Sarai Henderson's Blog, page 237

#BookReview - The Automation by BLA and BG Gabbler

Title: The AutomationBy: BLA and GB GabblerGenre: Urban FantasyRelease Date: September 23rd,2014Publisher: SOBpublishing
Summary from Goodreads: The capital-A Automatons of Greco-Roman myth aren’t clockwork. Their design is much more divine. They’re more intricate than robots or androids or anything else mortal humans could invent. Their windup keys are their human Masters. They aren’t mindless; they have infinite storage space. And, because they have more than one form, they’re more versatile and portable than, say, your cell phone—and much more useful too. The only thing these god-forged beings share in common with those lowercase-A automatons is their pre-programmed existence. They have a function—a function their creator put into place—a function that was questionable from the start…
Odys (no, not short for Odysseus, thank you) finds his hermetic lifestyle falling apart after a stranger commits suicide to free his soul-attached Automaton slave. The humanoid Automaton uses Odys’s soul to “reactivate” herself. Odys must learn to accept that the female Automaton is an extension of his body—that they are the same person—and that her creator-god is forging a new purpose for all with Automatons…

The novel calls itself a “Prose Epic,” but is otherwise a purposeful implosion of literary clichés and gimmicks: A Narrator and an Editor (named Gabbler) frame the novel. Gabbler’s pompous commentary (as footnotes) on the nameless Narrator’s story grounds the novel in reality. Gabbler is a stereotypical academic who likes the story only for its so-called “literary” qualities, but otherwise contradicts the Narrator’s claim that the story is true.

THE AUTOMATION is a this-world fantasy that reboots mythical characters and alchemical concepts. Its ideal place would be on the same bookshelf as Wilson’s ALIF THE UNSEEN and Gaiman’s AMERICAN GODS—though it wouldn’t mind bookending Homer, Virgil, and Milton, to be specific.

And, yes, "B.L.A. and G.B. Gabbler" are really just a pen name.

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Review: There is a lot to be said about this book so I'll start with what I liked about it. The story was well written with characters that fit into the world well. I liked Odys way of looking at the world, it reminded me of my Autistic son and how everything has to be just right or the whole world ends. The Automations were interestingly portrayed and gave the story a sense of mystery.
The things that took away from the story for me were the narrator. I felt like every time he stepped in, I was taken away from the story. Interrupted, I guess. The whole setup of the book was unconventional, and I applaud the author for that, but it wasn't my style. This was more of a personal opinion than something wrong with the book.
The story moved a little slow for me and I'm not one for incest, but with all that being said, I gave The Automation three stars because I was in the middle on this one.
Received an advance reader copy in exchange for a fair review.

#WeeklyMenu Week 191

Just when I thought the boys were on the mend, they get sick again. I just can't win.

I'm short on time this week, so here is your menu. Enjoy!

Monday- French Dip Sandwiches
Tuesday- Beef Carne Asada Tacos
Wednesday- Fiesta Chicken
Thursday- Pulled Pork Sandwiches
Friday- Parmesan Chicken
Saturday- Chicken Gnocchi Soup
Sunday
- Tuna Sandwiches

#BookReview - Strungballs by Mike Russell

Title: Strungballs
By: Mike RussellGenre: FictionRelease Date: October 31st, 2016Publisher: StrangeBooks
Summary from Goodreads: Strungballs is an extraordinary novella from Strange Books author Mike Russell. What are Strungballs? Ten-year-old Sydney is about to find out... but first he must have a cube of his flesh removed. Sydney will transgress everything he was taught to believe in when he embarks upon a journey that will reveal the astonishing secrets hidden by the red balls on white strings known only as... Strungballs. Inspiring, liberating, otherworldly, magical, surreal, bizarre, funny, disturbing, unique... all of these words have been used to describe the stories of Mike Russell. Remember: Once a Strungball is inserted it must never be removed. 
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Review: I have to say, this was a strange book. I've never read anything like it, but that's not a bad thing. The concept was unique and well written. The story was so short that there wasn't much time to get a feel for the characters but they moved the story along well. If you want a quick read that will leave your head spinning, try Strungballs by Mike Russell. I gave it four stars.
Received an advance reader copy in exchange for a fair review.

