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End of Watch – Stephen King

Angela5 Comments

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Finally! I managed to get this book finished, and I was not disappointed. Bill Hodges is still not finished with Brady Hartsfield. Apparently, Brady is not even close to being finished with Bill,  either.

 

You’ll find familiar faces here from the first two stories (Mr. Mercedes, and Finders Keepers), as well as some new characters. The story focuses on Hodges and Hartsfield both being able to put an end to the twisted ties they have to each other.

 

Which says a lot, because Brady Hartsfield is supposed to be in a vegetative state. A Doctor at the hospital sees the perfect opportunity to use Brady as a guinea pig for an experimental drug for those suffering from brain injuries. Apparently the drug should be approved, because it seems to work. Whether the extra benefits Brady experiences are due to the medication or not is questionable.

 

Brady is determined to make Hodges, as well as those nearest and dearest to him, finally pay for interfering in his twisted plots of death and destruction. And Hodges has enough on his mind already. Holly and Jerome once again team together with Hodges in what is the perfect ending to this trilogy.

 

What did you think about End of Watch?

Jesus Swagger – Jarrid Wilson

Angela3 Comments

A quick read at 127 pages, I stumbled across this book while I was searching for a different book.

Of course the title got my attention, as well as the subject. I like to read religion-based books, both fiction and non-fiction.

Jesus Swagger Cover Image

This book has many scripture references, but is written in a way that makes them part of the story, and much less intimidating than some may find when they read the same passages in The Holy Bible.

I need to be clear though; the author did not in any way-shape-or-form change the scripture. It is kind of like the difference between reading an ERV Bible (easy-to-read), versus trying to read a Bible written in Hebrew, when you cannot read Hebrew.

Okay, it isn’t that extreme, but I think you get my point. This is a refreshing look at how we believe we are followers of Jesus, but really we may just be posers and do not even realize this.

One very striking quote in the book does come from Scripture. Believing in Jesus does not mean you will get into Heaven. The Devil believes in Jesus too. Believing is not enough.

If you feel stuck in a rut with your religion, beliefs, or church, this book could be just the boost you need to reignite the fire of your faith. Even if you just have questions about your beliefs, or the Christian faith in general, I think you will find this book useful in your journey.

Let’s Change It Up; One More Time…

Angela5 Comments

…so I was kindly contacted by WordPress (no sarcasm here; I was glad they called me), letting me know my Business plan I paid for last year was about to expire ($299.00). Did I want to renew? Um; no; I didn’t. Through no fault of their own, I had some issues getting my store part of the business page working correctly, and I was not seeing the benefits I expected.

Some mistakes were on my side, and the person I talked to was kind enough to at least credit me to get some new things going forward on my plan so I did not lose all of that money.

So a few lessons here; my page is changing…again. I am trying to remove my store from my WordPress page, because I am literally not getting emails when someone contacts me, or buys something from me.

And Thank You to my customers who have been more than forgiving through this.

The Business account should expire shortly, and I am working on an Etsy store for any editing needs as well as merchandise all about books, for both writers and readers alike. Until then; you are going to see a Books & Opinions page still hanging out here that I cannot connect with.

And how is your Monday going?

 

My Missing Book Review – A Crying Shame by William W. Johnstone

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Leave it to me to completely leave out the actual book review from the last post I did about William W. Johnstone. So; my apologies, and here it is!

A Crying Shame Cover Image

Sheriff Mike Saucier has his hands full when the Links stop keeping themselves hidden, and start taking revenge on the townspeople. They seem to have been infected with some sickness, and these half-human beings are going mad and no longer concerned about staying hidden.

Jon Badon is a mercenary brought to Fountain Parish, home to the Crying Swamp, by Paul Breaux. Paul had discovered what he since named the Links, as in “the missing link”. Part human, part animal, the Links had been around for hundreds of years.

As a genetic mutation took hold, they could no longer have female children, so in order for them to not die off, women of the parish were kidnapped and used for childbearing. Any babies that were human enough were left on doorsteps in town, to be raised with, and by, humans.

Jon Badon is determined to do what he was paid to do; get rid of the links. His Scientist and Doctor friends disagree. As Jon grows closer to Linda Breaux, he promises both of them that after this last mission, he will retire, and they will get married and start a family.

