Sunday, April 24, 2011
Storybook Mouse
An old Swedish book I found in a friend's garage. I was so taken with it, hauled out the camera. Enjoy!
Monday, April 18, 2011
Shadow and Sage
Sages’ sayings and sage suggestion from the shadows of souls
Saturday, April 16, 2011
Thursday, April 14, 2011
Review: MARIE: An Inspector Monde Tale of Strange and Terrible Adventures
An Inspector Monde Tale of Strange and Terrible Adventures
By John Booth
Brilliant! A short story set in Paris, starring the unflappable Inspector Monde, a case of strange ‘suicides’, a missing girl, a seedy bar...and the darkness of the river.
Told with dry precision and underlying quirkiness, John Booth swiftly draws the reader into the underbelly of Paris and keeps you enthralled to the last word.
Definitely worth reading, and I hope John Booth collects all the Inspector’s Strange and Terrible Adventures into one soon!
Elaina J Davidson
April 2011Wednesday, April 13, 2011
Review: Iron Admiral by Greta van der Rol
Authour: Greta van der Rol
How to describe Iron Admiral? Sci-fi? Absolutely. Romance? Yep. Adventure? Another yep. This is a quick read (the kind you pick up...and then don’t put down until done!), fast-paced with loads of action and changes and scenery.
Iron Admiral is also cleverly constructed, the details of other worlds, politics and races woven throughout to create a synergy of backstory and tale that never feels contrived (I am somewhat in awe of that!). World descriptions are good, with everything the reader needs without resorting to huge chucks of words. The plot is excellent, from weapons trading and a nasty virus to the shenanigans of politicians and two races in conflict. I am very impressed by Greta van der Rol’s writing style: she uses minimal words to say much and really pulls it off.
Characters are believable. Allysha is a likable heroine and seriously clever. Saarehn is the kind of man we like to read about- strong and capable, but also enigmatic. The lesser characters are colourful, some downright dastardly- but we like that!
I got to the end of Iron Admiral...and wanted to find out what happens next...and that is always a good sign. Can’t wait to read the next one!
Elaina J Davidson
April 2011Wednesday, April 6, 2011
Nails in the Fence
The first day the boy had driven 37 nails into the fence. Over the next
few weeks, as he learned to control his anger, the number of nails hammered daily gradually dwindled down. He discovered it was easier to hold his temper than to drive those nails into the fence. Finally the day came when the boy didn't lose his temper at all.
He told his father about it and the father suggested that the boy now pull out one nail for each day that he was able to hold his temper.
The days passed and the young boy was finally able to tell his father that all the nails were gone.
The father took his son by the hand and led him to the fence.. He said, 'You have done well, my son, but look at the holes in the fence. The fence will never be the same. When you say things in anger, they leave a scar just like this one. You can put a knife in a man and draw it out. But It won't matter how many times you say I'm sorry, the wound will still be there. A verbal wound is as bad as a physical one.
Remember that friends are very rare jewels, indeed.
They make you smile and encourage you to succeed. They lend an ear, they share words of praise and they always want to open their hearts to us.'
Please forgive me if I have ever left a 'hole' in your fence.
Tuesday, April 5, 2011
Review: Shrouded Secrets by Joel McGrath
Shrouded Secrets is firmly in the YA category, from home situations between siblings and figures of authority to the daily school routine. Throw in a strange vacation, and you have the interest of your reader...but when that strangeness spills over into ordinary life, you have a tale worth following. I have to insert here that ‘Shrouded Secrets’ is a great title- it certainly grabbed my attention.
The story is good. A world that exists in the dark matter surrounding us, much like Earth...with a few tweaks. A boy able to step through the thinning to help Earth, and a boy from our world able to wield the power of that other place. And a supporting cast both otherworldly and ordinary.
However, I feel Shrouded Secrets needs a little tweaking itself. It reads (to a fellow writer) like a first draft, when we make the mistake of inserting too many adjectives and extra words. There is as well a sense of formality many YA readers may not identify with. The pace is a little slow. From my perspective, I would like to see Shrouded Secrets undergo a thorough edit...and then the tale will shine bright.
Elaina
April 2011
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