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Sanctum – Madeleine Roux

Angela3 Comments

Sanctum Cover Image

The follow-up book to Asylum was not quite as creepy as Asylum, but I enjoyed it none-the-less. This story had us again following Dan, Abby, and Jordan as they return to Brookline, still in search of the answer to what is going on at the old Mental Hospital, and why.

Sanctum 001

They all lie to their parents saying they are going elsewhere (didn’t we all do this?) and are trying to figure out what Felix, the poor chap from the 1st book, was trying to tell Dan when he paid him a visit. Felix’s mom called Dan, asking that he come to visit Felix. Dan goes, only to leave feeling far more confused than he did when he arrived.

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This book is full of creepy photos as well; this time of old circus performers. They make me happy that not only did my parents never take me to the circus, but that I have never taken my own children, either.

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I do not know if there is going to be a third novel; nothing was mentioned at the end of this story. If one comes out, I will certainly read it. If not, it was a good two stories just as they are.

The Wolf and the Raven – Steven A. McKay

Angela5 Comments

The second installment in “The Forest Lord” series was even better than the first! Robin Hood, and Mr. McKay, have certainly gotten a new fan. I am not generally a “Medieval-setting-Robin-Hood” type of story reader, but I am anxiously awaiting book three in this series.

The Wolf and the Raven Cover Image

The story picks up right where book one left off, and the action never lets up right through to the final page. Robin and his outlaws seem to have made a couple more enemies, and continue to do what is necessary to survive in the forest, while taking care of their families back home. All of the outlaws dream of getting a pardon, in order to go back home and live a normal life like everyone else.

I do think this book could be enjoyed on its own without having read the first one, but why would you want to miss such a great first installment? Full of action, adventure, suspense, and quite a few laughs, this is definitely a series I will read more than once!

You can find more information on Steven A. McKay here:

http://stevenamckay.wordpress.com

Bookplate Special – Lorna Barrett

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Book 3 in the Booktown Mystery series had Tricia Miles finding yet another dead body. That makes 3 in a year for this sleepy, quiet New Hampshire town. Normally this type of thing would probably bother me but I see it as being no different than Joanne Fluke’s mystery series featuring Hannah Swensen, who seems to find a dead body every time she walks out her front door. (These are fantastic stories as well, full of recipes too as Hannah owns a cookie shop).

Bookplate Special Cover

The victim this time is Pammy, Tricia’s college roommate and less than pleasant houseguest. Apparently Pammy was looking to come into some money by blackmailing a resident of Stoneham, who was not exactly receptive to the idea.

Tricia is spared dealing with the always difficult town sheriff, Wendy Adams, who each have a strong dislike for the other. This time, it is Captain Baker who is investigating the murder, and none too soon as Tricia has just had quite the falling out with her boyfriend and owner of the local newspaper, Russ Smith.

You get to take part in a wedding (no, not Tricia’s), and watch her sister Angelica struggle as she opens a diner while still running the Cookery bookstore. A stray cat gets rescued, and Tricia and Angelica continue to work on their normally stress-filled relationship.

All in all this was a fun story, and it certainly had its share of twists and turns. I believe I still have 4 more books in this series, but I will be picking up something different next as I work through my Accounting class, and work on two editing jobs.

What has you reading late into the night as of late?

Zombie Sheriff – Geoff Lynch

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As my Accounting for Managers class officially starts tomorrow, I am going to try to get my hands on as many short stories as I can. I do have a mystery novel I am about halfway through, but it will likely be this weekend before I can attempt to get it finished.

Zombie Sheriff Cover Image

Sheriff Ed Pool is a zombie living in Idaho. One of three zombies (two surviving) that were protected and given rights as any other normal, living citizen. Okay, the first one wasn’t protected all that well; he was burned to death (his second death) before he could even make it to his home after being granted freedom and rights. Matthew Schultz is the other surviving zombie, and is a police officer working for Sheriff Pool.

