Review - Hotel No Tell

Amazon Paperback - $9.98
Amazon Kindle - $9.99
Barnes & Noble Paperback - $12.50
Barnes & Noble Nook - $9.99

The smart and sassy detective Zephyr Zuckerman is now armed and undercover in a Greenwich Village hotel where mysteries—from garbage-grabbing guests to the reservation system—lurk around every corner.

Now working as a junior detective with the New York City Special Investigations Commission, Zephyr’s gone incognito as a concierge to find out who laundered a hundred grand off the hotel books—and why. But the discovery of a prone, flush-faced guest gasping for air in room 502 only hints at the sinister goings-on inside this funky establishment. While the rapid response of the fire department leads to a sweaty date with a smooth-talking, rock-climbing rescue worker, Zephyr finds herself even more hot and bothered by an attempted murder on her watch. Could the smart-mouthed Japanese yenta across the hall know more than she’s telling? How are cryptic phone calls from a mysterious corporation linked to the victim in 502?

Under pressure and overwhelmed, Zephyr soon finds that a concierge cover is no protection in a place where crime, like the city itself, never sleeps.
From the Trade Paperback edition.

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This book is a fun mystery! I love the character Zephyr, she has amazing friends and family but her love life is a mess. Well a mess of her own creation, as the guy in question is also wonderful. So she attracts great people, but her life is still far from perfect. She has taken until her 30s to finally settle on a career and even in that she has doubts to her ability.

The story has a fast flow, with all the twists and turns a good mystery needs to have. And you won't know the deal until the very end. That's all I'm saying, Daphne Uviller, the writer, hides the outcome so very well. It was funny too, she liked being a concierge and actually considers it as a fall back, or wonders if she had just started on that from high school. lol

It is a fairly short book so it's perfect for the upcoming travel season. My copy was 275 pages, long enough to be a novel, but no so long the story falls apart. Personally I think it was just right, it was never boring or slow.

I see this is the 2nd Zephyr Zuckerman novel, so I will have to find the 1st one. Zepha is my new favorite heroine...right up there with Stephanie Plum.

Sunday Stealing - The "You Can't Be Missed" Meme, Part 3

Cheers to all of us thieves!

31. What is your absolute favorite dessert? The Mountain Town Cookie, it's a fresh baked chocolate chip cookie served in the little cast iron pan it was cooked in, covered with hot fudge and vanilla ice cream on top.

32. What can someone do to make you smile, no matter what? fart jokes...I'm a simple girl, bodily humor is ALWAYS funny.

33. What do the hip people think of you? I don't think hip people think of me at all...and do we still use the term hip?

34. What was the last gift you bought someone? Just gave my MIL a scarf I bought at Merchandise Outlet, it was really pretty and light, only $1 but it made her day.

35. What was your favorite class in high school? Accounting, I loved playing with the numbers and solving the problems.

36. How many spouses would be about right? Hmmmm, maybe 2 more...I bet I could handle that. Would especially love the extra income...course I'd have to feed them too...oh never mind! One is plenty!

37. What would you say was the most embarrassing moment of your life? Jesus! I'm supposed to tell you that??? Let's just say it is another jr. high period tale. Ladies - I'm sure you know what I mean.

38. Have you ever donate money to charity? Of course...what heartless worm lives 36 years and has never given a dime?

39. Has porn ever had a positive place in a current or recent relationship? Oh hell yes - I happen to like it and so does my husband so it definitely adds a spark on some nights. (maybe I can move this answer up to most embarrassing?)

40. Would you ever dump the one you're with for someone who makes an obvious play and is MUCH hotter? No, I wouldn't even consider it. I'd take the compliment, but I love my husband, I've committed myself to him and we have kids together. I wouldn't ruin that for anything.

41. Have you ever disowned one of your relatives? Yes, it was my idea to have my mom's 3rd husband adopt me so I wouldn't have to see her 2nd husband ever again. It was a good choice because he's been my dad ever since and actually did a good job.

