The Natural Method Readers: A Teacher's Manual (New York et al.:
C. Scribner's Sons, c1916), by Hannah T. McManus and John H. Haaren
(multiple formats at archive.org)
The Natural Method Readers: A Third Reader (New York et al.: C.
Scribner's Sons, c1916), by Hannah T. McManus and John H. Haaren,
illust. by Blanche Fisher Wright (multiple formats at
archive.org)
The Natural Method Readers: A Fourth Reader (New York et al.: C.
Scribner's Sons, c1917), by Hannah T. McManus and John H. Haaren,
illust. by Blanche Fisher Wright (multiple formats at
archive.org)
The Natural Method Readers: A Fifth Reader (New York et al.: C.
Scribner's Sons, c1918), by Hannah T. McManus, illust. by George
Varian (multiple formats at archive.org)
The Natural Method Readers: A Second Reader (New York et al.: C.
Scribner's Sons, c1915), by Hannah T. McManus and John H. Haaren,
illust. by Blanche Fisher Wright (multiple formats at
archive.org)
De af H.N. Hauge Forfattede Sange Samt Sex Capitler af Hans Bog
"Forsg til Afhandling om Guds Viisdom"; Med Mere af Samme Forfatter
(in Norwegian; Oslo: C. Grndahl, 1843), by Hans Nielsen Hauge
(stable link)
A Botanical Arrangement of British Plants (second edition, 3
volumes; Birmingham: Printed for G. G. J. and J. Robinson et al.,
1787-1792), by William Withering, contrib. by Jonathan Stokes
(stable link)
Collected Poems, 1909-1925: Arranged in Six Books (London et
al.: W. Collins Sons and Co., c1926), by Edward Shanks (page images
at HathiTrust; US access only)
Basic Electricity (Navy Training Course NAVPERS 10086-A;
Washington: GPO, 1960), by United States Bureau of Naval Personnel
(page images at HathiTrust)
The Natural Method Readers: A First Reader (New York et al.: C.
Scribner's Sons, c1914), by Hannah T. McManus and John H. Haaren,
illust. by Florence Edith Storer (page images at HathiTrust)
The Natural Method Readers: A Primer (New York et al.: C.
Scribner's Sons, c1914), by Hannah T. McManus and John H. Haaren,
illust. by Florence Edith Storer (page images at HathiTrust)
Equality Within Our Lifetimes: How Laws and Policies Can Close,
or Widen, Gender Gaps in Economies Worldwide (Oakland, CA:
University of California Press, c2023), by Jody Heymann, Aleta
Sprague, and Amy Raub (multiple formats with commentary at
luminosoa.org)
The Legal Limits of Direct Democracy: A Comparative Analysis of
Referendums and Initiatives across Europe (Cheltenham: E. Elgar
Publishing Ltd., c2021), ed. by Daniel Moeckli, Anna Forgcs, and
Henri Ibi (PDF files with commentary at elgaronline.com)
Hilaire Belloc: The Man and His Work (London: Methuen and Co.,
c1916), by C. Creighton Mandell and Edward Shanks, contrib. by G.
K. Chesterton (Gutenberg text, illustrated HTML, and page
images)
The Case of the Cherokee Nation Against the State of Georgia,
Argued and Determined at the Supreme Court of the United States,
January Term, 1831; With an Appendix (Philadelphia: J. Grigg,
1831), ed. by Richard Peters (stable link)
The Heliotropium: or, Conformity of the Human Will to the Divine
(New York: Devin-Adair Co., 1912), by Jeremias Drexel, ed. by
Ferdinand E. Bogner (stable link)
The Promptorium Parvulorum: The First English-Latin Dictionary
(EETS extra series #102; London et al.: Pub. for the Early English
Text Society, by K. Paul, Trench, Trubner, and Co., and H. Frowde,
1908), by Anglicus Galfridus, ed. by A. L. Mayhew (multiple formats
at archive.org)
The Tale of Beryn; With a Prologue of the Merry Adventure of the
Pardoner With a Tapster at Canterbury (EETS extra series #105;
London: Pub. for the Early English Text Society by K. Paul, Trench,
Trbner and Co., and by H. Frowde, 1909), ed. by Frederick James
Furnivall and W. G. Boswell-Stone, contrib. by W. A. Clouston
(stable link)
Specifications for Electric Locomotives Proposed for New York,
New Haven and Hartford Railroad (1905), by General Electric
Company, contrib. by New York, New Haven, and Hartford Railroad
Company (stable link)
The French Jesuits in Lower Louisiana (1700-1763) (dissertation;
Washington: Catholic University of America, 1935), by Jean
Delanglez (page images at HathiTrust; US access only)
Out of Time: History and Evolution in Anthropological Discourse
(second edition, with new afterword; Ann Arbor: University of
Michigan Press, c1996), by Nicholas Thomas (page images at
HathiTrust)
Ephesian Studies: Expository Readings on the Epistle of Saint
Paul to the Ephesians (London: Hodder and Stoughton, 1902), by H.
C. G. Moule (page images at HathiTrust)
Frank Merriwell's Own Company: or, Barnstorming in the Middle
West (New York: Street and Smith, c1898), by Burt L. Standish
(Gutenberg text and illustrated HTML)
Dick Merriwell's Aro Dash: or, Winning Above the Clouds (New
York: Street and Smith Corp., c1910), by Burt L. Standish
(Gutenberg text and illustrated HTML)
Frank Merriwell's First Job: or, At the Foot of the Ladder (New
York: Street and Smith, c1898), by Burt L. Standish (Gutenberg text
and illustrated HTML)
The Travels and Experience of Miss Phebe B. Davis of Barnard,
Windsor County, Vt. (Syracuse: J. G. K. Truair and Co., 1860), by
Phebe B. Davis (multiple formats at archive.org)
The General Catalogue of Books, Printed in England Since the
Dreadful Fire of London, MDCLXVI to the End of Trinity-Term,
MDCLXXX (London: Printed by S. Roycroft for R. Clavell, 1680), by
Robert Clavell (stable link)
Two Years and Three Months in the New York Lunatic Asylum at
Utica; Together With the Outlines of Twenty Years' Peregrinations
in Syracuse (1855), by Phebe B. Davis (multiple formats at
Google)
Catawba Texts (Columbia University Contributions to Anthropology
v24; New York: Columbia University Press, 1934), by Frank G. Speck
(page images at HathiTrust)
Dick Merriwell's Assurance: or, In His Brother's Footsteps (New
York: Street and Smith Corp., c1904), by Burt L. Standish
(Gutenberg text and illustrated HTML)
Frank Merriwell's False Friend: or, An Investment in Human
Nature (New York: Street and Smith Corp., c1901), by Burt L.
Standish (Gutenberg text and illustrated HTML)
Frank Merriwell's Marriage: or, Inza's Happiest Day (New York:
Street and Smith Corp., c1905), by Burt L. Standish (Gutenberg text
and illustrated HTML)
Frank Merriwell, Jr.'s Helping Hand: or, Fair Play and No Favors
(New York: Street and Smith Corp., c1912), by Burt L. Standish
(Gutenberg text and illustrated HTML)
Frank Merriwell's Setback: or, True Pluck Welcomes Defeat (New
York: Street and Smith Corp., c1901), by Burt L. Standish
(Gutenberg text and illustrated HTML)
Dick Merriwell's Fighting Chance: or, The Split in the Varsity
(New York: Street and Smith Corp., c1910), by Burt L. Standish
(Gutenberg text and illustrated HTML)
Dick Merriwell's Heroic Players: or, How the Yale Nine Won the
Championship (New York: Street and Smith Corp., c1912), by Burt L.
Standish (Gutenberg text and illustrated HTML)
I'm Aubrey Rose, and after solving a decades long cold case
in Willow Cove, I was ready to hang up my amateur detective
hat.
But when Willow Cove's oldest and most
revered resident, Edith Thomas, is found dead -- everyone is
suddenly looking to me for answers.
I didn't plan on getting involved, but how
can I say no when even Edith's son is asking for my
help?
Now, I need to discover who would want to
kill a sweet little lady whose worst offense was baking deliciously
addictive chocolate chip muffins.
With handyman Gavin and his terrier sidekick
at my side, we'll need to dig into Edith's past and discover if
this lovely senior had any scandals in her past.
Three
white-tailed deer. Courtesy of National Geographic. Public
domain, via Wikimedia
Commons.
I began listening to Wicca Phase Springs Eternals Full Moon
Mystery Garden after I took two road trips through Death
Valley, the first literal (in California) and the second figurative
(in a hospital). So when I heard him say On a mountain under full
moon / I could say goodnight and mean it and then Another night Im
in the magic mirror / Another night engaged in seeing signs, it
felt like, well, a sign. Symbols, like mirrors, are roads to the
other side; I have always been obsessed with looking for and in
both. Though both of my trips actually happened, their allegorical
affinity made them each less real, and harder, somehow, to return
from. Seeing yourself through reflections can be a way of playing
dead, of getting lost where you are not; in Full Moon Mystery
Garden, it is also a way to get found.
The albums sigillic scenery is almost too familiar: black cat,
black polo, moon, mountain, mirror. But Wicca has an uncanny
ability to show us what are basically gothic stock images under a
strange new light, reanimating them. If similarly
symbolically-hyperactive Bladees falsetto makes incantations out of
normal nouns, Wiccas hoarseness brings the otherworld to earth:
rural Pennsylvania; Providence, Rhode Island. Thats magic, I
guessor music. Wiccas older work is equally lyrically brilliant,
but more claustrophobic: words are exchanged in bedrooms, in clubs,
over text, in bad relationships. Now, hes alone in a car looking
out, the twilight on repeat. The album, which has four
different songs with the word moon in the title, drives
you along a kind of psychogeographic cul-de-sac, a looping map of
road signs that seem to occur in too many places at oncethe same
way certain American towns all look the same, the way they all have
a Main Street, a Crescent Street, and trees at their edges. Exemo
teens will recognize the landscape. The albums frequent refrainIn
one mile, turn left on Garden Avenueis spoken by a female GPS.
Though he knows what road hes on (Dark Region Road) and where hes
going (the portal through the pines, Hi...
Bronze portrait bust found in the Villa of the Papyri at
Herculaneum. The subject has been variously identified as Priapus,
Dionysus/Bacchus, Plato, and Poseidon. Artist unknown; Roman copy
after a Hellenistic original of ca. 100 BCE. Now in the National
Archaeological Museum, Naples. Photo credit: Allan Gluck/Wikimedia
Commons.
Given a space to inhabit unobserved, I will
immediately convert it into a physical representation of the inside
of my brain. My annual trip to the old Zillow listing for the farm
I bought eight years ago leaves me stunned every time: it was once
the kind of house one could list on Zillow! Now it is mine; I have
filled the walls with pictures,hung the surplus ones on the
ceiling, crowded every surface with dioramas and precarious
unidentifiable objects that look like chess pieces from outer
space.There is nowhere to sit in the house
except on the floor with the dogs (and, every hatching season, with
the emu chicks who run figure eights around the obstacle art). Like
my brain, its a fun place to visit, but you wouldnt want to live
there.
My house, the physical building, is an arranged
marriage of two old farmhouses that were dragged from different
parts of the country and clumsily conjoined. I decline to speculate
on which side is holding up the other. There is a secret spiral
staircase, accessed through a cupboard door, with ludicrously
uneven treads; the wavy glass windowpanes cast distorted shadows.
The two halves of my house must have each accommodated entire
families, but the current inhabitants between them, in descending
order of population, are: eggs, birds, dogs, me.
Every morning around eleven, having done the
farm rounds and broadcast feed to the loyal birds, I commence with
the small-scale batch production of objects that promise but do not
fulfill utility. I tend to work compulsively and repetitively,
making hundreds of variations of the same thing until I exhaust my
supply of the necessary materials or my own fascination with it.
There are blown-out, intact eggshe...
My world has shrunk dramatically. The benefit of
lockdown for me is learning to live day in day out without constant
change. This is life, time passing. This is how I imagine most
people live.
I looked at the objects in the house
the titles of the books
strange incandescence from the windows
Thursday, May 21, 2020
I feel, what is the point of anything
going places seeing people
doing anything
just ways to pass the time
Friday, May 29, 2020
I woke too early again5:30. Stayed in bed until 6.
Deep itchy dry coughhopefully just allergies / recovery from
smoking at the weekend. It is the weekend again! Time slips by so
quickly during lockdown. L. cycled to see me yesterdayI like him
when he is my friend. He seemed pleased I am involved-ish with
someone although I also detected a bit of jealousy. But mostly
goodwill. He said his relationship is stable and suggested somewhat
lacking in passion but who knows if thats true. I think he feels I
fucked up what happened between us and that I wasnt trustworthy.
But I know he was also seeing someone else at the time so I dont
really feel guilty. He & I would not have worked together.
I like Annie Ernaux, I think Ill read all her books. The premium on
honesty & exactitude. Hard to know exactly what you are aiming
for in writingthe achievement of certain effects, the creation of
beauty (?)but as close as possible to honestyif not truthis a clear
and actually radical-feeling goal
Current reading is The Penguin Book of Modern African
Poetry (fourth edition), edited by Gerald Moore and Ulli Beier.
My knowledge of African literature is, frankly, rather dismal (Ive
read and loved Things Fall Apart, but thats about it), so
this is a small step toward rectifying that shortcoming.
When a mystery woman turns up dead on Karla's client's yacht,
no one knows who she was or how she got there.
When it's discovered that the mystery woman used Karla's
name to gain access to the luxury yacht, the mystery deepens and
motivates Karla to uncover the truth.
Why doesn't the mystery woman's clothes have any
labels? Who travels with only shirts and shoes? Where
are the rest of her clothes? Where is her purse?
Who is this woman and what was her top-secret reason for
visiting Bellbrook? Was Karla's politically connected client
the intended victim? Can she sort fact from fiction and
figure out whodunit before the killer strikes again?
Karla Bell owns Just Task Me! a concierge company
that deals with wealthy clients....
In a letter dated June 1, 1925, Upton Sinclair
announced a revolutionary experiment: the petro-novel, a new
category of fiction inspired by modernitys most vexing paradoxes of
fossil-fueled life. This oil novel, Sinclair predicted, will be the
best thing I have ever done. Over the next ten months, that story
poured out as a gusher of words to become the great American novel
of petroleum power. By turns ardent family saga, scintillating
potboiler, and anti-capitalist tirade, Sinclairs 192627 tale
warrants its exclamation mark. Oil! is an energetic tour de
force whose plot goes everywhere. From ivory towers and gated
estates to bleak frontiers of slow death, the book shows how a
thirst for crude created new democratic dreams of freedom and their
opposite. Through it all, the novel anticipates how the wreckage
unleashed by big oil might lead to a greener, more inclusive world
yet to come. It remains one of the most important critiques of
fossil energy ever printed.
Today the earth is on fire, and fossil fuel
corporations keep raising the heat. Recent years have been the
warmest on record, sparking waves of mass migration and
accelerating die-offs, with no real cooldown in sight. In a way,
were all to blame. Climate experts agree that the extreme weather
of our time comes from human energy use. Northern countries like
the U.S. have burned eons of accumulated hydrocarbons since the
twentieth centurys dawntoo much and too fast for the planet to
absorb them again, leading to a carbon cycle thats perilously out
of whack. But vowing to scale back and buy less, to burn less, wont
kill the flames. The truth is that twenty-five fossil fuel giants
are responsible for more than half of all carbon emissions now, and
a huge fraction of U.S. workers already live hand to mouth while
energy earnings soar. Dismantling these institutions and their
pyromaniacal profit-motives will require concerted action. It
wi...
I was in need of a writing project to keep me busy during March,
so Im doing a verse translation of (some of) Ovids Heroides.
The Penguin Classics translation, as I recently discovered, is
lacking - aside from its linguistic infelicities, there are errors
of fact* - so I decided (at the risk of presumption) that I can do
better.
*For example, the translator confuses Samos (in the eastern
Aegean) with Sam (in the west), and makes a hash of Ovids geography
as a result.
11. Anything from your childhood youve held onto? Oh,
yes. A number of stuffed animals, for one. My beloved lion Richard
(as in Richard the Lionheart) is something I wouldnt part with for
any price.
Checking off another item on my list of Works I should have read
long ago by reading Boethius Consolation of Philosophy
(De consolatione philosophiae), the great work of spiritual
self-healing that in many respects marks the transition from the
classical to the medieval worlds. Im developing more and more of an
interest in late antiquity and the early Middle Ages*, and Boethius
is powerful evidence that the great classical heritage didnt simply
evanesce into nothingness when Rome fell to the barbarians.
*Assuming one can clearly distinguish between the two periods,
which is highly debatable. One must always be careful about
imposing modern notions of periodization onto the past; its
unlikely that the average Italian peasant woke up one day and said
Huh. April 12. We must be medieval by now.
Anthologia Palatina 7.209 = Antipater of Sidon (2nd
half of 2nd cent. BCE)
Note: Deo = Demeter.
Here beside the threshing floor, o suffering workman-ant,
I have raised for you a barrow made of thirsty dirt,
So that the grain-bearing furrow of Deo may charm you even
dead,
As you lie in a chamber turned over by the plow.
William
Gaddis and David Markson. Courtesy of the estate of William
Gaddis.
Although William Gaddiss first novel, The
Recognitions,is now regarded as one of the great
American novels of the second half of the twentieth century, it was
panned upon its publication in March 1955. Among the early few who
recognized its greatness was the future novelist David Markson, who
read it shortly after it came out, was so impressed that he reread
it a month or two later, and then decided to write Gaddis a fan
letter. Too depressed by the books reviews, Gaddis filed away the
letter unanswered. Markson proselytized vigorously on the novels
behalf over the next six years: he talked the publisher Aaron Asher
into reissuing the remaindered novel in paperback, and in his own
first novel, Epitaph for a Tramp, Markson included a scene
in which the detective protagonist is poking around a literature
students apartment and finds in the typewriter the conclusion to an
essay: And thus it is my conclusion that The Recognitions
by William Gaddis is not merely the best American first novel
of our time, but perhaps the most significant single volume in all
American fiction since Moby-Dick, a book so broad in
scope, so rich in comedy and so profound in symbolic inference that
Learning of Marksons efforts from another fan named Tom Jenkins,
Gaddis finally answered Marksons 1955 letter: After lo these many
(six) years. They would continue to correspond and saw each other
occasionally until Gaddiss death in 1998.
Markson opens the exchange with a canceled salutation to a
minor character in The Recognitions who receives a long,
rambling letter, and he continues with allusions to other
characters, books, and topics in the novel, rendered in Gaddiss
style.
Things take a mysterious and dangerous turn when Officer
Reece and his deputy set a trap to catch the killer, and Sidney
volunteers to be the bait. You can bet if Ada-Mae catches
wind of this, it will be off with this new witch's hat! Good
thing her grandmother is busy with the mini-golf competition and
figuring out who to break the mischievous spell on her
daughter.
When Sidney discovers something mysterious
brewing at the Mystic Dunes, things take an unexpected turn for the
worse. A nexus of magic more powerful than anything Ada-Mae
has seen before holds the secret...if they dare to enter it.
Can Ben and Gramp's ghosts help them travel through the
portal? Who will be waiting for them on the other side?
Can Sidney stir up her own magic spell to save her family before
it's too late?
Detail
from the title sequence of Peter Chungs on
Flux.
What is this video? A plot summary might
run something like this: A low-quality cell phone records, in slow
motion, a small suburban lake being stocked with fish. A long,
transparent inflatable tube runs the fish from a truck across a
lawn and into the lake. They get stuck; they struggle; they clog
the tube; they swim, weakly, upstream; and eventually men in aprons
(the fish stockers?) pick up the tube and force the last fish out.
Neighbors (I presume) have gathered to watch the processchildren
are filming, a lone man reaches out piteously to stroke the clots
of confused fish through the tube, and a goldendoodles fluffy head
bobs in and out of the frame. The video, by the artist Barrett
White, borrows its grand titlePessimism of the Intellect, Optimism
of the Willfrom Gramscis Prison Notebooks and letters, in
which that phrase describes the coexistence of apparently
contradictory orientations to the world. White sets the videos
banal footage to Arvo Prts solemn Cantus in memoriam Benjamin
Britten, complete with periodically tolling bell.
The videos appeal is its constant oscillation between tragedy
and, well, bathos. At first, the video seems like a funny
TikTokgrand music, slo-mo, grainy vertical footage, silly suburban
fish situation. Ha. But then it goes on for almost eight minutes?
Just as Dolly Partons Jolene becomes a gorgeous and resigned dirge
when slowed down (recommend), something about the dilation of
time changes the tonality of Whites video. It creates space for an
aesthetically sensible movement between the videos contradictory
tonal cues. This extension of time allo...
We are thrilled to announce thatThe Paris Reviewhas won the 2023 ASME Award for Fiction.
TheReviewis also nominated in the category of general excellence, with
the winner to be announced on March 28. Read the three prizewinning
storiesTrial
Runby Zach Williams,Winter
Termby Michelle de Kretser, andA Good
Samaritanby Addie E. Citchensunlocked
this week in celebration.
Fictional wall texts, with thanks to the object
labels at the Brooklyn Museum.
A fight over pumpernickel bread results in tragedy.
Quintos use of burgundy paint for the dried blood on the tip of the
foreground figures machete is related to the shortage of crimson in
the nineteenth-century pallet. Quinto died in Brooklyn in 1901.
Gallup Trentons wife of forty-two years, Anne Grace
Bellington, was his muse and model for works that range from
photography to poolside performance. But it was a Memorial Day
weekend encounter with his mistress, Pierra de la Fucci, that led
to this joyous exploration of romance, foreplay, and the artistic
possibilities of plaster of Paris. An artist herself, de la Fucci
gifted this sculpture to the Museum after Trentons death. The
monumental scale of the nude, including its commitment to puckered
lips and seductive eye roll, is the embodiment of female power.
The wood used to construct this early Dutch cabinet,
including its secret compartment, comes from a genus of tree,
Quercus, that is native to 10 percent of New Yorks sixty-two
counties. The latches are crafted from rose gold.
Little information remains about the origins of these
traditional Korean celadon bowls, which have delicate etchings on
the inner edges. Scholars suggest that, by the seventeenth century,
porcelain had become more popular than the better-known Buncheong
stoneware. In the parallel lines across the middle of the cookware,
one can see traces of the comblike tool used by the anonymous
artisan, the unusual tremors of the artisans lines betraying,
perhaps, their exhaustion.
In this partially fictionalized scene, Abraham
Dinowitz depicts a private dinner at President Washingtons home in
Philadelphia. Washington, strikingly, is absent from the dinner
itself, instead shown excusing himself to perform ablutions. The
core of this work by the noted nineteenth-century caricaturist
centers on the pallid faces of the women present, including Martha
Washington, Elizabeth Hamilto...
With her biggest clue now in hand, Sidney must use it to find
the person who murdered her ex-boyfriend. But this requires
skillful sleuthing and Ada-Mae's special potion to cover their
tracks. What surprise will her grandmother pull from her
magical shawl this time? And will it protect them or bring
more trouble for these quirky witches?
And that's not all of Sidney's
problems. When her mother falls head-over-heels for a shady
realtor, Sidney smells a snake in the sand dunes. Well, make
it two if you count the magic hold Officer Reece's deputy has over
him. Sidney will have to deal with them both if she wants to
break the magic love hexes before it's too late.
As dark stormy clouds descend over this small
town, a sinister plan is hatched by the murderer and
S...
For our new series Making of a Poem, were asking some poets
to dissect the poems theyve published in our pages. Peter Mishlers
My Blockchain appears in our Winter issue, no. 242.
How did you come up with the title for this poem? Were there
other titles you thought about?
WhenWhat even is a
blockchain/an NFT?was the subject of
conversation everywhere you went, I got interested in the
technologys claim that it creates an immutable record of each
transaction along the chain of a digital assets ownership. I wanted
to write a series of personal statements that could not erase what
preceded them. Then I noticed this idea was also connected to a
certain type of statementmade by a certain type of manthat weve
seen often, recently: a public apology by someone whose behavior
grossly outweighs their supposed contrition. No matter how much
they try to distance themselves from themselves, the mea culpa
still contains something that cant be undone: its an immutable
record of all the actions that preceded their apologies, which
sound far more like launching an asset than sincerity. So, I
thought I would write in the voice of a corrupted consciousness
that mirrors the workings of this new bro-corrupted mechanism of
capitalism.
I often save my drafts under file names that
function as little code words or reminders about a feeling I was
having during that days writing. My Blockchain, though, remained
the official title, even as I played with other ways of reminding
myself what I was writing.
Mass Market Paperback; Digital Book
(Audiobook Available)
ISBN #:
9781496740021
Kensington Cozies
368 Pages
$8.99; $6.99 Amazon
January 24, 2023
Athena Spencer works with her big Greek-American family (whom
she also anonymously blogs about) at their garden center near Lake
Michigan. She's also gained a reputation for crime-solving --
and that's what brings flower-shop owner and fellow sleuth Abby
Knight Salvare to her door...
Abby has come from Indiana to this Lake
Michigan town to help her cousin, Jillian, who was emceeing a local
fashion show and now stands accused of murdering one of the
models. Some of Sequoia's most prominent citizens were on the
catwalk, so there's increasing pressure to have the next event be a
perp walk.
The clueless Jillian is in jail after ignoring
orders not to leave town, and she isn't happy -- orange is
not her color. Along with her handsome PI partner,
Case, Athena starts mak...
Gary
Indiana with Ashley Bickerton, circa 1986. Courtesy of Larry
Johnson.
Do Everything in the Dark was the last of
three novels I wrote while mostly living in houses in upstate New
York or at the Highland Gardens Hotel in Los Angeles. It began as a
collaborative book project with a painter, my extraordinary friend
Billy Sullivan: I was to write very brief stories to appear beside
portraits of his friends and acquaintances, many of whom were also
friends of mine. The stories would not be directly about the
portrait subjects, but fictions in which some quality or
characteristic of a real individual was reflected, stories about
characters they might play in a film or a theater piece.
This project was never entirely certain, the
prospective publisher having had an opacity comparable to that of
Dr. Fu Manchu, and somewhere in the summer of 2001, Billy and I
realized our book was never going to happen. By that time I had
written most of what appears as the first third of this novel,
though, and in this instance I had written past Kafkas point of no
return much sooner than I normally did. (I have abandoned many more
novels than Ive ever published, usually realizing after 50 or 60
excited pages that they were heading nowhere I wanted to
go.)
One early title I considered was Psychotic
Friends Network. At the time, an unusual number of people I
knew were experiencing crises in their personal or professional
lives, having committed themselves to relationships and careers
that, however bright and promising for years, were suddenly not
working out. The binary twins, success and failure, were negligible
concerns in what I was writing about, though some of my characters
tended to judge themselves and others in those term...
Hollywood loves buzzwords, and one of the latest is "vertical,"
as in make your screenplays vertical. Like many
buzzwords, this one is based on a fundamental truism: it is easier
to read a manuscript that is "vertical" with lots of white space on
the page than one that has great text density.
Happy New Year! Its the 1st week of reviews for 2022 and I read
six (6) books this week. Figuring out how many books I planned to
read this year was a tad difficult. I am inconsistent week to week,
depending on my writing and daytime job schedule. I will also be
selling my apartment, buying a new home, moving to a different
state, and doing more at work. Ultimately, I have been fairly
regular on average across the last few years with three-and-a-half
books each week, so I opted to push myself and choose four this
year. This first week contained a holiday, which offered increased
reading time and completing more than expected. Weeks like this
will help offset the ones in the future when I barely review one or
two. As of today, Ive finished a total of 6 out of 208 books in my
2022 Goodreads Challenge, which equates to 3% complete and 2 books
ahead of schedule. Lets dive into more details
The first book of the year always shows up on reports and social
media links, so I had to choose something attention-grabbing. I
culled my To Be Read (TBR) list last year, enforcing a max of ~150
at any given time. I am an avid series reader, and I usually go
back to the beginning first. I buy some books. I get lots from
authors as ARCs or through NetGalley. And I borrow from the New
York Public Library (NYPL). Goodreads keeps me organized, and so
when I decided it was time to watch a few movies and television
series that have been created from books, I knew where to focus.
The Girl on the Train by Paula Hawkins was my first suspense
thriller of the year. I then added the authors remaining books to
my TBR. Next up was a NYPL book that hit my queue: Doggone Deadly
by Deborah Blake, which is one of the cozy mystery series I enjoy.
Im now ready for her 2022 release when it is published mid-year. At
the same time, Nicola Cornicks latest historical fiction novel, The
Last Daughter of York, hit my queue. I added a few of her other
non-series novels into my TBR, suddenly giving myself a bit of
worry at the increased count. Oh well! It was then time to catch up
on a couple of series Id begun reading last year my last three
reads this week all happened because I want to get current this
year so Im ready for the 2023 re...
Tell all the truth but tell it slant Emily Dickinson
Science can be difficult to describe: all the maths, jargon, and
slippery quantum physics. Thats why analogies and metaphors are so
useful in science. And so comforting:
We find it easier to reason by comparing unfamiliar with
familiar, falling back on experience, looking for links between
things, and seeking out pattern and meaning. Joel Levy, A Bee in a
Cathedral
Science abounds in comparisons: a greenhouse to explain global
warming; a cat in a box to illustrate a paradox; and Keplers
clockwork solar system. One of my favourites compares quantum
physics to jazz and general relativety to a waltz:
General relativity is like Strauss deep, dignified and graceful.
Quantum theory, like jazz, is disconnected, syncopated, and
dazzlingly modern. Margaret Wertheim, Physicss Pangolin
For most of my life, Ive been an avid reader. Prior to 2015, I
didnt keep track of which books I read. In 2016, I began using
Goodreads to find and review books. In 2016, I also decided to add
every book I could remember reading as well as write a brief review
for it. I stopped just shy of writing 600 historical reviews and
then focused on the present and future, which included
participating in the annual Goodreads Reading Challenge. As of
today, Ive read 1386 books but Im sure there are at least 100+ Im
missing from my younger days. A few notes about the last few years
before I share my 2021 results:
2016: 72 out of
70 read
2017: 97 out of
90 read
2018: 215 out of
104 read
2019: 226 out of
208 read
2020: 164 out of
156 read
As you can see, Ive exceed my challenge every year. A few times,
I increased the challenge midway and still beat it. 2021 was no
exception; in fact, it was my best year yet. All the while in these
last 5 years, I also managed to write about publish 12 books and
this is all on top of a personal life and a daytime job! Lets check
out the 2021 highlights:
As I researched and analyzed which books I read in the last
year, I found some interesting metrics to share. Although this was
the year with the most books read, it was not the highest page
count (a little shy of two years ago). Given how many series I tend
to read, I wasnt surprised that I only had 103 unique authors
am...
Happy New Year 2022! As we kick off a new year, I thought it was
time to celebrate the Braxton Campus Mysteries, an eight-book
collection of amateur sleuth investigations focused on Kellan
Ayrwick, an early 30s single father who works at a college in
north-central Pennsylvania. If youre new to the series, I recommend
reading them in order, but each one is its own independent mystery
too. Most of the side stories carry through each of the books, and
they all end with small cliffhangers, which is why I think its best
to go in publication order.
You can purchase the whole eBook collection for under $30 USD!
The first book is only .99 and the rest are $3.99 each. All are
available in paperback, hard cover, and ebook formats. The first
seven are available as audiobooks and the newest will be available
in early 2022. Several have been translated to German, Italian,
Spanish, and Portuguese too. Below please find links to the books
in reverse order for Goodreads and Amazon. You can also find them
on independent book sites, Barnes and Noble, and other online
platforms.
About the Books
#8: Sleigh Bell Tower
Sleigh Bell Tower, the eighth book in the Braxton Campus
Mysteries, was published on December 20th, 2021, and is currently
available for purchase in multiple formats. You can learn
more here.
***
#7: Legally Blind Luck
Legally Blind Luck, the seventh book in the Braxton Campus
Mysteries series, was published on April 15th, 2021, and is
currently available for purchase in multiple formats. You can learn
more here.
Its the 52nd week of reviews for 2021 and I read twelve (12)
books this week. Some of the reads were short stories, so it seems
like a lot, but its really about 1.5 books per day. I completed my
2021 Goodreads Challenge several weeks early, which had been set
for 208 books. As of today, I am at 238, which is 30 more than I
planned. This is my final review post of 2021, and for 2022, Im
going with 208, approximately 4 books per week. Lets dive into more
details of this last post
I wanted to end 2021 by reaching several goals to get there, I
had to finish a few series and start several new ones. I began the
week by focusing on cozy mysteries. I read the next book in Kate
Carlisles Bibliophile Mysteries, leaving me with 5 more to get
current in 2022. I purchased and read the latest release from
Phyllis H. Moores Meg Miller series, which was the 5th one to date.
Since I completed a series, I also started a new one: Country Store
Mysteries by Maddie Day and I have 9 more to get current in 2022.
Lastly, I returned to a series Id begun years ago but never got
back to: Booktown Mysteries by Lorna Barrett. I have 14 to go in
2022 to get current there. By midweek, it was time for the next
Miss Marple mystery by Agatha Christie. I have 5 more to read in
2022 and then Ill go back to reading her Hercule Poirot series.
Soon, I needed some short stories, so I bought the last one I hadnt
read from a fellow Next Chapter Author, e. Denise Billups. Ive now
read all of her work to date. I jumped back into an action
adventure series, Sigma Force, by James Rollins by reading two
short stories in the middle of the series. I still have ~15 regular
novels to read so I am caught up in 2022 with that series. Phew
tired yet? I am. But I love it too. Toward the end of the week, I
needed some historical fiction, so I picked up two new releases,
one by an author Ive read before, Marie Benedict, and a new one,
Joy Callaway. To close out the week and year, I r...
Its the 51st week of reviews for 2021 and I read nine (9) books
this week. One was the final reread of my own book, Sleigh Bell
Tower, since it released on 12/20. I wont be reviewing that one
today, hence the 8-count in the header. Like the last few weeks,
Ive been a reading animal by consuming an average of over one book
per day. I even completed my 2021 Goodreads Challenge two weeks
early, which had been set for 208 books. I am now well beyond it
and expect to reach 235 by the end of the year. As of today, I am
at 226, which is 18 more than I planned. Lets dive into more
details
Similar to last week, my goal was to catch up on authors and
series so that I can be current to read their 2022 release. For the
most part, Ive consistently stuck to it. I began my week by
focusing on the queen of domestic drama novels, Amanda Prowse. I
purchased three this fall and finished two this week: An Ordinary
Life and The Things I know. Next week Ill read the last one I
already own, and then I need to look back and see which early ones
I missed of hers. Soon after, I picked up a book by Gillian Sharp
Objects. I only have her short story novella left to be current, as
Ive read all her novels this year. I turned to a fellow Next
Chapter author and finished the Quantum Touch series by Michael R.
Stern with The Portal at the End of the Storm. At this point, I
needed my cozies again, so I read the first three books in the
Cupcake Catering Mysteries by Kim Davis, and I am now fully caught
up on hers for the upcoming 2022 releases. I last turned to an old
favorite when I picked up a Jenn McKinlay release with Buttercream
Bump Off. I might have a cupcake fetish this week, friends! Going
into next week, I know of 4 books that are in my queue, but the
others will come from my TBR thankfully down to the 125 range these
days. Here come the reviews.
