Spotlight: Devil Music by Carly Orosz

I have to make note that this author is from Kalamazoo, MI...20 minutes from my hometown! Represent!

Title: Devil Music

Author: Cary Orosz

Publication Date: April 14th, 2014

Publisher: Logsine Labs Press

Genre: Paranormal, Contemporary

Pages: 710

ISBN: 0996028102

Source: ARC from Author

Synopsis (from Author):

Cain Pseudomantis leads a miserable life. Bound to the mortal world by a powerful spell no demon could hope to break, he must obey his human master’s every command or face harsh punishment. He finds solace in the rock music which he listens to when he isn’t running unsavory errands for his master. Then everything changes. While on a mission in a seedy section of 1980s Los Angeles, Cain impulsively buys an electric guitar and discovers an unusual talent for music, a talent that catapults him to hair metal stardom. With three superpowered human band mates and his beautiful girlfriend Michelle by his side, his life starts to look a lot better. But Cain soon finds that even rock stars have troubles. The crusading televangelist Nathaniel Breen—who happens to be Michelle’s father—accuses him of turning the city’s youth to Satan worship. Meanwhile a mysterious killer known only as the Engineer terrorizes the Los Angeles rock scene with a series of brutal murders. When Cain and his friends attempt to unmask the killer, they discover a deadly secret that could cost Cain his hard-won freedom, and possibly his life.

  

Carly Orosz lives in Kalamazoo, Michigan with her husband. She graduated from Kalamazoo College and went on to earn an MFA in poetry from Sarah Lawrence College. Her poetry has been published in Wavelength Journal and SpoutMagazine. 

In her spare time she enjoys cooking, weaving on a hand loom, and studying the art and cultures of pre-Columbian Mexico.

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About the prizes: Who doesn't love prizes? You could win one of two $50 Amazon gift cards or an autographed copy of Devil Music! Here's what you need to do...

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That's it! One random commenter during this tour will win the first gift card. Visit more blogs for more chances to win--the full list of participating bloggers can be found HERE. The other two prizes will be given out via Rafflecopter. You can find the contest entry form linked below or on the official Devil Music tour page via Novel Publicity. Good luck!

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Review: Red Sky In The Morning by Paul Lynch

Title: Red Sky in Morning

Author: Paul Lynch

Publication Date: November 5th, 2015

Publisher: Little, Brown and Company

Genre: Literary Fiction

Pages: 288

ISBN13: 978-0316230254

Source: ARC from Publisher

Rating: 

Synopsis (from Goodreads):

A tense, thrilling debut novel that spans two continents, from "a writer to watch out for" (Colum McCann).

It's 1832 and Coll Coyle has killed the wrong man. The dead man's father is an expert tracker and ruthless killer with a single-minded focus on vengeance. The hunt leads from the windswept bogs of County Donegal, across the Atlantic to the choleric work camps of the Pennsylvania railroad, where both men will find their fates in the hardship and rough country of the fledgling United States.

Language and landscape combine powerfully in this tense exploration of life and death, parts of which are based on historical events. With lyrical prose balancing the stark realities of the hunter and the hunted, RED SKY IN MORNING is a visceral and meditative novel that marks the debut of a stunning new talent.

  

Paul Lynch is the author of the critically lauded Irish novels RED SKY IN MORNING — currently nominated for France’s best foreign book prize, le Prix du meilleur livre étranger — and THE BLACK SNOW, and has been hailed as a major new writer by authors such as Sebastian Barry, Colum McCann and Daniel Woodrell.

After a six-publisher bidding war, his debut novel RED SKY IN MORNING was published to critical acclaim on both sides of the Atlantic in 2013. It was an Amazon.com Book of the Month, a Barnes & Noble Discover Great New Writers pick, a Huffington Post book of the week and The Daily Beast’s Hot Read. It was featured on NPR’s All Things Considered, where Lynch was hailed as “a lapidary young master”. It was a book of the year in The Irish Times, The Toronto Star, the Irish Independent and the Sunday Business Post.