Can humans and half-humans really exist together? It may not always be necessary to fear something just because it is different than you.

I would love to tell you how it ends, but you know my policy; no spoilers if I can help it. This is a quick read, and a great story! I hope you give it a try!

Mr. William W. Johnstone are you done turning in your grave?

Angela12 Comments

I was so excited to see that my favorite author, who I had written to and had much communication, was having his family re-release all of his books.

I have all of these books, somewhere, but have rebought many on my Nook.

And whomever edited for ebook release needs to be shot.

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William W. Johnstone

I started reading Sweet Dreams, a book he wrote in the 80’s, and sent me an autographed copy of, and the spelling errors are horrible. I fear that the family is so intent on making money, that they are not paying attention to the quality of his work.

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I was a 13 year old girl who read his books, and literally wrote him a letter. I received many letters back, and autographed books. But the fact that they would re-publish his work, so fast and haphazardly, is really sad.

He stopped writing the horror books I loved as a teen, and started writing westerns. But he always replied to my letters, and encouraged me to write, and never give up.

Good gracious, I would edit these ebooks for free rather than see the crap they are putting out.

Mr. Johnstone, thank you for being kind to a teenager, and encouraging me.

Bittersweet Dreams – VC Andrews

Angela3 Comments

Okay, I have to say I got sucked into this book just like I would get sucked into any VC Andrews’ book when I started reading them 30+ years ago.

Mayfair Cummings is a 16 year old with an IQ that would make Albert Einstein jealous. She had the perfect family life, until her mother died from an aneurysm. Her father got remarried, and she suddenly had a step-mother and a step-sister.

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I like to avoid spoilers, but this is the standard fare that you expect from VC Andrew novels. It is full of suspense, and I definitely had it read in record time.

Now; about the grammatical errors. There were a few, and they were too ridiculous to even ignore. Nothing frustrates me more than spelling and grammatical errors in a book I spent good money on.

I’m just going to give you one example, and it is a single sentence. Although I am not including the sentences before or after it, this sentence is not going to be misunderstood because you don’t have those sentences with it. This is a sentence that was meant to stand alone, and make sense.

Chapter 5, Page 81

I have this tendency to compare Julie to animals often.

That’s it. That one sentence. Maybe I am being too picky, but there are so many other correct ways that sentence could have been constructed. There are a few of these poorly written sentences throughout the story.

With all of that said, I will definitely be reading some more VC Andrew books that I have not read before.

The Last Anniversary – Liane Moriarty

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I really enjoyed this book by Liane, and I believe it is her third story I have read. The first one I did not care for, the second one I loved, and I definitely liked this one.

The Last Anniversary Cover Image

I am still trying to get a feel for her style of writing, and it is not something I have been able to pinpoint yet. I do not get that familiar feeling I have from other authors who have multiple books that I have read. Her style of writing seems to change with each book, but I do not think it is done intentionally to help set the tone of the story.

So after all of that complaining, I really did like this story. I promise! I did have the initial problem of keeping all of the characters straight, because there were several, and they all seemed to be introduced very quickly, and very briefly. This does seem to be her method-of-operation when it comes to writing.

A small island with a small population and a big mystery seem to be the only thing keeping some of the characters going. Introduce a new person to the mix, and see what begins to happen. It seems that everyone knows everybody else, and there are some long-stretched ties connecting basically every single resident to everyone else. It can make things familiar, and also very interesting. You would think in this type of environment there would be no secrets. It seems as if every resident has secrets falling out of their ears, they have so many.

Without giving away any spoilers, this is definitely a book full of suspense, mystery, laughs, and some romance. It is a page turner, and I think you will be glad to have read it!

Are You Sure You are Right About What You Are Writing?

AngelaLeave a comment

Or is this just a rite of passage you are trying to get through, and it does not matter if you are right, or wrong?

Because I can write about these (not)interchangeable words all day long, but that does not mean I am right.

Oh. My. Goodness. I am not right-handed, I like to write in my journal, and I have never had to do a rite of passage. And if you would like to get technical, we always have the Wright Brothers. But usually you will see this one as part of a word; such as playwright.

I wish I could give you some great cheats and hints to keep these words straight, but I really have nothing.

If you are writing something, think “W”. If you are correct about something, think “R”.

These seriously have to be some of my least favorite words in the English language.