Lit List: The Aging Games: How to Come Out a Winner Over 100 Anti-Aging Tips by Lynn Hardy, ND, CNC; Mirror Meditation: The Power of Neuroscience and Self-Reflection to Overcome Self-Criticism, Gain Confidence, and See Yourself with Compassion by Tara Well,phD

Lit List: The Aging Games: How to Come Out a Winner Over 100 Anti-Aging Tips by Lynn Hardy, ND, CNC; Mirror Meditation: The Power of Neuroscience and Self-Reflection to Overcome Self-Criticism, Gain Confidence, and See Yourself with Compassion by Tara Well,phD

By Julie Sara Porter

Bookworm Reviews

The Aging Games: How to Come Out a Winner, Over 100 Anti-Aging Tips by Lynn Hardy, ND, CNC

Lynn Hardy's The Aging Games: How to Come Out a Winner, Over 100 Anti-Aging Tips, is a book that gives good advice for Readers from their 40's to their 70's or who are approaching those milestone years and want to face them with confidence.

Many of the tips that Hardy offers are affordable and can be easily done. Anything can help from using or making one's own non-toxic cleaning products to reducing WiFi usage (or at least not wearing their device and turning it off before bed). 

Some of the tips such as improving sleep schedules, stopping smoking and drinking alcohol, and practicing stretching exercises such as Yoga and Tai Chi are frequently repeated in these kinds of books. Technically, Hardy isn't telling her Readers anything new. But sometimes, it's a good reminder to engage in such activities to improve one's health and well being. 

The more provocative sections involve diet and certain spa treatments. Some may question Hardy's stance about drinking too much water and that a vegetable only diet may not be for everyone. But Hardy (and this Reviewer) cautions to please consult a doctor or medical professional before dieting, fasting, and eliminating important nutritional aspects from one's regular eating habits. By the same token, do not engage in such treatments such as microneedling that may be harmful if not done by a professional.

One of the best sections involves the ways that Readers can keep their brains sharp. Such hobbies like reading, crosswords, sudoku, and various brain games help preserve memory and keep the mind working. 

The Aging Games will help Readers win in their struggle against time itself. Maybe instead time and age can be friends.

 

Mirror Meditation: The Power of Neuroscience and Self-Reflection to Overcome Self-Criticism, Gain Confidence, and See Yourself with Compassion by Tara Well,phD 

Tara Well's Mirror Meditation: The Power of Neuroscience and Self-Reflection to Overcome Self-Criticism, Gain Confidence, and See Yourself with Compassion helps Readers for those days when they don't feel good about themselves and don't want to look in the mirror.

While people with Narcissism gaze into the mirror to notice their more attractive features or to confirm their ideas of perfection, Well insists that her technique isn't like that. Instead, she encourages her Readers to look at their reflections to find their imperfections. What makes them sad, angry, fearful, anxious, and fills them with self -doubt.

Well asks her Readers to look at their reflections and take private video diaries. These methods encourage self talk and why people feel negative and self-critical feelings. Sometimes they may come from abuse and bullying. A person with verbally abusive parents may find it easier to believe all of the bad things about themselves than the good. Finding the roots of their Self-Criticism allow the Readers to understand, accept, and maybe even love their imperfections.

One of the changes that Readers can make is to alter the critical voice. For example, if a person makes a mistake during a speech,  the inner voice reminds the speaker about all the laughter during the mistake. To counter the criticism, the speaker can remind themselves that they spoke in a loud clear voice, point out all the things that they got right, and to remember the applause that followed the speech.

One of the best sections involves Anxiety. Many of us who suffer from Anxiety often have unexplainable fears and worries that could be triggered by anything: a past due notice, the lack of response from an email, watching the news, anything. Well's Mirror Meditation process advises anxious Readers to practice breathing and mindfulness exercises. They can use body and mind awareness by focusing on the moment and slowing their reaction. This relaxes the mind and body and calms the flight-fight-freeze response that comes with Anxiety. It also allows the person with Anxiety to relax and wait until they are calmer to face whatever issue might be troubling them.

