Monthly Archives: January 2020

Recommendations

2020 Book Review: What Men Live By and Other Tales Leo Tolstoy

This book contains short stories that are meant to be–moral tales. I have read a little from Tolstoy, but this grouping is one of the few books I have read. I read it several years ago and as I’ve not really mentioned it before I figured it’d be ideal for this year of book reviewing. Each story is different with its own lesson to teach.

It was one of those books I wanted to know more of what others thought, what they gained for themselves after reading it and I read online that some took it as a long story broken up into different shorter ones whereas some thought of it as separate individual tales with separate lessons.

Since this is my review and not me rehashing other thoughts as a review my thoughts are that each story contains some valuable lessons. I can see how others can see it as one long story, but I approached each individually as I was reading them. It has theological overtone and approaches the subject of mankind very well. It targets things like greedy and the deeper question of what mankind believes what God is. How what man think of God is flawed as man is flawed.

Very interesting stories that made me rethink things that were going on in my life. I enjoy a book that makes me think about things. I’m a woman very much in her own head often so if something can break through to me on this kind of level of concepts, logic, and values I will think on that subject for days. Often, as of more recent years when something like this comes along into my life I notice I talk about to just about every ear I can snag.

I suppose I’m a bit of a bore.

This review is a part of my 2020 yearlong self-challenge to read and review. I have reread some books for the purpose of reviewing them on my website whereas I have read others for the first time. Check out Book Reviews and Recommendations to find other book reviews, book recommendations, and more information about the books I’m reading, have read, or are sharing.

Have you read this book? What were your thoughts? Do you agree with me? Do you disagree? Let’s have a conversation about it.

Recommendations

2020 Book Review: A Stir of Echoes by Richard Matheson

Richard Matheson has written one a book that became one of my favorite movies of all time, What Dreams May Come. I have yet to read that book; the film captured me so much, but it is one I’ll read down the road if I ever come across it. He wrote another one, the one for this review, A Stir of Echoes. Again, this is another book I was introduced to as a film first. The movie and the films always differ, I understand there’s technical reason, budget reasons sometimes, and I don’t know what the case was in this situation, but the book isn’t as good as the movie, in my opinion.

This is a classic ghost story. It’s dark, eerie, and creepy. I appreciate Matheson’s work. I’m not sure if it’s because I enjoyed the film so much, but the book is good–different, but good. I don’t enjoy writing about things I don’t like. I don’t want to bring attention to those things and rarely express a distaste publically, but in this review, I have to say if I had to compare, though the book is good I prefer the movie version better. I enjoy the story, the slow rolling out as if its fog coming into town, but the movie spoiled me. It didn’t ruin things enough for me I won’t read it again. I most likely will, but if you’re going to go into this expecting it to be exactly like the novel, don’t.

The book is best summed up as its own entity. I wish I could have enjoyed it more. I had trouble not comparing it to the movie throughout my reading and I believe I ruined my experience; this is the main reason I’ll return to it later. Perhaps in a few years. The writer is excellent. A great talent. He’s done a lot of movies and television work and I’ve wondered if working in books was harder for him or working in film as many writers, including myself, have described scenes we’re writing as a scene in our head we’re trying to describe into words. Sometimes we fail in the translation and sometimes we’re able to succeed in our attempts.

This review is a part of my 2020 yearlong self-challenge to read and review. I have reread some books for the purpose of reviewing them on my website whereas I have read others for the first time. Check out Book Reviews and Recommendations to find other book reviews, book recommendations, and more information about the books I’m reading, have read, or are sharing.

Have you read this book? What were your thoughts? Do you agree with me? Do you disagree? Let’s have a conversation about it.

Recommendations

2020 Book Review: 1984 by George Orwell

There are some books I’ve come across in my youth that my perspective changed in my aging. Sometimes I find a gem I see completely different later. As is life, perception changes and life goes on, but this is just one of those books that can transform over time after you’ve experienced more that life has to give.

This book, when I first read it was confusing. I thought it was different in a ‘weird’ way and could appreciate its well-written tale. It must’ve stuck me enough for me to read it again later in life. I suppose the reason it was so different for me when I first read it was the world, I lived in then wasn’t what it is now. Now we live in a high-tech age where knowledge is at our fingertips, heck I’m writing this review on something connected to the internet and if I need to look up a word, I can search it up instantly instead of scrambling for my dictionary to make sure I’m using something properly. I’ve witnessed a lot in my time and because of this I knew I wanted to read it again.

