Category Archives: Books

August 31, 2013 · 12:12 pm

Review: The Haunting of Maddy Clare

  The Haunting of Maddy Clare by Simone St. James

I say:

“Superb, scary and satisfying. A moody ghost story with chills and a touch of romance.”

In the 1920s London, Sarah Piper is alone in the world. She lives in a boarding house and works for a temporary agency to make ends meet.  The agency offers her an unconventional job. Sarah accepts the position as an assistant to wealthy ghost-hunter and World War I veteran Alistair Gellis. Gellis is not just a ghost hunter, he is an obsessed ghost hunter.

He hires Sarah because his regular assistant is on leave and special circumstances surround this potential haunting. Sarah accompanies Gellis on a trip to a rural small town. Summoned by Mrs. Clare the property owner Gellis will be allowed to document the haunting but he is not allowed to enter the building. The ghost will not tolerate men.

They visit Mrs. Clare and learn that the ghost arrived at their door one night as a brutalized young child. She damaged physically and traumatized emotionally. The family took her in and named her Maddy. Incapable of little the family cared for the girl until she committed suicide in the barn leaving a note, “I will kill them.” Mrs. Clare wants Alistair Gellis to rid the barn of Maddy and her rage.

With no training or skill Gellis sends Sarah into the barn with a recorder and a camera. Sarah is to document the ghost and ask her to leave. Nervous but determined Sarah calls to the ghost. She senses the spirit then a door start to move. The ghost taunts her in a terrifying encounter.

They return to the pub where he has secured them rooms. Gellis is euphoric with the manifestation. His assistant, Matthew Ryder, arrives eager as well. Sarah is attracted to Matthew and accidentally sees the burns scars covering his body. Sarah learns that the two men met and developed an enduring bond during the war, WWI.

Further encounters with Maddy escalate the violence and threat. Three damaged people suffering from trauma must uncover the mystery. The poverty-stricken and lonely Sarah, sophisticated Gellis and rough edged Matthew must learn what happened to Maddy, what she wants and how to put her to rest because Maddy is very angry and will stop at nothing to get her revenge.

The story is told in first person by Sarah. Her narration is filled with nuance and details setting the mood and building the characters. The feeling of loneliness and isolation radiate from the Sarah and the men, each trying to overcome a trauma just as Maddy herself suffered.

The mystery is easily determined by the reader. Yet the tension ratchets higher with each page. The author, Simone St. James does a superb job of engaging the reader. I was engrossed with this un-put-downable book. My reading of the book lead to my blog of Review Interruptess.

St. James is the winner of two RITA Awards from the Romance Writers of America ,best new book and best book with strong romantic elements also, the Arthur Ellis Award from Crime Writers of Canada. She deserves these awards for penning a chilling, scary read that draws you into the lives and fear of her characters.

Product Details:

  • Print Length: 335 pages
  • Page Numbers Source ISBN: 0451235681
  • Publisher: NAL; 1 Original edition (March 6, 2012)

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August 30, 2013 · 8:49 pm

Review: Thirteen Reasons Why by Jay Asher


Thirteen Reasons Why by Jay Asher

I say:“Compelling, intense and important. Heartbreaking, haunting and hopeful.”

“I hope you’re ready, because I’m about to tell you the story of my life. More specifically, why my life ended. And if you’re listening to these tapes, you’re one of the reasons why.”

This book is about suicide. How one character reaches the point that she kills herself and how both her death and the message she leaves impact and haunt another character. Jay Asher has written a compelling, intense and important work.

This is a dark novel about a dark subject. Do not take the subject or the book lightly. I recommend this read before my review, for many reasons, and ask whether you read the review or not – Please read the book. Please think about the topic.

Clay Jensen is a good kid. He receives a package of 7 cassette tapes recorded by Hannah Baker.  Hannah was a beautiful, fragile girl and Clay had a crush on her. Hannah killed herself, committed suicide two weeks before.

Hannah’s voices tells Clay, “I hope you’re ready, because I’m about to tell you the story of my life. More specifically, why my life ended. And if you’re listening to these tapes, you’re one of the reasons why.”

On each side of the tape Hannah narrates to the listener her thirteen reasons why she killed herself.  If the person is sent the tapes and his listening to them, they are one of the reasons. This is not a suicide note but an explanation.

