Lovely Literary Lines ~ Happy Halloween!

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Happy Halloween, Literary Quotes, The Legend of Sleepy Hollow, Washington Irving

On mounting a rising ground, which brought the figure of his fellow traveller in relief against the sky, gigantic in height, and muffled in a cloak, Ichabod was horror-struck on perceiving that he was headless!–but his horror was still more increased on observing that the head, which should have rested on his shoulders, was carried before him on the pommel of his saddle!

The Legend of Sleepy Hollow, by Washington Irving

 

 

Kill Creek, by Scott Thomas ~ 4.0 Stars

Tags

Adult Fiction, Horror Fiction

Thanks to NetGalley and Inkshares for providing an eARC in exchange for an honest review.

Release Date: October 31st, 2017

350 Pages

Synopsis: At the end of a dark prairie road, nearly forgotten in the Kansas countryside, lies the Finch House. For years it has perched empty, abandoned, and overgrown—but soon the door will be opened for the first time in many decades. But something waits, lurking in the shadows, anxious to meet its new guests. When best-selling horror author Sam McGarver is invited to spend Halloween night in one of the country’s most infamous haunted houses, he reluctantly agrees. At least he won’t be alone; joining him are three other masters of the macabre, writers who have helped shape modern horror. But what begins as a simple publicity stunt soon becomes a fight for survival—the entity they have awakened will follow them, torment them, threatening to make them part of the bloody legacy of Kill Creek.

Kill Creek is a spooky and creepy tale that’s perfect for this time of year. While it’s somewhat derivative, it still had some surprises and I found it quite entertaining.

The first half which follows the four horror authors was definitely my favorite part of the book. You get to know their backstories through their personal narratives as well as the events that lead them all to be part of this publicity stunt at the supposedly haunted Finch House. The tragic history of the house itself is also revealed, and with everything combined, it gave me an eerie and unsettled feeling. 

In the second half, the pace slowed down a little at first, with all four authors returning to their respective homes and dealing with the repercussions of their brief stay at Finch House. Once they reunite, at the house, realizing it’s the only way to put a stop to the evil that’s followed them, the pace picks up appreciably and the slow burning suspense turns into the epitome of slasher horror. 

Overall, I didn’t think Kill Creek to be the most original book I’ve read in this genre, but it kept my attention and I found it to be a fun and scary read. If you’re a fan of horror writers like Stephen King, Bentley Little and Peter Straub, I think you might enjoy this. I would definitely pick up any future horror stories by Scott Thomas.

 

The Empress ( The Diabolic #2), by S.J. Kincaid ~ 4.5 Stars

Tags

Politics, Religion, Romance, Science Fiction, Suspense, YA Fiction

Thanks to NetGalley and Simon & Schuster Books for Young Children for providing an eARC in exchange for an honest review.

Release Date: October 31st, 2017

320 Pages

Synopsis: It’s a new day in the Empire. Tyrus has ascended to the throne with Nemesis by his side and now they can find a new way forward—one where they don’t have to hide or scheme or kill. One where creatures like Nemesis will be given worth and recognition, where science and information can be shared with everyone, not just the elite.

But having power isn’t the same as keeping it, and change isn’t always welcome. The rolling class, the Grandiloquy, has held control over planets and systems for centuries—and they are plotting to stop this teenage Emperor and Nemesis, who is considered nothing more than a creature and certainly not worthy of being Empress. 

Nemesis will protect Tyrus at any cost. He is the love of her life, and they are partners in this new beginning. But she cannot protect him by being the killing machine she once was. She will have to prove the humanity that she’s found inside herself to the whole Empire—or she and Tyrus may lose more than just the throne. But if proving her humanity means that she and Tyrus must do inhuman things, is the fight worth the cost of winning it?

After finishing The Diabolic last year which was supposed to be a standalone, I was one of the fans who clamored for a second book. And S.J. Kincaid listened and has made this a trilogy! So, YAY! However, as Shakespeare wrote, “the course of true love never did run smooth”, and is that ever the case here for our young lovers, Nemesis and Tyrus. By the time I reached the end of the book I think I went through half a box of Kleenex!