Its the 50th week of reviews for 2021 and I read seven (7) books
this week. For some reason, Ive been a reading animal in December.
I think its because Im not doing any writing, so I have more free
time. Ive also been staying home more often with the pandemic
drama. Oh well good thing I LOVE reading. Last week, I completed my
2021 Goodreads Challenge, which had been set for 208 books. I am
now well beyond it and expect to reach 225 to 230 by the end of the
year. As of today, I am at 217, which is 9 more than I planned.
Lets dive into more details
My primary goal over the next 3 months is to catch up on as many
series as possible. I began over 40 new ones in 2020 and 2021, but
I only made it halfway through most of them. I focused this week on
catching up. The week began with two cozy mysteries: I read Murder
at the Lobstah Shack, the 3rd book in Maddie Days Cozy Capers Book
Group Mysteries, which is also the most current release, and A
Cookbook Conspiracy, the 7th in Kate Carlisles Bibliophile
Mysteries, which has at least another ten in it. Then I turned to
The Surrogate, a general fiction / thriller book by Louise Jensen,
because it was the only book of hers that I havent yet read; she
has a new one coming out in early 2022, so I am also caught up
there. Feels good! I jumped over to more action-adventure thrillers
by reading book six, The Doomsday Key, and book 7, The Skeleton
Key, in James Rollinss Sigma Force series. I have at least ten more
to go in that series just like I have in the Pendergast collection
co-written by Lincoln Child and Douglas Preston. But I managed to
finish Dance of Death this week! And lastly, I turned to the 5th
book in a fellow Next Chapter authors Quantum Touch series by
finishing Storm Surge. Here come the reviews.
Today were sharing a special blog tour post and spotlight. Youll
get to learn about the book and author, see great content from
different bloggers, and maybe even have some fun. Come on inside to
learn more about this wonderful author and book
Before we do I must say that I absolutely love this authors
website, books, and personality. Shes been so fun to get to know,
and Ive now begun two different series that shes written. Ive
shared both reviews on my blog, and I cannot recommend her enough.
This is a cozy mystery writer to get to know, friends!!!
Set against the holiday cheer of twinkling lights, costumed
carolers, and a festive line of extravagantly decorated boats
participating in the annual Christmas boat parade in Newport Beach,
California, cupcake caterer Emory Martinez finds that the grinch
has crashed the party. Together with her sister Carrie, Emory is
catering a delectable feast of holiday cupcakes and cookies aboard
a luxury yacht for the new Mrs. Blair Villman and her guests.
Sparks fly when Carrie comes face-to-face with the hostess, who
just happens to be Carries high school frenemy, and old grievances
are dredged up. Addin...
Its the 49th week of reviews for 2021 and I read eight (8) books
this week. Two of them were short stories, and one of them is part
of a blog tour next week, so I wont be sharing that review today
(Frosted Yuletide Murder by Kim Davis it was SO GOOD)! As of this
week, I completed my 2021 Goodreads Challenge, which was set for
208 books. I am now going beyond it and expect to reach 220 by the
end of the year. As of today, I am at 210, which is 2 more than I
planned. Lets dive into more details
I began the week with a new series, the Cozy Capers Book Group
Mysteries written by Maddie Day. I finished the first two books,
Murder on Cape Cod and Murder at the Taffy Shop, of a three-book
series, and Ill be reading the third next week so that I am
current. Then I read the latest in two other cozy mystery series so
that I am current: Joanne Flukes Caramel Pecan Roll Murder and Lynn
Cahoons a Fatal Family Feast. I jumped back to the next in series
for Agatha Christie and read A Pocket Full of Rye. I have 5 more
until I finish rereading all the Miss Marple Mysteries. I bought a
short story that released this week, Downriver by Jess Montgomery,
because I enjoy her historical fiction series set in Ohio. My week
ended with the prequel novella by the wonderful Candace Robinson
and her new writing partner, Elle Beaumont; Frost Mate is the debut
of their new series, Demons of Frosteria, which sounds great so
far! Here come the reviews.
Im excited to share two posts today that kick off the Sleigh
Bell Tower blog tour. My latest book, the 8th in the Braxton Campus
Mysteries, will officially release on December 20th. It is
available as a pre-sale purchase (Kindle) right now, and the
paperback and hardcover formats are available at online bookstores
already. We have started production on the audiobook too. Lets
check out the launch this week!
Sally Cronin has graciously included Sleigh Bell Tower in her
online Christmas Book Fair. Sallys an amazing author who has been a
fantastic supporter of my books in the past. Im honored she
included my book in this years event, and you can learn all about
it below.
Great Escape Virtual Book Tours kicked off today with a 10-day
tour (over 20 bloggers participating) for Sleigh Bell Tower. Kim
Davis, a fantastic cozy mystery writer, leads the tour today with a
review and a recipe for the Peppy Schnappy Blast, one of the drinks
in Sleigh Bell Tower. What a beautiful post. Stop by to enter the
giveaway and win copies of the books or Amazon gift cards.
the tendency to
symmetry remains a mystery even
broken as it always is
not what you do but
who you are doing it
according to no plan
revealed nothing known to be true
Its the 48th week of reviews for 2021 and I read ten (10) books
this week. Since I was off from work on a holiday weekend, I had
more free time than usual. Most of them were full-length novels,
meaning I read at least one-and-a-half books each day. As of this
week, Ive finished a total of 202 out of 208 books in my 2021
Goodreads Challenge, which equates to 97% complete and 11 books
ahead of schedule. Clearly, with only 6 books left, I will meet and
surpass my target, possibly this coming week. I wont change my
goal, but I suspect my total count will hit 220, still not my
highest year to date. Lets dive into more details
I began the week by choosing an upcoming release by Candace
Robinson, a brilliant fantasy writer. While Im sharing a review of
her book, Merciless Stars, I will also promote the book much more
when its closer to publication date. I wanted to catch up on some
cozy mystery series, so I read books 5 and 6 in Leslie Budewitzs
Food Lovers Village Mysteries. Some where short stories, one was a
novella, and the other was a full-length novel. I love being caught
up so I can easily jump on the next release when it comes out in
2022. I did the same with a new series written by Barbara Ross,
Jane Darrowfield. Both were released in the last year, and now Im
current on all her series. By then, I needed a genre change, so I
read a fellow Next Chapter authors collection of fantasy /
science-fiction short stories: Twisted Tales from the Northwest by
Mari Collier. I also jumped 500 years into the past with the 8th
book of 15 in a historical fiction series with Three Sisters, Three
Queens by Philippa Gregory. Back to cozies with a mid-series book,
Peril in Paperback by Kate Carlisle. I have at least 8 more to
catch up in that series. I finished out the week with a YA mystery
by Carrie Doyle, The Murder Game, and Cara Reinards Into the Sound,
which was just released on 12/1. Here come the reviews.
Im excited to share an interview with Allison Brook, author of a
5-book series entitled The Haunted Library Mysteries. I recently
read the latest book, and Im thrilled to announce that the author
is nearly done with the sixth book, which will be released in 2022.
Today, shes graciously agreed to talk a little bit about marriage,
a major topic in Death on the Shelf.
Get to Know the Author
If you didnt catch my post several weeks ago when the book was
on a blog tour, you can catch up now
Librarian Carrie Singleton sleuths a murder at her best
friends wedding in Agatha Award nominee Allison Brooks fifth
Haunted Library mystery.
Clover Ridge librarian Carrie Singleton is thrilled to attend
her best friend Angelas wedding, but Angelas family can be a
bitmuch. Angelas wealthy cousin Donna hosts an extravagant bridal
shower at her resplendent home, but the celebrations turn to gossip
as the guests notice Donnas surgeon husband, Aiden, spending a bit
too much time with Donnas cousin Roxy...
Its the 47th week of reviews for 2021 and I read three (3) books
this week. I focused on choosing books from the New York Public
Library this week, and thankfully I was also awarded a NetGalley
novel that Id been keen to download. As of this week, Ive finished
a total of 192 out of 208 books in my 2021 Goodreads Challenge,
which equates to 92% complete and 5 books ahead of schedule. With
only 5 weeks left, that means I need to read 3 books per week
throughout the holiday season. I think Ill be able to complete it,
but we will see as the year-end comes hurdling toward us. Lets dive
into more details
I began the week by catching up on a Louise Jensen novel. She
has a new one that was recently released in the UK, and before it
comes to the US, I want to finish her backlog. Now that Ive read
The Sister, I only have one other to complete in December. Then, I
switched back to cozies and focused on the latest NetGalley award,
which was Absence of Mallets by Kate Carlisle. After I finished my
review, I ordered the latest book in another of her series, now
that Im fully caught up on this one. Lastly, I finished my literary
adventures this week with the latest in Jenn McKinlays fantastic
library series by devouring Killer Research. I was declined by the
publisher on NetGalley last month, and it was just published a few
weeks ago so I ordered it and read it right away, anyway. This
publisher ALWAYS declines me and my profile clearly shows all the
cozies I read. Rather than complain, I am happy to buy her books
because I enjoy them. Here goes my reviews
Its the 46th week of reviews for 2021 and I read six (6) books
this week. I had plenty of time at night since I took a break from
writing and book marketing, hence I was able to read a book every
other day. Two were short stories, so hopefully it all balanced out
as well as kept me staying close to target. As of this week, Ive
finished a total of 189 out of 208 books in my 2021 Goodreads
Challenge, which equates to 91% complete and 5 books ahead of
schedule. Its gonna be a nail-biter right up to the finish line.
Will I hit the 208 mark? I think so, since Ill have less time at
the end of year holidays but will read more while on vacation the
week after Thanksgiving. Lets dive into more details
I began the week by tackling a brand new cozy mystery and its
prequel by Julie Anne Lindsey. While the short story was not a
mystery, it introduced the characters and they lured me in. I then
picked up a prequel to the beautiful mash-up with vampires and
Alice in Wonderland in a series that kicks off in 2022; its
co-written by Amber R. Duell and Candace Robinson. Sticking with
fantasy, I devoured the fourth in a time-travel series by a fellow
Next Chapter author, Michael R Stern. By midweek, I craved family
drama and since Id bought 4 Amanda Prowse novels, I had to read one
of them. I turned back to cozies to catch up on a series written by
Leslie Budewitz, finally finishing the week with another cozy
mystery, the last in a series by Bree Baker, a pseudonym for the
author I read at the beginning of the week a bookend experience, I
suppose! How were they, you ask? Here goes.
Its the 45th week of reviews for 2021 and I read three (3) books
this week. Although work was busy, I turned in my next book last
week, so I had the time to focus on reading again. It felt great to
read a cozy mystery, a humor book, and a family drama. As of this
week, Ive finished a total of 183 out of 208 books in my 2021
Goodreads Challenge, which equates to 88% complete and 3 books
ahead of schedule. Its gonna be a nail-biter right up to the finish
line. Will I hit the 208 mark? Lets dive into more details
I began the week by reading the latest from Liane Moriarty,
Apples Never Fall. I enjoyed the book, but the ending was terrible.
I slid into the latest in the hilarious Janet Evanovich Stephanie
Plum series with Game On. And I concluded my reading with a
NetGalley award, A Killer Christmas Wish by Lynn Cahoon. How were
they, you ask? Here goes.
Apples Never Fall is the fourth or fifth book Ive read by Liane
Moriarty. I enjoy her character development, family drama, and
immersive settings. In this release, a family of former tennis
stars takes center stage, and when one of them disappears, all the
cracks in their faade begin to show. Two parents, four adult
children, some with significant others, and a stranger who shows up
on the doorstep. How is she connected with them all?
Today were sharing a special blog tour post and spotlight. Youll
get to learn about the book and author, see great content from
different bloggers, and maybe even have some fun. Come on inside to
learn more about this wonderful author and book
Death on the
Shelf: A Haunted Library Mystery Cozy Mystery 5th in Series Publisher : Crooked Lane Books (November 9,
2021) Hardcover : 320 pages ISBN-10 : 1643857800 ISBN-13 : 978-1643857800 Digital ASIN : B08WCB3SBN
About the Book(s)
Librarian Carrie Singleton sleuths a murder at her best
friends wedding in Agatha Award nominee Allison Brooks fifth
Haunted Library mystery.
Clover Ridge librarian Carrie Singleton is thrilled to attend
her best friend Angelas wedding, but Angelas family can be a
bitmuch. Angelas wealthy cousin Donna hosts an extravagant bridal
shower at her resplendent home, but the celebrations turn to gossip
as the guests notice Donnas surgeon husband, Aiden, spending a bit
too much time with Donnas cousin Roxy. At the wedding reception,
the sweet occasion turns darkly bitter when Aiden topples into the
chocolate fountaindead.
The suspect list is as long as the guest list, and as difficult
to sort out as the seating chart. A few of the top contenders on
Carries suspect list are the flirtatious Roxy, emotionally unstable
since her recent divorce; Angelas grouchy brother, who feel...
Books are the fastest and easiest way you can learn from an
expert. In screenwriting, its no different. Some of the best
screenwriters and those who have mastered the craft, have created
countless books trying to encapsulate all theyve learned in their
work. If youre a new screenwriter and looking to improve or simply
to learn how to create better scripts, these three books will help
you out.
Its the 44th week of reviews for 2021 and I read one (1) book
this week. Work has been difficult lately, so Ive had little
reading time. I only got to a single novel this time, and Im
getting nervous about completing the challenge! As of this week,
Ive finished a total of 180 out of 208 books in my 2021 Goodreads
Challenge, which equates to 87% complete and 4 books ahead of
schedule. There was a time I had been 20+ ahead of schedule hoping
with the holidays Ill have downtime to read. 28 books in 8 weeks? I
think I can do it. Lets dive into more details
Another good edition from Leslie Budewitz. Ive read her other
series in its entirety and now Im catching up on A Food Lovers
Village Mysteries. Getting to know the protagonists family is fun,
and I do love the setting. Who wouldnt with all the food and drink
options! The mystery was strong, and there were a bunch of new
characters to learn all about. I did struggle to connect with this
one a bit, but I also had a lot going on at work and was so tired
when I read at night it couldve caused the issue. I enjoy the
authors witty style, and she brings something different to the
industry. I will be reading more from the series next month, and
while I like this series, I...
Carswell, TX Transgender prisoner Donna Langan
is ready to announce that she is gratefully recovering from the
first gender confirming surgery (GCS) ever performed on a prisoner
held in a US Federal Prison. Ms. Langan, 65, has dreamed of
undergoing these procedures for nearly her entire life. In
mid-December, 2022, after years of advocacy and uncertainty, the
historic milestone surgery finally took place. She is recovering
well.
I have completed my gender confirmation surgery, and am now in
the post-operative recovery phase. I want to thank all of the
people who helped me reach this life changing event, said
Ms. Langan.
Ms. Langan spent the first decades of her life alternately
seeking gender affirmation and attempting to conceal her gender
beneath a mask of regrettably violent masculinity. In 1996, Ms.
Langan was arrested and placed into federal custody, where she is
currently serving a sentence of life without parole. Upon her
confinement, Ms. Langan started to reckon with the harm caused by
developing a violent persona rather than making peace with her
femininity.
Donna Langan at FMC
Carswell
She renounced her previously held beliefs and began assiduously
requesting access to gender affirming care from the Federal Bureau
of Prisons (FBOP).
Ms. Langans long unmet need for gender affirming care has shaped
every part of her life, from her chaotic past to her moral
transformation and prisoner advocacy. Now that FBOP has satisfied
its constitutional obligations to Ms. Langan, she can finally move
forward as her truest and best self, said attorney Moira
Meltzer-Cohen, who has represented Ms. Langan since
2015.
Under the Eighth Amendment of the US Constitution, prisons are
responsible for providing medically necessary care to prisoners.
Nevertheless, when it came to gender-affirming surgeries, this
right was universally denied to the many transgender people
in fed...
Today were sharing a special blog tour post and spotlight. Youll
get to learn about the book and author, see great content from
different bloggers, and maybe even have some fun. Come on inside to
learn more about this wonderful author and book
Astoria, Queens, is decorated within an inch of its life
for the Christmas season, and Mia Carina is juggling her job at the
Belle View catering hall with a case of murder . . .
Mias busy with a full schedule of events at the family
businessamong them...
If youre looking to read an authors book and would consider
writing an editorial / formal review, check out Readers Favorite.
Ive used the site as a reader a few times, and 11 of my books are
on it already. Im in the process of adding my latest, and 3 of them
are still available as a FREE download if youd consider leaving a
review. Below are the names to check out the ones still open for a
free download / review:
Reviews You Can Still Sign Up For
Hiding Cracked Glass
Frozen Stiff Drink
Weathering Old Souls
Sleigh Bell Tower coming soon!
Readers Favorite Overview
Readers Favorite is considered an editoritial reviewing website.
On Amazon, there is a section for an authors book where you can
include editorial reviews as opposed to reader reviews. If you
collect a Readers Favorite review, definitely include it in this
section on your Amazon books and in your Goodreads profile. The
site is great for readers and authors, and heres why:
For readers, you get an opportunity to read and review a book
for free. You need to go through a short process to confirm your
reading and review style, as well as verify you are a real person
and truly interested in reading books. If you agree to read and
write a review, and you do not, youll be kicked out. If your review
doesnt meet the tools requirements, your review wont be retained
either. Its not tough, but you have to prove you read the book. So
if you arent a book reviewer, this site isnt for you. No just
grabbing a free copy! If you love to write fairly detailed reviews
and share them in other places, youll find lots of new books (both
famous and newbies) to download and write a genuine review.
For writers, this is a valuable tool. Once you post your book
and upload a format (PDF, MOBI, etc.) you can request a review for
FREE. Your book will be highlighted for 90 days, and someone can
choose to read and review your work. If they review it, you will
receive an email with their review. They are required to send it to
social media profiles, and if you get 5-stars...
Im thrilled to reveal the cover of the eighth Braxton Campus
Mystery, Sleigh Bell Tower: Murder at the Campus Holiday Gala.
Learn all about the upcoming release of my next holiday-themed
book
The next adventure for Kellan Ayrwick is centered around the
Christmas and Hanukkah season in Wharton County, Pennsylvania. The
book will release on December 20th, 2021, and it will go on a blog
tour from 12/11 thru 12/20 with Great Escapes. Ill share more
details about the sign up soon. The book was launched on Amazon as
a pre-sale earlier this week, and today I am sharing the cover of
the 8th book in the Braxton Campus Mysteries with you. As youve
come to expect, the title is a play on words: Sleigh Bell and Bell
Tower. Can you guess how the victim will die? Is it with a string
of sleigh bells that knock him or her on the head? Is it being
pushed off the roof of a huge tower? Does it have anything to do
with a runaway sleigh? Share your ideas in the comments and Ill
pick 2 lucky winners to receive an Advanced Reader Copy below:
Its the 43rd week of reviews for 2021 and I read two (2) books
this week. With my edits due on 10/31, I had zero time to read
except for two wonderful short stories. But they were
Halloween-focused, which made things even more appropriate. Great
job, Kelly and Denise! As of this week, Ive finished a total of 179
out of 208 books in my 2021 Goodreads Challenge, which equates to
86% complete and 9 books ahead of schedule. I will end up a few
books above my plan, which is good and most of them are picked out
already. Lets dive into more details
I kicked the week off with a short story from E. Denise Billups
called The Playground. Part supernatural, part thriller, it
showcases her immense talent. I ended the week with a short story
from Kelly Brakenhoff called Scavenger Haunt. It was the latest in
her Cassandra Sato cozy mystery series. Lets hear all about them in
my mini-reviews
Earlier today, I needed a spooky short story to offer me a break
from the craziness of my day; my email directed me to a new release
from Kelly Brakenhoff, and when I noticed it was a Halloween-based
short story in her Cassandra Sato series, one Ive read in its
entirety to date, I had to purchase it and dive right in tonight.
What...
Im excited to share news of the official release for the
Weathering Old Souls audio book! Over the last six months, Didi
Oviatt, my amazing co-author, and I have been working with an
amazing narrator, Spencer Dillehay,
and his amazing partnership has brought this story to life.
Weve saved a few free download codes, so if youre interested, drop
a comment in this post and well reach out.
And Im thrilled to share this news
with the talented and brilliant Didi Oviatt.
Weathering Old
Souls
by James J. Cudney &
Didi Oviatt
Genre: Metaphysical,
Spiritual Historical Fiction
Abigail has always struggled with the voices. From the
relentless tyranny a woman faces on an antebellum plantation to the
unknown prison camps in America during World War II, our heroine
discovers the past in a way that changes her future.
Moments from the past serve as guiding posts for the countrys
growth, and also mark the transitions for Abigails own personal
history. Her best...
Its the 42nd week of reviews for 2021 and I read two (2) books
this week. Given some work deliverables, I couldnt read as much as
I wanted to this week, and Ill be away this weekend, so next week
will be light again, Im sure. Too bad, I have several great ones in
my queue to start too. As of this week, Ive finished a total of 177
out of 208 books in my 2021 Goodreads Challenge, which equates to
85% complete and 10 books ahead of schedule. I will end up a few
books above my plan, which is good and most of them are picked out
already. Lets dive into more details
My week began with purchasing the latest book in Brian L.
Porters Mersey Murder Mysteries, only to realize I missed a short
story about a Santa Claus murder, so that was my first book this
week. Next month, Ill catch up on the latest in his fantastic
series. Then I moved over to a NetGalley award for one of my
favorite authors, Sally Hepworth. I LOVED The Younger Wife. Cant
wait to share more
A Merry Mersey Christmas: Who Killed Santa Claus, a short story
written by Brian L. Porter, is a holiday introduction to several of
the wonderfully depicted characters in the Mersey Murder Mysteries.
Ive now read 9 of the 10 books in this collection and have the most
recent one on my Kindle for later this year. Y...
Broken Heart Attack, the second book in the Braxton Campus
Mysteries, will be available for only .99 as a Kindle purchase from
10/22 thru 10/26. You can purchase via Amazon
here. You can also find the book translated in other languages
and as an audiobook at the links below. Praise for this edition
from reviewers:
Upbeat and entertaining.
Cudneys writing style is warm, vibrant and edgy.
Fast-paced and full of
twists you wont see coming.
A well recommended murder
mystery.
Book Overview:
When an extra ticket becomes available to attend the dress
rehearsal of Braxtons King Lear production, Kellan tags along with
Nana D and her buddies, sisters-in-law Eustacia and Gwendolyn
Paddington, to show support for the rest of the Paddington
family.
After one of them appears to have a heart attack in the middle
of the second act, Nana D raises her suspicions and asks Kellan to
investigate who killed her friend. Amidst family members suddenly
in debt and a secret rendezvous between an unlikely pair, Kellan
learns the Paddingtons might not be as clean-cut as everyone
thinks. But did one of them commit murder for an inheritance?
Kellan is back in his second adventure since returning home to
Pennsylvania. With his personal life in upheaval and his new boss,
Myriam, making life difficult, will he be able to find a killer
or
Key Info:
Released on November 25th, 2018
2nd book in series
Considered an investigative mystery with a twist / complexity
to the story-line and characters
Im excited to share news of the official release for the Legally
Blind audio book! Over the last six months, Ive been working with
an amazing narrator, Stephen Lookadoo, and his amazing partnership
has brought this story to life. Weve saved a few free download
codes, so if youre interested, drop a comment in this post and well
reach out.
Overview of Legally Blind
Luck
Legally Blind Luck
(Braxton Campus Mysteries) Cozy Mystery 7th in Series Independently published (April 15, 2021) Gumshoe A Next Chapter Imprint Paperback: 295 pages ISBN-13: 979-8707757341 Digital ASIN: B08R347N84
Surprising new family members. A hidden talisman. Deadly curses.
Murder. Months after tragically losing a loved one, Kellan learns
his relatives death wasnt an accident.
Someone has discovered a cursed talisman, and a rogue government
agent will stop at nothing to retrieve the heirloom. Unfortunately,
it has already changed hands and found its way on campus. Moments
before Braxtons controversial art exhibition opens, Kellan stumbles
upon another murder victim, and it appears he might be next on the
avengers list.
Can Kellan protect the talismans true heir and prevent the
killers nefarious plan? Given all the suspects have ties to
prominent Braxton citizens, hes uncertain whom to trust. Together,
Kellan and Sheriff April are determined to solve the mystery via
legal means or blind luck.
Its the 41st week of reviews for 2021 and I read five (5) books
this week. Since my next book, Sleigh Bell Tower, is with beta
readers, I had more free time. I visited some old blogger friends,
new releases, and NetGalley in my literary adventures. I even
pushed my genre boundaries a bunch. As of this week, Ive finished a
total of 175 out of 208 books in my 2021 Goodreads Challenge, which
equates to 84% complete and 12 books ahead of schedule. I think I
will end up a few books above my plan, which is good and most of
them are picked out already. Lets dive into more details
The week kicked off with some short stories by fellow authors I
met through the blogging world. First up was The Phone Call by
Charles F. French, a short story about an adult man connecting with
his deceased father, who has some advice to share before his son
falls down a pit of darkness. I rolled right into SA Krishnans
short story from her mystery series with A Little Doublecross.
Always good to learn about a different cultures police practices! I
then turned to fantasy for my next full-length novel with D.
Wallace Peachs first story in the Unraveling the Veil series,
followed by Jody Gehrmans latest thriller release, The Summer We
Buried a AMAZING title. I ended my week with a cozy mystery novella
in Lynn Cahoons Kitchen Witch series. I havent read many cozies
lately, so it was good to get back to my favorite genre. I have a
bunch coming up next week too. On to the reviews!
Halloween is just around the corner, and as we slide into the
spook-fest, its time to focus on something fun to read this season.
I have two books that will get you into the holiday spirit.
Scary Shorts: Halloween Flash Fiction
The 1st book to consider is a compilation of 100-word stories
edited and arranged by Barbara Venkataraman. Barbara worked with
over 15 authors to contribute several stories, and I have a few in
the book. My three stories focus on the scary world of siblings,
and what one might do to another in a frightening moment. Other
wonderful authors I know have added fun and scary tales to get you
in the proper spooky mood. Give this one a chance!
Lucy has many reasons to be happy about Valentines' that's
just around the corner. One of them includes visiting a new
restaurant in town that claims to serve the best
steak.
When she visits this restaurant with her
friends, they're impressed by the interior dcor and blown away by
the yummy food. It seems not everyone is excited about this
new establishment, as the chef from a rival restaurant causes a
scene as he claims the new restaurant has stolen his recipe.
Lucy's boyfriend, a local detective, is on hand to calm frayed
nerves and usher this unruly chef out of the
restaurant.
Moments later, all hell breaks loose when
someone bursts into the restaurant and announces that the
boisterous chef from the rival restaur...
Weathering Old Souls, a co-written contemporary and historical
metaphysical novel filled with suspense, drama, past life
regression, and emotional connections, was released on May 15th,
2021. After an ber successful blog tour and Goodreads Giveaway
earlier this year, its time to offer the Kindle download for .99
from 10/12 thru 10/16. And Im thrilled to share this news with the
talented and brilliant Didi Oviatt.
Im excited to share a book review for an author whose books Ive
enjoyed immensely. Recently, Janice J. Richardson released a new
novel outside her main series, and I was lucky enough to provide an
editorial review for it. Fading Expectations was a wonderful,
emotional story based on a few realities and you can learn all
about it below. But first, check out the authors dedicated page on
my blog:
Born in Toronto a few minutes after my twin, I knew I wanted to
be a funeral director at eight years of age. Writing came after
retirement, a wonderous journey of learning and growing. The
Niagara region is home, where I share my space with my twin and
Vegas, a rescue kittybrat.
Its the 40th week of reviews for 2021 and I read five (5) books
this week. One of the books is going to have its own special post
this week, so I wont be including the review here. I was privileged
to be asked to write a review that will be shared on the book
jacket cover and Amazon publishers profile. Wow! Overall, it was a
wonderful week of reading, especially given Id only been able to
read 1 or 2 each week in the last month. Thankfully, my own next
book, Sleigh Bell Tower, came back from the alpha reader with high
praise and only about 2 days worth of edits. I should have those
finished by Monday, and then it will go to 8 beta readers. I will
make my 10/31 publishers deadline, and it will release in
mid-December. Stay tuned for the cover and other reveals. For now,
lets get back to my reading life. Ive finished a total of 170 out
of 208 books in my 2021 Goodreads Challenge, which equates to 82%
complete and 11 books ahead of schedule. I kept on pace this week,
and I have a bunch of shorter books to read in the next few days,
so I am thrilled with my progress.
I began my reading week with Tik-Tok, the last book in the
Faeries of Oz series co-written by Amber R. Duell and Candace
Robinson. Ive been a big fan of this series since the beginning,
and I am very sad it will end. But I will be promoting the book
more next month when it officially releases yes, I had an early
copy! Im also thrilled because Ms. Robinson has asked/sent me her
next book in an amazing new series to read too! I am quite lucky.
From there, I moved into a fellow Next Chapter authors book with
the third, Shadow Storm, in Michael R. Sterns time-travel series.
What a great way to learn and enjoy fiction cant wait to pick up
the fourth for next month. My third book was the one Ill promote on
my blog later this week, and the fourth was Carrie Rubins The Bone
Elixir. I cannot say enough wonderful thing...
Im excited to share news of the official release for the Hiding
Cracked Glass audio book! Over the last six months, Ive been
working with an amazing narrator, Laura English, and her amazing partnership
has brought this story to life. Weve saved a few free download
codes, so if youre interested, drop a comment in this post and well
reach out.
Click the image to purchase from Audible
About the Book(s)
An ominous blackmail letter appears at an inopportune moment.
The recipients name is accidentally blurred out upon arrival. Which
member of the Glass family is the ruthless missive meant for? In
the powerful sequel to Watching Glass Shatter, Olivia is the first
to read the nasty threat and assumes its meant for her. When the
mysterious letter falls into the wrong hands and is read aloud, it
throws the entire Glass family into an inescapable trajectory of
self-question. Across the span of eight hours, Olivia and her sons
contemplate whether to confess their hidden secrets or find a way
to bury them forever. Some failed to learn an important lesson last
time. Will they determine how to save themselves before its too
late?
Each chapters focus alternates between the various family
members and introduces several new and familiar faces with a vested
interest in the outcome. As each hour ticks by, the remain...
Its the 39th week of reviews for 2021 and I read two (2) books
this week. Can you believe 3/4 of the year is over? Wow! So many
good books finished so many still left to read. I split my reading
between a cozy mystery and a suspense drama this week. One was a
new author, and one was an old favorite. Somehow, I also added 8
books to my TBR, which means Im a bad boy this week. Oh well it is
the season to be naughty, especially with 4 weeks until Halloween.
Lets focus on the literary world for now Ive finished a total of
165 out of 208 books in my 2021 Goodreads Challenge, which equates
to 79% complete and 10 books ahead of schedule. Feels like Im doing
well on achieving my target, as I know with the holidays coming up,
I tend to read a bit less than the norm each week.
When I read my first book by Liane Moriarty about six years ago,
I was inspired to write Watching Glass Shatter. It reminded me of
the things I love, and I dove deep into a new career. Years later,
I found myself drawn to the promos for the tv series inspired by
Nine Perfect Strangers, one of Moriartys latest but I needed to
read the book before letting myself watch the show. After finishing
that one, I picked up a book that I promised an author Id read this
summer. It was calling to me for a while but I had too many books
from the NYPL that fell into my queue and I had to clear that
first. Finally it happened this week and I was able to read
Essentials of Murder by Kim Davis. Looking forward to sharing the
reviews below and I can tell you that next week Ill be reading the
final book in a series written by an author friend, plus I am
reading a book by an author I really respect (and enjoy her
writing) as shes asked me to write a book cover review for her, so
this is an extra special honor!
You can read a copy of my quarterly author newsletter for
September 2021. Ive been issuing these newsletters for four years,
and Im excited to share them on my blog. To receive the current
quarterly newsletter, you can sign up via my author website via this
link. Ive included a link to this quarters newsletter below to
give you a chance to get to know me a little better.
About Me: For those
new to me or my reviews heres the scoop: Im Jay, a contemporary
fiction, family drama, and mystery author who lives in NYC. My
stand-alone novel, Father Figure, can be
purchased on Amazon as electronic copies or physical copies. My
co-written metaphysical drama about past lives, Weathering Old Souls, is a partnership with the
amazing Didi Oviatt. My family drama series, Perceptions of Glass,
has two books: (1) Watching Glass Shatter
and (2) Hiding Cracked Glass. My
clever and cozy mystery series, Braxton Campus Mysteries, will fit
those who love cozy mysteries and crime investigations but with a
twist. There are eight books: Academic Curveball, Broke...
Ive gotten together with a bunch of authors to bring you a
special Academic Mystery Giveaway. Starting Sept 30th, look for
author posts and this hashtag #academicmysterygiveaway to play
along and enter! On Instagram, please follow these authors so you
dont miss a post!
If youve read my blog before, you know Im a big fan of Kim
Knights books and the author herself. Ive shared several book
alerts and spotlights on her in the past, as well as read ~5 of her
books. You can access most of the posts via her main author page on
my blog.
Today, Im sharing all about Kims latest release on September
17th a new unsolved mysteries series that has immense potential for
2021 lets check it out.
About the Book
Who or what to believethe evidence or a killer on
his deathbed?
A convicted murderer confessed to the kidnapping of a depressed
housewife, Mariya Crosby, twenty years ago. But in the present day,
the evidence clears him of the crime.
Detective Dominic Ruiz is under pressure to close in on the
truth and fast. The problem, Ruiz has one confession, one witness,
lead up to Mariya Crosbys disappearance twenty years ago in
Florida.
The more Detective Ruiz follows up on the leads, the more things
dont add up. He has one of the biggest mysteries of his career to
solve. A single question has lingered unanswered for twenty years,
what really happened to Mariya Crosby the day she never made it
home from work?
Its the 38th week of reviews for 2021 and I read one (1) book
this week. Like last week, I focused on writing my own next book,
and Im thrilled to announce not only did I finish the first draft
but Ive completed a round of editing. I will definitely meet my
deadline of 10/1 for the amazing alpha reader (Laura) and then it
goes to 5 beta readers on 10/15. We are launching early December.
Cant wait to share it but for now, lets focus on reading. Ive
finished a total of 163 out of 208 books in my 2021 Goodreads
Challenge, which equates to 78% complete and 11 books ahead of
schedule. Two weeks in a row with only one book means I might end
up with some catching up to do!
Its been a light week of reading, and I wasnt thrilled with my
choice. But I have something ready for next week, and since theres
an accompanying TV show, I must read it before I watch it. Any
guesses? As for this week: have you read The Guest List? I was
mostly disappointed because I thought it would be about a shocking
guest list or a secret guest no one knew about. It really had
nothing to do with that angle someone died, of course, but the
background was unrelated. Wow lets learn some more!
Legally Blind Luck is the 7th book in the Braxton Campus
Mysteries. It was published on April 15th, 2021, and it will be
available as a .99 Kindle download from September 18th through
September 22nd. Take advantage of this sale today via:
About Legally Blind Luck
Legally Blind Luck
(Braxton Campus Mysteries) Cozy Mystery 7th in Series Independently published (April 15, 2021) Gumshoe A Next Chapter Imprint Paperback: 295 pages ISBN-13: 979-8707757341 Digital ASIN: B08R347N84
Surprising new family members. A hidden talisman. Deadly curses.
