Wednesday, April 6, 2011

Review - Trickster's Girl

Trickster's Girl (The Raven Duet)Trickster’s Girl 
BY: Hilari Bell
PUBLISHED BY: Houghton Mifflin Books for Children
PUBLISHED IN: 2011
ISBN: 978-0-547-19620-6
Pages: 288
Reviewed by Billy Burgess

Set in the year 2098, where there are border guards at every state border. A teenager, Kelsa, is mourning the lost of her father, an environmentalist. She had a close relationship with him. Every Sunday, they would take a hike. To honor him, Kelsa wants to continue the tradition, and that is where she meets Raven, a shape-shifting trickster. Kelsa soon learns that magic is real and that Earth will be destroyed if she doesn’t assist Raven on his quest.

Trickster’s Girl is a combination of supernatural and environmental genre, and it doesn’t mix well. I respect the authors concept of the Native American mythology, but the global-warming theme has been to death in novels, television and movies; and at times I felt the author was pushing the subject too much. I liked the idea that a person can’t cross a state line without a passport in the future, and overall the book was well written, but I had to push myself through it because I couldn’t get pass the boring plot.

*I would like to thank Houghton Mifflin and NetGalley for sending me a copy to review.

Friday, April 1, 2011

Review - April Fools by Tankersley Cusick

April Fools
BY: Riche Tankersley Cusick
PUBLISHED BY: Scholastic
PUBLISHED IN: 1990
ISBN: 0-590-43115-3
Pages: 218
Reviewed by Billy Burgess

Belinda, Frank and Hildy went joyriding on the night of April 1st. Frank flickered the headlights on and off for fun, or so they thought. They caused a terrible car accident that night. The other car blew up, so there was no hope of survival. Belinda and her friends left the scene of the crime. Two weeks go by, and Belinda no has a guilty conscience. Her friends tell her to just forget about it and get on with your life.

Thursday, March 31, 2011

The Friday 56 - dot.comdating


Hosted by Freda's Voice

People marry later, work longer hours, have less time,
and live farther from their family members who
might introduce them to a neighbor's handsome,
eligible nephew or beautiful, single niece.

page 56, dot.comdating by Drs. Les & Leslie Parron

Thursday Ramblings - March 31, 2011



Wow! Tomorrow is the first of April, and my second year of blogging. Make sure you check out the April Fools Day Blog Hop I will be hosting on Friday.


Sorority RowIs it me, or has Television gotten worse over the years. I do not care for reality shows and no new shows interest me. Stargate SGU is ending, and the so-called SyFy channel will probably ax Sanctuary next year. I cannot wait for Burn Notice, Hot in Cleveland, Covert Affairs, Breaking Bad, Torchwood, and True Blood to return this summer.

Friday the 13th (Extended Killer Cut)The other night I glanced through my DVD collection and spotted the 2009 version of Sorority Row. I watched it once after I bought it last year and had forgot about even owning it. The movie follows the typical slasher genre, but with more of a 80s feel to it. After I re-watched it, I googled it, and was surprised to see so many negative comments about it. Do not get me wrong, it is not going to win an Oscar, but it is an entertaining thriller/horror film.

Last night, I re-watched the so-called remake of Friday the 13th, which the producers could have easily slapped a numeral on it and nobody would have been the wiser. Pros. that I liked about the movie: ten minutes longer than most F13 movies; Jason is no longer a zombie; and Jason is faster and smarter. Cons: Bad acting, bad dialogue, not really a remake; the graphic, overly long sex scene was not needed; and it took over twenty minutes to show the opening title. There is no plot to this movie; I am not saying that the other F13s had plots, except for ripping off small elements from F13 2-4. Most remakes/reboots are a disaster, because the writer/producers do not understand what a remake is. The horror movies that have come out over the last ten years have been sloppy filmmaking, excluding Rob Zombie's Halloween. That being said, I would still rank Friday the 13th above the last few sequels from the 80's and the low budget, mostly Jason-less, Jason Goes to Hell from the 90s. I did I enjoy the campy Jason X, and the slasher match up Freddy vs. Jason. I hope that if the new F13 3D ever gets the greenlight; hopefully it will involve an original, scary plot.