42. Would you think it's OK to cheat on someone if they've already cheated on you? No, 2 wrongs just make things messier. Either forgive and move on or end the relationship. Creating extra drama won't make anyone feel better.

43. Did you ever consider becoming a teacher? Yes, I even took a couple classes and volunteered at my high school before I remembered that I HATE teenagers.

44. Would you ever give a hitch-hiker a ride somewhere? I have before, helped a guy out when he ran out of gas. It was about to storm, took him to get gas, he even bought me some and then back to his truck just before it hit. So not on a regular basis and definitely not with my kids, but yes I have.

45. Would you ever try fasting for a whole week? Oh no - I like food too much. Although there was some kind of fasting thing where you drink some concoction with honey in it, but I never have found it.

Versatile Blogger Award

Pagan Culture and Riding on a Broomstick gave me this fantastic blogging award.

I'm currently riding the backward train to see what blog started it all.

So Riding on a Broomstick also received the award from Magaly at Pagan Culture.

This is going to be like a Begat kind of list.

1. Pagan Culture received the award from Cheap Wine and Cookies and Mama's Thyme (she also received the award from Cheap Wine and Cookies and so ends here).
2. Cheap Wine and Cookies received the award from Manager to Mom
   
3. Manager to Mom received the award from Urban Granola
   
4. Urban Granola received the award from Granola Mommy of 2
   
5. Granola Mommy of 2 received the award from Mama Bird
   
6. Mama Bird received the award from Nap Time is My Time
   
7. Nap Time is My Time received the award from LiveWell, LaughOften, LoveMuch
   
8. LiveWell, LaughOften, LoveMuch received the award from Always Just a Mom
   
9. Always Just a Mom received the award from Mommy Time Out
   
10. Mommy Time Out received the award from Ooh Lala...thirty
    
11. Ooh Lala...thirty received the award from Tanya Treasure Trove
    
12. Tanya Treasure Trove received the award from Little Izzy
    
13. Little Izzy received the award from Classified: Mom
    

And with that I just can't go on anymore. lol So now onto 3 things about me before I send this out another 10 times. :)

1. Getting paid to read would be my ultimate dream job.
   
2. I started this blog just to be generally whatever I felt like talking about, but it has followed my bliss and become mostly book reviews.
   
3. I giggle and squeal when a publisher sends me a book, or the author signs it first.

Now who do I nominate?

1. Tribal Horse Designs
   
2. Our Princess in Pigtails
   
3. Octoberfarm
   
4. Confessions of a Pagan Soccer Mom
   
5. Confessions of a Modern Witch
   
6. A Cozy Reader's Corner
   
7. Lilith's Ramblings
   
8. Bringing up Salamanders
   
9. Bones, Buried Treasure and Beliefs
   
10. Chickens in the Road
    

Winning Streak!

I just wanted to take a day to express my gratitude for all the prizes I have recently won. I've really had quite the winning streak, and I'm not even counting all the books I've won at LibraryThing - which is a great website, btw.

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First I'd like to thank Kallan Kennedy for her most generous giveaway, which I was one lucky winner. She writes the blog titled "The Secret Life of the American Working Witch". I won a prosperity pouch and a cookbook, she included some incense, a candle and a trillium seed packet.

With my gift certificate to Pagan Stuff Cheap I purchased a triple moon altar cloth, Dual Panther Letter Openers, Necromantic Ritual Book by Leilah Wendell (which I can't find on the site anymore), and a clover pocket stone (which I can't seem to find).

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From Magaly's blog Pagan Culture I was so lucky. I won a couple of books, super-cute earrings and an Etsy gift certificate.

The earrings are from Whimsy Beading and sell for $60!!! And of course I chose a god/goddess from Carioca Witch on Etsy, I finally settled on Hades-and I can't wait to meet him!
The books are Daughters of the Stone and Myka the Goddess Witch. I already reviewed Myka - not very good. But I'm really looking forward to reading Daughters of the Stone.

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I won a couple of book from the The Circle of Balanced Witches, given to her by Weiser Books.

