Review: Medusa's Desire by E.B. Black

Medusa's Desire by E.B. Black
My rating: 3 of 5 stars

Kindle Edition

Published November 22nd 2012

Synopsis:
'It all started the day her god raped her.

She transformed into an abomination through his touch. Her skin grew scales. Her eyes turned red. She screamed for help, but all who saw her became stone.

Medusa thought she would be alone forever, until the day a man came to kill her and fell in love instead. Now Perseus is running from those who hired him as he continues to love a girl who could kill him with a glance.'

My Thoughts:
Medusa's Desire was not something that I would typically read but I did find it enjoyable none the less.

I found it interesting in the way it was told from Medusa's point of view so the reader got to feel her emotions and reasons as to why things happened to her the way they did.

In a way this makes the reader feel that Medusa is the one who was hard done by and who suffered for something that wasn't her fault, rather than think of her as the monster that has been portrayed through Greek mythology for centuries. You really wanted to see things work out for poor Medusa even though you already know from history that they don't go that way.

One thing that I did find difficult was all the references to the Greek Gods and other creatures in the story. I've never had much exposure to Greek mythology so only know the very basics, and I think this meant that a lot of meaning in the story was a bit lost on me because I didn't really know the background to the God or other creature that was being discussed.

If you are a fan of Greek mythology and are interested in seeing a popular story told in a different and refreshing way, then Medusa's Desire is a story that I would definitely recommend.

Links:
Amazon: Medusa's Desire (The Fate of Eros Series)

Friday Finds (28th December 2012)



Friday Finds is a meme hosted by Should Be Reading where you show off all of the great books you have come across in some way or another during the week.

This week I came across the following books and added them to my ever growing TBR pile:

 

What great reads have you come across this week?

Michelle

Reading Challenge Addict Challenge Sign-Up Post

 

 

So, because of the number of reading challenges I decided to join in on this year I thought I might as well join in on this one.

 

There are 4 levels you can choose which are:

• Easy as Pie: 1-5 Challenges (Entered & Completed)
• On the Roof: 6-10 Challenges (Entered & Completed)
• In Flight: 11-15 Challenges (Entered & Completed)
• Out of This World: 16+ Challenges (Entered & Completed)

Rules:

The newest edition of the challenge will begin on January 1 and end on December 31, 2013.

1. Write a starting post joining the challenge and outlining your challenges.
2. Track all of your challenge accomplishments - good & bad.
3. Stop by to join in on  the mini-challenges, updates & extra giveaways throughout the year.
4. Comment like crazy and offer support for your fellow addicts.
5. Have FUN!

I'm going for level 2, On The Roof as so far I've joined up for the following challenges:

1) What An Animal Challenge
2) Mt TBR Challenge
3) Colour Coded Challenge
4) Ebook Challenge
5) Genre Variety Challenge
6) A-Z Title Challenge

There may end up being more, but I'm not sure what else takes my fancy just yet.

Has anyone else joined in on this challenge yet?

Michelle



2013 A-Z Reading Challenge Sign--Up

 

 

Ok, so I couldn't help joining in on another challenge for next year. I decided that this one will be pretty easy to keep track of so why not sign up to it too!!

Technical Stuff
This challenge will run from January 1st, 2012 until December 31st, 2013.
You can join anytime.

Crossovers to other challenges are allowed and encouraged!

So there are two different ways you can set up your own A-Z challenge.

A – Make a list now of 26 books, picking one for each letter of the alphabet. For example: A – The Azalea Assault B- Blue Monday C – Crops and Robbers D – A Deadly Grind etc.

OR

B – Make a list on your blog from A-Z. Throughout the year, as you go along, add the books you are reading to the list. Hope that by the end of the year you have read one book for each letter. Towards the end of the year, you can check and see which letters you are missing and find books to fit.


I'm going with plan B as I don't like to plan my books too far ahead because they always change no matter what I decide so I'll just keep track of the letters as I go and hope that I end up filling the whole alphabet by the end of the year.

Who else is joining in on this challenge for 2013??

Michelle

WWW Wednesday (26th December 2012)

WWW Wednesdays is hosted by Should Be Reading.

To join in all you need to do is answer the following three questions:

• What are you currently reading?
• What did you recently finish reading?
• What do you think you’ll read next?



