Horror: Miscellany by Jovanka Vuckovic

Blurb:

From Frankenstein and Dracula, to Night of the Living Dead and The Omen, this grisly grimoire conjures up ghouls, demons and all manner of things that go bump in the night. Crammed with endless facts, trivia and stories about every aspect of horror—from 1950s EC Comics and TV series The Twilight Zone; to the music of Black Sabbath and Japanese horror films—this little gem of spookiness is guaranteed to keep readers up all night.

Intriguing insights into the lives of classic horror writers like H.P. Lovecraft, Edgar Allen Poe, Clive Barker, and Stephen King are complemented by fascinating behind-the-scenes peeks into the productions of Psycho, The Thing, and Halloween.

Vuckovic’s many authoritative lists include: The Top thirteen Vampire Films; thirteen Scariest Horror Video Games; and The twenty-five Best Horror Movie Taglines: “The good news is your date is here! The bad news is... He’s dead!” revealing the humour in the horror.

Review by Rose Thornton:

This small book is a virtual encyclopedia of the who, what, when, where, and how of horror to the thorough extent that it is uncanny. Vuckovic’s Horror: Miscellany is an informative and interesting overview of the evolution of the horror genre throughout its media history.

“Horror has an ancient history that is difficult to map but it appears throughout the historical record in creation myths and classical mythologies, which are festooned with monsters, demons, and otherworldly creatures. The Bible, could easily be labeled as horror, as it is populated by fallen angels, demonic possession, ghosts, zombies, and even a terrifying apocalypse!” The truth this author lends for insight into horror as an internal part of human nature, as exampled in the preceding quote, makes his book so much more than just the facts and figures of the horror genre.

H.P. Lovecraft quote in Horror: Miscellany: “The most merciful thing in the world, I think, is the inability of the human mind to correlate all its contents. We live on a placid island of ignorance in the midst of black seas of infinity; and it was not meant that we should voyage far.” Lovecraft, an American author influential for his work in horror fiction, reveals the essence of Vuckovic’s drive to fully convey why horror is an important element of the human psyche.

I am not particularly fond of the horror genre myself, but I did find this book to be intriguing for its underlying themes and revelations. Any book that incites me to action, in whatever form, has achieved a bond with me as a reader. I took Vuckovic’s advice on the best versions of certain horror films and ordered used DVD copies to watch, not for the horror but rather to pick up on the other themes included and to note the special effects, etc. used.

I will recommend this book highly, albeit with caution. It is not for everyone, but anyone with an interest in film history, the evolution of horror in media, or the dark side of human nature will find this book a good read.

Thanks for visiting, Rose, Julie, Donna, & Rochelle

Length: 96 Pages

Print Price: $9.20

Buy Link:

http://www.amazon.com/Vuckovics-Horror-Miscellany-Ilex/dp/1781570957

Here's One for Hallmark: The Christmas Lights by Rachel Kosinski

Blurb:

“Where do Christmas lights come from?”

The tiny bulbs of color that burn on a Christmas tree, or outside a house to shine in the night; does anyone really know where they originate? What if someone told you they weren’t intended for Christmas at all, but really for a miracle? That they were for love, a desperate idea, to light a boy’s way home?

In that case, you must have some questions. What boy? What love?

In that case, allow me to tell you a story.

Review by Rochelle Weber:

The Christmas Lights is the story of the love between Louis Eclat, a poor young American man who aspires to design jewelry despite his near-blindness, and Emmy Claiborne the daughter of the wealthiest family in town. Mr. Claiborne tries to get rid of Louis by sending him to work in a sweatshop in Liverpool, saying if he returns home by Christmas with a fortune, he can marry Emmy. Warned away from the sweatshop by fellow passengers aboard ship, Louis ends up in Paris, modeling for a painter. His eyes may not work well, but they’re an extraordinary aquamarine color, and Monsieur Gavon offers to share the sales revenue with Louis. He also encourages Louis to design a jeweled egg, travel to Switzerland, and show the design to his friend, Monsieur Fabergé, who helps him produce the egg, and then takes it to Russia.

Louis returns to Paris to find M. Gavon’s studio empty. With just weeks left before Christmas, he ends up broke, working at the sweatshop in Liverpool, and close to death, despairing of seeing Emmy again, let alone amassing the fortune he needs to marry her.

