Chuckles Challenge Update-January

OK here is my first update of the year on how all my challenges are going so far. My aim is to ensure I make progress on each of them, however little that is, every month of the year. I don't expect to complete them all, but a nice dent in each one will be good!

My Goodreads Reading Challenge 
Read: 25/200
DNF:  5
DNS:  3
Total: 33
Verdict- Good start which I'm happy with.

Horror Writers Challenge
Read: 2/24
Camp Blaze by Jon Athan 
Money Back Guarantee by Hunter Shea
Verdict-Getting two done is par for what I need each month to complete the challenge. OK.

Series Catch Up
Read: 7
Ist 6 Kitty Norville books by Carrie Vaughn
A Dance With Dragons part 1 by George RR Martin
Verdict-Happy to get 6 of one series done but need to keep pushing on this challenge.

Get 'Em Orf My Bookshelves!
Read: 5/40
Master and Apprentice by Sonya Bateman
Rebel Radio by Boyd Craven
Cannibal Creek by Jon Athan 
When the Power is Gone/When the Peace is Gone by PA Glaspy
Verdict-Pleased to get five read. Will get a few done next month in Puppy Love Challenge.

E Book Blitz
16/100
Read: 8
DNF:  5
DNS:  3
Verdict-More effort required on this one! I'm lagging a bit...

Stats Breakdown:

Male Authors: read-12, DNF-5
Female Authors: read-13, DNF-0
DNS: 3 (all male)

Star Ratings: (includes DNF)
1 star:    2
2 star:    5
2.5 star: 1
3 star:    7
3.5 star: 1
4 star:    10
5 star:    4

Genres: (read only)
NF: 5
UF: 9
Horror: 3
Apocalypse: 5
Zombie: 2
Fantasy: 1

Publishing: (read only)
Indie: 11
Big: 14 

Pages: (read only)
0-99: 5
100-199: 5
200-299: 8
300-399: 5
400+: 2

Can't Wait Wednesday-Mark Wandrey

Can't Wait Wednesday is a weekly meme hosted at http://www.wishfulendings.com/ to spotlight and discuss books we're excited about but haven't read, which may not even be released yet. 

NB: I don't follow or leave comments on blogs run by Google Plus, or DISQUS as I refuse to join something just to leave comments, and I won't allow them to follow new people, update my profile or post tweets 'on my behalf'. I won't comment on any blog that makes me sign in using another account.   

They say it came from the night sky.

Streaks of light have crashed from the heavens, but they’re not angels or demons. They’ve brought something far, far worse. Something that turns people into mindless, cannibalistic monsters.

The flashpoint is Texas. A reporter follows her story of unspeakable horror south of the border. A wounded fighter pilot finally gets his chance to return to duty, only to find himself forced into a recon mission that the government has strictly forbidden. A billionaire with dreams of space is watching those dreams turn to ash when he discovers what could only be a crashed alien spacecraft. A brilliant geneticist conducting outlawed research comes face to face with a nightmare that is consuming the world faster than anyone can comprehend.

There's no time to stop the outbreak. This is A Time to Die. 

This edition featured is the first edition but a new release with new cover is the second edition and it is came out on December 12th 2017 so I hope to grab a sample! 

Book Review: Chicago Fell First by Aaron Smith

After Brandon sees his mother save her water-logged cell phone in a bag of rice, he tries the same when he finds his little brother blue in the bathtub. At first he believes his brother is dead - no breath, bluish skin - but when his mother returns home and he opens his eyes, they rush him to the hospital where he stays overnight for observation. A night nurse checks on the boy to find him sitting up in bed. Everything seems fine until that first bite...

One medical student braves the chaos to search for a cure...One former captain tries to right the wrongs of his past...One serial killer in the making sees it as a chance to release his dark yearning...

NOTE: Contains violence, sexual situations and adult language.

My Review: 
Brandon's mother saves her waterlogged phone by putting it into a bag of rice and later he sees her using it again. When he finds his little brother Joseph drowning in the bath, Brandon rushes to the shops for rice to try and save him too. His frantic mother comes home and seems to revive Joseph but Brandon feels the room go cold and sees something go into his brother. Even at the hospital as Joseph looks physically fine, his family sense something is wrong with him. And then he bites his nurse who is sent home and kills several people. And their bodies rise from the hospital morgue...

The actual concept of the zombie apocalypse being somehow linked to a dying boy being coated in rice in the bath is certainly a bit odd, and it isn't explained. If the rice sucked the water out of him in the way it did with the phone, he'd have been a dried up dead husk. So what happened? What was the thing slithering into him? How has this all turned him into a deadly zombie? Was it a zombie rice monster? I didn't get it and I couldn't even start to guess but either way I didn't believe in it. If you don't believe in how the apocalypse starts, that is a bit of an issue.

Putting that aside, there are several POVs in this book. There is the nurse Danielle who is working on the same floor and tries to comfort Brandon's mother and agrees to look after Brandon if anything happens to her and ex husband Harold who are trying to stop Joseph from doing any more damage. It's a promise she might have to keep. I liked Danielle and her flatmateClaire and that POV is quite interesting. A police chaplain who is former military has seen this before and is willing to go to any lengths to get onto the front line and stop the apocalypse. There wasn't enough about his story in the section of this book that I read to really hold an opinion on his story, which I assume becomes clearer as the book moves on.

