TMP Floating Book Reviews – Five Books

This month we are reviewing five books: 1. “Resurrection Shock”, 2. “The Blackstrap Station”, 3. “Commercial Real Estate: Journey Towards Financial Freedom”, “Silver in the Stones”, and “The Civil War; The Final Year”.

1. “Resurrection Shock – Did the Disciples Get It Right?” (378 pages, paperback, 2020) by Lane Sanford Webster: This was another recommendation from the Stanford Alumni magazine. I’ve read the first few chapters and it seems to be a fairly standard book on apologetics and a review of what happened by eyewitness accounts. Let’s see it holds up.

2. “The Blackstrap Station” (308 pages, paperback, 2016) by Alaric Bond: I read and reviewed the first eight books in this British Naval Fiction series; “His Majesty’s Ship”, “The Jackass Frigate”, “True Colors”, “Cut and Run”, “The Patriot’s Fate” and “The Torrid Zone”, “The Scent of Corruption” and “HMS Prometheus”. I give them high marks. Now that I read the first eight stories in the series, I like it even more. And these last three; ‘Scent’, ‘Prometheus’ and now “Blackstrap” show a new levels of plot complexity and character development.

From before: I learned that the author does not center the series and each book around the captain. All the other series are about the captain rising from humble or noble beginnings to the end of an illustrious career. In Bond’s world, he follows a cross section of the crew, from the lowest to the captain. You are never sure who will survive and who won’t. There are some spoilers in the review concerning what happens; so, beware.

3. “Silver In The Stones: A Classic Western Story of Greed and Revenge (Ames Archives Book 5)” (227 pages, paperback, 2021) by Peter Grant motivation. Recommended by Instapundit.com; from Amazon description: “What comes with a silver boom? Backstabbers, claim-jumpers and con men – and that’s just the start. Walt Ames is working hard to keep his horse ranch afloat and his transport business in motion when silver is discovered on his property. It’s going to take cunning, determination and more than a little luck to investigate the claim while others are trying to kill him for it. Can he keep his business and integrity intact, or is everything Walt loves going to fall prey to the perils of a silver rush?” I finished the book, and it is entertaining if you like this kind of story: good guys always win, lots of technical details on finances and such. Check out on our Floating Book Review next month.

4. “The Civil War – The Final Year” (112 pages, paperback, 2014) by Time (no link). A picture book history of the final year of the US Civil War. Short articles concentrating on Lee, Grant, Sherman and Lincoln. I found this buried under clothes (mine) on our dresser. Lots of interesting information and great photos from the past.

5. ” Commercial Real Estate: Journey Towards Financial Freedom: What Everyone Ought To Know About Commercial Real Estate Investing in 3 Simple Steps” (140 pages, kindle, 2020) by Michael Steven. I found this book when I was searching for a link to the previously read and reviewed “The Encyclopedia of Commercial Real Estate…” to recommend to a friend. Based on the reviews I thought it might serve as a better, shorter introduction for my friend. And it was only 98 cents for the Kindle version, so I read it. I cannot recommend it. There are some statements that I consider flat out wrong. It did not give me confidence in the remainder of the content, much of which was generic or formulas.

Notes from TMP Floating Book Review of “Commercial Real Estate: Journey Towards Financial Freedom”. Here are some of the statements that are problematical: