Sandra C. Lopez's Blog, page 369

Review: IS THIS ALL THERE IS? By Patricia Mann (part 1)

1.       Do other women fantasize about living a different life?2.       Do they passionately love and loathe their families at the same time?
 These are the questions pacing around Beth’s mind. A mother and wife, she contemplates life, wondering why she’s not satisfied while growing bitter and despondent. 
Being the mother of a toddler is too much, exhausting, which is why she is a stress eater. Can you blame her? The “mommy” tasks (breast-feeding, school, baths, bedtime stories, etc.) are boring. How long did the reader have to endure this monotony?
Still, the reader feels for Beth. “I had three ever-present men sucking the life out of me.” (23) Do something!
Things start to heat up when Beth runs into former student, Dave. Oh, now we’re getting somewhere. The excitement of an affair is what Beth needed to resuscitate her flaccid body. Dave was smart, sensitive, and empathetic. I liked how he intellectually challenged Beth; it was not just physical, although he had a lot of that going on too. If she keeps seeing him, she will have an affair, and affairs are like drugs—once you start, you will want more and more and won’t be able to stop.
I liked the analytical aspects that unveiled the questions without answers. Is this all there is? Is this it? What is it that we want? It’s always a tough decision. Humans are just never satisfied.
 For Beth, it’s all about the guilt, paranoia, and remorse. She spends the bulk of the story drowning in all of it. Well, she is the one with everything to lose. Readers will put themselves in Beth’s shoes and ride out the guilt all the way to the end. At times, however, the guilt is tediously overbearing. Still, this is a well-written story with a mediocre ending.
My rating: 3.5 stars

Review: EARTH 5 by Hustin Lindenhall

"Mrs. Fischmann couldn't stand me. I got in an argument with her over whether periods should go inside quotation marks or outside. I told her if it was my writing I could put them wherever I wanted." (1)

This is basically a collection of whimsical anecdotes--not really stories, per se. They pretty much read like the journal entries of young boy.
In "Tonya," a boy recalls a dream about a bug and this one girl.
"Los Angeles" relays a sudden move and a boy's threat to divorce his parents.
Like I said, these are not stories as they're entirely too quick; they're more like snippets. I guess this is what they call Flash Fiction, which is not something that I strive to get into. Nonetheless, some of these were appealing, so appealing, in fact, that I wish the author had extended the details further. Some of the themes were just too funny while others were just plain boring, and then there were some that were just too weird.
I'm not sure if these are worth reading as I had mixed feelings about them. It's like they never got me over the peak of the mountain; they started off one way, climbed a few steps up, and then just stopped. Where did I go? Where else could I go but down?
I guess these are okay if you like "quickies." 
My rating: 2.5 stars

Review: GONE FOR YOU by Jayne Frost

Cameron Knight is a musician from an up-and-coming band with most of its members embellishing the punk rock n' roller persona.

I became slightly piqued by Cameron's courtship of Lily, the event coordinator at one of the hotels that they stay. The fact that Cameron is part of a popular band means that he can nail any girl he wants--any girl, anywhere, anytime. So why is he after sweet Lily, the quiet and hardworking artist, who just doesn't seem like his type? Maybe because she was more of a conquest. Game on, right?
Propelled by witty and somewhat boorish remarks, story generates a competition of gratuitous bravado. But then what starts off as a game--as a one-night stand full of hot passion--quickly becomes a complicated mess in the throes of a band's fame and superficiality. Can romance survive the tight booking schedules, the endless tour dates, and the flashing lights of paparazzi?
For me, the life of a rock star is not as glamorous with the wild partying, the booze, and the loose women. In fact, I'd find it a little boring. Additionally, the "relationship" between Cameron and Lily was not that genuine or believable. How can you deem someone "special" within 2 seconds of meeting them? And for a rock star to put his fame on the back burner just to fit into her world? C'mon! Maybe if we had gotten Lily's perspective we might've figured out the reasoning behind this whole hook-up. But the fact that it was strictly told from Cameron's point of view indicates that this was an unbridled infatuation--it was just sex. It was kind of hard to take it serious.
With a few exciting moments here and there, this was an average, mildly trivial romance with a fleeting pace.
My rating: 3 stars

Review: DEAD SECRET by Richard Milton

Investigative journalist Tony Gabriel stumbles onto his biggest ever story when he inherits the papers of a long-dead Cambridge historian.

Tony is bewildered by the horrifying secrets he begins to unravel. Can human heads really be used to predict the future? Who would pay $7 million for the skull of the Russian President? Is British intelligence involved?

