Vampire Hunters

Once Bitten, Twice Shy
By Jennifer Rardin
Publisher: Orbit (October, 2007)
Paperback: 312 pages
Rating: 5 stars of 5 possible

Action, adventure, romance and suspense are all tucked neatly into one package that's just the beginning of a not-to-be-missed series featuring Jaz Parks; a sometimes sassy, sometimes witty gal who works for the CIA. She's got an unusual talent - sensing the presence of vampires. This talent makes her the highly desired partner of a most unusual assassin. I'll let Jaz tell you about him.

"My boss is Vayl, born in Romania in 1744. Died there too, at the hand of his vampire wife, Liliana. But that's ancient history. For the moment Vayl works for the C.I.A. doing what he does best--assassination. And I help. You could say I'm an Assistant Assassin. But then I'd have to kick your..." (Rardin, 2007)

Written in a lively, friendly style, this fast-paced novel is a gripper and a page-turner. The savvy reader will soon catch on that Jaz is hiding her vulnerablity behind that tough-as-nails exterior personna she displays to the world around her and doesn't want to admit that she's human... or is she? Hints are dropped that something which happened in this gal's past might have changed her.

Romances aren't usually my thing but the sub-category of paranormals is wide open, uncharted reading territory for me. I have a favorable impression though from reading this sample offering, which I recommend to those 16 and up seeking something different than the usual romantic suspense novel.

Beautifully Haunting

For One More Day
By Mitch Albom
Publisher: Hyperion (September 26, 2006)
Hardcover: 208 pages
Rating: 4 stars of 5 possible

For One More Day is a beautiful, haunting novel about the family we love and the chances we miss. It is the story of a mother and a son, and a relationship that lasts a lifetime and beyond. The novel explores the question: What would you do if you could spend one more day with a lost loved one?

Alright. I will admit For One More Day isn't the type of novel I would be likely to purchase for myself. This was one of my Christmas gifts in 2007. I decided to give it a fair chance, since one can always stop reading if the book isn't to his or her taste. Surprise! I was hooked from the first page, and after a chapter or two, putting it aside for sleep was difficult, not picking it up again was never an option... I HAD to find out what happened.

The novel is slim, but provides a mountain of food for thought. It brings one to a new appreciation of his or her own family members along with a reminder not to take anyone for granted. Unlike Charles "Chick" Benetto (the story's main character), we only get one life and one chance to appreciate those we love, though we may wish otherwise. I know I do.

The author brings out all the emotional impact and the turmoil that the main character feels, making the reader also feel as if he or she were that character or someone closely related. Recommended reading for those 18 and up who may be looking for something more than a quick and easy read. This book deserves thought and consideration of the issues it addresses.

Magical Romance

A Distant Magic
By Mary Jo Putney
Hardcover: 352 pages
Publisher: Del Rey (July 17, 2007)
Rating: 3 stars of 5 possible

Jean Macrae’s family is one of the most prominent clans of Guardians, humans whose magical powers come from nature, but Jean considers her skills modest at best. She has never been able to summon the intense, earth-altering ability that has marked the most talented Guardians, and she is content without the adventure that such skill brings . . . until the day she is confronted by a handsome stranger whose magic imprisons her on his pirate ship.

This is a blend of fantasy and romance, but not quite my cup of tea. The novel is slow-paced and seems to drag on forever before it gets to the conclusion. Perhaps it would have been better if I read the previous two books prior to beginning this one, but then again, perhaps not. What comes before doesn't always boost a weak ending.

While parts of the story made me want to continue reading through to the end, I also found parts of the story almost too slow-paced for my tastes. Fortunately the good parts were spread about in just the right places... All-in-all, I'd say this trilogy would probably be better off as a single novel, but condensed somewhat from the length of the three individual books.

Recommended: Adults 18 and up, but only if you like slow-reading romances. There's not nearly enough fantasy here for die-hard fantasy fans like me.

Believe Impossible Things

Cover image used with permission of the author.

