Bob the Zombie by Jaime Johnesee

Bob the Zombie by Jaime Johnesee

Bob the Zombie by Jaime Johnesee

ASIN: B00D0VPURO

Publisher: Jaime Johnesee, LLC

 

Jaime Johnesee brings readers into close proximity of a friendly zombie who is just trying to deal with his existence and the world around him.

 

Bob is now a zombie, and it’s all because his mother missed him too much to let him rest in peace. Now he has to deal with the new “life” he’s been dealt – there’s no way out.

He shares his struggles with his new friends and horde as he tries to help others out in his own kind way.

 

This book is a fun, playful, entertaining read that I can see teens loving, especially if they have short attention spans; it’s short. But, for me, it missed the mark on a couple points.

The plot in Bob the Zombie was almost nonexistent, as if it were an afterthought, thrown in half-heartedly. There was little conflict that would push the character/story forward. Also, I have to wonder if Bob was one of those people (before he became a zombie) that everyone avoided because he over shared. Like that person that if you sat by them on the bus would tell you the intimate details of his life whether you wanted to know them or not. Why do I say this? Because he shares everything about himself in what seems like a nonstop info dump. There is no mystery involved in his existence. The read tells everything in big clumps. This leads to it being great for younger readers who are eager for everything to make complete sense with no effort or tension involved. The book is more of a “memoir” of Bob’s life than an actual story, especially with the weaknesses in conflict and plot.

I give this book: 1 QUILLS

1Q

Spider Soup by Lori R. Lopez

Spider Soup by Lori R. Lopez

Spider Soup by Lori R. Lopez

ASIN: B00OZROEZQ

 

Lori R. Lopez takes the reader into some uncomfortable places…and turns their world upside down.

A couple inherited a house from a strange elderly family member – one that protected and cared for the spiders in the house. They do the same in the spirit of their loved one’s memory.

One night they wake up and find out that all of their spider friends have turned on them; they’re spun in webs and are being hauled to the basement.

 

This story is fairytale-esque, from the fantastically strained plot to the cliché dialogue between the characters. Some might find this charming, but all it did for me was keep me from connecting with the characters or story. There was also parts where the POV was confusing, and the story was packed with rhetorical questions. Otherwise, there were a few grammar issues.

I give this book: 1 QUILLS

1Q

Zombies Don’t Cry: A Living Dead Love Story by Rusty Fischer

Zombies Don’t Cry: A Living Dead Love Story by Rusty Fischer

 

Zombies Don’t Cry: A Living Dead Love Story by Rusty Fischer

ISBN-10: 1605423823

ISBN-13: 978-1605423821

ASIN: B004TH67CU

Publisher: Medallion Press

 

Rusty Fischer turns the zombie genre on its head; nothing is of the norm, but it’s all still fun.

A seventeen-year-old girl named Maddy thinks her life is just starting to look up when the newest, hottest guy at her school asks her to a party. She doesn’t tell her best friend, because Hazel always has to be the center of attention and gets pissed off when she’s not.

Maddy sneaks out to go to the party, but it starts to storm while she’s walking there. She gets struck by lightning and goes down – she thinks for a few minutes, but for a couple hours – and turns for home because she’s a muddy mess and the lights are out at the house where the party was.

Once she gets home she realizes she doesn’t have a heartbeat and she’s not breathing. She panics and goes online to do a search for the “norms” of zombies. She’s informed, after taking a brief test, that she is a zombie and unless she wants to die for real, she has to eat brains, and soon!

She sneaks out again, this time to go to the all night grocer to ask for brains (an odd request). While she’s waiting, two odd-balls from her school show up and ask what she’s doing there. She fakes like she needed something else, but when the butcher brings out her brains, she’s busted.

They follow her out to the parking lot and she learns she’s not the only zombie around. As a matter of fact, they have to take her to register with the zombie counsel. They soon become her two new best friends.

Things just keep getting worse as Hazel gets curious as to the changes in Maddy’s life and appearance, Maddy learns there are bad zombies, and all hell breaks loose at their school dance.

Maddy has to choose between her life as she once knew it, and her new life as a zombie. And, on top of that, she’s confused about her feeling for two completely different guys.

 

I enjoyed this book (I read it in three days). I can see teen girls loving it. It’s a fun zombie story without the gore type horror. The book was extremely well edited – mistakes were few and far between.

I give this book: 3 QUILL

3Q

Shutter Speed by Mark Taylor

Shutter Speed by Mark Taylor

 

Shutter Speed by Mark Taylor

ISBN-10: 1496190246

ISBN-13: 978-1496190246

ASIN: B00JPKOBUG

Publisher: Nocturnal Press Publications

 

Mark Taylor brings a fresh burn of imagination to the reader with his suspense, thriller Shutter Speed.

Shutter Speed starts out with a young boy named Jimmy, who has an abusive father. Jimmy likes to take pictures. Well, more than that… He likes to let places tell stories through his pictures. All of this leads him to being away from home a lot, taking pictures.

