Sheila's Guests and Reviews

Christmas brought lots of gift books, cheap books, ebooks and books, books, books. I ended up reading Christmas stories in February sunshine and March hail, but December's snow and sweet romances were maybe just what I needed. A touch of Christmas cheer as winter drags on... So here are some reviews of books you might want to read next Christmas, or you might choose now instead. And some romances. And maybe one quite seriously enjoyable memoir with just the right touch of romantic reality. First is Sincerely Dina Lamont by Christopher McPherson , a book I really intended to read before Christmas. The name felt vaguely familiar--Dina Lamont. But the story is so much more than anything familiar; a real girl whose house floats away; a real mother whose husband doesn't understand; a real star who fights to be seen for who she is; and a real historical background of Hollywood and beyond. Names aren't "dropped" in this book. They belong, as all the characters do, to a...

Do you prefer sweet, sharp or dark... or all three rolled into one. With two romances recently read, my book reviews should surely be sweet, except those romances had the sort of sharp insights and even dark (or stark) reality, they can't be simply classified with only one kind of flavor. Then there were all the other books. And then time ran out, so here are just a few book reviews while I snatch moments from trying to get my own volumes released. Sweet William by Sherrie Hansen and Goldenrod , by the same author, are both Scottish-themed romances that delve into differences of language, culture and meaning as Americans and Scots try not to fall in love. An intriguing extra is the "meaning" of flowers. But best for readers is the sense that love is stronger than death, that romantic love doesn't eliminate other kinds of love, that faith is part of real life and not everyone shares it, and that misunderstandings really can be overcome. Enjoy with some well-balanced...

The library's tidy. The books can be found. And the world keeps spinning around. I'm enjoying the delight of a son's bedroom now repurposed as a home for all my books, and the benefits of last year's flood that engendered this repurposing. I'm still regretting the books I lost, and staring anxiously at bottom shelves, four inches above ground level, just hoping that will be enough if the worst comes to worst. But we have water detectors now. As long as we're home when the worst comes to worst, I shall hear a loud noise and come down to rescue my world... ...which keeps spinning around. The books on my review list for today are a very curious mix--the only thing they might have in common is that curiously spinning world... and the fact that they create their own worlds made of words... T he Nut File by John Skoyles presents an almost real world in almost a series (or sequence) of essays, very short stories (sometimes only one sentence) and ponderings, and ...

When I was a kid it annoyed me that so few books mentioned characters who went to church. I went to church. Most of the people I knew went to church. Weren't we worth writing about? I suspect when I was a kid I simply wasn't drawn to, or introduced to, those sweet Sunday school books that would have filled that gap. Perhaps that's just as well. But now I read the Sunday-school-sweet books, all grown up, plus many others where characters do go to church but don't feel the need to tell the world--or is it where authors do go to church but don't feel the need to tell the world? I guess the question still remains, are people like me worth writing about--are we worth reading about? And the truth is, I really don't want to read about me; I want to read about someone interesting, or at least someone in a story that's interesting; I want a fiction to draw me in and make me think before it spits me out. There'll have to be facts in that fiction if it's go...

When I was a kid, I used to help out with the cleaning at home. I discovered serious fiction by cleaning my big brother's room very slowly, wafting a duster and devouring pages of his "classics of modern fiction." Meanwhile I found a novel called "Oil" under my dad's side of his bed. Many years later I watched a movie and recognized the tale. And under Mum's side of the bed? That was where I found my first romantic fiction. Soon I realized books under Mum's bed were pretty much the same as Gran's magazines, except a book told the whole story while a magazine only offered a chapter a week. I liked Gran's magazines and would take whole collections to college with me, to read in my down time. I liked Mum's books too, but felt oddly guilty about reading of people falling in love. They were "safe" books of course - no long explicit details of stuff a daughter might not need to know. And they were comfortable in a way my brother...

It's one of those favorite remembered misunderstandings--the child who stares at flies, watch in one hand and plastic-tipped arrow in the other, obeying an edict that was meant to be an observation: Time flies like an arrow. But this week time has truly flown. I had great plans of books to read, and instead I filled the hours with efforts to fulfill the promise of good news. Good news number one was an email asking for copies of Dribble-IT . Currently only available from Lulu, the price is fine for purchasing online, but I'm not sure what price I can afford to sell it at. I'd long intended to add the book to Createspace, so now, at last, I did it--well, I nearly did it; watch this space and I'll give you the link when the files are finally done. Good news number two was an email from my publisher with a tentative cover image and interior files for my next novel: Infinite Sum. So hours were spent re-reading the interior file, checking for errors of writing or forma...

