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Tag Archive: E-book
Brambleman by Jonathan Grant
Kathleen Talton was getting old, already suffering from Alzheimer’s Disease. Her husband, Thurwoood Talton, a retired Georgia State University history professor, died while trying to get his manuscript Flight from Forsyth published. He was hit in the head by a beer bottle throwing youth while marching for for civil rights in Forsyth County. Thurwood died a week later, and Kathleen believed it was caused by the youth who threw the bottle. Kathleen waited many years then decided she needed to have her husband’s work completed and published. So she did something she hasn’t done in years, she prayed. Not for forgiveness, not for happiness and not many of the things most people pray for. She asked for justice, companionship, vengeance, completion and closure. It was a most interesting prayer!
Charlie Sherman, father of 14 year old Ben and daughter Rebecca (Beck), has been a stay at home dad for a long time. He had opted to stay at home so he could write his book. Prior tho staying home he had been a freelance writer and an editor. His wife Susan, supported his decision because she made more money at her job then he did, and that mattered a lot to her. The problem was, nothing Charlie wrote got published and Susan was sick of him. After a bitter dispute with his wife, his daughter had called the cops because she was afraid. Charlie got his butt kicked out of the house and concluded that Susan had wanted him gone for a long time.
Walking in the rain, extremely upset, Charlie has a George Bailey moment. (George Bailey is a character from classic film It’s a Wonderful Life, my all time favorite movie) and gets ready to jump from an overpass. A strange, seemingly random accident below him on the road has him realizing that if he takes his life, he won’t see anymore weird stuff. Deciding to think things through a little more, he heads off for some peace, guiet and coffee. Instead he finds Trouble, though who and what he is Charlie’s not sure of. And boy does Trouble SMELL!
When Trouble tells Charlie he has a job for him to do he finds himself agreeing to go and meet Kathleen. She hires him to finish up and publish her husband’s manuscript and he can stay at her house in the basement well he does so. Charlie is a little leery but finally agrees and signs a contract. He figures things can’t get much weirder, boy is he wrong!
Things aren’t just weird anymore, they’re Old Testament weird! People were dying; Kathleen’s daughter got boils after upsetting her mom, as did a pharmacist; burning buildings and, the kicker for Charlie, the contract he originally signed to complete Kathleen’s husband book, the ink had turned to blood and if Charlie tried to get out of it, he paid with his life.
You’d think with all this going on, Charlie would have enough to deal with but no. His wife Susan and the rest of her crazy relatives were all somehow tied in to Charlie’s mess with the manuscript. Charlie has to think fast and move faster before something else bad happens. There is way, way more in store for Charlie, his wife Susan, her nutty family, Kathleen and Trouble. What does Trouble really want?And the biggest problem of all is Charlie knows that good and evil are somehow involved in all this, but what side is Charlie actually working for and how will he find out? Will Charlie survive? Will anyone survive?
I found myself reading faster and faster as the story twisted and turned more and more. I really enjoyed the pace and the story in a story aspect that came out of the manuscript that Charlie had to edit. Some of the characters are just that, characters! Good, bad, hicks and politicians, men and women and children all had interesting thoughts and actions. My only real complaint was the length of the novel. While it held my attention all the way through, there were times I thought things could have been said just as well with several less words or pages. All in all though a good albeit long read.
Please note that some people might be offended due to certain events, certain groups including the Klu Klux Klan and certain demeaning and racist remarks depicted in the novel but they are used to show what had actually happened in Forsyth County throughout the 20th century.
I received this eBook through LibraryThing and was asked for my honest review.
I have been a reader for a long time and one of my pet peeves when reading used to be the editing, or should I say lack of editing. After dinosaurs ruled the world but before the internet and eBooks came to being, there used to be only paper copies of books and magazines and newspapers. I know some of you out there are shaking your heads in disbelief but its true. Reading a book that was not edited properly was a fairly uncommon thing. Spelling, punctuation, nouns, verbs and other assorted grammatical rules mattered. Not to everyone (teens back then didn’t like English classes either) but to most people who read a lot of material, it mattered. The first book I remember reading that I was totally disgusted with the complete lack of editing was the first edition of
And Ladies of the Club by Helen Hooven Santmyer
The editing was so bad, that it made it really difficult to read the story, so difficult for me that I couldn’t finish reading the book. (Well that and I really thought the book went on for several hundred pages longer than there was a story). And yes, I have tried to read the book a couple more times, different editions, but I still couldn’t finish it. But I think part of the problem for me is that I just can’t get past how badly unedited (is that even a word) the first edition is.
