#395 ~ Fifty Shades of Alice in Wonderland

Fifty Shades of Alice in Wonderland by Melinda DuChamp

My rating: 3 of 5 stars





One of my DSOAs' from the end of March 2013, I've had this kicking around on my Kindle ... and been itching to read it.

A very tongue in cheek (actually many tongues' in more places than that) take on Fifty Shades, meets Alice Wonderland somewhere in Ann Summers. I have to admit though that I am probably one of the very few women around that hasn't read Fifty Shades - I read the reviews and decided that it wasn't for me - not because of the erotica, but the quality of the writing.

This piece of fiction was different, both titillating and frothy piece, and although yes the content is erotica, there was nothing too icky or cringe-worthy in it. I wonder if Amazon are going to sell the wheels?

On the whole a nicely written piece, and I would certainly read the other 2 books in the trilogy.

3 stars from me, and a highly commended piece of cover work too, that would make a nice standalone print!


Product Description:

As mentioned above I downloaded a free Kindle file back in March of this year, but at the time of writing this post it is listed HERE for £1.95, there is also an Audio version available for £11.14.

The books forms part of the Fifty Shades of Alice Trilogy, I will update the Review by Series section with the details of the other books.

Published by:    Indie Writer/Self Published
Pages:             115 pages
Reading Age:    Adult 18+ as contains overt sexual content and erotica
Genre:             Fiction > Contemporary > Erotica


Errors/Bug Bears:

Loc 1008:  Alice wasn't sure what to say, what to.  No one had ever kicked her there before.

Correct to:  Alice wasn't sure what to say, what to.  No one had ever kicked her there before.

Loc 1063:  He took hold of his manhood and lifted it, then he straddled her hear and lowered him other parts .....

I think it should be corrected to:  He took hold of his manhood and lifted it, then he straddled her head and lowered him other parts .....

Happy reading.

Hugs

Kay

#394 ~ Tales of MI7: The Kramski Case

Tales of Mi7: The Kramski Case by J.J. Ward

My rating: 5 of 5 stars







JJ Ward, the Author very kindly sent me a copy of this book in return for an Honest Review (actually, you'd never get any other kind from me!).

At the start of this read I wasn't sure what to expect, it's a fairly plain cover after all .... so was astonished when I found that I was getting a bit annoyed when real life popped its head up and expected me to do stuff, rather than be left alone to read this. It certainly was a real page turner.

Having read it, I now love the fact that the cover is plain, it made me feel a like I should be meeting a man in dark glasses in a park somewhere to pick it up.

The subject matter would at first hint at full on "macho" type reading, but I'm a pink and frilly girlie and there was still plenty to keep me interested. There were quite a few strong females characters in this novel too, all written really, really well.

Not only did the Author conjure up some really great characters, but the dialogue was interesting and snappy, which made the whole Novel stand out as being Ian Fleming meets modern day, but written to perfection. Well done Mr Ward, you are now most definitely right at the top of favourite Authors' List. This is the kind of writing that would convert so well to TV Screen, or better still full on action film. I loved it, loved it ...... LOVED IT and it deserved the full 5 Stars Plus from me, and that's not just because I've fallen in love with Orlov!

There were a few small Errors, but as usual will be detailed in my full Blog Post Number #394 (October 2013). After I've updated the Blog, I'm off to search up more stuff written by James.


Product Details:

You can get this as a Kindle download HERE, listed at £1.88, which given that it's such a good read is well worth the money.

Published by:  Indie Writer/Self Published
Pages:           317
Reading Age:  Adult - with little to no sexual content
Genre:           Fiction > Contemporary > Spying > Suspense

The Author has also written another book in this Series, and I will update the Review by Series section as soon as possible with the details.  He also also written The House of Charles Swinter - check out his GoodReads page HERE. 


Errors/Bug Bears:

Not that many, as as this is a Kindle download, hopefully they will be corrected shortly.

Loc 1480:  He knew what coming.

Correct to:  He knew what was coming.

Loc 2387:  On the fourth day, Joy came down into for dinner for the first time.

Correct to:  On the fourth day, Joy came down for dinner for the first time.

Loc 3053:  Bronstein wore a V-necked jumper and chinos and had his had his left hand in his pocket.

Correct to:  Bronstein wore a V-necked jumper and chinos and had his had his his left hand in his pocket.

