tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7838014614599947392024-03-05T11:46:57.260-08:00The Dark SideBook Reviews - I don't often read books that aren't fantasy, but when I do I blog about them here!Connie J Jaspersonhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/07455899967916707544noreply@blogger.comBlogger33125tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-783801461459994739.post-10658818527952465462016-11-18T15:54:00.004-08:002016-11-18T15:54:41.598-08:00The Woman in the Mirror, by Cathryn Grant<div class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: normal; margin-bottom: 6.0pt; text-indent: 0in;">
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<b><span style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif;">The
Woman in the Mirror<o:p></o:p></span></b></div>
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<b><span style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif;">By:
Cathryn Grant<o:p></o:p></span></b></div>
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<span style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif;"><b>Published
July 01, 2016 by D2C Perspectives</b><o:p></o:p></span></div>
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<span style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif;"><b>The
Blurb:</b><o:p></o:p></span></div>
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<span style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif;">A
fabulous and very dark exploration of the twisted and neurotic minds of the residents
of a cliff-top bungalow.<o:p></o:p></span></div>
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<span style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif;">A
gripping, page-turning journey, peeling back more and more layers through tantalizing
revelations of the past.<o:p></o:p></span></div>
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<span style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif;">Noreen
Palmer describes herself as sweet and responsible, but she can't stop lying
about the things that happened in her bungalow perched on a cliff above the
ocean.<o:p></o:p></span></div>
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<span style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif;">When
Alexandra Mallory and Jared Brady rent rooms in Noreen's precariously situated
home, the danger of falling over the cliff is the least of their fears.<o:p></o:p></span></div>
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<span style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif;">Noreen's
escalating threats force Alex to uncover Noreen's secrets and right a terrible
wrong.<o:p></o:p></span></div>
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<span style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif;">Quote:
“Alexandra Mallory is a hypnotic sociopath, using her elusive appeal to get
what she wants, and to kill those who deserve to die.”<o:p></o:p></span></div>
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<span style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif;"><b>My
Review:</b><o:p></o:p></span></div>
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<span style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif;">I
chose this book on a whim, which turned out to be a good choice. A dark,
contemporary tale, the twists and turns make
what could be a rant on misogyny and abuse into a many-layered mystery you
never quite get to the bottom of. Set on the foggy central coast of California,
the house perched precariously on the edge of the crumbling cliff is almost an
allegory for Alex’s character: looks beautiful and feels dangerous.<o:p></o:p></span></div>
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<span style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif;">The
storyline is compelling, doled out in bits and pieces. Each time you have the
pieces to one puzzle, another has reared its head. Every character is a riddle
you finally begin to understand as the novel progresses, even “sweet,
responsible” Noreen. Behind that facade is a scary woman. <o:p></o:p></span></div>
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<span style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif;">Alex
is honest to the reader about her secrets, although she doles them out over the
course of the novel. She is a risk-taker, and from the outset, she doesn’t hide that she thrives on the more dangerous side of life. I also felt
that Jared had more secrets than he was telling. <o:p></o:p></span></div>
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<span style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif;">There
is no sharply defined line between good and
evil in this tale. There is no black or white; you are definitely on the darker
side of gray. Obsession, power, twisted logic, and retribution all play large
roles in this story. Each character has a skewed sense of morality they are
willing to stretch to achieve their goals.<o:p></o:p></span></div>
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<span style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif;">The
author’s voice is unique and the narrative flows smoothly, although the switching
of POV between Alexandra and Jared is occasionally jarring. But overall, it
works. I had a hard time putting the book down, reading it straight through,
and staying up late to finish it.<o:p></o:p></span></div>
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<span style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif;">The
ending is surprising, but when you look back, it fits perfectly. I highly recommend
this book to readers of dark, contemporary fiction.</span></div>
Connie J Jaspersonhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/07455899967916707544noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-783801461459994739.post-75770136076559724852015-08-24T05:54:00.000-07:002015-08-24T05:54:58.970-07:00The Husband's Secret, by Liane Moriarty<div style="font-family: Georgia, 'Bitstream Charter', serif; font-size: 14px; line-height: 19.0399990081787px;">
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Re-blogged from <a href="http://bestinfantasy.blogspot.com/" target="_blank">Best in Fantasy</a>, originally published Aug. 16, 2015<br />
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Today we talk about <strong><em><a data-mce-href="http://www.amazon.com/Husbands-Secret-Liane-Moriarty/dp/0399159347/ref=tmm_hrd_swatch_0?_encoding=UTF8&qid=1439736393&sr=1-1" href="http://www.amazon.com/Husbands-Secret-Liane-Moriarty/dp/0399159347/ref=tmm_hrd_swatch_0?_encoding=UTF8&qid=1439736393&sr=1-1" target="_blank">The Husband's Secret,</a></em> by <a data-mce-href="http://www.amazon.com/Liane-Moriarty/e/B00459IA54/ref=dp_byline_cont_book_1" href="http://www.amazon.com/Liane-Moriarty/e/B00459IA54/ref=dp_byline_cont_book_1" target="_blank">Liane Moriarty</a>.</strong> This is not fantasy by any means, but it is an excellent read, and I enjoyed the heck out of it. Released in 2013 by Berkley, and Penguin in the US, this book is currently a #1 bestseller at Amazon, and Moriarty is listed in the top 100 authors there. </div>
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<strong>First the Blurb:</strong></div>
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<em>At the heart of The Husband’s Secret is a letter that’s not meant to be read</em></div>
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<em>My darling Cecilia, if you’re reading this, then I’ve died. . .</em></div>
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<em>Imagine that your husband wrote you a letter, to be opened after his death. Imagine, too, that the letter contains his deepest, darkest secret—something with the potential to destroy not just the life you built together, but the lives of others as well. Imagine, then, that you stumble across that letter while your husband is still very much alive. . . .</em></div>
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<em>Cecilia Fitzpatrick has achieved it all—she’s an incredibly successful businesswoman, a pillar of her small community, and a devoted wife and mother. Her life is as orderly and spotless as her home. But that letter is about to change everything, and not just for her: Rachel and Tess barely know Cecilia—or each other—but they too are about to feel the earth-shattering repercussions of her husband’s secret.</em></div>
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<strong>My review:</strong> This book is about loss and grief in Sydney, Australia--but it could easily have been set in Seattle or London and it would still feel true. These women are people you feel you know, and while they are not always likable, they are always true to who they are.</div>
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Several characters in the book have secrets they hold on to that they eventually reveal. The concepts of guilt and betrayal loom large in this tale, driving it to the shocking conclusion. Ethics and morality shift and bend under the stress, and three good women do things they consider heinous, and each finds ways to justify it.</div>
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The Berlin Wall is referred to throughout the novel as Cecelia’s daughter, Esther, works on her school project. And in fact, we learn that Cecilia met John-Paul on the day the Wall finally came down. The Wall is symbolic of many things in this tale, as Tess also has a connection to it.</div>
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Rachel is pinched and afraid to love anyone but her grandson. Her son is devastated by the loss of his sister and hurt by his mother’s distance. No matter how he tries, he can’t get close to her.</div>
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These are complicated women, faced with an unbearable situation. The actions and the final resolution is completely true to the characters. This is a slow-moving tale action-wise, but it literally tears through the emotional gamut. I give <em>The Husband's Secret</em> four and half stars.</div>
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Connie J Jaspersonhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/07455899967916707544noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-783801461459994739.post-54403941944761244252013-04-30T12:20:00.001-07:002013-04-30T13:15:51.187-07:00Heart Search - Lost by Carlie Cullen<br />
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<span style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif; font-size: 12pt; line-height: 18px;"><a href="http://www.amazon.com/HEART-SEARCH-book-Lost-ebook/dp/B009MWXU40/ref=sr_1_2?s=digital-text&ie=UTF8&qid=1349628397&sr=1-2&keywords=heart+search" target="_blank">Heart Search</a> is a first novel for UK author <a href="http://carliemacullen.com/" target="_blank">Carlie M.A. Cullen</a>. <span style="font-size: 12pt;">This is most unashamedly a paranormal romance novel.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>I usually don't read romance novels, but occasionally I do like a good paranormal romance. The plot, as depicted in the blurb for this book, intrigued me. I was most certainly NOT disappointed!</span></span><br />
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<b><u><span style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif;">The Blurb:</span></u></b><o:p></o:p></div>
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<span lang="EN-GB" style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif; font-size: 12pt;">One bite starts it all . . . When Joshua
Grant vanishes days before his wedding his fiancée Remy is left with only
bruises, scratch marks and a hastily written note. Heartbroken, she sets off
alone to find him and begins a long journey where strange things begin to
happen. As Joshua descends into his new immortal life he indulges his thirst
for blood and explores his superhuman strength and amazing new talents while
becoming embroiled in coven politics which threaten to destroy him. But Remy
discovers a strength of her own on her quest to bring Joshua home. Fate toys
with mortals and immortals alike, as two hearts torn apart by darkness face
ordeals which test them to their limits.<o:p></o:p></span></div>
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<b><u><span style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif; font-size: 12pt;">My Review:</span></u></b></div>
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<span lang="EN-GB" style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif; font-size: 12pt;">Two weeks before the</span><span style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif; font-size: 12pt;">ir wedding, Remy’s fiancé, Joshua,
hurts her physically. Although he doesn't know why, he is changing
and not for the better, Joshua hates himself for what he’s done. As he changes,
so do both his state of mind and his perceptions. He disappears a few days
before the wedding.</span></div>
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<span lang="EN-GB" style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif; font-size: 12pt;">After a brief descent into an emotional
breakdown, Remy heeds advice from her identical twin, Becky, to fight for
Joshua. She finds a diary which leads her to believe something strange happened
to her fiancé and suspects it was something he had no say in. She resolves to
find him, and sets off on a long, lonely journey around the country. As the
days turn into weeks, then months, she has to fight through emotional turmoil
and find an inner strength just to keep going. Strange things begin to happen
to Remy and she questions her sanity.</span><span style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif; font-size: 12pt;"><o:p></o:p></span></div>
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<span lang="EN-GB" style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif; font-size: 12pt;">Cullen takes you into the minds and the eyes of her
characters. Her descriptions are thick with visuals and layered with emotion.
Joshua is sexy and compelling even though he is not always likeable, but he is
a vampire so there you go. His coven is the same way. Samir, his maker is
loving and caring for his ‘children’ and they in turn adore him. As individuals
they are inherently selfish and uncaring of anyone but their own society, and
Cullen portrays this well.</span><span style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif; font-size: 12pt;"><o:p></o:p></span></div>
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<span lang="EN-GB" style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif; font-size: 12pt;">This story is as much about Remy coming to terms with
the way her life has been changed and learning who she is as much as it is her
search for Joshua. It is also a story about Joshua learning how to live his new
life, which is well drawn and drew me in.</span><span style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif; font-size: 12pt;"><o:p></o:p></span></div>
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<span lang="EN-GB" style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif; font-size: 12pt;">She portrays Joshua’s society very clearly,
introducing the various factions and power struggles well, and shows how Remy
becomes a central element in the vampires’ internecine battles. The unforeseen
changes which occur in Remy's life are also depicted well.<o:p></o:p></span></div>
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<span lang="EN-GB" style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif; font-size: 12pt;">I admit I found the author's style of heavy
descriptions a bit daunting at first, but I quickly got into the swing of
things. I really enjoyed the story and cared about the characters; so much
so I couldn't put the book down until I'd finished it. Cullen tells this
story in two parallel threads, which I most definitely liked. You get a good
view of both Joshua and Remy as they experience their lives through this crisis
and other crises which loom.<o:p></o:p></span></div>
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<span lang="EN-GB" style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif; font-size: 12pt;">This book has an original plot, interesting characters
and a unique delivery! The book is clearly a set up for a second book,
which I am looking forward to and will definitely buy. I recommend it for
those who read and enjoy a good paranormal romance novel. Carlie M.A. Cullen is
an author to watch!<o:p></o:p></span></div>
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Connie J Jaspersonhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/07455899967916707544noreply@blogger.com2tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-783801461459994739.post-1579569924141272702013-03-08T15:39:00.000-08:002013-03-08T15:41:48.278-08:00The Dream Land, Stephen Swartz<br />
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I have long been a fan of <a href="http://stephenswartz.blogspot.com/2012/12/have-you-visited-dream-land.html" target="_blank">Stephen Swartz</a>'s writing. In <a href="http://www.amazon.com/dp/B00AH1V78Q#_" target="_blank">The Dream Land</a>, <a href="http://www.amazon.com/dp/B00AH1V78Q#_" target="_blank">Long Distance Voyager</a> he has ventured into the realm of science-fiction and fantasy, and done it with his own inimitable style. </div>
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High school nerds Sebastian and Gina discover a doorway to a new world. Adventure-loving Gina falls in love with the world of Ghoupallesz and wants to stay, but studious Sebastian fears losing touch with Earth, so he returns alone. Nevertheless, he sneaks back time and time again for his own adventures before finally giving it up after too many lost loves, betrayals, and war.<o:p></o:p></div>
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Years later, working night shift at the IRS, Sebastian feels the cosmic pull once more. Gina is in trouble. Again. Of course he must return and save her! Perhaps this time, he hopes, they can remain together. Returning through the inter-dimensional doorway, Sebastian must first gather his old comrades from the war, cross the towering Zet mountains, and free Gina from the evil Zetin warlord’s castle.<o:p></o:p></div>
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Unfortunately, Sebastian finds there are more questions needing answers. Is his adventure on the other side real? Or is it just the dream of a psychotic killer? That’s what the police want to know when his friends and co-workers go missing.<o:p></o:p></div>
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Stephen Swartz has once again created a unique and believable world—both the world we live in and the world of Ghoupallesz. As always, his characters are deep and not always possessed of good intentions. Sebastian is both naïve and worldly, and he is both young and old.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>Gina was never naïve, with her own agenda and is not exactly straight with Sebastian (or indeed with anyone).<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span><o:p></o:p></div>
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This is most definitely NOT a simple tale of boy rescues girl and they live happily ever after. It is instead a complex, richly layered tale of lives and deaths experienced, and also of dreams versus realities and the blurred line between. It’s a tale of discovery and coming to terms with one’s choices. I found it to be intriguing and not surprisingly, I found myself unable to put this book down once I began reading it.<o:p></o:p></div>
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I am definitely looking forward to Book II, Dreams of Future’s Past. <br />
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This review is reposted from <a href="http://bestinfantasy.blogspot.com/" target="_blank">Best in Fantasy</a>, and was first published on Dec. 7, 2012.</div>
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjI3s64HU4SvXYl0LUNQRlGum7Q_dzZSr_4tS0E69wYEbAH7ZlFcQu83SbXheFuK_Q0fjJMtqSEg7LGCFma6LHjccdr2Dw9Xor0ptCG29XSQWdHQrTfF6ZH4oh0i34lpJ06kvs6L20Xmiip/s1600/Losing+Beauty+-+Johanna+Garth.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"></a><br />Connie J Jaspersonhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/07455899967916707544noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-783801461459994739.post-15385096886808763692013-02-22T07:56:00.000-08:002013-02-22T08:03:38.228-08:00Voices in the Field, by J. Allen Fielder<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEh91czO6luxZgKHBQ5Q9t_wyJoEvwconvX1CaHjAcrr2YDpjXBZxt6RR7LdiN7fpJoVPBqS44BiG9vJ2raaqXKVfL5Mx21hyphenhyphenEIRMWrRYn_28ECCpHAHC6X87xUaIG1BlfROFlXUk9CjzGUf/s1600/voices+in+the+field+-+j+allen+fielder.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEh91czO6luxZgKHBQ5Q9t_wyJoEvwconvX1CaHjAcrr2YDpjXBZxt6RR7LdiN7fpJoVPBqS44BiG9vJ2raaqXKVfL5Mx21hyphenhyphenEIRMWrRYn_28ECCpHAHC6X87xUaIG1BlfROFlXUk9CjzGUf/s1600/voices+in+the+field+-+j+allen+fielder.jpg" /></a></div>
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<span style="font-size: large;">Many things have conspired to keep me too busy to read more than one book in the last two weeks, and that book was an epic fantasy, which I don't review here. But I've some good news! At times, I go on binges of reading short story compilations. In 2011 I came across one written by indie author <a href="http://www.jallenfielder.com/index.html" target="_blank">+J. Allen Fielder</a>, and reviewed it on my fantasy review blog, <a href="http://bestinfantasy.blogspot.com/2011/12/voices-in-field-and-other-stories-j.html" target="_blank">Best in Fantasy</a>, because I loved the book and only had the one venue for reviewing books. In fact, this was why we created The Dark Side Book Review and began reviewing the many fine books NOT in the fantasy genre here.</span></div>
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<span style="font-size: large;">I met the author in January 2011 through <a href="http://www.amazon.com/Breakthrough-Novel-Award-Books/b?ie=UTF8&node=332264011">ABNA</a> and was immediately struck by his wry wit and crazy sense of humor. Based on my impressions of him I bought his book as soon as he published it. </span></div>
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<span style="font-size: large;">I loved <a href="http://www.amazon.com/Voices-Field-Other-Stories-ebook/dp/B005Z9EQQU/ref=sr_1_1?s=digital-text&ie=UTF8&qid=1323389862&sr=1-1" target="_blank">'Voices in the Field'</a> because Fielder went back to the roots of science-fiction. I felt then and I still feel that this book is a thinking-person's sort of book. There are morality tales, and tales that are simply meant to make you go "hmm...."</span></div>
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<span style="font-size: large;"><strong>The Blurb:</strong></span></div>
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<span style="font-size: large;">"Voices in the Field" is a collection of short stories by J. Allen Fielder.
