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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 21-30 of 319 reviews
  • Life on the Refrigerator Door: Notes Between a Mother and Daughter, a novel
    • 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.

    Karen Z wrote this review Tuesday, July 28 2009. ( reply | permalink )
  • Sworn to Silence
    • Rated 4 stars

    Sworn to Silence is a gruesome thriller mystery about a woman with Amish background Chief of police of Painters Mills, Ohio finally getting to the bottom of the rape/murders that have been going on for years by a serial killer with a little romance thrown in. It has an unusual twist that I didn’t expect and the book builds tension along the way enticing me to stay up late to finish it. The story line was super but because of the language and the horrific details of the torture that took place, I gave it four stars instead of five. If you like murder mysteries and don‘t mind gory details, I recommend this one!

    Karen Z wrote this review Saturday, July 25 2009. ( reply | permalink )
  • How To Speak Dog

    How To Speak Dog

    by Sarah Whitehead
    • Rated 5 stars

    Great book for dog training and learning about dogs. Colorful and easy to read. Step-by-step instructions for teaching various commands.

    Karen Z wrote this review Thursday, July 2 2009. ( reply | permalink )
  • The Unlikely Disciple: A Sinner's Semester at America's Holiest University
    • Rated 3 stars

    "The Unlikely Disciple" is about a college student from Brown University going "under cover" to see what evangelicals were really like at Liberty University. He pretended to be a Christian in order to experience a semester at a very conservative Christian University and write about it. Being a Christian, I was interested in seeing his perspective on things and of course was hoping he would be converted along the way. Issues addressed in the book included classes, dorm life, dating, rules, homosexuality, Church, witnessing, judging. I did not get the impression that he was knocking the school. I think college students or people who are curious as to what Liberty University is like would enjoy this book.

    Karen Z wrote this review Tuesday, June 16 2009. ( reply | permalink )
  • Why I Teach: Inspirational True Stories from Teachers Who Make a Difference
    • Rated 5 stars

    This is a short book of inspiring stories from various teachers (and some students). I found it to be encouraging, inspirational and interesting and recommend it to any teacher. I think it would make a great gift for someone who is just going in to teaching.

    Karen Z wrote this review Monday, June 15 2009. ( reply | permalink )
  • Forever My Lady
    • Rated 4 stars

    Real World Romance From A Man's Perspective
    I liked Forever My Lady by Jeff Rivera, because it's not your typical romance. It's about Dio, a Latino gang member called Playboy, whose girlfriend, Jennifer, got shot six times in a drive by shooting meant for him. He was sent to prison boot camp and Jennifer was in the hospital. It's a good story about his struggles at boot camp and how he matured and learned to become a responsible citizen that Jennifer would want to marry. He thinks about her constantly and thinking about their future together is what keeps him going and motivates him to become a better person. The reader learns much about their relationship through the letters they exchange while he is detained. The warning label on the book which says "Parental Guidance, Explicit Language, Adult Situations" almost scared me off but I'm glad I read it. It has a bitter sweet ending. I came to like Dio and pulled for him throughout most of the book. I highly recommend this to both men, women and young adults.

    Karen Z wrote this review Tuesday, June 9 2009. ( reply | permalink )
  • The Ultimate Cat Lover: The Best Experts' Advice for a Happy, Healthy Cat with Stories and Photos of Fabulous Felines (Ultimate Series)
    • Rated 5 stars

    This book was a delight to read! It had many short stories that were by different people about their experiences with their cat that were entertaining and amazing. The full-page color pictures of the cats interspersed in small sections throughout the book gives the reader a nice little break between the stories so it doesn't get monotonous and 29 pages are filled with expert advice about all kinds of cat related issues with recommended websites and other resources listed for further information. My favorite story was about the homeless man with his cat. I recommend this book to every cat owner!

    Some of the recommended websites are: www.bestfriends.org (pictures of the pet rescue of New Orleans after the hurricane); www.help4pets.com and www.thecenterforlostpets.com (both these have advice on how to prevent loss or find a runaway pet). A foundation that is an identification system for pets in any emergency, such as lost, house fire, car accident, natural disaster, travel emergencies, can be reached at 1-800-HELP-4-PETS.

    Karen Z wrote this review Friday, June 5 2009. ( reply | permalink )
  • Where the Wild Things Are
    • Rated 4 stars

    Funny kids' book with cool pictures--recommended for ages 2-7. Easy reading, very short, done with it in five minutes. Both my cats came over while I read and looked at the pictures.

    Karen Z wrote this review Thursday, June 4 2009. ( reply | permalink )
  • One September Morning

    One September Morning

    by Rosalind Noonan
    • Rated 5 stars

    I really liked this book about an army widow who wasn't satisfied with the army's report on her husband's death in Iraq and uncovered some disturbing facts about how he really died. It also included the effects of his death on his family and how his feelings about the war in Iraq changed during his service there. This book gave some insight into the Iraq war and gave me a new perspective on it. This book is a bit of a mystery because at first you don't know which soldier is the killer and then it turns to suspense as the killer puts his plan into action. I read this in two days because it was captivating and I liked Abby, the main character who was the army widow. I recommend this to anyone who likes mysteries, suspense, PTSD, stories about military families or psychos.

    Karen Z wrote this review Friday, May 29 2009. ( reply | permalink )
  • Whatever Tomorrow Brings (The Californians, 1)
    • Rated 4 stars

    I liked it. It’s a Christian romance about family and hospitality. Three siblings whose mother died after moving to California from Hawaii and whose father went back to mission work in Hawaii but left kids in the states with the intent to join them later have to make it on their own with the help of Christian friends. Katie, the oldest, gets a teaching job and takes care of her teen brother Sean and little sister, Marcail,

    Karen Z wrote this review Friday, May 22 2009. ( reply | permalink )
Displaying 21-30 of 319 reviews

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