From 1787 to 1868 more than 160,000 women and children were convicted and sent from Britain to Australia for a variety of crimes. Convicts in the Colonies: Transportation Tales From Britain to Australia provides real life case studies and exceptional tales of those who were brought over in the first ships until the last ships. Lucy Williams examines everything from crime to sentencing in Britain to the perilous voyage these convicts had to face on their way to Australia. She then examines the three main penal colonies and the men and women who lived there. Continue reading “Convicts in the Colonies Book Review from @kleffnotes”

Roald Dahl is well known as a children’s author who delighted generations not only with his original works, but this the adaptations that came after them. While he is often best known for being an author, he was also so much more. Born in Norway in 1916, Dahl went on to become a rebellious teenager and later became a fighter pilot as part of RAF. He would later make his way to New York where he became involved in complex undercover operations. The Real Roald Dahl exmaines all of the parts of the author, both before and after his time as a writer to provide a deep understanding of the well known creator. Continue reading “The Real Roald Dahl Book Review from @kleffnotes”

For over 500 years, women have found themselves being labeled as frigid, insane, and even labeled her as a weaker species. What Suffering of Women Who Didnt’ Fit examines are the attitudes, ideas, and responses to women who were viewed as mad in Britain. Moving from the Middle Ages, to the Puritan period, and into Victorian, David J. Vaughan details the issues that women faced in a misogynistic society. Continue reading “The Suffering of Women Who Didn’t Fit from @kleffnotes”

You Can Be a Winning Writer shares Joan Gelfand’s 4 C’s approach to creative writing and successful authorship. She has shared this information in a variety of presentations at book festivals and author conventions as well as to college professors, CEOs, and even more people. She examines how to build a community and a fan base for you and your work. Gelfand, with the help of Renate Stendhal, PhD, examines how to defeat the lack of confidence that can keep authors from ever getting published. Continue reading “You Can Be a Winning Writer Book Review from @kleffnotes”

Renowned five time TED Talks speaker and author Julian Treasure brings his skills to you with How to be Heard: Secrets for Powerful Speaking and Listening. He shares his tips for how to speak and be heard and also for how to be a good listener in your own right. He demonstrates via interviews with world-class speakers, professional performers and CEOs atop their field, the secret lies in developing simple habits that can transform our communication skills, the quality of our relationships and our impact in the world. Continue reading “How to be Heard Book Review from @kleffnotes”

We Don’t Know Either: Trivia Night Done Right from City Trivia takes the fun of pub night trivia and online trivia apps and allows you to access it any time you want. The book is packed with trivia entertainment in five rounds of questions and four bonus rounds, including puzzles, pictures, fill-in-the-blank challenges, and even music rounds. Get your friends together and enjoy a fun night jam packed full of trivia. Continue reading “We Don’t Know Either Book Review from @kleffnotes”

Everyone has strengths and weaknesses, but how do you use these strengths and defeat these weaknesses in order to stay our of your own way as you make your way through life? The in your face, no nonsense book by Justin Loeber, Get Out of Your Own Way Guide to Life: 10 Steps to Shift Gears, Dream Big, Do It Now, is a quirky read that is pitch perfect because of the personal experiences shared by Loeber that stretch back to his time in the 70s Disco Era. He has been a waiter, a Wang Word Processing operator, a substitute go-go dancer and almost made it big as a solo pop star. He then created a boutique digital and public realtions agency in 2006, all of which helped him to create this book. Continue reading “Get Out of Your Own Way Guide to Life Book Review from @kleffnotes”

Perry Cockerell’s third book in his trilogy, Tatiana’s War, focuses on Tatiana, who has married fellow journalist Oliver Smith. Their relationship has been shown throughout the course of the books and now Tatiana is focusing on reviewing books exceptionally quickly. She loves to read and is challenging her fellow journalists to do the same. Not only is she working on this project, but she is also investigating Andre’s childhood and his connection with Sister Camille and St. Peter’s Catholic Church. When the journalists receive a script for a strange play revolving around something called the Deep State titled “Fake News” Tatiana finds herself manifesting strange scenes based on books she has read in combination with the comedy play that the theater is putting on. Her dreams are becoming a reality and all of the characters become drawn into them, which leads the reader to question what is real and what is a dream. Continue reading “Tatiana’s War Book Review from @kleffnotes”

The sequel to A Private War, A Private War II, focuses on Andre’s return to Alabama, where he struggles to cope with his life after the war. Beyond dealing with what would be a typical adjustment period, Andre will also begin working at the paper that covered his trial, which is an additional element to cope with when it brings up elements of his childhood that he had thought were answered. This story brings previous characters back together and involves another intensive climax for everyone in Alabama. Continue reading “A Private War II Book Review from @kleffnotes”