My Monday Musings #2

I've decided each Monday to talk a bit about my previous week and what I enjoyed reading and watching, and my plans for the coming week-not that they are greatly exciting if you take the books out of the equation! Heh! Oh shut up and get on with it!

So how did I get on last week? A bit mixed really! I didn't get the books read that I'd listed but I did catch up on Timber Kings and get the whole series of Big Rig Bounty Hunters watched which was GREAT! I am a sucker for these strange/dangerous/cool jobs reality TV shows. Maybe this week I'll get to watch Catching Fire if I'm not too busy reading.

The good news is that I was finally scared enough to take control of my out of control digital downloads and start reading them at last. This is why I didn't get to the planned books. On Wednesday I picked up my Kobo and read 10 short books in 4 hours which was pretty good. Thursday I read 11, Friday 10, Saturday 10 and Sunday 6. Pretty happy with that so this week I plan to read more! I'm tackling the books 70 pages and under first so I can make a dent in the pile before moving on to the big stuff!

BEST READS LAST WEEK:

https://www.goodreads.com/book/show/18165876-advice-by-clyde
https://www.goodreads.com/book/show/19232766-what-waits-through-the-trapdoor
https://www.goodreads.com/book/show/17931988-cherry-kisses

https://www.goodreads.com/book/show/13419558-hive
https://www.goodreads.com/book/show/14624643-frat-house-of-the-dead
https://www.goodreads.com/book/show/18441912-spawn

These books are all FREE on Smashwords except for Spawn.
https://www.smashwords.com/


Spawn, Frat house of the dead, What waits through the Trapdoor can be bought on Kindle.
Cherry Kisses and HIVE are FREE on Amazon.
Advice by Clyde unavailable.


PLANS FOR THIS WEEK:
Attack the Kobo to get more books read!!! 
Get reviews written on Goodreads, Smashwords and this blog

READING:

FOLLOW ME:

https://www.goodreads.com/user/show/3426724-chucklesthescot 

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Cover Reveal: Prophecy of the Most Beautiful by Diantha Jones

Prophecy of the Most Beautiful by Diantha Jones
(Oracle of Delphi #1)
Publication date: March 1st 2012
Genres: Fantasy, Mythology, Young Adult

Synopsis:
She has a destiny so great that even the gods fear her.

Constant hallucinations and the frequent conversations with the voices in her head, have earned eighteen-year-old Chloe Clever the not-so-coveted title of “Whack Job” in her home town of Adel, Georgia. With the onslaught of prescription medications and therapists threatening to push her over the edge, she wishes for a life far away from the one she has, a life where she is destined to be more than the butt of everyone’s jokes and mockery.

Be careful what you wish for has never rung more true.

After living through an attack from her worst nightmare, she awakens to find herself far from home, surrounded by glorious riches and servants…and a few demigods who enjoy killing things. Upon learning that her favorite rockstar is an Olympian god, she is thrust into her new life as the Oracle of Delphi, the prophesier of the future, and the great Pythia that the gods have been anxiously awaiting to arrive for centuries. Setting out to fulfill the prophecy she has been given and to keep her family safe from a demigod Princess that wants her dead, Chloe learns of how great she is to become, all the while fighting mythical monsters, evading divine assassins and trying to outwit the ever-cunning Greek gods who harbor secrets of their own. In the hopes of discovering the Most Beautiful and the truth of her destiny, she strives to uncover the mysteries of the demigod Prince who has sworn to protect her with his life…and threatens to win her heart in the process.

Goodreads: https://www.goodreads.com/book/show/13598104-prophecy-of-the-most-beautiful?ac=1

Purchase: 

--Amazon: http://www.amazon.com/gp/product/B007FH32Q0/ref=x_gr_w_bb?ie=UTF8&tag=httpwwwgoodco-20&linkCode=as2&camp=1789&creative=9325&creativeASIN=B007FH32Q0&SubscriptionId=1MGPYB6YW3HWK55XCGG2

--B&N: http://www.barnesandnoble.com/w/prophecy-of-the-most-beautiful-gabrielle-jones/1109211023?ean=2940013917729

AUTHOR BIO

Diantha was born on Thanksgiving Day so that explains why her mother calls her a "turkey." She spent the first 16 years of her life as an official Army brat (now she's a retired one), and has spent the last twelve years living in Georgia (Atlanta, then Savannah). She now resides in Washington D.C. She loves to read and watch movies (Quentin Tarantino is her fave director), and she loves cold weather and french fries (with cheese if possible).

Author links: 

https://www.goodreads.com/author/show/5815616.Diantha_Jones

http://www.diantha-jones.com/

https://www.facebook.com/dianthajones

https://twitter.com/DianthaJones

Book Review: The turning of the spit by Leonard Little

Waking up with a hangover, Wade figures his day at the slaughter house can't get any worse. Boy was he ever wrong.

A band of demon possessed pigs armed with AK 47:s and shot guns take over as they gather the workers for slaughter.

My Review:
A hungover slaughterhouse worker heads in expecting to see his colleagues partying behind closed doors, not being held hostage by psycho pigs with automatic weapons. Trying to deal with a headache from hell and pigs on the rampage means that Wade is going to have a very bad day.

It took me a while to decide how to rate this story because I was disappointed that it wasn't a bit longer and more detailed. However the idea for the book was good, I liked the demonic pigs and Wade was a very funny anti-hero with his inappropriate humour. I did snigger a few times at things that were happening like the response from the workers to smelling the roasting meat, Wade's view on the supervisor's figure and his meal at the slaughterhouse. I liked the start and the ending and the fact that I expected it to end that way did not take anything away from the story.