When a particular old building under renovations catches his eye and he can’t resist the urge to tell its story, even though he has to sneak in through the window. Everything is old, beautiful, and full of secrets, but it’s definitely not safe.

Two older boys also break into the building, and what they do to Jimmy really burns him up and changes his family life forever.

After what happened…his family had to move, and he had to change his name. The past was just too much for them to carry around for the rest of their lives.

Fast forward YEARS later…

The reader is introduced to a group of young men on the wrong side of the law and you start wondering… “Which one of them is Jimmy?” And just when you think you know, your mind is spun again with an evil laugh from the author while Jimmy strikes again, and again, and again.

In the end…everything comes back to that old building, the one with stories to tell through the lense of Jimmy’s camera. And even though he’s the one taking the pictures, he’s wrong about how the building’s story turns out.

 

Shutter Speed was a fun story that kept me guessing through most of the book. The characters are interesting, but are many for such a short book. I found it confusing at times, but they all served their purpose to the story in some way.

There were some formatting issues with the book – the words overlapped onto the header in a couple places, but I could still read it. There were extra spaces between paragraphs and breaks here and there, and there were a lot of wrong, missing, or extra words. There were also a few issues with punctuation.

I give this book: 2 QUILLS.

2Q

Mockingjay by Suzanne Collins

Mockingjay by Suzanne Collins

 

Mockingjay by Suzanne Collins

ISBN-10: 0545663261

ISBN-13: 978-0545663267

ASIN: B003XF1XOQ

Publisher: Scholastic

 

Suzanne Collins brings us back into the world of District 13 where the rebellion is in full swing, and Katniss is out of control.

Katniss is the Mockingjay – the symbol of the rebellion to all the people of the districts. She has flaunted her contempt of the Capitol twice, and they want her to do it again.

She doesn’t want to. She’s injured…and scared for Peeta, who was captured and taken to Panem. They didn’t get him out of the arena.

She is now dealing with a controlled existence, although it’s not like the Capitol’s control – there is plenty of food, but people have a purpose and schedule. But she suffers through being underground in safety for her family’s sake.

Eventually, through much convincing, she agrees to be their “Mockingjay,” but she has her own terms for her giving the service. President Coin doesn’t like her, she can feel it, but it gets worse after she delivers her terms. But Katniss will do anything to save the lives of the victors from the arena who are now at the mercy of Panem.

Peeta is one of those conditions. But, what they bring back to District 13 is an abomination of Peeta; he’s no longer himself.

With her best and oldest friend, Gale, Katniss learns to be the Mockingjay…her way. She becomes not only the symbol, but the spirit of the rebellion. And, when things get difficult, she goes rogue so she can finally have a chance at ending the war and bringing an end to President Snow once and for all.

This comes at a very high price…one that will haunt her for the rest of her life. Even after she decides which man she really loves and starts a life with him in peace and freedom.

 

Again, I’m still not fond of Suzanne Collins’ writing style, which I found flat and kind of dull.  And this book, more than the first two, shows off that weakness in writing. Where in the other books Katniss was strong and rose to meet challenges, in this book she was wishy-washy; instead of developing as a character, she regressed. That, on top of Katniss being injured through almost the entire book, made it slower than the previous two. I felt like the author was bored and couldn’t inject any excitement into the story because she wasn’t feeling it. The third book was disappointing for me, so much so, that I have to give it a lower rating. If I hadn’t been vested in the characters from the movies and previous books, I probably wouldn’t have finished reading it. I hope I like the movie more than the book…when it arrives. Otherwise, there were a few minor mistakes in the book with punctuation and extra or missing words here and there.

I give this book: 1 QUILLS.

1Q

 

Catching Fire by Suzanne Collins

Catching Fire by Suzanne Collins

 

Catching Fire by Suzanne Collins

ISBN-13: 978-0439023535

ASIN: B003O86FMW

Publisher: Scholastic

 

Suzanne Collins gives us more of the world where everything has fallen apart, and the “Capitol” now runs everything and everyone’s lives. But now…the people of the districts have hope. Katniss Everdeen, the girl on fire, gives them that hope and that makes her dangerous to Panem.

Catching Fire starts with the life of Katniss, back at home with her family. They now live in the Victor’s Village – a small cluster of houses for the victors of The Hunger Games in each district – as does Peeta Mellark and their mentor, Haymitch.

Panem is angry with them, Katniss in particular. There was only supposed to be one victor of The Hunger Games, but she forced their hand to make it two – she had to save Peeta, or else! She went to such an extreme to save him that she pretended to be in love with him to save their lives.

They’re about to start their Victory Tour through all the districts, with its end in Panem, where they’ll meet President Snow for a grand party at the Presidential Palace.

Along the way, on the tour, they see how the districts have been taken over by more soldiers – “Peacekeepers.” Some districts are in full rebellion and under stringent control.

Katniss reveals that President Snow paid her a surprise visit before the Victory Tour, and tells Peeta and Haymitch that she’s afraid for her and her family’s lives. She has been tasked with calming the rebellion by the President, to convince them all that the love story was real and that she didn’t act against the Capitol when she saved her and Peeta’s lives in the arena.

