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All posts for the month September, 2016

MONSTRESS #3 & #4 – comic book

Posted by Daniel on September 30, 2016

Posted in: GRAPHIC NOVEL, Uncategorized. Tagged: 5 Stars, Book Reviews, Books, comic book superheroes, Graphic Novels, Reviews. Leave a comment

Issue #3 of this outstanding comic, Monstress, brings back the excitement (and evil) that made the first issue so thrilling.

We get more questions than answers, but they are the questions the reader has likely started to ask – who is Maika? Where did she come from? Can she control her own abilities? Why does the fox-child stay with her when s/he is so frightened by Maika? Because these questions are beginning to come out in the comic itself, we have reason to believe the answers will be forth-coming.

Once again, the art is tremendous. This is worth buying for the art alone, though artist Takeda (and author Liu) don’t hold back from the gruesomeness that evil often brings. This is very likely something that will keep some potential readers away. But if your constitution is strong enough, this is definitely a book worth reading. The graphic novel will be out soon and it is best to start at the beginning with this series. The most frustrating aspect here is the fact that these comics are only 20+ pages long!

Looking for a good book? Monstress #3 picks up on the excitement of the first issues of this unique comic series and keeps the reader wanting more.

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

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Monstress #3

author: Marjoie Liu

artist: Sana Takeda

publisher: Image Comics

asin: B01AS9WKLO

paperback, 33 pages

Issue #4 of Monstress is as strong a work as was the first issue.

This particular issue gives the reader a good look at the other side of the wall – where ‘monsters’ and creatures of all sorts – the Arcanic – make their plans. We also get to see more of the monster that inhabits Maika, and how Maika is working to control it. There are also a few hints along the way as to who Maika is.

The art is still outstanding and it would be worth buying this just for the delicious illustrations (if you don’t mind a little gore once in a while).

The only frustrating thing about this comic is how short the individual issues are. The graphic novel is soon to be released (or is, by the time this review is published), but the ARC is the individual issues, which is how I have chosen to review this. But it’s clear, by reading this issue by issue, that the bigger, fuller picture is likely the best way to read this story.

Looking for a good book? Issue #4 of Monstress, continues a highly original, intense story that is beautifully illustrated.

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

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Monstress #4

author: Marjorie Liu

artist: Sana Takeda

publisher: Image Comics

asin: B01C3GD8XE

paperback, 33 pages

ZEROVILLE – Steve Erickson

Posted by Daniel on September 29, 2016

Posted in: ENTERTAINMENT, OTHER, Uncategorized. Tagged: 4 stars, Book Reviews, Books, Entertainment, Humor, Literature, Reviews. Leave a comment

THROWBACK THURSDAY: REVIEWING A REISSUE

I am typically not a fan of books that experiment with form. I usually find it to be self-indulgent it and often refer to it as literary masturbation – pleasing the author but no one else. Zeroville, by Steve Erickson is one of the rare exceptions.

Zeroville is a bizarre look at the film industry at a time when bizarre was often key. The film world of the 1960’s, when this begins, certainly had its mainstream, popular movies, but its counter-culture film world was rife with oddities.

In comes Vikar (with a “K”) Jerome, a young man so fascinated with film that he’s had an image of Elizabeth Taylor and Montgomery Clift tattooed on his head. He moves in to Los Angeles and wanders Hollywood Boulevard, just trying to breathe in some of the film world, without any job or goal at hand. He is aimless, other than a desire to be a part of the world were film magic happens. Vikar is socially inept. Extremely. But as is often the case, because he’s so socially unaware, he will often walk the path that most people would avoid. He interacts with people in all walks of life and his journey makes this a story about hippies, murder, obsession, surfing, Joan of Arc, god, and of course film-making.

Vikar manages to get work in the industry, mostly through connections made because he’s a fan of some of the more obscure works and artists/craftsmen in those obscure works. As a film editor, Vikar (untrained, of course) takes his unique slant toa film, which has people talking about how strange — but brilliant — it is. He even manages to win a major award for his work.

One of the strange things (notice … “one” of the strange things) about this book is that I am never drawn to Vikar. I don’t particularly like him, but at the same time, I don’t dislike him. I’m never rooting for him, hoping for his success, but I caught myself watching over him, wondering what he was going to do next and how he would manage it.

But the form of the novel… ah… that’s where this is even more unusual than Vikar himself.

