Balance of October

During the month of October, I reviewed the following:

Books:
- "Remember Me" by Brian MacLearn. Read my review.
- "Falstaff's Big Gamble" by Hank Quense. Read my review.
- "Last Regress" by Rachael J.Thorne.Read my review.
- "The Prayer of Love" by Dr. Mark Hanby and Roger Roth, Sr. Read my review.
- "King Biscuit" by Michael Loyd Gray. Read my review.
- "Riverwalker" by Bud Bradshaw. Read my review.

Other Product:
- "Tower of Pisa - 1500 pieces puzzle" by Ravensburger. Read my review.
- "Big Ben 216-piece 3D Building Set" by Ravensburger. Read my review.

Book "Riverwalker" by Bud Bradshaw

About the Book: RIVERWALKER features the character debut of San Antonio Police Department veteran detective Gifford Holloway, a former Special Agent with Army Intelligence. Holloway is in pursuit of the most despicable of criminals, a savage murderer who victimizes children and dumps their remains in the water and along the banks of San Antonio’s beautiful and world-renowned River Walk attraction. Frustrated at the lack of progress on the case and spurred on by an encounter with the mysterious Madame Candelaria, a local psychic, Holloway contemplates calling upon his special gift of “seeing”, though officially off-limits within the SAPD, to help solve the case and bring an end to the terror. Along the way, Holloway finds an ally in newspaper reporter, Salma Veramendi, who carries her own history of abuse. On the bend of the river looms Adler’s Antiques, a historical landmark owned and operated by Karl Wolff Adler, a drug-pumping psychopath descended from a familial series of predators dating back to 19th century Germany. Himself a victim of horrendous child abuse, Adler is the son of a Nazi father and the stepson of a Mexican bruja, a witch, who practiced the “old” religion. Operating from deep within his secret lair beneath San Antonio’s most recognizable and sacred shrine, Adler assumes the guise of Tlaloc, Aztec god of storm, thunder, and --- child sacrifice. Adler’s demonic reign of terror, acting upon a distorted internal belief system --- a synthesis of Norse mythology and ancient Aztec practices –- has a stranglehold on the residents of San Antonio. Adler has become the Riverwalker. When his own daughter is suddenly abducted, Holloway pulls out all the stops and, with Salma by his side, closes in on the killer in a gripping climax.

About the Author: Bud Bradshaw's thriller/paranormal novel, "Riverwalker," is his second work, the first being "Brandishing," the true-crime account of the California Highway Patrol's worst tragedy and its aftermath. Bradshaw's formal writing experience began with the U.S. Army, writing intelligence reports while serving as a Special Agent with the 109th M.I. Group in Baltimore from 1969-71, and later continuing with med-legal report writing as a Qualified Medical Evaluator and Disability Evaluator. Along the way, he also worked for several years as a professional musician while earning his B.S. and D.C. degrees. As an artist, Bradshaw's work focuses on military history and the American West, with many of his paintings, prints, and giclees appearing in private collections and museums throughout the United States, Canada, and Europe. You may view his website and blog at budbradshaw.com/blog, or contact him via Facebook or Twitter @budbradshaw1.

My Review: This is a very interesting book that will captivate your full attention from the beginning and you will finish reading it at the edge of your chair and will not notice that the time passed at all.
The author did a magnificent job on the construction of the characters. They are rich in personality and the whole ambient is very well described, making us feel as part of the story, living the actions and cheering for the success of our detective.
The plot is simple to follow: an old San Antonio Police Department detective (Gifford Holloway) goes after a serial killer and in the hunt for the man he crosses his path with some different characters, each one bringing his/her own story to enrich the plot. From the gorgeous newspaper report Salma Veramendi  to the strange paranormal Madame Candelaria, all characters will leave a strong impression on the reader. And Karl Adler, with all his "inheritance" from a troubled family is the cherry on top of the cake. Excellent entertainment, thinks get only better towards the end, when Holloway's daughter is abducted.

I recommend this book to the permanent library of any reader who loves a very well written thriller/paranormal/mystery story. It took me around 9 hours to read the whole book.

