I'm Number 1! Book Reviews before Publication
The books in this section are ones I have been privileged to review before they are published at-large. These books run the gamut from funny to horror, fiction and non-fiction, educational to just plain goofy. I do not alter my review just because I get to read it before publication . If it has a great story, you will know. Likewise, if there are elements missing or the story is just not that good, you will know that as well. But as every avid reader knows, if given even the smallest window, even the average story can still take us on great adventures!
Photo by Mona Eendra on Unsplash
Your One & Only
By: Adrianne Finlay
Publication Date:
The title and cover of this book does not do it justice. While it may seem like a love story, it goes so far past that. It is a story of humanity and what it really means to be a human, frailties and all.
In 2407, Homo sapiens are gone. They died out with the Slow Plague. Their own immune systems could no longer fight the diseases in the world. So scientists gathered together to clone themselves, hoping to preserve life. The clones were renamed Homo factus (meaning The Made Man). The dying humans were so concerned with leaving their mark on the world, they created a massive tunnel structure full of artifacts, letters, paintings, CDs and DVDs, hoping to attain immortality in leaving memorabilia behind.
However, while the humans were dying, the clones were creating a new world, one that no longer needed humanity in almost any form. They improved each successive clone generation by eradicating any diseases and frailties the human race might possess. Each new generation traveled further and further from their ancestors, until little of what made humans, human, was left.
Then one day the council decided to bring a human boy, Jack, to the new world by creating him from an older human sample. He was not genetically fixed in any way. He was a first generation clone, with all the frailties of his human ancestor.
He tried to live among the other clones. But he was too different. He was only one where they were 10. Each clone always had 9 siblings to grow up with. So each generation had 9 brothers or sisters who were identical to them. They learned how to commune with each other without speaking. If one hurt, so did the others. If one felt joy, the others rejoiced with him or her. And if one felt sad, the others gathered around their identical sibling to comfort them. But Jack could not do any of that. He was too "human" and therefore too different.
But then the world of the clones starts to fissure. Life is not as perfect as they thought and Jack could be their remaining hope. However his difference and frailties also drive a wedge between him and the clones and it may be too big of a gap to bridge.
In many ways this story reminds me of The Giver by Lois Lowry; a utopian society that starts to unravel the closer it is inspected. At the heart of The Giver was a boy named Jonas, who began to see his world in all its reality, both ugly and beautiful. In this story, it is Althea-310. A clone who started life different because of a missing hand. But this difference lets her see her world as it really is, dying. She also sees Jack different from the rest of her siblings and friends. She sees him for he truly is and slowly begins to understand why his differences are beautiful and nothing to fear.
This story goes beyond a simple boy meets girl story. This is a story of the human need to survive at all costs, and what it could mean if we save everything except our humanity.
By The Book
By: Julia Sonneborn
Publication Date: 6 Feb 2018
This is a good day-at-the-beach book. It is a quick read, has some funny parts (I love Larry!) and has a predictable story line.
Boy meets girl. Boy and girl fall in love. Boy and girl break up for an unrealistic reason. Boy and girl part ways for years. Boy and girl meet up again and fail to communicate. Boy and girl cause unneeded tension. Boy and girl are together. The end.
I sincerely thank NetGalley for letting me read an advance copy of By the Book. However, this is probably the only way I would have read the book. It was not bad, but it was also not great. It is an average mild romance novel.
It does offer some interesting insights into the life and issues of college professors and how tenuous their jobs are before they get tenure. So if you ever want to do that job, you may want to read about how Anne (the protagonist) deals with the struggle of obtaining tenure at a university (the author is an English professor so she does a great job explaining this issue in detail).
We also get to meet Larry. Anne's gay best friend who is also a professor. He was the comic relief throughout the story and brought about his own drama. While Larry did not move the story along, he was a fun diversion throughout the book and I really enjoyed his antics.
The story itself becomes frustrating at times. It was obvious that Adam (Anne's ex-fiance) wanted to talk to Anne but she constantly had to leave for some reason. If she would have just given him five minutes, this story would have been done right away. But what fun would that be? I do like that Rich (a villain in disguise that you can see from a mile away) is put in the story. He was a fun addition and I like that Anne didn't constantly pine for Adam, but instead hung out with Rich for a while. But, as I said, after a while I have a feeling that quite a few readers will just yell at Anne to wake up already and see Richard for who he is and Adam for who he always was.
So if you want a light-hearted, fun and quick read, I definitely recommend this book. If you want something a bit richer literary-wise, read Jane Austin's Persuasion. Either way, you can't go wrong.
