A cruel reality show that delights in humiliating its contestants has become the highest-rating programme on television. Fifty-three million people gleefully tune in for each episode to watch Hollywood's descending stars exposed in all their ignominy. Yet there is no shortage of hopeful participants when the four-month run and $10 million movie deal prize can rescue even the most shredded of careers.
Micah Bailey, the merciless ringmaster of StarBash, hates actors and their phoney ways, and for good reason. For twenty-five years, he has endured working for Lenora Danmore, super-star actress, and still formidable queen bitch of Tinseltown. The fifteen contestants of StarBash's fourth season include some surprise entries and two actresses whose epic feud promises to top the vicious-spat charts. Meanwhile Lenore herself has a long-standing debt to settle.
I was blown away by the inventiveness and novelty of the plot. To say that it was like watching the whole thing on TV would be an understatement.
Micah Bailey, the merciless ringmaster of StarBash, hates actors and their phoney ways, and for good reason. For twenty-five years, he has endured working for Lenora Danmore, super-star actress, and still formidable queen bitch of Tinseltown. The fifteen contestants of StarBash's fourth season include some surprise entries and two actresses whose epic feud promises to top the vicious-spat charts. Meanwhile Lenore herself has a long-standing debt to settle.
I was blown away by the inventiveness and novelty of the plot. To say that it was like watching the whole thing on TV would be an understatement.
The omniscient narrator carries the reader deep inside each set, behind the scenes, and even deeper in the hearts and minds of the main characters. There are no absolute heroes, only flawed human beings pitted against one another in a fight for survival. All the players made tough choices and acted selfishly, however, their humanity carries the day, and the inspiring message is that forgiveness can be a game changer.
There is great balance between a fast-moving, fresh plot and character-driven action. Very interesting also the notion that entertainers serve a social role in distracting us from the harsh reality of everyday life. I loved the museum and all of its complex creation. The romance aspect is very lightly hinted at, but serves its purpose. I found the ending surprising – in a good way. A fascinating story with plenty of unexpected twists and turns that held my interest till the very end.
There is great balance between a fast-moving, fresh plot and character-driven action. Very interesting also the notion that entertainers serve a social role in distracting us from the harsh reality of everyday life. I loved the museum and all of its complex creation. The romance aspect is very lightly hinted at, but serves its purpose. I found the ending surprising – in a good way. A fascinating story with plenty of unexpected twists and turns that held my interest till the very end.
I found this book gripping, fascinating and heartwarming. It is a celebration of the human spirit and of love in all its iterations in the face of disaster and misfortune of epic proportions. Although the general tone is suspenseful and drama-filled, there are some hilarious passages and some of the most realistic dialogue I've ever read in a book. The beautiful love story that develops in such unlikely circumstances is icing on the cake.
Blown off course by a storm and a drunk pilot, a small Twin Otter plane crashes in a desolate spot high in the Rocky Mountains. The survivors are seven members of a small theatre company. There is impact shock and injuries to deal with, and the immediate need to procure shelter, food and water. The group are friendly colleagues, but the extreme predicament magnifies their individual characters and underlying conflicts. Although the members of the troupe are clever and capable people, the only one with any outdoor survival expertise is Jenny, the young wardrobe manager, from years of hiking and trail blazing with her brother. |
Under her no-nonsense direction, the unfortunate travellers must use what is available from the wreck and the inhospitable terrain to ensure their physical survival until rescue arrives. It's early spring. The intense cold, lack of food, and starving wildlife all combine to create a nightmare scenario, but the greatest danger is waning morale as time passes and hope of rescue fades.
Julianne Johnson is a born storyteller, who dragged me onto that stark mountainside and made me feel every moment of the unfolding drama, from the small victories to the terrifying challenges, but especially the human life force that sustains the various protagonists throughout their ordeal. I loved the balanced narration. It reads like a real-life experience rather than embroidered fiction, and all of it is convincing and compelling. This is the first survival story I have actually enjoyed, and it is a book I will certainly read again.
Julianne Johnson is a born storyteller, who dragged me onto that stark mountainside and made me feel every moment of the unfolding drama, from the small victories to the terrifying challenges, but especially the human life force that sustains the various protagonists throughout their ordeal. I loved the balanced narration. It reads like a real-life experience rather than embroidered fiction, and all of it is convincing and compelling. This is the first survival story I have actually enjoyed, and it is a book I will certainly read again.