The book is written in extremely short chapter. Most under a page in length. Some chapters are only a word long. One chapter is blank. And the chapters start at “Chapter 1” and progress in number to 227. … and then count back down to “Chapter 0.”

This style of chapter formatting most clearly doesn’t seem random, but I’m not sure I’m clever enough to understand it. The shortness of the chapters reminds me of a frame of film, and of course it takes a lot of frames to make a movie (or a book, in this case). And one frame doesn’t fit the book, just as Vikar discovers a film that’s been hidden inside other movies (you really have to read this to understand). And for all of this, I think the crafting is brilliant. Now if someone could explain to me the ascending and descending numbers for the chapters, I’d appreciate it.

This book is not light-weight reading, but if you enjoy literary fiction with a dark satire bite and an absurd bent, then this is something you really should read.

Looking for a good book? Zeroville, by Steve Erickson is a darkly funny tale of Hollywood and is recommended for those who don’t mind being challenged to read something with a bite.

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

* * * * * *

Zeroville

author: Steve Erickson

publisher: Open Road Media

ISBN: 1480409995

ebook, 330 pages

THE DARKNESS OF SHADOWS – Chris Little

Posted by Daniel on September 28, 2016

Posted in: Dark Fantasy/Horror, Uncategorized. Tagged: 2 Stars, Book Reviews, Books, Horror/Dark Fantasy, Reviews. Leave a comment

Natalie plans to kill her father before he can do more harm to the family that has taken her in and nurtured her. Along the way, she learns she has magical powers that had been kept secret from her. Her father just wants Natalie to finish a ritual, but the supernatural community isn’t too excited about this happening.

There’s so much about this book that I was hoping to enjoy. A dark mystery with supernatural under-currents. What could go wrong?

But what goes wrong is the actual story-telling.

Chris Little’s writing is in the category of ‘telling, not showing’ and the dialog is pedantic. Adults talk to one another like school girls, tittering over stupid jokes. And the narrative comes to the reader in short, clipped passages that gives the story a halting sensation.

I liked the concept behind this story, but it took too long to develop and because I found the characters annoying, by the time the story picked up I was no longer interested. This book really didn’t grab my attention, despite going in and wanting to like this.

Looking for a good book? This is not it.

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

* * * * * *

The Darkness of Shadows

author: Chris Little

publisher: Rogue Gargoyle Books

ISBN13: 9780989562904

ebook, 202 pages

LIVE TO AIR – Jeffrey L. Diamond

Posted by Daniel on September 27, 2016

Posted in: MYSTERY. Tagged: 4 stars, Book Reviews, Books, Mystery, Reviews, Thriller. Leave a comment

Former television writer/producer Jeffrey L. Diamond has taken his experience working in television and brought it to the page in this mystery/thriller, Live to Air.

Ethan Benson is a television producer working for a magazine-format show in New York. Ethan doesn’t like doing crime stories, but sometimes, even as a producer, you have to answer to someone else, and in this case, the network executives want him to look into a gang-war shoot-out in the meat-packing district that resulted in the death of the Deputy Mayor’s daughter.

Benson uncovers a web of corruption that reaches from an organized Russian mob to the halls of Justice. And an exposé on the Russian mob brings danger not just to Benson and his crew, but to their families as well.

Author Diamond has done a tremendous job of building a multi-layered tale that his protagonist weaves through to get to the truth behind the story he is chasing. It is nice that the reader makes the discoveries at the same time as Benson, keeping the reader turning pages to see what comes next.

The ending seemed a little obvious a little too early for me, and given that we tend to see the information at the same time as the protagonist, it was a little surprising that he didn’t see it coming early. The story also relied on ‘that one piece of information’ that we weren’t privy to until the reveal (which, of course, was live, on the air). And the downfall and confession (again, on the air) of the culprit was very convenient and felt as though it were easily obtained.

Overall, a nice story – it’s nice to have a thriller that doesn’t involve police or former-police – but with an ending that wrapped up too quickly and conveniently.

Looking for a good book? Live to Air by Jeffrey L. Diamond is a nice thriller debut that will have you anxious to read what’s next, but finishes too smoothly.

I received an ARC copy of this book from the publisher in exchange for an honest review.

