Everything Is Better With Dragons
Book blogger, Autistic, Probably a Dragon, Owned by Hell Hounds
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7. Transfer some of my short stories from here to Live Journal Done, just now.
8. Finish typing up a short story I wrote at the beginning of the month. Done, just now. Interrupted multiple times by having a conversation with friends. All these social media sites are very distracting 😀
Time to go and do the rest of the things on my list.
Due to the nature of my current employment I have a day free, so I’m actually going to do something vaguely writing related.
Today’s plans
So busy day then, since I still need to eat at some point and walk the dog. Done – I was out walking for an hour. It was very bracing.
Going now, since, you know, I can lose a day on the internet given the opportunity,
Bye
Rose
………..and I’m not having much luck finding any.
Anyone got any ideas – websites I might look at that sort of thing?
Any help would be very much appreciated, really it would. I already do quite a bit of editing for friends but it would be nice to be paid occasionally.
Thanks
Rose
The third and final instalment of the ‘Newsflesh’ trilogy leads the reader further in to the conspiracy that the ‘After the End Times’ team have been chasing since Georgia’s murder.
Shaun and his team are back out on the road, seeking help, and the truth – as always. The team must complete Dr. Abbey’s tasks if they want to get what they need.
After a narrow escape or two, and meeting a zombie bear, the team regroups in Seattle. Re-united with more than just the living they find that there are more ways than one to bring back the dead. The Conspiracy reaches all the way to the White House, but with new allies they break the story open and do what they do best – get it out on the internet.
A thoroughly enjoyable tale, with a plot that keeps the reader enthralled throughout. Alternating the point of view, changing narrator, only adds to this and makes the novel more interesting. This is an excellent finale, intelligent and well written.
5/5
Drat it!
I started writing a review of Blackout, by Mira Grant on my break today at work (WordPress for Blackberry, brilliant app), tried to find it to finish writing it this evening, and its gone walkies.
I could have sworn I’d saved it on my phone.
Oh well, I’d better re-write it. Thank goodness I always write everything down in my notebook.
I don’t often review anything but books, but I felt like reviewing this album. There may be more album reviews in future. Specifically I am reviewing this album because I’m going to see The Rasmus in concert in December, and since I’m going to review the concert I may as well review the album the tour is supporting.
The Rasmus – Lauri Ylonon (Vocals), Eero Heinonen (bass) , Aki Hakala (drums), and Pauli Rantasalmi (guitar), released this, their eighth album in June of this year. Produced in Finland and released on Warner records, this self-titled album shows the influence of Ylonen ‘s solo work. It has more of an electro-pop feel to it than previous albums from The Rasmus. However it also shows a continuation in tone from 2008’s ‘Black Roses’. It is possible to see an evolution in the sound if The Rasmus from their energetic early albums ‘Peep’ and ‘Playboys’, to the more ‘rock’ ‘Dead Letters’ through to the present day. The more mature sound still has a rock edge to it but also returns, a little, to their earlier more ‘pop’ or ‘electronic’ sound.
As usual the subject matter lyrically is that of love lost and found, again a common theme in their albums since 2004’s ‘Dead Letters’. Tackled with their usual poetic lyricism the songs do not feel hackneyed. I particularly like ‘I’m a mess’. I thought the video for ‘Stranger’ the best. Although I still can’t work out why Lauri’s while wandering around a city dressed as a king.
All in all, I enjoyed The Rasmus’s self-titled offering. It’s a bit different, but not such a departure from their earlier albums to make the difference jarring.
5/5
Anita Blake returns in this, the 21st novel in the ‘Anita Blake, Vampire Hunter’ series.
A fifteen year old girl is missing, presumed kidnapped by vampires. Anita is the Marshal on the case. Working with RPIT, St.Louis police’s specialist preternatural crime branch, she must interrogate a witness/suspect and find the girl. There is little time, and when their suspect finally answers the questions they realise there is no time at all.
Going to the rescue Anita and the team find that the problem is much worse. With two officers dead and a potentially volatile group of ‘Free’ vampires holding the girl hostage violence is the most likely outcome. A conspiracy is uncovered that will cause Anita personal pain, unless it can be stopped.
The investigation continues and things take a turn for the worse when bomb making materials are discovered. Who and what are the targets?
