Paul Lappen's Page

Conversations on the Bench: Life Lessons From the Wisest Man I Ever Knew, Digger Cartwright, 2013, ISBN 9781483613536Inspired by actual events, this book is about two men with a bond closer than that of brothers, though they could not be more different.The author is invited to a high-class country club in South Carolina, to a meeting of Thinking Outside The Boxe (with an "e"). It's a non-partisan think tank with the intention of coming up with real, not "liberal" or "conservative," solutions to…See More

The Guardian of Genghis Khan's Tomb, Michael B. Hickland, Amazon Digital Services, Inc., 2013This novel is about an 800-year-old treasure that comes very close to starting a third World War.In an isolated bit of Mongolia, Genghis Khan buried the spoils from his years of plundering and pillaging across Asia. Over the centuries, many diligent attempts were made to find the treasure, especially during World War II, but without luck.Kate Barrows is an English paleontologist leading an expedition in…See More

Hey, Joe (Jamaica series), Jerry Beller, Amazon Digital Services, Inc., 2013This novel is about a man who discovers himself by moving to a different part of the world.Set in the 1980s, River is a high-level Congressional staffer in Washington. Suddenly, he quits his job and sells his car. He packs up his possessions, and hops a plane to Jamaica. He had visited the island in the past, and fell in love with the scenery. He intentionally bypasses Kingston, the capital, which is full of tourists.…See More

Daughter of the Sun, Three Phoenix, 2012, ISBN 9780983068631The people of the valley of East Mountain are looked after by Elana, the Daughter of the Sun. Whenever she smiled, the sun would join in and spread happiness and joy over the whole valley. The people thought she was magic.For unknown reasons, a feeling of unhappiness has come over the people. AhMun, the corn grower, and a couple of his friends decide to visit Elana and ask for her help.Naturally, getting to Elana is not easy. When they…See More

Madam President (American Myth Series), Jerry Beller, 2013, Kindle e-bookThis novel looks at the presidency of America's first black, female President.In 2012, things are not going well for Kalinda Resbo. She can't get anything through Congress, mostly because Congressional Republicans have decided to say No to anything she advocates. Congressional Democrats are not much better, being too cowardly to stand with her. Her CIA and FBI Directors, along with her Vice President (they were forced on…See More

Local Dollars, Local Sense: How to Shift Your Money From Wall Street to Main Street and Achieve Real Prosperity, Michael Shuman, 2012, ISBN 9781603583435A good way to achieve real prosperity in America is to invest money in local businesses, instead of the multi-national conglomerates of this world. This book shows some ways to do it.First of all, forget about the usual method, that of buying shares in a local store. The vast majority of investors are "unaccredited," and for a local store to…See More

The Absurd Adventures of Mira, Sujata Rayers, 2012, ISBN 9781612961088Mira is an Indian-American living in present-day Louisiana. She is also swarthy, weighs 250 pounds, and fantasizes herself as blonde, blue-eyed Cameron Diaz. At a high school party, she is raped by a member of the Black Panthers. her father refuses to acknowledge the rape out of concern that it will make her "spoiled fruit" when it comes time for marriage. Mira moves in with Andy, the manager of the local grocery store that…See More

The Cellar Door, Brett Gadbois, 2010, ISBN 9780615347318This is the tale of a young boy and his amazing adventures.Sam Bixby is your average nine-year-old. His parents have been divorced for most of his life. The concern and uncertainty that comes with divorced parents comes back to Sam when Mom asks him to live with her in California. Sam and Dad live near Seattle. On a camping trip to northern Minnesota with Dad, Sam explores an abandoned farmhouse (the kind that children should not explore…See More

Lilith Rising 1969, Roberta Kagan, 2013, Kindle e-bookThis novel is about one person's experiences in late 1960s America.Lily is your average teenager living near Chicago. She ran away from home because life at home had fallen apart. At a party, she is noticed by Red, the leader of a local biker gang. Realizing that she is too far from home, Lily calls her mother, looking for a ride. To her shock, her mother says that coming home, at that time, was not a good idea. Lily has no choice but to hop…See More

All My Love, Detrick, Roberta Kagan, 2012, Kindle e-bookThis is a love story set in Nazi Germany.Detrick is an Aryan, living in Berlin, who, for years, has worked in the bicycle repair shop of Jacob Abdenstern. Accompanying Jacob home one night, Detrick meets Leah, his daughter. There is an instant attraction between them. They have to keep their romance very quiet, because, in Nazi Germany, any public affection between an Aryan and a Jew is very illegal. Detrick is extremely uninterested in…See More

The Monsterjunkies: An American Family Odyssey, Erik Daniel Shein & L.M. Reker, 2012, ISBN 9780615250205This is the story of a very unique American family.The Monsterjunkies live in a walled compound on the coast of Maine. Talon, the father, is a crypto-zoologist who specializes in rescuing animal species thought to be extinct, with the intention of returning them to the wild. Pandora is his wife, and their children, daughter Indigo and son Crow are students at the local high school.…See More

Navy Fun: When Ronald Reagan Was In Charge and Being in the Navy Was a Blast, Vince Stead, 2007, ISBN 9781598245141This is one person's chronicle of life in the US Navy.The author grew up in a small town in Michigan. Part of a large family, his father's attitude was that when each child reached 16 years old, they moved out of the house. A friend was joining the Navy, so the author followed him. Boot camp, held in Florida, consisted of a lot of yelling, for no good reason. When it was time to…See More

Spiritual Cashflow: A Story About Sex, Money and Enlightment, Steven E. Schmitt, 2011, Kindle e-bookThis is the story of one person's spiritual "rags to riches" journey.Set in present-day Southern California, the narrator, who calls himself "E," had a difficult home life. The youngest of eight children, there was lots of love in the house. There was also lots of alcohol, bikers and all-night parties. Mom did the best she could while battling cancer. Dad committed suicide before E was born.…See More

Goodnight, Brian, Steven H. Manchester, 2013, Kindle e-bookHere is a story about one family's journey through life, in the face of some considerable obstacles.Brian Mauretti is the second child of Jan and Frank Mauretti, residents of Rhode Island. For his first few months, while he is breast-fed, everything is fine. When Jan switches him to a supposedly organic, soy-based, bottle formula, Brian's condition collapses. It starts with constant diarrhea, and inability to sleep, and goes downhill…See More

V.E.A.R. Toward Success, Mike Caldwell, 2008, ISBN 9781425165260This book shows how anyone can achieve their goals in any part of their life.Vision comes first. For example, it's not enough to simply say to yourself, "I would like to open a cupcake shop." You have to visualize yourself in your shop which is full of customers, you have to dream about it, you practically have to make it part of your inner being. If you aren't totally committed to your goal, whatever it is, then why bother?Next…See More