Diary of a Teenage Faërie Princess
by C.B. Smith
https://www.createspace.com/3346382
Trade Paperback: 260 pages
Publisher: Raging Squirrel Press
Rating: 4 stars of 5 possible

Jaynie Morrison is a sixteen-year-old girl with an insatiable need for adventure. She satisfies this desire by causing all manner of random mischief, making her material nuisance number one. But with her seventeenth birthday imminent, a snag in her material world arrives - random magical happenings.

Her father once claimed that her mother was a Faërie Queen, who vanished shortly after Jaynie turned three. Jaynie wonders if her father is telling the truth. She wonders if her mother really vanished after all. But mostly she is confused and wonders if her mother's Faërie magic is causing the magical happenings that have invaded her world. In Diary of a Teenage Faërie Princess, Jaynie sets out to answer these questions.

This novel starts off slow, with a description of the cosmos and the creation of planet earth that does nothing for the main story. The entire first chapter could be cut with no harm to, and indeed, with possible improvement of the story. The next few chapters provide a basis for the character of Jaynie with some outrageousness about her shoes and some monkeys that make absoutely no sense... but they are kinda fun chapters at that... still, a condensation of this material to about half the words and only one chapter would move the story along a bit better... Don't let the slow beginning stop you from finishing this enjoyable story, which picks up a bit when Jaynie begins the search for her mother and the answers to her questions. It's well worth the time spent reading.

Over all, Diary of a Teenage Faërie Princess is a fun read for those who like their fantasy chock full of adventure with a few abusrdities tucked in for good measure. Parts of the adventure in Sörmlandia remind me of The White Queen, from Through the Looking Glass by Lewis Carroll saying “Why, sometimes I’ve believed as many as six impossible things before breakfast.” Believing impossible things is good for the imagination and brings out the creative side of humans... we should all get more practice in such beliefs.

Recommended for Fantasy readers ages 14 and up who are looking for a good adventure and a fairly quick read.

Sucks To Be Me Launch Party (Now Over)

Sucks to Be Me
The All-True Confessions of Mina Hamilton, Teen Vampire (Maybe)
by Kimberly Pauley
Sucks to Be Me Launch Party
Hardcover: 294 pages
Publisher: Mirrorstone (August 26, 2008)

Hey, Ya'all!  My good friend, Kimberly Pauley just published her new book, Sucks to Be Me. Sure, it's a vampire story, but nothing like you've ever read before... so throw all your old notions and pre-conceived ideas about vampires out the window because that's not what you'll find in Kim's new book. What I'm sure you will find, is a barrel of fun... vampire style.

Like the snail I can sometimes be, I haven't read Sucks to Be Me yet, but at least I do have a copy in my possession.  It looks like Sucks to Be Me is next on my to be read list, and there WILL be a review here someday... hopefully soon.  In the meantime, why not join the party on Kim's website. There are tons of cool prizes to be had by some lucky grand prize winner, and there are other, smaller prizes too that you can enter to win. 

What you need to know:
September 11th will be the final entry day for the grand prize pack. The grand prize contest closes on September 21st.

So yeah, why are ya'all hangin' out here with me when Kim has something much better going on at her place?  Oh, and, if you're still here reading this... you can get an extra entry into the drawing for that big prize package Kim is giving away... just tell her you read my blog and point back to this entry. Now, on with ya! Click the link to Kim's site at the top of this entry and join the fun!

A Timeless Love Story

Cover image courtesy of medelgado.com

The First Sandcastle: A Novel
by M. E. Delgado
http://www.medelgado.com/
Paperback: 272 pages
Publisher: Barrio City Press (March 2, 2008)
Rating: 4 stars of 5 possible

The First Sandcastle is a coming of age story about a young man growing up in a dysfunctional family. The main character, Marlo Clemente, attempts to reconcile the love he feels for his mother and the warped view of life taught by his father... that women are evil.

Marlo's art and his friends provide solace from everyday home life. When one of Marlo's friends (Danny) falls in love with a girl who uses Danny for her own purposes and then crushes his hopes and dreams, this only reinforces what Marlo has learned from his father.