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And for my final win - over at Jon's blog, which was Me vs. College but has since changed to All Rocks go to Heaven - as Jon won the college battle! Yeah Jon!
I won an alligator head from Kel at The Monkey Heart Discourses. She was sweet in her wrapping, which included a very Mardi Gras feather boa, and a sleep pouch to aid in better rest. It was a great win, as my son loves the head and so did all his classmates.

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All websites listed in this blog entry:

• LibraryThing
• Pagan Stuff Cheap
• Pagan Culture
  
• Etsy



• Whimsy Beading



• Carioca Witch



• The Circle of Balanced Witches



• Weiser Books



• All Rocks go to Heaven



• The Monkey Heart Discourses

Review - The Pregnancy Test

No! Not this one...
This one...
by Melissa Heckscher, Emily Sikking
Amazon.com Paperback - $9.11
Amazon.com Kindle - $8.65
Barnes & Noble Paperback - $9.11Barnes & Noble Nook - $9.99


More than 150 serious questions from real moms-to-be, including:

• Can I ride a rollercoaster in my first trimester?
• Is it safe to pump my own gas?
• Why is hair growing around my belly button?
• Can I get pregnant when I’m already pregnant?
• If I’m stung by a bee, can it hurt the baby?
• If my baby only weighs one pound, why have I gained 15?

Test your own maternity savvy—then turn the page and find out what the experts say!

Being pregnant is no joke. So why are your family and friends laughing at so many of your questions about it? As an expectant mom, you need to know whether it’s okay to pump your own gas. You need to know whether one little cup of coffee will make your baby come out all jittery. That’s why authors Melissa Heckscher and Dr. Emily Sikking have prepared The Pregnancy Test: part multiple-choice quiz and part maternity reference book, offering carefully researched and informative answers to the most important, embarrassing, and slightly neurotic questions every mom-to-be has ever wondered. At long last—the whole truth about what to expect while you’re expecting!

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This book rocks! I wish I had been able to read this when I first started trying to get pregnant, or just when I was expecting. It's so much more honest, unapologeticly so.

• Will you poop when you deliver? Yeah, pretty much.
• Can you still have sex? Yes and chances are your orgasm will be the best ever!
• When do you have to tell your boss you are pregnant? Legally it's none of their business, ethically you might hurt some feelings if you don't tell.

And one that affected me personally...

• What if you get pregnant while on the pill?

Oh yes you can get pregnant while on the birth control pill, just ask Ivan. It shouldn't affect the baby at all, but stop taking them once you know you are pregnant (DUH!).

This book would make a great "congratulations on your pregnance!" present. I'd say shower gift, but it would be better to have earlier in the pregnancy than later. It really was a great book full of information that will benefit the pregnant woman and her partner. My husband picked this up and started reading it one day I took it to a restaurant, he couldn't put it down..."this is fascinating!" he said.

Book Review - The Last Letter

Amazon.com - $10.07
Kindle Edition - $0.99
Barnes & Noble - $10.07
Nook Edition - $0.99

Katherine wouldn’t have believed it if she hadn’t found the letter...

Katherine Arthur's mother arrives on her doorstep, dying, forcing her to relive a past she wanted to forget. When Katherine was young, the Arthur family had been affluent city dwellers until shame sent them running for the prairie, into the unknown. Taking her family, including young Katherine, to live off the land was the last thing Jeanie Arthur had wanted, but she would do her best to make a go of it. For Jeanie's husband Frank it had been a world of opportunity. Dreaming, lazy Frank. But, it was a society of uncertainty—a domain of natural disasters, temptation, hatred, even death. 



Ten-year-old Katherine had loved her mother fiercely, put her trust in her completely, but when there was no other choice, and Jeanie resorted to extreme measures on the prairie to save her family, she tore Katherine’s world apart. Now, seventeen years later, and far from the homestead, Katherine has found the truth – she has discovered the last letter. After years of anger, can Katherine find it in her heart to understand why her mother made the decisions that changed them all? Can she forgive and finally begin to heal before it’s too late?

