Book Review: Dying To Forget

I listened to the audio book for this one, and was asked to write a review of it, so for this book review I'm splitting it into 2 parts - first the book review, & then the audio book review. 

Dying To Forget - the book by Trish Dawson:

 I wasn't sure about dying to forget at first, but a few pages in I was crying. CRYING. Over a book. Because I relate to Piper. I have been there. Drugged & raped. & a cutter. & even suicidal. Thankfully that's all in the past now (I've healed a lot since then & even founded a support group called RISE (Rape Incest & Suicide Education) but nonetheless, after I got passed the first couple of pages (during which I wrongly assumed it was some kind of erotica - it isn't), I grew increasingly connected to & invested in Piper's journey, page after page. The first person point of view & the present tense style, along with Piper's adorable nicknames for people, really help the reader connect with the characters & events in the book. Some of the descriptions were a bit lengthy for me, but other than that, I loved it. Definitely recommended for teens & for anyone who has been through any kind of abuse or trauma. You will cry, you will laugh, & you will find healing in its pages. This is why all books should be written - to uplift, encourage, & empower people. Thank you to Trish Dawson for writing a book that tackles issues needing more light shed on them, while being entertaining & fun at the same time.

Dying To Forget - audio book read by Kimberly Woods:

This was the first time I'd tried listening to an audio book. As a writer myself, as well as a plethora of other things, I rarely find the time to read, so I thought I could listen instead, while working on novel illustrations. Turns out, I was right. Still took forever to get through it, but I got through it much quicker than I would have been able to by actually reading. Kimberly Woods speaks with a clear voice, enunciating every word; & with a soft & calming tone, making it a great read for right before bed (although that's not when I listened to it, but if I could I would). I think her voice embodied the character of Piper well, & she did a good job of keeping up with the humor in the novel, causing me to giggle on multiple occasions. There were a few times when I wished I could speed it up a little because it went a bit too slow for me personally, but nonetheless, I could tell she really immersed herself in the story, which in turn made me feel more immersed in the story too. I love the fact that a busy person like myself can listen while doing other things, so I will definitely be trying more audio books in the future.


 ***I was given an audio copy of this book in exchange for an honest review***

You can find this book on Amazon HERE, and on Audible HERE. It's currently free, so check it out!

You can find the author Trish Dawson on her Facebook HERE & her Twitter HERE. 

You can find more audio books read by Kimberly Woods HERE.

Be The Lightning, 

Kylie Jude. 

}i{ 

Book Review: Revolution Z

Who better to lead a modern army than George Washington? Right? The thing is, in this day and age, that would take a bit of resurrecting. And in this book, that is exactly what happens. And the army is no normal army. It's an army of zombies. Pretty cool, right? Sure, authors are putting zombies in everything from "Pride and Prejudice" to "Romeo and Juliet" these days, but I'm pretty sure no one has tried presidents yet. So that's pretty unique. 

I haven't had time to finish this book yet, since my own novel has kept me busier than a bee lately, but I'm about half way through, and it's pretty good so far. I love how pronounced the characters are. You almost don't need to know the name of the person speaking, because the character is identifiable by his/her words and actions alone. This is especially true in the case of the resurrected characters, Patton and Washington. They are from different eras, but, through the events of this book, they are brought into the same era, both way ahead of their time. Patton is more in-your-face and outgoing, and Washington is more reserved and refined. This difference is really defined in the first scene of the two leaders talking together, and again in another scene where they react very differently to an event. The way both characters present themselves is how I feel the actual men would have presented themselves, so it's clear the authors did their research. It's also clear the authors know a lot about the military, which is sort of necessary for a book like this. Some of the explanations and terminology were way over my head, LOL. The action takes a bit to pick up, but once it does, it's everything a zombie lover could ask for. Plenty of blood and guts. 

