May 2022 – Looking For a Good Book

May 31, 2022

OLAV AUDUNSSØN: PROVIDENCE – Sigrid Undset

Olav Audunssøn and Ingunn Steinfinnsdatter were betrothed as children and raised together as foster children. They are madly in love with each other, though Ingunn was raped by another man while Olav was absent. A child came from that event, Eirik, which Ingunn gave to a foster family. But Olav sees the depression Ingunn suffers Continue reading

HISTORICAL FICTION, OTHER, Uncategorized

5 Stars, Books, Historical Fiction, Literature, Reviews

May 27, 2022

SPIDERTOUCH – Alex Thomson

For the longest time, I thought publisher Angry Robot was putting out some of the best science fiction and fantasy on the market. Exciting, cutting-edge works were coming out of this press quite regularly. Then a couple of years ago I began to get disappointed with what I was reading – for the first time Continue reading

SF/FANTASY, Uncategorized

4 stars, Book Reviews, Books, Reviews, SF/Fantasy

May 25, 2022

THE SISTERS SPUTNIK – Terri Favro

Debbie Reynolds Biondi is the creator of a comic book series called Sputnik Chick: A Girl With No Past. Debbie lives in different timelines. The comic book series has been an outlet for Debbie to detail her experiences in Atomic Mean Time. In Earth Standard Time, Debbie travels with her apprentice, Unicorn Girl, and Cassandra – Continue reading

SF/FANTASY, Uncategorized

4 stars, Book Reviews, Books, Reviews, SF/Fantasy

May 23, 2022

TISH PLAYS THE GAME – Mary Roberts Rinehart

I don’t know what I was expecting with this book (well … maybe I do) but this definitely wasn’t it. While I have never read a book by Mary Roberts Rinehart prior to this, it was my understanding that she was a mystery writer, so imagine my surprise at this collection of humorous short stories! Continue reading

HUMOR, Uncategorized

4 stars, Book Reviews, Books, Humor, Reviews

May 20, 2022

MIRACALES AIN’T WHAT THEY USED TO BE – Joe R. Lansdale

One more entry for the PM Outspoken Authors series for my review blog, this time featuring Joe R. Lansdale. While the other books in this series that I read and reviewed had a very similar feel, Lansdale bucks the trend and makes this short collection much more personal and therefore, in many ways, much more Continue reading

NON-FICTION, SHORT FICTION, Uncategorized

3 Stars, Book Reviews, Books, non-fiction, Reviews, Short Stories

May 18, 2022

SO DARK THE SKY – Cidney Swanson

Second grade teacher Penny Wanjiru encourages her students to follow their dreams, so when the surprising opportunity for Penny to become a Mars Colony astronaut comes her way, she knows she must follow her dream. It is not a cut and dry decision, however, as Penny’s grandmother (who she’s quite close to) is having health Continue reading

SF/FANTASY, Uncategorized, YA

4 stars, Book Reviews, Books, Reviews, SF/Fantasy, Young Adult

May 16, 2022

THE BLOOD GUARD – Carter Roy

Ronan Truelove is just an ordinary thirteen year old, with very ordinary parents – or so he believes, until one day when his mother ‘abducts’ him from school and tears off on a high speed car chase. His father, she informs Ronan, has been kidnapped, and those kidnappers are now after Ronan as well. Kidnapped? Continue reading

CHILDREN’S, Uncategorized, YA

4 stars, Action/Adventure, Book Reviews, Books, Middle Grade, Reviews, Young Adult

May 12, 2022

DON QUIXOTE – Cervantes

In a small village in La Mancha, Spain, the noble Alonso Quijano has become completely consumed by the stories he’s read of knights and their valiant chivalry and so he imagines himself one of these knight, renames himself Don Quixote, and with his loyal servant Sancho Panza, sets off on a series of (mis)adventures, battling imaginary Continue reading

OTHER, Uncategorized

4 stars, Book Reviews, Books, Classic, Literature, Reviews

May 10, 2022

RALPH COMPTON FLAMES OF SILVER – Ralph Compton & Jackson Lowry

Morgan Mason has just arrived in Virginia City, Nevada (from San Francisco) to hopefully put his skills to use and find a job. Morgan is an assessor with a geology background and Virginia City has large cadre of millionaires thanks to some silver-rich mines in the area. But the one local assay office doesn’t want Continue reading

Uncategorized, WESTERN

3 Stars, Book Reviews, Books, Reviews

May 6, 2022

THE CLACKITY – Lora Senf

Evie Von Rathe lives with her aunt Desdemona in the seventh most haunted town in America – Blight Harbor. Desdemona is Blight Harbor’s local paranormal expert. Living with Desdemona (“Des”) has been an interesting experience and pleasant enough, And Des hasn’t had too many rules for Evie, the main one being “Stay away from the Continue reading

Dark Fantasy/Horror, Uncategorized, YA

4 stars, Book Reviews, Books, Horror/Dark Fantasy, Middle Grade, Reviews, Young Adult

May 4, 2022

THE WISDOM OF DEAD MEN – Oisin McGann

Once again I managed to select a book that is the middle of a series without realizing it. That’s a problem with ARC’s sometimes – you don’t see a cover boasting “Book Two” or “”Continuing the Saga.” We are in Victorian era Ireland following the Wildenstern family. Brothers Nate (who has been traveling), and Berto Continue reading

SF/FANTASY, Uncategorized, YA

3 Stars, Book Reviews, Books, SF/Fantasy, Young Adult

May 2, 2022

BECOMING A WRITER, STAYING A WRITER – J. Michael Straczynski

There is no shortage of ‘how to’ books on writing. Some retailers have a specific section in their stores for these kinds of books. So why do we need another? Author J. Michael Straczynski addresses that right at the start, offering what he feels other ‘how to’ writing books neglect to talk about (I’ll let you Continue reading

NON-FICTION, Uncategorized

5 Stars, Book Reviews, Books, non-fiction, Reviews