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Showing posts from 2017

Wicca Practical Magic: Not about the movie (which I loooooved)

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I am not a Wiccan, but I have some tendencies, enough thatI accepted a free copy of this book to review. I learned long ago that there is an incredible amount of power in belief alone, so my lack there of should not be a quanitifier of fact or proof. Growing up in a region with a strong religious presence, I dabbled in anything NOT the norm where I lived. I spent some evenings at the Krishna temple, did some research on Catholicism, and was also a passenger on the Wiccan train. The latter, as you know from the title of this review, is where the emphasis of this review will reside. I find that people deny the overlap between their beliefs and those of other religions. Ditto where science is concerned. Belief and science are often loving bed partners. For example, In science, we know that the right resonant frequency combined with aerodynamic ‘Flutter’ can shake a bridge to pieces. So why is it negatively reflected when a religion has belief in rocks that react to frequencies or ...

Generations: We all forget our roots

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Greater than half of my life (so far) has passed since I was a teenager. Some days I cannot even fathom the decisions I made and the sense of ambiguity I felt. I lose the feeling associated with being both Invincible and Powerless. Everything I thought I could do seemed to have arbitrary corrals blocking the path. Well crafted Graphic Novels like Generations help remind me if those feelings, insulating the generation after me from my history hazed misconceptions. For reference, this Graphic novel was written by Flavia Biondi.. Many websites are misspelling her name as Bondi (no 1st i) .. I am looking at you Barnes and Nobel, and other bloggers! Generations (Flavia Biondi) 144 pages Lion Forge ISBN-10: 1941302505 ISBN-13: 978-1941302507 ASIN: B076HCV9Z2 Buying books through links on this site will not cost you additional money. But, these links support this site and may generate a commission. Consider buying a copy for yourself or your local library! ...

Katrina Hates the Dead: About to earn $2.99 of my hard earned silver

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I picked up a preview teaser copy of Katrina Hates the Dead through an Instafreebie link. This was my first time using Instafreebie and probably my last. Let's handle the IFreeb issue first before we talk comics. Instafreebie is a website/App that allows authors and artists to set up giveaways and route them through an authorized system that helps diminish piracy by tracking valid app download connections. Pretty cool idea. The problem is spam email. By downloading anything you are basically giving carte blanche access for someone to email you with marketing junk. These are usually authors you showed interest in, but many of these authors have no idea about email and mailing list etiquette. I suggest avoiding this system. If you are routed there, just stop and track down the author directly. Now! On to Katrina! I do not have a ton to say yet. The Katrina comic I gained access to was a single 22 page issue of awesome. The apocalypse makes landfall and humanity is screwed....

Some Rights of Memory: Drunk Mary is my spirit animal.

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I loved this book but had to rewrite my perspective entirely 4-5 times before I felt it captured my reading experience. While this review reads a little plain, this was a complex review to put to paper. Strangely, Malone’s Some Rights of Memory  started me contemplating about the past; It made me feel very lucky that I grew up with some flexible low ambitions, lots of pot, boredom, and authority problems. In the late 1990’s I was post high-school, working crappy temp service manufacturing jobs and donating plasma for cigarette money. I spent all of my remaining cash on ramen noodles and supplemented my dietary needs with lots of booze. I found great solace in the bottomless coffee at Denny’s and free saltine crackers. Had I been a quarter as ambitious as Aiden Davies, I could have used a fragment of that sodium-laden energy and gotten some hustle on. I could be retired right now and wandered my own private beach wearing nothing but a smile and a diamond-encrusted jock strap....

Interview: Q&A with Joseph M. Reynolds, author of Make Dust Our Paper

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During the Fall, I received a copy of a book that has had surprising staying power in my mind. Initially, I had mixed feelings, some ambiguity regarding the work. When it clicked with me, it really fell right into place. Make Dust Our Paper has reserved a permanent place in my collection. Like the nosy reader I am, after reading I emailed the author with a few followup questions about the plot. Ultimately, he answered my questions then he agreed to be interviewed about his novel and other topics. The holiday season is terribly busy for people, so I really appreciate that he was able and willing to take the time. With that, much thanks to Joseph M. Reynolds! Synopsis of Make Dust Our Paper: "Carrigan approaches the millennium New Year craving climax and culmination. What he finds instead is constant anti-climax, and lack of definitional consequence for his failures and failings and genius. A conceptual heir to Fitzgerald's This Side of Paradise, this novel expl...

Scarecrow Princess: I have a suggestion to read instead of this.

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I am utterly disappointed with this Lion Forge ROAR release. An Italian import, I read the English translation of this Graphic Novel. I was initially drawn in by the plot description and atypical artwork. Unfortunately, The Scarecrow Princess has some inexcusable issues that block me from suggesting it to other readers. The Scarecrow Princess (Federico Rossi Edrig) 160 pages Lion Forge ISBN-10: 1941302424 ISBN-13: 978-1941302422 READ THIS, NOT THAT So beyond this is a pretty negative review. I suggest you skip this book and read Nilah Magruder’s M.F.K. instead. While I have not yet read MFK, is on my short list of seemingly amazing work I need to prioritize. Note, this is an affiliate link. No extra cost to visitors, but makes this site a few cents if used. Fatal flaws, lets discuss the biggest of them. We wont even talk about the rest. I was annoyed that the creators of this comic chose to so strongly sexualize the fourteen year old female protagonist. But it...

