Book Review for The Analyst

Book Review of The Analyst by P.T. Dawkins

Title: The Analyst
Author: PT Dawkins
Genre: Fiction – Wall Street Thriller
Published by: Llumina Press
Publication Date: August 2011
Recommended Age: 18+
Format(s): eBook, trade paperback
ISBN 13: 9781605947235
Number of pages: 300

Book Synopsis:

After David Heart’s father’s estate is squandered by bad advice, his mother faces eviction and his grandfather needs life-saving surgery. A seemingly-helpful family friend finds David a seat at a bucket-shop off-Wall Street firm with the promise that money flows like wine.

Naive and quickly recognized as an easy mark, David is plunged into the eat-what-you-kill world of a trading desk, where the analysts, salesmen and traders sit like pigs at a two-sided trough. Bullied by the cruel, abusive head trader known only as Blackie, David is relieved when Sandy Allen, a strikingly provocative street-smart saleswoman, comes to his aid. But, what David doesn’t realize is that hidden agendas are everywhere, and no one can be trusted.

Now the target of extortion, David must make an impossible choice: facilitate an insider-trading felony in exchange for the money his family desperately needs, or face the cruelty of his mentor-turned-predator who has framed David and promises that he alone will be found guilty and suffer the consequences of the crime he refused to commit

The Analyst by P.T. Dawkins won Best in Genre at the 2011/2012 DIY Book Festival!

Book Excerpt:

David surveyed the trading desk. He could smell the electricity and hear the fans that cooled the always-running computers. During market hours, the twenty analysts, salespeople, and traders sat at identical, adjacent workstations. There was little space, and no walls, as if they were pigs at a two-sided trough. It was inhumane, if barely legal. David had to squint to see through the reflection from two continuous white vinyl desktops and a sea of matching shirts. The tools provided to each person on the desk included a chessboard of telephone buttons, two flat-panel computer screens, a keyboard, and a BlackBerry cradle. Workers entered the competition for commission dollars by plugging in and donning their headsets. Blinking orange phone lines enriched the black background of the equipment. Some personalized their space by taping a picture of their loved ones to their screens; it was soon yellowed and warped by the heat. During trading hours, the sound of making money eclipsed even the cry of New York City sirens, bus roars, and taxi honks.

Author Information

P.T. Dawkins

A 28-year veteran of the investment world, P.T. Dawkins writes from experience about the insatiable desire for money that leads to unethical, illegal and unscrupulous behavior. He majored in English at Dartmouth College, earned a MBA from The University of Western Ontario and completed extensive studies in Creative Writing at the University of Toronto.

Find & Follow P.T. Dawkins:

Website

Blog

Twitter

Buy the BOOK:

Amazon.com

Amazon.co.uk

Amazon.ca

Barnes & Noble

Chapters Indigo

Book Review:

The Analyst is a legal thriller, along the lines of “Wall Street,” and set on Wall Street.  This is not my normal genre, but I found the book interesting.  David was such a good hearted man who sincerely made an attempt to do the right thing, even when he was totally clueless.  Several times I wanted to slap him for being stupid, but he eventually ‘grew a pair’ and got it together.

The story had four main characters, all of whom showed new sides as the story progressed.  I was pleasantly surprised by some.  It was not always clear how the different character fit into the overall puzzle initially, but Mr. Dawkins tied it all up in the end.

I enjoyed stretching my reading range with this book and give it 4 out of 5 clouds for good writing, strong story bones, and generally interesting filling.

Book review and excerpt for So I'm A Double Threat

Book Review of So I’m A Double Threat by Julie Prestsater

So I’m a Double Threat

By Julie Prestsater

Genre: YA

Book Synopsis:

Megan Miller, a freshman at Carver High and a Double Threat, the perfect combination of smart and popular.

She's got the grades, she's got the friends, and she's got the connections. Freshman year should be a breeze, but it's not. How can it be when you have boys, boys and boys on the brain.

And really only one in particular.

Alex Aguilar...the boy of Meg's dreams.

They met at a party and Meg's whole world shifted. The spark was there, there was no denying it. But could that spark lead to more? Can a Senior and Freshman really make a go of it no matter what kind of connection they share? Or will outside circumstances ruin not only Meg's Freshman year, but her chance at hooking the guy of her dreams.

Being a Double Threat is supposed to make you special, but is it worth it if you don't get your crush?

Amazon      http://www.amazon.com/So-Double-Threat-Julie-Prestsater/dp/1452863067/ref=ntt_at_ep_dpt_1

Barnes & Noble   http://www.barnesandnoble.com/w/so-im-a-double-threat-julie-prestsater/1100076692?ean=2940012740441&itm=1&usri=so+i%27m+a+double+threat

Smashwords        https://www.smashwords.com/books/view/38739

Author Information:

Julie is a high school reading intervention teacher who prides herself on matching her students with great books to encourage them to become life-long readers. She enjoys writing stories that even the most reluctant of readers will not want to put down.

