You Are To Decide.., but Death and Rising Are Through Human Flesh by Walt March, Antony Sturdee, and Claire Glowen

I will start this by saying that from the title of this book, you can’t really figure out what it will be about. That is the case with some books, which is fine, but with this one it is different. Even after reading it I am not really sure what it was about.

I guess there was a main storyline; The main character is a detective. Tragedy strikes his family and others around him. The horror seems to be stemming from this mysterious book that was given to his wife and child. He and his partner Felix team up to try to solve the crimes.

Then there was the poetry that was thrown in the complement the novel. I think this was a good strategy in theory. It helped break up the story in to smaller and easier to read parts rather than having just a plain wall of text. Coming from someone who can lose interest easily if I am not given short chapters or some sort of a break in the chapters, I liked this concept.

The execution, though, I felt was very weak. Many times I was wondering how the poems flowed with the story. Other times I wondered if they were meant to fit at all or if they were just a small thought given to us from the main character. Some of them did fit and flow with the story, and when they did, it was enjoyable.

Then there was the non-poetry, non-main story line that consisted of just the thoughts of the main character on various topics often revolving around religion. When you decide to write on religious topics, it is really either hit or miss. There is rarely a middle ground that the stories fall into and I felt this one was sort of a miss. I didn’t understand how most of it tied in together, and the flow was just not there for me.

The writing in this novel was very, very formal. For me, if I am reading formal writing, I feel like I am reading a text book and it makes it hard to focus on the story line. I found myself getting lost often, but not really wanting to go back and reread the paragraph, page, etc.

The only thing that kept me hanging on until the end was wanting to figure out what the story was behind the mysterious book. Once I got to the end, I felt it was severely lacking and I felt like I didn’t receive a full story.

The concept behind this novel was pretty good, the execution missed the mark though.

2/5 stars. There was mystery to the story, but the thoughts didn't flow together. 

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The Students Sold Us Secrets Volume One by Lee Mavin

The Students told us secrets is a collection of short stories that are written in the form of journal entries by students.

The narrator is an anonymous teacher who received these texts and compiled them in the process of evaluating student behavior of the generation. Behavior against each other, and behavior towards those in power such as teachers.

While this is a work of fiction, it is horrifying that many students, I’m sure, actually have the thought processes close to the ones in this collection. The stories themselves are full of horror, suspense, and gore, but the fact that these are not too far off from reality makes them even more terrifying.

I love short stories. There is just something about the way that they have to be told in such a limited amount of pages that makes them difficult. They can either be really good and well written, or you can leave them with the sense that you didn’t receive the full story and there is something missing.

Lee Mavin did a very good job of putting these stories together in a way that they flowed well together. I felt as though I received all of the details necessary to put the story together. It was well written, and it was a very interesting read.

5/5 stars

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Pulse of Poetics by Joseph Labriola

Pulse of Poetics is a collection of poetry and analysis of said poems.

They cover many different topics and cover a large range of dates. You aren't getting poems from just one time period.

It takes you through the ever evolving forms of poetry, and there are also many different type of poems. There are very short ones, and there are longer ones.

I enjoyed the poems that were put together in this collection, some of the analysis sections seemed to drag on a bit longer than I thought was necessary though.

I feel as though fans on poetry and history would enjoy taking a look at this book.

I am not huge on reading about history, so some of this was not for me.

3.5/5 stars I found myself losing interesting at times, but the poetry collection they used made up for some of that. 

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Remember Patience by Shawn Sandhurst

First off, I enjoyed that this book was written by someone close to home here in Illinois!

Now for the review:

When faced with the worst terrorist attack the United States has ever faced, what would you do?

For a small group of high schoolers from Ridgewood, Illinois, their plan is to travel to Turkey and join the Peace Corps to try to spread the word of God and the Bible to the terrorists.

Redemption.

Does redemption work on those whose souls are black and dead inside? Simon and his Little Js can only hope so, otherwise they could end up dead by the hands of a highly dangerous terrorist organization.

This novel reads sort of like a movie. It seems like a YA/teen movie where the young characters are the hero of a story. I believe it is written this way because it is not a 100% serious book, which is first seen through the different personalities of the characters.

If you like movies/books with young powerful lead characters, I believe this would be a good read for you.

What I really enjoyed about it was the short chapters, that will stand out to me in any book I read. I love that writing style, and I feel it helps keep my interest. I finished the whole thing in two sittings, it went pretty quick, and it wasn’t dull.

And don’t forget, Remember Patience.

5/5 stars. The writing style was great, and the story certainly takes you on a journey. 

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The Spirit Keepers by J.S. Winn

If there is one thing that J.S. Winn can do well, that would be writing suspense novels. If you didn’t see my review for her previous novel Out of the Shadow, check it out after you read this! (Link)

The Spirit Keepers is a romance novel with a side of mystery and suspense.

It is about a woman named Sandy who packs up her belongings and moves from Philadelphia to New Mexico to take a teaching job. Carrying emotional baggage from her life in Philly, she must learn to adjust to the way of the tribe and try to fit in.