Before I forget, I need to mention, The Empress is not a book you can jump into without having read the previous book. There’s a lot of world-building and complicated politics and technology, so you’ll be completely lost if you try this without being caught up first.

Without giving away any spoilers, in the first book we were introduced to Nemesis, part of a genetically engineered human hybrid race, that thanks to their enhanced DNA, are incredibly strong. Each of them are bonded for life to one person with their sole purpose being to protect them. While fulfilling her duties protecting her charge, who also wound up becoming her friend, Nemesis uncovered a dangerous plot reaching the highest levels at the royal court, and by the end of the book had teamed up with Tyrus, a member of the royal family, previously thought to be mad.

This story picks up basically at the same point where things left off. Nemesis and Tyrus, now in love, want nothing more than to rule and protect their people. Unfortunately, an enemy who holds a deep grudge against Nemesis, as well as harboring political ambitions himself, betrays them and rips the two young lovers apart. There are still many scenes of them together, and despite the flaws each one has, they’re a couple you can’t help but desperately want a happy ending for. Tyrus brings out the more human aspects of Nemesis, and she curbs his more impulsive decisions. They work so well together, which makes what happens to them even more heartbreaking. 

There is even more world-building in this sequel and you get a lot more insight into the politics and religion that is part of this society. Because of this there were a few sections that were a little slower paced, but for the most part I didn’t find this to be a huge problem. The ending is an enormous cliffhanger which seriously has me wondering if and how there will be a happy ending in the final book.

The Empress is an emotional rollercoaster ride that evoked strong emotions in me because of all the heartbreak and betrayal. As horrible as that may sound, it’s proof of how connected I was to the characters. If you haven’t read either of these yet, just be warned that S. J. Kincaid isn’t a sunshine, rainbows, and puppies kind of author. You may want the plot to go in one direction, but be prepared to be disappointed and to have your heart ripped out and stomped on….multiple times! I HIGHLY recommend The Diabolic and The Empress to older teens and adults who love gripping science fiction mixed with sinister political plots, nefarious characters, and heartbreaking romance. I’m both eagerly anticipating and dreading the final book which is due out next year.

Garden Party

Y’ALL NEED TO VISIT MARINA AND CHECK OUT THIS BRILLIANT SHORT FILM! AND KEEP IN MIND IT’S ANIMATED. THANKS MARINA FOR SHARING THIS!

Letters from Athens

GARDEN PARTY is a weird and wonderful short film, which I discovered on SLIPPERY EDGE, a blog that, in their own words, is ‘focused on the exploration of beauty and creativity. As such our articles aim to showcase these qualities, and to do so we present you with a number of different contemporary professional artists, art students & creators from around the globe, in all domains of arts.’

It’s a great blog for discovering all sorts of new artists, and I urge you all to take a look. However, it is not a WP blog, so I could not discover how to re-post – I just managed to embed the film.

GARDEN PARTY is a short, animated film about two frogs who take over a deserted, if luxurious house. It has already picked up numerous awards. But I shall say no more, just let you discover it for yourselves…

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Signs You May Be Obsessed With Stranger Things

Tags

Humor, Stranger Things Season 2

If you’re a fan of Netflix’s Stranger Things like me, you’ve been breathlessly awaiting Season Two since, well, Season One ended. Well thank God our patience is about to be rewarded. To help get you ready for this weekend’s binge-watching, here are a few signs you might be a trifle obsessed.

1. You’ve been considering getting your hair cut like Eleven.

2. You love Christmas lights, yet you’re now equally traumatized by them.

3. Your refrigerator is stocked with chocolate pudding.

4. You’ve developed an insatiable craving for Eggo Waffles.

 

5. You’ve also considered going toothless because of your love for Dustin.

6. After hours and hours, and HOURS of practicing, you’ve finally mastered the art of staring intensely.

7. You’ve been quoting from the show since last summer. Seriously though. Can anyone argue with this?

8. You just made an emergency run to the grocery store because you realised that SOMEONE polished off your stash of Eggos you had ready for tomorrow.