Titles include previously published and unpublished short stories, from the
eponymous "Voices in the Field," to the humorously creepy "Mom's Eye View,"
these stories were written to thrill, chill, and make the reader wonder "What
the hell is wrong with this guy?" Other titles include "Liquid," "Truck Stop
Love," and "Homemade Pie." Stories range from horror, to mystery, to children's
. . . and various points in between</span></div>
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<span style="font-size: large;">I must say, Fielder delivered on his promises!</span></div>
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<span style="font-size: large;"><strong>My Review:</strong></span></div>
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<span style="font-size: large;">In the first tale, which the book takes its title from, Fielder introduces us to a man whose car has broken down along a rural stretch of highway. This tale is both homey, and frightening, with a sort of <a href="http://www.stephenking.com/index.html" target="_blank">Stephen King</a> intensity. Harold is a 71 year old academic who has taken a less traveled route from Kansas State college on his back home to Corinthian College. Alas, this road is exceedingly less well traveled, and Harold's car breaks down. Being a naturally cheerful sort, he settles in to wait for a passing car to get help. To while away the time, he records his thoughts on the machine that he uses to record his notes on. He is a bit old fashioned, and doesn't have a mobile phone. He soon regrets having taken the back road. This is an unsettling story and it sets the tone for the rest of the book very well.</span></div>
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<span style="font-size: large;">For those of us who are fans of horror, the fourth tale, 'Liquid' is one of the creepiest tales I have ever read. A doctor at the top of his craft is the victim of an attack that completely changes his life. It is a terrible case of 'There but for the grace of God go I', taken to an appalling extreme.</span></div>
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<span style="font-size: large;">I must say, that I may never eat a pot pie again, having read 'Homemade Pie'. The twist at the end of this tale is a real surprise, and gruesome though the tale is, it is one of my favorites.</span></div>
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<span style="font-size: large;">'Cowboy Up' is the tale of an urban cowboy with an identity crisis, and a marriage proposal gone awry.</span></div>
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<span style="font-size: large;">'The Party Pooper' is an extremely graphic tale of two buddies who make porn films in their spare time. These are men whom I wouldn't want to know, but hey - it's all in good fun. (NOT!) </span></div>
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<span style="font-size: large;">The book ends with 'Weight' a tale of a young man who has suffered a lifetime of abuse for being obese. It is not a long tale, but it is the sort of tale that would have found its way onto <a href="http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/The_Twilight_Zone_(1959_TV_series)" target="_blank">'The Twilight Zone' </a>back in the heyday of morality tales.</span></div>
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<span style="font-size: large;">I could practically hear <a href="http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Rod_Serling" target="_blank">Rod Serling</a> 's voice introducing each of these well crafted and deliciously thought-provoking tales!</span></div>
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<span style="font-size: large;">All in all, J. Allen Fielder has written a wonderfully creepy series of short stories. This book is firmly on my list of keepers, and you can find it at amazon.com for the reasonable price of .99.</span></div>
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiP1qI8o_6CmYZivSZVMd8tu0CX-x5ZjhbbukJDxzT-1O2_SoE-z3I2oUUtE2c0eusMZ6HMyH6wxCNm_f-9IrRxjiZm50M14Q1kfpOebiOSnR8pqsktIzU4ugIaMwEx1rUoSEYD4yf5r80-/s1600/250px-TheTwilightZoneLogo.png" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiP1qI8o_6CmYZivSZVMd8tu0CX-x5ZjhbbukJDxzT-1O2_SoE-z3I2oUUtE2c0eusMZ6HMyH6wxCNm_f-9IrRxjiZm50M14Q1kfpOebiOSnR8pqsktIzU4ugIaMwEx1rUoSEYD4yf5r80-/s1600/250px-TheTwilightZoneLogo.png" /></a></div>
Connie J Jaspersonhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/07455899967916707544noreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-783801461459994739.post-49023171024288392232013-02-07T07:48:00.000-08:002013-02-07T08:01:08.051-08:00The Adventures of Don Valiente and the Apache Canyon Kid, John A. Aragon and Mary W. Walters<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
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<span style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif;">Today I am reviewing a book that is unique in it's approach to telling the story. Let me begin by saying </span><a href="http://www.amazon.com/Adventures-Valiente-Apache-Canyon-ebook/dp/B00B1X10MW/ref=sr_1_8?s=books&ie=UTF8&qid=1360248813&sr=1-8&keywords=John+A.+Aragon" target="_blank"><span style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif;">The Adventures of Don Valiente and the Apache Canyon Kid</span></a><span style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif;"> is NOT your daddy's western! I've long been a fan of both the authors, John A. Aragon and </span><a href="http://maryww.wordpress.com/2013/02/03/book-promotion-tip-of-the-week-6-5-february-4-2013/" target="_blank"><span style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif;">Mary W. Walters</span></a><span style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif;">, and I did expect big things from this collaboration. I was not disappointed!</span></div>
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<strong><span style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif;">The Blurb:</span></strong></div>
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<span style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif;">The West will never be the same . . . . <br /><br />New Mexico, 1922.<br /><br />The
orphaned eighteen-year-old stablehand Rosalind Grundy is seduced by a married
woman, and faces a lynching after the pair is surprised in flagrante delicto.
But she manages to escape with the aid of a strange and aristocratic old man who
calls himself Don Valiente.<br /><br />Don Valiente, having read too many dime
westerns, has come to believe that he is a famous gunfighter. He thinks Roz is a
young man named Ross, and he takes her under his wing, intending to teach her
and to revive "The Code Of The Caballeros."<br /><br />Don Valiente and Roz embark
on a series of comic adventures. But when they come upon a grisly murder scene
and the trail of three escaped-convict killers, Roz realizes that her only
chance to survive the imminent showdown and to reunite with her true love lies
in her ability to separate Don Valiente's madness from the eternal truths in his
teaching.</span></div>
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<span style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif;">Let me just say I fell in love with Don Valiente the moment he began speaking! He is wild, wise and completely committed to living The Code of the Caballeros. In one very moving scene, after Roz has been forced to kill a man in self defense, she sheds tears for her vanquished foe, wondering why he had to go and put himself in the position where she had to shoot him in self-defense. Don Valiente tells her that the path of the Caballero is full of compassion for the misguided souls he must usher into the next world. <em>"Do you not think that the executioner does not recognise that even those who must pay for their bad deeds with their lives are also human beings, like him, who live, love, and know the beauty of creation?"</em> </span></div>
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<span style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif;">The wisdom Don Valiente imparts to Roz over the course of the tale is beautiful and moving. His spirituality is deep and is such a part of him that he has an enormous influence on his young apprentice. I myself have taken much of it to heart! His truths are universal, and as she begins to understand what he is trying to teach her, Roz begins to know who she is, and to be comfortable in her own skin.</span></div>
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<span style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif;">Roz is young, beautifully human and is just a girl who is caught up in something that is so much larger than she is. Her motives are simple and honest. In reading this book, I felt every one of of Roz's trials and sorrows as if they were my own. She's an unlikely hero, but she is the sort of hero that made the legends of the old west come to life.</span></div>
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<span style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif;">The bad-guys in this tale are awesome, in part because they aren't all men. Leta, Kruger and the Beast have few redeeming qualities, and they are quite frightening. I never knew what they would do next. They are as nasty and evil as any villains I've ever met. </span></div>
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<span style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif;">If you are looking for a real adventure, a book that will widen your horizons and will keep you turning the pages into the wee hours of the night, this is definitely the book for you.</span></div>
Connie J Jaspersonhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/07455899967916707544noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-783801461459994739.post-27566377566260846922013-01-31T08:00:00.000-08:002013-01-31T08:00:12.045-08:00(sic) by Scott Kelly<table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto; text-align: center;"><tbody>
<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><img border="0" height="320" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiNmUHQVjO28vUW7dec-h2LT8wAKZw6GLT31kn7GKp1ZWDpr1s5AiCmV4Zx8HcfoGxl-kax9xU9di6bZQ6XqA2ryhgH6xr9FOf67CSo114XSrogIt16C8JMNsUPQ1XrLtknba0Bn_XTjH4/s320/MEDIA+KIT+sic+front+cover.jpg" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;" width="229" /></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">I love the cover; it's simple and complex at the same time.</td></tr>
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<span style="font-family: Georgia, 'Times New Roman', serif;">It's difficult to find a really well-written book that has a driving concept behind it. Some start with a great idea and others have beautiful prose, but to have both interwoven in one book is a rare, lovely thing. The Age of Miracles is one - the idea that the planet's revolution is gradually slowing sings out with lush phrases.</span><br />
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<span style="font-family: Georgia, 'Times New Roman', serif;"><a href="http://www.amazon.com/gp/product/B008ZFYVIE/ref=as_li_qf_sp_asin_il_tl?ie=UTF8&camp=1789&creative=9325&creativeASIN=B008ZFYVIE&linkCode=as2&tag=frpoofte-20">[sic]</a> is another. The book is about a group of kids who play a game called Eureka, invented by David, the ringleader (more about him later.) In the game, if someone gets tagged "It," they must do something in the next fifteen minutes to completely change his life. Or her life. </span></div>
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<span style="font-family: Georgia, 'Times New Roman', serif;">At first the game is simple - a damaged, gorgeous girl gets tagged and kisses a nerdy guy in front of everyone in the school, David switches paperwork between two McMansions. But as things progress, the game and the changes inflicted by the kids themselves become more and more trippy.</span></div>
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<span style="font-family: Georgia, 'Times New Roman', serif;">That's the concept, and it's a good one. A lesser writer would have created a decent manuscript that tells the story of the kids and the game as a compelling enough read. But this is Scott Kelly, who is a real wordsmith. Look at how he describes Kent's father, the landlord of the trailer park where the Eureka players all live:</span></div>
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<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Scott Kelly, the author</td></tr>
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<i><span style="font-family: Georgia, 'Times New Roman', serif;">Kent's dad slept under an awning. Rolls of fat spilled out from the sides of the larn chair. Dad once warned me to stay away from Mr. Gimble - fairly easy advice to follow, because the landlord seemed violent and pissed off at all times.</span></i></div>
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<i><span style="font-family: Georgia, 'Times New Roman', serif;">A sweaty thatch of faded blondhair gave way to fat cheeks and thick jowls. What struck me most was how sad Kent's dad looked. Not mad at all. Just a defeated frown, like he was about to start bawling in his sleep. Like dreaming was torment. Like it hurt to be.</span></i></div>
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<span style="font-family: Georgia, 'Times New Roman', serif;"><i>I could guess the cause of his nightmares: the landlord hated being alone with himself</i>.</span></div>
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<span style="font-family: Georgia, 'Times New Roman', serif;"><br /></span></div>
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<span style="font-family: Georgia, 'Times New Roman', serif;">The narrator is Jacob. He frames the story as he speaks to police, to a youth psychologist, and also to us. [sic] begins with David's death, and throughout the book, Jacob is trying to describe what happened. I dare you to read that first paragraph and not want to find out what happens:</span></div>
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<span style="font-family: Georgia, 'Times New Roman', serif;"><i>My personal savior is named David Bloom, and presently he's falling about ten stories from the top of a water tower. And my stupid stunned mind; all I can think is that he looks great doing it. Arms spread, fingertips extended, face serene - homicide by stage dive. His body returns to the earth below, the ten-story drop reducing him to a streak of white and blue cloth, brown hair blown back from closed eyes. Maybe he's smiling. Maybe I just like to think so.</i></span></div>
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<span style="font-family: Georgia, 'Times New Roman', serif;">By the way - the story is told in the past tense, a big plus for me. I'm not a present tense fan at all. After that first paragraph, the tense switches smoothly to the past, and Kelly makes it work. And the added concept of David's fall (or flight) is extended throughout the book, as Jacob seeks the blame for David's death: "I blame the death of David Bloom on the fact that after the math, David always won. His solar system spun, and we were trapped in its orbit."</span><br />
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<span style="font-family: Georgia, 'Times New Roman', serif;">David himself is the catalyst, although his influence extends through the other kids. He is attractive: </span></div>
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<span style="font-family: Georgia, 'Times New Roman', serif;"><i>David's skin shone against low-hanging sun, wisps of curled brown hair a halo charged by the dawn's light. Never got a haircut his mom didn't give, so it was shoulder-length, in calm curls. </i></span></div>
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<span style="font-family: Georgia, 'Times New Roman', serif;"><i>Angry almond eyes.</i></span></div>
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<span style="font-family: Georgia, 'Times New Roman', serif;">The other kids are vivid characters as well. There is Kent, the son of the landlord, who could have been a simple, static character but reveals layers of personality as the story unfolds. Cameron is the damaged beauty, molested by Kent's dad, who kisses Steven, the dweeby guy. There's Emily, the girl who is "all dyed black hair and army boots." She might be one of my favorite characters, even though she is dangerous - perhaps <u>because</u> she is dangerous - she refuses to put up with things as they are. Perhaps it is the reason that she embraces Eureka. </span><span style="font-family: Georgia, 'Times New Roman', serif;">The kids are the players : they are called the Six.</span><br />
<span style="font-family: Georgia, 'Times New Roman', serif;"><br /></span></div>
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<span style="font-family: Georgia, 'Times New Roman', serif;">And then there is an outsider, Nora - an overweight girl that Jacob falls for. The description of her and the growing relationship between Jacob and the girl who refuses to play the game that takes over the lives of the Six. </span><br />
<span style="font-family: Georgia, 'Times New Roman', serif;"><br /></span></div>
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<span style="font-family: Georgia, 'Times New Roman', serif;">That creates a great tension between her and Jacob, although the other relationships (between Cameron and Kent, Emily and Jacob, and Jacob and David himself) are also explored deeply. </span><br />