• What am I currently reading? Currently I am still trying to read and have just started.

• What did I recently finish reading? I recently finished reading and .

• What do I think I'll read next? I will probably start reading  next as I'm really keen to get this series finally finished. 


What have you been up to this week?

Michelle

Tour Review - Black and White and Dead All Over by Michael Bradley

 

 

BLACK and WHITE and DEAD ALL OVER by Michael Bradley
My rating: 4 of 5 stars
166 pages

Published August 2nd 2012 by CreateSpace Independent Publishing Platform

Synopsis:
'From the author of The Case Files of Doyle & McCraken comes a modern day tale of intrigue and murder. When the skeleton of a teenage girl is uncovered at a construction site in Newark, journalist Brian Wilder must follow a twenty-two year old trail of deceit and lies to uncover the truth behind her death. While still struggling with his own tragic past, Brian uncovers a haunting secret of passion and anger that could threaten to destroy one of the most powerful political families in Delaware.'

My Thoughts:
There's is nothing at all negative I can say about this story, except for the fact that I wish there had been a little bit more of it!

This book contains just the right amount of mystery, intrigue and politics that it totally grips you from the start and is almost impossible to put down.

It's a very fast paced story that packs alot into a small package. The main characters are likeable and easy to relate to and you get a really good feel for them and their background.

The exceptional writing in this book is worth mentioning because it was descriptive in just the right amount without going overboard and bombarding the reader with too many details. You felt like a part of the story and it was very easy to picture every scene as the book moved forward.

I'm definitely looking forward to reading more from this author in the future.

About The Author:

Born and raised in southern New Jersey, Michael Bradley is an author and IT consultant, whose frequent travels bring him in touch with a variety of people up and down the east coast. When he isn’t on the road, Michael hits the waterways in one of his three kayaks. Being an avid Apple fan, Michael loves to preach the benefits of Apple’s Mac OS X and iOS. Before working in information technology, Michael spent eight years in radio broadcasting, working for stations in New Jersey and West Virginia, including the Marconi Award winning

WVAQ in Morgantown. Becoming an author has been a lifelong dream for Michael, which was finally realized with the release of his first book in 2012.

Among the writers in which he finds inspiration, Michael favors P.D. James, Raymond Chandler, Leslie Charteris, Simon Brett, and Ian Fleming. He lives in Delaware with his wife, Diane, and their two furry four-legged “kids”, Simon and Brandy.

Michael does all of his writing on an Apple iPad 2 with a Logitech Ultrathin Keyboard Cover.
Contact Details:

Email:

mjbradley88@mail.com

Blog:

http://mjbradley88.blogspot.com

Facebook:
http://www.facebook.com/mjbradley88


Amazon: Black and White and Dead All Over: A Brian Wilder Mystery (Volume 1)

The Dusty Bookshelf 2012 Challenge Wrap-Up Post

 

 

This year I competed in The Dusty Bookshelf Challenge hosted by Books, A True Story. This was my first time competing in this challenge and I thought it would be a great way to try and get some of the really old books on my shelves finally read. 

 

I went for the Dust Bunny level which was to read 5-10 books and I managed to get through 6 so Yay, I have completed a challenge!!

 

These are the dusty books I managed to read this year:

 

1) The Potato Factory by Bryce Courtenay - Absolutely loved this book and can't wait to read the sequel soon.

2)  The Picture of Dorian Gray by Oscar Wilde - Not my cup of tea. I found it very boring and much preferred the old movie.

3) Dixie City Jam by James Lee Burke - JLB is one of my favourite all time authors so naturally I loved this book.

4) The Murder Book by Jonathan Kellerman - Wasn't a big fan of this. A bit too slow moving for me.

5) The Echo by Minette Walters - Worst book read this year. Enough said.

6) Stanley and Sophie by Kate Jennings - Second worst book read this year :-)

 

So, I'm glad I made a tiny dent in some of the older books I had taking up room on my shelves and can't wait to try and get through some more in 2013!