The mirror is more than a tool for looking on the outside. It can be one to look at the inside as well.

Weekly Reader: Mysterious Aisles (The South Hertling Chronicles Book 1) by B.G. Hilton; Hilarious Send Up of Superheroes, Ghosts, Conspiracy Theories, and Stores That Are Actually the Den of Evil

 

Weekly Reader: Mysterious Aisles (The South Hertling Chronicles Book 1) by B.G. Hilton; Hilarious Send Up of Superheroes, Ghosts, Conspiracy Theories, and Stores That Are Actually the Den of Evil

By Julie Sara Porter

Bookworm Reviews

Spoilers: Last year, I thought that Champagne Charlie and The Amazing Gladys by B.G. Hilton was one of the craziest, weirdest novels that I ever read. A Steampunk Science Fiction Adventure novel, it had a madman who wanted to destroy the moon, bat and badger like aliens living on Earth and assimilated into typical English citizens, Irish pirates ready to take out English nobility, a stage magician with a wand that had real magical powers, and a dowager noblewoman who used her nobility as a secret identity for her real self as one of Britain's most renowned crime stoppers.

Now, having read Hilton's Mysterious Aisles (The South Hertling Chronicles Book 1), I have come to realize that Champagne Charlie and the Amazing Gladys was simply the warm up act. Mysterious Aisles dials up the crazy, weird, bizarre, and silly up to eleven. This book is brimming with supervillains and heroes, drunken ghosts, demigods, conspiracy theorists, magic portals, and a store that is actually a den of all evil.

 Refrain from the obvious (and somewhat accurate) Wal-Mart and Amazon jokes. For once, it isn't about them.

If you peer close enough and I'm talking with a magnifying glass peering very very closely, you might find a coherent plot in this book. At least in all of the madness in Champagne Charlie and the Amazing Gladys, there is something of an actual engaging and suspenseful story involved. With Mysterious Aisles, it's more of a string of random weirdness, one silly goofy event and character after another that gets sillier and goofier as the book continues. By the end, I expected The Colonel from Monty Python's Flying Circus to show up, break the fourth wall, and say this book is too silly.

But plot is not what we come for in these books. We come for the funny and the weird. That's what this book delivers. Boy, does it deliver.

The main protagonist of Mysterious Aisles is Axel Platzoff, AKA Professor Devistato, a retired supervillain. His days of plotting world domination are over and now he works at the Handy Pavilion, a hardware and outdoor enthusiast store. Unfortunately, Axel's customers include Captain Stellar, Axel's former archenemy who is now going into maudlin detail after his boyfriend dumped him. Stellar and Axel's relationship is less of a villain/ hero and more like two acquaintances turned reluctant friends who see each other and bicker all the time. It's similar to the animated series, The Venture Bros which also shows superheroes and villains having reluctant friendships with each other when off the clock or during retirement. 

Besides Axel, Handy Pavilion is also staffed by other specimens of weirdness. There's Laura, a new hire, who after an accident becomes the new superhero on the block. Bruce, a former contractor, who now haunts the store as a ghost, a drunk foul-mouthed ghost. Zorbar Ofthechimps, a staff member, was raised by chimps. Gwen Harper has a magical connection to wood. Angela and Sadie McGregor, twins who take the good twin/bad twin dichotomy to the next level. Buck Dusty, a wannabe cowboy, works in power tools and has a lot of knowledge of different dimensions. Karl Wintergreen, owner of a nearby stationary shop, writes a business newsletter that is actually filled with his conspiracy theories about the Illuminati and the Trilateral Commission. Norman, a young employee, has divine family connections. Seamus, a garden gnome, comes to life during the full moon. Nalda, a killer cyborg from the future, works in Arts and Crafts. Did I mention this store was weird?

Besides the weirdness within, there's also weirdness outside. Handy Pavilion is in frequent rivalry with the nearby DIY Barn. Rather than the conventional means like sales, business acquisition, and better advertising, this corporate rivalry is more like war between countries. The stores resort to such means as kidnapping and explosions to cut the competition.