Murder. Months after tragically losing a loved one, Kellan learns
his relatives death wasnt an accident.
Someone has discovered a cursed talisman, and a rogue government
agent will stop at nothing to retrieve the heirloom. Unfortunately,
it has already changed hands and found its way on campus. Moments
before Braxtons controversial art exhibition opens, Kellan stumbles
upon another murder victim, and it appears he might be next on the
avengers list.
Can Kellan protect the talismans true heir and prevent the
killers nefarious plan? Given all the suspects have ties to
prominent Braxton citizens, hes uncertain whom to trust. Together,
Kellan and Sheriff April are determined to...
Its the 37th week of reviews for 2021 and I read one (1) book
this week. And if Im being truthful, it was a short story but a
great one. The reason for so little reading is that I focused all
my free time and energy on completing the first draft of the next
Braxton Campus Mystery, Sleigh Bell Tower. Im proud to announce I
completed it on schedule and will be editing for the next two weeks
before it goes to an alpha reader. The Christmas installment will
release in mid-December. More to come. in the meantime, Ive
finished a total of 162 out of 208 books in my 2021 Goodreads
Challenge, which equates to 78% complete and 14 books ahead of
schedule. Were getting close to the wire, but I think Ill end right
on target, knowing I have more dedicated writing weeks coming up
too.
e Denise Billups has long been a favorite of mine. I followed
her blog for a while, began reading her published work, saw her
join Next Chapter Publishing, and now I check out all her releases.
Todays review is for a short story entitled Off The Grid. I highly
recommend it but if youve never read anything by her before, check
out my past posts on her through her dedicated page on my blog:
New York, NY On September 14, 2021 Chelsea
Manning tested positive for the Coronavirus. She is
exhibiting mild symptoms, has consulted a physician, and will be
quarantining until October 1, 2021. In response to learning
about her prognosis Chelsea Manning has issued the following
statement:
On September 14th I tested positive for Coronavirus after
accompanying a friend who had cold-like symptoms to get tested. I
immediately quarantined, consulted a doctor, and have since
developed symptoms. Sadly, I will need to cancel some public
engagements, and participate remotely in others, while I remain
under quarantine until October 1st, 2021. Im fine and thankfully
due to the benefits of the vaccine my symptoms are very mild. My
heart goes out to everyone who is suffering and grieving as a
result of this horrible virus and I look forward to a day when we
can put all of this behind us.
While I may not share the same influence as a multi-platinum
recording artist, I recognize the importance of transparency, and
recognize the threat misinformation poses to the health and
wellbeing of diverse communities both online and off. So Ill
just say this vaccines work, masks work, testing works, healthcare
is a right, and we all need to support each other.
In Kilbane, opinions are plentiful and rarely
in alignment. But there's one thing everyone does agree on --
the bakery in the old flour mill, just outside town, is the best in
County Cork, well worth the short drive and the long lines.
No wonder they're about to be featured on a reality baking
show.
All six contestants in the show are coming to
Kilbane to participate, and the town is simmering with
excitement. Aside from munching on free samples, the locals
-- including Siobhan -- get a chance to appear in the opening
shots. As for the competitors themselves, not all are as
sweet as their confections. There are shenanigans on the
first day of filming that put everyone on edge, but that's nothing
compared to day two, when the first round ends and the top
c...
Today were sharing a special blog tour post and spotlight. Youll
get to learn about the book and author, see great content from
different bloggers, and maybe even have some fun. Come on inside to
learn more about this wonderful author and book
A Calculated Whisk (A
Vintage Kitchen Mystery) Cozy Mystery 10th in Series Publisher : Beyond the Page (September 21,
2021) Paperback 212 Pages ISBN-10 : 1954717504 ISBN-13 : 978-1954717503 Digital ASIN : B09CV579FJ
In the new Vintage Kitchen Mystery from the author
of Cast Iron Alibi, Jaymie Leighton is confronted
with two murders and the threat of danger far too close to home . .
.
When a woman living under a cloud of suspicion for her husbands
death comes to vintage kitchen collector Jaymie Leighton with a
mysterious request, shes not sure whether, or how much, to get
involved. The police believe they have new evidence of foul play in
what was initially ruled an accidental death, and the womans
terrified theyll try to pin the crime on her. Before Jaymie can
decide whethe...
Its the 36th week of reviews for 2021 and I read three (3) books
this week. One of the books will appear in an upcoming Blog Tour
post, so Im sharing only two reviews today. Both are from series I
enjoy. Before we get into todays authors and books, lets recap with
a brief background and status update. Ive finished a total of 161
out of 208 books in my 2021 Goodreads Challenge, which equates to
77% complete and 18 books ahead of schedule. I think Ill end up
right on target this year, depending on how busy the holidays are I
could go a few beyond it again.
Bree Bakers latest book, Partners in Lime, the 6th in the
Seaside Caf Mysteries was a big hit this week. Im fully caught up
on the series now and have given myself the okay to start a new
series. I also finished the 2nd book in the Trouble in Paradise
series, Somethings Guava Give, by Carrie Doyle. Looking good, glad
to share them this week. Onward to the reviews:
Partners in Lime is the 6th book in the Seaside Caf Mysteries
written by Bree Baker. Ive been a fan of this series since its
inception because the author easily sweeps you away with a
beautiful setting, sharp characters, and fun plot. In this latest
installment, a surf competition...
Hiding Cracked Glass, my latest release on October 8th, 2020, is
the sequel to Watching Glass Shatter, a novel about a family drama
imploding from a bounty of secrets. Download the Kindle format here as its only .99
from 9/9 thru 9/13. We recently went on a blog tour too and you can
read all about it below.
To kick it off, you can find out
more from the video below, then visit visit each of the links from
the blog tour participants.
About the Book(s)
An ominous blackmail letter appears at an inopportune moment.
The recipients name is accidentally blurred out upon arrival. Which
member of the Glass family is the ruthless missive meant for? In
the powerful sequel to Watching Glass Shatter, Olivia is the first
to read the nasty threat and assumes its meant for her. When the
mysterious letter falls into the wrong hands and is read aloud, it
throws the entire Glass family into an inescapable trajectory of
self-question. Across the span of eight hours, Olivia and her sons
contemplate whether to confess their hidden secrets or find a way
to bury them forever. Some failed to learn an important lesson last
time. Will they determine how to save themselves before its too
late?
Each chapters focus alternates between the various family
members and introduces several new and familiar faces with a vested
interest in the outcome. As each hour ticks by, the remaining
siblings and their mother gradually reveal whats happened to them
in the preceding months, and when the blackmailer makes an
appearance at Olivias birthday party, the truth brilliantly comes
to light. Although everyone seemed to embrace the healing process
at the end of Watching Glass Shatter, there were hidden cracks in
the Glass family that couldnt be mended. Their lives are about to
shatter into pieces once again, but this time, the stakes are even
higher. Someone wants to teach them a permanent lesson and refuses
to stop u...
Today were sharing a special blog tour post and spotlight. Youll
get to learn about the book and author, see great content from
different bloggers, and maybe even have some fun. Come on inside to
learn more about this wonderful author and book
Deadly Summer Nights (A
Catskill Summer Resort Mystery) Cozy Mystery 1st in Series Publisher : Berkley (September 7, 2021) Mass Market Paperback : 304 pages ISBN-10 : 059333437X ISBN-13 : 978-0593334379 Digital ASIN : B08NT3JCXQ
A summer of fun at a Catskills resort comes to an abrupt end
when a guest is found murdered, in this new 1950s set mystery
series.
Its the summer of 1953, and Elizabeth Grady is settling into
Haggermans Catskills Resort. As a vacation getaway, Haggermans is
ideal, and although Elizabeths ostentatious but well-meaning mother
is new to running the resort, Elizabeth is eager to help her
organize the guests and the entertainment acts. But Elizabeth will
have to r...
The debut book in the Braxton Campus Mysteries, Academic
Curveball, is available as a FREE Kindle download from 9/5 thru
9/9. This book won a Best Fiction award and was the #1 downloaded
Kindle book in the highest possible category in February 2019
during the initial promotion. There are now 7 books available in
the series, so why not start reading them by getting this one for
FREE!
When Kellan Ayrwick returns home for his fathers retirement, he
finds a body in Diamond Halls stairwell. Unfortunately, Kellan has
a connection to the victim, and so do several members of his
family.
Soon after, the colleges athletic program receives mysterious
donations, a nasty blog denounces his father, and someone attempts
to change students grades. Something is amiss on campus, but none
of the facts add up.
With the help of his eccentric nana, Kellan tries to stay out of
the sheriffs way and solve the mystery. But can they find the
killer before he strikes again?
Praise:
I read a lot of murder mystery and whodunit books, and
this was one of the best Ive read in a while. The story is full of
twists and turns, and the characters are relatable. If you like
cozy mysteries, you should definitely give this series a
try.
Fantastic writing and witty dialogue.
Awesome.
An exciting, cozy mystery.
Full of twists and turns, and an ending you wont see
coming.
Its the 35th week of reviews for 2021 and I read four (4) books
this week. My focus was on reading book series where I have the
latest edition but Im not fully caught up on the series so I bought
and borrowed and ended up making a nice dent in the TBR this week.
I also met ~50 cozy mystery readers in the Facebook Author Takeover I
hosted this week on Megs Cozy Corner. What fun! Before we get
into todays authors and books, lets recap with a brief background
and status update. Ive finished a total of 158 out of 208 books in
my 2021 Goodreads Challenge, which equates to 76% complete and 19
books ahead of schedule. I think Ill end up right on target this
year, depending on how busy the holidays are I could go a few
beyond it again.
The week kicked off with the 2nd book, Crime Rib, in Leslie
Budewitzs Food Lovers Village Mysteries, and that was a surprise
from the NY Public Library; they had it in stock and it was my
first trip to the physical library in over a year, since they were
either closed or on limited hours. Then I dove into the 6th book in
Kate Carlisles Bibliophile Mysteries with One Book into the Grave;
I have 10 more to catch up to the current one! I also read Closely
Harbored Secrets, the 5th book in Bree Bakers Seaside Caf
Mysteries. Now I can read the one I won on NetGalley in the coming
week. My final read was the latest and greatest from Miranda James
in the Cat in the Stack Mysteries, What the Cat Dragged In. All
great books this week! Onward to the reviews:
Today were sharing a special blog tour post and spotlight. Youll
get to learn about the book and author, see great content from
different bloggers, and maybe even have some fun. Come on inside to
learn more about this wonderful author and book
Malice in Miami: A Jamie
Quinn Mystery Cozy Mystery 6th in Series Independently Published (June 9, 2021) Paperback : 318 pages ISBN-13 : 979-8518046757 Digital ASIN : B08P27FRL6
Reluctant family law attorney
Jamie Quinn is loving lifeand why wouldnt she? Her boyfriend Kip is
back from Australia, her long-lost dad finally has his visa and
shes about to start her dream job at an art foundation. But it all
falls apart when Jamie is accused of stealing priceless art from a
rare book collection. If she cant find out who framed her, she can
kiss her dream job good-byeand her law license too. Meanwhile, Kip
has problems of his own. Now an environmental activist, he uncovers
a deadly secretone that just might get him killed. Jamies in
trouble, Kips in danger, and Duke Broussard has gone AWOL. How
could Jamies favorite P.I. abandon her at a time like this?
Not only were many of the books in the Braxton Campus Mysteries
discounted to .99 this month, but the 5th book, Haunted House
Ghost, is also available as a Kindle download for only .99 from 9/2
thru 9/6. To take advantage of this discount, visit Amazon via this
link.
Overview of Haunted House Ghost
Its Halloween, and excitement is brewing in Braxton to carve
jack-o-lanterns, go on haunted hayrides, and race through the
spooky corn maze at the Fall Festival.
Despite the former occupants warnings, Kellan renovates and
moves into a mysterious old house. When a ruthless ghost promises
retribution, our fearless professor turns to the eccentric town
historian and an eerie psychic to communicate with the apparition.
Meanwhile, construction workers discover a fifty-year-old skeleton
after breaking ground on the new Memorial Library wing.
While Kellan and April dance around the chemistry sparking
between them, a suspicious accident occurs at the Fall Festival.
Soon, Kellan discovers the true history and dastardly
connections of the Grey family. But can he capture the elusive
killer and placate the revenge-seeking ghost.
On Thursday, September 2nd, Ill be taking
over Megs Cozy Corner between 8 AM and 8 PM EST. I hope
youll consider joining us, for a few minutes or the entire time.
Scroll further down to learn whats happening! Id love to have some
friends and fellow bloggers supporting us and asking questions that
night.
If youre unfamiliar with an author takeover event, basically
youll join a Facebook party where you can see everyones discussion
comments and interact with others. Meg will help monitor the room,
but Ill answer questions, open a couple of giveaways, reveal hints
about the books, and offer some surprises too. If youve never read
a Braxton Campus Mystery, youll be okay we wont reveal any
spoilers, but you can learn all about the existing 7 books in
advance through this link to my author website:
Stop by the link below any time on Thursday 9/2. Ill post twelve
times, once an hour and well be giving away on Amazon Gift Card, an
eCopy of the 1st book in the series Academic Curveball, and eCopy
of the 7th and latest book in the series Legally Blind Luck, an
eCopy of the winners choice, and an e-copy of my latest non-cozy,
Weathering Old Souls, a co-written book with Didi Oviatt. See you
Thursday!
Blue River, BCOver 40 human rights
lawyers, organizations, authors and First Nations representatives
penneda letterto Prime
Minister Justin Trudeau calling on him to abide by demands made
from the United Nations Committee on the Elimination of Racial
Discrimination (CERD) calling on Canada toimmediately halt constructionof the Trans Mountain Pipeline.
The letter follows a summer of escalating
confrontations, including assaults, surveillance, and harassment
targeting Secwepemcland defenders by
pipeline workers and security.
The letter urging Prime Minister Trudeau to
stop the construction of the pipeline was also sent to Jennifer
Strachan, Deputy Commissioner of the Royal Canadian Mounted Police
and details the precarity of the hostilities between workers from
the mobile Trans Mountain Pipeline worker camp and the surrounding
Secwepemc community. A spectrum of drug use, verbal abuse, sexual
harassment and assault have become a mainstay with Trans Mountains
traveling labor camps. For First Nations communities already
traumatized by an epidemic of missing and murdered Indigenous
women, incidents surrounding Trans Mountains traveling labor camps
have only contributed to heightened security concerns for Blue
Rivers Native community, exacerbating decades-long
wounds.
OPEN LETTER to Rt. Hon. Justin Trudeau, Prime
Minister of Canada; Deputy Commissioner Jennifer Strachan, Royal
Canadian Mounted Police
August 7, 2021
We write to share our joint concerns with the
Canadian federal government, Trans Mountain
Corporation,...
Its the 34th week of reviews for 2021 and I read five (5) books
this week. I have a few NetGalley books that are the most current
in a series, but I havent caught up yet, so I am focused on getting
through those for the next month. I also wanted to switch it up
with different genres: historical fiction, thriller, and cozy
mysteries. Before we get into todays authors and books, lets recap
with a brief background and status update. Ive finished a total of
154 out of 208 books in my 2021 Goodreads Challenge, which equates
to 74% complete and 18 books ahead of schedule. I think Ill end up
right on target this year, depending on how busy the holidays are I
could go a few beyond it again.
Last week I began reading the first book in Bree Bakers A
Seaside Caf Mystery series, and since there are five to go before I
can read the newest, I devoured three of them this week all fun
cozies with a wonderful setting and charming characters. I am
definitely keeping this author in my must-read list, as they are
simple but entertaining and keep me coming back easily. Then I read
another book by Louise Jensen, a suspense/mystery/thriller author
whom Ive come to enjoy reading. I now have two books left in her
list of publications but dont own them, so those might not come up
until later this fall. I am trying to get through the ones I bought
this summer first. Lastly, I read the 2nd in the Fairmile series
written by Philippa Gregory, which was a NetGalley award. I am
caught up on this one and am not sure whether there will be more in
the series or not. Either way, Ill head back to her Tudor and
Plantagenet series in September as I have five left and want to
finish it by the end of this calendar year. Onward to the
reviews:
The competition is heating up at the mini-golf invitational
in Crystal Beach despite the deadly discovery on the 18th
hole. With a golf course full of possible suspects, Sidney
Grace is on high alert, trying to locate clues that might lead her
to the murderer...or at least reveal a motive.
But when Officer Reece's smoking hot deputy,
who keeps his evenings tied with "investigation stuff," points the
finger at Sidney as the leadin suspect, she's had it up to her
witch's hat. I mean the nerve! I would make a better
deputy than Ms. 'I look amazing in a uniform!
And there's more trouble headed this witch's
way. The fierce golf competition as everyone in a tizzy,
including Sidney's grandmother, Ada-Mae, who is sure that the
lea...
Its is a big month. All of James J. Cudneys books will be
discounted for a few days at some point. This week, its Watching
Glass Shatter, his debut 2017 novel about a family drama imploding
from a bounty of secrets. Download the Kindle format
here as its .99 from 8/26 thru 8/30. maybe its time to get
on board the Glass family train!
Book Overview
After 40 years of marriage, Olivia Glass thought she could
handle the unexpected death of her husband. But when Bens will
reveals a life-altering secret, she suffers a blow no widow should
ever experience.
Olivia learns that she gave birth to a baby who later died in
the nursery. Instead of telling his wife what happened, Ben
switched the child with another. And as if thats not enough, Bens
will doesnt reveal which of their five sons is truly not hers.
While an attorney searches for answers, Olivia visits each of
her sons to share a final connection before facing the truth that
will change their family, and discovers that each of them has been
harboring a painful secret, just like their father.
Olivia challenges herself to re-assemble and save their
relationships. But will the secrets destroy their family beyond
repair?
Blog Tour
The book went on a 17-day blog tour at the end of 2017. You can
read all posts via this one location by clicking here.
Radio Interview
The author was a guest on the Artist First radio segment on
Tuesday,...
Today were sharing a special blog tour post and spotlight. Youll
get to learn about the book and author, see great content from
different bloggers, and maybe even have some fun. Come on inside to
learn more about this wonderful author and book
Cajun Kiss of
Death: A Cajun Country Mystery Cozy Mystery 7th in Series Publisher : Crooked Lane Books (August 10,
2021) Hardcover : 320 pages ISBN-10 : 164385738X ISBN-13 : 978-1643857381 Digital ASIN : B08N6SMX1J
The next shot from Cupids bow may be fatal in USA Today
bestselling, Agatha Award-winning author Ellen Byrons hearty and
delightful seventh Cajun Coun...
The 3rd book in the Braxton Campus Mysteries series is on sale
for only .99 cents from August 26th thru 30th. You
can download it to your Kindle
here. This book was released on March 30th, 2019 and has been
getting rave reviews from mystery fans all around the world. You
can visit all the posts from the blog tour the
book went on last month.
At a masquerade ball to raise money for renovations to Memorial
Library, Kellan finds a dead body dressed in a Dr. Evil costume.
Did one of Maggies sisters kill the annoying guest whod been
staying at the Roarke and Daughters Inn, or does the victim have a
closer connection to someone else at Braxton College? As Kellan
helps school president Ursula bury a secret from her past and
discover the identity of her stalker, he unexpectedly encounters a
missing member of his family. Everything seems to trace back to the
Stoddards: a new family who recently moved in. Between the murder,
a special flower exhibit and strange postcards arriving each week,
Kellan cant decide which mystery in his life should take priority.
But unfortunately, the biggest one of all has yet to be exposed and
when it is, Kellan wont know what hit him.
The 4th book in the Braxton Campus Mysteries, Mistaken Identity
Crisis, is available for only .99 as a Kindle download from August
26th thru 30th. If you havent experienced this mystery and family
drama, get it now via
Amazon.
Overview:
A clever thief with a sinister calling card has invaded Braxton
campus. A string of jewelry thefts continues to puzzle the sheriff
given theyre remarkably similar to an unsolved eight-year-old case
from shortly before Gabriel vanished one stormy night. When a
missing ruby is discovered near an electrified dead body during the
campus cable car redesign project, Kellan must investigate the real
killer in order to protect his brother. Amidst sorority hazing
practices and the victims connections to several prominent Wharton
County citizens, a malicious motive becomes more obvious and
trickier to prove.
As if the latest murder isnt enough to keep him busy, Kellan
partners with April to end the Castigliano and Vargas crime family
feud. What really happened to Francesca while all those postcards
showed up in Braxton? The mafia world is more calculating than
Kellan realized, and if he wants to move forward, hell have to make
a few ruthless sacrifices.
Election Day is over, and the new mayor takes office. Nana D
celebrates her 75th birthday with an adventure. A
double wedding occurs at Crilly Lake on Independence Day. And
Kellan receives a few more surprises as the summer heat begins to
settle in Wharton County.
I was pleasantly surprised by
the vigorous responses to my little essay entitled 'Grammar', my
offering, both rebellious and humble, in my mother tongue, to
Divine Mother, Goddess of Speech. Those responses encouraged me to
write 'Footnote on Grammar', 'Mister Demon Raptor', 'Against
Constructive Criticism', and 'Presenting Bbocchino'. I am presently
further motivated to elaborate on the Mother of Language, for there
is no end to Her power to generate the streams of discourse that
nourish our world.
First of all, I was a little
astonished by the sceptical and hostile reaction to 'Grammar', for
I believed my subject was too obvious to be doubted or to be left
unappreciated, and that nobody would object to my casting the
subject in my own peculiar manner as an independent work of art,
however dependent its success might be on somebody else's view of
my grammar. The article was, in a word, an acroama. That is, I
intended therein to make rhetorical declamations rather than
pointed arguments.
But it seems that only pointed
critical arguments are acceptable to many people in this kaliyuga.
Hence that which that which I thought was obvious and clearly
presented in my own fashion was instead thought to be vague,
obscure, and mysterious to some of my audience. And, furthermore,
it was given that I should have no right to be vague, obscure, and
mysterious, or to give that sort of impression even if I wanted to
do so.
Therefore, instead of the
acroama I intended, in its exoteric sense as a common rhetorical
device, my work appeared to some as acroamatic in the esoteric
sense, as a secret whispering about an occult subject, if not
gobbledygook.
'Acroama' means to hear: the
word was once employed to denote secret oral
communicat...
Today were sharing a special blog tour post and spotlight. Youll
get to learn about the book and author, see great content from
different bloggers, and maybe even have some fun. Come on inside to
learn more about this wonderful author and book
Aug. 23 Writing to be Read
Intro.
Aug. 24 Robbies
Inspiration Author Post
Aug. 25 This is my Truth
Now Guest Post
Aug. 26 The Showers of
Blessings Review
Aug. 27 Ziglers News Guest
post
Guest Post from the Author
Like everyone else, the pandemic and related lockdowns had a
huge impact on my life. The biggest was having to adjust to working
from home all the time and having my sons schooling from home.
In the beginning, colleagues went a bit mad with Zoom meetings
and we had back-to-back meetings every day. So many, in fact, it
made getting any proper work done virtually impossible. At the same
time, there was absolutely no home help at all available with
everything closed and the boys had to be monitored and attendance
of their daily lessons ensured.
People quickly learned the to much Zoom resulted in desperation
and gloom. People became irritable and snappy from the lack of
normal exercise and sitting in on-line meetings for 8 or 9 hours a
day, and the kids became depressed and despondent with their
virtual classrooms.
I captured this time in my life with a number of limericks and a
few Covid-19 cakes that I made. There is a dark humour in both the
poems and the cake art that expresses my thought and views of a
virtual on-line life.
Im excited to share a new discount on one of my books check it
out!
Overview of Father Figure
Between the fast-paced New York City, a rural Mississippi town
and a charming Pennsylvania college campus filled with secrets, two
young girls learn the consequences of growing up too quickly.
Amalia Graeme, abused by her mother for most of her life, longs
to escape her desolate hometown and fall in love. Contemplating her
loss of innocence and conflicting feelings between her boyfriend
and the dangerous attraction shes developed for an older man,
Amalia faces life-altering tragedies.
Brianna Porter, a sassy, angst-ridden teenager raised in New
York City, yearns to find her lifes true purpose, conquer her fear
of abandonment, and interpret an intimidating desire for her best
friend, Shanelle. Desperate to find the father whom her mother
refuses to reveal, Brianna accidentally finds out a shocking truth
about her missing parent.
Set in alternating chapters two decades apart, the parallels
between their lives and the unavoidable collision that is bound to
happen is revealed. FATHER FIGURE is an emotional story filled with
mystery, romance, and suspense.
Father Figure was officially launched for sale on Amazon on
April 2, 2018 as both an e-book and a physical book. Reviews have
been extremely positive between Goodreads and Amazon since the 5-day free download and 5-day
book blitz.
Book
Blitz: For 5 days, (4/30 thru 5/4) we posted promotions, hints,
and feedback
Blog Tour: For 5 days
(6/4 thru 6/8) we posted reviews, interviews and a giveaway
Its the 33rd week of reviews for 2021 and I read two (2) books
this week. Work was busy, and I had a lot of things going on around
the apartment to deal with. All good now and I have a few books
ready to read this weekend. I picked up a novel by a fellow Next
Chapter author and started a new historical fiction series, so it
was a change of pace in a positive way. Before we get into todays
authors and books, lets recap with a brief background and status
update. Ive finished a total of 149 out of 208 books in my 2021
Goodreads Challenge, which equates to 72% complete and 17 books
ahead of schedule. Pacing pretty well, just ahead of schedule
enough to cover the holiday weeks when I dont read too much.
Ive read a few books by author A. J. Griffiths-Jones in the past
and enjoyed them. I grabbed a copy of The Congregation last week,
as it was part of her Skeletons in the Cupboard series, a
collection of quirky mysteries. I also read a copy of Philippa
Gregorys Tidelands, the first in her historical fiction series set
around the time of Oliver Cromwells rise to power. I cannot praise
this book enough! Onward to the reviews:
My Book Review
The
Congregation by
A.J. Griffiths-Jones
The Congregation is the third book Ive read from author A. J.
Griffiths-Jones. While this one is part of a series/collection,
they are stand-alone and can be read independently easily. A
mixture of mystery and suspense, the tale offers a sparkling
reflection on peo...
Frozen Stiff Drink: Death at Danby Landing, the 6th book in the
Braxton Campus Mysteries, will be available as a .99 Kindle
download via Amazon.
About Frozen Stiff Drink
A winter blizzard barrels toward Wharton County with a
vengeance. Madam Zenya predicted the raging storm would change the
course of Kellans life, but the famed seer never couldve prepared
him for all the collateral damage. Nana D disappears after visiting
a patient at Willow Trees, leaving behind a trail of confusion.
When the patient turns up dead and a second body is discovered
beneath the snowbanks, Kellan must face his worst fears. What
tragedy has befallen his beloved grandmother?
Kellans brother Hampton learns essential life lessons the hard
way after his father-in-law accuses him of embezzlement. While
trying to prove his innocence, Hampton digs himself a deeper hole
that might lead to prison. Sheriff Montague wants to save him, but
she receives the shock of her life as the past hurtles forward and
complicates her future.
Between locating Nana D and solving the scandalous murder of
another prominent Braxton citizen, Kellan and Aprils worlds explode
with more turmoil than they can handle. Too bad neither one of them
knows what to do about the psychics latest premonition. The
suspicious deaths happening around town arent ending anytime
soon.
5 out of 5 stars This was a really great book! The suspense was just
right and I had only a small inkling of who the villain MIGHT
be. ~Valeries
Musings
The story is well-written and James Cudney does a
great job pulling all the storylines together to give us a
wonderful conclusion.
~Carla Loves to Read
Frozen Stiff Drink by James J. Cudney is a complex
plot with multiple crimes and intriguing
characters. ~Baroness Book
Trove...
Im excited to share news of the official release for the Father
Figure audio book! Over the last six months, Ive been working with
an amazing narrator, Laura English, and Steele Productions (for
proofing and more), and their amazing partnership has brought this
story to life. Weve saved a few free download codes, so if youre
interested, drop a comment in this post and well reach out.
Overview of Father Figure
Between the fast-paced New York City, a rural Mississippi town
and a charming Pennsylvania college campus filled with secrets, two
young girls learn the consequences of growing up too quickly.
Amalia Graeme, abused by her mother for most of her life, longs
to escape her desolate hometown and fall in love. Contemplating her
loss of innocence and conflicting feelings between her boyfriend
and the dangerous attraction shes developed for an older man,
Amalia faces life-altering tragedies.
Brianna Porter, a sassy, angst-ridden teenager raised in New
York City, yearns to find her lifes true purpose, conquer her fear
of abandonment, and interpret an intimidating desire for her best
friend, Shanelle. Desperate to find the father whom her mother
refuses to reveal, Brianna accidentally finds out a shocking truth
about her missing parent.
Set in alternating chapters two decades apart, the parallels
between their lives and the unavoidable collision that is bound to
happen is revealed. FATHER FIGURE is an emotional story filled with
mystery, romance, and suspense.
Father Figure was officially launched for sale on Amazon on
April 2, 2018 as both an e-book and a physical book. Reviews have
been extremely positive between Goodreads and Amazon since the 5-day free download and 5-day
book blitz.
Book
Blitz: For 5 days, (4/30 thru 5/4) we posted promotions, hints,
and feedback
Its the 32nd week of reviews for 2021 and I read seven (7) books
this week. One of these books is for an upcoming blog tour, so I
wont share my review here today (Robbie Cheadles Behind Closed
Doors). Its coming up in less than 2 weeks, and it was a great
collection of poetry. During the previous few weeks, Id focused on
finishing series so that I could be ready for the next release. I
rewarded myself by starting two new series this week. I read a
novel by a fellow Next Chapter author, followed by a thriller that
was made into a movie have to read it before I can watch it, right?
Finally, I returned to two faves and continued reading more from
their lengthy book lists. Before we get into todays authors and
books, lets recap with a brief background and status update. Ive
finished a total of 147 out of 208 books in my 2021 Goodreads
Challenge, which equates to 71% complete and 20 books ahead of
schedule. Im confident Ill reach my goal and then some.
It was time to support Next Chapter this week by reading a
collection of short stories written by Mari Collier: Twisted Tales
from a Skewed Mind is part of a series of books filled with wicked
tales. I moved on to Bree Bakers Live and Let Chai, the first in
her Seaside Cafe Mystery series, as Ive enjoyed many of her other
books and I was awarded a NetGalley copy of her latest in this
series. I also picked a new series written by Leslie Budewitz, the
Food Lovers Village Mysteries, when I started the debut, Death Al
Dente. Both were great and I will continue with the series. I
needed my thrillers, so Dark Places by Gillian Flynn jumped to the
top of my TBR, mostly because I want to watch the movie this month.
I finished my last Robyn Harding book, The Swap (which was
amazing), and now I am ready to read her 2022 release (love to be
current on an authors books so I feel accomplished!). Lastly, I
thoroughly enjoyed an emotional story...
Its the 31st week of reviews for 2021 and I read seven (7) books
this week. Continuing last weeks theme, I dove into another
favorite series and completed the final three books so that I am
current and ready when the next one releases in 2022. I also read
the latest release in another series that Ive enjoyed, read two
books by authors Ive enjoyed in the past, and took on a new author
Id not yet experienced before. Thats a well-rounded week! Before we
get into todays authors and books, lets recap with a brief
background and status update. Ive finished a total of 140 out of
208 books in my 2021 Goodreads Challenge, which equates to 67%
complete and 17 books ahead of schedule. Looks like Im staying just
ahead of pace and shouldnt have any trouble completing the
challenge this year.
My week began by reading a brand new writer to me: Mark Biermans
Vanished. Ive followed the authors blog for a couple of years but
it was time to dive into his book, which took me to Haiti, a
country I learned a lot more about. From there, I picked up a copy
of the latest book, Ha-Ha-Ha-Ha, in the Triple Threat Mysteries
written by Tyler Colins, a fellow Next Chapter author. Then I read
a new book by Sandra Bretting, whose southern Missy DuBois cozy
mystery series has been fun but unfortunately that one is complete,
so I took on The Safecrackers Secret, a stand-alone novel. Once
that was finished, I devoured the last three books in Daryl Wood
Gerbers Cookbook Nook Mysteries, which were wonderful tales now I
can start a new series this weekend (two to choose from, any
guesses?). My week ended with the latest release from Louise
Jensen, The Stolen Sisters, which I enjoyed. Ive read several of
her other other books but I have two more to go to get current
there too. Onward to the reviews:
Its the 30th week of reviews for 2021 and I read ten (10) books
this week. While it sounds like a lot, its not quite as much as it
seems. Three of them were novellas, and in them, there were three
different stories. I only read the ones by certain authors as part
of a series I was catching up on. Two more were novellas that
werent that long. Only five were full-length books. Before we get
into todays authors and books, lets recap with a brief background
and status update. Ive finished a total of 133 out of 208 books in
my 2021 Goodreads Challenge, which equates to 64% complete and 14
books ahead of schedule. I guess Im no longer concerned about
missing my revised, increased target!
Ever since I added to my TBR this spring, Ive been eager to
begin a few new series. I wouldnt let myself until I finished
catching up on some, so my focus this week was on completing two.
And I did it! Before I jump into those, there were some great books
by bloggers Ive met online. I kicked off the week with a thrilling
memoir about a dancers journey in Japan: Fishnets and Fire-eating
by Michele E. Northwood. Then I read a collection of short stories,
including Last Call, by Kaye Lynne Booth, a new author to me who
has a great writing style. And the last of my three non-cozies this
week was D. L. Finns book, The Last Chance, a compelling life/death
tale about the things happening around us that we dont see. After
those were finished, I decided to read the fifth book in the
Backyard Farming Mysteries by Vikki Walton, only I realized I didnt
know number 4 had been released. So I bought Christmas Capers from
Amazon and moved right on to Potager Plot both fun reads and now Im
caught up on the series. The other five books were all written by
Barbara Ross, but three of them were novellas in anthologies set in
Maine with Leslie Meier and Lee Hollis. Now that I read those 3
interim novellas, Sealed Off and Sh...
what what what am I to
do how am I to live these precious years
this precious day fading my body
weakened and failing in parts
cast the moment in molten words
transparent to the universal rays
open like the door to heaven
You can read a copy of my quarterly author newsletter for July
2021. Ive been issuing these newsletters for almost four years, and
Im excited to share them on my blog. To receive the current
quarterly newsletter, you can sign up via my author website via this
link. Ive included a link to this quarters newsletter below to
give you a chance to get to know me a little better.
About Me
For those new to me or my reviews heres the scoop: Im Jay, an
contemporary fiction, family drama, and mystery author who lives in
NYC. My stand-alone novel, Father Figure, can be purchased on Amazon as
electronic copies or physical copies. My co-written metaphysical
drama about past lives, Weathering Old Souls,
is a partnership with the amazing Didi Oviatt. My family drama
series, Perceptions of Glass, has two books: (1) Watching Glass Shatter and (2) Hiding Cracked Glass. My clever book series, Braxton
Campus Mysteries, will fit those who love cozy mysteries and crime
investigations but with a twist. There are seven
books: Academic
Curveball, Broken Heart
Attack, Flower Power
Trip, Mistaken Identity
Crisis, Haunted House
Ghost, Frozen Stiff Drink,
and ...
