Monday, October 29, 2012

Extraordinary Rendition by Paul Batista


Release Date: May 1, 2013
Publisher: Astor + Blue Editions LLC
Pages: Paperback (380pgs)
Age Group: Adult
Genre: Mystery/Thriller
Overall Rating: 4 out of 5 stars

Description: When Ali Hussein, suspected terrorist and alleged banker for Al Qaeda, is finally transported from Guantanamo Bay to the US mainland to stand trial, many are stunned when Byron Carlos Johnson, a pre-eminent lawyer and son of a high-profile diplomat, volunteers to represent him. On principle, Johnson thought he was merely defending a man unjustly captured through rendition and water-boarded illegally. But Johnson soon learns that there is much more at stake than one man’s civil rights. Hussein’s intimate knowledge of key financial transactions could lead to the capture of—or the unabated funding of—the world’s most dangerous terror cells. This makes Hussein the target of corrupt US intelligence forces on one side, and ruthless international terrorists on the other, and puts Byron Carlos Johnson squarely in the cross hairs of both. Written by no-holds-barred attorney Paul Batista, Extraordinary Rendition excels not only as an action thriller, but as a sophisticated legal procedural as well. Smart. Fast. Heart-pounding. A legal thriller of the highest order.

Review: I enjoyed reading this book. It was a page turner and I just couldn't put it down. This story was a little close to home with the events that happened during 9-11 and the trials that took place against the people being charged. 

Ali Hussein is arrested because the US Government believes he is a terrorist. Byron is the lawyer hired to defend him. Byron comes across a lot of hurtles with the government, CIA, and FBI. As I'm reading the story it seemed very real. Paul wrote the story very well, and researched the information to make the story very real. I would recommend this book for anyone who enjoys realistic thrillers. It was well written and had the facts to back it up. 

Tuesday, October 23, 2012

Teaser Tuesdays-20

Hey guys its another wonderful Tuesday...if you don't know what Teaser Tuesday is about here is a refresher:

Teaser Tuesdays are a meme hosted by Mizb of Should be Reading. Here are the rules if you wish to participate.

  • Grab your current read
  • Open to a random page
  • Share two (2) “teaser” sentences from somewhere on that page
  • BE CAREFUL NOT TO INCLUDE SPOILERS! (make sure that what you share doesn’t give too much away! You don’t want to ruin the book for others!)
  • Share the title & author, too, so that other TT participants can add the book to their TBR Lists if they like your teaser.

The lawyers at the Civil Liberties Union who had first contacted Byron told him that, in their limited experience with accused terrorists, it sometimes wasn’t clear what their real names were. There were often no fingerprints or DNA samples that could confirm their identities. The name Ali Hussein was as common as a coin. It was as though genetic markers and their histories began only at the moment of their arrest.

Extraordinary Rendition by Paul Batista Kindle Edition

Tuesday, October 2, 2012

Intangible by J. Meyers

Release Date: January 31, 2012
Publisher: Self published
Pages: Kindle
Age Group: Young Adult
Genre: Paranormal/Urban
Series: Book 1
Overall Rating: 5 out of 5 stars

Description: Twins Sera and Luke Raine have a well-kept secret—she heals with a touch of her hand, he sees the future. All their lives they’ve helped those in need on the sly. They’ve always thought of their abilities as being a gift.

Then Luke has a vision that Sera is killed. That gift they’ve always cherished begins to feel an awful lot like a curse. Because the thing about Luke’s ability? He’s always right. And he can’t do anything about it.

Review: I was given a copy of this book by the author herself. I'm glad that I was given the opportunity to read this book. I absolutely enjoyed it from beginning to end. While reading, there was not a dull moment throughout the book. Intangible is a short, quick read but J. Meyers was able to draw my attention and keep it there while I was reading. It is books like this that remind me why I enjoy reading. 

J. Meyers did a good job on developing her characters. Since it is going to be a series, a writer can not give everything away about their characters. In some ways, she makes Sera and Luke relateable with common events that go on in their lives that have nothing to do with their special abilities. At some point, we have dealt with death of a loved one, or having insecurities in yourself that will cause you to push people away. I know I have experienced these things through the years. 

She also does a great job putting a new twist as what we know the paranormal world to be like. There is a good mix of the paranormal elements, and these twins that are human just like everyone else but have special abilities they have to keep secret from everyone. The ending of the story leads you to believe the story of Sera and Luke is over, however the very last couple of pages leave you on such a cliffhanger. I'm looking forward to the next book in the series. 
Pack of Lies Volume One: Debunking the 40 Most Destructive Conservative Myths in America by John-Paul Bernbach




Release Date: August 27, 2012
Publisher: Astor + Blue Editions
Pages: Kindle 
Age Group: Adult
Genre: Politics
Series: 1 of 4
Overall Rating: 5 out of 5 stars

Description: Pack of Lies is a collection of 40 arguments, divided into four volumes and released in digital book format for instant access and ease-of-use. Each one of the 40 chapters takes on one of the 40 most destructive conservative lies in America today, and then systematically deconstructs it, contrasts it with reality, and presents effective arguments that shoot it down. In this way, Pack of Lies not only exposes the over-arching conservative deception, but it undermines and obliterates it through painstaking refutation, issue-by-issue, lie-by-big-conservative-lie.To make it useful for political junkies and casual readers alike, each chapter of Pack of Lies can stand on its own, allowing the reader to refer any lie, any issue, or any volume that he/she needs immediately, making it a handy reference on a smartphone or tablet for quick, effective rebuttals to common misperceptions.

Review: Please keep in mind everyone has different political views, and everyone has a right to their own opinion. 

I have never read a political book in the past, however I do follow politics and the current electoral campaign. I enjoyed this book very much and very informative. I believe whatever political party a person is a part of will enjoy this book if they keep an open mind. However, this book is geared more for the Democratic party. 

The information provided in this book is information I already knew, and topics you will hear the candidates discuss, but its great to have the statistics and numbers to prove the truth behind the lies. This is information that the conservatives will not provide you with. This is information every American has the right to know. I enjoyed this book so much that I recommended it to my father some coworkers to read. I'm looking forward to the other volumes in the series, and read the other lies.