March to the Sea

March to the Sea had it's good points. I enjoy the characters. Having said that, I felt the first section of this book was merely good. I feared Prince Roger and Sgt. Despro (not sure of the spelling, sorry) would dominate too much of the story, but that proved a needless concern.

As in the first book, the Marines are required to advance local technology, this time adding riffles, artillery, and blue water ships to the mix.

The military and political intrigue was engaging. I am growing tired of the horrible slaughter of Mardukans, though there is a section that describes Captain Ponner's attempts to avoid it.

I enjoyed March to the Sea, though not as much as March Upcountry. On a positive note, I started listening to March to the Stars and it promises to be excellent.

March Upcountry - David Weber and John Ringo

March Upcountry is the first book I've read by either of these authors, or listened to rather. (Stefan Rudniki does an incredible job narrating this one.)

I love the military science fiction genre and historical military fiction as well. March Upcountry enthralled my imagination immediately. I was intrigued by the cast of characters and thought the intrigue and world building fascinating. Great detail. These authors are clearly very experienced in this genre.

So I was a bit bemused when I realized how dramatically the point of view shifts and how head jumping occurs so frequently that I hear writing coaches all over the world writhing in misery. However, there is something to be said for the fact I didn't notice the much derided technique at first.

Probably because I was wrapped up in the story and dying to see what happened to each character. My writer's mind wrote this phenomena off as something I shouldn't try but perhaps works for these two master story tellers.

In the end, I was really glad to have bought the book and listened to it. The details and suspenseful plot combined with characters I really empathize with has made March Upcountry worth every moment of my time. One group of antagonists are called Saints, a sociopolitical group dedicated to removing Terran influence from the universe. They are depicted as fanatical conservationist, a group that has taken a possibly noble ideal to a destructive extreme. This book does not delve into the minds of the Saints, but I imagine future books will. It should be interesting at least.

March Upcountry is a great book. I recommend it.

Film Friday 3: Warrior

This week's Friday night film was Warrior. I've had this one on my list for a long time. I know the movie received good reviews and Nick Nolte earned an Academy Award nomination. Even with all this hype, the promotional trailers left me worried, which is probably why I waited so long to see it. Warrior is the story of two brothers, one a war hero, the other a school teacher, who find themselves fighting for a five-million dollar purse in a brutal MMA match.

I was wary. The pre-release movie trailers looked slick, the movie had good reviews, but it still seemed that the slightest misstep with this plot would lead straight to cheeseville.

I shouldn't have worried. There turned out to be other plot twists that increased the tension. I thought the acting was superb and the dialogue excellent.

If you just want a lot of MMA, it is probably only a decent movie. On the other hand, if mixed martial arts violence turns your stomach, this show isn't for you. I still recommend taking a chance on Warrior if you are a little squeamish, because the story, acting, and overall package are solid and the execution is great.

I give this one five stars, because my rating scale doesn't go to six.

Thanks for reading this blog. Happy viewing.

Priceless: A Rylee Adamson Novel (Book 1) - Shannon Mayer

Shannon Mayer is such a good writer. I've been a fan for a while now. Priceless has been on my reading list since it came out. And though I have at least a dozen books I planned to read first, I pulled it up on my phone and dove in.

Priceless is a fun new adventure into urban fantasy. The main character, Rylee Adamson, is a woman on a mission. She finds lost children when no one else can. Mayer quickly defines the genre without beating me, the delighted reader, over the head with world building details. Character back story, descriptions, and motivation flow easily making the reading experience pure enjoyment. The pace of the story is superbly managed.

I see a cast of characters that will rock the rest of the books in this series. If you like books by Ilona Andrews, you will enjoy reading this one by Shannon Mayer.

#FLF 2: IRON MAN 3

Welcome to week two of Film Loving Friday. Not quite sure it's a tradition yet, but maybe--just maybe it will be.

If I seem surprised, it's because I actually forgot all about my plan to watch and review a movie each week. I really love a good movie, but it's hard to find two hours of uninterrupted time these days.

Fortunately, my mom is visiting and we decided to check out this film with the kids via direct TV. I'll probably finish this tomorrow, since I actually have a spectacular headache. Over the years I have developed a policy of never skipping something I want to do for the sake of a headache unless it is literally bad enough to put me in the hospital.

Because I have a lot of headaches. This one promises to be a classic. My hands keep going numb. That's never a good sign.

However, in the spirit of minor heroics, I better make a few notes.

First things first; Iron Man 3 entertained. I was pleasantly surprised, but (spoiler alert) there we too many Iron Man suits. It fit into the plot, given the genre, well enough--but come on people. Shouldn't the hero be in the suit. The movie is called Iron Man, not Stark Enterprises. The invulnerable super suits seemed awfully disposable.

