Intermission Story (8) – Jimmy Stewart

This is such a wonderful tribute to Jimmy Stewart from GP, I had to reblog it. There’s a lot of fascinating information that I didn’t know about the iconic actor and Air Force Veteran.

Pacific Paratrooper

James Maitland Stewart

Jimmy Stewart suffered such extreme PTSD after being a bomber pilot in World War II that he acted out his mental distress during ‘It’s a Wonderful Life’.  Stewart played George Bailey in the classic movie and channeled his anger and guilt into the scenes where he rages at his family.

Stewart was haunted by ‘a thousand black memories’ from his time as an Air Force commanding officer that he took with him back to Hollywood after the war.  Pilots who flew with him said that became ‘Flak Happy’ during World War II, a term to describe what is now known as Post Traumatic Stress Disorder, or PTSD.

Stewart wrestled with the guilt of killing civilians in bomb raids over France and Germany including one instance where they destroyed the wrong city by mistake.

Stewart felt responsible for the death of his men and especially one bloodbath where…

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Whimsical Wednesday

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Animated Shorts, “Mice a Small Story”, ISARTDIGITAL, Whimsical Wednesday

What Lives In the Woods, By Lindsay Currie ~ 5.0 Stars

Tags

Middle School Fiction, Mystery, Supernatural Fiction, Suspense

Thanks to NetGalley and Sourcebooks Young Readers for providing an eARC in exchange for an honest review.

Release Date: September 14th, 2021

320 Pages

Synopsis: Welcome to the decrepit Woodmoor Manor…where something in the woods is always watching. From the author of Scritch Scratch comes a chilling middle grade story about a creepy mansion and sinister creatures in the woods

All Ginny Anderson wants from her summer is to relax. But when Ginny’s father—a respected restoration expert in Chicago—surprises the family with a month-long trip to Michigan, everything changes. They aren’t staying in a hotel like most families would. No, they’re staying in a mansion. A twenty-six room, century-old building surrounded by dense forest. Woodmoor Manor.

Locals claim the surrounding woods are inhabited by mutated creatures that escaped a mad scientist over a hundred years ago. And some say campers routinely disappear never to be seen again.

When the creaky floors and shadowy corners of the mansion seem to take on a life of their own, Ginny uncovers the wildest mystery of all: there’s more than one legend roaming Saugatuck, Michigan, and they definitely aren’t after campers.

They’re after her. (Goodreads)

What Lives in the Woods may be a middle grade book, but it’s surprisingly scary, even without blood and gore. Twelve-year-old Ginny is a wonderful protagonist that readers will relate to. An Agatha Christie enthusiast, who’s determined to become a world renowned author herself, she’s smart, feisty, and while independent, isn’t afraid to ask for help. Thankfully she has her fourteen-year-old brother Leo, and Will, a fellow book enthusiast and summer resident of Saugatuck. The three of them make quite the investigative team who not only solve the mystery of what’s haunting Woodmoor Manor, but also come up with a creative and compassionate solution. I loved the relationship between Ginny and Leo. They may needle each other incessantly, but they’re also there for one another. The friendship with a slight blush of romance that grows between Ginny and Will is sweet and believable, and I enjoyed the trust they had in each other. The setting is very detailed and atmospheric with some delightfully spooky touches like the faceless mannequin in Ginny’s room, the creepy ballroom, and the mysterious ticking of and unseen clock that only Ginny can hear. The plot itself puts a creative spin on the haunted house trope, especially with the twist regarding who is behind the haunting and what their motives are. The conclusion wraps the current mystery up while leaving the door open for a sequel. Which brings me to my one and only criticism, not with the book, but with the title and premise. While there’s a legend of creepy creatures that live in the woods surrounding Woodmoor, that’s discussed, they’re not the focus of this story. I have a feeling they’ll be the focus of the the sequel, but they’re not here. Therefore I find the title, cover, and book description misleading. You may think I’m being fussy, but as a reader who takes these three things into consideration first, before deciding on a book, they matter. Obviously I’m not downgrading my rating because the story itself is perfection. It’s definitely one that if I weren’t retired, I’d be scooping up for my library’s collection. 

