Monthly Archives: April 2023

April 27, 2023 · 1:00 am

Better Days: A Review of The Old Mountain Biker

Book cover for The Old Mountain Biker by Robert Adamson. Image on cover shows a bike rider sitting on their bike on the edge of a cliff at sunset. They are looking over the edge of the cliff at the ground far below them. There is a pine forest in the distance. Title: The Old Mountain Biker

Author: Robert Adamson

Publisher: Self-Published

Publication Date: January 10, 2022

Genres: Science Fiction, Contemporary

Length: 28 pages

Source: I received a free copy from the author.

Rating: 4 Stars

Blurb:

In this SciFi short story, an old mountain biker encounters aliens from another planet that rescue him after a fall. They cure his injuries but also restore his youth. 
Then they offer a similar gift to the entire planet, but with conditions.

Review:

Content Warning: A bike accident that causes a minor injury.

Everything is going be okay.

The main character was an intelligent and resourceful man who thought through his decisions carefully. He was exactly the sort of levelheaded person I’d hope would represent all of us during first contact with beings from another planet. I immediately formed a warm and positive opinion of him and would have loved to know more about him.  It’s nice to click with a protagonist that quickly!

My only criticism has to do with the character development. There wasn’t a great deal of it in this story due the short length of this piece and how much time the author needed to devote to explaining what the aliens wanted from humanity and what they hoped to get from us, too. I would have gone for a higher rating if there had been more character development, and I hope the next instalment in this series gives me the opportunity to do just that!

One of the other things I appreciated about this short story had to do with how the aliens were portrayed. Too often, science fiction assumes that our first meeting with aliens will be violent or unpredictable, so it was refreshing to have a story in which nothing like that occurred. I can’t say much else about the plot without giving away spoilers, but it definitely has encouraged me to keep an eye on what Mr. Adamson comes up with next. He has a gentle and kind worldview that is sorely needed not only in science fiction but in storytelling in general!

I relished the peacefulness and hope of The Old Mountain Biker.

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April 26, 2023 · 1:00 am

Wednesday Weekly Blogging Challenge: Films to Watch When You’re Having a Bad Day

Hosted by Long and Short Reviews.

Click here to read everyone else’s replies to this week’s question and to read everyone else’s replies to this week’s question and here to see the full list of topics for the year.

A clear glass bowl filled with popcorn is sitting on a white table. There is a clear glass filled with a dark soda sitting on a red and white checkered napkin on the left hand side of the popcorn bowl. On the right hand side, an opened bag of microwave popcorn is leaning on the glass bowl of popcorn and there are about two dozen pieces of popcorn spilled over the white table and red and white checkered napkin. If you like eating snacks while watching movies, go put your favourite snacks on your shopping list.

I generally don’t eat while watching films, but I might be tempted by this cola and popcorn!

I need lighthearted stories when I’m trying to get my brain to stop rehashing whatever happened earlier, so you won’t find anything serious or scary on today’s list.

Here are five films I’d rewatch when I’m having a bad day.

 

Film poster for the 2008 romantic comedy “Definitely, Maybe”. The poster shows Ryan Reynolds carrying Abigail Breslin on his shoulders. Rachel Weisz, Elizabeth Banks, and Isla Fisher(his three love interests in the film) are shown smiling, each in their own third of the poster as a cityscape, some yellow glowing lights, and a city forest scene complete the visual arrangement. The title is written at the bottom of the poster.

Definitely, Maybe (2008)

What It’s About: A father telling his ten-year-old daughter a story about the three women he dated 11+ years before while she tries to guess which woman he described was her mother. Sometimes he must make humorous detours to avoid sharing inappropriate details of his dating life with his kid. There are a few light mystery elements, but this is mostly about their warm father-daughter relationship and what the dad wishes he’d done differently in life.

Why I Recommend It: The storyline is sweet and funny. I liked seeing what happens to characters after they broke up and how they successfully coparented their child. You don’t see amicable breakups often in this genre, but it was handled gently and with a lot of humour. This otherwise followed most romantic comedy tropes, so that predictability was helpful as well.

 

Film poster for Just Wright. Image on poster shows Queen Latifah and Common playing their respective characters. She’s attempting to dribble a basketball while. He lovingly wraps his arms around her and tries to take the ball away. They are both grinning throughout this. She’s wearing a soft, dark blue sweater and jeans and he is wearing the same uniform he’d wear to play professional basketball.

