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My Review of Cary Stayner: The True Story of the Yosemite Park Killer by Jack Rosewood

Cary Stayner: The True Story of the Yosemite Park Killer by Jack Rosewood

Franz Kafka once said, “We ought to read only books that bite and sting us.”

I happened upon the above quote at the time that I was reading the story of Cary Stayner: The True Story of the Yosemite Park Killer by Jack Rosewood. This story truly did bite and did sting me! It is a true-crime story which follows the life of an individual from his childhood years to the end of his journey where he awaits his final encounter on death row.

Cary Stayner was a killer who hid in clear view of everyone; his colleagues, his family, society in general. It is a horrifying story of an individual who, according to many friends, neighbours and colleagues did not look like a serial killer but appeared as an ordinary, handsome, normal, likeable person. It was only in retrospect that the odd individual found Cary Stayner to be a bit of a loner, quiet and at times, even a bit scarey.

The author wrote this story in a very organized manner using precise writing and many short factual sentences. It was easy to read and easy to follow the line of incidents as they occurred. The amount of research that would have been involved in creating this story was probably very extensive and detailed so I admire the ability of the author to sift through the repetitive information and come up with a story that is so organized, complete and factual. I’ve wondered whether more detail would add to the story or whether it would detract from the style that the author used.

The author was also successful in evoking emotion from the reader. I felt deep sympathy for the families of the victims and for the family of the killer, and yet I felt deep sympathy for the killer himself. Integration of quotes from the victims’ parents, the killer’s relatives and from the killer himself, helped to create the emotion and gave the reader a look into the mind of the killer.

I believe this story would appeal to any reader of True-Crime, Crime fiction, Thriller and/or Suspense. In my opinion, it deserved a rating of 5 stars but due to the typos and grammatical errors I could only honestly give it 4 star rating. I received a copy from the author through a Goodreads connection in exchange for an honest review.

Literary Lion – Story in the Woods

A Walk in the Woods

Years ago, I went for a walk in the dark rain forest. As I entered its edge, the sun shone brightly but the leafy canopy quickly closed off the suns rays darkening the scene around me as I moved forward. It was like night closing in on stealthy feet around me. The dense thick undergrowth tripped my steps causing me to stumble slowly along. I could not see where I was headed or what lie before me. The stillness and the silence was deafening. I gazed in all directions, turned around and lost my entire sense of direction.

Today I walk in the same forest. The sun is shining brightly overhead, scattering its beams through the leaves of the tall majestic trees. Daylight rays sneak through the trees of the forest glistening, sparkling and leading my way. The dense undergrowth no longer exists and the sparse vegetation makes my journey easy. I know where I am going and I know exactly where I am.

A number of years has passed between the then and now. Will the same visible changes occur during the next 40 years? They probably will. All indications would indicate that. Our forests are visibly thinning. Cedar trees are no longer growing where they used to stand thick and resplendent. Our oceans are being filled with trash – especially with plastics. The environment is warming. The ice cap is receding. The bird species in our surroundings is changing. The number of butterflies and bees is decreasing. Is there cause for concern? Will our future generations experience the same environment that we have known?

I am not a hard core environmentalist nor am I a member of the Green party but I am a caring, concerned individual who loves the beauty and wonders of nature. Some of these visible changes are beyond our control but some are not. Many believe that there is nothing they can do as individuals but that is not so. We can recycle. We can reuse. We can vote for political parties that are cognizant, concerned and willing to take a stand on environmental issues. Large companies and corporations need to look at dangerous emissions into the environment and the extreme plastic packaging of products. Developing third world countries should be educated on the importance of recycling. We need to wake up and do the things that we can do – if it isn’t already too late.

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Literary Lion – Space

SPACE

I have just returned from a quick trip to the wide open places of the Saskatchewan prairies where I attended the funeral of a close relative. Since I have not been there for many years, I viewed my surroundings with fresh eyes.

For many years I have lived among the trees, beside lakes fed by mountain streams and in the majestic mountains where breezes are soft, gentle and frequently non existent.