This book was written by Bud Bradshaw and I received a complimentary copy of this book for reviewing in electronic format. I was not requested to provide a positive review. Opinions expressed here are my own.

If you read this review, fell free to leave a comment!

Book "King Biscuit" by Michael Loyd Gray

About the Book: In King Biscuit, Michael Loyd Gray returns once again to his fictional burg of tiny Argus, Illinois, (the setting of his novels Well Deserved and Not Famous Anymore), to tell a coming of age story set in 1966. With the Vietnam War hovering in the background. Seventeen-year-old Billy Ray Fleener, frustrated by the narrow confines of Argus, seeks adventure and a look at the wider world in a novel that puts him on a collision course with the famous as well as infamous.

About the Author: Michael Loyd Gray was born in Jonesboro, Arkansas, but grew up in Champaign, Illinois. He earned a MFA in English from Western Michigan University and taught at colleges and universities in upstate New York, Michigan, Illinois, Wisconsin, and Texas. He graduated from the University of Illinois with a Journalism degree and was a newspaper staff writer in Arizona and Illinois for ten years, conducting the last interview with novelist Erskine Caldwell.
He is the winner of the 2005 Alligator Juniper Fiction Prize and the 2005 The Writers Place Award for Fiction. Gray's novel Well Deserved won the 2008 Sol Books Prose Series Prize. His novel Not Famous Anymore was awarded a grant by the Elizabeth George Foundation and was published by HenschelHaus (2012). His novel December's Children was a finalist for the 2006 Sol Books Prose Series Prize and was published by Tempest Books( 2012) as the young adult novel King Biscuit. He has written a sequel to Well Deserved called The Last Stop, and another novel called Blue Sparta. Recently he finished a novel titled Fast Eddie. A lifelong Chicago Bears and Rolling Stones fan, he lives in Kalamazoo, Michigan, and teaches as full-time online English faculty for South University, where he is one of the founding editors of the student literary journal Asynchronous and sponsor of an online readings series featuring fiction and poetry.

My Review: This is the second book I read from this author (I also read "Not Famous Anymore"), so I was not surprised by its quality, as I know that he can deliver excellent stories.
The plot is simple to follow. Billy is a young boy (seventeen years old) who thinks that life is more than just working on his father business. He dreams of going beyond Argus, to California and become a surfer.
The story is full of rich characters. How he turned a hero, his friends, his encounter with the president of the United States and many other situations are well described in a very colloquial way.
This is a great read. I recommend this book to the permanent library of any reader who appreciates a good fiction novel and wants to be entertained for some hours. It took me about 7 hours to read the whole book.
This book was written by Michael Loyd Gray and published by Tempest Books in July 2012. I received an electronic version of this book for reviewing and I was not requested to provide a positive review. Opinions expressed here are my own.
If you read this review, fell free to leave a comment!

Product "Big Ben 216-piece 3D Building Set" by Ravensburger

About the Product: Think of London - Think of Big Ben! Widely accepted as London's most popular landmark, this four-faced chiming clock has captured the imagination of visitors from around the world. Since its completion in 1858 people have come to marvel and admire the brickwork, sand coloured limestone cladding and cast iron spire. Designed by Augustus Pugin, the Westminster clock tower stands 316 foot tall. Now you can own your very own Big Ben, to puzzle and display for all to admire. Ravensburger - manufacturer of the original puzzleball - have taken puzzling one step further and created this impressive 3D puzzle, shaped like Big Ben. Using high-quality plastic, each puzzle piece is cut with laser perfection. The unique and flexible hinged pieces create a smooth edge, and add another puzzling dimension. Consisting of 216 puzzle pieces, each is numbered on the back to help you complete the puzzle, and requires no glue to hold together. Measuring an impressive 5.5 x 5.5 x 39cm when complete, this is the perfect puzzle to display for all to admire. Sitting at the north end of the Palace of Westminster, Big Ben is the largest four-faced chiming clock and the third largest freestanding clock tower in the world. Whether you buy this 3D puzzle as a gift for a loved one, or as a reminder of a short break in London, this Ravensburger 3D Big Ben puzzle is sure to bring many happy hours of puzzling.