#BookReview - Burn Town by Jennifer McMahon

Title: Burn TownBy: Jennifer McMahonGenre: ThrillerRelease Date: April 25th, 2017Publisher: Doubleday Canada
Summary from Goodreads: Eva grew up watching her father, Miles, invent strange and wonderful things in the small workshop behind their house on the river that runs through their old mill town. But the most important invention of all was the one that Miles claimed came from the mind of Thomas Edison himself--a machine that allowed one to speak with loved ones long passed. Smuggled out of Edison's laboratory, the blueprints were passed down to Miles, and he's been using them to protect Eva, her mother, Lily, and her brother, Errol, ever since.
Then, one night when a storm is raging and the river is threatening to flood, the machine whirrs to life on its own. Danger, it says. You're in terrible danger. The next thing Eva knows is waking up on the side of the river and seeing her mother's grim face. Eva's father and brother are dead, their house has been washed away and an evil man is searching for them both. They need to hide.

Eva changes her name to Necco--a candy she always loved--and tries to put everything in her past behind her as she adapts to her new life off the grid. But when her boyfriend is murdered and her mother disappears, she knows that the past is starting to catch up to her.

What really happened the night of the flood? As Necco searches for the truth, her journey unites her with two women who are on desperate quests of their own. And as the trio follows the clues to solving the mystery of Necco's past, they discover that sometimes it's the smallest towns that hold the strangest secrets.

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Review: Wow! I always love Jennifer McMahon's thrillers and this one doesn't disappoint. There is a certain kind of creep factor that hooks you from the beginning and never lets you go. It was hard to tell who was doing all the killing, even at the very end I was still guessing. I gave Burn Town five stars.

Received an advance reader copy in exchange for a fair review.

Myths of Mish by Katie Hamstead #BlogTour @HamsteadKatie @YABoundToursPR

Myths of Mish (Fairytale Galaxy Chronicles #2)
by Katie Hamstead
Genre: YA Space Opera/Scifi/Fantasy
Release Date: March 14th 2017
Curiosity Quills Press

Summary from Goodreads:

Hansel and Gretel Herrscher survived the witch in the woods, but the experience has made Hansel paranoid for the past ten years. He sees dark magic at every turn. When Gretel has a marriage arranged to a much older man, and Hansel discovers he's about to be sent halfway across the galaxy, he knows something sinister is afoot.
Wilhelmine Nordon has plenty of experience with Hansel's quirkier side. So when she catches him and Gretel running away in the middle of the night, she follows to keep them from getting killed. The siblings have never left the capital of Mish on their own, so they need a babysitter. Except when she's discovered, Hansel gives her his usual cold shoulder, and Gretel secretly begs her to take them back.
The problem is, Hansel's paranoia turns out to be well founded, and they're all being hunted.

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Princess of Tyrone (Fairytale Galaxy Chronicles #1) on Goodreads



About the Author

Born and raised in Australia, Katie's early years of day dreaming in the "bush", and having her father tell her wild bedtime stories, inspired her passion for writing.
After graduating High School, she became a foreign exchange student where she met a young man who several years later she married. Now she lives in Arizona with her husband, daughter and their dog.
She has a diploma in travel and tourism which helps inspire her writing.
When her debut novel, Kiya: Hope of the Pharaoh, climbed into bestselling status, she believed she was onto something, and now has a slew of novels now available, and is published through Curiosity Quills Press, Soul Mate Publishing, and REUTS Publishing.
Katie loves to out sing her friends and family, play sports, and be a good wife and mother. She now works as an Acquisitions Editor to help support her family. She loves to write, and takes the few spare moments in her day to work on her novels.

Author Links:
Website│Goodreads│Twitter│Facebook


Blog Tour Organized by:
YA Bound Book Tours

March 2017 Books

This month was a very lucrative book culling. I read nearly 20 books and have a 6 high pile of paper books and another 8 ebooks to speed read. There have been some really good reads and some not so good reads, but all have been interesting.

