Changes I'm making and closing this site down.

I am very likely to be shutting this review site down. I am resetting a lot of things in my life and I will be making a new one. I have a ton of things I need to re-asses and so I would appreciate the patience in doing all my updating.

THANK YOU!

Hiatus from posting for a few more days.

I am literally cleaning my entire apartment and re-arranging some of the furniture and stuff in my room so I can take the next half of the month and spend it reading more. If I can work on getting things cleaned and organized I can sit back and enjoy reading more. I am hoping that I at least get it enough to make more time to read and do the things I enjoy.

Thank you for giving me a little break.

Witches Protection Program by Michael Phillip Cash

Title: Witches Protection Program
Author: Michael Phillip Cash
Published: May 14th 2015
Genre: Urban Fantasy
Pages: 238

*I was provided a free copy of this for an unbiased review on Netgalley.com*

I wasn't sure what to expect from this. I just happened to decide I would see what it was like. About three hours later and I was done. It was amazing.

I loved the format of witches and the two factions. The Davina and the Willa. I love how the entire book worked. It was very well put together, and the black ops section to protect Witches is awesome. I thought the steampunk weapons were a nice touch. I hope they do this as a series. I would absolutely recommend this to people I know.

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Working on updating things...

I am actively working on sprucing up my website. I am working on getting things updated and whatnot in my life. January is always a tumultuous time for me. I am going to get it together.

New Year, New devotion to my blog.

I sincerely have had trouble remembering to update this blog, but I am going to make an effort to spruce the place up again and work on getting my rate percentage up on Netgally! Wish me luck and I hope this works out finally!

Samhain: Rituals, Recipes & Lore for Halloween by Llewellyn Publications

** I received a free copy of this on NetGalley in exchange for an unbiased review. **

Title: Samhain: Rituals, Recipes & Lore for Halloween
Author: Diana Rajchel
Published: September 8th 2015
Genre: Nonfiction, History
Pages: 264

Synopsis: A well-rounded look at Samhain. It's history and modern celebrations, as well as rituals, recipes and more!

Review:
I absolutely LOVED this book. It is full of information on my favorite time of the year. I love the way it is broken up into ancient lore, new lore and then modern ideas and history. It is very inclusive and hits as many related holidays and festivals as it can. It was easy to read and I loved it. Very informative!

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In Search of the Paranormal by Richard Estep

** I received a free copy of this on NetGalley in exchange for an unbiased review. **

Title: In Search of the Paranormal: The Hammer House Murder, Ghosts of the Clink, and Other Disturbing Investigations
Author: Richard Estep
Published: September 8th, 2015
Genre: Nonfiction, Paranormal, Ghost Stories
Pages: 264

Synopsis: From exploring the Tower of London to investigating a haunted Colorado firehouse and a woman tormented by a malevolent demonic entity, paranormal researcher Richard Estep takes you behind the scenes for an up-close-and-personal encounter with a fascinating legion of hauntings. This collection represents some of the most interesting, odd, and disturbing cases that Richard has investigated over the past twenty years, in England and in the United States.

Review:

This was a pretty good book of investigating the paranormal. I think some of the reviews I have read talk about being disappointed like they expected action packed investigations. That is not how paranormal investigations generally work, and this book is pretty good at telling the true experience of ghost hunting and related activities. The author talks about various experiences and places he has investigated and they are much like what I have read in similar books. I do love that he has investigated a lot with other groups and that he has gone back several times to re-investigate. I have to say this is the first time I have actually heard of table tipping and I am always happy to learn about new (or in this case OLDER) investigation techniques. It was cool to read of different investigations from different countries by the same person.

Roaring backlog of reviews to post!

I forgot to set up some things and I ended up in an intensive outpatient program that started in September, so I have been busy taking care of myself. I am going to be setting up my reviews to post this weekend and then get back into the habit of posting. I just need a little more time to finish the stuff in my room that can't wait. Please bare with me a little bit longer and to those who do read this regularly I want to thank you from the bottom of my heart.

Thanks,
Amy.

