THE BATTALION ARTIST – Janice Blake

Posted by Daniel on February 27, 2020
Posted in: NON-FICTION, Uncategorized. Tagged: , , , , , , , . Leave a comment

For three years, three months, and three days, Nat Bellatoni of Massachusetts served in the South Pacific during World War II. Nat was a young artist and served with the Navy Seabees on different islands during the war, often not allowed to tell his loved ones where he was.  As time allowed, even on short breaks, Nat would sketch his surroundings.  Some of those sketches  now see print, thanks to author Janice Blake, and Nat’s daughter Nancy Bellatoni.

Th sketches here are just that … sketches.  But they range from a couple of quickly drawn lines to quite detailed works. It really is like paging through a sketchbook. This kind of first-hand account, from the ‘average’ enlisted man, is a rare treat. We get an honest (not media-hyped) look at the war and the men who served, and because of his locations, a sweet look at the Pacific islands.

The book is a little heavy with pre-book information.  We have a full page dedication, a foreward, a note, a preface, and an introduction. Clearly everyone connected with the publication wanted to have something to say, which is too bad because we don’t really need this much preface to a book. There is also an afterward, two ‘abouts,’ acknowledgments, and an additional resources list in this 120 page book.

The information about Nat and his life is compact, but serves the book just right. We want to know a little bit about the man who made the art, but we don’t need an in-depth biography. We’re putting a face and a history to one of the hundreds of thousands of men who served our country during a great war. Janice Blake does this nicely.

I would have liked even more artwork. I was hoping to find more of a coffee-table art book with art on every page, but while there is a lot of art, there are also a fair number of photos here as well, giving the book a slight feel of not really being sure what sort of book this is.  A history book? A biography? An art book?  It’s a little bit of all three, but that’s trying to do a lot in 120 pages. Blake does manage to balance this well, but I never quite got away from the feeling that the book was going back and forth on what it was trying to present.

I liked the timelines included, showing us where in the world Nat was station during the war and what Nat painted during that time.

Overall, a really good book.

Looking for a good book? The Battalion Artist by Janice Blake is a good look at one Navy Seabee during World War II, and his sketchbooks from his time in the South Pacific and should appeal to war historians, as well as those who like art books and those who enjoy biographies.

I received a digital copy of this book from the publisher, through Netgalley, in exchange for an honest review.

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The Battalion Artist: A Navy Seabee’s Sketchbook of War in the South Pacific, 1943–1945

author: Janie Blake

artist: Natale Bellatoni

publisher: Hoover Institution Press

ISBN: 0817922245

hardcover, 120 pages

THE ESSENTIALS OF THEATER – Lisa Mulcahy

Posted by Daniel on February 25, 2020
Posted in: NON-FICTION, Uncategorized. Tagged: , , , , , , . Leave a comment

In the description of this book it says that this is an introduction to the world of theater and I think this is important to note because this really is written for the novice – the absolute beginner. While the description of the book (on Goodreads and Amazon) say that this is perfect for college students in theater programs, I would disagree. The bulk of the information here is so very basic that anyone in a college theater program should already have much of this knowledge.

However, I do think this is a great resource for high school students interested in pursuing theater in college, and also for college students taking an introduction to theater class. Although it has been a few years, I have taught Introduction to Theater at a local college, and I do lead workshops, in various theatre skills, for high school students and there is some information here that I will draw from.

I like the comprehensiveness of this book.  It touches on nearly all the roles in the theater (“nearly” because it doesn’t address any of the front of house services – which is not unusual, but if you are going to the trouble of putting on a play, don’t you want people to be able to buy a ticket to see it?), but of course any time you cover a lot of different aspects of a craft you’re limited to broad strokes as opposed to details.

I also really like the worksheets or ‘to-do’ lists at the end of each chapter.  This is where the interested student can grow in their knowledge and practical skills in theatre and it here that I will likely find some things that I might use in my workshops.

Author Lisa Mulcahy also includes a number brief (brief) interviews with theatre professionals.  I found these to be mostly a waste of time.  I understand that it’s nice for a youngster to hear words of wisdom from professionals, but these snippets are so brief that we don’t really get anything from them. In my opinion, this space could have beet better used for a little more depth in the various roles in the theatre.