His search leads Tony to the wealthy and secretive Chadwick Foundation whose bizarre beliefs both repel and attract him. Are they merely wealthy, powerful people playing an elaborate game, or have they truly gained the power to see into the future? When Tony witnesses the Home Secretary die in an elaborate sex ritual at a Belgravia dinner party he knows he is in too deep to back out.

The keeper of The Foundation's secrets is the stunning, enigmatic Eve Canning, who turns his search into a very personal quest. Eve seems to know more about Tony than he knows about himself – she believes he has inherited psychic gifts.

Eve's form of love is addictive – but it has a price. She is a sadist who specialises in erotic asphyxiation. And she has revived a ritual form of sex from French revolutionary times that literally makes death an aphrodisiac.

When Tony is initiated by Eve and her cult into the ultimate terrifying secret, he has a decision to make that can cost him his life: he can achieve a form of immortality but only by risking everything.



My thoughts: For Tony Gabrielle, the sudden death of his mother opens up a whole can of strange and complex worms, which didn't quite intrigue me right away. In fact, the story starts off in a subtle and monotonous pace and is shrouded by a cast of faceless and unimpressive characters. I understand that there was a mystery hidden somewhere and I sensed a hint of a dreary, intelligible style comparable to a Sherlock Holmes case, but I guess the biggest challenge was trying to put together the jagged pieces of this convoluted and monochromatic plot. It just didn't propel me to investigate further.

 
My rating: 2 stars


 

Review: THE REUNION by A.A. Pencil

A high school reunion of misfits soon turns into a weekend in a hell-house.
Soon after the guests arrive, strange happenings begin to occur leading to the death of two of the ”friends.’ The survivors find themselves locked in a rented mansion which has its own secrets. With each devilish event, a new suspect emerges. With each new death, the remaining guests’ distrust of one another grows exponentially. Friends become enemies and enemies become co-conspirators.



My thoughts: A 10-year high school reunion proves that some things change but most things never do. Jealousy, resentment, and heartbreak all play a key role.
There were too many characters with too much baggage, which was dull and slow. Get to the point already!
The whole story was nothing but bickering, accusation, and gossip. Secrets are brutally tossed out of the bag, exposing truths and causing shame. It all seemed compelling, but it was actually exhausting.
When someone ends up dead, it takes on an “I Know What You Did Last Summer” tone with frantically trying to get rid of a body and deciphering the best tactic to lure out a potential killer.
Overall, the story was an unorganized and stale bore.
My rating: 2 stars

Review: BRAIN: THE MAN WHO WROTE THE BOOK THAT CHANGED THE WORLD by Dermot Davis

Daniel Waterstone has had aspirations to be a successful and famous writer, one that would follow the chains of Steinbeck and Faulkner. Fantasies about it often overwhelmed and clouded his head.

Although somewhat prideful and arrogant at his graduation, Daniel had a point. “Our literature has been in decline for decades. Loopy fads and fantasy genres, of questionable merit, now clog our once-great literary arteries.” (3) There was an “urgency” for a revival of great American literature.
Now, 10 years later, he is living as a “true” artist—in a run-down apartment with a bed, a desk, and a typewriter. He was the poor, starving artist. But he did win that writer’s award in college. Yeah, that’ll pay the bills.
I liked this book because it authenticated the struggles and passions of a real writer trying to come up with the next great story while also trying to make a buck. Aren’t we all? 
But to hear the words: “Nobody is buying what you write. No one is buying your books…Your work has no commercial appeal.” (15) Heartbreaking. Of course, the classic was Daniel’s reaction—utter freeze mode. “I don’t have anything else. This was it. This is it. I poured my soul into these pages…agonized over every single word, every phrase, every description…every vowel.” (17)
A question that every writer must ask is: What do I write? Do I write something the market wants and that will sell? Or do I write what I want?
“Idiots do not have the intellectual capacity to identify genius. All that idiots are mentally equipped to recognize are other idiots.” (32) But what do they read? “People are miserable and are leading lives filled with a mix of boredom and pain.  Books help them to escape all that.” (37)
But “[Daniel] didn’t want to pimp out his genuine talents and become a hack, just to sell books and become ‘popular.” (41) But he was broke and he needed to do something.
“As frustrating as it may be…you can only watch from the sidelines as your baby grows up. In most cases, they die or, more likely, stall in infancy. In some rare cases, however, a book becomes a monster. Whether we like it or not, once it goes public, a book takes on a life of its own.” (72)
“People say that it’s good to have an open mind but the best kind of mind to have is one that’s totally vacant.” (131)
 The agent is crazy! In fact, the entire publication spectrum was crazy—yet accurate. For a dream to finally come true but to have none of the fulfilling qualities one anticipated seemed lyrical, ironic and, to paraphrase Daniel, satirical.
The novel explores the dark, cold recess of the publishing world along with a slew of ineffable, metaphysical possibilities.
Well-written and enthralling, this smart and witty novel is a must-read! Funny, sorrowful, and relatable. It will stay with you long after you’re done.  
 My rating: 5 stars     

