Monthly Archives: March 2014

Checking in for the thrill of it

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Book review is done and I will post it tomorrow at noon. For now, I have no other books in the queue, waiting to be read and reviewed. It’s an odd feeling, both sad and a relief. Next up, I can start reading Divergent. The box set is sitting on my desk, begging to be read. Who am I to ignore the pleas of a book?

Right now, I’m going to get back to work on one of my books I’m writing. At the moment, I have some sense of where I want to go, so I’d better write while the writing is good. I hope that makes sense. To put it another way, I need to write while I feel inspired to do so. Some days, it’s a struggle to write my own name, but you know what that’s like, right?

Better get to work, so for now, good night and sweet dreams. Don’t forget to check back tomorrow.

Upcoming Reviews

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fallofvenusHappy Saturday everyone! I hope you’re all having a great day.

I wanted to let you know that I will have a new book review to post on Monday, the 17th. The book, Daelynn Quinn’s conclusion of her Fall of Venus Trilogy, The Trinity, will be the subject of my review this time around. Please don’t miss it.

Before then, check out my reviews of the other two books in the series, Fall of Venus, and Crimson Return. I promise you, you will not be disappointed.

Until Monday, give Daelynn’s book a chance, and support her and other self-published writers. Have a great weekend!

New books, reading, and reviews

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Finally, after waiting for what seemed like an eternity, I received my latest package from Amazon, the Divergent box set. I get excited every time I buy a new book. I’m like a kid on Christmas morning, ripping open the box, inhaling the new book aroma, and basking in the aura of its splendor.

I could have ordered the books on my Kindle and had them available immediately, but sometimes I really like having the books in my hand. E-books are great, and I’ve read many books on my reader, but having an actual book is something that cannot be replicated on the glow of an LCD screen. Some may disagree, but they’re wrong. It’s possible I’m showing my age.

The books are resting peacefully on my desk, waiting for me to break into its pages, losing myself to an adventure unknown. I can’t wait to discover what secrets lie in the pages, written by a writer hoping to gain an audience. I think she succeeded, and the first movie comes out later this month. I want to at least read the first book before seeing the movie.

The only thing stopping me is a prior commitment. I have a book I need to read for next Monday’s book review, my last scheduled one. After that, I’ll be free to read it at my leisure. For now, I have to read The Trinity, the last book of the Fall of Venus Trilogy, after which I’m not going to review books on a regular basis anymore. I’ll do one occasionally, when the mood strikes me, but two a month burned me out.

Now, I can return to reading for my enjoyment again. That’ll be nice for a change, but I have to say, I did get to read a lot of good books while I was at it. I’ll continue to post occasionally, but I have my own book that needs attention, and life is urging me to get back to living, too.

That’s it for this Monday. I hope you have a great week and I’ll see you next time!

What am I giving up for lent? No one likes a quitter!

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So today is Ash Wednesday, the first day of lent. Lent is a period of penance, of fasting, prayer, and an evaluation of one’s faith leading up to the biggest feast on the Christian calendar, Easter Sunday. Traditionally, Catholics and many other Christians give up something as a sacrificial offering.

So I’ll make do without sodas, but saying goodbye to my Dr Pepper will be difficult, Also sweets are a no-no, as is meat on Ash Wednesday and Fridays throughout the Lenten season. I might cheat on the sweets part since sometimes I need the sugar from a candy bar when I’m feeling weak. Should see a doctor about that one of these days.

There’s something else I want to do. Why should it be all about quitting something? I want to focus again on my writing like I had been. Not only on my blog, which I plan on setting up a schedule again, this time twice a week, but also on my book, which has lingered in limbo for far too long. Two thousand words a day is my goal starting today.

I also received some edits that I need to look through, which I will once they are all back. Then I may take a break again from writing and delve into editing again, but I have no time table set on that yet. I’ll let you know when I know something.

So I will start my day of penance and fasting. No meat for me, but that won’t be too hard. I can have fish and veggies. I’m not as picky as I used to be, and I’m rededicating myself to my writing, again.

Maybe it’s not exactly what the season is meant for, but I’m only a mortal. I do what I can with what I given. Regardless, this will be a sacrifice and one that I’ll do gladly. Well, not giving up my Dr Pepper. That really is a sacrifice. Pray for me!

Book review: Hat Dance

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March is finally here, and hopefully warmer weather will soon be upon us. I can’t wait. I’m tired of the cold and the ice. Be that as it may, I have a new book to share with you, this time by author Carmen Amato entitled Hat Dance. You can find out more about the author on her website, on Twitter, and on Amazon. Enjoy!

Hat Dance_final_300pxWhen Emilia Cruz joined Kurt Rucker, an American who ran El Palacio Réal, one of the most luxurious hotels in the city, she thought it would simply be a night out at a restaurant her salary could never afford. Kurt soon announced that another resort in Belize was interested in him to run their property, and he wanted her to join him to check out the potential offer. Never could she have guessed that before the date was over, losing Kurt would be the least of her problems.

In Carmen Amato’s novel, Hat Dance, we meet Emilia, who works as a detective with the Acapulco Police Department, and who helped close down a casino that was a front for organized crime. Kurt took her to El Tigre, an upscale restaurant, where they ran into the popular mayor of the city Carlota Montoya Perez, and the head of the police Union, Victor Obregon Sosa. As Kurt and Emilia leave, their night comes to halt when a bomb tears through El Tigre.

Seen as a potential assassination attack on the mayor, Emilia quickly finds herself in an escalating game of political theatrics, navigating the inflated egos of the powerful while trying to solve a complex case. Complicating it even further is her assignment to a new partner who is openly disdainful of her, and a police lieutenant who appears incompetent.

Adding to her drama, she agrees to accept a personal case on the side, a missing person’s report which alienates her from her partner even farther. In a city where corruption is rampant, and the powerful are known to be on the take, can Emilia get to the bottom of the case before others are hurt or killed?

What Carmen has done is to create a story rich and powerful. The storyline is dynamic, with several threads woven to create a varied tapestry, of lives intersecting at a specific moment in time, of lives hanging in the balance, all depending on her and a reluctant partner to solve a high-stakes case. I enjoyed this book and I hope you will too.

List of Book Reviews
Next Review –  The Trinity
Previous Review – Solid Rock