My Review: I am a puzzle maniac, having assembled jigsaw puzzles from 100 to 9000 pieces (a 13200 pieces is in the queue). Some of them were 3D puzzles, like the Taj Mahal, US Capitol, Neuschwanstein Castle, Empire State Building, etc. This Big Ben does not disappoint at all. Very high quality product from Ravensburger (as usual), all the pieces have an excellent finishing and they stick together very well. No glue is necessary. The final assembly resembles a lot the real building, is very stable, and it is a nice decoration you can have for a while in your home. It is just a shame that this is only a 216-pieces puzzle...(and I do not particularly like the fact that the pieces are numbered... seems like cheating). You can assemble the whole puzzle in less than 2 hours.

Amazon.com was kind enough to provide this product for me through their Vine Program for reviewing and I was not request to provide a positive review. Opinions expressed here are my own.

If you read this review, fell free to leave a comment!

Book "The Prayer of Love" by Dr. Mark Hanby and Roger Roth, Sr.

About the Book (from the authors): The Prayer of Love is about a little-known prayer that has the power to bring forth life transformation. Written in the pages of this book is an astounding little prayer that can dramatically change your life. Its words do not merely offer knowledge but, more important, are expressions of truths that have the ability to bring complete and lasting spiritual transformation. Many people today will never reach their full potential or become the person they sense is hidden inside, good people who desire to grow in love beyond their frustrations and weaknesses. They long for purpose, meaning, and fulfillment — to live a life of love — but have difficulty in finding it. I know how they feel. Through much adversity and with the help of God, this is what I’ve found. For all my struggle and disappointment, the answers to life’s most difficult situations are usually simple. In fact, God is a God of simplicity. *** We are often the ones who make life difficult for ourselves. In fact, the answers to life’s most difficult problems are usually simple. Jesus summed up the secret to life in a very uncomplicated, profound statement: Love God and love your neighbor as yourself. Jesus said that doing this fulfills all of God’s requirements of us. That’s where “The Prayer of Love” comes in. Whether you know how to love or you feel that love has eluded you, this prayer will change your life. This is because love is not meant to be an occasional feeling but a daily experience that continually brings peace and joy. “The Prayer of Love” is a little-known yet powerful prayer that the Apostle Paul prayed over the church he founded in Philippi in what is now Greece. The Prayer of Love follows the outline of this fifty-nine-word prayer and is broken down into seven parts that form benchmarks for understanding and maturing in love. The Prayer of Love is a small book with a simple prayer and a memorable, easy-to-follow method for developing the capacity to allow peace and love to rule in our lives every day.

About the Authors:

Dr. Mark Hanby accepted the pastorate of a small church in Fort Worth, Texas, after being a guest speaker for several years. Under his direction, the church later grew to become Truth Church, which was one of the first megachurches in the nation and the largest of its denomination. Internationally known as a dynamic speaker of church government and spiritual order, Dr. Hanby is a prolific author and widely esteemed as an apostolic father to the church at large. He has personally ministered in more than seventy countries, giving oversight and support to leadership in the body of Christ.
Roger Roth, Sr., has partnered with Dr. Hanby in his ministry and writing for many years. Together they oversee Mark Hanby Ministries/Fathers Heart Ministries, an internationally recognized teaching and resource center.

My Review: This is a masterpiece on the interpretation and application of Philippians 1:9-11 of the letter of the Apostle Paul  to the Philippians. In a very simple and straight forward way and full of every day's life examples of situations lived by the authors, they go directly to the meaning of the message and how to achieve this love. And with love comes peace and happiness. The book is divided into Chapters, each one contemplating one small piece of the prayer.

Although small in size, this book is big in spirituality and it is a powerful tool to sharpen your Christianity love to others and to yourself. It took me around 8 hours to read the whole book.

I recommend this book to the permanent library of all Christians how are seeking an improvement in his/her love, so they can reflect better the character of Christ.

This book was written by Dr. Mark Hanby and Roger Roth, Sr. and published by Howard Books in September of 2012. I received a complimentary copy of this book for reviewing. I was not requested to provide a positive review. Opinions expressed here are my own.
If you read this review, fell free to leave a comment!

