Musing Mondays

Musing Mondays asks you to muse about one of the following each week…
• Describe one of your reading habits.
• Tell us what book(s) you recently bought for yourself or someone else, and why you chose that/those book(s).
• What book are you currently desperate to get your hands on? Tell us about it! 
• Tell us what you’re reading right now — what you think of it, so far; why you chose it; what you are (or, aren’t) enjoying it.
• Do you have a bookish rant? Something about books or reading (or the industry) that gets your ire up? Share it with us!
• Instead of the above questions, maybe you just want to ramble on about something else pertaining to books — let’s hear it, then!

Since I am going to London in May, I started reading London: An Autobiography by Jon E. Lewis. It is really a wealth of information on the history of the city and I am really enjoying it.
















 P.S. Please don't forget to sign up for my brand new newsletter which is located right at the top of the page. It will be out once a week, featuring my exclusive stories, poetry, and even songs from my upcoming album! Don't miss out!

The Martian by Andy Weir

S ix days ago, astronaut Mark Watney became one of the first men to walk on the surface of Mars. Now, he's sure he'll be the first man to die there.

It started with the dust storm that holed his suit and nearly killed him, and that forced his crew to leave him behind, sure he was already dead. Now he's stranded millions of miles from the nearest human being, with no way to even signal Earth that he's alive--and even if he could get word out, his food would be gone years before a rescue mission could arrive. Chances are, though, he won't have time to starve to death. The damaged machinery, unforgiving environment, or plain-old "human error" are much more likely to get him first.

But Mark isn't ready to give up yet. Drawing on his ingenuity, his engineering skills--and a relentless, dogged refusal to quit--he steadfastly confronts one seemingly insurmountable obstacle after the next. But will his resourcefulness be enough to overcome the impossible odds against him?

This was a fun novel that definitely kept me reading. Although the writing wasn’t the best, the plot was enough to make me continue.

The novel works because it is fast-paced. If it was just a bit slower, it would fall apart, so either the author has a very good sense of timing or he has a very good editor. The structure of the novel didn’t quite work for me, though. The diary form robs the story of some of the immediacy that it needs to be more of a thriller. As it is, we don’t really get any tension until the last chapter or so of the novel. The viewpoints also jump around, from first person, to third person, and it doesn’t always work. 

The protagonist, Mark Watney, is entertaining, but is not a fully realized character. Everything about him is comedic and sarcastic even during the most difficult experiences he goes through, which makes the suspense less…well, suspenseful. We don’t want a whiner to narrate the novel, but we also don’t want everything to be a joke, especially when Watney is dealing with life and death scenarios. I would have liked to see more about him and his life. We get absolutely no background. Nothing more than a quick mention of his parents.

 

The plot is interesting and there is obviously a huge amount of research that went into writing this book, so it is worth reading. Just don’t expect an life-changing reading experience.

 P.S. Please don't forget to sign up for my brand new newsletter which is located right at the top of the page. It will be out once a week, featuring my exclusive stories, poetry, and even songs from my upcoming album! Don't miss out!

My Debut Novel: The Rose Master

I am so thrilled to announce that you can now add my debut novel THE ROSE MASTER, which is coming out in June of this year, to your Goodreads To-Read lists!

It would mean so much if you could add it to your lists. Here is a taste of what the novel is about:

There's something wrong with Rosewood Manor.

As the newly hire parlor made for the run-down and isolated house, seventeen-year-old Anne arrives to find the only other servants gripped by icy silence, bruises and unexplainable violence marking their bodies. Then, there's the young Master, the last of the Greys, who is as cold as the place he inhabits. During the days, the feeling of being watched follows Anne wherever she goes– the night's provide no rest, not with the animal-like clawing at her door. She begins to realize there is something else in the house with them, some creature that is stalking the freezing corridors. Left alone with the distant Lord Grey, Anne learns not only that the creature is real, but that she alone wields an unimaginable ability that can help stop the madness.

