Doggie Detectives By: Papa Paws

 

This is a cute little book for story time with younger children. The doggy detectives are taking up the case on finding their toys that are mysteriously disappearing one by one. Through great illustrations and engaging storytelling, the book leads readers, and listeners to where the missing toys are and who is the culprit. I even smiled at the end of the book because the little Yorkie said what I had been thinking. This book would make a great addition to a home library of pre-readers that enjoy story time with a loved one. 5 out of 5 stars.

1000 Fun Facts for Immature Adults: Random Trivia and Weird Truths You Should Know Vol. 1 By: Bryan Spektor

 

This is a good book for fans of Uncle John’s Bathroom readers and useless trivia facts. There are different categories in this book and the author injects some of his humor in presenting these facts. Some of the facts I already knew while there were still plenty that I had not heard about before. I did like that the author included a reference page so readers could see where he got his information from. I am a little suspect that these are all facts as some of the articles he links to the authors of those pieces do not give information on where they came across the facts. 4 out of 5 stars.

Game of Survival (Voracious World Book 1) by Dune Chambers

 *I got a free advanced copy for an honest review.

When the Walking Dead television series there seemed to be an influx of zombie books to capitalize on its popularity. It has been a while since I read a zombie series because I wanted to leave the theme for a while to cleanse my palette so to speak. When I came across this novella that is a part of a series, I thought it might be a good time to jump back in with zombie stories. This Game of Survival has an interesting premise of a second wave of undead after the first initial phase. Kind of like an aftershock following an earthquake. It would be interesting to see how the survivors would react to having to go through the experience again. The problem with the book in my opinion is that I found it hard to believe that the main characters survived the first event. They are constantly making mistakes of getting into situations where you wonder how they survived at all. I look forward to the day when I read a series that keeps me engaged, unfortunately this series is not one to do it. 2.5 out of 5 stars.

Between Two Fires by Christopher Buehlman

 

Here is a book that I did not know I had an emptiness for. Ever since reading Between Two Fires I have been looking for a medieval horror story to fill the void. This book has it all from historical fiction, to adventure, various haunting entities and more. Some parts of the book kept me reading well late into the night because I needed to see where it was going next. Other parts were so well written that I had a sense of dread as if I was right there in the story. At some points the book got a little long but it is easily overshadowed by all the other good things the book does right. There were scenes in the book that I feel could have been their own stand alone story and be fleshed out more and I so wish that I could find more like it that gave me all the feelings that this book did. 5 out of 5 stars.

Howls From the Wreckage: An Anthology of Disaster Horror

 

There was a decent number of stories in this anthology that felt more science fiction less than horror. I’m not saying that it is a bad thing but if you are looking for a pure horror anthology, I would look elsewhere. My two favorite stories were Don’t Play in the Closet by David Worn and Crickets by Solomon Forse. If you are a fan of survival science fiction, you might like this better than I did. I want to thank Netgalley for the ARC. 3 out of 5 stars.  

Contest by Matthew Reilly

 

Doctor Stephen Swain and his daughter, Holly, get transported to the New York Public Library by an unknown force to be a part of a contest that has a very simple premise for the night, be the last one alive of the seven contestants. If you are a fan of action movies or books I highly recommend this book. It is a fast-paced story with contestants that are unique and memorable. The battles that the contestants have keeps the reader engaged and the setting for the contest is one I just love. 4 out of 5 stars.

Tales from the Gas Station: Volume One by Jack Townsend

 

This book is one of the rare instances where I like first person point of view in books. Jack is a gas station worker who deals with some really weird stuff, think what you would see in a stand-alone episode of the X-Files. The absurd things that happen in this book is humorous yet mysterious enough to keep you reading to see what is going to happen next and what exactly is going on. The book feels like what would happen if Clerks had a crossover with the X-Files. I look forward to reading more of the series and see where the books take the reader next. 4.5 out of 5 stars.

Feelings Detective: Noticing the Clues Our Bodies Send by Dane Furfaro

 

Here is another review for an educational children's book. This book on its own would make a good reed for young elementary school students who like robots and dream of having one as a friend. On top of that it offers readers tips on how to self-regulate when their emotions seem to be getting the better of them. At the end of the book the author also provides a qr code for readers to partake in more activities that are related to emotional regulation. This book would make a good addition to a classroom or personal library. 5 out of 5 stars.