Clay is horrified and distraught that he is a reason for her death. He listens to each tape as he walks throughout day and night following Hannah’s own path as she recorded them, a voyeuristic tour of events that created the snowball leading to her suicide.

Clay experiences fear, frustration and guilt as he becomes obsessed wondering what he did, how Hannah came to this point and how could her death have been prevented.

“You don’t know what goes on in anyone’s life but your own.”

The first reason in the start of Hannah’s downward spiral is the story of how she meets a boy named Justin and her first kiss. New in town her innocent interlude with Justin starts rumors.

Intentional and unintentional acts of others impact Hannah as her ability to cope is fractured and broken. Some of Hannah’s reasons are due to acts of violence, others the impact of having not acted.

The suspense builds even though the reader already knows the ending. The experience of all the missed opportunities and thirteen of the reasons a delicate girl with a tenuous grasp on life both emotionally and mentally.

Everything. . . affects everything.

Told in a unique dual narration that Asher skillfully weaves together both Hannah’s thoughts and actions fueling the escalation of despair, depression and hopelessness along with Clay’s anguish and misery as he listens.

This book is a young adult book and a big part of the message is intended for the young reader. I hope the message is conveyed and understood, as I believe it is, that actions, careless or not impact others.

As an adult I enjoyed, though the term seems strange given the subject) this novel. I thought the book was well written and I highly recommend reading if for no other reason that everyone needs a reminder to be kind and careful. I read the book with obsession, the suspense and grief so gripping I was compelled to read.

It occurs to me that the author at some points fails to show Hannah’s emotional despair and loss of hope. But then when she is recording her tapes she has in fact already made her decision. The last tape is her final grasp for help and hope.

Before I wrote my review, I did research and read other reviews. This book made me cry and devastated me. I know how as survivor of a loved one’s act of suicide.  The issue is important and not to be mistreated.

I do not think the author mistreated the subject in his book. Some negative reviews are justified in the evaluation of the writing. But other negative reviews are written by people that not only did not grasp what the book said and intended, they also failed to understand that suicide is a result of how the person sees their life. That suicide is not just a result of an act of violence or PTSD. Suicide is an emotional and mental crisis.

Suicide is an emotional and mental crisis.

Symptoms of suicide are even mentioned in the book and while not thorough as this is not a text-book, they are accurate. One symptom is asking about, talking about, and even mentioning suicide.  Which Hannah does early in the book. Also, change in character or personality and acting is a risky or destructive manner, again Hannah clearly exhibits these signs.

One reviewer, “It was hard to sympathize with her because it seemed like she created these situations for herself. She willingly made stupid decisions… purposely did them anyway against her better judgment.” This review/reader obviously missed the point of the risky and destructive behavior.

I read a review by a teacher that said yes these type of petty cruel things happen but as some other reviews said (paraphrasing) they do not think these are good enough reasons.  The point is that people are affected differently and their reasons are theirs alone. And we don’t know why or how someone is impacted.

Quotes from the book: “You don’t know what goes on in anyone’s life but your own. And when you mess with one part of a person’s life, you’re not messing with just that part. Unfortunately, you can’t be that precise and selective. When you mess with one part of a person’s life, you’re messing with their entire life. Everything. . . affects everything.”

“But you can’t get away from yourself. You can’t decide not to see yourself anymore. You can’t decide to turn off the noise in your head.”


Suicide is not isolated to young people, though they are the more vulnerable. To learn more and help prevent suicide:
http://www.veteranscrisisline.net/
http://www.suicidepreventionlifeline.org/
http://www.afsp.org/

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August 20, 2013 · 11:32 pm

Review Interruptess and a Probable 5 Star

I have reviews I want and need to write on a few books

  • Keepers of the Lost Cities by Shannon Messenger. A grade 5 to grade 8 book. Short review: Recommended.
  • Time Thief: A Time Thief Novel and Time Crossed: A Time Thief Novella by Katie MacAlister.
  • Some not worthwhile, self pubbed ‘How to Make Money on the Internet’.
  • And ALL the Darynda Jones ‘Grave’ books.

    • But I picked up a book on my list, The Haunting of Maddy Clare by Simone St. James. I cannot put the book down. My Kindle says I have read 18% of the book. I will be up all night reading. I see a 5 star review on the way.

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    August 19, 2013 · 2:16 am

    Unsure about ‘Undead and Unsure’: A Review

    Undead and Unsure by Mary Janice Davidson. Book 11 in the Undead Queen Betsy series.

