Month: December 2016 Page 3 of 4

Talking as Fast as I Can by Lauren Graham

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On December 14, 2016

In (Auto)Biography, Humor

Talking as Fast as I CanTalking as Fast as I Can: From Gilmore Girls to Gilmore Girls, and Everything in Between

by Lauren Graham
Hardcover, 205 pg.
Ballantine Books, 2016

Read: December 12 – 31, 2016

This book isn’t a proper autobiography or anything (doesn’t claim to be, either); it’s stories, memories, thoughts and humorous bits that Lauren Graham shares about her life and career.  She uses the revival of Gilmore Girls as an excuse to look back on her both to this point, as her career is marked by looking back this year. I haven’t seen the new Gilmore episodes (still working my way through the series with my kids), so I could’ve read the material discussing that a little closer — although I did think the tributes to Edward Herrmann fitting and touching.

The book covers pretty much what you’d expect from an actor’s memoirs — discussion of her childhood, paying her acting dues, education, her big break and so on. All told with wit and charm. Graham’s personality shines forth and really draws you in. She spends a good amount of time talking about the original run of Gilmore Girls, Parenthood, and her novel. I was glad to see that she did that — so many actors/celebrities don’t give that much time or space to the things that made someone want to read their books in the first place.

A few of the highlights of this book are from the parts that aren’t de rigueur. There’s a section on eating and health tips, that made me laugh out loud — Graham learned the same lesson Jim Gaffigan and Weird Al did — food jokes work 99.6% of the time. There’s some really good writing advice that Graham was given by a friend that helped her to finish this book — and seems like the kind of thing that could help many authors. There’s some recurring jokes about Ellen DeGeneres and the cast of Today. I don’t want to suggest those are all the highlights, but they’re are good sample. 

Most of the book feels like Graham set her phone to “Voice to Text” and cut loose. But there’s no way that it would’ve come out as good if that’s what she did — that kind of feel is the result of a lot of hard work and planning. It all paid off, this was one of the more enjoyable books to read that I’ve tackled recently — don’t get me wrong, the content was good, too — but the writing was as smooth as silk. Unlike that sentence. Between this and her novel, it’s clear that Graham’s really quite a writer, I hope to see more from her.

This was a fast, breezy read — a lot of fun with plenty of heart. Pretty much everything you want from/would expect from Graham. A sure fan pleaser.

—–

3.5 Stars

Avalon Dreams by Alexa Whitewolf

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On December 13, 2016

In Fiction

Avalon DreamsAvalon Dreams

by Alexa Whitewolf

Kindle Edition, 659 pg.
2016

Read: December 5 – 7, 2016


There’s a decent novel hidden in these pages, and I do appreciate what Whitewolf tried to do, but it just didn’t succeed for me. But let’s focus on the positive for a bit.

Vivienne Du Lac, who in a future life was The Lady of the Lake (as in, “The Lady of the Lake, her arm clad in the purest shimmering samite, held aloft Excalibur from the bosom of the water…”) has been reincarnated into the modern life as a nervous, socially awkward historical researcher. One day, the reincarnation of her former bodyguard, Sébastien, shows up in town and everything goes to pot.

Sébastien is dealing with the effects of an ancient curse, and is torn between his strong desire to serve and protect Vivienne, while being convinced that he’ll cause her harm. In her previous life, Vivienne was served by a demon dog — who finds himself as a large Caucasian Shepherd, with diminished magic. Alistair’s a fun character — sort of a canine Ben Kenobi.

I really liked the fact that while, yes, this was your typical Chosen One fantasy; this particular Chosen One was an adult woman. This particular Chosen One has been brought back to stop the former apprentice of Merlin, Carleigh, from wreaking havoc on the 21st Century. He’s a very powerful necromancer now, and only someone of pure magic has a chance against him. I’m not really sure what this pure magic is, but that’s beside the point. It’s not just Carleigh they have to prevail over — he’s got a contemporary henchman, some druids, and Sébastien has run afoul of the Mob.