Just Wright (2010)

What It’s About: A no-nonsense physical therapist who is hired to help a basketball player recover from a career-threatening injury.

Why I Recommend It: I loved how opposite the two main characters were when we first meet them. I can’t say much about their personalities without giving away spoilers, but it made discovering the similarities between them more interesting in the later scenes. This more or less followed the typical plot for a romance which another reason why I liked it. Sometimes it’s nice to just relax and watch a storyline unfold without needing to solve any mysteries or trying to guess in advance how it will end.

 

Film poster for Jumanji: Welcome to the Jungle. In it you see Dwayne Johnson, Jack Black, Kevin Hart, and Karen Gillan standing in a swamp in a jungle that covers them up to their chins. They are all looking suspiciously around at the jungle to see what might sneak up on them.

By https://www.imdb.com/title/tt2283362/, Fair use, https://en.wikipedia.org/w/index.php?curid=54174459

 

Jumanji: Welcome to the Jungle (2017)

What It’s About: Four teenagers who are accidentally sucked into a video game, become the characters in it, and must find a way to win the game before they run out of lives and get stuck there forever.

Why I Recommend It: The characters are ridiculous and delightful. I loved the way the storyline poked fun (in a friendly way) at all sorts of video game tropes. This does not require any sort of analysis. It simply exists to entertain, and there’s something to be said for that some days!

 

Film poster for the Pixar film Coco. It shows a drawing of a large white guitar surrounded by several of the main characters of the film, including Miguel, his abuela, and three skeletons who are ancestors of Miguel’s family. They are standing in front of the Land of the Dead, and there is a small image of Miguel walking with his dog at the bottom of the image.

Coco (2017)

What It’s About: A 12-year-old boy named Miguel who is accidentally transported to the Land of the Dead and must find his way home again before morning.

Why I Recommend It: Miguel was such a sweet, kind, and brave kid. I also loved the subplots of this film that were related to Dia de los Muertos and Miguel’s relationships with various family members. There are a few minor mysteries to be solved if you want to, but it’s also completely possible to ignore the clues, focus on the main storyline, and still have a wonderful time.

Honestly, I highly recommend Pixar films in general. All of the ones I’ve seen so far have been well-written, creative, funny, and otherwise excellent distractions from a bad day whether you’re five years old or many decades older than that. They’re somehow written for people from every age group simultaneously which is quite the accomplishment.

 

Film poster for Spirited. Will Ferrell is on the left hand of the poster wearing a green suit and looking like he’s about to leap out of the poster. Ryan Reynolds is on the right hand of the poster wearing a red suit with white trim on it also looking like he’s about to leap out of the poster. They are both standing with wide leg stances and have their right arms bent at the elbow in front of them while their left arms are moving back for momentum. It’s like they’re skating or something!

Spirited (2022)

What It’s About: A modern retelling of Charles Dickens’ A Christmas Carol. This time, the selfish rich protagonist is someone who is aware of A Christmas Carol and has zero interest in listening to the spirits of past, present, and future or changing his ways.

Why I Recommend It: It was wickedly funny and an amazing homage to the original. I loved seeing how everything was updated for our era where everyone has a smartphone and does not take kindly to paranormal strangers breaking into their apartments in the middle of the night.

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April 25, 2023 · 1:00 am

Top Ten Tuesday: Audiobook Narrators I’d Love to Listen To


Hosted by That Artsy Reader Girl

A white pair of headphones that have had their two ear pieces placed on either side of a blue hardback book. The plug in the headphones has been tucked between the book’s pages as if to magically absorb their words and turn them into an audiobook. It made me chuckle. I can’t say that I think about audiobook narrators too much when I’m listening to stories. So long as I can understand what they’re saying and they inflect appropriate emotions into a scene, I can adjust to just about any reading style.

It’s sort of like listening to someone tell a story. The way they tell it might be a little (or even very) different from how I’d do it, but that’s a good thing.

These discussions are often better when people do have strong opinions on the matter, so my fingers are crossed that some of you are much more opinionated on the matter.

Here are a few audiobook narrators I think it would be cool to listen to.

1) The Author Themself 

They know exactly how that scene unfolded in their mind, so that might give the author an advantage when it comes to reading the audiobook and emphasizing (or not emphasizing) certain words.