His second novel THE BLACK SNOW was published this spring in the UK and Ireland. It was hailed as “masterful” and “a significant achievement” by The Sunday Times, “dazzling” by The Sunday Business Post and “powerful” by the Irish Times, which praised his ability to “reinvent the English language”. It will be published in America by Little, Brown in Spring 2015. RED SKY IN MORNING was published in the French (Un ciel rouge, le matin) in March 2014 by Albin Michel to massive critical acclaim.

Paul was born in Limerick in 1977, grew up in Donegal, and is now living in Dublin. He was the chief film critic of Ireland’s Sunday Tribune newspaper from 2007 to 2011, when the newspaper folded. He has written regularly for many Irish newspapers and has written regularly for The Sunday Times on film.

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      Red Sky In Morning is a very unique book. It was originally written by the author because he was inspired by a story he watched a documentary on involving an event that happened in Pennsylvania in 1832. It was about 57 Irish railroad workers who were killed (most likely murdered, it is unknown) and how their deaths were covered up. This book is not for the faint of heart. It is very bleak, and it is not necessarily an easy read.

      The book is separated into 3 parts. The first and last move pretty quickly, but the middle section slowed the pace a bit. The style of writing is definitely an acquired one. If you are well-read in the likes of Cormac McCarthy or Daniel Woodrell, then Paul Lynch's way of storytelling should not phase you. It is not an easy ready if you are not. Lynch uses a sophisticated way of writing, but also excludes quotations to separate dialogue from the rest of the text. This takes some getting used to.

     The story itself is incredibly well done. Lynch is definitely a budding author entering the scene with something unique and fresh to offer. Red Sky In Morning was definitely different from what I normally read, but I still found it interesting, and especially once I discovered what truly inspired the story, then my level of interest went up a couple notches.

     So why the 3 star rating? First, I think this book is potentially a great book. Do I think it could be better? Yes. But it does serve well as it is. I think the biggest thing that irked me about this book is misuse of the 'F-word.' Normally I can tolerate swearing in a book if it's strategically placed to show how a person or situation would actually be, or if it reflects the environment of a character. However, if this book takes place in 1832, then the 'F-word" would have still mostly been used for its sole purpose. However, the author uses it here as a derogatory term mixed between old language and it was incredibly unsettling. I felt jolted, because I knew right away it was misplaced. It did not become a derogatory term until the early 90s. Aside from this, I thought the book was great. This just seemed a very big deal to me while I was reading it.

     If you are a Cormac McCarthy fan, then you will love this book. It has mystery, betrayal, incest, murder, and all the other markings of a brooding historical suspense novel. It definitely is a new work of art, and I look forward to seeing more from Paul Lynch.

Review: Starry Messenger: Galileo Galilei by Peter Sís

Title: Starry Messenger: Galileo Galilei
Author: Peter Sís

Publication Date: January 1st, 1996

Publisher: Square Fish

Genre: Children's

Pages: 40

Source: Borrowed from personal library

Awards: Caldecott Honor 1997

Rating:

Synopsis (from Goodreads): 
"If they had seen what we see, they would have judged as we judge." -- Galileo Galilei

In every age there are courageous people who break with tradition to explore new ideas and challenge accepted truths. Galileo Galilei was just such a man--a genius--and the first to turn the telescope to the skies to map the heavens. In doing so, he offered objective evidence that the earth was not the fixed center of the universe but that it and all the other planets revolved around the sun. Galileo kept careful notes and made beautiful drawings of all that he observed. Through his telescope he brought the stars down to earth for everyone to see.

By changing the way people saw the galaxy, Galileo was also changing the way they saw themselves and their place in the universe. This was very exciting, but to some it was deeply disturbing. Galileo has upset the harmonious view of heaven and earth that had been accepted since ancient times. He had turned the world upside down.

In this amazing new book, Peter Sís employs the artist's lens to give us an extraordinary view of the life of Galileo Galilei. Sís tells his story in language as simple as a fairy tale, in pictures as rich and tightly woven as a tapestry, and in Galileo's own words, written more than 350 years ago and still resonant with truth.