I’ve got to say that I’m not sure what anyone (Sébastien in particular) sees in Vivienne, she’s pretty self-involved, treats everyone like a servant, and generally seems pretty spoiled. That said, it’s really easy to find yourself rooting for her and her guardians. The romance works because of their past (where, as royalty she acted a lot less like one than she does as a researcher).

There’s some strong Arthurian themes throughout this book, mixed in with some contemporary tropes — a mix that’s sure to satisfy.

Here’s my problem with this book — besides the personality of the protagonist — and the only thing that keeps me from strongly recommending this: the language. Whitewolf just doesn’t have the command of English to write this kind of book without a strong editor. She writes as if she had a Romanian-to-English Dictionary open next to her. It’s hard to complain about someone working too hard on a book, so hard that she ends up overwriting — the emotions are overwrought, the prose can be clunky, and frequently the words are just wrong (sometimes, not by much, but enough to draw attention to themselves and stop the flow of the narrative). Now I feel like a snob and a heel for saying that, but it detracted from what could’ve been a fun read.

If you can get past the language issues, it’s a fun contemporary fantasy with Arthurian ties, and I can see where people would enjoy it — I did, but I had to work harder than I should’ve to get to that point.

Disclaimer: I received a copy of this novel from the author in exchange for my honest opinion. Thanks, Ms. Whitewolf.

—–

3 Stars

A Few Quick Questions With…Nicky Peacock

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On December 12, 2016

In A Few Quick Questions With..., Mystery/Detective Fiction/Crime Fiction/Thriller, Urban Fantasy, YA/MG/Children's Books

Earlier today, I blogged about Nicky Peacock’s Lost in Wonderland, not only did she send me her book, she agreed to take part in the little Q&A. Not only does she write a fun book, but she helps me generate content — a couple of my favorite traits in people. Hope you enjoy her answers, I did.

Tell me a little about your road to publication.
It’s been a long and bumpy road and, to be honest, I’m still not at my final destination yet. I’d like to write for a living, and right now that’s not a reality. I have to fit in writing with a full-time job. My dream would be to wake up every morning and know that I had all day to write and plot and socialise online with readers and other authors.

I’d always wanted to be an author; I can’t remember a time I didn’t. I’m passionate about stories, but unfortunately, I tended to lose excitement before I finished anything! I wrote a lot of beginnings and not many endings, so never sold anything. I then found the short story market. Thanks to eBooks it’s thriving and finishing a short story is much easier than a 90,000-word novel, so I wrote them for a few years. Next thing I knew I had over 35 stories published and thought I’d better start writing something longer and my first novella, Bad Blood came tumbling out of my imagination.
What was the genesis of this book/novel? Of all the dozens of ideas bouncing around your cranium — what was it about this idea that made you say, “Yup — this is the one for me.”?
It was always in my head, but last year was Alice in Wonderland‘s 150th anniversary, so I thought the time had come to get Lost in Wonderland out and set it free upon the unsuspecting world. I write YA fiction and had read lots of books about spies and the like, but wanted to take it one step further with teens who bait and catch serial killers. There’s a rather disturbing statistic that, right now, there are at least 3 active serial killers in the UK every year (The UK is about the size of just one US state, so that’s even scarier math!) and very few are caught. It boggles the mind to think of how technological advanced we are, but still can’t nail down these devils preying on the innocent. In my book, Wonderland is a vigilante agency set up to do just that, to work above the law and sometimes even under it, and to do whatever it takes to stop serial killers. The Lewis Carroll connection is through the founders of Wonderland, their daughter Alice was murdered, and the killer was only caught when they took the law into their own vengeful hands.
What’s the one (or two) book/movie/show in the last 5 years that made you say, “I wish I’d written that.”?
I’d probably have to say Twilight. Vampires are my favorite monster, and although it didn’t break the bank with uniqueness, the author really developed her world and the characters in it. This is something that can be lacking with vampire stories as they are so larger than life, the creatures themselves can act as a crutch for a storyline so the writer doesn’t bother to delve any deeper. Also, it made a tonne of money, and I’m not too proud to say that I could really use even a fraction of that right now!
What is it about YA/”Teen” fiction that attracts you? Are all your works targeted to that audience?
I do some work for adult audiences (wait, does that sound rude? LOL) But I enjoy writing for teens. Their books have come a long way since The Famous Five and to be honest, you don’t even need to pull your punches that much when it comes to violence anymore. I’d hate to think that I’d written anything patronizing to my readers or even unrealistic – even when my subject matter is anything but real. There’s also the double dip effect in this market where adult readers will buy teen books too so you can gain more exposure an author.