 

 

Review - Tales from the Pantry: Random Rants & Musings of a Stay-At-Home-Mum by Shari Owen Brown

Tales from the Pantry: Random Rants & Musings of a Stay-At-Home Mom by Shari Owen Brown
My rating: 2 of 5 stars

ebook, 188 pages

Published September 19th 2011 by Estep & Fitzgerald (first published September 12th 2011)

Synopsis:
'"Tales From the Pantry: Random Rants & Musings of a Stay-at-home Mom" is a collection of witty, funny, and sometimes gut-wrenching stories told by a 40-something mother of two small children. Based upon the popular blog 'Don't Make Me Count to Three!', Shari Owen Brown uses humor to navigate the daily slings and arrows of motherhood. Many parents can relate to the often unspoken challenges of child rearing. And for those who have yet to have children...consider yourself warned! Shari found herself the last of her friends to have children and was then SHOCKED to discover all of the lies she had been told! Why hadn't anybody mentioned these things before?!! It was like a secret club of parents who dared not tell the truth or else none of their friends would have children, leaving them all alone in their own private nightmare! Shari blows the lid off of these unspoken challenges & discusses daily life in a funny and entertaining way that still manages to speak the truth. It is a great outlet for parents to laugh at themselves through Shari, and realize that they are not alone or crazy (well, maybe just a little!) for feeling the way that they do.'

My Thoughts:
I started off really wanting to like this book because I'd heard so many positive things about it and read a lot of reviews where women said they literally laughed out loud while reading it. Unfortunately, I just didn't feel the same connection to this book when I was reading it.
Don't get me wrong, it certainly had some funny bits and some 'yep, been there!' bits, but I just wasn't that enthralled with reading about some other woman's trials and tribulations while she brought up her two young children.
Firstly, I should have known I wouldn't connect with this book because I'm not a Stay At Home Mum. I went back to work part time when my little man was 10 weeks old because the monotony of being at home day in and day out with a small baby was doing my head in after working in a demanding professional role for years and years and I needed that stimulation back in my life. Shari is a full-time Stay At Home Mum, and although I don't have anything against women who do this as it's a personal choice, it's not something I can relate to or ever have seen myself doing. For some reason the stresses and insanely hard moments I encountered at home with my baby never really seemed so bad because I had my little escape at work to counter-balance it all.
Also, I'm very lucky to have a very 'hands-on' husband who helped out with pretty much everything when our boy was first born. He still does now so I never felt that lonely, helpless or utterly frustrated as Shari obviously did because the responsibility was and still is always shared between us as much as possible. I guess this essentially makes our life in general that much easier and makes us more of a team so the unpleasant bits are shared instead of just falling completely on my shoulders.
I'm certainly not saying that my life has been perfect since having our boy, but I've never felt that I'm purely defined as just a 'mother' because I've managed to keep most of my previous outside interests as well as my career. I have a happy medium going on and this probably makes me not concentrate so much on all the downsides of having a baby like the author of this book does.
To me this book was a bit like 'Mother's Group' in written form. Considering I only lasted two sessions with my Mother's Group before I'd had enough of listening to the constant whingeing and complaining, this book definitely was not for me.
If you are a mum who enjoys listening to another woman complain about everything there is to do with motherhood, you will thoroughly enjoy this book. If you think motherhood is just another life experience that is to be enjoyed and tackled like any other, you will probably be as disappointed with it as I was.

Links:
Amazon: Tales From the Pantry: Random Rants & Musings of a Stay-at-Home Mom

Review - Chalk Valley by D.L. Johnstone

Chalk Valley by D.L. Johnstone
My rating: 5 of 5 stars

Kindle Edition, 363 pages

Published July 15th 2012 by Amazon Kindle

 

Synopsis:

'In a remote mountain valley in British Columbia, a human monster preys on innocent lives. After teenagers discover the body of a missing girl in Chalk Valley, searchers find the remains of two more victims secreted deep in the woods. A serial killer is at work.

Chalk Valley police detective John McCarty is picked to lead a task force to find the murderer. But inexperience, politics and McCarty’s own inner demons quickly overwhelm him and the investigation falters.

Meanwhile, on a dark, lonely highway many miles from Chalk Valley, RCMP Sergeant Dave Kreaver comes across a van crashed at the side of the road. The driver is anxious to leave the scene. But Kreaver discovers an unconscious teenaged girl in the van. Kreaver feels in his gut that the driver could be the serial killer everyone’s looking for, but his inquiries are ignored. The task force is in well over its head, buried by thousands of leads and potential suspects. His supervisors tell him to back off and let the task force do its job.