Review: BEHIND THE VOICE by Cassi Gray

 
This story quickly grabbed me with its captivating start and descriptive details.

As she was running late for work, Cordelia somehow gets stuck in an elevator….with a strange voice. Could it be her imagination running wild? Or perhaps she was just going mad? Or was it really a ghost or a vengeful spirit? Who the hell knows, but it was creepy and mysterious.
The voice was named Jeremy, and he asked her weird questions, like “would you save someone?” What was even stranger was that the voice claimed he was actually helping her, saving her. Really? It was just getting creepier and creepier.
This story was all about mind games and deep ponderings (well, what else are you gonna do in an elevator, right?) I’ll admit that the ending was a bit of a head-scratcher, but, then again, that may have been the entire premise of this book.
I thoroughly enjoyed the author’s snarky and witty voice. It’s an engaging thriller.  My rating: 4 stars

Review: GIRL LEAST LIKELY TO MARRY by Amy Andrews

That’s me—the girl least likely to marry.

Cassie is a science geek and a nerd. That’s probably why she was voted least likely to marry. She loves to study and, therefore, has no time for love. She was basically the female version of Sheldon on The Big Bang Theory, but not in the funny, lovable way. “[Cassie] wasn’t a slave to her hormones.” (17) Good girl! Of course, all it took was the cocky, arrogant quarterback to stir them up. And that’s what it takes to make Cassie stupid.
There was a slow start in the prologue, which I skipped, of course. The rest wasn’t much better as it seemed to center on the flagrant stupidity of smart girl Cassie.
A disappointment.
My rating: 2 stars

Review: FAT VAMPIRE by Johnny B. Truant (a novella)

It’s hard to believe that a vampire can be fat. Normally they’re supposed to be intoxicatingly beautiful, even with the pale skin and all. But, technically, you are how you died.

Reginald has always been fat and has always been teased for it. Then something about the sword-wielding Goth kid seems fascinating. And that’s when things start to change.
Story started out fine with some wit along with that dry office humor. I was intrigued by the concept and was looking forward to a few chuckles by the sound of it, but the story was mediocre and banal. It was great that Reginald was cool with being a vampire, but then Maurice takes him to school on Vampire 101. Boring.
The whole thing pretty much focuses on Reginald’s fatness. It does suck to be undead AND fat. On top of it, he still has to go to work?!
My rating: 2 stars

Review: A THIRTY-SOMETHING GIRL by L.M. Stull

“The world seems far too happy for me to be in it.” (LOC 43) Would anyone notice if I jumped off this bridge? A question that runs rampant on the mind.

“I wonder, am I alone or are there others just as sad as I am?” (3) No, you’re not. It’s totally relatable.
Before her 30th birthday, Hope has had her world crash and burn all around her with her divorce, lost job, no money, and a secret pregnancy. Yeah, you really don’t know people as well as you think.
“I am an unemployed, unattached thirty-something girl, who for the first time in her life isn’t in a rush to go anywhere.” (17)
“Is [life] actually fake happiness filled with doubt, sadness, and fear, or is there a happy ending waiting for some of us?” (25)
“Basically your youth deceives you into thinking you’re special. That you can change the world and have anything you desire. All you have to do is work for it. Then, one day, you wake up, and you’re not only old, but you realize nothing about you is special.” (52) I liked that “right between the eyes” retort. Happiness is fleeting; Depression stays with you.
Then Hope begins to write—write about the life she wishes she had and the life she actually had. Writing is therapy.
Story has a candid and somber voice that is so refreshing. A raw, touching and very real story of life and unanswered questions.  Story is about falling—falling into a depression so deep that you feel dead. It’s about being ashamed of your failures in life.
“Regret is normal. Pain is normal. Sadness is normal…We just have to remember not to let it consume us indefinitely. Grief will happen, but we have to pick ourselves up and move on.” (171)
This is a story about “forgiving, but not forgetting.”
My rating: 4 stars