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This story is AWESOME. Let's start at the beginning, the cover is very simple, with the young girl in a simple white dress on the prairie. The story itself has excellent flow and the words are woven so that I would at times forget I was reading and just see the story move through me.

There are 2 main characters in this book. Katherine, the daughter and Jeanie, her mother. It starts in Des Moines, Iowa in 1905 with Katherine and her husband, Aleksey. He brings her mother and her mentally challenged sister, Yale to live with them. His idea because Katherine has never forgiven her mother for breaking up the family. Her mother is dying of cancer, but Katherine is really bitter.

It then jumps back to 1887 in the Dakota territory. Jeanie and her husband Frank have just arrived on the prairie to start a new life. Running away from the shame she faced surrounding her father's death and business dealings. Unfortunately she learns that life here is far too rough and unforgiving to allow for a man to be lazy and moody - which she comes to realize Frank is. Actually what she figures out is she no longer has the time to cover for him. They are lucky that they end up with great neighbors and form a cooperative to help each other.

Now Frank pulls some other stuff beyond just being a lazy-good-for-nothing and why she doesn't just push him down a hole, I'll never know. They had 3 children when they came and she was pregnant with another. Having had a hard time with all previous pregnancies, she does her best with what she has. The baby is born very early, too early but Jeanie fights for her Yale. This woman fights, and fights and fights for her children, and the 2 that were with her that year in the Dakotas grew up hating and resenting her for driving their father away.

It is a sad tale, although still beautiful. I also enjoyed all the detail of what a hard life it was to be a pioneer in the Dakotas. How people made a success of it was in part just pure dumb luck, because the land doesn't seem to help at all.

So, go pick up this book - I am giving it 5 stars and permanently adding it to my library to enjoy again and again.


update - This book just won an IPPY award, which I hear is like an Emmy for Independent writers. Mid-West – Best Regional Fiction-Gold!!!

Sunday Stealing - The "You Can't Be Missed" Meme, Part 2

Cheers to all of us thieves!

16. What was the last thing you did that was totally selfish, yet you feel no guilt? I sat playing the Sims 3 while my husband single-handedly dressed the boys to take them shopping. Why don't I feel guilty? Because during the week when I ask him to help me he stays in bed and then goes to the bathroom...neither of those options help! ;)

17. Tell us about a film fave of yours that we probably have not seen. Wristcutters, just saw this one recently...loved it...let's just say they aren't lying when they say "dark comedy."

18. When was the last time you kissed someone that you shouldn't have on the lips? I don't think that I have ever...oh no not true...but that is so not getting shared here. Chris it was before you - no worries.

19. When was the last time you cooked something for someone not in your family? Nope, can't think of anything on this one. I'm a close to home kinda gal.

20. When was the last time you danced like a crazy person? Oh let's see...sometime last week I swung around with Ivan.

21. When was the last time you just wanted to be invisible? Couple weeks ago, but I get this often, and I think I'm actually pretty good at pulling it off.

22. When was the last time you got a gift you absolutely hated? Oh now I'd have to get a gift for that to happen. ;) Well I guess I could count all the contests I've won, people usually give you an extra trinket. But I love that kind of stuff, I've never gotten anything I totally hate because I actually do appreciate the effort (weird, huh?)

23. When was the last time you got into a physical fight? (If NEVER, let us know about a time that you got close to a fight.) Let's see, I was 6 or 7...it was this snotty neighborhood girl that just wouldn't back off. So we started fighting and it ended when I yanked out a fist-full of her pretty blond lochs. Then I felt really bad and so never fought again.

24. When was the last time you had to sleep with a light on? Well, if by light we count the TV it is anytime that Chris is gone overnight. I do NOT like being alone.

25. When was the last time you were under some serious stress? I am now, trying to live on less when the price of everything is going up, but not our income.