Bad Call
By: Stephen Wallenfels
Publication Date: 19 Dec 2017
The first thing I noticed about this book is the cover. Normally I just barely skim the picture on the cover and don't pay attention to it. This one was quite different. If you pay attention to the tree's shadow, it promises a more sinister story. It set the tone for a book that promises to be a gripping thriller.
This story is interesting and it did stay with me for a few days after. I did like the plot and I enjoyed how the character's interacted with each other. However, I was confused on the "thriller" part. The story did not have a racing heart moment until near the end of the book. And even then it was confusing.
The biggest problem I have is that the antagonist did not have enough character development to let us know why he was capable of turning into, for lack of a better word, villain. He seems like a normal athletic teenager and then he isn't, but there is nothing to let us know why and how rage could rule his actions.
If the author gave us more of a backstory on him, and gave us more details and built up what was happening in the more intense parts of the story, then I think this book would have been a home run.
However, it is still a great read and once I started, I could not put it down until I was finished.
Full Disclosure: I won this book in a raffle through BookishFirst.com for my honest review. How awesome is that?!? :)
Darkness at the Edge of Town
By: Jennifer Harlow
Publication Date: 14 Nov 2017
Want a fun book to read? Then read this one! This is is a quick, funny, suspense-filled thriller complete with longing love, a cult, undercover work, a millionaire's illegitimate children, and a highly dysfunctional family. What's not to love?
I missed the first Iris Ballard novel, Beautiful Maids All in a Row. However, I was given enough information to understand the background of Iris and Luke, her FBI partner, and former lover.
Iris has many flaws, all which are played out openly. She is cold, calculating, & cunning, but she is also intelligent, loyal, and loves deeper than she even realizes. But when push comes to shove, her true personality comes out. And I love her for it!
The story starts with the aftermath of Beautiful Maids All in a Row. It seems she is finally on top of the world. Only for her family to call her to let her know that her twin brother, Billy, joined a cult. She reluctantly goes back home, where she is known as the "Abortion Whore of Grey Mills," a decision made in her childhood that some will never let her live down. However, she is also known as Nancy Drew, another title she hates, but rooted in her childhood curiosity and desire to always know what really happened.
As Iris gets sucked deeper into the cult, her only way out is to finally face who she is, who she comes from, and where her heart truly lies.
The Whispering Room
By: Dean Koontz
Publication Date: 21 November 2017
The Whispering Room is a Jane Hawk novel by Dean Koontz. I normally am not a fan of character novels. Many times I feel as if the author either does not provide enough information if you try to jump in the middle of a series or the author becomes lazy in writing about the character's exploits and forgets to grow the character in the story. This novel, however, is quite different! The first half does toggle between fast-paced and descriptive. However, the send half is definitely a "hold onto your hat" kind of book.
I have never read a Jane Hawk novel before and now I must! I love this lady! She is a strong female character who is smart, decisive, quick, strong, and definitely not a damsel in distress. Plus, she is a mother who loves her son more than anything else in the world.
Jane comes up against some extremely powerful people who have learned how to make anybody compliable, regardless of their socioeconomic or intellectual status. Jane has to figure out why and how they are doing this before they get to her and her young son. Along the way she is joined on her journey by a small town sheriff who uncovers what these powerful individuals are doing and has his own family to save, along with the rest of those who cannot protect themselves.
This is a fun story with an interesting premise. If you found a way to achieve world peace at the expense of free thought, would you do it? And if you did, who would you be willing to put in charge to make sure it stayed that way?
The Girl Who Saved Ghosts
By: K. C. Tansley
Publication Date: 24 October 2017
There are a few books that exist out there where I almost feel a need to read the books that came before it, and the ones that come after. This is another one of those series! (Okay, to be fair, maybe more than just a few: Game of Thrones, The Maze Runner, Hunger Games, Divergent, Ms. Peregrine's Home for Peculiar Children, I suppose I could go on for a while).
I love stories that provide action, suspense, good vs. evil, past vs. the present, and some romance. This story has it all.
Kat is a young woman starting her senior year of secondary school, excited to be with her best friend Morgan, and being "normal," or at least as normal as a girl who can talk to ghosts can be. However, her life gets extremely complicated in a very short amount of time when her and one of her other close friends, Evan, go to her great aunts' house. There she meets the sisters, Vivian and Jacqueline. These women are more than they seem and guide Kat and Evan into a world even more dangerous than the one Kat and Evan previously ended up in.
With each step back into the past, the Dark One gets ever closer to destroying Kat and all those that she loves. Kat does more than just save ghosts, she is destined to save the four families' past, present, and future before the Dark One finds and destroys her.
Her strength in this book is refreshing. She does not require anyone to constantly swoop in to save her. She actually does a lot of the saving. However, she is also constantly aware of just how much she needs those that she loves if she is to stay strong and defeat the Dark One.