* * * * * *

Live to Air

author: Jeffrey L. Diamond

publisher: River Grove Books

ISBN: 1632990318

paperback, 404 pages

BETWEEN BLACK AND WHITE – Robert Bailey

Posted by Daniel on September 26, 2016

Posted in: MYSTERY, Uncategorized. Tagged: 5 Stars, Book Reviews, Books, Mystery, Reviews, Thriller. Leave a comment

I’m really delighted that author Robert Bailey found a new publisher for his McMurtrie & Drake series after Exhibit A Books shut down. But I’m not surprised that someone else picked this series up – Bailey writes just about the best legal thrillers being published today.

Tom McMurtrie is a retired law professor. A former student of his, someone he mentored and who went on to a successful career as an attorney has called and asked for his help. Bocephus “Bo” Haynes was a child in Pulaski, Tennessee in the mid-1960’s, when he watched ten members of the local Ku Klux Klan takes his father and hang him from a tree. Bo never forgot the horror of this, nor the voices of the men behind the hoods. After graduating from law school and playing for Paul “Bear” Bryant (which netted him some recognition and fame), Bo moved back to Pulaski and became very vocal about his goal to bring the men who killed his father to justice.

On the anniversary of his father’s killing Bo sits in a local bar and threatens Andy Walker, a man Bo knows was the leader of Klan that lynched his father. The problem now … Andy is murdered not long after Bo threatens him – in front of a number of witnesses – and all the physical evidence points to Bo as well. But Bo swears he didn’t do it, even though he can’t remember anything after talking to Andy in the bar. And so he hires the only lawyer he knows who might be able to save him … his professor, Tom McMurtrie. Tom, and his assistant, Rick Drake, definitely have their work cut out for them.

Just as with the first book in the series (see my review here), Bailey has written a tremendously exciting thriller. The roots of the drama are deep and racial prejudice is a hot-button topic. It doesn’t seem like Bo has the remotest chance of being acquitted, though as readers we suspect McMurtrie will find a way. We keep reading because we want to see what tricks he has up his sleeve and how he’ll accomplish the seemingly impossible.

We also keep reading because Bailey writes really fantastic characters. Bo is strong and sympathetic and everything we could want in the unsung hero. But perhaps even more interesting is “The General” – the strong, female prosecuting attorney. Bailey seems to try to paint her as the ‘bad guy’ in the story, but because he’s made her very real, there still manages to be a humanity to her that we recognize and hope will ultimately come through.

If there’s anything that prevents this from getting a full five stars from me, it’s that the ending is not really a surprise but comes out of nowhere and is told through a rather cheesy confession from someone about to commit a murder. Still … I want to read everything Robert Bailey writes.

Looking for a good book? Between Black and White is a fast-paced legal thriller by Robert Bailey that you will not want to put down until the very last page.

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

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Between Black and White

author: Robert Bailey

series: McMurtrie & Drake Legal Thrillers #2

publisher: Thomas & Mercer

ISBN: 1503953076

paperback, 379 pages

RED RISING – Pierce Brown

Posted by Daniel on September 23, 2016

Posted in: SF/FANTASY, Uncategorized, YA. Tagged: 4 stars, Book Reviews, Books, Reviews, SF/Fantasy, Young Adult. 1 Comment

One of the problems with doing book reviews as much and as often as I do, is that I often have to pick and choose which of the plethora of books I will read next. And even with five books a week, I can’t get to them all. Not reading Pierce Brown’s Red Rising until now is one of my biggest regrets.

A young man, Darrow, from the lower caste system – born into slave labor, underground on Mars – challenges the system when his young wife is sentenced to death. Because of his challenge, he is forced to leave the life he knows or be killed himself and just as he is preparing to die, he is recruited to infiltrate the higher levels and undergoes training and physical changes to become a “Gold.”

But Darrow learns that life at the top has its own challenges and it’s a dog-eat-dog world, even for the Golds. Fortunately, his work as a slave Red has given Darrow strength and agility that is unknown to the Golds and Darrow rises to some prominence through a series of games designed to weed out the weaker members. The games are run by some demi-gods, and overseen by Directors, and Darrow learns that the rules are different for the privileged – even among the highest ranks.

Darrow strives to become one of the upper echelon in order to take down the caste system from the inside.

The book plays with some themes that are going to be extremely familiar to readers of YA fantasy. The Hunger Games, Divergent, even Ender’s War, are recognizable in this story, but author Brown blends them together to create a unique adventure story.