Now, Anne must decide if she's willing to risk her life for the young man she's grown to admire.

It's a bit of Jane Eyre, with Wuthering Heights and lots of extra Gothic thrills!

The cover, which I've already had a peek at, is chilling and awesome.  
I am getting ready to write the sequel, which is why I am heading to London. So I hope that you will get into the Gothic spirit of things and give my book a chance! 









If you are interested, then you can add my book right here.





P.S. Please don't forget to sign up for my brand new newsletter which is located right at the top of the page. It will be out once a week, featuring my exclusive stories, poetry, and even songs from my upcoming album! Don't miss out!

Musing Mondays

Musing Mondays asks you to muse about one of the following each week…
• Describe one of your reading habits.
• Tell us what book(s) you recently bought for yourself or someone else, and why you chose that/those book(s).
• What book are you currently desperate to get your hands on? Tell us about it! 
• Tell us what you’re reading right now — what you think of it, so far; why you chose it; what you are (or, aren’t) enjoying it.
• Do you have a bookish rant? Something about books or reading (or the industry) that gets your ire up? Share it with us!
• Instead of the above questions, maybe you just want to ramble on about something else pertaining to books — let’s hear it, then!


Many of you know that my debut novel is being released this June. It is a Gothic Victorian that takes place in England, in a manor in the countryside. Well, I've already mapped out the sequel, which will take place entirely in London and so I've booked a trip to go visit London in May. My hotel is booked and I am ready to go!
As I travel, I will be blogging about my experiences in England and Scotland (which I am also going to visit). My blog will be full of pictures and video from the trip beginning on May 6th, so I hope you all stop by every once in a while during my two week stay across the pond.
Just wanted to share that with all of you.









 P.S. Please don't forget to sign up for my brand new newsletter which is located right at the top of the page. It will be out once a week, featuring my exclusive stories, poetry, and even songs from my upcoming album! Don't miss out!

Shirley by Susan Merrell

A fictional young couple spends a year at Bennington in 1964 with novelist Shirley Jackson and her husband in this captivating psychological thriller.

This novel suffers from misclassification. When I read the blurb, it described the novel as a psychological thriller, which is…not quite right. Shirley is, at most, psychological suspense. When you categorize a book as a thriller, you make the reader think of actions, lots of it, and this book didn’t have much at all. That’s not to say that the novel is not worth reading; on the contrary, I found it engaging and very well written. It just wasn’t what I expected. 

The characters, especially Shirley, are full realized, with all their flaws visible to see. There were some, I felt, “fluff” moments. There is a dream sequence that could have easily been edited out since it had little impact on the rest of the story. It didn’t even serve as back story. Other sections were tightly written, so that the pages flew by. It just wasn’t balanced, I felt. 

This novel is one that I recommend to people who love a good literary novel with a touch of suspense. Don’t expect typical thriller material. This is a more delicate novel that, although it has its flaws, is well worth reading. 

P.S. Please don't forget to sign up for my brand new newsletter which is located right at the top of the page. It will be out once a week, featuring my exclusive stories, poetry, and even songs from my upcoming album! Don't miss out!

Teaser Tuesdays

Teaser Tuesdays is a weekly bookish meme, hosted by MizB of Should Be Reading. Anyone can play along! Just do the following:
Grab your current read
Open to a random page
Share two (2) “teaser” sentences from somewhere on that page
BE CAREFUL NOT TO INCLUDE SPOILERS! (make sure that what you share doesn’t give too much away! You don’t want to ruin the book for others!)
Share the title & author, too, so that other TT participants can add the book to their TBR Lists if they like your teasers!

From Shirley by Susan Merrell

 "Still, that second life was going to make me matter- it would have needs I could fulfill, would give volume and weight to the hardly noticeable manifestation that was me."













P.S. Please don't forget to sign up for my brand new newsletter which is located right at the top of the page. It will be out once a week, featuring my exclusive stories, poetry, and even songs from my upcoming album! Don't miss out!