A storm limits visibility on Christmas. Knowing Louis’ difficulty seeing, Emmy wreaths her house in light, hoping to guide him home.

The Christmas Lights is a sweet romance, a story that can be shared with the family—especially one’s young daughters. In fact, I think it would make a wonderful Hallmark movie. I wouldn’t mind watching it annually. Do I need to say more?

Length:  96 Pages

Digital Prices:  $3.50

Buy Link:  https://museituppublishing.com/bookstore/index.php/now-available-in-ebook/the-christmas-lights-detail

You’ll notice we always include the publisher’s buy link. That’s because authors usually receive 40% of the book price from the publisher. Editors and cover artists usually receive about 5%. When you buy a book from Amazon, Barnes & Noble or another third-party vendor, they take a hefty cut and the author, editors and cover artists receive their cuts from what is left. So, if a book costs $5.99 at E-Book Publisher.com and you buy from there, the author will receive about $2.40. If you buy the book at Amazon, the author will receive about $0.83.

Downloading the file from your computer to your Kindle is as easy as transferring any file from your computer to a USB flash drive. Plug the larger USB end of your chord into a USB port on your computer and simply move the file from your “Downloads” box to your Kindle/Documents/Books directory. You can download your books onto your computer using “Save As” to a “Books” file you create and sort them into sub-folders by genre, author, or however you wish before transferring them to your Kindle. That way, if there’s a glitch with your Kindle, the books are on your computer. Your author will be happy you did when he/she sees his/her royalty statement.

Thanks for visiting. Julie, Donna, & Rochelle

Waiting for Summer's Return by Kim Vogel Sawyer

Blurb: 

All alone on the Kansas prairie, Summer Steadman has few options. With her husband and children lost to illness, she has no desire to continue on farther west to where she and her husband planned to build their future. Instead, she seeks employment in a small Mennonite community in order to be near the graves of her family. Widower Peter Ollenburger, the local gristmill owner, needs someone to teach his young son. When he hears of a "learned woman" in town, he believes she is the answer to his prayers. He soon discovers, however, that helping this outsider may have troublesome consequences. There is little this father will not do for his son, but as the boy begins to look at Summer as more than a teacher, Peter must make a choice. Does he marry this woman to give his son a new mother, or does he marry only for love? Will Summer's broken heart ever be able to love again?

Donna's Review:

Kim Vogel Sawyer's website  advertises “gentle stories of hope” and Waiting for Summer’s Return certainly delivered. 

Bostonian Summer Steadham is stranded in a Mennonite town in Kansas after the deaths of her husband and four children of typhoid. In order to remain close to their graves, she takes a job as a tutor for widower Peter  Ollenberger’s ten year old son, Thomas . Peter is a sweet, admirable, hardworking man. He is infinitely patient with  Summer  which, in her grief stricken state, she needs. I liked him, but I sure wanted him to lose his temper at least once. He really was almost too good to be true. I really could find no fault in the man.

As a matter of fact, I couldn’t find fault with any of the characters beside the townspeople at the beginning who don’t like Summer because she is not a Mennonite. As a result, I did not find enough high energy conflict in the book to keep me interested in reading every word. I skipped over the substory of Summer’s conversion to the Mennonite faith as well as her ministering to her mother-in-law near the end of the book. I found it preachy and too slow for me to wade through reading. I kept waiting for an explosion between Summer, an obvious outsider, and the Mennonites, who were clearly displeased with her arrival in their community. After a few harsh words between Peter and church elders, one woman befriends Summer and the rest soon follow.

The one creeping fault in Summer’s character is her selfish and persistent decision to drag her husband and children from Boston to a life on the Kansas prairie over their wishes. I waited for the gut wrenching emotional turmoil that would set her towards the struggle of taming her selfish side. It never happened. She acknowledged it briefly, and that was the end of the matter. Even Peter’s son, ten year old Thomas, is too good to be true.

The book is well written. The prose flows nicely. The plotting does move along even if it is not a high energy - high stakes sort of novel or romance. 

If you’re a fan of sweet romances and don’t mind long sections devoted to Christianity, then you will enjoy Sawyer’s portrayal of two people trying to move past their pain to find love. If you like grittier fiction, like Kirsten Heitzman and Judith Pella, or fiction with a Christian worldview without any overt plot about Christianity, then you will be disappointed.

Three Roses for this one based on my preferences and nothing else. 