26. When was the last time you watched your favorite movie? Last week? The Other Guys...god that's so good!

27. What song did you most recently downloaded? Styx Greatest Hits and a Lionel Richie album

28. What would you say is your favorite hobby? knitting...which I can't do thanks to carpel tunnel...then it's crochet...which is also getting harder to do.

29. What is your favorite thing to do when you hang out with friends? Just talk and laugh

30. What would you rather do: shower or bathe with that celebrity that you are crushing on? shower before bath after.

Review - The Tale of Asha

Amazon.com Kindle - $0.99
Barnes & Noble Nook - $0.99
The Tale of Asha series is a collection of fantasy short stories following the strange adventures of the herbalist Asha and the nun Priya as they travel across India.
25k words | 100 pages

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I really enjoyed this story. Asha is a smart, considerate and...well the only word I can come up with is calculating. She never does anything without her full wits about her. Asha was bitten by a dragon as a young girl, so she can hear the souls of all living things echoing in her own ear. She refuses to be called a doctor and refers to herself as an herbalist.

Each chapter is it's own adventure, where she first saves the nun Priya, then they help a possessed little boy and finally helping a young man who lost his wife.

It was a fast read, even with it's lazy pace. And please don't take that as an insult, it was a story that felt like a smooth, relaxing trickle, even when the reality is you can read it in a few hours.

So - for 99 cents, grab this for yourself!

Review - Big Mamma Makes the World

Amazon.com - $6.80
Barnes & Nobles - $6.29

This is by far the best creation story I've ever read. I bought this book before I even knew my current husband, much less had kids. It is about a woman with a baby and she creates it all. It follows much the same as the bible creation story, but with more feeling and less nastiness. She makes people because she is lonely, and I love how she makes the animals with one big bang, ordering any creature that wants creating to come on out now. Then people she makes with some leftover mud, all shapes and sizes and colors coming out together and each with their own story to share.

At the end she is in the sky baking cookies or taking care of her baby and she'll look down on us and either say "that's good, that's real good" or "better straighten up down there."

The pictures are endlessly fascinating as well. They take on the part of the story they are in. And so do Big Mamma and her baby. They are faded in the black of the dark, or blue like the sea, and even green when she makes all the plants and trees. And you can't help but love that baby, especially when he shakes a stick at some crows.

Some may not like that it is a creation story and doesn't follow the bible, but I don't think this was meant to be like that. I take it at face value, a lovely story. But I also think it is a testament to the creation that women do in their lives...I mean we create life...wouldn't the creator be a mother?

Please no hate, just stating it how I see it. I think you can get this book even if you don't have kids, as I said I bought it before I had any and it traveled with me non-stop over the years. Now it's my boys favorite book.

Sunday Stealing: The "You Can't Be Missed" Meme, Part 1

Cheers to all of us thieves!

1. Which state do you consider to be the most boring state? tough question...Utah? No Iowa...isn't that the one that is just one big corn field?

2. If any chef from the Food Network (or any well known chef) could cater your wedding, who would it be? Alton Brown - without a doubt!

3. What's the last thing you ate that was red? tomato

4. Have you ever questioned the sexuality orientation of a close friend? well not so much questioned as was curious how curious said person was.

5. Everyone loses a friend after some big fight. Tell us about one. Oh the worst one was in high school, my bff said someone told her I was talking behind her back, which wasn't true and she slapped me. She came back later and apologized and said she found out it wasn't true and if we could be friends again. Ummm, no because she showed me just how much she trusted me in that moment.

6. Have you ever washed an iPod or mp3 player in the washing machine? No - but that sounds like something I'd do! I have washed numerous tubes of Burt's Bees.

7. Have you ever screamed / yelled angrily at a boss? no, but I have dreamed of it.

8. Have you ever cried yourself to sleep? Yes, last night after putting my crying baby back in his bed over and over while he cried "sorry mama!" - god that was rough!

9. Have you ever regretted being in a relationship with someone? Yes, that's why I got a divorce.

10. Have you ever acted like you understood something when you didn't have a clue? yes, but only if it isn't too terribly important that I know.

