Elizabeth Hughes’ Book Periscope

 

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Summer Justice is a short story by Michelle Carithers. It is the story of Audrey Taylor who comes from a dysfunctional family in a run-down neighborhood. She wants to escape the shootings and drug-infested neighborhood, where she grew up in a home with an alcoholic father and a mother that has supported her family for years. Her siblings all became successful except one brother who got caught up in crime. She found a room to rent with an elderly woman 500 miles away. She arrives one week early because she is about to start classes and start a job in the college bookstore. When she arrives at Ms. June Baker’s house, the elderly lady says she will think it over and let her know in a week. Audrey’s car barely made it there and won’t make it back. Audrey tells Ms. June that they had agreed the room was hers. Then Ms. June tells her she didn’t realize Audrey was black. Ms. June lives in a ‘white’ neighborhood.

Henry, Ms. June’s neighbor, accepts Audrey as a neighbor and friend after she moves into the room. Ms. June tells Audrey that her husband was murdered in a home invasion robbery. Audrey’s brother has been arrested and has been linked to home invasion robberies and murder. Summer Justice touches on the subject of prejudice in many cultures. I am rating Summer Justice five stars. I recommend Summer Justice for older teens to adult. I know that you will enjoy Summer Justice as much as I have.

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Wow!! This novel is absolutely FANTASTIC!! Definitely 5 stars and 2 thumbs up! I absolutely loved it and hope there will be a book 2. It is about Dr. Pearl Stern, one of the few women doctors in the 1800’s.

Pearl started out working with Dr. Stone in his medical practice. After Dr. Stone dies, she tries to buy the practice from his widow. However, his widow is a mean, jealous and vengeful woman. She is also very rich and has an extreme amount of influence in the Missouri town they live in and in the state of Missouri. When a woman who is pregnant and has lost a vast amount of blood is brought in by her family without the knowledge of the woman’s husband, Pearl delivers the baby and stabilizes the woman. Since the woman has lost such a vast amount of blood, she advises she be kept there. The woman’s family takes her home where she and the baby soon die. The husband blames Pearl and tells the widow Stone, who hates Pearl and has delusions that Pearl
was after her husband when he was alive. The Widow Stone then bribes Mr. Singleton with a great deal of cash to slander Pearl and have her thrown in prison.

Pearl leaves Missouri having no knowledge what the Widow Stone is going to do. She arrives in Asheville, NC and sets up practice. While there, she becomes friends with the Sheriff.

Pearl is a very progressive doctor. Not only is she a woman physician, but she will medically treat anyone who needs to be treated regardless of race or social standing. She also hires an African-American woman at first, just to help with the cleaning of the office. Loomey, her helper soon proves her worth and Dr. Stern soon promotes her to be her assistant. After Pearl heals one of the officers who were shot, she gains some of the respect she deserves. Then the widow Stone obtains a governor’s warrant for Pearl’s arrest and she is extradited back to Missouri.

Chief Harkins takes her to Missouri and helps clear up the lies that
led to the warrant. I highly recommend Pearl, MD. If you want a book with suspense, drama, humor and romance and that will keep your interest, Pearl, MD is the book. Happy Reading!!

Elizabeth Hughes’ Book Periscope

Don’t Look Back

a novel by Rita D’Orazio

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Don’t Look Back is a very good novel that begins in the late 1960’s. It is about Katerina Balducci, who grows up in a very dysfunctional family in New York. She has a 15 year-old sister, Simona, and a 13 year-old brother, Tony. She has a love/hate relationship with her mother and a loving relationship with her father and Zia Adrianna. She loves the Beach Boys and fashion. She is feisty and lovable. The story is both funny and tragic. When tragedy strikes, Katerina stays strong and is an inspiration to her sister. The story flows very well and will keep you on the edge of your seat page after page. I really enjoyed reading it and look forward to the sequel. The story is geared toward older teens and young adults, however, anyone would enjoy it. I love the book and am long past the young adult age! So, grab a cup of tea, sit down, read Don’t Look Back and enjoy!