My only niggle was that it was just too short. I'd have liked to have seen Wade stuck in the slaughterhouse, trying vainly to find a way out, maybe meeting up with dying or trapped co-workers. I wanted more opportunities for Wade to make rude comments and be an ass!

A story this short is never going to be a critically acclaimed masterpiece but this is a light fun read. Based on this I would be tempted to look at other work by the author if the stories appeal to me.  

 
This book is FREE on Smashwords! https://www.smashwords.com/books/view/418397

Book Review: The Executioner/Zombie Theater by Scot McAtee

William Colts is no stranger to prisons. He has been a Corrections Officer for fifteen years. Tonight is his first night serving on Death Row at the newest prison in the country-- Desolation Hill. Tonight he will help put a man to death in the most state of the art "humane" method the state has yet devised. He will achieve something he has been waiting years to fix; he will settle a longstanding score. There are three rules on Desolation Hill's Death Row: On Desolation Hill, if a prisoner steps out of line, he doesn't go to the cooler. Dead men never get the chance to meet their makers. Nosy Corrections Officers who ask too many questions, don’t live to tell the tale. As Colts goes about the routine preparations for the night's execution, several questions come to mind. What is the door behind the chair for? What is this "humane" method his partner talks about, and just who is the Executioner?

Most importantly, will he be able to go the whole night without seeming too nosy? It seems that his life depends upon it.

My Review: 
Colts wants to get this job on Death Row in a new environmentally friendly prison so he can be involved in killing a man who killed a member of his family. But something odd is happening at the prison. Why is everyone so scared of going into the death chamber? Why are no questions allowed? What exactly happens when the prisoner is left there? Colts is about to find out.

I quite liked this one. You can understand the motivation of Colts. Plenty people would want to be there when the murderer of someone they love is put to death and some may feel better to be legally involved in that death. I liked his partner, who guesses why he wants the job that others are scared to do and he tries to warn Colts not to start getting nosy or it could be the death of him. I liked the way the story was set up, showing the fear in everyone who had to enter the chamber to execute the prisoner and how quickly they want to get out of there. I had a few ideas through the story about what was behind the door that everyone kept looking at, but I won't tell you what is was in case I spoil things for you. The ending as well is just my thing!

This was a nice horror/thriller without the need for gore. The characters are nicely developed, the plot moves swiftly and the tension is gradually turned up as the execution looms. I wonder if this could be the future of Death Row executions...

This book is FREE on Smashwords! https://www.smashwords.com/books/view/264353

Skip McMurray's life has been on a downward spiral for several months. To escape from the stress he spends his time at an abandoned theater on the edge of town, dreaming about the day when he will have enough money to purchase the property and restore it to its glory days. One day while working on some items in the projection room, he hears someone else walking around. Could it be the owner, or is it someone more sinister? There is only one way out and that means he'll have to zip right past his unexpected guest.

My Review: 
Skip hangs around the old theater, doing a bit of clean and repair, dreaming of owning the property and dating the hot but unattainable Nadia. But today there is movement in the building and Skip doesn't know who or what it is and must find a way to sneak out.

This was one of those stories that had real potential but was just too short to deliver. On the plus side, it is well written. I liked the plot itself and the main character was likeable-for a change, a young guy who was against drugs! How often do we see that? I hate stories where the so called hero is a pothead.

However, my copy had twelve pages and the first five had the whole history of this theater and Skip's personal problems and dreams for the future. Had the book been fifty or a hundred pages long, that would have been fine as it was quite interesting to read, but the book was half finished when the first hint of danger finally arrived for Skip. In a story this short, I wanted to get right into the action. I was starting to wonder if I was going to see a zombie at all! If the book had been longer we could have had the extra tension of a long chase, hiding and panicking, and a dash for freedom which I feel the author could have delivered nicely. Instead it was all over very quickly without the chance to get too excited by what was happening.

I feel that this author has the potential to write some really good stuff if he writes longer material and develops the good ideas that he has in a bit more detail.
 

 This book is FREE on Smashwords! https://www.smashwords.com/books/view/249040

Book Review: The Growling by Dave Jeffery

Cory Anderson is an angry young man. Losing his girl friend to a deadbeat like Malcolm hasn't helped. And beating his ex's new beau to a bloody pulp has made matters even worse. Thrown out of the apartment and facing the long lonely trip to the ground floor Cory must come to terms with some harsh realities. And the thing in the stairway -

My Review: 
Cory is angry when his girlfriend dumps him for a total loser and he goes to her flat to teach this guy a lesson. But as he flees the flat, something inhuman is growling below him on the staircase...

This is a short creepy horror where you know what is going to happen and what the twist is, but you enjoy watching it unfold anyway. Cory is a violent thug so when he gets a taste of fear, you have no sympathy for him and hope that he will get what is coming to him. He has two choices-go back up the stairs to beg his ex for help or fight his fears to use the lift to get past this beast.

The author does a good job of expressing all the emotions that come from Cory during his 'adventures' that night-his explosive anger, his violence and his utter terror. The tension is gradually built up as the beast closes in on him and I thought that this was a great wee horror tale. I'd be interested to see what else the author has written and maybe give that a go.

This book is FREE on Smashwords! https://www.smashwords.com/books/view/24439