Reviews...reviews...reviews...

I tend to surf the web avidly  seeking book recommendations on a particular genre I am at present reading. Having just completed Crack-up by Eric Chrispopherson I am amazed how a book that cost pennies can create such an impact on me the reading public. A good story should have something extra or quirky that makes it stand out from the book crowd and this is certainly true of Crack-Up. Our hero Argus Ward runs a successful security company specializing in protecting companies from computer hackers or industrial espionage. Argus has a little secret that he has kept hidden for a number of years and by the use of medication it is not known that he suffers from acute delusion ie he is a paranoid schizophrenia. This is not a problem until someone or something alters his medication and rather than consuming tablets to keep his schizophrenia hidden the tablets now have no value or effect on his condition. Someone is attempting to control him and condition him to commit murder...which he does. This is a first class thriller with great moments of black humour as Argus and his alto ego Darth Vader periodically indulge in some comic conversation...can Argus clear his name?...can he confront the real culprit?..enjoy a fast  roller coaster ride on what is a first class thriller.
I was recommended a short horror novella Come Closer by Sara Gran and although it was a fun and short read I am afraid for me the enjoyment did not really happen. It is essentially the story of a young lady being possessed by a daemon, fun with some amusing moments essentially and certainly readable horror however in the final analysis it did little to convince me that modern horror writers can reach the heights of the masters from the past.

You must read this :))

For those who have a kindle and would like a recommendation concerning a good book...a book that is impossible to put down...a book that will keep you reading into the small hours...a book of such brilliance it deserves to be a best seller...look nor further than Crack-Up by Eric Christopherson!!

There are a number of sites to that will give you the book's background and first class reader reviews. I would also note the if you buy the book via amazon you will pay a fraction of the price charged by smashwords!!

There is some really good reading material available for the kindle at very competitive prices and if I find I will certainly post on my blog...nough said just get a copy by looking and clicking through my recommendations on the right start reading, and let me know your thoughts :))

http://ebooks-that-sell.blogspot.com/

http://www.amazon.co.uk/Crack-Up/dp/B002HMCLFQ/ref=sr_1_1?ie=UTF8&qid=1295534570&sr=1-1

http://www.smashwords.com/books/view/5363

Lets go to work!

We live here in the UK in a benefits society, where so many people think it is smart and right not to work but if possible (and it seems to me it always is) claim benefits. Those who choose this path in life, in my opinion,  lack any desire or want to aid society or to pay their dues, excluding of course those genuine claimants. I voice this opinion because since last Friday Jan 14th I have been unable to work as I am afflicted..not with man flu..but something that started as a cold and then progressed to a lung infection and I, by my own admission, am now becoming somewhat difficult to live with! I have been removed from my weekly routine, I have been unable to  set schedules, tasks or organise a working day. I have not enjoyed the pleasure of cycling to and from work (and sometimes further) nor have I been able to prepare for my next upcoming half marathon taking place in the rolling hills of South Gloucestershire mid march......in effect I have become a "miserable bastard" :( but fear not fair reader of my blog I am fighting back! In preparation for my return to work on Friday, amidst all my coughing and lack of well-being, and as the weather today is what could only be described as a beautiful winters day, I have set myself the task of making both my cycles work ready!!...and boy do I feel much better. I have set myself a mission, I have a schedule and I have organised the start of my late working week even though I am consuming a daily dose of 1500 mg Amoxicillin. In short work and exercise makes us what we are and gives us a purpose, a need to belong and a desire to succeed and make sense of our lives in the world we live which is part of a greater good and a greater universe.....here ends today's lesson :)) 

The Joy of Reading

The enjoyment of books and reading has been greatly enhanced to me since the internet exploded into our lives from the mid 90's onwards, and yet it is really only in the last few years that we have truly been able to appreciate it's power and it's influence. As an avid reader the ability to discuss and make contact with like minded enthusiasts throughout the world has been and continues to be a fantastic experience. In a pre broadband era the choice of what to read, what constituted good books, and what made for enlightened reading, could only be accessed via local libraries, book stores or recommendations through friends....in other words the choice was somewhat limited. However today it is possible to discuss and debate the literary word throughout the world and by participating in book discussion forums expand our knowledge of what constitutes good authors and intelligent reading. The ability to exchange views, and have contact with authors is something only imagined a few short years ago but now is a part of our reading lives...and long may it contiune :)

A nice place to read in and just relax! Cyprus 09

The King of dark horror Greg Gifune!!