A short but well-developed story about the perils of overindulging in the superficial aspects of life, specifically judging people on their looks alone. It's human nature to respond enthusiastically to beauty and physical allure (especially at the hormonally fuelled teenage stage), but it causes Chris no end of trouble. Chris is an average high-school boy, highly intelligent with an unimpressive physique. He's a bright student, but the pretty girls don't respond to that. So when presented with a hilariously ridiculous online offer to get a hot girlfriend by subscribing to a 30-day-trial offer, he goes for it. After all, it's all a big laugh. The small detail – that he has agreed to sell his soul to the devil – is part of the fun. The unexpected consequences soon become apparent.
Narrated in the first person, I warmed immediately to Chris, our protagonist. I loved the sardonic humour that permeates his delivery. Here's an example (the demon is being rebuffed):
“You will regret this!” He almost snarled the words at me. I guessed demons worked on commission.
Priceless! The struggle between good and evil, right and wrong, is debated in rational, non-preachy terms. The magic elements are well judged and respect the narrative's logic. I found the story engaging and finished it in a couple of sessions, which is unusual for a slow reader like me. I also loved the gorgeous cover! Recommended for the widest audience but, I think, intended for young adults and anyone who enjoys an intelligent narrative with a touch of the paranormal. Be warned that this short story has an unexpected ending which might just get you hooked on the other books in the same universe.
Narrated in the first person, I warmed immediately to Chris, our protagonist. I loved the sardonic humour that permeates his delivery. Here's an example (the demon is being rebuffed):
“You will regret this!” He almost snarled the words at me. I guessed demons worked on commission.
Priceless! The struggle between good and evil, right and wrong, is debated in rational, non-preachy terms. The magic elements are well judged and respect the narrative's logic. I found the story engaging and finished it in a couple of sessions, which is unusual for a slow reader like me. I also loved the gorgeous cover! Recommended for the widest audience but, I think, intended for young adults and anyone who enjoys an intelligent narrative with a touch of the paranormal. Be warned that this short story has an unexpected ending which might just get you hooked on the other books in the same universe.
Disturbing the Peace by Winona Kent
Life for Jason Davey is mostly about music. His all-night gigs at the Blue Devil Club, where he plays a mean jazz guitar, feed his soul as much as his bank account. As the archivist for his parents' successful band, Figgis Green, he's still in touch with all the old members. Except for the “quiet guy at the back”, rhythm guitarist Ben Quigley, who seems to have gone to ground. Ben's ailing mother hasn't heard from him in four years, and she wants to see him again before it's too late. Jason decides to play detective and track Ben down. His quest takes him to the small town of Peace River in Canada's frozen heart, where everybody knows everyone else's business and eccentrics are just people you went to school with. When the stranger from London starts asking questions, he quickly attracts the wrong kind of attention.
Tightly written story, realistic dialogue, and a very well-researched plot make this novella balanced and compelling. Jason is a likeable protagonist, a tough, strong character, scarred by life, but possessed of a good dose of self-deprecating humour. His first-person narration takes the reader deep into the action without any distractions or superfluous embellishments. The conclusion is satisfying, but the story is left somewhat open-ended. |
Since this novella follows Cold Play, Book 3 of a series, perhaps there is more to come? I certainly hope so because I have really enjoyed this book, and now I'm off to read the previous three. Very mild violence, zero sexual content, and a clean, modern style that is suitable for the widest audience.
When I received the publisher's offer of this book for review purposes, I had to look up Simon May because his name did not ring any bells and I have never watched “The Eastenders” although I have heard of “Howard's Way”. Since I am fascinated by the song writing process, I thought this “life in music” might be an interesting read. My expectations were perhaps too high.
I have no doubt that Simon May is a wonderful human being, as his many, many friends would confirm, but I found him to be an unusually dull writer. His reasons for publishing this book are fairly transparent: he's just reissued his entire musical catalogue and this book is intended as a companion/teaser to that release. What is less clear is why any publisher would deem this a good idea. I can only assume, to pander to the current obsession with celebrities, even lesser known ones.