On the up side, Stark's use of improvised weapons, quick thinking, and partial suits did offer a change of pace from what I would expect from an otherwise unstoppable master of weaponized technology. The more powerful each generation of the Iron Man suit becomes, the harder it is going to be to find a bad guy worth the time of day. (Note to Hollywood script writers: stop leveling up.) 

I admit that taking Tony out of the super suit is the only way to put him in danger, so I give the movie props for that. "A" for effort.

The family had a great time. We made our own popcorn at home, so it was about a $5 event. #SpendingTimeWithFamily #WinnerWinnerChickenDinner

Tomorrow I will take another Excedrin Migraine around 2100 hours if I need to, and think about catching up in the Marvel movie series. I'm pretty sure most of them are now on Netflix.

I still haven't seen Captain America or the Avengers. Come to think of it, is there another Hulk and another Thor movie? I need to get a life. I'm so behind on my movies.

See you all later. I have NaNoWriMo word goals for today, so I'd best get started. See you next Friday, I hope.

Film Loving Friday #FLF

A now for something totally different: Film Loving Friday

Fridays are normally a good day for writing. Today I completed over 2,200 words on the first draft of my science fiction WIP (the sequel to Enemy of Man), took a break to review an old project that may someday be my masterpiece, and planned to write more before hitting the sack. I've had my nose, yea I say to you, my whole face, to the grindstone. So I think I'll watch a movie on my newly acquired Netflix account.

Tonight's showing: Never Back Down 2

I love martial arts and MMA. As part of this years goals (I always make a new agenda in October) I've been looking at a new Brazilian Jiu-Jitsu and Kickboxing gym. The instructor is highly recommended by several people I respect, and I trained with the instructor at Fox Fitness a few years ago once or twice. He knows his stuff.

Needless to say I'm in the mood for some martial arts cinema. Don't judge me.

I'll put the You Tube trailer here, then make some comments.


Never Back Down 2 follows the tried and true martial arts movie formula: underdog (in this case underdogs) train for a big fight. I really enjoyed the training segments, which were quick, yet full of some real MMA moves. Boxing, Capoeira, Brazilian Jiu-Jitsu, and kick boxing. Some of the highlighted BJJ moves included interesting arm bars and triangle set-ups, plus the Rubber Guard (courtesy of Eddie Bravo, who made a cameo in the movie). Bravo developed a unique style of BJJ and is well known in the MMA world for unorthodox techniques that work. Traditionalist aren't a big fan of his. I own one of his books, though I lack the extreme flexibility many of his moves require.

Lyoto Machida (former UFC light heavyweight champion) also had a nice cameo. Which brings me to Michael Jai White, Case Walker in the film. This guy has some cool movie moves, and eight black belts in various martial arts. In Never Back Down 2, he plays the Sensei teaching four young fighters. His troubled past ruined his career, but it is implied even the best and most famous fighters in the world respect his skill. (That is where Machida comes in. The martial arts legend drops in for a quick training session. Sounds corny, but it was cool.)

Now, the plot thickens, into a cheesy soup. I enjoyed the movie. I liked the characters. The plot survived mostly because I wanted it to and was having fun with all the fight scenes and waiting to see if Eve and Stokes get together. This was expected, and fulfilled, though a little awkward since the movie starts off with Eve being the girlfriend of Stoke's friend and training partner, Gomes. Fine, fine. But to make the expected hook-up happen, Gomes had to be out of the picture, since the movie's hero couldn't very well steal his friend's girl. So Gomes starts being a jerk, cheats, and breaks up with Eve. It was abrupt and dumb, though it provided an excuse for a lot of strippers to flash cleavage at the Gomes character.

Perhaps the most interesting and potentially risky plot device / character development tool was Stoke's inner conflict. Basically, everyone learns his dad left his mother for another man. I wasn't really pay attention the first few times this was mentioned. Then I realized Stokes is mad and embarrassed because his dad is gay, or so it seems. He's actually more upset about something else, but that comes later.

End the end, he accepts his dad and reveals he is more angry that his dad left than why or how. Of course, everything works out in the end.

The part I didn't care for was the villain. One of the four training partners turns out to be a psycho who they all have to fight. This character seemed like a good guy, a comic store clerk at first, who eventually becomes one step away from a serial killer. I'd say more, but that would spoil what little plot there is.

My rating: 3 stars, 4 if you really like martial arts. Now, as I often do when rating a movie or book, I'd like to mention the bottom line. I enjoyed the movie. You might think it's awesome or complete crap. I use the 5 star rating (5 meaning I'll watch it again and again, 1 meaning I feel robbed, 3 and 4 meaning the cathartic experience was worth my time.)

