A Plain Death: An Appleseed Creek Mystery, by Amanda Flower

B&H Publishing

Chloe Humphrey, a big city girl, moved to Appleseed Creek to take over the IT department at the local college. On her drive to the town she notices a young Amish girl being hassled by two scary looking men, so she gives her a ride. This act of generosity opens the door to other Amish friends, dangers, and problems. When her new roommate, the young Amish girl, borrows her car and kills an Amish Bishop, she decides to get involved to try to save her young friends.

I totally enjoyed this book, and will definitely read the next in the series.  This is not a typical Amish fiction book, it is just based in Amish country, and the Amish play background roles. The mystery has enough twists and turns to hold interest, and the characters have the depth that makes them friends. I would definitely recommend this for readers who are looking for a fun read that is not too simple.

Received Galley from NetGalley.com

Published by B&H Publishing Group, July 1, 2012.

Siri for Dummies, by Marc Saltzman

John Wiley & Sons

I choose to review this book because I have an iPhone, but I've never been able to utilize Siri to the extent that I wanted.  I am so delighted to have found this book.

Siri is the name for the virtual assistant on iPhone.  I have an iPhone that I’ve used since December of 2011, but I have not been able to utilize Siri with much success.  After reading this book, I can now use my Siri with confidence. I have typed on a full keyboard most of my life, so I was thankful when I was able to get a phone with a QWERTY keyboard, so that I could enter the world of texting with some speed.  Unfortunately, my thumbs don’t easily and quickly move to the tiny keyboard.  Now, I can just talk to Siri and she does it for me.  I have gotten so used to Siri, that now I resent when I cannot use my voice to text and have to slow down.  This is great for people like me as well as people who just have hands and fingers that are too big to text on a tiny keyboard.

If you have an iPhone, and have not let Siri become a big part of your life, you should definitely get this book.  You will be surprised at how easy it is to use and how much

Received Galley from NetGalley.com

Published by John Wiley & Sons on April 24, 2012.