books

The Girl Who Loved Tom Gordon – Stephen King

AngelaLeave a comment

I was told by a few of you that I would love this book, and you were right! This was definitely along the lines of classic Stephen King, and it has set me on a new mission: to read all of the older Stephen King books that are seldom talked about and I have somehow not yet managed to read.

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As a side note; I still like “From a Buick 8” the best. I am going to have to pay close attention the next time I read it, which will be soon, to see if I can figure out what exactly it is about that one story in particular that makes me like it so much!

Trisha McFarland goes from being a normal 9 year old girl, with an irritating older brother, and parents who just divorced, to suddenly fighting for her life when she gets lost in the woods. Having a 10 year old daughter myself, I was often wondering what she would do and how she would handle each new situation that Trisha encountered as she walked for miles, trying to find her way out of the woods.

The one thing that saves Trisha’s sanity, at least for the most part, is listening to the Boston Red Sox on her Walkman, and telling herself that when Tom Gordon gets the save, it means she will get saved. This is classic Stephen King all over the place, but how much of it is in Trisha’s scared, starved, exhausted mind, and how much of it is really out there in the woods, watching her?

If you like Stephen King, you will enjoy this story. At less than 300 pages it is a quick read, and the only thing I did not like about it was that the chapters were so very long! I like to try to stop reading at the end of a chapter, but sometimes I just couldn’t because they were so long. I would have to put it down about halfway through a chapter, and then skim through the page before when I picked it up to refresh myself on what was happening since I was in the middle of something big going on in the story line.

I have already started Stephen King’s new story, Finders Keepers, but this one will be a bit longer of a read. I am still trying to get my blog in top-notch working order so I can attach my store, and I do have to go back to work tomorrow!

May your Sunday be full of great stories!

B&N Can See Me Coming From A Mile Away!

Angela5 Comments

I did not realize that the sequel to Mr. Mercedes was out, so I had to go to Barnes and Noble today.

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If you missed my review of Mr. Mercedes, you can catch it here: https://booksandopinions.com/2015/01/17/mr-mercedes-stephen-king/

Have you started buying your summer reading books?

I absolutely had to buy “From a Buick 8”. It is my favorite Stephen King book, hands down. I have taken it out from the library so many times it is ridiculous, and I finally bought it! I dare you to read this book and tell me you did not love it!

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I also got another book by Mr. King, which I have never heard of. It is pretty small, and I am betting that I can get it read in a day. Any takers? A 9 year old girl gets lost in the woods with nothing but her walkman (yes, dated). Are you familiar with Tom Gordon? Me either. I will be reading this on Sunday.

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And then as I love shopping the bargain shelves, and this is where I find my favorite books, I found this little history book, which I will be reading right away. I love history anything and everything, and I cannot wait to tell you what is in this book!

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Desperate Chioces – Jeanette Cooper

AngelaLeave a comment

This is a fantastic book! A quick read, full of suspense, romance, and intrigue. As a note, there is quite a bit of violence against women going on in this book, please be advised before you read.

Rochelle met a wonderful man who she married, and learned about his abusive side after the fact. He is a major king pin in the drug world, and she is a hostage in her home.

It seems predictable at points, and when Michael starts acting like a total ass, it got a bit hard to not skim over. but keep going, it is worth the read. One woman learns what is important, learns a lot about herself, and just may find her happy ending!

Desperate Choices Cover Image

Constructed of Magic: (Poetry) – Louis Alan Swartz

AngelaLeave a comment

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Constructed of Magic and Other Poems on the Immortality of the Human Spirit by Louis Alan Swartz has a variety of chapters on subjects we can all probably relate to, such as death, love and marriage, children, sanctity, and hope, among others. I do not usually read very much poetry, but when I find poetry that I like, it tends to stay with me.

Such is the case with this book.  It is filled with moving poetry that you can relate to, and understand, and truly feel. An excerpt from a poem titled “You Should Have Been Here Tonight”:

You should have been here tonight.

In truth you were here.

In the last light of sunset

There was a laughing presence

Unmistakable at the gardens edge.

Filled with beautiful imagery and positive energy, these poems paint a picture in the mind’s eye of the way things used to be, the way things could be, and the way things should be.  You will easily find comfort from the poems on these pages.

Why Is This So Difficult?

Angela6 Comments

I am still fine tuning some things using WordPress.com for Business. I am pleased with the variety of things I can do with my theme, and I have access to all of the WordPress themes. Which is way more options than anyone needs!

But for some reason I was able to get my store attached and functioning before I switched my theme. I found a theme I like that has multiple menus and also allows me to post videos and have a store; everything I am looking for. But I am having some issues navigating around, and I hope it is strictly due to me being a bit tired today.

Because I only have about 6 more free days of figuring out if I want to keep the Business account before I get hit with the hefty yearly fee they are going to charge me for using their Business platform.

So I think it is time to get my cat, turn on Netflix, and watch Once upon a Time reruns in my bedroom and hope for a good night’s sleep. I will be back at it tomorrow, hopefully with more success than I have had today.