Musing Mondays

Musing Mondays asks you to muse about one of the following each week…
• Describe one of your reading habits.
• Tell us what book(s) you recently bought for yourself or someone else, and why you chose that/those book(s).
• What book are you currently desperate to get your hands on? Tell us about it! 
• Tell us what you’re reading right now — what you think of it, so far; why you chose it; what you are (or, aren’t) enjoying it.
• Do you have a bookish rant? Something about books or reading (or the industry) that gets your ire up? Share it with us!
• Instead of the above questions, maybe you just want to ramble on about something else pertaining to books — let’s hear it, then!

I got Shirley by Susan Merrell from Netgalley a few weeks ago and just started reading it. It is such a good story! It's a psychological mystery story and it is turning out to be a fabulous read. 

 













 
 P.S. Please don't forget to sign up for my brand new newsletter which is located right at the top of the page. It will be out once a week, featuring my exclusive stories, poetry, and even songs from my upcoming album! Don't miss out!

Follow Friday

Spring is in the air! Show off your favorite outdoors reading spot. If you don’t go outside…well where else do you read that isn’t inside your house? We want pics!

My boa, Barbossa, loves to go outside in the afternoons for about an hour or so. He slithers all around our pool, sometimes even deciding he might want a bit of a swim. He has a malformation on his spine, so he can't swim, which means I have to stick around and make sure he doesn't fall in the pool. I take this time to read while keeping an eye on him.










.S. Please don't forget to sign up for my brand new newsletter which is located right at the top of the page. It will be out once a week, featuring my exclusive stories, poetry, and even songs from my upcoming album! Don't miss out!

Teaser Tuesdays

Teaser Tuesdays is a weekly bookish meme, hosted by MizB of Should Be Reading. Anyone can play along! Just do the following:
Grab your current read
Open to a random page
Share two (2) “teaser” sentences from somewhere on that page
BE CAREFUL NOT TO INCLUDE SPOILERS! (make sure that what you share doesn’t give too much away! You don’t want to ruin the book for others!)
Share the title & author, too, so that other TT participants can add the book to their TBR Lists if they like your teasers!

From The Martian by Andy Weir

"If ruining the only religious icon I have leaves me vulnerable to Martian vampires, I'll have to risk it.”


















P.S. Please don't forget to sign up for my brand new newsletter which is located right at the top of the page. It will be out once a week, featuring my exclusive stories, poetry, and even songs from my upcoming album! Don't miss out!

Musing Mondays

Musing Mondays asks you to muse about one of the following each week…
• Describe one of your reading habits.
• Tell us what book(s) you recently bought for yourself or someone else, and why you chose that/those book(s).
• What book are you currently desperate to get your hands on? Tell us about it! 
• Tell us what you’re reading right now — what you think of it, so far; why you chose it; what you are (or, aren’t) enjoying it.
• Do you have a bookish rant? Something about books or reading (or the industry) that gets your ire up? Share it with us!
• Instead of the above questions, maybe you just want to ramble on about something else pertaining to books — let’s hear it, then

 I just started reading The Martian by Andy Weir, and I'm enjoying it so far. The writing is not the best, but the story really grabs your attention so that the actual prose doesn't bother you quite so much. We'll see how it continues.


















 P.S. Please don't forget to sign up for my brand new newsletter which is located right at the top of the page. It will be out once a week, featuring my exclusive stories, poetry, and even songs from my upcoming album! Don't miss out!

The Last Enchantments by Charles Finch

 After graduating from Yale, William Baker, scion of an old line patrician family, goes to work in presidential politics.  But when the campaign into which he's poured his heart ends in disappointment, he decides to leave New York behind, along with the devoted, ambitious, and well-connected woman he’s been in love with for the last four years.

