Category: Books

Friday Review: Bearers of the Black Staff (Genesis of Shannara #1) by Terry Brooks

~ M.A. Kropp

My rating: 4 of 5 stars With the last of the Shannara novels slated to land this fall, I decided I should probably try to catch up on the series. I have most of the books, but have fallen behind on reading them. I am trying to remedy that now. This is the first in … Continue reading Friday Review: Bearers of the Black Staff (Genesis of Shannara #1) by Terry Brooks

Friday Review: Unf*ck Yourself: Get Out of Your Head and Into Your Life by Gary John Bishop (Audiobook)

~ M.A. Kropp

My rating: 3 of 5 stars Okay, so this book isn't going to provide much in the way of new and brilliant insights into the ways we can defeat our own selves when we get stuck in a familiar mindset. If you look closely, each of the seven chapter headings/affirmations here are things that we … Continue reading Friday Review: Unf*ck Yourself: Get Out of Your Head and Into Your Life by Gary John Bishop (Audiobook)

Wednesday Win (For You)

~ M.A. Kropp

Since we all are- or should be- practicing good social distancing and staying home as much as possible, some of us may find ourselves with more time to catch up on our reading. To support this, Smashwords is currently running an Authors Give Back promotion to encourage people to read more, and maybe find some … Continue reading Wednesday Win (For You)

Friday Review: Becoming Superman: My Journey from Poverty to Hollywood by J. Michael Straczynski

~ M.A. Kropp

My rating: 5 of 5 stars Wow. What a fascinating book. Fans of TV science fiction will know Straczynski as the creator and scriptwriter of Babylon 5 and Sense8, as well as the Ron Howard-Clint Eastwood movie, The Changeling. He has also worked in TV animation and comic books. Now, he is telling his own … Continue reading Friday Review: Becoming Superman: My Journey from Poverty to Hollywood by J. Michael Straczynski

Friday Review: Wanderers by Chuck Wendig

~ M.A. Kropp

My rating: 4 of 5 stars Hundreds of people are being afflicted by a strange malady. One day, they simply leave whatever they are doing and begin walking. No one knows where they are going because they appear to be sleepwalking. They can't be waked, they don't speak, eat, or drink; they simply walk on … Continue reading Friday Review: Wanderers by Chuck Wendig

Friday Review: The Sleeper and the Spindle by Neil Gaiman (Audiobook)

~ M.A. Kropp

My rating: 5 of 5 stars This is a mash-up retelling of the fairy tales Sleeping Beauty and Snow White. In it, a young queen is preparing for her wedding, about which she has reservations. She is made aware of a spreading sleeping sickness that is fast approaching her borders. With three Dwarves as companions, … Continue reading Friday Review: The Sleeper and the Spindle by Neil Gaiman (Audiobook)

Monday Musings: Games, Poke, a Groundhog, Writing, and a Book for You

~ M.A. Kropp

(Those of you not in the USA or who are not football fans can skip the first paragraph.) This was kind of a weird weekend. We didn't watch any football on Sunday. It was the Pro Bowl, and honestly, we gave up watching that one a few years ago. It's just a big media foofra … Continue reading Monday Musings: Games, Poke, a Groundhog, Writing, and a Book for You

MidWeek Sneak: Peek, That Is

~ M.A. Kropp

With The Demon's in the Details: The Yo-Yo Files #3 becoming available on January 20 (Eek! That's next week, isn't it?), I thought maybe I would post a little excerpt from the story. This one is centered more on Cerise, and gives us a look at her backstory. It also let me play around with the … Continue reading MidWeek Sneak: Peek, That Is

Friday Review: Insurgent (Divergent #2) by Veronica Roth

~ M.A. Kropp

Insurgent by Veronica Roth My rating: 3 of 5 stars This is the second installment in Roth's Divergent trilogy. It continues the story of Tris, the Divergent who helped overthrow the Erudite faction's plot to take over the governing of the dystopian society of a post-apocalyptic Chicago. After finding the way to break the Erudite … Continue reading Friday Review: Insurgent (Divergent #2) by Veronica Roth