    Yes I am Unsure about how to review Undead and Unsure.

    I love Queen Betsy, I really do. Along with her yummy man Sinclair. I think the author is witty, talented and has a great agent. Of all the series written by MJD I appreciate the werewolf books and can’t stand her mermaid books, love Betsy books.

    In preparation of this release I re-read all ten Betsy books. The read didn’t take long. MJD is funny, snarky and great with internal monologue. The reading is fast and fun, light and enjoyable. Her books are not plot heavy. The stories have a simple plot and are filled in with Betsy’s unique view and thought process.

    Undead and Unwed is the introduction to the Betsy series. On her 30th birthday Betsy Taylor loses her job, her party plans are spoiled, gets hit by a car and is killed. She wakes up in the morgue, realizes she is a vampire, tries to kill herself, rescues someone else from killing themselves and goes home.

    Her mother and best friend are elated, the local vampire population – not so much. But vampires Eric Sinclair and Tina believe she is the foretold vampire queen because she isn’t burned by a cross and can go to church. They want Betsy to put an end to the reign of Vampire King Nostro, read kill, and rule.

    Betsy isn’t having any of it but of course that is exactly what ends up happening. Oh and now Sinclair is her consort for the next 1000 years. Fun.

    And book 2 Undead and Unemployed continues the fun. Betsy gets a job selling shoes at the mall. Someone tries to kill her. Sinclair rushes to the rescue because he loves her and Betsy lives on because she is the all-powerful vampire queen.

    But her last release, Undead and Unstable used a terrible ‘trope of going back in time and changing the past so the future is what it is, or was. I didn’t and don’t care for this storyline arc.

    Undead and Unsure started off (after the now familiar pages of acknowledgements where the author mainly pats herself on the back and add a few pages to the book) with Sinclair talking baby talk -terrible, yucky baby talk- to puppies. Not in character and repellant, that is not our familiar sexy hero.

    As in some of the other books another character jumps in and tells the story for a chapter or so. That irritates me. In this case the character is Sinclair which is good and bad if you can get past the earlier baby talk crap.

    If I was not a fan I would have stopped reading. The first half of the book is unnecessary internal dialogue to turn a short story into a book. After reading above you may wonder why you should read the book. If you are a fan, plow through because the last 1/3 or 1/4 of the book is worthwhile.

    If you haven’t read the books, this is not the place to start. Start with Undead and Unwed and enjoy! The first two books can stand on their own. But don’t jump on the Undead series trolley in the middle of the series.

    Remember, I love Queen Betsy and the series but don’t start here, this is a bit of challenge to wade through to get to the good stuff even for a fan.

    For a complete list of Queen Betsy books click this link: Amazon.com Widgets

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    August 16, 2013 · 6:24 pm

    Reading: Mood and Why

    On a blog I follow, 101 Books, the question is do you read if you are stressed. 101 books question that made me think.

    When and why do I read books? I read because I want to learn or escape. Enlighten my brain and heart. Discover new worlds and perspectives. Live more fully.

    I read whenever I can. I had a job over a decade ago where I traveled frequently. I missed my dogs and home but the traveling allowed me time. Time to read. And I read on the airplane, in the hotel when my work paperwork was completed. Reading helped offset the downsides of traveling for me.

    My reply is: I can read if I am stressed. A great book that takes me to a different world helps. However, if I am depressed I cannot read.

    But was I being truthful with myself? Yes and no. I realized that sometimes when the stress level is high I do not usually read. What do I do? I fret.

    Fret and worry is not productive but by my nature that is what happens. Maybe I should do something more productive by distracting myself with a good read. The best book is the book that makes you forget the world. You are living in the book and are bummed out when you have reached the end because you want the story to go on and on.

    When I can’t turn off my brain of worries, I need to read. Perhaps I should tax myself with a thought provoking new topic. Instead of fiction take up a non-fiction or text book.

    I cannot read when I am depressed. Depression zaps all the joy, motivation and initiative from life. And reading gives me pleasure Whether the book is sad and makes me cry or a textbook, reading is a joyful event.

    Thomas Jefferson said “I cannot live without books.” Depression is suppressing life, my life, your life. Picking up a book doesn’t solve or fix this problem. Medical care can help with this problem.