How Marlo deals with the further confusion that sets in when he meets a girl he feels is unlike others is a captivating story that gives the reader a lot to think about. The peer pressure of growing up, and the issues a normal teen must deal with, along with the not-quite-separate issues that evolve from the family's dysfunctional relationships among themselves and others are deeply felt by the reader. The timeless feel and the steady pacing of this story should provide a basis for a wide audience, though I have the feeling that it is also the ideal YA novel.

Mr. Delgado builds the highly emotional story to a dramatic climax and makes the reader feel every minute of Marlo's pain when he discovers that he's just as his girlfriend's mother says: "exactly like all the other boys". Marlo's relationship with his own mother improves and she helps him realize that we are all human and fallible.

Disappointment Is The Word

The Essential Writer's Notebook:
A step-By-Step Guide to Better Writing
Natalie Goldberg
Publisher: Peter Pauper Press (July 2001)
Spiral-bound: 160 pages
Rating: 1 star of 5 possible

Much of the content of this book is merely blank lined pages that would best serve my purposes if those blank pages were not interrupted by so much art and having the writing prompts appear scattered throughout, in what I am certain are going to turn out to be the wrong places much of the time. As with the writing prompts, the author's paintings are scattered throughout the book, inhibiting the usefulness of the volume.

As an educational tool, this book is lacking much due to the content being so scattered; as a writer's journal or writing exercise book, it is only so-so for the same reason. Since there is no way to predict how much a writer will put out based on one prompt, I would rather have seen a section at the front devoted to the prompts, and a second section (maybe at the back) devoted to the paintings, making them easier both to find and to use as prompts. Another point concerning the paintings... well, they can best be described as eclectic, and though they might serve as prompts to some writers, to me they are so much wasted paper. This writer's painting style just does not fit my taste in art.

Since the book is wire-bound inside a cover that hides the wires (nice looking, I'll admit), I can't even take the darned thing apart to reorganize the paintings as I would prefer to have them. If I had seen this at a traditional bookstore, where I could have examined the book prior to purchasing it, I probably would not have made the purchase. This book is very much not recommended to anyone, with the possible exception of rabid fans of the author who MUST have every book with her name on the cover and who happen to also like the author's painting style.

The End Of A Tale

The Book of Merlyn
T.H. White
Publisher: Ace (September 15, 1987)
Paperback: 193 pages
Rating: 2 stars of 5 possible

After the author's death, a nearly complete 5th volume to this epic was discovered among his papers. That volume was published separately as The Book of Merlyn. This magical account of King Arthur's last night on earth spent weeks on the New York Times best-seller list following its publication in 1977. Even in addressing the profound issues of war and peace, The Book of Merlyn retains the life and sparkle for which White is known. The tale brings Arthur full circle, an ending, White wrote, that "will turn my completed epic into a perfect fruit, 'rounded off and bright and done.'"

While The Book of Merlyn contributes a closing chapter to the saga of The Once And Future King, I found it to be less interesting than the first four volumes. Some of the content had been previously published with The Sword In The Stone yet seems out of place in the first volume despite fitting in with the theme of Arthur's education. The out-of-place feeling is explained by the preface in The Book of Merlyn when we learn that some of the content we read earlier rightfully belongs in this last chapter, where it was repeated because that content was originally written for The Book of Merlyn. With that previously misplaced content, the last chapter of the saga is readable and comprensible as well as more enjoyable. Arthur's education is the most interesting part of The Once and Future King. If The Book of Merlyn had been stripped of those parts rightfully belonging there because of their inclusion in the earlier part of the story, that last chapter would not be worth reading.

Recommendation:

The saga almost seems complete without this last chapter, which doesn't stand by itself very well. One can't help but wonder if this part of the saga may have been better left undiscovered in the author's effects after his death. If you really want to know the end of the story, go ahead and read this volume. Continuity is better if you read The Book of Merlyn immediately after you finish The Once and Future King. Just don't expect great things to happen in this last part of the longer tale; the best parts occurred much earlier.

