Category: reviews

Cookie’s Book Club Annual Christmas Giveaway

A friend of mine named Cookie is doing her annual Christmas book giveaway. Head on over there if you’re interested in some free books, paperback and ebook alike. She runs a very nice book review site, so please spend some time browsing if you’re a reader. I’ll be giving away a couple paperback copies of A Storm in Tormay and The Fury Clock. If you haven’t read those, you really need to. You will find them a rewarding experience or I’ll eat my hat (caveat: I don’t own a hat).

Okay, Merry Christmas! If you hear stuck sounds from your chimney on Christmas Eve, grab your camera and get some good video for a sure-fire Youtube hit.

Personal Recommendations: 3/3 vs. Random Selections: 0/100

Okay, I think I’m seeing a trend here. The past three books that I’ve read due to personal recommendations have all been good. By personal recommendations I mean I’ve found the book due to someone I know referring the title (friends, reviewers I’ve gotten to know on Goodreads, etc). The three books are The Book Thief (thank you, Heather), The Death of the Necromancer (thank you, Daniel), and The Deed of Paksennarion (which I’m halfway through and enjoying…thank you, Pauline).

However, randomly selecting free books on Amazon from genres I enjoy, such as fantasy and thrillers? Sheesh. I’m batting zero. I want to find good books! They have to be out there. Somewhere. At the end of the day I’m more of a reader than an author. I crave good books like water in a desert.

Thank God for personal recommendations.

 

Warning: Nuclear Torpedo Salvo about to be launched

Almost finished reading Veronica Roth’s Divergent. Huge best-seller. Amazingly successful. In development for film. Widely praised. One of the worst books I’ve ever read in my life. Normally, I don’t write negative reviews. If I don’t like a book, I don’t review it. This is doubly so for indie books. If I read a bad indie book, I just walk silently away (at least, so far). Being an indie writer myself, I’m painfully aware of how a negative review can slump sales. I review books I really like. However, Roth’s book is traditionally published and will not be affected in the slightest by my squeaky mouse opinion. So, I’m going to review it. In bloody, blazing battle glory. Keep your eyes peeled. I’m almost done.

I hate this book. I despise it. I loathe it. I’m off to Costco.

Review of A Storm in Tormay on the Best in Fantasy Blog

Nice surprise this morning! I discovered that the Best in Fantasy Blog just gave me a very kind review of A Storm in Tormay! Unexpected and out of the blue. Connie Jaspersen, author of The Last Good Knight and Tower of Bones, is the reviewer and proprietor of that site. If you get a chance, head on over to her blog and check it out. She has a lot of fantasy and science fiction reviews.