Every wonder, what about Marley when watching a Christmas Carol?
You can find out David Weinberg’s take on that here on Amazon.
Scrooge’s Folly Saving Jacob Marley
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MomoCon Coverage
I’m going to MomoCon in Atlanta this month. You can still get tickets.
I Know You – Book review
I Know You by Russel Goven is an exciting story following a young woman as she learns to cope with lost love, new love, and the complications of time travel after a rather nasty argument and a bump on the head! Eilidh (by the way, that’s pronounced ‘aley’ for my fellow American English speakers. And yes, that is a bit of a joke regarding this book.) was getting ready to attend university with her boyfriend when he disclosed he’s been making other plans behind her back to go to another university, not only that, it seems he’s seeing one of her alleged best friends! This drama results in the firey-blooded Eilidh trying to strike the jerk and being knocked back, only to bump her head. While medical professionals are seeing her, she’s traveling back to the 80s.. and a different country! But is it just a dream? Oh, don’t worry; things only get even stranger from there!
As much as I like to read, I have a busy life, so I usually only read a certain amount each day. However, I had to put a bit of time aside with this book because I was just so interested in what would happen. The story was exciting, seeing Eilidh move through different scenarios and using the experiences to guide what she wants to do with her life, from being a heartbroken girl to a tense decider of her destiny. At first, some of her reactions were excessive. Then I took a moment to think about the breakups I had when I was of college age and realized, no, that seems about on par for girls at the peak of adolescence, trying to figure out adult relationships. While Eilidh is the main character of this book, and it is told in a first-person perspective, the book does, at times, sneak into the perspective of other people, and it can be a tad confusing at first. That is probably my only complaint.
Pick up this one if you want an interesting original concept to read this summer.
Paperboy – Book Review
Paperboy: A Dylan Tomassi Novel is the first novel in Dan Romanello’s Dylan Tomassi series. This novel covers the early years of Dylan, starting with his childhood, sliding through his high school and college years, and ending in his thirties. The author gives us a good chunk of Dylan’s life to learn about him, his friends, and his family long before the real action begins in the books.
So I’ll be honest upfront. I found the first chapter of Paperboy to be slow, and it was not till the second chapter that I started to get into the book. However, I am not one to give up on a book; even if I find the first chapter slow, I work through it to finish it. More so when it’s a review copy, an author or their managers have gone out of their way to provide. So, Paperboy does get more interesting as Dylan’s story starts to work itself out. Aside from what I felt to be a slow start, I should state that there are implied sexual situations in this novel, so if you are uncomfortable with that, you should avoid it.
Now on to some more entertaining aspects. Even beyond Dylan, the main character, the characters are well-created with personalities and responses that come off as real people. In addition, the story progression, while drawn out, is entertaining. I hope, however, that the next novel will have more excitement. Yes, I enjoyed this one enough to read the next. While I may complain about the pacing, in the end, we are given an excellent story with well-crafted characters that pull you in, even if it takes a couple of chapters to do it.
Aqua Paws – Book Review
Aqua Paws by Patricia Allieri and Stella Maris is an adorable children’s book following Aqua Paws, the titular character, as he goes snorkeling with his turtle friend Purple Beak to explore the water below as well as pick up trash! Unfortunately, Aqua Paws runs into some trouble while he explores under the water. Like many sea animals, the poor kitty gets caught in plastic soda rings. Thankfully he’s helped by an unlikely new friend and can escape and get back to the surface! A good thing as a kitty cat can only hold its breath for so long.
This fully illustrated children’s book is the perfect length to keep small children interested in the pictures and tale. The artwork is bright and inviting, and the scary scenes are colorful enough to draw in even the most rambunctious children. Like many children’s books, the story itself is a cautionary tale describing only one instance of what can happen with human waste in the sea. While it’s unlikely to find a snorkeling kitten in the ocean, plenty of sea animals can get stuck in our trash. Auqa Paws presses on the importance of proper waste management.
At the end of the book are two additional aspects that I found beneficial. First, the author has provided us with a list of ways to safely enjoy our sea visits and instructions on how to make your own toilet paper roll crab! I might make one next time I have a loose toilet paper roll!
Fan Expo Denver and Cosplay!
So with my continued pumping and excitement for Fan Expo Denver coming up, I figured we would take a look at the fun things the website tells us we can expect. This time we are going to look at cosplay.
Now I am not much of a cosplayer myself but I do enjoy watching contests and seeing what these really skilled creators come up with!
Below you can find a link displaying some of the organized fun Fan Expo Denver has for cosplayers! Looking forward to watching the contests myself.
More News about Fan Expo Denver!