<span style="font-family: Georgia, 'Times New Roman', serif;"><br /></span></div>
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<span style="font-family: Georgia, 'Times New Roman', serif;">It's as if Kelly stretches things, so we can see the thoughts and feelings behind the mumbled conversations and making out sessions between the members of the Six and Nora. He finds the "liminal spaces" (read the book to find out what that is) hiding in their interactions.</span><br />
<span style="font-family: Georgia, 'Times New Roman', serif;"><br /></span></div>
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<span style="font-family: Georgia, 'Times New Roman', serif;">There were some sections that made me pause. For example, in the second half of the book, when David talks to the Six about his philosophy, he doesn't sound like a teen but a professor. I get that he is supremely intelligent (he paints impressions of music so you can almost hear it) but would a teen kid really say, "Change is the only constant, and so we must constantly change"?</span><br />
<span style="font-family: Georgia, 'Times New Roman', serif;"><br /></span></div>
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<span style="font-family: Georgia, 'Times New Roman', serif;">I was also disappointed that Nora became a thin girl. Over the course of the book, she loses weight and shows off her mile-longlegs and her "athletic ponytail." I would have loved the originality if Jacob had continued to fall for her, pounds and all.</span><br />
<span style="font-family: Georgia, 'Times New Roman', serif;"><br /></span></div>
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<span style="font-family: Georgia, 'Times New Roman', serif;">However, I must say that these flaws (along with one POV change and one over-compression of events) stood out BECAUSE the book is so good. If that lesser writer had offered the book, these would have been lost, as trash inside a messy trailer gets kicked to one side. In the glowing symphony of Kelly's book, I noticed them because of the beauty of everything else. </span><br />
<span style="font-family: Georgia, 'Times New Roman', serif;"><br /></span>
<span style="font-family: Georgia, 'Times New Roman', serif;">And let me mention here, before I forget, the soaring beauty of the grackle image - those birds that pick trash near the trailerpark. They occur throughout the book, and it is a lovely, sustained metaphor.</span><br />
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<span style="font-family: Georgia, 'Times New Roman', serif;">I would still highly recommend [sic] because of the concept, the writing, the characters - and the amazing ending. The book accomplished that rare thing - it entertained me and made me think, at the same time. </span></div>
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<span style="font-family: Georgia, 'Times New Roman', serif;"><br /></span></div>
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<span style="font-family: Georgia, 'Times New Roman', serif;">You can purchase</span><span style="font-family: Georgia, 'Times New Roman', serif;"> [sic]</span><span style="font-family: Georgia, 'Times New Roman', serif;"> on <a href="http://www.amazon.com/gp/product/B008ZFYVIE/ref=as_li_qf_sp_asin_il_tl?ie=UTF8&camp=1789&creative=9325&creativeASIN=B008ZFYVIE&linkCode=as2&tag=frpoofte-20">Amazon</a> or add it to your <a href="http://www.goodreads.com/book/show/15847364-sic">Goodreads</a> list.</span><br />
<span style="font-family: Georgia, 'Times New Roman', serif;"><br /></span>
<span style="font-family: Georgia, 'Times New Roman', serif;">As well, read more about Scott Kelly's book on <a href="http://www.blogger.com/:%20http://www.facebook.com/ScottKellyWrites">Facebook</a> or his <a href="http://www.blogger.com/:%20www.ScottKellyWritesBooks.com">author website</a>.</span><br />
<span style="font-family: Georgia, 'Times New Roman', serif;"><br /></span>
<span style="font-family: Georgia, 'Times New Roman', serif;">(This review was previously published on <a href="http://alisondeluca.blogspot.com/2012/11/sic-by-scott-kelly.html">Fresh Pot of Tea</a>.)</span></div>
Alison DeLucahttp://www.blogger.com/profile/06979026382091362305noreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-783801461459994739.post-90348061103089890752013-01-24T05:57:00.003-08:002013-01-24T05:57:45.276-08:00YUM, Nicole Antonia Carson<div style="text-align: justify;">
<span style="color: lime;">Todays review is a guest post by</span> <span style="color: lime;">Carlie M.A. Cullen.</span> <span style="color: lime;">Last week s</span><span style="color: lime;">he reviewed the book</span> '<a href="http://www.amazon.com/Yum-ebook/dp/B008BZCZW2/ref=sr_1_4?s=digital-text&ie=UTF8&qid=1358985029&sr=1-4&keywords=Nicole+Antonia+Carson" target="_blank">Yum'</a> <span style="color: lime;">by</span> <a href="http://www.amazon.com/Nicole-Antonia-Carson/e/B005WH3JFO/ref=ntt_athr_dp_pel_pop_1" target="_blank">Nicole Antonia Carson</a> <span style="color: lime;">on her blog, <a href="http://carliemacullen.com/about/" target="_blank">Carlie M.A. Cullen</a> and has graciously given us permission to repost it here on The Dark Side Book Reviews. With out further ado, I give you Carlie's review:</span></div>
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<strong><u>The Blurb:</u></strong> As a young man, Doctor James Lewis championed for animal rights and transformed
the nation. Six decades later his friends and neighbors are eating each other.
Can Jim and his great-granddaughter Emily stop the carnage before they become
tasty snacks?</div>
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<strong><u>The Review:</u></strong></div>
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I’ve been meaning to write a review of this fantastic book for months and I’ve finally gotten around to it. YUM is not your normal horror; it has shades of dark comedy and plenty of suspense. <a href="http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/George_Orwell" target="_blank">George Orwell</a> meets <a href="http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/George_Romero" target="_blank">George Romero</a> in this interesting novel.</div>
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<a href="http://carliemacullen.files.wordpress.com/2013/01/yum-cover.jpg" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img alt="Yum" class="aligncenter size-medium wp-image-1016" height="300" originalh="300" originalw="191" scale="1.5" src-orig="http://carliemacullen.files.wordpress.com/2013/01/yum-cover.jpg?w=191&h=300" src="http://carliemacullen.files.wordpress.com/2013/01/yum-cover.jpg?w=287&h=300" width="191" /></a></div>
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This dark comedic horror offers thrilling suspense and enough plot twists to tie you in knots!</div>
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The premise of this well-written and unique tale, set ninety years in the future, is that animals have mastered the art of speech and are equal with man. Animals are fitted with opposable thumbs and as a result they are able to fully contribute to society, hold down jobs, live in houses and socialise with other species. Consequently, in all but a few countries in the world, laws exist to protect both humans and animals alike from being eaten and if caught, the penalties are severe. The new society works well until a rash of feedings begin . . .</div>
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The two main characters, Dr James Lewis and Emily Lewis (Dr. Lewis’s great-granddaughter), are beautifully characterised. James is a champion for animal rights and spearheaded the changes to society at great personal cost and sacrifice. He is a brilliant man with a gentle soul, but at 93 years old, he needs a little help from modern science to keep his faculties intact. Carson has given this character great depth, successfully hooking the reader into liking and caring about this fragile old man. She artfully explores the different sides to his character and manages to make him jump off the page. Emily is a teenager growing up in a family of very high achievers and she feels overwhelmed and dwarfed by it. However, she has inherited her great-grandfather’s determination and love for animalkind, giving her the strength to follow her own path and not the one her high-powered mother has in mind. Again, Carson has crafted an amazing character; the reader can feel and relate to the angst Emily suffers as well as her loving nature. Emily is no pushover though and has a bit of a temper, which has been realistically portrayed.</div>
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All the supporting cast have been brought to life and each given their own personalities so you find yourself attaching to them as well.</div>
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The plot is interesting with unexpected events occurring throughout and culminates in the most unexpected twist of all. It moves along at quite a pace and the author has timed it extremely well, giving you moments of respite before the next whammy hits. The tale is very different and enjoyable. </div>
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Whilst there is a little comedy, it’s subtle and in no way detracts from the serious side. The dialogue is realistic and relatable and Carson does well to make it specific for each species. I felt the description was a little underdone in places, particularly when it came to some of the more emotive scenes. However, Carson sets the scene sufficiently for the reader to imagine what’s missing.</div>
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For me, the mark of a good book is when you want the story to continue after you’ve turned the last page and that’s what I wanted with Yum. A great and entertaining read from an author to watch!</div>
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<span style="color: #6aa84f;"><span style="background-color: black;">Carlie M.A. Cullen is the author of <span style="color: blue;">'</span></span></span><a href="http://www.amazon.com/HEART-SEARCH-book-Lost-ebook/dp/B009MWXU40/ref=sr_1_1?s=digital-text&ie=UTF8&qid=1358985572&sr=1-1" target="_blank"><span style="background-color: black; color: yellow;">Heart Search - Lost'</span></a><span style="color: #6aa84f;"><span style="background-color: black;"><span style="color: yellow;">,</span> and is well known as an editor and Blogger. You can find her blogging at </span></span><a href="http://carliemacullen.com/"><span style="background-color: black; color: yellow;">http://carliemacullen.com</span></a><span style="color: #6aa84f;"><span style="background-color: black;"><span style="color: blue;"> </span> where she discusses everything from books to recipes.</span></span></div>
<span style="background-color: white;"></span><br />Connie J Jaspersonhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/07455899967916707544noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-783801461459994739.post-20670227100451260102013-01-17T06:37:00.000-08:002013-01-17T18:59:51.060-08:00Hearts and Minds, Maria V.A. Johnson<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiM2VzzVgdF34FqPmCygzwXOLDu-rs68NWvylrI1o8tzZOFZJs7ZNH2iLyNEWieY9Ir7_ej1Uhyphenhyphene1LYkQbGM1dKxcrFGflkNrwYiurUEKnK9lXEo8kh0HyF0IKar1x344JDv2ucngrtFBAs/s1600/Hearts+and+Minds+-+Maria+V.A.+Johnson.png" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="237" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiM2VzzVgdF34FqPmCygzwXOLDu-rs68NWvylrI1o8tzZOFZJs7ZNH2iLyNEWieY9Ir7_ej1Uhyphenhyphene1LYkQbGM1dKxcrFGflkNrwYiurUEKnK9lXEo8kh0HyF0IKar1x344JDv2ucngrtFBAs/s320/Hearts+and+Minds+-+Maria+V.A.+Johnson.png" width="141" /></a></div>
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<span style="font-family: Calibri;"><o:p></o:p></span> </div>
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<span style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif;">Today I am reviewing <i style="mso-bidi-font-style: normal;"><a href="http://www.amazon.com/Hearts-Minds-Maria-V-Johnson/dp/1939296684/ref=la_B00ACIB6FI_1_1?ie=UTF8&qid=1358432664&sr=1-1" target="_blank">Hearts and Minds</a></i>, written by Indie author and poet <i style="mso-bidi-font-style: normal;"><a href="http://mariavajohnson.com/" target="_blank">Maria V.A. Johnson</a></i>.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>Various events
have conspired this week to put me into a contemplative mood, and that is when
I reach for the poetry. I found this to be the perfect book to sooth and
refresh my spirit.<o:p></o:p></span></div>
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<span style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif;">THE BLURB: The most important human experiences of love and
death are beautifully explored in this anthology. With carefully selected and
themed sections: Loss; Love; Lyrical; and Life, the emotions invoked by the
words as they flow over the page will touch your heart.<o:p></o:p></span></div>
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<span style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif;">WHAT I LIKED: <o:p></o:p></span></div>
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<span style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif;">I was struck by the beautifully crafted poem, <i style="mso-bidi-font-style: normal;">The Chair</i>. In the first few lines, we
come to know the elderly person who once owned the chair, and in the final
lines we feel the sense of loss the observer feels as they look upon the chair
whose owner has now passed on. It is poignant, yet not maudlin, allowing the
reader to absorb the scene of the chair, the reading glasses and the emptiness
of the room. <o:p></o:p></span></div>
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<span style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif;"><i style="mso-bidi-font-style: normal;">Ode to my
Bookcase</i> brought a smile to my face, as I could totally relate to the
sentiments expressed.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>I too love my
bookcase and the contents therein!<o:p></o:p></span></div>
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<span style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif;"><i style="mso-bidi-font-style: normal;">Bullied</i> is a raw
look at the emotional baggage that comes along with being the outcast, the one
picked on at school. This one brought tears to my eyes.<o:p></o:p></span></div>
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<span style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif;">This is the perfect book for a contemplative day. The
compilation is divided into four sections: Loss, Love, Lyrical and Life, though
many of the poems and odes span the boundaries between them all.<o:p></o:p></span></div>
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<span style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif;"><em>Hearts and Minds</em> is available in both paperback and for the
Kindle, both are very reasonably priced. Maria V. A. Johnson is a contributing
author on the anthology <i style="mso-bidi-font-style: normal;"><a href="http://www.amazon.com/Other-Essex-Writebulb-Writers-Group/dp/1479386359/ref=la_B00ACIB6FI_1_2?ie=UTF8&qid=1358433150&sr=1-2" target="_blank">The Other Way IsEssex</a></i>, and is also a well-known editor, most recently she was the editor of
<i style="mso-bidi-font-style: normal;"><a href="http://www.amazon.com/Heart-Search-Book-One-Lost/dp/1939296609/ref=sr_1_1?s=books&ie=UTF8&qid=1358433330&sr=1-1&keywords=Heart+Search++Lost" target="_blank">Heart Search – Lost</a></i>, a paranormal
romance by Carlie M.A. Cullen.<o:p></o:p></span></div>
Connie J Jaspersonhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/07455899967916707544noreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-783801461459994739.post-7990895635159907502013-01-10T10:22:00.002-08:002013-01-10T10:22:20.182-08:00The Azalea Assault, Alyse Carlson<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgx31Z3HKcbXbw74gB_MSnPIEajN8BtHoJDBhPLmC8F7X6nif551cW3LXLvVTCWfIL8Mpwjo0pn7K-ipEvDB0or_iOSFszlpFFEM1MVv-438N0gtGrbT2h2Ec9Lam8EpRQsyobSgFq5ZBgX/s1600/51oGA76tcXL__BO2%252C204%252C203%252C200_PIsitb-sticker-arrow-click%252CTopRight%252C35%252C-76_AA278_PIkin4%252CBottomRight%252C-70%252C22_AA300_SH20_OU01_.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="300" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgx31Z3HKcbXbw74gB_MSnPIEajN8BtHoJDBhPLmC8F7X6nif551cW3LXLvVTCWfIL8Mpwjo0pn7K-ipEvDB0or_iOSFszlpFFEM1MVv-438N0gtGrbT2h2Ec9Lam8EpRQsyobSgFq5ZBgX/s320/51oGA76tcXL__BO2%252C204%252C203%252C200_PIsitb-sticker-arrow-click%252CTopRight%252C35%252C-76_AA278_PIkin4%252CBottomRight%252C-70%252C22_AA300_SH20_OU01_.jpg" width="300" /></a></div>
<br />
<a href="http://www.amazon.com/Azalea-Assault-Society-Mystery-ebook/dp/B0072NWKKQ/ref=sr_1_1?s=digital-text&ie=UTF8&qid=1357826885&sr=1-1&keywords=azalea+assault"><span style="font-family: "Trebuchet MS", sans-serif;">The
Azalea Assault</span></a><span style="font-family: "Trebuchet MS", sans-serif;">—first of a series set in Roanoke, Virginia and written by </span><a href="http://www.amazon.com/Alyse-Carlson/e/B009NVD66W/ref=ntt_athr_dp_pel_1" target="_blank"><span style="font-family: "Trebuchet MS", sans-serif;">Alyse Carlson</span></a><span style="font-family: "Trebuchet MS", sans-serif;"> under the banner of the