The Therapist, By B.A. Paris ~ 4.0 Stars

Tags

Adult Fiction, Contemporary Fiction, Mystery, Thriller

Thanks to NetGalley and St. Martin’s Press for providing an eARC in exchange for an honest review. 

Release Date: July 13th, 2021

320 Pages

Synopsis: When Alice and Leo move into a newly renovated house in The Circle, a gated community of exclusive houses, it is everything they’ve dreamed of. But appearances can be deceptive…

As Alice is getting to know her neighbours, she discovers a devastating secret about her new home, and begins to feel a strong connection with Nina, the therapist who lived there before.

Alice becomes obsessed with trying to piece together what happened two years before. But no one wants to talk about it. Her neighbors are keeping secrets and things are not as perfect as they seem…

The multimillion-copy New York Times bestselling author B.A. Paris returns to her heartland of gripping psychological suspense in The Therapist–a powerful tale of a house that holds a shocking secret. (Goodreads)

I have to be honest and admit The Therapist isn’t one of my favorites by Paris, mainly due to the main character’s propensity for making bad decisions, but it dragged me in almost immediately and I couldn’t pull myself away. 

Alice is the type of protagonist that drives me a little crazy. She’s very likable on one hand, but on the other she’s not quite believable. I won’t divulge any spoilers, but some of her choices make no rational sense whatsoever. A few are even downright contradictory which really had me scratching my head. The other characters with all their secrets, I actually found far more interesting, especially Leo, whose motives kept me guessing through most of the book. The mystery of who killed Nina and why, kept me turning the pages, and the final reveal completely caught me by surprise. 

Although my feelings regarding the main character remained torn throughout the story The Therapist turned out to be an entertaining domestic thriller. It’s a very quick read, and is perfect for the beach or on vacation. I believe fans of B.A. Paris will be pleased by her latest offering, and if you haven’t read anything by her but enjoy a fast-paced twisty mystery, I recommend you give this a try.

More Sunday Smiles

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“This Dog is Best Friends With Butterflies”, More Sunday Smiles, The Dodo

 

 

Sunday Smiles ~ Bernie’s Mittens Summer Edition

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Bernie Sanders Mitten Memes, Summertime, Sunday Smiles

Lyrical Lines ~ Pride Month Edition🌈

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“She’s the Greatest Star”, Barbra Streisand, Lyrical Lines, Pride Month 2021, Randy Rainbow

The Last Graduate (The Scholomance #2), By Naomi Novik ~ 5.0 Stars

Tags

Diversity, Fantasy, Mystery, Suspense, YA Fiction

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

Release Date: September 28, 2021

368 Pages

Synopsis: A budding dark sorceress determined not to use her formidable powers uncovers yet more secrets about the workings of her world in the stunning sequel to A Deadly Education, the start of Naomi Novik’s groundbreaking crossover series.

At the Scholomance, El, Orion, and the other students are faced with their final year—and the looming specter of graduation, a deadly ritual that leaves few students alive in its wake. El is determined that her chosen group will survive, but it is a prospect that is looking harder by the day as the savagery of the school ramps up. Until El realizes that sometimes winning the game means throwing out all the rules … (Goodreads)

A Deadly Education, the first book in Naomi Novik’s The Scholomance series, was one of my favorite books of last year. If you missed my review here’s the link: https://cadburypom.wordpress.com/2020/08/13/a-deadly-education-scholomance-1-by-naomi-novik-5-stars/

As you can see I loved everything about it and I’m thrilled to say that The Last Graduate is just as good. Picking up exactly where the previous book left off, El is frustrated by the puzzling warning her mother had snuck into her with an incoming freshman. But good news, (or not), she doesn’t have much time to spend on this because El and her friends are now seniors which means they have less than a year to figure out how to make it out of the school alive on graduation day.

All the characters from the first book return, plus there are some new ones. And their backstories are fleshed out more, so you wind up invested in what happens to more than just El, Orion, and their small circle of friends. The school, which is sentient, also has more of its history revealed, and it really becomes a character in its own right. But the biggest character development concerns El and Orion. El’s powers grow exponentially here and you can understand why so many fear what she could become. And with Orion you discover more about his somewhat disturbing hero complex. The romance between the two of the, progresses, but not until the latter half of the book. I didn’t mind this however as with all the action unfolding there’s not much time for deep meaningful relationship building. When they do finally take the next step, it’s quite passionate albeit quick.