Trauma by Michael Palmer

Title: Trauma
Author: Michael Palmer, Daniel Palmer
Published:
Genre: Medical Thriller
Pages: 384

Synopsis: Dr. Carrie Bryant's four years as a neurosurgical resident at White Memorial Hospital have earned her the respect and admiration from peers and staff alike. When given the chance of performing her first unsupervised brain surgery, Carrie jumps at the opportunity. What should have been a routine, hours long operation, turns horribly wrong and jeopardizes her patient's life. Emotionally and physically drained, Carrie is rushed back to the OR to assist in a second surgery. There, she makes a careless and tragic mental error resulting in irreparable brain damage to her second patient. With her confidence shattered, Carrie quits her residency and moves back home where her younger brother, Adam, a combat vet suffering from debilitating PTSD, also lives.When Carrie learns about an experimental program at the VA Medical Center exploring the use of Deep Brain Stimulation (DBS) that could forever cure the emotional and memory trauma of PTSD, it seems like a way back into medicine. Her first surgery appears to be a success until her patient mysteriously vanishes. When a second patient also goes missing, Carrie employees the investigative skills of David, and together they descend into a labyrinth of murder and corruption. And the price Carrie might pay for asking the wrong questions could be her life.

This was exactly what I expected, but the ending was a surprised. It was a little ruined by my mother who also read it. Some of the characters where a little stiff and I wasn't honestly fond of Carrie. She was just an odd character for me to process. Not too bad though. That being said I find it touching that his son wrote this after his dad had plotted it out and passed away suddenly. Not too bad!

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Bone Crossed (Mercy Thompson #4) by Patricia Briggs

Title: Bone Crossed
Author: Patricia Briggs
Series: Mercy Thompson
Published: February 8th 2009
Genre: Urban Fantasy, Paranormal
Pages: 309

Synopsis: By day, Mercy Thompson is a car mechanic in Eastern Washington. By night, she explores her preternatural side. As a shape-shifter with some unusual talents, Mercy's found herself maintaining a tenuous harmony between the human and the not-so- human on more than one occasion. This time she may get more than she bargained for.

This was a great book. I read it quickly and in one sitting. I like how this series is going and I am glad that she is growing as a person. That being said, sometimes I want to smack her. I know she is a strong independent woman and coyote, but she can be so hard headed at times.

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The Book of Speculation by Erika Swyler

Title: The Book Of Speculation
Author: Erika Swyler
Published: June 23rd, 2015
Genre: Fiction, Mystery, Magical Realism
Pages: 339

Synopsis: Simon Watson, a young librarian, lives alone on the Long Island Sound in his family home, a house perched on the edge of a cliff that is slowly crumbling into the sea. His parents are long dead, his mother having drowned in the water his house overlooks. One day, Simon receives a mysterious book from an antiquarian bookseller; it has been sent to him because it is inscribed with the name Verona Bonn, Simon's grandmother. Simon must unlock the mysteries of the book, and decode his family history, before fate deals its next deadly hand.

This Book Was AWESOME. I really liked it. It was one of those books that you read and you don't want to finish because you don't want to leave the story. It felt like a comfy chair you don't want to get out of because it's wonderful. That's how this felt. I loved Simon and his sister Enola. I love the secrets that come out and the beauty of the water and how it is used in the story. Wonderfully wound together.

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^This is SO me reading this book.

God Help the Child by Toni Morrison

Title: God Help the Child
Author: Toni Morrison
Published: April 21st 2015
Genre: Fiction, Cultural: African American
Pages: 178

Synopsis:  A young woman who calls herself Bride, whose stunning blue-black skin is only one element of her beauty, her boldness and confidence, her success in life, but which caused her light-skinned mother to deny her even the simplest forms of love. There is Booker, the man Bride loves, and loses to anger. Rain, the mysterious white child with whom she crosses paths. And finally, Bride’s mother herself, Sweetness, who takes a lifetime to come to understand that “what you do to children matters. And they might never forget.”

Not sure how I feel about this one. First Toni Morrison I  have ever read. It wasn't bad, but wasn't super stellar either. I read it easily enough, but I did put it down a few times. I think it's a cerebral book but it might have gone over my head.

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This Star Won't Go Out: The Life and Words of Esther Grace Earl by Esther Earl

Title: This Star Won't Go Out: The Life and Words of Esther Grace Earl
Author: Esther Earl, Lori Earl, Wayne Earl
Published: January 28th, 2014
Genre: Non Fiction, Young Adult
Pages: 431

Synopsis: A collection of the journals, fiction, letters, and sketches of the late Esther Grace Earl, who passed away in 2010 at the age of 16. Photographs and essays by family and friends will help to tell Esther’s story along with an introduction by award-winning author John Green who dedicated his #1 bestselling novel The Fault in Our Stars to her.