I just finished Drago Descending by Greg Gifune...who you may ask and that's the problem. I discovered Greg Gifune crawling the net and searching for dark horror fiction, horror that does not rely on gratuitous violence,horror that does not inundate you with sexual depravity but rather horror that makes you question and think about the world we live in and the evil that surrounds us. Drago Descending essentially confronts the age old question if we we believe there is good in the world, if we believe there is an afterlife then it stands to reason there must be some form of hell. So in essence the book is a battle between good and evil and those who would sell their souls to attain some kind of immortality. This is the second book I have read by Gifune and the main protagonists are flawed they are people living at the extremes of society who are trying to assimilate and make sense of their individual existence. Private Investigator David Drago is a former policeman and Gulf War veteran struggling with his combat experiences, his time spent in the psychological ward of a veteran's hospital, and the darkness of his past. When he is approached by a mysterious client who hires him to locate his missing fiance, Jesse Greenlaw, Drago hesitantly takes the case. The problem, Jesse is also David's former girlfriend, and an integral part of the murky past still haunting him. Drawn into a world of pornography, where Jesse was working at the time of her disappearance, his investigation leads him into a labyrinth of violence, sexual intrigue, black witchcraft, and satanism. The deeper he digs, the deeper Drago descends into a dark netherworld haunted by terrifying visions of angels and demons alike, and where nothing is what it seems. David Drago is trapped in a nightmare, and there is no escape.
I have his latest book on order "Gardens of Night" but unfortunately as he is little known here in the UK it has to be sourced and bought from the US, but I will certainly look forward to reading and reviewing. Do visit his web site at
http://www.gregfgifune.com/.....lets talk tomorrow :))

Kindle in the wind....

It's cool..it's slim...it ooozes sex appeal...it's about 6+ inches long :) and it slips smugly into my pocket...ladies and gentlemen it's the all new wonder of 2011..the beautiful..the humble...the sleek..the elegant..Kindle!! and I'm in love with it. A very short few years ago when the idea of an electronic reading device was revealed I like many other avid and loyal readers, bought up on a diet of well thumbed paperbacks, were of the opinion that an "ebook" would have a difficult task of trying to prove itself as a worthy substitute for the humble paperback. As a lifetime buyer of books the joy of perusing, selecting, holding, smelling, fondling, and collecting them was a simple pleasure that all book lovers will fight to retain and few will relinquish willingly. The joy of visiting a book store with the smells and sights of neatly aligned books standing to attention awaiting inspection, the enticing comfort and coziness offered by back street book sellers, and the  warmth and friendliness of the local library are all emotions that draw us  to the love the humble book and hold dear the printed word.

         The early ebook readers were chunky affairs, bloated and difficult to hold and manipulate with the hand, then along came Amazon and the Kindle 3…and the whole world smiled, changed and accepted that maybe there was a place beside the humble book for this supposed usurper of the throne. The Kindle 3 made reading and acquiring books easy, in fact download via whispernet took seconds and for a consumer orientated society this was bliss. More importantly the ability to read this amazing ebook without the fear of eye strain, by the use of virtual or e ink was what I believe finally sold the idea of an electronic book reader to a previously skeptical public. From personal experience I find that my ability to assimilate and read a book quickly has improved dramatically since acquiring my Kindle on December 25^th…….but what of the future of the printed word?

         I still love to hold a book, put my nose between the open pages and smell the aromatic essence, caress and fondle and admire texture and flow of the written prose. Today I was in central Bristol (at the NHS walk in…told you I was ill!) and could not resist the pull of my local book store Waterstones! Always eager to read and taste the delights of new authors I acquired Horns by the acclaimed Joe Hill and that great coming of age story Something Wicked This Way Comes by Ray Bradbury…was this an attempt to placate the guilt in my soul..was this a snub at the Kindle 3,…of course not, I enjoy reading the printed word in either book or electronic form and believe that both can live happily side by side not as enemies but as friends who compliment eachother….lets talk tomorrow…

Kindle 2

Kindle 3

God do I feel awful....

I know ...I know I'm still moaning..however had the chance to finish Mine by Robert McCammon today having started it yesterday. Yet another outstanding book by McCammon in essence we are talking about a chase but a chase so brutal and horrific you just have to hold on for the ride! The main character is the superbly named Mary Terror and when we first meet her it soon becomes obvious that Mary has some serious "social issues" Described as a 6ft tall Amazon chick she is built like a "brick ****house" Mary is the sort of woman that you would encourage your friend to choose at the local dance hall..while you choose her pretty mate :) So Mary has decided that her long lost lover from some 20 years ago is calling her to join him from a little town north of San Francisco. Mary and Lord Jack were originally part of a terror group and Mary was carrying Jack's child when caught in an explosion she lost the child...so now our hero Mary decides to steal a baby and travel to meet Jack..who is bound to welcome her with open arms....not!! A baby is taken from the hospital newly delivered to the beautiful and wealthy Laura Clayborne and she is naturally none to pleased, whilst waiting for little David to be returned to her side after a weight check,....he is grabbed by the in form Mary and taken on a terror ride he will never forget. The story is a great dark horror tale told in a very easy and fun way by the master Robert McCammon...and I completed the 540 pages within 24 hours....woa!! My next read, already downloaded to my kindle, is Drago Descending by the soon to be world famous Greg Gifune, an author of outstanding literary ability so check him out at http://www.gregfgifune.com/ ...lets speak later...when I have stopped coughing...splutter..splutter :(( :((