A lot honestly, I just keep forgetting to put the books back on the shelf here for you to see. Today I read a handful of short stories, all of which were fairly different. But they all had something in common, they have characters familiar to the Halloween scene that is going on this month.
Each were enjoyable in their own ways, and each one had a different theme. Most are available free via Smashwords if you are interested in reading them. Or if you have a nook they can be found on the Barnes and Noble website.
The Vampire Shortstop by Scott Nicholson
This story is charming and sad at the same time. It's about little league and as the title states, a Vampire Shortstop, but it also shows how a town reacts to a player that is different. If any of your kids play the game, they may enjoy it as well, but please read it before you let them read it as the story might be a bit strong for some age groups.
Why I Slept Through Halloween by H Jason Schulz
Schulz makes fun of a bunch of stereotyped actions and events that happen in a teens life in this short but amusing tale. Unlike most, it has a clear and simple show of action and consequence. I'd recommend it for readers 12 and up, though younger readers may enjoy it as well.
Ouija Be My Friend? by Tarmin P. Lupo
This fast paced story leaves the reader on a cliffhanger to decide for themselves what happens. Featuring a Ouija board in an unexpected place (a nursing home), you get taken on a fast roller coaster of who did it moments. You could end up surprised, or you might just laugh. Recommend this for ages 14 and up, as there it can be seen as fairly dark.
Hecate's Collar of Bones by Jill Zeller
This story is a look at life and death from the eyes of someone that works very close to Death. It looks at how he views the world around him, and the realizations that come from being so close to Death. It is a pleasant, clean story. But not recommended for young readers.
Vatican Vamps by Megan Hammer
This story takes a quick peek into the lives of vampires that do not crackle pop and sizzle in the confines of a church or holy space. That in and of itself seemed interesting. If you are one of those people who enjoyed Twilight, it may be a fun read as it is a different approach. Even if you didn't care for twilight, it had an awesome twist ending.
Some Summonings are Suspect by Jeffery Somogyi
The title of this story left me wondering what to expect. I got something a lot different than i had expected too. I got laughs. I was expecting a horror story, which yes, there are elements of horror, but this particular story seems to be presented as a mockery. It is adorable, but like The Vampire Short Stop I would recommend reading it before letting your child read it, as some of it might be a bit much for them.
Well, that's a short view of what I've recently read, when I finish the next book I'm reading I will get back to you. Have fun, and enjoy the written word! Pick up a book, they do your mind good.
Tuesday, October 25, 2011
Thursday, April 14, 2011
To start a bookshelf......
We're going to need some books.
There's no limit to the things that you can do digitally these days. Everything seems to be changing as people strive to go green, or save money. Not that there's a reason to complain about the desire to do either of these things.
What's wonderful though for those of us that enjoy books are all of the pdf and e-book readers that are becoming available. True they're initially an expensive investment. But they open you up to thousands of new books you might not otherwise read. Most of which will only cost you the amount of time it takes to collect them.
Now, That may sound silly to you now. But think about how much money you spend on books each year. Let's say you buy one book each month, you can easily spend upwards of $84.00 a year, figuring an average book cost of $6.99 a piece. Honestly that's a very low balled price since I myself have been known to purchase books that cost more that tewnty bucks a piece.
Anyway, what's really nice these days are all the websites that grant access to books in various digital formats, free of charge. True, not all the books available in this manner are by authors you can automatically recognize. But there are a huge number of the worlds classic literature pieces available for anyone to download and enjoy. One site that provides classics in various digital formats is Project Gutenberg. ( http://www.gutenberg.org )
Now I know some of you likely have read your fill of classic pieces, and may have no interest in reading them. You're probably asking what kind of places are there available for you to get books at? Me, I've located two sites that have worked well on satiating my desire for new books. Both of the following sites I'll be writing about provide both free and reasonably priced books.
WOWIO ( http://www.wowio.com/ ) has everything from history bites to romance novels. And depending on who is sponsoring the site at any given time there is a huge variety of different books available free to their site members. What they do, is the sponsor pays for the book, and you receive the book of your choice with an advertisement for the sponsor included in the file. This leads to a reader being able to create a diverse library for free.
Smashwords ( http://www.smashwords.com/ )is different than WOWIO in that it offers books by independent authors. Indie writing can be very enjoyable to read. Some authors offer pieces for free in order to get people interested in their writing. Other authors list their books at low almost non committal prices. This is nice for those of us who are uncertain about what kind of book we are getting, allowing for a comfortable creation of a mild fandom.
Of course these are only a small number of the sites available to readers. So... why is this important anyway? I'm going to be writing here about the books I read. Hard copy books as well as digital editions. If you have any book recommendations, or a site to recommend, feel free to let me know!
CHEERS!
There's no limit to the things that you can do digitally these days. Everything seems to be changing as people strive to go green, or save money. Not that there's a reason to complain about the desire to do either of these things.
What's wonderful though for those of us that enjoy books are all of the pdf and e-book readers that are becoming available. True they're initially an expensive investment. But they open you up to thousands of new books you might not otherwise read. Most of which will only cost you the amount of time it takes to collect them.
Now, That may sound silly to you now. But think about how much money you spend on books each year. Let's say you buy one book each month, you can easily spend upwards of $84.00 a year, figuring an average book cost of $6.99 a piece. Honestly that's a very low balled price since I myself have been known to purchase books that cost more that tewnty bucks a piece.
Anyway, what's really nice these days are all the websites that grant access to books in various digital formats, free of charge. True, not all the books available in this manner are by authors you can automatically recognize. But there are a huge number of the worlds classic literature pieces available for anyone to download and enjoy. One site that provides classics in various digital formats is Project Gutenberg. ( http://www.gutenberg.org )
Now I know some of you likely have read your fill of classic pieces, and may have no interest in reading them. You're probably asking what kind of places are there available for you to get books at? Me, I've located two sites that have worked well on satiating my desire for new books. Both of the following sites I'll be writing about provide both free and reasonably priced books.
WOWIO ( http://www.wowio.com/ ) has everything from history bites to romance novels. And depending on who is sponsoring the site at any given time there is a huge variety of different books available free to their site members. What they do, is the sponsor pays for the book, and you receive the book of your choice with an advertisement for the sponsor included in the file. This leads to a reader being able to create a diverse library for free.
Smashwords ( http://www.smashwords.com/ )is different than WOWIO in that it offers books by independent authors. Indie writing can be very enjoyable to read. Some authors offer pieces for free in order to get people interested in their writing. Other authors list their books at low almost non committal prices. This is nice for those of us who are uncertain about what kind of book we are getting, allowing for a comfortable creation of a mild fandom.
Of course these are only a small number of the sites available to readers. So... why is this important anyway? I'm going to be writing here about the books I read. Hard copy books as well as digital editions. If you have any book recommendations, or a site to recommend, feel free to let me know!
CHEERS!
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