 

Peter Sís is an internationally acclaimed illustrator, author, and filmmaker. He was born in Brno, Czechoslovakia, in 1949 and attended the Academy of Applied Arts in Prague and the Royal College of Art in London. He began his career as a filmmaker and won the Golden Bear Award at the 1980 West Berlin Film Festival for an animated short. He has also won the Grand Prix Toronto and the Cine Golden Eagle Award, and in 1983 collaborated with Bob Dylan on You Got to Serve Somebody. His film work is in the permanent collection of the Museum of Modern Art, New York.

In 1982 he was sent by the Czech government to Los Angeles to produce a film for the 1984 Winter Olympics. But the film project was canceled when Czechoslovakia and the entire Eastern bloc decided to boycott the Olympics. Ordered by his government to return home, Peter decided to stay in the United States and was granted asylum. A correspondence with Maurice Sendak led to a meeting and Peter's introduction to children's book editors, and he moved to New York City in 1984 to begin a new career.

Sís quickly became one of the leading artists in the field with the publication of the 1986 Newbery Medal Winner, The Whipping Boy by Sid Fleishman. With more than twenty books to his credit and almost as many honors, Peter is a six-time winner of The New York Times Book Review Best Illustrated Book of the Year for Rainbow Rhino, Beach Ball, Follow the Dream, Komodo!, The Three Golden Keys, and The Tree of Life: Charles Darwin. Komodo! and A Small Tall Tale from the Far Far North were each named a Boston Globe-Horn Book Award Honor Book, and he has won a Society of Illustrators Gold Medal for Komodo! and a Silver Medal for The Three Golden Keys. Peter's book Starry Messenger: Galileo Galilei was a 1997 Caldecott Honor Book and has been published in English, French, German, Czech, Portuguese, Greek, Japanese, Chinese, Korean, and Spanish. Madlenka, Madlenka's Dog, and The Tree of Life: Charles Darwin were all named New York Times Book Review Notable Children's Books of the Year.

In 2003, Peter was named a MacArthur Fellow, an honor bestowed by the John D. and Catherine T. MacArthur Foundation recognizing “talented individuals who have shown extraordinary originality and dedication in their creative pursuits and a marked capacity for self-direction.”

In addition to his prolific career as an author, Peter Sís has contributed more than a thousand drawings to The New York Times Book Review and his illustrations have appeared in Time magazine, The Atlantic Monthly, Newsweek, Esquire and many other magazines in the United States and abroad.

He has designed many book jackets and posters, including, in 1984, the famous poster for Milos Forman's Academy Award-winning motion picture Amadeus. More recently, he has completed a mural for the Washington/Baltimore Airport, a poster for the New York City subway system, and a stage set for the Joffrey Ballet. He lends his art to many mediums and will sometimes paint on any surface he can find -- chairs, walls, eggs, boxes, seashells, even hats. Peter recently created a mural for New York City's 86th Street Lexington Avenue subway station, working with the city's Metropolitan Transit Authority. His work has been exhibited in Prague, London, Zurich, Hamburg, Los Angeles, and New York in both group and one-man shows.

Most recently, in 2007, Peter published The Wall: Growing Up Behind the Iron Curtain (Frances Foster Books / Farrar, Straus and Giroux / September 2007). Václav Havel, former president of the Czech Republic, says of the work, “Peter Sís’s book is most of all about the will to live one’s life in freedom and should be required reading for all those who take their freedom for granted.” In January 2008, the book was awarded The Robert F. Sibert Medal and was also named a Caldecott Honor Book. 

Peter Sís lives in the New York City area with his wife and children. 

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        This is an educational book about one of the world's first astronomer's, Galileo Galilei. It can easily be used as a tool to teach your child (or children) and be interactive with little extras and things. There is also a Teacher's Guide available HERE. 