7th Grade Revolution
By: Liana Gardner
Publication Date: 24 October 2017
This was a fun book with insights of what it is like to be a 13 year old in middle school (a memory I believe many of us want to forget!). At first I thought this book was simply about a group of kids that wanted to revolt against teachers. What kids didn't at that age? However, this story is so much more!
These kids go on an adventure of a lifetime - in their own school! It has what all kids wish their school had: secret tunnels, riddles to decipher, treasure to find, and all the while keeping the FBI from finding out what they are really doing. And you are lucky enough to go on the adventure with them!
Do not neglect the last few pages either. It shows all the tweets of the real 7th Grade Revolution that occurred in one school. It was funny to watch what the kids were doing when they were finally given power to run their school. It is a good reminder as to why growing up is not always the worst thing to happen to us.
Finally, this story showed me something that I think many of us forget. As a parent, I do not always realize the influence I have on my own children, but this story showed not only how much influence parents have, but teachers and the community as a whole as well. And in this story, that was a good thing!
The Wife Between Us
By: Greer Hendricks and Sarah Pekkanen
Publication Date: 9 January 2018
READ THIS BOOK! This is a fast-paced story with twists that you do not see coming until they are almost upon you. Some, you won't see coming at all. This is more than a "he left me so I will get revenge" book. This is more than a "woman-scorned" story. It is one that will take you on a rollercoaster of emotions. It will test your perception and how you feel about the protagonists of the story.
This is one of those few books that you need to read to the last page to fully understand the complexity of the characters. Even the most minor character at times has a major role in how the lives of the others play out. I think that is why this book is so astounding. The authors do an excellent job hiding relevant information without compromising the story in any way. They reveal what they want on their terms, which makes the characters have more depth than if the reader knew everything up front.
The reader is given time to know the characters and identify with them through various interactions. We are shocked when the characters are shocked and experience fear as the characters are acting out their lives. But most important, we are given the ability to put the pieces together on our own well after the story is done.
The Disturbed Girl's Dictionary
By: NoNieqa Ramos
Publication Date: 21 February 2018
The first intuition of some readers may be to give up early on because of the poor grammar of this book. If you do, you will miss out on an amazing and emotional story!
The protagonist is a black girl from a poor section of America. She has an attitude that gets her into trouble, and seemingly few friends. This type of person is usually shunned in our communities. Fight through the desire to shun this book.
As you read, you start to realize that her "attitude" is what keeps her safe. The friends she does have, are extremely close. She is full of love, but knows a lot about danger, grief, and hate. Her journey, along with that of her family members and her friends, shape her in ways that most may never experience, nor want to.
However, this "Dictionary" opens up a world in which we begin to care about what happens to this girl and why she is forced into action. What is even better, though, is how she gathers strength to fight for her friends, her little brother, and most important, herself. Stick with her. In the end you will HEART her.
The Monster at Recess
By: Shira Potter
Publication Date: 21 Dec 2017
This story starts out good and I understand why it is written the way it is, but it seems unfinished. Why do the other kids ignore or not like the protagonist? What happens after the girl is accepted by the monsters? What do the other kids do after seeing this? The story just stops.
While I get that is probably what the author was looking for to make a point about acceptance of yourself and others who are different, it just felt unsatisfying. How did the other kids change because of what happened?
Plus this is a world where monsters and grey humans live together, so much could have been expanded upon in this book. I think it is a great idea, it just needs more to make it a great story.
Right Handed Lefty
By: Ryan Coughlin
Publication Date: 8 Aug 2017
Right Handed Lefty is going to surprise you more than once. The story is actually three different stories weaved into one. That may seem confusing, but it works to tell this complex and exciting tale.
The story focus' is on a boy named Ellis, a Native American who does not know how he fits into the world. He does not know who he is, where he comes from, or anything about his past. Oddly enough, it is the present that will reveal who he really is.
Luckily, as the reader, we have access to the other two stories to understand Ellis' background, which all works towards the climax near the end of the story.
You may assume this story is about adolescents finding their way, but it is so much more! It is about generations of people and how their lives affected the others, in ways they will never understand. It is fun, fast-paced, story with deep connotations about what it means to be hurt, courageous, and finding out what the word "family" really means.
The Curious Affair of the Witch at Wayside Cross
By: Lisa Tuttle
Publication Date: 28 Nov 2017
This book is different than I originally thought. I was thinking it would be a scary horror story. Instead, it is a mystery novel in the same vain as Sherlock Holmes. Except for Holmes and Watson, it is the duo of Jesperson and Lane. The odd twist with this pairing is that Lane is a spinster who has no romantic connection to Jesperson, nor he her. They work together and see themselves as partners who respect what the other contributes. This relationship causes others around them to react in sometimes detrimental ways.
