Tag Archive: read


Review: Placencia

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November 15, 2013

Placencia
Placencia by C.A. Clemmings
My rating: 4 of 5 stars

Disclaimer: I was given this story free for an honest review. Thank you, C.A. Clemmings.

First what I loved: I loved feeling I was on the beach in the Caribbean. I felt I was on a grand vacation. I loved the main character and the people she meets.

Okay, second, what I didn’t like. That it is a short story. Ergh! Next to cliffhangers in my list of dislikes (hates?). I barely get to know the characters and have hints as to what makes them tick and the story is over. What happens next? Will this relationship end? will another begin? Can we live in Placencia, please, please, please? And make sure you have your white bathing suit!

This was fun as long as it lasted. 🙂

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Review: Rowena Through the Wall: Expanded Edition

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November 14, 2013

Rowena Through the Wall: Expanded Edition
Rowena Through the Wall: Expanded Edition by Melodie Campbell
My rating: 5 of 5 stars

Disclaimer: I received Rowena Through the Wall as a gift from the author for an honest review.

I hate taking the time away from the series to write a review! That’s how good this first book was. The ending prodded me to make sure I had number two lined up. Don’t get me wrong, number one didn’t leave you on a real cliffhanger. It just leaves you wanting more.

This book remind me of P.C. Cast’s Paratholon series. I loved that series so to find something similar, yet unique, made me a happy reader, indeed!

Rowena is a modern womyn, independent, self-actualizing, and funny. I loved her! I loved that this wasn’t a squishy romance novel. There’s plenty of action, much of it unwanted, but squishy is just not a part of this great adventure. There is science and magic. There is time-travel, of sorts. Or should I call it world hopping? Well, written and believable. Well, that is, until I need to explain it here.

You know, I think this series could be a movie or television series. It is that much fun. It keeps your attention dwelling in the book and the real world disappears into Rowena’s.

I think males or females from young adult on could read it and find it a gripping read.

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Review: Blogging for Beginners – Answers to Your Frequently Asked Question

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November 8, 2013

Blogging for Beginners - Answers to Your Frequently Asked Question

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Blogging for Beginners – Answers to Your Frequently Asked Question by Mark Reinert
My rating: 4 of 5 stars

If you want to sell something. your books, ideas, or start a business, this book is for you. If you are like me and just want to learn how to blog, this book is quite helpful.

When I do decide I want to sell my novels, I will pull this one out of my archive and read it again.

On the other hand, it didn’t quite meet my needs as a new blogger. I am still left with more questions than answers. I know all new pursuits have a learning curve. I think I may be on the upward swing with mine, until WordPress changes the look of something I use on a daily basis, then I am back to ground level struggles.

In an attempt not to be negative, I think this may have enough information out there it is worth the try. It does have clickable links so read it on the Fire or a tablet to get best results.

It took me a while to read this, not because it is long, but because I wanted to absorb the information and see if I could apply it to my own blog. It would be a quick read straight through.

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Review: The Busy Writer’s Self-Editing Toolbox

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November 7, 2013

The Busy Writer's Self-Editing Toolbox
The Busy Writer’s Self-Editing Toolbox by Marg McAlister
My rating: 4 of 5 stars

This book was short but pack with a lot of reminders about editing. Probably not the best book to read during NaNoWriMo but I took notes so I’ll be able to edit all my novels later. 😀

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Review: Sticks, Stones, and Dragon Bones III

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November 6, 2013

Sticks, Stones, and Dragon Bones III
Sticks, Stones, and Dragon Bones III by Evelyn Ink
My rating: 5 of 5 stars

Oh, thank you, Evelyn Ink, for letting me read this delightful series and especially this one. This was, in fact, a free-for-review read from Smashwords.

This was a perfect bedtime book. Let me take a moment to say that I have discovered a way to read on my tablet after my husband is asleep. I have downloaded Moon Reader Pro which has the text-to-speech feature. Sure I could have listened on my Kindle but I wanted to read along without turning on the lights. As a kid I used to sneak the flashlight under the covers to read when I was supposed to be asleep. How I wish Ms. Ink’s books and the technology of today was there for me way back when!

Boys: Read this!

Girls: Read this!

These books are about a group of siblings that have been allowed to follow their passions. The youngest, twins, are into pirates and have their own lingo the the older siblings must learn to interpret. The older sisters are forced to care for their younger sisters while drawn into an adventure none have chosen. They are stuck in a world without their parents and must learn who to trust. They decide that they are their own authorities on their lives. All are smart kids who occasionally make mistakes. Meanwhile the action and adventure are highly fun and scary!

Anyone who is starting on book 1 at this point is lucky. I think I might have been better off to read these all in a row. I had a hard time remembering some of the previously met characters and places. Most of the time Ms. Ink gave enough hints that I would be drawn back in. But there were a couple times I felt lost. I don’t blame the author for this. I do have a memory like a sieve. But even then I kept reading and enjoyed the ride.

I could see these books made into movies equal to Harry Potters or Narnia. Again, I say: Where were these books when I was a kid? All adventure books were about boys. Girl books were prissy and boring. Smart readers everywhere will love the characters and the scary fun presented here.

I could go on, but I think I’ve covered everything. Please read these books! FUN!!!