I hope this has gotten you all in the mood to dive back into one of the best series ever made. Have fun this weekend!

A Plague of Giants (Seven Kennings #1), by Kevin Hearne ~ 3.5 Stars

Tags

Adult Fiction, High Fantasy

Thanks to NetGalley and Del Rey Books for providing an eARC in exchange for an honest review.

Release Date: Available Now

624 Pages

Synopsis: 

In the start of a compelling new series, the New York Times bestselling author of The Iron Druid Chronicles creates an unforgettable fantasy world of warring giants and elemental magic.

In the city of Pelemyn, Fintan the bard takes to the stage to tell what really happened the night the giants came…

From the east came the Bone Giants, from the south, the fire wielding Hathrim—an invasion that sparked war across the six nations of Teldwen. The kingdom’s only hope is the discovery of a new form of magic that calls the world’s wondrous beasts to fight by the side of humankind.

 I have been an ardent fan of Kevin Hearne since I read Hounded the first book in his Iron Druid Chronicles back in 2011. I was still working at the library then and I remember accosting every patron that I knew to be an urban fantasy fan, shoving it in their faces and somewhat hysterically yelling about how they had to read it. Okay. That’s a slight exaggeration, but I was a bit passionate back then about promoting books I loved. Oh hell. Who am I kidding? I’m still like that, only now all of you have to put up with me! Anyway, I digress. Knowing that after next year there probably won’t be any more adventures with Atticus and Oberon *sob* I was mollified when I heard that Kevin was embarking on a new series, starting with A Plague of Giants. And I was beyond thrilled when I was approved on NetGalley. Two weeks ago I dived in expecting to be transported away like I usually am with Kevin’s books, but instead I found myself for the first half feeling lost and confused and struggling to find my footing. 

It starts promisingly enough, with an action packed first chapter, but I felt like I was being bombarded with too many characters in too short a time. The story itself is told by a bard who then relates the stories of the other characters. At the beginning of the book there’s a picture of each person with a brief bio which I think would have worked better in print form as a nice reference tool. Reading this on a Kindle though, it’s awkward trying to flip back and forth when you need a reminder of who someone is. 

The world-building is simply phenomenal which isn’t surprising given who the author is. But as with the characters, for the first half of the book I found myself floundering with trying to keep up with everything. I think all the action involved ultimately added to the confusion and with everything combined, it just seemed too chaotic.

But then, two nights ago, around the halfway point something clicked for me and I became fully involved with the characters and their stories. I began to appreciate the diversity of the cast and their magical abilities. And for me anyway, this is when everything started coming together in support of the main arc of the story. 

There is plenty of blood and gore, so if you’re squeamish, please be prepared for this. I think it’s entirely in keeping with the story, so I didn’t have any problems with it.

So, in the end, while I initially had a difficult time getting into A Plague of Giants, and at one point was close to the brink of tears at the thought of giving a bad review to one of my idol’s books, the latter half was so much better and I’m now looking forward to the release of the second book. For those of you who are fans of The Iron Druid Chronicles, don’t make the same mistake I did and expect this to be similar in tone and writing style. This is high, HIGH Fantasy, and I think if you keep that in mind you probably won’t struggle as much as I did. 

R.I.P. Fats Domino 1928 – 2017

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R.I.P. Fats Domino

Everybody started calling my music rock and roll, but it wasn’t anything but the same rhythm and blues I’d been playing down in New Orleans.

 

Whimsical Wednesday

Tags

Philip K. Rick, Supernatural tv series, Whimsical Wednesday

It is sometimes an appropriate response to reality to go insane.

~ Philip K. Dick ~

R.I.P. Robert Guillaume 1927 – 2017

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R.I.P. Robert Guillaume

I’m never a person who likes anything I’ve ever done. It’s just the way it is. Twenty years later, I can look at something I did, and I’m still thinking, ‘You know, that could have been done better if you had done it this way or that way.