You can find the reviews for a lot of the books on this list, on the left sidebar or by clicking this link:  reviews .

Here's my March books.

 James and the Giant Peach - Roald DahlSurviving the Angel of Death - Eva Mozes Kor
 The Kill Order - James DashnerEtched in Bone - Anne Bishop
 The Automation - GB GabblerThe Tea Girl of Hummingbird Lane - Lisa See
 Caraval - Stephanie GarberCold Reign - Faith Hunter
 Frogkisser - Garth NixA Crown of Wishes - Roshani Chokshi
 Carve the Mark - Veronica RothGarden of Thorns - Amber Mitchell
 The end of Magic - Amber BensonThe Witchfinder's Sister - Beth Underdown
 Free Space - Sean DankerVanguard - Jack Campbell
 The List - Patricia FordeThe Castaways - Jessika Fleck
 Strungballs - Mike Russell

Digging in the Stars by Katherine Blakeney @YorwickCastle #BlogTour

Digging in the Stars
Katherine Blakeney
Published by: Blaze Publishing
Publication date: March 28th 2017
Genres: Science Fiction, Young Adult

A lost ancient civilization and the tomb of a legendary king lie buried beneath centuries of ash on the volcanic planet Thror, but that’s not the only reason sixteen-year-old Carter has tricked her Archaeology of Outer Space class into coming here. Her best friend Conrad has just disappeared on a trip to Thror, leaving behind little more than a broken vintage camera. The strange and disturbing photographs she manages to extract make her suspect Conrad’s disappearance is somehow connected to the hidden tomb of the last king of Thror.
Unfortunately, the ludicrously over-friendly ‘Furry Giants’ who have taken over the planet’s barren surface would rather offer her cheap souvenirs than answers, and the local officials insist they have no record of Conrad’s existence. Inspired by fear for Conrad’s life and the chance to make the greatest archaeological discovery of the century, Carter and her friends follow Conrad’s footsteps deep into the mountains of Thror’s forbidden Black Zone and launch an illicit excavation.
Coded messages, stunning ancient ruins, and clues left by Conrad himself begin to surface as the young archaeologists fall victim to an alarming series of accidents staged by the increasingly hostile Furry Giants. Piecing together a history of dictatorship, terrorism and disguise, Carter glimpses the horrors beyond Thror’s flamboyant façade and startling revelations about the friend she thought she knew. The masks of Thror hide devastating secrets, and the golden tomb buried deep in the frozen core may claim the lives of everyone she loves.

Goodreads / Amazon / Barnes & Noble / Kobo—TEASERS:“Please remain seated as we begin our descent into Thror. Welcome, and enjoy your stay.”
The time for action was at hand, and she still didn’t feel ready. The flight felt much shorter than she’d expected.
The girls exchanged bewildered looks across the aisles. Stunned silence. They couldn’t have missed that final announcement. Avoiding Professor P’s gaze, Carter still felt the look of shock the professor shot across the cabin. Once, Carter had seen herself arriving on Thror as a great explorer. Instead, she would be remembered as a half-baked deceiver and kidnapper. The Throrians would have called her a scent-changer.* * *Carter had been so close to her goal. She saw that crack with her own eyes, a portal into a lost ancient world, chambers filed with carvings, images that had never been recorded or reproduced. The greatest discovery of this or any other century, waiting less than twenty feet away. Waiting for her. And Conrad had been there first. The moment she thought it, she felt guilty. She was allowing herself to get carried away by archaeological fervor, mentally competing with Conrad, when he might have paid a terrible price for his discovery.