I hope you enjoyed this review. Since this is my blog, I will now promote my books: Dragon Badge and Dragon Attack (urban fantasy / cop thrillers) and Enemy of Man (a military science fiction tale of adventure and deadly aliens). All three books are currently $0.99 ebooks, but will normally be $2.99.

Check out my web site, www.scottmoonwriter.com for more information and audio book links.

Thanks for reading. You're the best.

Never Back Down 2 cast:
Michael Jai White (Case Walker)
Alex Meraz (Zack Gomes)
Dean Geyer (Mike Stokes)
Evan Peters (Max Cooperman)
Todd Duffee (Tim Newhouse)
Jilian Murray (Eve)
John McCarthy
Laura Cayouette (Vale Newhouse)
Lance E. Nichols (Official Agent)
Rus Blackwell (Cop)
Beau Brasso
Scottie Epstein (Justin Epstien)
Stacey Asaro

Story Engineering: Mastering the 6 Core Competencies of Successful Writing

Story Engineering, by Larry Brooks, is an excellent resource for planning a story in four parts. I'm using the techniques in my work-in-progress and analyzing movies and books I like. (For screenplays it's a three part structure, but the same principles apply.) With Story Engineering in mind, I watched World War Z (a movie that was much better than I had dared hope. Instead of special effects overkill, the movie turned out to be a dramatically told story). The plot points arrived exactly where Mr. Brooks predicted. Interesting.

I had expected Story Engineering to focus on the outlining process, but soon learned that either organic or outlining styles can be used with proper story architecture. Mr. Brooks goes so far as to claim seat-of-the- pants organic writers are doing the same thing with multiple drafts that organizers do with outlines. This book focuses on the mission of each of the four parts. Understand the missions, and the execution of the story can be achieved through outlining or pantsing. Flexibility is a good thing, right?

The only problem I had with Story Engineering was the sales pitch. I quickly grew tired of Mr. Brooks trying to convince me that story structure was important. I bought the book. I was looking for information and techniques on plot and structure. The constant examples and metaphors wore me out unnecessarily.

Don't get me wrong. I highly recommend this book. I just can't give it a five star review. Because the nonessential parts annoyed me.

As I read each chapter, I analyzed my work-in-progress. I was relieved to learn I have been close on some structural components, right on the money other times, and some needed work. Personally, I cherish the revelation of the parts needing work. Might be, I can make them better.

So I got my money's worth (and this is one of the rare, more expensive hard copies I have bought recently).

Story Engineering, by Larry Brooks, is making me a better writer. I can't ask for more.

For more about Larry Brooks and his work, visit his web site: http://storyfix.com/books-by-brooks

I am in no way affiliated with Mr. Brooks, and paid regular price a book store for this one.

A Game of Thrones - George R.R. Martin

A Game of Thrones begins with a mysterious attack north of The Wall and establishes that something supernatural or perhaps magical is threatening the world. With the prologue out of the way, the Starks are introduced (and six dire
wolves) and the story moves into the family drama and political intrigue that make up the scaffolding that the (many) characters live and play on.
 
What makes the book so enjoyable? It is easy to suspend disbelief. People in the story believe in magic, but rarely experience it. The lives of most people, even the nobles, are desperate and survival is hard earned. Martin has an excellent command of world building, down to the smallest detail. He writes dialogue that  seems effortless and natural. Characters stay true to who they are and point of  view is controlled, which is no small task with the multitude of main characters in the book.

Since  so many people have read the first book or at least seen the HBO series, I am  not going to worry about spoilers. When Eddard Stark dies, I  knew this book was different. I had been trying to decide who was the main
character, and was  leaning toward Eddard. I liked Eddard, I respected Eddard. Everyone in the story  depended on Eddard. But the plot demanded he die, and he did. As I came to truly believe that Martin had the courage to
slay any character, I started making bets with myself as to who would live and what they would do. Currently I don’t think that Daenarys or Tyrion can be offed. But I have read all five books and been wrong about many other major characters. In this book, the stakes are real.

The Graveyard Book - Neil Gaiman

The Graveyard Book, by Neil Gaiman, has been on my "to read" list for a long time and now that I finally got to it, am glad I did. The story is about Nobody (Bod) Owens and how he is raised by ghosts and other characters in a graveyard. Bod is given "the freedom of the graveyard" which allows him to interact with the ghosts and do many things a living person cannot.

The story was captivating and narrated extremely well. I was surprised and delighted to learn it was read by the author. This was the first Neil Gaiman book I have listened to and I look forward to reading and listening to more of his stories. The Graveyard book has many interesting characters and a good plot. It was well executed and I also enjoyed the brief musical intros between chapters.

A Google search found a lot of great art for The Graveyard Book as well.

