Sunday 6 May 2018

Mastering Stocks - Michael K. Brown



                Mastering Stocks is an essential guide for anyone looking to get into the risky hobby/job of trading stocks. As the author states, you can get rich from playing the market but if you don’t know what you are doing then you could conceivably lose everything you invested and be left with nothing. Hopefully, reading this will address any questions you may have concerning your new adventure. This is exactly why I chose to read this book. I have a few investments that I leave in the hands of others to deal with but I would love to learn more so that I can take an active part in trading them. I didn’t want a dry read that would bore me to sleep before the second chapter and the cover of Mastering Stocks caught my eye with its bright coloring and its succinct title. Inside are thirty-nine chapters containing everything you could ever want or need to know about trading stocks. There’s information about how to get into the market and how much money you should have to back up your trading (at least $25 000 U.S.). If you don’t want to go for the high end stocks, then there is a chapter about penny stocks and the pros and cons involved with trading them. Each chapter is laid out in such a way that there is a lot of information but it is presented in an interesting manner. Mr. Brown doesn’t lecture or come across as a know-it-all. Instead, he lays the information out for the reader and it’s up to them to decide whether or not they are prepared for the risk that can happen if they venture down this path.
                Mastering Stocks does solely deal with the stock market in the United States, although the author does mention other markets, and this should be kept in mind while reading the book. As an example of how risky the market can be, Mr. Brown mentions a few stocks that seem fairly sure to be around. One of those is Sears which is now bankrupt; at least it is in Canada. Obviously, this is a very risky business and this book will certainly help with deciding if you want to partake or not.
                I read this in digital format and it worked perfectly on my ereader.

Sonny from Outer Space - Pamela Foland


                Sonny from Outer Space is the third children’s book written by Pamela Foland that I have read and reviewed. The other two were a part of the Megan’s World Series and I enjoyed those quite a bit. This is the first younger children’s book from Ms. Foland that I’ve read and I found it to be really sweet and well written.
                The story is about a little alien named Zonny who offers to go to Earth to get more provisions for his “people”. He decides to take the form of a dog and names himself Sonny. He finds a little girl, aptly named Pamela, who takes him into her home to live with her and her other two dogs.
                This is a really cute little book with bright and colourful illustrations. They do seem a little different from those in other children’s books but I think they are of a different style than what I am used to seeing. There are some nice little lessons in the story as well, something that seems to be a signature of Pamela Foland’s books. The character of Pamela is a pleasant, kind and polite little girl. She is a good representation of how we all would like our children to be and I like how Ms. Foland has this character model positive behaviours. Pamela’s love for animals, both the character and the author, is very evident by the way the story plays out. Little Pamela is a very responsible and considerate pet owner and treats her dogs with love, something that children reading the book will hopefully pick up on and practice in their own lives. The ending is really sweet as well and I hope this book will lead to future adventures with Zonny and Pamela.
                There is one minor editing error with the illustrations that show Sonny’s collar. His name appears as Sony, not Sonny. This isn’t a huge problem but older children may pick up on it. I read this on my ereader and the text and illustrations formatted to my ereader perfectly. The cover is well drawn and will draw the attention of little ones.

The Fallen - Ravek Hunter


                The Fallen, written by Ravek Hunter, is the first novel in the World of Atlantis series that is filled with magic, deceit, romance and intrigue. There is some sex but not enough to bother someone who doesn’t like to have a raunchy romance read in their books.
                Young Eselt is betrothed to the much older Duke of Tintagel and is happy to do so until she falls deeply in love with Drystan, the Temple Knight, whom the duke sent to escort Eselt to him at his castle so that they can be wed. A sordid affair starts with a lot of sneaking around and secret meetings. Unfortunately for them, someone who has a strong dislike for one of them decides to try and destroy their lives. In another aspect of the storyline, Aja is a healer that helps Eselt recover from an illness during her journey to the duke but it’s soon found out that doing good is not what Aja’s true intentions really are. By the end of the book, there is a very interesting twist that will lead to, hopefully, the next book in the series.
                My first suggestion for anyone about to read this book is that they flip to the back of the book and take a look at the Glossary and Cast list. There are a fair number of characters and this list will help the reader keep everyone in order. I originally picked this book up because I loved the cover and I thought that the story with a Temple Knight and a princess would make a good guilty pleasure read. The book does start a little slowly and I found the love story part of it to be a bit boring and it seemed to take up a lot of the story. I think the main reason I felt this way is that I enjoyed all of the other parts so much. The mystery surrounding Aja had a great twist and the addition of dwarves, leprechauns and other mystical creatures really added to the story. It is a really interesting world that Mr. Hunter has created and a lot of thought has, obviously, gone into developing it. I really look forward to reading the next book in the series and finding out what happens to Drystan, Eselt and the others in the World of Atlantis.
                I read this in digital format and it transferred to my ereader perfectly.