Dr. Dorn is being charged with murder, as he cut the heart out of a Doctor who fired him hours before, and threw it against the operating room wall. He confessed to Sheriff Pool, but forgot to ask for immunity from the death penalty before doing so. Trying to bribe Sheriff Pool that he could help him become more human, Dr. Dorn is doing whatever he can to stay alive.

The Sheriff’s second deputy is also a zombie, although no one knows this until they try to execute her on kidnapping charges, rip her head off in the process, and she fails to die.

All-in-all, the kind folks in this small town seem to be tired on dealing with this small population of 3 zombies. The 3 zombies do not live happily ever after here.

I did like this short story, it was a quick, fun read, but there seemed to not be a driving theme to the story, and the conclusion, as a whole. I guess I just could not find a point in writing this story at all, without there being a strong beginning (it had that), a great conflict (it kind of had that), and a resolution (it did not really have that).

There were numerous spelling errors in this story; and they appeared to increase the closer I came to the end of the story. I will definitely look up some of Mr. Lynch’s other stories, as I do feel he has a real talent. I think I am just used to having surprise-I-never-saw-that-coming type of endings with short stories.

Prince Caspian – The Chronicles of Narnia – C.S. Lewis

Angela6 Comments

One of my favorites from the Narnia series, this story had me laughing out loud, angry, and sad, all in one setting. The thing I enjoy most about C.S. Lewis and his writing is how he just puts it out there. Right there; yes, for you to see, and contemplate, and enjoy.

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Okay, enough reminiscing.

There are some great lines in this story, as well as the others, that make me remember them long after I read them.

Chapter 3: “The worst of sleeping out of doors is that you wake up so dreadfully early.”

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The Pevensies wanted to go back to Narnia, but they did not know what that would cost them. Prince Caspian is the rightful heir, being denied his throne by his uncle. It is a quick story, with all of the allegories you come to expect from Mr. Lewis. And I have to honestly say; Reep-a-Cheep is likely my favorite “character” out of all of them! Well, except for Aslan, of course!

Prince Caspian 007

If you have seen the movie, I have to say it is quite different from the story, but I do enjoy the movie as well. How did you feel about this installment in the Narnia series?

Prince Caspian 008

The Rocks – Frederick Morse

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This was a great period story set in 1853-1857. It concerns a young man named Olin Collins; a 14 year old orphan who has been living in the local library since his mom died when he was nine. His aunt works at the library and had no room for him at home. Olin quickly became the most important person in his small town, making money to support himself, and using the knowledge he learned from reading books to help others in his town.

The Rocks Cover Image

He managed to save enough money to buy what was believed, by the adults, to be a worthless piece of land, full of huge rocks that would cost too much money to move. Gathering up several other orphan boys who got by on their wits, he created a town, “The Rocks”, that every single adult came to rely on for income or other necessities. Using what he learned from the books in the library, he managed to break the rocks, sell them to the town mason, tap the trees for sap to sell to the grocer, and use the timber he cut to build small houses for the orphans and himself.

There is a lot to this story, and many detailed scientific experiments. This is how Olin made his money; showing the men in town things that sounded impossible, but were perfectly easy to do because of science. He would charge a fee to see the demonstration, and they would pay it.

This story also touches on real issues that were going on in the states in this pre-Civil War era. Slaves were being transported to Canada where the laws could not force them back to their owners, states were fighting each other, and no one was sure what the future would hold.

If you enjoy history stories or period novels, I think this is one you would enjoy as well. If you give it a try, let me know how you liked it!