Writing the Breakout Novel - Donald Maass

This is probably my favorite book on writing, though I am also very fond of Stephen King's On Writing and Strunk and White's The Elements of Style. The first two books are both inspirational and informative. Strunk and White has a straight forward approach with no fluff, however I have recently come across a blog, Grammar Girl: Quick and Dirty Tips for Better Writing, that is not so enamored with the book. I still like Strunk and White. One must remember that it is a style guide and that rules are made to be broken.

The  premise of Writing the Breakout Novel is that a writer has control of his or her career merely by writing the absolute best novel possible. Less encouraging is his suggestion that the mid-list is dead and that it is harder to stay published than get published. He provides expiring examples of writers who had been successful, floundered, and seemingly at the end of their careers, and became even more successful by writing their breakout novel.

This book is a  must-read. I used to read from WTBN for thirty minutes just to get inspired before writing; this practice really worked.

GO TO: Donald Mass Literary Agency to learn more about his books.

Writing in Overdrive: Write Faster, Write Freely, Write Brilliantly (by Jim Denney)

Writing in Overdrive: Write Faster, Write Freely, Write Brilliantly by Jim Denney is a well researched and motivational account of the creative process. Denney relates accounts of several renowned authors such as Ray Bradbury, Michael Moorcock, and Stephen King to name a few.

Included in the book are many examples of how writing quickly, getting in the zone, and trusting your Muse produce quality fiction. I was amazed at how Michael Moorcock wrote his early books. There is also a wonderful story of Ray Bradbury and his classic work Fahrenheit 451. I was surprised at how quickly such enduring classics were created.

Denney provides tips for breaking writer's block and eliminating needless work. My favorite piece of advice for writing quickly and freely concerned focus on the main plot line of the story (especially during the first draft). I learned that subplots can lead to dead ends (which I have experienced in my own writing). For some reason, this particular section was liberating. I could almost feel myself writing faster (and I am already a quick writer).

As a "cliff-jumper" or "panster" I have grown fond of plotting, outlining, and story structuring. Denney discusses the benefit of planning a story; at least enough fend off writer's block. Much of the message in this book concerns finding the right mixture of narrative push methods (cliff jumping or writing by the seat of your pants) and planning.

Denney has clearly studied successful writers and done a considerable amount of writing fiction and non-fiction. Writing in Overdrive relies on many stories of famous writers. These were entertaining and often inspirational if nothing else.

I look forward to reading other books by Jim Denney.

Fire - Kristin Cashore

This is an excellent book. I thoroughly enjoyed it, even though I managed read Fire before Graceling. My Bad. I am going to read Graceling next. I understand from reading other reviews that Fire is a prequel, so maybe it will work out.

The prologue focuses on the antagonist of the story and was a series of very powerful scenes. My only disappointment with this book was that the resolution of this storyline seemed kind of an afterthought, as though there needed to be a connection with the Gracelings and the first book. The Graceling in this book could have been more essential to the story.

What I liked: the characters, the continuing plot tension, and the extraordinary visuals that Cashore used to build a world full of monsters that are so beautiful they are dangerous. Brigan was an especially well drawn character. I enjoyed the tension between Fire and Brigan.

I recommend this book for anyone who enjoys YA literature and Fantasy.

Grave Mercy - Robin LaFevers

I bought this book after several strong recommendations of other writers and agents on Twitter. Fortunately I began reading when I had some time, because I finished almost half the book in one setting, not realizing that it was a fairly long book (549 pages, I think—I read it on my iPhone and Kindle).

Grave Mercy is about a young woman who must seek sanctuary in a convent, but no convent like I ever imagined. She is trained to serve death and becomes extremely dedicated to her duty. When she is sent on her first real mission, she is warned that some choices will be hard and I immediately assumed she would fall in love and then be forced to kill the one she loved. Continuing with this in mind, I was pleased how well it worked out and do not wish to spoil the story. Just let me say it was very satisfying, mostly because the characters were great.

Of late I have been reading more YA fiction and been pleased with the result. I love historical fiction and all manner of speculative fiction, so Grave Mercy was a good fit for my tastes. This book is full of young romance and intrigue. I
would recommend reading it.

Storm Front (The Dresden Files, Book 1) - Jim Butcher

I found the combination of magic and detective work hard to resist. At the very beginning of the story, Jim Butcher sets a tone that is laced with humor. The main character, Harry Dresden, has kind of a tongue in cheek acceptance of how the non wizarding world views him. The rules of magic are explained as necessary and do not slow down the story. At the same time, I felt the world Butcher created was
consistent and suspending disbelief was natural and easy.

 Harry Dresden's back story becomes more interesting throughout the story, until you realize he is a force to be reckoned with. This was important to me because Dresden is faced with murderous crime lords, a demon summoning sorcerer,
and the White Council, which has him on probation for murdering his instructor. His problems escalate because in order to exonerate himself, he must venture down a dark path that does not exactly make him appear innocent. His  finances and love life are five star disasters, though he is always so close to making a breakthrough.