Are you a Star Wars fan? Are you particularly fond of the prequals and Hayden Christensen? Well boy oh boy do I have news for you! He will be at Fan Expo Denver! If you check out the link below you can get the price details but they seem really reasonable! Autographs, pictures and more all possible! How exciting!
https://fanexpohq.com/fanexpodenver/an-evening-with-hayden-christensen/
I know I personally plan on trying to do this. You all should as well!
Kali Ma: A Collection of Short Stories – Book Review
Kali Ma: A Collection of Short Stories by El. T. Fullah is an unfortunately short but exhilarating trip through quick stories that cover a range of topics from martyrdom to fullmoon cannibal cult spiders. Yes, that’s some far-ranging topics to cover in a book of short stories, but there is differently something in this array of horror to suit even the pickiest of horror consumers.
The length of this book is small, a whole 49 pages. These stories are less short stories and more flash fiction. Flash fiction is not a general reader popular term. Referring to these quick and entertaining works as short stories makes sense due to these being horror stories and some pretty adult content. You may not want to let your kids near this one. Some of the topics will make you uncomfortable. Others may make you question people around you. By the way, “A Village With Only Men” made me laugh, but others might get uncomfortable.
As said in the first paragraph, this book is, unfortunately, short. It took me about an hour to read at a leisurely pace. This is my only complaint about Kali Ma. I hope the author will give us more of these, as I would certainly enjoy reading more of their work, as I am sure many others would.
CONVENTION SURPRISES~!
As most of you know, I attend a few conventions every year. Central Florida Comic Con here in my home state is always a blast. And I’ll be hitting up Atlanta twice this year for the usual MomoCon and an additional DragonCon! (Don’t worry, I’ll talk about you all as you get closer.) But this year, I’m going to be able to add an exhilarating dash to a higher altitude and a different time zone. Drumroll please… (Yes, this is text. Just work with me here, guys!)
FAN EXPO DENVER!
Website here: https://fanexpohq.com/fanexpodenver/
Believe it or not, actually not a surprise, but I heard about this delightfully geeky gathering from a streamer and fellow nerdy friend PlayingWithRemy. Who will also be visiting this con. I am looking forward to a local showing me some good food. (YOU KNOW WHAT IS EXPECTED OF YOU REMY!)
Now, as a lifelong east coaster, I never considered going to another timezone for a con but let’s be honest, the number of celebrities coming to this con is mindblowing. You can find the complete list on the site at the link below, but I am excited!
https://fanexpohq.com/fanexpodenver/celebrities/
I am particularly hyped about Michael Dorn, Bonnie Wright, and Christina Ricci I hope I can get to speak to them. And maybe get my husband a few autographs while he pouts from states away.
I am also looking forward to taking some walks through the exhibition halls. I am a frequent buyer of the same products over and over here at home. I am excited to see what people have to offer in Colorado.
I’ll share more and more as we get closer to this convention. There is so much going on!
Also, I hate to admit this, but I have been spelling Denver wrong forever.
Fool Her Once – Audiobook Review
Fool Her Once by Joanna Elm is an exciting thriller about a reporter, Jenna, who scores the story of her life at the beginning of her career. She had intended to interview the girlfriend of a long-deceased serial killer in hopes of finding out what the woman had seen in him. Instead, she ends up digging up a whole new story when she finds out the woman had a son with the serial killer. As expected, as the story comes out and the truth about the past of the woman and her now adult son comes out, the lives of the story subjects are quickly ruined, sending their lives into chaos as Jenna goes back to her own life with only a bit of knowledge of the drama she caused. Twenty years later, Jenna has been married, has a family, and settled in a lovely New England home with her husband and daughter, where they run a comfortable little coastal inn. However, she has discovered that the drama she induced years ago will return quickly to haunt her.
Fool Her Once, as stated above, is an exciting thriller. This fast-paced story kept me interested with turns I did not see coming. Sure, I could guess a few ending aspects, but that did not detract from the thrills of discovering how it happened! This book has a non-linear story. The author naturally leads us through the drama of the modern-day personal conflict of the characters but also takes the time to bring us back to the moments of the past that were essential to the lead-up. This allows us a full view of the entire story. Seeing the issues of the past play out gives us a much clearer picture than we would get with simple explanations from characters. Speaking of characters, we are given well-rounded, deep-thinking individuals whose mental illnesses and paranoia are so realistic I found myself wondering who the real antagonist of this story was.
I also listened to the Fool Her Once audiobook, which was read by Rachel Fulginiti, whose fantastic voice acting brings life to each character. I suggest looking at the audiobook if you plan to enjoy Fool Her Once.
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