The suggested reading/viewing lists (I love that Mulcahy suggests viewing theatre!) are really good and it’s nice to see some suggested plays and musicals that speak to students of this generation rather than a list of nothing but ‘classics’.

Looking for a good book?  If you want a very basic book about all aspects of theatre production, targeted to the real novice, Lisa Mulcahy’s The Essentials of Theater is definitely worth considering.

I received a digital copy of this book from the publisher, through Edelweiss, in exchange for an honest review.

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The Essentials of Theater

author: Lisa Mulcahy

publisher: Allworth

ISBN: 1621536467

hardcover, 256 pages

JACK FROST – Christopher Greyson

Posted by Daniel on February 24, 2020
Posted in: MYSTERY, Uncategorized. Tagged: , , , , , . Leave a comment

This is my first foray into the Jack Stratton detective/thriller series.  This is the seventh book in the series and the ratings on Goodreads are quite stellar, so I was really looking forward to this.

Jack Stratton is an ex-military, ex-police, private detective. Along with his fiancee Alice Campbell, they run a detective agency which takes them all over the globe.  Currently, they are being contracted by a television program called Planet Survival – a Survivor-like ‘reality’ show. Jack will go undercover as a local hire on wintery Mount Minuit as a crew member.  Already a sound man has been killed, and the show has been receiving threats – likely from natives and/or environmentalists who aren’t happy that Hollywood has invaded their pristine territory.  But of course the show is so successful that postponing production or going elsewhere is completely out of the question. The weather on Mount Minuit is as unpredictable as the killer, and if the killer doesn’t get Jack and crew, the weather might.

Despite being the seventh book in a series, this book stands alone nicely.  Author Christopher Greyson does a fine job of filling in the necessary background information without slowing down the initial story too much.

The characters were interesting – Jack is, of course the most finely fleshed out, but given their history (ex-military, ex-cop, in-demand PI) it’s a bit ridiculous to think that they are really only in their 20’s. Still, it’s an action/thriller and there’s some willing disbelief necessary to buy in to the action.

Early on, Jack has to try to fit in with the crew and prove his value and that he’s local.  He does this with a snow-mobile race, choosing the most dangerous path, and managing to save his opponent from being beheaded by a recklessly placed wire.  Or was it an intentionally placed wire?

I was hooked and interested at this point, and then the book lost me.

As with many thrillers, each step of the way was paved with dangers and each danger had to be more threatening and dangerous than the last.  When a building blew up and Jack and another man were on the run through the snow, and the explosion caused an avalanche that nearly buried the pair, we were barely a third of the way into the book.  How do you top an explosion and an avalanche?  With red herrings, apparently.  But these red herrings weren’t just hints and suggestions, they were outright statements (“I think so-and-so must be guilty”), an attempt to find the connection of guilt to the named party, only to realize it wasn’t that person after all and on to the next.

You could, of course, figure out who was going to be the criminal based on who wasn’t being named.

Despite the attempts of action on top of action sequences, I grew bored with the book and ultimately didn’t really care. Jack was more action hero than detective, and I’ve not really been impressed with action hero characters. Alice seemed to have the most interesting story (on-going), but she played a more background character here.

I definitely wanted to like this more than I did.  It turned out to be a pretty stereotyped action hero and it reads more like a wannabe movie series than a detective or even thriller book series.

Looking for a good book? Jack Frost by Christopher Greyson is a detective/thriller book that relies on a stereotyped action-hero character and a lot more luck than skill at detecting.

I received a digital copy of this book from the publisher, through Netgalley, in exchange for an honest review.

* * * * * *

Jack Frost

author: Christopher Greyson

series: Jack Stratton #7

publisher: Greyson Media Associates

ISBN: 1683990838

paperback, 254 pages

UNMARKED – Kami Garcia

Posted by Daniel on February 21, 2020
Posted in: Dark Fantasy/Horror, SF/FANTASY, Uncategorized, YA. Tagged: , , , , , , . Leave a comment

I had really enjoyed the first book in Kami Garcia’s The Legion series, but it’s definitely been awhile since I read it, so it took me a little while to refresh my memory of the story.