 It turns out that DIY Barn is actually DIY Evil because it apparently is a trans-dimensional portal that welcomes evil  demons, spirits, and  so on. Handy Pavilion has to battle for more than just awesome savings and friendly customers. They have to battle for souls.

Both DIY and Handy have their go to person to commit the nastier deeds. DIY has the Phantasm, a mysterious figure (who ends up being not really that mysterious)  who covertly spies on and sabotages the Handy Pavilion staff (though really not that covertly).  Many of Handy's more ruthless endeavors are overseen by Axel, who even though he is officially retired from the supervillain game, is glad to put his talents to good or bad use.

Mysterious Aisles is a book that has a joke on just about every chapter and page. Some don't make sense and don't have to. They just have to be very funny and they are. It's the kind of book where when Handy Pavilion needs the assistance of a plumber, two somewhat familiar characters appear. Two sisters named Maria and Luigina. I said somewhat familiar. 

We also learn that Norman is the most recent child of Zeus. Isn't it nice to know after thousands of years, the king of the Greek gods still can't keep it in his robe? All of these character traits add to the overall humor.

There are also hilarious interactions between characters. When Stellar is drunk and heartbroken about his recent breakup, Axel comes up to him and the two act less like opposite sides of good vs. evil and more like the last two guys to exit the bar during last call.

My favorite interaction is Karl's Newsletters which are supposed to mostly be accounts of local business news and sales but are really just platforms for his craziest conspiracy theories that are then edited and mostly redacted by Claudia, his hapless editor. Karl and Claudia's war of words is uproarious particularly when Karl personally insults her and she comments "Redact this!" Then she leaves a particularly damning accusatory conspiracy theory in just so she can sit back and see what happens.

Then there are the moments that mock the entire plot and the conventions of the genre that this book is in.

One character goes into an overly long diatribe about how the store rivalry is only a small part in a larger plan. Unfortunately, this character's rambling is so boring and confusing that the others (and the narration) lose interest. Something tells me that come Book 2, they are going to wish that they had paid attention.

Mysterious Aisles is what it is. It's crazy, weird, and hilarious. It's not to be taken seriously. Just taken with a good sense of humor and a huge pound of salt. You're going to need them. 

New Book Alert: Cardinals by Ian Conner; Lesbian Vampires and God's Wife are Highlights of This Seductive Mesmerizing Dark Fantasy

 

New Book Alert: Cardinals by Ian Conner; Lesbian Vampires and God's Wife are Highlights of This Seductive Mesmerizing Dark Fantasy

By Julie Sara Porter

Bookworm Reviews 

Spoilers: "God's Wife is a Lesbian Vampire!" 

That sounds less like the plot of a good dark fantasy novel and more like one of those weird cheesy tabloid headlines that could be found in any supermarket in the 80's-90's. But actually that's what Cardinals by Ian Conner actually is. Uh not a cheesy tabloid headline but a compelling mesmerizing dark fantasy about a goddess cast out of Heaven and ready to seek vengeance on the deity who abandoned her and now insists that he is the only way to Salvation.

As he did with his previous novels, Skadegemutc Ghost Witch and The Long Game (An Amy Radigan Mystery), Conner proves that no two Ian Conner novels are alike. He can jump from an eerie supernatural horror to a complex political thriller in no time at all. His latest, Cardinals, is a dark fantasy which takes some clever savage gut punches to religion. The only thing that these books have in common are that they all have LGBT characters, particularly lesbians, but even those characters vary in terms of personality and relationships. It's nicely refreshing when an author takes on various genres and writes them so well.

In Conner's book (and according to some theological scholars) God's wife's name is Asherah. She was an actual deity who was worshipped in Canaanite religion. She also appeared in Mesopotamian religion as Ishtar and Egyptian as Isis.

 In Cardinals, it is she and not Lucifer (as told in the Bible) who sparked the angelic rebellion and is cast out of Heaven. Yahweh is so threatened by her demands of equal status,  goal to be acknowledged as co-creator, and her dislike for the humanity that he created to worship him, that he orders her to not only be cast out but not to be referenced in the records that humans are transcribing. This explains therefore why she had scant reference in the Bible and why despite other myths and religions that feature a God and Goddess, the Abrahamaic religions are one of the few that have a solely male deity.

