Category: Reviews



Ice (1/2986 #3)Ice by Annelie Wendeberg
My rating: 3 of 5 stars

This might not have been a good time for me to read this book or series. And especially as a bedtime read. This was incredibly dark and violent. There are actually trigger warnings on the blurb on the GoodReads page. But I don’t think it was triggery for me. Just too much for reading during an uncertain time.

If you are looking for an apocalyptic/dystopian series and can handle dark and violent, this may be for you.

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Fog by Annelie Wendeberg

My rating: 3 of 5 stars


I found the first book in this series, Cut, so interesting I had to get started on Fog. This one was harder for me to deal with. Shooting children and or bad guys in the fog, nope. I know it is part of what needs to be done in that world, but I just couldn’t handle all of that. My dreams after were so upsetting. Still, I have already started reading the next book, Ice.

I feel in all the books I am missing bits and pieces of what I would have liked to know. The writing is immediate, keeping the reader engaged, even when they don’t want to be, so I overlook what questions I have in hopes of answers later.

I’d love to see what others think of this book and the series.



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Cut by Annelie Wendeberg

My rating: 4 of 5 stars


I can’t remember how it was I picked up this book and its sequels. Sorry. Even so, this is a fun apocalyptic read about a young woman trying to survive in a dystopian world with pandemics popping up here and there.

Maybe it is a bit more adventure than a person should read just before sleep. But it didn’t affect me too much.

This was a different take on the post-apocalypse world. A young woman finding her way in a world with few rules that all follow. Micka is a well-developed character with a few quirks of her own. She has lexical-gustatory synesthesia. That on top of learning about menstruation and sexual preference while trying to survive makes her a very interesting person to get to know. Just as she is getting to know herself.

Here is Wikipedia’s definition:
Lexical-gustatory synesthesia is a rare form of synesthesia in which spoken and written … Tip of tongue studies have shown that a word’s lemma may be responsible for eliciting a taste sensation, not its phonologic sound or spelling. Further … development and lead to the over-representation of the flavors of childhood foods.

I have known a couple of people who have variations of this. I know I have a mild case and it often helps me remember or recognize certain words or names that might slip my mind otherwise.

This book was a quick read. Now I have committed the second book because one isn’t enough. Give it a try. You might like it, too.



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So Bright the Stars (Shadow of Mars Book 2)So Bright the Stars by Cidney Swanson
My rating: 5 of 5 stars

Yay! Another well-done sci-fi/Mars book! I would have loved to read this as a teen but love just as much as a septuagenarian. This is the second book in this series. The main character is now on Mars and is trying to fit in with the society that is already there.

Cidney Swanson has researched well to keep the story believable. Without making the story drab. She digs deep into her characters to bring them to life. As I am reading/listening to text-to-speech I find Ms. Swanson has me questioning ‘would I have done that? thought that?’ and the answers are sometimes obvious to the reader but not so much the main character, Penney. Other times the reader is in as much dark as Penney is.

I can’t wait for book three! Meanwhile, I hope you all get a chance to read the first series of Mars, Saving Mars which is more for the young adult, and then this series for adults as the character is an adult. But I see nothing that should keep a younger person from reading anything by Cidney. Enjoy!

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The ForetellingThe Foretelling by Alice Hoffman
My rating: 5 of 5 stars

This was a fun mythological story to read before bed. I always love an Alice Hoffman tale. I wonder if this could be made into a movie like Practical Magic? A tribe of women living their truth in their own time. And HORSES. Yep! All the fun things a fem could want to read about.

I may have to read this again sometime when escape isn’t my only intent. Or even if it is. I could jump into this world again. Maybe take it slower and absorb it more.

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The Walking Dead, Vol. 14: No Way Out (The Walking Dead, #79-84)The Walking Dead, Vol. 14: No Way Out by Robert Kirkman
My rating: 4 of 5 stars

For the first time, I’m at the same point in my Walking Dead binges of watching and reading, Alexandria and the angst of surreal safety. Though the comics book handled it differently than the television series, the overall story stays the same.

Again, I have to admire Robert Kirkman and fellow authors and artists who wrote a great foundation for the directors and actors to play with. I personally could have used a few less f-bombs but who knows what I’d let fly while fighting surrounding zombies?

And, for these old eyes, I love the way you can enlarge each frame for ease of reading or examining the artwork. Getting the Kindle version is best idea for me.

A side benefit of the two binges is my comic book geek son and I can chat for hours about TWD.

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The Jems and Jamz Series: Books 1-2The Jems and Jamz Series: Books 1-2 by Nicole Higginbotham-Hogue
My rating: 4 of 5 stars

This was a find on Kindle Unlimited. It was a fun light-read. I was a little bored at first, just couldn’t get into the story. I adjusted my expectations to my high school or new adult self and the story rang bells for me. It especially touched my former stage-singing self. The author captured that fear/excited feeling of performance arts. The main characters were in pop-bands. That reminded me of stories I wrote as a teen about Meeting the Beatles or other stars. Unavailable then were stories of a different kind of love than boy and girl. This treats everything the same. Love is love. There are a couple of erotic scenes that may not be appropriate for immature young adults, but other than that, I think it is a love story with many lessons, even for older folks about forgiveness and love.

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Notorious RBG: The Life and Times of Ruth Bader GinsburgNotorious RBG: The Life and Times of Ruth Bader Ginsburg by Irin Carmon
My rating: 5 of 5 stars

Two days ago I had merely a chapter to go to finished. I feel so bad that I didn’t finish a day earlier. To finish on the day of RBG’s passing is both heartbreaking and yet feels the honor to my heart.

Irin Carmon is one of my favorite commentators on MSNBC. So when she was doing her book tour for this book I knew I would have to read it. It was well-written. So many pictures kept it visually interesting. Irin captured this brave woman’s strength and character. I feel so good to have read this at such an important time in our history.

I highly recommend this book!

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What the Wind KnowsWhat the Wind Knows by Amy Harmon
My rating: 5 of 5 stars

My cousin recommended this wonderful book. I am so sad to leave it. Yes, there were tears at the end but not so much for sad ending, but sad because the story ended. I think I am going to have read/listen to it again.

Amy Harmon writing kept me so engaged that I didn’t want to go to sleep. I was lucky to hear the narration of Saskia Maarleveld , Will Damron. I prefer to hear the language of the Irish spoken by those who can speak it best.

If you are crazy about Outlander, like I am and time travel by any means, this is your book.

I would write a longer review but I am on my tablet so must keep this brief. All I can say is I highly recommend this book, expecially using Audible!

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Spirit WarriorSpirit Warrior by Ella J. Smyth
My rating: 4 of 5 stars

Of the three books in this series so far, this is my favorite. I’m beginning to warm up to the characters and the story. With all there is going on in the world a nice fantasy can help give you a breather. So rather than making this review longer, I say, try the series. You might like it! By the way, I found these on Kindle Unlimited. Not a bad deal, huh?

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