Loc 4784:  ... decent people and set yourself up as an tin pot dictator.

I think it should be corrected to:  ... decent people and set yourself up as a tin pot dictator.

Loc 5254:  The grandma retracted into her shell then peeped out as of she might still get her feelers bitten off.

Correct to:  The grandma retracted into her shell then peeped out as if she might still get her feelers bitten off.

Loc 5262:  ... I know how I feels, believe me.

I think it should be corrected to:  I know how it feels, believe me.

Happy reading.

Hugs

Kay

#393 ~ Zombie Day Care

Zombie Day Care by Craig Halloran

My rating: 4 of 5 stars





Impact Series Book #1



In the first place, this was a bit of fun for me to read, as it was actually something downloaded by my fifteen year old daughter, but in actuality it was reasonably enjoyable.

I loved the fact that there was a Quantum Leap reference in there, which if you read my Blog regularly,ties in with the recent Review (#391).

Although not earth-shatteringly awesome, it was enjoyable enough that I will happily admit to a strong probability at some point in the future of downloading other stuff by this Author, in particular the Impact Series, (Zombie Day Care is Book #1 in the Series).

From me, then, it's 4 Stars.


Product Details

This was a DSOA back in March this year, and at the time of writing this Review it's still available for free Kindle Download HERE.  The paperback (if you subscribe to the whole ebooks aren't like books) is listed for £6.21

Book 1 in the Impact Series, I will update the Review by Author section at some point soon to show all the books currently in the series.

Published by:  Two Ten Book Press
Page:             202
Genre:            Fiction > Contemporary > Horror > Fantasy
Reading Age:   Adult


Errors/Bug Bears:

Page 60:  The man above was a few years older than him, with thick black hair, an unkempt beard, and meaty arms like sailor.

Correct to:  The man above was a few years older than him, with thick black hair, an unkempt beard, and meaty arms like a sailor.

Page 83:  He studied the facility.  Green beacons shown around the lower entrance .....

Correct to:  He studied the facility.  Green beacons shone around the lower entrance .....

Page 131:  Inside sources saythat Christy Backwater from FNN News ....

Correct to:  Inside sources say that Christy Backwater from FNN News ....

Happy reading.

Hugs

Kay

#392 ~ Boomerang

Boomerang by Paul Langley

My rating: 5 of 5 stars





Book # 1 in the Bonkers Series



It's no secret that I absolutely love Paul Langley's characters, and yes ...... I a supposed to be a grown up. I was therefore delighted when Paul the Author sent me a copy of this to read in return for the usual honest Review you get me yours truly!

This time we see Mr Thompson doing hilarious battle with Boomerang the Muntjac Deer - somehow the pesky deer and his fellow cohorts come out on top every time.

Bonkers the Cat doesn't seem to be too much help, but lurks adorably in the background.

Like the other book, All Aboard, the illustrations are funny and well drawn.

I highly recommend this book to anyone, not just the kids, and award 5 stars.


Product Details

You can pick up a copy HERE, listed at £2.03 for the Kindle Version, or ask for it at any good Bookseller.

Published by:  Single Ply Publishing Company
Pages:           114 pages
Age range:      For kids probably 5-9, but adults love it too
Genre:            Fiction > Childrens' Books


Errors/Bug Bears:

As is expected with one of Paul's books, it's a quality product with nothing to report.


Hugs and happy reading.

Kay

#391 ~ I'll See You in Your Dreams

I'll See You In Your Dreams by Tony Miller

My rating: 4 of 5 stars








A little different and quirky, reading this Novel seemed to fly past, which obviously meant that managed to engage me. In fact, I've just popped back to check how many pages, so that I wasn't getting confused and befuddled by thinking it was a Novella. No, 300 pages, so my comments about engagement stand.

Not normally a fan of plot leaps from past, present, etc., I didn't seem to mind it too much with this one - I fit nicely within the plot.

Without a doubt I would read more by Tony Miller, and would award this retro-Quantum Leap'esque interesting read 4 stars.


Product Details:

This was one of my DSOA's in March 2013, and it therefore goes without saying that it was a free Kindle download at the time.

At the time of writing this post though it's available HERE listed at £3.18 for Kindle version and £6.83 the Paperback.

