Los Angeles Central Library Fire 1986

The Library Book

Author: Susan Orlean

Publisher: Simon and Schuster

Publication Date: October 16, 2018

Length: 336 Pages










About the Author
Susan Orlean has been a staff writer at The New Yorker since 1992. She is the author of seven books, including Rin Tin Tin, Saturday Night, and The Orchid Thief, which was made into the Academy Award–winning film Adaptation.

Fascinating History of the LA Public Library
This true story begins on April 29, 1986...the day of a devastating fire at the Los Angeles Central Library. Susan Orlean investigates a mystery that has never been solved: Did someone purposefully set fire to the library...and if so, who?

Ms. Orlean shares extensive research in this riveting book about the history of the library, the library architecture, the library employees, library patrons, the library culture and the accused arsonist, Harry Peak.

My Thoughts
I worked as a school librarian for many years, so the title of this book piqued my curiosity. The author tells of her childhood love of reading and her frequent visits to a public library in her neighborhood. She wrote this book as a tribute to libraries and the important role they play in our society.

They say that truth is stranger than fiction, and that is certainly the case with this book. In her quest to investigate the library fire, Ms. Orlean traces the history of the library back to 1926. She explores the library culture and the personalities of the people who held leadership positions at the library and the librarians who spent their days performing the duties required to serve the library patrons. She investigates the challenges the library has faced in recent years and shares her thoughts about the future of the library.

The author can't understand why anyone would intentionally start a fire in the library. She is not convinced that this was actually a case of arson. However, she admits that this is probably a mystery that will never be solved. Harry Peak, the main suspect in the arson case, was arrested but released because of lack of evidence. He later died of AIDS.

I found this book extremely informative, enlightening and even entertaining. The author did an amazing job mixing the intrigue of the fire mystery and the more unremarkable history of the library.

I believe this book will be on the shelves of many libraries and all library enthusiasts will devour the pages and be hungry for more. Highly recommended!

MY RATING: 5 STARS OUT OF 5

FYI ~ I received a free digital copy of this book from NetGalley in exchange for a fair review.

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Monsters, Goblins, Trolls, Zombies and More Scary Stuff - Kindle Book for Kids

Title: Don't Ever Look Behind Door 32

Author: B.C.R. Regan

Illustrator: Lenny Wen

Publisher: Teleblade Press

Publication Date: March 14, 2018

About the Author

BCR Fegan is a multi-award-winning author who has written a number of fairy tales and fantasies for children and young adults.

Monsters, Goblins, Trolls, Zombies and More Scary Stuff

This story begins with a picture of two wide-eyed children standing in front of a huge magical castle. Welcome to the Hotel of Hoo. Mr. Nicholas Noo escorts the children to their room number 1. 

Mr. Noo encourages the children to explore the hotel. However, the children are warned to never look behind door 32. The curious children explore rooms number 2 - 31. They discover a wide array of colorful creatures, monsters and treasures.

Will the children look behind the forbidden door 32? What will they find there?

My Thoughts

What happens when you tell a child NOT to look at something?

The banned subject is much more appealing to a curious child. 

The children in this story are fearless explorers. They discover an entire world of delightful and frightful characters behind the doors of the Hotel of Hoo. Some of the discoveries are fun but some have them running for safety. There is a surprise behind each door!

This is a counting book in two different ways. The rooms are numbered from one to 32. When you go inside the room, you find a matching number of items to count. For example, when you open door number five, you find five dancing zombies. When you open door number 30, you find two old trolls who have a total of 30 spines protruding from their bodies.

I read a digital copy of this book on a 7" Kindle screen. The formatting is excellent. The details of the illustrations are captured in the digital edition and the rhyming text is an appropriate size for easy reading.

This book is designed to entertain and educate children. I am very impressed with the quality and presentation of this book. Children will read it over and over again...discovering new details in each reading.

Oh, what or who is behind door 32? Children will discover the answer to this question when they read the book.

MY RATING: 5 Stars Out of 5

FYI ~ I received a free digital copy of this book from Teleblade Press in exchange for a fair review.