Will expects nothing more than a year off before resuming the comfortable life he's always known, but he's soon caught up in a whirlwind of unexpected friendships and romantic entanglements that threaten his safe plans. As he explores the heady social world of Oxford,  he becomes fast friends with Tom, his snobbish but affable flat mate;  Anil, an Indian economist with a deep love for gangster rap; Anneliese, a German historian obsessed with photography; and Timmo, whose chief ambition is to become a reality television star. What he's least prepared for is Sophie, a witty, beautiful and enigmatic woman who makes him question everything he knows about himself.

What a disappointment this novel was. It had everything going for it, too: lovely setting, a supposed “romance”, and a group of friends trying to figure life out. For me though, the book fell short of its promise.

One of the main issues I saw was the lack of any likeable characters. They were all whiny, with the kind of indecisiveness that is so overdone it doesn’t ring as true. Will, the protagonist, couldn’t make a decision to save his life, which makes for a frustrating reading experience. No one wants to read about a group of adults who can’t the most basic of things in their lives. Sophie, the love interest, is the worst, though. She wins the prize for most annoying character I’ve read about in a long, long time.

There is no real plot. I understand that this is a literary novel and is therefore character-driven and not plot driven, but when your characters are so frustrating, you have to at least try to give the readers something that can propel them to keep reading. The storyline has no structure; it meanders, giving us glimpses into life in Oxford without truly bringing anything into focus.

As you can probably tell, this book is not one that I would recommend unless you want to roll your eyes at the page every few minutes. From weak, almost pathologically indecisive characters to a non-existent plot, this novel is one of the least interesting ones I’ve read in a while.

P.S. Please don't forget to sign up for my brand new newsletter which is located right at the top of the page. It will be out once a week, featuring my exclusive stories, poetry, and even songs from my upcoming album! Don't miss out!

Teaser Tuesdays

Teaser Tuesdays is a weekly bookish meme, hosted by MizB of Should Be Reading. Anyone can play along! Just do the following:
Grab your current read
Open to a random page
Share two (2) “teaser” sentences from somewhere on that page
BE CAREFUL NOT TO INCLUDE SPOILERS! (make sure that what you share doesn’t give too much away! You don’t want to ruin the book for others!)
Share the title & author, too, so that other TT participants can add the book to their TBR Lists if they like your teasers!
From The Martian by Andy Weir

"I'm pretty much fucked.
  That's my considered opinion.
  Fucked."

pg. 1









P.S. Please don't forget to sign up for my brand new newsletter which is located right at the top of the page. It will be out once a week, featuring my exclusive stories, poetry, and even songs from my upcoming album! Don't miss out!

Black Chalk by Christopher J. Yates

It was only ever meant to be a game.

A game of consequences, of silly forfeits, childish dares. A game to be played by six best friends in their first year at Oxford University. But then the game changed: the stakes grew higher and the dares more personal, more humiliating, finally evolving into a vicious struggle with unpredictable and tragic results.

Now, fourteen years later, the remaining players must meet again for the final round.

This was a wholly engrossing book that caught my attention from the very first page and didn’t let go. It is a riveting story that has a bit of everything.

I won’t go into the plot too much because I don’t want to give anything away, but I will say it is a clever one that has many sides to it. The narrator, Jolyon, is unreliable, making the reader wonder just how much of what he is telling is the truth. The rest of the characters, especially Chad, are well developed and jump right off the page. The author also does a good job of escalating the tension in the book, so that the reader begins to feel as uncomfortable as the characters do as the plot progresses.

As with any book that maintains such a tense plot for so long, the ending is a bit on the flat side. It feels like the author deliberately left a weak ending so that he can write a sequel, when it would have been effective to conclude with a much stronger voice, even if he was thinking of a sequel.

I do recommend this one, though, to anyone who loves a great thriller. 

P.S. Please don't forget to sign up for my brand new newsletter which is located right at the top of the page. It will be out once a week, featuring my exclusive stories, poetry, and even songs from my upcoming album! Don't miss out!