Book Reviews (Sort of...)

Update:
I've been reviewing books over at my blog Thrillreads and Reviews. It's still a little intermittent in postings as it seems I can go through a heap of books I don't enjoy before finding something worth writing about. If you're interested in book reviews, just click on the link to the site.
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I've been reading a few indies lately but the ones I post here are only the ones I really liked. 

Most Recent Reads:

The Jackpot by David Kazzie

Although I'm only half way through I suspect I'll be giving this one a full five stars. It's a crime thriller that offers you more than just a racing heart and compulsive need to find out what happens next. As a crime/psychological thriller, it's well thought out and intelligent. The characters are  skillfully developed and the reader is so easily pulled in by them. From the first page on the reader is transfixed.

The story grows from such a simple seed: a winning lottery ticket. But when Julius, a janitor who works at a swanky law firm and lives in what could be one of the most dangerous housing complexes in Richmond, Va. wins an enormous jackpot he is immediately thrown into a race to save his life.  A 415 million dollar lottery ticket can be a powerful motivator. And soon Julius learns that seeking help from the very law firm he CleanSweeps - a safe move he believes at first - won't be enough to save him. No one is immune to the pull of the money it seems.

Page by page the suspense builds and the reader is met with surprise twists and turns. I'm thoroughly enjoying this novel. In fact, it was half read on the first sitting and I only put it down because I had to. It's as good or better than many crime/legal thrillers I've read that were traditionally published. It's so well written. I recommend it to anyone who enjoys a good thriller.

 
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Book Reviews? Sort of...
Just thought I'd clarify the 'book reviews' title here. This page doesn't host book reviews in any real hardcore book review sense of the words. In fact these are really just book likes. And for the most part, they're not really books. They're eBooks.

First of all, I won't share bad reviews here.

It's not that I haven't read any terrible books. Heck no. I've read stinkers. But books are like food - very subjective. I might like one but someone else hates it. And vice versa. It happens.

What I'm going to do here is share a lot of indie book likes. Indies and eBooks. Why? I like to read new stuff. I like the feeling of discovering something new and being one of the first to voice that discovery - rather than being just another drop in the ocean for already discovered talents. And by the way - some of those indie books are just as good or better than traditionally published books.

But yes, some are stinkers. Some are just okay. And some are good; but they really aren't my thing. I don't generally review any of those I just mentioned because I don't think my review would be all that fair to the author. I'm an author too, and far from one of the best. I may even be at the very opposite end of the scale, if you measure by literary value alone. But the literary wordsmithing thing wasn't my motivation for writing in the first place. I like entertainment, and I enjoy being entertained. So I set out to create books that would entertain someone. BUT - like I said; it's subjective. So here, you will find - eventually - a list of ebooks that I or one of my children has enjoyed reading. It might be enjoyed as one of those literary achievements; or it might just be a fluff piece that wasn't all that well written. It can be either - because a good story can go a long way and surprise you with many disguises.

So again, I will only share the stuff I've found that I really like.

And just so you know, any 'review' here might be mine, or one of my childrens'. They are voracious readers. When one of these review/likes pops up here, I won't specify who did the review - but chances are if it's a YA book, it's one of the kids sharing their opinion.

So happy reading everyone. Always feel free to comment below with a suggestion or a book you've read that you liked.I may not read them all - but someone who checks the comments might. If you're an indie author or reader of indies, you never know. Even a simple comment here can help spread the word.


Recent Book Reviews:

Writing is new to me. Can you tell? I bet you can. No matter, I like new things. The world is full of them and from time to time I think we should all try some of those new things. After all, how can we improve if we never try, right?

While this blog is really meant for my start up writings and custom novellings, it's also an opportunity to spread a little good karma. There are so many good authors out there already I really never imagined writing would be something I would try myself. I'm glad I did, but it wasn't one of those natural inclination things.

I like to read.  And in spite of what many people  have told me, the two (reading and writing) don't necessarily go hand in hand. So when I'm struggling to punch a few words out on a keyboard, I frequently get sidetracked by some really good word pickins. And when I find a book I really enjoy I like to share it with others. So this is the page  where I do my real sharing:
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Recent:


The CONDUIT by Stacey Rourke
My rating: 5 of 5 stars

What a great read! Thoroughly enjoyable, it's a fast paced adventure that grabbed me at the first page. It really is one of those page turners (or since it's an ebook - one of those page scrollers). It would make a great series - in fact the only negative I can think of is that I now have to wait for the next book.

View all my reviews

Toonopolis: Gemini  by Jeremy Rodden
This is a great book. It's well written, smart and funny. It's good for kids, teens, and parents that still have a sense of humour, fond memories of watching cartoons with their kids, and a good dose of silliness. It was wonderful! Really anyone that enjoys animation and humour would enjoy it. Here's the description from the the ebook seller's page:

 Toonopolis is a cartoon city that is home to the thoughts and ideas of all sentient beings in the universe. As the center of the Tooniverse, it acts as an other-worldly rest stop for these creations.

Gemini is a teenage human boy who is thrust into Toonopolis through his father's scientific research program. He loses part of himself in the process and immediately begins a quest to regain his lost memories with the help of his Tooniverse guide named Jimbob the Talking Eggplant.

After an altercation with a mysterious Shadowy Figure, Gemini's mission is changed, and he begins a new quest to defeat Shadowy Figure and protect Toonopolis from his nefarious destruction. Along the way, he meets new friends, discovers just how diverse and strange Toonopolis is, and learns lessons about compassion, forgiveness, redemption, and being true to oneself. 

It's also available on Amazon and Barnes and Noble as genuine page turners.

All Hallow's Eve  by Cristyn West
All Hallow's Eve: The One Day it's BAD to be Good by Cristyn West
My rating: 5 of 5 stars

Wow. Can you say horror thriller? It starts off with murder. And then there's ... well lots of murder. Serial killer on the loose, crime drama, a bit of teen romance thrown in. Definitely not for kids. Nope. Not at all. Nor is it for the faint of stomach. It can get descriptive. But if horror and thrillers are your thing, then this is a good one for you. (I read this last November but only got around to updating Goodreads now).

View all my reviews