It’s interesting how some three star books are “good” three stars, and some three star books are “bad” three stars. This is definitely the case of a “good” three star. It’s a book that I genuinely enjoyed, and one that was funny, deep, and alternately light hearted yet heart aching throughout. I suppose this is the part where I admit to you, friends, that I have been in such a terrible reading slump for well over a month now. Nothing (other than Cara McKenna’s excellent romance novels it seems) is getting through to me at the real emotional level. This novel was good and affecting, but some emotions just didn’t get through to me, and I can’t tell if it’s me and my slump or the book. Frustrating! So the premise goes that RJ’s soul is accidentally reaped and she is sent onto the Afterlife for “processing”. The Afterlife was... Read more »
The post It’s A Wonderful Death: Review appeared first on The Midnight Garden.
We have another great cover reveal for you this week. Entangled Publishing presents INBETWEEN (Kissed by Death, #1) by Tara Fuller (August 7, 2012).
Synopsis:
Since the car crash that took her father’s life three years ago, Emma’s life has been a freaky—and unending—lesson in caution. Surviving “accidents” has taken priority over being a normal seventeen-year-old, so Emma spends her days taking pictures of life instead of living it. Falling in love with a boy was never part of the plan. Falling for a reaper who makes her chest ache and her head spin? Not an option.
It’s not easy being dead, especially for a reaper in love with a girl fate has put on his list not once, but twice. Finn’s fellow reapers give him hell about spending time with Emma, but Finn couldn't let her die before, and he’s not about to let her die now. He will protect the girl he loves from the evil he accidentally unleashed, even if it means sacrificing the only thing he has left…his soul.
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They synopsis of this sounds pretty intriguing. I've been reading quite a few reaper stories lately and have been enjoying them. It's a change of pace from the usual paranormal stuff like werewolves and vampires. This one looks fun. What do you think? Love it, hate it? Let us know!
Visit the author online at tarafuller.com and follow her on Twitter @tara25fuller
Caught a fab new show last night on 'E4' - REAPER. From the US of course. A dark comedy in which a 21 year old discovers his parents sold his soul to the Devil before he was born. Some wonderful laugh out loud moments - he reluctantly becomes the Devil's bounty hunter and has to track down souls that have escaped Hell. He sends them back by means of, of all things, a 'Dirt Devil'... The best bit - when he and his buddy kit themselves out in things from a DIY store (very Ghostbusters) - including smoke alarms. CLASSIC!
I'm a member of The Silly Club - check out the below award - which is issued to all writers featuring in the upcoming Silly Fantasy Anthology... Cool! Plus it adds a nice little picture, to my seriously picture-deficient blog posts. Must get me a digital camera...
I'm Baaaaaaaaaakkkkkkkkkkkk!!!!!
Hi all it is I Darth Bill back from my yearly meeting on Korriban (where the Sith Academy for Higher Learning is located). It was nice to see some of the old crew like Darth Vader, Darth Bane, Darth Maul and many other fellow Sith along with all the promising young students. Well you could imagine my shock upon my return to find out that that on January 22 from 2 - 4 p.m. the library is having a "Heroes Festival." I immediately spoke up and asked: "What about all of us Villains?????" Needless to say after some debate (threats of bopping the head librarian on the head) they saw my side of the story and it was renamed "The Heroes and Villains Festival". I wonder sometime what this place would do without me (sigh). Below are some pictures from the, um (let me assure you in no way, no how were threats or violence implied to anyone), discussions we had with the head librarian.
(Head Librarian with hands up -Can't imagine why? Must be some exercise thing?)
Comic Book Creators – Stan Lee & Jack KirbyDo you like Comic Books? Do you like Graphic Novels? If you do there are two men you need to know about for whom without their involvement in the
creation of Comics, the landscape as we know it today of Comic Books and Graphic Novels would be much less interesting. The
Comic Book Creators Series has two biographies that have recently come out that focus on two giants of the industry Stan Lee and Jack Kirby.