A very good look at life as a teenager with cancer. She fought the good fight and she sadly lost. She was a fairly talented girl. I think if you have a child with cancer or are a fan of the book The Fault In Our Stars, you should read this.
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Schedule for the foreseeable future!

Mondays will have books from the Young Adult Genre.

Tuesdays will be either nothing or non fiction if I have something to post.

Wednesday is Wacky Wednesday or anything goes.

Thursdays will not have anything unless I decide to post random one today.

Fridays are Freaky Fridays and will be paranormal themed.

Saturday is Series Saturday. I will be posting books from the Lucas Davenport series when it is available.

Sunday will only have posts if the reviews pile up as I said with Thursday.

Thank You!

Sickness sucks!

Due to unforeseen circumstances, or rather due to an injury, I am unable to sit for long periods of time at a computer. That being said I am reading a lot and will post reviews when I get a chance to type them up. I am sorry. I have a back log of them to post. :(

Eyes Of Prey (Lucas Davenport #3) by John Sandford

Title: Eyes of Prey
Author: John Sandford
Series: Lucas Davenport
Published: 1992
Genre: Crime, Mystery, Thriller
Pages: 358

Synopsis: Lucas Davenport is depressed. He deals with it by charging full speed into a death investigation when a wife is murdered. He ends up in a cat and mouse game where he knows the husband had something to do with it, but can he prove it?

This case was crazy. I love the cat and mouse and knowing that Bekker was involved, but not really knowing how that could be. The Bekker character was scary as hell. His "beauty" side was the scariest aspect to a person I have ever read. Lucas being depressed is not a shocker really, but a good thing to see in him as it makes him actually seem more like a human and less like an asshole. This seems a lot more like a character development in Lucas than about the killings. I will say that Druze and Bekker were good adversaries and it was very worth reading. I did not see the ending coming at all either.

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Shadow Prey (Lucas Davenport #2) by John Sandford

Title: Shadow Prey
Author: John Sandford
Series: Lucas Davenport #2
Published: 1990
Genre: Crime, Mystery
Pages: 342

Synopsis: A small band of American Indians have started a vendetta against the white men that have oppressed them. They are ceremonially killing them with a stone knife. Lily Rothenburg comes from New York and works with Lucas and it all gets interesting. Can Lucas outsmart Shadow Love and his band of crows.

I am going to start this review by saying that I do NOT like Lily. I had reservations about Jennifer in the first book and this one didn't make me like her anymore. Lucas is only making me like him a little more. This book was pretty fascinating, and I loved it. I love reading this series as it takes place in the city I grew up in. Shadow Love was a sick individual and what he did in the end was crazy. I am liking this series. This one was a little on the obnoxious side with Lily and Lucas though.

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The Undertaker's Daughter by Kate Mayfield

Title: The Undertaker's Daughter
Author: Kate Mayfield
Published: January 13th 2015
Genre: Memoir, Nonfiction
Pages: 350

Synopsis: What if you grew up in a funeral home? This book takes you on the journey of a little girl who grew up in the 50s and 60s in a funeral home in the south. It was the first home she ever knew, and a fascinating story.

This was a fairly fascinating story of life in the 60s and into the 70s in Jubilee, Kentucky. Kate lived in a world where she knew about tragedy and loss before most even thought about it. Reading about her secretly dating black kids and breaking the rules. It was fascinating to read about her life and how she dealt with it, and reading about how the vision of her father was shattered when she found out things she didn't know about him. Also reading about her sister Evelyn and her bipolar disorder before they knew about, or diagnosed it was crazy. Her sister holding her at knife point and threatening to kill her little sister. It was all very interesting and I recommend it.

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The Bookseller by Cynthia Swanson

Title: The Bookseller
Author: Cynthia Swanson
Published: March 3rd 2015
Genre: Historical Fiction
Pages: 338

Synopsis: A woman who owns a bookstore keeps having dreams about another life where her life went drastically different. In her daily world she is alone and lives with her cat, in her dream world she is married and has three kids. But, which world is real?

Very interesting book and well worth reading if you like Historical Fiction. I am a little saddened by the reality that won out, but not entirely surprised. I love Kitty or Katharyn and loved her and her partner in the bookshop Freida; in fact I loved Freida a little more than I liked Kitty if I am honest. I feel a little lukewarm on this one, but it's a little more chick lit than I normally read.

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Unforeseen Circumstances.

I will not be posting a review every day. I will be posting as many as I can, but I have had some health issues that have taken president over my reading and whatnot. I will be posting as many as I have ready and the scheduled ones will post, but I have to take care of my health first.