Published by:   Indie Writer (Self Published) his GoodReads Fan page is HERE
Genre:            Fantasy > Time Travel > Paranormal > Suspense
Reading Age:   YA to Adult with no sexual content as such


Errors/Bug Bears:

A nice surprise to find very few errors in this one - Kudos to Mr Miller for delivering a quality product.

Loc 1279:  Now keep your eyes close until I say to open them ...

Correct to:  Now keep your eyes closed until I say to open them ...

Loc 3113:  I'm in need of two thorough background checks on a couple foreigners in Fresno.

More a Bug Bear for me, although it's colloquial dialogue, the use of couple rather than couples grates.

Happy reading.

Hugs

Kay  

#390 ~ All The Paths of Shadow

All the Paths of Shadow by Frank Tuttle

My rating: 3 of 5 stars





Published by:  Sizzling Lizzard Press
Genre:             Fantasy > Magic
Reading Rage: YA to Adult    



This Novel was one of my DSOA's from way back when .... oh okay, March this year, and I've finally found the time to read it.

For me this was a touch too boring, there seemed to very little action taking place until right towards the very, very end.

The actual plot line, it it had been snappier and with a few interesting twists worked in would have created really quite a nice piece of fiction, it just failed to perform.

On the bright side, the characterisation wasn't bad. I particularly loved Mug, Merelda's familiar, especially his little throw away dialogue here and there, he could in actual fact have carried the lead role, he was so well written.

I would be interested to see if Merelda and her Hang Cook got it together, and so would be tempted to read more, but with fingers crossed that the Author could pull off the promise that she showed.

All in all 3 Stars from me.  There were a few errors, as is all too often the case with ebooks, but I didn't deduct any points off for them (as always, you can see them in the Errors/Bug Bear section below).


Product Details:

As mentioned above this was one of my DSOA's back in March this year, but at the time of writing this Review it's listed HERE for £1.36 for the Kindle version and Paperback at £9.61.

In my personal opinion the Kindle price is respectable, but that's a whopping big tag for the paperback.


Errors/Bug Bears:

Page 132:  Suffice it say that Que-long is the ranking member of the delegation ...

Correct to:  Suffice to say that Que-long is the ranking member of the delegation ...

Page 133:  Chezin is to bear his sword wherever he will and no one shall challenge or attempt todisarm him on pain of the most direct and severe royal displeasure.

Correct to:  Chezin is to bear his sword wherever he will and no one shall challenge or attempt todisarm on him, on pain of the most direct and severe royal displeasure.

Page 214:  In casesomething happens to me.

Correct to:  In case something happens to me.

Page 229:  So put a bit of flash it in, if you will.

Correct to:  So put a bit of flash in it, if you will.

Page 381:  Oh.  The red crate on the north wall.  I'll want in that, too.

Correct to:  Oh.  The red crate on the north wall.  I'll want what's in that, too.

Page 393:  I didn't forget, by the way.  Had this special made for you.

Correct to:  I didn't forget, by the way.  Had this specially made for you.

Page 396:  Both of you will now go get a few hours sleep.

Bug bear, but I would love to see it corrected to:  Both of you will now go and get a few hours sleep.

#389 ~ Chemistry

Chemistry by Robert Hodgson

My rating: 5 of 5 stars





Publisher:      Indie Writer (Self-published)
Reading age: adult
Genre:          Fiction > Comedic Romance



Unfortunately I didn't win a copy of this book when it was on First Reads Scheme here at Good Reads, but I was then lucky enough for Robert, the Author, to offer me a free Kindle copy.  He was lovely enough let me feature it on the blog as one of my DSOA's.  Having said that, you will only ever get an honest review from me about a book whether it was free or not.  So eyes down:

I'm not really going to say too much about this one, other than .......... I loved it.

Really, really well written, with such a soulful main character. Bless his heart he was just rubbish with the ladies, but there again how many really intelligent men are like that? He actually reminded me of my very first boyfriend.

I spent the whole book willing the poor chap on, and was delighted with the ending of this hilariously funny read.

Well done to Robert for a great Novel, which was really intelligently written and well delivered. This Author is now definitely on my WTR list after this 5 star read.

I always try to be honest with you, and here's the kicker in all that nice mush stuff above, there were errors - as usual you can find a down and dirty list of the little horrors on my Blog Post Number #389 in October 2011.

On a positive note, I know that the Author did take note of previous errors mentioned on Amazon Reviews, so I am sure they will be cleared up in short order.