Book "Last Regress" by Rachael J.Thorne

About the Book: Alyssa Matthews thought she had an explanation for everything. After all, as a slightly sceptical paranormal investigator that was what she was used to doing; researching, observing and explaining. So when she began writing a paper about a long forgotten case of death by Spontaneous Human Combustion, she assumed it would be a run-of-the-mill piece. Little did she realise that she was about to be plunged into a situation that would not only force her to question her own sanity, but also her scepticism about the nature of the paranormal. Not to mention the dreams that just wouldn’t go away...

About the Author: Rachael J. Thorne is trying to make it in the world as an indie author between tending her garden and being a geek! She lives in Essex, UK with her husband and crazy dog. LAST REGRESS is her first novel and she is currently working on her second, RUNNING FOR A LIFE.

Read the Excerpt!

Alyssa had absolutely no idea where she was or more to the point how she had got there. For a fleeting moment it occurred to her that she might be asleep and consequently dreaming, but everything appeared to be so clear in her mind that this possibility seemed highly unlikely. All around her, for as far as she could have seen, was a thick, overwhelming darkness that felt bitterly cold, damp and bleak. It was as though the cold itself was gnawing through her bones, so numbing that it was almost impossible to breathe, like trying to inhale ice crystals. She had the sensation that she was being suspended in mid air although she could not feel anything that could be supporting her there. None of her limbs seemed to be touching anything and yet she was not falling. It took her a while to realise that she was in fact moving forwards. She was certain that she was floating toward something, but in that terrible darkness she could not see what it could be. Confusion surrounded, penetrated and engulfed her. Disorientation made her feel as though she was being pulled at from every conceivable angle, like something was trying to drag her away, off into that awful darkness. She felt lost and she began to worry that she was never going to regain any control. Somewhere in the darkness Alyssa could hear music, muffled and distorted as if the sound was drifting through the cracks in a closed door. The sudden realisation that it was this sound toward which she was floating filled her with an inexplicable sense of comfort and contentment. She now had a purpose, something upon which to focus her mind. As she became aware that it was the doorway that she was headed for – and she was now convinced that it was indeed a doorway, although she had no idea how she could possibly have come to that conclusion in all that darkness – the music began to grow clearer and louder as though it had started to call out to her, to encourage her. There wasn’t just music though, she could hear a voice. In and amongst the notes there was a man’s voice, very deep and strong, chanting and singing over a beautiful haunting melody. He was singing words that Alyssa could not understand, words that should have had no meaning to her, and yet somehow they did. Stranger still, for some reason that she could not fathom an inner voice seemed to speak to her and tell her that she could trust that man’s voice implicitly, and she felt willing to give herself completely, to surrender herself to it – to give herself to him. She felt comfortable and calm, happy to simply float along and let that beautiful music wash over her. She could have stayed like that forever. Suddenly there was a flash of something that looked like lightning and the area immediately around her was illuminated by an eerie blue light. She was sure that she could see something moving out of the corner of her eye. She tried to look around her, tried to see what it was, but beyond the boundaries of that light was the same black curtain of nothing. She didn’t really want to know what was out there, she was quite content to just float where she was and listen to the music, and anyway, she had the distinct impression that whatever it was that she couldn’t see, it wasn’t something good. Ignorance could be bliss and it was better not to know. She lay back and allowed herself to float in the blue haze, carried along by the sounds surrounding her, but without warning her entire body was wracked with unbearable pain, like hundreds of blades all around her burrowing deep into her skin. Whatever was out there wasn’t hidden in the darkness anymore.

My Review: More than a paranormal book, this is one of the best love story books I have read in a long time.The author did a superb job on describing the ambient and the feelings of our main character, Alyssa.

