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The Adventures of Winnie #1
The Adventures of Winnie #1
Kelly A. Walker | 2021 | Science Fiction/Fantasy
7
7.0 (1 Ratings)
Book Rating
181 of 250
Kindle
The Adventures of Winnie ( The Adventures of Winnie book 1)
By Kelly A Walker

Once read a review will be written via Smashbomb and link posted in comments

Who knew the six animals I thought I was seeing in my dreams were real?

A bear, rabbit, pig, donkey, owl and tiger land in my backyard…No, this isn’t the beginning of a bad joke. It’s real and it’s my life. Besides the shock over seeing my animal friends I thought I had dreamed up suddenly appear, I have two bigger problems. One: they are no longer animals, well most of them aren’t. Two: they’ve brought trouble to my doorstep.

When the animals *ahem* I mean guys I've been dreaming about show up unexpectedly, I learn about a whole other world I knew nothing about. My parents have been keeping secrets from me and now that the truth is out, it's up to me to help the six guys from Hundred Acre Woods discover their own past.


Well hell I won’t see Winnie the Pooh the same again! This has to be the strangest book I’ve read this year and yet some how I ended up act enjoying it. There were a few cringe moments but I found it an interesting turn on a favourite classic. Definitely need to read the next book.
  
I was provided a copy of this book from Netgalley and the publishers in exchange for an honest opinion.

The artwork in this graphic novel is very simplistic and colourful, easy to follow as targeted for middle grade.

I enjoyed this Graphic Novel it was very informative on a basic level, it showed family dynamics and symptoms of aspergers. I believe this should be put in all schools for children to read, to recognise that there are illnesses out there that define people the way they are. I have only really learnt about AS in my adult life, this could be that it's more recognised and understood now.

There are several characters in this story that surround Ben and you get to see all their ways in which they communicate.

Grandma is around to look after Ben when his father is working, she is very supportive and understanding and is a go between Ben and his father.

The dad, is a stereotypical dad, wants his son to be good at sports and have a rough and tumble, he doesn't understand why Ben is the way he is and clearly gets frustrated when Ben can't explain himself.

Andy, Ben's best friend, is a decent kid and is very tolerant but he himself also gets frustrated with Ben on occasions but sticks with him, its great to see that true friends will stick around and keep coming back.

The teacher (I have forgotten her name.... it's something double-barreled) is very frustrated, she has her own problems too, but Ben can't read her emotions, he takes things too literally and is mistaken for being rude.

The blue bottle and the genie is just added to make the story interesting for the kids to read, It doesn't have any real relevance to AS.

This book looks at family dynamics, friendship, bullying and obviously Aspergers Syndrome.

This is such an easy read, definitely one to read with kids to make them more aware or anyone that has never heard of AS as it shows all they symptoms in Ben's character.

Overall I rated this 3.5 stars out of 5.
  
Final Girls
Final Girls
Riley Sager | 2017 | Fiction & Poetry
6
8.0 (26 Ratings)
Book Rating
Good world building (0 more)
Forgettable Book (1 more)
Overdone Plot
Just Okay
Final Girls by Riley Sager came highly recommended to. I was looking for a good horror book to read. While Final Girls wasn't a great read, it wasn't bad. Final Girls was just an okay read and nothing more.

The pacing is okay in Final Girls. It's not fast paced, but it's not slow either. I didn't hurry to finish this book at all. Every now and then the pacing would get better, but most times it was just okay.

The plot was alright. It's like every other slasher survival type books. Final Girls did have a few plot twists. Most were pretty predictable such as the one with Sam. I just felt like I had read and seen this plot line so many times before. Nothing really stood out with the plot of Final Girls.

The world building was done well. It was easy for me to be transported to the world of Final Girls. Even the attacks on the girls seemed realistic.

I liked the characters enough and felt that they were fairly well written. I did feel that Quincy was a little too gullible and trusting. There were times I had to shake my head at her. For example, I felt like she was too trusting of Samantha. It's like she just took her at her word all the time. Saying all that, I did love Quincy though. She did have a fighting spirit about her, and I loved her determination. Sam annoyed me. She was written well, but she annoyed me with how she said "babe" almost all the time. She was always so shady, and I never trusted her. Even though Jeff and Coop weren't major characters, I still liked them a lot. They just seemed like really nice guys.

There are some themes in this book such as violence, smoking, prescription drug abuse, alcohol, sex, and swearing. Nothing is too over the top, and it fits in with the book perfectly.

All in all, I feel as if Final Girls by Riley Sager is a forgettable book. Nothing really stands out plot wise or character wise. It's just an okay read, but it's been done before.
  
