REVIEW: The Void Beyond

 The Void Beyond
Author: P.W. Hillard

Sci-fi is one of my all time favorite genres to read, listen to, or watch. There's just something about the vastness and unknown aspects of space that make action/adventure stories set there completely engrossing for me. 

I requested a review copy of one of P.W. Hillard's books back in 2020....and then the pandemic totally upended so many things I lost track of it. I never read the book. I hate it when I flub on a review!! 

So, when I discovered I had several books on StoryOrigin that I never reviewed, I decided to backtrack and make it right. And, of course I picked a sci-fi book to start with. 

It just so happened that the book I had promised to review was the second book in the Dark Galaxy series. So I back-tracked even further and got my hands on book one: The Void Beyond. 

I'm glad I did! This story had a awesomely creepy Aliens/Dead Space sort of feel to it. I was hooked from the start, and the story kept my attention from start to finish. 

I'm sort of addicted to audio books -- especially for sci-fi or horror tales. So, I read my digital ebook while listening to the audio book. There's just something entertaining about having a scary story read out loud -- love it! The audio book is narrated by Matt Jenkins and is just shy of 8 hours long. Jenkins does a good job of narration. His attempt at an American Texas style accent fell a bit short though....but not enough to do any damage to my enjoyment of the book. 

There were a couple times I had to suspend reality a bit (but it's a story set in space with aliens...so it wasn't that hard to accomplish). For instance, a completely alien species referring to humans as a "primate'' species or aliens having the same system of numbers that we do. Little things. I whisked those things out of my head and just let myself enjoy the story. 

The basics: Humanity and an alien race are at war. When a cargo ship is waylaid and attacked by the aliens, a horrific series of events unfolds that puts the crew to the ultimate test. I'm not going to say more about what that threat is, and how it manifests because.....spoilers. But let's just say if they fail, the entire universe may be in peril! No pressure....none at all. 

 I liked the concept, the characters, the setting -- and the foe they faced! Very entertaining story with lots of action and unexpected events. It definitely kept my attention from start to finish. Some events at the end were rough, but completely realistic given the situation. Overall, I enjoyed this story and I'm definitely reading the other two books! 

On to book 2 (which is the book I agreed to review in 2020 -- making it right!)

**I was given a review copy of this book and voluntarily agreed to review it (but I also bought the audio book and read a digital ebook through Kindle Unlimited, so that kinda negates the freebie aspects, right? But still including the disclaimer.). All opinions expressed are entirely my own.**

REVIEW: The Ghost Goes to the Dogs

 The Ghost Goes to the Dogs
Author: Cleo Coyle

Ok...I'm just going to come right out and say it. At the start. And get it over with.

This series is my favorite cozy mystery series. I once waited 10 years for a new Jack & Penelope sleuthing adventure and was totally excited when the series picked back up. This is one series I will always pre-order and expect my new book delivered on release day. Period. End of story. So yep....this is an honest review, but I'm gonna tell you I will 5 star this series on each and every book. Always. 

I did a quick exploratory read of this newest book thanks to my handy-dandy digital review copy. But I'm waiting for my crisp, colorful, full of new book smell, paperback to arrive on May 2nd to give it a complete read-through. I already have that Tuesday night blocked off for a binge reading session.

The basics: It's Pet Mystery Week at the bookshop and business is good. Then a stray dog in a panicked state shows up and leads Penelope and her son to a body. Who killed the leader of the store's pet lovers book club? And can they catch the killer before someone else dies? 

Not giving any spoilers because I avoided reading the ending....waiting for my book. Loved the parts I did read! I enjoy the setting of this series, the characters and the fun, entertaining energy of the plots in each story.

The cover art for this newest book is so colorful and cute. Love it! 

I'm definitely already in line for the next book. Can't wait to see what Penelope and Jack get up to next. 