Its the 29th week of reviews for 2021 and I read two (2) books
this week. While work slowed down a little bit, I had a bunch of
personal errands and stuff to focus on, so reading occurred in
limited quantities. I also somehow added ten new books to my TBR,
so it is that kind of kooky, off-balance week! Before we get into
todays authors and books, lets recap with a brief background and
status update. Ive finished a total of 123 out of 208 books in my
2021 Goodreads Challenge, which equates to 59% complete and 8 books
ahead of schedule. I better get back to 3 to 4 a week or Ill fall
short of hitting my revised, increased target!
As part of an effort to balance my reading each week (different
genres, stand-alone vs. series, older vs. newer release, et al),
its kind of hard to compare with just two books. I did pick an
older and a newer release, but I stuck with authors Ive read a
bunch from in the past. I also had a blue theme going, and I split
whether they came from a series. That said, I decided at the
beginning of the week to catch up on Daryl Wood Gerbers series so I
could knock several items off my list with open series that way I
can be current before her next release hence Pressing the Issue.
Ive finished 7 of 10 in the collection, and I am starting the
eighth one tonight. Then I turned to a Lisa Jewell novel, as it was
awarded to me via NetGalley. Ive read all her current releases, so
this was an easy pick, but some day I need to go back to her early
ones too. Here go the reviews:
Alexandria, VADaniel Everette Hale, a
former Air Force intelligence analyst who pleaded guilty to sharing
classified documents about US Military drone programs with a
reporter was just sentenced to 45 months in Federal Prison. Ahead
of his sentencing Hales lawyers submittedan 11-page letterhandwritten by Daniel from his jail cell to US DistrictJudge Liam OGrady. Hales deeply personal letter
paints a gruesome picture of the US Drone Program, and explains in
detail how it was a crisis of conscience that led Hale to leak
secrets about the program to a reporter. Below is
Daniel Everette Hales letter to Judge Liam OGrady in its
entirety:
Dear Judge OGrady,
Former Air Force intelligence analyst Daniel Everette Hale,
2012
It is not a secret that I struggle to live with
depression and post traumatic stress disorder. Both stem from my
childhood experience growing up in a rural mountain community and
were compounded by exposure to combat during military service.
Depression is a constant. Though stress, particularly stress caused
by war, can manifest itself at different times and in different
ways. The tell-tale signs of a person afflicted by PTSD and
depression can often be outwardly observed and are practically
universally recognizable. Hard lines about the face and jaw. Eyes,
once bright and wide, now deepset and fearful. And an inexplicably
sudden loss of interest in things that used to spark joy. These are
the noticeable changes in my demeanor marked by those who knew me
before and after military service. To say that the period of my
life spent serving in the United States Air Force had an impression
on me would be an understatement. It is more accurate to say that
it irreversibly transformed my identity as an American. Having
forever altered the thread of my lifes story, weaved into the
fabric of our nat...
Broken Heart Attack, the second book in the Braxton Campus
Mysteries, will be available for only .99 as a Kindle purchase from
7/22 thru 7/26. You can purchase via Amazon
here. You can also find the book translated in other languages
and as an audiobook at links below. Praise for this edition from
reviewers:
Upbeat and entertaining. Cudneys writing style is warm,
vibrant and edgy.
Fast-paced and full of twists you wont see
coming.
A well recommended murder mystery.
Book Overview:
When an extra ticket becomes available to attend the dress
rehearsal of Braxtons King Lear production, Kellan tags along with
Nana D and her buddies, sisters-in-law Eustacia and Gwendolyn
Paddington, to show support for the rest of the Paddington
family.
After one of them appears to have a heart attack in the middle
of the second act, Nana D raises her suspicions and asks Kellan to
investigate who killed her friend. Amidst family members suddenly
in debt and a secret rendezvous between an unlikely pair, Kellan
learns the Paddingtons might not be as clean-cut as everyone
thinks. But did one of them commit murder for an inheritance?
Kellan is back in his second adventure since returning home to
Pennsylvania. With his personal life in upheaval and his new boss,
Myriam, making life difficult, will he be able to find a killer
or
Much has been said about Mary
Elizabeth Hartman (1943-1987) since the precious and shy young
actress moved from Youngstown, Ohio, to Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania,
then on to New York City, where she took a screen test and starred
beside Sidney Poitier and opposite Shelley Winters and Wallace Ford
in A Patch of Blue (1965).
The film written, directed and
produced by Guy Green was based on Be Ready with Bells and
Drums (1961), a novel by another Elizabeth, one Elizabeth
Colina Katayama nee McDonald (1912-1998), a diminutive, gentle
woman who married a Japanese pianist and moved to Japan before the
war, where she was interred after its onset. She and her son, born
three weeks after Hiroshima was devastated, were subjected to
acrimonious discrimination upon return to her native Australia,
where her literary work was trashed by Australian critics yet was
Americanized and kindly received in the United States. Her novels
are in plain-English dialogue with simple plots hence are popular
with ordinary readers and appealing to directors whose business is
visualization. Her method was to conceive of an ending, then
imagine how it came about.
Elizabeth Hartman, best known on
the stage for her characterizations of Laura Wingfield,
nicknamed 'Blue Rose' from her neurosis or pleurosis, an
innocent, mentally and physically disabled young woman in Tennessee
William's The Glass Menagerie, was too easi...
In Pierre Bayle's entry for 'Advocacy' in his Dictionary, he
describes the theory of ancient orators, that an advocate
should argue according to the cause and what may be said for it
according to the standards of the day and the circumstances, and
not what he personally believes is true, therefore it is as if he
is two separate people, so there is no hypocrisy when he apparently
contradicts himself when he is an advocate. He says that Marc
Anthony would never publish his speeches for fear he would be
accused of hypocrisy. Further, Cicero disapproved of Crassus'
criticism of a self-contradictory statement by Brutus, saying that,
"What a man offers as an advocate ought not to be considered as if
spoken by him in quality of a witness; that it is the language of
the cause, and not that of the orator. They must speak according to
the interest of the cause, and in the conjuncture of time, and not
according to their private opinions. If indeed I said anything of
this kind, I neither offered it on my own knowledge, nor in quality
of evidence; it was rather the language of the occasion than of my
own judgment and authority."
Vancouver B.C. Direct action is
the greatest financial liability faced by resource extraction
corporations. Throughout the history of TMX (formally, Kinder
Morgan Pipeline), Indigenous peoples and their accomplices have
shown up time and time again ready to fight back and defend the
lands our nations have protected since time immemorial. The
financial impact of Indigenous led land defence continues to cost
Trans Mountain Corporation money every single day.
Man camps and transient workers are part of the ongoing genocide
of MMIWG2S (Missing and Murdered Indigenous Women, Girls and
Two-Spirit People). Firelight Groups 2017 report indicated a sharp
increase in sex trafficking due to the man camps and their housing
of transient workers. Additionally, the harassment faced by
Indigenous women and 2-spirit peoples exercising their ancestral
rights to the land, by the hands of the RCMP in the name of
protecting corporate property and the continuation of resource
extraction projects, furthers the systemic violence and
criminalization of Indigenous land defenders and those exercising
their right to live sovereignly on their peoples land. Amnesty
International has also condemned the violence against Indigenous
women, 2spirit peoples, and children, as well as, the
criminalization and over-policing of Indigenous land defenders
perpetuated, and further enabled, by the Crown corporation known as
so-called Canada.
Land defenders lock down to Trans Mountain Blue River pumping
station to send clear message of support to Indigenous land
defenders and affirm no consent, no pipelines
We are in a climate crisis and Indigenous peoples title rights
to the land being upheld will be essential to our planets recovery.
The construction of a pipeline is a viol...
Bismarck, ND Water Protector Steve Martinez was
taken back into federal custody in Bismarck, North Dakota yesterday
following an appearance before the federal Grand Jury. Martinez is
also being fined $50 a day for every day he maintains his refusal
to give testimony. He continues to stand in solidarity with his
Indigenous relatives and Water Protectors by refusing to testify or
cooperate with this secretive and unjust process.
On February 24th, after being jailed for 19 days for
refusal to cooperate with the Grand Jury subpoena served to him,
Martinez said:
Steve Martinez | Photo: Courtesy of the Water Protector Legal
Collective
I was served another subpoena before I was released, making it
the third one. My lawyers are working hard to keep me from being
imprisoned for standing up for my constitutional rights as an
American citizen. After having my rights stripped from me, I was
imprisoned with no charges for 19 days. Even with the work of our
legal team, the chances are high that I will be imprisoned once
again for up to 18 months or the duration of the grand jury. I
humbly ask for your continued prayers & support as I continue
to speak volumes through my silence. Thank you. MNI WICONI, WATER
IS LIFE.
Martinez was previously subpoenaed in 2016 to a Grand Jury
allegedly seeking information regarding the injuries incurred by
Sophia Wilansky in November 2016 at Standing Rock; a now infamous
night where law enforcement used fire hoses on Water Protectors in
freezing temperatures. Wilansky was gravely injured, nearly losing
her arm, and unable to receive emergency medical transport due to
the blockades implemented by law enforcement and the State of North
Dakota. Martinez acted as a good Samaritan on that night, driving
Wilanksy in his vehicle to receive emergency medical care. He was
then summoned to appear before a grand jury and refused to
cooperate.
Four years later, Martinez is once again being targeted by the
government and detained for his principled refusal to participate
in a secret process that has historically been highly susceptible
to politically motivated ab...
I wonder if anyone has compared
Flaubert's Emma Bovary and Austen's Emma
Woodhouse?
I've heard both characters
referred to as "self-deceived" in the pejorative sense, implying
complicity of the self in conscious deception. But it seems to me
that Woodhouse was much more innocent than Bovary. Woodhouse was
clueless until rectified or "humbled" - mostly by a man, of course,
Mr. Knightley, whom she married. And wasn't her snobbery simply an
imitation of her class?
On the other had, it seems to me
that Madame Bovary was a bird of an altogether different feather,
that she wanted to be something other than what she
was.
For example, Emma Woodhouse
having lost her illusion of superiority was humbly content in the
arms of her master, but Emma Bovary, dispossessed of one illusion
after another, seems to be wanting more. Her husband Charles is not
good enough for her, and now her lover Rodolphe is becoming a stick
in the mud in her eye, but she clings to it
nevertheless:
"Their great love, in which she
lived completely immersed, seemed to be ebbing away, like the water
of a river that was sinking into its own bed, and she saw the mud
at the bottom. She refused to believe it; she redoubled her
caresses; and Rodolphe hid his indifference less and
less." Madame Bovary
In Fond Memory of the defunct Internet writers site,
Writtenbyme.com
I fondly remember the good old days when WBM writers were
involuntarily organized into metallic feudal orders, allegedly to
reflect the quality of their writing. Whereafter divisive critics
arose from the baser ranks to express the commonplace objections.
Of course the insubordinate members wanted to be of the highest
ranking they wanted to be Gold Members, aka Golden Lords. A certain
Dumb Duck went so far as to post his criticism of WBM policy at
another thriving site, to the effect that only abusers at WBM had
been appointed Gold Members because of their abuse. Yet none of the
nouveau aristocrats had had the slightest say in the matter, nor
were they notorious abusers.
One fractious faction, reportedly prompted by a dissident who
was banned by the WBM staff for exhibiting a photo his pecker on
his profile page, abandoned WBM altogether. They went to graze on
the slime accumulating on a devious hulk captained by Bob it had
lost its mooring at Themestream.com some time before and had ran
aground on a Florida sand bar. A few defectors became firmly
encrusted as barnacles there because they could not take their
beloved work with them if they jumped ship if they complained about
the policy and deleted their work, they were barred from the site
and their work was restored from backup. Ironically, those who
remained were governed by the very epitome of the so-called fascist
policies they had objected to at WBM they loved Captain Bobs site
and joined in the abuse of anyone who protested. And even worse,
now they had to pay to be highly ranked writers at the new site.
Furthermore, their Editor-in-Chief awarded his own virtual
identities with prizes for excellent...
I wonder if anyone has compared
Flaubert's Emma Bovary and Austen's Emma
Woodhouse?
I've heard both characters
referred to as "self-deceived" in the pejorative sense, implying
complicity of the self in conscious deception. But it seems to me
that Woodhouse was much more innocent than Bovary. Woodhouse was
clueless until rectified or "humbled" - mostly by a man, of course,
Mr. Knightley, whom she married. And wasn't her snobbery simply an
imitation of her class?
On the other had, it seems to me
that Madame Bovary was a bird of an altogether different feather,
that she wanted to be something other than what she
was.
For example, Emma Woodhouse
having lost her illusion of superiority was humbly content in the
arms of her master, but Emma Bovary, dispossessed of one illusion
after another, seems to be wanting more. Her husband Charles is not
good enough for her, and now her lover Rodolphe is becoming a stick
in the mud in her eye, but she clings to it
nevertheless:
"Their great love, in which she
lived completely immersed, seemed to be ebbing away, like the water
of a river that was sinking into its own bed, and she saw the mud
at the bottom. She refused to believe it; she redoubled her
caresses; and Rodolphe hid his indifference less and
less." Madame Bovary
I tend to cringe a bit when I
open a book by an unknown author and see the word 'God' on every
page. The word 'God' has been misused to justify every damned
thing, to avoid personal responsibility for every sort of
misdeed.
An arrogant individual behaves
like almighty god and refuses to confess that he is the god
actually doing the speaking. Furthermore, to speak of the subject
named 'God' as if God were an object-out-there is the worst sort of
materialistic profanity. Indeed, to speak of the
Subject-of-subjects as an object is grammatical
idolatry. Moreover, it is
technically blasphemy, for the name 'God' is being used to slander
God by calling God an object.
Once I perceived that the usual
employment of the usual deity-word of pagan origin was perverse
from both the scientific-objective and religious-subjective
perspectives, I simply ignored literature in which it often
appeared. However, I have lately developed a ke...
Aubrey Rose here. After three short years of marriage,
I'm single and back in Willow Cove...living with my mother as
co-owner of a bed and breakfast.
I knew there would be surprises in store but
the handyman's dog unearthing human bones in the rose garden wasn't
on my list. The town police chief isn't concerned about the
remains and the locals aren't talking.
The handyman, Gavin, is my only help in
solving this mystery.
As we dig up new clues, more town secrets are
revealed, Maybe these bones, and the enigma surrounding them,
should have remained buried.
THE ULTIMATE ABSTRACTION From an author's confession of how he got lost in his
vanity
by David Arthur Walters
From the Clipping Room Floor
So immersed am I in the World Wide Web, the vast ocean into which
my writing trickles with a faint tinkling sound, that I have lost
personal contact with friends and family, and my mental and
physical health is going to ruin.
Mind you that I have an addictive personality when it comes to
abstractions, thus I fancied myself an intellectual from the
beginning, making myself in my fathers frustrated image. I did my
best to withdraw from intellectual dope: I became a "dumb" dancer
for ten years, and I sang rather well within a single octave. I
hardly read. I abjured any technology standing between body and
spirit, yet I took to writing again and am now an Internet
addict.
What sucked me into the ultimate abstraction? The same thing that
got me to dancing and singing instead of just exercising: my
vanity, and a severe case of it at that. When I was a boy sent to
my room to sulk, I fancied myself as the greatest author the world
would ever know. Therefore, rather than suffer the same regrets as
my poetic father, who gave up literature to provide America with
electricity, I took up reading and writing. And then, with the
advent of the Internet, I was provided with an unlimited
opportunity to exercise my vanity free of cost and free from
editorial restraints. I am now the author, editor, and publisher of
my own company! Welcome to Three Stooges In One Unlimited, if you
wish to be my worst critic.
Can you blame me for going hog wild? I think not, at least not if
you were a writer and have received hundreds of rejection slips but
remained convinced of the grandeur of your insignificance. Not all
of my rejections slips were the standard, unsigned forms. I did
have the honor of receiving a few personal notes from editors, and
I am proud to display them:
Pre-Internet Rejection Samples:
We are enclosing your article titled A Penny Earned Saves a Penny.
I think you are an unusually good writer; it is a pleasure to read
writing which is so clear and specific, not to mention graceful.
However, your piece is a little too abstract for use, although it
is very timely indeed. If you would produce something which is a
bit more appropriate, i.e. a little more practical and...
I received a rather rude comment from an Internet reader. He called
me a "slut" for giving my best work away on the Internet.
"There is no discipline in being a slut," he said. "It makes you
sloppy. You're consistently good, but you're wasting your talent
here. Nobody is going to pay for your work after you give it away
on the Internet."
"Hell, I'm no whore!" I thought to myself. "Once you start
charging, you have to sell your conscience. I'd rather be free and
become the greatest author the world will ever or never know - it's
up to them - let them take it or leave it."
Now that I am nearly flat broke and almost dead already, my
attitude has become more flexible!
I just heard about a New York journalist, some fellow named Fraser
or Frazer who got homeless people involved in a workshop "to bring
out the writer" in them. Some of them were saved from drugs and the
like, and now a book is out or coming out - Food for the Soul.
Well, I sacrificed the good life to become a writer; I do not drink
or use drugs; I might be needing a soup line any day now! Maybe I
should write a book about that, called, 'Food For Fools.'
But when love's for sale at my age, who will buy? Maybe it's too
late for me already. I may be a late bloomer, but I'm no Colonel
Chicken.
What we need in this country is another WPA Writers Project to save
sluts lest we become whores or go down the tubes! The Internet
freed us from the greedy political gatekeepers, but it does not
make us a living! It's the same old story: you have to have money
to make money. You have to have money or a publisher with money to
make a splash. Otherwise, you have to be very lucky.
Writing is not the oldest profession in the world. Charging for it
and hitting it big is a relatively recent phenomenon. Back when
handwritten books cost as much as a house to produce, an author was
lucky to get a pittance for his work let alone naked credit. Fame
had to suffice to satisfy a writer's vanity even some time after
the printing press was invented. The printers might pay something
for an original manuscript by a famous author; but the author had
to k...
Michael Grant, in his book
The Classical Greeks, discusses Euripides play,
Medea, and points out that Medea murders Creusa and Creon
with a poison robe, then kills her own children. The question is
posed, "Was she really doing wrong? To what extent can violent
personal retaliation against social injustice be
justified?" We know that
Socrates would definitively answer No, because he thought it was
better to suffer a wrong than to do one. The Hindu sages
declared that we should not do to others what we would not wish
done to ourselves, and sages of the Buddhist branch declared that
we should not harm others in a way that we would not be harmed
ourselves. That was eventually
followed by the Judeo-Christian injunction, Do unto others as you
would have them do unto you, which Kant pondered upon and formed a
few maxims that were not the Golden Rule, such as: "Act as if the
maxim of your action were to become through your will a universal
law of nature." Socrates believed
absolute standards existed, but just what they are, given his claim
to know nothing and his dialectical method to find the absolute
standard within the human being, remains to be
discovered. A great number of
intelligent men and women tend to disagree in practice with the
pacific standard set forth by peace lov...
Notes on Patriotism from: Edward
Westermark's The Origin and Development of Moral
Ideals (1917):
"The citizens of Alexander's
huge empire had in a way become citizen of the world.... There is
also an obvious connection between the cosmopolitan idea and the
Stoic system in general. According to the Stoics, human society has
for its basis the identity of reason in individuals; hence we have
no ground for limiting this society to a single nation.... The
Roman ideal of patriotism, with its utter disregard of foreign
nations....met with a formidable antagonist... The Christian felt
himself as a citizen of heaven.... There were no men who so
entirely lacked patriotism as the early Christians.... The Church
became a positive enemy of national interests. In the seventeenth
century a Jesuit general called patriotism 'a plague with the most
certain death of Christian love. '....With the fall of the Roman
Empire patriotism died out in Europe and remained extinct for
centuries.... In the Middle Ages 'his country' meant little more
than the neighborhood in which he lived. Kingdoms existed but no
nations The first duty of vassal was to his lord.... The cause of a
distressed lady was in many instances preferable to that of the
country to which he belonged.... In the code of Chivalry, true
patriotism had there no place at all....It is strange yet
undeniable that no trace of this feeling displayed itself in the
medieval history of France before the English wars.... To make use
of the native dialect was a sign of ignorance, and to place worldly
interests above the claims of the Church was impious.... In England
the nation feeling developed earlier than on the Continent, no
doubt owing to her insular position.... In France the development
of the national feeling was closely connected with the
strengthening of the royal power and its gradual victory over
feudalism.... The key-note of the great movement which led to the
Revolution was the liberty and equality of the individual, not the
glory or welfare of the nation. Men were looked upon as members of
the hum...
I met Senor Retardo Culo shortly after my trip to
Ensenada. Retardo is a very peculiar man. I don't quite know how to
introduce him. Let's see. He can be a bit dense at times, and, if
he does not like you, he is a total jerk. On the other hand, if you
like illegals, he can be a special angel. I have encountered him
several times over the years, always unexpectedly and in unusual
circumstances, and he brought me luck every time, a bizarre sort of
luck, however. I suppose I should tell you how I first met
him.
My friend Paul Berger had quit his art director
job and went into the marijuana business, selling ounces here and
there, then pounds and kilos. One thing led to another and before
long Paul was "the Man" about town, at least when he was in town
conducting major negotiations. As his business grew, Paul
experienced serious money transportation problems, and occasionally
he had to turn to trusted old friends like me for help. Mind you,
we were really not in the drug business, but we were smoking a lot
of pot back then, and, as far as we were concerned, pot was not a
dangerous drug but was a sacred cause.
One day Paul called and asked me to bring
$200,000 to his L.A. headquarters. In return I would get an
all-expenses paid vacation on the Coast, including a little tour of
Mexico. Since I had four days off, I gladly obliged him. To begin
with, there was a small snag at the departure gate--metal detectors
had just been installed. The stacks of money I was carrying were
wrapped in tinfoil - don't ask me why - so the alarm went off. My
carry-on bag was searched, the money was seen, I was asked for
identification. The clerk noticed that my name was not the name on
the ticket I carried. I was a money couri...
Pythiatism, the mental illness
Jean-Paul Sartre attributed to Gustave Flaubert in his multivolume
study, The Family Idiot, would be utterly fictitious according to
the perspective to psychiatrist Thomas Szasz, author of "The Myth
of Mental Illness, a short paper and a book by the same name. He
reasserted his theme, that mental illness does not exist except as
metaphor, in a later article entitled "Mental illness is still a
myth, stating that:
My critique of psychiatry is
two-pronged, partly conceptual, partly moral and political. At the
core of my conceptual critique lies the distinction between the
literal and metaphorical use of languagewith mental illness as a
metaphor. At the core of my moral-political critique lies the
distinction between relating to grown persons as responsible adults
and as irresponsible insane persons (quasiinfants or idiots)the
former possessing free will, the latter lacking this moral
attribute because of being "possessed" by mental illness. Instead
of addressing these issues, my critics have concentrated on
analyzing my motives and defending psychiatric slavery as
benefiting the "slaves" and society alike. The reason for this
impasse is that psychiatrists regard their own claims as
t...
I realize your Emmas are two of the finest creatures devised
according to the new Realism of their time, so please forgive me
for intruding into your discourse on same yet again. I wish to add
to my previous remarks on An Adultery before you
come to a definite opinion on same. I do not believe I am
impertinent for doing so. I was astonished to see Alexander Theroux
flattered with a comparison to the great Flaubert. Alas, literature
has decayed since Jane Austen and Gustave Flaubert set pen to
paper. What passes for fine literature today would cause them to
spin in their graves if they could care at all for their own
immortality as authors after their deaths. Alas, the art of writing
has been degraded to such a confusing post-modern mess that
anything that makes sense or sensibility will soon be rendered
absolutely incomprehensible. If the tasteless trend continues,
people will only think that...
Paul Bowman, the greatest author
the world will ever or never know, takes pride in the enormous
inventory of unpublished essays he has written since he quit his
perfect job and moved to Paradise to devote himself to his writing
career. His rose soon grew thorns. He thought his savings would be
sufficient for him to ramp up to fame and fortune; alas, he has now
fallen pathetically short of his imagined fame and fortune: he has
sold only two of his brilliant essays over the last five years,
both to a Catholic journal. It is not that Pauls work is worthless;
he is just not cut out to be in any sales department, let alone be
his own marketing staff of one.
Needless to say, Paul is a
rather bookish man. Albeit he lives in Paradise, he is often in the
library, his Heaven on Ea...
A member of a prominent New Jersey family has
been found dead on St. Patrick's Day -- and Pamela Paterson and her
knitting club have a parade of suspects...
The Listers have been part of Arborville
society for generations -- though seventy-something Isobel Lister
doesn't fit the role of upper-crust heiress. She's always
been a colorful character, and her fun-loving spirit is on display
at the senior center celebration as she performs some beloved Irish
songs. But just minutes later, her body is found
backstage.
It's hard to imagine who'd target such a
harmless eccentric, but Pamela finds herself suspecting
everyone. There's the Wiccan who thought St. Patrick wasn't
so saintly, the woman upset about cultural appropriation who feels
the commercialization of shamrocks is a sham; the two men Isobel
was seeing who could have been green with jealousy -- and old
friends an...
All good things come to an end, and
all bad things, too, one supposes, and, as a matter of course, the
noncommittal and the inconsequential The More Things Change,
Jim Murdoch
This will be my last post. The last for a while in any case. A good
while. Maybe forever. Ive been doing this for ten years nowmy
first
post was on 6th August 2007 following the death of Ingmar
Bergmanwhich is a long time by anyones standards. Few things in my
life have lasted longer than ten years: my childhood, being a dad,
my current marriage, my love of Woody Allen films nope, that about
it. I get bored, other people get bored or things drift apart.
Mostly things drift apart. Im not sad. Actually thats not true. Im
always sad. I told my good friend Ken Armstrong a while back that
sad was my thing. So, yes, Im sad but Im no sadder than usual.
Mostly Im tired. Tireds becoming my new thing and Im better at
being tired these days than I ever was at being sad. Everythings an
effort. This wasnt always the case but its the way things are right
now and have been for long enough for me to expect this is the way
theyre going to continue unless I do something radical. Ive tried
cutting back. Now Im cutting out.
I began this blog with expectations. Ten years ago
blogging was the thing to do. And it seemed like a good
idea. Which it was. In practice, however, it was hard work and not
always rewarding work at that. But I was in it for the long haul.
So I girded my loins, put my shoulder to the wheel, my nose to the
grindstone, gritted my teeth, dug in my heels, took a deep breath
and stood my ground. Oh, and waited to be discovered. In the years
that followed, my peers, one by one and then, it seemed, in droves,
gave up the ghost, many for Facebook, some for the real world, one
of two for the next. Therere only a handful of us old-timers left
and my egoI still have one of those tucked away for special
occasionswouldve liked to be the last writer standing but my common
sense put her foot down. (Wonder why my common sense is
female?)
It's strange
how such a cold and formidable thing
reminds me of you,
its icy breakers failing
on a beach we've never walked on
nor likely ever will.
And yet perhaps that is it.
That after all these miles of travelling
defeat should come
at the final moment.
Aberdeen, 29 February 1995
This is the only poem of mine where Ive felt the need to record the
place it was written. I lived in Aberdeen for six months and it was
probably the worst six months of my life. Ive sworn Ill never go
back to the Granite City and I never will. This is the only thing I
wrote while I was there and it makes me shudder every time I read
it. I remember standing looking out from the harbour and how cold
it was. The you in the poem is F. I called her once from there but
never spoke. I just wanted to hear her voice and I still can. It
was a nice voice, soft, a little smoky. In March I returned to
Glasgow and Ive never left.
Two years later a strange American woman took a
chance, got on a plane and probably saved my life.
Albeit far away I still sense you
a silent warmth that stirs me to life
I know you're behind me and it's time.
The shadows of my past stretch before me.
Should I turn around they'll still be there
I know that but ask me; say the words.
Light blinds us but by light we both see and live.
Shine on, my love.
Shine on.
26 October 1994
Many years before I wrote this I wrote a poem
called The Eyes of the Blind are Upon You (#476) which opens with
the following stanza:
It's not the dark
that fills you with fear,
but the light,
for the light makes you blind,
and therein lies the real fear.
Its not a very good poem but Ive never been able
to shift this image from my head: its all to do with perspective;
light can illuminate or it can blind; it all depends on where youre
standing. The Dawning is not a good poem either. Maybe one day Ill
find the words to do the idea justice. Or maybe Goethe said it best
and I should leave well alone: Truth is a torch but a tremendous
one. That is why we hurry past it, shielding our eyes, indeed, in
fear of getting burned.
They say lots of things
and some of them are true.
They say love is blind
but it's them that can't see.
We're real but all that's
left of them is words
and words can't hurt us.
12 October 1994
What happened with J. and me? People happened. Its people that
usually happen in my experience. When F. and I broke up she got all
the friends. I didnt want any of them anyway. Well, maybe one or
two but they came as a set. J. was, as Ive mentioned before, on the
periphery of my life but everyone who knew us knew her and when
some of them found out she was in contact with me they did what
people generally do, they interfered. Of course some of what they
said was trueIm not the hero of the piecebut truth isnt everything.
Weve all told lies at some point in our lives but does that mean
were all liars? No, it means were human and humans make mistakes. A
weak person is not a bad person. Not automatically. And vulnerable
people dont always make the best decisions either. J. erred on the
side of caution. She listened to the badmouthing. I dont blame her.
I dont even blame them.
They say love is blind to truth
so tell me the truth:
what is it you see?
Let me hold the words.
I need to touch them to know them.
Help me.
I'm finding my way in the dark
it's like coming home,
whatever "home" really means,
a real word, one that
you can feel and live and lose.
Like "love."
10 October 1994
Ive not been home in a long time, almost twenty years. Of course I
call where I live now, where Ive lived for some fifteen years, home
and I think of it as home and it feels homely but itll never be
home. Carries the same. Shell talk about going home by which she
means America but when shed there talking to people she refers to
Scotland as home. Its very confusing. Loves the same. It takes on a
personal shape that goes beyond mere definition.
You dont know what you have until its gone. Its an
interesting expression and we all think we know what it means or
weve all decided what it means to us. Of course once somethings
gone you can simply go and look for it and itll probably be behind
the sofa. Thats the first place you should check anyway. My
hometown is exactly where I left it. I was looking at some photos
online yesterdayI know a guy whos taken it upon himself to collate
historical snaps and to photograph whats still there for posterity
or maybe just to give himself something to do weekendsand I was
struck by how empty the place was. Of course most of the
photographers have waited until people are out of the way to get
the best shot but theres definitely a side-effect: it looks like a
ghost town.
Was it with words or a kiss
we tossed it away,
that part inside us both
that's gone for good?
Or did they rob us?
You know where I am of course:
I'm apart from you.
But what is it you see
when our eyes do meet?
What do they reflect?
I have a present for you,
there's not much left,
call it "love" if you will;
it's just a word.
But it might be enough.
9 October 1994
Poems #748, #749 and #751 and unique in my oeuvre in that they were
written to order. This is not something I usually do and for good
reason but there was a guy where I was living at the timeI use the
term living looselywho learned I wrote poetry and asked me if Id
rattle off one for his girlfriend, Cilla, a woman Id never met,
would never meet and know the barest details about. He, like me,
was far from home and by choice although I never asked for the gory
details. Thats the thing about bedsits and dosshouses and the like:
everyones got a story and mostly theyre stories they dont want to
tell you and you dont want to hear. In the end I wound up producing
three poems in a very short time and let him pick. Maybe he sent
her all three; I dont know. I dont remember anything about him to
be honest, not even his name or what he looked like but clearly he
didnt have much going for him. It was easy to put myself in his
shoes.
Its an okay poem but far from being a masterpiece.
Im sure it served its purpose.
He said he was a visitor.
She didnt know the expression
but then there was no one to ask:
her world was empty.
It seemed he had come
a long way to see her.
He called himself Love
and had strange ways
but there was only the past
to compare him with.
He looked out of place
like truth in a bedroom.
Then he spoke of things
called loyalty and trust
and strange rites of passage
but couldnt stay long.
Her world way dying;
it was time to go.
15 July 1994
This is the last poem for J. for now. She broke off contact and it
would be two years before we reconnected. (For the record
she phoned me.) In 1996 I wrote her another four
poems plus she provided the inspiration for my short story The Pooh
Brooch and then we parted for good although, as I mentioned in an
earlier post, we did run into each other at my mothers
funeralbriefly, very briefly. It was an odd relationship by anyones
standards and yet it was an important one. I would be exaggerating
if I said she saved my life or I saved hers but we provided
necessary distraction at a time it was needed. It had the chance of
becoming something else but she had a choice to make and she made
it. She didnt pick me and I do think that was the right decision;
it certainly worked out for the best. I found her on Facebook a
couple of years back and was pleased to see shes happily marriedthe
same guy, I assumewith grandkids and seems to be living up north,
Aberdeen way. Ive been with Carrie for twenty years and Im certain
were far better suited that J. and I would ever have been but I do
think it wouldve been interesting for a while.
The Pooh Brooch incorporates a letter, a lightly-edited copy of the
last letter I sent J. The names, of course, have been changed. In
the story Jack sends Jill a brooch of Winnie the Pooh hanging from
a balloon. In reality it was a cat clinging to a branch.
Dear Jill
Its hard holding onto things in this life.
Theres always something pulling you down. The same can be said of
lett...
The burden isnt that everything has to be
a book. Its that everything can be a book. And doesnt count as life
until it is. Philip Roth, The Anatomy Lesson
The Anatomy Lesson is about the
imprisonment of self-absorption, of inscribing the guilt in the
flesh; it is also about hurting fathers and needing their
blessings. So wrote Alan Cooper in
Philip Roth and the Jews. Hes not wrong but its about much more
and being Jewish at the end of the twentieth century is certainly a
focal point (Roth may not be the quintessential Jewish writer but
hes certainly never managed to escape his Jewishness); its about
self-identity (and especially loss of self-esteem), grief, remorse,
celebrity (which isnt quite the same as either fame or infamy),
sensitivity, purposelessness and, according to Roth himself writing
in
Reading Myself and Other Stories, physical pain and the havoc
it wrecks on ones human credentials. For me, however, the book is
quite simply about that clich of all clichs: a novelist with
writers block. Its a subject I address in my own novel, The More
Things Change, where my protagonist complains, Someone should
invent a new word, wroter, past tense of writer, one who
once wrote but no longer writes. That sentence could be slipped
seamlessly into The Anatomy Lesson.
Roth puts it baldly: [Zuckerman] had nothing left
to write, and with nothing to write, no reason to be. If youre not
a writer what are you? Many people arent writers and get by just
fine. Most people arent writers but writings like sexand Roths had
a lot to say on the subject over the yearsonce youve had a taste
you cant claim your virginity back:
[W]hat became colossal was the next page. He
thought he had chosen life but what he had chosen was the next
page. Stealing time to write stories, he never thought to wonder
what time might be stealing from him. Only gradually did the
perfecting of a writers iron will begin to feel like the evasion of
experience, and the means to imaginative...
And then my tears
though they broke down on the way.
Now it's just me
and I'm not going away
till you let me in from the cold.
