Hello, Fire
Enthusiasts. How in the world are you? It’s been a while, hasn’t it? If you’ve
stopped by over the course of July, you know that I embarked on a book blog
tour, enabling me to take Seeing Ghosts
and offer it up to a larger audience than I had before. If you’re wondering how
it went, I’m not really sure as of yet. I’m hoping that it continues to build
momentum. Perhaps praying is the much
better word here. J Anyway, more on my book later…
What else?
Well, I won’t bore you with the details on work. It’s there, it’s long hours,
blah, blah, blah... Who wants to hear about that? Certainly not me. *grins*
Just
Saturday I finally got around to watching the film 42 – the Jackie Robinson story. It was so good. I haven’t bought it
yet, but rest assured that I will. Yes, it’s a baseball movie, but it is so
much more than that. It’s our history. As a Cubs fan you’d never expect to
catch me wearing some other team’s jersey; however, the movie really made me
want to go out and buy a Dodgers 42. My 19 year old came home while I was
watching it and made a comment about hating prejudice. He said it made him want
to punch people. He’s not a violent guy, so it was really out of character for
him to say. I understood it. The film made my wife and I very sad. There were
many trips to the tissue box, I don’t mind telling you. Later this summer I
look forward to seeing The Butler. That
one might be worse. I get misty just watching the trailer.
For you music
lovers out there we had the opportunity over a week ago to travel to the
California central coast to visit the Paso Robles Mid State Fair. We saw the
Goo Goo Dolls and Matchbox Twenty and it was a heck of a show. If you listen to
Matchbox and have yet to see a show, you’re really missing out. We’ve now seen
them three times and it never gets old; great songs, fantastic musicianship and
Rob Thomas hitting each and every one of those notes. Speaking of my oldest son
once again, he calls Thomas a freak of nature. Both my boys are in band and
jazz choir, so they know a bit of what they speak. He says Thomas should not be
able to hit those notes consistently with those neck veins popping out like
that, but he does. Perhaps he‘s just blessed with more talent than we even
realized. Both band’s newest releases have been getting heavy play over here.
If you have yet to check them out you probably need to rectify that, too.
Book fans, I’ve managed to get hold of
some good books over the past couple of months and I will begin telling you
about them over the next few weeks. I just read Horns by Joe Hill. I had heard of Hill, but had yet to read his
work. I knew who his famous father was, but that was about it. So it was that I
came upon this novel with no preconceived notions, but just a natural
curiosity. I was not disappointed. What a wild ride. If you are unfamiliar with
Horns, here’s the synopsis:
Ignatius Perrish spent the night drunk and doing
terrible things. He woke up the next morning with a thunderous hangover, a
raging headache . . . and a pair of horns growing from his temples.
At first Ig thought the horns were a hallucination,
the product of a mind damaged by rage and grief. He had spent the last year in
a lonely, private purgatory, following the death of his beloved, Merrin
Williams, who was raped and murdered under inexplicable circumstances. A mental
breakdown would have been the most natural thing in the world. But there was
nothing natural about the horns, which were all too real...
I liked this story so much that I had it
read in just a few days. I found the tale to be fresh and imaginative. The most
memorable parts were how everyone just began to confess themselves to him while
in his presence. Those were some of the best bits. The novel was very well
written and kept my attention throughout. Do yourself a favor and don’t worry
who his father is (Stephen King). It’s better if you don’t let that get in the
way of a wholly engrossing read. Never once did I dwell on that fact. Mr. Hill
is his own man, looks to be an incredible talent and I very much look forward
to seeing what else he has up his considerable sleeve.
Lastly, I would just like to share some
reviews that my latest has been getting. If you feel swayed, I’d love it if you’d
pick up a copy, or perhaps add it to your Goodreads shelf.
“An interesting and complex story, filled with
romance, suspense, horror and downright humour. Worth a read if you like a mix
of genre.” - Karen Mead
“I loved this story, staying up to read it… The
ending even brought a tear to my eye. I highly recommend this for your summer
reading.” - Lisa McCourt Hollar
“This is an amazing book. I found it hard to put
it down. Throughout the book I felt tearful, happy, terrified and surprised by
a few twists. I would definitely recommend this book to anyone who loves a good
ghost and/or romance story.” - Claire Rees
“Seeing
Ghosts is eerie and haunting…will keep you riveted, scare the bejeezus out
of you, and make you cry.” - Samantha Martin
“This
is a fantastic book, and most definitely a must read! I loved how the author
incorporated religion, God, and ghosts; all in a highly tasteful manner. I
respected how he wrote in Anne and her son, and the ending almost made me cry.
I loved the twists and turns inside this book, a few I saw coming, but for the
most part it was a complete surprise. I loved the author's writing style, it's
so smooth. I guess I just love everything about this book! Trust me, if you are
at all interested in the paranormal genre, you must read this!” - Elizabeth
Marie
We’ll talk soon.