The YA market is very loyal. I’d like to think that my readers, as they get older will still want to read my books.
I’ve often heard that writers (or artists in general) will forget hundreds of positive reviews but always remember the negative — what’s the worst thing that someone’s said about one of your books, and has it altered your approach to future books?
I’m very lucky in that the majority of my reviews are good. It can be frustrating when reviewers effectively ‘mark you down’ for opposite opinions, for example saying the book was too descriptive and then saying it wasn’t descriptive enough. I also get annoyed when someone gives me a low star rating but doesn’t put a review with it, that way I never know why they didn’t like it and what I could change in the future to help my work.

One of the things that reviewers have said about Lost in Wonderland is that they wish it had been longer. I’m currently writing the second book in the series, The Assassin of Oz and am making this longer now to make up for it.
Thank you so much for having me here today. If you’d like to find me online:

Blog:   Twitter: Y A Facebook Page:   UK Amazon Author Page: 

US Amazon Author page:   Good Reads: Tumblr:  Authorgraph:
Thanks for your time — and the book. Looking forward to what happens next.

Mostly Human Giveaway

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On December 12, 2016

In Books, News/Misc.

I really don’t know much about the book Mostly Human by D.I. Jolly — it’ll either be the last book I read of 2016 or the first of 2017. But it looks appealing — and the author seems like a nice guy. So I was glad to chip in when he asked if I’d help spread the word about a Goodreads Giveaway for some physical copies of the book.

Mostly HumanAlex Harris is a world famous rock star, lead singer of the Internationally acclaimed band The Waterdogs. But Alex is no ordinary rocker, and has a secret that he and his family have painstakingly kept since he was ten years old.

While playing on his grandparents farm, Alex discovers what he presumes is a dead wolf. With a slip of the hand he realises it’s not as dead as he thought, and come the first full moon, everyone realises it wasn’t just a wolf.

What would you do if your son could never be normal again?

There ya go: Rockers, Werewolves, British spelling, and (according to another description I read) Organised Crime — sounds like a quiet weekend for Ozzy Osbourne or the makings of a fun book. I can’t help you enjoy the former, but if you click this link, maybe I can help you enjoy the latter.

Lost in Wonderland by Nicky Peacock

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On December 12, 2016

In Fiction, Mystery/Detective Fiction/Crime Fiction/Thriller, YA/MG/Children's Books

Lost in WonderlandLost in Wonderland

by Nicky Peacock
Series: The Twisted and The Brave, #1

Kindle Edition, 124 pg.
Evernight Teen, 2016

Read: November 30, 2016


This story focuses on Kayla — a young woman who looks years younger than she is (young enough to be appealing to the Humbert Humberts of the world as well as old enough to come across as a young co-ed), which is helpful in her vocation. She’s basically bait for serial predators (who the authorities can’t/haven’t done anything to) as part of her work with Wonderland. Wonderland is a group run by former federal agents bankrolled by a largely mysterious billionaire. Each “Wonderlander” goes by a code name derived from the Lewis Carroll book, and can quote sections relevant to their moniker (and recognize others quoting their parts). She and her colleagues — Rabbit and Chesire (Kayla’s Mouse) — lure the killers/molesters somewhere, take them out and then have someone come in clean up after them.