I'll note that this is the Caldecott Honor for the year 1997. That being said, I didn't particularly enjoy this Children's book compared to others I've reviewed. I did not feel like the artwork and the text complimented each other very well, and the illustrations weren't fitting for the audience this book is intended for. 

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Although the artwork itself is beautiful and innovative, the scripting was extremely difficult to read and the pages are almost so busy that it's distracting and the eye cannot locate the focal point.

   There were some parts where the text generally did not make sense (Particularly the final page). The wording was off and the illustrations were difficult to interpret.

I don't think this would be my first choice in teaching my child about Galileo. I think there are better picture books out there that I could find much more suited and well-rounded for a young audience. The idea of this book is nice, I just think it's unsuitable. 

Review: The Selection (The Selection #1) by Kiera Cass

Title: The Selection (The Selection #1)

Author: Kiera Cass

Publication Date: April 24, 2012

Publisher: Harper Teen

Genre: YA, Chick Lit

Pages: 327

Source: My local library :)

Rating:

Synopsis (from the Cover): For thirty-five girls, the Selection is the chance of a lifetime. The opportunity to escape the life laid out for them since birth. To be swept up in a world of glittering gowns and priceless jewels. To live in a palace and compete for the heart of gorgeous Prince Maxon.

But for America Singer, being Selected is a nightmare. It means turning her back on her secret love with Aspen, who is a caste below her. Leaving her home to enter a fierce competition for a crown she doesn't want. Living in a palace that is constantly threatened by violent rebel attacks.

Then America meets Prince Maxon. Gradually, she starts to question all the plans she's made for herself—and realizes that the life she's always dreamed of may not compare to a future she never imagined.

  

Sooooo I noticed this series has become increasingly popular. I received the second book from someone (or at least I thought I did, apparently it is expired and now I'm number 26 on the library's waiting list...good grief!), but I couldn't read that one until I read the first one because I'm all dedicated like that. I was the 16th person on hold for this book, so I had high hopes. And I'll be honest, I like pretty dresses, dangit! Sue me!

How do I begin to sum up this book? Well, if The Hunger Games and The Bachelor had a baby, it would be The Selection. Not that it is anywhere as in depth as The Hunger Games, but same idea: instead of districts you have castes (status), people still go hungry, there's a number of people chosen for this big national event (but instead of fighting for her life physically, the heroin fights for her life metaphorically), she must choose between the old guy and the new guy, and the new guy charms her on national television. We have the literary parallels of Katniss, Peeta, Gale, Effie, and Caesar. She even has a little sister she adores, whom I assume parallels Primrose. 

Then, of course, we have the whole "Team" thing. Team Maxon or Team Aspen? I guess we could throw in a little Twilight in this retrospect. It probably isn't the most impressive thing for an author to be compared to another series, but let's be honest here Miss Cass, you knew exactly what you were doing!

So then we have The Bachelor who has to choose between 35 girls which one will be his wife and the future Queen of Illea (the reformed version of the United States). It was really weird how unlike a Prince he was. I mean...he called her buddy. Seriously? Did that really just happen? I mean, if the United States ever became a monarchy, I can imagine our royalty would be a little less than regal. Look at our current President. I think sarcasm is his primary language. That's an observation, not an insult. He is obviously a lot less conservative than previous Presidents. But anyway, it was really weird. And if this took place after a third World War and survived a reform, then I would expect it to be a little more futuristic than it was within the setting.

Let's talk about the heroin's name. Okay. "America" could be a cool name. I could dig that. But considering her class was artsy, and she was a singer, and her last name was, in fact, "Singer," I really think we could've done a better job with that one. It's like saying "hmm. I'm from what used to be Constantinople and I'm a muggle. Therefore my name will be Constantinople Muggle."

If I hadn't read The Hunger Games, I *probably* could've enjoyed this a lot more. But like I said, you knew what you were doing Kiera Cass!! However, now that I started, I'm going to have to finish. Maybe it will get better. Maybe it won't, and it'll be like Twilight where the majority of the books I don't even remember because they were significantly insignificant. At least there are pretty dresses. Although I do NOT approve of putting a redhead in a RED DRESS. Dear God, she must've looked like a stoplight. Bad move, Cass, bad move. If you need some redhead fashion tips, just shoot me an email. It's okay. I won't tell anyone. Pink would've been better, BTW. Even teal. Or mint green. Just go consult your new BFF4E, The Color Wheel.