15 July 1994
J. never opened up about everything. She told me stuff shed told
nobodyor at least not many bodiesbefore but not all. Its a mistake
we often make. We learn something shocking about someone (or at
least something that shocks us) and assume thats it; lightning
doesnt strike twice and all that guff. I pressed J. to reveal more
because I could tell there was more but whatever had happened to
her or shed done wouldnt say. Did I need to know? No. Would it have
helped me understand her better? Maybe but probably not because
even what Id learned only told me so much. None of us really
understand each other and the bare facts dont help. Because we
werent there.
Let me give tell you a secret. When I was at the
academy a thing started: two boys set upon a third and, for no good
reason, gave him a beating. Afterwards the third joined their gang
which sought out a fourth to initiate. At the time I was the
fastest boy in the school so by the time they came looking for me
it was a mob and until youve had what felt like the whole school
chase you intent on beating you to a pulp you cant possibly
understand how I felt fleeing for my life. They never caught methe
second-fastest led the chase but I outran himand the whole thing
simply went away after that; they never tried a second time. Does
it help knowing that about me? Sure, its an interesting anecdote
but it really had no great effect on me in the long-term.
She cradled the receiver
like an extension of him
hanging onto the moment
and wrapped her arms around herself
a surrogate embrace
while his gentle words warmed her.
Someone out there loved her.
10 July 1994
Mobile phones existed in 1994. The Nokia 2110 was available then
and the Ericsson EH237 but I never had one. I didnt even have a
landline where I was staying; I had to use a public telephone. Kids
nowadays wont understand what that was like. It sounds horrible but
I have some fond (and not so fond) memories of standing in call
boxes, frozen stiff and fast running out of change. It took effort
to make a call. You had to go out of your way. Im not saying
mobiles phones are necessarily a bad thingits not as cut and dried
as thatbut not all change is for the better.
This poems showing its age. Much like Blondies
Hanging on the Telephone. You could cradle a receiver back then. It
had a comforting shape. I cant feel the same about modern designs.
Theyre functional but thats about it.
Sidney Grace is trying to adjust to her new life in
Crystal Beach, Florida which comes with a whole new set of
challenges. Mainly, what is she going to do to support
herself now and how long can she stay illegally parked at the
beach? The handsome Officer Reece is tough on criminals and
even tougher on witches. But these aren't even her biggest
troubles.
For starters, her mom, the Tupperware Queen, is
headed down for a surprise visit...to look at buying her own
property in Crystal Beach. After all, who else is going to
protect Sidney from hr magic-wielding grandmother? Cue the
funeral march on Sidney's phone. Now she must contend with a
pushy realtor, her crazy new boss, a botched mini-golf tournament,
and her talking cat, while secretly unlocking her own magic.
As she opens her mind to her psychic powers to help
the residents at Shifting Sands, Sidney discovers a second chance
for love, but her heart is pulling her in two different directions,
and one direction could very well be deadly.
She found herself
alone with the truth;
it was an awkward moment
they'd not been introduced.
They'd seen each other
over the years, of course,
a nodding acquaintance
in a small town.
He wasn't what she'd imagined
quite a gentle man
but then neither was she
what she purported to be.
He wanted to talk first.
No he never said, "first:"
he just wanted to talk
and she was confused.
Until he explained
how it was meant to be,
the nature of their universe
and this thing called love.
10 July 1994
Two years from now Ill write a poem entitled The Impossibility of
Crows (#792). It was for and about J. and no one else will get it
but it wasnt for anyone else. In our letters and our phone calls
(but especially in the letters) we revealed ourselves to each
other. Taking off your clothes is easy. Baring your soul is another
thing entirely. What I learned about J. surprised and saddened me
and I came to see her in a completely different light. We think we
know people because we are people but thats like a glass of
lukewarm water imagining it can understand an ice floe or a fog
bank. I had no idea who J. was, not the slightest clue. Mostly
because she didnt want people to know or was trying to convince
herself she was no longer that person. A bit of both most
likely.
Why first? Because when youve spent a lifetime seeing one thing in
the mirror its hard to see anything else. A victim only ever sees a
victim, a sinner only ever sees a sinner, a lost cause only ever
sees a lost cause. Its not for me to tell J.s story. I still have
her letters, all of them, apart from the pages she asked me to
destroy after Id read them. But I remember them. All of them.
It seemed such an appropriate place
to begin a journey
that would never end:
a beach that went on forever
beside a sea that wrapped
itself around the globe;
the symbolism had not
escaped him, nor her,
as she reached for his hand.
The future has to begin somewhere.
10 July 1994
How we got heres not important. At least not as important as the
fact we are here. You cant change the past. Im not even sure you
can learn that much from it since it never repeats itself. Its the
old you-cant-step-in-the-same-river-twice catch. J. wasnt B. who
wasnt F. who wasnt M. who wasnt the other F. who wasnt the other J.
who wasnt A and would not be C. And therere lots of lowercase
letters in there who never got poems dedicated to or written about
them.
Id no idea what was going to happen between J. and
me. Okay, I had a pretty good idea. We might not have had much of a
past but the future was wide open. That said what promises could I
possibly make? We never strolled hand in hand on a beach. We held
hands, oncetwice, if you count my mothers funeraland we kissed just
the once; not sure how many times we hugged but not many. At the
time I didnt know how little time we were going to have but thats
true of every day of every life. Therere some promises we should
never make.
I lay on my bed last night,
grafted your face
on a past we could never have
and filled it with memories
only good ones
where all the rows ended in love.
But the images were stills,
just photographs
of a dream waiting to happen.
I miss you so much.
10 July 1994
How did we get here? I couldve asked that question more than once
over the years. Mostly I wouldnt have been able to answer it
though. I dont think you can put it down to not paying attention. I
dont think thats it. I just think its hard to isolate the key
moments that lead up to whatever here were on about. I have no idea
how J. became so important to me. She was always well, not always
but for a long time there in the background, on the periphery of my
life but when did she take centre stage? When I can answer. It was
1994. Hows not so easy. Even with the gift of hindsight its hard to
answer. We were just suddenly there for each other. When I think
about who she was to me prior to 1994 stills is as good an
expression as any to describe it. She didnt have an active part in
my life. I can picture her therepicture as in photographbut thats
it.
I find the choice of tense in the third line
interesting. I dont write of a past we never had but of a past we
could never have suggesting that the present we were
experiencing would never turn into that kind of past and, in truth,
it never did.
Words can be filled
with all sorts of things:
meanings and feelings
and secrets and lies.
I found some of yours
in a sentence today
hiding in a letter
packed full of truths.
I wasn't sure what
they meant at first;
it scared me,
but I want you too.
26 June 1994
I want doesnt get. My parents never said that to me. Its the kind
of thing they wouldve said had the expression been one they were
familiar with. Instead I was told not to be covetous. Ive always
thought that an odd word to come out of my parents mouthsthey both
used it but I can only hear my mother saying itbecause they were
plain speakers the rest of the time. I dont think I was an
especially greedy childexcept when it came to chocolate biscuitsand
they did tell me my eyes were bigger than my belly on more than one
occasion but they reserved covetous for the times I took something
off my little brother simply because I wanted it. It is the tenth
commandment after all: Thou shalt not covet. I was never told
growing up that wanting was bad per se but it wasnt
encouraged. Didnt all the worlds problems begin with Eve wanting
something that wasnt hers? Which led to covetousness. Which led to
theft. Which led to enticement. Which led to death.
I had a dream a couple of nights ago. I dont
normally remember my dreams for long after waking and am seriously
jealous of those who do but because I grabbed pencil and paper as
soon as I woke up I have a clear record of one particular scene. I
was in a car with Sean and two girls and we were each trying to
tell the girls something. By girls I mean young women. I agreed to
relocate and the next thing I know Im out of the car and in
bedfully clothedwith my girl (who turned out to be B. but I dont
think thats especially important; think of her more as a
place-holder) and I was trying to explain how I felt about her.
This is what I wrote down on waking:
I need to clarify how I feel about
you. It's not enough that I love you or want youit's not enough
that I possess you or dote on youI want to be wi...
Excuse me, I don't know this place;
we're not where we were.
I'm sure we've moved on.
Mind if I join you?
Guess I must've dozed off.
Where're you headed friend?
No; don't tell me.
Just let me sit awhile:
we don't have to talk much.
Could sure use the company.
All journeys end
or so they say
I read a poem once
but I'm not convinced.
Suppose we'll know if we get there.
20 June 1994
The idea for this one came from reading a poem although I dont
remember reading much poetry around this time. The only books I can
recall definitely finishing were Call for the Dead and A
Murder of Quality, John le Carrs first two novels. I also
reread Catcher in the Rye and wasnt nearly as impressed the
second time round. In my head the poem was by a Canadian. Why that
stuck Ive no idea. So I thought Id try and track it
down.
Cohen was the obvious first choice but I cant find
anything. Margaret Atwood wrote, He'll find out somehow, because
journeys end in lovers meeting, but thats from The Blind
Assassin, so not a poem. Just a quick scan of the rest of the
list was enough to make me think I was on a hiding to nothing. So I
expanded my search parameters.
Its a popular phrase all journeys end and it wasnt hard to come up
with a few contenders:
As in interims all journeys end
in three steps
with a mirrored door, beyond it a closet
and a closet wall.
So wrote the poet Jim Harrison in his poem In Interims: Outlyer but
I dont think hes the poet being referenced here.
A trellis rose-like souls can climb and
grow
And a pledge that one day all journeys end
As mind has now I stand in sun, and know.
That was Nicholas Hagger in his poem Among Laughton's Sacred Houses
but its not that one either. Nor is it Long ago, didnt we read how
all journeys end? from Richard Hugos Bay of Resolve.
I went to a short story reading at the weekend.
Its not something I do very often, go out, but I made the effort
because I knew two of the guys reading and wanted to be supportive.
Id no expectations but the event went pretty much the way these
things usually go for me; Im not the worlds best socialiser, far
from it, but the readings themselves were interesting. I didnt
regret not being up there with them, not for a second. I do
understand why people arrange events like this but just because you
write readable stories doesnt mean you should read them yourself.
And this is especially true if your story is in the first person.
People would laugh if I got up on a stage and started to read
Disintegration or Monsters. Despite having lived all my life in
Scotland I do a lousy Scottish accent and an even worse New York
one. So I was wary when my friend Brent Robison dropped me an
e-mail a few months back asking permission to include my story
Tomorrowscape in his podcast, The Strange Recital. Id no
problems with him using ithell, we writers pounce on any
opportunity to promote our writingI just didnt think I could do the
story justice. Not a problem as it happens. Brent had access to a
stable of actors. So, yes, fine, knock yourself out, I said, or
words to that effect. I told him a bit about the voice I heard in
my head when I read the story but other than that I left him
to interpret the thing as he saw fit. After a while he wrote back.
Ive had an idea. Why dont we have a woman read the story? Now Ive
got nothing about womenlove em to bits actuallybut although nowhere
in the story is the sex of the narrator mentioned in my head
it was definitely a male born in 1924 in Syracuse, New York, to a
Jewish family. Just saying. But why not a woman? I wrote
back:
I think this is an interesting
proposition, Brent. Im just sitting here waiting to see who gets
cast as the next Doctor Who and will it be a woman (theyve hinted
as much) or, if theyre going to be super politically-correct, a
black lesbian? Beckett had strong opinions on the subject and
refused, for example, to asked why not by Linda Ben-Zvi his answer
was simply, Women dont have pr...
[T]he absurdity of my condition consisted
in pushing a corpse to the top of a hill before it rolled back
down, endlessly. Kamel Daoud, The Meursault
Investigation
I was probably eighteen the first time I read
The Outsider. Knowing me I picked it up because it was a
slim volumethat and I related to the title (could never quite get
used to Americans calling it The Stranger but if youve ever
wondered why the difference you might want to check out this
Guardian article). Ive read it sincetwice, I thinkand
unlike some of the books I relished in my teens, like Catcher in
the Rye, its a book I found I grew into rather than away from,
but even on a first read I knew this one was a bit special and so
dashed out and bought The Myth of Sisyphus, The
Plague, The Fall and Exile and the Kingdom (books
were a lot cheaper back then)theyve all got something but I can see
why for most people The Outsider stands out although I do
have a soft spot for The Plague.
As soon as I heard about The Meursault
Investigation I knew I wanted to read it but expected to be
disappointed. Im delighted to report I wasnt; far from it in fact.
Of course its been done beforeto my mind most notably in
Rosencrantz and Guildenstern are Dead but also in Wild
Sargasso Sea, Mary Reilly and Gregory Maguire's
Wicked: The Life and Times of the Wicked Witch of the
Westminor characters are given a voice but few authors have had
as little to work with as Kamel Daoud. His novel focuses on the
Arab, the man Meursault shoots on the beach in The Outsider.
What do we know about him for sure? That he wore blue dungarees;
that he had a friend who played a reed, that he owned a knife and
on at least one occasion in his life lounged on a beach. Not much.
Even calling him the Arab isnt especially helpful. It would be like
a soldier in the British Raj talking about the Indian because at
the time of the shooting this was French Algeria, one of France's
longest-held overseas territories, and it continued as such until
1962. As Daoud points out:
Love is a straight line
it gets right to the heart of things.
Love squared is expansive
it covers a multitude of sins.
Love to the power of three is deep
it takes time to explore.
Give me your hand
and don't be afraid.
12 June 1994
The geometry of love. That wouldve made a decent title too. A
one-dimensional straight line grows to become a two-dimensional
flat plane which expands to become a three-dimensional cube. This
is a love poem but what kind of love I cant say. Not a simple love;
that much is true. Interestingly I dont use the in word in this
poem. I dont talk about diving into the deep. I do think of
it as a dark place and darkness can be scary. Yet what does it take
to reduce that fear to a tolerable level? a spark? a reassuring
voice? or maybe a hand to hold? By this time in my life Id been
infatuated with, had crushes on, lusted after, doted on, adored,
loved and been in love with more than a few women. And now here was
one more desperately needing to be cared for. The last thing in the
world I was looking for was another woman. I would be lying if I
said I wasnt wary.
How did love find its way in here?
What's it doing in a place like this?
It knows it'll die
there's nothing to keep it alive
and yet it came.
Somehow I knew it would
but I was still unprepared.
How do you prepare to lose something
before you've really found it?
10 June 1994
Why do people meet behind the wood and not in the wood?
Surely the trees would provide cover? Dont you have to pass
through the wood to get behind it? Maybe thats the point.
Maybe this kind of meeting warrants effort. For months J. and I had
kept our distance. The only time I made any effort was once when we
ran into each other in the bank and I asked her if shed like to go
for a coffee but she declined and it was probably for the best.
What if wed been seen? People talk even when theres nothing to talk
about and there was nothing to talk about.
My dad asked me if J. and I were in a
relationship. Its an annoying little preposition. Its not enough
for us to love someone, we have to be in love with them.
Both J. and I were going through our respective somethings in 1994.
We were both very much in our individual woods. So I think
Im being presumptuous here in assuming either one of us had made it
to the clearing beyond it. I dont know. I dont know what I was
thinking.
Why the titles in quotes I couldnt tell you. I can
find several people whove used the expressionShakespeare, Tennyson,
Turgenevbut none of them ring a bell.
She didn't see it at first
because the world was full of lights.
Then the lights went out
and the sky was filled with stars.
But when the stars fell down
and all was dark and cold
then she noticed it,
alone and unsure,
in a universe of darkness.
And it was for her.
7 June 1994
Every now and then someone turns up in our life
and we cant quite remember a) when they arrived and b) how they
became important to us. Thats how it was with J. I dont recall
meeting her for the first time. I do know there was a time when she
wasnt a part of my life but the window in which she appeared is a
wide one, anywhere between 1983 and 1988 at a rough guess. One day
she wasnt there, the next she was. She became a friend of the
family but she wasnt part of our inner circle and I can only
remember her being at our house once only Im not sure she came
in the house; I remember her in the back garden (I think she
was dropping something off) but thats it. I was never inside her
house and only once knocked on her door to drop off a book but she
was out so I gave it to her eldest son. And yet after the
disastrous years that led up to 1994 she was the only person from
my pastapart from my parents (and by that I mean mainly my dad)whom
I kept in touch with. I wrote to her, she replied and we
corresponded and talked occasionally on the phone for a few months.
In the years to come I met her in person only twice; the last time
was at my mothers funeral.
When my dad learned about J. he asked if I had a
relationship with her and I remember being confused by the question
because I honestly hadnt thought about it. For a man who prides
himself on his knowledge of words my misunderstanding is a
surprising one. We were friends and I loved her but that was all I
could be sure about. To this day I couldnt tell you if I fell
in love with her but we did cling to each other for a while
and that can muddy the waters. She was also going through a bad
timeshed come home to find her husband had hung himself leaving her
with three boys to raise on her ownand was also very much alone
having been abandoned by almost everyone. (Not as a direct
consequence of the suicide but I dont want...
What do I say?
What do I say to the pain,
Pain, go away?
You are my pain;
you define what I am.
What would I do without you?
We have been together so long
like a wartime couple who married too young
and stayed together for the sake of the kids.
But this is the nineteen-nineties
I don't need to take this. (Did I say that?)
Yes; go away. Go away now!
It won't be the same
but then
it never should have been.
5 June 1994
Three years is a long time to go without writing poetry. Prose
helps but its not the same. Not by a long chalk. A lot's happened
since I wrote Pillow Fight in August 1991. F. and I are no longer
together, Ive quit my job, moved away, lost almost all my friends
and am in the middle of my second major depression. Id like to say
this is the lowest point in my life but Im not sure it was. I
suppose for some people theres a day where they hit rock bottom and
the only way is up but, for me, it took a long time to bottom out,
months in fact. This isnt a particularly good poem but I cant
really skip it because of its significance. Saying youre going to
stop drinking or taking drugs is one thing and Im not saying its
easy but saying youre not going to hurt any more is another thing
completely. Rodman Philbrick said, Pain is just a state of mind.
You can think your way out of everything, even pain. Well, this is
me starting this process and it took about eighteen months before
it dawned on me I was no longer depressed.
As for who J. was, Ill come back to her. Yes, its
a her. You knew it was going to be another her. Where would my life
be without all the hers in it?
For Chloe Abbington, the transition from fine art painter in
New York City to painting-event business owner in charming Whisper
Cove is more than a little jarring. But when poison-pen
journalist Fiona Gimble writes a viciously negative review of the
newly opened Paint With a View, Chloe learns that critics are the
same everywhere. And when she finds Fiona's body behind her
shop with a painting knife in her neck, Chloe realizes that this
picture-perfect town offers anything but peace and
quiet.
Suddenly, bustling Artisian Alley is a crime scene,
and Chloe is the prime suspect. Her sister and business
partner, Izzie, isn't much help -- she's busy running the shop, and
besides, she has secrets of her own. As shrewd detective
Barrett tries to paint her into a corner, Chloe soon finds that
Fiona had plenty of enemies. The Whisper Cove Gazette
columnist wielded her pen like a sword, slicing and dicing just
about every shop owner...
I let the moment go.
I left your lap and your breasts, my sister's breasts,
to rest my weary head on dreams and colder memories
not strong enough to be weak or honest enough to want
and afraid to ask as I wasn't sure.
What am I supposed to do with all these feelings?
4 August 1991
I only vaguely remember the event that triggered
this poem but not what its about. I know it takes its title from a
painting by Giorgio de Chirico, The Melancholy of Departure but Im
not sure why. And Im not even sure if its the 1914 painting (Gare
Montparnasse (The Melancholy of Departure)) or the 1916 painting
(The Melancholy of Departure); I suspect the former and thats the
image Ive used. The date puzzles me too. I remember being with my
sister but not in 1991.
I was upset. I dont know why I was upsetso many things to choose
frombut we were on the couch in her flat only it couldnt have been
the couch because the couch was against the wall. Had she
rearranged the room? So how exactly did this work? Was my head in
her lap? I was crying (I think I was crying) and she went to
comfort me. Was my head on her shoulder or in her lap? The shoulder
makes more sense. After a time she either lifted or lowered my head
so that it rested on her right breast. It wasnt her simply shifting
because she was uncomfortable; it was a deliberate action. I never
understood why she did thattheres nothing remotely maternal about
my sisterbut its a gesture thats always touched me. Weve never
talked about it but I doubt shed have any answers. It clearly felt
right at the time. It wasnt sexual and it was an awkward position
(she didnt have much of a bust to rest anything on) which is
probably why I moved. Is that how my head ended in her lap? You
would think Id remember something like this with crystal clarity
but far from it.
This is the first original poem in over a year. I
wrote one more on 16 August and then nothingno poetry at leastfor
three years. This was the start of my second major
depression.
"It's all right," William said (talking to my chest),
"When it's not all right I scream into my pillow.
"It's full of breasts you see
I rip them out of magazines and papers
(we're not allowed scissors).
"They're like sponges, (I read it in a book)
you must see they soak up the pain."
16 August 1991
On the surface I can see how people might assume this poem is a
natural follow-on to Grief at Parting (#734) and
Im not saying theres not a connection but William had already
expressed an interest in womens breasts in The Lady Doctor(#620).
When I came to write my first novel (around November 1993) I
decided to make Jonathan a mastrophile and the same is true of Joe,
the dead father in my new novel Left, but before you tar me
as a latter day Russ Meyer can I just state for the record that Im
not obsessed with breasts. I mean I like themwhat red-blooded male
doesnt?but from a writers point of view Im far more interested in
them because of the symbolism that goes with them. I had originally
intended Jonathan to be a bum man but it was much simpler with
boobs. Its lazy writing on one level, to go with the obvious, but
why make things hard for our readers? Men are hard-wired to be
drawn to breasts. We dont shake our heads when we learn this. We
might not be proud to announce to the world that our dad has a
complete collection of Juggs in his wardrobe but better that
than Heavy Rubber Fetish Magazine.
I gave her some hollow words to fill and she asked what with.
I suggested the truth but the romantic in her wasn't too keen.
So she left them empty on a shelf.
She said they meant something to her.
One day a spider made a web in them to catch flies.
6 April 1991
Hollow words. Empty words. Beats me why so many people struggle
with poetry. Your words dont ring true. Words dont ring. And yet we
know exactly what that means. Ive written poems for people for
decades and yet few of the recipients have ever got them. Im not
talking about pearls before swineI would never be that
condescendingbut most of them wouldve been just as happy (more so
even) with a card from Clintons and a bar of Dairy Milk.
Birth befalls me Life occupies me Death completes me
douard Lev, Suicide
The Death
of the Author is a 1967 essay by the French literary critic and
theorist Roland Barthes.
It has nothing to say about dead authors or even suicidal authors.
So why bring it up? Barthes essay argues against traditional
literary criticism's practice of incorporating the intentions and
biographical context of an author in an interpretation of a text,
and instead argues that writing and creator are unrelated. He has a
point up to a point and I couldnt help thinking of him when I read
these lines addressed to a man who has recently killed himself:
The way in which you quit it rewrote the story
of your life in a negative form. Those who knew you reread each of
your acts in the light of your last. Henceforth, the shadow of this
tall black tree hides the forest that was your life. When you are
spoken of, it begins with recounting your death, before going back
to explain it. Isnt it peculiar how this final gesture inverts your
biography?
Silvia Plath,
Richard
Brautigan, Hunter S.
Thompson, David Foster
Wallace, Ernest
Hemingway, Anne Sexton: the
list is not short and yet its impossible once you realise the
author of the book you have in your hands has killed himself not to
look for clues. In 2013, for example, an
article appeared in The Telegraph talking about how the
notes for Plaths last poem Sheep in Fog show the poet's increasing
fragility as she approached the date she took her own life. The
LitHub article The Suicide
Note as Literary Genre is also worth a read. Why the
fascination? Because lifes precious and people go to
extraordinary...
Hans Christian Andersen Born 2nd April 1805, Odense, Funen,
Kingdom of Denmark. Died 4th August 1875 (age 70), sterbro,
Copenhagen, Kingdom of Denmark Hans Christian Andersen, in
Scandinavia AKA as H. C. Andersen, was a prolific Danish writer of
plays, travelogues, novels, poems, but is best known for his
classic fairy tales. Hans Christian Andersens []
Charles Lutwidge Dodgson : Pen Name Lewis Carroll Born 27th
January 1832, Daresbury, Cheshire, England. Died (age 65) 14th
January 1898, Guildford, Surrey, England. Lewis Carroll was an
English writer, mathematician, logician, Anglican deacon, and
photographer. His most famous writings are Alices Adventures in
Wonderland and its sequel Through the Looking-Glass (includes the
poem Jabberwocky), []
Thomas Stearns Eliot OM Born 26th September 1888, St. Louis,
Missouri, U.S. Died 4th January 1965, London, England. T. S. Eliot
was a British essayist, publisher, playwright, literary and social
critic, and one of the twentieth centurys major poets. He moved
from his native United States to England in 1914 at the age of 25,
[]
Abraham Bram Stoker Born 8th November 1847, Dublin, Ireland.
Died 20th April 1912, London, England. Bram Stoker was an Irish
author, best known today for his Gothic adventure novel Dracula
(1897), spawning the infamous Count Dracula vampire legend from
Transylvania. During his lifetime, Stoker was better known as the
personal assistant to the actor Henry []
Jane Austen English novelist born 16th December 1775, died 18th
July 1817. Known primarily for her six major novels, which
interpret, critique and comment upon the British landed gentry at
the end of the 18th century. Jane Austens plots often explore the
dependence of women on marriage in the pursuit of favourable social
standing and []
Poems by Arthur Conan Doyle Arthur Conan Doyle Poetry Songs of
Action Poems (1898) The Song of the Bow Poem Cremona Poem The
Storming Party Poem The Frontier Line Poem Corporal Dicks Promotion
Poem A Forgotten Tale Poem Pennarby Mine Poem A Rover Chanty Poem A
Ballad of the Ranks Poem A Lay of the []
Sophie is busy handling the first ever convention
of the Association of Ghost Kitchens -- restaurants that do
delivery only -- but she's taking a little time out for a lunch
meeting organized by A Healthy Meal. The group is dedication
to providing meals for children in need, and as a bonus, it'll give
Sophie the perfect opportunity to ogle the lavish Old Town home of
socialite Geraldine Stansfield. Gerrie's dining room is
impeccably furnished, the table laden with gleaming crystal and
prized china. If it weren't for the dead many lying on the
floor, everything would be perfect...
No one knows the victim -- or at least, no one
claims to. But a little snooping by Sophie reveals links to
many local notables. In fact, not only was he a client of
Geraldine's late husband, an attorney -- every member of the
Stansfield clan knew the deceased. But only one knows what he
was doing in Gerrie's house.
Doyle, Sir Arthur Conan (1859-1930), British physician,
novelist, and detective-story writer, creator of the unforgettable
master sleuth Sherlock Holmes. Conan Doyle was born on May 22,
1859, in Edinburgh and educated at Stonyhurst College and the
University of Edinburgh. From 1882 to 1890 he practiced medicine in
Southsea, England. A Study in Scarlet, the first []
Sherlock Holmes by Arthur Conan Doyle Sherlock Holmes by Sir
Arthur Conan Doyle Sherlock Holmes Detective Stories Sherlock
Holmes A Study in Scarlet Sherlock Holmes Story 1, Beetons
Christmas Annual, December 1887 Sherlock Holmes The Sign of The
Four Sherlock Holmes Story 2, Lippincotts Magazine, February 1890
The Adventures of Sherlock Holmes 12 Sherlock Holmes []
Brigadier Gerard by Arthur Conan Doyle Brigadier Gerard by Sir
Arthur Conan Doyle Brigadier Gerard Stories The Exploits Of
Brigadier Gerard 8 Brigadier Gerard stories first published in The
Strand Magazine, December 1894 to December 1895 First book edition:
George Newnes, London, 1896 I. How The Brigadier Came To The Castle
Of Gloom Brigadier Gerard []
Sir James Matthew Barrie, 1st Baronet Born May 9th, 1860,
Kirriemuir, Angus, Scotland Died June 19th, 1937, London, England
Dramatist and novelist who is best known as the creator of Peter
Pan, the boy who refused to grow up. The son of a weaver, Barrie
never recovered from the shock he received at six from []
Adelaide Anne Procter (born 30th October 1825 died 2nd February
1864) was an English poet, feminist, and philanthropist. Procter
never married, she worked tirelessly on behalf of unemployed women
and the homeless, and was actively involved with feminist groups
and journals. She died of tuberculosis at the age of 38. Procters
literary career started []
Marlowe, Christopher (1564-1593), Born the same year as
Shakespeare, Christopher Marlowe was to become the first great poet
of the theatres second great age. His life, much like the lives of
his characters, would be short and violent. Christopher Marlowe
Works The First Book of Lucan (1582) Ovids Amores (1582 1st
Published 1600?) The []
All of Montgomery's books emerge
on Prince Edward Island, which furnishes the backdrop of
Montgomery's fifth book in her "Anne of Green Gable" series. The
author has a way with words and her characters present a calming
and unique presence which creates a longing to experience
their companionship while walking along the shore or spending the
afternoon sharing words from the heart, yet the expressions
disappearing from our thoughts the next day.
Besides the character in Anne's
story, what percentage of the population on our beloved earth have
smelled flowers in the dark, or even thought of this as an activity
to claim as their own?
When humans find the time to
lean forward and breathe in the fragrance of flowers, typically the
brilliance of day or artificial light pervade the
atmosphere. The radiance has pushed the darkness back to the
shadowy corners in which the blackness abides until it rules the
night once more.
The night grows deeper as
the minutes fly by, growing larger as the lights are
extinguished in stores and homes--then according to the quote,
this is the ultimate time to...
The story, created by David Moody, compares to a train moving away
from a station platform. At first, a person could run alongside the
track easily, though as the train speeds up, there comes a moment
that the runner anticipates the futility of persevering, and as the
cars rush forward, the person inevitably slows down, or at the last
moment a decision emerges to jump on for the ride.
I was that runner, easily bored at the beginning of the
book--my mind outracing the slowness of the words, but approaching
the finish line, my every thought fixated on this speeding target,
and the ride arrived in a blur of insanity.
The destruction of mankind achieved by the resolute desire of
alien's to take over our beautiful planet isn't an original
concept. The total annihilation of the human race asserts an
expectation both implausible and infuriatingly frightening--how can
one's mind begin to perceive the idea of humans never existing
again on our planet, the Milky Way Galaxy or the known
universe?
In our seeking of amusement, the question we must ask
ourselves--how does our story play out? Would a realistic
ending achieve the favored results, or a breathtaking climax
featuring humans kicking ET's butt, as in the movie
Independence Day or Wells theory that humans commit to
remaining alive until an earthly virus attacks the invaders, and
abruptly we're impervious to their onslaught? This leaves us
finishing a book or movie perceiving humans as invincible and
pitying those fools from space who think they could win a war with
us.
The probable truth tells a diverse story of alien victory. They
possess the technology to travel copious light years (one can
travel six trillion miles at the speed of light in one year) to
commence their battle, and earth owns a space station and a few
exhausted space shuttles providing meager protection.
The intelligence of invading aliens would eclipse the beings in
Signs (one of my favorite movies) who can't open doors, traveled a
prodigious distance while forgetting to bring along catastrophic
weapons to kill the pesky humans and arrived on a planet that's
seventy percent water which contains their deadly kryptonite. Just
as the witch said in The Wizard Of Oz, "it burns, oh how it burns,"
the aliens knew of what she spoke...
When I discovered my love for reading, as a young teenager, I found
myself skipping over paragraphs that I found boring. Over time, I
realized the words I threw away contained crucial information to
the story line, which subsequently stopped the habit, until now. I
caught myself leaping over paragraphs to lessen my burden of the
wrath contained within along with the boredom it produced.
On opening the pages, words viciously tumbled out, forcing an
aspiration to seek safety from the onslaught. Seventy-five percent
of the book dwells with the dreadful conditions preceding the
comet, followed by the final words telling the story after the
comet passes the earth, yet continues to cast dispersions
concerning the past.
Dude, we get it and it was bad.
The leading character isn't a man that's easy to respect. He thinks
too highly of himself, blames other people for his problems, has a
disastrous slow boiling temper and makes terrible decisions while
disrespecting essentially everyone, including his hard-working poor
mother. Though, after the transformation, there emerges a
tenderness for his mother, which creates a happiness that she
richly deserves.
Willie's fury awakens a destructive force from within, which pushes
him "to the dark side," creating a wish to destroy the woman
responsible for breaking his heart.
He comprehends a true love existing between Nellie
and himself, though he's rarely declared his love in
person, as there's significant mileage separating the two.
His enhanced feelings find writing a torrent of letters outweigh
his anticipation of the letters he receives (the British postal
system became the basis for their entire relationship). As all
pretentious and self-righteous people believe, he acknowledges
there's more for him to teach than to learn.
There's more than one villain in the book, as Nellie deserves
limited respect--running off with a rich man that will one day cast
her aside when he's through with her. Strict conformity of class
conscience permeates society well into the twentieth century.
A rich man who married a poor woman would be an outcast,
since polite society would never receive him in their midst.
Women who made this decision, during that time period, left chaos
and shame for her family to bear alone...
Hercule Poirot solves yet another murder that flourishes in his
general vicinity, an occurrence that happens quite frequently.
Should authorities engage in the deliverance of Poirot to an
abandoned island to save the humanity around him?
Certain individuals may attract the dark side in unsuspecting
humans, forcing their minds with a murderer's logic to kill, though
the "certain individuals" appear guiltless of their power.
This brings to mind, Stephen King's television show called Haven--a
town of people who innocently have "The Troubles," which harm
others around them in a myriad of ways.
Poirot would not hesitate in adjusting his address to a remote
location if murders occurred from his continued existence amid the
populace. Though, when a challenging murder case hasn't presented
itself for him to solve, boredom steps in for Poirot, as he has a
need to continually exercise his little gray cells. He lives in a
paradoxical world--detesting the actual deed that conveys
contentment to his brain using order, method and psychology.
Traveling on the Orient Express, through the snowy night from
Istanbul towards its long trek across Europe, officials
wake Poirot to impart the news concerning a fellow
passenger's murder. His famous gray cells embark on a journey
of truth as he delves into an investigation.
The Perp left twelve stab wounds on the Vic (wrong time
period), implicating specific passengers. Delving further in
pursuit, Poirot inserts additional people in the guilty
spotlight, until the number of suspects match the twelve marks on
the body. Poirot imparts two outcomes, one sets the group free and
the second delivers the twelve to the gallows.
Netflix contains twelve seasons of Agatha's Poirot, displaying
several of her short stories and an occasional novel. It's
impossible for each episode to follow a strict formula capturing
the exact story line, and the episode of Murder on the Orient
Express fails on all levels.
Poirot appears without a human soul, exclusively empty of empathy
or compassion. This horrid human being, watching a woman stoned to
death for adultery (this scene in Istanbul doesn't appear in the
book), states nonchal...
Mitford's small town life breathes a story that's revealed to us
through the eyes of one Timothy Kavanagh, or as people prefer to
call him, Father Tim.
Father Tim has led a solitary home life for the majority of his
adult existence, though the certainty of that world will shift the
year he turns sixty. His reality alters with the appearance of a
massive dog, who's still a puppy, a young boy needing a home and an
interesting neighbor, for which he's inadequately prepared.
The reasoning behind his bachelorhood isn't a reflection on his
view of women, the problem evolved from the lack of a soul mate. He
made an unconscious choice to live alone rather than forcing the
fear of loneliness into a decision of an unwanted marriage.
