What am I reading?

What am I reading?

Finished:

She Was the Quiet One by Michele Campbell
Potter's Field by Rob Hart

Currently reading:

Note to Self by Andrew Milner
Life Happens to us by Ashta-deb

Tulsa by S.L. Scott

Fast Burn by Lori Foster

Up to bat:

Lust, Money & Murder by Mike Wells
Sadie by Courtney Summers
Wild Hunger by Chloe Neill
Down the Aisle with Murder by Auralee Wallace

Review: The Innocent by David Baldacci

Title: The Innocent

Author: David Baldacci

Publisher: Hachette Book Group, Inc.

Where to Purchase: Barnes & Noble, Amazon

Stars: 5 Stars

Summary:

It begins with a hit gone wrong. Robie is dispatched to eliminate a target unusually close to home in Washington, D.C. But something about this mission doesn’t seem right to Robie, and he does the unthinkable: He refuses to kill. Now, Robie becomes a target himself and must escape from his own people.

Fleeing the scene, Robie crosses paths with a way-ward teenage girl, a fourteen-year-old runaway from foster home. But she isn’t and ordinary runaway – her parents were murdered, and her own life is in danger. Going against all of his professional habits, Robie rescues her and finds he can’t walk away. He needs to help her. Even worse, the more Robie learns about the girl, the more he’s convinced she is at the center of a vast cover-up, one that may explain her parents’ deaths and stretch to unimaginable levels of power.

Now, Robie may have to step out of the shadows in order to save this girl’s life… and perhaps his own.

Review:

The Innocent by David Baldacci is definitely worth the read. This fast paced novel will keep you on your toes and keep turning the pages. Baldacci is at his best with this novel. Each page was heart pounding and intriguing. I could not put this novel down. I would highly recommend this book to anyone. The suspense, mystery, and slight romance is definitely one of a kind.

-Victoria

What am I reading?

What am I reading?

Finished:

Currently reading:

Note to Self by Andrew Milner
She Was the Quiet One by Michele Campbell

Up to bat:

Brave Enough by Kati Gardner
The Dream Daughter by Diane Chamberlain
What if This Were Enough? by Heather Havrilesky 
The Road Trip by Susanne O'Leary
Low Chicago by George R.R. Martin
Bring My Back by B. A. Paris

Review: Haunted by James Patterson and James O. Born

Title: Haunted

Author: James Patterson and James O. Born

Publisher: Hachette Book Group, Inc

Where to buy: James Patterson, Amazon, Barnes & Noble, Target

Stars: 5 stars

Summary:

Detective Michael Bennett and his family are about to be haunted… by a father’s worst nightmare-the signs he should have seen and a son’s desperate cry for help. Reeling from a family crisis, the Bennetts escape New York for a much-needed vacation.

An idyllic country town in the Main Woods is haunted… by an epidemic emptying its streets and preying on its youth. Turns out the vacation brochures don’t tell the full story-the seemingly perfect community has a deadly vice. When local cops uncover a grisly crime scene buried deep in the woods, they consult the vacationing Bennett, who jumps at the chance to atone for his own sins. But far from the city streets he knows so well, no one will talk to the big-city detective, and the bodies keep piling up.

A young, hardscrabble, and forgotten girl is haunted… by a traumatic history. Homeless and destitute, she represents the closest thing Bennett has to a partner in his frantic hunt for the ghostlike perpetrator behind the violence. Will Bennett and his unlikely ally unmask the culprit before anyone else winds up haunted?

Review:

Haunted was a fast pace, page turner. I couldn’t put the book down! There was enough mystery that allowed you to guess what would happen, but not too much to make the book boring. Between the love story and suspense of a killer, the story was amazing. I would highly recommend this book to anyone.

What am I reading?

What am I reading?

Finished:

Whatever it takes by Virginia Kelly

Wotakoi: Love is Hard for Otaku by Fujita

Currently reading:

Note to Self by Andrew Milner

Up to bat:

Albert Einstein Speaking by R.J Gadney
Like to Die by David Housewright
Abandoned by Allison Brennan
Hidden by Kelli Clare
A Wedding on Bluebird Way by Lori Wilde, Janet Dailey, Allyson Charles, Stacey Keith
Beyond Control by Kat Martin
Unbridled by Diana Palmer
Boomer1 by Daniel Torday
Lies by T.M. Logan 

Review: Quantum and Woody! Volume 1: Kiss Kiss, Klang Klang

Title: Quantum and Woody! Volume 1: Kiss Kiss, Klang Klang

Publisher: Valiant Entertainment, LLC
Publication Date:  July 10, 2018

Where to buy: Amazon,

Stars: 3

Summary: THE WORLD’S WORST SUPERHERO TEAM RETURNS IN AN EXPLOSIVE NEW ONGOING SERIES! 

Sometimes…you embrace your destiny. And sometimes…you and your troublemaking adopted brother find yourselves trapped in a scientific lab explosion that grants you $@&%ing awesome superpowers. As a result of their accident, Eric and Woody Henderson – aka Quantum and Woody – must “klang” their wristbands together every 24 hours or both dissipate into nothingness. Which makes superhero-ing pretty awkward when you’re not on speaking terms at the moment. See, Eric has been keeping a pretty big secret: He knows who Woody’s birth father really is…and where he’s been hiding all these years.

