Chuckles Mini Reviews Catchup

I review everything I read, on my blog and on Goodreads. Most reviews are of a decent length but sometimes you don't have much to say about the book because of its length or you DNFed it or various other reasons. In cases like that it makes sense to write a few mini reviews in one post and clear them out your way! So lets catch up with some reviews from September and October!

1) Anthony Renfro-Nightlight Tales 2
The Headless Fountain Man. A simple photo. A quick snap shot. One woman's perfect picture is about to become her scariest nightmare. 2 star.

Fear of the Scarecrow. This short story is about a desperate man hungry for revenge. Sometimes revenge comes with a price. 3 star.

It Sleeps at Dawn. This short story is about a Vampire who stalks the Appalachian Mountains. A traditional Vampire who uses fangs instead of guns. He hunts. He kills. He sleeps at Dawn. 2 star.

The Dead of Winter. This short story is about an apocalyptic nightmare in a crisp frozen landscape filled with winter and living corpses.Two men try to find safety in this dead world. Hoping to ride out the night. Hoping to find warmth and shelter. Hoping not to become food for the zombies. 2.5 star.

Gluten-Free. Death by Gluten? One man commits suicide in a most unusual way. 2 star.

The Lot. A Christmas Tree lot isn't all it seems to be. It hides evil deadly secrets. 2 star.

The Dragon. A simple machine. Able to answer requests. Able to play music. Able to turn on lights and answer questions. Fun and enjoyable technology, but what happens when this machine is able to manifest actual things. In this short story two guys worst fears will come to life. 4 star.

Webs. A pyramid in the deep dry desert. What secrets lie within its walls? One explorer is about to find his greatest desire and his worst nightmare inside this ancient artifact. 3 star.

Gas Station of the Dead. This short story is about a former tanker truck driver who decides to use his skills to deliver gas to those in need during the Zombie Apocalypse. 2 star.

A Zombie Christmas: This short story is about three men who risk life and limb in a Zombie Apocalypse in order to bring happiness to surviving kids on Christmas Morning. 2 star.

A Zombie Christmas 2: A boy lost. A family desperate. It’s Christmas in a Zombie Apocalypse and Mike Beem is once again aiming for another Holiday miracle. His goal this year isn’t toys for the kids in the neighborhood. His goal this time is trying to save one small life so another family doesn’t have to suffer the way he suffered. 2 star.

Flesh for the Zombies: When Mike Beem’s community is savagely attacked, he must exact revenge on those who wronged him. He must put aside all the good he has ever accomplished in order to become someone else. A man without a moral compass. A man without right or wrong. A man who is a cold blooded killer. Will he get his justice or will he die trying? The answers lie within the pages of this short story. 2 star.

Zombie Beach: Mike Beem has given it all up and run off to live by the beach. Life down on the coast isn't all that it should be. Days of lying in the sun are replaced with brutal survival. Mike does his best to not only survive, but to rebuild a life among the ruins of these beach side towns. 2 star.

Overview-It's rare for me to read anthologies as I find them so hit and miss but I wanted to try some zombie short stories as a blogger friend likes his work. I found that the zombie stories didn't suit me at all. I like traditional dumb zombies, slow or fast moving. Zombies on skis chasing people through woods and turning up at doors singing Jingle Bells as carol singers is not my kind of zombie I'm afraid. There are a couple of stories in the anthology that could be turned into decent novellas though ie The Dragon, Fear of the Scarecrow and Webs. Less picky readers may well enjoy the stories especially if you like bizarre zombies.

Read October 2019.
2.5 stars. 

2) Jeffrey Archer-Hell
The sun is shining through the bars of my window on what must be a glorious summer day. I've been incarcerated in a cell five paces by three for twelve and a half hours, and will not be let out again until midday; eighteen and a half hours of solitary confinement. There is a child of seventeen in the cell below me who has been charged with shoplifting – his first offence, not even convicted – and he is being locked up for eighteen and a half hours, unable to speak to anyone. This is Great Britain in the twenty-first century, not Turkey, not Nigeria, not Kosovo, but Britain.

On Thursday 19 July 2001, after a perjury trial lasting seven weeks, Jeffrey Archer was sentenced to four years in jail. He was to spend the first twenty-two days and fourteen hours in HMP Belmarsh, a double A-Category high-security prison in South London, which houses some of Britain ‘s most violent criminals. This is the author's daily record of the time he spent there.

I read Jeffrey Archer's Kane and Abel when I was about 12 after seeing the mini-series on TV and I loved both. I was curious about these prison diaries as I do remember the perjury trial being on the news and being surprised by the length of the sentence he got. I honestly don't remember any details of that trial so I certainly can't share any thoughts on his guilt and for legal reasons I imagine, there is not much about the content of the trial, only what Archer regards as the tainted evidence of his former secretary and the bias of the trial judge. What I can comment on is how good an author the man is both in his works of fiction, and in these prison diaries. It takes a good writer to make being locked up for most of each day, stuck in the same routine, yet make it so compelling to read.  

What I liked about Archer here is how he made every effort to settle into the routine and get to know his fellow prisoners. There are no demands for special privileges, no lording it over everyone, and he is also happy to help other prisoners with letters, basic legal advice, and he shares the stories of these individual prisoners with empathy yet is pragmatic about the truth of what he is told. The story of Fletch is truly horrifying yet there are moments of great humour in amongst the misery. Prisoners and guards alike are happy to share their complaints about the system with Archer, knowing he is writing a book and there was no attempt to stop him doing so. I was also interested in the routine, shocked by how little money was spent on food for each prisoner and interested in the day to day grind. It was a fascinating read.