Kreaver is in a deadly cat and mouse game with a murderous psychopath, a race against time with innocent victims in play. Operating alone and without official sanction, can he stop the Chalk Valley Killer before he claims more lives?

Based on extensive research with world class authorities on the workings of modern serial murder investigation, CHALK VALLEY explores the challenges, the terror and the human crises that affects all those caught in the killer’s web – the investigators, the victims and the families.'

My Thoughts:
For a debut novel, Chalk Valley is exceptionally well written and very fast moving all the while keeping the reader interested and fascinated at the same time.

The story is told from several points of view which gives the reader a great overview of every facet that is going on, especially since you get to see the criminal's side of things as well. I really enjoyed this angle as it's not often you get to read a crime novel which shows you behind the scenes of the killer's world, normally you just get the point of view of the investigator or police officers involved and don't really get told much about the culprit until the end when they discover who it is.

There was also a lot of outlining of police procedures and the subsequent red-tape involved in an investigation in this novel which made it seem a lot more realistic. It wasn't your typical perfect 'Law & Order' crime where all the evidence matches up too perfectly and the criminal is caught within a week. There was a lot of waiting and lagging of time before many developments eventuated which I quite enjoyed as it made the story all the more real and interesting.

You could definitely tell an awful lot of research and time has been put in by the author to replicate how a proper investigation can go down and this effort certainly shows.

My favourite thing about this story was just how real and flawed all of the characters were. You really got a sense of who they were and felt for them through their struggles and frustrations throughout the novel.

Overall, Chalk Valley is probably one of the best crime novels I have read in a very long time. At no point was I bored with the story, in fact it was usually the opposite where I was disappointed if I was too tired or didn't have the opportunity to continue reading it for whatever reason. I wouldn't hesitate to recommend this novel to anyone interested in stories of this nature and look forward to reading more from this author in the future.

Links:
Author's Website: http://www.dljohnstone.com/
Amazon: Chalk Valley

Christmas Gift Ideas - Best Books of 2012 - Literature & Fiction

My latest instalment in my Christmas Gift Ideas posts is the Top Ten Literature & Fiction titles for 2012. It's quite a surprising mix of titles this year.

1) 2) 3) 4)
5) 6) 7) 8)
9) 10)


Happy Gift Hunting!!

Michelle

Tour Review: Legends of Darkness by Georgia L. Jones

Legends of Darkness by Georgia L. Jones
My rating: 3 of 5 stars

Kindle Edition, 1st Edition, 181 pages

Published March 13th 2012 by BlackWyrm Publishing (first published March 1st 2012)

Source: Publisher for an honest review

Tour URL: http://www.firstrulepublicity.com/current-tours/remnants-of-life/

Synopsis:
'Dangerous Saviors… What would you do if your life rested in the hands of something that really wanted to eat you? Come journey through the realms of the next world where everything you know about Good and Evil are put to the test.

Samantha Garrett lives and dies a good life in the human world. She awakens a new creature, Samoda, a vampire-like warrior in the army of Nuem. She is forced to realize that she has become a part of a world that humans believe to be only “Legends of Darkness.” Samoda finds her new life is entwined with the age old story of greed, love, betrayal, and vengeance.

Join our heroine as she battles not just for her own existence, but for the entire human race’s future.'

My Thoughts:
Legends of Darkness is written in a way that puts a whole new take on the world of Vampires and their mission in life.

Rather than concentrating on the dark side of Vampires and the fact they are blood sucking creatures, this book tries to create a world that is more fantasy-like where the Vampires live and move about with Elders and other creatures while being taught they are warriors and are to battle for the good of all mankind.

The main character, Samantha, dies an ordinary wife and mother and has to try and learn all about her new world while also trying to forget about her past life. Her Vampire character, Samoda, is a very strong female character and seems to take everything about her new form in her stride with the help of another Vampire, Drake, who of course she eventually forms a romantic relationship with.

The only fault I had with this book which I just couldn't get past (yes, call me obsessive compulsive) was that we aren't actually told the specifics of how Samantha became a Vampire. We read about her death and are then suddenly thrown into her new world without getting the whole story of how she actually got there. That did bother me a little bit.

