I am now on chapter 22 of my 2nd book for the Read Every Day for Cancer challenge! Descent of Darkness by Kate L. Mary has been good so far!
You can support the cause here! https://www.facebook.com/donate/1578216797279411/
This month, I have been taking part in the Read Every Day Challenge to support people with cancer. Donations go to the American Cancer Society, and you can find the link to the fundraiser here. https://www.facebook.com/donate/1578216797279411/
I am currently on chapter thirteen of my second book for this challenge, but let’s go back and take a look at the first book, eh?
The first book I read this month, or admittedly, listened to (still counts according to challenge rules), was The Fertile Ones by Kate L. Mary and read by Isanella Tugman. This dystopian novel, which comes off as a mixture of Atwood and Orwell, brings us a collection of interesting and annoying characters. Some I found myself wanting to support, others, wanting to throttle.
The story is entertaining, though the pacing could be a bit faster; the first few chapters come off as a bit slow, and the concept was enough to keep me interested until the meat of the tale was obvious. A good read if you are a fan of Dystopian tales.
Yesterday I got through chapters 20-38 of this great book for a Fundraiser to fight cancer. The link to the fundraiser is here!
I am taking part in this fundraiser for the rest of August! Help the American Cancer Society fight cancer by donating to the reading challenge!
Gaia’s Revolution by Nina Munteanu is a hard science fiction novel that has great potential to go down as a book many will remember in the future. The book follows the Vogel brothers, Damien and Eric, as they clash about ideas, morals, revolutions, and their own family. The Vogel brothers go from simple arguments over climate change to political intrigue and opposing factions as the world violently heaves around them, forever changed by their own actions and the influence they wield. As other characters are introduced to the lives of the Vogel brothers and their futures unfold, we are given a dramatic story of family betrayal, chaos, and sex, a kuddelmuddel even.
Gaia’s Revolution by Nina Munteanu is an interesting read. Admittedly, the book starts off a bit slow with a lot of explanation of the past of the brothers and their family. Interesting as it is, there is a lot to take in all at once and, admittedly, it comes off as dry. The information could be added later in the book as needed, but it is not all bad and serves a purpose. Fortunately, the first couple of chapters pass quickly, and we are soon brought into the story. With the addition of new characters comes more interaction and drama, which leads to more story. After we get through the exposition of the first chapters, the story picks up, and we are thrown headfirst into the Vogel brothers’ influence on the human race and the world around it.
While this is certainly a hard science fiction book about climate change, it manages to avoid coming off as preachy and demanding. It gives us a firm understanding of the literally Earth-shattering possibilities and the influences that drastic change (good or bad) can have on the environment and lifeforms of the planet. It may still come off as preachy to some readers who are not interested in the facts presented. In all honesty, if you have the opinion that the world is fine the way it is, then this is not the book for you. Also, if sexual encounters offend you, you may not want to pick it up either. However, for many, this is a book that deserves the utmost attention.
I will be revisiting this book again in the future, I believe, with a deeper look at it.
After having to take some time, I am finally back to the book blog business! If you have questions or just want to reach out, you can find me on any of my social media or at tawnymolina@thebookbeastie.com
Every wonder, what about Marley when watching a Christmas Carol?
You can find out David Weinberg’s take on that here on Amazon.
I’m going to MomoCon in Atlanta this month. You can still get tickets.
I Know You by Russel Goven is an exciting story following a young woman as she learns to cope with lost love, new love, and the complications of time travel after a rather nasty argument and a bump on the head! Eilidh (by the way, that’s pronounced ‘aley’ for my fellow American English speakers. And yes, that is a bit of a joke regarding this book.) was getting ready to attend university with her boyfriend when he disclosed he’s been making other plans behind her back to go to another university, not only that, it seems he’s seeing one of her alleged best friends! This drama results in the firey-blooded Eilidh trying to strike the jerk and being knocked back, only to bump her head. While medical professionals are seeing her, she’s traveling back to the 80s.. and a different country! But is it just a dream? Oh, don’t worry; things only get even stranger from there!
As much as I like to read, I have a busy life, so I usually only read a certain amount each day. However, I had to put a bit of time aside with this book because I was just so interested in what would happen. The story was exciting, seeing Eilidh move through different scenarios and using the experiences to guide what she wants to do with her life, from being a heartbroken girl to a tense decider of her destiny. At first, some of her reactions were excessive. Then I took a moment to think about the breakups I had when I was of college age and realized, no, that seems about on par for girls at the peak of adolescence, trying to figure out adult relationships. While Eilidh is the main character of this book, and it is told in a first-person perspective, the book does, at times, sneak into the perspective of other people, and it can be a tad confusing at first. That is probably my only complaint.
Pick up this one if you want an interesting original concept to read this summer.
Paperboy: A Dylan Tomassi Novel is the first novel in Dan Romanello’s Dylan Tomassi series. This novel covers the early years of Dylan, starting with his childhood, sliding through his high school and college years, and ending in his thirties. The author gives us a good chunk of Dylan’s life to learn about him, his friends, and his family long before the real action begins in the books.
So I’ll be honest upfront. I found the first chapter of Paperboy to be slow, and it was not till the second chapter that I started to get into the book. However, I am not one to give up on a book; even if I find the first chapter slow, I work through it to finish it. More so when it’s a review copy, an author or their managers have gone out of their way to provide. So, Paperboy does get more interesting as Dylan’s story starts to work itself out. Aside from what I felt to be a slow start, I should state that there are implied sexual situations in this novel, so if you are uncomfortable with that, you should avoid it.
Now on to some more entertaining aspects. Even beyond Dylan, the main character, the characters are well-created with personalities and responses that come off as real people. In addition, the story progression, while drawn out, is entertaining. I hope, however, that the next novel will have more excitement. Yes, I enjoyed this one enough to read the next. While I may complain about the pacing, in the end, we are given an excellent story with well-crafted characters that pull you in, even if it takes a couple of chapters to do it.
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