However the third POV is the one that I had trouble with. Doug is an individual who knows he is sick and different. He is fascinated by how things work whether it is machinery or the human body. He is constantly fighting the urge to dissect a human to explore this for himself but his control is gradually slipping. As the apocalypse slips he is in a small town fixing a video game and is struggling not to kill the young waitress Kasey who wants to go out with him. I found this strand quite dull. It is endlessly going over his fascinations, the details of machinery and anatomy, the confusing muddled struggle with himself over dating or killing Kasey. I just didn't like it. I was more interested in what was happening to Brandon, Claire and Danielle.

This book has a bit of potential if you put aside the zombie rice monster thing. For me personally it was the Doug story that really switched me off. Every time the story switched to him I lost interest and wanted to skip past his chapters. I decided that if I'm skipping parts I might as well DNF it.

Read January 2018
DNF-2 stars

Top Ten Tuesday-Inspired By...

Top Ten Tuesday was created by The Broke and the Bookish in June of 2010 and was moved to That Artsy Reader Girl in January of 2018. It was born of a love of lists, a love of books, and a desire to bring bookish friends together. http://www.thatartsyreadergirl.com/top-ten-tuesday/

This week's topic is Books I can't believe I read, which doesn't suit me as I read what I want to read and my choices don't shock me! My topic is going to be Inspired by...meaning a book that inspired me to love a genre or theme.

1) Jon Krakauer-Into Thin Air 
I read this true story of the Everest disaster in 1996 for a book challenge about mountains and I liked it so much that I started devouring non fiction about high mountain climbing expeditions. 
https://www.goodreads.com/book/show/1898.Into_Thin_Air 

2) Kelley Armstrong-Stolen (WOTO #2)
I stumbled across Goodreads while looking for vampire and werewolf books online, and heard the term 'urban fantasy'. The first I read under this genre was Kelley Armstrong and then suddenly I had to grab many more! Had to read #2 first as it was all the library had!  
https://www.goodreads.com/book/show/910154.Stolen

3) Stephen King-It 
Being introduced to Stephen King when I was young was a game changer! No more books about horses and teen detectives, it was killer clowns and monsters! My all-time favourite book, it made me love horror.
https://www.goodreads.com/book/show/830502.It 

4) John Marsden-Tomorrow when the war began
It wasn't the first apocalypse book I read but it was the first fast paced, tension filled one I loved and it made me want to read more. I liked these action and tension books where there is always something happening. 
https://www.goodreads.com/book/show/71865.Tomorrow_When_the_War_Began 

5) Franklin Horton-Borrowed World
I read this the same week I found Darrell Maloney. This was my first 'prepper on a dangerous journey home while family try to cope with the dangers at home' book and I loved it! The switch from following one to the other keeps the tension high.
https://www.goodreads.com/book/show/25470417-the-borrowed-world 

6) Philippa Gregory-The Other Boleyn Girl
A bookcrossing rec that had more romance and scandal than my usual books but I fell in love with this Tudor world and now I can't get enough of Henry VIII and his wives and Court. It's weird that romance in this genre is something I like!
https://www.goodreads.com/book/show/37470.The_Other_Boleyn_Girl

7) Alastair Campbell-The Blair Years
I've always been interested in politics but reading extracts from these political diaries was really interesting. It led me to start reading memoirs and diaries of political figures in the UK and US on all sides. 
https://www.goodreads.com/book/show/1515263.The_Blair_Years 

8) ZA Recht-Plague of the Dead
Zombies always fascinated me but discovering this book led me to fast paced zombie horror with gore, death and scary stuff! It was a whole new zombie experience and has led me to lots of wonderful new books and authors!
https://www.goodreads.com/book/show/46723.Plague_of_the_Dead 

9) Michael Crichton-Jurassic Park
This was my first dinosaur book, read after the film and it awoke my childhood love of dinosaurs. Now I try to read all kinds of books with rampaging dinosaurs and lost islands and it is something I enjoy.
https://www.goodreads.com/book/show/12596223-jurassic-park 

10) Darrell Maloney-Alone
This was the first book about an EMP that I ever read and it really opened my eyes to what it was going to be like if the power grid failed. It frightened but fascinated me. Now I can't get enough of reading about EMP disasters! 
https://www.goodreads.com/book/show/22448206-facing-armageddon 

Book Review: Lights Out in America's Dairyland by Victor Marbury

After A devastating EMP event. Ben, a dedicated prepper and police officer is caught away from his home and supplies when a naturally generated EMP knocks out the world-wide electrical grid and all unprotected electronics. With the help of his new friends, Simone, Robert, and Mitch, Ben tries makes his way back to Milwaukee and his extensive stockpile. During the ride, Ben and company will encounter new friends, enemies and an old nemesis from the past who harbors a grudge from years before.

