Karen Z

• Rated 5 stars

“How To Speak Cat by Sarah Whitehead is a colorful, easy-to-read book with lots of good information on how to get along with cats including some games to play with them and some things you can teach them with simple step-by-step instructions. Great for kids to learn how to treat and understand cats.”

Karen Z wrote this review yesterday. ( reply | permalink )

• Rated 5 stars

“Prairie Tail by Melissa Gilbert is a real eye opener. The adopted child actress who was in the hit show, "Little House On the Prairie," shares her personal moments, feelings, struggles and triumphs in her own search for identity. I learned so much about her as a real person and was shocked at some of the things she did. Her life had lots of ups and downs, all of which contributed to who she is today. This book gives the reader a look at the acting profession and Hollywood from the inside. Melissa Gilbert is a great actress who got sucked into the wild life of drugs, alcohol and sex but was able to finally get the help she needed to overcome it. I enjoyed learning who she really is.”

Karen Z wrote this review 4 days ago. ( reply | permalink )

• Rated 4 stars

“The Lucky One by Nicholas Sparks is an interesting romance involving a single mom who took care of her elderly mother and helped her with the kennel, and a vet who felt the photograph he found of her in Iraq brought him luck so wanted to find her because he felt he owed her. He walked across the country with his dog to find her and had a little run-in with her ex who happened to be the Sheriff. He also had a dog who traveled with him which added to the interest of the story for me. This was a good read if you’re looking for a light family type story with some suspense tossed in. I liked it!
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Karen Z wrote this review 2 weeks ago. ( reply | permalink )

• Rated 3 stars

“Raining Cats and Dogs by Laurien Berenson is a murder mystery with some dog and cat stories tossed in which added some humor. The main character has five poodles and a neighbor who has a bunch of cats. Her private life relating to her neighbor was the humorous part of the book. She and her poodle went to a dog obedience class which invited her to join them on their visit to the nursing home. Although they weren't therapy dogs exactly, many of the residents enjoyed seeing the dogs. I was interested in this aspect of the book because it's something I would like to do with Abby some day. The murder was committed while they were at the nursing home and the Poodle owner is the one who just started her own informal investigation and discovered who did it. The highlight of the book for me was the cat lover lady who didn't like dogs but tolerated the poodle during the visits at the nursing home.

I liked it overall, but it was very slow moving. ”

Karen Z wrote this review Thursday, September 17 2009. ( reply | permalink )

• Rated 5 stars

“"Angel Dogs" by Allen and Linda Anderson is a fascinating non-fiction book of amazing stories about dogs from different people.  One of the most uplifting and fun stories was from a family sharing about how they celebrate “Dog Day.”  All day, they focus on their dogs and make it a very fun day for the whole family.  I thought this was a wonderful idea!  The stories range from how people’s dogs brought joy to their lives to amazing things they did to revisiting their owners after they died both in dreams and in signs and one even appeared to wake his owner up when he fell asleep on guard duty to save his career!  It certainly is comforting for any dog owner in that it gives us hope of seeing our pets again who have crossed over the Rainbow Bridge.  Who knows?  Read it for yourself and you’ll see what I mean.
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Karen Z wrote this review Wednesday, August 26 2009. ( reply | permalink )

• Rated 4 stars

“My sister's Keeper is a story of a family coping with a daughter who has cancer and the sister who is destined to be the donor for her. It also has an interesting subplot of romance between the lawyer Anna hires and the lady appointed to make a recommendation to the court as to what she thinks is in Anna’s best interest. This would be a great book for a book club to discuss. It’s about feelings, ethics, motivations and relationships. It kept my interest all the way through and as usual in Picoult’s books, has a surprise ending.”

Karen Z wrote this review Friday, August 14 2009. ( reply | permalink )

• Rated 5 stars

“I liked reading Still Growing by Kirk Cameron because I liked him on the sit com, "Growing Pains," and also know he is a Christian.  I was curious to find out more about his personal life. I was surprised to find out he had an atheist belief through is teens until he became a believer at age 19.  In his autobiography he shares how he got into acting, how he was used to having anything he wanted, how he began to ask the questions about life, how his beliefs changed and how they affected his career and decisions.  I found it interesting that he is one of few actors who has only been married once to an actress and has six children and has been married 17 years as of when the book was written.  It was so refreshing to read about his love for his wife and family.  Another thing that I found very interesting was the fact that after he married, he vowed he would not kiss any other woman, even if acting.  This has been something I've wondered about myself, how actors and actresses who are married can take those parts where they kiss in the shows.  Kirk shared that when he agreed to do a movie produced by the creators of "Facing the Giants" that these producers respected this and for the big kiss at the end, let Kirk's real wife step in and did a silhouette shot.  An Appendix is included as well sharing some about his religious beliefs and books he highly recommends to the reader.  I liked Kirk Cameron before reading his autobiography and after reading it, I even have more respect for him.  His website is www.kirkcameron.com.”

Karen Z wrote this review Tuesday, August 11 2009. ( reply | permalink )

1 of 1 members found this review helpful.

• Rated 5 stars

“The Last Lecture by Randy Pausch is a popular book full of good advice for living written by a terminally ill cancer patient, a husband of 8 years and father to three young children.  Randy Pausch if a college professor who lived a full life and had an optimistic attitude.  He gives lots of tips that parents could find useful. The book has lots of good advice in it and I highly recommend it. The actual “last Lecture” can be viewed at www.thelastlecture.com.  ”

Karen Z wrote this review Friday, August 7 2009. ( reply | permalink )

• Rated 4 stars

“The Reluctant Cowgirl is a story about following one’s dreams as well as romance. Basically the cowgirl leaves home at 18 pursuing a career on Broadway and returns seven years later to help take care of her family’s ranch. This is a Christian Romance that isn’t completely like a fairy tale as most. My favorite part was when the little girl directed her dad and Crystal acting out “Sleeping Beauty” in the barn. Although the ending is predictable, I liked it because there is enough tension and reality to keep things interesting. The Reluctant Cowgirl addresses grieving, letting go of the past, making tough choices, love of family, and God’s love. ”

Karen Z wrote this review Wednesday, August 5 2009. ( reply | permalink )

• Rated 3 stars

“"Life on the Refrigerator Door" by Alice Kuipers is a very quick read that reminds us that actually spending time with our loved ones is important because life truly is short, shorter than we expect sometimes. It is about a mother and daughter communicating with notes on the refrigerator because both are too busy to actually make time for each other.
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Karen Z wrote this review Tuesday, July 28 2009. ( reply | permalink )