**I voluntarily read a digital review copy of this book from Berkley Publishing. All opinions expressed are entirely my own.**

REVIEW: Pink Lemonade Cake Murder

 Pink Lemonade Cake Murder
Author: Joanne Fluke

As soon as I received the email announcing my review copy for this new Hannah Swensen mystery, I jumped right into reading. Not surprising as I have been reading this series since book 1 came out in 2000. I'm a die-hard fan of Hannah, her sisters, Norman, Mike....and all the characters from Lake Eden. 

This series is one of the first cozy mystery series I ever read. Probably The Cat Who... books were the first. But this one was definitely my favorite back then. I eagerly awaited each book, and wondered if Hannah would ever make The Choice (faithful readers understand exactly what I mean there). 

I will faithfully read each book in this series until the end. 29 books in I can't really abandon the series. 

But.....

With a heavy heart I'm going to post an honest review. 

I love this series. I love the characters. The recipes are always yummy. And there are always cute moments and some good amateur sleuthing. However, the writing quality has taken a noticeable nose-dive over the past few years. I will stand by my opinion expressed several years ago that I firmly believe these books are no longer written by the same author. I have no facts to support my guess, other than the drastic changes in writing style and quality of this series.

The problems:

Constant repetition. For example, in this newest book, Hannah repeats the ingredients for a stew she cooks for supper at least four times. Over and over again. Each character that enters the room gets the explanation for her lovely stew all over again in entirety. Character and recipe names are also repeated again and again. Makes the dialogue very clunky and hard to read. It's poor executed story padding and bad writing.

Recipes and cooking explanations overused. This is a culinary cozy series, so cooking/recipes are part of the subplot. But, poorly written dialogue and constant references to cooking and recipes completely overshadowed the mystery portions of this new book. I love the recipes, and I used to enjoy mentions of Hannah's culinary creations to fluff up the story. But it's very obvious that the cooking subplot is being used as padding to make the story significantly longer.

Non-engaging and poor attempts at suspense. The mystery and investigation is almost non-existent. The mystery wraps up in a predictable manner. And the cliff hanger at the end is ridiculous. 

I referred back to the first few novels in this series. This is not Joanne Fluke's original writing style. Not even close. 

It's amateurish writing, plain and simple. The dialogue is terrible. The mystery plots are getting shorter and simpler, with very little time spent on any investigation or suspense/action. The recipes and cooking have taken over almost the entire book and the story is padded so much to add length that I had a hard time reading this book in its entirety, even after being a Hannah fan for 23 years.

For a couple books, it got better. With this new book, it seems the glaringly bad writing is back. How did this book ever get past an editor in this condition?  

I will read the next book. I'm a Hannah fan and I will stick by this series until the final book. But I just shake my head and wonder how the books are getting through the editing and publishing process without having some serious edits and re-writes. 

**I voluntarily read a review copy of this book from Kensington. All opinions expressed are entirely my own.**

REVIEW: Even More Scary Stories for Sleep-overs

 Even More Scary Stories for Sleep-overs
Author: Q.L. Pearce

I am officially hooked on this series. I've been on a lightly spooky story kick for a couple of weeks, and I'm totally having fun reading these story collections for kids. Nice to read just for pure entertainment! 

This collection (there are several Scary Stories for Sleep-overs books) gathers 11 more creepy tales for kids. I used to love reading stories like this with my friends in the summertime. We would sit outside in
the yard with a flashlight and have a great time. Loved reading similar stories to my own kids as well! Great for spooky season, summer break or anytime! And....the tales are fun for adults, too. I enjoyed every single one! Some are a bit cheesy, but isn't that part of the fun? 

My favorite story from this book is a fun variation on the summer camp tale: Camp Colby. Campers are warned not to go in the abandoned mine near camp because it's dangerous. So what do they do?  They go in the mine, of course. 

The artwork by Dwight Been is wonderful and adds to the creepiness of the stories.