I'm certainly interested to see how the author develops the story further and what happens to the characters in this book in future instalments.

Overall, if you are into Paranormal stories, plus ones that have a bit of romance, then this is definitely an interesting take on your usual supernatural themed novel and one you will enjoy.

ABOUT THE AUTHOR

Georgia L. Jones was born in Columbia, Missouri on September 21st, 1968. In 1992 she settled in the beautiful Ozarks town of Lebanon, Missouri, where she met and married the love of her life. Together they have raised 7 children and have the 8th still in their home.

At a young age Georgia learned the value of getting lost in a good book. She has always enjoyed reading and letting her imagination run wild. In her early teenage years she began to put her own stories down on paper as she plunked out the words on an old manual typewriter.

In 1996 Georgia enrolled at Missouri State University where she majored in Psychology. While there she found an untamable thirst for Philosophy and Greek Mythology. Many evenings she can still be found curled up with one of the great Greek Tragedy’s or reading about personal continuity by Rene Descarte.

Over the years Georgia has harbored the dream of being a published author and written many short stories. On January 10, 2010 she embarked on the dream as she began to bring the characters from her first novel, “Legends of Darkness”, to life. Upon completion in June 2010 she realized that it was not a single book but a series and created the concept of the series “Remnants of Life”. She is currently working diligently on the “Remnants of Life” series.

IMPORTANT LINKS

·         SAMODA'S FACEBOOK PAGE http://www.facebook.com/remnantsoflife

·         AUTHOR'S FACEBOOK PAGE  http://www.facebook.com/pages/Remnants-of-Life/153669898006729

·         TWITTER -- https://twitter.com/georgiagljones

·      WEBSITE http://www.georgialjones.com/

• Amazon: Remnants of Life: Legends of Darkness
   

 

 

Disclosure of Material Connection: I received this book for review from First Rule Publicity from the author as part of a virtual book tour. I was not compensated nor was I required to write a positive review. The opinions I have expressed are my own. I am disclosing this in accordance with the Federal Trade Commission’s 16 CFR, Part 255: “Guides Concerning the Use of Endorsements and Testimonials in Advertising.”

WWW Wednesday (12th December 2012)

WWW Wednesdays is hosted by Should Be Reading.

To join in all you need to do is answer the following three questions:

• What are you currently reading?
• What did you recently finish reading?
• What do you think you’ll read next?

Wow, it's been so long since I did one on these posts. I've been in a bit of a reading slump lately but am starting to get my mojo back and have lots of exciting books on my planned reading list for 2013.

• What am I currently reading? Currently I am reading   and .


• What did I recently finish reading? I recently finished reading as part of a blog tour. My stop is tomorrow so it would be great if you could come back for my review then.

• What do I think I'll read next? I will probably start reading next as it looks like a really light and fun read.


What have you been up to this week?

Michelle

Christmas Gift Ideas - Best Books of 2012 - Biographies and Memoirs

For those of you who love to read Biographies and Memoirs, or know someone who does, here are the top 10 for 2012 per Amazon sale results. This is a category that I have been trying to get more into myself this year.

1)

2)

3)

4)

5)

6)

7)

8)

9)

10)

Have a great day!

Michelle

Christmas Gift Ideas - Best Books of 2012 - Mystery, Thriller & Suspense

Every year Amazon releases a list of bestsellers by category and I love perusing these lists as they are a great way to get some last minute Christmas gift inspiration for family and friends.

This year I thought I'd start to share some of these lists for anyone else who needs that little extra bit of help in the gift department.

We all know that books are one of the best presents to give someone right??

First up is my favourite reading category; Mystery, Thriller and Suspense (clicking on the book image will take you to its info):

1) Gone Girl by Gillian Flynn
2) Sweet Tooth by Ian McEwan
3) Defending Jacob by William Landay
4) Live By Night by Dennis Lehane
5) Phantom by Jo Nesbo
6)  Broken Harbour by Tana French
7) Creole Belle by James Lee Burke
8) May We Be Forgiven by A.M. Homes
9) Afterwards by Rosamund Lupton
10) The Thief by Fuminori Nakamura

I'm extremely pleased that a James Lee Burke novel made it into this list this year as he's one of my favourite authors of all time.

Have a great day!

Michelle