Happily, due in part to the internet and eBooks, I have been able to get past bad editing to see the story and what message the author is trying to convey. There are still books out there that I don’t care for but its not because of the editing or lack there of, its the whole story.
I’ve noticed that a lot of people put down indie authors and publishers citing poor editing. But I read a lot, both indie and mainstream and I’ve noticed that even the big publishing companies aren’t doing much better.
The Hunger Games (The Hunger Games #1) by Suzanne Collins
I’ve heard, though I’m the first to say that I have not personally read the Hunger Games, that the books in the series need some serious editing and of course the flip side to that is I’ve also heard that the bad grammar and punctuation is deliberate. (When I write heard, I mean read…hmmm…maybe I need to do some editing) So my question is why is editing a book so important?
For me I find that there are times that due to bad or improper editing it really effects the flow of the story. I have at times gotten so caught up in the grammatical and punctuation mistakes that I stop actually reading the story because I just can’t concentrate anymore and I just lose interest and I really think that’s sad. And I do have to admit that there are times when I am writing a review that the editing of a story directly affects how I write my review. I have gotten a little less hard core about the editing but that’s only because so many written works are so badly edited. I think part of why I try not to let it bother me so much is having my blog. After I post an article or a review, a day later I’ll be looking over something and realize that the sentence structure is wrong or that I’ve used the wrong word (I always get messed up with effect and affect).
I guess what I’ve been trying to say is that I think editing is important for the flow of a story not necessarily the story itself. I can overlook a lot of editing mistakes if the story is good and the characters are well fleshed out and the plot makes sense but if some of those are not quite there, then editing can really become an issue. I hope that authors and publishers (indie and the big ones) will start to look a little more carefully at the editing of a book and not just rush it out to publication.
Simon says now is a good time to read a book and he’s got some great suggestions for you! For a great YA fantasy read, Simon suggests
The Colors of Malent: Book One (The Colors of Malent #1)
I will be hosting a book giveaway, starting on June 7, for a copy of The Colors of Malent: Book 1. As well in the coming weeks, I will be interviewing Tim Adams and Sam Inzerillo. I really look forward to learning more about Malent, Alara and her friends as well as finding out more about Tim and Sam.
If your looking for an interesting historical romance
Montana Wildfire by Rebecca Sinclair
Originally released in 1991, it has been re-released as an eBook. Amanda Lennox is over her head in trouble. She’s taking spoiled brat Roger to his home in Pony, Montana and fears she is lost. She lied about her experience in the wilderness, but really how hard can it be? When Roger goes missing, Amanda must rely on the help of the very rude, but very sexy half breed Jake, to help find Roger and not lose her heart as well.
For a good mystery, I would suggest
Two Graves by D.A. Graystone
To get more ideas on what to read, check out some great sites like GoodReads, Amazon, Barnes and Nobles and definitely give the indie authors a try! There are so many great books out there.
Have a good read!
Unspent Time Launch Party
Get free books and win a Kindle Fire or a Kindle Touch
Warning: reading this novel may make you more attractive and elevate your random luck by about 9.332%*
(* These statements have not been evaluated by any person of consequence!)
From the award winning author of ‘No Hope for Gomez!’ comes a collection of impossible tales. Permeating the cracks between the past and the present is the realm of Unspent Time; time that was allotted but never spent. This is where we find the stories that could have been true.
Read how to enter below. Excerpt The tentacles hovered in the air for only an instant, then came crashing down again, straight at her. She could only stare at them in fear; there was no time to react. And yet, they missed again. Only by millimeters, but they missed. However, she felt pain all over her body. Her back and head throbbed as if she’d been beaten.
