H.E.A.V.E.N.

H.E.A.V.E.N.
© 2009 by Nan Becklean

ISBN: 978-1-60145-747-9
Publisher: Nanbooks
181 pp.

About the book: “Sarah, a gorgeous, older woman, Lionel, a handsome, older man, Zack, a shy free-lance pilot madly in love with Melody, a luscious wanna-be songwriter-singer, Huxley, a cool, womanizing band leader whose mother, Harriet, thinks is gay and Ben, a lovable robot who observes and tries to understand all, interact in this wild eschatological caper/murder on an idyllic island in August 2073 as the day of reckoning for one of them approaches.”

(Word for the day is eschatological.  I had to look it up as I had NO idea what it meant.  Here's the definition - of or relating to or dealing with or regarding the ultimate destiny of mankind and the world.)

In the year 2056 with all the new medicine, healthy habits and scientific breakthroughs, people are living a lot longer. The country is going broke paying Social Security benefits. The governent decides to offer people the chance to live the last 10 years of their life in complete relaxation with rejuvenated bodies in resort-like compounds in return for agreeing to voluntarily die a peaceful death at age 95. These ‘resorts’ are called H.E.A.V.E.N. – Homeland Equitable Alliance for a Victimless Economy and Nation. Now in 2073, Sarah’s turn is coming in about 2 weeks and she’s decided she isn’t ready to die yet. It was all her husband’s idea in the first place and he’s already gone. As she’s searching for a way out of her predicament, she gets into a fight with an employee who later ends up dead. Sarah is one of many suspects.

Ms. Becklean does a wonderful job with her characters and storyline, and the addition of a thinking, 12-foot-long robotic crocodile guard adds just the right touch to the story. Even though the book touches on some very serious matters, it has humor, romance, science fiction, mystery, and gives you something to think about, too …enjoyable all-around.

Author Marketing Experts, Inc sent me a copy of this book for review.

Future Hope

Future Hope
© 2009 by David Gelber

ISBN: 978-1-934572-34-4
Publisher: Emerald Book Company
SRP: $23.95
350 pp.

About the book: “Earth 2156. The fate of the world rests in the soul of a daring adventurer.

Future earth has forgotten God. Science and technology reign supreme. A benevolent government banishes hunger, poverty, and disease and provides a luxurious lifestyle for an ever-increasing population. However, even science has its limits, and the world faces a crisis of diminishing resources.
 Dr. Deborah Tennyson, a brilliant mathematician, devises the only answer for humankind: Discover new resources through the Interdimensional Transport Protocol (ITP). A brash, self-centered but remarkably talented astropilot, Major David Sanders, takes the responsibility of making the first ITP flights and determining the fate of the earth. Will he find the fame he so desperately craves or much more?

Sanders’ journey through interdimensional space takes him to a world he could never imagine and a spiritual destiny he could never expect.”

Earth 2156 and the government provides for almost everything. The trouble is, earth and the surrounding moons and planets are running out of natural resources. Dr. Tennyson’s idea for interdimensional travel would mean that places that were once unreachable because of the time involved to get there, could be reached in a matter of hours, thus unlocking new solar systems for exploration. Major Sanders is chosen for the first manned fight. Something goes wrong when he goes through the portal and he doesn’t come out the other side. Sanders is lost in another dimension. What he finds there debunks modern government’s agenda that the Bible is just a myth.

I guess you would call this genre Christian science fiction because there is definitely a moral to the story. . It was very well written with an interesting plot and characters but just a tiny bit too much Bible re-telling for me to enjoy this entirely as a novel.

PR by the Book provided me with a copy of this novel to read and review.

Meandering Thoughts

I enter a lot of contests and I’ve won twice before from Martha Stewart so I got a little excited when I found an email from her in my Hotmail junk folder. Here's the subject line - "You've been selected for the Martha Stewart's Dinner at Home Giveaway" Wow, right? So I marked it as 'not' junk and hurried to open it. It was just a magazine promo wanting me to refer friends for a CHANCE to win a book and tote. You know, it’s just not right to get people’s hopes up like that.

^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^

We had another 6” of snow Sunday night and Monday with very strong winds that caused blizzard conditions again. Not good but better than the ice storm we had last week. We were lucky that our electricity never went off but thousands of others were without for hours and even days. So far this is the 2nd snowiest winter on record and we still have several weeks of winter left. More snow is forecast for tomorrow. Wonder what’s next. The sun is shining today and it looks good but it’s only 20°. I was going to take some photos of the squirrels having breakfast, lunch, and dinner at the bird feeder but my camera batteries are dead.