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Moon Reader Pro

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  Image by None via CrunchBase

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Review: 2k to 10k: Writing Faster, Writing Better, and Writing More of What You Love

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October 31, 2013

2k to 10k: Writing Faster, Writing Better, and Writing More of What You Love
2k to 10k: Writing Faster, Writing Better, and Writing More of What You Love by Rachel Aaron
My rating: 4 of 5 stars

What a quick easy book to read! I came away with a lot of little nuggets that will be quite handy as of midnight tomorrow night. I have been sitting on an idea I started on during Camp NaNo. I managed about 19K but a whole lot of the story has resided in my head. Ms. Aaron’s book helped me feel there is hope for this little book. So, NaNoWriMo here I come, ready or not!

I am not sure that even with my Dragon Naturally Speaking I will be able to get that kind of word count the title implies but I will say that prep work before starting a book and daily prep work will help me get a better, faster, tighter story.

Now, on to editing. I had hoped for more. The author uses her own books to demonstrate what works and how to edit, but if you have never read her books it leaves one flat. Actually, that can be said of the writing faster part of the book, too. I would have loved to have a clickable link to charts or spreadsheets to aid the readers and other, commonly read novels as examples.

Still in all, it is worth the read.

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Review: The Apocalypse Gene

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October 30, 2013

The Apocalypse Gene
The Apocalypse Gene by Suki Michelle
My rating: 3 of 5 stars

Disclaimer: This was a free Kindle book from BookRooster from quite a while ago, for an honest review.

So here goes. Um… I am so torn. There were parts I liked and others had me yawning. And I don’t think it’s the parts meant to be boring. I loved getting to know Olyvia and her mother and live with them through the dark and depressing life. I thought it adorable to get the little romance going. I could even get into the little computer icons, even though it seemed to take away from the problem at hand. Even still, I managed to shift gears and enjoy the cuteness.

War! What is it good for? I suppose in this case it is to cure cancer. Not a bad goal, I suppose, but really! During all the Micah parts and the war parts I got so bored that I had to let my text-to-speech yammer on while I read emails. I tuned in to learn how the story concluded. It was a nice ending.

Another thing I had a hard time with was the philosophy of the author thrown in quite obviously. The gods and demons and all that left me … meh?

Look, maybe it was just me. A lot of people have given high ranks to this book, so read it yourself and let me know what you think.

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Review: Idolmaker

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October 23, 2013

 

Idolmaker
Idolmaker by Jonelle Patrick
My rating: 5 of 5 stars

 

Disclaimer: I was given this complimentary copy of Idolmaker by the author, Jonelle Patrick for an honest review.

 

I can’t believe I am finished with yet another of the Tokyo Mysteries. I so love this series. Though I have tagged this as romance, it isn’t led by that squishy, gooey stuff rather, these are people and caring is a part of their being.

 

These books do start with a murder and a wonder as to who did it and why. But the most important feature of the books is the character driven adventure of the two main characters, Yumi and Kenji. Thrown in the recent historical event of earthquake and tsunami, the criminal investigation is thrown for a loop.

 

The characters are believable and likable. I feel I have become friends with them through Jonelle Patrick’s ability to write from each character’s point of view.

 

Oh, what the couple goes through! Then the book wraps up nicely with only a small thread that gives promise that I don’t have to give up on my favorite Japanese couple. 🙂

 

Thanks for letting me read this, Jonelle!

 

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Location of Tokyo within Japan

Location of Tokyo within Japan (Photo credit: Wikipedia)

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Review: Man Made Man

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October 20, 2013

Man Made Man
Man Made Man by Marjorie F. Baldwin
My rating: 5 of 5 stars

Disclosure: This was a copy given to me by the author for honest review. Thank you for the opportunity!

This was supposed to be my year of reading strictly strong fem main characters written by strong fem authors. As my constant attempts to re-read A Song of Ice and Fire prove, that goal is merely a guideline. My decision came about when I realized that most of my formative years I read mainly works by males. And teachers only recommended (required) books by and about males. I’ll admit to being a latebloomer. Now that I am retired, I realize I should catch up on fem reading.

This book only hits one of my goals. Friday (Marjorie F. Baldwin) is a strong fem writer. Even though the females in this story are not the main characters, I do find they are interesting. In fact, my favorite person in this series is Shayla. But, she isn’t even human. On the other hand, the main character, Raif is interesting, and human.

Another thing about this author is her ability to throw in subject matter that might cause discomfort, but isn’t that what true science fiction should do? For that, I am happy to know her and have the chance to read her books.

Even for an ARC as such, the errors got lost in the story. I think my biggest problem was I felt I have read this series inside out and backwards. The timeline in my head was making me dizzy. I feel jealous of those who will be able to read the series in order. Someday I will try to re-read these in order. I do look forward to more books by Friday. I’d especially love to see more about Shayla and her people.

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Review: In The Beginning

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October 2, 2013

In The Beginning
In The Beginning by Abby L. Vandiver
My rating: 4 of 5 stars

I have been finished with this book for two days and still can’t figure out how to review it. It did hook me and I wanted to find out what would happen to the characters. But this angst of the main character, Justin, who I thought was a male in a committed relationship with husband, Mase, until I think the third chapter, was too much.

Look, I suppose there are scientists out there that can’t wrap their minds around a couple theories of the origins of mankind at once but I doubt if they were ‘believers’ or that they would have this kind of mental breakdown. Not a true scientist. But maybe that is my problem and not that of the book.

Most of the book is a bit like Indiana Jill but beliefs of God are dealt with lightly, after all they are looking for the lost scrolls or artifacts yet to be found. The end of the book, though, gets a bit God heavy. And the angst grew when I didn’t think it needed to be there. Still it was a very good read.

Thank you, Abby L. Vandiver, for giving me the free book for review.

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