Estate Sale by Mia Dalia

 

I find it difficult to explain Mia Dalia’s writing. She writes with passion and it is easy to tell that she puts a lot of work into her stories. There is no way to put her writing into one genre. If I had to summarize Estate Sale, I would say it is historical fiction, occult, mystery, science fiction and a touch of romance. 

Alternating between ‘before’ and ‘after’, we follow Pavel and Anastasia over the course of their marriage and their travels. While they traveled and moved throughout the world, they collected many items, which we find out have a history of their own, which feels very science fiction to me. When they both have passed away, an estate sale is hosted. For some of these items, we read who picks them up and the story of the item’s gift, along with how it affects the person who bought it. Most of these items are linked to a specific person in history, giving us the historical part of the story. The occult in this story is a kind of underlying addition to the novel. Don’t let the romance turn you away from reading this. What I mean by romance is that the love between the characters of this novel is felt. Dalia does not tell us about the love, she gives us the feeling of love, thus the romance. 

While reading Estate Sale, it is obvious Dalia is gifted in writing in first and third person. There are many layers to Dalia’s writing and the range is unique. I imagine writing in alternating voices such as a man, a woman, same-sex couples, and the elderly — all in one novel — is challenging. However, Dalia makes it seem effortless. Not once did I ever get lost in the alternating characters and timeline.

It is amazing that this is Dalia’s debut novel. I know she has some short stories and a novella, but to put out a novel of this magnitude is amazing. This can’t have been an easy undertaking. The imagination, along with the character building and scenes, is impressive. There is a lot to unpack in this story. I closed the book satisfied, loving the entire story. It ended perfectly, and I experienced this book, which is one step up from reading it.

The End of Things As He Knew It by Justin Boote and The End of Things As She Knew It by Angel VanAtta Releases July 8, 2023

 

Of the few books in this style that I have read, only a handful worked. Fortunately for us readers, the two books from Justin Boote and Angel VanAtta, work perfectly. To add to the awesomeness of this story, the apocalypse that happens is not your usual end of the world doom and outcome. With some fantastic character relationships and scene settings, the reader is along for a crazy story. I love that we can read about Jeremy and Abbie’s personal story, their own version of what they are going through and what is happening. 

Angel VanAtta’s version of The End of Things As She Knew It has the emails and journals from Abbie’s journals and perspective.

Justin Boote’s version called The End of Things As He Knew It, has the same emails but with Jeremy’s journals and viewpoint.

The way these two wrote the story is just as fascinating as the story itself. Angel wrote the first email in the story… to Justin’s character, Jeremy. When Justin (a.k.a. Jeremy) received the email. He then replied to Angel’s character, Abbie. The ending of the story is Justin’s chapter. The ending was nothing I was prepared for. 

Throughout the entire writing of this book, in actual real time, Abbie (Angel) and Jeremy (Justin) emailed back and forth and kept a journal about what they experienced, their fears and wishes, and all that they witnessed. 

In my opinion, I think having these two books separate was a good idea. It would have been hard to follow the story if both of the characters’ journals were in one book. Angel and Justin have their own unique voices in writing that come together in harmony. I hope they will collaborate again in the future. 

Duck For Cover and Other Tales by Barbara Venkataraman

 

Here is a collection of 14 stories. Some hilarious, some clever, and most have a dash of mirth.

Barbara Venkataraman easily took some common adages and put a clever twist to them. Such as the stories A Dish Best Served Cold, Duck For Cover, and I’ll Drink to That. You know what those sayings mean, but Venkataraman changed it up, and it is hilarious! My favorites from this collection are The Yes Man, Duck For Cover, and My Canadian Girlfriend. You need to read this collection and let us know your favorites!

The book isn’t long, it can be read in a day. For some friendly chuckles and afternoon entertainment, give this little nugget a try. See, her writing style is catching… I’m now putting a new meaning to common words. Go grab your favorite drink, and down the hatch with words and drinks! Okay, I should probably stop now.

Thank you, Barbara, for this delightful book of humor. I enjoyed it and laughed out loud often.

My Unbeating Heart: Rufus Hobster Book 1, by Eli Wilde Releases July 3, 2023

 Have you ever read a book that you want to share everything about it, but don’t know what to say? My Unbeating Heart by Eli Wilde is that story. There is so much to unpack and reflect on. I finished this story two days ago, and it still has me lingering. Everything Eli has written has been beautiful horror. 