Before the EMP hits, Ben is on a police bike riding course where the instructor Gary is determined to fail him for no other reason than deciding he dislikes him. Forced unfairly to take the test again, Ben is with fellow rider Simone when the EMP hits and a runaway truck kills Gary and another cop. Ben, Simone and Robert decide to stay together and head home, but self appointed leader of the rest of the group Judy (who fancied Gary) attempts to stop them, making them stay. When this doesn't work she then demands they hand over Ben's supplies and weapons. She even pouts, yells and stamps her foot when Ben decides to ignore her and they leave her and her other cop cronies to their own fates.

At the same time, the EMP has the President and his people headed onto the underground train along with his Congress of Horrors. The Speaker is plotting to murder anyone at the safe bunker that tries to stop her getting control of the President and ruling him, thinking up some accidents that could occur. The weak pathetic President is being yelled at by his foul mouthed harpy of a wife. Meanwhile we find out that the idiot President cut funding for maintaining the tracks of the railway and nobody bothered to check it before they left, so when the train hits a weak spot at top speed, a crash occurs and everyone on it is suddenly killed. How convenient! And why exactly were all of the line of succession to the Presidency all travelling together in one train, hmm? 

Between evil bike man Gary, pouting foot stamping Judy and the cast of Wacky Races on the train, I did a lot of eye rolling as the first part of this book progressed. Ben himself had a habit of preaching to rather than just explaining all his thoughts about survival as they went along but at least this group of three were tolerable. The best characters were prepper shopkeeper Mitch and his loyal dog Rommel, who joins with them after raiders try to take his property from him. They pack up and leave in the direction of the homes of Ben and his friends. After proceeding through a roadblock set up by the people of the town, they can rest for a bit.

It was in the town that I lost patience with the book. There was the evil cult who had brainwashed dumb women into becoming whores and spies for their warrior men who were looting all around the area. The problem was that the male leaders felt like more Wacky Races bad guys and I couldn't take them seriously. Meanwhile the spy, despite everyone thinking she was a spy, is allowed to roam free and kill someone before being caught. Meanwhile Ben fancies the female top cop and gets laid. Of course he does. I lost interest here. 

The characters just never felt like real people to me. They were cardboard cutouts and total cliches, with Mitch being the one character that I really liked, along with his loyal dog. But even wanting to know what happened to them didn't keep my attention enough to want to enter the second part of the book. Having a female chief was great...until she of course had to have sex with our intrepid hero. It was just annoying. The whole treatment of the spy made no sense. When someone new arrives claiming to have escaped the bad guys you are fighting with, you can't just let her wander about to guage your strength and weapons! You contain her until she is checked out!

I just wanted Rommel to eat most of them...

Read January 2018
DNF-1 stars

Around The Blogs With Chuckles

We all enjoy snooping and lurking on other people's blogs right? Why not share those entertaining things you found with other readers and bloggers too! Welcome to Around the Blogs with Chuckles, where I take time out to show you some of my favourite blog posts from the previous seven days and link you up so you can check them out. 

This Week! Greg gets two posts! *waves*

1) 12 Home Remedies For Coughs 
Look to natural remedies from your cupboard instead of expensive pharmacy buys
https://commonsensehome.com/home-remedies-for-cough/ 

2) Does Your Personality Shine Through On Your Blog?
Greg looks at whether we are the same person online
http://gregsbookhaven.blogspot.co.uk/2018/01/does-your-personality-shine-through-on.html 

3) Things Are Getting Worse Not Better
The Daily Sheeple looks at a reduction in your rights under current President
http://www.thedailysheeple.com/things-are-getting-worse-not-better-round-ups-checkpoints-and-national-id-cards_012018 

4) Treating Cracked Dry Dog Paws With Home Remedy
Look after the paws of your furry friend!
https://thehomesteadsurvival.com/cracked-dry-dog-paws-lickable-balm-recipe/ 

5) Book Review-The River at Night by Erica Ferencik
Four women have to survive in the wild with unfriendly people lurking...
http://gregsbookhaven.blogspot.co.uk/2018/01/the-river-at-night.html 

6) Book Review-Apart In The Dark by Ania Ahlborn
Who doesn't like some horror on a cold winter night!
https://bibliosanctum.com/2018/01/29/book-review-apart-in-the-dark-by-ania-ahlborn/ 

7) Book Review-The Chalk Man by CJ Tudor
Barb takes a look at a book getting some hype...
http://bookertsfarm.blogspot.co.uk/2018/01/when-will-i-ever-learn-chalk-man-review.html

Prepping With Chuckles #4 Winter Car Journeys

This week I'm going to look at Winter Car Journeys, meaning how to ensure that you are ready to cope should your car break down on a cold winter day.

You know what is has been like this winter...the commute to work in slippery conditions, freezing cold as you drop the kids off, frostbitten fingers as you fill up the car...yes winter is not a lot of fun for the motorist, especially if the car heater takes an eternity to heat your frozen limbs! We take the car for granted, knowing it will get us safely to our destination in bad weather but do we really think about what can stop that journey?