The plot is quite simple: Alyssa is a young woman who lost her parents and after being able to establish herself and finding a job, she left the foster home she was living, without ever creating any bounds with any of the multiple foster-parents she had during the years. As per her best (and only) friend's suggestion (Greg), she started on a job to study paranormal cases and after two years working on that, she was working on a case to study the death of a man from spontaneous combustion from the inside out (Cain Andrews). She is very sceptical with everything related to paranormal, but suddenly she starts having dreams about dark entities trying to grab her. And then someone unexpected appears to protect her, forcing her to question her own sanity. And from there things develop in an unexpected way and you will not be able to put the book down till the end. The description of the "parallel universe" where Nathaniel and Cain Andrews develop a strong friendship and all the plots and nuances that happens behind the scenes compose the secondary drama that is very well linked to the main story.
This book is both a paranormal novel and a tale of love and sacrifice that will be remembered long after the last page has been turned.
I recommend this book to the permanent library of any reader who loves a very well written paranormal/love story. It took me around 8 hours to read the whole book.

This book was written by Rachael J.Thorne and I received a complimentary copy of this book for reviewing in electronic format. I was not requested to provide a positive review. Opinions expressed here are my own.

If you read this review, fell free to leave a comment!

Product "Tower of Pisa - 1500 pieces puzzle" by Ravensburger

About the Product:

• Puzzle measures 33" x 23.5"
• Puzzles are fun - on your own, or with family and friends.
• Relax from your busy life and build a beautiful image and a new memory.

My Review: I love the picture selection. This angle from the Piazza del Miraculo, a.k.a. Piazza del Duomo in Pisa is not very well know, as people always take attention to the leaning tower or the duomo itself and pay less attention to the baptistery (not shown on the photo) and this beautiful statue that we have in first plane, which stays in one of the corner entrances into the Piazza.

I am a puzzle maniac, having assembled jigsaw puzzles from 100 to 9000 pieces (a 13200 pieces is in the queue and I am really going to the 18,000 and 32,000 pieces from Ravensburger in the future...). Some of them were 3D puzzles, like the Taj Mahal, US Capitol, Neuschwanstein Castle, Big Ben, etc. This one in particular is a very high quality product from Ravensburger (as usual), all the pieces have an excellent finishing and they stick together very well. I usually assemble this size of puzzles on Foam Boards. They are very light and conveniently cheap. The foam board being 3/16'' (5mm) gives your puzzle enough support. I usually cut the board (easily done with a cutter) after glueing the puzzle, leaving a border of 1'' at each side, so I can pin the board in my garage (that, at this point, is full of puzzles...).
What help me a lot is that my wife and daughters also like the challenge, so we move fast. A 1,000 piece puzzle do not last a weekend, although the 8,000 piece one took us 2 months (most 2 to 3 hours at night work) to put together. It took as 10 days to put this one together. I highly recommend Ravensburger products for the excellent quality to everyone that enjoys challenges alone or with the whole family. It is a guaranteed entertainment for hours, listening to music or talking in family environment.

Amazon.com was kind enough to provide this product for me through their Vine Program for reviewing and I was not request to provide a positive review. Opinions expressed here are my own.

If you read this review, fell free to leave a comment!

Book "Falstaff's Big Gamble" by Hank Quense

About the Book: This novel is Shakespeare's Worst Nightmare. It takes two of the Bard's most famous plays, Hamlet and Othello, and recasts them with fantasy characters in a place called Gundarland. Hamlet is a dwarf and Othello is a dark elf. Iago and his wife, Emilia, are trolls. If that isn't bad enough, these two tragedies are now comedies with Falstaff, Shakespeare's most popular rogue, thrown in as a bonus. Both Hamlet and Othello are plagued by the scheming Falstaff, a human. Not familiar with Shakespeare? No problem. You'll still enjoy this romp.

About the Author: Award-winning author Hank Quense writes humorous fantasy and sci-fi stories. His motto is fantasy and sci-fi stories told with humor and satire. He has over forty published short stories and a number of nonfiction articles. On occasion, he also writes an article on fiction writing or book marketing but says that writing nonfiction is like work while writing fiction is fun. He refuses to write serious genre fiction saying there is enough of that on the front page of any daily newspaper and on the evening TV news. Hank lives in Bergenfield, NJ with his wife Pat. They have two daughters and five grandchildren.
Hank’s previous works include Zaftan Enterprises, Zaftan Miscreants and Tales From Gundarland, a collection of fantasy stories. Readers Favorite awarded the book a medal and EPIC designated it a finalist in its 2011 competition. His Fool’s Gold is a retelling of the ancient Rhinegold myth and Tunnel Vision is a collection of twenty previously published short stories. Build a Better Story is a book of advice for fiction writers.