Thank you for understanding.

Rules of Prey (Lucas Davenport #1) by John Sandford

Title: Rules Of Prey
Author: John Sandford
Series: Lucas Davenport
Published: 1989
Genre: Crime, Mystery, Thriller
Pages: 479

Synopsis: Introducing Lucas Davenport in the first book in a giant series. Meet that "maddog" murderer and he is hunting women in the twin cities. The two face off in a cat and mouse chase.

The "maddog" killer is a very good foe and makes an intriguing subject. His victims are "The Chosen" and he is "The One". I have to admit that I am not a giant fan of Lucas. Well, not initially. I have a huge problem liking men who are womanizers, and Lucas is a big one. I love the writing style and while it felt a little long, it was all for the good of the story. I can tell you that I didn't like Jennifer at all. There is something about her that is annoying as hell to me. Maybe it's her cutthroat attitude or something, but I can't stand her and I don't see why Lucas would be with her, except that he is also a bit of an asshole, so it makes sense.

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Eat Slay Love (Living with the Dead #3) by Jesse Petersen

**Warning: might have small spoilers, proceed with caution**

Title: Eat Slay Love
Author: Jesse Petersen
Series: Living With the Dead
Published: July 2011
Genre: Horror, Urban Fantasy, Zombies, Romance
Pages: 277

Synopsis: In this final installment we see Sarah and David trying to get to the "Wall". Dave has some weird abilities that are worrisome and then run into a reported with an ulterior motive and a hapless rocker junkie who is more zoned out than the zombies around them. They hope they can make it to the wall and will be able to enter the safe zone. That is, if there is one.


This wasn't too bad. It was not as good as the first one, which had it's own charm. I love the aspects of them running into more crazy people and finally getting to their destination. David and Sarah are still together and still alive, well mostly. I think that Nicole is a tad annoying but otherwise a good addition to the story. I am sincerely not sure why McCray was in the story and I wanted to punch him the entire time. The commentary of them getting to the wall and finding out the government is being a giant cover-up machine should be no surprise to anyone. Kathleen was a breath of fresh air that came in almost too late. Not a bad finish for the series, but it fell a little flat in the end. She has some great lines and quips, but as the series goes on I like Sarah less and less. That shouldn't happen in a series. To each their own I guess.

Favorite Quote: "Savor your own good life. Or even just life in general. Especially when the zombies are coming" (Chapter title on page 52)

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AsapScience by Mitchell Moffitt, Greg Brown

Title: AsapSCIENCE: Answers to the Word's Weirdest Questions, Most Persistent Rumors, and Unexplained Phenomena
Author: Mitchell Moffitt, Greg Brown
Published: March 2015
Genre: Nonfiction
Pages: 256 Pages

Synopsis: Answers to random scientific questions from guys who run a YouTube channel.

This is a very good book if you are scientifically inclined. They don't beat around the bush and admit when they don't know an answer. Everything from why we get a brain freeze, to if it hurts worse to give birth or get kicked in the balls. Honestly many questions you always wanted to know the answers to, and even some questions you may have never thought to ask.

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Cat Out Of Hell by Lynne Truss

Title: Cat Out Of Hell
Author: Lynne Truss
Published: March 3rd 2015
Genre: Fiction, Horror, Fantasy
Pages: 256

Synopsis: For people who both love and hate cats comes the tale of Alec Charlesworth, a librarian who finds himself suddenly alone: he’s lost his job, his beloved wife has just died. Overcome by grief, he searches for clues about her disappearance in a file of interviews between a man called "Wiggy" and a cat, Roger. Who speaks to him.

What the actual hell did I just read. I am not sure what to say about this book. I had trouble getting into it because the formatting was weird to me and I think I just couldn't get into it. Maybe you can make heads or tails of it, but my mom had a similar reaction.


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Silver Screen Fiend by Patton Oswalt

Title: Silver Screen Fiend: Learning About Life from an Addiction to Film
Author: Patton Oswalt
Published: January 6th 2015
Genre: Nonfiction
Pages: 240

Synopsis:

I have no idea what I actually read. I mean I get his love of film and that it was a great period in his life, but still I am not sure what that was about. I think that most that I really got out of this was the bit about the Night Cafe. That was what made reading this entire book worthwhile. I loved the entire section on the night cafe and it was a very good and what I needed right now. Sometimes you have a book come along that you don't realize the potential it has until you read it and when you read it you think it's bad. I loved it.

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