The only problem I personally had with the book was the fact that in the midst of a heated fight scene, we are suddenly pulled out of the action to hear about the color of the walls, or some other lengthy description. Although, I would have loved more description and explanation on how these characters got to be where they are, and on how the zombies and resurrected became the way they are, but maybe I just overlooked something, or maybe I haven't reached that part yet. But, aside from all that, it's a great read if you love zombies and history. I can't wait to find out what happens next.

Find out more, buy the book, and join the revolution HERE.

 More on author Gregory Bernard Banks HERE.

More on author Blaine Hislop HERE.

Stay Frosty ;) 

-Kylie Kerosene (Jude)

Reviews - Guest Blog with author Rayne Hall

I have the pleasure of following author and editor Rayne Hall on Twitter, and I always find her conversations very informative and engaging. Rayne has written many books, most of which are designed to help authors strengthen their writing, which, as a writer myself, I appreciate. She has offered two previously published pieces for this blog, both about reviews. I have split this blog up into 2 parts. The first part is for readers, and the second part is for writers. Enjoy!

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READERS: 

The question Rayne tackles in this post is "Are Indie Books Worth Reviewing?" When I hear this question, my mind automatically screams, "YES!" If any book needs reviewing, it is an indie book, and I don't think indie books are any less worthy of reviews than other books. Here's what Rayne Hall had to say about it:

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ARE INDIE BOOKS WORTH REVIEWING?

by Rayne Hall

Certain book blogs state categorically that they won't review self-published books.  I understand their motivation: They get inundated with submissions and are trying to keep the numbers down.

However, No Indies is as arbitrary as No Jews or No Women.

The reviewers aim to filter out low-quality works - but is the publishing method a valid quality filter?

It used to be. In the late 20th century, the established path to publication was author-agent-publisher-bookseller-reader. Each book had to pass three gates on its journey from author to reader, and each gate represented a quality test. Self-published books were inevitably those that had failed at the first two gates.

Times have changed. E-publishing makes it possible to reach the readers directly, and many authors choose the direct route instead of queuing at the gates.

Without gatekeepers barring entry, many poorly-written and under-revised books get published. A lot of indie (i.e. self-published) books are not as good as their authors think. Frankly, there's a mass of indie dross - but there are also many indie gems.

The boundary between “good book” and “bad book” doesn't happen to coincide with the frontier between indie-published and traditional-published books.

Consider the authors who use both publishing models: Amanda Hocking, John Locke and Michael Stackpole submit some of their works to traditional publishers and self-publish others. Are these authors' traditional-published books better than their self-published ones?

Or how about the authors were successful with traditional-published books, but then decided to go indie? Consider Joe Konrath, Barry Eisler, and Dean Wesley Smith. Have they lost their ability to write good books?

Then there are the authors who took their previously traditional-published out-of-print books and self-published them as ebooks -  Kristine Kathryn Rusch and Piers Anthony, for instance. The books are the same, so how can they suddenly be less worthy?

Over three decades, I had twenty books published by several traditional publishers before choosing the indie route. Does this mean my old books are worth reviewing, and my new books are not - even though I have grown as a writer?

Not long ago, a book blogger approached me. She had enjoyed the stories in Six Scary Tales Vol. 1 and asked for review copies of Vol. 2 and 3, so she could review the series. Shortly after I sent the books, I received an email “Your books are self-published and therefore not worth reading or reviewing.”

Excuse me? When she assumed that the books were traditional-published, she liked the stories and wanted more. On discovery that they were indie-published, the same stories were suddenly not worth reading. What does this say about the reviewer's judgement?

Most stories in the Six Scary Tales series were originally published the traditional way in magazines and anthologies. Did inclusion in the self-published collection damage their quality?

I appreciate that book bloggers decline to read certain books, e.g. No Erotica, No Horror or No Romance, because if a book isn't to their taste, it would be tedious to read and difficult to review.

But to decline all indie-published books because they can't possibly be good is like refusing to read books penned by women or by Jews because no woman or Jew could possibly write something worth reading.

So how can a book reviewer assess which books are worth reading? I think the answer is obvious: by looking at the book itself. Reading the first few pages will show the reviewer whether it's their kind of book. Often, a quick glance at the first paragraph is enough to weed out the obvious dross. If reviewers can't form their own opinion of what they're reading, they shouldn't be reviewing books.