Her brother, Shilo, is locked up in a Mental Health facility for a handful of reasons, but the largest is his insistence that a man who dresses in orange is his constant companion who tells him what he should do. No one else can see or hear Mr. Custard, naturally, so Shilo is on the receiving end of all sorts of treatments. Neither the drugs, the talk therapy, or anything else seems to be working — Mr. Custard is still there, as much as Shilo might try to pretend he’s not.

Both siblings are reacting to the disappearance/abandonment of their mother while they were young and the suicide of their father not long after in very different ways, but both of their atypical lives can be traced to these incidents. Now it seems that someone is killing women near their childhood home, and there’s something drawing both of them back their to confront the killer.

The story is an interesting mix of Supernatural and Thriller stories, and once I saw that’s where she was going, I wasn’t sure that Peacock was going to be that successful with it — very few are. I’m not talking straight-up Urban Fantasy, I’m talking about a Suspense/Thriller that mixes in some sort of magic/monster where bullets and explosions should be. The last time I read a mystery where the author tried this, it ruined the book — it’s tricky. The heightened reality that she was using already helps, but it doesn’t guarantee success, Peacock tried a tricky thing and made it work, that’s no small feat.

Still, there’s only a little supernatural to this — there’s a human villain, human protagonists, human costs, human relationships at the core of this novel. Peacock’s up to the challenge of writing them, no doubt about it.

I liked the characters — especially Kayla. The story moved along well, the action was convincing — and the predators were just horrible enough that you didn’t really care that much that vigilante action took care of them rather than the law. Sure, the book could really have used one more thorough edit. More importantly, the facility that Shilo lives in draws more from One Flew Over the Cuckoo’s Nest or Gotham‘s depiction of Arkham than reality — and as annoying as that is, really, if you’re looking for realism, you’ve dropped this book before it gets to that.

Can she follow this up with an equally successful sequel? That might be trickier, but I’m looking forward to seeing her try.

Disclaimer: I received a copy of this novel from the author in exchange for my honest opinions.

—–

3 Stars

Who Shall Ascend the Mountain of the Lord? by L. Michael Morales

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On December 11, 2016

In Theology/Christian Living

Who Shall Ascend the Mountain of the Lord Who Shall Ascend the Mountain of the Lord?: A Biblical Theology of the Book of Leviticus

by L. Michael Morales
Series: New Studies in Biblical Theology, #37

Paperback, 306 pg.
IVP Academic, 2015

Read: October 16 – November 27, 2016


So this is another one of those books that I’m not really qualified to talk about, but . . . whoops, here I go.

Morales doesn’t give us what you typically find/look for in a study of Leviticus — detailed explanations — or dodges — of the various purity laws and other commands and regulations contained in it. Instead, he begins by explaining his conclusion that Leviticus is the center of the Pentateuch, and that Chapter 16 is the center of it. Beginning in Genesis, everything is leading up to the Day of Atonement, and then everything from that is to be seen as the result of, or in light of that day.

That’s a lousy summary, but that’s the best you’re going to get from me in a couple of sentences. The argument is so detailed, so complex that I can’t really do much better without spending a few pages on it — and no one wants to read that (especially since you can read Morales doing a better job). At first, I thought that it was an interesting idea, but it really didn’t matter much. But as I read on and understood what he was doing better, it started to capture my imagination and draw me in. This was well argued, well researched — and well explained for even non-technical types like me.

But when it comes to Biblical Theology, the proof in the pudding comes from tying in his theses to the unfolding story of redemption — first in Israel’s story and then showing how it leads to Christ and His work on earth, His Ascension and pouring out of His Spirit to prepare a people to meet with Him on Mount Zion. The last two chapters were fantastic — and I’m going to have to reread them a few times to really wrap my brain around it all. There were moments of beauty here — it’s hard for an academically-inclined work to inspire and touch the emotions of a reader, but Morales did it.