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Elizabeth Hughes’ Book Periscope

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Wounded Worlds: Nihil Novum

by Ryan J. Hodge

Wounded Worlds: Nihil Novum is an excellent sci-fi novel. I highly recommend giving this book a try if you don’t usually read sci-fi. I am sure you will enjoy it as much as I have. I would personally like to see this made into a movie or television series. In Wounded Worlds, the alien Heleans try to overtake the earth and a battle ensues. Meanwhile, on Talvares the humans are trying to integrate human culture with the alien culture. The story flows with non-stop suspense. The readers will be kept on the edge of their seats and will not want to put the book down until the very last page.

I very highly recommend Wounded Worlds: Nihil Novum. I enjoyed this book very much. Hodge’s Wounded Worlds: Nihil Novum is most definitely my cup of tea!

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Forget Me Not: A Love Story of the East

by G.X. Chen

Forget Me Not is a sad, happy, serious and delightful story. It takes place in China in the 60’s. It is the love story of Li Ling and Zhang Lily. The book opens with a letter from Li Ling’s friend Big Head. Li Ling’s wife asks him about the letter and Li Ling sets out to tell her the story of his life in China as a child. He lived with his grandparents in Hong Kong until he was about eight. Then some horrible changes came about and he had to be sent to China to live with his parents. Some communists known as the Red Guards were punishing people as counter revolutionary foreign agents if their relatives lived in Hong Kong. They also shut down schools and the government put people to work wherever they wanted to put them, even if they were still teens and should have been in school.
Once the Red Guards ended their reign and schools and universities were reopened, they even were able to have dances once a week. Li Ling and Zhang Lily met up again at the university and rekindled their love for each other.
This is a bittersweet tale of the love between two people who grow up in very difficult times in China. I enjoyed this book very much. The story will keep you captivated page after page after page. I highly recommend Forget Me Not by G.X.Chen. I am sure you will enjoy this book as much as I have.

Elizabeth Hughes’ Book Periscope

 

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 Eric Franklin’s Peanut Butter Principles

by Elizabeth Hughes

Peanut Butter Principles  by Eric Franklin is a very insightful and encouraging book. Mr. Franklin touches on some very good points on how to encourage children and others to reach their full potential. In Chapter 16, Mr. Franklin brings up his faith and points out something, I, myself, have learned, that, like the title of the chapter,”Faith Makes all Things Possible, Not Easy”, is very true. As the author points out, our journey to reach our full potential and to make our lives a success is not easy, but, with hard work and perseverance, it is possible. Mr. Franklin speaks of how to build the child’s self-esteem when helping them. Mr. Franklin tells us of the importance of persevering in our endeavors and not giving up so easily.

I agree with the ideas presented in Peanut Butter Principles by Eric Franklin. Thank you, sir, for a very enlightening book, which I can take into account for my own life as well. I highly recommend Peanut Butter Principles by Eric Franklin for anyone, not just parents, teachers or mentors. It has some very excellent guidelines anyone can put to use in their lives. Peanut Butter Principles is most definitely my cup of tea!!

Peanut Butter Principles is available here: http://www.amazon.com/Peanut-Butter-Principles-Leadership-Lessons/dp/0615912826/

 

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Dance For A Dead Princess
by Deborah Hawkins
“Dance for a Dead Princess” by Deborah Hawkins is a really, really good novel. It had romance, suspense, murder, intrigue and will keep you on the edge of your seat page after page. When you think you have guessed the mystery, it will take you on a surprising turn.
Dance for a Dead Princess is the story of Nicholas, the Duke of Burnham who is widowed and has a charge who is a 16 year old girl, and who is quite a handful. He is trying to sell the Abbey, although the estate has been in the family for centuries. He meets Taylor, an attorney, who is handling the sale and also managing the estate of a very good friend of hers who was murdered. The deceased has a tape made by Princess Diana that reveals secrets people are after, including about her demise.
While everyone processes the legal papers concerning the sale of the Abbey and uncovers Diana’s tape, murder and romance take place. This book is absolutely fantastic and the ending is very surprising, I did not see that coming!! Of course, I will not reveal the ending, you will have to read that for yourself!!
I very highly recommend Dance For A Dead Princess by Deborah Hawkins. I would even like to see it made into a movie! Dance for a Dead Princess is most definitely ‘my cup of tea’!
Dance for a Dead Princess is available here: http://www.amazon.com/Dance-Dead-Princess-Deborah-Hawkins/dp/0988934728/

Elizabeth Hughes’ Book Periscope

 

 

 

The Eyes of Abel by Daniel Jacobs

The Eyes of Abel by Daniel Jacobs

Daniel Jacobs’ The Eyes of Abel

The Eyes of Abel is a very good novel with surprising twists and turns. It is the story of Roger Charlin, a journalist, and Maya Cohen, a security agent for El Al Airlines…or is she? Charlin poses undercover, and tries to go through the security check point at El Al.