When one of her students and his family begin to be tormented by people in the tribe, she cannot help but get involved.

Along the way, she meets a fellow teacher, Ben, and they have instant chemistry that is undeniable.

He warns her that it would probably be best to stay out of the tribe’s business, but the independent woman that she is doesn’t listen to him.

She gets caught up in a mess that may kill her.

Will Sandy make it out alive and live happily ever after? Or will her concern others lead to her untimely death? You will just have to read to find out!

It was hard to put down, and its not very long. So, finishing it in a couple sittings is easy.

5/5 stars. It keeps you hanging on until the end to see who/what is behind the tormenting actions.  

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Forever a Blackhawk by Stan Mikita

Since I love hockey, and I love my Blackhawks, this was obviously a great read for me.

It details Stan Mikita's home life as well as his life to becoming a hockey player and finally playing for the Chicago Blackhawks.

It is everything you would want from a sports memoir including statements written by former team mates as well as tons of pictures.

It is great to get a personal look at the life of a great Blackhawks legend and now a team ambassador.

If you are a hockey fan, or especially a Blackhawks fan, you need to pick this up.

5/5 stars

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The Book of Jobs: What Steve is Doing on the Cloud by Skye Atman

By the title, I am sure you all can assume that this book is about Steve Jobs. You would be correct.

It is a work of fiction that explores Steve’s time in a place that is sort of like a heaven.

In his time there he learns the rules of the place, and encounters many famous figures along the way. His struggle is that he wants to figure out how to reincarnate sooner than his allotted time because he wants to make sure that his company is run correctly as long as the construction of their new building.

It is a fun book to read, very light-hearted and interesting. The writer did very good research to make it close to character for Steve and the others you meet along the way.

If you are an Apple fan or a fan of Steve Jobs, it could be a fun read to pick up. It isn’t very long, so it won’t devour a lot of your time.

5/5 it was fun. I found it entertaining. 

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Violets are Blue by James Patterson

I never thought James Patterson would go the vampire route. I was wrong. Now, that being said, they aren’t REAL vampires. They are folks who call themselves vampires and drink blood. But nonetheless…. Vampires.

In the last book, Roses Are Red, we discover who the Mastermind is, but he isn’t found out by Alex Cross yet. He makes a reappearance in this novel and wreaks more havoc on Cross.

While trying to solve the mysterious vampire killers’ spree that is sweeping across the United States, Cross also has to deal with tauntings from the Mastermind and has to either push his worry aside or act to try to find out who this mad man is.

It was a thrilling read with a lot of twists and turns, and it was hard to put down.

I think the biggest twist was that there was no epilogue at the end! I don’t think I have read a Patterson book without one. At least not an Alex Cross or Womens Murder Club book. I was shocked when it just ended without one.

5/5 not a dull moment, and very easy to get through. 

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Read ahead for spoilers!

The Perks of Being a Wallflower by Stephen Chbosky

I suppose I could have read this cult-classic book many years ago. But, I didn’t. So here I am in 2013 reading a book most people have already read and loved so much that it was made into a movie! Better late than never, right? I thought so, too ;)

Perks is told from the viewpoint of the main character Charlie. It is told through letters that he is writing to an unknown friend about his life going into High school. It is a coming of age story that I believe every reader can take something out of.

Charlie makes friends with two older high school students, Sam and Patrick. They let him hang around even though he is younger and not the popular type. They help him adjust to life in high school as well as helping him make some more friends along the way.

I think everyone can see a little bit of themselves in Charlie. Even if you were nothing like him. Just the way that he feels about certain things and the way he expresses his emotions.

I loved the way this book was written- through the letters. It made it really interesting to read and very relatable. It felt like you were going through someone’s journal. I can see why it is so well liked.

5/5 stars. Not much else to say. If you haven’t read this book yet, put it on your to-read list.  

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Down and Out In Manhattan by J.R Locke

I am not sure what I was expecting out of this book, but once I began reading it, it was not what I expected it to be. I was very pleasantly surprised with this book. The story, the writing, and it even has a pretty big twist at the end.

 This book takes you through the rise and fall of Jack Cole’s career in corporate business. It uncovers some business practices that in some cases are probably not so far from the truth.

The Frenchman is on the loose. He cuts off the hands of his victims and no one knows who he is. Will he get to Jack, before he is caught?

When jack gets tangled up in a sketchy business deal, everything starts to go wrong. People begin dying, and he goes through a moral dilemma. Does he do the right thing, or does he go to the authorities and put his job and life at risk?

The one bright spot in Jack’s life is the love of his life Lisa. She has had a rough past, but once she and Jack find each other again, everything seems to be perfect. On phone call could ruin everything, though.

This is a fast-paced story about the good, the bad, and the ugly sides of corporate jobs. It will keep you hanging on until the very last page.

5/5 stars. I was pretty stunned by the reveal of the Frenchman at the end. And as a whole, this book was a pretty realistic read that touched on a number of topics. For it being pretty short, it was done very well. 

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