Tag: book review

Categories
Books IWSG

#IWSG April. 2025- Anyone Up For A Quest?

IWSG

Created and hosted by the Ninja himself, Alex J. Cavanaugh, the Insecure Writers Support Group posts the 1st Wednesday of every month. Click here to learn more or sign up.

Before I get to the OMQ, I wanted to say that, yes, this post is late. My site crashed recently, and I just got it up and running, but I forgot to complete the scheduling sequence required for this post to go live while I was still asleep. Oops! Oh, well. Hope everyone has a lovely IWSG Day!

This post contains affiliate links. If you click through to make a purchase, I may make a small commission at no additional cost to you. Any amount I make goes towards my dream to host a book fair in Hampton Roads, VA. Please see my About page for more details. Thank you for your support.

Optional Monthly Question: What fantasy character would you like to fight, go on a quest with, or have a beer/glass of wine with?

My answer is also available as a YouTube Short that I’ve shared on social media.

****

Last month, I shared a fun interview with author Ronel Janse van Vuuren for her release of Smoke on the Water. Next week, I plan to release my video book reviews, but for now, I’m so excited to share my 5-star review of that book.

Smoke on the Water (Irascible Immortals Omnibus)Smoke on the Water by Ronel Janse van Vuuren
My rating: 5 of 5 stars

This was an omnibus collection of several short story/novellas in a series by the same author. I missed reading the individual releases, but I am glad I was able to read the complete series in this edition. As I read, I could imagine being the weary reader waiting for the next installment to come out. Though each of these stories could clearly stand alone, I like that they were all connected and led up to the final conclusion.

I appreciated the many laughs throughout the series, but I consider the more emotional parts to be my favorites. I think it takes a clever mind to craft stories with this level of complexity, filled with humor, and still be able to have those gut-wrenching “aha” moments. I don’t consider myself a scholar of mythology, but I have studied several pantheons and know from general conversations that I know more than the average person, so I was delighted to learn things I hadn’t known from reading this book.

Another kudos to this author for being able to balance all the different cultures, mythological pantheons, and various points of view in a respectful manner. Ultimately, though, I feel the standout feature of this reading experience was the overall message and the villain reveal. I was so pleased with the conclusion of this book that I almost wanted there to be more.

Highly recommend to fans of mythology across various pantheons, cultural diversity, fantasy and magic, as well as those conscientious about the environment.

Even if you don’t care about the environment, this could totally be a fun read.

View all my reviews

****

Personal Updates…

1) Here are the vlogs I posted last month in case you missed them.

Reading Vlog, with no book reviews featured.

Food Vlog, with A Meta Moment & a Quick Meal featured.

Writing Vlog.

2) I’ve moved my personal updates over to Patreon. Click this public post if you want to check it out.

My Patreon community is usually able to watch my Counting My Blessings video three days early, but now it’s public if you’d like to see it and don’t want to go to Patreon. There’s also a short for it, in case the full video is too long for you.

Will you help me grow my community to 100 FREE subscribers on Patreon? You get monthly updates and exclusive content. I tell you the truth, it’s better than a newsletter!

Commerce update…

Bookish Love Triangle featured

If you’re interested in the featured item or other clothing, click to visit Sell My Tees.

The stickers and other accessories can be found at Redbubble.

****

I have enjoyed my Foundry Lunch Bag for more than a year and am happy to be sharing it with you. The links featured below are affiliate links if you want to try it out.

Fit + Fresh Foundry Gender Neutral Lunch Bags

Small Blue |  Large Grey & Tan | Large Chestnut/Mauve

So, are you up for a Quest? If so, with whom?

It may take some time, but I promise I will eventually stop by your blog.

****

After hanging out with Alex, be sure to stop by and visit this month’s co-hosts:
Jennifer Lane,
L Diane Wolfe,
Jenni Enzor,
and Natalie @ Literary Rambles!

****

Click here to visit other IWSG blogs and sites to receive and share more inspiration and support. (This month, I’m #23).

