The following review was done at the request of the author:
My Review of Diary of a Teenage Faerie Princess:
Diary of a Teenage Faerie Princess is a Young Adult novel, and I am definitely not the target audience for this book (I have not been a young adult for quite some time).
Still, I read it with an open mind and it reasonably managed to keep my attention. It has an irreverent, off-kilter style and showed a charming, witty attitude. The novel does read much like a teenage diary: full of disjointed musings, personal observations, philosophical opinions, and a pervading preoccupation with sexual thoughts and deeds. Regrettably though, the tone is often uneven and wanders off into unrelated tangents, even introducing characters that appear and disappear without reason.
The book begins with a slightly whacked-out review on the origins of the universe, before introducing the reader to Jaynie, the seventeen year old main character. From there we are swirled in the maelstrom of her personality:
“But what was a poor girl to do? When she wasn’t trammeling through town on her skateboard; shocking pedestrians, frightening to near heart attack, flying into intersections at brake screeching speeds, things could get…well…BORING!”
Readers are then plunged into the escapades of this unique girl, beginning as Jaynie goes questing for new shoes (sadly hampered by her large toes):
“Her puffed-as-a-passionate-puffer-fish pose began deflating. Right there in front of her eyes the beautiful red and yellow balloon of excitement she had erected went limp and flaccid like a wet noodle. She had meant to buy some shoes. Had money and was not afraid to use it. But somewhere along the road to this moment at the Bigguns Shoe Emporium her big toe had got so big she not could get a shoe to fit her.”
Jaynie’s shoe quest leads her on to an even larger pursuit: to find her long-missing mother. She discovers a previously unknown Faerie heritage and strange allies as the reader descends (literally) into the land of Faerie:
“A quick push from behind and Jaynie stepped through the door and fell through into a black space that pulled her in like a mega power vacuum. And suddenly she was racing full speed down a slide, or chute, or something that took her breath away, terrifying and reducing her to a droning scream, “AAAIIEEE….”
If there were any doubt as to her ability to scream with ear blasting power for long duration, all doubt ended with this performance. There were only two other times in her life where a scream approaching but not equaling this magnitude had been emitted from her tender throat.”
There, she explores her new world and embarks on a series of escapades that lead to a clash between her allies and the darker forces of the faerie world. It is during this conflict she finds an end to her search:
“Arriving finally at the imprisonment quarters was in the end a bit anticlimactic. Where Jaynie had expected a full-scale high tech lockdown of the Star Wars variety, what she found was a grim, foul smelling enclosure, more in keeping with medieval dungeons than modern penitentiary schemes.”
Diary of a Teenage Faerie Princess does have its problems, mostly in the beginning chapters, but it also has merit in its twisty hodgepodge of well-written madness. The author C. B. Smith has created a book of droll, intricate chaos that bounces off a sugar rush.
I am not sure the book’s quirky style will captivate everyone, but it will, I suspect, greatly appeal to its target audience.
Diary of a Teenage Faerie Princess is available now through Createspace and should be available on Amazon.com shortly.
Join the Shadowy World of Fantasy and Horror Author A. F. Stewart
Sunday, 14 September 2008
Wednesday, 27 August 2008
My Review of America's Hidden History
Book Review of America's Hidden History: Untold tales of the first pilgrims, fighting women, and forgotten founders who shaped a nation, by Kenneth C. Davis.
You know a book on American History is going to be interesting when the Introduction starts with a reference to Flip Wilson. And I was not disappointed reading America’s Hidden History by Kenneth C. Davis.
America’s Hidden History is a book of six stylish, sometimes wry, vignettes that detail the more obscure tales of American history. The tales spin out in a well-written, forthright style, as a master storyteller discloses secrets of the past. It is just the kind of book on history I love, highlighting not facts and figures, but people and their real stories. There are little known stories of Conquistadors, Pilgrims, Puritans, Founding Fathers, and Revolutionaries, opening an illuminating window on the early saga of what became the United States of America.
I found the first two stories, that deal with the first explorers and settlers, an appealing, entertaining read, and mildly enlightening. Mr. Davis drops the veil on this history, to give the reader a true glimpse at the lives that wove that fabric.
He writes:
“In this inconceivable moment of terror, shock, and grief, the two women were spared. Taken captive along with at least ten other prisoners from Haverhill, they began a wilderness trek.”
It was in the remainder of the book, where the author starts telling tales of the American Revolution and its participants, that the book elevates from great to riveting. Conventional history gets turned on its ear, to reveal some very intriguing facts. I certainly learned a few things I thought I already knew.