Every once in a while I get to review a short book. It gives me a break from the long ones, refreshes the parts other books can't reach, to paraphrase an old English beer commercial, and lets me feel good about getting a few more book reviews off the waiting list. Of course, reviewing a short book takes just the same amount of time as reviewing a long one. But reading it's faster. Oddly enough, writing a short book isn't necessarily that much faster. It's faster than writing a novel, simply because the fingers don't have to fly over quite so many keys and pages. But editing short takes way longer than editing long. With fewer words, each one has to count, whether in a children's book or an adult's. With fewer pages, every error sticks out like a sorer thumb. And those fingers that typed so hard hover over the keys while the eyes hover over the words. I'm editing my Fred and Joe stories at the moment. Each short story needs editing on its own. Then I ...

Maybe love is the theme of my next book reviews, but perhaps I should call it "maybe love," since the first novel, After Byron by Norman Beim , leaves the reader waiting awhile to find out if love is  an illusion or just a twist of fate. Dark gothic mansions loom; dark deeds are hidden in the past; and dark ghosts roam while the pages of journals and letters reveal... well, something more. Simultaneously traditional and modern, and filled with many different shapes and forms of love, it's a perfect tale for untraditional Valentines, best enjoyed with some 5-star dark intense coffee. On the trail of love, one must of course visit Jane Austen, so here's a book of traditional faith-based love which includes a visit to her home. In Mr. Shipley’s Governess, by Joanne Troppello , a young woman who's given up speaking to God becomes a young Christian child's tutor. There's a rich handsome father, the opportunity of world travel, and, of course, romance, making...

Alyssa Rose Ivy lives in North Carolina with her husband and two young children. Although raised in the New York area, she fell in love with the South after moving to New Orleans for college. After years as a perpetual student, she turned back to her creative side and decided to write. I recently read and reviewed the first two books of Alyssa Rose Ivy's Afterglow Trilogy, and today I'm lucky enough to invite the author to answer some questions on my blog. So, thank you Alyssa, and readers, I'm sure if you leave questions Alyssa will be visit sometime to answer them. Just a quick blurb from the two books before we start: Beckoning Light: As Charlotte steps through the gate, she has a strong feeling that nothing will ever be the same again. Moving back to South Carolina after three years away, Charlotte knows she's going to have to face people from her past and adjust to a new high school, but she's completely unprepared for what else waits for her in Ch...

I read four romances during judging in the Dan Poynter Global eBook Awards , so here are some short reviews, with links to longer reviews on gather, and coffee recommendations... (Must drink coffee while reading...) One Last Dance, by Mardo Williams , is a delightfully different tale of life after 80, which earned a well-deserved place in the winning circle. With very authentic characters, and very real problems of aging, plus a pleasing humor and gentle kindness, this is one's highly recommended, to be enjoyed with a rich, elegant 4-star mug of coffee. Written in Stone, by Viviane Brentanos , opens like a Hollywood romantic comedy but follows a much more complex plot in its second half with betrayals on personal and world-wide scales, prejudice, presumption and more. You'll need a 4-star complex coffee to go with this one. Glass Angels, by Karen Wiesner , is the fourth in her Family Heirlooms Series, but stands alone with no problem. The young woman working in a rape c...

I'm delighted to have Aubrie Dionne, author of Paradise 21, visiting my blog today with this fascinating guest post about Sci-Fi's Powerhouse Couples. Check my last post for more information about Paradise 21. And I hope you'll leave a comment with your answer to Aubrie's question when you've read this. Thank you Aubrie, for this post, and for an enjoyable read (click here for my review of Paradise 21 )   Powerhouse Couples in Sci fi A great science fiction romance has a hero and a heroine that are both strong, independent characters that ultimately conquer the bad guys and fall in love. In Paradise 21 , I wrote my own powerhouse couple: Striker and Aries, and you’ll have to read it to see how they become a couple and if they are successful. Below I’ve found three of the greatest power house couples in sci fi. Two of the pairs succeed in their endeavors, and one pair are the bad guys themselves! Sci fi Couple #1 Hans Solo and Princess Leia fr...