My visit to the prairies took me across flat lands where roads ran up into the distant horizon. I could see for vast, unattainable distances. I traveled through lonely landscapes of desolate grasslands and alkali soil not fit for agriculture. For miles, the only signs of life were the lone coyote that ambled across the prairies grassland in search of his next meal, the gopher that skittered across the road and the single truck with the driver as the only occupant. Farm houses were sparse, even in places where the land along the roadsides was under cultivation. The constant wind laid the grasses low and created small clouds of dust in barren patches. Scrubby, stunted trees which could no longer stand erect, leaned to the southwest under the force of the constant wind.

Who lives here? Perhaps it is those that got left behind during the mass exodus from the prairies in the latter part of the 20th century. Perhaps it is those that love the land, the winds, the freedom to be. Perhaps it is those that love the big sky and the wide open spaces.

Then it hit me. Space. Space would draw people in, capture them and hold them in its steely grip. With space comes freedom – freedom of movement, independence, responsibility for self. With space comes wonder – wonder of the universe, of nature, the role of human significance or perhaps insignificance. With space comes time – time becomes irrelevant, time is slowed, time takes on new dimensions.

Would I ever return to live in the land where my roots were embedded? Probably not, but an occasional visit to capture that feeling of space is truly good for my soul.

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A Review by HM Flath of Dreams of Beautiful Whisper by Tanya Jones

A Review by HM Flath

Dreams of Beautiful Whisper by Tanya Jones

 

Tanya Jones has created a fantasy in a world where time and age take on new meaning, where elves live and where supernatural forces are at work. Amanda becomes Amanae, auras become visible and thoughts can be transmitted mentally. All of this and much more happens when Amanda returns to the village of Eytherfel with her parents and begins her journey to the Awakening as an elf. There are interesting twists and events which become life altering and exciting. Such is the life of an elf as one seeks to learn of personal powers and strengths.

Dreams of Beautiful Whisper is also a love story where two loves are significant in Amanae’s teenage life – one human and one an elf. Interesting events evolve as they vie to win Amanae’s heart.

Amanae is a carefully crafted character with genuine caring qualities and with a strength and intelligence which is put to the test more than once in this story. Caelsah, or Beauty-Boy as nicknamed by Amanae, and Jordan, Amanae’s human love, also possess strength of character deserving of admiration and respect.

My only criticism of this book is that Jordan accepted Amanae’s Elven world too quickly and easily. His understanding of all the implications came so swiftly that it somehow didn’t really fit. Perhaps more time and a few more twists would have helped with the transition. Also, there are several times in the story where ‘sat’ is used instead of ‘seated’, and where ‘use’ should be ‘used’, and ‘suppose’ should be ‘supposed’. In all fairness to the author and from a reader not versed in the Elven world, perhaps those were intentional? Aside from that, the story was very well written, with accurate structure and punctuation.

This story which I received from the author through a Goodreads connection would definitely appeal to young adolescents, those interested in elves and those who enjoy fantasy.

 

My Review of Sean DeLauder’s book, The Speaker for the Trees

My Review of The Speaker for the Trees by Sean DeLauder

Sean Delauder packed a wallop into fewer than 100 pages of well-written, entertaining Sci-fi fantasy. It is humouress and witty, whimsical and logical, philosophical and ordinary. There is so much packed into this little book that if you look carefully you might find it.

I found a fictional story but also found themes of tolerance, love, empathy, adaptation, evolution, etc. I applaud Sean Delauder for this artful achievement of The Speaker for the Trees.

I was immediately intrigued by the unique character of Hedge. He was described as “fat”, “round sagging body”, “fat and bald but not slobbery and sloppy”, and “ordinary”; but what really captured me was the encounter with the pork chops.

“He forked a bit of pork chop, pulled it off with his teeth and felt it tumble down his neck tube and drop into the heap of bits in his bulging middle part.”

Hedge experienced life in two very different worlds on two very different planets, Planet Plant and Planet Earth. Hedge, a very well evolved complex plant, had been born on the Planet Plant in a government nursery. He was ‘planted’, so to speak, on the Planet Earth to infiltrate human society appearing no different from humans on the outside but with the sole purpose to ‘watch the humans’. On earth he lived a very ordinary life as a beekeeper on a small farm with an “highly symmetrical” earth wife Anna who never suspected that Hedge was from another planet. This paragraph tells it as it was:

“As far as Anna was concerned they had met at a squaredance in Topeka. They talked long into the night. She invited him to dinner and he enjoyed her pork chops. Two months later they were married. Hedge took a loan, bought a house on a wide plot. He tended beehives and they didn’t sting him. She made pork chops. He ate them. It was love. That was their story.”

