Book Review: "Rooted and Four Other Disturbing Stories"!

Lately I've been on a supernatural and human psychology kick. I'm watching documentaries, reading books, and just generally immersing myself into this genre. When I saw the opportunity to review a free copy of "Rooted and Four Other Disturbing Stories" by Shane Hall, I jumped at the opportunity and was ecstatic to see that I was approved for the promotion! The cover of the book intrigued me, as a film photographer. It looks like a double exposure of an angel statue's face with an eerie, leafless forest. The cover definitely drew me in. It's especially well done considering that Shane Hall is a first time author!

The book was a very quick read, which I didn't quite expect. I love for these stories to be drawn out and extremely detailed. There was plenty of detail there...but my only complaint is that the writing is SO good that I wish the stories were much longer. I finished the book in about an hour of on-and-off reading, with plenty of distractions. However, the story caught my attention and held it until real life beckoned. :) There are five stories within the book: "Vivian's Videos", "How to Satisfy the Keymaker", "John Adams Two", "A Friend in the Depths", and "Rooted". Some are shorter than others, but they all convey plenty of information. I think my favorites are "How to Satisfy the Keymaker" and "A Friend in the Depths".

In "How to Satisfy the Keymaker", the story reads as a how-to (obviously). It's very instructional and you get the eerie feeling that the author is directly talking to you. Without spoiling, it makes you think about what you would do - and who you would sacrifice for yourself in the given situation.

"A Friend in the Depths" is the story that left me wanting the most. The suspense is insane, and your curiosity is peaked. Along with that, the conversation with the two characters allows you to begin to get attached to them. Right at the most dramatic moment of the story, though....it's over. And that hurts my heart, SHANE HALL! (Yes...I'm yelling at you!) ;)

Really, though...this is an explosive start for a new author. The book is very well written with no grammatical or spelling errors, provides plenty of entertainment, and hooks your interest like a fish-human-creature that wants to eat you.  

PLEASE PLEASE PLEASE add onto "A Friend in the Depths" and PLEASE write a 1000 page book. I cannot wait to see where these stories go and where Shane Hall is in the coming years! Congratulations on your debut and very best wishes!

Book Review: The Perfect World by Katalina Gerard

In our world today, we encourage our children to be individuals, embrace their differences, chase their own paths, and explore the world around them. When these freedoms are stripped away, revolution, anarchy, and protest occurs. For the most part, we encourage all of these things because they lead to new discoveries.

However, imagine that your great, great, great grandchildren are born into an opposite world where even their names and occupations and interactions are determined by someone else. Imagine, further, that this distant relative of yours is insatiably curious and desires to know everything about the world around him. Would this be acceptable if it made the world a "perfect" place?

The main character, Cyrus, is in this situation, down to being insanely curious. I feel his pain as he's forced to live in this world, and I feel the triumph and challenges that come with escaping this prison. The book forces the reader to endure several emotional ups and downs and the ending leaves one wanting MORE! I'm really hoping that the author is working diligently on this series, because it has serious classic and movie potential!

Vegetarian Quick & Easy - Under 15 Minutes by Jonathan Vine

As some of you know, my New Year's resolutions were few, but significant. I wanted to change my eating habits, improve my creative process, and learn something completely new to me. With changing my eating habits, I decided that a Vegetarian diet was the path I wanted to take. For about seven years during middle and high school, I didn't eat meat, much to my Momma's despair. Looking back, I understand her worry now. I didn't do it right. I lived on French Fries and refused to take supplements. This time around, I'm an adult, and I'm doing it right by making sure that I'm not falling into the "French Fry trap" and paying close attention to how I feel and how much protein I'm getting. Many people become overwhelmed when they consider the thought of restricting their diet SO much. If you think about it, meat is a huge part of the American diet. However, it doesn't HAVE to be hard, and that's what I discovered with Jonathan Vine's book, "Vegetarian Quick & Easy - Under 15 Minutes".

  

I didn't really know what to expect out of this Ebook, but I didn't expect it to be so inclusive. There really aren't any repeats of meals, and it points out common sense recipes that are often overlooked. Some of them are so simple that you wouldn't think they'd be that great, but they are! An example of this, that I found, was eggs with Avacado. I've never really eaten Avacado before, so I was pleasantly surprised when I decided to go to a random recipe and try it...NO MATTER WHAT.