Garden Society Mysteries. Book two in the series “The Begonia Bribe” is set to
be published in mid 2013.<o:p></o:p></span><br />
<o:p><span style="font-family: "Trebuchet MS", sans-serif;"></span></o:p><br />
<span style="font-family: "Trebuchet MS", sans-serif;"></span><br />
<span style="font-family: "Trebuchet MS", sans-serif;">Published in June of 2012 by Berkley Prime
Crime, a division of Penguin Group<o:p></o:p></span><br />
<o:p><span style="font-family: "Trebuchet MS", sans-serif;"></span></o:p><br />
<span style="font-family: "Trebuchet MS", sans-serif;"></span><br />
<u1:p></u1:p><span style="font-family: "Trebuchet MS", sans-serif;">The Blurb:<o:p></o:p></span><br />
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</span><br />
<span style="font-family: "Trebuchet MS", sans-serif;">Roanoke, Virginia, is home to some of the
country’s most exquisite gardens, and it’s Camellia Harris’ job to promote
them. But when an out of towner turns up dead, she discovers there’s no good
way to spin murder…<o:p></o:p></span><br />
<o:p><span style="font-family: "Trebuchet MS", sans-serif;"></span></o:p><br />
<span style="font-family: "Trebuchet MS", sans-serif;">Camellia Harris has achieved a coup in the PR
world. The premier national magazine for garden lovers has agreed to feature
one of Roanoke’s most spectacular gardens in its pages—and world-famous
photographer Jean-Jacques Georges is going to shoot the spread. But at the
welcoming party, Jean-Jacques insults several guests, complains that flowers
are boring, and gooses almost every woman in the room. When a body is found the
next morning, sprawled across the azaleas, it’s almost no surprise that the
victim is Jean-Jacques.<o:p></o:p></span><br />
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<span style="font-family: "Trebuchet MS", sans-serif;">With Cam’s brother-in-law blamed for the
crime—and her reporter boyfriend, Rob, wanting the scoop—Cam decides to use her
skills to solve the murder. Luckily a PR pro like Cam knows how to be nosy…<o:p></o:p></span><br />
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</v:stroke></span></v:shapetype></div>
<span style="font-family: "Trebuchet MS", sans-serif;"></span><br />
<span style="font-family: "Trebuchet MS", sans-serif;">What I liked: I liked the people. Cam Harris is believable as the
PR manager of the Roanoke Garden Society. She is struggling to keep her job,
and when a famous photographer agrees to do the shoot, she manages to convince
a high-profile national gardening magazine which features photographs of the
finest gardens in the country to do a spread featuring the gardens of a
well-known local estate and the home of Neil and Evangeline Patrick, members of
the Garden Society. <o:p></o:p></span><br />
<o:p><span style="font-family: "Trebuchet MS", sans-serif;"></span></o:p><br />
<span style="font-family: "Trebuchet MS", sans-serif;">Cam’s best friend Annie is an artistic,
off-the-rails crazy-woman who makes cupcakes for a living (and does quite
well), and her boyfriend Rob is a sports reporter who’s looking for the big
story to break him out of sports and make his career. <o:p></o:p></span><br />
<o:p><span style="font-family: "Trebuchet MS", sans-serif;"></span></o:p><br />
<span style="font-family: "Trebuchet MS", sans-serif;">The famous photographer, Jean-Jacques Georges
is a first-class jerk. So is Ian Ellis, the Photo Editor, who takes an instant
dislike to Annie. In return, she hates him on sight and there is evidence of a
history of bad blood between them. When Jean-Jacques is found murdered, Cam
manages to get Annie accepted as the photographer on the shoot, leading to some
tense moments between her and Ian. A multitude of suspects emerge, and Cam
finds out how little she knows about those closest to her. No one is what they
seem, and everyone has a motive. Her beloved brother-in-law is arrested, and
Cam, loyal to a fault, goes in search of the murderer.<o:p></o:p></span><br />
<o:p><span style="font-family: "Trebuchet MS", sans-serif;"></span></o:p><br />
<span style="font-family: "Trebuchet MS", sans-serif;">What I noticed: There are a few moments where I found myself
confused as to exactly who was talking, but despite that minor glitch there are
some shining moments in the dialogue, and plenty of diversionary clues to keep
you interested. I found it a fine way to while away my rainy day.<o:p></o:p></span><br />
<o:p><span style="font-family: "Trebuchet MS", sans-serif;"></span></o:p><br />
<span style="font-family: "Trebuchet MS", sans-serif;">All in all I give this book four healthy
stars, and recommend it if you are looking for a good cozy mystery to cuddle up
with.<o:p></o:p></span><br />
<u1:p></u1:p>
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<u1:p><o:p> </o:p></u1:p></div>
Connie J Jaspersonhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/07455899967916707544noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-783801461459994739.post-63387518565144147022013-01-02T15:24:00.000-08:002013-01-02T15:45:59.717-08:00Flight of the Griffin, C.M. Gray<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEi75E0wUZftrZs4MNJt7Gvj5uwdwT9qDX8LohRCJLYep040kaekvoXE29QkrecUqF7PORWCYEUFWkqznl8slRuPdF8jU_8ypQk_kiAFle5oSZbO242DsRr74RMawAXykCLYWbM_L32He6Gd/s1600/The+Flight+of+the+Griffin.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEi75E0wUZftrZs4MNJt7Gvj5uwdwT9qDX8LohRCJLYep040kaekvoXE29QkrecUqF7PORWCYEUFWkqznl8slRuPdF8jU_8ypQk_kiAFle5oSZbO242DsRr74RMawAXykCLYWbM_L32He6Gd/s1600/The+Flight+of+the+Griffin.jpg" /></a></div>
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<span style="font-family: Calibri;"><span style="font-size: large;">Flight of the Griffin - C. M. Gray -<o:p></o:p></span></span></div>
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<a href="http://www.amazon.com/Flight-Griffin-ebook/dp/B007TKUD7Y/ref=sr_1_1?s=books&ie=UTF8&qid=1357170275&sr=1-1&keywords=C.+m.+Gray" target="_blank"><span style="color: lime; font-family: Calibri; font-size: large;">Flightof the Griffin</span></a><span style="font-family: Calibri; font-size: large;"> by author </span><a href="http://www.flightofthegriffin.blogspot.com/" target="_blank"><span style="font-family: Calibri;"><span style="background-color: white;"><span style="color: lime;"><span style="font-size: large;"><span style="background-color: black;">C. M. Gray</span><span style="background-color: black;"> </span></span></span></span></span></a><span style="font-family: Calibri;"><span style="font-size: large;"><span style="background-color: black; mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>is a wonderful adventure for young teens but I
found it fine for all ages. It is the end times for the world, and the tale
opens when Pardigan, the boy- thief, steals a knife and a book from a merchant’s
locked cabinet and sets the events into motion. Quint, the leader of his group
of friends is the strongest and is a fighter. Loras is the boy-magician whose
master died before Loras could learn what he needed to know and who’s magic
never works right. Tarent is a dreamer, a storyteller and he keeps the other boys’
spirits up when times are hard.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>Orphans
all, they live on the abandoned boat, The Griffin.<o:p></o:p></span></span></div>
<span style="font-size: large;"></span><br />
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<span style="font-family: Calibri;"><span style="font-size: large;">Along with the knife and other loot from the merchant’s
house, Pardigan has also gained a strange, magical talking cat named Mahra.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>This cat who changes back and forth from a
girl, to an owl, to a cat, depending on her mood, knows how to unlock the
secrets of the magical knife and book. They do as they are told to and become
the Magician, Thief, Priest and Fighter, four heroes with a task to right the
balance of the world which must have equal amounts of Order and Chaos.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>They have been chosen to be the Soldiers for
Order and to oppose Chaos in a quest that pits them against magic, demons and
‘The Hawk,’ an evil hunter of men. <o:p></o:p></span></span></div>
<span style="font-size: large;"></span><br />
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<span style="font-family: Calibri;"><span style="font-size: large;">I really like the way the four boys are real – they are
written as boys are, unfinished and not quite men yet, but the promise of their
adulthood is there in each of them.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>Mahra
is an old soul (literally hundreds of years old) and is written as such, but
she is also young in many ways.<o:p></o:p></span></span></div>
<span style="font-size: large;"></span><br />
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<span style="font-family: Calibri;"><span style="font-size: large;">The travels and adventures the boys and Mahra have are well
written and believable.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>The scenery and
the backgrounds against which the tale takes place are rich and yet not
overdone.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>I would recommend this book to
anyone who simply loves a good adventure.<o:p></o:p></span></span></div>
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<o:p><span style="font-family: Calibri;"> </span></o:p></div>
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEi75E0wUZftrZs4MNJt7Gvj5uwdwT9qDX8LohRCJLYep040kaekvoXE29QkrecUqF7PORWCYEUFWkqznl8slRuPdF8jU_8ypQk_kiAFle5oSZbO242DsRr74RMawAXykCLYWbM_L32He6Gd/s1600/The+Flight+of+the+Griffin.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEi75E0wUZftrZs4MNJt7Gvj5uwdwT9qDX8LohRCJLYep040kaekvoXE29QkrecUqF7PORWCYEUFWkqznl8slRuPdF8jU_8ypQk_kiAFle5oSZbO242DsRr74RMawAXykCLYWbM_L32He6Gd/s1600/The+Flight+of+the+Griffin.jpg" /></a></div>
Connie J Jaspersonhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/07455899967916707544noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-783801461459994739.post-62761127384556151082012-11-07T13:37:00.000-08:002012-11-07T13:37:24.172-08:00Prime Suspects--A Clone Detective Mystery, by Jim Bernheimer
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgxX4X7eylfuNrHcjq-QQhyphenhyphenftJ3c7zFjsiOez-JcxdBQXs-B6VXPNnEokEV5U6rLNFWT-PT8-nP3QvxqzCo-SSXmBpmeEHTDXCsjYm6_7W5RzZTDdr-ecNHgQoKnEPTURwkoTFztnzMi_Ca/s1600/prime+suspects+Jim+Bernheimer.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgxX4X7eylfuNrHcjq-QQhyphenhyphenftJ3c7zFjsiOez-JcxdBQXs-B6VXPNnEokEV5U6rLNFWT-PT8-nP3QvxqzCo-SSXmBpmeEHTDXCsjYm6_7W5RzZTDdr-ecNHgQoKnEPTURwkoTFztnzMi_Ca/s1600/prime+suspects+Jim+Bernheimer.jpg" /></a></div>
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<a href="http://www.amazon.com/Prime-Suspects-Detective-Mystery-ebook/dp/B0090A4MLY/ref=sr_1_1?s=digital-text&ie=UTF8&qid=1352320060&sr=1-1&keywords=jim+bernheimer#_" target="_blank">Prime Suspects – A Clone Detective Mystery<o:p></o:p></a></div>
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Right off the bat I knew I was going to at least <em>like</em> this
tale – after all who doesn’t like clones? Written by one of my favorite indie authors,
<a href="http://jimbernheimer.com/" target="_blank">Jim Bernheimer</a>, Prime Suspects – a Clone Detective Mystery exceeded even <i style="mso-bidi-font-style: normal;">my</i> very high expectations.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span><o:p></o:p></div>
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The story opens when homicide detective David Bagini awakens
on a strange world in a hospital. Gradually he realizes he is a clone. <span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>Having no memories of why his Prime (Dave #1)
entered into a clone contract, he wants answers.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>Told in the first person, we follow Dave as
he has a very rude awakening when he realizes that despite his memories, he is
a clone. To make matters worse, he finds he is the 42<sup>nd</sup> clone in Bagini
line. Then, he meets Daves 16 and 29, and things get both interesting and
hilarious.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span><o:p></o:p></div>
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It turns out is his Prime has been murdered and Bagini
Forty-Two is now in charge of the investigation. Despite having a head full of the
memories of cases and police procedures, this is actually Dave42’s first real
case. <o:p></o:p></div>
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Dave 42 soon learns the only reason he was created is because
all the clues point at one of his 41 fellow clones having done the murder, and
they needed one viable clone that they knew without a shadow of a doubt couldn’t
possibly have done the murder. <o:p></o:p></div>
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This is bad, because all 41 Daves already know all his
tricks and know exactly how he thinks, better than he does. Dave 42 will have
to think up something they would not expect. <o:p></o:p></div>
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This is a gritty, grown-up tale about gritty grown-up people.
It is a uniquely told tale of murder, mayhem, and misbehaving which had me
hooked from page one. Of course, battling clones of himself provides ample
opportunity for circular reasoning and much of the introspection Bernheimer’s
heroes are famous for. <span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>I loved the dark,
at times sleazy characters and situations which populate this tale. <o:p></o:p></div>
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All in all, I give this book a full 5 stars for providing me
with one of the best reads of this fall!<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;">
I liked it so well, I bought book one of his Dead Eye series. I can't wait to get started!</span></div>
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEg6qphMtxS-939QQYid0G2zDmrSd7L28mfbePQNuyyM9SQMnhAsfDX86_K3ImTU4vaq-KGAdQYx2nbFKiWKhyHpE4GybvYBVl8Zcy63NdSFIKQa0q0OQF-FfRSBh4wqlm13Pxv6oey3qTiv/s1600/Pennies+for+the+Ferryman+JB.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEg6qphMtxS-939QQYid0G2zDmrSd7L28mfbePQNuyyM9SQMnhAsfDX86_K3ImTU4vaq-KGAdQYx2nbFKiWKhyHpE4GybvYBVl8Zcy63NdSFIKQa0q0OQF-FfRSBh4wqlm13Pxv6oey3qTiv/s1600/Pennies+for+the+Ferryman+JB.jpg" /></a></div>
Connie J Jaspersonhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/07455899967916707544noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-783801461459994739.post-10994762892325813532012-10-26T07:08:00.001-07:002012-10-26T07:08:31.751-07:00The Whole Clove Diet, Mary W. Walters
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgdcCT0ZDbUnL3iaIOOkA1yGOSYlmfao9MyXk9EUgfevexVFX3BpIIH_zHskuClU3UOdKVGTMRN5hvQpBDJnZWrOmpmIJW6ks5TuTJaNdrM5oFjoRmtmob3vH8yusBfJD0NMx_uQUdP2wpS/s1600/the+whole+clove+diet+-+mary+w+walters.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgdcCT0ZDbUnL3iaIOOkA1yGOSYlmfao9MyXk9EUgfevexVFX3BpIIH_zHskuClU3UOdKVGTMRN5hvQpBDJnZWrOmpmIJW6ks5TuTJaNdrM5oFjoRmtmob3vH8yusBfJD0NMx_uQUdP2wpS/s1600/the+whole+clove+diet+-+mary+w+walters.jpg" /></a></div>
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<o:p></o:p> </div>
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<o:p> </o:p></div>
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<a href="http://www.amazon.com/Mary-W.-Walters/e/B001K7WOUQ/ref=ntt_athr_dp_pel_pop_1" target="_blank">Mary W. Walters</a> is one of my favorite authors. A Canadian
who is also a well-known editor and author of technical manuals, Mary writes
smart, witty novels which zero in on the truth and the frailties of human
beings in general. Her most recent novel, <a href="http://www.amazon.com/The-Whole-Clove-Diet-ebook/dp/B0087FJZ1U/ref=sr_1_4?s=digital-text&ie=UTF8&qid=1351260008&sr=1-4&keywords=Mary+W+Walters" target="_blank">‘The Whole Clove Diet’</a> is no
exception.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span><o:p></o:p></div>
<br />
<div class="MsoNormal" style="margin: 0in 0in 10pt;">
I am going to say at the outset that I was impressed
immediately with way the opening pages grabbed my attention. <span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>Rita is a young woman of 28, but she is like
so many other women. She smokes too much, her addiction to food has tipped her
into the morbidly obese category, and her life has gone to hell because of it.<o:p></o:p></div>
<br />
<div class="MsoNormal" style="margin: 0in 0in 10pt;">
Only a few years before, when she was young and svelte she met and fell in love with
a widower who had two young children. Her husband, Graham, is a journalist, and
his two children, Ida and Simon, resent her presence in their lives. The ghost
of her husband’s dead wife looms large in Rita’s life—appearing as an unseen
but ever-present specter whose perfection can never be matched no matter how
she strives to do so.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>She cooks and
cleans and does everything a mother does with none of the gratitude or
respect.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>Her sole place of comfort has
become her green sofa, her cigarettes and food.<o:p></o:p></div>
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<div class="MsoNormal" style="margin: 0in 0in 10pt;">
Severely depressed, she goes to her regular doctor only to
find him gone. The new, snarky nurse informs her she will have to see Dr.