With great power comes great sibling rivalry! This winter, you’ll believe two men and one goat can split a one bedroom apartment and still be a credible threat to evil and injustice everywhere when QUANTUM AND WOODY make headlines and take names!

Starting right here, deeply alarming and untrustworthy writer Daniel Kibblesmith (The Late Show with Stephen Colbert) and eye-popping artist Kano (Daredevil) give the Valiant Universe the adjective-worthy superheroes it deserves: QUANTUM AND WOODY!

Review:
Yes, Quantum does look a lot like Deadpool, why? Because the artist is the same one who drew Deadpool! Yes, that was my main draw to this book. What can I say. I am full time nerd, go me! I cannot deny it. :) It was a little difficult to read on my phone but I still enjoyed it more the artistry over the actual story line. I can understand how the story line needs to jump around to give us background. I just didn't like how it was done. Some of the background didn't make much sense. Some of it was enjoyable. I would absolutely give this more chances. The characters were good I already have a favorite or two. Yes, my star level is low but I am still open to looking into this comic a little more.
-Kati

Guest Post with: Sam B Miller II

The Imagination of the Reader
How much should an author leave to the imagination of the reader?
Some readers want detail such as 'The rectangular dining room was lit by a small chandelier centered in
a high ceiling over a long table covered with a stained tablecloth. The four high-backed, cushioned chairs
were mismatched and more suitable for a casual kitchen. Sunlight from eastern facing windows was
muted by faded gold-colored drapes.' Other readers like little detail. They fill in the missing descriptions
with their mind such as 'The dining room was crowded with a table and four chairs.’
Of course there is an in-between but which approach is favored?
My stories have tried both ways of writing scene details. In the 3-book science fiction series, ‘The Origin
of F.O.R.C.E.’, I provided detail of the characters. Height, weight, hair color, eyes, type of glasses, cleanshaven, clothing and disposition were all described. I controlled how the reader visualized my characters
and even had characters drawn by professional artists based upon those descriptions. Many people said
the descriptions brought the characters to life. Others said the detail bogged down the story. Here are
the links to ‘The Origin of F.O.R.C.E.’ series. http://www.amazon.com/dp/B010T04A2O/
https://www.goodreads.com/user/show/44339895-sam-b-miller-ii
My fourth story, ‘Smith’, is a paranormal/supernatural tale written in a completely different way. The
reader knows who is male, female or inhuman, but The Imagination of the Reader

How much should an author leave to the imagination of the reader?

Some readers want detail such as 'The rectangular dining room was lit by a small chandelier centered in a high ceiling over a long table covered with a stained tablecloth. The four high-backed, cushioned chairs were mismatched and more suitable for a casual kitchen. Sunlight from eastern facing windows was muted by faded gold-colored drapes.' Other readers like little detail. They fill in the missing descriptions with their mind such as 'The dining room was crowded with a table and four chairs.’

Of course there is an in-between but which approach is favored?

My stories have tried both ways of writing scene details. In the 3-book science fiction series, ‘The Origin of F.O.R.C.E.’, I provided detail of the characters. Height, weight, hair color, eyes, type of glasses, clean-shaven, clothing and disposition were all described. I controlled how the reader visualized my characters and even had characters drawn by professional artists based upon those descriptions. Many people said the descriptions brought the characters to life. Others said the detail bogged down the story. Here are the links to ‘The Origin of F.O.R.C.E.’ series. http://www.amazon.com/dp/B010T04A2O/

https://www.goodreads.com/user/show/44339895-sam-b-miller-ii

My fourth story, ‘Smith’, is a paranormal/supernatural tale written in a completely different way. The reader knows who is male, female or inhuman, but the character’s appearance is completely up to the reader. Ethnicity, hair-color, height and other identifiers are left to the reader’s imagination. Descriptions of buildings, rooms, army bases, hospital rooms, and hidden bunkers are minimal as well, leaving the readers to picture scenes as they wish to interpret them. I suppose I would name the technique ‘World-building in the reader’s mind’.

To my surprise, readers have discussed certain scenes in my book in ways I never thought possible.

Here are the links to Smith.

http://www.amazon.com/dp/B078R95SYJ/

https://www.goodreads.com/book/show/37832924-smith

The new writing style resulted in a crisp read while at the same time reducing the word count to the point the story became a Novella rather than a Novel. I would appreciate your opinion. Which writing style do you prefer? I am in the process of writing my next novel and am anxious to know which writing style is preferred.

      Sam B Miller II, Author https://www.amazon.com/author/sambmilleriithe character’s appearance is completely up to the
reader. Ethnicity, hair-color, height and other identifiers are left to the reader’s imagination.
Descriptions of buildings, rooms, army bases, hospital rooms, and hidden bunkers are minimal as well,
leaving the readers to picture scenes as they wish to interpret them. I suppose I would name the
technique ‘World-building in the reader’s mind’.
To my surprise, readers have discussed certain scenes in my book in ways I never thought possible.
Here are the links to Smith.
http://www.amazon.com/dp/B078R95SYJ/
https://www.goodreads.com/book/show/37832924-smith
The new writing style resulted in a crisp read while at the same time reducing the word count to the
point the story became a Novella rather than a Novel. I would appreciate your opinion. Which writing
style do you prefer? I am in the process of writing my next novel and am anxious to know which writing
style is preferred.
Sam B Miller II, Author
https://www.amazon.com/author/sambmillerii