-getting stuck in unexpected roadworks
-car accident causing tailbacks and delays
-your car breaks down or you are stranded

On a normal day, none of these things are a disaster but in winter they can be very serious. Imagine there has been an accident ahead of you due to snow or a sudden blizzard traps everyone in place as the road is closed and you are stuck in a long queue that is moving nowhere at all. You are going to have to wait until the emergency vehicles get there and clear the area. If you don't have a full petrol tank, you won't be able to keep your car heater running and within minutes you are going to be cold. It works the same if your car breaks down and roadside assistance is busy with numerous accidents due to the weather. They'll get to you but it could be a wait of a few hours. Are you equipped for that? 

What do you need to have in your car?

1-full tank of petrol so you can sparingly run the heater if a long wait occurs and still have enough in the tank to get home.
2-warm blankets or very warm jackets to keep you heated. Your legs can get very cold
3-thermos flask of hot drinks for everyone travelling, or one with a hot drink and one with heated water for use with a self heating meal
4-food to keep your energy levels up and keep your system going. It can be MREs you eat cold, high energy snack foods from BOB or self heating meals
5-money (you might be lucky and near where you can buy what you need) 
6-self heating meals and water to make them
https://www.openhouseproducts.com/just-add-water-science-behind-self-heating-meals/ 
7-if you have BOB (Bug Out Bag) you will have plenty to snack on and drink
8-salt or grit to help get out of a build up of snow to get you moving and a shovel
9-de-icer and a scraper to get your car ready to move

Other tips for digging your car out.
Whether you are at home or work, there may be a time when you have to dig your car out of excess snow. Here are a few handy tips...

-dig snow from tailpipe/exhaust FIRST to avoid a buildup of carbon monoxide 
-if appropriate use snow tires or snow chains
-turn off traction control before switching engine on and dig your car out (see link)
https://www.lesschwab.com/learn/article/what-to-do-when-your-car-is-stuck-in-snow 

Further reading:

http://readynutrition.com/resources/6-critical-tips-you-need-to-know-in-order-to-survive-being-stranded-in-your-car-in-freezing-temperatures_06012018/ 

http://prepperswill.com/10-ways-keep-car-becoming-trapped-snow/ 

Chuckles Cover Love #61

If there is one thing that makes a great book even better, it is when it has a cover that we love! The cover design is what catches the eye as we browse through a bookstore shelf or check out the Amazon or Goodreads recommendations. The right cover makes me look closer at a book, to read the blurb and maybe make a purchase. A poor cover might mean I never look at the blurb at all.

NB: I don't follow or leave comments on blogs run by Google Plus, or DISQUS as I refuse to join something just to leave comments, and I won't allow them to follow new people, update my profile or post tweets 'on my behalf'. I won't comment on any blog that makes me sign in using another account.  

This Week...S Jae Jones

I don't have any plans to read them but I love that book two cover!

Chuckles Weekend Roundup

Welcome to my new feature Chuckles Weekend Roundup where I will be looking at what books I've received, anything interesting I've done or bought or watched and other random stuff. I'll be taking a look back at what happened in my blogging world too, sort of like The Sunday Post that some of you do! 

Please note that I'll be visiting your STS/SP as normal, but I don't follow or leave comments on blogs run by Google Plus, or DISQUS as I refuse to join something just to leave comments, and I won't allow DISQUS to follow new people, update my profile or post tweets 'on my behalf'. I am the only one who does that on my social media! I won't comment on any blog that makes me sign in using another account. Sometimes, I have problems leaving messages on blogs hosted by Wordpress-they try to block me because I deleted my account with them but I will persevere as it only happens the odd time!

****************

It's nearly the end of January and I'm preparing my end of month posts. I can't believe that time is moving so fast. It won't be long now until the start of the Winter Olympics and I hope the coverage has improved from the last one. I've cracked open my alternate health book and I'm trying to find natural treatments for all the ailments my dad and I have! That'll be a new hobby...eventually I'd like my own herb garden for cooking and medicine but it is taking a while to get myself motivated. I'm also trying to face my terror and go to the dentist for the first time in about 15 years-I'm not looking forward to it but I'm sick of the toothache. We had also booked a holiday cabin for later in the year so I could explore the York area but it got cancelled yesterday which was a complete bummer. It doesn't look like we'll be able to book a replacement so no holiday for Chuckles this year.

On the reading side of things I've had a decent enough week and I want to get a few more books in before the end of the month. I have a few short apocalypse books that I have my eye on. I found a nice fun horror writer in Jon Athan for my serving of gore which kept me happy. I went mad and bought a ton of Kindle books but they were on sale so that isn't too bad. I've also downloaded a lot of samples which I'll be getting to over next month. Reading is going fine so far and there is progress on most of the challenges! That in itself is keeping my happy!  

DOWNLOADS:

https://www.goodreads.com/book/show/35113320-sharkwater-beach

https://www.goodreads.com/book/show/36595101-fire-and-fury

https://www.goodreads.com/book/show/35276688-devil-s-bargain 

https://www.goodreads.com/book/show/35377070-madness-at-madison-mall
https://www.goodreads.com/book/show/34108605-zombie-road 
https://www.goodreads.com/book/show/36138185-titanoboa 

PAPERBACKS:

https://www.goodreads.com/book/show/32066504-silence-fallen
https://www.goodreads.com/book/show/198686.The_Plague_Tales 
https://www.goodreads.com/book/show/34209846-six-tudor-queens

Gifts from Dad!
Game of Thrones stamps in presentation case with map!