The world building is also kicked up a notch with much more of the outside world and the politics of the enclaves being revealed. Initially while you’re reading this you might question why you need to be given all this information, when after all, the setting is the school. All I’ll say is that I think these outside factors will figure predominantly in the third and final book, so I advise readers to pay attention even if you’re tempted to skim over the geopolitical passages. Despite the plethora of information and details, the story literally flies by, until the ending, which word of warning, is a shocking cliffhanger which will leave you swearing and if you’re like me, screaming “Nooooooo!”

I cannot recommend this series highly enough! If you haven’t read A Deadly Education yet, you definitely need to do so before diving into The Last Graduate as the book provides no recap. For those who haven’t but are looking for a great magic school series with some bite, you should definitely check this out!

A Spindle Splintered, By Alix E. Harrow ~ 5.0 Stars

Tags

Adult Fiction, Adventure, Diversity, Fairytale Retellings, Fantasy, Humor, LGBTQ, Science Fiction

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

Release Date: October 5th, 2021

128 Pages

Synopsis: USA Today bestselling author Alix E. Harrow’s A Spindle Splintered brings her patented charm to a new version of a classic story.

“A vivid, subversive and feminist reimagining of Sleeping Beauty, where implacable destiny is no match for courage, sisterhood, stubbornness and a good working knowledge of fairy tales.” ―Katherine Arden

It’s Zinnia Gray’s twenty-first birthday, which is extra-special because it’s the last birthday she’ll ever have. When she was young, an industrial accident left Zinnia with a rare condition. Not much is known about her illness, just that no one has lived past twenty-one.

Her best friend Charm is intent on making Zinnia’s last birthday special with a full sleeping beauty experience, complete with a tower and a spinning wheel. But when Zinnia pricks her finger, something strange and unexpected happens, and she finds herself falling through worlds, with another sleeping beauty, just as desperate to escape her fate. (Goodreads)

A Spindle Splintered may only be 128 pages, but it packs a heck of a lot of content in that brief span. When I read this was Sleeping Beauty meets Into the Spider-Verse I was initially skeptical, but I knew if anyone could pull this off it would be Alix Harrow. I don’t want to gush, but this just ticked all my boxes.

✨Strong, smart, and relatable female characters

✨Snarky humor

✨Witty dialogue

✨A unique and imaginative plot

✨A fairytale retelling that improves upon the original

✨Loads of diversity

✨A picture perfect ending.

Best of all it gives Sleeping Beauty a long overdue feminist slant that highlights the struggles that women everywhere have to contend with. It’s all about courage, sisterhood, and sassiness, so please take my advice and preorder this immediately or put in a request to purchase at your library. I do want to warn you it mentions rape. It’s something that happened in the past to one of the characters, and it’s not graphic, but I wanted to let you know.

In a year where I’ve been blessed with some truly stupendous reads, this novella will definitely be one of my top ten favorites. I highly recommend A Spindle Splintered to readers who love fairytale retellings and even those who don’t. I guarantee you’ll fall in love with both the plot and its characters, and you’ll easily finish it in one sitting and then be disappointed that it’s over.

The Forest Bed: Free ebook

Author and fellow blogger Shaily, has exciting news I had to pass on. Her short story collection, The Forest Bed is now available and the the Kindle ebook is free until 6/26. All she asks is for you to leave a review after reading it. What could be better than that?

Short Stories | Fish-eye Perspective

It is finally here! My very own short stories collection: The Forest Bed and other short stories. After long delays for ‘technical’ reasons, my book is finally available worldwide as an ebook. What’s even better?

The ebook is free.

The Forest Bed ebook is available to readers worldwide for free on Amazon Kindle

Offer valid from June 22, 2021, 12:00 AM PDT till June 26, 2021, 11:59 PM PDT.

1. Open your Kindle app.
2. Type The Forest Bed in your Search bar.
3. Select the book.
4. Download and read.
5. Provide an honest review.

Or depending on where you live, you can find it on Amazon. Just click the relevant link below:

Amazon.com

Amazon.in

Amazon.co.uk

Just type in the comment box if you can’t find it. I’ll provide the link.

Book in Print: If you are more of a love-the-smell-of-books person like me, you can order the printed book from Amazon or…

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