Graves or wait weeks. Dr. Graves takes one look at her and unleashes a diatribe
which destroys Rita, humiliating her and telling her if she wants to die she
should just do it.<o:p></o:p></div>
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Over the next months, life changes for the worse—her husband begins working from home, her father-in-law
gets ill and her mother-in-law (who despises her) moves in with them. Rita has
no space of her own and one to discuss her problems with, since everyone, even her mother sees only
a fat slob with no self-respect and has written her off. Only Graham claims to
love her the way she is and she feels he loves Rita the unpaid servant and
babysitter more than Rita the wife. He is desperate to have another child,
which Rita is completely not ready to contemplate. Her own mother despises her lack
of willpower.<o:p></o:p></div>
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Each section opens with the diet Rita is attempting to stick
to that month, and the final one, The Whole Clove Diet is one which is really
only mentioned in passing, but is seems the most sensible one when you look at
it.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span><o:p></o:p></div>
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<div class="MsoNormal" style="margin: 0in 0in 10pt;">
Rita’s journey to self-discovery is a compelling character
study by the mistress of character studies. Her struggles with self-doubt, self-loathing
and addiction to both food and cigarettes are vivid descriptions of the daily
torments so many women endure.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>The place
where Rita at last begins the final steps to healing is the last place anyone
would ever think she would find refuge.<o:p></o:p></div>
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For Rita there is no magic bullet, no perfect diet and no
easy way out. This book is a testament to the strength and determination which
is sometimes found only when a person is completely broken down to their component parts. The reassembling process is what I find most inspiring. </div>
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I freely give this book 5 stars.</div>
Connie J Jaspersonhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/07455899967916707544noreply@blogger.com2tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-783801461459994739.post-85601650185272781412012-10-05T08:54:00.000-07:002012-10-05T09:01:13.431-07:00Madame Zee, Pearl Luke<br />
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<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjz-uiyx5sKReaI-KPNxNkJG6azunOo5iUFOpE554fhzsNcBNpWBBg-uvJJPyAv6HVxM6GlQAPCDwuRsIqY9LErg_WKpsjG8C9Q-JIvHf4fMCG0AOJRj-scLUhHVjUUpNyLNUZnnv4WjCY5/s1600/Zee+-+Screen+Shot+2012-09-30+at+1.20.58+PM.png" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="320" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjz-uiyx5sKReaI-KPNxNkJG6azunOo5iUFOpE554fhzsNcBNpWBBg-uvJJPyAv6HVxM6GlQAPCDwuRsIqY9LErg_WKpsjG8C9Q-JIvHf4fMCG0AOJRj-scLUhHVjUUpNyLNUZnnv4WjCY5/s320/Zee+-+Screen+Shot+2012-09-30+at+1.20.58+PM.png" width="212" /></a></div>
<span style="font-family: Calibri;"><o:p></o:p></span> </div>
<br />
<br />
<br />
<div class="Body1" style="margin: 0in 0in 0pt; text-align: center; text-indent: 0.5in;">
<i style="mso-bidi-font-style: normal;"><span style="font-family: "Times New Roman","serif"; font-size: 14pt; mso-bidi-font-size: 10.0pt;">Madame
Zee</span></i></div>
<div class="Body1" style="margin: 0in 0in 0pt; text-align: center; text-indent: 0.5in;">
<span style="font-family: "Times New Roman","serif"; font-size: 14pt; mso-bidi-font-size: 10.0pt;">Pearl Luke</span></div>
<div class="Body1" style="margin: 0in 0in 0pt; text-align: center; text-indent: 0.5in;">
<span style="font-family: "Times New Roman","serif"; font-size: 14pt; mso-bidi-font-size: 10.0pt;">HarperCollins/Harper
Perennial</span></div>
<div class="Body1" style="margin: 0in 0in 0pt; text-align: center; text-indent: 0.5in;">
<span style="font-family: "Times New Roman","serif"; font-size: 14pt; mso-bidi-font-size: 10.0pt;">365 pages</span></div>
<div class="Body1" style="margin: 0in 0in 0pt; text-align: center; text-indent: 0.5in;">
<span style="font-family: "Times New Roman","serif"; font-size: 14pt; mso-bidi-font-size: 10.0pt;">Kindle
Edition: USD $11.52<o:p></o:p></span></div>
<br />
<div class="Body1" style="line-height: 150%; margin: 0in 0in 0pt;">
<span style="font-family: "Times New Roman","serif"; font-size: 14pt; line-height: 150%; mso-bidi-font-size: 10.0pt;"><o:p> </o:p></span></div>
<div align="center" class="Body1" style="line-height: 150%; margin: 0in 0in 0pt; text-align: center; text-indent: 0.5in;">
<span style="font-family: "Times New Roman","serif"; font-size: 14pt; line-height: 150%; mso-bidi-font-size: 10.0pt;">Madame Zee: A
Clairvoyant Without Illusions</span></div>
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review by Mary W. Walters</div>
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<span style="font-family: "Times New Roman","serif"; font-size: 14pt; line-height: 150%; mso-bidi-font-size: 10.0pt;">Those of us who cannot foresee the future may be
tempted to assume that psychic ability comes with some awareness of what one’s
visions mean. This is not necessarily so, as we come to realize early in this
fictionalized biography of clairvoyant Madame Zee. It was largely due to a
series of misinterpreted visions that Zee, born Mabel Rowbotham in Lancashire,
England in 1890, became a central (and generally disliked) figure in the
Aquarian Foundation—a spiritualistic cult based on Vancouver Island off
Canada’s west coast–and partner to its enigmatic and charismatic leader,
Brother XII.<o:p></o:p></span></div>
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<span style="font-family: "Times New Roman","serif"; font-size: 14pt; line-height: 150%; mso-bidi-font-size: 10.0pt;">Mabel had the first intimations of her psychic
abilities in childhood: she called them “daydreams.” The visions intensified
following the tragic deaths of her cherished elder sister Honore when Mabel was
only seven, and then of her young brother William a year later. Not only was
Mabel bereaved and confused by these deaths, she also felt responsible, and grew
into adulthood with a heavy burden of guilt. Honore came to take a central role
in Mabel’s “daydreams,” maturing as she would have done if she had lived.<o:p></o:p></span></div>
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<span style="font-family: "Times New Roman","serif"; font-size: 14pt; line-height: 150%; mso-bidi-font-size: 10.0pt;">In this rendering of Zee’s life by Pearl Luke – a
powerful fiction writer whose first novel, <i style="mso-bidi-font-style: normal;">Burning
Ground</i>, won the Commonwealth Prize for Best First Novel – Mabel’s approach
to her psychic gifts from the beginning is to attempt to understand where they
are coming from, as well as what they mean. Isolated by her clairvoyant
episodes, throughout her life she also seeks to find others who are like
her—with marginal success. <o:p></o:p></span></div>
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<span style="font-family: "Times New Roman","serif"; font-size: 14pt; line-height: 150%; mso-bidi-font-size: 10.0pt;">In London, where her family moves when she is 15,
she visits the London Academy of Psychical Research, and investigates spiritualism,
clairvoyance, reincarnation, and the-then-relatively-new Theosophy movement
founded by Helena Blavatsky. When she is 20, she moves with her parents to
prairie Canada, where she takes up a position as a teacher, but her beliefs and
visions lead to her dismissal. A bad marriage comes to an end in Seattle, and
she flees to Pensacola to seek the counsel of her ex father-in-law, Coulson, a
Spiritualist. <o:p></o:p></span></div>
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<span style="font-family: "Times New Roman","serif"; font-size: 14pt; line-height: 150%; mso-bidi-font-size: 10.0pt;">In Florida, where she assumes the name Madame Zee to
mark a new beginning, Mabel experiences companionship, love, more loss and
increasing insight into who she is and what her powers will allow her to do–for
herself and others. She develops her talent as a visual artist, creating
drawings of her visions as well as realistic scenes, and meets her second
husband – the attractive but deeply twisted Roger Painter.<o:p></o:p></span></div>
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<span style="font-family: "Times New Roman","serif"; font-size: 14pt; line-height: 150%; mso-bidi-font-size: 10.0pt;">Then Madame Zee has a powerful vision involving
herself and Brother XII, and she and Roger travel to Vancouver Island to join
his colony. (Anyone who has been to the Island will recognize the place: “Where
has the moss ever grown so green? Thick luxurious towels of it wrap everything
in sight. It covers the boulders at the top of the embankment and clings to
mammoth fir trees surrounded by yet more mosses, pea-green foreground for a
panorama that slopes steeply down to even more green, the tops of trees poking
through wisps of fog parted like tossed veils over emerald waters”).<o:p></o:p></span></div>
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<span style="font-family: "Times New Roman","serif"; font-size: 14pt; line-height: 150%; mso-bidi-font-size: 10.0pt;">Now Zee is plunged into the world of Brother XII and
the cult that grew around his charisma and apparent mystic capabilities in the
late 1920s, when he established colonies in Cedar-By-The-Sea and on Valdes
Island. She rises in power through the ranks of his disintegrating empire to a
point that will both rescue her and drive her toward destruction. Luke’s
storytelling powers are acute, allowing us to relate utterly to Madame Zee’s
evolution: “Whenever she reflects [ . . . ] on becoming that which is <i style="mso-bidi-font-style: normal;">herself</i>, she understands clearly what
[Brother XII’s writing] means for about a fifth of a second before the meaning
curls away from her again, like a ribbon curling in a gust of air.”<o:p></o:p></span></div>
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<span style="font-family: "Times New Roman","serif"; font-size: 14pt; line-height: 150%; mso-bidi-font-size: 10.0pt;"><span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>In the notes
that follow the text of <i style="mso-bidi-font-style: normal;">Madame Zee</i>
(interesting to all readers and particularly useful to reading/study groups),
the author explains that one of her purposes in writing the novel was to try to
figure out why the real Madame Zee became a figure who was so disliked in the
Aquarian Foundation. Part of the reason was certainly the self-protective and
aloof personality that developed in response to her past tragedies and abuses—not
to mention the difficult situation in which she found herself once she reached
the Island and began to really get to know Brother XII.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span><o:p></o:p></span></div>
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<span style="font-family: "Times New Roman","serif"; font-size: 14pt; line-height: 150%; mso-bidi-font-size: 10.0pt;">But Madame Zee was also isolated from others by her
gifts, and as a writer I found much in her to which I could relate. What might
be seen by others as haughtiness, distance and abruptness was no doubt an
effort to protect her essential self, and to hide the layers of disappointment
when she thought she’d found someone to whom she would be able to relate, only
to have her hopes dashed each time yet again. <o:p></o:p></span></div>
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<i style="mso-bidi-font-style: normal;"><span style="font-family: "Times New Roman","serif"; font-size: 14pt; line-height: 150%; mso-bidi-font-size: 10.0pt;">Madame Zee</span></i><span style="font-family: "Times New Roman","serif"; font-size: 14pt; line-height: 150%; mso-bidi-font-size: 10.0pt;">, first published by HarperCollins in 2007 and now
available as an ebook, covers huge swaths of territory geographically, and
represents dozens of characters keenly and succinctly. But the book is also
thematically vast – touching on issues that range from early 20<sup>th</sup>
century feminism, to religion, spirituality and the nature of psychic powers,
to the meaning of life, to the quality of relationships among women and of
those between women and men, to drug dependency, to the power of charismatics, the
evolution of cults, and more.<o:p></o:p></span></div>
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<span style="font-family: "Times New Roman","serif"; font-size: 14pt; line-height: 150%; mso-bidi-font-size: 10.0pt;">Always, and above all else, <i style="mso-bidi-font-style: normal;">Madame Zee</i> is a beautifully written story that will draw you along
from one satisfying scene to another. And unless you also have the gift of
foresight, each new adventure in Zee’s life will come as a complete surprise.</span></div>
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<o:p>Todays guest reviewer, <a href="http://marywwalters.com/marywwalters.com/Home.html" target="_blank"><span style="color: yellow;">Mary W. Walters</span></a> is an award-winning writer of fiction and non-fiction. Most recently she published the stylish and witty novel, <a href="http://www.amazon.com/Whole-Clove-Diet-Mary-Walters/dp/145630626X/ref=la_B001K7WOUQ_1_2?ie=UTF8&qid=1349386491&sr=1-2#_" target="_blank">‘The Whole Clove Diet’</a>. She is a highly acclaimed editor of books, academic articles, grant proposals, papers, theses, essays and blogs. She is a writing coach, and teaches academics, non-profit organizations and artists how to write really effective grant applications. Mary also blogs about what she knows and what she thinks on her blog, <a href="http://maryww.wordpress.com/" target="_blank">The Militant Writer</a>.</o:p></h4>
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<span style="font-size: 14pt; line-height: 150%; mso-bidi-font-size: 10.0pt;"><o:p><span style="font-size: small;"><span style="font-family: Calibri;"><o:p></o:p></span></span></o:p></span> </div>
Connie J Jaspersonhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/07455899967916707544noreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-783801461459994739.post-11316002168680502332012-09-28T23:17:00.000-07:002015-08-24T05:56:31.350-07:00The Casual Vacancy, J.K. Rowling<br />
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<o:p><a href="http://www.amazon.com/The-Casual-Vacancy-ebook/dp/B007THA4FI/ref=sr_1_1?s=digital-text&ie=UTF8&qid=1348896451&sr=1-1&keywords=j+k+rowling" target="_blank"><span style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif;">The Casual Vacancy</span></a></o:p></div>
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<span style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif;"><a href="http://www.amazon.com/J.K.-Rowling/e/B000AP9A6K/ref=ntt_athr_dp_pel_1" target="_blank">J. K. Rowling</a> is an extremely strong writer, and is
brilliant at crafting and peopling her tales. First off, you need to <strong>set aside aside Harry
Potter</strong> and read this book as if it were <strong>the only work of hers</strong> you’ve ever
read.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>If you go into this expecting
Hogwarts and all the gang reinvented, you will be disappointed. You'll <strong>love</strong> or
<strong>hate</strong> this book on the strength of her work, not because it is part of a mega-phenomenom. This tale is about
ordinary people, living rather mundane lives. Their politics are mundane, their
motives are the usual trifling things which motivate petty people. These are not always nice people.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>That said, I would recommend this book to
those who read literary fiction. <strong>This is an adult book, for adult readers.<o:p></o:p></strong></span></div>
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<span style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif;">Councilman Barry Fairbane dies unexpectedly, and this leaves
a vacancy on the town council, leaving the little town of Pagford in shock.<o:p></o:p></span></div>
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<span style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif;">Pagford is, on the surface, a postcard English village, complete with a
cobbled market square and an ancient abbey, but beneath the surface, the
citizens cope with poverty, drug abuse, child abuse, rape, and mental illness along
with all the social illnesses which lie hidden under the mask of civility in
most communities. Rowling explores this underbelly with sharp wit, cutting,
sarcastic humor and sly social commentary.<o:p></o:p></span></div>
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<span style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif;">The empty seat left by Barry on the town’s council soon
becomes the focus of an election fraught with passion, duplicity and unexpected
revelations. The characters are well drawn and in true Rowling style, you see
them fully before you, warts and all.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;">
</span>They curse, they commit terrible crimes and they are violent toward each
other in ways that are both heinous and reprehensible. The <em>youth </em>curse, commit crimes and everything else real youth regrettably do.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> There are raw, violent scenes depicted in this tale, and e</span>ach scene is believable and drew me in.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span><o:p></o:p></span></div>
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<span style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif;">The reason I can only give this book four out of five stars
is there are some places where it is a bit slow; but I stuck with it through those few places and I’m glad I
did. <o:p></o:p></span></div>
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<span style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif;">Over all this is a good effort, and shows Rowling’s
understanding of human nature. HOWEVER - I was unimpressed with the price of the Kindle
download, and feel that for most people it would be a better investment to wait
and buy the book as a paperback when it comes out, because at $17.99 per download it is <i style="mso-bidi-font-style: normal;">most </i>definitely <strong>overpriced</strong>.</span><span style="font-family: Calibri;"><o:p></o:p></span></div>
Connie J Jaspersonhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/07455899967916707544noreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-783801461459994739.post-41059654712624317532012-09-14T07:16:00.001-07:002012-09-14T07:20:15.156-07:00The Magic Crystal, L.T. Suzuki & Nia Suzuki-White<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