Stan Lee: Writer & Creator by Sue Hamilton - Stan Lee, if you
have never heard of him, created such comic characters as Spider-Man (with Steve
Ditko), The X-Men ( with Jack Kirby), The Hulk (with Jack Kirby), The Fantastic Four (with Jack Kirby), Iron Man (with Larry
Lieber), The Avengers (with Jack Kirby), and many, many more superheroes that you probably read stories about and see at the movies now. Stan Lee created Spider-Man with Steve
Ditko way back in 1962. He wrote his first comic in May of 1941 (which happened to be a Captain America Comic).
He has been everything from a writer, editor, publisher, movie maker to “Chairman Emeritus of Marvel Comics” in his long career in the comic’s field. He is a living legend that all whom love comics should love and respect. Read this book to find out even more about this man.
Spider-Man’s first appearance in Amazing Fantasy #15 Aug. 1962 for a mere 15 cents. Today this Comic Book is valued for as much as $32,000. It should be noted that this cover was drawn by Jack Kirby.
Jack Kirby: Creator & Artist by Sue Hamilton - Jack Kirby, also known as Jack “The King” 
Kirby, was an illustrator of comics who worked with such men as Stan Lee among many others and created such famous comic characters as Captain America (with Joe Simon), The Fantastic Four (with Stan Lee), The Hulk (with Stan Lee), The X-Men (with Stan Lee), The Mighty Thor (with Larry Lieber and Jack Kirby), The Silver Surfer (with Stan Lee), The New Gods and many, many more that you probably read stories about and see at the movies now also. He worked on his first comic around 1938/1939, but his budding career was interrupted as with many Americans, when World War II broke out and he joined the military. Jack Kirby served under the famous General George S. Patton. When World War II was over he returned to illustrating comics. He worked for both giants of the Comic Book Industry Marvel and DC among other companies and is looked upon, even today, as the King of all Comic Book Illustrators. Read this book and be amazed at this man’s amazing and productive life.
Captain America Comics #1, which was the first appearance of Captain America as created by Joe Simon and Jack Kirby, was first published in 1941 and sold for 10 cents. Today this Comic Book is valued for as much as $80,000.
One last thing I would like to share with you guys is that one of the gentleman, John
DaCosta, who performs the Comics Camps we have once a month at
ImaginOn has illustrated an
Aesop Fables story
The Fox and The Crow. Just click on the title to check it out. I think its pretty sweet!!!
Well guys I don't want to overstay my stay, so peace and take it easy,
Bill
Stop. Immediately.
Hollywood may be awash in all sorts of superheros, spies and pirates but attempting to ride their gravy train in publishing has been a huge mistake. And from the looks of the titles in my review stack there are many editors who just don't get it, especially with the superhero stuff.
I am referring to stories about the boy (always a boy) whose powers are lesser, or
I sat on the couch last night around 9.30pm with many things still to do, planning to watch a bit of TV with Holly before I went back to work... and I woke up at 3.00ish in an empty room with a crick in my neck and the certainty that last night's quota of Doing Things was done.
Anyway. This is just a quick one to say that the copy of Ultimate Spider-Man 100 with a blank cover that was pencilled by me and inked by Joe Rubinstein (who magically manages to make my drawing look decent) is now up on eBay where it is making money for the Hero Initiative ( a wonderful organisation that provides assistance to elderly comics creators) (
http://www.heroinitiative.org/).
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I had a patron - probably middle-school aged - asking for superhero books last week and he didn't really seem interested in the graphic novel format, which were really the only ones I knew to introduce him to. I'm curious what you would suggest in lieu of the superhero novel?
I come from the retail side of things and on the few occasions I've had actual requests for superhero material it was always specific ("I need something Spider-man!") and it always had to be lots of pictures and movie tie-in. Generally these books were for pre- or early readers.I do hate it when people go off (as I did) underscoring a problem but, as you point out, offering no solutions. That
Thanks! Now I need to go find that kid again ;) I was frankly surprised that he wasn't interested in the GNs. I've never even heard of the ones you mention, so I suppose I ought to put down my girly books and go diversify.