Artistic Endeavors

Discovering Drawing
Second Edition, Student Textbook
Reading Level: 9th - 12th grade
Ted Rose and Sallye Mahan-Cox
Publisher: Davis Publications (April 30, 2006)
Hardcover: 230 pages
Rating: 5 stars of 5 possible.

Discovering Drawing contains an impressive array of art history and examples. Famous artists such as Henri Matisse, Vincent van Gogh, Edgar Degas, Rembrandt, Picasso, Michelangelo, and others are represented here along with contemporary artists, art instructors, and students. The concepts and terminology are well explained. There is a glossary in the back, which comes in handy for someone like me who can't remember where the term was introduced. On top of all this, there is a seemingly endless variety of drawing assignments from quick sketchbook material to more lavish and intense studio drawing assignments in a vast array of techniques with which the beginning artist can experiment and more advanced artists can have some fun.

Each chapter covers a few main objectives. Take chapter three, for instance. While the chapter covers basic shapes, observation and composition, there are several ways these topics are presented so that the student will more fully understand the concepts. Important points are highlighted in small sections labeled "Note It". If I were using a borrowed copy of this text book, many of the points in the "Note It" sections would be added to my notebook, as they are well worth remembering. Then there are the little sections labeled "Try It". These are usually quick sketchbook exercises and can be valuable sketching experience gained in a short time. Additionally, there are sections in each chapter labeled "For Your Sketchbook", "Studio Experience", "For Your Portfolio", and more. Discussion topics and - surprisingly - writing exercises are also presented in the text.

One feature of this book stands out because it is not something I have seen in many text books. Near the end of each chapter, there is an assessment rubric, giving the student a means to assess his or her own progress based on the studio assignment for that chapter. This is one of my favorite features of the text because, while working on any assignment and immediately afterwards, I nearly always have persistent questions on how well I have met the objectives of the assignment. Using the assessment rubrics in this book, those questions are answered, providing the student a measure of peace so that he or she can continue to the next assignment, confident that the objectives of the previous assignment have been mastered.

The true test of a text book is to use it for the intended purpose and see how well the book fits that purpose. I have done some reading and attempted a few of the drawing exercises of various complexities. The drawing assignments are varied and interesting, providing a foray into a variety of media to give the art student valuable experience. Over the last couple of years, I've invested money in a variety of art instruction books which vary in quality from practically worthless to exceptional; yet, even the better volumes on my shelves are far more limited in scope than this text. If I had known about this book before I started, I might not have purchased most of the others... or maybe even none of them. I am completely amazed at the comprehensiveness and compactness of this book.

Recommended: This is the book to purchase for all 9th - 12th grade art classes where the instructor is looking for quality instructional materials. I find it worth mentioning that the publisher also offers a variety of ancillary materials that schools using this book might consider purchasing to broaden the scope of this excellent art program. Additionally, this book is also highly recommended for those studying art on their own.

Stimulate Your Muse

A Creative Writer's Kit:
A Spirited Companion and Lively Muse for the Writing Life
Judy Reeves
Publisher: New World Library; Boxed edition (August, 2003)
Paperback: 144 pages/Card Deck:  25 cards
Rating: 4 stars of 5 possible

The deck of cards and small amount of text in the book are the essence of A Writer's Book of Days by the same author; including the all-valuable writing prompts; yet this kit is more compact (suitable for traveling) and includes space in the paperback volume for your journal entries. Pack this kit and your favorite pen or pencil for your next trip out of town and see what I mean.

While the 5 X 7 inch cards can be a bit unwieldy depending on how you might use them, they are also convenient in their own way. You can refer to important points on one or more cards without needing to flip through the book... which you may want to have open to a past or current writing exercise at the same time. Having space in the book for your writing exercises eliminates the need to carry a separate notebook; Weight reduction of the baggage is always a good thing.

Recommended for creative writers age 10 and up.