Reviews
Review: The Westing Game by Ellen Raskin
Title: The Westing Game (Amazon, Goodreads) Author: Ellen Raskin (Amazon, Goodreads) Series: None Publisher: Puffin Genre: Young Adult, Mystery Format: Paperback Source: Purchased from Half-Price Books Synopsis: When an eccentric millionaire dies mysteriously, 16 very unlikely people are gathered together for the reading of the will–and what a will it is. Review: I read this as a child and […]
Review: Bumped by Megan McCafferty
Title: Bumped (Amazon, Goodreads) Author: Megan McCafferty (Amazon, Goodreads, Website) Series: Bumped Publisher: Balzer & Bray Genre: Young Adult, Dystopian Fiction Format: Kindle E-Book Source: NetGalley Synopsis: WHEN A VIRUS makes everyone over the age of eighteen infertile, would-be parents must pay teen girls to conceive and give birth to their children, making teens the most prized […]
Review: Slipping Reality by Emily Beaver
Title: Slipping Reality (Amazon, Goodreads) Author: Emily Beaver (Goodreads, Website) Series: None Publisher: Authorhouse Genre: Young Adult Format: Kindle E-Book Source: NetGalley Synopsis: In a time of hardship and heartbreak, sometimes, reality just isn’t enough. Slipping Reality is the story of fourteen-year-old Katelyn Emerson, who, when faced with the glaring reality of her brother’s illness, rebels […]
Review: Alice: Madness Returns
Despite being stuck at the bottom of a waterfall for a very long time, I loved the original PC game. I had high expectations of the new version, and American McGee did not disappoint. It took me a while longer than expected to obtain the game, but once I did, there was no going back. The first night I played for three […]
Review: Werewolf Descent by Elizabeth J. Kolodziej
Title: Werewolf Descent (Amazon, Goodreads) Author: Elizabeth J. Kolodziej (Amazon, Goodreads, Website) Series: The Last Witch Series Publisher: Third Broom on the Left Press Genre: Paranormal Romance Format: Paperback Source: Review copy provided by author Synopsis: Last witch in the world, Faith Scott, and her Irish vampire boyfriend Trent have just come back from fighting […]
OpEd: SOPA/PIPA and Copyright Law
The world has been up in arms over the SOPA/PIPA bills introduced into the House and Senate. I am against both, and was happy to see them pulled and the support people showed for those opposing it. However, I don’t know how many people noticed that while that was in the forefront of our minds, the Supreme […]
Review: The Curious Case of the Clockwork Man by Mark Hodder
Title: The Curious Case of the Clockwork Man (Amazon, Goodreads) Author: Mark Hodder (Amazon, Goodreads) Series: Burton and Swinburne Publisher: Pyr Genre: Science Fiction Format: Paperback Source: Received review copy from publisher. Synopsis: It is 1862, though not the 1862 it should be… Time has been altered, and Sir Richard Francis Burton, the king’s agent, […]
Review: The Restoration Game by Ken MacLeod
Title: The Restoration Game (Amazon, Goodreads) Author: Ken MacLeod (Amazon, Goodreads, Website) Series: None Publisher: Pyr Genre: Science Fiction Format: Paperback Source: Received review copy from Publisher. Synopsis: There is no such place as Krassnia. Lucy Stone should know — she was born there. In that tiny, troubled region of the former Soviet Union, revolution […]
Review: The Thirteen Hallows by Michael Scott and Colette Freedman
Title: The Thirteen Hallows (Amazon, Goodreads, Website) Authors: Michael Scott (Amazon, Goodreads, Website) Colette Freedman (Amazon, Goodreads, Website) Series: The Hallows Saga Publisher: Tor Books Genre: Thriller, Horror, Fantasy Format: Hardcover Source: JKS Communications (publicist) Synopsis: The Hallows. Ancient artifacts imbued with a primal and deadly power. But are they protectors of this world, or the […]
The Thirteen Hallows
In honor of Friday the 13th, I bring you 13 tidbits on The Thirteen Hallows by Michael Scott and Colette Freedman. Hopefully these will whet your appetite and urge you to leave a comment to enter for a chance to win your very own copy. See #13 for details. 1. Check out that cover of The Thirteen Hallows 2. […]
Review: Fry’s Price Match? Not Really.
