This unusual novel reads like an autobiography in that the narrator, David, tells his story in the first person as though detailing his life experiences. Initially, he recounts his early life and leads up to his relationship with his girlfriend, Chloe, and his hopes of a career as a heart surgeon. Everything changes, however, with …
Continue reading Dead Man Dreaming, by Uday Mukerji: Reviewed.
261 pages Gay & Lesbian Adventure/Travel Adventure/Suspense Action Fiction A book I probably wouldn’t have read, I came across this through a recommendation on Twitter from a follower there. Unusually, I bought it without reading the sample, but entirely on the basis of the synopsis. This made no mention that the lover referred to was …
Continue reading The Harvest of Inadequate Lives, by Patrick S. Stokes: #BookReview.
Image courtesy of pixabay. Looking for your next big story idea? If you're experiencing writer's block, or you just want to come up with something new to write about, one way is to take a cue from a major aspect of culture that’s largely untapped. There are always cultural fads to explore, some of which …
Continue reading Want An Original Fantasy? Tap Into An Obsession
236 pages Short Stories/Fantasy/Science Fiction Anthologies Before you read this, you need to know that one of the 27 stories published in this anthology was written by me. So, a collection of dark, sometimes very dark, speculative fiction with a touch of black humour sprinkled in. The theme of the anthology is Fire and Ice …
Continue reading The Forge: Fire and Ice, by Fantastic Books Publishing: #BookReview.
508 pages Teen and YA/Science Fiction Adventure/Metaphysical and Visionary This complex and intriguing book is full of action. It’s also packed with thought-provoking discussions among the many fascinating characters. These come as natural parts of the story and we are led into them through both the action and the well-drawn natural exchanges of the players. …
Continue reading Gravity’s Arrow, by Jack Mann: #BookReview.
384 pages Literary Fiction/Time Travel/Adventure Stories and Action. Oddly, this book isn’t listed under comedy or humour on Amazon. I think, however, it’s supposed to be funny, perhaps witty? I confess I found it more irritating than amusing. Written in a style that makes the author appear self-congratulatory and strangely complacent as he waves the …
Continue reading Lost in a Good Book, by Jasper Fforde: #BookReview.
452 pages Crime/Mystery/Thriller A friend told me Harlen Coben was a good writer, so when I saw a pristine copy in a charity shop, I bought it. It’s a bestselling crime/mystery novel, and I try to avoid the genre as I find it too depressing in a modern world full of such activity. But I …
Continue reading Promise Me, by Harlan Coben: #BookReview.
106 pages Short Stories At first, this anthology of short stories seems an unconnected collection. As the reading progresses, another story emerges, built with the blocks of the individual tales. It is almost, though not quite, a novel. The encompassing story is that of Paul, the Dark Poet, and tells how he came to be …
Continue reading The Dark Poet, by Kathryn Gossow: #BookReview.
777 pages Children’s Steampunk/Fantasy and Magic for Children As this is a children’s book, I read it to find out how the author dealt with such a readership, having read other works of his written for adults. This is definitely written for a younger readership. There are elements some adults will find difficult to follow; …
Continue reading The Fifth Ascendant, by Joshua Grant: #BookReview.
202 pages Science Fiction Anthologies This is a collection of 16 short stories by some very talented writers. I enjoyed every one of these varied tales. There’s humour, horror, dystopia, AI, time travel, romance, aliens, corruption, robotics, love, and the greed inspired by empire here. None of these stories disappointed me. There are variations in style, …
Continue reading The Corona Book of Science Fiction, edited by Max Bantleman: #BookReview.
220 pages Dystopian Science fiction This is action-packed dystopian scifi populated with great characters. The story moves quickly and most of it is character driven. There’s plenty of tension throughout, and many challenging situations for the protagonists to face. One or two sequences I thought bordered on the incredible, but, as a whole, the book …
Continue reading Kill Code, by Clive Fleury: #BookReview.
Fiction/Transgressional Fiction 97,610 words It appears I downloaded this book, through Smashwords, in 2014 and then completely forgot about it. I discovered it whilst tidying files in my ‘Digital Editions’ folder a few weeks ago. As this is a book about female eroticism, I’ve no idea how I came to it, except that the title …
Continue reading Halfway to the Stars, by Marcy Sheiner: #BookReview.
368 pages Genre Fiction/Holidays Intending to visit Italy, I bought a copy of Lonely Planet’s ‘Italy’. Along with other recommendations resulting from that purchase, Sue Moorcroft’s ‘One Summer in Italy’ came up. I thought it might be fun to read this as I lay sunbathing by the pool at the latter end of our visit. …
Continue reading One Summer in Italy, by Sue Moorcroft: #BookReview.
242 Pages Thriller/Mystery I picked up a copy of this book, as I’d enjoyed Lauren B. Grossman’s first in the series, The Golden Peacock. That dealt with a mystery surrounding the holocaust. This book deals with a kidnapping by the Italian Red Brigade. Although this is essentially a thriller, great attention has been given to …
Continue reading The Verona Exchange, by Lauren B. Grossman and Bernard Jaroslow: #BookReview.
Word cloud via wordart.com When writing, do you have problems discovering the ‘right’ word? I do, sometimes. In trying to improve my own work, perhaps I can help others. Today’s words: Vague, Very, Vemödalen, Vacuum. Synonyms are alternative words that have the power to convey exactly what you’re trying to say. Vague: Roget lists the …
Continue reading The #Write #Word? Post 55
Short stories, novel extracts and musings from an emerging author
SHORTS, NOVELS, AND OTHER THINGS
Books, writing, reading, words and images. I love them; do you?
An Independent Nondiscriminatory Platform With No Religious, Political, Financial, or Social Affiliations - FOUNDED 2014
Life Lessons, Books, and Pretty Things!
Writing Magic, Myth and Mystery
A photographer's view of the world - words and images to inspire your travels and your dreams
Book Reviews ∙ Bookish Tags ∙ Book Discussions
Retired and travelling - it doesn't get better than this!
writing circles & poetry to keep your light on
Personal Writings on life, love and beauty
Peace. Tranquility. Insanity.
A writer inspired by nature and human nature
We Survived and Arrived - Now as Warriors We Thrive
Sometimes, life is like that.
Book lover and reviewer.
Musings and Ramblings of a Disorganised Blogger
Speculative Fiction Author, & Reviews.
British Crime Writer April Taylor
Fiction, Poetry, Photography
Where The Eagles Fly . . . . Art Science Poetry Music & Ideas
Registered Charity 308286. Your local venues, Lydbrook Memorial Hall and Recreation Ground, are here to benefit our community.
Books and Shrimp!
Ù…Øمد القربي
Discover the "Inside Story" with Sassy Brit & Her Gang!
A daily selection of the best content published on WordPress, collected for you by humans who love to read.
Antidote to the Novel
Stuart Aken 