Watch Me by Jody Gehrman

As I'm reading this book, I had the same thought over and over.  Gehrman and I must have some of the same friends on social media.  You know the ones.  They're constantly seeking a guy that will give them what they deserve, to be worshipped.  "I want his every breath to be about me.  I want him to fall so helplessly in love with me that he can't function."  Every single one of those people should read this book.  The distance between 'I live for you' and 'tied up in phone cord and handcuffed to someone committing suicide' is sometimes a simple nudge. 

Because this book is told from the perspective of our two main characters, Sam and Kate, it gives us an in-depth look into their minds.  The real value here is that we get to watch Sam grapple with his motivations.  Not merely grapple, but make distinctions as well.  The problem wasn't that they had sex.  The problem was that he wasn't any good at it.  Those distinctions make a difference in defining the character.  For me, this study of humanity was absolutely fascinating.

The main characters are both aspiring writers, so it was really fun to see Gehrman throw in parts of the real writing/publishing world.  There's a scene where Kate is teaching about using different points of view and the purpose of each.  At the same time, you really connect with the reason Gehrman uses the point of view she does in the book.  There are lots of interesting correlations like that in the book.

As a thriller, it was pretty solid.  There isn't a lot of gore, but there's plenty of drama.  The psychological aspect is really the key ingredient here.  If you're a fan of suspense, you'll enjoy this one.  However, if you've been traumatized by a stalker in your life, you may want to pass this one up for PTSD reasons.

A Widow's Curse by Phillip DePoy

I have no idea where this book came from.  I was perusing the library for something to read and it jumped out at me.  Figuratively.  Being the Keeper of the Library, I'm familiar with every book in it...or so I thought.  I don't remember ever seeing this one before.  It was published ten years ago. Judging from the creases in the spine and cover, as well as rumpled and yellowed pages, this book has been loved well by someone.  I was intrigued enough to give it a shot, and boy am I glad I did!

The mystery here is alright.  The characters are alright.  The setting is alright.  All of these things are definitely acceptable and when compared to 'good' literature, there's nothing here really of note.  It keeps in line with what it should.  I have zero complaints.

Where it really excels is in DePoy's storytelling.  Oh my goodness!  I have not been so captured by individual sentences since Jerome's Three Men in a Boat.  I'm reading along, and a sentence will just strike me with it's true brilliance.  Most of the dialogue in the book is filled with wit and intelligence, but even in descriptive and off-hand sentences, it's truly mesmerizing. 

While I was doing some research on the book, I noticed you can buy it on Amazon for a penny.  One single cent.  I strongly urge readers and writers alike to pick this one up.  Now, the reviews I've seen for it were mediocre.  Not everyone will see what I see in it.  However, if you're seeking to broaden your horizons a bit, this is exactly what you need.  Every sentence is intricately placed and worded.  I'm simply fascinated by DePoy now and cannot wait to get my paws on the rest of his books.  After that, I'm anxious to check out his plays!

Bulwark by Brit Lunden

The town of Bulwark is being plagued by something paranormal and it's up to Sheriff Finnes to figure it out before everyone dies. 

At first glance, this is a middle reader book.  It's page count is at 104 and most of the wording is set for 'newer' readers.  However, adult themes such as sex and violence are prevalent.  This book is perfect for an adult who has difficulty reading or is newer to the world of reading.  In my world, everyone is a voracious reader.  That isn't true for everyone.  This book definitely satisfies the need for paranormal-thriller fiction that isn't too intimidating.  And let's be honest, sometimes you really want a quick, adventurous read.

Lunden is also published under Carole P. Roman and I found her adult writing to be every bit as satisfying as her childrens and nonfiction books.  It's fast-paced, full of action and adventure.  The characters are easy to figure out and identify with.  The book isn't cluttered, so it's a quick and smooth read. 

Fans of paranormal and folklore will get a kick out of this book.  Admittedly, I read the entire thing in 30 minutes, but it was 30 minutes where I didn't want to be interrupted and pulled out of my world.  Despite the length, I felt content upon finishing. 