 

Chuckles Blogging World
I kept up to date with answering comments on my blog and visiting as many posts around the blogs as I could but I still feel I'm not managing my time properly. I'm 5 weeks ahead in most of my regular posts except the prepping and Chuckles Chat, which I need to do some work on today. I'm still happy with where I am though.

Book Reviews 
Got a few done from reading I did this month but I need to get the Game of Thrones books I read last year reviewed. I wrote so many notes that it'll take me ages to plough through them to write the reviews!

Boyd Craven-The World Burns (World Burns #1)
http://chucklesbookcave.blogspot.co.uk/2018/01/chuckles-retro-reads-world-burns-by.html 

Boyd Craven-Rebel Radio (World Burns #5.5)
http://chucklesbookcave.blogspot.co.uk/2018/01/book-review-rebel-radio-by-boyd-craven.html

Boyd Craven-The World Counters (World Burns #10)
http://chucklesbookcave.blogspot.co.uk/2018/01/book-review-world-counters-by-boyd.html

Boyd Craven-Hope of the World (World Burns #11)
http://chucklesbookcave.blogspot.co.uk/2018/01/book-review-hope-of-world-by-boyd.html

Jon Athan-Camp Blaze
http://chucklesbookcave.blogspot.co.uk/2018/01/book-review-camp-blaze-by-jon-athan.html 

Regular Posts 
This week I looked at some potential buys in Chuckles Goes Sampling and went Around The Blogs to find some interesting posts to share. Cover Love was about Simone Pond, Top Ten Tuesday was Liked But Don't Remember and Can't Wait Wednesday was some apocalypse fun with Joe Russell.

 Chuckles Cover Love
http://chucklesbookcave.blogspot.co.uk/2018/01/chuckles-cover-love-60.html

Chuckles Goes Sampling
http://chucklesbookcave.blogspot.co.uk/2018/01/chuckles-goes-sampling_21.html 

Around The Blogs With Chuckles
http://chucklesbookcave.blogspot.co.uk/2018/01/around-blogs-with-chuckles_22.html

Top Ten Tuesday
http://chucklesbookcave.blogspot.co.uk/2018/01/top-ten-tuesday-liked-but-forgot.html 

Can't Wait Wednesday
http://chucklesbookcave.blogspot.co.uk/2018/01/cant-wait-wednesday-joe-russell.html

Discussion Posts 
Prepping With Chuckles looked at the importance of having a Get Home Plan in an emergency, Chuckles Chat was Film Reboots and Game of Thrones Gossip goes to Yunkai with Dany!

Prepping With Chuckles
http://chucklesbookcave.blogspot.co.uk/2018/01/prepping-with-chuckles-3-having-get.html 

Chuckles Chat
http://chucklesbookcave.blogspot.co.uk/2018/01/chuckles-chat-53-film-reboots.html 

Game of Thrones Gossip
http://chucklesbookcave.blogspot.co.uk/2018/01/game-of-thrones-gossip-52-yunkai.html

Film Reviews 
none this week

Special Posts 
none this week

Book Tags/Blog Awards 
none this week

 Book Challenge Updates

My Goodreads Challenge-19/200

TBR books I own but haven't read-847

Currently Reading/Up Next 
 I've just started a new EMP book by PA Glaspy called When The Power Is Gone and if I like it I might read the sequel straight after. I'm also starting the fifth Kitty Norville book by Carrie Vaughn and then I have a few ebooks to tackle to finish the month.

Next Week at The Book Cave
I'm not sure if I'll manage to get a sampling post done this weekend as I have a lot of reading to do to end the month but I will be going Around The Blogs as usual. Prepping With Chuckles will be taking a look at Winter Car Journeys, Cover Love features S Jae Jones, Top Ten Tuesday is Inspired By, Can't Wait Wednesday features Mark Wandrey, Chuckles Chat is about 3 Star Ratings and Game of Thrones Gossip is about Sansa Stark and her season three disasters.

FOLLOW ME:

https://www.bloglovin.com/blogs/chuckles-book-cave-9910183 
https://www.goodreads.com/user/show/3426724-chucklesthescot 
https://twitter.com/chucklesthescot 
https://www.pinterest.co.uk/chucklesthescot/

 

Book Review: Camp Blaze by Jon Athan

At Camp Blaze—a camp with a history of tragedy and murder—a group of counselors are stalked and slaughtered by a masked killer. Due to the missing bodies, the murders are brushed off as 'disappearances.' Lead senior counselor Regina Park, however, begins to suspect foul play. As the body count rises, Regina and her peers begin to suspect everyone in their fight for survival...

Jon Athan, the author of Butcher Road and Bad Appetites, invites you to spend a horrifying night at Camp Blaze in this brutal throwback to classic slashers...

WARNING: This book contains scenes of graphic violence. This book is not intended for those easily offended or appalled. Please enjoy at your own discretion.

My Review: 
When Regina last sees Taylor and Carol, they are sneaking off into the woods together. The next day they are gone and other camp counsellors are also starting to vanish. The camp owner is concerned and wonders about closing the camp and sending the kids home, and the police can find no trace of any bodies or serial killer. With mistrust rising amongst the remaining staff, night falls and hell is about to be unleashed again on Camp Blaze.

