Ramblings of a Coffee Addicted Writer

Thursday, June 9, 2011

Thursday Ramblings - June 9, 2011

It's been way too hot this week and I had to mow my yard three times in the last two! I actually welcome the exercise.

In the mail this week: Darkwoods by Marta Stahlfeld, A Clash of Kings by George R.R. Martin; A Storm of Swords by George R.R. Martin. Darkwood looks like an interesting read by an upcoming author. I hope to start reading it this weekend. I've become addicted to the Game of Thrones on HBO. There are only two episodes left, then True Blood starts, and I can't wait to see how it ends. I'm glad to hear that it will return next year. I bought the Games of Thrones novel before it even started, and it has been sitting on my desk since. I haven't had time to start reading it. I had ordered book 2 & 3, and they arrived in the mail this week. I had already bought A Feast for Crows a few weeks ago at Barnes & Noble, and I just preordered the soon-to-be released fifth book. I look foward to starting this series this summer.

I watched The Green Hornet last night, and sadly I missed the old TV show. I think I dozed off a few times during the first hour. I liked some of the action scenes with Kato and the car, but beside that it was a terrible movie, even for the over-rated actor Seth Rogan, who co-wrote the movie. I honestly wonder what the producers of all these horrible remakes/reboots are smoking. It seems most of Hollywood have exchanged the creative edge for a quick buck.

I picked another $3.00 movie called Bravestarr, a cartoon from the 80s. I don't recall ever watching this before. Does anyone else remember the show?

I also bought the Rest Stop movie collection, there's only two movies, for $5.00. I had never heard of the movies before, but I enjoy a good or bad horror movie. I surprisingly enjoyed the first movie, and thought the restroom scenes were intense. I had mixed feelings for the sequel, which gave the killer a backstory, as the brother and friends, of the couple in the first movie, go on the road. Of course, they end up at the rest stop, where the killer, and the ghosts in the RV, return. Despite not being as good as the first movie, I enjoyed watching it.

Review - The Reading Promise

Billy Burgess books , non-fiction

The Reading Promise: My Father and the Books We Shared

BY: Alice Ozma

PUBLISHED BY: Hachette Book Group

PUBLISHED IN: 2011

ISBN: 978-0-446-58377-0

Pages: 279

Reviewed by Billy Burgess

Alice’s father, an elementary librarian, made a promise to read to her aloud for 100 consecutive nights, what they called “The Streak.” They reached their goal and beyond starting while Alice was in the fourth grade and ending when she went to college. During this time it was just more than reading books from L. Frank Baum to Shakespeare, the daughter and father strengthened their relationship and changed each other’s lives forever.

When I saw the book titled the Reading Promise at the library in non-fiction section, I had to check it out. I can relate to the author and her father, as I love reading books. It was joy reading about “The Streak” and the life of Alice and her family. I recommend the book to all book lovers, you will not be disappointed.

Review - The Last Day of Kindergarten

Billy Burgess books , fiction

The Last Day of Kindergarten

BY: Nancy Loewen

ILLUSTRATED BY: Sachiko Yoshikawa

PUBLISHED BY: Marshall Cavendish Children

PUBLISHED IN: 2011

ISBN: 978-0-7614-5807-4

Pages: 34

Reviewed by Billy Burgess

Today is the last day of Mrs. Popinski’s kindergarten class through the eyes of a little girl. She reflects back on the first day of school when she hung up her book pack for the very first time. She remembered playing with the other students during Creative Playtime, dressing up for Halloween and students having birthday parties.

The last day of school was different than the first, as today the students were washing the tables, throwing away old crayons and dried-up paints, and collecting their drawings off the wall. The gather together with the teacher and talk about their favorite summer things and what they looked forward to in the first grade. The kids line up and head to the auditorium for their graduation.

The Last Day of Kindergarten is the heartwarming story of a little girl’s last day of kindergarten. I think every child is sad about their last day of kindergarten, so readers can easily connect with the main character. I believe the book could be a good tool for parents to read to their pre-schoolers about to expect during their first year of school. Plus, I can easily see teachers reading the book on the last day of school. Overall, I loved reading the book and enjoyed the colorful illustrations. I recommend the book to parents and young readers.

*I would like to thank the author for sending me a copy to review.