Hedge’s return to the Planet Plant uncovered thoughts, opinions and emotions within himself. This story is a wonderful example where the imaginative and creativity is both logical and ordinary.

My only criticism of the book is that it was too short and that there was only one character that was so carefully crafted. I would have liked to have read more of Anna, Scud Peabody, the Visitors and even the Plant of Ultimate Knowing.

Overall, it was a wonderful read and would certainly appeal to Sci-fi fantasy readers. I could also see this book made into an illustrated read-aloud book for young children. An illustrator would have such fun with Hedge!

I received this book from the author through Goodreads, in exchange for an honest review.

A Review by H.M. Flath – Cursed by Sherrod Wall

A Review of Cursed by Sherrod Wall

Sherrod Wall begins his story, Cursed, with a very ordinary Native American teenage girl by the name of Zarah Cloud who is living a very ordinary life in an ordinary family, attending an ordinary high school and dealing with the ordinary things that a teenager has to deal with – peers, teachers, parents and friends while studying, singing, dancing and living her life.

Once Zarah develops a friendship with Eric which begins as a fascination with Eric���s conversations with his ���imaginary��� friend, things change very quickly. The reader is taken on a journey from the ordinary normal events to extraordinary paranormal events, accompanied by repulsive odors, bites, infections, black oozing goo and blackouts, experiencing spiritual mystic energies, conflicts of good and evil and ancient tribal rituals with heinous acts by half animal and half human spirits.

It is a quickly paced, action filled story which held my interest throughout. Having said that however, in my opinion the pilgrimage taken by Rose and Eric, was ���over the top���, for lack of a better term. The duration of it, along with the extraordinary occurrences, dragged me down but perhaps in all fairness to the author, that may be what the author intended. At times, I also felt confused as to what was happening and to whom.

This book would probably appeal to the sci-fi and adolescent readers. I received it free from the author through Goodreads in exchange for an honest review.

Chasing Through the Dreamtime – A Review

MY REVIEW of Chasing through the Dreamtime by Barbara Land

When a book inspires the reader to do some research, the reader is probably going to say that that was a very good book. In my opinion, that is exactly what Chasing Through the Dreamtime did for me. I dream often, very vivid dreams, which I can most often recall the following day. However, I am not an advocate nor a believer, nor have I ever been or probably ever will be, drawn into that whole world of metaphysics but I did find Barbara Land���s book very interesting. Some of the terms used in the book which broadened by horizons were lucid dreams, monadal sequence, karmic debt, astral projected, past life regressions – certainly terms not found in my everyday vocabulary.

The characters in the story were very ordinary people from a very ordinary family of Scottish heritage. Kate, the main character, who worked part time as a paralegal, was attempting to write a story as she had been told to do so in one of her dreams. The story she was to write was that of her deceased aunt, Aunt Catherine, who had died at the age of 42 and who actually turned out to be her birth mother. For someone who was writing, Kate did very little of that. Her time was spent in chasing through her dreams and there were times when the reader did not know if it was a dream or if it was reality. That is probably what the author intended but I did find it somewhat confusing at times.

Aidan, Kate���s husband, a teacher and a farmer, was exceptionally supportive of Kate���s journey through her dreams. He did not seem real. He just accepted anything Kate said and did. More concern, in my opinion, would have created a much stronger personality. For example, he took it quietly in stride when her doctor prescribed Fluoxetine. Also, he did not object or express any concern whatsoever when Kate hung mugwort on the headboard of their bed.

Charlie, Kate and Aidan���s 16 year old daughter, was depicted as a typical teenager. Charlotte, Kate���s mom but in truth was Kate���s aunt, proved to be the gatekeeper of the family secrets. Tina, Kate���s new friend and confidante, filled the role of believer, informant of new and different ideas and supporter of Kate���s experiences.

The sentence structure, variety of sentences, word usage and grammar in the story were very well constructed. The story flowed well and held my interest throughout. There were however, several typing errors ( For example, ���you��� instead of ���your���, ���comment��� instead of ���common���, ���through��� instead of ���thought���.) ��Another read through by someone else, would probably have picked up many of them.