At this point in his life, he believes he'll be single throughout
his remaining years, though fate has other plans ready to thrust
upon him, whether he's ready or not.
Is Mitford a realistic look at life in a southern village? The
residents may appear a tad polished for a wee town in North
Carolina. They're an engaging, giving, intelligent, interesting,
hard working and essentially likable lot.
Mitford is situated on the top of a mountain with gorgeous views of
the valleys below, and is a day trip tourist destination, and
though the town welcomes visitors, there's an unvoiced slogan of
"thank you for visiting, now go home."
Considerable reviews share Father Tim's imperfections. There's a
belief he should save everyone from everything, while never
sleeping or meeting his own needs.
Does he have faults? Yes, he realizes he has a hard place in his
soul from the result of a harsh father, and wants to deviate away
from this flaw, yet this doesn't reflect on his giving spirit, for
he metes out love to all he comes in contact with. He daydreams of
running away, and self doubt isn't a stranger, and he'll be the
first to tell people to put their trust in Jesus Christ and not in
men, for men will always fail.
If you want to read a book concerning a perfect pastor--this isn't
the book for you, though if you're willing to read of an unfinished
(and aren't we all) person continuously looking to God for
guidance, then read away.
The difficulty in making Hercule Poirot one's dupe is that he's too
smart for anyone to outwit. There will always be those criminal
elements who think too highly of themselves and decide they can
pull it off. This will always conclude in failure for their little
murdering souls and another success for the honored
Poirot.
Nick, our little protagonist, parties 1930's style--she's a young
woman who may soon succumb to a murder's desire to see her dead.
The reason for her aspired death is a mystery for she hasn't
any money or enemies. When Poirot meets her at his hotel on
holiday, he finds out that several attempts on her life have
failed, and proposes to keep her safe while finding the murderer
before the murder actually takes place.
He tells her to send for her cousin Maggie whose constant presence
should function as a deterrent against the killer.
Tragedy strikes the first night she arrives when the killer
believes she is Nick and the sound of the shot, hidden by local
fireworks, finds its mark.
Nick's shawl, worn by Maggie, throws the killer off and the wrong
woman is shot. Poirot is devasted that this should happen when he
promised protection. A nursing home appears the safest place for
Nick though the murderer attempts another success by sending
chocolate filled with cocaine.
During the course of the investigation, Poirot finds love letters
from Nick's fiance who recently died, leaving Nick a rich woman.
Finally, he is able to put the facts together and takes the action
he loves, assembling everyone suspected together to tell the
identity of the killer. He does this for suspense and to show off
his wondrous gray cells.
We find out that Nick isn't a sweet person after all, and she
killed her cousin and pretended all the other attempts on her
life happened. She overdosed on the cocaine by her own hand and put
the gun used to kill Maggie in her best friend's coat. She did all
this for the same reason many people kill--for the money.
Nick and Maggie share the same first name of Magdala, so when
Nick found love letters from the famous and rich fiance to her
cousin, she claimed them as her own. Who would know the difference,
since the engagement had been a se...
From the moment I commenced reading this story, memories of another
story stirred around in my brain.
Men living on a base in Antarctica and a being so evil that it can
duplicate itself into any existing living cell structures.
Voila, I knew it appeared similar to the movie called The Thing,
which is a terrifyingly wonderful movie starring Kurt Russel. In
fact, the movie's based on the book.
Who Goes There was published in 1938. That boggles the mind to
understand the mind of the man who had the intelligence to write
such a brilliant book. Reading it today, I felt the concepts were
way before their time in the same manner of Jules Verne or H. G.
Wells. The story showed such insight that a movie made fifty years
later would thrill audiences with anxiety filled horror.
Even though I liked the book, this is one of those instances where
the film is superior. The book had several of the same elements,
yet the movie took those elements to a higher playing field and
added a fresh new story line causing more terror filled
moments.
To be stuck in Antarctica with the "being" on the loose would
be terrifying, and never knowing if a friend is still a human,
would be agonizing. Plus they're in Antarctica with no place to
run. The weather outside shows 40 below--until aid arrives, there's
no place to hide.
There's also the added fear of spreading the evil off the base and
into the world.
I still feel that feeling of wonderful creepiness rolling off my
shoulders.
If by chance a major disaster wipes out a massive percentage of the
population--the evil in countless humans will run rampant. Warlords
will seize power resulting in endless beings suffering at their
hands. People who were rather decent before the catastrophe will
become savage with greed for themselves or their families. Kindness
and honesty may be just words from our past, and instead of helping
each other, humans will turn back time to the dark ages.
Knowing all of these predictions could come true, the cruelty in
some books becomes troublesome, that's one reason Druga's books and
I get along famously. She writes often regarding the exemplary
behavior of people during dark periods of humankind's worst
nightmares.
The story centers on a woman named Abby and her two daughters who
travel to the city to have an amusing day. On the way home, she
drives into a large tunnel when suddenly a nuclear bomb hits the
city they just left. Several survivors find a smaller tunnel into a
mountain that keeps them away from the fallout, and for a brief
while they're safe.
They must leave the tunnel eventually, plus their hearts are
yearning to travel to a husband and son still at home. Along the
way, each person met shows compassion (except one unknown assailant
in the story for just a few lines), now that's the world I would
love to be in if events turn to devastation.
Druga's books are always effortless to read, and the only problem I
find with them--they eventually must come to a conclusion.
I've watched both Stepford Wives on film and wanted to know how
skillful Levin wrote the book--was his writing as brilliant as the
first movie or as dreadful as the second or somewhere in
between.
Additionally, the first Stepford Wives show Joanna(Katherine Ross)
strong to the finish, and the second one with Nicole Kidman was
merely silly, but what about Joanna in the book?
She's precisely the same as the character in the first film except
she wasn't as secure with herself at the end and starts to
lose her hold on reality. An infinite number of women couldn't
arrive near this portion of the story and still stay
sane--perceiving their death is imminent and soon a robot will be
their replacement.
To understand the book one must understand the age the book was
published (1972). For the first time, women were actually gaining
rights and receiving the respect due to them, though grudgingly by
a substantial population of men.
Perhaps all men from this time period grew up with a mom who didn't
work and had one specific job--to create comfort for their family,
wait on their husbands as if they were children, and never have
their own identity. They must even write their name as Mrs. John
Doe, and never receive or send letters with their own name. They
were lost even to themselves.
The seventies became a breakthrough for women's rights and we won
though it was a struggle. Men wanted their maids and cooks back in
the kitchen--not out in the workforce. So it's conceivable that a
man would replace his wife with a robot to create a home
exceptionally comfortable and to have a sandwich in his hand
whenever desired.
Though it's ambitious to believe that an entire community of men
could agree to mass murder. The book states that countless people
left the community after the men's club formed, and the previous
owners of Joanna's home stayed only two months, hopefully in this
world, a favorable amount of men had a conscience.
I've often thought about the female children of these
killers--would they be just as willing for them to die so their
husbands could have the same setup? They're all murderers and
butchers, I've come to the conclusion they might be willing--who
could have a normal psyche after conducting or agreeing to such
madness.
Another book on the end of life's existence for countless
humans-- not that there is anything wrong with another story
containing diseases, horrible lunatics, starvation, destruction and
so much more fun.
Before the events of this book take place, there's an
extensive amount of back story concerning the father, named
Grant and his four children. Grant's past includes running out
continuously on his family, addiction, selfishness and as his wife
lay dying, he was somewhere else taking care of his own needs as
usual.
As the world begins the downward journey of human
destruction, Grant takes his motherless children to his father's
farm. His oldest son hates him and believes Grant will let
them all down yet again, but Grant fights his addiction and
continues to win.
They barely survive the winter when suddenly horror is thrust
upon them. Modern day pirates, though land pirates,
descend upon their farm and create havoc, kidnapping, and
murder.
This is where the story turns to such sadness that I could
hardly continue reading. Grants young son is killed by the bandits,
and his daughter taken.
I know that children would die if this story came true, but
reading such sadness is hard to bear. Children die all too often in
the real world--why shouldn't they live in books.
There could be a worldwide referendum to prevent the death of
children until they are the age of 18 in all future books
punishable by some horrendous sentence.
I plan to read the next book in the series name
Remnants though I'm sure it contains more sadness to be
endured.
When I commenced reading this short story, I agreed with
various other reviewers stating the book appeared similar to
Avatar--as the story progressed--my mind began to waver on that
point of view.
Joe, who's a man made being, lives on Jupiter controlled by a
handicapped man named Ed, though there's a last name listed, I will
call him "Ed." Ed is a disabled man who must move around in a
wheelchair, and his job keeps him hooked to the avatar, but that's
where the similarity ends between this book and James Cameron's
laughable movie.
Joe can live on his own, though Ed controls Joe using his
brain power, exploring the environment through Joe's eyes. A
problem arises with the machine-- a tube (those pesky tubes from
the 1950's) continually dysfunctions. Another scientist believes
that Ed's sick and tired of Joe, however that isn't the case at
all--Ed loves being in Joe's body. Who could blame him--he can roam
around, drinking methane and eating random animals raw that wander
near him. He makes pet animals (his dogs) out of giant
caterpillars, and he's free from constraints.
Eventually, Ed leaves his human body and Ed and Joe fuse into one
being.
The similarity to Avatar ends early in the story, since there
isn't dragon riding and becoming one with the dragon through Ed's
ponytail, or an ancient tree, or other ridiculous
storylines from Avatar. Yes, Ed stays in his avatar, but the
avatar in the movie didn't have any type of mind of his own--plus
there isn't a strong culture in place in the book.
Ultimately, the scientist on their little space station come up
with a beneficial idea, bring up humans (with disabilities who wish
to go)for the purpose of connecting their brains with the
dozen Jovians recently sent down to the planet's surface without
human control.
They also discuss sending the elderly up, anticipating living
an extra life before dying "for reals."
An interesting concept, and personally when I'm a hundred
years old, I could stand a caterpillar or two as my special
pets.
Running, running, running, running, sprinkled with finite
altercations against zombie aliens, could sum up the entire book,
and complete my review.
I wanted to love this book, all the elements are in place to
create a forceful story, aliens who find a way to "zombiefy"
humans, and force them fight against us, a man desperately looking
for his family and the human will to fight against all odds, yet
there's a missing factor composing any enthusiasm for their
welfare.
Jacob falls in with a small group of soldiers and civilians
trying to reach safety, while trying to stay alive, and that's when
the running comes into play. I would correctly surmise this book to
be 80% running to and from danger, and 15% fighting and dabs of
worry for his wife and child.
There isn't a cohesive bond present that guides the book into
an acceptable story. The characters in Jurassic Park move about
constantly, but the story emerged perfectly written, without
boredom permeating the hours spent lost in the world of dinosaurs.
In fact, we want the characters to succeed in Crichton's books, yet
I found myself not caring if Jacob fell to the enemy. If a
defection to the dark side had occurred, my interest would have
peaked substantially.
The lowest depth, the book achieves, occurs during the
reuniting with his family. Tears, happiness, and joyful words,
would not appear amiss, in his reaction on perceiving his family,
in his hospital bed.
The aloof reaction he portrayed emanated milk warm at best, and
bordered on a greeting to a mere acquaintance, and not a beloved
family member.
I yearned for the hospital scene to be a farce in which two
possible outcomes could transpire:
(1) He concludes his family and hospital workers are actually alien
zombies, controlled by the aliens. The use of subterfuge, by the
infiltrators, to discover military's plans of defense would be
brilliant.
(2) His family's happiness turns to horror when they discover he's
an alien zombie. Their loathing turns into panic, when he
systematically destroys every human in the room.
Oh, dystopian books, how I love you, and Jacqueline Druga is my go
to dystopian dealer to feed my need for this genre in my life.
Druga resides in the realm amid my favorite authors, though
occasionally there exists a modest dissatisfaction displayed in her
writing--her characters may emit the feelings of meeting old
friends, then the realization occurs--they may be a rehash of
recycled individuals.
A Path To Utopia features Robi, a clone of Brett in Torn who's a
clone of Ellen in Beginnings. Druga should abandon this
blueprint, and start over fresh--possibly the correct answer
is quality instead of quantity.
Though there's one aspect I admire in her female characters--they
posses strength, they fight hard and they never surrender to
failure. In a disaster, I'd happily join their team to struggle
through each hazardous day with them.
Twenty-five percent of the population survives a worldwide
catastrophic event, in which the majority of people die, collapsing
to the ground, leaving the survivors alone with their fears.
The concept of standing amid a dead populated planet isn't an
original idea, though usually the populace finishes an illness to
produce the same result as in The Stand by Stephen King. Autumn by
David Moody also has the majority of the world drop to their deaths
simultaneously, though they eventually rise as zombies. However it
happens, the fear would intensify with the supplemented horrors of
evil, zombies or aliens, pushing the sanest person to lunacy.
It's amusing to watch the progress of the characters, the clueless
creatures struggling to detect the truth. We (the reader) initially
perceived the accuracy of the story--patience is required while
waiting for their eureka moment.
The same formula happens in horror movies, when a young woman
decides to walk up the stairs (or a room, house or the woods)
alone. The audience grasps the truth of imminent death, though the
women are so young, so innocent and shortly so dead.
Obviously, aliens attacked the earth, yet our group believes it's
world war III, though one person, an elderly doctor they travel
with, has ascertained the truth. When they realize he's not senile,
he relishes his "I told you so" moment.
Mas and Sam, are two unequaled beings in our diminutive gr...
I'm always interested in reading zombie books that happen in
different countries besides my own--Apocalypse Z and now Aftermath
contribute to that category. Though, we're all human, and
would react the same way (run, hide, fight and scream loudly) when
a zombie wanted to eat our brains for a tasty snack, there're
little nuances that show a difference (from cursing to
weapons).
This zombie tale takes place in Australia, though by the time our
group of lovelorn characters appear in the picture the apocalypse
has finished it's foul work, and the majority of humans are now
walkers.
Our group of five have camped out in a remote area for a month, and
they're ready to face civilization again--the world they left
behind. The story tells the way they find out what happened, and
the means they adopt to survive.
One major problem discloses the love stories, akin to high school
romance, continuing throughout. Greg loves Kristy who loves Dylan.
Callan loves Sherry, who doesn't love him anymore and just had an
affair with his best friend. Yadda! Yadda! Yadda!
Can romance have a place in zombie books? My answer would require
me to say yes--there's copious amounts of zombie tales, presenting
romance--creative authors deftly weave a love story into a zombie
book without doses of romantic pain for the reader.
In the event of a zombie apocalypse(with all the running and
screaming and killing), would romance have a place in anyone's mind
after an arduous day of surviving, accompanied by tormented fears
of the dead (and undead) appearing during the night? Perchance, a
captured moment, perceiving another's love--would potentially help
survivors maintain their sanity.
One component of the story features various breeds of zombies--the
genius type(genius for a zombie) proved incredibly fearsome. They
conceive and reason, understanding how to create plans for their
desired results(brains), including the use of weapons,
resources and tactics.
If I ever come into contact with a zombie, my fingers are crossed
they're the slow shuffling genre, and not an agile walker that
accelerates it's speed when a brain becomes available, or the
intelligent strain featured in this story.
Though the book has distinct flaws--I would recommend it to all
zombie lovers.
This review contains spoilers
Even In Death is the final book of the Starborn Saga trilogy,
and I have finally accomplished the feat of reading all three
books. This was not always a painless task, and though I liked the
books, at times they were tedious, and the complaint my mind
produced over and over again-- how drawn out the story grew,
especially in the third book.
Are all current books treated with more words than necessary to
preoccupy the pages with meaningless filler of thoughts and
platitudes? This only brings bouts of boredom (begging it to end)
and forced reading, which doesn't speak well for the book.
The author gave an interesting idea of knowing who created the
zombies, how he's still alive and evil, years later and controls
the known world, and the fact mutants with superpowers live, who
must battle zombies while laboring to find a way to kill the
Screven leader for the betterment of mankind.
There's considerable excitement and compelling situations, and the
book is not always boring. Numerous moments are stuffed with
strongly written story telling, plus there's zombies, which is
always a plus.
The conclusion of the story pleased me greatly as I'm a sucker for
a happy ending.
There's another trilogy to the story, and that's called The
Starborn Ascension, which I'm having a debate with myself whether I
will read it or not.
Though the beginning of the end is revealed in Starborn Saga,
Starborn Ascension delves intensely into the story and Evelyn
(a key Starborn) is featured in the early telling.
Hopefully, one day I will derive the bravery need to start
again.
My first indication that
Wayward Pines existed became apparent when the current television
show of the same name launched on Hulu. Matt Dillon stars as Ethan,
the main character (and he's the actor my son Dillon is named
after).
There's a modern Twilight
Zone twist to this story of a man waking up in a small town where
no one can escape and no one is allowed to talk about their past
lives.
I love books where I can't
comprehend absolutely what's happening, and the entire time I'm
working on understanding the underlying reality, yet when I feel
I'm close, I realize that I'm not approaching the truth at
all.
If a citizen can't pretend
or tries to escape--a fete (or a Reckoning on the TV show) is
called forth. This event allows the phones to ring in their homes,
which brings out all the inhabitants to murder the
offender.
This review contains spoilers
Thirteen At Dinner is another name for this mystery leisurely
created by Agatha Christie.
Brilliant is the word used to characterize our acclaimed Poirot and
his superb detective skills. Mais Oui, he may be the best our
world has to offer in this slow moving book.
As you can tell from the title, Lord Edgware does indeed
die, killed by an American actress, his wife, though only in
name. Eye witnesses asseverate she attended a dinner party during
the time of the Lord's demise, though others vow that she's present
in the Lord's home that night.
If only someone could assist Inspector Japp to solve this
grievous mystery. Ahh, there's someone who hates murder and hates
for the wrong person to hang ("they're hanging everybody out
there" was a hit in the 1930's), and will not stop until he sees
justice served.
It's unfair that Poirot couldn't have a mutant superpower, or
perchance he does. Physical powers would not work--the slight
chance of harming the love of his life, his mustache, could not be
tolerated. His super power might be reading minds--that would
explain his frequent successes.
What would his superhero name be: Captain Justice, Iron Detective,
Captain Mustache, Super Knowing Guy or The Belguim Force Of One?
Poirot would perceive a suitable name though once the
teaming hordes of humanity acclimated his power, mere humans would
never approach him and might potentially run from him, even
Hastings and Miss Lemon.
Lord Edgeware, an appallingly horrid man, relished unhappiness in
others-- is it a shame we should care when evil men are murdered?
Should the general public revel in the ability to dance around the
village singing Ding Dong the man is dead, the evil man is dead,
when a horrid creature expires.
Undoubtedly, this could never happen--people would kill
indiscriminately, and announce to the world that the deceased was
atrocious and evil, whether they were or not. Murder rates would
climb exorbitantly, and Poirot would shake his head in sadness and
retire for concretely this time (unless he's also murdered).
If you want to learn how Lady Edgware kills her husband while miles
away at a dinner party, please read this book. Don't initiate a
reason to generate Poirot's anger, since he may be a superhero. I'm
just saying.
I would...
Outer Limits meets War Of The Worlds
meets The Twilight Zone in this novel of alien suspense.This book
has elements of all three--Outer Limits for gore, War Of The Worlds
for alien terra-forming the earth and Twilight Zone for the
surprise finale.
In War Of The Worlds, it's the germy atmosphere that killed the
aliens--human patience would be our greatest quality while waiting
for the microbes to perform their job. In Day Of The Triffids, salt
water killed the evil, poison plants, though plain water
accomplished the trick in Signs. Numerous times exceptional old
fashion warfare provides optimal results, though frequently we
lose.
The people in Cry don't have a magic solution against the invaders,
though they're able to find something the aliens avoid and that's
liquor.
This makes a pleasant day for alcoholics! Drink and earn a pass
over on one of the alien's drive by searches, stay sober and turn
into a disgusting blob.
If aliens destroyed our world by terra-forming and changed the
entire ecosystem where the world is imperceptible to humans
and there isn't a large amount of oxygen left for the few
survivors--extreme sadness would permeate all humans. Then to find
out that the aliens turned our bodies into a bloody mess to
fertilize their plants--extreme agonizing anger would infuse our
souls as we helplessly watched from hiding places.
The ending arranged a cruel shock for me as I held out hope the
aliens demonstrated feelings of remorse. They started taking humans
instead of killing them, and I hoped they'd realized too late we're
sentient beings.
Correcting their mistake would establish a habitat where humanity
could hope to augment an appearance of accustomed existence.
Yes, we would be in a large see-through dome, and yes the aliens
would watch us from platforms....wait a minute, I observed this
same set up at the zoo in a large gorilla habitat.
Parts of this book are slow and disjointed, occasionally copious
amounts of info appear that we don't need, and regularly
there's not enough. I still highly recommend the book--since it
took a length...
By now, The Martian has thousands of reviews from mere
bloggers to the "experts." Goodreads alone has twenty thousand, and
that is a trivial amount compared to the entire internet.
I will add my soulful few words, struggling to find a place,
in this swirling mass of thoughts and feelings in hopes that it
will coalesce effectively with the throng.
Boredom, anxiety, humor and intrigue describe the story of one man
isolated on Mars, and how his innovated mind constructs solutions
for the pervasive obstacles he encounters. His technical knowledge
makes him one of the smartest humans in our solar
system--this advances a few problems in the story line for me. He's
just too smart (he can create water) and the detailed work involved
has the capability of generating boredom.
Humor permeates throughout showing a wonderful dry sense of
humor that made me laugh out loud often. What a pleasant
surprise, as I thought his struggle to survive each day would
constitute a story of dire seriousness. Several reviewers have
called his humor juvenile, but I don't think they understand that
in it's simplicity is it's genius. I could sympathize with
his hardship of watching Dukes of Hazzard and other minimal 70's TV
shows. This is all that's available to him, not to mention 70's
disco music. How he kept his sanity, let alone his sense of humor,
is a mystery.
Anxiety is another aspect of the story transfused constantly with
every catastrophe that he overcomes. I knew that he must persevere
to the end yet there were moments so intense, that often I put down
the book, and had to come back to it at a later time.
Not many people could survive in complete isolation of the
only human on a planet--he never gives up and he never surrenders
(oh, that's another movie).
When he arrives home, he'll be the most famous man in the past or
future history, and I wonder if that would make him isolate himself
on a farm somewhere out in Idaho, or sign up to live forever
on Mars out of the limelight. Elvis could handle this type of fan
worship, but mere mortals might find it hard to cope with.
I could not afford this book, so I put my name down on the library
waiting list on March 31. It was a long interval, but worth the
long patience, and now it's time to wait for the movie.
The Boys From Brazil is a phenomenal film from the early
eighties, and now to find the movie is based on a book by the
notable author Ira Levin surprised me immensely.
Before launching myself into the horror I knew would be ahead
of me, I contemplated on the quality of the storyteller, would I
feel saddened by the inferiority of the book compared to the film
or would I believe the book was at least equal or superior to the
adaptation?
The film, starring Gregory Peck and Laurence Olivier, brought
the story of future Hitlers to the screen that is spellbinding.
Except for a few editing problems and the obligatory sex scene, the
story works in a way that is driven by dread in a delightful
way.
The flow of the book is effortless, and I'm sure every writer
would wish to possess the talent of Levin, who weaves a story that
guides us where he wishes the reader to blindly follow, and we
follow willingly.
Cloning is a chilling prospect to think of, and consistent in
books and movies, it's shown as someone's despair--frequently the
cloned being whose body parts may be desired.
Levin chooses to make the cloned beings as living Gods to
nazis and living monsters to the rest of the world.
The thought of Mengele's success in cloning ninety-four
Hitlers by his vile and inhuman experiments during WWII on innocent
children creates a story filled with an unfairness that is hard to
fathom.
The atrocities of Mengele and all the
other monsters, from Hitler down to the lowest echelon,
should be told. Every human on earth should know the stories of the
innocent in hopes this will never happen again. I'm one of those
persons that shy away from the stories of the horror-filled lives
so many endured--the pain is too overwhelming sometimes to bear,
especially when children are involved.
The Boys From Brazil tells the horror yet also tells an
interesting tale of madness, that we feel safe in knowing will
never come true. Though somewhere in a...
Snakes, giant roaches, giant ant piles so large a child could fall
in and never recovered, rabid dogs, the black plague plus new
viruses, planes falling from the sky, giant sunspots blasting the
surface of the earth and a new ice age encroach upon the homo
sapiens of the earth. That's the end of my review--enough said!
Perhaps there's a story, roaming around within all these
catastrophes, though sadly the telling of this
extensive adventure leaves an impressionable abyss of
deficiencies. First the myth of the reversal of the poles, causing
extreme harm to our ecosystem equals the myth of humans using a
limited ten percent of our brains. Yes, there is a reversal of the
poles towards the times of extreme millennia, though the damage
will be minimum. This isn't the first time speculation of extreme
devastation will occur, nor will it be the last, though if there
was a remote possibility of this occurrence, Druga has covered all
her bases. Ellen Bret (Bret's character is a cheap knock off
of Ellen) and Dare Dare are hardly likable as the leading love
interests. Were there components of evident and
legitimate feelings emanating from the characters? Me thinks
not! Though each character speaks massive amounts of words,
sentences and paragraphs-- an ample blank emits from their
personalities.
Though her Beginning series can become rather tiresome, I love all
of Druga's books. She has a way of showing the best of humanity
through the most trying times. The people in this story are smart
and witty, but not the compassionate beings they should be. When
Darius and Bret are jumping off the plane (with parachutes) and he
tells the flight attendant (who will momentarily die due to the
plane crashing) a witty quip showing her near demise--I felt
disgust for his lack of empathy.
The very ending, which occurs 1500 years into the future was quite
funny. An artifact they believe was the ancient people's bible
turned out to be The Stand by Stephen King. Through the
humor presents the fact that bits and pieces of society from
ancient times don't always tell the full story.
Plus there is a sadness that all the work completed to protect the
future of humanity is lost, and no one will ever know the sadness
and sacrifice the people in the book suffered through, it's all but
a puff of smoke in the past.
Meet Sidney Grace. Quirky journalist, hesitant witch,
professional butterfingers. Her grandmother believes Sidney's
talent for communicating with the dead makes her the most powerful
witch in the family, but Sidney just wants to make it through the
day without getting fired.
A young writer living in Boston, Sidney is
far from the small wacky town of Crystal Beach, Florida, where her
spell-happy grandmother retired. She is perfectly happy with
her career, her four cats, and the fact that she hasn't been on a
date in...well, years. All is well until her estranged
mother informs Sidney that her grandmother has been arrested for
murdering a resident at her retirement community.
Melanie is delighted at the prospect of three uninterrupted days
alone with Sam (and, of course, her prize-winning Standard Poodle,
Faith.) They're booked at the White Birch Inn, a picturesque
New England resort nestled at the foot of a snow-covered
mountain. The inn has a full slate of couples activities
planned for the busy Valentine's weekend -- date nights, sleigh
rides, tobogganing, ice skating, and pop-up shops in the inn's
ballroom -- from the bubbly to the bubble bath, the resort is a
perfect match for Melanie and Sam's vacation. But the first
night of festivities feature an event that isn't on the program:
murder.
Library Binding; Digital Book (Audiobook
Available)
ISBN #:
9798885788823
Crooked Lane Books (Thorndyke Large
Print)
320 Pages
February 7, 2023
$31.99; $13.99 Amazon
Rodeo Drive bridalwear designer Rayne McGrath expected her
thirtieth birthday to start with a power lunch and end with
champagne, lobster, and a diamond engagement ring from her
fianc. Instead, flat-broke and busted, she's on a plane to
Ireland where she discovers that she's inherited a run-down family
castle. Uncle Nevin's will contains a few caveats -- for
example, if Rayne doesn't turn McGrath Castle around within a year,
the entire village will be financially
destroyed.
With the fate of the town in her hands, and
rumors that Rayne's uncle's death wasn't actually an accident, she
can't possibly go back to her old life in L.A. As the
devastating truth about her uncle dawns on Rayne,
it's...
When Jamie Winters' elderly neighbor
disappears a week before Christmas, Jamie pairs up with her
landlord's fearless teenaged niece to find him. Only the more
they look into his disappearance, the more they begin to believe
Jack is not the man they thought he was...and he bears a
suspiciously striking resemblance to jolly old Santa Claus!
One carjacking, some spooky reindeer, a little person and a skinny
green man later, Jamie winds up getting way more than she bargained
for this holiday season!
Jamie Winters works a dead-end job and can barely
make the rent for the studio apartment that she lives in, with her
landlord living below her. Luckily, Curt the landlord, has a
soft spot for her and often feeds her, which at least is keeping
her alive. Both she and Curt are worried about their elderly
neighbor Jack who seem...
It's Christmastime, and farmer Lucy Resnick is living the life
she's always dreamed of. When she's not selling her jams,
soaps, and mistletoe bundles at the Buttercup Christmas market,
she's enjoying cozy evenings by the fire with her knitting group --
or her handsome veterinarian boyfriend Tobias Brandt. But
less than a week before Christmas, a pall falls over the festive
atmosphere when local man Randy Stone turns up with a knife in his
back...and a sprig of mistletoe in his hair.
Local sheriff Rooster Kocurek, never the
brightest bulb on the string, is convinced it's an open-and-shut
case...murder by jealous wife -- but Lucy suspects otherwise.
She soon discovers that Randy's life was more t...
It's Christmastime on Dewberry Farm, and homesteader Lucy
Resnick is busy bundling mistletoe branches and cedar swags for the
Buttercup Christmas Market when a neighbor's houseguest keels right
over next to her peach orchard. Was it a stray bullet from a
hunter that took him out? Or did a guest at the fancy ranch
next door decide to scratch somebody off his or her Christmas
list? It's up to Lucy to unwrap the mystery...before the
holiday killer strikes again.
Lucy Resnick, owner of Dewberry Farm, is getting
ready to put her wares on display at the Buttercup Christmas
Market. Her best friend Quinn is helping her bundle mistletoe
and cedar swags, and they are pleasantly enjoying each others'
company when they hear gunshots. Looking out Lucy's window,
they see someone aiming toward them, then another shot takes the
person down. After ca...
Chelsea, Teeny, and Miss May are trying to have a fun trip to
Los Angeles.
But they've barely checked into their hotel
when they get a call from their old friends Amy and
Petunia...
There's been a murder!
Worse yet, all the evidence seems to point to
everyone's favorite dog groomer...Amy Stewart. This is not
good for Amy. And it's not good for our vacationing Pine
Grove ladies, either.
Chelsea wants to enjoy the sunshine and
celebrities of SoCal. Miss May wants to sample the
pies. Teeny wants...
Who: Representative Ilhan Omar, award-winning
investigative journalist Spencer Ackerman, Daniel Ellsberg of the
Pentagon Papers, Steven Donziger of the Chevron lawsuit, Daniel
Hales attorney Jesselyn Radack and Natasha Erskine of About Face:
Veterans Against the War.
What: Press conference with Rep. Omar, issue
experts, supporters, and family advocating for the Presidential
commutation of currently incarcerated Drone program whistleblower
Daniel Hale
When: Thursday, December 15 at 11AM ET
Why: A little more than a year ago Air Force
veteran Daniel Hale was sentenced to 45 months in Federal prison
with extreme measures put in place to limit his communication with
the outside world. Daniel was accused and convicted of leaking
sensitive government information, when in truth the information he
revealed didnt put anyone in danger and uncovered the deep
inaccuracies inherent in the drone program. Hale has spoken
powerfully to his moral decision to blow the whistle, saying to the
judge at sentencing:
I am here because I stole something that was never mine to
take precious human life. I couldnt keep living in a world in which
people pretend that things werent happening that were. Please, your
honor, forgive me for taking papers instead of human
lives.
Rep. Omar, issue experts, former whistleblowers, and family will
speak to why Daniel Hale shouldnt be retaliated against for his
brave public service and why the Biden Administration should use
its power to free him.
The Daniel Hale Support Network is a coalition of friends,
supporters, allies, and organizations who are focused on supporting
whistleblower Daniel Hale to get free. Some of the organizations
include About Face: Veterans Against the War, Codepink, Courage
Foundation, Defending Rights and Dissent, Veterans for Peace,
ExposeFacts, and more.
With Christmas just around the corner, Lucy can't wait to
indulge in all the festive traditions with her family and
friends. One of those traditions includes picking a Christmas
tree at a local farm. She's delighted to be sharing this
activity with the handsome detective in town wo she's recently
begun a relationship with.
When she discovers a dead body among the fir
trees while looking for the perfect Christmas tree, she's left
shocked and shaken at witnessing such a horrific sight at this most
wonderful time of the year.
Things only take an almighty turn for the
worse when the remainder of some fruitcake from Lucy's bakery is
found in the deceased's home...and is laced with
poison!...
CHRISTMAS SCARF MURDER by CARLENE O'CONNOR: When grinchy thefts
steal the good cheer at a local nursing home, Siobhan O'Sullivan
manages to to identify one missing item before Kilbane, Ireland's
Christmas tractor parade -- a hideous shamrock scarf wrapped around
a very dead body. Now, with her holiday farmhouse bash
approaching, Siobhan must dash to stop a deadly Secret Santa from
gifting another unwanted surprise.
SCARFED DOWN by MADDIE DAY: It's
beginning to taste a lot like Christmas at Pans 'N Pancakes, as
twelve days of menu specials dazzle hungry locals. But the
festivities go cold the instant a diner dies while knitting a
brilliant green scarf. With Aunt Adele tied into a murder
investigation, it's all on Robbie Jordan to find out who's really
been naughty or nice in South Lick, Indiana.
DEATH BY CHRISTMAS SCARF by PEGGY
EHRHART: Suspects pile up faster than New Jersey snow when
frosty-tempered Carys Walnutt is found stran...
Presley Thurman and Cooper Sands (and Bella, too!) have
returned to Hunter's Hollow just in time for their Christmas Eve
wedding. But when Winston Rose is murdered in the parking lot
of Sue Thurman's flower shop, the police peg Sue as their number
one suspect.
Presley knows her mom is innocent but can she
convince the police of that?
Presley and Cooper think maybe it's best they
cancel their wedding and focus on Sue's legal troubles, but she
won't hear of it. She wants her daughter married on December
24 even if the mother-of-the-bride is in jail.
Can Presley find the real culprit AND get married
to Cooper? This just might take a Christmas miracle.
politics is not more serious than
life itself a world of many states of mind
and body like a river tirelessly seeking
death in the restless ocean of eternity
Karla Bell's prestigious concierge company, Just Task Me! caters to
the whims of an exclusive and affluent clientele.
So when a VIP client asks Karla to plan an exciting
weekend that will impress the client's celebrity guests, Karla is
determined to create an experience they'll never forget.
But when a guest turns up dead, Karla's carefully
planned murder mystery event takes a turn for the realistic.
Now, with her client's image on the line and the
press nipping at her heels, Karla must use her resourcefulness and
unique detection abilities to identify the true culprit.
Can Karla save her client's reputation before the
media make a mockery of her unfortunate murder mystery?
Today, for the first time since Elon Musk took over Twitter, the
#StopToxicTwitter
coalition, made up of more than 60 civil rights and civil
society groups, issued an urgent call to Twitter advertisers,
demanding they stop buys on the platform in the wake of Elon Musks
sweeping layoffs.