Author Bio:
I am an author and independent filmmaker/stop motion animator with a BFA in Stop Motion Animation from the School of Visual Arts in New York and a PhD in Film Studies from the University of Edinburgh (Scotland, UK). My thesis focuses on silent film adaptations of late nineteenth and early twentieth century Gothic novels, with a special emphasis on psychological and aesthetic representations of the Monster figure. My debut novel, a YA Sci-Fi adventure called Digging in the Stars, is forthcoming with Blaze Publishing on March 28, 2017.
Raised by an Egyptologist mother, I grew up among museums and excavation sites, where I developed an unhealthy fascination with ancient art and mythology. I divide my time between bringing 12”-tall people to life in my studio in Edinburgh, excavating ancient tombs in the Egyptian desert, and researching Gothic literary monsters in silent film. I have worked for more than 10 years as photographer and videographer for the South Asasif Conservation Project, an archaeological expedition in Egypt and I have published numerous articles on film and archaeology.
I write, direct, design, and animate short films and commissioned projects in my studio in Edinburgh, Scotland and have been employed as an animator, screenwriter, modelmaker and art director for studios in Edinburgh, South Korea and Qatar. I have produced commissioned projects for IdeasTap in London, the Arts Trust Scotland and the British Library. My shorts have won competitions and screened at various international festivals including the Edinburgh Fringe. In 2015, my short film The Burglar With the Yellow Hand was nominated for an Arts and Humanities Research Council (UK) Research in Film Award.
You can find out more about all aspects of my work on my website, http://yorwickcastle.com
My new blog http://KatherineBlakeneyStardigger.bl... is all about Digging in the Stars and my references and inspirations as a writer.
Website / Goodreads / Facebook / Twitter

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#WeeklyMenu Week 190

Happy Monday! Welcome to the brother head hugging pile. This is how my boys show their affection to their older brother.I'm not sure if he likes it or if he's ready to run.
We spent the whole week being sick. One right after the other came down with the flew. It was terrible, but I think we are passed it all... Finally...
Well, enjoy this weeks menu!
Monday- Mongolian Beef Ramen
Tuesday- Crock Pot Chicken Tacos
Wednesday- Tortellini Sausage Soup
Thursday- Pork Schnitzle and Potatoes
Friday- Chicken Rice Bowl
Saturday- Beef Stroganoff Soup
Sunday
- Tuna Sandwiches

#BookReview - Anne Boleyn, A King's Obsession

Title: Anne Boleyn - A King's ObsessionBy: Alison WeirGenre: Historical FictionRelease Date: May 18th, 2017Publisher: Headline Review
Summary from Goodreads: 'Weir is excellent on the little details that bring a world to life' Guardian

The young woman who changed the course of history.

Fresh from the palaces of Burgundy and France, Anne draws attention at the English court, embracing the play of courtly love.

But when the King commands, nothing is ever a game.

Anne has a spirit worthy of a crown - and the crown is what she seeks. At any price.

ANNE BOLEYN. The second of Henry's Queens. Her story.
History tells us why she died. This powerful novel shows her as she lived.

SIX TUDOR QUEENS. SIX NOVELS. SIX YEARS. 
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Review: I've always been drawn to this story and how one woman almost brought down a country. This book was written well and kept me intrigued from start to finish. The characters had color and depth. They brought to life the story of the Boleyn sisters. If you like historical fiction, this is a good read.    

#BookReview - The List by Patricia Forde

Title: The ListBy: Patricia FordeGenre: Fantasy Release Date: August 1st, 2017Publisher: Sourcebooks Jabberwocky 
Summary from Goodreads: Fahrenheit 451 meets The Giver for tweens in this gripping story about the power of words and the dangers of censorship.
In the city of Ark, speech is constrained to five hundred sanctioned words. Speak outside the approved lexicon and face banishment. The exceptions are the Wordsmith and his apprentice Letta, the keepers and archivists of all language in their post-apocalyptic, neo-medieval world.

On the death of her master, Letta is suddenly promoted to Wordsmith, charged with collecting and saving words. But when she uncovers a sinister plan to suppress language and rob Ark’s citizens of their power of speech, she realizes that it’s up to her to save not only words, but culture itself. 
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Review: This book started off with a cray concept. A list of words that are approved and the rest are banned, that's preposterous. There was intrigue and excitement at first, but half way through I lost interest from the slow pace of the story. The writing was good and the characters had depth. It just didn't keep my attention the way I wanted it too. Three stars.  
Received an advance reader copy in exchange for a fair review.