REVIEW: The Secrets She Keeps

 The Secrets She Keeps
Author: Michael Robotham

This book is so suspenseful...and twisted....at times I had to rewind a bit of my audio book to be sure I was hearing what I thought I heard! Michael Robotham is definitely a skilled writer. He snuck in shocking revelations so sneakily that I was surprised so many times. I would be listening....hear some shocking thing added into the mix....and be like wait......what??? Awesome!!!

Just a caution -- there are a lot of intense themes in this book -- child abuse, infant death, rape, mental illness, etc. If any of those subjects is a trigger for you, I'd avoid this book.

What a twisted mess of humanity......I couldn't stop listening!

There is a television show based on this book. I haven't watched it yet. But I did read that while it is faithful to the book in many ways, there are some significant changes in the characters and plot. Seems to have really good ratings though. I think I need to recover from the drama of the book a bit before I can watch the show. It's pretty heavy stuff....

Kudos to my lovely local library for having this audio book on tap for me to check out on the fly. I found a local book club to join, and had a week to get this story read before my first meeting. It was great! We had a lively discussion!

REVIEW: Chasing Dragons

 Chasing Dragons
Author: A.W. Kaylen

I'm enjoying the Heather Chase FBI series. I don't often read FBI/investigation stories, but I think I need to change that. All 3 of these books became total binge reads for me! I'm enjoying the gritty investigation plots. Heather is a skilled investigator who doesn't always follow the rules, and ends up with totally twisted cases. 

Chasing Dragons delves down into a dark underworld fueled by greed, lies and corruption. As Heather infiltrates into this world, she discovers some very dangerous secrets.

Another complex and suspenseful plot! This one had some real surprises in store for me. Plenty of investigation, shady suspects and twisted surprises. I really enjoyed it! 

This story really makes the digital world of banking seem shady and scary. Loved every word!

I will definitely continue reading this series! I can't wait to find out what Heather Chase investigates next!

REVIEW: Frozen Justice

 Frozen Justice
Author: A.W. Kaylen

T

The action and investigation don't stop in this second book in the FBI Agent Heather Chase series. I enjoyed this second book as much as the first! 

This time Heather is sent to the scene of a professor's death to investigate his murder. But immediately she gets bad vibes....something is just not right but she can't quite put her finger on what it is. Then suddenly the whole entire face of the crime changes and Heather realizes that she's in real danger. 

This is a complex story that has lots of twists and turns. Heather Chase is her usual feisty self, and there are plenty of bad guys, investigation and strange twisty surprises. Loved it!

The cover art is great!

REVIEW: Still More Scary Stories for Sleep-Overs

Still More Scary Stories for Sleep-Overs
Author: Q.L. Pearce
Illustrations: Dwight Been

Love, love, love scary story collections for kids! I've been hooked on books like this since I was a kid and ordered similar books a couple times a year on paper forms handed out by my teacher. :) I wish I still had some of the books I ordered or ones I bought for my kids over the years! But at least I can get a dose of nostalgia when I have lucky finds in used book shops, thrift stores or by borrowing for a couple hours on Open Library. 

I looked Q L Pearce up to see if any of the books in this series are still available for purchase. I didn't find this series available in ebook or new paperback formats, but she does have an ebook called Spine Chillers on Amazon. The rest appear to be OOP. Used copies of the Stories for Sleep-Overs books are available online, but watch for ridiculous prices. Sellers seem to have the idea that every old paperback is a "collectible" and have inflated the prices so much that it's ridiculous. I troll garage sales, thrift shops, used book stores and sometimes find some treasures. Haven't come across any copies from this series yet though. If you do - I highly recommend grabbing them if scary stories are your thing. These books are fun to read! 

I definitely see the value of these stories for reading to kids during scary season - or any time! They make for lovely writing prompts, or read-aloud opportunities. At home, books like this are fun bedtime reading stories for kids who don't get overly scared. And....of course....they are wonderful stories for sleep-overs!