Camp Blaze has a very bloody history, which begs the question WHY would anyone open it up again. 13 years ago, a group of camp counsellors were murdered and nobody was caught. Prior to that, a young boy called Ash was kidnapped and tortured to death in a cult killing. Now a shady figure is lurking in the dark again, sights trained firmly on the counsellors and taking the chance to start picking them off as they stray into the woods alone. First Taylor and Carol are hunted down as they go to the tool shed for some privacy. Another is tracked and killed in broad daylight as he supervises the assault course stragglers and a third vanishes from the archery range. With no bodies, the police are at a loss to explain what is going on.

Things take a surprising turn when Regina witnesses a murder in front of her which nobody else seems to see and the police can't find the body. Some of her co-workers are scared about what might be happening while others suspect that Regina might have something to do with it. Now camp owner Alvin has no choice but to close the camp the next day. The problem is, there might be nobody left by morning to escape alive... 

I liked the Friday the 13th feel to the camp with various people suddenly going missing, and menace stalking through the woods. I thought there was a nice level of tension building up through the book with a satisfying amount of deaths to keep the reader interested. Then the book explodes into a bloody night of fear and death for those remaining which I really liked. The plot was twisting and threw up a nice little surprise or two and it went along at a breakneck pace. It may have taken it's start from Friday the 13th but it certainly went into its own plot in the second half.

I liked the fact that there was never a dull moment in the book and the pacing throughout the book was certainly good. The writing is never going to win any awards but it just told the story and swept me along so I certainly have no complaints. I was happy with the mixture of brutal murder and tension, and I also liked that a real effort was made to develop the main character Regina, through her friendship with a shy teenager. These interactions were a good way to lead in and out of each murder episode. One of the most interesting plot choices was that there was none of the 'counsellors off having sex' trope that appears in these camp horror books. That was actually a refreshing change to see the plot stick to the horror instead of sex!

This was the first book I'd tried by the author and I was pleased to enjoy it. I've now downloaded another pile and hopefully there will be happy horror adventures to come!

Read January 2018
4 stars 

Chuckles Chat #53 Film Reboots

Welcome to Chuckles Chat where great blogging minds unite to discuss the topics of the day mainly in the book and blogging world. I'll be sharing my thoughts on a topic and then inviting you all to share your thoughts. It's ok to disagree but PLEASE be respectful of each other's views! All of the comments on my blog are moderated and offensive posts ie racist, bigoted will not be published! 

NB: I don't follow or leave comments on blogs run by Google Plus, or DISQUS as I refuse to join something just to leave comments, and I won't allow them to follow new people, update my profile or post tweets 'on my behalf'. I won't comment on any blog that makes me sign in using another account.   

This week I'm looking at film and tv reboots.

I noticed recently that they are talking about a TV series as a prequel to Lord of the Rings and I really don't know how I feel about it. I always thought that Peter Jackson did an excellent job of bringing Middle Earth to life in his Lord of the Rings trilogy, along with great casting. At first I was excited at the possibility of seeing ALL of the books re-done to include Tom Bombadil, the Barrow Wights and Old Man Willow, for example, but then they said it would be a prequel to Fellowship. That leaves me wondering which if any of the characters we know that we will see. I mean, you cannot replace Andy Serkis can you??? Will it be events that are in other published works? I wouldn't be that interested in it then to be honest.

That got me thinking about film reboots. For me, I grew up with Christopher Reeve as Superman, and I liked those films at the time. I got bored with them when they were screened pretty much every year at either Easter or Christmas. I'm not interested in these constant remakes of Superman using new actors each time. I saw Tobey Maguire as Spiderman and now I've seen the story once, I don't feel I need to see more versions with different actors. How many times are they going to reboot Superman, Spiderman and Batman??? I just wish they would concentrate on giving us something original to watch instead of just the same things, slightly made-over. It's not just the comics that this is happening with. Look at things like Robin Hood, Pride and Prejudice, King Kong. There are lots of versions of these out there on film and tv, some certainly better than others.

There have been new versions of things I really liked first time round ie Total Recall, Fright Night, It, Miami Vice and others. I'm wary of re-makes in case they aren't as good as the original, and sometimes it is the casting that makes me want to avoid it. (ie Colin Farrell turns up in most remakes I want to see but I don't like him and don't watch him) I feel that I go into watching these things with apprehension and certain expectations of what it'll be like and in the case of Miami Vice, end up disappointed. Some, I will watch. There are also rumours of more reboots of Charlie's Angels, Resident Evil, and countless other films. OK some of them, if correctly casted and something new is brought to them, could be quite good. But some of them like Pride and Prejudice are redone constantly with just a new cast and nothing new, and frankly I just get tired hearing about things like that. 

Why do long running things that I once liked basically get flogged like a dead horse until people are sick of looking at it? I'm thinking here of loving the original Star Wars trilogy then being underwhelmed by the second trilogy. (I haven't watched the new trilogy which is getting mixed reviews) I'm talking about hating Prometheus after loving the first three Alien films. Obviously that is just a personal opinion. Some fans got tired of all the Star Trek and Stargate spin-offs while others loved them.