The 5th WitchThe Vampire Diaries: The Return: MidnightThis week I bought the following books: Darkness on the Edge of Town by Brian Keene, A Breath of Magic by Tracy Madison, An Original Sin by Nina Bangs, Crimson City by Liz Maverick; The 5th Witch by Graham Masterton, Brides of the Impaler by Edward Lee; The Strangely Beautiful Tale of Miss Percy Parker by Leanna Renee Hieber; and The Darkly Luminous Fight for Persephone Parker by Leanna Renee Hieber.

Books in the Mail this week: The Vampire Diaries: The Return: Vol. 3 Midnight by L.J. Smith, Ghost Town by Rachel Caine, and Beautiful Darkness by Kami Garcia & Margaret Stoul, The Journey by Wanda Brunstetter, and Dot.com Dating by Drs. Les & Leslie Parrott.


Ghost Town (Morganville Vampires, Book 9)

Review - Surrender the Dark

Surrender the Dark
Surrender the Dark
BY: L.A. Banks
PUBLISHED BY: Pocket Books
PUBLISHED IN: 2011
ISBN: 978-1-4516-0778-9
Pages: 573
Reviewed by Billy Burgess

In this urban fantasy from author L.A. Banks, Celeste Jackson doesn’t have much in her life except for her Aunt Niecey, whom she takes advantage of too often. With no job support and a good-for-nothing loser-of-a-boyfriend, Celeste had nothing to turn to except for her substance abuse. After she stood up to her boyfriend, he is suddenly thrown out of a window by and unseen force. Fearing that she would be blamed for his death, she fled from her rotten apartment building and into the night streets unknown of where she is going.

An angle of the Light, Azrael, makes his descend onto the earth, but in the form of a living-flesh body. There are scars on his back where his wings once were. Confused and naked on the street, he is confronted by young thugs. He quickly picks up their language and begs them for help. Azrael realizes that he had no other choice, but to defend himself and take one of the thugs clothes.

Azrael finds Celeste in a sleazy bar and tell her to come with him. Of course, she doesn’t want to go with a psycho. He eventually tells her who he is and that he is there to protect her from the evil forces that have been ruining her life. A horrible battle for control of the mortal realm is coming, and Celeste is now in the middle of it. The angel has one problem, the longer he stays in his half-human form, the more he becomes human. He starts to have desires, and is very attractive to Celeste. T

To same the human race, Celeste must show Azrael the dark world and addictions that she has been living in her entire life, or the forces of evil will take over.

There are many books written about fallen angels falling in love with humans, and a few movies too. When I signed up to review Surrender the Dark, I didn’t realize that it was about angels. I changed my mind after reading the intriguing prologue, as the Azrael leaves heaven and descends upon the Earth. Many heroines are clichéd, but Celeste is a bit of fresh air and realization. She is a strong willed women with many weaknesses. She was never looking for a knight in shining armor to rescue her from her bad lifestyle, until Azrael came into her life. I can easily see this as a blockbuster movie. I recommend Surrender the Dark to all urban fantasy fans.

*I would like to thank Pocket Books for sending me a copy to review.

Sunday, March 27, 2011

Q&A with author Olivia deBelle Byrd

Q&A Interview with author Olivia deBelle Byrd

I want to thank you for being my guest here on Ramblings of a Coffee Addicted Writer.

 


When did you become interested in storytelling?

My father and grandmother were great wits and storytellers, so I grew up surrounded by wonderful Southern stories. I have loved the art of storytelling as long as I can remember.


Miss Hildreth Wore Brown: Anecdotes of a Southern BelleWhat inspired you to write Miss Hildreth Wore Brown?