Julie is a mom, a wife, a teacher, a reader, and a writer. She also a lunatic when it comes to the NFL and playing Fantasy Football, especially if she doesn't get my first pick quarterback: Tony Romo. When she’s not at home or work, you can probably catch her on the 15 freeway singing her heart out and dancing away in her car.

www.juliepbooks.com

http://www.facebook.com/pages/Double-Threat-Series-Young-Adult-Novels/99820193437

https://twitter.com/#!/juliepbooks

http://www.goodreads.com/author/show/4087383.Julie_Prestsater

Book Excerpt:

Oh no. School hasn’t even started yet and I’m already googoo gaga over some guy. And not just any guy. A football player. A senior.

Suddenly, I awake from my daydream and realize I’m all alone in a crowded party and start to feel like an idiot. Amy tagged along with her sister, Jen, and her group of friends almost immediately after we arrived. Keesh went to dance with some cute guy, and Steph had to pee. I stayed behind to save our spot, a tall circular table full of purses and cups of booze.

I scan the doorway for Steph as I raise my cup to take a drink. Mid-sip I hear my name. I turn around to see Alex, strutting toward me.

He wears a grin on his smooth face that warms my body. “Hey, Megan. What’s up?”

Holy hotness. He’s here. Right in front of me. Talking to me.

I set my cup on the table. “Hey, Alex.” My voice is shaky. And so are my hands.

I pick up my drink again, trying to gather some liquid courage to hold a conversation with this deliciously steamy guy.

Book Review:

            This book starts out as a typical coming of age story.  The real difference is that main character manages to do this without becoming suicidal, being turned into a vampire, shifter, or other paranormal creature.  It seems that most of the coming of age stories I have read lately end up being about paranormal stuff.  This book is not that.  This is the real deal, a real teen with real issues.             There is however, the requisite love triangle, or more of a three dimensional hexagon. 

 

I quickly came to care for Megan as she came across as a real person, warts and all.  She was loveable, but still had her foibles.  Megan had her own issues.  She is self-conscious but strong-willed.  I felt like this was a person I could have been friends with when I was that age.  I sympathized with her and connected with her which pulled me into the book.

The writing flows easily making this an easy.  The writing was clean and easy to read.

I give this book 4 out of 5 stars.

This product or book may have been distributed for review, this in no way affects my opinions or reviews.

Review and Giveaway for Peace, Love, and Snacks

 Book Review of Peace, Love, and Snacks by Stan Starks

Stan is giving away a free copy of Peace Love and Snacks through this blog.  Please post a comment to enter the giveaway.  All names will be entered into a random name generator for the giveaway drawing, which will be held on May 16, 2012.

Title: Peace Love and Snacks

Genre – Non-Fiction/Healthy Living/Weight Control
Publisher – Self-Published
Email – stan@peaceloveandsnacks.com
Website – www.peaceloveandsnacks.com

Purchase Link:

http://peaceloveandsnacks.com/buy/
Link to Tour on Main Site -  http://www.virtualbooktourcafe.com/3/post/2012/04/peace-love-and-snacks-by-stan-starks.html

Book Synopsis:

Look and feel great deliciously....

 Would you like your family to eat more wholesome foods and get more vitamins, micro-nutrients, fiber and minerals while avoiding processed sugar, gluten without taking supplements?  Wouldn’t it be nice to find an exciting and interesting way to eat more healthy?

If you answered yes to the above then my promise to you is that eating healthy snacks can be interesting, fun and easy. I present to you the “Peace Love and Snacks” healthy snack cookbook. And this not just about sneaking in a few vegetables into a cookie recipe – which actually is a great strategy. This goes a little deeper than that.

All of the recipes are are gluten free and contain no processed sugar and no white flour. Sometimes honey is used as a sweetener, however, there is also a granola process that utilizes no honey at all – only fruit, oats and nuts and it has tested very well.

Imagine feeling great about what you have made, using wholesome ingredients. Time to take revenge against junk food and enjoy delicious easy to make snack food recipes. You will find some truly unique and new recipes that your family will enjoy.

Author Information:

Stan:

Many years ago, I wanted to own my own business. So I quit my job and I started a vending business . I sold pre-packaged, overly processed, excessively sugary, salty, artificially flavored and chemically induced junk food…And I was actually pretty good at it. I did this for about 5
years and I took on more and more locations.

The vending business is good exercise, it is actually a lot like P90x except you do it all over town and all the movements are very different, but you do build up a pretty good appetite.Now, the snack irony of the situation was that I really did not like the junk that I was pushing. I was surrounded by thousands of calories and yet I was still hungry.

So, I started to make my own healthy snacks. I began making my own granola bars and over time I got pretty good at making really delicious mouth water granola.

I then began experimenting with fruit, vegetables, nuts, brown rice and other wholesome ingredients. I would arrange these ingredients in a way that tasted really good. I got better and better at combining
different foods and I called these creations “food combinations”. Other people called them recipes.