 

Profiles In Courage

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Washington Politics

Today was another crazy trip to the circus known as Washington D.C. The biggest news was supposed to be about Mr. Trump visiting Capitol Hill and meeting with Republicans to discuss tax reform. Well, everything went off the rails pretty quickly, beginning with Mr. Trump attacking Republican Senator Bob Corker via Twitter. I’m not going to bother with quoting his tweets, because, honestly? Why bother? We’ve heard it and read it all before.

However, what Corker said during an interview with CNN’s Manu Raju was er, pretty noteworthy. Here’s just part of the exchange:

Raju: Is the President of the United States a liar?

Corker: The President has a great difficulty with the truth on many issues.

Raju: Do you think he’s a role model to children in the United States?

Corker: No, no, absolutely not….When his term is over, I think the debasing of our nation—the constant non-truth-telling, the name-calling—the debasement of our nation will be what he will be remembered the most for. And that’s regretful, and it affects young people. We have young people who for the first time are watching a President stating absolute non-truths, non-stop, personalizing things in the way that he does. And it’s very sad for our nation. 

Raju: Do you trust him with access to the nuclear codes?

Corker: I don’t want to go into….our hearing process, certainly, we are going to be addressing the fact that he, with only one other person on the defense side, has tremendous powers. Again, I don’t want to carry this much further. But, look, I expressed concerns a few weeks ago about his leadership, and….his stability, and the lack of desire to be competent on issues and understand. But nothing has changed….

There’s more of the interview as well as other bombshell comments he made to reporters that you can find online, but I think you get the general idea. But hold on to your hats!

Republican Senator Jeff Flake decided to announce his retirement today and had some pointed remarks for Mr. Trump, as well as his fellow Republicans during an unprecedented speech he made on the Senate floor. Here’s just a few salient points:

I rise today with no small measure of regret. Regret, because of the state of our disunion, regret because of the disrepair and destructiveness of our politics, regret because of the indecency of our discourse, regret because of the coarseness of our leadership, regret for the compromise of our moral authority, and by our—all our—complicity in this alarming and dangerous state of affairs. It is time for our complicity and our accommodation of the unacceptable to end.

….We must stop pretending that the degradation of our politics and the conduct of some in our executive branch are normal. They are not normal. Reckless, outrageous, and undignified behavior has become excused and countenanced as ‘telling it like it is,’ when it is actually just reckless, outrageous, and undignified.

….When such behavior emanates from the top of our government, it is something else: It is dangerous to a democracy. Such behavior does not project strength—because our strength comes from our values. It instead projects a corruption of the spirit, and weakness.

….The notion that one should stay silent as the norms and values that keep America strong are undermined and as the alliances and agreements that ensure the stability of the entire world are routinely threatened by the level of thought that goes into 140 characters—the notion that one should say and do nothing in the face of such mercurial behavior is ahistoric and, I believe, profoundly misguided.

….The principles that underlie our politics, the values of our founding, are too vital to our identity and to our survival to allow them to be compromised by the requirements of politics. Because politics can make us silent when we should speak, and silence can equal complicity. I have children and grandchildren to answer to, and so, Mr. President, I will not be complicit.

….We were not made great as a country by indulging or even exalting our worst impulses, turning against ourselves, glorifying in the things which divide us, and calling fake things true and true things fake.

I have to be honest and say that I’m not a huge fan of either of these men. My disagreement with their conservative ideology aside, Senator Corker was an early acolyte of Mr. Trump, and Senator Flake, while not a supporter, also didn’t throw his support behind any of the other candidates. But, given that they have publicly shown they are willing to put country before party, as well as thrown their political careers away, and opened themselves up to harassment and death threats from some of Mr. Trump’s more “ardent” supporters, takes courage, and for that I salute them.

Is this the beginning of a Republican revolt against the maniac in the Oval Office. Um, probably not. The majority of Republicans and Democrats for that matter, have forgotten that they’re in Washington to represent the wishes of the American people. The majority of Republicans will continue to grumble about Mr. Trump in private, but cozy up to him in public if it means passing tax reform that will benefit the rich, and healthcare “reform” that will kick millions of people off their insurance. But, for a couple of brief shining moments today, there was further proof that a few politicians do indeed have a conscience. And right now, I’ll settle for that.