Read October 2019
4 stars.

3) Jeffrey Archer-Purgatory
New York Times bestselling novelist Jeffrey Archer further describes his harrowing stay in prison On August 9, 2001, twenty-two days after Archer-now known as Prisoner FF8282-was sentenced to four years in prison for per-jury, he was transferred from a maximum security prison in London to HMP Wayland, a medium security prison in Norfolk. For the next sixty-seven days, as he waited to be reclassified for an 'open,' minimum security prison, he encountered not only the daily degrada-tions of a dangerously overstretched prison system but also the spirit and courage of his fellow inmates.

After a few weeks in the hell of Belmarsh, Archer is moved to Wayland, a medium security prison as a temporary measure before he can reach the joys of an open prison. He finds the food at Wayland to be every bit as bad and some of the prisoners to be every bit as dangerous, though there were improved gym facilities and less time being locked up. I found the number of cell changes in such a short time to be interesting-constant changing of cellmates, double to singe cells, changing floors etc. I suppose it did break up the routine a bit but it must have been a bit unsettling. The food sounds dreadful again and thr rules for what you can and can't have sent in depends on your status and sometimes on who is searching your cell. The rules of backgammon in book form or gifts of books is not allowed but the public can donate to the prison library. 

I liked seeing how prisoners get around some rules and how most guards turn a blind eye to minor issues, which makes sense. I learned a lot about drug culture in prison as well as emerald smuggling in Columbia! Again there were the fascinating stories of the prisoners-how they got locked up, what they do with their time and their hopes for when they are released. The day to day life behind bars shows the menace always lurking but also the humour and compassion too. Archer is still planning an appeal and waiting for the police investigation to close so that he can return to D-Cat status and get to an Open Prison. I can understand his frustration with the situation. It was also fascinating to see the Tory Leadership contest and the events of 9/11 as seen through the eyes of the prisoners. I noted with interest than Archer indicated that Blair saw the War on Terror as his Falklands War (the Falklands War victory elevated Thatcher's popularity and ensured her a second election victory) but Archer was astute in commenting that he hoped it didn't instead prove to be Blair's Vietnam instead, which of course is exactly what it ended up being. This was another fascinating, detailed look at the daily events in prison and I very much enjoyed it. Sadly my ebook version of Heaven is not opening so I need to wait a while to get my hands on the concluding part!

Read October 2019
4 stars.  

4) Maz Marik-First Night (End Storm Short Stories #3)
In the aftermath of a catastrophic explosion that transformed most of the population into bloodthirsty and violent monsters, a ragtag gathering of survivors make their way towards a place of safety in a nearby forest. Kyle just wants to hide, but finds himself the reluctant centre of events during a rescue mission. Does he have what it takes to be a hero? Alice is on the move, searching for survivors, but how will she cope when confronted with scenes beyond her worst nightmares? 

Alice is patroling in front and behind the group, looking for signs of other survivors to rescue while the group move on oblivious. She becomes distracted by movement and goes to investigate. Smith hears a scream from a building and decides to let a rescue party inside while Brian guards the vulnerable members outside. But of course there are monsters just waiting for the chance to feast on these survivors if they let their guard down. This is the third highly enjoyable short story in the series and I'm really looking forward to reading the two novels to find out what happens in this UK zombie style apocalypse!

Read October 2019
4 stars.   

5) Catherine Green-Vampire of Blackpool
Meredith Hanson lives in Blackpool, the former Victorian holiday hotspot of Northern England. She masquerades as a reclusive author, feeding on the blood of unsuspecting tourists without remorse. Her life takes on new meaning when she meets a young witch in a local pub one evening. Despite Meredith’s cold demeanour, she finds herself oddly fascinated with Samantha Morris, and falls into an accidental relationship with the girl. It is at this time that a vampire hunter arrives in Blackpool. He is tough, he is determined, and his next target is an ancient vampire that has been spotted in the tourist town. He intends to bring her down and destroy her to save the lives of innocent humans. Will he succeed? Or will the experienced vampire seductress be the cause of his undoing? 

The reason I bought this was purely on the title. Blackpool is my favourite UK holiday destination and I've been going there since I was three! I've always felt at home there and I know the area well so I was interested in reading a vampire story based there. It was fun to read about the vampire hunting prey in places that I'm so familiar with and the hunts were well written and enjoyable to read. I liked getting into Meredith's head-her feeling lonely, the rush of human emotions she experiences when she feeds on them, and how everything she does uses up energy forcing her out to feed even when she is weak and about to lose control into bloodlust. I didn't root for her because she is murdering people but I found her interesting.

I actually had no idea that the book had lesbian romance in it and to be honest, I might not have bought it had I noticed this in the blurb and notes for the book, as it's something that doesn't interest me to read about. However, I actually found the complexity of the connection between the vampire, the young witch and the vampire hunter interesting. Sam is a bit on the dopey side when it comes to dealing with Meredith, despite the warnings about how dangerous she is but Sam feels compelled to be her friend for reasons she can't explain and a relationship develops. The arrival of a vampire hunter shakes things up as Ryan is sent to investigate the murders that Meredith has been committing and she initially welcomes the fight until it becomes a threat to her relationship with Samantha. I admit not liking the ending-but that is purely personal thing about plot and not any reflection on the author as the book does come to a complete close.

Read October 2019
2.5/3 stars.