This volume is the first I’ve read in New Studies in Biblical Theology (I believe it’s the first I heard of it, too) — the series is edited by D. A. Carson. The series aims “to simultaneously instruct and to edify, to interact with current scholarship and to point the way ahead. . . While volume notes interact with the best of recent research, the text of each work avoids untransliterated Greek and Hebrew or too much specialist jargon. The volumes are written within the framework of confessional evangelicalism, but they also engage a variety of other relevant viewpoints and significant literature.” If this is a representative volume, it won’t be my last in the series. If I can just pick another — the list of 41 is daunting — just too many choices.

Anyway, Who Shall Ascend was a challenging, interesting, educational and inspiring work — there’s not much more that you can ask for. If you’re up for the work, I heartily recommend it.

—–

4 Stars

Oh, and Bloglovin

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On December 10, 2016

In Uncategorized

Follow my blog with Bloglovin, might as well join things there, too.

(mostly just posting this as a way to claim my blog)

Saturday Miscellany – 12/10/16

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On December 10, 2016

In Books, News/Misc.

Ugh, this has just been a bad week for me keeping things up here — and I’m not sure why, hopefully things will be better this week. By the way, I’m trying the Litsy thing for those who want to see me there — especially those who are fed up with a site that will go unnamed, but rhymes with LookBikes. Look me up by the username IrresponsibleReader.

Odds ‘n ends over the week about books and reading that caught my eye. You’ve probably seen some/most/all of them, but just in case:

    I actually didn’t see anything that caught my eye on this week’s New Releases lists that caught my eye. Which probably means that I’m overlooking something that’s pure gold.
    Lastly, I’d like to say hi and welcome to duskrider3740 and Shitijsharma for following the blog this week.

Author Interview with Life Outside the Box’s Marilyn R. Wilson

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On December 9, 2016

In (Auto)Biography, A Few Quick Questions With..., Book Tour, In Medias Res, Non-Fiction

As part of our Tour for Life Outside the Box, here’s a few questions with Marilyn R. Wilson (as prvoded by iRead Book Tours):

At every single interview I am given pieces of gold – wisdom that this person has acquired on their own unique journey. All have had a profound effect, but if I have to pick just one it would be the words of William Orlowski. I repeat them every time I face a challenging day. “There is no secret, just do and be brave.”