Like all good storytellers, I hate to waste a good story so I repeat my stories-often. Finally in exasperation one day, my husband said, "Why don't you write this stuff down!" So I did. I actually started writing down stories for my children as a Christmas gift. Before I knew it, I had a book!

Are there any stories/tales that did not make it into your book?

An anecdote entitled "English as a Second Language" did not make the cut. The gist is on occasion my husband has been known to confuse the English language. My husband and I were in France on a tour with another couple. The tour guide was putting us onto buses according to our native language. The guide asked us if we spoke English to which our friend quipped, "Three of us do!" That was the morning my husband ordered a croton for breakfast. Imagine his dismay when the waiter served him a plant instead of a croissant! I soon discovered the apple does not fall far from the tree. At Christmas, I asked my son to attend the cantata at church. As we were seated and the singing began, he turned to me and said, "I thought it was a covered dish!"


What types of books do you read?

I love anything Southern-especially Southern humor. I love the Classics. I love English authors. I love historical fiction and a good love story is always a treat.


What well-known writers do you admire most?

My most loved book is A Tale of Two Cities-I love all of Charles Dickens' works. My other favorite English author is Daphne du Maurier. William Faulkner, Taylor Caldwell, and John Steinbeck are all favorites. Pat Conroy is my favorite modern day author. The Prince of Tides is one of my favorite books. I have read and loved all of Pat Conroy's books. He is a master of words and descriptions. You can sense and feel his settings and his characters become a part of you. Anne Rivers Siddons has especially strong women characters. As a Southern humorist, Fannie Flagg can not be beat.


What is the most difficult part of writing?

Writing down oral stories is very difficult. You tend to write like you talk and it often comes out confusing and opaque. There is an art to telling stories and an art to conveying those stories in the written word.


Do you find it hard to balance your writing with your personal life?

This is my first book and marketing a book is extremely time-consuming in addition to finding time to continue writing. When Miss Hildreth Wore Brown came out, the scheduling was a little overwhelming. I decided quickly I wanted this to be a fun experience and am now doing a better job of balancing my writing and personal life.


Do you have any other works in progress?

Though I do have some ideas bouncing around in my head, my main goal right now is marketing Miss Hildreth.


Do you have a bog, website, or links to share?

My website is http://www.oliviadebellebyrd.com/

You can read an excerpt, see my coming events, email me, and order the book. A new exciting event is my April Blog Tour! You can follow it on my website. I love to interact with my readers, so feel free to email me.

Review - EFT for Procrastination

EFT for Procrastination (EFT: Emotional Freedom Techniques)
EFT for Procrastination
BY: Gloria Arenson, MFT
PUBLISHED BY: Energy Psychology Press
PUBLISHED IN: 2009
ISBN: 978-1-60415-042-1
Pages: 217
Reviewed by Billy Burgess

Have you ever planned on doing something, but talked yourself out of it? You’re not alone, many people are procrastinators, too. Gloria Arenson has had this exact same problem, and she has written this book to help others by using the EFT, Emotional Freedom Techniques, method founded by Gary Craig.

You have to think positive thought if you want to achieve your goals. For ex., Tell yourself I can do this, and I can be a better person. Through out the book are true stories on normal everyday people who struggle with procrastination. They struggle to accomplish goals and making the proper changes in life. They took the EFT, aka emotional acupuncture, and have made successful changes.

I never heard about Emotional Freedom Techniques before reviewing this book. Techniques are about tapping on certain parts of your body, like under nose, under eye, etc., to step into the energy that flows through your body. I tried this, and honestly, I just didn’t get it. Maybe it takes lots of practice, but I can’t see this ever working on a person. I can understand repeating the positive phrases during the EFT, but can’t a person just close their eyes and repeat the phrases to calm their nerves down.

I enjoyed most the chapters that Gloria Arenson wrote herself and the stories she shared about others. Despite the fact that I didn’t care for the EFT, I still think that a person can get a lot out of reading the book.

*I would like to thank Energy Psychology Press for sending me a copy to review.