 

2) Morgan Freeman 

He has such a distinctive and recognizable voice!

 

3) Robin Williams (may he Rest in Peace)

What a great narrator he would have been for a children’s picture book or a comedic story.

 

4) Bilingual or Multilingual People

People who can speak two or more languages can sometimes have such memorable insight into the idiosyncrasies of a language. I love listening to their thoughts on  idioms or how best to translate something when the literal translation doesn’t quite work for whatever reason.

 

5) Patrick Stewart

I could listen to him speak for hours.

 

6) James Earl Jones 

I find his voice so soothing.

 

I wasn’t expecting this list to have so many men on it. Who are your favourite famous women out there who have amazing speaking voices?

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April 20, 2023 · 1:00 am

A Review of The Trip to Nowhere

Book cover for The Trip to Nowhere by Stephanie Shaw. Image on cover is a photograph of someone walking alone down an incredibly foggy road lined with trees at either dusk or dawn. Only weak light can filter through the dense fog, and everything looks blurry and out of focus because of how much fog there is. Even the trees are just bare outlines of trees due to it. Title: The Trip to Nowhere

Author: Stephanie Shaw

Publisher: Self-Published

Publication Date: May 14, 2022

Genres: Paranormal, Mystery, Contemporary

Length: 59 pages

Source: I received a free copy from the author.

Rating: 3 Stars

Blurb:

A broken marriage,
A lost love,
And nothing to lose.
When his wife confesses that she’s pregnant for Cole’s business rival, the news throws him into a downward spiral. Unable to face his life, he decides to go on a road trip alone. In the process, he uncovers the truth about a missing woman, an unborn child and a shocking family secret. He realizes too late that sometimes the past needs to be left in the past.

Review:

Content Warning: Pregnancy and murder.

Save this one for the next time there’s a foggy day in your area.

The setting tickled my imagination. Foggy days can make the world feel a little softer and more magical in general, especially if you have a long, quiet drive ahead of you and plenty of time to think. The author captured this feeling beautifully, and I smiled as she found ways to incorporate those drives into her plot twists as well. Her imagination took Cole into some places that were as surprising for him as they were entertaining for me as a reader.

I struggled to understand Cole’s behaviour. He was given multiple hints about what was really happening as he drove down those foggy, isolated roads, and I shook my head every time he brushed yet another one aside and kept pushing on towards his goal. While I believe this may have been written to show how his faults had terribly distorted his thinking over the years, it would have been helpful to have this theory confirmed or denied. Leaving it the way it was written made it hard for me to connect to him because of how obtuse he seemed to be about some things that could have been easily straightened out in the first scene.

With that being said, I loved Ms. Shaw’s clean and crisp writing style. She did an excellent job of painting vivid pictures of her characters and the setting without slowing down the storyline or using a single word more than was necessary. This is a delicate and impressive balance to strike, especially in the short story format when the author also needs to juggle so many other elements of good storytelling simultaneously. I will definitely be keeping an eye out for what she comes up with next.

The Trip to Nowhere was an atmospheric read.

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April 19, 2023 · 1:00 am

Wednesday Weekly Blogging Challenge: A Piece of Advice I’ll Always Remember

Hosted by Long and Short Reviews.

Click here to read everyone else’s replies to this week’s question and to read everyone else’s replies to this week’s question and here to see the full list of topics for the year.

Closeup photo of about a dozen peaches that are sitting in a wicker basket. Warm sunlight is trickling through the holes in the basket and onto the warm, soft fruit. Normally, I have anecdotes, short or otherwise, to share in these posts to fill out some space and make them last longer. This time I do not.

I read this a few years ago and thought it was as accurate as it is funny:

“You can be the ripest, juiciest peach in the world, but there will always be someone who hates peaches.”  – Dita von Teese.

It’s so very true. Not all personalities will necessarily mix well in this world.

All I need to do is to be kind and polite to everyone and let the people who like peaches know that I’m around.

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April 18, 2023 · 1:00 am

Top Ten Tuesday: My Favourite Things


Hosted by That Artsy Reader Girl

I look forward to getting to know all of you a little better and seeing what we may have in common! Here are ten of my favourite things.

