
Review Date: 11/1/2008
Helpful Score: 1


I enjoyed this book. A different kind of romance novel because it explored what happens to an English boy, Jacob, who is stranded in China when his family is killed by bandits. He is a young man now returned to England by orders of the Abbot of the Buddist monastary in China who took him in as an orphaned boy. He tries to learn who hired the bandits in the fight over the title between his father and uncle. He must learn to accept his past and claim a future for himself. In the midst of this struggle, he is reaquainted with his true love. Very interesting read.


Dukes Prefer Blondes (Dressmakers, Bk 4)
Dukes Prefer Blondes (Dressmakers, Bk 4)
Author: Loretta Chase
Book Type: Mass Market Paperback
  • Currently 4/5 Stars.
 33
Review Date: 5/1/2016
Helpful Score: 3


Sometimes the series get tiresome, but this fourth book is one of the best. I loved the two main characters, Lady Clara and Raven. Their intellectual sparing was fun and their eventual marriage challenged all the social rules of the day. Don't give up on the Dressmakers until you enjoy this fourth book.


Everybody's Normal Till You Get to Know Them
Everybody's Normal Till You Get to Know Them
Author: John Ortberg
Book Type: Audio Cassette
  • Currently 4.5/5 Stars.
 3
Review Date: 1/10/2011


I usually don't listen to non-fiction, but this was just fantastic. I really laughed at some of the absurd things that Ortberg points out about our behavior toward each other. In one chapter he presents the mathematics of sin and it is truly a funny and vivid point. Although the author is a Christian minister, he also points out what is unappealing and un-Christian about our churches and our culture. But it doesn't sting, because he is never strident or insulting. He just has a wonderful way of presenting the truth about our failures and successes in being Christians in Community. I recommend this book to anyone who is struggling with getting along and having charity to your spouse, children, extended family and fellow man. It really helped me to resolve to judge less and love more in my life.


Favorite Brand Name One-Dish Recipes
Favorite Brand Name One-Dish Recipes
Author: Publications International, Ltd.
Book Type: Hardcover
  • Currently 3.1/5 Stars.
 4
Review Date: 4/11/2009


I got some great recipe ideas for my crock pot from this cookbook. The recipes use ingredients you have around the house and rarely anything very expensive. I wouldn't say I found any surprises, but just some good solid dinner ideas for the family. I really liked the print size - good for glancing at as you cook. The hardback cover is the kind you can wipe off with a damp cloth. This could be a real mainstay cookbook for a busy mom and dad. Anyone can learn to cook the dishes in this book.


Fool for Love (Duchess Quartet, Bk 2)
Fool for Love (Duchess Quartet, Bk 2)
Author: Eloisa James
Book Type: Paperback
  • Currently 3.8/5 Stars.
 230
Review Date: 2/8/2009
Helpful Score: 1


I always enjoy Eloisa James' books and this was not an exception. I also have a fondness for the fun she has writing the foibles of the upper classes in their dealings with the uninhibited ways of children. The heroine in the novel has grown up with the belief that she is unmarriagable because she has a physical defect and cannot bear children. The hero in the book is convinced that he can ignore his two little step-sisters when they are all orphaned, and leave all that "unpleasantness" to governesses. The Ton believes that he must marry an heiress for her money. When all these circumstances come together and the two are forced to marry, no one thought that they might just simply be mistaken about everything.


The Forever War (Forever War, Bk 1)
The Forever War (Forever War, Bk 1)
Author: Joe Haldeman
Book Type: Paperback
  • Currently 4.1/5 Stars.
 58
Review Date: 10/21/2015


Like a recent best seller, The Martian, this book is well worth the time and effort. I liked the space travel explanations and descriptions of life on future earth. For a space novel, for a space military novel and for a scifi novel, there is lots of human warmth in this story. I immediately sought out the two sequels. Be forewarned that for the 1970's when this was published, the sexual stuff was pretty enlightened. Now it seems kinda crass and, well, phobic. But remember the era and you will be able to overlook that dated bit.


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