Mr Davis pens:
“While Arnold prepared for this wilderness march to Quebec, his rival Ethan Allen was already assaulting Montreal. With only a handful of men, Allen had foolishly attacked the city late in September 1775. The attack was a fiasco, and the hero of Ticonderoga was captured by the British. His Revolutionary military career was over.”
America’s Hidden History dips past the standard book on history, removing the rose-coloured glasses we often use to view the past. Yet, within its pages are far more fascinating stories that should be read. Oh, and if you ever set out to colonize a new world make sure you bring the pigs.
Kenneth C. Davis is the bestselling author of Don’t Know Much About History, part of the popular Don’t Know Much About series.
America’s Hidden History is available online at Amazon and other retailers.
You know a book on American History is going to be interesting when the Introduction starts with a reference to Flip Wilson. And I was not disappointed reading America’s Hidden History by Kenneth C. Davis.
America’s Hidden History is a book of six stylish, sometimes wry, vignettes that detail the more obscure tales of American history. The tales spin out in a well-written, forthright style, as a master storyteller discloses secrets of the past. It is just the kind of book on history I love, highlighting not facts and figures, but people and their real stories. There are little known stories of Conquistadors, Pilgrims, Puritans, Founding Fathers, and Revolutionaries, opening an illuminating window on the early saga of what became the United States of America.
I found the first two stories, that deal with the first explorers and settlers, an appealing, entertaining read, and mildly enlightening. Mr. Davis drops the veil on this history, to give the reader a true glimpse at the lives that wove that fabric.
He writes:
“In this inconceivable moment of terror, shock, and grief, the two women were spared. Taken captive along with at least ten other prisoners from Haverhill, they began a wilderness trek.”
It was in the remainder of the book, where the author starts telling tales of the American Revolution and its participants, that the book elevates from great to riveting. Conventional history gets turned on its ear, to reveal some very intriguing facts. I certainly learned a few things I thought I already knew.
Mr Davis pens:
“While Arnold prepared for this wilderness march to Quebec, his rival Ethan Allen was already assaulting Montreal. With only a handful of men, Allen had foolishly attacked the city late in September 1775. The attack was a fiasco, and the hero of Ticonderoga was captured by the British. His Revolutionary military career was over.”
America’s Hidden History dips past the standard book on history, removing the rose-coloured glasses we often use to view the past. Yet, within its pages are far more fascinating stories that should be read. Oh, and if you ever set out to colonize a new world make sure you bring the pigs.
Kenneth C. Davis is the bestselling author of Don’t Know Much About History, part of the popular Don’t Know Much About series.
America’s Hidden History is available online at Amazon and other retailers.
Tuesday, 19 August 2008
Update on my book Inside Realms- Its approved!
I got my final proof copy of Inside Realms, everything was fine, and it is now officially approved for online distribution!
Now I just have to wait 6-8 weeks for it to magically appear at the online retail stores like Amazon and Barnes and Noble.
I shall count the days.
Now I just have to wait 6-8 weeks for it to magically appear at the online retail stores like Amazon and Barnes and Noble.
I shall count the days.
Friday, 25 July 2008
Book Review- T’ain’t Nobody’s Business if I Do: Women Blues Singers Old and New
Written as a series of short biographies, T’ain’t Nobody’s Business if I Do: Women Blues Singers Old and New by Rhetta Akamatsu, is a revealing peak into the characters of memorable women in the world of blues music. After giving a short introduction into the background of the blues, the author lets us glimpse into the lives of the women that sang the music. She takes the reader from the early days of singers carving out the industry, to the ladies of today that still carry the blues legacy. Each biography is complemented with photos, quotes, selected song lyrics and footnotes.
It is quite obvious from the first sentence that the author knows her subject, and has an affection for the blues. Ms. Akamatsu has done her research, infusing the book with absorbing facts, while maintaining a lively, entertaining pace and feel to the book.
It is a captivating look into music history, and in her writing style she manages to capture the essence of the blues era at its heyday. The book is written with atmosphere that clearly invokes both a time and a lifestyle. Even when writing of the modern blues musicians, the legacy is never far away.
“Of course, this was a hard-drinking, hardloving, hard-fighting life, and a woman had to be tough. Many of the women blues singers were tall, big-boned, and quick with temper and fist. All of them could stand up for themselves. There were no shrinking violets among the early blues women.”