There were several twists and unexpected turns throughout the book which were most intriguing and unusual – some believable, others not.

Overall, I really enjoyed this book and it probably would appeal to anyone who believes in communicating with loved ones who have passed on, anyone interested in reincarnation or any aspect of the metaphysical world and perhaps to anyone who just might enjoy a well written, good fictional read.

I received this book from the author through Goodreads, in exchange for an honest review.

My Review – Everlocked by Jeannie Kaye

A Review by HM Flath – Ever Locked by Jeannie Kaye

Ever Locked by Jeannie Kaye is an easy-to-read, captivating Fictional Romance which held my interest throughout.

Ever Locked is anything but the mundane love story even though the reader can guess that Iris and Zo will end up together and that the story line is very predictable – boy meets girl, fall in love, happily ever after ending! However, this story is not so predictable and many things happen between the beginning and the happily ever after. There are many twists and family secrets in the story which provide intrigue, interest and emotional struggles for the reader. The author did an amazing job with characterization.

The characters in the story kept me thinking well after I finished reading the book. That in itself says a great deal. The main character, Iris, was painted by the author as a sensitive, caring, gentle, dark-haired beauty. She had an inferiority complex and at times appeared as being a rather pathetic soul – so much so that I wanted to step into the story and give her a good shake to open her eyes. She was weak in that she was unable to stand up to her fiance,Trip, or to Trip���s mother even before the blackmailing began and then even more so after the blackmailing started. However, she was also very strong. She sacrificed herself to protect Zo and then held that secret to herself. The author really created a complex character in Iris.

Zo was the handsome, strong, well-built, caring, sensitive, honest, gentle, loving man with personal drive and initiative. He was always the perfect gentleman, saying and doing all the right things. Females probably would consider him to be a real ���catch���.

Trip was a weak, abusive, pathetic person. In the end, I felt sorry for him because of his parents domination over him who were making choices that should have been his to make. He was emotionally abused by his parents and perhaps physically abused as well, as was his mother, although the story did not reveal that.

There are some special minor characters in this story who really captured me as a reader. One of them was Ella, Iris���s best friend, who was pictured as beautiful, kind, caring, practical, realistic and intelligent. She had a bubbly personality and was fun to be around. Ella would have made a wonderful match for Zo however, by the time she came on the scene, Zo had given his heart away. A second minor character who captured my attention was Buddy, the young brother of Zo. He possessed an innocence and carefree spirit who energetically delighted in all the things that a boy of his age would enjoy. In my opinion, excellence was also achieved by the author in weaving into the story several underlying themes which made the story most interesting – murder, physical and emotional abuse, forgiveness.

My only criticism of the book is that at times I felt the flow of the story was slow and that there was considerable redundancy. I was anxious for the author to get on with the story and in all fairness perhaps that was what the author intended.

Overall, it is a very engaging love story and would probably appeal to anyone who reads Romance novels.

I received the story through Goodreads from the author in exchange for an honest review.

Blogging 201 – The Impact of a Teacher

On Feb. 1, 2015, a new post appeared which said,”Tell us about a teacher who had a real impact on your life…………….” ��Here is my response. ��Any comments???? Look at it for it’s authenticity? ��Is it believable and if there are some parts which don’t appear believable, please let me know. ��Also, does it appear to be from the point of view of a 6 year old?

The Impact of a Teacher

( A Work in progress – First Draft)

�� �� �� �� �� In was 1940. I was one year old. My father relocated our family to a farm which for the next eleven years was our home. The farm was situated in Central Saskatchewan, three miles from the nearest country school, five miles from the nearest village, eight miles from church and one half miles from our nearest neighbor. There was no one living near by who was close in age to myself, so my playmates were my older siblings which made life interesting for me. Oh, how I copied them, wanted to be like them, wanted to do the things they did and oh, how I wanted to go to school.

I am not certain as to what kind of English accent I adopted when I was learning the language because my parents were of German descent who had a few years earlier emigrated from Poland. ��German was our first language and the language spoken in our home. ��I think that my parent���s English certainly would not have met the king���s version of acceptable pronunciation. On the other hand my older siblings had learned to speak English in a different community than in the one we had now come to live. I had learned my English from my siblings.