11. Have you ever thought someone must have been insane? If yes, tell us something about the person. well this person has dramatic mood swings so I am pretty sure she is manic, but has never sought help that I know of.

12. Have you ever pretended to be younger than what you are? No, not that worried about my age...it's my gray hair that pisses me off.

13. Back in the day, did you ever cry because you were turned down for a date? No, I was too shy to ask. Then when I was old enough and I got a brush off, I just moved on. Had a guy come back for a hook-up after giving me the brush off and he got it right back. Sorry but if you don't have time for me, don't expect me to drop everything to come running.

14. Have you ever (or your significant other) had a pregnancy scare? oh yeah, that really motivated me to get on the pill. Oh and once a few months after I had CW. I called Chris at a party and had him get a test on the way home. I wasn't...lol. I didn't think I was pregnant at all when I found out I was having Ivan. He was a complete surprise.

15. Have you ever pretended to like someone when you didn't? Oh hell yeah, I do that way too much. But only with people I work with...and go to church with...and a few relatives. Only when necessary in keeping the peace. If I can avoid someone I don't like without it hurting someone I love, then I do that.

Review - Myka the Goddess Witch

By - Vianka Van Bokkem
Amazon Kindle - $2.99
B&N Nook - $2.99

When the father of all gods Zeus discovered his beloved daughter Athena was pregnant with Apollo’s baby, he ordered all gods and goddesses to keep it a secret because he wanted all mortals to believe Athena was an eternal virgin.

The moment I was born Zeus gave me away to a loyal mortal “witch” named Maia which means “nursing mother”. My father Apollo had to have a special magic spell done by Maia because he was the god of truth who can’t speak a lie. Zeus also asked Maia to cast a spell on my mother so she would not fight him when he gave me away.

Maia lived in Mykonos, Greece and decided to name me Myka. She was careful to cast the biggest magic spell on me. I was going to be a mortal girl until the day of my 18th birthday.

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This is a Young Adult short story. It is an super fast read, I read it in less than an hour last night after we put the boys to bed. Being obsessed with Greek myths as I am, I couldn't wait to dive in.

I did really enjoy the story. It's a fascinating idea, and the characters are likeable. That being said, I think if Vianka took the time to add more details to cushion and help guide the dialogue it would grow into a fantastic book.

That being said, for $2.99 it's a pretty good short story. If you like witches or Greek myths, you should enjoy this.

I'm giving this 3 stars. I liked it, but it needs something more.


I'd like to thank Magaly from Pagan Culture for having the giveaway that put this e-book in my...well virtual hands. lol Go check out her blog, it's one of my favorites.

Review - Here, Home, Hope

Here, Home, Hope a novel by Kaira Rouda...in fact this appears to be her first fiction novel. This is a story about 39 year old Kelly, during a summer where she is feeling the ultimate boredom of being a housewife and the lives of her friends enter turmoil around her. She is so stressed that the story begins with her at the Dentist's office because she bit through her mouth guard.

It is a quirky tale, I love the TCT notes - things to change. :) Kelly writes them down and posts them throughout her house. Everyone she knows starts learning them and recognizing when she achieves one, especially her loving husband Patrick. Even when her friends and neighbors marriages fall apart, she knows she has a good one. Patrick will make you sigh and wish your man was more like that.

I don't want to get into it too much, but while dealing with her own unhappiness, she opens up her heart and home to her friends to help them during that summer even as she is starting her own business. The flow is pretty great until the last section. The wrapping up changes pace and doesn't fit the rest of the story.

That being said, it is a great story and I do highly recommend it. Even the hiccup at the end it was still worth while to read and I want to read it again.

Review - short story "2012" by Ted Stetson

Free Nook Book
Free Smashwords Download

I downloaded this book because...well mostly it was free and there's a curiosity with the 2012 ideas that people have. This is a very short story, mere pages. It doesn't have a solid plot or characters, it's more like a string of conciousness, or maybe a dream. I did enjoy it and being that it is free, I recommend you download this and have a look-see yourself. If you don't have the Nook, you can go to smashwords, where it is also free and they offer other ways to download this book.