And here she paints a vivid picture:
“They spent lots of time roughing it on the road, playing in juke joints and bars, or in tents in the middle of fields. They traveled in overcrowded, broken down trucks and cars, or on buses and trains. They ate at the backdoors of restaurants and in alleys, or at eating establishments for blacks only, and they slept in the homes of relatives or friends or in black boarding houses (many of which did not cater to entertainers.) Sometimes they slept in the cars or trucks.”
“Janis wanted to be the living embodiment of Bessie Smith. She tried to act tough and free, but she was really vulnerable and insecure. She loved her Southern Comfort and she preached free love, but a world of pain came through in her voice.”
I highly recommend the book for anyone who likes a good read, but especially for fans of biographies, or music lovers.
Monday, 7 July 2008
Book Review
Here is the first post in my series of book reviews and recommendations.
Book Review of The Long and Short of It by Gretchen Lee Bourquin:
Author Gretchen Lee Bourquin manages to write a contemporary and intimate slice of life in her book of poetry, The Long and Short of It.
The Long and Short of It is a book of twenty-five poems that the author divides into four categories: Poems at Play, a selection of graceful and whimsical verses; A Celebration of Craft, insightful poetry into the skill of writing and the muse; Finding a Place, a variety of introspective poems; and Poetry of Conscience, a commentary on different societal conditions.
Ms. Bourquin has a strong voice, a straightforward style and thankfully, does not indulge in overly fluffy prose. She knows how to capture a visual image, and reinforce it with emotional impact.
In the poem “Permission” she pens:
“She wraps herself inside her flannel tomb
to ward off chills that rival winter's breath.
She wonders how she'll dare to grant herself
a chance to move outside her inner shell,
and pull herself from self-inflicted death.”
One poem in particular I enjoyed was her “Casey at the Bat” sequel, “Casey in the Dugout.” Not only was it an amusing comment on the original poem, but I believe it holds satiric significance for today’s game of baseball.
She writes:
“Once the field was emptied and the crowd had been dispersed,
Casey's loyal fans did yell at him and tell him he's the worst
The once compliant baseball fans became an angry mob
And those who'd begged for autographs, now called the man a slob”
The author knows how to paint an effective portrait in verse, while quietly weaving in her unique view of the world. Her poetry is a gentle vista of the everyday. The Long and Short of It has no extraordinary, philosophical musings, but does offer quiet observations, intermingling with a few perceptive opinions.
Gretchen Lee Bourquin graduated with a Bachelor's of Arts Degree in Literature/Creative Writing from Southwest Minnesota State University in Marshall, MN, and garnered some early writing success with various publications. She has, in addition to The Long and Short of It, a published novel No Sensible People. Her biography and book information can be found on her website: http://www.gretchenleebourquin.com/
Book Review of The Long and Short of It by Gretchen Lee Bourquin:
Author Gretchen Lee Bourquin manages to write a contemporary and intimate slice of life in her book of poetry, The Long and Short of It.
The Long and Short of It is a book of twenty-five poems that the author divides into four categories: Poems at Play, a selection of graceful and whimsical verses; A Celebration of Craft, insightful poetry into the skill of writing and the muse; Finding a Place, a variety of introspective poems; and Poetry of Conscience, a commentary on different societal conditions.
Ms. Bourquin has a strong voice, a straightforward style and thankfully, does not indulge in overly fluffy prose. She knows how to capture a visual image, and reinforce it with emotional impact.
In the poem “Permission” she pens:
“She wraps herself inside her flannel tomb
to ward off chills that rival winter's breath.
She wonders how she'll dare to grant herself
a chance to move outside her inner shell,
and pull herself from self-inflicted death.”
One poem in particular I enjoyed was her “Casey at the Bat” sequel, “Casey in the Dugout.” Not only was it an amusing comment on the original poem, but I believe it holds satiric significance for today’s game of baseball.
She writes:
“Once the field was emptied and the crowd had been dispersed,
Casey's loyal fans did yell at him and tell him he's the worst
The once compliant baseball fans became an angry mob
And those who'd begged for autographs, now called the man a slob”
The author knows how to paint an effective portrait in verse, while quietly weaving in her unique view of the world. Her poetry is a gentle vista of the everyday. The Long and Short of It has no extraordinary, philosophical musings, but does offer quiet observations, intermingling with a few perceptive opinions.
Gretchen Lee Bourquin graduated with a Bachelor's of Arts Degree in Literature/Creative Writing from Southwest Minnesota State University in Marshall, MN, and garnered some early writing success with various publications. She has, in addition to The Long and Short of It, a published novel No Sensible People. Her biography and book information can be found on her website: http://www.gretchenleebourquin.com/
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