    But when I am down or blue (not depressed) I give thought to what I read. If I am already in the middle of a book I may continue reading. Usually, I turn to my comfort reads. A comfort read is a book that I have read multiple times. Comfort reads for me:
    Sunshine
    Grave Sight (Harper Connelly Mysteries, Book 1)
    Grave Secret (Harper Connelly Mysteries, Book 4)
    Crazy for You
    Welcome to Temptation
    Undead and Unwed (Queen Betsy, Book 1)
    Undead and Unemployed (Queen Betsy, Book 2)

    My comfort reads are books I enjoy but can still get caught up in the world of the story. I have other favorites and re-reads but I don’t reach for them when I am blue.

    The phrase, ‘So many books and so little time’ is true. The best book is the book that makes you forget the world. You are living in the book and are bummed out when you have reached the end because you want the story to go on and on. The best books comfort you. The best books provoke you. The best books educate you and expose you to other lives and ways of thinking. Books free you.

    No matter the mood books make life better.

    No matter the mood books make life better. The best book is the book that makes you forget the world. You are living in the book and are bummed out when you have reached the end because you want the story to go on and on. The best books comfort you. The best books provoke you. The best books educate you and expose you to other lives and ways of thinking. Books free you.

    Joyce Carol Oates said, “Reading is the sole means by which we slip, involuntarily, often helplessly, into another’s skin, another’s voice, another’s soul.” Slip out of your stress and blues by reading. Heighten your joy by reading.

    And broaden your mind and life by reading. “No matter how busy you may think you are, you must find time for reading, or surrender yourself to self-chosen ignorance.” — Confucius

    When and why do you read books? Is reading mood dependent or strictly time dependent? Do you make time to read?

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    August 11, 2013 · 7:06 pm

    Review: Dead to Me

    Dead to Me by Anton Strout.

    Simon Canderous has a double edge sword of a talent, psychometry. Psychometry is the unique ability to divine information about the history of an object through touch. Formerly a petty thief Simon answers a cryptic newspaper ad and becomes a new employee for N.Y. City’s Department of Extraordinary Affairs. The D.E.A. is on the side of Good. Our young protagonist takes his new position seriously. He views good versus evil the same as black versus white.

    Simon struggles with learning the aspects of a real job, office politics and other-worldly skills. His mentor, Connor, specializes in ghosts and points out a lovely young woman sitting across from them in a coffee shop. Because she has not moved on they interview her trying to determine why she is still here. The ghost has no memories but she says something cryptic about the movie Apocalypse Now. This suddenly makes her a priority case though why is not clear.

    As Simon and Connor work to discover information about Irene they stumble across the Sectarian Defense League. The SDL is a cultist rights movement legalized by the city as part of equal rights movement. A kerfuffle ensues and the Mayor’s liaison arranges a meeting between the D.E.A. and the SDL. Simon is sent and meets Jane for dinner. Jane is the personal assistant to the evil Faisal Bane, chairman of the SDL. Simon is attracted to Jane but conflicted because she works on the side of darkness. Simon’s investigation leads him zombies, ghost sniffing drug addicts and other forces of darkness.

    Dead to Me is light urban fantasy. Fans of the Dresden Files will in all likelihood enjoy this book. Author Strout has four Simon Canderous books published to date, obviously the series had potential. But this book is a bit uneven, the characters under-developed and the action come across as a series of confrontations from an outline. The humor in the book seems thrown arbitrarily. I am not saying it isn’t funny rather the characters aren’t funny.

    Examples: “Are you implying you had someone murdered? The Mayor’s Office does not condone that sort of conflict resolution.” And

    “A lot of people who have come to work for us over the years have come to us from …. shall we say suspect backgrounds. Involvement with the dark arts, telemarketing and worse.”

    The first chapters of the book introduce the reader to Simon and his motivations. The writing could have been tighter. The book came out in 2008 and I started to read it but wasn’t engaged. It sat in my TBR pile for 5 years. Simon is a likeable, hot-headed but good intentioned, 24-year-old man. The secondary characters are interesting. However sometimes the story gets ridiculous. When Simon wants to learn if Jane really a bad guy, he reads her diary. Her diary that she was writing in a chick lit voice when she was on a rooftop spying on him and having been sent to kill him.

    I did like reading the book and may give the second book a try. I can’t rate this book a 5 but if you want light urban fantasy this is definitely worth a try.