Read how to enter below. Excerpt The tentacles hovered in the air for only an instant, then came crashing down again, straight at her. She could only stare at them in fear; there was no time to react. And yet, they missed again. Only by millimeters, but they missed. However, she felt pain all over her body. Her back and head throbbed as if she’d been beaten.
Then the tentacles withdrew. They disappeared behind the precipice silently. That’s when Kiala realized she was lying on her back, several meters inland from the jetty.
“That was close,” said a breathy voice.
Kiala whirled round to find a boy standing behind her. He was tall and slender, handsome in a mysteriously odd kind of way, with pale skin that was close to translucent and eyes that were bright and piercing. As she struggled to get up, she felt the boy’s gaze move right through her. The boy’s eyes were also red-rimmed with deep, dark rings around them.
Truth be told, he looked a bit sickly.
“Are you alright?” Kiala blurted out.
“Me?” The boy caught his breath. He brushed some imaginary dust and some very real tentacle slime from his cape and said, “I just saved your life. I should be asking you that question.”
“I know,” Kiala said. “And I can’t thank you enough for what you just did, but, well.” She gave him a sympathetic smile. “You look awfully pale, as if you might collapse at any moment. ”
The boy snorted. He made his cape catch an invisible breeze so it wrapped around him dramatically. “Are you kidding me?” He lowered his voice to a menacing whisper. “I’m Waywick III of the flying cannibal clan of the lost city of Vark. I’m a creature of dusk and twilight. I’m an unholy spirit of death!”
“No, you’re not,” Kiala said. She rubbed at her back, where he’d apparently dragged her over some pretty pointy rocks.
“Excuse me?” Waywick gave her a baffled look. “Of course I am!”
Kiala rolled her eyes at him. “Well, you don’t look all that dead and unholy to me. You just look a bit pale, that’s all.”
“I never said I was dead,” Waywick bristled. “I just said I was a flying cannibal and an unholy spirit of death. That doesn’t mean that I am dead.” He shook his head at her. “It just means that I’m very, very dangerous.”
“Sure,” Kiala said. “Again, though, you don’t look all that dangerous.”
Waywick opened his cape wide and puffed out his chest. “Then perhaps you should take a closer look.”
Kiala decided not to, instead she searched for her rod. She’d dropped it during the attacks. It lay wedged between two boulders a few meters away.
“I don’t know,” she told Waywick. “Anyone can look pale, thin, and sickly, that doesn’t automatically mean that they’re dangerous.” She checked the rod for surface damage and was relieved to find it in good condition. “In fact,” she continued, “it usually means exactly the opposite.”
… continued in Unspent Time, nominated for GoodReads Laugh out Loud book of 2012
How to enter:
For the launch of the new novel I decided to discount it to $0.99 for today (PC and eBook), give away some exclusive content, and raffle off two Kindles. All entrants will get:
- An exclusive spin-off novelette (not available for purchase anywhere!)
- Making of Gomez: behind the scenes eBook
- Signature for their paperback or kindle edition
- Chance to win a Kindle Fire or a Kindle Touch
(Prizes can be traded for Amazon gift certificates if you already own them.)
Just email your receipt to nohopeforgomez@gmail.com to enter.
Each purchase counts, so stock up on birthday presents (for people you don’t like that much, for instance) The discount ends today, but be sure to send the receipts no later than June 1st.
(Or order the books from any bookstore.)
Coupon code for today: ZB77D
And then get 
by Tweet// ing about your purchase and another by mentioning it on facebook
Sound bites from Unspent Time:
“I’m looking into my past lives. I’m convinced some of them still owe me money.”
“I’m very polite by nature, even the voices in my head let each other finish their sentences.”
“I didn’t actually want to do it,” Kiala told the boy. “The universe just kind of conspired to force me to make a fool of myself. It does that quite a lot, actually.”
“Sadly, my socks are like snowflakes, no two are exactly alike.”