However, Maya figures out who he is quickly. She agrees to an interview with Charlin and they develop an unlikely relationship. They are both working on a fusion energy project that would lead to less reliance on oil from the Middle East. Their goal is to prevent a war in Israel, when other countries have missiles pointed at the country.

The Eyes of Abel is an extremely good novel and keeps the reader riveted to every page all the way through. It is full of nonstop suspense. Mr. Jacobs, I rate The Eyes of Abel 5 stars and very highly recommend this book. The Eyes of Abel is most definitely ‘my cup of tea’!!!

Elizabeth Hughes is a reader, dog lover and book reviewer from San Jose, California. She welcomes paying writing and review gigs and may be reached at hugheselizabeth@rocketmail.com 

Elizabeth Hughes’ Book Periscope

The Photo Traveler is a really good book. I highly recommend it. If you like sci-fi thrillers, then this is a book for you. Even if you don’t, I am sure you will enjoy this book tremendously.
The Photo Traveler starts out with Gavin, who has been adopted by an abusive family. He believes his parents have been killed in a fire. The adoptive father had not always been abusive until his wife was murdered at a store, while she and Gavin were out shopping with their daughter, Mel. After that day, Jet, his adoptive father, blamed Gavin and made him pay by beating him.
Gavin finds out he actually has biological grandparents that are still alive, and sets off to Washington DC to find them. Once there, they tell him that he is a Photo Traveler, and his parents may not indeed be dead. He also finds out that there are people after them for vials that contain a liquid that will allow travel at any time, not just through photos taken in the past. With those vials they could change the world. Gavin goes through many surprising journeys trying to find the truth of his life, and the lives of his grandparents, and to find out how the vials are used to change history and possibly the future.
I very highly recommend The Photo Traveler and cannot wait for the second book to come out. Thanks for the great book, Mr. Gonzalez. The Photo Traveler is definitely my cup of tea!!
The Photo Traveler may be ordered here: http://www.amazon.com/Photo-Traveler-ebook/dp/B00BI4KEQC/
Elizabeth Hughes is a reviewer from San Jose, CA who loves suspense, mystery, action and books of all sorts. She may be reached at hugheselizabeth@rocketmail.com and seeks paid freelance writing opportunities. 

Elizabeth Hughes’ Book Periscope

 

 

Paul DeBlassie’s The Unholy 

The Unholy, by Paul DeBlassie III, is a great thriller about the good and evil within the Church. The story flows with excitement on each page. The book is very hard to put down once you start reading it. I will not give away the ending, however, I definitely was NOT expecting that! Thank you Mr. DeBlassie III for an excellent supernatural thriller. I very highly recommend The Unholy!  The Unholy by Paul DeBlassie III is most definitely “my cup of tea!!!”
David Toussaint’s DJ: The Dog Who Rescued Me
DJ: The Dog Who Rescued Me by David Toussaint is the author’s story of his dog DJ and how adopting him brought David Toussaint out of his depression. It is a very uplifting story of DJ. The photographs taken by Piero Ribelli, are precious. Mr. roussaint is spot-on in telling that dogs are wonderful companions. A dog’s love is extremely unconditional. Dogs are very smart and quickly learn our routines and will never disappoint us. I miss my two Chihuahuas very much, they were also very loyal, loving, and funny. I highly recommend DJ: The Dog Who Rescued Me by David Toussaint. Thank you for such a lovely book and thank you Mr. Ribelli for the gorgeous photographs of DJ throughout. This is most definitely “my cup of tea!”
Elizabeth Hughes is a book reviewer from San Jose, CA who loves dogs, history and suspense.