Thank you for making it this far down the virtual page. Kudos to you! I’d love to know what you thought of this post in the comments below. Stay safe and be blessed.

Categories
Promotion

Will you survive the zombie apocalypse? by Patricia Josephine @pjlauthor

Hey guys, sorry for the late post, but I wanted to give you plenty of time to check out this cool book. The ebook is discounted until Wednesday and there’s some really cool stuff in this post, including a giveaway. Check it out and enjoy!

~

Will you survive the zombie apocalypse?

You wake up and find the zombie apocalypse has started. What do you do?

A: Take stock of anything you can use as a weapon, secure your home, and take stock of what food you have and how long it will last.

B: Get closer to look at a so-called zombie. This can’t be real.

C: Barricade yourself in your home and freak out.

Which of the following weapons would you use to kill zombies? 

A: Gun.

B: Knife.

C: Baseball bat.

You’re making your way downtown in hopes of finding supplies. Along the way, you see a group of 4 zombies. They appear to be eating some unlucky sap. How do you get around them?

A: Backtrack and take a different route.

B: Run in with guns blazing and take them out.

C: Throw something that makes noise and causes the zombies to follow it.

Someone you love is now a zombie. How do you react?

A: Shoot them and put them out of their misery. It’s what you’d want if the roles were reversed.

B: Sob.

C: Capture them and put them somewhere secure in hopes of someone finding a cure.

You’ve found a group of survivors, but they don’t trust you’re not infected. How do you gain their trust?

A: Put your hands up and back away to show you are no threat. Leave. It’s not worth trying to reason with them.

B: Strip down to show that you are not infected, setting all your weapons aside.

C: Insist that you are not infected, motioning to visible skin and lack of blood on your clothing.

Results

If you answered mostly A then you’ll survive. You take survival seriously and don’t take unnecessary risks. You’ll either do it alone or find people you trust. You may even end up the leader of the group.

If you answered mostly B then you are screwed. You don’t take stock of your surroundings, don’t exercises caution, and think you are invincible. And now you’re a zombie.

If you answered mostly C then you have a chance. Sure, the concept of the zombie apocalypse freaked you out, but you’ve calmed down and you’re hoping with enough gumption you’ll make it. If not, you at least plan on taking out as many as you can first.

Toi: I answered mostly A, so I guess I’ll be okay.

~

Every human in the world becomes a zombie when they die. But Erin refuses to accept the world as it is now. She’s heard about a cure locked away in a lab in Upper Michigan, and she plans on retrieving it. To do so, she needs a zombie. Not just any zombie, though.

Zee is Erin’s link to the lab. His connection to the living world is her bargaining chip. But only if she can teach him to control his mindless impulses.

Can a zombie be trained? Or will Erin be Zee’s next meal and become a zombie herself? The fate of humanity rests in her hands.

Amazon.com

See my review on Goodreads | Add to your Goodreads Bookshelf

a Rafflecopter giveaway

About the Author

Patricia never set out to become a writer, and in fact, she never considered it an option during high school and college. She was more of an art and band geek. Some stories are meant to be told, though, and now she can’t stop writing.

Patricia lives with her husband in Michigan, hopes one day to have what will resemble a small petting zoo, and has a fondness for dying her hair the colors of the rainbow.

Social Media Links:

Website  |  Newsletter  |  Goodreads 

Amazon Author Page  |   Facebook Page 

This post contains affiliate links. If you click through to make a purchase, I may make a small commission at no additional cost to you. Any amount I make goes towards my dream to host a book fair in Hampton Roads, VA. Please see my About page for more details. Thank you for your support.

Thank you for taking the time to read this post. If you like it let me know and share it with others. See you next time, Toi Thomas. #thetoiboxofwords #blacklivesmatter

Categories
Books IWSG

#IWSG September 2019: Where in the world?

72b25-iwsg2bbadge

Created and hosted by the Ninja himself, Alex J. Cavanaugh, the Insecure Writers Support Group posts the 1st Wednesday of every month. Click the image to learn more or sign up.