I did not expect scandalous content or gossipy anecdotes relating to the many celebrities whose names are so generously sprinkled throughout, but I was hoping for a more entertaining book. By Page 40, I almost stopped reading. I had become rather tired of the pervasive positivity messages: “I taught all my pupils that NO is spelt Y-E-S.”
Mr May has clearly been extremely lucky in multiple ways: he was born with undisputed musical and vocal talent, which was recognized and fostered from a very early age. Thanks to a series of lucky breaks, and despite at least one disastrously bad career move, he has enjoyed a rewarding, successful and lucrative career in show biz while retaining all his precious anonymity. Many contacts from his school life (both as a student and as a teacher) went on to become influential and very helpful to him later on. His constant refrain, that if you are positive and persistent enough you will eventually be successful, becomes rather galling. If it were that easy, we would all be happy millionaires. It would be much better if the fortunate few simply acknowledged their amazing luck and did not go around chirping that it's all due to being positive.
In fairness, Mr May does that in the second half of the book, which is moderately more interesting. He also explains that he glossed over some of the negatives in his life in order to make this a “feel-good” book. Bad decision. With his spectacularly flat style, airbrushing anything that would have made him a little more relatable robs the narrative of authenticity and makes it rather irritating. I blame the editor who clearly didn't do a very good job in assisting a novice author.
The writing style is easy and unpretentious but also extremely tedious. Simon May comes across as a remarkably dull man, and any attempts at humour are so tame as to be almost pointless. I have great respect for the creative mind, and musicians, composers and songwriters are certainly creative, but most of Simon May's music writing appears to have been done to order, with great technical skill but very little emotional content. This was the greatest disappointment for me. I was hoping for some insight into the music writing aspect of his life, his sources of inspiration and how the glimmer of an idea morphs into a timeless piece of music. Unfortunately, I found this aspect lacking.
Some black and white photos, documenting Simon May's long career, are included in the middle, and at the end there is an Appendix of Selected Song Lyrics, and a partial listing of Amateur Productions of Smike (something else I got very tired of reading about). The very last chapter, My Top Ten Tips, was for me the best part of the whole thing and actually worth reading. So the book, in my opinion, fails to be anything in particular: it's not a memoir because only selected episodes have been included; it's not a dissertation on music making because there is very little detail into the creation of the huge catalogue that he has, at least in part, contributed to; and it's certainly not an entertaining book from a narrative style viewpoint. I'm sorry to be so negative; this book simply did not appeal to me.
I have no doubt that Simon May is a wonderful human being, as his many, many friends would confirm, but I found him to be an unusually dull writer. His reasons for publishing this book are fairly transparent: he's just reissued his entire musical catalogue and this book is intended as a companion/teaser to that release. What is less clear is why any publisher would deem this a good idea. I can only assume, to pander to the current obsession with celebrities, even lesser known ones.
I did not expect scandalous content or gossipy anecdotes relating to the many celebrities whose names are so generously sprinkled throughout, but I was hoping for a more entertaining book. By Page 40, I almost stopped reading. I had become rather tired of the pervasive positivity messages: “I taught all my pupils that NO is spelt Y-E-S.”
Mr May has clearly been extremely lucky in multiple ways: he was born with undisputed musical and vocal talent, which was recognized and fostered from a very early age. Thanks to a series of lucky breaks, and despite at least one disastrously bad career move, he has enjoyed a rewarding, successful and lucrative career in show biz while retaining all his precious anonymity. Many contacts from his school life (both as a student and as a teacher) went on to become influential and very helpful to him later on. His constant refrain, that if you are positive and persistent enough you will eventually be successful, becomes rather galling. If it were that easy, we would all be happy millionaires. It would be much better if the fortunate few simply acknowledged their amazing luck and did not go around chirping that it's all due to being positive.
In fairness, Mr May does that in the second half of the book, which is moderately more interesting. He also explains that he glossed over some of the negatives in his life in order to make this a “feel-good” book. Bad decision. With his spectacularly flat style, airbrushing anything that would have made him a little more relatable robs the narrative of authenticity and makes it rather irritating. I blame the editor who clearly didn't do a very good job in assisting a novice author.