Review - The Diet Joke

Billy Burgess books , dieting

The Diet Joke

BY: Lisa Pedace

PUBLISHED BY: Big Shot Press

PUBLISHED IN: 2010

ISBN: 978-0-9823404-1-7

Pages: 230

Reviewed by Billy Burgess

Author, humorist and actress, Lisa Pedace, takes a humorous approach on the subject of dieting, a stab at commercial/Hollywood dieting schemes, and jabs at the weigh-obsessed culture where we are fed twenty-four hours a day by the media telling us what we should and shouldn’t do. The Diet Joke is meant to be a reprogramming guide to help you jump start pass the culture nonsense and help you get starting on changing your life for the better, which isn’t easy since we are constantly bombarded with messages/commercials about new food products. We have to learn that these companies are here to make money and that they don’t care about out health. We have to be smart and not let the advertisers brainwash us into buying the products we don’t need. Even our own government wants to control our health, but we are the only one’s with the power to do something.

I was interested in reviewing The Diet Joke because I have been dieting and exercising for the last few months. I found the book to a bit of fresh air from the constant dieting and fitness books that are being released through the media. I loved the reprogramming activities that are at the end of each chapter and the jokes are a riot. I’ll have to pay attention at what commercials are aired during my programs. Overall, I really enjoyed reading The Diet Joke
and recommend it to everyone.

*I would like to thank the author for sending me a copy to review.

Review - Merciful by Casey Adolfsson

Billy Burgess books ,

*This is a sponsored review. All opinions are 100% mine.

Acacia Moirgetes is a 17 year old, living on her own as a librarian. Her life is boring and she is often left feeling lonely. She knows something is missing from her miserable life, but she just can’t put her finger on what it is. All she knows is that she disappears briefly to a strange world and returns back to reality. Or is her reality real?

One day when she vanishes, she doesn’t bounce back. She meets an ex-goat named Amal and two Pyroskia - aka, bodyguards, Blasie and Ash. She learns that she is a Greek God, well a daughter of one, from Olympus. She had been visiting the ‘real’ world, but staying in the real world for such a time does a morphing of your memory, and over time Acacia started to live another life. Now as her memory slowly returns, she must stop the dark forces from destroying Olympus.

I’m not into Greek myths, but I was interested in reviewing this book, as I was getting tried of the overused vampire and werewolf genre that is used in today’s young adult literature. I was expecting a short read, but instead got an almost five-hundred page novel! The cover of the book is breathtaking and sets the mood for the journey into Olympus. Acacia is a fun, energetic characters that both male and female readers can connect to. Fantasy fans will enjoy reading about the Greek myth legends in their new incarnation. Overall, I enjoyed reading Merciful, as it was a bit of fresh air to read.

Review - The DoppleGanger Chronicles: The Great Mogul Diamond

Billy Burgess books , fiction

*This is a sponsored review. All opinions are 100% mine.

Twins Sadie and Saksia Dopple are back to solve another mystery. They are now living with the famous writer Muzz Elliott, who has adopted them. Their best friend Erik Morrissey Ganger is living his dream of becoming a detective by working with private eye/journalist Dorcas Potts. An anonymous note arrives at the Muzz’s mansion, in which she is startled by. Muzz and the twins leave immediately for an express train, but danger awaits them at every turn, as someone is using the twisted plots from Muzz’s novels for real crimes. One of Muzz’s greatest plots was the theft of the Great Mogul Diamond.

Private eye Dorcas Potts and her sidekick, Erik, are racing through the countryside roads in a fast convertible, as they try to locate the twins and Muzz Elliott. There are twists and turns around every corner, and there are dangerous robbers after the diamond.

In this fast-paced third installment of The DoppleGanger Chronicles, author C.P. Taylor takes you on a dark and mysterious ride, mixing in great storytelling. The book is a mixture of a graphic novel and a Sherlock Holmes novel. The illustrations by Daniel Boultwood and Tony Lee are superb, giving the story a gothic, eerie feel. The dialogue is witty and clean-cut. I had never heard of the series before reviewing it, but I am now a fan. It’s cleverly put together for both children and adults to enjoy reading. I highly recommend read it!

Thursday Ramblings - May 26, 2011

Billy Burgess ramblings ,

I watched Disorganized Crime that I bought yesterday for $3.00. I watched it over and over as a kid, and surprisingly it is still good today. I also picked up He-Man and the Masters of the Universe Season One - 10 episodes for $3. The week before I bought a 4 movie pack for $5.00, The Funhouse, Phantasm 2, The Serpent and the Rainbow, and Sssssss. About ten years ago, I saw the first twenty minutes of The Funhouse on the Scifi (now SyFy) channel, but I had to leave and didn't catch the rest of the movie. So, I was thrilled to find the movie on DVD. I enjoyed the movie, even though it was a little silly, but it is still better than most recent horror movies. I watched Phantasm 2 for the first time and enjoyed watching it.