Master Lists for Writers by Bryn Donavan

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Publication date: 2015
Publisher: Munds Park Publishing
Pages: 269
My rating: 3.5 stars
Ages: 18+

Do you ever find yourself lacking the right word, or not knowing how to perfectly describe how one of your characters is feeling without telling it? Master Lists for Writers contains over 50 lists of descriptions, words, plots, names, and more.

I came across Donovan's website while searching for writing resources on Pinterest. I found her lists interesting and helpful, so I bought her book.

Just reading through this book helped me realize things about me as a writer, especially when it comes to my weaknesses and how to make them better. This isn't just a book of lists, but includes explanations of why certain things are important and how using things on the list effectively can make your writing better.

I put the age so high because there is a section geared toward romance writers, which discusses different aspects of sex.

*I do not receive compensation from Amazon.
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Stalking Jack the Ripper by Kerri Maniscalco

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Publication date: 2016
Publisher: JIMMY Patterson
Pages: 318
My rating: 3.5 stars
Ages:14+

Audrey Rose is not the typical society woman. She's fascinated by her uncle's work in medicine and spends her spare time studying cadavers. But when women start being killed, Audrey Rose must use her skills to try to find the killer--and she's certain it's someone she knows.

I am strangely obsessed with Jack the Ripper. Almost 130 years ago, someone killed five prostitutes over the course of three months and no one knows who. Everyone has their theories, but we'll never know who did it. Stalking takes that mystery and introduces some theories of its own, in the guise of a gripping forensic thriller.

Audrey Rose is the perfect kind of heroine. She doesn't see why she can't be beautiful and smart; why a woman can't have love and a career. She has strengths and weaknesses, which is what creates an interesting character, male or female.

Maniscalco presents the evidence in such a way that keeps you going along with Audrey Rose, instead of being two steps ahead of her, which I personally find annoying and makes the main character seem stupid. A great debut novel, both for the author and the publisher.

There was no language and no sex.

*I do not receive compensation from Amazon.

You're Saying It Wrong by Ross Petras and Kathryn Petras

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Publication date: 2016
Publisher: Ten Speed Press
Pages: 192
My rating: 4 stars
Ages: 12+

Have you ever said a word and then been told you've been saying it wrong your whole life? In this book, we are given 150 of the most commonly mispronounced words in the English language, with the correct pronunciations and history behind the words. Never be caught in an awkward situation again! (Well, at least when it comes to pronunciation.)

The problem of being a reader is that I know a lot of words and what they mean, but haven't heard many of them ever said out loud. Which means that I have had a few embarrassing situations where I have said a wrong wrong.

This book is a great, and fun, resource. The pronunciations are written out phonetically, so you don't have to try to figure out what all the marks mean. Then the Petrases explain how the mispronunciation probably came about, and the history behind the words. This could be boring, if they weren't so entertaining.

There were a few words that I just couldn't seem to get my mouth around. Others, I was proud to see I already did pronounce right, even if I wasn't sure because I'd heard others say it wrong ("dais" being one).

Great book for all word people.

*I received this book from Blogging for Books for this review.

Diplomatic Immunity by Brodie Ashton

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Publication date: 2016
Publisher: Balzer + Bray
Pages: 352
My rating: 3.5 stars
Ages: 16+

When Piper is accepted on scholarship to Chiswick Academy, she is introduced to the life of the rich and privileged children of foreign ambassadors. She decides to do an expose on what her classmates can get away with, but things get complicated when she starts getting emotionally involved.

I look forward to Ashton's books, partly because each one is so different. This new novel focuses on two different worlds, with interesting and diverse characters.

Now, there is something that I did dislike and to anyone else it would seem so little, but as an editor I've been trained to pay attention to details. In one part of the book, Piper is picked up by a limo to go spend the evening at the Spanish Embassy. About 100 pages later, Piper is going on a date with the Secretary of State's son, and when he comes in a limo to pick her up, she says that she's never ridden in a limo before. At that point, I had to stop reading and flip back to make sure I remembered the previous experience correctly. This isn't the fault of the author, but I feel like should have been picked up by an editor at some point in the process.

Other than that, I really enjoyed the book and a look at the world I know very little about. I can't seem to think of anything else to say, except that I recommend it.

There were at least two instances of the f-word and some sexual innuendos.

*I do not receive compensation from Amazon.