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Book Review: The Dress by Kate Kerrigan

Title: The Dress

Author: Kate Kerrigan

Publisher: Head of Zeus

Date of Publication: August 1, 2015

Length: 390 Pages

Kindle Copy - "The Party Dress"


This book review was written by guest blogger Cindy Phelps Thomas.

About The Author
Kate Kerrigan is the author of City of Hope, Ellis Island, and Land of Dreams.

Turning Back the Years
Lily Fitzpatrick is a well-known fashion blogger whose specialty is vintage. She spends her time rummaging through piles of vintage clothing looking for the perfect piece with its unknown history.

After her grandfather suddenly passes away, Lily wonders about his mysterious background and family. She has heard little of his heritage, and the need to know becomes an obsession. She learns that the woman wearing a beautiful dress in an old clipping she found may indeed be a relative of hers. Lily longs to know this woman’s story and the story behind “the dress”. The idea plays on Lily’s mind to recreate the dress in the clipping. 

These three women: Lily Fitzpatrick, Joy Fitzpatrick, and Honor Conlon, are all so different, yet bound together for eternity by the dress. 

• Lily Fitzpatrick is in the present-day attempting to recreate the dress, in a highly publicized dual of fashion designers.
• Joy Fitzpatrick is having this one-of-a-kind dress made to rekindle the romance with her husband.
• Honor Conlon is trying to make a name for herself in the world of fashion as an immigrant in New York 1950’s. 

Each woman’s life is changed forever.

My Thoughts
"The Dress" was a wonderfully written book that allowed the reader to travel through time to learn about the history of the mysterious dress. The characters were so well developed that I felt a connection to them all. The descriptions of the vintage dresses were so wonderfully written, I could almost see them for myself. I have even taken an interest in vintage dresses myself since reading it. I highly recommend this book!

Rating: 5 Stars Of 5

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Children's Book Review: WBI; Witches Department of Investigation

WBI: Witches Bureau of Investigation

Author: Richard Capwell

Publisher: Amazon Digital Services, Inc.

Date: August 7, 2012

Guest Reviewer: Cindy Phelps Thomas



About the Author 
Richard Capwell is a popular author of books for children and young adults.

Case of the Missing Mother
Nate and Herman's mother had been missing for six months when they stumbled across Agnes Weatherby searching for her silver Phantom Rolls Royce limousine. Mrs. Weatherby was the former director of the Witches Bureau of Investigation. The eleven-year-old twins asked her to help them search for their missing mother.

Mrs. Weatherby was retired so she was hesitant but did agree to help and contacted some old friends to assist in the search. The old friends were a wacky bunch including a shape shifting butler, an orangutan, a nervous praying mantis, and a mechanic who worked on more than just cars. Nate and Herman were introduced to the little-known world of the WBI. 

The boys discovered that there were big problems at the WBI. The whole world could be in danger because of a rogue witch. The boys went to the new director of the WBI, but she was no help because the rogue witch had her fooled. They were going to have to do this on their own. With the help of their new friends, Nate and Herman must find this bad witch and their mother before it’s too late.

My Thoughts
WBI was a quick and easy read. It was written with a younger audience in mind, but is a lot of fun for adults also. The adventure started in the first chapter and continued throughout the book with no lagging parts. Capwell even took the time to add a bit of education, teaching nice vocabulary words and quotes from history. If you enjoyed the Harry Potter series or the Percy Jackson series, I believe you will also find this book appealing. I will definitely pick up the next book in the series.

Rating: 5 Stars Out Of 5

Cindy Phelps Thomas is a U.S. Navy Veteran (2001-2005). She earned her BS in Psychology/Criminal Justice from the University of Houston at Clear Lake. She received an elementary teaching certification and is a former kindergarten teacher in the La Porte, TX School District. She is currently a stay-at-home mom and is working on her MBA degree at the University of Houston.

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Book Review: A Stranger At Christmas

The Christmas lights are mysteriously disappearing from the streets and homes of Porterlance.

Will Santa be able to find the town in the dark?