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<span style="font-size: large;">The first installment in <em>‘The Dream Merchant Saga’</em>, <a href="http://www.amazon.com/Dream-Merchant-Saga-Magic-Crystal/dp/0986724009/ref=sr_1_1?ie=UTF8&qid=1330559817&sr=8-1" target="_blank">‘The MagicCrystal’</a> is absolutely enchanting. <span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>As the authors say in the prologue, it is “an imperfect tale about imperfect people.” It is an untraditional fairy-tale, told in a thoroughly traditional style.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>Written by the mother and daughter team of <a href="http://www.amazon.com/s/ref=ntt_athr_dp_sr_1?_encoding=UTF8&sort=relevancerank&search-alias=books&ie=UTF8&field-author=Lorna%20T%20Suzuki" target="_blank">L.T. Suzuki</a> of <a href="http://www.amazon.com/Warriors-Tale-Imago-Chronicles-ebook/dp/B004SP1TQW/ref=sr_1_1?s=books&ie=UTF8&qid=1330559971&sr=1-1" target="_blank">'Imago'</a> fame, and her young daughter Nia Suzuki-White, <em>The Magic Crystal</em> delivers on all counts.</span></div>
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<span style="font-size: large;">The tale opens with the spoiled, temperamental, thoroughly aggravating 16 year old Princess Rose abusing her servants and ‘her jester’ an unfortunate boy named Tag.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>Rose has ruined Tag's life, and made it impossible for him to achieve his goal of becoming a knight, something which he holds against her and she doesn’t give a fig about. She enjoys the fact that he has to serve her no matter what he really wishes.</span></div>
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<span style="font-size: large;">Always looking out for herself, she has crafted a plan to trap the Tooth Fairy and thereby force her to grant Princess Rose 3 wishes.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>Rose tries to force Tag to help her steal the tooth of a child. He refuses to help her, but she gets the tooth through bribery. Her plan succeeds, but goes awry, when the enraged fairy rats her out to her parents.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>Her parents are not really that strong on discipline and leave it up to the tooth fairy to discipline Rose, as long as she doesn’t do any magic, such as changing her into a toad. Rose makes a bargain with the fairy who agrees to introduce her to the Dream Merchant who will make all her wishes come true.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>Though she is warned many times that this is not that good of an idea, Rose insists and the fairy accepts a small silver heart-shaped locket in lieu of a good deed to make the deal binding.</span></div>
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<span style="font-size: large;">Of course, Princess Rose is her usual charming self when the Dream Merchant arrives, and thus is set into motion a wonderful set of adventures that are perfectly befitting the arrogant girl. He tells her that she shall have no more than 3 wishes per day, and that devious manipulation of the rules on her part will reduce her to 1 wish per day.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>He gives her a dream crystal and tells her to keep it safe, for if it should fall into the wrong hands, the consequences would be dire. She is told that she must learn something called wakeful dreaming to use it properly. He only asks for one thing in payment for the Crystal –the love of her parents.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>She agrees, as she does not think that her parents love her since they are always trying to get her to behave.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>He warns her to be careful of what she wishes for, tells her how to get hold of him if she wants to return the crystal and disappears.</span></div>
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<span style="font-size: large;">Of course the next day she finds herself tossed out of the castle, and the only one who recognizes her is her despised jester, Tag who reluctantly helps her. Soon they are on a quest to find the one thing that can get her life back to normal - her heart. On the way they meet a wonderful character, Cankles Mayron, the local V.I (or Village Idiot).<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>He helps them out and becomes an indispensible part of their life.</span></div>
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<span style="font-size: large;">I enjoyed this creative and amazing series of adventures immensely. I laughed and cried with Rose and Tag, and loved the way that one misadventure flowed into another. Sorcerers, dragons, and mistaken identity -it is all rolled into one of the funnier tales I have read in a long time. The uneasy alliance of Princess Rose and Tag, and Cankles is a brilliant, entertaining story that will become a classic in my family.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span><em>The Magic Crystal</em> is a read-aloud sort of story, one that will enchant the adults as well as the children. </span><br />
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<span style="font-size: large;">I loved the second installment in this series, <em><a href="http://www.amazon.com/s/ref=nb_sb_noss?url=search-alias%3Daps&field-keywords=L+T+Suziki+the+silver+sword" target="_blank">The Silver Sword</a></em>. It lurked within my Kindle, tantalizing me, begging me to drop everything and read it and so of course I did</span><br />
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<span style="font-size: large;">And BEST OF ALL - The third book in this series, <em>The Crack'd Shield </em>is due to be released within weeks! I CAN'T WAIT!!!</span></div>
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<span style="font-size: large;"></span><br />Connie J Jaspersonhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/07455899967916707544noreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-783801461459994739.post-27316710164624989932012-09-07T07:09:00.000-07:002014-07-24T17:10:46.922-07:00A Killing Tide by P. J. Alderman<br />
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjjJo1dm5l69j1oSPnOUt-GX2k7gULmRYPgijMbBqUnWGwrDVCkx1RaQeWVI9QzkdnKx0EWH-tnS0HDOHzcK7zfE51ewjglmEBlw6P7og1iQKYq0Bye454b6NxSQ5nXRl7nzZINbq9kqBM6/s1600/A+Killing+Tide+PJ+Alderman.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjjJo1dm5l69j1oSPnOUt-GX2k7gULmRYPgijMbBqUnWGwrDVCkx1RaQeWVI9QzkdnKx0EWH-tnS0HDOHzcK7zfE51ewjglmEBlw6P7og1iQKYq0Bye454b6NxSQ5nXRl7nzZINbq9kqBM6/s1600/A+Killing+Tide+PJ+Alderman.jpg" /></a></div>
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This contemporary Columbia River thriller, <i style="mso-bidi-font-style: normal;">A Killing Tide</i>, was a <a href="http://www.rwa.org/cs/contests_and_awards/rita_awards"><span style="color: yellow;">RITA</span></a> finalist
and climbed the charts to stay on the New York Times and USA Today bestselling
lists for eight weeks. I can tell you why – this book grips you from the first
page.<o:p></o:p></div>
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<a href="http://www.amazon.com/Killing-Columbia-River-Thriller-ebook/dp/B0040JI3M4/ref=sr_1_2?ie=UTF8&qid=1346902538&sr=8-2&keywords=A+Killing+Tide"><span style="color: yellow;">A
Killing Tide</span></a> by indie author <a href="http://www.amazon.com/P.J.-Alderman/e/B002J236CG/ref=ntt_athr_dp_pel_1"><span style="color: yellow;">P.
J. Alderman</span></a> takes place in the small Oregon city of Astoria; a town I am
quite familiar with. With simple strokes, she evokes the atmosphere of the
coastal town, the eternal grayness and eternal rain. Based in Astoria, Oregon, Columbia
River Bar Pilots were established in 1846 to ensure the safety of ships, crews
and cargoes crossing the treacherous Columbia River Bar, which is recognized as
one of the most dangerous and challenging navigated stretches of water in the
world. The men and women who fish those waters are also a rare breed.<o:p></o:p></div>
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(Kasmira) Kaz Jorgensen was once a well-known local
fisher-woman, and has recently returned to Astoria and fishing after a long
absence from fishing as financial a consultant in San Francisco. Her best
friend had called her, telling her there was trouble with her brother Gary, but
not what the trouble was. She has not been able to talk much to him, due to
having to be out on her own boat, the <i style="mso-bidi-font-style: normal;">Kasmira
B</i>, and things are somewhat distant between them.<o:p></o:p></div>
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Kaz has not been welcomed back with open arms by her brother
or the community at large.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>Having just
lost half her pots and most of her catch to a vandal at sea, she brings her
boat in late. She arrives at the Redemption, a tavern frequented by the local
fishers, and meets up with her best friend, Detective Lucy McGuire who is also
her brother’s girlfriend. Also eating dinner in the Redemption is the new fire
chief, Michael Chapman. Just hired from Boston, Chapman is a man with a
history, which comes out as the story progresses.<o:p></o:p></div>
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That evening in the Redemption, Michael witnesses Kaz trying
to break up a violent disagreement between Kaz’s brother Gary and his friend,
Chuck. Because she is no longer considered a member of the community for
reasons which gradually emerge. Everyone warns Kaz to stay out of ‘it’; indicating
to her that whatever is going on between Chuck and Gary is big and it involves
the whole fishing community. Michael Chapman intervenes, to Kaz’s irritated
chagrin.<o:p></o:p></div>
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That night a friend, Ken Lundquist, is murdered; a family
man who is also a crewman on her brother’s boat, the <i style="mso-bidi-font-style: normal;">Anna Marie</i>. Gary, a vet suffering from post-traumatic-stress
syndrome, is immediately suspected of murdering him and committing arson to
burn his boat to cover it up. Making things worse, Gary has vanished. Police
Chief Jim Sykes, a man with political ambitions, is hot on Gary’s trail, sure
he is the culprit.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>Michael, as
fire-marshal, is leaping to no conclusions, and is handling the investigation
his own way.<o:p></o:p></div>
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This is an intense tale of greed and small-town lust for
power and easy money.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>Each and every
character is fully fleshed out and you immediately like or dislike them with
one exception.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>Jim Sykes remains
somewhat of an enigma right up to the end.<o:p></o:p></div>
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The attraction between Kaz and Michael Chapman is part of
what makes this tale so engrossing.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>The possibility
of their romance is a thread which weaves in and out of the tapestry that is
this mystery.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>Right up to the end, I was
unsure as to whom the culprit was and the ending is a thrilling as any you
could ask for.<o:p></o:p></div>
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First published in 2006, <i style="mso-bidi-font-style: normal;">A
Killing Tide</i> was my introduction to P.J. Alderman’s work. She has become
one of my go-to mystery writers, and I have enjoyed everything she has written.<o:p></o:p></div>
Connie J Jaspersonhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/07455899967916707544noreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-783801461459994739.post-51423117745348048052012-09-01T05:43:00.000-07:002012-09-01T17:25:28.798-07:00Bubba and the 12 Deadly Days of Christmas by C.L. Bevill<br />
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEh9zZtO8WMAb3Ma_P6hO2FHjWje0qE9C2HdfTG25jGTY7Vce7zN0wY61cR5DlrSEiC8aq3-khIe9S-1_Xx6Y5UBTnzABbOYavutKb8NMuJhTyNID-LtomAlPUhhN71gloochVLoV3k7STIf/s1600/51u75Fp1TrL__BO2,204,203,200_PIsitb-sticker-arrow-click,TopRight,35,-76_AA278_PIkin4,BottomRight,-57,22_AA300_SH20_OU01_.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEh9zZtO8WMAb3Ma_P6hO2FHjWje0qE9C2HdfTG25jGTY7Vce7zN0wY61cR5DlrSEiC8aq3-khIe9S-1_Xx6Y5UBTnzABbOYavutKb8NMuJhTyNID-LtomAlPUhhN71gloochVLoV3k7STIf/s1600/51u75Fp1TrL__BO2,204,203,200_PIsitb-sticker-arrow-click,TopRight,35,-76_AA278_PIkin4,BottomRight,-57,22_AA300_SH20_OU01_.jpg" /></a></div>
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<span style="font-family: Calibri;"><a href="http://www.amazon.com/Bubba-Deadly-Days-Christmas-ebook/dp/B004ZLRW6K/ref=sr_1_1?s=digital-text&ie=UTF8&qid=1346342060&sr=1-1&keywords=Bubba+and+the+12+Deadly+Days+of+Christmas" target="_blank">Bubba and the 12 Deadly Days of Christmas</a> by<a href="http://www.clbevill.com/" target="_blank"> C.L. Bevill</a> is a laugh-fest from page one.</span></div>
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<span style="font-family: Calibri;">Bubba Snoddy and the good folks in his small town of
Pegramville, Texas are celebrating a sunny Christmas festival, complete with a
parade and candy-cane swirl martinis.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;">
</span>Unbeknownst to Sheriff John Headrick, the Pegramville Women’s Club has
donated the decorations for his office using funds raised by Bubba Snoddy’s
mother, Miz Demetrice’s illegal gambling ring. Even Bubba’s basset hound,
precious, is dressed for season, in her special doggy antlers. Best of all, the
woman of Bubba’s dreams, Deputy Willodean Gray is, upon occasion, giving Bubba
an encouraging smile.<o:p></o:p></span></div>
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<span style="font-family: Calibri;">Bubba’s already complex life has become even more complicated by the fact he has
family visiting for the holidays from Louisiana, along with a maiden aunt from
Dallas. The youngest Snoddy, ten year old Brownie is a riot, as is the cook-housekeeper,
Miz Adelia.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>Miz Demetrice is terrified
her relatives-by –marriage are going to rip-off the tattered treasures of
infamous, broken-down Snoddy Mansion; but still felt compelled to invite them
anyway. Brownie is the son of Bubba’s late father’s now deceased younger
brother.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>Beauregard died in prison while
serving ten to twenty for bank robbery. Bubba feels sure Brownie didn’t inherit
a lot of intelligence, as Uncle Beau had robbed a bank next to a police station
during lunch hour.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>His other relatives,
Fudge and Virtna Snoddy are adept at carrying all sorts of possessions out to
their truck, and he has become adept at intercepting them.<o:p></o:p></span></div>
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<span style="font-family: Calibri;">Unfortunately, Bubba finds another dead body – yes he had
apparently found one previously which had caused him no end of trouble before
the tale picks up - and this time it’s a man in a Santa Suit. He turns out to
be Steve Killebrew, a habitually dishonest auto mechanic. Words had passed
between him and Bubba regarding a defective fuel pump. Once again, Bubba is
suspected of murder, thus scotching his plans for Deputy Willodean.<o:p></o:p></span></div>
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<span style="font-family: Calibri;">Bubba’s hilarious adventures kept me wondering right up to
the last chapter, and I was laughing all the way. Bubba’s family creates no end
of trouble for him and his rival, deputy sheriff Big Joe, <i style="mso-bidi-font-style: normal;">really</i> wants to send him away for life, but Sheriff John manages to
keep things on track.<o:p></o:p></span></div>
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<span style="font-family: Calibri;">By page eight I was so involved with these wonderful people
that I couldn’t be bothered to cook a meal until the book was done. Though
there is a backstory, this book is the first in the series, and while it finishes up
this mystery, they are left with another to solve in the next book, <a href="http://www.amazon.com/Bubba-Missing-Woman-ebook/dp/B006I69YPC/ref=sr_1_2?s=digital-text&ie=UTF8&qid=1346342700&sr=1-2&keywords=Bubba+and+the+12+Deadly+Days+of+Christmas#_" target="_blank">Bubba and the Missing Woman</a>.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>This tale is
unabashedly folksy, and right on the money for a rainy-day book. <o:p></o:p></span></div>
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<span style="font-family: Calibri;">All of C.L. Bevill’s books are available at both Amazon.com for the Kindle and Barnes and Noble for
the Nook; and this one was listed at the fine price of .99, as are the
follow-up tales in this series.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>I
recommend it to anyone who loves a cozy mystery with violent overtones, and
peopled with characters you want to know! </span><br />
<span style="font-family: Calibri;"></span><br />
<span style="font-family: Calibri;">UPDATE: Since publishing this post I have discovered that this is indeed the second book in the series, the first of which is <a href="http://www.amazon.com/Bubba-Dead-Woman-ebook/dp/B004E10W0E/ref=la_B006XV5B6I_1_6?ie=UTF8&qid=1346545301&sr=1-6" target="_blank">'Bubba and the Dead Woman'</a> . I must say this explains the heavy backstory, and I now am off to read it! This just proves that C.L. Bevill's work stands alone or as as a series, which is what I am always looking for in a cozy read. Awesome!</span></div>
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Connie J Jaspersonhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/07455899967916707544noreply@blogger.com2tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-783801461459994739.post-16479822091742312712012-08-24T07:12:00.001-07:002012-08-24T07:12:46.491-07:00Dwight Okita, Murakami, and Jellyfish<span style="font-family: Georgia, 'Times New Roman', serif;">This summer I've had the pleasure to read both <a href="http://www.amazon.com/gp/product/B0083J8NFY/ref=as_li_qf_sp_asin_il_tl?ie=UTF8&camp=1789&creative=9325&creativeASIN=B0083J8NFY&linkCode=as2&tag=frpoofte-20">1Q84</a> by Haruki Murakami and <a href="http://www.amazon.com/gp/product/1460959892/ref=as_li_qf_sp_asin_il_tl?ie=UTF8&camp=1789&creative=9325&creativeASIN=1460959892&linkCode=as2&tag=frpoofte-20">The Prospect of My Arrival</a> by Dwight Okita. The books were very different, and yet there was a similarity to their style - a deceptive simplicity, deepening excitement, addictive prose, and a sense of melancholy and wonder throughout.</span><br />
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<a href="http://knopfdoubleday.com/marketing/covers/1Q84_jacket.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="clear: left; float: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><span style="font-family: Georgia, 'Times New Roman', serif;"><img border="0" height="320" src="http://knopfdoubleday.com/marketing/covers/1Q84_jacket.jpg" width="216" /></span></a></div>
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<span style="font-family: Georgia, 'Times New Roman', serif;">1Q84 is a doorstop of a book that originally was published in three volumes in Japan. It is perfect for anyone who is looking for a book for autumn, one that will last through quite a few rainy nights. Murakami writes about a woman, Aomame, and a man, Tengo. They go through separate adventures that interact in Murakami's signature mysterious existentialism.</span><br />