Thanks for visiting - Rose, Julie, Donna, and Rochelle

Length: 348 pages

Prices:

Print: $12.80

Digital  $4.99

Buy Link: http://www.amazon.com/Waiting-Summers-Return/dp/0764201824/ref=sr_1_1?ie=UTF8&qid=1431639260&sr=8-1&keywords=waiting+for+summer%27s+return

Jefferson on Freedom by Thomas Jefferson

Blurb:

Thomas Jefferson is most famous for the writing of the Declaration of Independence, which espouses the general principles of freedom and democracies that Americans hold dear. Now, collected here for the first time, is this historical American document, as well as several of his other famous writings. Included in this book are excerpts from his only full-length book, Notes on the State of Virginia, letters to Samual Kercheval and Edward Carrington on liberal democracy and freedom, and an exchange with Danbury Baptists regarding the right to religious freedom to his manual on parliamentary policy. Jefferson provides excellent and timeless quotes on attaining freedom and living a democratic life.

Review:

A great book with the words of a great American, Jefferson on Freedom is a solid reminder of how freedom was formed and framed in the early days of the United States. Tommy Jeff (as he was known to friends) held a strong, unshakable belief in the good sense of the public as the best governing force to be had, and his ability to state this clearly and simply was impressive. While I enjoyed this book for its historical aspect, primarily I found it to be a very interesting glimpse into the mind and character of Thomas Jefferson. He always included a thorough basis for his views on various topics, which gave me a vital background for each element of the Declaration of Independence. I will recommend this book for greater understanding of all that underlies our freedom and liberty.

Thanks for visiting, Rose, Julie, Donna, & Rochelle

Length:  144 Pages

Prices:

Print:  $9.95

Digital:  $ 6.99

Buy Link:

http://www.skyhorsepublishing.com/book/?GCOI=60239100819000

Imposters of Patriotism by Ted Richardson

Blurb:

Savannah, Georgia antiques store owner Matt Hawkins discovers a two-hundred-year-old journal containing a stunning accusation. The journal claims that America’s most revered hero, George Washington, wrote a secret surrender letter to the British during the Revolutionary War—a seditious act that would have ended America’s fight for independence.

Meanwhile, the present-day race for president of the United States is a dead heat. The Republican nominee, a direct descendant of Washington’s family, has shamelessly exploited his ties to the Founding Father—a strategy that has worked brilliantly to eliminate a once-wide gap in the polls. As the past collides with the present, Hawkins and lovely historian Sarah Gordon are determined to unearth the truth about the journal’s remarkable claim. But they must avoid a shadowy adversary who has a billion dollars riding on the election’s outcome—and who will stop at nothing to ensure that Washington’s surrender letter remains a secret.

Review by Rochelle Weber:

Imposters of Patriotism had a good plot and well-drawn characters. It was engaging and kept me turning the pages, but I had issues with the editing. The book came with the caveat that it was an Advanced Reading Copy and had not gone through the final galley edits, but the issues I found were things that should be addressed in the content editing rounds. I noticed it was self-published when I went to the book’s Amazon page to get the buy-link, so maybe Mr. Richardson is not familiar with content edits.

When a book is released through a publisher, it goes through three types of editing—content editing, line or copy editing, and galley edits. In content editing, we address issues such as info drops (show; don’t tell); head-hopping (changing point-of-view in the middle of a scene); use of passive verbs instead of active (had been done instead of doing); general wordiness; overuse of dialog tags and certain words and phrases such as “that,” “began to,” etc. The second type of editing, line or copy editing, is straight spelling and grammar. By the time a book gets to galley edits, it should be pristine and all that should be left is the occasional typo.

Imposters of Patriotism was rife with head-hops, it was wordy, and had some superfluous dialog tags as well as uses of the word “that.” It could have been tightened by a good content editor. Still, it was a good, entertaining read. I definitely recommend it.

Length:  349 Pages

Prices:

Print:  $11.19

Digital:  $4.99

Buy Link:  http://www.amazon.com/Imposters-Patriotism-Ted-Richardson-ebook/dp/B00L5MHEUQ/ref=sr_1_1?s=digital-text&ie=UTF8&qid=1429993536&sr=1-1&keywords=Imposters+of+Patriotism+%2B+Ted+Richardson

Thanks for visiting. Julie, Donna, & Rochelle