I listened to Storm Front as an audible book, narrated by James Masters, who did an excellent job.

Storm Front, by Jim Butcher, was an enjoyable read/listen. I will continue with the other books in the series.

Conclusion: 546 other reviews can't be wrong. Storm Front is a good, fun book.

Sundered - Shannon Mayer (The Nevermore Trilogy Book 1)

As the author of Dragon Badge, I am always looking for something original in urban fantasy and paranormal suspense. SUNDERED, by Shannon Mayer is hard to put down. I read 99 percent of it in one sitting. It is a post apocalyptic story and delivers exactly what you would expect. She is a master of moving the tale forward, upping the stakes, and creating characters you want to make it (and you can take make it a couple of different ways).

SUNDERED has a strong romance theme, but an unusual one. Of the few romance novels I have read, the woman and man seem unlikely to get together (though you know the will). Mayer broke this formula perfectly. Since I have only just now bought the second book, I am not sure how everything works out, but I have some theories.

Mayer did a good job breathing life into what is now a very popular theme in fiction, so I would recommend buying this book. But if you are someone who buys a lot of books in this price range, make sure you put this one at the top of your reading list. Especially if you are a new author, because she knows how to get a story started and push it on down the road. Note: I really hate giving 5 star reviews and normally reserve them for books by George R.R. Martin, but this is a totally different kind of  book and how can you not give a high review for something that you read straight through without a break? I am in reviewer’s agony; even now I don’t know how many stars to click.

Not every review can be perfect. I’m a writer, I know. So here it is. In some places, the story moved so fast that opportunities for deepening aspects of the story were missed. I struggled with whether or not to include this criticism, because even as I read these portions, I did not want to slow down, and I bet Mayer did not want to slow down writing. And I am not sure such elaboration was needed or would be desired in the story. You will have to figure it out yourself. I did not notice any grammatical or spelling errors, which normally stand out in indie books, but again, I stopped looking for such things very early in the story. So my only real criticism is the length of the book; take it as you will. I am now rambling, so I will stop. Go forth and read like a rock star (and remember that writers dearly love feedback, so write a review for
everything you read).

Bound - Shannon Mayer (The Nevermore Trilogy Book 2)

The second book of this trilogy by Mayer entertains and takes risks. The protagonist, Mara, faces increasingly dangerous obstacles to remain with Sebastian, whose time is running out. Readers learn more about the Nevermore crisis, but the characters have questions about what is happening on the mainland. The relationship between Mara and Sebastian seems doomed to failure; but they are hanging together. I wonder what Sebastian is thinking? How is he fighting the drug? The answer seems to be a love story between a strong woman and her feral, almost zombie husband.

I enjoyed Bound, by Shannon Mayer, and look forward to more stories from her.

1Q84 - Haruki Murakami

1Q84 is the first book I have experienced by Haruki Murakami. I say experienced, rather than read, because I listened to the audio book version after seeing the title on the Audible.com tournament of books. A little research showed me that Murakami is a well known Japanese author.

The book is very long. I listened to a large portion of the story on a three day motorcycle trip through Colorado. The trip and the book were full of wonder.Though I found myself thinking the book does not need to be this long, I was drawn through the entire story by my interest in the characters, who seemed very life like--probably due to the exhaustive detail of their every movement but also because I understood and cared about their wants and needs.

The book was made longer because a third point of view was added late in the book. This character then investigated and slowly revealed what we (the readers) had already seen the two main characters do. That said, this third POV character
was, or had the potential to be, my favorite protagonist / antagonist.

Murakami spent a lot of time describing nudity and sex that was not strictly necessary to advance the story, but was a lot of fun and full of great visuals. Still it did add to the prodigious length of the novel. Murakami writes with great style and understands how to create tension. That, in my opinion, is great fiction.

I would recommend this novel to people who read fast or are looking to spend a lot of time with it. I googled musical composers, literary authors, and geography many times as I listened, which was rewarding. I did enjoy 1Q84.

Magic Bites- Ilona Andrew (Book 1)

Kate Daniels is a magic wielding mercenary with a mysterious lineage that is hinted at throughout the book. She is extraordinary in many ways and made for a fun heroine of this quick paced urban fantasy. The setting is Atlanta at some point in the future after magic and technology have collided. Certain buildings from the technology era have either been destroyed or eaten away by the persistent magic waves, while others undergo interesting changes. Magic comes and magic goes, causing problems and creating opportunities for the characters (though the majority of the story is about magic). Magic is explained throughout the book, enough for the story to make sense. I liked the way vampires and werewolves were handled in this story as well. There are some sexual references and profanity, so parents should read the book before giving it to young adults. I listened to the audio book version read by Renee Raudman. She did a great job. I plan to read/listen to the next book in the series as soon as I have some more Audible.com credits.

