You are browsing the archive for December 2011.
Think Tremors when a zany group of characters struggle to save their home after a genetically altered creeper vine invades a small desert town with an insatiable thirst… and a taste for human blood.
One month after her husband-to-be proposed to Dr. Diana Denholm, he was diagnosed with colon cancer. She married him, and for the next 11 years until his death she was his primary caregiver as he suffered through surgery, chemo, and congestive heart failure, followed by a heart transplant, skin cancer, a choking disorder, Parkinson’s, and many more dire conditions—ranging from gout to osteoarthritis—too numerous to name here. Upon hearing this story, is it so wrong to feel sympathy for the wife?
Grief and guilt ripple through Heaven Again by H. C. Turk, but not in a morose or self-pitying way. Despite emotionally weighed-down characters and tragic events, this compact, engaging novel that takes place in fictional locales in Florida compels the reader more to contemplation than anger, tears, or depression.
Forbidden by law and denounced as an abomination by the church, the Kure has been hidden for centuries… John Tyler has never met Sarah Sheridan. But he knows he must find her, and somehow convince her that she is the key to unlocking the power of an ancient ritual that will rid his body of a rare and ravaging disease. But as cure quickly becomes curse, John realizes the ritual is more than a faded promise scrawled on a page of crumbling paper, and he discovers, too late, that the unholy text has unleashed a dark power that is driving him to consider the unthinkable. Ultimately, John must choose between his desperate need to arrest the plague that is destroying his body, and the virtue of the woman he loves, knowing the wrong decision could cost him his life.
It’s almost Christmas. With the global holiday days away, the people of the world should be turning their attention toward celebrating peace and goodwill, but tension between humans, vampires, and væmpires is at an all-time high. Desperate for solutions, King Brant schedules a secret summit deep in North America’s Northern Forest. Along with Queen Anne, Princess Cassandra, Daniel’s family, and the human president and First Lady, the vampire leader seeks to reaffirm the ties between humans and vampires, while brainstorming ways to respond to the growing hostility among væmpires.
For anyone young or old, who has (or had) a lovable teddy bear, Phillip Laird has written a beautiful and charming story about the special relationship between a stuffed bear and his friend, a young girl. They share a special loving relationship despite the lack of love in their household. They dance, snuggle, and play games together. The little girl is his Princess and he is her Solomon Bear.
Monsters Do Ugly Things by Mark Adam Kaplan, with illustrations by Glen Scano, is a great digital gift for readers, young or old, this holiday season who might be getting an ereader for the holidays.
The premise of this story was taken from the 1940’s movie “Devil Bat”. I found myself reliving the movie “Clue” instead with the variety of characters. The French maid with a thick accent, the older doctor with the piercing stare, and the wise talking photographer, are to name a few. All of them holed up in an extravagant mansion investigating the mysterious murders.
With so many fantastical stories about wizards, vampires, fairies, and other beings written for the pre-YA Children’s Fiction market today, we sometimes forget that it is the simple, everyday stories that can have the ability to inspire kids more than the mystical. Sometimes reading a story based in reality- about their dreams and aspirations- is a way for them to understand the challenge can be worked past, and that their dream may be attainable. The onslaught of fantasy stories may teach morals and decision-making, but it does not allow a child to connect the characters to their life in way that says “Maybe I can do that.”
It all comes down to this – Monster Planet. This book is the finale to David Wellington’s zombie trilogy, and being a fan, and having read his vampire series, he has yet to disappoint.
C.V. reviews Chuggie and the Desecration of Stagwater by Brent Michael Kelley
Shannon reviews The Boston 395 by Jason Derr
Susan reviews Appraisal for Murder by Elaine Orr
C.V. reviews Hellwatch by Larime Taylor (February's 1st review)
Jaime reviews The Parrot's Perch by Karen Keilt
Susan reviews Dark Mind by Jennifer Chase
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