Then a ray of hope arrives, in the form of Weiskopf, the human servant of Benjamin, the vampire nominally in charge of the ‘free’ vampires. Shocked at the news of potential explosive devises Weiskopf reveals how little control over the other vampires Benjamin truly has. Unfortunately it’s too late.
A phone call from Nicky (Anita’s bodyguard and lover) let’s them know the conspiracy has taken hostages. Going to the rescue once again, this time of people so much closer to Anita than a stranger, Anita has to prevent bloodshed and end the violence once and for all.
Through all this Anita has been questioning herself, but so have her colleagues and superiors within the police force who are questioning her loyalties and integrity. A one-time friend believes she has become a monster, her newest boyfriend has problems with her job and the women in the office are getting terribly jealous. And should she trust the new Marshal she has to work with?
Laurell K Hamilton has written another steady instalment in her Anita Blake series. I’ve read all but ‘Hit list’, the novel preceding ‘Kiss the dead’, and mostly I’ve enjoyed them. Unfortunately I’ve found the recent novels repetitive. Ms Hamilton’s formula of ‘criminal investigation/sex/ metaphysics/Anita’s messed up personal life’ has produced some good stories but now its getting boring. The plots are underdeveloped, the writing repetitive and lazy, and editing for continuity lax – I found an instance of an entire paragraph repeated two chapters apart and a characters name changes half way through a scene before changing back again at the end. On a couple of occasions I lost track of events because the writing was unclear.
Yes, on occasion the wry humour that makes the earlier books so enjoyable makes an appearance and the development of some of the newer characters are positive points, but they are outweighed by the problems of the writing and the underdeveloped plot lines.
2/5 – sorry but it just wasn’t that good.
As much as it pains me to admit it I probably won’t read any more of these books, and I’ll only re-read the first dozen. Its such a shame because its a good concept.
That’s the first of the three new books reviewed. I’ll be back in a few days with more.
Bye
Rose
I went to the library yesterday morning and had a look at the new books they’d got available. I picked up three, two from authors I’ve read before and one from an author I’ve not read at all, although I have seen her books on the library shelves.
The books were
1. ‘Kiss the dead’ Laurell K Hamilton
2. ‘Forge of Darkness’ Steven Erikson
3. ‘The falcons of fire and ice’ Karen Maitland
So that’s three more books I shall be reviewing in the next few weeks.
Bye
The second book in the ‘Newsflesh Trilogy’ throws the reader straight back in to the story, several months after Georgia ‘George’ Mason’s untimely death while reporting on Senator Ryman’s campaign (Feed).
Shaun Mason, her adopted brother and the man who pulled the trigger, now takes up the tale in Georgia’s place in charge of ‘After the End Times’ and not coping at all well with his sister’s death. Life just isn’t any fun anymore. It doesn’t help that she’s the voice he hears in his head now.
One bright day an old acquaintance, Dr. Kelly Connolly, arrives at their door. As well as being officially dead she’s carrying evidence that the conspiracy that put George in her grave is alive and well – and the CDC is at the centre of it. Unfortunately her arrival signals the end of normality for the team. As chaos descends the bloggers and their new associate barely escape with their lives. Disaster follows after as they go back out on the road. Chasing the story. Searching for the truth. Seeking revenge.
But the story is chasing them. And so are the zombies.
As the extent of the conspiracy is unveiled the team get further in to danger; soon it gets worse as the virus that’s causing the dead to rise and eat their friends finds a new vector of infection.
Teaming up with the heiress to a pharmaceutical fortune with her own private army (and lots of miniature dogs), and a certified mad scientist with a viral resistant English mastiff named after her murdered ex-husband, the team continue to hunt down the truth.
A good read, with interesting character development, especially the increasingly unstable Shaun, and an engaging plot-line that keeps the reader hooked with a brilliant twist. ‘Mira Grant’ doesn’t disappoint once again.
4/5
I’m already halfway through ‘Blackout’ – review coming soon.
It’s been over a year since my first blog post
Not sure how that happened, to be honest. How has time passed so quickly, with my noticing it? And I still feel like I’ve made no further progress than I did this time last year.
But I shall keep going.
Coming up: a review of Deadline, by Mira Grant, in a couple of weeks there will be a review of ‘Blackout’ as well; also, just because I feel like a change from books to music, a review of ‘The Rasmus’ by The Rasmus. I’m going to see them live in Nottingham in December, so I’ll review the concert as well.
Bye
Rose
Everything Is Better With Dragons 