Thursday, April 28, 2011

Thursday Ramblings


Another DawnI've been feeling ill for the last few days, and, no surprise, I now have a cold sore. I'm behind in my wirting, reading, and reviews. I'm planning on catching up and writing some reviews tomorrow afternoon. I'm ready to start Another Dawn by Kathryn Cushman, I hope to finish it quickly.

Despite feeling ill, I have managed to do Tae Bo everyday, and have lost 3 pounds. I joined http://www.myfitnesspal.com/, which is a great site to track your daily exercises and keep a food journal.

The Art of Romance (The Matchmakers)Wanted (Single-Disc Widescreen Edition)I saw part of the movie Wanted on FX several weeks ago. I had never heard of the movie before, and liked the parts that I saw. I bought the DVD and have watched the movie twice. I also watched the Tourist and Salt, which all star Angelina Jolie. I enjoyed Salt. I thought the Tourist was a little boring, but I liked the ending.

In the mail this week: The Art of Romance by Kaye Dacus. It looks like a good read.

Thursday, April 21, 2011

Thursday Ramblings - April 21, 2011



MissingI can't believe the cold weather this week. I thought this was spring! I had to bundle up just to mow the yard. I stopped making up excuses this week and decided to get back into shape. Today was my second day of the Tae Bo DVDs, and I'm a little sore, but motivated.

To writers/publishers: If you have a review request, I will get to it when I can. I'm a little behind on my reading/reviewing, but I'm trying to catch up as fast as I can.


A Game of Thrones: A Song of Ice and Fire: Book OneIn the mail this week: Colby Agency: The New Equalizers: Missing by Debra Webb; and Fairer Than Morning by Rosslyn Elliott.

I bought the book Games of Thrones by George R. R. Martin, which is now a new series on HBO. I enjoyed the first episode, and I'm looking foward to the new show on Sunday night.

Review - Hungry for You

Hungry For YouHungry for You
BY: A.M. Harte
PUBLISHED BY: 1889 Labs Ltd.
PUBLISHED IN: 2011
ISBN: 978-1926959047
Pages: 84
Reviewed by Billy Burgess


I never thought an author could combine romance and zombies, but that is exactly what A.M. Harte has done in the anthology Hungry for You. Yes, even in an apocalypse, zombies need love to. The book is a fast read at under a hundred pages, covering eleven beautifully written stories of love, heartache, and the dead rising. Over the last few years, there have been countless zombie books and movies, so it was nice to read a new take on the genre.

The anthology starts out with Promises, a haunting tale of a newly turned zombie and his soon-to-be zombie love. My favorite is Hungry for You, taking place after the dead has risen, and where there is a ZombieAide helping the dead and zombie prostitutes walking the street. Other great reads is Dead Man’s Rose, a tale you will remember long after you finished reading it, and A Prayer for Garlic, a twisted tale.

I do not read many anthologies, mostly because it is difficult to review them. Normally, by the time I am finished reading the book I have forgotten what the stories where about. Hungry for You is a short read, and the stories are memorable. I recommend the anthology to horror readers, and zombie lovers.

Tuesday, April 19, 2011

Review - Joe-Joe Nut & Biscuit Bill



The Adventures of Joe-Joe Nut & Biscuit Bill
Case #2: Mineral Mischief
BY: Renee Hand
ILLUSTRATED BY: Jake Karwoski
PUBLISHED BY: North Star Press of St. Cloud, Inc.
PUBLISHED IN: 2011
ISBN: 978-0-87839-415-9
Pages: 74
Reviewed by Billy Burgess

After saving a young lion, Arsalean, from bullies, Detective Joe-Joe Nut and Detective Biscuit Bill are called upon by the Moo household. Maple Moo’s rare mineral, a combination of benitoite and neptunite minerals, is missing from her collection. The mineral is very valuable. The last time Maple Moo saw the mineral is when she showed it to her friends, Candy Cardinal, Brutus and Betty Blue Beaver, Liam the Llama, and Huckleberry Moose, who all collect rocks. The detectives suspect foul play is at hand.

Detective Joe-Joe Nut and Detective Biscuit Bill visit each suspect, looking for clues to solve the mystery. Who stole the valuable mineral?

The Adventures of Joe-Joe Nut and Biscuit Bill: Case #2: Mineral Mischief is a fun mystery for both children and adults to read. I enjoyed each illustration of the animal characters, especially the squirrel detective, Joe-Joe Nut. The plot is simple, Maple Moo’s mineral is missing and the detectives are there to solve the mystery. Besides being a fun story, children can learn amazing things about minerals. There are two fun experiments, parental supervision is required, in the back of the book, along with a rock cycle chart. Overall, I loved reading about the Mineral Mischief, and I recommend the book to everyone.


About the Author
Renee Hand is an award-winning author, educator, tennis coach and various other things. She has been writing for over twenty years and has been a published author for five years with six works published. She writes for various chronicles and newsletters, as well as writing book reviews for various authors of children´s books on her blog, http://thecryptocapersseries.blogspot.com/.

Renee has also received awards for her works. For Magic Hearts she won a Best 2006 Fantasy Romance award. Her second romance novel Seduction of the Lonely Heart won a National Literary Award for Best Romance of  2007.  She is thankful for these two awards. Book 1 of her new children's series, The Crypto-Capers in The Case of the Missing Sock, won a preferred choice award for 2009 by Creative Child Magazine.


Monday, April 18, 2011

Review - Sweet Valley Confidential


Readers, Beware! This Review Contains Spoilers.


Ten years has passed since the blonde California twins, Elizabeth and Jessica Wakefield graduated from Sweet Valley High, and many things have changed. Elizabeth, now 27-years-old, has been living in New York for the last few months working as a writer for the online magazine Show Survey: Off Broadway, a weekly magazine that is struggling to survive in the rocky economy. Elizabeth moved away from Sweet Valley eight months ago after she learned that her on and off again high school boyfriend, Todd, and love of her life, had a one-night stand with Jessica. To make matters worse, Jessica and Todd are in love. Even more shocking, is that Elizabeth’s best friend is Bruce Patman.

After a short-lived marriage to an older man, Jessica is struggling to enjoy her life in Sweet Valley with her fiancé, Todd. Elizabeth will not return her calls and Jessica feels the guilt of betraying her. Their Sweet Valley friends are gossiping about the affair, and question what Jessica has done to her sister.

Elizabeth wants to return to Sweet Valley for her grandmother’s birthday, but does not want to see Jessica and Todd. Elizabeth comes up with a plan, well it is more like revenge. She brings along a good-looking male actor friend, Liam, who is just like every other boyfriend Jessica has had. Elizabeth’s plan backfires, as Liam actually finds Jessica attractive. Todd gets jealous and causes a big scene. In the end the twins make up, Elizabeth ends up with Bruce and Jessica marries Todd.

Sunday, April 17, 2011

Review - Miss Hildreth Wore Brown by Olivia deBelle Byrd


Olivia deBelle Byrd has compiled together over forty tales from her southern life. She uses stories about her husband, children, relatives, and friends. Her stories ranges from weddings, to shopping at Victoria’s Secret, trying to find a wife for her son, a trip to New York, her crush on Robert Redford, and to finding out why Miss Hildreth was wearing brown. You’ll even read about the do’s and dont's in the south.

Thursday, April 14, 2011

The Friday 56 - Courting Miss Amsel


Hosted by Freda's Voice


Courting Miss Amsel


Hank was one of the men who had told Joel he was
addlepated for digging irrigation ditches and letting some
of his soil rest each year rather than planting every acre.
page 56, Courting Miss Amsel by Kim Vogel Sawyer