Let me start off by saying, Fry’s is a great store if you need a computer part. Their staff is usually helpful and knowledgeable, and their prices are competitive. I’ve shopped there on several occasions, and recently purchased some new memory for my computer. If they carried my video card, I would buy it there. That is until […]
Review: Twilight Tales by J.T. Holden
Title: Twilight Tales: A Collection of Chilling Poems (Goodreads) Author: J. T. Holden (Goodreads) Series: None Publisher: Kuro Books Genre: Poetry Format: Paperback Source: Review copy provided by publisher. Synopsis: From the critically acclaimed author of “Alice in Verse: The Lost Rhymes of Wonderland” comes a chilling collection of rhyming poetry perfect for Halloween…or any other dark […]
Review: The Night Eternal by Guillermo Del Toro and Chuck Hogan
Title: The Eternal Night (Amazon, Goodreads) Author: Guillermo Del Toro and Chuck Hogan (Amazon, Goodreads) Series: The Strain Trilogy Publisher: William Morrow Genre: Horror, Thriller Format: Hardcover Source: Christmas Gift 2011 Synopsis: From the authors of the instant New York Times bestsellers The Strain and The Fall comes the final volume in one of the most […]
Review: Up by Jawbone
I purchased the Up back in December and have used it off and on for a while now. After the initial new gadget happiness wore off, it wasn’t much what I expected of it. It’s basically a glorified step tracker. It doesn’t really tell you how good your sleep is, but it does tell you how long you […]
Review: The Confession by Charles Todd
Title: The Confession (Amazon, Goodreads) Author: Charles Todd (Amazon, Goodreads, Website) Genre: Mystery Publisher: William Morrow Series: Inspector Ian Rutledge Series Format: Hardcover Source: Received review copy from publisher. Synopsis: Scotland Yard’s best detective, Inspector Ian Rutledge, must solve a dangerous case that reaches far into the past in this superb mystery in the acclaimed series […]
Review: The Demi-Monde:Winter by Rod Rees
Title: The Demi-Monde: Winter (Amazon, Goodreads, Website) Author: Rod Rees (Amazon, Goodreads, Website) Genre: Fiction (Elements of Science Fiction, SteamPunk, Thriller, Historical Fiction, and other genres intermixed.) Publisher: William Morrow Series: The Demi-Monde Saga Format: Hardcover Source: Received from William Morrow for review. The Demi-Monde: 1. A subclass of society whose members embrace a decadent lifestyle and evince […]
Check Out: Blue Genie Art Bazaar, Austin, TX
It’s that time of year again. Here in Austin we have some amazing holiday craft fairs going on and my favorite for three years running is the Blue Genie Art Bazaar. It’s held each year in the Marchesa Hall, and this year I was happy to see it has overtaken the majority of the space. Maybe […]
Review: Kindle Fire
I received a Kindle Fire as a birthday present and I’ve had it for a week now. It’s time to tell you my opinion of it. Let’s start off with my praise of Amazon’s customer service. I received the Kindle Fire on the Saturday before Thanksgiving, plugged it in, connected to the Wi-Fi, downloaded the software update and […]
Review: Jacob T. Marley by R. William Bennett
Jacob T. Marley (Amazon, Goodreads) by R. William Bennett (Amazon, Goodreads, Website) Published by Shadow Mountain, October 2011 Marley was dead to begin with … These chillingly familiar words begin the classic Christmas tale of remorse and redemption in A Christmas Carol by Charles Dickens. Now R. William Bennett rewinds the story and focuses the spotlight on […]
Review: The Mistress Contract by She and He
The Mistress Contract (Amazon, Goodreads) by She and He Published by Unbridled Books, October 2011 The remarkable true document that is The Mistress Contract opens with a piece of paper that was signed in 1981 by a woman and her wealthy lover. The contract establishes an exchange that she thinks fair: If he will provide an adequate and separate […]
Review: The Taker by Alma Katsu
The Taker (Amazon, Goodreads) by Alma Katsu (Amazon, Goodreads, Website) Published by Gallery Books, September 2011 Dr. Luke Findley is on the midnight shift in the emergency room when the police bring in a young woman. Few strangers come to this remote town in northernmost Maine in the winter, and this stranger is accused of a bizarre crime: killing […]
Review: Immortal by Gillian Shields
Immortal (Amazon, Goodreads) by Gillian Shields (Amazon, Goodreads) Published by Harper Audio, June 2010 Wyldcliffe Abbey School for Young Ladies, housed in a Gothic mansion on the bleak northern moors, is elite, expensive, and unwelcoming. When Evie Johnson is torn away from her home by the sea to become the newest scholarship student, she is more isolated […]
Review: Floating Staircase by Ronald Malfi
Floating Staircase (Amazon, Goodreads) by Ronald Malfi (Amazon, Goodreads, Website) Published by Medallion Press, October 2011 Following the success of his latest novel, Travis Glasgow and his wife Jodie buy their first house in the seemingly idyllic western Maryland town of Westlake. At first, everything is picture perfect–from the beautiful lake behind the house to the […]
Review: Going Underground by Susan Vaught
Going Underground (Amazon, Goodreads) by Susan Vaught (Amazon, Goodreads, Website) by Bloomsbury USA, September 2011 Del is a good kid who’s been caught in horrible circumstances. At seventeen, he’s trying to put his life together after an incident in his past that made him a social outcast-and a felon. As a result, he can’t get into college; the only job […]
Review: The Immune by Doc Lucky Meisenheimer
The Immune (Amazon, Goodreads, Website) by Doc Lucky Meisenheimer (Amazon, Goodreads, Website) Published by LJS&S Publishing, May 2011 1973 Herbert Boyer produces the first transgenic bacterial organism. 1991 Herman the bull becomes the first transgenic mammal. 2000 Transgenic rabbit fluoresces green. 2004 Florigen produces the first blue rose by genetic engineering. 2007 Translucent “see through” frogs created by Japanese scientists. 2010 Hundreds […]
