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Richard Cummings

Richard Cummings is a writer, traveler, and web content developer.

Get your copy of his latest book entitled Obvious Conclusions, stories of a Midwestern emigrant influenced and corrupted by many years living in San Francisco and abroad. It just received its first outstanding review "...reminiscent of David Sedaris or Augusten Burroughs" on Amazon UK.
Richard Cummings
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book-review-the-wives-tarryn-fisher

Book Review: The Wives by Tarryn Fisher

book-review-the-wives-tarryn-fisher-by-richard-cummings-In this book review of The Wives by Tarryn Fisher, I’ll tell you three things: Why you’ll like it, why it will annoy you, and why it may surprise you.

First, let me confess a disservice I’ve done to Tarryn Fisher, the author of The Wives. I typically do not read books of a similar genre consecutively. I find this unfair to the second undertaking. It’s as if you’ve just scratched an itch that you’ve had for a long time… the second scratch will will never feel as good as the first.

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Richard CummingsBook Review: The Wives by Tarryn Fisher
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Book Review: The Last Trial by Scott Turow

scott-turow-the-last-trial-review - richard-cummingsWhen I saw that Scott Turow had released a new book entitled The Last Trial, I felt like an old friend was coming to town and I looked forward to their arrival with pleasant anticipation.

I’m grateful to Scott Turow every time he writes a book — they arrive too infrequently and pass too quickly.

It all began back in 1987 with Presumed Innocent, a legal thriller with just the right proportion of character development, plot intrigue, and great writing. I was equally absorbed by his follow-up The Burden of Proof and then found myself looking forward to each new release by Scott Turow.

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Richard CummingsBook Review: The Last Trial by Scott Turow
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Second Stimulus Proposal – the HEALS ACT- In Danger of Collapse

senate-second-stimulus-HEALS-mitch-mconnellWhile Americans continue to wonder when they’ll receive their second stimulus check, the Republican-filled Senate continues to argue over the details of their new stimulus package called The HEALS Act.

If you are wondering about how much a second stimulus check would be, the answer is that it would be roughly the same amount as the first stimulus check from the CARES Act, which was $1,200 for all qualifying Americans.

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Richard CummingsSecond Stimulus Proposal – the HEALS ACT- In Danger of Collapse
normal-people-sally-rooney-review

Normal People By Sally Rooney: A Book Review by Richard Cummings

normal-people-sally-rooney-review-richard-cummingsThe very reason I chose to read Normal People by Sally Rooney was the ordinary title — definitely not click bait!

Of course, I put more in my decision to read a book than a quick glance at the title but it was initially the title of Sally Rooney’s book — Normal People — that interested me.

I guess I had a contrarian thought after seeing the title: any author that takes such a big risk with an unappealing title must know the inner-beauty of their work.

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Richard CummingsNormal People By Sally Rooney: A Book Review by Richard Cummings
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Trump: “Very Generous” Second Stimulus Check [Watch Video]

trump-very-generous-second-stimulus-postIn an interview yesterday, President Donald Trump said that there will be a very generous second stimulus check of 2020 forthcoming.

What we don’t know is this: was he telling the truth and when would a second stimulus happen?

There are several factors that may indicate he was not telling the complete truth.

(We now know the truth.  Yes, Donald Trump was, like always, exaggerating.  See below what the “very generous” check will be.)

Firstly, his Treasury Secretary Steve Mnuchin continues to opine that a second stimulus should be more jobs-focused rather than a direct check to the American people.

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Richard CummingsTrump: “Very Generous” Second Stimulus Check [Watch Video]
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The Best VPN for Bank of America [2020 Updates]

Bank of America VPN AccessIn this article, I’m going to tell you the best VPN software to use if you are a customer of Bank of America.

One of my gripes about VPN services is that they all generally claim to work with every website and, unfortunately, that’s just not the case.

For example, my go-to VPN for the last 3 years has been NordVPN.  NordVPN generally works with most websites, and I particularly like NordVPN with YouTube TV, but here’s what happens when I go to the Bank of America website when I’m using NordVPN.

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Richard CummingsThe Best VPN for Bank of America [2020 Updates]
Camino Winds Book Review

A Review of Camino Winds by John Grisham

camino-winds-review-richard-cummingsIn this review of Camino Winds by John Grisham, I might tell you what you do not want to hear but I will also tell you something else that you do want to hear – you will enjoy this book!

Often, I tell my readers why I chose a book. A book is always a time commitment and so we want to choose wisely.

No such decision making process is required when a new John Grisham book comes out — I will read it.

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Richard CummingsA Review of Camino Winds by John Grisham
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Spoken Spanish: Essays, La Pareja que sonreía (Paulo Coelho)

paulo-coelho-spoken-essaysThis page contains a reading called La Pareja que sonreía in Spanish from Paulo Coelho’s book: Como El Rio Que Fluye: Pensamientos Y Reflexiones 1998-2005. This reading will not only provide you with the tools to learn and pronounce new vocabulary in Spanish [see the ultimate Google Translate Guide], it will also expose you to the timeless ideas of Paulo Coelho.

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Richard CummingsSpoken Spanish: Essays, La Pareja que sonreía (Paulo Coelho)

Book Review: Due Process by Scott Pratt

book-review-due-process-scott-pratt-by-richard-cummingsI generally avoid series books with a recurring protagonist and, in this review of Due Process by Scott Pratt, we’ll see if this avoidance is justified.

Why do I avoid series books?

I suppose I tend to see series books like endless movie sequels — products of lazy minds who want to earn big money with audience familiarity.

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Richard CummingsBook Review: Due Process by Scott Pratt
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“Payment Status Not Available” — IRS Coronavirus Website Reports

payment-status-not-availableMany people visited the 2020 stimulus check direct deposit web portal recently only to be met with a message that says “Payment Status Not Available”.

Further, the message goes on to say, “According to information that we have on file, we cannot determine your eligibility for payment at this time.

For more information on the eligibility rules, see our Frequently Asked Questions page.”

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Richard Cummings“Payment Status Not Available” — IRS Coronavirus Website Reports