Sunlight streaming through the trees in a forest that is lightly covered in green leaves. It looks like early to mid spring there, and the ground is still covered in brown leaves or dead grass from last year. 1. Nature

There’s nothing like taking a long, peaceful walk through the woods. I’d do it every day if the weather cooperated and if it were always safe for women to go tromping through the woods alone. (Some urban forests here are perfectly safe, of course, but others can be a little sketchy at certain times of the day or year when few people use them).

 

2. Dairy-Free Hot Chocolate

I don’t see it very often here in Toronto, so I buy it whenever I find a brand that’s safe for me. Luckily, a relative recently surprised me with a lot of dairy-free hot chocolate that will probably last a very long time.

 

3. Time Alone

I am deeply introverted. My spouse and I live in a small apartment and both work from home, so getting enough alone time has been a bit of a struggle since 2020. I relish all of the alone time I manage to get.

 

4. Rabbits

While I can’t have a rabbit of my own due to allergies, I love looking at photos, gifs, and videos of them online.

 

Four busts in a museum. Three are men and one is a woman. Three have curly hair and the woman has her straight hair in a pony tail. Each bust is facing a different way, so only the faces of one man and one woman can be seen. 5. Museums

Whether it’s about science, history, or art, I love learning new things at all of them.

 

6. The Anonymity of City Life

I was a preacher’s kid who lived in a small town when I was growing up. There are benefits to both of those things, of course, but the combination of small town culture, church culture, and my quiet, reserved personality made it a relief for me to move away somewhere and no longer be the centre of attention so often. Ha!

 

7. Food Festivals

One of the other cool things about living in a big city is how many food festivals exist here. I’ve had a lot of luck finding delicious food that’s safe for my milk allergy at certain ones.

 

8. Small Groups

My favourite type of socialization happens in small groups. There’s something magical about getting together with a few other people and going out to dinner or something. I like being able to hear everything that’s said and have a chance to jump into the conversation, too.

 

A closeup of a dumbbell sitting on a grey flat floor. Sunlight is streaming into the room and just barely reaching the end of the dumbbell. 9. Weightlifting 

It makes me feel so strong and capable!

 

10. Love Songs

This might come as a little bit of a surprise since I don’t read or watch many romances, but I adore the optimism and joy that comes from songs about love. Any genre is cool, although I do tend to gravitate towards R&B and Adult Contemporary since it’s easier to find songs about this topic there.

 

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April 13, 2023 · 1:00 am

A Review of The Sword and the Kestrel

Title: The Sword and the KestrelBook cover for The Sword and the Kestrel by Shawna Reppert. Image on cover is a photograph of a Kestrel being held by the gloved hand of their handler out in a forest where the leaves on the trees and bushes are just beginning to grow in spring.

Author: Shawna Reppert

Publisher: Self-Published

Publication Date: July 10, 2012

Genres: Fantasy, Contemporary

Length: 21 pages

Source: I received a free copy from the author.

Rating: 4 Stars

Blurb:

Can a Renn-Faire falconer break an ancient family curse and make peace with the Lord of Forests?

Review:

Content Warning: A life-threatening heart condition

Nothing is more powerful than love.

Guy’s character development was beautiful. I appreciated his serious personality and how much time he spent wrestling with the choices that lay before him, none of which were good ones. No matter what he decided to do with his life next, he knew that he would never live to see old age. That’s a heavy burden for anyone to carry, and his reaction to it was nuanced and realistic. Some of the most interesting scenes for me were the ones that showed him being seriously tempted to commit a crime. So much can be learned about characters by observing them in their lowest moments when they think they might be able to get away with something, and Guy provided plenty of opportunities to explore his personal code of ethics and decide how he wanted to spend his short life.

There was one dangling thread in the storyline that I wish had been tied up properly. It involved Guy’s relationship with one of his falcons, and I kept expecting the narrator to swing back to that sticky subject and tell us how it was going to be made right again. He adored his falcons so much that I found the resolution that was actually shared to be a little unrealistic for what I’d learned about his personality. If not for this issue, I would have loved to give it a full five-star rating.

I smiled when I figured out which myth inspired the creation of this story. No, I’m not going to spoil it for anyone, but I thought the author did an excellent job of translating the themes of that story into our modern age. Fashions may be different now, but there was plenty of room in that source material for contemporary storylines to flourish. I found myself smiling and nodding along as more references were added and Guy slowly began to behave exactly like someone would have in that myth, give or take a little modern technology, of course.