As an adult, this story collection and others like it are just completely entertaining and fun to read. Brain candy. No heavy themes, no nakkie bits, no spurting blood.....just light spooky fun. Sometimes it's just incredibly enjoyable to read a story just because it's fun to read. 

This collection gathers up 11 spooky tales suitable for middle grade or junior high kids (and adults!). My favorite story from this collection is: The Evil Portrait. The story is a tale of an evil dead man who comes back to bring terror to the living. Great story! I liked all the tales in this collection. They are well-written and not just parodies of classic stories. 

I love the illustrations by Dwight Been. Just awesome! 

REVIEW: The Elephants of Thula Thula

 The Elephants of Thula Thula
Author: Francoise Malby-Anthony

I had no idea when I requested to review this book that there were two prior books about the Thula Thula Game Reserve. I loved this book so much! I am definitely going to read the other two books!

The book isn't just about elephants. There are rhinos, monkeys, giraffes, a cheetah, even meerkats! But this book isn't just about the joys of witnessing these animals in the wild and running a game reserve that protects them. The game reserve has to deal with poachers, the pandemic, threats to their land, and a host of other concerns. This story relates the joy and the sorrows. I loved every word. 

Readers who enjoy stories about wildlife, conservation and Africa will love this book. There were times I was elated or laughed, and times I wanted to cry while reading. It's a very real story about how the last 2 years made the preserve struggle and how they persevered through extreme circumstances. 

Loved it! 

**I voluntarily read a review copy of this book from St Martin's Press. All opinions expressed are entirely my own.**

REVIEW: Not of This World

 Not of This World
Author: Simon R. Green

I look forward to each new Gideon Sable book, and this 4th installment in the series is my favorite so far! This series is strange. The characters are quirky. And, the journey is always spectacularly wonderful! I love the fact that these books are shorter reads. I can get through a Gideon Sable book in an afternoon. Lots of action and weirdness packed into 200 pages! 

The basics: Gideon and his troop of supernatural misfits are hired to break into one of the most secure places in the world - The Preserve. They are tasked with breaking into the supernatural warehouse....getting past all the guards and booby traps inside....then finding and securing the target - a ghost. The reward for success is awesome, but failure....   yeah, best not think about that.  

Simon R. Green is one of my favorite authors. I love his flavor of urban fantasy. You never know what is going to happen! Always something new and incredibly odd! 

Great story! I can't wait to find out what this odd misfit crew gets up to next! 

**I voluntarily read a review copy of this book from Severn House. All opinions expressed are entirely my own**

REVIEW: Silent Witness

 Silent Witness
Author: A.W. Kaylen

I love a great police/detective novel. And I love them even more when they are by a new-to-me author! 

The basics: Heather Chase is a driven and talented FBI agent, but she cares more about solving the crimes and seeing justice done than following the rules or kissing the right asses to boost her career. And that unfortunately means she gets the cases nobody else wants. This time she finds herself assisting the NYPD with a suspicious death investigation, accompanied by a partner she didn't want.  

The plot kept my attention from start to finish.  I love Heather Chase as a main character. She has some interesting quirks (like an incredibly strong intuition) and I just like her style. She's feisty and very intelligent. There is plenty of investigation, surprises and twists. I definitely enjoyed this first book in this series. I will be reading more! 

**I voluntarily read a review copy of this book provided by the author. All opinions expressed are entirely my own.**

REVIEW: The Thing at the Foot of the Bed & Other Scary Tales

 The Thing at the Foot of the Bed & Other Scary Tales
Author: Maria Leach

After reading some cute spooky stories by Maria Leach in another story collection, I went looking for more by her. I found this out of print book on OpenLibrary and thoroughly enjoyed reading it! The book is split into sections: Funny stories, scary tales, true stories, ghost games, witch tales and Do's & Don't's about ghosts. So entertaining! 