Asherah's story in Cardinals is similar to that of Lilith, Adam's reported first wife who was thrown out of Eden after she refused to take a subordinate position to Adam. Afterwards, Lilith was referred to as the mother of monsters and later metamorphosed in Hebrew myth and legend as a demon who takes the souls of men and children at night. Asherah's in this book story is also analogous to the many religions that began with a goddess as the creator of the universe in agrarian society only to have her fall in status in favor of the male gods. This archetypal story can be found in various myths such as the conflict between Gaia and Zeus in Greek mythology, the war between Tiamat and Marduk in Mesopotamian, and Isis' relinquishment of her duties to Horus, her son, in Egyptian. 

Similar to the female characters in many of these stories, particulary Lilith and Tiamat, Asherah is not only removed from Heaven and very existence is denied, but she becomes demonized. Once she arrives on Earth, she sports a pair of fangs and obtains an unquenchable thirst for blood. She uses her newfound abilities to attack Sharit, a woman who takes her in but becomes her first victim.

 Asherah is not alone however. Once they fell, her fellow angels transform into rubies. Later, Adam's son Seth and his son Enoch gather the rubies and create the Amulet of Cassiel which the prophet Elijah later uses to call the flaming chariot. The rubies are later separated so the Amulet could never be used again. Asherah resolves to get back the rubies, call the chariot, and return to Heaven to have more than a few words with God, even if it takes thousands of years. After all she has an abundance of time to get the job done.

Asherah is a fascinating character. She is seductive, alluring, manipulative, and hypnotic. She is a character that the Reader can't look away from. She is a cunning strategic planner, spending centuries creating a financial empire and entertaining herself with various lovers, mostly female.

She ends many of her encounters by biting other humans which probably is a lot of fun in later centuries. Some guy cuts her off in traffic? Just feed on him. She fights with someone over the latest dress at a sale? Just have Sangre ala Karen. Jehovah's Witnesses or MAGA fans won't leave her alone? Just eh-maybe not. Who wants to be stuck with them for Eternity?

 Asherah isn't likable, in that she often attacks and kills innocent people and cruelly uses others, particularly Amara, a girlfriend in the 21st century. However, her allure is unmistakable. She is one of those type of characters that is so memorable and so fascinating in her badness and single-minded pursuit that she steals every moment that she is in. You are drawn to her and almost, almost are rooting for her. So much so that the book is not quite the same when she isn't around and the plot shifts to the other characters.

However, the other characters are interesting as well, many of which are Asherah's former victims and are doing their best to thwart or aid in her attempts in putting back together the Amulet. There are: Lady Kellena Donnachaidh, a 14th noblewoman turned 21st century CEO who has a personal grudge against the former Mrs. Yahweh,  Suzette Allard, Kellena's loyal assistant and wife,  Yasmeen Obiad, Kellena's bodyguard and head of security who displays ruthless tactics to get the information that she needs,  Sharit Hagel, Asherah's first victim who is still around in the 21st cenury and seeking vengeance and Amara Korkolis, Asherah's current girlfriend who loves not wisely or well. 

Not to mention there various groups after Asherah such as:  The Cardinals , those who have been fed on by a vampire but not given vampire's blood in return (almost more like zombies), The Witches of Tenerife, a coven who are interested in not only Asherah but Amara as well, and the Roman Catholic Church particularly Cardinal DiScotti (the religious kind of Cardinal though she's a vampire too), the first female Cardinal and is on her way to becoming the first female Pope.

With all of these different characters and groups, sometimes it's hard to tell what are the character's real motives. Betrayal piles on top of betrayal and characters shift allegiances almost as fast as they change addresses. Sometimes it's a chore to go back and remember who is allied with whom and whether they are stopping or helping Asherah (or unintentionally helping her even when they think that they are stopping her). Sometimes the plot rubs away with itself.

