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Karen Z

Karen Z

I just wrote my first book last year about my dad and me right after he died called "My Funny Dad, Harry." I am married to Gerard, a wonderful husband, and have two cats, Spunky Doodle and Manny (they have blogs on http://karen.pnn.com (Cat Corner-MEOW section). I love teaching a 5th grade boys Sunday School class and am on the puppet team at... more »
  • Parma (suburb of Cleveland), OH, USA
  • member since February 9 2008

Reviews

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Displaying 1-10 of 319 reviews
  • A Merry Heart: Brides of Lancaster County (Barbour Value Fiction)
    • Rated 4 stars

    the first of the “Brides of Lancaster County” series about a school teacher who is very bitter that her old boyfriend dumped her for someone else and blames God for not answering her prayers.  She struggles with the temptation of falling for a man outside of her faith but eventually she yields to God and experiences joy in her life with her Amish husband who she married for convenience.  
     
    Slow moving romance but gave insight into the Amish community through the main character and her family.  I really didn’t care for the main character throughout most of the book because she was so bitter over being dumped by her old boyfriend.  I liked how the book showed her inner struggles and her journey to having a merry heart in the end which I liked.  I liked it enough to continue on with the series.   Even includes a recipe for Chunky Chocolate Peanut Butter Cookies which sound delicious!

    Karen Z wrote this review 2 days ago. ( reply | permalink )
  • Pack of Two: The Intricate Bond Between People and Dogs
    • Rated 3 stars

    I read this book just because my husband liked it so much but I really didn't care for it. There was very little about the dog, mostly about the owner's feelings and relationships in her life. A lot of it was short snippets about how other dog owners view their dogs as well.

    I did agree with her though about how having a dog build bridges to people. When you walk your dog you meet other dog owners who are usually friendly and it seems that neighbors tend to talk to us more when we walk down the street with our dog.


    Karen Z wrote this review 10 days ago. ( reply | permalink )
  • Shirley, Goodness and Mercy
    • Rated 4 stars

    I enjoyed this cute Christmas miracle story about a lonely 60-yr.-old man who felt he had wasted his life with major screw ups along the way. Christmas time annoys him and he feels like he's hit bottom, but happens to go inside a church and his "prayer" reaches heaven. Three angels are assigned his case and with their help, he turns his life around and people he's hurt greatly in the past forgive him. If you like happy endings and a light fun read, this is a book for you.

    Karen Z wrote this review 10 days ago. ( reply | permalink )
  • Christmas Blessings
    • Rated 5 stars

    Nice collection of poems all related to Christmas with scripture passages included as well and full page illustrations. Beautiful book!

    Karen Z wrote this review 10 days ago. ( reply | permalink )
  • Nubs : a mutt, a Marine & a miracle
    • Rated 5 stars

    This is an amazing true story about the persistence of a war dog who finally made it out of Iraq and found a home in California.  The Marine who helped him is the one who wrote the book and although parts are very sad, it has a very happy ending!  I loved the colorful pictures throughout the book too.  It only takes about 15 minutes or less to read but it's a great story! it only takes about 15 minutes to read though so I recommend you get it from the library.

    Karen Z wrote this review 3 weeks ago. ( reply | permalink )
  • Petey
    • Rated 5 stars

    Really good book and a fast read about how a deformed baby with Cerebral Palsy was misdiagnosed as an idiot and institutionalized in an insane asylum in the 1920s. Most thought he couldn’t think but a few of his attendants and one other resident discovered he could think. When he was in his 40s, he was finally transferred to a nursing home where he was able to go outside and do things. A boy protected him from some bullies who were throwing snowballs at him one day and the 13-yr. old boy became his good friend.

    Petey had a great attitude about life, even though he needed people to take care of his basic needs and couldn’t do much for himself. This book showed what people with deformities go through and that we need to take time to get to know people and not write them off because of their appearance. Petey shows us how good life is. I thought this book would be depressing, but on the contrary, I found it to be very interesting and heartwarming. I highly recommend it.

    Karen Z wrote this review 4 weeks ago. ( reply | permalink )
  • The Year That Follows
    • Rated 1 stars

    I had a very hard time getting through this book. It was extremely boring about the sister (Cat) who tries finding her step brother’s son after her step brother was killed in the 9/11 tower terrorist attack. I was disappointed in it because I expected it to be about the boy since he was on the cover, but it was hardly about him at all. Mostly about family secrets. The only good thing about it was the ending.

    Karen Z wrote this review Tuesday, December 1 2009. ( reply | permalink )
  • My Little Grandmother Often Forgets
    • Rated 5 stars

    Cute illustrated children’s book about a kid’s grandmother with Alzheimer’s and how he relates to her. Cleverly written in verse.

    Karen Z wrote this review Saturday, November 28 2009. ( reply | permalink )
  • Stranded
    • Rated 5 stars

    Stranded by Ben Mikaelsen is a young adult fiction book about a Jr. High girl who has lost her foot in an accident and finally gets accepted at school when everyone hears about her saving two whales. The story delves into her feelings about her parents separation, school, fears of what others think about her and how she finally accepts herself. In reading this book, I learned a bit more about whales and liked the theme that was not to judge people by how they look on the outside, but to look deeper at who people really are. Her special relationship she had with the whales was interesting. I enjoyed this light, fast read very much. I think the author did a fantastic job at getting inside the head of a young girl.

    Karen Z wrote this review Friday, November 20 2009. ( reply | permalink )
  • The Associate
    • Rated 4 stars

    The Associate by John Grisham is definitely a page-turner that kept my interest all through but was a bit of a let down in the end. Kyle, a first-year associate at a big New York law firm was being blackmailed to steal confidential information from the firm he worked for and struggled to find a way out. It demonstrates how one's past can come back to haunt them. I enjoyed this book even though the story line seemed far-fetched to me and there were several loose ends. I recommend this to anyone who likes some suspense and enjoys reading about lawyers. Since I work for a law firm, perhaps that's why I could relate to the main character and got into this book. I found it to be entertaining.

    Karen Z wrote this review Tuesday, November 17 2009. ( reply | permalink )
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