I love reading vintage children's books -- especially spooky/scary ones! This copy available to read on OpenLibrary definitely looks like it was read and enjoyed many times. I'm glad I got a chance to read this story collection! 

The first section (Funny Ones) has six stories. I loved every single one! Some of the stories I enjoyed in the prior story collection I read. My favorite in this section is Wait Til Martin Comes (which is a classic spooky story I've heard variations of since I was a child), but all of them were cute!

The second section is titled: Scary Ones. There are 8 stories in this section. One of them -- The Golden Arm -- I read in a prior story collection and also heard variants around campfires and with friends with a big jump scare at the end (of course). It never fails to get me! My favorite in this section is No Head. I can't imagine what I would do if I faced the same situation as the farmer in the story!

On to section three: Real Ones. There are 9 tales in this section and each story is different and interesting. Even lyrics for two spooky ballads! My favorite tale from this section is Aunt Tilly.....she came to visit family. One last time. 

After tales of fright, this collection adds in some fun - Ghost Games! These 3 stories outline some pretty

cute ghostly shenanigans...spooky games that kids can play. One is a mix of hide & seek and tag. Then there's Old Roger - a singing game. Then another variation of tag called Ghost. 

Next up - three scary Witch Stories! All three were good, but I enjoyed a tale called Witch Cat the most. Sometimes people are not always what they seem to be!

And, last but not least, the final section gathers five tales of ghostly do's and don'ts....advice on how to tell if ghosts are about, how to charm ghosts, how to see ghosts, and what never to do in the presence of ghosts. Ending the book is a last bit of advice - never kick a ghost. 

Following the stories are several pages of Author's Notes and a bibliography. Great information about where the story ideas came from and information on folklore from around the world.

All in all a very enjoyable collection of stories! I loved the illustrations and cover art by Kurt Werth. I'm glad I got a chance to read more by Maria Leach! 

 

 

REVIEW: Arrow Book of Spooky Stories

 Arrow Book of Spooky Stories
Editor: Edna Mitchell Preston

This book was published in 1961 and is definitely out of print. Used copies are available online. I opted to use OpenLibrary to read this book so I could review it. Amazon has listings for used paperback copies at normal prices, but be careful to avoid listings from "collectors'' who try to charge ridiculous prices. 

I love spooky short story collections that feature new-to-me storytellers, especially vintage ones with illustrations. The cover first attracted my attention. The artwork by Erwin Hoffman is awesome! There are also illustrations for each story as well. Love it! 

Stories include:

Horace the Happy Ghost by Elizabeth Ireland. Very cute story about a ghost who can't moan or clank correctly, which annoys his parents. I tried to find more information on this author, but came up blank. My research just pulled up this story and a re-release of the story as "How Horace Learned to Moan" in 1977. Enjoyable tale of how a ghost learned how to ghost better...in a cute way.

Never Mind Them Watermelons by Maria Leach. Very short, but cute story! Maria Leach was an American writer best known for writing and editing books on folklore from around the world. 

The Tinker and the Ghost by Ralph S. Boggs & Mary Gould Davis. Boggs is famous for his writings on folklore. Mary Gould Davis was a librarian, author/editor, publishing mostly story collections for children. This is a great story - so entertaining to read!

The Lucky Man by Maria Leach. Another short selection with a cute conclusion! 

The Stubbornest Man in Maine by Moritz Jagendorf.  Bill Greenleaf was stubborn -- alive or dead! Wonderful story! Moritz Jagendorf was an Austrian-American folklorist who wrote stories and plays for children based on American, European and Asian folklore. 

Here We Go by Maria Leach. A cute story about a boggart. Longer than her other offerings in this collection, this tale of a family's woes caused by a mischievous spirit is my favorite in this collection!

The Friendly Ghost by Elizabeth Yates. A girl visits relatives for her first trip away from home and gets a

slightly spooky surprise! Cute story! Elizabeth Yates was a Newbery Award winning American writer. 