I was more than ready at age six to enter the halls of learning where my mind would be opened up to the wonders of the universe and where the teacher would be the disseminator of all these wonders. So on a late August Monday morning in the year 1945, I was placed in a two wheeled horse drawn cart with my older brothers on my one side and my sister on the other. They would lead me to the fountain of knowledge.

After unhitching the horse and tying him up in the school barn, my sister took me by the hand and led me to the school house. There he stood at the doors, large and imposing, sternly greeting each student as they approached the entrance to the school. I looked up and from high above me the large round head opened its mouth and spoke,

���Haaarrey, you sit ower dare in dat desk.���

Timidly, my sister led me to the double seated desk where I sat down. An older student occupied the seat next to me. He did not talk and neither did I.

All was going well until it was time to go for recess. Mr. D���s routine was to say at the appointed time,

���Poot your boooks away.���

At this point all students would place their hands on the top of their desks and place their foreheads on their hands. The boy sitting next to me whispered, ���Do what I do.��� When all students had their faces hidden, Mr. D. would then say,

���Ready.���

Pause.

���Stand.���

Pause.

���Turn.���

Pause.

���Dismissed.���

That was the routine that I soon came to know but on that first day and following the instructions of the boy sitting next to me, when the statement, ���Ready,��� was stated by Mr. D., I was nudged by my desk partner who whispered,

���Say yes, say yes.���

Now being the eager student willing to please and cooperate, I did say,

���Yes.���

I learned within a few seconds that that was not the response expected by Mr. D. I soon learned not to speak unless M. D. told me to.

There were three of us in the first grade of 1945, all boys. Two could speak English but one could not, so much of the school day for my grade was ���Learn to speak English���. Part of the routine was to repeat words spoken by Mr. D. He would hold up a picture of a cat. We would in sequence say,

���Cat,���

���Cat,���

���Cat.���

From single words we progressed to short sentences. One day the short sentence was ���The bird flew���. When is was my turn, I said,

���The bird flew.���

���No! No! Haaarrey, dats not how to say it. Say like dis, da birrd fleew���.

���The bird flew,��� I tried again.

���No! Haaarrey, come loook at my tongue.���

I obediently got up from my desk and approached Mr. D.���s desk and gazed deep into Mr. D.���s gaping mouth.

���Loook ware I poot my tongue.���

He then opened his mouth; I counted his teeth. I saw him place the tip of his tongue on the roof of his mouth. As he began to say ���bird���, his tongue began to quiver and flutter and the sound,

���Brrrrd, brrrrd,��� came forth.

With several weeks of practice I could speak perfect English.

A Review – Heirs of Glory by Tim Doutreval

A Review – Heirs of Glory by Tim Doutreval

Tim Doutreval captured it all; London and Paris in the late 1880s, the art and skill of the sport of fencing, the political arena of the time, as well as the intrigue of unravelling a mystery. In the well written historical fiction, The Heirs of Glory, which I received in exchange for a review through Goodreads, the reader is carried through an era of murder and mystery where secret societies, cloaked men, aristocratic fencing, slums, crypts, secret passages, back stabbing, betrayal and foggy narrow streets and alleys create the authenticity of the time and place.

The main character, Calvin Sheridan, begins as a weak, well-to-do, lazy, useless individual with no direction or purpose to his life. His strength of character grows slowly throughout the story and by the end Calvin is seen to be a thoughtful, caring, considerate and worthwhile human being. Many of the characters did not follow the straight forwardness of Cal���s character but rather aroused questions and confusion. Intrigue and mystery surrounded the fencing master Etienne Lefevre, Cal���s sister Anne, Cal���s fiance Bess. Throughout the story many characters surfaced and I was impressed with the author���s attention to the detail of each one of the characters. All were very carefully crafted and depicted through exceptionally vivid descriptions.

My only criticism of this book is the heavy emphasis on the techniques and moves in fencing. While it would probably appeal to those who take up fencing as a sport or are very knowledgeable about the sport, it is almost ���overkill��� for the non-fencer who might find themselves skipping over some passages.

Overall, this book being true to history, would appeal to anyone interested in life in Britain during the late 1800s. From what I have read, it appears that this book is the first in a series. I do look forward to reading more of the adventures of Calvin Sheridan and Etienne Lefevre.