June 2021 – Looking For a Good Book

June 30, 2021

I AM DRUMS – Mike Grosso

This is a really tremendous book for school-aged readers! Samantha (Sam) really wants to be a drummer. She takes drumming seriously and even though some of the other drummers (all boys) are better than her right now, she’s hoping that with some practice and determination, she will make the jazz band. All she needs is Continue reading

CHILDREN’S, Uncategorized, YA

5 Stars, Middle Grade, YA

June 28, 2021

THE ALEPH EXTRACTION – Dan Moren

Simon Kovalic haven’t even had a chance to breathe and recover from their teammate’s betrayal in the last mission when he and his team are assigned their next job – a heist. They are going to have to steal a relic that may belong to an alien race, and maybe, just maybe, provide the knowledge Continue reading

SF/FANTASY, Uncategorized

4 stars, science fiction

June 25, 2021

FLAME RIDERS – Sean Grigsby

It’s been awhile since the Smoke Eaters were given their walking papers and the New United States Army has taken control of policing the country- or what’s left of it. North America has become a dystopian society with great cities, such as Chicago, in complete ruin due to the dragon activity. Guiellermo Contreras is a Continue reading

SF/FANTASY

4 stars, SF/Fantasy

June 23, 2021

FANTASTIC TALES – Iginio Ugo Tarchetti

I know nothing about Iginio Ugo Tarchetti, but the description of these short stories sounded like something right up my alley. “Italian Gothic tales of obsessive love, mysterious phobias, and the hellish curse of everlasting life.” Yes, this sounds fascinating to me. And best of all … I really enjoyed these stories. Writing roughly around Continue reading

Dark Fantasy/Horror, HUMOR, SHORT FICTION, Uncategorized

4 stars, Short Stories

June 21, 2021

SIMANTOV – Asaf Ashery

Simantov and Bitton are detectives with the Soothsayer task Force who are looking to make sense of a series of strange crimes and disappearances. What the team of mystics agents come to learn is that there’s a battle brewing in the heavens between the Daughters of Lilith and the Nephilim and humans are getting caught in Continue reading

SF/FANTASY, Uncategorized

2 Stars, SF/Fantasy

June 18, 2021

MYTHBREAKER – Stephen Blackmoore

I’ll be honest … what got me interested in picking up this book is the note that this book is “the follow-up to Chuck Wendig’s Unclean Sprits.” Now, I haven’t read Wendig’s Unclean Spirits, but I am a fan of Wendig’s writing, so this very much caught my interest. Being a god isn’t what it used to Continue reading

Dark Fantasy/Horror, MYTHOLOGY, SF/FANTASY, Uncategorized

3 Stars, SF/Fantasy

June 16, 2021

THE DARK ARCHIVE – Genevieve Cogman

Irene is a Librarian, which is to say that she is a spy for the Library – gathering special books from other locations, including alternate worlds and realities. Irene has been doing this for a number of years and is now teaching an assistant, a Fae, the ins and outs of being a Librarian. Due Continue reading

SF/FANTASY

3 Stars, SF/Fantasy

June 14, 2021

SEA OF CRISES – Marty Steere

1976. Communication is lost with the astronauts of Apollo 18 after a moonwalk and commander Bob Cartwright utters the words, “That shouldn’t be here.” A few days later a rescue mission is in place when Mission Control recognizing the unmistakable reentry burn of a capsule. Communication is still out. But when rescuers arrive to the Continue reading

MYSTERY, Uncategorized

4 stars, Mystery, Thriller

June 11, 2021

CAT TALE – Craig Pittman

The Florida panther was all but extinct, but with a little help from Texas and some dedicated individuals, the Florida felines have made a comeback. Author Craig Pittman details the rise, fall, and rise again not just of the Florida panther, but also the people who were put in place to protect the Florida state Continue reading

NON-FICTION

4 stars, Nature, non-fiction

June 9, 2021

HAMNET – Maggie O’Farrell

When is the death of a child beautiful? When it’s a story written by Maggie O’Farrell. It is 1585 and the woman Agnes settles with her husband in Stratford. They have three children – a daughter, Susanna, and then fraternal twins, Hamnet and Judith. Her husband is gone more often than not, to London, where Continue reading

OTHER, Uncategorized

4 stars, Literature

June 7, 2021

THE LIGHT YEARS – R.W.W. Greene

It’s a little bit strange that this is a new book because it feels a lot like something I might have read in the 1970’s. People have left Earth to establish colonies – the colonies are based on their cultures, and of course the Americans and the Middle Easterners got into a war and blew Continue reading

SF/FANTASY

3 Stars, science fiction

June 4, 2021

THE CIMMERIAN VOL. 2 – graphic novel

GRAPHIC NOVEL WEEK What is it about Conan the Cimmerian that he endures and still engages readers? I’m glad that there’s still interest in reading his adventures. This book contains two stories: “People of the Black Circle” and “The Frost-Giant’s Daughter.” People of the Black Circle, was adapted by Sylvain Runberg and illustrator, Jae Kwang Park, Continue reading

GRAPHIC NOVEL, SF/FANTASY, Uncategorized

4 stars, Graphic Novels