Rough Passages by K.M. Herkes

The trouble with short stories is that you have only a few pages to establish your world, characters, and force the reader to care.  Because of this, I normally shy away from anthologies and collected works.  This is one of the few exceptions to the rule.  Herkes does an amazing job of filling in her world and making you fall in love with her characters with only a few words.  I actually became teary-eyed.

Herkes' storytelling abilities are surprisingly great.  It's a fast-paced read, but you tend to soak up everything as you read it.  It's captivating and exciting.  The characters are easy to relate to, while being interesting.  The world is similar to ours, but with a few serious changes.  Herkes eases us into these changes without overpowering us with a ton of information that we can't process all at once.

What I enjoyed best about this book is that most of the stories are intertwined.  We meet several of the same characters in different stories. 

Though I sincerely wish that Herkes would take this world and create a full-blown novel out of it, I thoroughly enjoyed the short stories.  I'm looking forward to jumping into her Stories of the Restoration series.  Though these are also short stories, if they're as well done as Rough Passages, I'm sure to love it.

Wraith Knight by C.T. Phipps

It's Saturday night.  It's gaming night!  We're hanging out with our friends, getting ready to begin a grand new adventure.  Jason's aunt made everybody cupcakes.  Jim brought ten bags of Cheetos.  Shawn (that's me!)  remembered to bring 4 cases of Mountain Dew in various flavors (two of Voltage). After the original jabbing and catching up, we breathlessly begin.  First, we gear up for battle and begin right away.  In our new world, we have political crap going on everywhere.  Somebody's king is a jerk so we're gonna help take him out.  In the meantime, we learn all about this world we're entering.  Afterwards, we sit around and recuperate.  Everyone takes turns talking about their character and back story.  Then, once again, we're plunged into grand adventure.

For me, this (see previous paragraph) was reading this book.  It was a safe, comforting and exciting place.  Then there was a whole lot going on that I didn't understand, but I had fun with it anyway.  Then I tried not to space out while everyone else was talking.  Then I sped through the rest and wondered why I didn't have more.  Don't worry, the sequel is currently in production.  If you're anything like me, you'll have it on pre-order.

Now, on to the real picking apart of the book.

The world and characters have been intricately carved so that there's no doubt that the author sees and knows them clearly during the writing.  It's a fun plot.  There's plenty of action and adventure.  There's also plenty of politics and religion if those are your things. 

The trouble with most fantasy books is that the first book has so much information to give out and there really isn't a good way to do that.  Just getting to know the characters and what's really going on takes close to the first half of the book.  Still, by the end of the book, I didn't really feel connected.  Once I start the second book, I know it will be different.  Everything has been laid in place so there's a lot more room for building the reader/character/world connection. 

Phipps keeps plenty of humor running throughout the book.  His dialogue holds plenty of wit and banter.  It does a brilliant job of breaking up all of the adventure, revenge, hatred, and fear that are the main components of the book. 

If you've read Phipps previous works, expect this to be different.  The writing style, voice, character and world creation, are vastly different than his other books.  Not less, different.  Those who enjoy fantasy are sure to love this book.  They'll love it even more once it officially becomes a series.

Rags in the Closet by Gloria Guyton Bradley

This book spans nearly a dozen years in the lives of two sisters.  We watch them learn to cope and survive in an abusive and neglectful household. 

On the negative side, the storytelling is much different than I'm used to.  It caused me quite a few issues in the beginning until I caught on.  The switching of tense is a big distraction for me.  I had to imagine that my Aunt Bess (who is fictional)  was telling me the story.  'You remember Uncle Henry?  He went to the rodeo the other day!  Oh!  Here he is now!  You know, some day, he's going to be a rock star!' Once you get in the correct mindset for the storytelling, it no longer becomes an issue.  There are also a few parts where it feels like I 'called her out' on her own story.  'The girls climbed out of the window.  Daddy nailed it shut and they couldn't open it.  The girls climbed out of the window.'  Um....'Oh yeah...Daddy had to open the window back up.  That's how the girls climbed out of the window again.'  As long as you start the book with this storytelling set in mind, you shouldn't have any issues.