Rufus Hobster is a lonely vampire, lost in a world of humans. He doesn’t remember his past as a human. This story is the beginning of his life as a vampire, learning how to exist in a world of humans during the late 1800s in Whitechapel, London. He experiences every emotion of a human, but as a vampire. So obviously, when you have vampire abilities and thoughts, the outcome of how he handles these situations is, at times, different from a human's response. The era and place he tries to become more human to exist among them was a time of poverty, death, and abuse. Rufus is watching, learning, and growing. As you can imagine, during that era, it was difficult. We are, to some extent, an extension of our upbringing. 

Eli Wilde is a truly gifted writer, in my opinion, and he writes literary horror skillfully. There is a certain beauty to his style that can invoke emotions that will linger long after the story is over. He uses an amazing range in the voices of the characters and you visualize, easily, the scene. There is a movie in your mind and it is so effortless. If you have not read anything by Eli Wilde, I highly suggest you put him on your to-read list.

Silver Sky by J. D. Allen

 I can honestly say that J. D. Allen writes some entertaining stories. I’ve liked everything I’ve read so far. Silver Sky is no exception. I love that he spends time on the story and not so much on the massive buildup of what’s to come. Sometimes that’s what we need or want to read. A quick, enjoyable horror story. Allen falls into that category perfectly. 

The world is struck by some weird phenomena called Silver Sky Syndrome. People are inflicted with this illness that causes them to experience losing gravity. They float up into the sky, slowly. But then there is more that happens and I don’t want to share the ending. Such a strange and enjoyable story.

Go on and grab a copy of this story, or put it on the tbr to get to it later. It’s worth the afternoon reading the book.

Love: From The Jungle To The Divine by R. Stephen Lynch

 This may be a short book, but it packs a lot of information that is both invigorating and moving. If you find yourself questioning why relationships fail, or even consider that you might be the reason, you need to read this book. 

R. Stephen Lynch has given as methods and deep thoughts for us to use at our leisure to understand the value of ourselves and where we put that value in life, with an emphasis on failed relationships. Six chapters devote time to explaining his theory “The Jungle Equation” and how we might benefit from understanding this theory and grow our self worth.

Lynch relates to us by using his own personal stories and how he resolved to let the inner demons not win. The conclusion of this book suggests six steps to consider beginning the journey.

The fact that this book is short and to the point, made it quite satisfying in reading. It can easily be read in a day, but I think it would be best to read one chapter a day to get the most internal monologue with yourself to understand The Jungle Equation. Absorbing this information slowly will most likely result in the best outcome.

Thank you, R. Stephen Lynch, for sending me a copy of your book. I enjoyed reading and relating to your stories and the knowledge you share.

Bad God's Tower by Erica Summers

 A couple months ago I read an awesome western horror book. I had no clue that I was missing an amazing sub-genre. So, when Erica Summers reached out and said she has a western horror book called Bad God’s Tower and if I want to read and review it. Of course, I said hell yeah! It’s due to be released on July 1st, 2023. Make sure this is on your tbr. It was a whole lot of fun to read!

A couple of no-good rotten scoundrels fake an illness and manage to escape from the Wyoming Territorial Prison. Chester and Eugene have some plans they need to get moving on, and ain’t nobody, nohow, are gonna get in their way, I reckon. They have some hidden gold and treasures they need to be diggin’ up! Oh, and there are some nasty little creatures that’ll give you the deep, dark cave shivers. 

What follows is a great story of these two guys making their way up to the Belle Fourche River. These two are nothing but trouble, and leave a path of blood and chaos. Once they make it to the mountain that has all this gold and treasure, the tables quickly turn on them.

Summers has written a fabulous, quick western horror with a little bit of humor thrown in. The story pulled me in quickly and I had a ton of fun finishing it up. I will say, though, that the back and forth of using Chester and Eugene’s first and last names had me confused a few times. I had to write down their full names to remember that Craven is Chester and Dempsey is Eugene. I think it would have been better to just stick with their first name. But don’t let that keep you from reading this. It’s still a blast, I reckon’.

Slasher Witch At The Waterpark by Penny Moonz

 This hilarious, outrageous, and wet story will definitely give you a chuckle or two. Probably have you gagging a bit and wincing a lot, too. Penny Moonz writes lots of horror comedy books, but this one is my first. I plan to read the others for some more unique entertainment.

The Green family plans to spend the day at the new Frog Island Waterpark. Things start out great! And then it gets very bleak and nasty as the day goes on. Zelda, a stinky woman, is at the park and amazed at what she sees, trying to understand it all. When she gets harassed, she gets angry, and then gets even. Zelda isn’t just some random homeless lady… she has a few tricks up her sleeve and makes sure everyone remembers this day. 

This is a quick story filled with great scenes of chaos and humorous narration. I highly recommend this for a weekend read, especially this summer. And most definitely read this if you plan to visit a water park.