Kennedy Waters has joined the Legion – a paranormal organization that fights to defend the world from all manner of demons. She did so after her mother died and she learned that her mother had been a member and that the Legion was slowly losing the battle against evil (see the first book).  Now Kennedy and her fellow Legion members are trying to track down a demon who was accidentally let free.  He walks the earth but Kennedy and friends have no idea who he might be. But in the course of this hunt Kennedy comes to learn more about her family history – and she doesn’t necessarily like what she learns.

As I started this book I was pulled in right away and I was reminded of what I liked so much about the first book.  The story itself, took a little more time to sink in.  The reality of this dark world is well conceived and brought to life.  We get a real good sense of the dangers and struggles of the Legion.

Kennedy is still a strong character.  She’s the sort of protagonist that you want your YA reader to identify with – strong, intelligent, quick thinking, but still human and flawed and working through her flaws and her interests. It is easy to see why this series has done well.  It can stand on Kennedy’s shoulders.

But….

This book really didn’t have much of a hook.  My sense is that this was a lot of sound and fury signifying nothing. There was action, but I didn’t care. The search for the demon didn’t really strike me as something that was important. That’s not the case, but it never felt as dire as I thought we were supposed to believe. I actually got bored with this book about half way through and struggled to finish it.

I liked the character, I liked the setting, but this had all the earmarks of a second book in a trilogy … it’s a passage to book three, but not a particularly strong book on its own.

Looking for a good book? If you are determined to read the series, then Unmarked by Kami Garcia is a necessary step, but despite the action, nothing much really happens here.

I received a digital copy of this book from the publisher, through Netgalley, in exchange for an honest review.

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Unmarked

author: Kami Garcia

series: The Legion #2

publisher: Little Brown Books for Young Readers

ISBN: 0316210226

hardcover, 382 pages

EVEN WITCHES GET THE BLUES – J.D. Winters

Posted by Daniel on February 19, 2020
Posted in: MYSTERY, ROMANCE, SF/FANTASY, Uncategorized. Tagged: , , , , , . Leave a comment

Paranormal romances/mysteries are a big deal, especially in self-publishing/small press markets.  Since I enjoy a good vampire/werewolf/witch story (the paranormal) I thought I’d give this a try.

Haley is a witch … with amnesia.  She wakes up one day in a motel room in Moonhaven with only the clothes on her back and a deed to a piece of property. She learns that the citizens of Moonhaven know her (as a wild young girl), she’s got a missing family, and … she’s the leading suspect in a murder. Maybe she doesn’t want to know more about her past?

I really like the premise here.  A witch with amnesia – and a murder suspect?  Cool. I definitely want to learn more.

The writing itself is just a bit uneven.  It’s interesting to learn, along with Haley, about Haley.  We get to make the discoveries along with her.  But it also limits the information we can get.  There’s no background perspective which means she either needs to learn things quicker so that we can understand what’s going on. Or … make real use of this. Tease us and reveal along the way. The teasing here just doesn’t work.  Instead we get more frustrated. Character-building is tough when even the character doesn’t know her history or typical behavior.

Because our main character has no reference to anything around her, the other characters are also enigmas.  This could be resolved if Haley admitted her amnesia, but since she tries to keep it quiet, the rest of the characters here remain unknowns to us.  We only see them when Haley has some sort of interactions with them.

The bigger problem here, actually, is the editing.  This is a common issue with self-published books.  A good editor would help smooth out the pacing and catch some of the errors in the book that I just find annoying.

This is better than average for a self-published book and the premise is interesting enough that I would definitely read more when time permits, but it’s not what I would consider a recommended book.

Looking for a good book? Even Witches Get the Blues by J. D. Winters is a clever paranormal mystery but the writing is uneven and not a smooth read.

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Even Witches Get the Blues

author: J.D. Winters

series: Wicked in Moonhaven #1

publisher: CreateSpace

Kindle edition, 156 pages

ROSEMARY AND RUE – Seanan McGuire

Posted by Daniel on February 17, 2020
Posted in: SF/FANTASY, Uncategorized. Tagged: , , , , . Leave a comment

It’s been ten years since the October Daye series began and to celebrate the decade, DAW Books has reissued the first book, Rosemary and Rue. For those of us who came to the series mid-stride, this is a real welcomed treat.