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<span style="font-family: Georgia, 'Times New Roman', serif;">Aomame gets out of a cab one day and climbs down from the highway into a world that has two moons. There she finds that things are a bit off. The world has shifted. In that new alternate universe, a beautiful young girl called Fuka-Eri writes about Little People. They appear out of a dead goat's mouth and build an Air Chrysalis. There are two moons, and a Town of Cats.</span><br />
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<span style="font-family: Georgia, 'Times New Roman', serif;">Meanwhile, Tengo is working to polish and publish the manuscript by Fuka-Eri called Air Chrysalis. There are fascinating minor characters, such as the man who leads a powerful cult, a man that Aomame is contracted to kill. There is Ushikawa, the man hired by the cult to find Aomame. Each of these characters is more than they appear - they unfold, like origami, into balanced people with depth and emotion. </span><br />
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<span style="font-family: Georgia, 'Times New Roman', serif;">I am already a huge Murakami fan; Kafka on the Shore is one of my very favorite books. To be able to spend a summer reading a long novel by him was a real gift. And he didn't disappoint - 1Q84 satisfied my delight in urban fantasy, science fiction, action, and wonderful writing.</span><br />
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<a href="http://photo.goodreads.com/books/1312232230l/11283728.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="clear: right; float: right; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: 1em;"><span style="font-family: Georgia, 'Times New Roman', serif;"><img border="0" height="320" src="http://photo.goodreads.com/books/1312232230l/11283728.jpg" width="224" /></span></a></div>
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<span style="font-family: Georgia, 'Times New Roman', serif;">The Prospect of My Arrival was a different kind of read. It is much shorter, for one thing. I read the book in a few evenings, although in part that was because I simply could not put it down. Okita uses dreamy prose that is reminiscent of Murakami. He pumps up the volume on the science fiction, as the book is about a scientific and moral experiment.</span><br />
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<span style="font-family: Georgia, 'Times New Roman', serif;">Prospect is a foetus, a baby about to be born. He is given enhanced intelligence and a twenty-year-old body and sent out into the world to see if he wants to be born.</span><br />
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<span style="font-family: Georgia, 'Times New Roman', serif;">To help him in his decision, he is sent to visit Referrals. The book is the story of those visits on one level, but there is a thread of other plots connecting those stories. There are people who are against the Pre-Born Project and who want to stop it at all costs. There is also a love story between Prospect and Lito, his second referral. Okita manages both deftly, making the first exciting and the second lovely and touching.</span><br />
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<span style="font-family: Georgia, 'Times New Roman', serif;">I have read some reviews on Amazon about The Prospect of My Arrival that complain about the spare prose. Okita uses short sentences and simple description, but to my mind it is done very artistically. The book is like a Mondrian painting. It seems very straightforward at first glance, but there is a complex structure and design behind the simple sentences. And those short phrases echo the soul of Prospect who is, after all, a foetus. </span><br />
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<span style="font-family: Georgia, 'Times New Roman', serif;">In one scene, Prospect meets his mother in the Shedd Aquarium. They talk about his sister, Joyce, in front of one of the tanks of jellyfish. "As they leave this place, jellyfish descend in slow motion like parachutes onto the bright coral reefs below them." This image is echoed in another Referral's home. "Sheer pink curtains flutter from the open windows of the living room. They move like jellyfish in the summer breeze."</span><br />
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<a href="http://www.umnet.com/pic/diy/screensaver/1%5CJELLYFISH--15774.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="clear: left; float: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><span style="font-family: Georgia, 'Times New Roman', serif;"><img border="0" src="http://www.umnet.com/pic/diy/screensaver/1%5CJELLYFISH--15774.jpg" /></span></a></div>
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<span style="font-family: Georgia, 'Times New Roman', serif;">The jellyfish encapsulated the book, to my mind. The words move lazily, dreamily, like underwater creatures, and yet they are mesmerizing. The plot and the prose seem so simple, and at the same time they are lovely and complex.</span><br />
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<span style="font-family: Georgia, 'Times New Roman', serif;">Can you get excited about the story of a foetus who may or may not decide to be born? Oh, yes indeed you can. As I said, I could not put it down, and I had a very sad feeling when the book ended. Luckily, Okita has other books coming out, such as The Hope Store, and I will certainly be purchasing everything by him.</span><br />
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<span style="font-family: Georgia, 'Times New Roman', serif;">I read Prospect as a Kindle book. Formatting is an art unto itself, and Okita's format is breathtaking. He includes images and chapter headings that make this a joy to read. However, the story was so amazing that I need to get the print version and beg the author to sign it for me. Okita is a name to be watched on the Indie front.</span>Alison DeLucahttp://www.blogger.com/profile/06979026382091362305noreply@blogger.com4tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-783801461459994739.post-31101949480531448942012-08-14T16:35:00.001-07:002012-08-14T18:28:59.241-07:00The Last Call by George Wier<div align="left" class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
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<a href="http://www.amazon.com/Last-Call-Travis-Mysteries-ebook/dp/B004QWZCYC/ref=sr_1_3?s=digital-text&ie=UTF8&qid=1344978947&sr=1-3&keywords=george+wier" target="_blank"><em>The Last Call,</em></a> book one in the <a href="http://billtravismysteries.com/" target="_blank">Bill Travis Mystery</a> series is an interesting take on the classic hardboiled detective action tale. Author <a href="http://www.georgewier.com/" target="_blank">George Wier </a>has created a cast of characters who immediately draw you in, and from page one you care about their problems.</div>
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The hero, investment-advisor Bill Travis, is having a mid-life crisis. We never really find out exactly what area of investment consulting Bill works in, other than it is for extremely sensitive clients who need help with investing large amounts of cash and property just short of money laundering; keeping good people out of bad trouble. In the course of his work he's made many friends, a lot of of whom owe Bill some rather large favors.</div>
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On the day this tale begins, we find Bill in in traffic on his way to the office. As he is negotiating the rush-hour traffic, he finds himself playing tag with an attractive blonde. She wins. cutting him off and making a fine start to his Monday.</div>
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Lo and behold, his first appointment of the day is the blonde from the traffic-jam; her name is Julie Simmons and she is in trouble. She has crossed a bad man, a north-Texas liquor baron, named Archie Carpin and has taken a VERY large sum of money from him and hidden it. She turns to Bill for help; he tells her he doesn't deal with stolen money. Still, he finds himself involved both physically and emotionally and the next thing he knows, he is trying to help her get her mess straightened out.</div>
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Bill turns to Hank, an old client and a friend who has a passing love of explosives. Hank has a friend, Dock (with a k) who also gets involved. Somehow, Julie forgets to mention that two of Carpin's henchmen, Lefty and Carl are following them until they are outside Dock's house. After the shooting is over and Lefty and Carl have been driven off, the three men find themselves hiding Julie. During the course of their adventures they rescue an 8 year old girl, Keesha and find her a good home.</div>
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The action is non-stop, keeping you turning the pages to see what is going to happen next. Several times the truth is both revealed and hidden in the nightmares Bill suffers from. Not everyone survives the action in this thriller. When one of the characters died, I found tears in my eyes. Julie is a cypher - you don't really know what to make of her until the end. Nothing is predictable, and yet nothing is random. The plot makes complete and perfect sense, and the story, as it unfolds, is a piece of Texas history, with a certain amount of license taken in regard to the truth. </div>
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I will definitely be reading the next book in the Bill Travis Series<em>, </em><a href="http://www.amazon.com/Capitol-Offense-Travis-Mysteries-ebook/dp/B006F6P1MK/ref=la_B004USCNYO_1_2?ie=UTF8&qid=1344980225&sr=1-2" target="_blank"><em>Capitol Offense</em></a>. George Wier is the author of 14 books and has several more currently in the works. With <em>The Last Call</em> as my introduction to his work, he has become one of my favorite authors!</div>
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Connie J Jaspersonhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/07455899967916707544noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-783801461459994739.post-52035309584379136162012-08-08T14:30:00.005-07:002012-08-08T19:21:39.199-07:00Ednor Scardens, Kathleen Barker<br />
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Book 1 of the Charm City Chronicles, <a href="http://www.amazon.com/Ednor-Scardens-Charm-Chronicles-ebook/dp/B008BODK0E/ref=cm_cr_pr_pb_i" target="_blank">Ednor Scardens</a> by <a href="http://kateinla51.blogspot.com/" target="_blank">Kathleen Barker</a> takes place in Baltimore in the nineteen sixties. The
title is a play on words; a twist on the name of the neighborhood in which the
protagonist, Kate Fitzgerald and her friends live: Ednor Gardens. The story
begins as Kate and her chums are leaving the sixth grade in their coed
parochial school. Kate comes from a working class catholic family, she and her
mother live with her grandmother, with no father in the home; he was killed in the service before she was born. <o:p></o:p></div>
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Kate has developed breasts, and as such she is the envy of
all her girlfriends, and the object of scrutiny by all the boys. She lives with
her mother and grandmother, in a loving and supportive family, and has the
usual problems and worries that girls of that age have. She develops a crush on
both Gabe and Michael, who just happen to be brothers. During her last years at
her coed school a new priest joins the faculty; one who is a danger both to
boys and to girls.<o:p></o:p></div>
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Boys are never-ending source of mystery and trouble for
Kate.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>There is plenty of the real-life
misbehaving which I remember in my own teen years, and the general partying and
abuse of alcohol among her and her set of friends is much as I remember in my
small town set of friends. <o:p></o:p></div>
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This is not by any means simply a novel of fond
reminiscence, however – Ednor Scardens deals with the issues which plague girls
today – the temptations and pitfalls of life are trans-generational.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>Teenage girls and boys all struggle with the
desire to remain chaste, and yet they struggle with their own physical changes
and the wants and needs which those changes bring with them. Each teenager
deals with those issues in their own way, and Kate’s personal struggles make
for a wonderful coming of age tale.<o:p></o:p></div>
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The small dramas which happen in their daily life are every
bit as entertaining as are the larger dramas; and are very real in the way they
are portrayed. There is so much humor and love between Kate and her friends
that the reader lives the story with them. The dark side of this story (and
there IS a dark side), is handled very well.<o:p></o:p></div>
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I highly recommend this book to anyone who loves a
well-crafted romance. You won't be able to put it down until you have reached
the end!<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> Kathleen Barker has just published the second book in the Charm City Chronicles series, <a href="http://www.amazon.com/Body-Charm-City-Chronicles-ebook/dp/B008D983ZY/ref=la_B0050POB8M_1_2?ie=UTF8&qid=1344461182&sr=1-2" target="_blank">The Body War</a>.</span></div>
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<br /></div>Connie J Jaspersonhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/07455899967916707544noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-783801461459994739.post-34435325770718954042012-07-06T07:41:00.001-07:002012-07-06T14:09:52.316-07:00Sax in the Suburb, Marilyn Rucker<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
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This novel is one of those wonderful experiences which every dedicated reader yearns for when they first crack open that book! Author Marilyn Rucker has written a tale a band geeks and love gone awry culminating in an ending I certainly never saw coming!<br />
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<strong><a href="http://www.amazon.com/Sax-and-the-Suburb-ebook/dp/B008GX3YNS/ref=sr_1_1?s=digital-text&ie=UTF8&qid=1341585384&sr=1-1&keywords=Marilyn+Rucker" target="_blank">Sax in the Suburb</a></strong> opens with Miranda Beeling warming up her saxophone as she prepares to practice with the community band she is involved in. All the members of the band are former band-nerds of varying degrees of both age and musical ability. Miranda's idle observations of her fellow band-members paints the picture - these are people I could have known!<br />
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As people trickle in to practice, she notes the absence of two trombonists, David Hu and Ralph Tucker; people she deems as irreplaceable as they provide a buffer against 'Cheeto' a rather disgusting, obnoxious person. As the evening progresses, the conductor, an arrogant, frustrated genius named Mark Garcia arrives, and the band begins to practice, still lacking the two trombonists.<br />
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Ralph stumbles in, declaring David has been shot and is in the parking lot. This is the beginning of the fun - Miranda is a legal assistant at her father's old law firm, and she feels a deep personal connection to the murdered man. She is currently living with her father whose retirement has allowed his hoarding to get out of control, making for an unbelievably difficult environment to live in. Between worrying about her father and work, Miranda's only outlet is the band. In the course of the investigation she meets the police lieutenant investigating the crime, Lieutenant Jason Hartley (hubba-hubba!) who is also a trumpet player.<br />
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Rucker paints each scene with simple, vivid strokes. Miranda discovers how little she really knows about her friends; realizing she only knows what they have allowed her to know. No one is safe from suspicion, as both Frank and Miranda's best friend, married bassoonist Louise Parkinson were sexually involved with David Hu. Frank's involvement with David was not news to Miranda, but Louise's was. This leads Miranda to wonder just how much else she doesn't know about her friend.<br />
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The twists and turns of this plot are inventive and logical; it never sits and spins its wheels. David is only the first casualty; and as the bodies turn up, the list of suspects grows. I found I couldn't stop wondering about it when I was forced to put the book down!<br />
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Sax in the Suburbs is Marilyn Rucker's first published novel. She has an intimate knowledge of her subject as she is both a practicing attorney and working musician, playing (!) the sax in a well-known jazz band. Connie J Jaspersonhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/07455899967916707544noreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-783801461459994739.post-13754825407148511512012-06-25T16:22:00.000-07:002012-07-01T13:05:04.531-07:00Sin, Shaun Allan<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
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This is one of the more thought provoking novels I have ever come across. I had to read it twice, before I could sit down and write this review! Indie author <a href="http://singularityspoint.blogspot.com/2012/06/sin-snapping-synapses.html" target="_blank">Shaun Allan</a> has created a real masterpiece with Sin. Allan's style is narrative, and in a way, reminded me of <a href="http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/James_Joyce" target="_blank">James Joyce's</a> equally compelling <a href="http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Finnegans_Wake" target="_blank">'Finnegan's Wake'</a>. Others have compared Allan's style to Stephen King and Dean Koontz; and there is a slight similarity to their work as in it is definitely horror, but I am here to tell you Shaun Allen is an original in the purest sense. This is
"One Flew Over the Cuckoo’s Nest meets Finnegan’s Wake."<br />
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Sin is a dark, urban fantasy, written with large dose of
sardonic humor. We hear the tale from the man who was given the name 'Sin
Mathews' at birth, but who goes by the name of Sin only, as the last name
doesn't matter; only the name which is the sum of his parts matters.<o:p></o:p></div>
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Sin finds a coin, a two pence coin, or perhaps the coin
finds him. Either way, this is the catalyst for Sin's curse. He finds himself
flipping the coin compulsively -flip, catch - and it arcs through the air he
sees images of disaster and death, which is then reported on the news.