As you may recall, I reviewed another book by Mr. Morse, called “The Scimitar and the Glory Boxes”. This was the review I sent on to him only to find out that he had recently passed away. I will be passing this review on to his Widow as I promised I would, and will be reading another of his books in the near future. You can find that first review here: https://booksandopinions.com/2014/12/24/the-scimitar-and-the-glory-boxes-frederick-morse/

 

Bookmarked For Death – Lorna Barrett

Angela1 Comment

Book 2 in The Booktown Mystery series did not disappoint! Tricia Miles is now contending with her sister, Angelica Miles, being a full-time resident in Stoneham, New Hampshire. Angelica bought “The Cookery” bookstore after the murder of Doris Gleason, the first murder Tricia found herself caught in the middle of.

http://lornabarrett.com/bookmarked-for-death/
http://lornabarrett.com/bookmarked-for-death/

Zoe Carter, National Bestselling Author and local resident, finally agrees to a book tour, her first ever. Her last stop is at “Haven’t Got A Clue”, Tricia’s mystery bookstore. When Ms. Carter ends up strangled in the bathroom after the less-than-stellar book signing, Tricia once again finds herself caught in the middle, between any number of possible suspects, and Sheriff Wendy Adams, who may very well be Tricia’s biggest enemy.

Tricia seems to have another enemy, as she gets closer to discovering who the killer is, and the killer is bound and determined to stop her, even if it means she is the next murder victim. Tricia needs to figure out how Ms. Carter’s niece is involved, as well as her faithful employee Mr. Everett, and a host of other members of this (usually) peaceful, quiet town.

This is a great read that you will get through in no time, and as an added bonus, there are several recipes included that Angelica has prepared throughout the story.

To learn more about Lorna Barrett and this series of books, be sure to visit her website here: http://lornabarrett.com/

A fun cartoon from Lorna's website! Be sure to visit it at http://lornabarrett.com
A fun cartoon from Lorna’s website! Be sure to visit it at http://lornabarrett.com

Inkheart – Cornelia Funke

Angela2 Comments

One of my favorite series, Inkheart wraps it all up into one: A book about books.

Inkheart Cover Image

Mo has a gift; a gift of reading the characters right out of stories. Just like he read his wife Resa right out of his life, and into this world where she is captive;she lost her voice, but is searching for her husband and daughter.

Meggie is trying to figure out the whole story of why her Mother has been gone so long, and why her father refuses to tell her anything. But there are others who already know about Mo’s gift, and need to use it to their advantage. The fact that Meggie has this gift will follow her wherever she goes.

I am trying to avoid spoilers, but if you have read this whole series, I would love to hear what you thought about it!

You cannot help but get caught up in the secondary characters in this story; they all take you right back to your favorite stories.

The Horse and His Boy – The Chronicles of Narnia – C.S. Lewis

Angela9 Comments

Book number three in the Narnia series, by the numbering on the books I have, is “The Horse and His Boy.” This is also the only book I seem to have missing from my collector’s box that holds all 7 of these books. I haven’t the slightest idea where it went, who may have had it last, or how I managed to lose a book!

The Horse and His Boy

With that being said, this is actually my least favorite book out of the 7 in the series. This is a novel that can stand alone, and there is no need to read, or have read, and of the other books to enjoy this one. I did like this story, I just did not find it as interesting as the other 6 stories. This story is set in Narnia for its entirety, and focuses on a boy running away from home, who meets a horse who is also running away from home.

The Full Color Edition
The Full Color Edition

Shasta discovers his adoptive father is going to sell him as a slave, and learns from Bree, a horse at the stable, that Bree has been treated badly by this same adoptive father. A plan gets underway, and soon both Shasta and Bree are on the run, trying to get to Narnia and the High Kings and Queens there; yes, the Pevensies. (And yes, of course the horses talk, it is Narnia!)

They also meet a girl and her horse who are running away from home; she being a Princess forced to marry against her will. Once they reach their destination, they both learn things about themselves that will change their lives forever. These two eventually get married, and have a son who becomes the most famous King of Archenland.

Aslan 1

The thing I liked best about this story was the cat who seemed to follow Shasta all through his journey. Sometimes a lion chasing him, and sometimes a cat comforting him; Aslan always makes his presence known.

Which Narnia story did you like the least? I know it’s hard to choose when they are all great stories, but they can’t all be your favorites, or are they?