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 WRITERS: 

If you've ever published a book, you probably know what it's like to receive a negative review. I haven't published yet, so I haven't had the "pleasure" of negative reviews yet, but I know I'll get them. Who doesn't? Not everyone will love your book. That doesn't always mean it's bad, it just means it's not for everyone. What I plan to do, and what I suggest other writers do, is to #1: See negative reviews as a learning experience (at least the ones that are negative for a good reason), and #2: Learn to laugh at negative reviews (especially the ones that are negative for silly reasons). Here are some hilarious negative reviews from Rayne Hall:

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FUNNY NEGATIVE BOOK REVIEWS

I love it when readers who enjoyed my books post positive reviews on Amazon, Goodreads and elsewhere – but negative reviews can be even more fun.

Here's a selection of my favourites I've received over the years:

Storm Dancer (dark epic fantasy novel)

“This book is too long. I had to spend many hours reading it. I'm busy and have other things to do.”

“The character of Queen Matilda is not believable” There's no Queen Matilda in the book.

“Animal lovers: Do not buy this book! They don't just sacrifice humans, but horses as well.”

“The women in this story are not as obedient as the Bible says women were in those days.”

“The book didn't end how I thought it would.”

Bites: Ten Tales of Vampires (short story anthology)

“The vampires in this book aren't like Edward Cullen. Most of them totally creep me out.”

“I could have written a vampire story as good as any in this book if the editor had asked me.”

Daughters of the Dragon (non-fiction)

“How dare this author write about women in China? I checked her credentials: she does not have a degree in sinology.”

Living&Working in Britain (non-fiction)

“I've spent three weeks in that country. Trust me, it's not at all like this.”  The author lives in that country.

“If I had time, I'd dash off a book like this myself.”

Living&Working in Germany (non-fiction)

“This is not how I imagine Germany to be.”

“Clearly, the author has never met a real German”  The author is a real German.

How To Be A Freelance Journalist (non-fiction)

“I don't want to do all this work. I just want to be a journalist.”

Writing Fight Scenes (non-fiction)

“I skipped the first twenty chapters because there was nothing of interest in them. I wanted to know how to structure a fight scene and the book doesn't show that.” Chapter 3 is titled “Structure”.

Writing Scary Scenes (non-fiction)

“I don't need a book to teach me how to write.”

“I haven't read this book because I don't need to read it to know it's bad.”

Haunted: Ten Tales of Ghosts (short story anthology)

“I had made reservation and on the date I was to go I had a very bad cold and fever and I called them to change my reservation and they refused.”

“I haven't read it yet, but Amazon pressed me for a review.”

Six Scary Tales Vol. 1

“What a rip-off! This book contains only six stories!”

“These tales are not scary. There's not one single chainsaw massacre, not even a disemboweling.”

“I didnt even get through the first story cause when i was reading it to my mom therebwere some inapropreate words.”

Six Historical Tales Vol 1

“I hate it when writers use British English. They should learn to write proper English before publishing a book.”

“These stories are not 'historical.' Nobody gets married.”

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Since some of these reviews were written many years ago and I no longer have access to them, I've quoted them from memory. The precise wording may have been different.

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Negative reviews from someone who clearly doesn't get it can be annoying – but they can also be a source of hilarity.

I've browsed some review sites and found these disdainful comments on famous classics and bestsellers:

Pride and Prejudice (by Jane Austen)

“I found the story incredibly dated.” It was published in 1813.

“This is stupid. Why don't those girls simply get a job?”

“Jane Austen left out all the good bits!! Even where Mr Darcy comes out of the water with his shirt wet! It's absolutely the best part and it's not in the book at all!!!”

Rebecca (by Daphne du Maurier)

“This story needs editing.”

“I wish the house would burn down and kill all the characters inside.”

Wuthering Heights (by Emily Bronte)

“There is also animal cruelty, and most of the characters die off at an early age.”

