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Angry Woman Suite – A Review
admin / September 07, 2012
When I was a child growing up in rural South Carolina the nearest (and only) mall was an hour away.  Oh the joy when we loaded up and rolled in to do some shopping.  One of my most favorite stores was store called Spencer’s Gifts (yes the place with the INCREDIBLY cool black light posters something a true child of the 80’s will fondly recall). I digress. Black light posters aside my favorite part of Spencer’s was the magician this store had out front.  While I now realize his feats of wonder were little more[..]
Forgive Me, Alex – Lane Diamond – A Testimonial
admin / July 19, 2012
My name's Dan Helton, but my friends just call me Dan.  Well, they used to.  I live, or lived, a pretty normal life in Crystal Lake, Illinois.   Oh, I guess I should tell you I was murdered.Crystal Lake's not much of a place, but at least it's got more than Algonquin, I mean it's bigger if nothing else.  I'm not too far from Chicago and sometimes some of the guys from work, we all get together, or used to get together, and go to Cubs games.             When I got a car I never had[..]
Speculation by Edmund Jorgensen – A Review
admin / June 24, 2012
Edmund Jorgensen hits a home run with Speculation. Jorgensen' characters are well rounded, interesting and believable. His writing is well paced.  He’s taken philosophy and made it an interesting read.  And he makes you want to turn the page. But what makes Speculation perhaps most unique is that at its root the plot boils down to a simple choice.  Door number 1 or Door number 2.  To make things even more interesting we know, to the penny, the exact amount (and it’s a huge amount) behind Door number 1.  Door number 2 on the other[..]
The Story Continues – Open Heart by Emlyn Chand
admin / May 25, 2012
Back in November I reviewed Emlyn Chand's first novel, Farsighted.  Loved it.  Chand opened my eyes to a genre that I had not previously considered in my zone of interest.  That being Young Adult fiction.  Since she nudged me towards these books, I have encountered some really good writers.However, my first book of the summer will be Open Heart, the anticipated follow up to Farsighted.  I'll be reviewing it as soon as I finish it, which likely won't be long.  But for now, here is an excerpt for you to enjoy and to whet the[..]
Charlinder’s Walk by Alyson Miers – A Review
admin / May 24, 2012
The first thing you realize when you begin Charlinder's Walk by Alyson Miers is that 2012 was a bad year.  In 2012 the world is/was(will be?) hit by the Plague, a catastrophe that kills, in short order, the majority of the world's population leaving only small pockets of survivors scattered across the globe.  There’s no electricity, no technology, no infrastructure, no mass transportation, no central government - basically nothing remains of the world that exists were we to turn and look out of the nearest window. Fast-forward approximately 1 and ¼ centuries. Here we meet[..]
Beach House Memories by Mary Alice Monroe
admin / May 14, 2012
Mary Alice Monroe is no stranger to the South Carolina Lowcountry having regularly looked to the area as the setting for her novels.  In Beach House Memories she not only returns to the area but she also turns back the clock more than a quarter of a century to offer an intimate glimpse of a landscape that will never been seen again.  Then, as a bonus, Monroe also spotlights a cause that is near and dear not only to her, but also to many in the Lowcountry.      Mary Alice Monroe is devoted to the[..]