On the plus side, this book had quite a lot going for it.  The characters are brilliantly built and we get in-depth perspective into their minds.  There are a couple of areas that are shocking and unexpected.  While reading, you constantly want to know what's going to happen next.  There's no guessing.  I had a difficult time putting it down.  Once I got a handle on the correct way to read the story, it went really quickly.  It also left on just the right note.  I am anxious to read the next in the series when it's released, but I'm also left feeling satisfied. 

Though this is technically a fictional book, readers of True Crime will enjoy it. There are some great horrific scenes for you horror lovers out there. 

Personal note:  If the words 'perfectly browned to perfection' annoy you, skip this one and move on to the next in your stack.

Let's get personal...

It's been a really long time since I've posted.  Thankfully, I keep a binder with my passwords, or I wouldn't be posting now.  I've missed it :)

I have autoimmune disease.  I've known this since I was six.  However, with aging comes complications.  My immune system has decided that it needs to attack my major organs.  After more than a year, I think we're finally on the right track of treatment.  My doctors and hospitals and pharmacists have been amazingly patient and compassionate throughout.  My family and friends have all pitched in to take care of the things I haven't been able to, as well as continuing to be patient with me.  I haven't been available to anyone.  Not only has my brain not been functioning at full capacity, but I have a special needs child.  He has trisomy 7q11.2.  If you don't know anything about it, that makes you even with the rest of the world.  It's a constant learning experience.  Because of my illness, we've had to switch over to a home schooling situation.  He's actually thriving!  But!  This means that what little energy I've had each day has been devoted to him.  I've missed funerals, births, birthdays, some holidays.  I've missed friend time and family time and even just catching up time.  I'm looking forward to fixing all of this in the future.  I still have a long road ahead of me, but within two months I should be back to my old, cheerful, bookish self.

What does this mean for Litter?  Honestly, I have no idea.  I've missed the book world crazy much.  There have been long stints where I haven't been able to read.  There have been times when I was able to read, but not able to remember what I read.  I haven't written a review in ages.  Oh...I write them in my mind, but they never make it to paper or electronic device.  It's so ingrained in me that I can't help it.  I digress!  I've learned a lot the past year, about myself and the world, and I'm looking forward to sharing it with you. 

One of the most important things I've learned is that I can't do everything I want to do.  One of my dearest books in the library is a copy of Robert Frost poems that was given to me by my dear friend, spoken word artist and poet J.K. Blaylock.  I'm sure you all know about the two roads that were diverged in a yellow wood.  My way of thinking has always differed from that.  Why are there only two roads?  How come I can only go down one?  Do I get to climb trees?  Can't I run back and forth from path to path?  Can't I hook someone up with a mini-cam and send them down the other path so I can experience them both at the same time?  Now I know there are only two roads because we have such limited time.  There simply isn't enough daylight to travel down both roads or climb the trees or rush from path to path or even forge your own path but keep sight of another path.  It's so very short.  What's my point?  I can't possibly cover everything in the book world that I want to.  I am human and frail.  Don't get me wrong...I'm still a rock star super hero...but I'm human.  Some days I'll be able to plow through books and reviews and share lots of great information.  Other days I won't even be able to turn on my computer. 

Where this leaves us is that I don't have a clue what I'm doing.  I know there will be no more deadlines for me.  Deadlines will kill you.  Quickly.  There will be no more scheduled items.  If you have a scheduled event, do me a huge favor and message me the day before.  If I'm available and up to it, I'll happily help with marketing.  If I'm not, I won't.  I cannot let the stress of deadlines and dates on a calendar take over my life again.  If you want a review, great!  I can't wait to get back to it!  Please, message me and let's discuss it.  If you have a clear deadline for it, I probably won't be able to do it.  Life is just too chaotic at the moment. 

As usual, this turned out to be quite a rambly post.  I just started my new dose of medicine and the urge to get on here and post was absolutely overwhelming.  That means I feel a bit more like me!  I'm not sure when I'll be back again.  We'll see how it goes.  In the meantime, I'm still here.  I'm still alive.  I'm still fighting.  I still love all you wonderful book people and I appreciate the hell out of everyone that has stood by me and been patient with me throughout all of this.