Isn't this a nice paved road?  It's actually a gravel road paved with ice!

^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^

I haven’t had a cold all winter and I usually get a bad one with a cough that lasts for weeks. I’ve been inhaling those wonderful, little clementines, at least 2 a day, and I’m sure the vitamin C has helped. I also run a vaporizer full-time in the house that is good for the houseplants and us. Jim and I went and got the H1N1 flu shots Saturday. There have been a couple of people locally who died from flu complications and I figure why take the chance.

The Cold Room

The Cold Room
© 2010 by J.T. Ellison

ISBN: 978-0-7783-2714-1
Publisher: MIRA Books
SRP: $7.99
401 pp.
Available in March

About the book: “Acclaimed thriller author J. T. Ellison returns with a thoroughly-riveting story in The Cold Room, the fourth book in the Taylor Jackson series, following All the Pretty Girls, 14 and Judas Kiss. Homicide Detective Taylor Jackson thinks she's seen it all in Nashville—but she’s never seen anything as perverse as The Conductor. Once his victim is captured, he contains her in a glass coffin, slowly starving her to death. Only then does he give in to his attraction. Later, he creatively disposes of the body by reenacting scenes from famous paintings. Strangely, similar macabre works are being displayed in Europe. Taylor teams up with her fiancé, FBI profiler Dr. John Baldwin, and New Scotland Yard detective, James “Memphis” Highsmythe—a haunted man who only has eyes for Taylor—to put an end to The Conductor’s art collection. Has the killer gone international with his craft? Or are there dueling artists, competing to create the ultimate masterpiece? “

Okay, here’s your word for the day – necrophilia. The killer (killers?) in this book slowly starves his victims to death and only then, does he make love to them. Talk about sick! It makes for a very different criminal for sure. This is the fourth book in the Taylor Jackson series but even without reading the previous ones, it’s quite a good book. The only part I didn’t like were the references to ‘The Pretender” who was evidently part of the previous stories and will be in the next. I needed to know more of his background to really understand what that was about. If you like crime stories which are a little off the beaten path, this is for you. Lots of good detecting skills, interesting characters, a little romance, multi-continent locations, plot twists … just a good-all-around en-GROSS-ing crime story.

I received an ARC of this book from Planned Television Arts.

Fireworks Over Toccoa

Fireworks Over Toccoa
© 2010 by Jeffrey Stepakoff

ISBN: 978-0-312-58158-9
Publisher: St. Martin’s Press
SRP: $ 22.99
272 pp.

About the book: “Every so often that story comes along that reminds us of what it’s like to experience love for the first time—against the odds, when you least expect it, and with such passion that it completely changes you forever.

An unexpected discovery takes eighty-four-year-old Lily Davis Woodward to 1945, and the five days that forever changed her life. Married for only a few days before her husband was sent to fight in WWII, Lily is anxious for his return, and the chance to begin their life together. In honor of the soldiers' homecoming, the small Georgia town of Toccoa plans a big celebration. And Jake Russo, a handsome Italian immigrant, also back from war, is responsible for the elaborate fireworks display the town commissioned. But after a chance encounter in a star-lit field, he steals Lily's heart and soul--and fulfills her in ways her socially-minded, upper-class family cannot. Now, torn by duty to society and her husband--and the poor, passionate man who might be her only true love--Lily must choose between a commitment she's already made and a love she’s never known before.

Fireworks Over Toccoa takes us to a moment in time that will resonate with readers long after the book’s unforgettable conclusion. A devastating and poignant story, this debut novel will resonate with anyone who believes in love.”

Oh, my….. I don’t read romances too often because I find most of them are cookie-cutter stories and you always know how they’re going to end. This book was different. It really got my emotions stirred up. Lily is the daughter of a wealthy southern family who marries Paul just days before he goes off to war. She’s only seventeen and he’s gone for almost 3 ½ years. Days before Paul is to return home, she meets and falls in love with Jake who’s in town to put on a big fireworks display. Although Lily loves Paul, she realizes that what she feels for Jake is much, much more. What’s Lily to do… stay with Paul out of a sense of duty knowing that the passion she shares with Jake will always be missing from her life, or abandon her husband and family for her one true love? I was almost crying along with Lily as she struggled to make a decision. The author does a fantastic job reminding us that not all love stories have perfect endings. I love the cover, too.

My copy of this book was an ARC but I actually have no idea where it came from.