Magic Burns- Ilona Andrews (Book 2)

Magic Burns, the second book in the Kate Daniels series, takes the reader deeper into the world of post magic wave Atlanta. The relationship between Kate and Curran the beast lord intensifies and promises to be a major pet of stories to come. Secondary characters from the first become are more interesting. Derek seemed a bit like an add on character in the first book, but has a solid role in this book. The boy named Red, who Kate gave a business card and promises to help in the first book, shows up as well which initially did not grab me.

Most of the male characters seem  to be hot for Kate, and the main antagonist of this story, Bran, is no  exception. I thought I was going to like Bran by the end and was not  disappointed.

Magic Burns was satisfying because more details about the world Kate lives in are filled in. The characters are fun, the dialogue well written, and the plot engaging. Overall, I thought this was a good second book in a series.

Magic Strikes - Ilona Andrews (Book 3)

At first, I found myself thinking this book is my favorite Kate Daniels book so far, but my enthusiasm tapered to normal by the end--not necessarily a bad thing. I was surprised with the development of Saiman's character. The scene where he reveals himself and enters the fight could have gone horribly wrong, because Saiman could have become too powerful to exist in the story, but the author(s) handle him deftly.

Kate's back story grows larger and more ominous, though Kate may be in danger of "leveling up" if she is going to handle Roland, but so far she has not grown too powerful. My main fear at this point is that Roland will be a huge disappointment when he finally appears, but I plan to keep reading/ listening to this series. I have many favorite characters now and the Ilona Andrews team delivers consistently entertaining stories.

The courtship rituals of the pack are interesting. There were a few more scenes with Kate drooling over Curran than I needed. And Kate is always “remembering to breathe.” By the end of the book, I was not as intrigued by the bad guys as I was at the beginning, but still wanted Kate and her friends to hammer them. Having said that, and even though I was not looking for romance, I enjoyed this story from start to finish.

My favorite scene, though it is not a major scene, is when Kate goes to pick up Julie at boarding school.

Magic Strikes is another good Kate Daniels book.

Magic Bleeds - Ilona Andrews (Book 4)

Magic Bleeds, book four of the Kate Daniels urban fantasy series, takes Kate one step closer to her final confrontation with Roland. At this point in the story there is no way she can return to her regular life as a merc. I cannot say much more, because it would be a spoiler. Let’s just say the stakes continue to rise.

A lot of Magic Bleeds is about Kate and Curran, and is less G-rated. The authors do a decent job of keeping this fresh and interesting, though the situation between them has been a long time coming. I wished there had been more of Derek, Julie, and Andrea and their stories. I have grown attached to them from previous books. Andrea has more show time than Derek and Julie.

The authors have built an interesting setting where technology and magic blend, with emphasis on the magic. The characters are fun. The dialogue is great, especially Kate's internal dialogue. There are a lot of slightly contrived fight scenes that are drawn out more than is generally my taste, but all in all, I recommend this book for fans of urban fantasy. The reader of the audio book has the characters voices exactly as I would imagine them.

The Scar - Marina and Sergey Dyachenko

This is a fascinating book with a literary feel. The authors know how to portray characters. The book begins very well and I was immediately drawn to the characters, however I did not enjoy the development if Carver (not sure of the spelling since I listened to the audio book version). My chief complaint, and the reason I gave this book 3 stars, was my fatigue with Egert's cowardice. The situations that he found himself in were very illustrative, but I began to lose patience with him. It seemed there was nothing he could do to influence his fate.

I also felt the mysterious magical powers of Lash were a huge let down. Parts of this book were as enjoyable as anything I have ever read, but I felt like I had to work for it more than was necessary.

Awesome book cover!

Understanding Cultural Differences: German, French, American - Edward T. Hall

This is an interesting book on cultural differences. The focus is on business and management, but still a worthwhile read for anyone interested in people and how they think. A family member loaned it to me and I read it over the span of several months, picking it up and working through a chapter whenever I needed a break from fiction. If you have read my other book reviews, you have probably realized I spend most of my time in the realm of fiction or studying the craft of writing. My nonfiction tastes lean toward history and biography, with forays into business and management.

In a perfect world I could live and work in France and Germany for a few years and see what this book is really about.

Attention! This Book Will Make You Money (Audiobook) - Jim F. Kukral

This book was not what I was looking for, but I still gave it 3 stars because it may be useful for others. The book contains some interesting stories and examples, but is slightly dated. Online marketing changes quickly. Attention! spends unnecessary time presenting the case that online marketing and social media is important. Most people now understand this.