I was hooked very early on – the opening sequence, with Darrow still simply a ‘Red,’ is powerful and depressing beginning. The games that take place later are complex and exciting and we often lose the sense that they are ‘games.’ In fact, this might be the biggest complaint about the book as well … we spend so much time focused on the activities and action that as we approached the end of the volume and were reminded that Darrow’s goal is fairly simple and singular, but not (necessarily) what he was actively working on for the previous 300 pages, it takes us aback.

Brown does a really tremendous job of getting the reader to root for Darrow. He is tough and he is likable and even though he becomes more than just a little bit of an ass as the competition drives him to be the best, we’re still behind him and excited for each success. The ‘bad guys’ are numerous and become fairly interchangeable – Darrow is never lacking for someone to conquer.

This was a captivating read, and even though it draws on a number of other popular books, Pierce Brown creates his own universe and thrilling start to a new series.

Looking for a good book? Red Rising by Pierce Brown is a dark, thrilling sci-fi adventure book that will draw you in and have you anxiously turning pages to see what happens next.

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

* * * * * *

Red Rising

author: Pierce Brown

series: Red Rising #1

publisher: Del Rey

ISBN: 0345539788

hardcover, 382 pages

CROWDED IN THE MIDDLE OF NOWHERE – Dr. Bo Brock

Posted by Daniel on September 22, 2016

Posted in: MEMOIR, NON-FICTION, Uncategorized. Tagged: 3 Stars, Book Reviews, Books, Memoir, non-fiction, Reviews. 1 Comment

It definitely takes a special sort of person to go in to the business of helping and caring for animals. Maintaining a sense of humor definitely helps as animals can often be even more unpredictable than humans as patients. Veterinarian Dr. Bo Brock not only maintains his sense of humor, but shares it through a series of memoir essays.

Brock begins his veterinarian career in the small West Texas town of Lamessa. Lamessa is the middle of nowhere and indeed it is crowded with veterinarian patients.

Brock shares a good number of stories and I think it’s fair to say that the humor in at least half of them have to do with the human owner of the patient as much as with the animals themselves. My favorite would be the time Brock heals a sick cow who then goes on a rampage and he describes the over-weight farmer running and trying to get in to a truck and Brock gives him a wedgie by pulling him into the truck by his underwear.

This is the sort of humor you can expect from the stories in this book. Occasionally Brock gets sentimental and it works well, reminding the reader that this sort of work isn’t always funny.

It’s hard to read a book like this and not compare it to the works of James Herriot. There are plenty of similarities due to the very often unpredictable nature of animals and the authors’ love for animals. But there are plenty of differences between Brock and Herriot.

Brock writes in short bursts which are often entertaining, but they also often lack a punch. His stories typically don’t build but instead are all very evenly paced … fun in short bursts, the way he writes, but not necessarily powerful material for just sitting and reading.

Looking for a good book? Crowded in the Middle of Nowhere by Dr. Bo Brock is a fun and funny memoir of a veterinarian who has plenty of stories to tell about his work with animals and the people who own them.

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

* * * * * *

Crowded in the Middle of Nowhere

author: Dr. Bo Brock

publisher: Greenleaf Book Group Press

ISBN: 1626342644

paperback, 256 pages

THE YEAR’S BEST MILITARY & ADVENTURE SF 2015 – David Afsharirad, editor

Posted by Daniel on September 21, 2016

Posted in: SF/FANTASY, SHORT FICTION. Tagged: 4 stars, Book Reviews, Books, Reviews, SF/Fantasy, Short Stories. Leave a comment

I have been a fan of the short story for a very long time and there were years when I read more short story collections than novels. But if you had asked me, even a year ago, if I would have been interested in reading a collection of “military and adventure science fiction” stories I would probably have thought, “No way.” But over the course of the past year (maybe two), I have read a number of books for this blog that would fall in the military or adventure sci-fi category that I have really liked.

As one might expect with an anthology like this, there is quite a variety of works – some quite good and others not to my taste.

One story stood out to me, head and shoulders above the rest: “Remember Day” by Sarah Pinsker. The story doesn’t deal with the actions of war, but the aftermath. It’s beautiful and haunting in such a simple way.