I am currently without a book to read, so I am going to go through the list of books you all suggested for my summer reading and start getting some of them.

More to come, and thanks for your patience! You are likely to see a different theme or two on a daily basis until I find just the right one!

The Boss Killers – Keith Gillison

Angela1 Comment

You have to read this book! I cannot remember the last time I read a story that had me not only laughing out loud, but also anxious to turn the page and see what was about to happen. Excellent book! You will laugh, and hold your breath waiting to see what happens next. A fun read that you will not want to put down!

The Boss Killers Cover Image

Ross Ackerman is obsessed with getting rid of his boss, Mr. Charles Belvedere. Chief Inspector Harry Christmas is not only tired of the jokes he listens to during the holiday season, he is the only one who sees a connection with the fact that more business executives seem to die from “accidents” during the holiday season than at any other time.

With a full cast of characters, you will never get bored with this story. When Ross cannot take it one more day, he reaches out to his friend that he absolutely needs to kill his boss. His friend, ever concerned about Ross, devises a better idea.

Let him think he is killing his boss, via computer graphics, 3-D, real life video game. If only he knew what he had just stumbled upon. It is almost like opening Pandora’s box.

I would love to give you all the details on this story, but it truly is one you need to read for yourself. I challenge anyone to read this book and tell me they did not enjoy it!

It’s Time To Change Things Up; Again!

Angela4 Comments

Or at least I am going to try to get some things changed on this site. The last time I tried to move over to Bluehost, I lost all of my followers, my posts; pretty much everything.

So I was thrilled to see that WordPress has a business site that means I do not need to move my domain and blog.

Okay, it is a bit pricey per year, but after the stress I went through when I tried this the last time, I am more than willing to hand over the cash to save me any headaches I would again cause myself by attempting to do this on my own.

I used to be computer-savvy: not any more.

So do you use WordPress.com/business? I hope if you do, you have wonderful things to say about it 🙂

I will likely be spending some time this weekend getting things set up exactly how I want, and with a 2 week free trial period, I can’t go wrong. If I don’t like the way it works, I can just go back to what I am doing now until I find something else. I am going to have to change my theme (which I really like!) because it will not support the menus and pages I want to add. So you will be seeing a new, polished Books & Opinions page very soon!

To Kill a Mockingbird T-Shirt; Quote!

Angela4 Comments
To Kill a Mockingbird T-shirt
To Kill a Mockingbird T-shirt

I have a t-shirt forthcoming from Teespring, and I will show it to you as soon as it arrives 🙂 Which leads me to the reason I received an email about the T-shirt above, and I am sure I will continue receiving these emails until I figure out how to get myself removed from their mailing list. With that being said, I love “To Kill a Mockingbird“, and I adore this quote from Atticus Finch. The t-shirt I am waiting for is also based on “To Kill a Mockingbird.”

Teespring is a site where you can design and have your t-shirts made. You can check them out here: http://teespring.com/

Dreams and Shadows: The Aylosian Chronicles – Jeffrey Collyer

Angela3 Comments

A young man, Michael, has had a less than ideal childhood. The only thing he is aware of in his short 19 years of life, is that his mother abandoned him, his foster mother died when he was 5 years old, and his foster father, Rob, was so absorbed in his own grief that Michael was basically on his own from that very young age.

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A dream that seemed too real to be ignored started Michael on a journey that would change his life. Although he would have some questions answered, many more would come to mind as he learned things about a world he had no idea existed. A world that he was taken out of, and where he finally managed to find his way back.

Going back to the world he came from is just as difficult as you would expect it to be. He knew no one, he did not understand their traditions, some of the things they said, and many of the things they did. While he made a couple friends, there were others who were still wary of him, and questioned why he just suddenly showed up in their land.

A journey of epic proportions is in store for Michael. It is his chance to find out about his mother, as well as how he may have come to be in such a strange and wondrous land. Although others seemed to understand, would Michael come to terms with who he really is, and why he is needed in this new land?

With brilliant writing, well-developed characters, and a fantastic storyline, I could not put this story down. I tend to avoid Dystopian type novels as of late, but this was a great surprise and a breath of fresh air for finding a whole new world that you want to know everything about.

Sorry, but you know my policy (at least 99% of the time); no spoilers.

To find out more about Jeffrey Collyer, please visit his website here:  www.jeffreycollyer.com

The Wonderful Wizard of Oz – L Frank Baum

AngelaLeave a comment

Those of you who have been following my blog for a while know that “The Wonderful Wizard of Oz” holds a special place in my heart! First published in May of 1900, the book is celebrating its 115th anniversary.

photo courtesy of history.com
photo courtesy of history.com

The movie adaption was released in 1939, and is a timeless classic, also thought to have been viewed more than any other movie released to date (history.com). I have read the book enough, and watched the movie enough, that yes; I can recite the movie from beginning to end.

photo courtesy of history.com
photo courtesy of history.com

I have read all of the books in the series, but never enjoyed any of the others as much as I love “The Wonderful Wizard of Oz.” For a book to be 115 years old, and still read anew by young readers is a testament to the wonderful quality of this story. It really does reach hearts both young and old alike.

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