Goal! : The Fire and Fury of Soccer's Greatest Moment by Mark Stewart and Mike Kennedy

This informational book gives a brief history of soccer, how it developed, and some of the best players of the game. Filled with plenty of pictures, the reader can read about some of the most memorable games and goals. I would recommend this only for fans of the sport, because as a novice to the sport, I found the descriptions of game-winning goals and world-famous players repetitive and boring. I'm sure true fans would enjoy reading every detail, though. C+ rating.

The Past is Gone by James Valentine (TimeJumpers #1)

The Past Is Gone by James Valentine

Just when Jules finally gets up his nerve to ask Gen on a date, Theo pops in to their life. He literally pops into Gen's room out of nowhere. He's a time-jumper from the future and is mistakenly sent to Mil 3, which is our present day. Apparently in the future, time-travel is common place, but the jumpers are invisible to the people of the current time. Only, something has malfunctioned in Theo's jump and he's visible. Jules and Gen work with Theo to try and return him to his own time.

Okay, not a bad start to a trilogy. I really found the description of the jumps and life in the future fascinating. The story is fairly predictable, but it's still fun to read. Of course, you have the evil person from the future who wants to keep something about the time jumper machine a secret. No one knows much about this yet, so we're left with a cliff-hanger and a tease of the next novel. Of course, I want to get the next one to find out what happens. C+ rating.

Seize the Storm by Michael Cadnum

Seize the Storm by Michael Cadnum


Susannah, her cousin Martin, and her parents are sailing to Hawaii when they come across an abandoned (they think) boat. On it they discover two dead men and a bag full of money -- $800,000 worth of money. What happens when the associates of the dead men show up could possibly doom them all.

This book had so much potential, and then blew it. I love the format -- short chapters filled with tons of suspense, leading to thrilling action. I just didn't like the characters... none of them. I wanted to be able to root for a good guy, but there wasn't a good guy. All of the characters were flawed and seemed to make terrible decisions. If there had been a point where they realized the poor decisions and regretted them, then maybe I would have liked it better. I don't feel like anyone redeemed himself in the end. I'll be interested to read what others thought of this book, because right now, I wouldn't recommend it to others. D rating.