Eventually he realizes every time he flips the coin, someone dies; sometimes a
lot of people die in what he believes are 'unnatural disasters' timed perfectly
to the flip of the coin.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>Though he tries
to avoid flipping the coin, he finds himself doing it anyway.<o:p></o:p></div>
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No matter how he tries, he can't throw it away, or lose it.
The coin always comes back to him when he buys something and gets his change;
or even just appearing in his pocket.</div>
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Sin receives a letter from his sister Joy, telling him she
had found a coin, and when she flipped it she made lives. She wrote that the
responsibility for making the world happy was too much for her. She was alone
in world of happiness she couldn't be a part of, and she killed herself.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>Sin apparently had found his coin right after
her death.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>He decides to check himself
into an insane asylum in order to get the sort of psychotropic drugs which will
render him incapable of seeing the visions, and flipping the coin.</div>
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Sin's conversations with Dr. Connors in the opening chapter
are adversarial, and illuminating. For the most part, he enjoys his stay in the
asylum, but, being sane, he sees the sordid truth in the callous treatment and
chronic over-medication of the patients.<o:p></o:p></div>
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Although posing as a mentally ill patient works for a while,
the medications soon cease to be effective and he decides that since the coin
always comes back to him as if by magic, maybe he has the power to
teleport.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>He resolves to commit suicide
by teleporting himself into the heart of a furnace, hoping for instant
incineration.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>Unfortunately, he finds
himself on a beach, instead of in Hell where he had hoped to be.<o:p></o:p></div>
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Sin has an encounter with Joy who tells him death is not
what it is cracked up to be. She warns him "a storm is coming".<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>He continues his inadvertent journey, trying
to get his bearings. After a chance meeting which reveals more of his powers,
he finds himself in Grimsby, the home of his childhood.<o:p></o:p></div>
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The atmosphere throughout is surrealistic, but it is
well-balanced Allen's lyrical, intimate style of prose, as in this series of
images describing Sin's disorientation, “History doesn’t relate whether Jonah,
Gepetto, and Pinocchio sat around a table eating pizza, sharing stories of
prophecy and puppetry while in the belly of the whale, but I thought that I
could relate to being swallowed whole.”<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;">
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Throughout the novel, Sin's ruminations are self-mocking, and
world-weary, yet naive and innocent.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>He
bears the guilt of the world, and suffers the unbearable pain of being the
cause of so many deaths, but still he finds ironic humor in every situation.
Joy is grounded and guides him to the truth, but is not allowed to tell him
anything.<o:p></o:p></div>
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<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>Nothing is what it
seems in this tale, and right up to the end, you are not sure which reality is
real. <o:p></o:p></div>
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<span style="font-family: "Times New Roman","serif"; font-size: 12pt; line-height: 115%; mso-ansi-language: EN-US; mso-bidi-font-size: 11.0pt; mso-bidi-language: AR-SA; mso-bidi-theme-font: minor-bidi; mso-fareast-font-family: Calibri; mso-fareast-language: EN-US; mso-fareast-theme-font: minor-latin;">The facts come out,
or do they?<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>This book is a rollercoaster
ride from the start to the finish, and I give it 5 stars for originality.</span>Connie J Jaspersonhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/07455899967916707544noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-783801461459994739.post-32945196315110070092012-06-13T19:50:00.001-07:002012-10-26T06:15:34.786-07:0072 - hours to Crack the Universe’s Code; Mark O'Brien<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
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<a href="http://www.amazon.com/72-hours-Universes-Silent-Prophet-ebook/dp/B007A0JZ5E/ref=sr_1_1?s=digital-text&ie=UTF8&qid=1339618031&sr=1-1" target="_blank">72 - hours to Crack the Universe’s Code</a> by indie author <a href="https://www.facebook.com/TheUniversesCODE" target="_blank">Mark O'Brien</a> is a novel of political intrigue, mathematics, passion
and underlying it all, an imperative directive to humanity with dire galactic
overtones. <o:p></o:p><br />
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Somewhat like the Illuminati, the Mathematika is a
mysterious Greek society founded long before Christianity. The
reason for its existence is to bring mankind ‘that which they know but cannot
understand’ and was created to ‘safeguard the truths until mankind was ready to
understand them’. Now the time has come, and the Mathematika is now ruled by
the dark fanatic, Alexander Kepler – who believes ethical lines were drawn so
you would know where to cross them. Yet, although he is extremely violent,
murderous and obsessive, Kepler is a family man, and his relationship with his
wife is one of the lighter parts of the tale. This most violent and evil of men
is also a romantic, tender lover. However, the time has come for the world to
know some basic truths about the Universe, and it is Kepler’s task to insure
they are made public.<o:p></o:p></div>
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To this end, he kidnaps a renowned Muslim leader, Ibn Qurra.
His henchmen also kidnap the renowned Rabbi Jacobi, and Father George Pappus, president
of the Vatican Observatory Foundation - <span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>all three at 10:45 am on the same day.<o:p></o:p></div>
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Not all of Kepler’s heavies are 100% behind him, one is a
traitor, and another considers him to be insane. All the heavies are individuals, which makes reading them enjoyable.</div>
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Ransoms are sent: a series of 3 mathematical equations which
all must be solved one per day within 72 hours. If one equation is wrong, all
three of the kidnapped men will die.<o:p></o:p></div>
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The protégé of George Pappus, Clancy Sylvester,
astrophysicist and mathematician, is determined to get his mentor back.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>The author has researched all
three of the religions represented by the three kidnapped leaders, and also the
cultures they represent.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>The author also
appears to have a firm grasp of mathematics, as I do NOT; but<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>on the positive side he did not make me have
to do the thinking so the math was fine. Clancy’s friend Jules Hadamard
(female, despite the name) who is a math genius explains it all. All of the characters are distinctly individual, and if some
are over the top, well that is part of the fun.</div>
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<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;">While O'Brien goes a little heavy on the descriptions at times, over all this is a compelling read.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>There are moments of humor and also of pathos, and the action is non-stop.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span></span>All in all, I found this to quite
entertaining, and well written. This is a
good read, and I do not hesitate to recommend it!<o:p></o:p></div>
Connie J Jaspersonhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/07455899967916707544noreply@blogger.com3tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-783801461459994739.post-81284900554962423442012-06-02T13:22:00.000-07:002012-06-02T13:22:06.927-07:00Cornerstone, by Misty Provencher<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="http://photo.goodreads.com/books/1321136593l/13034211.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><span style="font-family: Georgia, 'Times New Roman', serif;"><img border="0" height="320" src="http://photo.goodreads.com/books/1321136593l/13034211.jpg" width="213" /></span></a></div><span style="font-family: Georgia, 'Times New Roman', serif;"><br />
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<span style="font-family: Georgia, 'Times New Roman', serif;">Nalena's story captured me from the first sentence. The image of a girl living with a mother who writes constantly, filling the house with piles and piles of paper covered with small, neat writing, was addictive. And Nalena herself is beautifully realized. Like Harry Potter in The Order of the Phoenix, she is adolescent and angry.</span><br />
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<span style="font-family: Georgia, 'Times New Roman', serif;">Her anger is understandable. She is bullied at school, and she has to lug home those reams of paper for her mom. She's pretty, and she could be popular, but because one girl saw the inside of her home, her nickname is "The Waste."</span><br />
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="http://julielomoe.files.wordpress.com/2010/02/clutter-woman-at-window-newspapers.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="clear: left; float: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><span style="font-family: Georgia, 'Times New Roman', serif;"><img border="0" height="241" src="http://julielomoe.files.wordpress.com/2010/02/clutter-woman-at-window-newspapers.jpg" width="320" /></span></a></div><span style="font-family: Georgia, 'Times New Roman', serif;"><br />
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<span style="font-family: Georgia, 'Times New Roman', serif;">It isn't until she meets Garrett Reece that her life begins to change. He is gorgeous and kind, and his family takes Nalena and her mother in. More importantly, he seems to understand her mom and why Nalena herself is starting to experience some strange episodes of her own.</span><br />
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<span style="font-family: Georgia, 'Times New Roman', serif;">Provencher insisted on including the fantasy element in the book, to the point of rejecting agents' cries for a rewrite into a more realistic book. The fantasy is well-done, although the ending does feel a bit rushed. (As a fellow author I can sympathize; endings are incredibly difficult to pull off.) Still, it's satisfying and makes me want more.</span><br />
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<span style="font-family: Georgia, 'Times New Roman', serif;">Keystone will be the next in the series, and I shall certainly look for it.</span><br />
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<span style="font-family: Georgia, 'Times New Roman', serif;">Here's what I liked about the book:</span><br />
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<span style="font-family: Georgia, 'Times New Roman', serif;">1. The writing is fantastic. "A wave of hot, rancid stomach soup rolls through me." I remember that stomach soup feeling from my own teens. That little sentence captures that feeling of dread perfectly. </span><br />
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<span style="font-family: Georgia, 'Times New Roman', serif;">Another example: "There's a whole library full of empty tables up front, but this boy, with hair that would probably feel like soft twine between my fingertips, has to sit here." Great description, and I'm very thankful that she resisted the urge to use the Jewel Words: topaz eyes, etc. </span><br />
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="http://s2.favim.com/orig/33/beautiful-boy-boys-cute-cute-boy-Favim.com-266589.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><span style="font-family: Georgia, 'Times New Roman', serif;"><img border="0" height="213" src="http://s2.favim.com/orig/33/beautiful-boy-boys-cute-cute-boy-Favim.com-266589.jpg" width="320" /></span></a></div><span style="font-family: Georgia, 'Times New Roman', serif;"><br />
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<span style="font-family: Georgia, 'Times New Roman', serif;">2. Nalena herself. She's a well-drawn, conflicted character.</span><br />
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<span style="font-family: Georgia, 'Times New Roman', serif;">3. The tensions between Nalena and her mother. It's perfect and logical.</span><br />
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<span style="font-family: Georgia, 'Times New Roman', serif;">4. Provencher is self-published, and the format and edit are just about perfect. Too many self-published novels roll into cyberspace with myriad errors, and Cornerstone is clean of those. Again, as an author with a small (tiny) press, I appreciate this. Self-publication is an art form, and Provencher has pulled it off beautifully!</span><br />
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<span style="font-family: Georgia, 'Times New Roman', serif;">A few quibbles:</span><br />
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<span style="font-family: Georgia, 'Times New Roman', serif;">1. You know that I love female friendships. Nalena and Garrett become friends, but she doesn't have a girlfriend to chat with in the book. The one girl who hangs with her in school, Cora, is depicted as a physically repulsive, not-very-nice person. I would have preferred to see a friend who could be counted on throughout the story.</span><br />
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<span style="font-family: Georgia, 'Times New Roman', serif;">2. Garrett was just a bit too perfect. He's gorgeous and kind, as I said, but he really would have sprung to life if he had a few flaws. </span><br />
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<span style="font-family: Georgia, 'Times New Roman', serif;">Perhaps these will be addressed in the next book. And I'm being very picky. For those quibbles, I give Provencher a 4 out of 5 stars, and I definitely recommend this as a great read.</span><br />
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<span style="font-family: Georgia, 'Times New Roman', serif;">You can buy Cornerstone here: on <a href="http://www.amazon.com/Cornerstone-The-Series-ebook/dp/B0064SVZKG/ref=sr_1_1?s=digital-text&ie=UTF8&qid=1335533170&sr=1-1">Amazon</a> and on <a href="http://www.barnesandnoble.com/w/cornerstone-misty-provencher/1107443313?ean=2940013448339">Barnes and Noble Nook</a></span><br />
<span style="font-family: Georgia, 'Times New Roman', serif;">and find Misty Provencher here: <a href="http://mistypro.blogspot.com/">http://mistypro.blogspot.com/</a></span><br />
She is also on Twitter: <a href="https://twitter.com/#!/mistyprovencher">@mistyprovencher</a><br />
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</span>Alison DeLucahttp://www.blogger.com/profile/06979026382091362305noreply@blogger.com1