But, President Snow has his own ideas…and Katniss and Peeta end up in the arena again. This time, it’s a whole new game.

 

Again, I loved the movie, so I enjoyed the book because of the added depth, especially with the new characters – the added victors. I’m still not fond of Suzanne Collins’ writing style, which I found flat and kind of dull. There were a few minor mistakes in the book with punctuation and extra or missing words here and there.

I give this book: 3 QUILLS.

3Q

The Hunger Games by Suzanne Collins

The Hunger Games by Suzanne Collins

 

The Hunger Games by Suzanne Collins

ISBN-10: 0439023483

ISBN-13: 978-0439023481

ASIN: B002MQYOFW

Publisher: Scholastic

 

Suzanne Collins introduces us to the world where everything has fallen apart, and the “Capitol” now runs everything and everyone’s lives.

The Hunger Games are supposed to remind the districts and the people of the mercy of the Capitol and the bravery of the warriors who fought during the rebellion. But, they don’t. They remind the people how helpless they are. The Capitol takes a young man and woman – “tributes” – from each of the twelve districts every year and forces them to fight to the death. One victor remains. One tribute survives to live the nightmares of their survival experience over and over again for the rest of their lives; they – and their district – are rewarded with money and food.

The story follows two tributes from District 12 (the poorest, most outlying district) from the POV of the young woman, Katniss Everdeen, as she volunteers as tribute in place of her little sister. She can hunt and she has other survival skills that lead her to do so – she knows her sister is too young, kind, and gentle to survive the slaughter.

Katniss is torn away from her family and the life she knows along with a boy from her district, Peeta Mellark. He, in the past, showed Katniss a kindness, but she doesn’t think he remembers. Regardless, she feels a responsibility to him, to try to help keep him alive. It’s an extra burden that she doesn’t need.

They are whisked away to the Capitol – Panem – to compete for their lives. They’re given a coach – a previous victor from their district – but he doesn’t much care about teaching them anything, as he knows the likeliness of them surviving is slim. It’s not until Katniss starts showing some promise that he takes real interest in his tributes.

But, it’s still up to Katniss and Peeta to survive in the.

 

Since I loved The Hunger Games movie, I enjoyed the book even more. Even though I’m not overly in love with Suzanne Collins’ writing style, which I found flat and kind of dull, the book gave more depth to the characters and more backstory. This made some things in the movie that weren’t explained make sense. There were a few minor mistakes in the book with punctuation and extra or missing words here and there.

I give this book: 3 QUILLS.

3Q

Governing Ourselves by Harold D. Thomas

Governing Ourselves by Harold D. Thomas

Governing Ourselves by Harold D. Thomas

ISBN-10: 1614349134

ISBN-13: 978-1614349136

ASIN: B007JWCOD8

 

Harold D. Thomas has a good grip on politics and the times, as well as how the Constitution is supposed to work.  He shares his thoughts and ideas in an educated manner.

 

In Governing Ourselves you’ll find out what the Libertarian movement is about and why it’s needed.

There’s so much controversy over the political climate today, and most people don’t understand how far America is from where it began, where it should be.

The United States has strayed far from what was intended by the Founding Fathers for our people.

This book will open the eyes of the reader to the problems, and give them practical solutions as to how to get the government back to where it needs to be.

But, at the same time, this book does not tell the reader what to think, but shares different thoughts and options.

 

I found the book enlightening, educational, and hopeful for a secure future that could be for America if we understand what’s going on and pay more attention to politics in an open minded way.

I give this book: 3 QUILLS.

 

3Q

The Samaritan’s Pistol by Eric Bishop

The Samaritan’s Pistol by Eric Bishop

 

 

The Samaritan’s Pistol by Eric Bishop

ISBN-10: 1939967139

ISBN-13: 978-1939967138

ASIN: B00ER8EL56

Publisher: Jolly Fish Press

Age Group: YA to Adult

 

Life has a way of sucking people into situations they don’t want to be involved with and Eric Bishop shows us this with his story of reluctant entanglement.

Jim is a simple man, leading a simple life in the middle of a religion he doesn’t accept or really want anything to do with. But, when he’s forced into a life or death situation, he finds out how much his reluctant roots mean to him and his life.

As a war veteran, Jim knows how to handle a gun, much to the downfall of some mafia thugs who think they can throw their weight around in his territory. They find out the hard way that they shouldn’t underestimate him.

After the encounter, Jim finds himself in the middle between the law and some illegal dealings the man he saved is in. He makes his choices, does what he feels needs to be done, and handles the situation he’s in even though he doesn’t want to be there.

In the end, the rewards are worth the risks.

 

I liked this book. It has some extremely amusing and interesting parts to it. I was disappointed that I didn’t care about the characters more, but I was still a bit sad when the story was over. I found myself wondering more what was going to happen next, than I cared what happened to the characters in those situations.

I give this book, 2 QUILL.

2Q

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