I WILL say that what I have seen of the author herself she seems pretty cool. I would still be her friend.

If you're into literary fads, then by all means read this book. If not, well, do not read this book. I guess there's a novella between this and the second one. I'll try to snag myself copies of both and we shall see what happens, but the setting is pretty...set. I guess my 5 star rating streak of the week has officially been set and match. 

Just a side note, I did find the tribute in the beginning to be mildly entertaining:

May the odds be ever in your favor,     

Cinematic Saturdays: Never Let Me Go by Kazuo Ishiguro

Intro: In addition to being an incurable bibliophile, I have a minor obsession with films. So, naturally, I can’t think of a single better use of my time than indulging in both mediums and cross-comparing the two. I mean c’mon, everyone loves to rip a movie a new one after first reading the book. It’s one of every pseudo-intellectual’s most cherished pastimes. And as a card-carrying member of Pseudo-Intellectuals-Not-So-Anonymous, it’s my right, nay, my responsibility to cram my opinions down the throats of everyone too polite to tell me to shut up. So let’s sit down with a cup of fancy, imported coffee (just kidding, it’s generic, instant, and little stale), and talk about the finer things.

My first novel/film duo up for review is Never Let Me Go by the incomparable, Booker Prize winning Kazuo Ishiguro. Take a look at the stats and summery below and then I’ll dole out those opinions I promised you.

Title: Never Let Me Go

Author: Kazuo Ishiguro

Publisher: Vintage Books

Publication Date: April 5, 2005

Pages: 288

Genre: Dystopian Science Fiction

Rating:

Summary (from Goodreads): As a child, Kathy – now thirty-one years old – lived at Hailsham, a private school in the scenic English countryside where the children were sheltered from the outside world, brought up to believe that they were special and that their well-being was crucial not only for themselves but for the society they would eventually enter. Kathy had long ago put this idyllic past behind her, but when two of her Hailsham friends come back into her life, she stops resisting the pull of memory.

And so, as her friendship with Ruth is rekindled, and as the feelings that long ago fueled her adolescent crush on Tommy begin to deepen into love, Kathy recalls their years at Hailsham. She describes happy scenes of boys and girls growing up together, unperturbed – even comforted – by their isolation. But she describes other scenes as well: of discord and misunderstanding that hint at a dark secret behind Hailsham’s nurturing facade. With the dawning clarity of hindsight, the three friends are compelled to face the truth about their childhood–and about their lives now.

A tale of deceptive simplicity, Never Let Me Go slowly reveals an extraordinary emotional depth and resonance – and takes its place among Kazuo Ishiguro’s finest work.

I am in no way exaggerating when I say this is my favorite novel of all time, and I usually struggle to get into science fiction. However, I think calling this science fiction is a bit misleading. It’s one of those books that doesn’t quite fit inside the parameters of any one genre, which, for me, is part of its appeal. At its core I’d say that Never Let Me Go is a literary novel/masterpiece/friggin’ legend that happens to take place in a dystopian futuristic society. Ishiguro’s characters are incredibly sympathetic given the surreality of their circumstances, and beautifully illustrate the struggle intrinsic to the general human experience.

I won’t lie to you, this book is heartbreaking. Seriously, if it doesn’t make you cry, you’re dead inside, you monster! ::Weeps:: Okay. I’m okay. Where were we? Tears. Yes. Many, many tears.

You may, at first, find yourself feeling sad/sorry for the characters, but the true genius of Ishiguro’s writing is that, by the end, you feel sad for yourself. It becomes clear over the course of the story (so precisely, intentionally, gradually) that the characters, and the story as a whole, are/is one giant metaphor for the fleetingness of life; your life, the lives of those you love, etc. It is a flawless observation of how little time we have here, and a reminder to appreciate every second of that time.