The Dancing Jug by Lupe De Osma. Spooky story about a miserly man who pays a price for his love of money. Lupe De Osma was famous for sharing folklore and stories from Costa Rica. 

The Strange Visitor by Joseph Jacobs. I have heard variations of this story many times. This version was fun to read! Joseph Jacobs is known for writing folklore and fairy tales.

A Shiver of Ghosts by Cyril Birch. Birch is famous for writing about and teaching about Chinese literature, myths and folklore. This selection is 3 Chinese ghost stories. All 3 are varied: A man tricks a ghost at the marketplace, a very strong man takes on the chore of ridding a rich man's house of a spirit, and a friend allows a visitor to sleep in his haunted library. Loved all 3 stories! 

The Ghostly Fishermen by Natalie Savage Carlson. Carlson is known for writing many children's books. This story is a French Canadian ghost tale about a ghostly fisherman.

I enjoyed every single story in this collection! The fact that all of the writers are well known for writing and teaching about folklore or literature for children makes this an excellent grouping of spooky/unusual tales for kids (and adults, too!). 

I love the fact there are avenues to read some of these long out of print Scholastic, Weekly Reader, and other great books for children. It brings back memories of those awesome days when I got to order books at school and bring home a stack of stories like this to enjoy! School book orders really started my love of books and reading!! I think that is why I still love reading these books, either online or when I come across lucky thrift shop/used book shop finds! 

REVIEW: Scared Silly - Stories to Make you Gasp and Giggle

 Scared Silly
Author: Judith Bauer Stamper
Artwork: Tim Raglin

The artwork in this children's book caught my eye, and I just had to read this book. The stories are a bit spooky, but light and humorous. Perfect for a elementary aged child who might not like scarier fare, and the short, very cute, illustrated stories would be perfect to read out loud to kids as well.

The cover definitely caught my eye. Brightly colored, and lightly spooky! I really like Tim Raglin's illustrations in this book! They definitely bring the poems, stories and fun to life! Judith Bauer Stamper has written so many great books for elementary and middle grade children. Love reading her books!

This book has 194 pages, but the stories are short and easy to read. There are colorful illustrations on each page. So, this book is not too long for a newer or slow reader to enjoy, and perfect length for read-aloud fun leading up to Halloween. Or, as a writing prompt for kids to write and illustrate their own spooky stories. A classroom of kids could create their own story collection!

Hard to pick a favorite from this book. There are so many cute tales. And there were a couple stories I

recognized as re-workings of classics (like Where's my toe?? Who has my toe??? LOL). If I had to pick one that really made me smile, I'd have to go with The Last Laugh. A ghost pulls a cute prank! 

Very enjoyable and cute book for kids! Perfect for Fall or Halloween reading - or any time! And, fun for adults to read as well. The illustrations are wonderful, and really make the tales even more cute and enjoyable. And, the book has a nice mix of different kinds of stories -- knock knock jokes, poems, short stories, tales that are a bit spooky, and some that are just funny or cute. Nice varied mix on a theme. Loved it!

REVIEW: Even More Tales for the Midnight Hour

 Even More Tales for the Midnight Hour
Author: Judith Bauer Stamper

I really love reading horror story collections written for kids. Sometimes a light horror or ghost story is just what I need. Plus, the books bring back memories and nostalgia for the little paperbacks ordered through school book order forms back in the day. I still enjoy reading stories like this just as much as I did as a kid.

I found the stories in this collection to be very clever. A couple of them were variations on old favorites, but most were new to me. These tales made me remember summer nights as a kid spent telling ghostly and scary stories to friends. This book would have been perfect for us!

It's hard to pick a favorite from these 13 spooky stories. I think it's a close tie between When Darkness Comes and an old favorite of mine, King of the Cats. But, all of the stories in the collection are good.

Fun read! Now I want to read the other three books in this series!