Quarry's War: Vietnam war vet, Hitman, Lover of ladies

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Starting Nov. 29th, the HardCase Crimes comic monthlies begin to release for Max Collin’s Quarry’s War. Don’t care for Single issues? They have the first trade paperback slated for July 2018. Quarry has a long history: - 5 pulp novels released in the 70’s and 80’s - A pulp revival in the 2000’s with 8 new novels. - Cinemax (skin-emax?) tv series launched in early 2017. The first issue covers a bit of Quarry’s backstory- this comic has a split viewpoint, both as a sniper in several Vietnam tours and as a domestic Hitman. One page is 1972, the next 1969. Alternating consistently, each is a distinct plotline. In ‘72, Quarry is prepping to kill a gangster.. in ‘69, he is hiding on a hill searching for a way out of a firefight. It is unclear if the entire series will be presented in this way. The upcoming release date is exciting as Titan has been pushing out teasers for Quarry’s War about six months now; Emails, ComicCon,  advance copies through a recent press release. ...

Trumpeterville: A meh and blah sandwich with pickles

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What a confused mess our world is in. Daily, we are inundated with examples of where we as a Human race can improve ourselves. These examples really make themselves known when world leaders seem to be comparing their delusions and Despotism.  As it is a highly efficient tool in political commentary, Satire is a strong component in the deluge of Trump-centric books published since the 2016 election. Satire is not only efficient, it is effective; it gives extra power to ideas and concepts, while using the most minimalist of approaches. Occams Razor in action. With that stated, this book is loosely satirical. It took reality, very minorly modified it, and slapped the label onto it. In actuality it renamed the individual parties and allowed real life to lampoon itself. I expected more effort. Trumpeterville (Dean Gessie) 46 pages Anaphora Literary Press ISBN-10:   1681143798 ISBN-13:   978-1681143798 Buying books through these links cost reader...

DayBlack Vol 2: Page after page of black ink and red blood

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Keef Cross! You slapped me in the face with a wiffle paddle of love. I was late to read Volume 1 of DayBlack, only learning of the comic series a few years after it was released. At the time of review, I made comments about how long it was between issues. I made a comment akin to ‘blah blah several more years before volume 2’. I know it was just your marketing calendar, BUT, you seemingly timed the announced release of Volume 2 about three(?) days after I ran my mouth... I felt the sting of the pain stick and the force of the beating, but not until after hearing the ferocious mouse squeak of air through its holes. I will refrain from that mistake in the future. DayBlack, vol 2 (Keef Cross) 96 pages Rosarium Publishing ISBN-10: 0996769234 ISBN-13: 978-0996769235 Purchasing books through links on this page  will cost you no additional money but WILL help support this site. Digital available now, Pre-order dead tree book avail. Use the site searc...

Firefly, Back from the Black: someone needs to beat some sense into The ‘Verse

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When I say the verse, I actually mean the universe we live in. Been a long time since fans made it known we Browncoats have pockets full from gettin paid and a liking to spend some cash. How lucrative does something need to be before the rights owners will allow a reboot of something? We get it, there is a legitimate conflict of interest for tv copyright holders vs movie copyright holders. ‘Spose it doesn’t matter much. 16 years from the Battle of Serentity till series start. 15 years since cancellation of Firefly. Can’t change the outcome of the war or the minds of TV executives. Can’t force a person to catch money being thrown at them.. Long winded intro complete. Fans keep making content that is Firefly centric. Witness the shiny cuteness.. Firefly: Back from the Black (Joey Spiotto) 160 pages Titan Books ISBN-10: 178565375X ISBN-13: 978-1785653759 This is a pretty great coffee table book. The only real words in it are from the Author introduction discussing how h...

Interview: Q&A with Khaled Talib, 'Gun Kiss' author

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I recently had the opportunity to interview Crime/Thriller author Khaled Talib. He allowed me a few minutes of his time to pick his brain about both his upcoming Thriller Gun Kiss as well as to ask him about the writing and publishing process in general. I was pleased to get some insight into his upcoming novel and dig deeper into what makes Khaled tick. We also learned about some launch week giveaways and events that will be happening, so scroll to the end for details on how to participate and enter contest The launch window leading up to a book release is crunch time for many last minute details. I am grateful for the late night responses it likely took in order to answer my questions! Slated for release on 12/01/2017 Synopsis of Gun Kiss : When the Deringer pistol that shot Abraham Lincoln is stolen and ends up in the hands of a Russian military general, covert agent Blake Deco is tasked by the FBI to head to the Balkans to recover the historical weapon. Meanwhile, the ...