My real point here is that as a reader, I constantly find great books that if handled correctly, would make good films or TV series. Why are more of these new and original books not getting their chance when more reboots are constantly being put out there? I find it frustrating. I don't mean that there should never be remakes. Something from the 70's or 80's getting a great new makeover could be great with the special effects we have now. But do we have to rehash everything that was ever sucrssful when great new things are out there?

Do you welcome a new version of Lord of the Rings? Do you think there are too many remakes out there? Do you want to see more original things being filmed? Which reboots did you love and hate? What did you like once but refuse to watch a new version of? Do franchises like Star Wars go on too long? What would you like to see a new version of?

***no plot spoilers please***

Game of Thrones Gossip #52 Yunkai

Welcome to my Game of Thrones Gossip, where us fanatics get the chance to discuss everything we love about this amazing TV series. I decided to do a whole series of these discussion posts that let us say everything we want and enjoy every second of it! Please feel free to comment fully and without restriction!

I have to warn you that it is important that you have seen all six seasons before reading any of these posts because these posts and blogger comments will be exploding spoilers all over the place. If you haven't watched the series and plan to, be warned that it's a bad idea to be here right now! I take no responsibility if you read on and things are spoiled for you.

Now I'm looking at the main characters introduced in season three, what our season two characters were doing and looking at all the bests bits. Enjoy the season three posts! 

Dany and her followers continue around Slaver's Bay, heading for the city of Yunkai. Her first task is to ask her Unsullied soldiers to elect a leader for themselves to serve as her battle commander, so to speak. They have selected Grey Worm. He insists on keeping his slave name despite Dany telling the Unsullied that they can pick their own, saying that this was his name when he was set free and he wants to keep it. Jorah thinks that going after Yunkai is a distraction that they don't need and urges Dany to concentrate on getting them to Westeros and her Throne. Dany thinks that it is right to free the slaves around Slaver's Bay first and that it should not be a difficult task.

They set up camp near Yunkai, ensuring that the Wise Masters know that they are there. Grey Worm takes a message to the city, ordering them to surrender or be taken as Astapor was. The Wise Masters send a representative Razdal mo Eraz to speak with her. After pointing out that others have always failed to take Yunkai, he offers her gold and ships to leave them in peace and go to Westeros where she belongs. Dany says she will let the Wise Masters live if they set free their slaves. There is no deal and Dany is threatened by Razdal who says that Yunkai have powerful friends.

It is soon discovered that these 'friends' are a large unit of mercenaries known as the Second Sons, who sell themselves and their fighting abilities for riches. Dany decides to meet theeir captains to see if they will change sides. Mero is obnoxious with his sexual comments to Dany and also gropes Missandei, and he and Prendahl na Ghezn turn her down, saying they are not willing to wait until she takes Westeros to get paid. Daario Naharis does not respond. Dany gives them wine and two days to think about it and sends them away. Dany is angry with Mero's attitude and tells Ser Barristan that he is to be killed first if it comes to a battle and he responds that he will be happy to do so.

Daario Naharis returns later, showing Dany that he has killed the other captains and is happy to dedicate himself and the Second Sons to her cause. He suggests a plan to attack the city through a less defended gate, saying he is known there and it will be opened for him. Jorah does not trust Daario and is obviously jealous of his intentions towards Dany but Greyworm says he trusts Daario's plan and will go with him to the city. Jorah goes with them while Dany insists that Ser Barristan stays with her. Now they wait through the night for news of the success or failure of the battle plan.

Daario, Jorah and Grey Worm get into the city through the gate but start finding more resistance than any of them were expecting. The three men use all their battle skills to take on the Yunkai soldiers and they finally win the battle and open the city to all of Dany's forces. Yunkai now belongs to Dany. The next day the freed slaves begin to pour out of Yunkai to see the one who chose to set them free. Dany tells them that they are the ones who hold their freedom in their own hands. They respond by calling her 'mhysa' which means mother and she goes to greet her new followers.

Can't Wait Wednesday-Joe Russell

Can't Wait Wednesday is a weekly meme hosted at http://www.wishfulendings.com/ to spotlight and discuss books we're excited about but haven't read, which may not even be released yet. 

NB: I don't follow or leave comments on blogs run by Google Plus, or DISQUS as I refuse to join something just to leave comments, and I won't allow them to follow new people, update my profile or post tweets 'on my behalf'. I won't comment on any blog that makes me sign in using another account.   

As a prepper, Dave Galanos has always made an effort to do what he can to prepare for the unexpected. But when something goes terribly wrong halfway through a backpacking trip with his wife and family, his world is turned upside-down and he is tested in a way he had never planned for.

The trip into the Alleghenys of West Virginia starts off well enough, but takes an unexpected turn when the two women, Sandra and her sister, Jen, leave camp and don’t return from a nearby stream. Dave and Mike, Jen’s new boyfriend, go looking for them and find evidence that the women may have been kidnapped. Miles from civilization and with no working cell phones, Dave and Mike will set off to find Sandra and Jen, unconnected and unconcerned about what is happening in the world around them. Dave has been hardened by real-world, self-defense scenarios in the past, and has naturally equipped himself with tools that may be required for an unexpected circumstance. He will have to work together with Mike, who he sees as more of an annoyance and a liability than a useful ally. They will have to work together to beat the clock, the elements, and a group of dangerous locals, in order to rescue their companions in this realistic, rugged, and action-packed story of preparedness and survival.