Product Details:

As I mentioned above, Robert had this on free download for a while, but now it's listed at £2.63 for the Kindle version and £7.08 for the paperback.  You can purchase it HERE.

Was it worth the money, you bet your best bib and tucker it was.


Errors/Bug Bears:

Page 27:  Her skin was flawless, perfect and her short fair framed a dazzlingly beautiful face.

Correct to:  Her skin was flawless, perfect and her short hair framed a dazzlingly beautiful face.

Page 50:  The university Union bar however was the perfect laboratory for observing experiment in human relationships.

Correct to:   The university Union bar however, was the perfect laboratory for observing experiments in human relationships.

Page 67:  I've suggested that he drops you a line in June when he graduates just in time for that for that fungal cream brief.

Correct to:   I've suggested that he drops you a line in June, when he graduates just in time for that for that fungal cream brief.

Page 69:  ....and the intimidating South African Calandra Le Roux, deputy MD to take her destined place at the helm.

Correct to:  ....and the intimidating South African, Calandra Le Roux, Deputy MD to take her destined place at the helm.

Page 127:  I am momentarily confused by this but remember that my BMW gas a bade on the back that says 330.

Correct to:   I am momentarily confused by this, but remember that my BMW has a bade on the back that says 330.

Page 165:  I'm really sorry if I've got you at a bad time Carol.  I really don't mean upset you.  Is there anything I can do to .......?

Correct to:  I'm so sorry if I've got you at a bad time Carol.  I really don't mean to upset you.  Is there anything I can do to .......?

Page 171:  I want to talk Francis, just about anything except him I doesn't matter.

Correct to:  I want to talk Francis, just about anything except him, I doesn't matter.

With this one above, I'm not really sure about his intention with the 'I doesn't matter', so it's difficult to know what to suggest the change should be - it just needs to be looked at by the Author and corrected appropriately.

Page 182:  In the end the pitch was attended by the agency's Head of Accounts, one of the creatives from each team and my number two who I spent couple of days cramming with information.

Correct to:  In the end the pitch was attended by the agency's Head of Accounts, one of the creatives from each team, and my number two whom I spent couple of days cramming with information.

Page 190:  I certainly don't need your fucking permission to do what the hell I want with who the hell I want.

Correct to:  I certainly don't need your fucking permission to do what the hell I want, with whom the hell I want.

Page 194:  Of course the planning of a dinner a party is for some people ....

Correct to:  Of course the planning of a dinner a party is for some people ....

Page 209:  And then well, I thought of her and gave her bell and she invited me round for tea.

Correct to:  And then well, I thought of her, and gave her a bell and she invited me round for tea.

Page 213:  That Olive oil look a little too viscous?

Correct to:  That Olive Oil looks a little too viscous?

Page 215:  A quick gland at my watched revealed we only had ten minutes to get back downstairs....

Correct to:  A quick gland at my watch revealed we only had ten minutes to get back downstairs....

Page 217:  Oh well it was actually Scott, Carol's husband who I first met ....

Correct to:  Oh well it was actually Scott, Carol's husband that I first met ....

Page 222:  We lay in quietly for a few moments and she was the first to break the silence.

Correct to:  We lay in quietly for a few moments and she was the first to break the silence.

Page 235:  .... to make one of the hardest toughest and materials known.

Correct to:   .... to make one of the hardest toughest and materials known.

Page 242:  Another couple approached the scene and Caden launched a tirade I their direction ....

Correct to:  Another couple approached the scene and Caden launched a tirade in their direction ....

Page 251:  ... sent me a kiss a bedtime, to begin the next part of our lives.

Correct to: ... sent me a kiss at bedtime, to begin the next part of our lives.

Page 260:  There was that look in her eye.  The look that silenced the school kids on the bus way back.

With this one, I'm not really sure about the Author's intention with the 'kids on the bus way back', so it's difficult to know what to suggest the change should be - it just needs to be looked at and corrected appropriately.

Page 264:  You've been droning on to me about going back up to Skye ever since I met you the Cullinders of whatever ....

Correct to:  You've been droning on to me about going back up to Skye ever since I met you, the Cullinders of whatever ....

Page 265:  Bollocks to that - bung me a hundred quid if it makes you feel better but I think that my friend is a plan.

Correct to:  Bollocks to that - bung me a hundred quid if it makes you feel better - but, I think that my friend, is a plan.