The Sword and the Kestrel felt like a piece of folklore come to life.

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April 12, 2023 · 1:00 am

Wednesday Weekly Blogging Challenge: My Best Home Remedy for the Common Cold

Hosted by Long and Short Reviews.

Click here to read everyone else’s replies to this week’s question and to read everyone else’s replies to this week’s question and here to see the full list of topics for the year.

Edited to add that I’m once again having trouble leaving comments on Blogspot blogs. It worked this morning and now it doesn’t. If I don’t comment on your post now or in the future, this is the reason why.

The small hand of a Caucasian adult is holding a blue and white bottle of Life Brand Sterile Saline Nasal Mist. My best home remedy for the common cold is something I first discovered a year or two ago that’s called a nasal saline spray or a sterile saline nasal mist.

It’s a gentle purified solution of salt and water that is not habit forming. There are no drugs or preservatives in it, therefore I’m hoping that most of you will be able to give it a try if you’re interested.

Here’s a photo of my current bottle. Its ingredients are identical to the name brand version so far as I can tell, so don’t waste your money on the fancy stuff unless you really want to. It all works exactly the same. You can even make it at home if you prefer that option.

When I have a cold, it feels like 90% of my body is comprised of mucous. My cheeks, sinuses, and nose become sore and uncomfortable, and that can trigger a nasty headache and other painful reactions in nearby body parts as well.

Squirting nasal saline spray into my nostrils helps to clear them out and reduce the pain and inflammation that can be part of the common cold. This makes it easier for me to fall asleep and stay asleep.

It works better and lasts longer than inhaling warm, moist air from, say, running the shower and sitting in the bathroom. That was the trick I used for many years before I discovered this product, and it’s still a great option to use in conjunction with this or instead of it if you can’t use saline solutions. Close-up photo of a digital thermometer, an analogue thermometer, and about ten little pills sitting on a white table. The pills are of various sizes and colours, from blue to pink to yellow to orange. A few are large, a few are small, and most are average sized.

I’ll use my spray a few times a day when I’m sick depending on how much my sinuses are hurting and how congested I am. It’s especially nice to do right before bed as I can then breathe through my nose more easily as I fall asleep.

Common colds are never going to be fun, but nasal saline spray makes them a lot easier to deal with.

I look forward to reading everyone else’s responses to this prompt and will be taking notes for the next time I get sick.

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April 11, 2023 · 1:00 am

Top Ten Tuesday: Titles with Aquatic Animals In Them


Hosted by That Artsy Reader Girl

 

IDozens of orange, black, and black and white tropical fish swimming next to a coral reef. decided to narrow down this week’s prompt to aquatic animals.

They don’t seem to be featured in titles and book covers as often as cats or dogs are, so I thought this would provide an interesting spin to the topic.

I also love seeing how aquatic animals interact with their environments. Whether you’re looking at a goldfish, a shark, or something in-between them in size, they’re all fascinating if you ask me!

Oh, and I’m still having trouble leaving comments on Blogger sites. Here’s hoping it will work better today.

 

 

 

Book cover for Capyboppy by Bill Peet. Image on cover shows a drawing of a capybara sitting on an inner tube on a patch of grass.

1. Capyboppy by Bill Peet

 

Book cover for Trilobite! Eyewitness to Evolution by Richard Fortey. Image on cover shows a trilobite swimming against a blue background.

 

2. Trilobite! Eyewitness to Evolution by Richard Fortey

 

Book cover for Liō: Happiness is a Squishy Cephalopod by Mark Tatulli. Image on cover shows a drawing of a purple cephalopod looking at a mirror as a child peeks in the window in their room to see what they’re doing.

3. Liō: Happiness is a Squishy Cephalopod by Mark Tatulli

 

Book cover for  The White Seal by Rudyard Kipling. Image on the cover is a drwaing of a black seal cradling a baby h white seal on his or her back as they lie on a grey beach next to a grassy field.

4.  The White Seal by Rudyard Kipling

 

Book cover for Dolphin in the Deep by Lucy Daniels and Ben M. Baglio. Image on cover is a photorealistic painting of a dolphin poking it’s head out of the ocean.