The story was a fast moving affair with twists and turns that could not always be seen coming. It kept me guessing until the very end when I thought I figured out the mystery, only to have one more major unexpected twist.
This is a fun read, especially now that Halloween is on the horizon. While it is not a horror story, it is a mystery that will keep you guessing until the end.
And I like the duo of Jesperson and Lane so much that I look forward to more of their exploits!
Sweet Revenge: Passive-Aggressive Desserts for Your Exes and Enemies
By: Heather Kim
Publication Date: 1 Jan 2018
I love every aspect of this cookbook! The recipes range from traditional to quirky (Cool Ranch Doritos, bacon, and day-old bagels are just some of the odder ingredients for dessert recipes). There are colorful pictures for each recipe which is vital for someone like me who bakes only once a year, if that. The directions are written clearly and sometimes have written notes included that tell you when to really pound the ex, I mean dough. I love the fonts and colors throughout the book and just looking at this book can brighten someone's day. Honestly, I would read this book over and over again without baking anything. The sarcasm and puns in this book can help anyone who is getting over someone who wronged them and even get out some aggression throughout the baking process. I cannot wait for this to go on sale! I am buying multiple copies because we have all been wronged by someone in our lives. This is a funny (and delicious) way to deal with those less than stellar situations.
Dark Screams: Volume Eight
Edited By: Brian James Freeman & Richard Chizmar
Contributing Authors:
Kealan Patrick Burke
Frank Darabont
Glen Hirshberg
Bentley Little
Billie Sue Mosiman
Benjamin Percy
Publication Date: October 2017
The stories included in this anthology are not your average horror stories. They are written for those who love suspense and for those who like to "think" about the stories that they read long after they are done with them.
"Walpuski's Typewriter" by Frank Darabont is written in the style of Steven King. When you dance with the devil, there is always a price. Walpuski is repulsed and fascinated by the price he is expected to pay. Specifically, to his typewriter.
In "The Boy," Bentley Little shows just how much of a nightmare the suburbs really can be, especially if you have just the right neighbors.
And "The Palaver," is a story of the evil that is overtaking our world and those who do their best to restore the balance of good and evil.
The other stories will also take you for a ride in the authors' twisted imaginations and leave you wondering,"what if this were true."
This compilation is a great break from the normal and lets you explore the darkness in the safety of your living room. It's a fun, yet disturbing break from reality.
The Red Word
By: Sarah Henstra
Publication Date: 13 March 2018
The Red Word is an introspective, and terrifying look at rape (the Red Word) on a college campus. The protagonist, Karen, enters a world of feminists and frat boys, college ideals against sober reality, and evil that does not always have a counterpart of good.
Karen is introduced to her life Raghurst, a shared house with 4 other roommates, each with specific ideals that are foreign to Karen, by being asked if she was raped the night before. Her year at Raghurst is just beginning, but the issue of rape plays a strong theme throughout.
The main antagonist, oddly enough, is not rape or even those who perpetrated it; instead it is the desire that is so strong to destroy rape-culture that victims, any victims, that get in the way of that mission, suffer. The innocent pay a terrible price, when instead, it should be those who do the crime. Or should it?
The Red Word shows just how murky the proverbial waters can get when one's desire to take out an evil causes them to commit a greater one. And it exams the horrific fallout when such outlandish steps are taken.
LIMP
By: Simon Eli Vella
Publication Date: 21 February 2017
Limp is an interesting non-fiction book about one guy's journey through severe anxiety, depression, drug addiction, erectile dysfunction, a seriously runny nose and coping with society. What makes this book worth the read is that it is not clinical nor is it told by doctors or psychologists. Simon gives us the ability to crawl inside his head and experience life as he does. His constant self-narrator, Morgan Attenborough (the explanation of why his narrator has this name is definitely unique!) is sometimes funny, sometimes self-deprecating, and other times down right cruel. Simon's world is crazy, confusing, and scary at times. What makes this even more interesting, is that his journey is quite different from what an American would have. Simon is Australian and views Americans through the lens of Hollywood movies, which sometimes complicates his path to self-realization. His quick wit keeps the reader entertained and his writing makes the reader feel as if they are on the same journey with Simon, embarrassing parts and all. He is a man who willingly let life take him on his journey rather than try to influence his own.
"I journeyed out to the ChemFix offices ready to leave the world completely unchanged."
He is a classic loser with no life ambitions, until a prolonged and expensive legal battle led him to some of his most important discoveries and decisions of his life. For Simon, life would no longer let him be a spectator, instead it forced him to join in.
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