On Friday, a large number of Twitter employees received news
that theyve been fired making it impossible for the company to
uphold critical brand safeguards and content moderation
standards.
At the same time, the #StopToxicTwitter coalition announced that
the Anti-Defamation League, Stop Hate for Profit, Voto Latino and
Nobel Peace Prize recipient Maria Ressa had joined the effort,
swelling the coalitions ranks to more than 60 civil rights and
civil society groups. The full list can be found on the coalition
website: https://www.stoptoxictwitter.com/
We are witnessing the real time destruction of one of the worlds
most powerful communication systems. Elon Musk is an erratic
billionaire who is dangerously unqualified to run this platform
thats why Accountable Tech first called on advertisers to hold him
to account in May, and its why we lead the charge to stop this
deal, said Nicole Gill, Co-Founder and Executive Director
of Accountable Tech. Unless and until Musk can robustly
enforce Twitters existing community standards, the platform is not
safe for users or advertisers. Elons hellscape is already here.
Musks layoffs betray the promise he made to Free Press, Color Of
Change, the NAACP and ADL earlier this week; retaining and
enforcing election-integrity measures requires an investment in the
human expert staff, fact-checkers, and moderators, who are being
shown the door today, said Jessica J. Gonzlez, co-CEO of
Free Press. More than 60 organizations have joined the
call to #StopToxicTwitter, pressuring companies globally to cease
advertising on the platform. Were escalating our campaign today in
response to Musks failure to uphold his commitment to take the
measures that would prevent Twitter from becoming a superspreader
of racism and disenfranchisement.
Two of Twitter's top 20 advertisers just
pulled their ads. They will confirm later today. The other 18 of
the top 20 advertisers are considering whether or not to
stay.#StopToxicTwitterhttps://t.co/wxHWB5oVcT
The best opening sentences in novels grab the reader immediately
they introduce character, setting and problem; fire the
imagination; and the action is clear:
Give your readers as much information as possible as soon as
possible. Readers should have such complete understanding of what
is going on that they could finish the story themselves, should
cockroaches eat the last few pages. Kurt Vonnegut
(Vonneguts Breakfast of Champions begins, This is a
tale of a meeting of two lonesome, skinny, fairly old white men on
a planet which was dying fast.)
My favourite opening is from Charlottes Web by E. B.
White, deftly introducing people, place, and problem in one
sentence:
Wheres Papa going with that axe? said Fern to her mother as they
were setting the table for breakfast.
Test Yourself
Match these classic openings from childrens novels to the titles
below.
1. All children, except one, grow up.
2. There was a boy called Eustace Clarence Scrubb, and he almost
deserved it.
3.The Iron Man came to the top of the cliff.
4. Here I am, Ralph William Mountfield, banished to my bedroom
on Christmas Day.
5. Keith the boy in the rumpled shorts and shirt, did not know
he was being watched as he entered Room 215 of the Mountain View
Inn.
6. My father is put in the stocks again! Oh! the injustice of
it!
7. When Old Tip lost his bark, Uncle Trev had to teach his horse
to bark and chase the cows up to the shed for milking.
8. Its a funny thing about mothers and fathers. Even when their
own child is the most disgusting little blister you could ever
imagine, they still think that he or she is wonderful.
9. I write this sitting in the kitchen sink.
Titles in random order: The Iron Man, I Capture
The Castle, The Voyage of the Dawn Treader, The Mouse and the
Motorcycle, Devil-in-the-Fog, Matilda, The More the Merrier, Uncle
Trev, Peter Pan
Throughout the rollercoaster of Elon Musks potential acquisition
of Twitter, the Stop
the Deal coalition has continually raised deep concerns
about the devastating impact that Musks Twitter ownership would
have on our information ecosystem, public safety and already
fragile democracy. Tonight, after news broke that the deal has been
finalized, The Stop the Deal Coalition released the following
statement:
Elon Musks plans for Twitter will make it an even more
hate-filled cesspool, leading to irreparable real-world harm. Musks
plans will leave the platform more vulnerable to security threats,
rampant disinformation, and extremism just ahead of the midterm
elections. Elon Musk has a thirst for chaos and utter disregard for
anyone other than himself and should not own Twitter.
In the last few weeks Musk has waded into foreign diplomacy
including parroting Kremlin talking points about their invasion
into Ukraine. He is accepting financing from Saudi Prince Alwaleed
bin Talal Al Saud and the sovereign wealth fund of Qatar two
countries run by repressive regimes. Elon Musk owning one of the
worlds most powerful communication platforms is dangerous for us
all. As Musk runs Twitter to the ground, let this serve as a
warning to other platforms that they will be held accountable for
ignoring public safety and dismantling the guardrails designed to
protect our information ecosystem.
Background on the Stop the Deal coalition:
In June 2022, a diverse coalition of nonprofit advocacy
organizations launched Stop
The Deal a multifaceted campaign designed to prevent Elon
Musks hostile takeover of Twitter, and...
A tower of 10 million atoms would only be as tall as a grain of
sand.
Picture a walnut sitting in the palm of your hand if the walnut
was an atom then your hand would have to be the size of the
Earth.
Seven octillion atoms [7,000,000,000,000,000,000,000,000,000]
make up your body.
Atoms are held together by electromagnetic forces and they are
mostly empty inside. You are made of atoms, so youre mostly empty
space too. Atoms have smaller particles inside them. Theres a
nucleus in the centre with a cloud of electrons around it.
Deeper inside are even smaller particles named gluons, muons,
strange quarks, and charm quarks. We live inside a vast universe,
but theres also universe inside us
stop
naming composing every moment as words as if
everything distinct and present when referred to as
if anyone ever quite gets what I mean that's not
it that's the words running away with
it like another sense
another mode of being in the world words
overriding actual living noise bright light
bodily smells and innumerable
sensations turn it off if
you can already enough said to yourself if you can
remember their names anything will do
someone loves you will know what you
mean
can I
sit and think usually I am doing something
else and something bubbles up and I
start writing and see where it goes thinking
on the fly not stopping to ask if
it's the right thing or what I want to be doing
getting lost in imaginary
construct and these days I can barely see the
keyboard so it isn't as easy to rattle on I do
it anyway how am I to learn to
think without writing
I can't read or write all
the time my eyes give out closing
them fall into reverie going over random
wording might be letters or
smething I'd like to say to
someone now that I have nothing to
do I need to practice doing nothing
they
will buy your butter if you churn it fresh
cream we never had before I wanted
cheese and pasta enough is
more than we deserve but thank
you have another deviled egg come
again if I am here after
that something else you think as if there
were a future knowing the past is
over and forgotten so that's
the way it goes da-dum da-dum
da-dum driving you quite mad if you
think of it that way
Anyone can write but editing must be learned. Some books that
helped me learn to edit:
Self Editing For
Fiction Writers by Renni Browne and Dave King teaches
style, dialogue, point of view, show not tell, character.
The Art of Writing by
John Gardner talks about maintaining the dream of the story
when the writing draws attention to itself (in a bad way) then the
dream is broken for the reader.
Go over and over itrefusing to let anything stay if it looks
awkward, phony, or forced. John Gardner
On Becoming a Writer by
Dorothea Brande (1934) suggests a writer begins with the
unconscious mind but then the conscious mind must control, combine
and discriminate. Thats editing in a nutshell.
The writer must be as God in his universe present
everywhere and visible nowhere. -Flaubert
if I am not to write anymore what will I
do with thoughts they will continue to
arise sometimes seeming to
progress toward the firmer grasp I
need to validate myself and
others I want to know the
world as is but capable of
improvement so much wrong is
worsening through wrong
understanding while I just manage to go
on what I can do already
done still I wonder what
will happen will the young be wise
enough and diligent to save the
world there is nothing else we
live creating patterns that live on
Theres really no right or wrong in Hollywood, but based on
reading a zillion query letters, heres some suggestions when
undertaking a letter writing campaign.
The idea of the extraordinary happening in the context of the
ordinary is whats fascinating to me. Chris van Allsburg
Picture books by Chris van Allsburg
are not only beautifully illustrated, the stories are wide open for
wide interpretation, which makes them ideal for children. Its
impossible to look at the pictures in Harris Burdick without
imagining a story. My other surreal favourites are Bad Day at
Riverbend, about a black and white cowboy town attacked
by colourful crayons and The Wretched Stone, about a strange
glowing stone which makes the people regress intellectually (TV and
digital screens perhaps?).
Todays post is a book alert for a new book, the first in Debbie
De Louises new Buttercup Bend cozy mystery series. The Case of the Cat Crazy Lady has been
published by Next Chapter and is available in several formats
including paperback, hardcover, large print, eBook, and eventually
audio and possibly translated into other languages. It will have
widespread distribution on many book sites including Amazon, Barnes
and Noble, Kobo, and others.
About the Book(s)
Cathy Carter and her brother Douglas own a pet cemetery and
animal rescue center in the small, upstate New York town of
Buttercup Bend.
After the local Cat Crazy Lady, Maggie Broom, is found dead
in her home, Cathy is stunned to learn that Rainbow Gardens and
Rainbow Rescues is the recipient of most of Maggies
estate.
Maggies estranged brother and sister come to town and are
upset with the terms of their sisters will. Sheriff Leroy Miller is
convinced one of them killed Maggie.
When another person turns up dead, Cathy sets out to solve
the murders with her reporter friend, Nancy Meyers. But who really
wanted to kill the Cat Crazy Lady, and why?
I'm so far
left I don't know I've left the real world behind I
don't even know I'm left I think I'm in the
center and this is it but it isn't
really like that the center has fallen over the
edge into the north sea the pitiful remnant
clinging to the old reality left behind or swept
into the trashpit of irrelevance people with
taste and no price are hopelessly
outnumbered everything is ruined and they go right
on we all
do trapped
Its the 25th week of reviews for 2022 and I read eleven (11)
books this week. In full disclosure, 3 were novellas, so its not as
many as it sounds like. I was on a mission to finish a series,
hence all the reading. The big news this week is that Baxters
outdoor dog area has been finished. The interesting aspect, he
doesnt seem to like it nor want to acknowledge thats where hes
supposed to take care of his business. He wants to be walked, which
was exactly what I was trying to get away from as a regular thing I
have some retraining to do over the next few weeks. Little monster!
The other house news. 3 of 5 rooms have been painted. Things are
coming along nicely, and I am excited to put everything back
together this weekend. Back to book news as of today, Ive finished
a total of 153 out of 208 in my 2022 Goodreads Challenge, which
equates to 74% complete and 55 books ahead of schedule. I
also hit the magic number of 100 books on my TBR shelf, which feels
amazing to be closing in on a reasonable amount. Lets check out
those reviews
I focused my week on catching up in the Hayley Powell Food and
Cocktails Mysteries series 9 of 11 books were from Lee Holliss
collection. Books 7 through 12 plus the 3 in-between holiday
novellas make up the reviews below. I will read books 13 thru 15
this coming week, plus the last in-between novella, which will
leave me current in yet another series. I have only 5 more series
to go before I am fully caught up on everything I wanted to be
current on in 2022, which means I can slow down and/or pick a few
new series by the fall. I also participated in a blog tour for
Daryl Wood Gerbers new release from the Fairy Garden Mysteries, A
Hint of Mischief. And finally, I read Barbara Rosss latest Maine
Clambake Mystery, Muddled Up. Im current in both those series, and
there are 12 other latest releases (not yet published, but I have
advanced copies) from favorite authors/series that I will read this
summer, generally 2 weeks before the publication date so I can
support the author with my review and post.
Today were sharing a special blog tour post and spotlight. Youll
get to learn about the book and author, see great content from
different bloggers, and maybe even have some fun. Come on inside to
learn more about this wonderful author and book
A Hint of
Mischief (A Fairy Garden Mystery) Cozy Mystery 3rd in Series Setting California Kensington Cozies (June 28, 2022) Paperback : 368 pages ISBN-10 : 1496736044 ISBN-13 : 978-1496736048 Digital ASIN : B09HRDQZH5
About the Book(s)
The proprietor of a fairy garden and tea shop in
Carmel-by-the-Sea, Courtney Kelly has an occasional side gig as a
sleuthwith a sprinkling of magical assistance. . . .
Courtney has thrown a few fairy garden partiesfor kids. But if a
local socialite is willing to dip into her trust fund for an old
sorority sisters fortieth bi...
Its the 24th week of reviews for 2022 and I read six (6) books
this week. As of today, Ive finished a total of 142 out of 208 in
my 2022 Goodreads Challenge, which equates to 68%
complete and 46 books ahead of schedule. Beyond reading, the
week was fairly normal. I went into the office for two days and met
my former boss (whod hired me 4 months ago but then moved into a
different role) for the first time in person (shes based out of
California) and met the new head of my division, who happens to
live in the town next door to me (where I shop all the time). Small
world! In terms of house news, I purchased a few more rugs and
completely changed the look of my den as a result. All the older
pillows and other dcor will move to the guest bedroom, which leaves
me with only a few items to buy to get that fully fixed up.
Painting starts on Monday, so I should be able to share pictures at
the end of the month. In the meantime, I wish everyone a Happy
Juneteenth and Fathers Day this weekend. Lets check out my
reviews
My week began with reading three of the cozies in Lynn
Cahoons Tourist Trap Mysteries: Murder in Waiting, Picture Perfect
Frame & Wedding Bell Blues. I only started this series in
January and Ive caught up to the most current release, which means
Ill need to wait for the upcoming one. Wow! I then read two more
cozies, both the latest releases from their respective authors:
Duck Disaster from Vikki Waltons Backyard Farming Mysteries and
Clause of Death from Lorna Barretts Booktown Mysteries. It feels
great to be current in so many series. I checked this morning and
there are only 6 series I am behind in; once I finish those this
summer, I intend to scan all the ones out there and decide which
new ones to dive into. All those cozies made me yearn for something
more suspenseful, and since fellow Next Chapter author Isobel
Blackthorn recently released her latest in the Canary Islands
Mysteries, I read the 4th book The Ghost of Villa Winter so I could
pick up the newest one this summer.
A fun week and Im closing in on another series soon (Hayley
Mills Food-Cocktail Mysteries), probably not next week but t...
why must the family tree
be espaliered wouldn't it be better
growing wild reaching for light
in all directions finding form as it
goes along sprouting branching
interconnecting every which way
stiff Smiths become Smithereens
Its the 23rd week of reviews for 2022 and I read six (6) books
this week. As of today, Ive finished a total of 136 out of 208 in
my 2022 Goodreads Challenge, which equates to 65%
complete and 45 books ahead of schedule. How has another week
already passed? As I reflect back, it was a relatively quiet one
too. Most of my time was focused on work; I didnt do a whole lot
else! In terms of the new house, we have quotes/options for the new
curtains, blinds, paint, bedding, and furniture thats needed in the
primary bedroom and guest bedroom. Its definitely more than I want
to pay, so Ill be thinking about trimming a bit. Not unexpected but
something needs to be done about the light coming through the
windows soon. 5 am is early for rising every day. In other news, I
made pizza dough and tomato sauce from scratch, then grilled pizzas
on the new BBQ that was tasty and fun. And next week, Baxters dog
fence will be installed, so there are some events to look forward
to. All that said, how about we focus on some book reviews now?
My week kicked off with the next installment, Death of a
Cupcake Queen, in the Hayley Powell Food & Cocktails Mysteries
written by Lee Hollis. I am enjoying the series a lot and wishing I
could visit Maine again soon. Keeping in the cozy realm, I read the
next two books in the Tourist Trap Mysteries written by Lynn
Cahoon. Killer Party and Memories & Murder were both good
stories, and I cannot believe there are only three more to go
before Im current. That just means I get to pick a new series to
start. Any recommendations? I also began Lynn Cahoons newest debut
series with the Tuesday Night Survivors Club, a cozy focused on a
cancer survivor who opens a shop in Sedona and finds herself
investigating a murder. By then, I needed more grit, and my friend
suggested our next buddy read hence why my fifth book was White
Fire from the Pendergast series written by Douglas Preston and
Lincoln Child. Its plot was connected to a missing Sherlock Holmes
book, which has me thinking maybe I should read that series in
order its been years since I picked one up, and I never read them
all. Lastly, I chose a fantasy from a fe...
Its the 22nd week of reviews for 2022 and I read six (6) books
this week. As of today, Ive finished a total of 130 out of 208
books in my 2022 Goodreads Challenge, which equates to 63%
complete and 42 books ahead of schedule. Beyond the literary
world, my week was filled with all the typical things Ive been
mentioning recently. I closed on the NYC apartment, so it is
officially no longer my property. I met the lovely new owner and
wished her tons of happiness. It was slightly bittersweet, but I
also adore my new home. I saw a stage production of Cabaret in
Connecticut this week, supporting a friend who is in the cast. The
show was great if you live in the area, check out the Goodspeed Theater in south/central Connecticut. I
finished watching two series on streaming media: Inventing Anna and
Grace & Frankie. I will miss both but now it means I can pick
up a new series. Any suggestions? Work was good this week; nothing
new/big to share. I suppose its time to check out some book
reviews
This week kicked off with a LGBTQ young adult release from a
fellow writer I met through social media. Ive chatted with Thomas
Grant Bruso throughout the last two years and decided to read one
of his latest books, Summer Storms. I love expanding my genres,
pushing myself to read more than just mysteries. Afterward, I was
in need of a thriller, so I grabbed the next book in the Sigma
Force series by James Rollins, Bloodline, before jumping back into
cozy world with three amateur sleuth mysteries: Hospitality &
Homicide by Lynn Cahoon, the next book in her Tourist Trap
Mysteries; Trick or Treat Murder by Leslie Meier, the next book in
her Lucy Stone Mysteries; and Death of a Christmas Caterer by Lee
Hollis, the next book in her Hayley Powell Food & Cocktail
Mysteries. Im on target to complete all three series this fall.
Then I will need to find a few new ones. Any suggestions? Finally,
my week ended with a suspenseful new thriller release, Privacy,
written by Nina Sadowsky. What did you read?
Miss Clavel turned on the light and said, Something is not
right! Madeleine
Youve written a wonderful story and cant wait to publish it. But
wait! Hide your story away for weeks, even months.
When you read it again it will be like turning on the light and
youll see whats not right youll see with fresh eyes. Im often too
hasty as a writer, but after a pause, I get that Miss Clavel
feeling when a scene doesnt fit or a character speaks in clichs
when the story dream is broken.
Illustration from the timeless book, Madeleine, by
Ludwig Bemelmans.
Nothing must be out of place. The reader must keep turning
pages with no interruptions in the flow. Darcy Pattison
Go over and over itrefusing to let anything stay if it looks
awkward, phony, or forced. John Gardner
Washington, DC Today, a diverse coalition of
nonprofit advocacy organizations launched Stop The Deal a multifaceted campaign
designed to upend Elon Musks hostile takeover of Twitter, and stave
off the myriad harms inherent to Musks vision. The effort will
utilize all points of leverage, including legal and regulatory
mechanisms, strategic engagement with key stakeholders like
advertisers and investors, and ongoing grassroots education and
mobilization.
The launch comes as Musk exhibits increasingly erratic and
potentially unlawful behavior in his attempt to purchase the social
media giant a deal that could have swift and devastating impacts on
our information ecosystem if consummated, threatening the basic
safeguards Twitter has established to mitigate the real-world harms
it can drive.
Elon Musk is a wolf in expensive sheeps clothing whose Twitter
takeover is motivated by ego and grievance,
said Nicole Gill, Executive Director of Accountable
Tech. Musk doesnt care about Twitters users or employees;
he doesnt care about shareholders or advertisers; he doesnt care
about following the law or advancing the public good. Elon Musk
only cares about Elon Musk. If we dont stop this deal, hell hand a
megaphone to demagogues and extremists, who will cheer him as they
incite more hate, harm, and harassment.
Elon Musks free speech fundamentalism forces women, people of
color, members of the LGBTQ+ community, and other marginalized
groups to pay the price for the free speech of misogynists, white
supremacists, bigots, and so on, said Imran Ahmed,
Chief Executive for the Center for Countering Digital Hate
(CCDH). A platform that fosters a safe space for serial
abusers is a dangerous environment for everyone else.
Elon Musks takeover of Twitter will not lead to more free speech
on the platform. It will simply lead to more extreme voices
exploiting the platform to stoke hate, violence and harassment.
Social media platforms that are nothing more than toxic cesspools
of disinformation are harmful to our society and our politics.
Twitter should reject Musk and this bad deal,
said Rahna Epting, Executive Director of
MoveOn.
A billionaire entrepreneur whose head is in the clouds and who
thinks free speech means free reach will now control one of the
most influential tech platforms in the world what could possibly go
wrong? asked SumOfUs Campaign Director, Vicky
Wyatt. Its time lawmakers pass tough new regulations that
stop these Big Tech oligarchs from destroying our democracies and
creating serious harm, she continued.
Elon Musk is one of the wealthiest, most powerful people on the
planet. He does not believe that any content posted on Twitter,
regardless of being...
what does
meaning mean is there such a thing at
all or is there only existing and
that has to be enough sophomoric doubts
remain like where is the real
me inside this superficial
twit have I lost myself forever
Its the 21st week of reviews for 2022 and I read six (6) books
this week. As of today, Ive finished a total of 124 out of 208
books in my 2022 Goodreads Challenge, which equates to 60%
complete and 40 books ahead of schedule. Outside of novels, my
week was busy but good. On the job front, Ive been pulled into at
least 5 new projects, making my total somewhere around 12 different
initiatives, some of which are small and others which are large. I
like the variety but its a lot of headspace transitions to make
throughout the day. On the NYC apartment side, closing is set for
this week, and we completed the final walkthrough to ensure
everything was ready for the sale. At the new Connecticut house,
the painter stopped by to put some samples on the walls. I think
weve picked out the colors for the main bedroom and guest room but
I want to let the weekend finish, so I can interpret the colors in
the light and dark at different times. And the final pod of
furniture arrived; its been fun to unload and unpack stuff. Lets
get back to books want to learn more of those details?
My reading week began with the next Hayley Mills Good &
Cocktail Mystery, Death of a Chocoholic, where I relaxed and
enjoyed my light cozies. I kept that trend with a novel and a
novella from the Tourist Trap Mysteries written by Lynn Cahoon,
putting me close to two-third complete with that series. Im trying
to catch up on both this summer since I have the latest download in
each but I cant read them since I generally prefer to read the
books in order. When those were finished, I needed something more
complex, so I grabbed the next Plantagenet and Tudor book from
Philippa Gregorys collection, which focused on three women impacted
by the Boleyn shenanigans when Henry VIII was looking for his
fourth and fifth wives. Only one more wife to go in the last three
books! (I also listened to the cast recording of Six (Broadway show
based on these women) several times this week. I kept up the
complexities by reading the latest VI Warshawski novel, Overboard,
a thriller focused on a Chicago detectives investigations (during
the pandemic), which was an excellent read. And before the week
concluded, t...
Its the 20th week of reviews for 2022 and I read seven (7) books
this week. Beyond the literary world, I spent most of my time
working. Im fully immersed in the new job and keeping a hectic
schedule. Many of the colleagues I work with are based in
California, so Im finding myself fairly busy between 5 and 7pm EST
each night, which isnt ideal. I prefer to wind down by then,
commute home (on days Im in the onsite office) and make dinner. On
the flip side, my mornings are much slower, so I can get a lot
deliverables done without interruption. Hopefully, it will balance
out with a proper work-life balance. The birds and lack of curtains
on the bedroom windows have me up most days around 5:30, and Im
heading to bed by 9:30 to read for an hour. Ive picked out the
paint colors, bedding, curtains, and furniture for the bedroom, but
it will take 4 to 6 weeks. I might need a temporary solution! All
that said, things are moving along nicely. Back to reading As of
today, Ive finished a total of 118 out of 208 books in my 2022
Goodreads Challenge, which equates to 57% complete and 39
books ahead of schedule. Want to learn more of those details?
My reading week began with a continuation of Lynn Cahoons
Tourist Trap Mysteries. I read the next full-length novel in the
series, Murder on Wheels, followed by two short holiday, in-between
novellas: Mothers Day Mayhem and Corned Beef & Casualties. Im
almost at the halfway mark and really enjoying the entire
collection. Next up, I took on the second book in Leslie Meiers
Lucy Stone Mysteries. Last week I complained about the extremely
non-PC language, which did loosen up except this second one was not
a cozy (explicit child abuse themes). Ill give it another chance
and then decide if its one I want to continue. I also picked up the
third book, Death of a Coupon Clipper, in the Hayley Powell Food
and Cocktails Mysteries, which had a trend toward non-cozy too, but
much more within reasonable boundaries. I like the
thriller/shocking stuff too, but it was unexpected and probably
best for a different series/genre. And finally, I ended my week
with a buddy read of the next full-length novel, Two Graves, and
short story, Extract...
Its the 19th week of reviews for 2022 and I read eight (8) books
this week. It sounds like a lot, but two of them were short
novellas, plus W was away this week, hence why I had more free
time. My parents also visited for several days and helped get some
items fixed and organized around the new house. Work has gotten
much busier, and I am feeling more integrated at the company. Im
even a day behind in posting this weekly reading summary, so that
should show theres a lot of stuff happening. All good tho, and Im
happy to share that we should be closing on the NYC apartment in
the next 10 days, and the full transition to Connecticut will be
complete. Of course, were now starting to garden, paint and
furnish, so Ill still be busy. But this post is about my reading
life, so lets get back to it. As of today, Ive finished a total of
111 out of 208 books in my 2022 Goodreads Challenge, which equates
to 53% complete and 35 books ahead of schedule. Want to
learn more of those details?
With so much happening, I needed a lighter reading week in terms
of settings and styles. Cozies are best when I have brief periods
of time to read and want to focus on characters Ive come to know in
longer series. I am hoping to catch up on Lynn Cahoons Tourist Trap
Mysteries by the fall, which prompted me to read the next 3 in the
series plus 2 mini in-between novellas. This week, the five in
order were: Dressed to Kill, Rockets Dead Glare, Killer Run, A
Deadly Brew, and Santa Puppy. I think that covered over a year of
the protagonists life and contained two or three holiday themes.
All enjoyable, but it gave me an idea there were two final new
series Id committed to reading this year, (or starting and deciding
if I wanted to read the entire series), so I picked up the first
book in each one. Id once read a novella Leslie Meier because it
was packaged with another authors book (Barbara Ross, books set in
Maine), so I had put the series on my list. This week, I read
Mistletoe Murder (the debut), and then I decided to pick up the
other / second series set in Maine (yes, thats why I picked these
two series), Death of a Kitchen Diva written by Lee Hollis. I
struggled with the first one but...
for Theo
Ehrhardt ten years ago he
was depressed now he's manic about music
and Ukraine singing with a choir
and flaunting the colors flying
friend youthful earnestness
and optimism seasoned by decades being
bipolar still helps any situation needing
help and doesn't every virtually all the
time I assumed he was like
me and took his cheer and helpfulness for
good character and it truly is despite
his varying mood he only wants to
help
philosophy in action
tells me sometimes I get to be
funny earth medicine helps
remember everything will still be real
or real enough to make an
impression that's what matters isn't it
true the day is much like any
other serious only if you want it to
be
What sort of person would write
down rules then proceed forthwith to break them? Fanatic
literalists do their very best to keep their commandments exactly
as written, but almost everyone else stretches their own rules as a
matter of habit, some beyond the breaking point. Take, for
instance, the New Year's resolutions seemingly made by almost
everyone to be broken in a matter of days if not hours. Despite all
good intentions, such violations are natural to those who legislate
against themselves, especially when the habits of the selfish self
are stronger than the will of the socialized self split off and
divided back against it.
A "person" is a working
synthesis of individual and society - the distinction between
psychology and sociology is formally made for the sake of
explanatory convenience. The individual factor of the person tends
to be a rebel likely to rebel against its own rules in the absence
of witnesses and other more punitive social forces. The individual
god wants total freedom even unto self-destruction; but the society
needs individuals; thus Jacob fought with god and became
Israel.
We happen to be social
beings who need witnesses to better keep our resolutions.
Therefore, for example, smokers who would quit smoking are
sometimes told to tell everyone they have quit smoking. The
internalized, private witness has then been reinforced with a
public witness. Alas, since the habit is strong and the individual
rebel would be wild, that alone may not suffice. The individual
cheats; hopefully his guilty conscience and self-disgust will
provoke him to make a greater cessation effort, for practice makes
perfect....
Its the 18th week of reviews for 2022 and I read three (3) books
this week. Things have been coming together with closing the items
required from the escrow on the new CT house. Everything was sent
to the bank this morning, so hopefully by the end of the month they
will sign off that all requirements are complete and send me a
check covering the remaining escrow balance. That check will go
directly to the painter to start making the place my own. Colors
have been picked!!! Id paint it myself but with the new job and the
fact that all the upstairs cathedral ceilings are 14 feet high, Ill
never get it done. On another front, the buyer for the NYC
apartment is meeting with the buildings board early next week, so
hopefully well have a closing date by my next post. Its all lining
up hence why I only read a few novels this week. As of today, Ive
finished a total of 103 out of 208 books in my 2022 Goodreads
Challenge, which equates to ~50% complete and 31 books
ahead of schedule. Want to learn more of those details?
I raided the NYPL this week to borrow copies of the next in
series for the collections Im currently reading. I dont mind buying
new releases from authors but when I decide to go back and read all
the previous ones and there are 10+ in the series, I borrow a few
from the library and buy the rest. This week, I took on the next
Pendergast novel, Cold Vengeance, which focuses on our famed FBI
agents wife, Helen. Then I read Red Velvet Revenge from Jenn
McKinlays Cupcake Bakery Mysteries and If the Shoe Kills from Lynn
Cahoons Tourist Trap Mysteries. Looking ahead to next week, I think
Ill be focusing mostly on past releases to catch up in several
series. Most of the new books I have contain release dates in mid
June, so its too early to read and post a review. Soon tho!
A book needs us desperately. We have to pull it off the shelf.
We have to open it up. We have to turn the pages, one by one. We
even have to use our imagination to make it work. So, suddenly,
that book is not just a book; its our book. Mo Willems
The pictures are not very defined because one wants to be able
to have the imagination playing over them. Quentin Blake
Because they have so little, children must rely on imagination
rather than experience. Eleanor Roosevelt
I could be bounded in a nutshell, and count myself a king of
infinite space Shakespeare (Hamlet)
Image: Two merging galaxies, from NASAs Spitzer and Hubble Space
Telescopes. (Credit: NASA, ESA/JPL-Caltech/STScI/D. Elmegreen
(Vassar)
that's
so drop dead right on I can't believe I thought of
it and bothered to write it
down before it dissolved again into
a fog of unrealized potential
I don't really understand how
it works computational
equivalence suggests it's simpler than it
looks and that's the way it seems to
me a simple rule complicated
result the underlying principle is
life
Today were sharing a special blog tour post and spotlight. Youll
get to learn about the book and author, see great content from
different bloggers, and maybe even have some fun. Come on inside to
learn more about this wonderful author and book
About the Book(s)
Relationships are golden and each of the poems of Arthur Rosch,
Elizabeth Merry, D.Avery, Robbie Cheadle, Harmony Kent, Lauren
Scott, JulesPaige, Leon Stevens, Collen M. Chesebro, Miriam Hurdle,
M.J. Mallon, and Lynda McKinney Lambert pay poetic tribute to their
most intense personal moments.
With multiple authors, today Im primarily sharing a link to the
two who compiled and edited the anthology. You can learn more about
Robbie Cheadle via the dedicated author page on my blog:
All of us creative types have things we're naturally good at,
and things we've learned to do, and things we aren't that good at
(yet). This creates a creative trap: when approaching a project, we
often work on the part we understand best the part that scares us
least. So if you're good at plot, you write the plot first, and
then fill in the characters later. If you're good at characters,
you write up the characters and then feel your way towards a
plot.
Its the 17th week of reviews for 2022 and I read three (3) books
this week. Now that Im settling into my new home, Ive begun a few
house projects that keep me busier after work. Everythings
unpacked, and were beginning to select paint colors and choose
where to hang the art and photos weve collected over the years.
Cooking has been happening much more lately, now that everythings
available in the kitchen, so thats been a nice change of pace. The
new car is here, and its fantastic. Things are falling into place
if only my NYC apartment would close. Another delay this month,
which makes paying for 2 places at once really painful. Hopefully
only one more month and it will be done. As a result of all this
focus, Ive been falling asleep by 9:30; my reading time has been
significantly cut. Perhaps 3 books each week is my normal pace. Id
planned 4 a week, but thankfully Im well ahead on my goals. As of
today, Ive finished a total of 100 out of 208 books in my 2022
Goodreads Challenge, which equates to 48% complete and 33
books ahead of schedule. Want to learn more of those details?
The week began with the next book in Lynn Cahoons Tourist Trap
Mysteries, Mission to Murder. Im caught up on all her other series,
so I began another one last week. Im trying to keep up and get
current by end of year (there are over 10 to read still). A friend
and I are at the same point in Preston & Childs Pendergast
thriller series, so we decided to buddy read again this week. Fever
Dream is the first book in the Helen arc, focusing on the clever
FBI agents late wife. In this novel, we learn she didnt die in an
accident but as a result of murder! Finally, I picked up a new
release in the Lighthouse Library Mysteries written by Eva Gates.
It feels good to be current on her books so I can devour the latest
as soon as its available. Lets check out those reviews
Its the 16th week of reviews for 2022 and I read four (4) books
this week. While the new Connecticut house is mostly unpacked, its
time to focus on paint colors, rugs, window treatments, and some
new furniture. There is a lot to do, but Ill take it a weeks at a
time and room by room. Starting with the primary bedroom and the
larger guest bedroom this month. Things have picked up at my new
job, so Im much busier (in a good way). Were celebrating Easter
this weekend, and Im cooking a spiral ham. Moms bringing dessert.
As for reading and as of today, Ive finished a total of 97 out of
208 books in my 2022 Goodreads Challenge, which equates to 47%
complete and 34 books ahead of schedule. Lets dive into more
details
This week began by reading a historical fiction novel by an
author whos written this book under a pseudonym. Ive enjoyed
Lorraine Haass other books in her other name, and I was happy with
this one, The Scent of Gardenias, too. I stayed in the same time
period and jumped on the last Miss Marple mystery by Agatha
Christie, The Sleeping Murder. Now that Im done, Ill keep The Dame
on the backburner for a few months before I pick up another of her
series to reread. My last two books for the week were cozy
mysteries. One was a new release coming out next week, Daryl Wood
Gerbers Simmering with Resentment, and the other was an early book
in a new series I picked up this year, The Cupcake Bakery Mysteries
written by Jenn McKinlay. It feels good to be in control of my TBR
again, and by early summer, Im hoping to be in a very solid state
to start reading new authors again.
not what
religion I subscribe to but what I actually believe
is the question I need to be asking
it isn't easy to think about
sunk in preconceptions and
received systems of thought so basic
we don't even notice assuming
life is what we grew up thinking
is what we assume must be
real because everybody says it
is you have to start all over
and that's impossible having
come this far the boys and girls
have got each other'snumbers in
their phones but usually don't
answer if you don't know
where you're going maybe you have already
arrived
Its the 15th week of reviews for 2022 and I read four (4) books
this week. Now that Im somewhat settled in the new Connecticut
house, Ive been able to locate a few prime reading spots. So far, I
still read a bit in bed at night but its a very different view of
the nearby woods and barn on the back of the property. Ive also set
up a comfortable chair and ottoman (used to be in my living room)
in the new library. The bookshelves havent been unpacked yet but it
feels warm and cozy.