Well, eventually I got out of the vending business. I took different day jobs like becoming an account representative for a large software company selling enterprise software to mid-size businesses but nights and weekends were often dedicated to making healthy snack food.

My co-workers became my test subjects and along the way I had a lot of flops but I kept a list of all the good recipes (food combinations – not giving up on this term just yet).

Have you ever been obsessed with something but don’t know why?…Well that is how I was when it came to inventing snack food recipes.

Maybe I was trying to make up for my dark snack past or just trying to rebalance my snack Karma. Whatever the reason, I missed countless episodes of TV shows and I worked for hours in the kitchen.
I think this hard work has paid off and I put together what I believe is the best snack recipe book around and you may have guessed the title “Peace Love and Snacks”.

Book Review:

I was excited and a little worried about reviewing this book.  My sister has gone gluten free and is really happy and in much less pain because of it.  I have wanted to go gluten free, but live in an area where there are little to no options for gluten free eaters.  We don’t have a whole foods or Trader Joe’s type of store, the closest one being about an hour drive.  Our local grocery stores have less than ¼ of one aisle for gluten free, sugar free, and organic foods all combined.  While I know I could make regular meals that are gluten free (meat, potatoes or rice, vegies, fruit), I was worried about snack foods for myself, my husband and my two teens.

I tried several recipes in the book and really enjoyed them.  I also enjoyed the attitude of the author to try your own options with nuts and fruits to replace ingredients.  I think this quote summed up the tone of the book, “Remember: Don’t stress out about any of this stuff; it’s only snack food.”

Stan writes in a quirky, upbeat manner that is infectious and welcoming.  You think, “I would like to be friends with this guy.”  The information is easily found, quickly delivered with humor and charm.  If he wrote another book I would read it because I found his writing so entertaining.  This is a book that I will use over and over, and use as a basis to try experimenting on my own (something I have been leery of doing to this point).

I give this book 5 out of 5 clouds.

Rogue Powers by Phil Stern book review

Book Review of Rogue Powers by Phil Stern

Book Synopsis:

Rogue Powers -In a faraway world, two young lovers must hide their deepest abilities from everyone around them, while fighting to remain together in a society determined to pull them apart.

Within the Kingdom, the royal family can legally display any paranormal talents they choose. However, commoners revealing even the slightest of powers face arrest and execution.

Anson is one of the few surviving telepaths living in secrecy among the population. However, an unusually powerful, rebellious young princess finds herself irresistibly drawn to the commoner youth. Defying all convention, Anson and Lydia quickly form a close, illicit bond.

Managing to remain one step ahead of the King’s empowered operatives, Anson and Lydia make plans to escape the Kingdom entirely. But once the monarch announces Lydia is to marry another royal telepath against her will, Anson and Lydia must immediately battle for their own future, reshaping their entire society in the process.

Author Information:

Phil Stern is the author of both Contemporary and Science Fiction.

His debut novel, The Bull Years, was published in 2011. A hard-hitting commentary on both the frustrations and ultimate validation of modern-day life, The Bull Years follows the lives of four people throughout the late 80′s, 90′s, and into the 21st century, directly addressing the gradual alienation and disconnection often experienced during young adulthood.

“I wanted to write about characters everyone could relate to,” Stern says. “We’ve all had our ups and downs. I think people sometimes feel everyone else has experienced more success than they have, or are more firmly grounded in our world than they could ever be. My hope is that everyone will recognize a little part of themselves in Steve, Sophia, Dave, and Brooke.”

Born in 1970 in Ossining, New York, Stern grew up with a love of all types of science fiction, including the works of Robert Heinlein, Anne McCaffrey, John Wyndham, Piers Anthony, and more.

“Speculative fiction is so different today than it was back then,” Stern says. “I wanted to write stuff a bit more recognizable to fans of my generation. Science fiction should be about ideas and alternate worlds, strong characters and good stories.

Going into talk radio after attending SUNY Albany, Stern hosted regular shows in the New York City area, Albany, Utica, NY, and Greenville, NC. He later went into the advertising and sales industries.

Stern now lives in Florida, and is working on his next novel.

Contact Information:  Email – philstern30@hotmail.com

Website – www.philstern.com

Book Review:

Rogue Powers was an interesting read.  It was not quite what I expected, yet it was an intriguing read.  I was fascinated with the idea of only some people having the abilities.  I think this would lead to a situation of “power corrupts; absolute power corrupts absolutely” kind of idea.   Indeed this does seem to be the case, except that the main characters are of strong moral fiber.

This is a science fiction, fantasy, romance novel.  Phil Stern found a way to make the world he writes about come alive in my mind.  I was able to see the people and places he talks about.  I enjoyed this book, not as much as Witches, but still enjoyed it.  It reminded me somewhat of the Eragon book series in setting and tone.  I would highly recommend it to anyone who enjoyed the Eragon series.

I give this book 4 out of 5 clouds.

This product or book may have been distributed for review, this in no way affects my opinions or reviews.