The storm is just beginning. Will Dave and his companions have what it takes to survive? 

This sounds slightly different from my usual prepper books so I want to give this one a try. It came out on December 29th 2017 so I've grabbed a sample!

Book Review-Hope Of The World by Boyd Craven (World Burns #11)

One Last Chance
Michael and King work to take control of the bunker that housed the traitorous DHS agents, while John and King figure out who can be trusted.

Col. Grady's sudden dismissal has left the president in a lurch. When he needs him, Grady has gone to ground as he promised to avoid the fallout from Chinese bombers.

An old warrior, a man who was once mistaken for John Norton, crawls out of the darkness to join the war against all Americans. His is a battle for decency, peace, and sanity. Can the Devil Dog, formerly known as Dick Pershing, pull off one or two more apparent suicidal missions and help end the madness?

Will Blake, Sandra, and Chris survive to the happy ending we all hope they have? And what of the baby? 

My Review: 
The attack in the bunker begins and a shocked Shannon is quickly forced to pick a side with limited information to go with, as chaos breaks out. Can she trust in Michael that he is one of the good guys and can Michael be sure that she is not in on the Jihadi plot?

The President is furious to hear that Grady has escaped house arrest and fled with the men who were guarding him. With Grady on the loose and cooperating with the Homestead, the President has plenty to worry about. His loyal aide Patrick has made a decision on how to deal with his growing distate at working for a spineless useless President and his decision will have huge consequences. Can he persuade China to halt the planned strike on the United States?

John is surprised to get in touch with his old friend Mike, a man struggling with mental illness and his own demons. Mike and travelling companion Courtney agree to help the cause but Mike is distracted when he discovers that some local thugs have imprisoned a group of women to be used as sex slaves for his men. There is no way that Mike is going to let that happen.

This is the final book in the World Burns series and it is a decent read, especially Patrick's storyline which I found satisfying. I was happy that my favourite characters seemed to come through unscathed, but I find myself glad that the series has now officially ended. I started to fall out of love with the series after book seven and didn't enjoy it as much after that. That's not to say that the second half of the series was rubbish or anything like that-I just liked it better with the main focus on Blake at the Homestead. I felt that suddenly introducing new enemies in such an advanced part of the story didn't work for me personally, with a few of my favourite characters being sidelined in the plot.

Overall this was a good series to read and I have a few more books by the author to try.  

Read January 2018.
3 stars.

Book Review-The World Counters by Boyd Craven (World Burns #10)

The New Caliphate has marched north towards the heart of the country, almost unstoppable. Michael and King attempt to get the proof needed to prove involvement by US government forces and force the president to permanently bench the DHS. The Caliphate has a devious plan, though - a way to neutralize the President's launch codes and take out the central government's nuclear capabilities. The secret lies within the bunker that the odd couple of King and Michael have had under observation.

A plan is cooked up to infiltrate the DHS base, get the proof needed and cripple if not eliminate the threat from within entirely. The timing is tight, and if they don't move fast enough, the Caliphate will get the codes. Sandra’s contact, A Col. Grady is working to stop a global nuclear conflict before it’s too late. His last act before his arrest is to ensure the homestead can defend itself.

But defend itself from who? Are darker forces at work? Is the war on the USA from within or without?

My Review: 
John, Tex, Stu and their group are heading off to meet Michael and King when they are suddenly ambushed by the Jihadists who knew where they were going to be. Now both sides are involved in a raging battle on the roadside. And should they prevail, the next task is to infiltrate a military bunker to root out the enemy and get proof that the Jihadis have been working with government forces.

The President is obsessed with the idea of bringing Blake and his people down by getting dirt to discredit Blake and arresting John. He knows that hiding in fear in a bunker for three months while America fell to enemies and violence has done him a lot of political damage but he insists on continuing to ignore the Jihadi problem and force Blake to do his will. He is unaware that Grady is now working against him to help get the Homestead ready for a military attack ordered by the President which Grady thinks may come soon.

Grady has had enough of the President and his stupidity and remains in secret contact with Sandra, arranging military weapon drops for the Homestead and it's allies. He knows he is in trouble when the President finally discovers what he has been doing but the prospect of house arrest does not interfere with the careful plans that he has laid.

While I continue to like certain elements of the series, I just don't enjoy the sections where the President is whining about bringing down Blake-the guy is a complete idiot and I can't stand the sight of him. I also don't much like the Jihadi story in these latter books as I personally felt it was very late in an established series to introduce new enemies and it just didn't work for me personality. The swiftly introduced cannibals issue also seems to have very much disappeared which is puzzling. I'm not really sure why it was necessary to shove it in but it seems to be gone now which I'm fine with.

Overall it is still a decent series though I do prefer the first seven to these later books.

Read January 2018.
2.5/3 stars.