Page 275:  Now just hang on.  I don't think I've committed any offence by breaking down and having to change a tire and I don't believe that you have the right to just barge in on my property without some kind of permission.

Correct to:  Now just hang on.  I don't think I've committed any offence by breaking down and having to change a tyre and I don't believe that you have the right to just barge in on my property without some kind of permission.

Page 277:  By 4.15 am I was back at the van which by then had been moved the additional hundreds yards which had proved so costly.

Correct to:  By 4.15 am I was back at the van which by then had been moved the additional hundred or so yards which had proved so costly.

Page 278:  .... we stopped the car, the sun broke through ....

Car?  should it not be van.  Correct to:   .... we stopped the van, the sun broke through ....

Page 288:  ... or drive the bloody thing onto a wall or get arrested and chucked in cell or ....

Correct to:  ... or drive the bloody thing onto a wall, or get arrested and chucked in a cell, or ....

Page 305:  Let's call it an emergency pre-dinner drink and that means in can be gin rather than wine.

Correct to:  Let's call it an emergency pre-dinner drink, and that means it can be gin rather than wine.

Page 314:  .... the horoscopes and the weather predicting twigs.  It was just a way try to make sense of the world ....

Correct to:   .... the horoscopes and the weather predicting twigs.  It was just a way to try to make sense of the world ....

Happy reading.

Hugs

Kay

#388 ~ On Dark Shores: The Lady

On Dark Shores: The Lady by J.A. Clement

My rating: 4 of 5 stars




Book #1 of the Series



This was one of my DSOA selections back in March 2013.

I'm not sure what I was expecting with this one, as I've never read anything by this Author before, but was very nicely surprised by the content.

It seemed to have two very distinctive styles within the whole body of work, but they are nice juxtapositions, and worked really well together.

As a prelude to a series, it is clearly pays off, and I am not itching to to read the rest of this well paced Novella with excellent characterisations and writing. There is a great textural feel to it towards the darkness of Copeland to the inherent goodness and light of Nereia and her Sister Mary.

4 stars from me - I highly recommend you give it a whirl.


Product Details:

As I said at the start of this post, this was one of my DSOA's, and I am really pleased that it's proved a worthy choice.

At the time of writing it's still available for free HERE, which is unbelieveable for such a good piece of writing, but hey ho, get in quick before they change their mind if you didn't get it in March.

I will add the details for the whole series in the Review by Series page at the top of the blog as soon as possible.


Errors/Bug Bears

As far as Errors/Bug Bears were concerned, there weren't any, which is always the sign of an excellently delivered product, giving not only good storylines but value for money.

Happy Reading.

Hugs

Kay

#387 ~ The Universe is a Very Big Place

The Universe Is a Very Big Place by April Aasheim

My rating: 5 of 5 stars




Published by:  Dark Root Press
Reading Age:  Adult
Genre:           Fiction, Contemporary, Romance




I was very kindly provided with a copy of this book via the First Reads Scheme at Good Reads (which is part of the Amazon family) in return for an honest review.

Beautifully written with some of the most fabulous and engaging characters I've had the pleasure to read in a very long time, it was simply a really, really great read .... and I loved every moment of it.

To sum it up with an alliteration, it was practically perfect paraphrasing throughout.

The Author has a way with her, and I'm not surprised that the motivational elements for Spring Ryan were spot on when I read her Biography. I don't want to give any spoilers, so read it and then read April's Bio.

The one thing that I didn't like was the cover image, which I felt down-graded the actual quality of the writing. Yes, I know that one shouldn't judge a book by the cover, but for me it was a little of the childish side, rather than what I think they were aiming for, which was Hippiesque.

Please, please don't let the cover put you off, it was very well written other than that.

I would love to read other things by April in the future.


Product Details:

You can download, or purchase a hard copy, HERE.  Incidentally, the Amazon cover is a much better design in my opinion.


Errors/Bug Bears:

Not one, Kudos to April for a fabulous product.


Happy Reading.

Hugs

Kay

My Daily (not quite) Selection for Free Kindle Download at Amazon

Okay, I'm sorry .... I know that the selections have been nothing like daily recently, but I thought I would share this one with you, whilst it's on free download HERE.  This is Book #1 in the Series, and Book #2 has now been released, which is called Script Kiddie.