He has a number of links where you can follow his work and his occasional rants:

Hank’s Blog: http://hank-quense.com/wp
Strange Worlds website: http://strangeworldsonline.com
Follow him on twitter: http://twitter.com/hanque99
Facebook fan pages: https://www.facebook.com/StrangeWorldsOnline
Purchase Falstaff’s Big Gamble in paperback or kindle format at Amazon

Read the Excerpt!

Hamlet, Crown Prince of Denmarko, paced the castle battlements late on a clear, cool spring night. He walked with hands clasped behind his back and head down. He had a thin nose with brown hair and eyes.

His scrawny build and clean-shaven face gave him the appearance of a starving waif.

He paused, gazed at the multitudinous stars, sighed and continued his pacing. A breeze brought the smells of the harbor: salt water and rotting fish guts. At last, he stopped, thrust one hand to the sky and declaimed, "To bee or not to bee?" He stroked his chin. "Whether 'tis nobler to buy honey from the peasant farmer in the market and thus provide him sustenance and income to support his brood of brats, possibly keeping him from rebelling over high taxes . . . or to grow my own honey thus, gaining coins to assert my independence from my noble family and the sordid court? Hmm."

He paced some more, still troubled by his vexing question. Nothing less than his future depended upon the answer. Because his uncle, and now stepfather, Clodio, had usurped his right to rule the kingdom, he needed a profession and an income.

"Do you always talk to yourself?" a voice said from the shadows.

"Who . . . who goes there?" Hamlet's head snapped from one side to another while his hand grasped the hilt of his dagger.

"'Tis I, the ghost of your father. I bring a message for your ears alone."

Hamlet goggled at the specter who materialized in the shadows of a doorway. "You're not my father's ghost. My father was a dwarf and you're the ghost of an elf. You're an impostor and a dead one to boot."

"Hey, your father is busy and he asked me to fill in."

"Busy? In the underworld? What's he doing?" Hamlet clutched his red tunic and tugged downward as if to hide his shaking hands.

"He met a good-lookin' ghost of a female dwarf and he's wooin her."

"Dead not a month, and he forsakes his wife, my mother?

"You gotta understand. Life on this side — no pun intended — is pretty borin'. When you gotta a chance to do somethin' interestin', you gotta go with it."

Hamlet ran a hand over his face. Why me? he thought. "What's the message?"

"His death was no accident. It was murder most foul. Here is his exact message. 'But know, thou noble youth, the serpent that did sting thy Father's life, now wears his crown.’” The ghost paused then added, "Did your father always talk funny like that?"

"Murdered? By whom?"

"Didn't you listen? The message tells you who whacked him. Your father wants you to send this guy over here so he can talk to him. He doesn't wanna wait until the guy croaks from natural causes."

Hamlet watched in awe as the ghostly figure evaporated. A few seconds later, it popped back into sight. "Oh, I forgot to tell you. Your father says, 'Thy mother the queen is to know naught of this nocturnal visit.’" The ghost disappeared.

His father's murder shocked him. And the murderer had married his mother immediately afterward. Did the world have no morals?

He recalled his first thoughts when he'd heard of his father's death. How he admired the perseverance and tenacity his father must have had to commit suicide by suffocating himself with a pillow. Now all that admiration was wasted; the old dwarf had had help.

What to do? He needed to make decisions about bee farming and now he had to avenge his father. Was there no end to the demands on a prince's time? He said to the stars, "To bee-keep or to avenge? That is the question."

My Review: This is a wonderful and hilarious book. My 16-year older daughter would say that it is hysterically hilarious. The author puts together some characters that we can associate with characters that exist in Shakespeare's Hamlet and Othello. You really do not need to have read those plays to fully enjoy this book. You do not even have to like Shakespeare at all, and you still will enjoy very much this book. The situations created by the author are excellent, with a strong analogy with our current everyday life' situations. The Godmother with all her corruption scheme it is like the Al Capone of Shakespeare's time. The employment of family members in public places, the incompetency, the intrigues, everything is well exploited by the author. And the elements he brings from Shakespeare's plays are appropriate to make the association with the original story, like the ghost of Hamlet's father, asking him to kill his murderer and so on. And finally, our main character, Falstaff, appears as an overweighted human trying to take advantage of every situation. As a con man, he is very good on that!