Optional Monthly Question: If you could pick one place in the world to sit and write your next story, where would it be and why?

It’s not so much where in the world would I write, but how much time do I have to write? Wherever I am, if I could clear my schedule and just write and breathe fresh air, I’d need about a month. But, for the sake of this question, I’d like to spend a month either on a temperate island or a temperate forest, in the Fall or Spring.

****

Newsletter Member Spotlight.

Congratulations to Cathrina Constantin on her September spotlight. She’s also a co-host this month.

Today is the last day for IWSG Anthology submissions.

Click here for details.

IWSG Book Club News

Our August/September book is Forest for the Trees: An Editor’s Advice by Betsy Lerner. Discussion Fun Day will be September 25, 2019. Until then, enjoy this freebie created by one of our book club moderators, Juneta Key: Story Study Checklist Click on the link to open and then save the PDF to your computer. Join Us. 

WEP-IWSG

I didn’t submit this time around, but I thoroughly enjoyed reading all the stories. If you have the time before the submission date, please check these stories out.  The next sign up begins October 1.

Today I’m sharing a book review.


Micah dreams of someday being a famous explorer who discovers hidden treasure all around the world. But there’s one major problem: he’s afraid of the Unknown.

One day he discovers a mysterious door that reads “Treasure Inside!” He reluctantly opens the door and is whisked away to a strange new land. Once there, he learns of a lost treasure that is his and his alone — but first, he must make his way through the Unknown.

Join Micah as he travels into the Unknown and learns that what you find isn’t always what you’re looking for… sometimes it’s even better.

My 5-star review:
A little boy afraid of the unknown is willing to risk it all to go in search of treasure and finds the greatest treasure of all. The story begins and ends at the boy’s home, but the places he travels in between are quite an adventure.

This is such a cute and impactful book. It seems simple, at first, but upon a second reading, all the layers are revealed. The illustration is calming and inviting, with colors that aren’t too bright but still warm and comforting. The characters are wonderous and cuddly. I love the facial expressions of the main character.

The message is astounding. Aside from the overall lesson being taught, there are several other messages to discover when reading between the lines, and they are all good. I can’t wait to share it with my students.

Disclaimer: I received a digital ARC in exchange for an honest review.

****

Now, on to the personal updates.

So, my day job is good. Even when it’s not good, it’s still 10 times better than my last job. I really like what I’m doing. But, as much as I like what I’m doing, I still have other goals, dreams, and interests to pursue. My current challenge is just finding the time to pursue it all.

Margie the Scaredydog is getting older, but she’s more well-adjusted than she’s ever been. Still, she struggles with anxiety. Considering she’s a rescue who’s scared of her own shadow, I feel confident and proud that my husband and I have given Margie a good life. She now sits for treats, plays with us when there’s food around, and runs to us (instead of away from us) when she’s scared…Unless there’s thunder, to which she wraps herself around one of my old skirts that now belongs to her. I do feel bad that I haven’t illustrated the stories I’ve written about her or tried to publish them. I’m sure I’ll get to it one day.

I’ve been reading a lot and have been trying new or less preferred genres to expand my horizons. I recently read a contemporary book by an author I already adore, but never picked up this title before. I haven’t written my review yet, but FYI- Better Than Perfect by Tricia Drammeh is a wonderful 5-star read.

Lastly, I’ve been writing a lot. I mean, a lot, but I haven’t finished anything. I’d like to start sending out some of my short stories for critique and perhaps publish an anthology, but who knows when that will happen.

****


So, if you could, where would you go to write your next story?

Thanks for stopping by.
It may take some time, but I will stop by your blog too.

****

After hanging out with Alex, be sure to stop by and visit this month’s co-hosts:
Gwen Gardner,
Doreen McGettigan,
Tyrean Martinson,
Chemist Ken, and
Cathrina Constantiner!!

****

Click here to visit other IWSG blogs and sites to receive and share more inspiration and support. (This month, I’m #44).

Thank you for taking the time to read this post. If you like it let me know and share it with others. See you next time, Toi Thomas. #thetoiboxofwords