K.A. Ashcomb's Blog, page 50
March 23, 2020
Book Review: Three Parts Dead by Max Gladstone
This is one of those books people seem to praise. And I get it why people love this so much. It is an epic tale in a new setting with steampunk mixed with necromancy. Yet, nothing like those two. Also, Max Gladstone plays with the idea of using souls as currency, vampires as drugs, and gargoyles as badass characters. All which excited me.
Yet, there is one downside in the book. It is messy with a messy start, searching for direction. There was also a lot of messiness going on with the magical...
March 22, 2020
Book Review: Nudge: Improving Decisions About Health, Wealth, and Happiness by Richard H. Thaler, Cass R. Sunstein
I would continue the books title with words: of citizens. The question is, should governments and other agencies nudge people to act to their best interests (according to them and science)? If the answer is yes, then how? The simple answer is to look and follow the science of human behavior and make things simple and easier to reach, achieve, do, and understand. I can agree with the last part. That, if we want governments to work and people to do well with their health and finance, then...
March 20, 2020
Penny for Your Soul for Free
Hi everyone!
If you need something humorous to read, I set Penny for Your Soul for free. Its free until next Tuesday.
https://www.amazon.com/gp/product/B07ZWCM11L/penny_for_your_soul
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Have a wonderful day despite everything!
March 18, 2020
A Passing Thought
There is no light, there is no darkness. There is only the gentle purr. And the warm, soft touch between you and me. I hold my breath for the moment to last. Beyond us, there is the silence of madness, but here and now, everything smells of happiness. You know, I will always love you. And I know, I am always too busy fussing over nothingness. I hope this is enough, and I breathe again.
Thank you for reading! Amidst all the chaos and uncertainty, there is beauty in the smallest thing. Have a...
March 16, 2020
Book Review: Alter Ego by Kate Sheeran Swed
Remember Jem and the Holograms animated show from the eighties? This book felt like that. I couldnt shake the feeling away. Strong women in the center of the stage, trying to save the world with their badassery and technical skills. As a child, I was obsessed with Jem, could watch it from video repeatedly.
The main protagonist of the book is Mary, a wealthy Hollywood socialite, and a vigilante with a tragic past. She doesnt have superpowers like the others in the group she belongs to, but...
March 14, 2020
Top 3 Books in February
Hi everyone!
Sorry about posting this halfway to March, things have been hectic here. Occupational Therapy studies have kept me busy while trying to finish writing my third book. Also, sidenote: a happy writer here. My books are selling almost every day!
It wasnt straightforward to choose the top 3 books I read last month. I chose these because they made me wonder about the world we live in the most.
Hallucinations by Oliver Sacks. This was a good book. It made me rethink how I...
March 11, 2020
Short Stories: Acuteness
What is normal? We have this set of rules what makes someone sane and others insane, but if we truly look at those lines, we find out that they are not so well drawn. Culture plays a huge role in what kind of behavior is acceptable. Say someone is shy. In western societies, such persons are seen not so well adjusted, maybe are at risk of becoming marginalized, and studies have shown they have a lower salary than their social counterparts. But in China, a boisterous and socially outgoing...
March 8, 2020
Book Review: Carpet Diem by Justin Lee Anderson
My initial thought was, and kind of still is, Good Omens. There is something inherently the same here. Maybe it is the theme: heaven and hell, angels and demons, and the world coming to an “end” combined with humor. Or it is the opening scene of how Lily, the demon, and Daniel, the angel, enter the story. This initial comparison made me like the book and a lot. Also, the fact that our hero is the unusual kind, pathetic, and this is putting it nicely. Don’t worry, he, Simon, is likable as...
March 4, 2020
Ramble: Fight to Get the Words Out
I meant to give you a short story. It started like this:
“Will you still love me tomorrow?” she stretched on the bed.
“How wouldn’t I? The magic in your eyes…
And this was as far as I got. I had wild ideas about heated witchy story of long-forgotten beings and their taste for worship or more like about an android cursed with emotions. I can see both scenes fold before my eyes, yet nothing comes out. I have been struggling with words lately. Every single one tippy typed with my Lenovo keyboard...
March 2, 2020
Book Review: Night Watch by Terry Pratchett
Generally, I’m not too fond of books that play with time travel. Maybe it is because of the story pretty much is fucked up right from the beginning. The whole time travel conundrum. Also, the character or characters will end back where the story began, and nothing really changed except their minds. And I hate that. I get frustrated, annoyed, and throw tantrums (okay, maybe not.) This isn’t/wasn’t/hadn’t been the case with Night Watch. It is one of those books that is the exception of the...