October “Toby” Daye is a half-human, half-fae changeling. This mixed blood may not be the only reason she’s an outsider, but it definitely plays a factor. Hoping to focus on just one side of her life, Toby has renounced the fae world. Unfortunately, the fae world doesn’t quite recognize this and she is drawn back in as a knight errant when the Countess Evening Winterrose is murdered and Evening’s curse, a spell, forces Toby to investigate.

So…this is actually a little awkward to review, but I can’t quite think of it as the first book in the series since (even though it is) because I have read a few others and I know a little more about Toby and her friends and her situation.

What works here is the introduction of all the major players and the set-up of the world(s).  We really do get a pretty clear picture of Toby and her situation as half-fae, half-human and the trouble that this causes her. We also get a pretty good look at the hierarchy in the fae world, as well as their disfunction.

What doesn’t work here is the introduction of all the major players and the set-up of the world(s).  By this I mean that the book really feels like a set-up for future books and the series.  It does not feel like a solid urban, stand-alone fantasy.  I think that if I had read this book first, I may not have read any further volumes. But again, this is hard to say for sure since I have read other books in the series, which I have enjoyed quite a bit.

If you have come to the series late, this is great to read to look back and get some perspective on how it started. If you are new to the series, don’t give up.

Looking for a good book? Rosemary and Rue, by Seanan Mcguire, is a reissue of the first book in the October Daye series. It’s a bit rough but we can get a real feel for what is in store for the series.

I received a digital copy of this book from the publisher, through Netgalley, in exchange for an honest review.

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Rosemary and Rue

author: Seanan McGuire

series: October Daye #1

publisher: DAW Books

ISBN: 0756405718

paperback, 346 pages

MY FAIR LATTE – Vickie Fee

Posted by Daniel on February 14, 2020
Posted in: MYSTERY, Uncategorized. Tagged: , , , , . Leave a comment

Halley Greer has inherited a movie theatre in Utopia Spring, Arkansas from an uncle that she hasn’t seen in a very long time.  With no other decent prospect (business or romantic) happening in her life, she visits the theatre and decides to try to restore it to its previous glory.

Halley makes some good friends with neighboring businesses (and a possible romantic partner?) and everything seems to be going well … until a patron dies in her theatre on opening night. She doesn’t know the patron, but given the way the local police respond to the incident, Halley feels like she is the prime suspect in their eyes. This clearly means that she needs to provide them an alternative possible suspect. But finding a suspect who has already proven they are willing to commit murder is dangerous.

I’ve really been enjoying the mystery books published by Henery Press. I haven’t read all their titles or series, but those that I have read I find to be well-written with charming characters.  This title is no different. Halley, a bit of an innocent goody-two-shoes steps into something a little bigger than she can possibly imagine.  But she finds support from new-found friends and her natural drive to follow through (as well as some nicely timed luck) help her to safely succeed.

I was interested in this title because of the themes suggested by the title.  I’m interested in old films, musicals, and coffee.  This seemed like a sure winner!

But I found that the similarities between this book and another in Henery Press’s own catalog, just a little too close. I read and reviewed Murder at the Palace by Margaret Dumas back in July of 2019, and that particular title was strong enough to have made a very good impression on me and I couldn’t help but constantly compare the two as I read.  And in this case, Dumas’s book was just a little stronger.

While I really liked the deeper story here, the whole Jesse James connection really didn’t tie very well with the “My Fair Latte” title and theme. I also didn’t think that the ‘latte’ theme was very well realized here.

I like the idea of a mystery with movie theatres and coffee and I like the idea of a mystery with historical figures such as Jesse James and possible hidden treasure.  But perhaps trying to do all of this is just a little too much for one cozy mystery of 250 pages.

Looking for a good book? My Fair Latte by Vickie Fee holds the promise of an interesting new mystery series but this first title tries to do a little too much.

I received a digital copy of this book from the publisher, through Edelweiss, in exchange for an honest review.

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My Fair Latte

author: Vickie Fee

publisher: Henery Press

ISBN13: 9781635115796

paperback, 252 pages