I love that this book has tips on how to become a Vegetarian and make the transition easily. I also admired the fact that Mr. Vine considered that sometimes, busy moms don't always have the time to spend on extensive preparation (yes...there's sections for moms AND meals that are easy enough for kids to make!). There's even a section for romantic meals, which is great, since finding alternative dining out can be difficult for Vegetarians.

Overall, I'd say that this ebook is a fantastic resource for new and experienced Vegetarians alike, and I'm thrilled that I was selected to review it for free!

An Emotional Journey: "The Moon Was My Witness" by Abraham Levy

One of my deep loves, from a very young age, is the Holocaust and the World Wars. Most consider this to be a morbid curiosity, however, I couldn't disagree more. From middle school, into high school, I would get very angry at my classmates for their apathy towards the subject. My fascination hasn't been towards death, but rather the capacity of any human or group of humans to be so cruel and uncaring. Honestly, I would easily call it downright psychopathic. That doesn't even begin to cover it! Additionally, the awe that I feel is for those who have survived the horrors and still manage to tell their stories and live their lives.

To recover from something like that is unfathomable to me because I don't know how I would pick up the pieces after so much loss. To be an adult and go through the series of events is one thing. To be a child, is a completely different thing. That is the story that you follow in "The Moon Was My Witness: The Jewish Boy Who Sabotaged the S.S. Commander's Motorcycle (Holocaust Memories)" by Abraham Levy.

 This book is important in so many ways. Not only will the words of Abraham live on forever, but memories are now frozen for the world examine and learn from and determine to never let happen again. It is said that if we do not learn from the past, we are doomed to repeat it. I completely agree. In reading this memoir, the emotions are real and haunting. The book leaves an impression that doesn't leave you. I found myself thinking about the words even when I didn't have the book in front of me.

 To be a child...to be torn between so many worlds, is painful to think about. Trying to hold on to childhood, while witnessing things that adults shouldn't...feeling guilty for your physical appearance because it is all that has saved you so many times...while others don't have that option to rely on...is all heartbreaking. For a child to experience all of this is just unimaginable.

 The book is very easy to read, and it feels as if you're being told a story in person. The words flow, and it goes by quickly. As sad and emotional as it is, you almost want to learn more of Abraham's experiences. At the same time, I was extremely satisfied with the read and I felt honored to have received the words into my heart. The book is a very emotional read and is a lot to take in, however, there are few books with as much importance as this.

I received this book as part of a promotion, and received it free for my honest opinion.

Mr. Sandman - WHOA. WHAT Just Happened??

Recently, I accepted the offer to review an e-book. After downloading my free copy, I set to reading. Now normally, I'm very quick to read and review something (my other blog is called Krypto Dies). ESPECIALLY when it holds my interest.

Now, I'm really into comics of all kinds, so obviously I've been exposed to every plot line under the sun that deals with the sci-fi genre (I would say that Mr. Sandman fits most into this one) so I didn't know what to expect. Typically, I get bored and can say "called it" at the end and go on to write a review about a plot I've reviewed a hundred times. HOWEVER, Mr. Sandman was great in that it was unexpected (the twist and turn of events had me wondering what would happen next and how the story would resolve).

I really don't want to give away too much, but I do particularly love how, throughout the story, different points of view are used. One example that you will find right away is the story of the scientists dealing with a newborn baby (who is genetically altered, we come to find out) while also viewing the story of two employees who are working on a separate level (cleaning). What begins as a military experiment gone wrong turns into one Mr. Lance Cutter being presumed dead TWICE and going head-to-head with a serial killer who has unique...ways. Lance finds himself in a situation where his past is catching up with him.

And that's where I HAVE to stop. You guys have no idea how hard it was not to reveal the plot or key aspects of it.

I will say the following, however.

Technically:

The characters are well developed. They are believable. They grow. They develop. You become attached to them. I LOVE that in a book.

The words connect well and flow into sentences that are easy to read and understand. Reading this book doesn't feel like a chore, but the content is intelligent.

It's easy to stay interested in the plot and the sequence of events. GEEZ. THIS part REALLY makes me want to say more...GAH! I'll just leave it by saying: there's never a dull moment.

I really enjoyed this read! If you're interested in a sci-fi mystery, definitely check it out!