The opening story, “The Siege of Denver” by Brendan DuBois, is a little more typical military sf story with an alien invasion and the tough human (woman) fighter off to do everything she can to protect a food and medical supply. It’s a strong opening story and sets the appropriate tone for the book,

“For the Love of Sylvia City” by Andrea M. Pawley was a nice combination of military sci-fi and ecological disaster. I appreciated this story a lot.

Claudine Griggs’ “Helping Hand” was very short and simple but also quite beautiful. It’s a tale of helplessness in space.

I’ve been a fan of Brad Torgersen’s work for a while now. After what I thought was a disappointing recent novel, I was a bit wary going into his short story “Gyre (the Successful Kind).” It is a pretty solid adventure story, though I couldn’t help but constantly compare the story’s hero to some cinematic adventurers (all played by Harrison Ford) which actually took me away from the story because I kept thinking that it was too much of a stereotype/rip-off of other characters. Still…a fun tale.

“Twilight on Olympus” by Eric Leif Davin starts out feeling like it will be a Martian rip-off, but winds up being a sweet, though sad, story of life and reflection.

The rest of the stories were just fair for me. It did surprise me that the stories by some of the bigger ‘names’ in sci-fi didn’t have much impact on me. Still this was a good assortment and I’ve got some new names to look for when I do my book shopping.

This collection contains:

Preface – David Afsharirad
“The Siege of Denver” – Brendan DuBois
“Save What You Can” – David Drake
“For the Love of Sylvia City” – Andrea M. Pawley
“The Wizard of the Trees” – Joe R. Lansdale
“Helping Hand” – Claudine Griggs
“Morrigan in Shadow” – Seth Dickinson
“Remember Day” – Sarah Pinsker
“Gyre” – Brad R. Torgersen
“Twilight on Olympus” – Eric Leif Davin
“The Trouble with Telepaths” – Hank Davis
“This is the Way the Universe Ends: With a Bang” – Brian Dolton
“The Tumbledowns of Cleopatra Abyss” – David Brin
Contributors’ bios

Looking for a good book? Military and Adventure Sci-Fi fans can rejoice at this anthology of The Year’s Best Military and Adventure SF 2015, edited by David Ashfarirad.

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

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The Year’s Best Military and Adventure SF 2015

editor: David Ashfarirad

publisher: Baen

ISBN: 147678177X

paperback, 288 pages

MONSTRESS #1 & #2 – comic book

Posted by Daniel on September 20, 2016

Posted in: GRAPHIC NOVEL, Uncategorized. Tagged: 4 stars, 5 Stars, Book Reviews, Books, comic book superheroes, Graphic Novels, Reviews. Leave a comment

This first issue of Monstress from Image Comics has everything I love about the ‘indy’ comics companies (if Image can still be considered ‘indy’). Absolutely stunning art and a story that is dark, dangerous, and so sooo compelling.

Humans, mutants, and monsters live together in a world where the humans have enslaved the mutants and monsters – sometimes selling them, sometimes performing cruel and absolutely inhumane tests on them.

In this first issue we meet Maika, a young girl who looks very human, despite missing an arm, who is sold to a wealthy woman, Lady Sophia. Maika is placed in a cell, next to a cute little human/fox child, and they watch as other mutant monsters are taken away (and we later see the dissection of one of them). When the guards come to take away the fox-child, Maika’s power, which she seems to have worked hard to repress, comes through.

This is a horrific story, and there are certainly going to be some who won’t be able to stomach it, but author Marjorie Liu is wise to couch this sort of horror in a fantasy world, even though the same, or worse, has been done by man to man.

Sana Takeda’s art is simply gorgeous. Too often we see comics and graphic novels in which the cover is stunning but the interior art doesn’t live up to the cover promise. Not so, here. This art deco-like, beautiful art is on every age, in every panel. It is a visual feast of sumptuousness.

I am really hooked, based on this first issue and look forward to issue number two.

Looking for a good (comic) book? Monstress #1 by Marjorie Liu and Sana Takeda is gorgeous and terrifying and an absolute page-turner.

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

* * * * * *

Monstress #1

author: Marjorie Liu

artist: Sana Takeda

publisher: Image Comics

ASIN: B016L1SZGC

paperback, 72 pages

After reading the 70 page first issue of Monstress, this 22+ page second issue feels so short. The story barely gets going when the issue is done.

Issue #1 did an awesome job of grabbing the reader’s attention and introducing a couple of the major players. Issue #2 now starts to give us a little background on the world in which this is set. There are humans and there are the Arcanic and they’ve been fighting a war; and there is a wall between the two. Our protagonist, Maika, is a survivor (barely) of this war and she is on the wrong side of the wall.