I read the posts on social media of people calling out their sirens we’re living in 1984. Their warnings were living in the heartbreaking dystopian novel. I had to reread it. I wanted to see if I was as I was remembering it. It was horrific. It became a reflection of how bad things in the real-world could get, I could place some things in the ‘now’ for me, and that alone was eerie. This book was a warning the second read around. This is the kind of book everyone should read twice in their life. Once when younger and once when older; I won’t say that often about a book, but I will about this one.

This review is a part of my 2020 yearlong self-challenge to read and review. I have reread some books for the purpose of reviewing them on my website whereas I have read others for the first time. Check out Book Reviews and Recommendations to find other book reviews, book recommendations, and more information about the books I’m reading, have read, or are sharing.

Have you read this book? What were your thoughts? Do you agree with me? Do you disagree? Let’s have a conversation about it.

Recommendations

2020 Book Review: Roald Dahl’s Book of Ghost Stories

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This is not a book written by Dahl. Instead, this is a collection of authors he wanted for a collection with the theme ghost stories. The introduction told helped me fix my initial mistake. I’m glad I usually flip through a few pages and read before picking up and purchasing, read the summary, and really break a book down now that I’m older. It really becomes a matter of ‘is this worth my money’ when I approach a book to enjoy and not because of the industry I work.

E. F. Benson’s story In the Tube stood out the most to me. I really enjoyed it. The other stories included, are very well curated, but I enjoyed this one the most. I found each story to be well written and just the right amount of fear. It seems I come across too many stories that rely on gore to scare in their tales, not enough anticipation with delivery. This collection is the type I enjoy. A dribble here and a dot there of ‘what’s going on’ cleaned up with the reveal and the exhale of making it to the end. A thrill-ride.

In the introduction, the tale of the book’s conception is shared. The struggles of finding a good or even a great story when wanting to create an anthology. I’ve been down this road myself and it can be a frustration, but it also tells of the gems that can be found. A reflection of today, for me. Now and then you come across a book you can really sink your teeth into. This collection is worthy of a chomp again from me.

This review is a part of my 2020 yearlong self-challenge to read and review. I have reread some books for the purpose of reviewing them on my website whereas I have read others for the first time. Check out Book Reviews and Recommendations to find other book reviews, book recommendations, and more information about the books I’m reading, have read, or are sharing.

Have you read this book? What were your thoughts? Do you agree with me? Do you disagree? Let’s have a conversation about it.

Recommendations

2020 Book Review: Frankenstein by Mary Shelley

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I read this book for the first time in the fifth grade as part of a project on the author Mary Shelley. I admit, back then I really didn’t want to do anyone else. I had never read her work but heard of her and her work in classes. I never knew that this author would become one of my favorites as I grew up. To this day, she along with Poe, Lovecraft, and Rice have become beloved writers to me.

This book, specifically, took me into a world of darkness that I could relate. The character of the monster spoke to me. He was an outsider, and I often felt that way. Misunderstood, the monster, and never accepted. These were all things I could relate to as a young girl new to the area and from a different part of the country. It taught me that ‘the monster’ wasn’t a monster, the true monster was how we treat people different from ourselves. It’s a life lesson I’ve always carried with me and seen, sadly, repeated. The true monster is how cruel people can be and how judgmental people can be.

Shelley’s words were dark and romantic and this style, over time, became one style I favored and cherished most in a book. I love words, the romantic way they can flow; perhaps I can consider her one of my earliest influences on molding me into a writer.

Not wanting to be a book snob here, but there has never been a movie or television version that has captured me the same way as this book has. If you only know this book because of a movie I highly recommend reading the book. Sometimes, I admit, a movie or show can give a book justice, but I have not come across one on this title.

This review is a part of my 2020 yearlong self-challenge to read and review. I have reread some books for the purpose of reviewing them on my website whereas I have read others for the first time. Check out Book Reviews and Recommendations to find other book reviews, book recommendations, and more information about the books I’m reading, have read, or are sharing.

Have you read this book? What were your thoughts? Do you agree with me? Do you disagree? Let’s have a conversation about it.

SFA Announcements, Southern Fried Autopsies

Good-bye Southern Fried Autopsies

Starting 2020, for me, begins with cleaning. I start Spring Cleaning long before it’s ever Spring. I enjoy starting the new year fresh. It’s a reboot of the soul and going into it with a clean slate. This means I clean out a year’s worth of stuff that has cluttered my office, my mind, and my website/social media.

With the closing of the wonderful publishing company Burning Willow Press last year, this left the anthology Southern Fried Autopsies‘ fate in the air. I could’ve moved forward, but I chose not to. I have deleted the Facebook page and the page here on the website. Many copies are out in the world. I was able to collect a copy, and it sits alongside my other work on my shelf.