I recommend this book to the permanent library of any reader who loves a well written novel with a very high sense of humor. It took me around eight hours to read the whole book.

This book was written by Hank Quense and it was published by Strange Worlds Publishing in August of 2012. I received a complimentary electronic version of this book for reviewing and I was not request to provide a positive review. Opinions expressed here are my own.

If you read this review, fell free to leave a comment!

Falstaff’s Big Gamble Tour Schedule

September 4
Interviewed at Writing Daze

September 5
Interviewed at Paperback Writer

September 6
Book Spotlighted at Bluebell Books

September 11
Interviewed at Book Marketing Buzz

September 12
Guest Post at Literarily Speaking

September 13
Interviewed at As the Pages turn

September 17
Interviewed at Beyond the Books

September 18
Guest Post at Bless Their Hearts
Guest Post at The Book Bug

September 19
Book Giveaway at Bless Their Hearts

September 21
Book Giveaway at The Busy Mom’s Daily

September 25
Guest Post at The Book Connection

September 26
Guest Post at Maureen’s Musings

October 3
Guest Post at Giveaways and Glitter

October 4
Guest Post at Motherhoot

October 9
Interview at Between the Covers

October 10
Book Reviewed at Books and Movies Reviews

October 11
Interviewed at Pump Up Your Book

October 15
Guest post at Books, Books and More Books

October 16
Interviewed at The Writer’s Life

October 17
Guest post at Sprinkle of Books

October 18
Book Reviewed at Sprinkle of Books

October 22
Interviewed at The Story Behind the Book

October 24
Guest Post at Kitty Crochett

October 25
Book Reviewed at Kitty Crochett

Book "Remember Me" by Brian MacLearn

About the Book: While mowing his lawn, a strange storm creates a black hole and pulls Andrew back through time to 1985, leaving behind his new wife and the life he always dreamed of. With no way back he tries to create a life in the past. The technology in his cell phone promises to make him rich beyond his wildest dreams, but a brief encounter with his ex wife causes a ripple effect that erases his daughter from existence. Now Andrew must try and survive the next 25 years in the hopes the black hole will reappear so he can travel back once more and save his daughter, and himself. But making it twenty-five years is starting to seem less likely as he is plagued by bad luck. Is that all it is, or is "time" out to get him for meddling in the past?

About the Author: Brian MacLearn currently lives in Waverly, IA. He has been a passionate writer all of his life. Several of his poems have been published, and many of his song lyrics have been recorded as demos in Nashville, TN. His first novel, "Our Heart," was a 2011 Readers Favorite finalist. "Remember Me" received a five-star review and earned a "Bronze" medal in the 2012 Readers Favorite contest. Brian is currently at work on his next novel, "Ridicule."

My Review: The idea of time traveling is not new, but it is so well worked in an original way in this book that it will turn it into a classic in sci-fi, at the level of "Time Machine" by H.G.Wells. If you liked the movie "Timeline", you will also love this book.
The plot is simple. A man is sent 25 years into the past in a strange black hole, while he is mowing his lawn and because of his interference in facts in the past, his younger daughter no longer exists in the reality he came from. He also uses his knowledge of the future and an object he brings with him to the past to become extremelly rich. Also some moral dilemmas need to be addressed on if he should interfere in major disasters or not, and the consequences of his acts meddling in the past will have interesting consequences for the future.
This book is both a science-fiction adventure and a tale of love that will be remembered long after the last page has been turned.

I recommend this book to the permanent library of any reader who loves a very well written science-fiction.

This book was written by Brian MacLearn and it was published by Outskirts Press in August of 2012. I received a complimentary copy of this book for reviewing and I was not requested to provide a positive review. Opinions expressed here are my own.

If you read this review, fell free to leave a comment!