Now for the description bit for this book:

You can learn a lot about someone looking through their hard drive ...

Sixteen-year-old Jan Rose knows that nothing is ever truly deleted. At least, not from the hard drives she scours to create the online identities she calls the Shadownet.

Hobby? Art form? Sad, pathetic plea to garner friendship, even virtually? Sure, Jan is guilty on all counts. Maybe she’s even addicted to it. It’s an exploration. Everyone has something to hide. The Shadownet’s hard drives are Jan’s secrets. They're stolen from her family’s computer recycling business Assured Destruction. If the police found out, Jan’s family would lose its livelihood.

When the real people behind Shadownet’s hard drives endure vicious cyber attacks, Jan realizes she is responsible. She doesn’t know who is targeting these people or why, but as her life collapses Jan must use all her tech savvy to bring the perpetrators to justice before she becomes the next victim.

Support the Author, Michael Stewart and download a copy now.

Apologies for the scrappy nature of this post, but I'm busy trying to do my homework and work on the plan for my first Controlled Assessment.

Hugs

Kay

#386 - The OneYou Love

The One You Love by Paul Pilkington

My rating: 5 of 5 stars




Book # 1 in the Emma Holden Mystery Trilogy




Originally, this book was featured as a DSOA on my Blog (if you are unsure of the acronym for DSOA, all will become clear if you read the blog!). Apart from the nice image of Tower Bridge as the cover image, the only thing that really grabbed my was the mention of "Emma Holden". Now, I have a friend called exactly that, so I decided I would download it whilst it was free, what did I have to loose?

Turns out I had a good deal to gain ....... and proves that you should never be hidebound in your choice of reading material by genre. Put simply, I LOVED IT. Just the right amount, of jeopardy, suspense and mystery. Perfectly paced plot and characterisation.

In other words, for me this was classified as a "not able to put downer".

A big fat 5 stars from me for this home-grown Author, just growing to prove that there are Indie Writers out there of the highest standard.

I love Mr Pilkington's style, and I was left wanting more, oh so much more from the story line .... I hesitate here to say too much, as I am keen not to add spoilers. Suffice to say, I can't wait to download the rest of the series (willingly paying for them) and also any other work he has produced.

Kudos should go to him for a quality product, I only found two things wrong, one of which was a bug bear. As usual, you can see my comments on these on my Blog Post #386 in October 2013 on the Toodles Book Club Blog.


Product Details:

Book 1 in the Emma Holden Myster Triology.  You will find details of his work in the Review by Series Page at the top of the blog.

As mentioned at the top of this post, it was a DSOA freebie at the time, at the time of writing though it's available ridiculously still as a freebie.  Run like merry hell and grab a copy HERE before he changes his mind.  Incidentally, currently it has near 2,000 Reviews and 4 stars, so clearly I am not the only one who loved it.

If you would like to find out more about Paul, the visit his Website HERE.

Please also visit his Facebook page HERE and give him some feedback and a bit of love in the way of a "like".



Errors/Bug Bears:

The first was just a bug bear really, at Page 11 the use of 'downtown London', made me think he was an American, and not home grown talent.  Obviously, I am a really old bird and maybe the phrase is commonly used in the UK by the younger peeps.

Page 125: 'That's not fair,' he said, suddenly filling up.  'It was your mother who promised me not to tell you both'.

I could be wrong, but I think the Author's intention was to convey that the mother had made the father promise not to tell them.  I could be wrong though, and would be interested in feedback from Paul on this one.

Apart from that it was a quality product.

Happy reading.

Hugs

Kay

#385 ~ The Sweetest Revenge

The Sweetest Revenge by Dawn Halliday

My rating: 3 of 5 stars







For me it was just an okay'ish read .... not mind blowing. Which is a shame really as the description held just a bit more promise than the actual delivery.

Don't get me wrong, I didn't hate it .... and I'll just have to put it down as the fact that the undefinable je ne sais quoi was missing for me.

As always, I would encourage you to read it (obviously if you are into historical fiction, if you're a horror fan or something other, then just ignore that remark).

There were a few errors picked up, but not many, which I will detail below in the Errors/Bug bears section, but that wasn't the reason it got just 3 stars from me. 

If you could bottle the catalyst that turns it from okay to great sometimes for a particular reader, you'd be onto a fortune from willing writers'.