Five out of five stars, two enthusiastic thumbs (and big toes) up, and ten out of ten buckets of boiling tears.

Rating: 

If after reading the novel you could use a pick-me-up, and Lord knows you will, I’d recommend watching the unintentional rib-splitting comedy that is the film-adaptation. Juuust kidding, the movie’s a stone-cold bummer. BUT it will take less time from start to finish, so if you’d prefer only 105 minutes of tragedy as opposed to a full day (or however long it generally takes you to read a novel) the movie might be a good option for you.

HOWEVER, I do have some qualms. Really, I shouldn’t be too critical because not even Professor Albus Percival Wulfric Bryan Dumbledore could adequately capture/represent this book through film, but still…gotta’ cram those opinions down some throats or else they’ll kick me out of the club.

Aside from general issues, like the director taking too much liberty in editing/tweaking an already impeccable story, I was confused by things like casting. I felt that Kiera Knightley was a strange choice for the part of Ruth, and really for this story in general. I feel she has a tendency to read kind of flat at the best of times, so when put into a slowly developing, quiet, reflective story, the lack of dimension becomes a bit painful. Also, Ruth is quite calculating, selfish, and vindictive (though still miraculously sympathetic), and Knightley really failed to communicate that complexity. However, the overall “flatness” isn't all her fault. In fact, unlike in the book, Ruth plays a fairly minor role in the film. This is disappointing because she's one of the more interesting characters. Had there been more of her, played by someone else, I think I would have enjoyed it a lot more.

Overall, the movie takes a beautiful, gently ascending and meticulously sculpted story arc and makes it feel downright flat, slow, and boring. I give it two and a half out of five stars.

But don’t take my word for it, I know several people who list the film-adaptation of Never Let Me Go among their all-time favorite movies. And who knows, maybe if I’d seen it before I read the book it would have really blown me away.

What about you? Have thoughts, questions, suggestions for future comparison reviews, or throat-shoving opinions of your own? I’d love to hear them all! Feel free to leave a comment below.

Until next time, lovelies.

Sincerely,

(one of your seven billion dysfunctional siblings)

Review: Dreamweave II, Analyzing Psychic Dreams by M. R. Thoreson

Title: Dreamweave II, Analyzing Psychic Dreams

Author: M. R. Thoreson

Publisher: Thor Productions

Publication Date: February 28, 2012

Pages: 279

Genre: Dream Analysis

Source: ARC from Publisher

Rating:

Summary (from Goodreads): Dreamweave is a manual to help the beginning dream journalist understand his dreams and their content. It has a dream symbol glossary with real dream examples for comparison. Dreamweave has dream examples that are focused on relationships, happy and sad, with explanations as to why the dream occurred. There has never been a dream book before that pinpoints dreaming the future, why it is dreamed, and outcomes.

I received this book off Netgalley and it wasn't quite what I expected. It was more a collaborative analysis of other people's dreams, when I expected it to be more of a "dream dictionary" sort of thing. If I had an interest in other people's dreams and situations, then this would be perfect. However, those are entirely irrelevant to me and I was rather looking to decode what components in my own dreams represent. Interesting, but irrelevant to me at the time.


Edit 12/28/18: I would not normally do this, but I feel any future reviewers that may consider working with Ms. Thoreson should be very cautious. When I reviewed this book, it was one of my very first ones. The name I received was from NetGalley...7 years ago. I have never before spoken to this author, but out of nowhere she has begun posting messages on all of my social media claiming I refused to change her name to her initials, namely on Google, after several attempts of trying to contact me (again, I’ve never spoken to this individual in my life) and that I was doing it for attention. After sending her a few messages back telling her I changed what I could, but I have no control over how Google displays her name from that long ago, instead of contacting me back she decided to start posting similar claims on my website and Google+ account. After continuously harassing me, she threatens to report me to the BBB. DO NOT work with this author! She is petty and will harass you with no intent to resolve issues. 

May all your wildest dreams come true,