Here’s what reviewers had to say:
“A veritable page turner of nonstop laughs!” — Reader Views
“An unputdownable read. a Coens Brothers’ film in book form.” — BookReview.com
“Extremely witty and clever writing.” — California Chronicle
“A Party for your Brain!” — Warren Baxter
Bio:
Graham Parke is responsible for a number of technical publications and has recently patented a self-folding map. He has been described as both a humanitarian and a pathological liar. Convincing evidence to support either allegation has yet to be produced.
No Hope for Gomez! was voted GoodReads Funniest Read of 2010
www.grahamparke.com
www.grahamparke.blogspot.com
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No Hope for Gomez! was voted GoodReads Funniest Read of 2010
www.grahamparke.com
www.grahamparke.blogspot.com
GoodReads
This is my good buddy Simon. He’s a blue mini dachshund, our family’s pet and my husband’s first dog. I introduced him last week to everyone as he is a big part of my life and I wanted to share both Simon and the books that helped my husband, and all the rest of us in the family too, take better care of Simon.
We live in a condominium and have no yard, so Simon and I walk a lot. Nearby is what they term a ‘retirement living facility’ which means housing for seniors that require little or no aid. The last few years, they have brought in long term and short term residents who need care as well. Its a great place, filled with great people.
Early last fall, Simon and I were out for a walk and met with one of the residents of the retirement living facility. She has read more books abut more subjects then anyone I’ve met before, or since! We always stop and have a chat, she’s a lovely lady and Simon adores her. Anyway, we were talking about how difficult it can be to get to a store, or a library for many seniors, as well as costs etc. I told Stella that in my building we have a lending library set up in our lobby. She asked if she could come see what I was talking about so I brought her over to check out our lending library. She was so excited! She and her fellow residents set up their own lending library and everyone loves it. Simon and I were out walking this morning and met up with Stella. She told me if their library had a name, she want to name it after Simon, because if she hadn’t stopped to ask after him the first time we met, there’s a good chance we wouldn’t have gotten so friendly and wouldn’t have started to discuss books, etc.
Simon’s Lending Library….how cool would that be?
The Colors of Malent
Debut authors Tim Adams and Sam Inzerillo, have finished book 1 in their new Young Adult fantasy novel The Color of Malent series. They are working now on books 2 and 3.
I met Tim Adams at an online site. I offered to review his upcoming novel, The Color of Malent, and asked if I could also do an interview with both he and Sam Inzerillo. I was thrilled when they agreed and also offered a copy of their YA fantasy novel for a giveaway. I will have the pleasure of interviewing both men later this month or early next month as a blog interview and will be offering a giveaway of their YA fantasy novel The Color of Malent as well.
BOOK SYNOPSIS THE COLOR OF MALENT
For as long as she can remember, Alara Martin has had strange dreams about a beautiful, faraway world. They increase with intensity as she approaches her fifteenth birthday, and Alara has a hard time distinguishing them from reality. She thinks about them constantly—and wonders why no one else in her family experiences them.
After suffering from a particularly traumatic and vivid nightmare, Alara learns an astonishing truth from her parents: she is not their real daughter! Alara is devastated by the news and riddled with more questions than answers. Who are her real parents? Where does she belong? And why do these strange dreams plague her every night?
Alara’s daily routine is interrupted by extraordinary landscapes, unbelievable creatures, and strange waking visions. Her search for answers will thrust her into the middle of a conflict for which she is completely unprepared. Can Alara’s destiny really lie in the world of Malent? And how can Alara leave all that she loves in her current world for her true heritage? Desperate for help from anyone who will listen, Alara fights to uncover her real identity—before it’s too late.
This will be my first interview and giveaway on my blog! I am super excited but of course a little nervous as well. I am really looking forward to learning about Tim Adams and Sam Inzerillo and finding out more about how they got together to write, why they decided on Young Adult fantasy to write, and more about their new book, and the series. If you have any suggestions or comments, please let me know.
THANK YOU TO ALL THE BOOK ILLUSTRATORS!
While browsing at local Nanaimo book stores, or online at GoodReads, LibraryThing, or Amazon, if I am not looking for a particular book, the first thing to attract me is the book cover.