Some witches (I think they’re witches) are searching for someone. A woman identified as “Inquisitrix” finds Maika and the two-tailed cat in the woods.

It’s difficult to really identify with this issue because it’s so much set-up, but author Marjorie Liu has done a remarkable job of keep the reader interested, yet hasn’t given too much away. There are still more questions than answers and seeking those answers will keep the reader coming back for another issue.

Seeking answers … and the tremendous art. Once again Sana Takeda is showing us what comics can be. You don’t need to sacrifice quality pictures to move the story along quickly.

I am curious … so curious to see what comes next.

Looking for a good book? Monstress #2 slows down from the pace set in the first issue, but begins establishing the world history and character goals.

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

* * * * * *

Monstress #2

author: Majorie Liu

artist: Sana Takeda

publisher: Image Comics

asin: B018RDD6W0

paperback, 33 pages

THE BLACKHOUSE – Peter May

Posted by Daniel on September 19, 2016

Posted in: MYSTERY, Uncategorized. Tagged: 3 Stars, Book Reviews, Books, Mystery, Reviews. Leave a comment

Fin Macleod was raised on the Isle of Lewis and is now being sent back to investigate a harsh murder that bears a remarkable similarity to a murder that occurred in Edinburgh. Fin is trying to determine if there is a connection. But returning to the island brings back memories and recollections from the locals who remember the young Fin.

Author Peter May has a horrific, nail-biting mystery and a comprehensive character sketch all rolled into one book. Yet, that’s not necessarily a good thing. In this case, it feels like two disjointed stories that have a little over-lap. Part of this I attribute to the different points of view. The story is in first person when we’re in the past, but in third person when we are present day.

The book moves slowly detailing the past, giving the reader lots of information about what it was like to grow up on this island and why a young man, Fin, would want to get away.

What I find most interesting is that this is touted as a murder mystery, but the murder is really only the jumping off point to get Fin Macleod’s story. Because that’s what this is … it’s a story about a man who left the fold of ancient tradition and a barren (though lovely) landscape. It just so happens that he now investigates murders and that investigation is bringing him home.

Expecting to go in and read a mystery, and starting the book with the moody scene of a crime, I was mentally geared toward a mystery. Had I been mentally geared toward a different sort of story I think I might have enjoyed this book much more than I did.

What Peter May does very well is create mood with his settings and descriptions and I very much enjoyed that particular aspect of this book. He also draws his characters quite well. What’s missing is a tighter story.

Looking for a good book? The Blackhouse, by Peter May, is a moody mystery that favors mood and character over story.

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

* * * * * *

The Blackhouse

author: Peter May

series: Lewis Trilogy #1

publisher: Quercus Books

ISBN: 1849163847

hardcover, 386 pages

URBAN WATERCOLOR SKETCHING – Felix Scheinberger

Posted by Daniel on September 17, 2016

Posted in: NON-FICTION, Uncategorized. Tagged: 5 Stars, Art, Book Reviews, Books, non-fiction, Reviews. Leave a comment

I’ve read a number of art how-to books over the years and consider myself a talented amateur (I began my university studies as an art student) and I can say, unequivocally, that this is one of the best how-to books I’ve ever had the pleasure to read.

Author/artist Felix Scheinberger writes in a very natural, easy-to-read manner. Each chapter is barely a page long but speaks so directly and succinctly that any longer would be completely unnecessary. The book is broken into sections as follows:

Intro
First Attempts
Excursion in Color Theory
Your Own Style
Basics/Tools
Out & About
Tips & Tricks

I really liked that the section on tools (the brushes, the paints themselves, the paper) is near the end of the book. So often it leads off in how-to books, and the impatient reader gets bored. Scheinberger gets the budding artist excited about working with watercolors by leading off with discussions on colors and things to try.

The narrative style is very casual and calm and the reader gets the feeling that they are in the room with Scheinberger and listening to him speak. It does not feel like a typical how-to which is usually narrative that says “try this” “try that”.

I really liked there is even a brief chapter called “How Much Is Your Picture Worth?” Not many books ever discuss value and the idea of selling artwork.