Have you always wanted to be a writer?
When I was young. I often thought it would be cool to write science fiction – my favorite genre at the time. But that was back pre-computer when you had to write everything by hand or type it on an old style typewriter. Unfortunately I had a mind that raced and very little patience. Today’s computers, word processing programs and the internet have made pursuing writing so much easier. Add to that the number of online e-mags and writing sites you can now submit to and you have winning combo. Whether you do books, blogs or just share on social media writing sites, anyone who is interested in expressing themselves through words can find an outlet.
How do you pick who to interview?
People know I love a unique story and are always sending me leads. Then there are those I meet at events or read about in articles. There is honestly never enough time. I could interview someone new every day for the next year and there would still be other stories calling me. I do tend to be drawn to people 35 and up. There are exceptions, but in general I like a story with a lot of life experience behind it and for most people that takes living a few years. The soup has to be cooked.
IOnce you have an interview, what is next?
I record every single interview to help with accuracy, so the first step is the slow process of transcribing these audio files. I used to do it myself, but no longer have time. I now use the services of several transcribers on Fiverr.com. Once I have a typed transcript of the interview, then the writing process begins. For a magazine submission, I use just a bit of bio material and then move on to whatever the focus of the article is. For the chapters in my Life Outside the Box series, it takes 2-3 days to write out each 5,500 word story – one chapter – followed by 2-3 days of editing. Ten chapters are needed for a new book.
What 3 things would you like readers to know about you?
  • My first love is interviewing. To book interviews, I had promise to write. Over time I’ve come to love writing, but interviewing is still my first passion.
  • I struggle with self-doubt. Getting started on any chapter/article is always a struggle for me. One thing that helped was being told writing is a gift. You don’t need to make it happen, you need to get out of the way and let it happen.
  • I am an avid reader. One relaxing holiday in Hawaii I actually read an entire book every day for 15 days. Believe it or not, I still walked, snorkeled, cooked. went sight-seeing and more. But when all spare moments are spent book in hand, you can go through a lot. While I love print books, when I’m on a reading binge like this my e-reader is my best friend. There are lulls when I don’t read at all, but reading is my favorite way to relax and let go at the end of the day.
How do you promote your books?
Promotion is what I enjoy the least as it takes so much time away from what I actually love to do – interviewing and writing. In today’s market, being visible in the media and on the internet are equally important. I maintain a Twitter account, an Instagram account, a Facebook page, a Goodreads Author page and an Amazon Central Author page. Then a bit of time each week is spent reaching out to bloggers, radio hosts and digital TV hosts to book interviews. I also keep an eye out for any chance to speak at an event. They are a great way to share what I do with a larger audience. I could spend all day every day on promotion and marketing. I’ve had to learn the hard way how important it is to assign a set amount of time each week and keep to it.
Do you have another book in the works?
Yes. Right now I’m working on a second book in my Life Outside the Box Series. I am hoping for a spring release date, but there is still lots to do. After that is finished I have four more titles I would like to develop. All are being released under my own imprint, Real People – Real Lives Press. If interested, readers can add their email address to my list on my website. Information will be released here first. I’ll also be using this avenue to let readers know about giveaway contests where they can win free books.
Do you have a favourite quote from one of your interviews?
At every single interview I am given pieces of gold – wisdom that this person has acquired on their own unique journey. All have had a profound effect, but if I have to pick just one it would be the words of William Orlowski. I repeat them every time I face a challenging day. “There is no secret, just do and be brave.”

Life Outside the Box by Marilyn R. Wilson Book Tour

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On December 9, 2016

In (Auto)Biography, Book Tour

Welcome to our Book Tour stop for Life Outside the Box. Along with this blurb about the book I’ve got an interview with the author, Marilyn R. Wilson coming up soon (the link’ll work when the post goes live).

Book Details:

Book Title:  Life Outside the Box (Second Edition)
Author: Marilyn R. Wilson
Category: Adult non-fiction, 236 pages
Genre: Inspiration / biography / fashion
Publisher: Real People Real Lives Press
Release date: Oct 27, 2016

Book Description:

This second edition offers new content added to each and every chapter – personal author reflections from behind the scenes.

Get inspired to step out of your box and embrace your potential. From the corporate world, to the arts, to working with the disenfranchised, the message is clear: there is no such thing as a normal way to live your life and no one right solution to any problem. Selected from over a hundred interviews, the stories shared here open a window on the journeys of seven women and three men who have charted their own paths, including Ruthie Davis–top US luxury shoe designer and the winner of the 2014 AAFA Footwear Designer of the Year award; and Geir Ness whose perfume is a staple in Nordstrom, Disney World, and on Disney Cruise Lines. Enjoy a glimpse behind the scenes into the unique ways these individuals have chosen to deal with life’s challenges and how they define success in their careers.

Buy the Book

Amazon ~ Barnes & Noble

Meet the Author:

Marilyn R. Wilson is a freelance writer and speaker with a passion for interviewing. Her career as a writer began in an unusual way, by answering a Craigslist ad. It was while conducting her first interview the world Marilyn R. Wilsonshifted – she had found her passion. Since 2006, she has interviewed over 150 people from as near as her hometown of Vancouver, Canada, and as far away as South Africa.

​Whether through a random encounter on the New York subway or via a one-on-one interview with an internationally recognized artist, the goal is the same-to give wings to the unique journeys of inspiring individuals. This goal first led the author to co-launch a successful, innovative magazine focused on professionals working in the fashion industry paired with photography and illustrations by local artists. Then in 2015, Wilson took her passion to a new audience with the release of her first book, the first in a series featuring the lives of real people living real lives.
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