“The book is not as good as the movie.”

Dracula (by Bram Stoker)

“The character of the count is a stereotyped kind of vampire you've already seen in two dozen movies.”  Stoker's Count Dracula is the original from which the stereotype evolved.

Carrie (by Stephen King)

“A bland tasteless book with no debth. The only part I enjoyed was the crazy mother.”

“Where's the Scarey? Boring!”

Grapes of Wrath (by John Steinbeck)

“What should I care about those people's problems? I have enough problems of my own.”

Bleak House (by Charles Dickens)

“I'm on page 300 and there is no end in sight.”

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See? Hilarious! Some of those had me rolling. SMH. 

So in conclusion, readers, please review the books you read, especially indie books. And writers, try to take negative reviews with a grain of salt, and a little humor ;) 

I hope you've enjoyed this review-mashup! Thanks to Rayne Hall for contributing. You can check her books out HERE. And don't forget to review them too ;)

Be the lightning, 

Kylie Kerosene.

 }i{

My First Book Review - Evolution: Angel

"I'm probably the only writer on the planet that doesn't like to read books. 

It's not that I don't want to, I just don't have the patience."

I can't even count the number of times I've said something to that effect. I always have something to work on (whether it's my own novels, artwork, music or videos) and I'm either too busy to read, or if I do try to read, I get bored & restless after a few minutes & stop. It's not that I don't love the books I try to read, it's just books in general. I still have books from friends that I have started & fully intend to finish one day, but I just haven't yet. 

The statement at the beginning of this blog used to be true, but I can no longer use it. Because when Starla Huchton held a contest on Twitter for someone to win her book Evolution: Angel, & I won said contest, I finally found a book I could stick with. Was it because it was easy to read? Was it because of the strong characters & believable relationships? Was it the super hero theme? Or was it just good timing? Maybe it was all of the above, but either way, I suddenly found myself reading numerous chapters at a time, unable to stop for the fear I might miss something. I found myself reading every chance I got, sneaking off whenever I had a free moment to delve back into the world Starla had created. I even found myself thinking about the book while doing other things, & wondering what would happen next, impatient until I could finally read again.

What happened to me? I had suddenly gone from being someone who hates to read, to being someone practically obsessed with a book. Honestly I think Starla is just that good. Her use of witty dialogue & realistic character flaws, combined with her "just enough" descriptions that are long enough to get a mental image but not so descriptive that I want to stop reading (which has happened before) combined with the clever mixture of romance, action, & cliffhangers - all of these things kept me hooked until the very last page. That's right. I finally finished a book. That makes Evolution: Angel my first.

They say you never forget your first, & I certainly won't be forgetting this book. I'm excited to read the next book in the series, & I hope you will want to read it too. I would also love to see the series made into movies, as every scene and character action played out in my mind just like a movie, and the powers that the characters display make for some really cool visuals that would look epic on screen. I'm just saying. ;)

If I have to pick one thing I didn't love about this book, it would be that there was too much sex. But that's just a personal preference. I tend to avoid sex in my own novels unless it's necessary, because I feel like it doesn't advance the plot. BUT that's just me, & in Starla's novel, often times the sex DOES actually advance the plot (at least the romance aspect) & there is definitely enough action and mystery and other stuff to balance out the sex. So if you like both romance and action, this book is definitely for you. Be warned though, the book does have some sex as well as some graphic language. Now no one can say I didn't warn them ;)

Overall, I was very impressed by this book, and very attached to the characters and the plot. If it can hold MY attention, it must be good. Right? So take my advice and see for yourself. You won't regret it!

I leave you with some of my favorite quotes from the novel:

Evolution: Angel by Starla Huchton

Evolution: Angel by Starla Huchton

Evolution: Angel by Starla Huchton

There you have it! Buy the book here to read more. Hopefully this is the first of many books I'll read. Thank you, Starla, for starting me on the path of a writer that also happens to read books, and for writing a wonderful book that I will never forget. :)

Be the lightning,
Kylie Kerosene.

}i{