The Night Shift by Alex Finlay

 

On New Year’s Eve of 1999 three murders happen at a Blockbuster. Fifteen years later a similar crime happens at an ice cream shop. Both victims work to find out who was responsible for the murders. The story was very reminiscent to one of the Scream movies, minus the Ghostface costume. The characters are well written and have distinct personalities from each other. The story is well written and keeps moving forward at a decent pace. I did find the book very predictable though, but it was well written and paced that I continued to see if I was right. 3 out of 5 stars.

Malorie by Josh Malerman

 

Several years have passed since the events of Birdbox. The kids are older and so is Malorie. The world has gone on with the creatures still present and as dangerous as ever. While birdbox was a more suspenseful story, Malorie has a more adventure like feel to it. I feel it was not as strong nor did it leave me reading late into the night, it is a solid sequel. There were parts that seem like a cheap work around but it was still a good read. 3.5 out of 5 stars.

Greedy as a Ghoul: Prequel Short Story to Malfus - Necromancer Unchained by Casey Sutton

 

I am not a huge fan of reading fantasy because I have trouble with some of the fantasy terms used that are understood by fans but not really explained to new readers (I get it though it would bog a book down to define each fantasy term). However, the name and description of the book intrigued me enough to want to read an advanced copy of this short story. The action is well written and reminded me of some of the action from the Castlevania Netflix show and the stories of Solomon Kane. The short story did not flesh out the Character Malfus since he had little interaction with other people, so I am unsure if he will be a character I care for or one that I will find annoying after a few chapters. I am adding the full story on my to-read list but not sure if it will jump to the top of the pile. 4 out of 5 stars.

Birdbox by Josh Malerman

 

Birdbox does a lot of things right in the way I love reading stories. The horror in the book that is making people go insane when they view it, the mysterious things are teased but never shown, leaving it up to the reader to imagine what it could be. In this way the reader almost feels like they are blindfold as well to the horror that is in book. The characters in the book, for the most part, are given enough backstory and personality to care about them while a couple were not as fleshed out so I felt no connection to them. There is enough mystery and suspense to keep the readers engaged to continue reading. I’m not a huge fan of books that jump from then and now time periods, but this book does it in a right way that I looked forward to the next time it would shift time periods because I was invested on what happened before and what will happen in the now. 4.5 out of 5 stars

The Nocturnals Explore Unique Adaptations of Nighttime Animals by Tracey Hecht

 

Here is another book aimed at younger readers that I am reviewing. I am thinking of continuing to rate books that parents and teachers can buy for their children and placing their reviews on some weekends separate from my usual reviews. This chapter book is packed full of interesting information that I can see many middle-aged elementary students would enjoy. On top of that the pictures and illustrations of the creatures are a bonus companion to those facts. The book does not try to dumb things down for readers. It would make a good addition to a student’s personal library or an educator’s classroom library. 5 out of 5 stars.

Curse of the Reaper by Brian McAuley

 

The book flap reads that it is like a cross between Scream and The Shinning. I think a better movie to described mixed with the shinning would be Wes Craven's New Nightmare. Howard played The Reaper years ago in a series of films, when studio execs want to reboot it with a new actor playing The Reaper, Howard has to come to terms with it. Trevor, the new actor for The Reaper, also has his personal demons to face while trying to make the part his. What follows is a psychological and supernatural story about passing the torch…or the chains so to speak. It was a little predictable as I said it feels like New Nightmare, but in a good way. I loved the story of New Nightmare with the mythology (I know I am in the minority on this) and Curse of the Reaper scratches the itch for another story like it. 3.5 out of 5 stars.

Hide by Kiersten White

 

A game of hide and seek in an abandoned amusement park, the last person found will win a large sum of money. The premise and the beginning of the novel reminded me of the movie The Running Man. The contestants were given time to run and hide from the seekers. The seekers however are not what they seem. Unfortunately, like a decommissioned roller coaster, it started off exciting but then could not keep that feeling going. The writing was fine, but the characters were a mix of fleshed out and being one dimensional. All the characters in my opinion were very stereotypical architypes you might see on any reality show. Some may argue that it would lend some authenticity to the story, however, mixed with the flat characters it just came off as cheap. I did like the premise and the pacing of the book, so that gives it some weight in my rating of it. It was an average book at best, I think if the characters were not so bland, I might have cared what happened to them. 2.5 out of 5 stars.