I wanna win this one!

Go to Pagan Culture if you'd like to be entered to win this e-book.

I want to read this book because I do love all things Greek pantheon. When I was in my early teens...or tweens...I absolutely devoured everything the library had on them. I loved those stories so much, they were like ancient soaps. Zeus was the most fun, he is a horny devil. And Hera is usually portrayed as a jealous harpy, but I always felt a calm coolness to her. See she didn't so much mind Zeus cheating, they all did that. She wouldn't be made a fool of though, and that was when she took action. See, Zeus' problem was that he acted like a teenage boy and wouldn't be discreet.

So when I see a book that is based on those myths, I jump in and have fun with it. As much as I do with the books based on fairy tales. I really should try writing one of those, either Greek myth or fairy tale based. Hmmmm, something to think on now.

Ok, ok, my point is I want the extra entry to win this book.

If you'd like to buy it yourself it's an e-book at Amazon or Barnes & Noble for $2.99.

"Depression Hurts, but..."

But what? I can pop a little happy pill and all my problems will go away? Nope. I'm depressed for a reason. Happiness needs to come from within me, but it isn't. That fountain is stopped up. Why?

Let's say it's a mixture of DNA, f***ed up childhood, possibly too much alcohol and tobacco use by my mom when she was pregnant with me, boredom and the constant stress of getting by on too little.

But what really tires me out is trying to live when I feel like I'm sleepwalking. Everything is an effort and when I was in therapy, she told me it was exhaustion from trying to function like everything is ok and normal when it isn't. Not at all.

Here is my biggest secret and what exhausts me...interacting with people. Generally I do it all wrong, and I feel like there's this game book that someone forgot to give me. Why am I writing this? Because if I accidentally say something that seems strange or totally the wrong thing to say...bear with me. I'm trying to play a game I don't understand.

I like people, I want to be friendly, have lots of friends, but I am painfully shy and overly polite. I think that I do better with online interaction because I can take a moment and think about what I am going to say, I can delete it and rework it as I see fit. Not so in real life, here I am writing this without a single adult person to reach out to and physically hang out with, go shopping with, talk to, or anything. My 2 best friends that I could lean on live in other towns, one in another state.

So, today I am trying to not feel depressed, lonely, stressed and self-critical.

Review - The Haunted E-Book

The Haunted E-Boook
By J.L. Bryan
Amazon Kindle - $2.99
Nook - $2.99

Dee escapes her dreary librarian job and unfaithful boyfriend by reading romance and fantasy on her Kindle.

She tries The Haunted E-book, the story of a 19th century tramp printer whose ghost awakens whenever someone reads a book he created. The ghost stalks his readers and threatens them with death if they stop reading the book. Though she doesn’t usually like ghost stories, Dee can’t stop herself from reading it.

Then Dee learns the stories in the books are true, the malevolent ghost is real, and Dee might be the next character to die.

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First off let me say this book is available on paperback, but come on, you have to read it electronically to get the full fear-factor!

This book will take you on a ride. It jumps around with stories, within stories within stories. It's a mirrored effect of people reading about people reading the book. Dee is the main character, living in a small town with a loser boyfriend. She works as a librarian but is held back by a mixture of her color and being an outsider in town. She moved there because of a...very good friend of hers who died there.

So she downloads this e-book and it takes over her life. The ghost in the book is all about murder and having his story be read. We move onto 4 other readers, but 2 of them are very short lived. After her boyfriend is believed murdered, she runs to find the other readers, to try and stop him. She first teams up with Elaine where she finds one of the original haunted books, The Story of Annabelle, and then she finds Madison. Will they finally stop him before it's too late?

It does jump around but it isn't hard to follow. He plays with fonts and bold to show different chapters, if it's the regular chapter or the inside chapters. If you like a scary story, then download this bad-boy and leave the lights on.

I'm giving it 4 stars.