The first part of this book explains why getting the right kind of attention is important for marketing and business in general. No surprise there. Next, the author lists a lot of people who are “that guy” and can promote products, secure book deals, and make things happen because they have earned celebrity status in unique ways. He elaborates that businesses or groups can be “that guy” and achieve the same results. To be really honest, I grew tired of hearing the term “that guy.”

I am a relatively new student of marketing and promotion. I tried some of the attention getting ideas as I read the book, but on a small scale. There was a good section about using You Tube or blogs to get attention of key people, rather than blasting a social media message at random. The idea seems brilliant, though I have not yet used it successfully.

I did try it in a blog post titled, Fix My Harley - A Brilliant Idea, to ask people who see the blog and video to offer advice. Originally, I was going to purchase a domain name and build this into an interactive do it yourself site, but it has already been done. Jim Kukral's handling of the possibilities is much better than I am making it sound. This part of his message was excellent.

Unfortunately, other attention getting ideas were offensive. In one section about blogging he suggested to “go negative” and while writing a negative blog might be necessary, I cannot advocate doing it just to get attention. There are a few qualifying statements afterward, but the fact remains that he went there and I don’t want to follow. Some examples were clownish (wearing silly clothes), but this technique has a long history of success, so I don’t knock it.

I found his discussions of the following topics useful and insightful:

- Limitations of press releases
- Limitations of media blasts
- Benefit of one on one media contacts
     - respect their time
     - have your pitch ready
     - be on topic
     - lead with credibility

I didn't find the section on idea generation particularly helpful, because I bought the book looking for ways to implement ideas I already had. The suggestions were good, but not terribly original. I may implement the suggestion to wear a special hat during idea time, because hats are fun, right? The psychology behind this idea is sound. Having a set time and environment can be a good practice for generating ideas or writing.

There were too many examples of marketing ploys. Two or three examples of eating contests would have been plenty, but the narration of examples for this one technique went on until I wanted to turn the audio book off.

The most aggravating thing in the book was the constant web site links. I felt like I was on Google constantly (distracting). This is a trend I see in a lot of nonfiction books lately. When I purchase a book, I want to read it, not surf the web. I can do that for free. Some people will really enjoy this aspect of the book. I didn’t.

I wanted to like this book, and still believe others may find it useful. It was not what I was looking for. If you don't know that you need to get people's attention to market products and if you have not embraced the value of marketing online (social media, videos, and blogs) then this book is a must read. If you are looking specifics, there are some, but not enough for my taste.

The Secret War Against Hitler - William Casey

I listened to the Audio Book version of this book and enjoyed it, because I was also reading a Ken Follett book (Jackdaws) at the time. This book starts out with William Casey’s account of the OSS (Officer of Strategic Services) in World War II. The Secret War Against Hitler is an autobiography and drags in places, but there were many details I had never heard despite all the movies and documentaries that have been made on the time period.

The Secret War Against Hitler was a decent read (listen) and contained some interesting historical facts and characters.

The Informationist- Taylor Stevens

I purchased the audio version of this suspense thriller after seeing it on the Audible.com tournament of books. The protagonist is Vanessa Michael Munroe,usually referred to as Michael in the story. Her troubled past is revealed as the tale weaves through murderous intrigue in Equatorial Guinea (for the most part). She has some serious mad assassin skills, though she is paid the big bucks for learning secrets and making connections like a secret agent version of Sherlock Holmes. However, the actual story delivers much about her fighting skills, troubled past, and relationships, with a good amount of spy craft and investigative deductions thrown in. There are plenty of gunrunners, mercenaries, corrupt governments and big business out to get Michael. She kicks butt and takes names.

Read  by Hillary Huber, who did a great job.

Obligation - Donald Stilwell

The protagonist of this novel, Kevin, starts off with several challenges in life and gives everything he has to be the best. He does his duty, no matter the difficulty, thanks in large part to the life lessons taught to him by his grandfather who raises him. Each time I thought I had the book pretty much figured out, the author Donald Stilwell upped the stakes and forced Kevin into some impossible situations.

Donald Stilwell writes a great story full of detail. I do recomend this book.

SPOILER ALERT (I try not to give details, but the rest of the review covers several sections of the book.)

As I read the book, I mentally divided it into four sections. In the first section, Kevin suffers the loss of his father, his autistic brother (and feels responsible), and his mother. His father is killed in action right at the book’s opening. His little brother dies in an accident. His mother suffers and dies of grief, but by this point Kevin is being cared for by his grandfather, a World War II Marine veteran; and this leads us into section two.

Section two of this book is the growth and development of a young man who will become the ultimate warrior. His grandfather, who you have to respect, teaches Kevin some of the coolest things a boy could want to learn: boxing, marksmanship, and golf. The golf angle surprised me and made me think this was the author sharing something he personally enjoys, but he makes it work. The main character, Kevin, learns the game with the same dedication that will serve him in the Marine Corps. The only problem for me is that I have only lukewarm feelings for golf. In section two, Kevin is taught how to deal with bullies and not to misuse his new skills. He makes a lifelong friend (important later in the story).