There is also another flaw in the book. There is an earlier chapter that looks as though it will lead to something important but ends up having only a small impact in the final confrontation. If it had a larger importance and if the character featured in the chapter had actually become a part of the overall narrative, it may have made more sense to have it. Otherwise, it's just a baffling inclusion and seems to be only added to provoke and create controversy rather than exploring it to its fullest potential. 

Other than those flaws, Cardinals is a dark fantasy that like its lead character is impossible to ignore and hard to forget. In the vampire horror subgenre, it, and Asherah are goddesses among vampires.

New Book Alert: Fancy Fanciful Fantasticality (Overture for the Overawed) by Francessca Bella; Descriptive Character Driven Science Fiction Novel Goes Deceptively Deep Into Concepts of Heroism and Belief

 New Book Alert: Fancy Fanciful Fantasticality (Overture for the Overawed) by Francessca Bella; Descriptive Character Driven Science Fiction Novel Goes Deceptively Deep Into Concepts of Heroism and Belief

By Julie Sara Porter

Bookworm Reviews 

Spoilers: Stop me if you heard this one: a young woman leads a rebellion, fights a dictatorship, and finds the courage within herself to become the heroine that her people need. She becomes the leader of her new community and obtains legendary, almost mythical status. 

Well, on the surface Francessca Bella's novel, Fancy Fanciful Fantasticality Overture for the Overawed, appears to be that kind of book about that kind of heroine. But if you look deeper, you will see more meaning behind the book. You will see the human being behind the legend.

The heroine that has achieved legendary status after her rebellious heroism is Calista Soleil who is the Fancy Fanciful Fantasticality (say that five times fast). Besides having an awesomely alliterative moniker, Calista also is the Overseer of the Port of Sunshinescence in the Principality of Sunshinescence (another mouthful). Her people are very spiritual and worship the sun as a goddess. Many admire Calista as much as they admire the sun. Many would love to just bask in her loveliness. Everyone thinks of her as a great leader and heroine. Everyone except sometimes Calista Soleil.

Calista feels that she has lost her way so she returns to her alma mater, Chromia Academy. When that doesn't work out, she tries to send a message to her family. While communicating with them, she sees a frightening image of a firebird, a phoenix, striking the Earth. Over the centuries, because of war, pollution, and greed, Earth is blocked from the sun. The people of Earth have mostly been reduced to a barbaric survivalist existence willing to listen to the latest fanatical cult leader who says that the moon is all that they need.

Calista fears that the Phoenix is the sun's final warning, the anger that humanity took advantage of its resources long enough and now will be destroyed. She wants to go to Earth to help the people. Calista gets assistance on her mission with her new friends, Lavender, a scientist who once worked for the sinister and secretive Moonbow Laboratories and Sagen, who also worked for Moonbow and is handy with a weapon, and willing to use them despite objections from the pacifistic Calista. The trio face not only the people of Earth but a cult leader who wants the Earthlings to turn from the sun and worship the moon.

What makes this book stand out is the Fancy Fanciful Fantasticality herself, or rather the alleged Fancy Fanciful Fantasticality. Despite her legendary status, Calista doesn't always feel fancy, fanciful, or fantastic. We aren't shown the legend that led her to these titles. We are given hints here and there but that's not what this book is about. This is about what happens after the goal is achieved and the new leader is made. This is meant to peel away the legend and see that there is a real person, a real person of flaws and virtues, a complex human being. Somehow in exploring Calista's humanity makes her even more heroic.

In many ways, Calista exemplifies all of the positive traits that someone of her station should possess. She is very courageous and thirsty for adventure. She goes to Earth knowing full well the state that it's in and that she may not return. She exhibits good leadership skills and takes decisive action. When she, Lavender, and Sagen find themselves in a trap and encounter betrayal, Calista is able to get them out. She also shows a compassionate side in that she is willing to help the Earthlings get out of the predicament that they are in. She also befriends Teal, an Earth citizen who is quite intelligent and would be a good candidate to attend Chromia Academy. Perhaps, Calista sees something of her younger self in her, so she encourages Teal in her intellectual pursuits. Like the sun that she represents, Calista tries to exhibit warmth and light to all around her. 