Decimation: Son of M
Decimation: Son of M
David Hine | 2006
4
4.0 (1 Ratings)
Book Rating
In the voice of a goth-wannabe, darkly-attired conductor's voice: <i>"All aboard, the Angst Express is now departing..!</i>

I was quite pleased with David Hine's "Rebirth" storyline on Top Cow's THE DARKNESS. During my extended read of most of what made of HOUSE OF M, and the subsequent M-DAY stuff, I learned that Hine helmed DECIMATION: SON OF M, a 2006 mini-series that dealt with Pietro Maximoff (Quicksilver) and how he comes to terms with being de-powered. I was anticipating a great read, one that would make sense, as well as leaving me satisfied as I said goodbye to HOUSE OF M and all that followed it. Sadly, that was not the case at all!

The story itself seemed to be written well enough. However, I felt Pietro's almost nihilistic mood was too much to bear! Yes, losing your super-quickness was something that would take time to fully settle into, it was not the end of the world! Nor was it worth kidnapping your daughter Luna from her mother, the Inhuman Crystal, or stealing terrigen crystals from Attilan!

While the mini-series title, SON OF M, made sense, the story should have been titled THE DOWNWARD SPIRAL! Seriously, this was probably one of the most depressing mini-series (next to Morrison's WE3, which I loved, but, sadly, will not re-read as my depression is staring to rear its unwelcome head in my life again!) I have ever read! it probably should have a warning or something, especially if you are someone who is trying to keep their depression in check!

I am giving this mini 2 Stars out of 5, simply because a I think Hine is talented, even I did not like this story, and b) Roy Allen Martinez turned in some super-tight art! Mind you, I was not really pleased with Medusa's visual reworking, nor the "porn star-esque" figures given to Medusa and Crystal! However, that aside, I quite liked Martinez's art!

In conclusion, all I can say is don't read this if you are having a bad day/week, SON OF M will only make the bad day worse! 'Nuff said!
  
The Haunting of Hill House
The Haunting of Hill House
Shirley Jackson | 2009 | Fiction & Poetry, Horror
7
7.5 (29 Ratings)
Book Rating
The Haunting of Hill House was written by Shirley Jackson in 1959. Since then it has been heralded as a milestone in the horror genre. The book takes its reader on an unnerving adventure with four characters who chose to spend a summer in a haunted house.

Dr. Montague wishes to track the supernatural and write a factual paper on hauntings. He enlists the help of two women who he believes to have connections with the unnatural. The first is Theodora lighthearted and the center of attention, and Eleanor, quiet and fragile but ready for something in her life to change. Their party is completed by Luke, the charming heir to Hill House. The unnerving atmosphere of the house puts them all on edge from the moment they see it, but things only get stranger as the power of the house grows.

I was drawn to this book for several reasons. First, it was the week of Halloween, why not get into the spirit. But Hill House had begun to orbit in my life before this. I myself read The Lottery in my eighth-grade creative writing class. I also recently read a book called House of Leaves by Mark Z. Danielewski, which is also a haunted house story and Shirley Jackson’s book began getting recommended to me. As I started to read the book, I began to have this feeling best expressed through a quote from the book itself: “Am I walking toward something I should be running away from?”

When I started reading the story, I could not help but let my thoughts fly trying to solve 13388the mystery myself. The language of the book captured my attention completely. The descriptions built up the house so vividly in my imagination. The haunting Victorian atmosphere is both beautiful and disturbing. The unnerving and uncomfortable were created, kept up, and made the book hard to put down. I loved wondering about Mrs. Dudley, questioning the other characters, and imagining what could be knocking on the door.

Eleanor, as the point of view character, is the easiest to identify with. Her paranoia, fear, and anxiety are central parts to her identity, but she also seems to the most real in her reactions to both the house and the other characters. He relationships with each of the other four are almost dreamlike in the way level of closeness she has with them ebbs and flows. I could not help but feel for Eleanor, especially when it seems she is being targeted by the house.

I found this book to be enthralling. The horror genre is not my go-to read, but Shirley Jackson has a way with words and intimate feelings that makes me want to read through every book she has ever written. The psychological descent of the characters is natural and terrifying to behold. Now that I have read it, I cannot help but see Jackson’s influence on horror and psychological thriller. I am very pleased with having finally read this book and would highly recommend it as a must read. Only beware, the house as power and no one’s mind is safe.
  
The Berlin Package
The Berlin Package
Peter Riva | 2016 | Fiction & Poetry
10
10.0 (1 Ratings)
Book Rating
Book Tour: The Berlin Package by Peter Riva Pero asked for a filming job and wants to get back in the saddle after what happen the last time. He asks that we work with Heep. He got his wish.On the plane with Ambassador. He figures out a plane problem. He was on his way to Berlin when it occurs. Once Pero lands at the airport he gets a mysterious package.CIA and the State Department want him to read a packet. He did not get a packet. Now he is in a job he does not want. He got to protect his friends and family and now a movie star.A station is missing and someone is after Peru and his crew and want the package delivered to him. Pero want to find out why they want it and what they might want to do with it.Peter Riva does it once again that you want to turn the pages until you find out. Every page is an adventure as you turn the page. You wonder if Pero and his friends will survive or end up dead. Can Pero and Mubro and his new and old friends help rescued Heep and a film star?
  
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