Its Easter weekend, so Happy Easter and Passover to all those
who celebrate.
Ill be unpacking more boxes this weekend, then celebrate the
holidays with my family next weekend; a COVID exposure has us
delaying the feast by a week this year. Thankfully, Ive knocked my
TBR back down to 100 books as of this morning, so Im excited to
plan out my late spring reads soon. As of today, Ive finished a
total of 93 out of 208 books in my 2022 Goodreads Challenge, which
equates to 45% complete and 34 books ahead of schedule.
Lets dive into more details
I began the week by reading my last Marie Benedict novel, The
Personal Librarian, a lovely historical fiction book set in NYC and
focused on cataloging books and building societal relationships in
the early 1900s. I then read the next-to-last book in Agatha
Christies Miss Marple series, Nemesis. Ive ordered the last one
from the library (surprisingly, I didnt own a copy of it) to read
next week. At that point, Ill put a pin in my Christie re-reads
until this fall when Ill pick up the Hercule Poirot series again.
Ive only read about 50% of them, so lets do it the right way in
order! Midweek, I needed my cozies, so I checked my TBR queue and
realized I was finally current on a few that had new releases in
April. Since I want to read the newest one about 2 weeks before its
release (when I can get a copy), I picked Vicki Delanys Deadly
Directors Cut, the 2nd in her historical collection about the
Catskill Mountain Resorts. Finally, my week ended with the
th...
Today were sharing a special blog tour post and spotlight. Youll
get to learn about the book and author, see great content from
different bloggers, and maybe even have some fun. Come on inside to
learn more about this wonderful author and book
Mining for Murder
(A Happy Camper Mystery) Cozy Mystery 3rd in Series Setting South Dakota Lyrical Press (April 5, 2022) Print length : 275 pages Digital ASIN : B0992TPJ24
About the Book(s)
Zo Jones is enjoying the sunny season at her Happy
Camper gift shop in Spirit Canyon, South Dakotawhen a murder
reminds her all that glitters isnt gold . . .
The South Dakota Gold Rush might be long over, but Zo Jones
feels like shes hit the mother lode when she and her friends browse
an estate sale, where a rare old book about the history of Spirit
Canyon is causing quite a commotion. In addition to local stories
and secrets, the book may even contain the location of a famous
stash of golda treasure worth killing for.
Zos friend Maynard Cline wins the bid on the book, to the
chagrin of many interested parties, including the historical
society and college history department. But when Zo and Hattie head
to Maynards mansion to borrow the book for a library event, the
only thing they find is Maynardat the bottom of the mountain. The
valuable book is gone. Zo knows this must be murder because theres
no way a germophobe like Maynard would have voluntarily dived into
a pile of dirt. Now shell have to dig...
Im thrilled to share a book alert for a new series that launched
last month: The Bax Mysteries written by Patrick Hodges. Ive read
another series by this author in the past, but it was very
different. I thoroughly enjoyed both You can check out his sci-fi
work from the link below (a dedicated author page on my blog).
Today, Im sharing 3 new reviews for his latest YA / Mystery
creation and you will LOVE it!
After a series of personal tragedies and abuse from his
alcoholic mother, eighteen-year-old Bax is determined to rebuild
his life.
Using money left to him by his father, he finds a place to live and
a job at the local coffee shop. But after he begins to experience
psychic visions after touching certain objects, Bax realizes that a
normal life may not be in store for him.
Things take a turn for the scary when he uncovers evidence that may
have belonged to the latest victim of a serial killer. With no
family to turn to, he enlists the help of Piper: his fellow barista
and a lover of mysteries.
Together, they attempt to track the killer down before another life
is lost. But are Baxs unique abilities and Pipers wits enough to
bring the murderer to justice?
Its the 14th week of reviews for 2022 and I read five (5) books
this week. I completed all my final packing for the moving truck
during the last few days, so reading wasnt a priority but I was
glad to find all the time I did. As I draft my post, Im living in
the new house in Connecticut and probably beginning to unpack the
first box this morning. Temporary car rented until mine arrives at
the dealer. Lots going on! Baxter is not sure how he feels about an
empty house, though he does love all the nature and property
outside for playtime. As of today, Ive finished a total of 89 out
of 208 books in my 2022 Goodreads Challenge, which equates
to 43% complete and 35 books ahead of schedule. Lets dive
into more details
I began the week with a book I borrowed from the New York Public
Library (NYPL) Lisa Jewells Before I Met You. Im now current on
most of her books and awaiting her upcoming 2022 release; true, I
skipped some of her earlier releases that hadnt garnered a lot of
reviews pre-2008, and I might eventually go back to read them, but
I count myself ready to focus on the future here. Next up was
Agatha Christies 11th Miss Marple mystery, At Bertrams Hotel, which
wasnt one of the best for me. But I do have the last two in the
series on my schedule for this coming week so that Im current on
her books; then Ill start the Hercule Poirot series later this
year. I chose a NetGalley award next because its release date was
4/8 and Im trying to read new books the week before publication
day. Lakeview House by Helen Phifer had a lot of potential but
didnt fully embrace me by the end. Midweek, I took on Mining for
Murder from Mary Angelas A Happy Camper Mysteries, which also
released this week and Im participating on the blog tour in about a
week. My final read was another new release from last month which I
only just got a copy of The Echoes by Jess Montgomery, part of a
historical fiction series called Kinship. I have started a 6th book
this week but I have a few chapters left, so itll count next
time!
Im thrilled to share a book alert for Jina S. Bazzars 2021
release of a romantic suspense novel. Ive read several of her
previous sci-fi books, but this time, its a different genre, and
one I really enjoyed. Below youll find my review and links to past
reviews of her other books.
Shes survived a murder attempt, heartbreak, and the loss of her
livelihood. What comes next might finally destroy her Carol is
having a bad year. As the last remaining Montenegro, shes forced to
leave behind her comfortable life and the dreams of a great degree,
all so she can sort out the crooked lawsuit she inherited, along
with a fianc she detests. Her belief that shes weathered the worst
comes crashing the day she receives a frightening letter from an
enemy she didnt know she had. Out of options, Carol has no choice
but to turn to the man she hurt years ago.
Ricardo is past the life where he spent his nights playing rock
music and his days enjoying his fame. Hes conveniently forgotten
the woman who played him for a fool, burying any feelings for her
deep and tight. His life now consists of a tiny office in the
familys hardware store, standing in for lazy employees, and
meaningless dates. So when Carol reaches out with a wild tale, hes
not exactly inclined to help her, but finds himself moored by
circumstances, half-tr...
Its the 13th week of reviews for 2022 and I read ten (10) books
this week. Even though weve completed a quarter of the year, Im
only sharing 7 reviews this week; 3 are part of a newly published
YA mystery series that I beta read. Ill share a book alert on them
in another week. In terms of my non-literary life, its the final
week of packing and moving everything else over to the new house in
Connecticut. Im also picking up my new car this week. Its
exhausting to deal with all this stuff! I will need a vacation
soon. Until then, lets talk book news. As of today, Ive finished a
total of 84 out of 208 books in my 2022 Goodreads Challenge, which
equates to 40% complete and 34 books ahead of schedule.
Lets dive into more details
This week I read the first three books from The Bax series
written by Patrick Hodges. Ill be sharing a dedicated book alert
next week, but you can read my reviews on Goodreads now if youd
like! Then I read the next Lisa Jewell book in my queue, The Making
of Us. I have one more I am beginning this weekend, and then Ive
caught up on all her novels (except a few older ones with just a
few reviews that Ill eventually get to). I picked up the next Miss
Marple by Agatha Christie, A Caribbean Mystery, putting myself only
three away from finishing that series. I then took a giant leap
forward by reading the final 3 available books in the Booktown
Mysteries by Lorna Barrett: A Killer Edition, Handbook for
Homicide, and A Deadly Deletion. I am now ready for the 2022 spring
release! Then I jumped into my final Liane Moriarty book, Three
Wishes, and put myself in the done status with all her books
(except like Jewell, a few early ones with just a handful of
reviews that Ill eventually read). My final reward was picking up
the first novella in a middle grade series written by a new author
to me, Darlene Foster. Check out her blog here. So glad to support someone I know
and I really enjoyed her book too!
Im thrilled to share a book alert for a terrific author and
childrens book series. Ive read all the previous books in this
collection, and you can check them out via the dedicated author
page on my book for Maxine Sylvester as well as a special post from
a few years ago.
When his Wing Commander is fired, Ronaldo discovers foul play.
Can he find proof and prevent a sinister reindeer from taking over
the top spot?
Ronaldo is keen to impress the new cadet in class with his
super-fast runway speed, but a tumble leaves him humiliated. When
an officer questions him about the incident, he lies.
The lie has disastrous consequences for the officer and when she
is relieved of her duties, Ronaldo feels responsible.
Heartbroken and wanting to put things right, Ronaldo uncovers a
dastardly plan to overthrow the officer. But he needs evidence and
time is running out.
Who will believe a young flying cadet who tells lies?
if you
are vegetarian dont even mention
meat let the animals live like you
and me breathe deeply or fast as
they tumble frolic laugh and dance
to natural music some are
friends some we cut up cook and
eat chewing delicious morsels not
thinking of the rest if you
are an omnivore you can speak freely
of incorrect opinions tastes you
were hesitant to mention when you were
thinking about being more pure
doing good for all sentient
beings out of sympathy for the
eaten
Ultimately a child must want to read. The child who reads for
pleasure is forming a wonderful habit and theres also pleasure for
parents in reading aloud.
A model, the wife of my favorite
bartender, used to show up at our jazz dance classes at Joy of
Movement, Dennis Wayne's old studio on Lafayette Avenue. Madonna
amongst other rock stars hung out there for aerobics and dance. The
model was quite awkward, enough so to cause dancers to roll
eyeballs as to why she was even in the class although it was
advertised as a mixed-level class because that suited the studios
need to fill up classes in order to pay the rising rents that had
run many dance studios out of the city. On the other hand, she was
incredibly beautiful. The female dancers were even more struck by
her beauty than the male dancers, who were predominantly
gay.
The model and her ballerina
friend were walking in front of their husbands one evening when a
car jumped the curb and ran over the both of them. I found out
about the accident when I stopped by the newsstand to look at the
headlines one morning. The photo at the top of the front page of
the New York Post caught my eye. Depicted there was my favorite
bartender beside the window of a sports car. He had pulled the head
of the driver out of the window and had a strangle hold on him. A
cop was nearby with gun drawn and pointing at him. I forget the
headline, but I remember the story well enough.
Its the 12th week of reviews for 2022 and I read seven (7) books
this week. Im not entirely sure how (with everything going on in my
life this month) I managed to read a book each day. Im noticing
that I can read more quickly, and when I read several in a series
in the same week, I might slightly skim some of the descriptions
that arent new content. But I only have a few more to catch up
where Ill be reading several per week, so it will be a more normal
pace again soon. In terms of non-literary life mostly I spent the
week packing and setting up various utility bills in my name. Im
heading back to the house this weekend to do some cleaning and
measuring before the big move early next month. Ive finished 5
weeks in my new job and beginning to acclimate well, plus Ill find
out tomorrow when my new car will arrive at the dealer. In terms of
my literary life, as of today, Ive finished a total of 74 out of
208 books in my 2022 Goodreads Challenge, which equates to 36%
complete and 27 books ahead of schedule. Lets dive into more
details
To start my week, I chose three cozy mysteries, focusing on
Lorna Barretts Booktown Mysteries: A Just Clause (10 of 16), Title
Wave (11of 16) and Poisoned Pages (12 of 16). I am planning to read
13 thru 15 over the next week or two so that Im ready for the
summer 2022 release. I also read two books by Liane Moriarty (one
fantastic, one not so fantastic): The Last Anniversary and Truly
Madly Guilty. I ordered the last one of hers that I havent read,
and it should arrive in the next week then I am current on all 12+
of her books, even though theyre not a series. Lastly, I devoured
two books by fellow authors that I would read even if I didnt know
them personally. From Fame to Ruin is a romantic mystery by Jina S.
Bazzar that released in 2021. Id previously read her sci-fi series
but missed this ones publication, and I definitely recommend it.
Ill be sharing a dedicated post next month on it. I also snagged an
early copy of the first book, Maddie, in the Vampires in Wonderland
series written by Candace Robinson and Amber. R. Duell. Id read all
the books in their Oz collaboration l...
Im excited to share news of the official release for the Sleigh
Bell Tower audio book! Over the last six months, Ive been working
with an amazing narrator, Stephen Lookadoo, and
his amazing partnership has brought this story to life. Weve saved
a few free download codes, so if youre interested, drop a comment
in this post and well reach out.
Overview of Legally Blind
Luck
Cozy / Amateur Sleuth Mystery 8th in Series Setting Pennsylvania Publisher : Next Chapter (December 20, 2021) Hardcover : 276 pages ISBN-13 : 979-8763163933 Paperback : 276 pages ISBN-13 : 979-8763164046 Digital ASIN : B09JZCSRXB
When Bell Towers decides to build their newest boutique hotel in
Wharton County, Braxton establishes a hospitality program as part
of their university expansion. Despite the Ingram and Lynch family
ties to prominent citizens, a dispute over the proposed landsite
pits citizens against each other. One takes matters into their own
hands and slays the hotel magnate during the campus holiday party.
As the list of suspects increases, long-lost family members are
anxious to keep their secrets from being revealed, complicating
Sheriff Montagues ability to determine the murderers true motive.
Even Kellans forced to cast doubt on his friends and colleagues
when it becomes obvious someone he knows committed the ultimate
crime.
April and Kellan are also celebrating their first Christmas and
Hanukkah together, exchanging gifts based on the classic Twelve
Days of Christmas song. While they trim the tree, light the
menorah, and experience all the traditional holiday festivities
with the kids, Nana D delivers her sarcastic brand of humor and
endlessly tortures the town. Amo...
Im thrilled to share a book alert for todays publication of a
poetry collection Postcards from Beyond Reality from Michael
Daniels, the main character in Bernard Jans previous novel, Cruel
Summer. Ive read most of the authors books (as theyre translated
into English), and now Im sampling his poetry. You can read my past
reviews via the dedicated author page he has on my blog, and then
later in todays post, youll learn all about his newest book and
read my 5-star review.
His life has been a cocktail of melancholy, sorrow, and
desire. When a skateboarder dips his pen into poetry, what will his
passion create?
After a lifetime of abuse and the tragic loss of his mother, NYC
teen Michael Daniels needed an outlet. Despite his cheerful nature,
his inner mind was teeming with the stark contrast of darkness and
light. So, in this volume full of imagery and symbolism, his
underground rhymes reflect days full of extreme sports, failed
relationships, and nostalgic memories.
Written by Bernard Jan in character as the hero from his
novel Cruel Summer, this channeled view of the world
is an extravaganza of extremes. And in its groundbreaking
perspectives, youll discover the cries of a heart longing to be
understood.
Its the 11th week of reviews for
2022 and I read seven (7) books this week. Ill only be sharing six
of those reviews because Ill be doing a special book alert blog
post this coming week for the release of Bernard Jans newest poetry
collection, Postcards from Beyond Reality; as a hint, I loved it,
so stay tuned. I sampled a wide variety of genres this week,
meaning you will likely see vast differences in my reviews. On a
more person note, St. Patricks Day was a lovely wet mess here in
NYC, and Friday was my birthday, so it was a busy but fun week. I
also took possession of my new home from the former owners, so the
move-in has officially begun now. In terms of books, I made a bunch
of progress on several authors Im keen to get current on, meaning
complete reading all their books prior to the 2022 release theyve
got planned. As of today, Ive finished a total of 67 out of 208
books in my 2022 Goodreads Challenge, which equates to 32%
complete and 24 books ahead of schedule. Lets dive into more
details
When the week kicked off, I read Bernard Jans book, but youll
see that review in two days. Then I turned to a cozy mystery by Eva
Gates, Deadly Ever After. Im now current in the series and have
just received the 2022 installment through NetGalley, which Ill
read a few weeks before its officially published this spring. As a
result, I gave myself permission to start a new series by Lynn
Cahoon, or at least new to me the first book in her Tourist Trap
Mysteries. There are 15 in the series, so I have a lot to catch up
on this year. By then, I needed something older, and I went with
two historical fiction books by Marie Benedict: Lady Clementine and
The Other Einstein. Lastly, I read an older release from Liane
Moriarty (The Hypnotists Love Story) and an older one from Lisa
Jewell (The Third Wife).
The TBR is slowly pacing lower and lower!
What a great reading week! Ive got 20 books in my Kindle now
(from all the NetGalley ones or purchases for 2022 releases) that I
can get started o...
protect the personal while
digging deep and skimming quickly in the real-to-me
fruitless pursuit of what makes it matter
the thing itself for its own strange sake
how can I say what I mean when I don't
know don't trust my own thinking circle
down to the empty knowing other people
feel otherwise serve their own obsessions
I don't need to know or care to love them
still I wish we could connect be friends and
feel the original sympathy and interest that
made us want to be together love all night
Im thrilled to share a book alert for todays publication of A
Deadly Legacy by Malia Zaidi. Congratulations to Malia for another
amazing installment in the Lady Evelyn series. Ive read all of the
previous five books, and you can see my reviews and a special
character guest post from last year on her dedicated author page on
my blog.
When the newest book in her series was added to Goodreads, I
quickly marked it To Be Read, and I was lucky enough to receive an
early copy. Today, Im sharing my review with everyone
About the Author
Malia Zaidi is a writer and painter, who grew up in Germany and
lives in the US. An avid reader and traveler, she decided to
combine these passions, and turn her long-time ambition of writing
into a reality.
funny
that we don't agree about anything
really put that aside glad to be
let be without argument who each is not
subject to judgment or discussion and
why should it least of all by our own
companion I'd like a group but then I'd
have to deal with egos theirs and mine
raising its head looking for trouble put that aside I am no critic and not actually
alone
Its the 10th week of reviews for 2022 and I read seven (7) books
this week. It was a banner week, mostly because I was able to
complete a few series and get a bunch done in preparation for my
move. Im still surprised that I can read a book a day on top of
everything else going on. As for the person life I finished 3 weeks
in the new job, which is going well. Lots of packing done, move
date is set for this month, and I bought a car (or I put a deposit
down for one since it wont actually arrive for a few more weeks).
Is it May yet? I only ask because at least all these major life
changes will be completed and Ill be somewhat settled by then.
Nonetheless, lets get back to my reading life. As of today, Ive
finished a total of 60 out of 208 books in my 2022 Goodreads
Challenge, which equates to 29% complete and 21 books
ahead of schedule. Lets dive into more details
The week began by reading the latest published book in Kate
Carlisles Bibliophile Mysteries, Little Black Book. It took us to
Scotland for a brief trip, which was great because my next Braxton
Campus Mystery has a setting there too. Im thrilled because Im
fully caught up in this series; Carlisles newest book will release
this spring, and it just showed up on NetGalley. I put my request
in, but I never get these, so Ill end up buying it later on. Then I
jumped back into Lorna Barretts Booktown Mysteries with A Fatal
Chapter, taking me to the 2/3 point in the series. This was the
best one to date, and I have five more to catch up to the 2022
release this summer/fall. By this point, I noticed that I was only
five books away from getting current in the Lighthouse Library
Mysteries by Eva Gates, therefore I picked up books five, six and
seven: Something Read, Something Dead; Read and Buried; and A Death
Long Overdue. I will read the eighth next week and then Ill be
ready for her 2022 release this summer too.
WOW Im making headway on a bunch of series this winter!
After five cozy mysteries, I needed a break, so I pulled a
historical fiction novel fro...
Its the 9th week of reviews for 2022 and I read six (6) books
this week. Continuing with my theme of closing in on several book
series so that Im ready for their 2022 releases, I made great
progress this week. Things have been quiet on the house front, but
I spent several hours researching and quoting a new car purchase,
as I will need one in the suburbs soon. Wow, my head is swimming
down to 3 options in the compact SUV world. Just need to decide if
I want to lease or buy. All that said, the focus of this post is
books, so lets get to it especially since I reached a milestone
this week. As of today, Ive finished a total of 53 out of 208 books
in my 2022 Goodreads Challenge, which equates to 25%
complete and 18 books ahead of schedule. Lets dive
into more details
The week began and ended with the same author. By the end of
this month, Id like to be current in the Lighthouse Library
Mysteries written by Eva Gates, so I picked up the 3rd one, Reading
Up a Storm. The NY Public Library emailed and the surprise sequel
to What If Its Us was ready for me to pick up, so I read Heres To
Us by co-writers Becky Albertalli and Adam Silvera. I think I liked
the first one a bit more, but maybe they were equal. Midweek I
returned to cozies with Kate Carlisles Bibliophile Mysteries by
reading The Grim Reader now I can enjoy the newest one. I was soon
craving some Agatha Christie and jumped back into Miss Marples
world with The Mirror Crackd From Side to Side. Lorna Barretts next
Booktown Mystery made it to my queue, so I read Book Clubbed before
finishing the week with Eva Gatess The Spook in the Stacks. And you
know what just like that my TBR is now under 100 specific to the
series I need to catch up on before I take on anything else
new!
Today were sharing a special blog tour post and spotlight. Youll
get to learn about the book and author, see great content from
different bloggers, and maybe even have some fun. Come on inside to
learn more about this wonderful author and book
Im excited to join WordCrafters tour, partially because of the
specific author being highlighted but also because the blog tour
coordinator is a wonderful blogger and author herself. In todays
post, youll find background information about the promoted book and
Robbie Cheadle (author extraordinaire), plus an exclusive interview
with her and my review of her latest Sir Chocolate book. Below you
can also check out all my past reviews of Robbies work, including
the entire Sir Chocolate series and her stand-alone novels.
Sir Chocolate and Lady Sweets son, Chocolate Fudge, sees one of
Lord Humbugs dogs struggling to stay afloat in the hot chocolate
pond. Can Chocolate Fudge save the sugar dog from drowning?
Its the 8th week of reviews for 2022 and I read six (6) books
this week, but Ill only be sharing five of them. My review for the
last book I read, Robbie Cheadles newest Sir Chocolate childrens
book, Chocolate Fudge Saves the
Super Dog, wont appear until next week because Im lucky enough
to appear on her blog tour so stay tuned for a dedicated post in
the coming days. As to the rest of my life well, its been a
productive week. I began working at my new job ROKU! Very excited
to join their team and help them achieve great success. I closed on
the Connecticut house, so its officially mine but Ill be doing some
small reno work over the next few weeks. More to come there back to
literature! As of today, Ive finished a total of 47 out of 208
books in my 2022 Goodreads Challenge, which equates to 23% complete
and 15 books ahead of schedule. Lets dive into more details
As youve been hearing about lately, I have a goal to get current
on ~10 series that I picked up last year. Im closing in on at least
5 of those, and this week took a big leap forward. I began with The
Book Supremacy, the 13th installment in the Bibliophile Mysteries
written by Kate Carlisle. I have two more to go and then I am ready
for this summers upcoming publication. Last week I raced my way
through Maddie Days Country Store Mysteries, enabling me to read
her current release this week (and it released this week too)
Batter Off Dead. It feels so good to attain a goal, doesnt it? By
midweek, I dove into the 7th book (which is about halfway thru the
series), Not the Killing Type, in Lorna Barretts Booktown
Mysteries. Im hoping to be caught up by June when her next
scheduled novel will release.
Catching up on the latest in a series is such a wonderful reward
for readers!
Im now trying to read (when I get early copies) a
yet-to-be-published...
Its the 7th week of reviews for 2022 and I read six (6) books
this week. Most of them occurred in the early part of the week too,
as I finished working at A+E Networks this week so my last few days
were quite busy. Next Monday, Ill officially turn in my equipment
and begin working my new job at Roku. Im excited and feeling
bittersweet by this big change, but thats the common factor in my
life these days change! I went car shopping this week; I havent
owned a car in over a decade, but since Ill be leaving NYC in two
months, I need one. I then signed the contract to sell my NYC
apartment, and next week I close on the new house in CT. So its
been hectic. But Im sure you care more about the books, right? As
of today, Ive finished a total of 41 out of 208 books in my 2022
Goodreads Challenge, which equates to 20% complete and 13 books
ahead of schedule. Lets dive into more details
When youre close to catching up on a series, what does one do?
Dive fully in, yes? Thats what I accomplished with Maddie Days
Country Kitchen Mysteries. I read Nacho Average Murder (#7), No
Grater Crime (#8), and Candy Slain Murder (#9), leaving me with the
new release (#10) coming out in three days. Yep, Ill be reading it
on Wednesday most likely. I also tried to catch up in Kate
Carlisles Bibliophile Mysteries by reading Buried in Books (#12 of
16), but the library was delayed so I didnt receive #13. I tend to
buy one, then borrow one when Im catching up on a series with over
10 books. I want to support authors as much as possible, but when I
read 4 to 5 books a week, thats a lot! Next week, I plan to read
#13 thru #15 so that Im ready for the upcoming release this spring.
I also received the next Eva Gates Lighthouse Library Mysteries
book, Booked For Trouble, but I have a long way to go to catch up
in that series. I ended my week with one of my favorite authors,
Ellen Crosby, and her March 1st release, Bitter Roots, in the
divine Wine Country Mysteries. Whats even better in the next couple
of weeks, my TBR will dip below 100 but thats only because I hacked
it to death last year&#...
When your story ends the unfolding of the narrative needs to
have been logical. It doesn't always have to be evident at the time
of the character taking action, but once the narrative is resolved
the audience needs to experience that "Ah ha" moment. The narrative
should be logical at its conclusion.
Its the 6th week of reviews for 2022 and I read eight (8) books
this week. Yes, Im shocked too! Even though I worked a full week
and had many tasks to prepare for my upcoming CT house closing, I
allocated about 2 hours each day to read, even more last Sunday.
Plus, one of the books was a short novella, which made it a bit
easier of a task to accomplish. I also stayed in genre this week
for the most part, attempting to catch up on 3 series so that I am
almost current. Unfortunately, none of them were Valentines Day
books, which is the holiday coming up very soon maybe that will be
part of next weeks list. Shall we jump into the latest book stats
now? As of today, Ive finished a total of 35 out of 208 books in my
2022 Goodreads Challenge, which equates to 17% complete and 11
books ahead of schedule. Lets dive into more details
Early on in the week, motivation kicked in. I was 4 books away
from being current in two different series, so I intentionally read
two novels from each one, as I also plan to next week. By March, I
want to be reading the 2022 releases. First up was Kate Carlisles
Bibliophile Mysteries, which were a recommendation from a good
friend, Valerie. I read books #10 (Books of a Feather) and #11
(Once Upon a Spine), leaving me in the home stretch. I liked #10
way better this time. Next up, I turned to Maddie Days Country
Store Mysteries, which had been a series I wanted to read for
years. Finally, I began it last fall, and this week I read #6
(Strangled Eggs and Ham) and #6.5 (Christmas Cocoa and a Corpse).
Always a little strange reading a Christmas book around a romantic
holiday, but hey thats the best way to time travel!
All About Catching Up in My Favorite Series this Spring
Continuing my cozy catch-up theme, I read Murder on the Half
Shell, the 6th book in Lorna Barretts Booktown Mysteries. Im
enjoying the series, but I have a long way to go as she is well
into the late teens in terms of book count by now. I probably wont
catch up on this series until summer, just in time for her 2022
release. It was at this po...
Im excited to participate in the blog tour for MJ Mallons newest
release, Golden Healer. I will be reading the book in the coming
months, so I dont have a review of it to share today however, I did
read the first book a few years ago, and I have included it below.
Congratulations to a wonderful writer, blogger, and lovely woman
who does so much for others.
Dedicated to the one and only rollercoaster that I ever rode. It
was in Portugal, and I was on holiday with my young family. Ill
never forget that day, I overcame my fears and rode a rollercoaster
with the encouragement of my much-loved family, my husband, David,
and daughters Natasha and Georgina. So, its time to ride another
rollercoaster I hope you will come along with me for this crazy
ride! Lets meet our fears together
Academic Curveball, the 1st book in my Braxton Campus Mysteries,
is now available as a permaFREE purchase on multiple sites. We used
to market as Kindle Unlimited but have taken a new path in 2022 to
entice more readers. Take a look at all the options below, which
dont include the entire slate. Ever since we made this switch, the
series has garnered more reviews, entered the Top 50 cozy mystery
downloads on Amazon, and hit #1 in multiple sub-categories. Im
super thrilled to share this news! Im grateful to everyone for
sharing the links and supporting my books. You can access the new
platforms via the link under the next photo.
This book won a Best Fiction award
and was the #1 downloaded Kindle book in the highest possible
category in February 2019 during the launch promotion. There are
now 8 books available in the series, so why not start reading them
by getting this one for FREE! It was also translated into Italian
last month!
Its the 5th week of reviews for 2022 and I read seven (7) books
this week. Since the job and house search situations settled down
during the last few days, I had plenty of energy to catch up on
reading. I also had a bunch of time to go out for dinner, which
resulted in a lot of overindulgent celebrations. LOL While I never
drank and ate so much that I became truly sick, I did think a few
mornings I feel stuffed and fuzzy. My age is catching up with me.
This is not a welcome thing! Otherwise, in more wanted news,
something big to share next week. so hang in there for a few more
days. Shall we focus on the books now? As of today, Ive finished a
total of 27 out of 208 books in my 2022 Goodreads Challenge, which
equates to 13% complete and 7 books ahead of schedule. Lets dive
into more details
Coming off a lighter week, I decided to play catch up by
selecting some of the cozy mystery series Im attempting to get
current on. First up was the 4th book in Maddie Days Country Store
Mysteries, Biscuits and Slashed Browns, which kept me hungry for a
few days (thats who I blame for all the dinners out this week).
Then I devoured Sentenced to Death, the next book in Lorna Barretts
Booktown Mysteries, which places me firmly at the 33% mark in catch
up mode. Another favorite, Carolyn Deans Ravenwood Cove Mysteries,
hit the top of my reading list because the book showed up in my
Kindle. Repair, Repaint & Revenge was released this week and I
had pre-ordered it last December. It felt awesome to be able to
read the current book of a series, so that had to happen,
friends.
Reading is one of my greatest joys in life.
By midweek, I was all cozied out, so I switched to the second
book released in the last few years about the disappearance of
Agatha Christie. I read The Mystery of Mrs. Christie by Marie
Benedict over two nights and can thoughtfully compare it to last
weeks Christie book by Nina de Gramont. I then took on a brand-new
2022 release, part of my 2022 goals, with a genre-crossing novel
that really spoke to me: Rebecca Se...
You can read a copy of my monthly author newsletter for January
2022. Ive been issuing these newsletters for five years, and Im
excited to share them on my blog. To receive the current
newsletter, you can sign up via my author website via this
link. Ive included a link to this months newsletter below to
give you a chance to get to know me a little better.
About Me: For those
new to me or my reviews heres the scoop: Im Jay, a contemporary
fiction, family drama, and mystery author who lives in NYC. My
stand-alone novel, Father Figure, can be
purchased on Amazon as electronic copies or physical copies. My
co-written metaphysical drama about past lives, Weathering Old Souls, is a partnership with the
amazing Didi Oviatt. My family drama series, Perceptions of Glass,
has two books: (1) Watching Glass Shatter
and (2) Hiding Cracked Glass. My
clever and cozy mystery series, Braxton Campus Mysteries, will fit
those who love cozy mysteries and crime investigations but with a
twist. There are eight books: Academic Curveball,...
Its the 4th week of reviews for 2022 and I read three (3) books
this week. Given my work schedule and the final requirements for
the mortgage commitment process on my new house, I was too
exhausted to read most nights. Instead, I took a break for a few
days and squeezed in the third book just last night. By this time
next week, or possibly the one after, I will have news about a
bunch of things! In terms of reading, lets get back to the point of
this post. As of today, Ive finished a total of 20 out of 208 books
in my 2022 Goodreads Challenge, which equates to 10% complete and 4
books ahead of schedule. Lets dive into more details
I started the week out really well a good friend and I wanted to
buddy read the next book in the Pendergast series written by
Douglas Preston and Lincoln Child (#8 of about 20). We began The
Wheel of Darkness, since we are the same book in the series
finally, last Friday evening and chatted throughout the entire
weekend about our progress. Its fun to share that experience,
especially when I dont belong to any book clubs these days. When we
were done on Monday, I turned to Chapter & Hearse, the next
novel in the Booktown Mysteries written by Lorna Barrett. I was in
a cozy mood and am still trying to get current in that series
(yikes, at least 10 to go). Then the slow down began on Tuesday I
read one chapter in Nina de Gramonts upcoming February release, The
Christie Affair but I couldnt focus and put it back down. I was too
mentally stressed to relax with a book I read a couple of chapters
on Wed and Thurs this week but finally buckled down on Friday
afternoon when work was finished. Lets dive into the reviews
Its the 3rd week of reviews for 2022 and I read five (5) books
this week. While still one more than I needed to (based on my
goals), it was one less than the last two weeks too. Im slowing
down. Blame it on work so much going on there, and I will be busy
for the next week, I suspect. Busy as in by the time everything is
done around nine at night, I am too tired to read! Nonetheless, its
going well, and I have two books lined up this coming week that Im
excited, including a buddy read with a really great friend. As of
today, Ive finished a total of 17 out of 208 books in my 2022
Goodreads Challenge, which equates to 8% complete and 5 books ahead
of schedule. Lets dive into more details
The week began with a fellow Next Chapter authors latest
thriller: The Mersey Ferry Murders by Brian L. Porter. Considered a
UK police procedural, this suspenseful mystery has a wonderful cast
across the nine-book series. Im excited for number ten when it
releases later this year, I believe. After that novel, of course, I
returned to my cozy mystery genre and borrowed the next book from
the NYPL library in two series that Im hopeful to fully catch up on
my summer when the latest books release. First was When the Grits
Hit the Fan by Maddie Day; second was Ripped from the Pages by Kate
Carlisle. I love the Indiana (Day) and California (Carlisle)
settings, and the main characters are both so likeable and
memorable. I then took on a brand-new release by an author I hadnt
yet read or heard of prior to this month: The Maid by Nita Prose.
As part of my plan to try new authors this year, her book was
highly recommended and it delivered on that promise. The last book
I read this week was a collection of poems by Balroop Singh. She
writes a wonderful blog and has been a treasure to so many people
in the literary world. In the past, Ive ready many of her books and
shared an Author Spotlight all about her on my blog. You can check
out my past reviews and read the spotlight on her dedicated author
page below:
Murder
on Cape Cod by Maddie
Day
...
...
Apples
Never Fall by Liane
Moriarty
Butter
Off Dead by Leslie
Budewitz
Scavenger
Haunt: A Cassandra Sato Halloween Short Mystery by Kelly
Brakenhoff
A
Merry Mersey Christmas: Who Killed Santa Claus? by Brian
L. Porter
The
Phone Call...
The
Guest List by Lucy
Foley
Partners
in Lime: A Beachfront Cozy Mystery by Bree
Baker
The
Congregation by
A.J. Griffiths-Jones
...