    Product Details
    Mass Market Paperback: 368 pages
    Publisher: Ace (February 26, 2008)
    ISBN-10: 0441015786
    ISBN-13: 978-0441015788

    Ratings 1 – 5
    • Readability: 3.5
    • Likability: 3.5
    • Recommended: 3
    • Book Club Read: 0
    • Author Watch List: 2
    • Laugh Meter: 32
    • Cry Meter: 0
    • Three Word Description: Light Urban Fantasy

    Other books by Anton Stout.

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    August 8, 2013 · 11:03 pm

    Review: Sunshine by Robin McKinley

    Sunshine by Robin McKinley.

    This book is an enduring read. I have read this so many times I had to buy another book. Even having repeatedly read the book, I never skip certain areas or paragraphs as I do in other re-reads. That speaks to how marvelously written Sunshine is.

    The book starts painting the normal world where our heroine and narrator of the book lives. The first line,

    “It was a dumb thing to do but it wasn’t that dumb. There hadn’t been any trouble out at the lake in years.”

    Rae Seddon nicknamed Sunshine just needs a break from her family. She is the baker for the family coffee shop. She is irritated with the smothering of love and togetherness so she drives out to the lake for a break from everything one night. The author paints an average young woman with normal life when wham the reader learns this is a very different world with the marvelous, last sentence of the chapter.

    “And it was so exquisitely far from the rest of my life. ….. I never heard them coming. Of course you don’t, when they’re vampires.”

    Sunshine takes place in a dark alternate version of our world. A world where demons, ‘were’ creatures (werewolves, wererats), vampires and magic are part of everyday life and everyday fears. The book is in first person and Sunshine’s narration is written like a conversation. Reading is like listening to a friend tell you a story. And McKinley has such talent that throughout this conversation she unveils and builds Sunshine’s world and a sophisticated, intricate well-thought plot. The atmosphere is dark, filled with menace, danger and small doses of humor.

    Sunshine is kidnapped by vampires and chained to a wall as human livestock for a fellow captive. Her companion is a starving vampire named Constantine. Vampires are terrifying, frightening, smelly and deadly. Captive Constantine is the enemy of Bo, the leader of the vampire gang that captured them. Both Sunshine and Constantine are victims of an evil taunting game only Bo enjoys. Constantine tells Sunshine to remind him she is a rational creature so that Bo does not win the game today, the consequence being Sunshine dies.

    Though petrified Sunshine recalls magic taught by her grandmother. And so she frees herself and Constantine. The mutual imprisonment and escape binds the two as partners in an ongoing battle against evil Bo. Neither is accepting of this bond. The relationship that develops is awkward and uncomfortable for both. Constantine is not evil, we come to know he is good and as a reader he becomes an endearing, heroic character. But the quality of menace remains as he is truly other and alien. Constantine becomes an endearing, heroic character.

    Sunshine comes to learn more about the people around her and herself. Yes, she steps up to the fight ahead but as a real person. She is not suddenly brave and strong, she is scared and unsure. She is a flawed but always likeable, confused and deals with the trauma of her capture through work and pushing the people she cares about away. She is often bitchy. But she is a consistent narrator through her capture, escape, trauma and coming to terms with circumstances and the new reality forced on her. The meandering path of Sunshine’s thoughts show a very real person and her seemingly superfluous diversions continue to lay the ground work of this world and the story.

    The ending of the book is strangely unfinished, quiet and yet remains true to the characters and story. It is a solid ending that is satisfactory and makes you want to cry. And if you are like me you will also want to cry that you have reached the end.

    This is my absolute favorite book. Ms. McKinley is an amazing, talented author. Her storytelling and plotting is brilliant. I fear I have not done justice to the book. Sunshine is infused with the magical prose of Robin McKinley. Neil Gaiman said this book is “Pretty much perfect.” He is right.

    Product Details:
    Publisher: Speak; Reprint edition (April 29, 2010)
    ISBN-10: 0142411108 ISBN-13: 978-0142411100
    Mass Market Paperback Publisher: Jove (2004)
    ASIN: B00E84F5CM

    Ratings 1 – 5
    • Readability: 5
    • Likability: 5
    • Recommended: 5
    • Book Club Read: 4
    • Author Watch List: 5
    • Laugh Meter: 2
    • Cry Meter: 1
    • Three Word Description: Perfect Urban Fantasy
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