Dark Genesis (The Darkling Trilogy, Book 1). is one of those. I prefer a physical paper book that I can hold in my hands, but there are times when I look for a good eBook. When I saw the cover for Dark Genesis, it drew me immediately. After reading the synopsis, I requested a review copy from A. D. Koboah. The book lived up to the book cover. (My review will be posted soon.)
And children’s books rely heavily on the book illustrators.
J.P. Trouble by Ryan Hill The illustrator of this book, Stacy Evans, did a fantastic job of bring each pages words out in a beautiful, colorful drawing. They were bold, whimsical and helped to tell the story.
Other times, though, I have been misled by the cover art, in that it really has little to do with the book.
Virgin Heat by Laurence Shames I thought this would have something to do with pets gone wild, wrong! I don’t remember any where in this book anything about any kitten, certainly not one surrounded by fire!
Now this is bad cover art. 
Dead Until Dark (Sookie Stackhouse, #1) by Charlaine Harris. I really don’t like to say anything bad, but this looks like a child drew this. I don’t know, maybe one did. And if that’s the case, nice job, otherwise it looks bad! Now I know its wrong to judge a book by its cover, but looking at this one, I have no interest in this book at all. And that I think is really sad. I don’t know how many books I’ve passed up over the years simply because the cover art is bad.
Now that I’m a little older and hopefully??? wiser, when I’m looking for a particular genre, like horror writer extraordinaire Stephen King 
I try not to let the cover art sway me into taking a book or leaving it, just on that basis.
Good or bad, thank you to all the illustrators out there! Even if I don’t like the book cover art, I appreciate your hard work and the time you put into your work.
Ahh..Friday. I’ve always loved Fridays. the end of the workweek, the start of the weekend, usually a chance to relax, get caught up with friends and family. For me its the day I get my next week’s to-do list. Now my list doesn’t have the usual things like paint the living room, was the car, make cupcakes for my daughter, because thankfully, for once, she actually gave me the school request 2 days before they’re due instead of the day of and other honey do lists items. No, my list includes what new books will become available the next week, what books I want to read, what books I want to read and review and my list usually takes up a whole sheet of paper, and is covered with writing and arrows and smiley faces. Then I proceed to ignore the list and read what strikes my fancy! I make those lists every week and every week I ignore them.
This leads me into book clubs. Yes, it really does. The way I make my lists and then ignore them, is exactly what happens when I join a book group and then I’m told what I have to read. That just doesn’t sit well with me. I like to read what I want to read when I want to read it and not be told what I have to read. Don’t get me wrong, book clubs are great, they’re just not for me.
Yesterday I received a hard copy of the novel The Trouble with Half a Moon by Danette Vigilante, her debut novel. It’s a middle grade, teen book, but it was very powerful. What a tremendous book! I picked it up to look through the first chapter around 10 last night. I didn’t put it down til it was finished at 230 this morning. I will be posting my review soon.
Time to make my weekend list.
Always a wonderful day when you actually wake up!
I was asked yesterday if I prefer a paper copy or ebook copy of the fantasy novel The King’s Assassin by Melissa Brownlow For me I didn’t have to think about it, I always prefer paper copies. There is just something so special about holding that book in my in my hand. I love the feel of books, whether they be hardback or paperback editions, and there is nothing like being able to turn the pages, so crisp and the little sound they make and then one of my all time favorites is the scent of a newly printed book. Now I know many people who love that fresh car smell, which I think is okay, but for me doesn’t compare. I also love the way the colorful covers look in my bookshelves, the bright colors, different heights, different lettering….yes its true, I am truly in love with my books!
Now don’t get me wrong I do love my e reader too, but it just isn’t the same for me. It is fabulous for traveling, taking to the beach or park, actually it does have so many great uses but still when I read a book through an e reader, I must admit I miss the smell of the paper, and hearing the swish and sometimes crinkly sound that paper makes when it is touched.
Check out the first chapter in The King’s Assassin and her other novels at Melissa Brownlow’s website http://www.mmbrownlow.com/
Please leave a comment and tell me which you prefer, paper or ebook and your reasons why. I am always curious if others feel the same way about books as I do!
Susan
susanreviews 