The writing style is easy and unpretentious but also extremely tedious. Simon May comes across as a remarkably dull man, and any attempts at humour are so tame as to be almost pointless. I have great respect for the creative mind, and musicians, composers and songwriters are certainly creative, but most of Simon May's music writing appears to have been done to order, with great technical skill but very little emotional content. This was the greatest disappointment for me. I was hoping for some insight into the music writing aspect of his life, his sources of inspiration and how the glimmer of an idea morphs into a timeless piece of music. Unfortunately, I found this aspect lacking.
Some black and white photos, documenting Simon May's long career, are included in the middle, and at the end there is an Appendix of Selected Song Lyrics, and a partial listing of Amateur Productions of Smike (something else I got very tired of reading about). The very last chapter, My Top Ten Tips, was for me the best part of the whole thing and actually worth reading. So the book, in my opinion, fails to be anything in particular: it's not a memoir because only selected episodes have been included; it's not a dissertation on music making because there is very little detail into the creation of the huge catalogue that he has, at least in part, contributed to; and it's certainly not an entertaining book from a narrative style viewpoint. I'm sorry to be so negative; this book simply did not appeal to me.
Through a time distortion, the separation between two parallel worlds is breached with life-changing consequences for the protagonists. Dave Amsted, a helicopter pilot engaged in the study of time tears, flies over a particularly large disturbance and suddenly remembers events that never happened and feels a devastating longing for a wife he does not have. Marc and Sadie, happily married for ten years, are comfortably and deeply in love until, out of the blue, they both experience disturbing dreams that seem too real to be imaginary. Soon, a chance encounter brings all three people together, forcing each of them to confront an unthinkable choice.
A bit slow and awkward at the start, but a complex tale that eventually becomes compelling. The story achieves an HEA, but the epilogue introduces a new couple who, presumably, will be the subject of a sequel. The unusual aspect is that the three-way sex does not originate in a swingers’ club or similar impersonal meeting place, but instead it is rooted in long-term established relationships. It makes the fast development a bit more understandable.
The main characters are likeable and nicely fleshed out, especially the men, and the world-building is well done, hinting at a grandiose secret project, without getting the reader embroiled in too much detail since this is really just a backdrop for the main actors. There is unexpected humour in the interactions between the two men, as they are trying to figure out their future roles and a solution to their dilemma. I don’t want to give away the plot, but I found that part hilarious.
My enjoyment of the story was somewhat diminished by the unsophisticated writing style. Having read many beautifully crafted erotic scenes, I look for the author to draw me into the characters’ thoughts and feelings with nuanced, passionate narration rather than resorting to the most vulgar terms to turn up the heat. With the exception of direct dialogue, where sometimes people use crude language on purpose, sexual encounters should feel fascinating, sensual and all-consuming. Here the unnecessarily coarse terms disrupt the narrative and introduce a jarring element at a time when the complex interactions of three people deeply in love should take centre-stage. There are many more elegant word choices, and I hope the author will consider polishing this aspect of an otherwise lovely story.
A bit slow and awkward at the start, but a complex tale that eventually becomes compelling. The story achieves an HEA, but the epilogue introduces a new couple who, presumably, will be the subject of a sequel. The unusual aspect is that the three-way sex does not originate in a swingers’ club or similar impersonal meeting place, but instead it is rooted in long-term established relationships. It makes the fast development a bit more understandable.
The main characters are likeable and nicely fleshed out, especially the men, and the world-building is well done, hinting at a grandiose secret project, without getting the reader embroiled in too much detail since this is really just a backdrop for the main actors. There is unexpected humour in the interactions between the two men, as they are trying to figure out their future roles and a solution to their dilemma. I don’t want to give away the plot, but I found that part hilarious.
My enjoyment of the story was somewhat diminished by the unsophisticated writing style. Having read many beautifully crafted erotic scenes, I look for the author to draw me into the characters’ thoughts and feelings with nuanced, passionate narration rather than resorting to the most vulgar terms to turn up the heat. With the exception of direct dialogue, where sometimes people use crude language on purpose, sexual encounters should feel fascinating, sensual and all-consuming. Here the unnecessarily coarse terms disrupt the narrative and introduce a jarring element at a time when the complex interactions of three people deeply in love should take centre-stage. There are many more elegant word choices, and I hope the author will consider polishing this aspect of an otherwise lovely story.