Section three (and section three b): Kevin loses another family member, probably the single best part of his life, and joins the Marine Corps. The Author rips  through boot camp without overdoing it, because boot camp stories have been done a few times. I was relieved that boot camp did not take over the book. (I read tons of these stories, both fiction and biography, when I was in college some years ago). Kevin is tapped for a special program. I should not say more, because that would be even more of a spoiler than the rest of this over long review.

I cannot tell you much about section four (keeping in mind that these are sections in my head, not in the actual book format), because this is where some of the most gut wrenching decisions are made. I would not want to ever be in Kevin’s situations).

Summary: I liked the story, the characters, and thought the training Kevin received was  excellent. There were some memorable moments when I was pulled along by tension in the plot.

Abraham Lincoln: Vampire Slayer - Seth Grahame-Smith

The beginning of this book was a grabber, even though I have a knee jerk reaction to stories with writers as main characters. Grahame-Smith did not overdue the “writer finally living the dream” too much, in fact, the writer-narrator does not appear again after the introduction. So why have the introduction? Yet, I kept turning pages, so who am I to complain.

The entire book was readable and some parts were great—characters coming alive, plots twisting, and vivid action scenes. In other places the characters tasted like cardboard and the plot felt mandatory. What distracted me were the frequent quotations from historical and fictional historical documents. Each time this was done, I fell out of the story and had to jump back in. I should clarify that I read some of this on my Kindle for iPhone application and the rest on my Kindle. The screen size may have contributed to my reaction, because each section of quotations seemed to start a new page. Once I switched completely to my Kindle, the reading experience was better.

I am sure this faux history style was intentional and it seems many other readers enjoyed it. Personally, I like my historical fiction as Patrick O’Brian or Bernard Cornwell write it—a seamless immersion into the past.

The idea of Abraham Lincoln as a bad ass vampire slayer is cool. The book cover is the best. But as I read, I was slightly annoyed that all the great things Abraham Lincoln did were attributed to his hatred of vampires. I did not care for the ending, saw it coming a mile away, and hoped that it just wouldn’t go there.

I would recommend trying the sample download of the book. If you like the sample, the rest of the book will be a good read.

A Galaxy Unknown - Thomas DePrima

This book is about a young woman from a military family who, shortly after being posted to her first ship, is lost in an escape pod (for a very long time) and awakes to a galaxy that has changed. Space shipping lanes are no longer safe and she is soon caught in a fight for her survival. She rises to the occasion and becomes a larger-than-life hero despite her diminutive size and mediocre performance in the Northern Hemisphere Space Academy.

What I liked about the book: Jenetta Carver has her doubts and fears, but always takes the hero’s path. There is plenty of action. The plot moves along in a nice, orderly manner, with some complications that are reasonable and within the scope of the universe DePrima has created.

What I didn’t like about the book: Carver is forced into some physical changes to make her more of a “bomb shell”, when she had already been portrayed as being very attractive. She is going to grow to a tall, show stopping model of feminine beauty. This grated on me a little, because I had already developed a picture of her in my head that I liked and seemed to imply that women need to make themselves “hotter.” And while I enjoyed the plot, and it was satisfying, I felt as though I had read the book before. Please don’t get me wrong, it wasn’t bad. Most people agree there are no new plots and I am equally annoyed by books that try too hard to be original and disappoint.

I will probably read the rest of this series. It is fun , fast paced, and has potential for volumes of adventure, but it is not at the top of my reading list (because I have a lot of books I want to read).

Gardens of the Moon: Book One of The Malazan Book of the Fallen – Steven Erikson

The Malazan books have been on my list for a long time. Book one, Gardens of the Moon, is an incredibly complex story with many character points of view. I listened to several hours of the audio book before starting over to make sure I was tracking the plot and characters. Other reviews I have read suggest the first book is an investment and that the story is easier to follow as the series progresses.

Sorry, aka Apsalar, seems as though she should be much more important to the story. She is possessed by an evil god of some sort early in the book, but then she becomes nothing more than a annoying (though murderous and scary) side character in Whiskeyjack’s squad. Then, by no doing of her own, she is freed from the possession and becomes Apsalar. Sorry / Apsalar is acted upon and does nothing to make the reader like her or be interested in her story (besides being a truly innocent victim).

New characters are introduced late in the book. Old characters change their goals and allegiance without sufficient explanation.

Despite everything, Gardens of the Moon is an imaginative story with many loyal followers. I was disappointed with the book, but plan to read at least one more in the series, since other readers have promised the writing gets better. Ralph Lister did an excellent job narrating this book, but I think it might have been easier to follow in print.