Product Details:

This was one of my DSOA picks back in March this year when it was available as a free Kindle download.  At the time of writing this Review though it is available for 77p HERE.


Errors/Bug Bears:

Loc 48:  Not that he had ever spent much time at the seat of his earldom.

I believe that it should be a leading capital letter, so correct to: Earldom.

Loc 1467:  I must go prepare.

Typical American grammar, and by now you will probably have guessed that I hate to see it in an historical context, so it should be corrected to:  

I must go and prepare.

Loc 1645:  She turned on her heel and leave.

Correct to:

She turned on her heel and left.

Loc 1804:  His second day, he'd gone grouse hunting with the other men and hadn't seen her until dinner.

This is a bug bear, and American authors' please take note.  Grouse are found on Heather Moorland, there is no Heather Moorland in Peterborough, so it should be just shooting.

Loc 4152:  He managed to tell Jenkins to have the ladies wait in the drawing room.

Uck, such a badly written sentence.  Try changing it to something along the lines of:

He managed to tell Jenkins to request that the ladies wait in the Drawing Room.

Happy reading.

Hugs

Kay

#384 ~ Of Mice and Men: York Notes

Of Mice and Men: York Notes for GCSE by Martin Stephen

My rating: 4 of 5 stars





It's simple no nonsense advise to help you go from a C grade to B or above.

It's all about manipulating and massaging the way you write to get the better grade, given of course that you actually understood it in the first place.

For what it's worth, and only in my humble opinion, essential reading if you are studying OMAM at GCSE level to give you a bit of a leg up.

I decided that the Kindle version was good enough for my purposes, but there could be a valid argument to having an actual hard copy book for this too - it really depends on what you feel more comfortable with when studying.

I like the fact that I can highlight relevant bits, and obviously it's cheaper than the little sticky note markers ..... incidentally, I used a ton of them in my actual OMAM book just marking the salient points for Curley's Wife ready for my controlled assessment!

I gave this 4 stars, as in reality it could have gone a little deeper to explain how to go about bagging an A* in greater depth.

You can purchase a copy HERE.

Happy reading.

Hugs

Kay

#383 ~ Of Mice and Men

Of Mice and Men by John Steinbeck

My rating: 5 of 5 stars







I have to admit to this book being my Nemesis, it was the book that put me off all those years ago doing 'O' Level English Literature ... and it has been the book that I've hated the most since that tender age of 16.

Quite by chance earlier this year I had a discussion with my Daughter about the standard of GCSE teaching, and Examination. She said it was hard and I maintained that it was easy - so a challenge from her ensued and I before I knew it I'd been signed up to take my GCSE English as a very immature student!

You can therefore imagine my horror when it was revealed in a big TAH DAH!!!! moment by the Tutor that this book was going to form one of my Controlled Assessment pieces - oh crikey, I was dreading it.

I'm happy to report though that not only has the standard tuition improved vastly since my long ago days at School, but having read it about four or five times now, and gone over every nuance with the Tutor .... I've actually come to appreciate the standard of writing. Steinbeck was certainly on his 'A' game when he wrote it. I was also to astonished it wasn't the tome akin to War and Peace I had remembered, but a Novella.

I hate to admit this but a big fat 5 Stars from me, and a recommendation to try it again if you only studied it as a child all those years ago.

As for the exam, the course work is proving to be challenging, but I am determined to get an A* grade ... maybe that this a dim hope, but I won't be let down by lack of work to prove to my scoffing Daughter that there is life in the old girl yet. I'm also putting Grapes of Wrath and other Steinbeck on my WTR list!


Product Details:

Seriously, give this book a go, and don't be like me and let childhood prejudice get in the way of enjoying a true classic.  Also, take the challenge and up date your Qualifications if you have time, it's proving really enjoyable.

If you fancy giving this Classic a go, then you can purchase it HERE.


Errors/Bug Bears:

Unsurprisingly, there were none.



I will update John Steinbeck on my Authors page, but it might be in a few days time, as I am currently converting that to a list.ly file for ease of use - it seems to be working out really well for the Reviewed and Waiting for Review Lists.

Whilst I think about it, I am also in the process of setting up a wordpress blog for the Toodles Book Club, as it is more user friendly for book blogs, and you can get list.ly and other really cool book blog specific plug ins.  It won't be going live for a good while yet though.


Happy reading.

Hugs

Kay