5. Dolphin in the Deep by Lucy Daniels and Ben M. Baglio

 

 

Book cover for Plato and a Platypus Walk Into a Bar: Understanding Philosophy Through Jokes by Thomas Cathcart. Image on cover shows a drawing of Plato next to a drawing of a platypus. The rest of the cover has a green binding and a dark orange front.

6. Plato and a Platypus Walk Into a Bar: Understanding Philosophy Through Jokes by Thomas Cathcart

 

Book cover for Turtle Tears: A Play in Two Acts by J. Suthern Hicks. Image on cover shows a naked and very pale white adult curled in a fetal position and holding their head while they sit in a small round mirror. Four blue butterflies fly around the mirror.

7. Turtle Tears: A Play in Two Acts by J. Suthern Hicks

 

Book cover for One Fish, Two Fish, Red Fish, Blue Fish by Dr. Seuss. Image on cover shows two green fish, one red fish, and one yellow fish swimming against a yellow background. All fish have been drawn in an exaggerated and whimsical style.

8. One Fish, Two Fish, Red Fish, Blue Fish by Dr. Seuss

 

book cover for So Long, and Thanks for All the Fish (Hitchhiker's Guide to the Galaxy, #4) by Douglas Adams. Image on cover shows a drawing of a children’s dollhouse from the perspective of a set of binoculars. Each piece of the binocular shows about half of the image, but they don’t intersect and there does appear to be a little piece missing in the centre of the house.

9. So Long, and Thanks for All the Fish (Hitchhiker’s Guide to the Galaxy, #4) by Douglas Adams

 

Book cover for The Salmon of Doubt (Dirk Gently, #3) by Douglas Adams. Image on cover shows a salmon swimming through outer space by the Milky Way.

 

10. The Salmon of Doubt (Dirk Gently, #3) by Douglas Adams

 

 

 

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April 6, 2023 · 12:00 am

Creating Consciousness: A Review of MARiiMO

Book cover for MARiiMO by Tyrel Pinnegar. Image on cover shows a drawing of a grey robot with blobby arms and legs and a white head. The bottom portion of the head is filled with a blue liquid, an the rest of the head is white and blank. Title: MARiiMO

Author: Tyrel Pinnegar

Publisher: Self-Published

Publication Date: November 17, 2018

Genres: Science Fiction, Romance, LGBTQ+

Length: 124 pages

Source: I received a free copy from the author.

Rating: 3 Stars

Blurb:

This is the journal of Tammy Maheswaran, a reclusive roboticist living with undiagnosed autism. It documents the creation of Mariimo, a developmental robotics platform through which Tammy subconsciously externalizes her issues with isolation, anxiety, and touch. Upon the machine’s activation, Tammy gradually begins to realize that in the act of constructing Mariimo, she’s been unknowingly deconstructing herself.

Review:

Content Warning: Detailed descriptions of what it feels like to have anxiety, phantom pain from a limb amputation, and brief flashbacks to a car accident during which the main character was seriously injured.

Not everything can be planned out in advance.

I enjoyed Tammy’s character development. She told the audience almost nothing about herself when we first met her, so it was refreshing to see her slowly evolve into sharing more details about her personality and interests as the storyline progressed. I liked the process of exploring parts of her life she’d been completely silent about before. My opinion of her was fairly neutral in the beginning, but it swung over to something warm and positive  once I had a stronger understanding of how her mind worked and why she made the choices she did.

The pacing was very slow, especially during the first third of the book. While I understand that this was done on purpose due to the fact that Tammy had undiagnosed autism and was meticulous about how she created MARiiMO, I did have some trouble remaining interested as the narrator gave me so many chapters on the many different materials she used (or, in some cases, decided not to use) to make her robot come to life. I was glad I stuck through with it to the end, but the pacing was enough of a deterrent for me as a reader that it did have a negative affect on my rating. 

Some of the most memorable scenes were the ones that compared the differences between how a human and a robot may react to the same unexpected event. Even Tammy’s thorough planning phase in this experiment couldn’t predict everything MARiiMO did after she was created. I don’t want to give away any spoilers, but I thought this subplot was one of the most realistic and well-developed ones of them all. The author pushed everything to its logical conclusion and wasn’t afraid to extrapolate even more plots twists from the tiniest wisp of earlier ideas. 

MARiiMO was a thoughtful read.

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