And of course there is artwork as well. Scheinberger’s style is as relaxed and casual as his writing. It is watercolor ‘sketching’ and it really makes me want to carry around my set of watercolors and sketch all the time.

This was an amazing book and I recommend it most highly.

Looking for a good book? Urban Watercolor Sketching by Felix Scheinberger is easily one of the best, most encouraging ‘how-to’ art books available.

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

* * * * * *

Urban Watercolor Sketching: A Guide to Drawing, Painting, and Storytelling in Color

author/artist: Felix Scheinberger

publisher: Watson-Guptill

ISBN: 0770435211

paperback, 160 pages

THE JOLLY CORONER – Quentin Canterel

Posted by Daniel on September 16, 2016

Posted in: HUMOR, OTHER, Uncategorized. Tagged: 3 Stars, Book Reviews, Books, Literature, Reviews. Leave a comment

This was certainly one of the most interesting books I’ve read in quite some time. I’m not sure how one would define this. Quirky romance? Bizarre-o horror? Oddball thriller? I also don’t think I’ve ever gone through as much of a pendulum swing in liking/disliking a book, while reading it, as I did with this.

In the town of Hokum (which right off should send the reader a message), Billy Rubino is a young man (one gets the feeling that he’s just out of college-aged) who doesn’t want to work too hard at anything. He runs for office as the City Coroner and gets the position (because no one else wants it). Through the course of his work, Billy works with strange locals, including a man who refuses to believe Billy was correct in reporting that his family is deceased and is constantly haranguing Billy to fix the paperwork. There is also the girl junkie who tries to kill herself, but fails, and because she has nowhere to go, finds herself staying at Billy’s place.

But when the chips are down, the lazy-assed Billy finds himself in a place where he can make a difference. Will he step it up or let it go?

Most people who read this book aren’t going to admit this, but one fo the very first things that ticked me off about this book was author Quentin Canterel’s writing and word choice. I’m a relatively intelligent reader with a better-than-average lexicon, but I was looking up a lot of words at the beginning of this book (which is why I like my Kindle…it can give me the definition of most words in just a second … MOST words. Some that I looked up for this book were not in the Kindle dictionary). Perhaps I should know these, but I had to look up: fatidic, nutated, fustian, eructations, gelid, jejune, and tenebrous. All in the first chapter or two. And his main character’s favorite film is Ubu Roi … a not-well known work of the absurd … really setting this work (and character) apart from the average reader. (Though later he writes “by in large” which is the incorrect form of the idiom “by and large.”)

Mind you…I don’t mind looking up words. I enjoy getting a little smarter by knowing new words. But having to do this takes me out of the story and I started to think that Canterel was just trying to show off how smart he was. His pomposity and being taken out of the story had me about ready to close the book for good. But this use of unusual words was limited to the very early chapters of the book, and I began to wonder if Canterel did this on purpose to help show us what a jerk Billy Rubino was. He does say about Billy: “It was a fact that Billy was overly fond of long, drunken conversation, which usually took a philosophical bent and never varied despite the character of his audience” which seemed to go along with the language Canterel was using.

Later, Canterel writes: “One can only judge one’s vernacular against the fundamental grammar of his society, provided of course that one is surrounded by well-spoken people, otherwise one must speak the language of the insane, which isn’t really a language at all.” Clearly, the use of words Canterel chooses is very intentional. Suddenly, I’m a little more interested. Canterel is working this story on many levels.

I started to enjoy Billy as the story went on and his speech to the masses during the onset of a disaster had me howl with laughter.

This is easily the strangest book I’ve read in a long time and I just don’t know how to rank it. If you like books such as Catch-22 or A Confederacy of Dunces, this might be up your alley. But this could also be the sort of book that you start to read and then close and forget about it. Part of me wants to give this two stars and part of me wants to give it four and a half. I guess we’ll meet in the middle.

Looking for a good book? The Jolly Coroner, by Quentin Canterel, is an odd-ball novel that isn’t for everyone, but if you don’t mind quirky humor and David Lynch-like characters, and maybe feeling a little stupid now and then, this is the book you’ve been looking for and won’t find very often.

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

* * * * * *

The Jolly Coroner

author: Quentin Canterel

publisher: Acorn Independent Press

ISBN: 1909122823

ebook, 366 pages

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

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

THROWBACK THURSDAY: REVIEWING A REISSUE

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

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

I received an ARC copy of this book from the publisher in exchange for an honest review.

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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