Gwendy’s Final Task by Stephen King and Richard Chizmar

 

Just like Jason and The Leprechaun before her, when there is no other place to go with a character you send them to space. Gwendy is now in her sixties and living with Alzheimer’s. She has one final task to do for Richard Farris. I enjoyed this book better than the second book, but the Button Box was the strongest of the trilogy. The flow of the story felt more polished and had less rambling on just to fit a certain page limit. The supporting characters did not seem as fleshed out as those in the Button Box, but they were more interesting than those in the Magic Feather. 3 out of 5 stars.

If I were to rate the series as a whole, I would round up and give the trilogy a 3.5 out of 5 stars. There was promise of an interesting story and the possibility of meeting Randal Flagg again, however, in the end Farris is a different character all together. I did enjoy the jumping in time so we could follow Gwendy during different periods in her life.

Gwendy’s Magic Feather by Richard Chizmar

 I was a bit disappointed with the second outing for Gwendy. After a great first story, this one felt a bit different and did not have the same mysterious feel as the first book. In this novel Gwendy is in her thirties and is living the life of a politician. She heads back to Castle Rock to lend a hand in finding out what is going on that is causing some people to go missing. The story is much slower going than the Button Box. It seemed like it could have moved more quickly if it was the same length as the previous book. It was a little hard to get through as well because it lacked the same mysteriousness of the Button Box and to me, lacked the charm of the first story. It was an average story, but I probably would not have continued reading the story if I knew it was not part of a trilogy. If it was a standalone book, I probably would not have finished it. 2 out of 5 stars.

Sea Salt's Purr-fect Mystery by Suzanne Rothman

 

This review will be a little different to what I normally review but I felt with my over twenty years in the educational field I should branch out some and review books that may be beneficial to parents and educators. This is a review for an ARC.

Sea Salt the Chocolate Point Himalayan cat has gone missing. Hattie goes looking for her and runs into a group of friends who offer their sleuthing skills to help locate Sea Salt. What follows is a story that encourages the readers (and listeners) to use some problem-solving skills, self-reliance, and critical thinking on lending a hand themselves in finding what happened to Sea Salt. This is the part where the book shines. I have seen very little children’s books that incorporates the child to do extra thinking while learning to read. The extra learning exercises at the end of the book are a plus. The only negative thing I would say about the book is while most of the rhyming words were great, some felt like a stretch. The book is great for emerging and new readers. 3.5 out of 5 stars.

Creepers by David Morrell

 

Five people go urban exploring in an abandoned hotel. There are many dangers that are needed to be on the watch for when exploring run down places. To top it off, the explorers may not be alone in the abandoned hotel. The characters are lopsidedly written as some are given a back story while others are not. The thing I appreciate from David Morrell’s books is that you can tell he does a lot of research when writing. He then translates this to what he is showing and explaining to the readers. While some people might be put off by it for being too wordy, I really enjoy it in his books. All the books of his that I have read has been grounded in reality and what he has researched and explains makes sense as opposed to some books where they basically ask you to suspend belief on what is happening. It is a solid read if you are looking to bring something to read on a trip. 3.5 out of 5 stars.

Blackwater Falls by Ausma Zehanat Khan

 

While I do read and enjoy mystery stories, I am not a huge fan of police procedurals. Blackwater Falls by Ausma Zehanat Khan is a good example of how they can be done right. The book does a good job of introducing different characters that seem believable to have in any law enforcement team. If you have seen any police procedurals on T.V. you can get an idea of the cast that is in this book.

Inaya Rahman has made the move to Colorado from Chicago and faces some of the same situations one would expect the new person to face. On top of her work life, she must deal with her family. The author does a really good job, in my opinion, of showing the readers what can typically go through a family whose generational differences can cause conflicts, especially when traditions and expectations differ between parent and child. As this is the first book in the series, I can see Inaya growing more mature and surer of herself when dealing with both her professional and personal live.

I am not sure if I will read anymore of this series as it is not a genre I typically read, but I would recommend it to anyone who enjoys the genre and wants a realistic portrayal of the types of issues minorities may face. I give the book 3.5 out of 5 stars.