"A Stranger At Christmas (Porterlance Series)", written by James McCullough and illustrated by Dennis Cox, is a delightful rhyming Christmas story for kids.

This book has just been published for the Kindle and the color illustrations will look great on the new Kindle Fire!

Who Took The Lights?
On Christmas Eve, a wicked stranger comes to Porterlance with a plan to ruin Christmas. He cuts the colorful Christmas lights on all the houses in town. He hopes that Santa will not be able to find the town in the dark.

Ben and Sarah get a glimpse of the stranger cutting the lights on their house. The stranger runs and hides but the kids have an idea that will save Christmas.
Thanks to these quick-thinking children, Santa found the town of Porterlance and all the children received their presents.

But that is not the end of the story. Santa confronts the evil stranger and the story has a very nice surprise ending!

My Thoughts
Kids will love the rhyming text and colorful illustrations in this book. I read this book on my Kindle and viewed the color illustrations on my Kindle for PC application (no, I don't have a Kindle Fire....yet.) The formatting looks great with a color picture and two lines of text on each screen view.

This is a great book for Santa to leave on Mom or Dad's ereader. I promise you the kids will love it! Recommended for ages three to eight.

FYI ~ I ordered this book from Amazon.Com when it was offered as a free digital download. Please check the current price before ordering.
Please share your thoughts in the Comments Section below.

The Last Surgeon Book Review Giveaway

I just read an advance readers' edition of The Last Surgeon by Michael Palmer.  This is a medical thriller that is a real page turner.  I must admit that I usually don't read books that might keep me awake at night.  I am not into horror, killing, torture, gruesome or psychotic.  It just isn't my thing.  I see enough of that kind of thing on the nightly news so I don't need to read about a mass murderer for entertainment.

I connected with the author of this book, Michael Palmer, on Twitter.  He asked if I would like to read and review his new book.  I decided to give it a go and I am glad I did.  I soon learned that The Last Surgeon is the fifteenth thriller that Mr. Palmer has written.

Dr. Nick Garrity has been battling severe PTSD since his field hospital in Afghanistan was blown up by a suicide terrorist, killing nearly everyone inside. Nick is saved by his best friend, Sgt. Umberto Vasquez, and only the two of them survive.  This incident is especially heartbreaking because Captain Garrity's fiance, Dr. Sarah Berman, was killed in the violent explosion and there was nothing Nick could do to save her.

Back in the states, Nick drives a mobile medical van around Baltimore and Washington D.C. caring for vets and homeless people on the streets.  He is on a mission to find Umberto Vasquez, who disappeared four years ago.  He is determined to find his old friend. 

Jillian Coates is a young nurse who is also on a mission.  Everyone told Jillian that her sister's death was a suicide, but she doesn't believe it.  She is determined to find the monster who forced her sister to write a note and then take an overdose of sleeping pills.

Jillian and Nick soon learn that they are looking for the same killer.  Together, they overcome tremendous adversity on their quest for justice.

It was really hard to put this book down.  The only reason I would stop reading is because there was just too much SUSPENSE for me to handle.  The book was well written and I was very impressed with the fact that the author did not use profanity to emphasize the violence in the story.  The book was very realistic and the details were so exact that only a medical doctor could have written it.  I highly recommend this book to anyone wanting to step out of their comfort zone.  Excellent reading.

Click here to read the Prologue (PDF file).

This book will be officially released on February 16, 2010.  You can pre-order a copy of this book on the Michael Palmer site.

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BOOK GIVEAWAY

Mr. Palmer has generously offered to give one signed copy of his book to a reader of this blog.  I will choose a winner and send him your mailing address.  You will receive the book directly from the author. 

This offer is available to readers with U.S. addresses only.

You will be elgible to win this book by posting a comment on this blog telling me why you would like to read the book.  One comment per reader, please.

At noon on January 20, I will assign each comment a number.  I will then use Random.org to generate a list of randomly selected numbers.  The person who writes the winning comment will be notified by email and must respond to my email within 3 days with your name and mailing address.  If I don't hear from you, I will notifiy the next person on the list.

Good Luck!