Optimum word is tries because Calista does not always succeed. Sometimes the reasons are found within herself. Ironically, someone who represents the sun's warmth also acts very cold, forbidding, and polarizing. She acts in a very arrogant manner at times. When she visits Chromia Academy, she doesn't remember the names of the student or even an instructor who came to the school and made an enormous impact on her young life. She came to the school hoping to find some positive connections but instead all she remembers is how isolated that she was.

 The isolation continues when she is with her family. Calista realizes that her people depend on her so much that they have forgotten to think for themselves. They are enchanted by the image that they created around her and in some ways so is she.

Calista is at times guilty of many of the things that she accuses others of being. She thinks that the Earthlings she encounters are mostly intolerant and judgemental but fails to recognize those attributes within herself. Her younger brother, Tybalt and sister, Berrie at first accompany her. But when they are told that the journey is dangerous and even fatal, they turn around and go back. Rather than expressing concern about her sibling's safety or understanding their decision, Calista berates them and calls them cowards. Then she stridently declares that few can be as brave as she can. 

Even though she later supports Teal when she learns what a big help that she has been, she is at first surprised that someone from Earth is so intelligent. She also says that not just anybody can join the Chromia Academy, only the elite with connections. Luckily, she ends up becoming that connection so she is able to drop much of her earlier snobbery.

Calista can be uncompromising in her views. She gets into a science vs. spirituality debate with Lavender and argues with Sagen about using weapons even in self defense. She criticizes the fear mongering Moonite cult for denying the evidence of the sun's presence and their insistence of only living for the moon. However, she is just as single minded in her devotion in the sun and has a cult-like following herself (not one of her designs, but she still wields the same power.) In fact, this aspect of the book could be a metaphor for many of the views that people hold on to nowadays. I won't say which views but it's not hard to connect the dots. 

To her credit, Calista knows that she has those negative qualities and works to change them within herself. One of Calista's signs of maturity is her willingness to see her friend's sides and work together with them. 

In her journey to her past, she tries to find the adventurous brave young woman that she once was before her pride and following got the better of her. Perhaps, she feels that she is unworthy of the titles that she has received. This adventure on Earth is a source of self-redemption to become a better person, one who earns the right to be called the Fancy Fanciful Fantasticality.

These negative and positive qualities are what actually make Calista a great character. The conflicts with the Moonite cult, the Earth citizens, and the elements are important. But the biggest conflict of all is the one with herself.

With a very human protagonist who saves the Earth and learns about herself, Bella's book truly is fancy, fanciful, and fantastical.

New Book Alert: Immoral Origins (The Desire Card Book 1) by Lee Matthew Goldberg;. Suspenseful Crime Thriller About the Hidden Cost of Desire and Success

 

New Book Alert: Immoral Origins (The Desire Card Book 1) by Lee Matthew Goldberg;. Suspenseful Crime Thriller About the Hidden Cost of Desire and Success

By Julie Sara Porter

Bookworm Reviews

Spoilers: What's on your reading list?

What if you had a card that would give you anything that you desired and removed any obstacle to obtain it? How satisfied would you be or would you want more? What if in obtaining your heart's desire, it involved the deaths of people? Maybe people you don't know, maybe a rival, but it could just as easily involve the death of a friend or family member? After all, the cost of this card is only your soul. Now would you do it?

This premise is explored in Lee Matthew Goldberg's The Desire Card series and particularly its first volume, Immoral Origins. As with his previous novels, Slow Down and Orange City, Goldberg shows the perils of cold blooded pure unadulterated naked ambition and its effect on a small time guy who is playing in bigger more dangerous leagues.

Jake Barnum, our protagonist, is a petty crook going nowhere fast. He just got out of prison and is left homeless and unemployable. He then moves back in with his parents and his mentally challenged brother, Emile. He is subjected to his parent's poverty which is revealed by the frequent visits to the hospital and medical bills to diagnose Emile's condition and his father working two jobs and getting only two hours of sleep per day. Jake's relationship with his girlfriend, Cheryl is coming to an end. (After stealing her a tennis bracelet from Tiffany's, Jake finds out that she is seeing someone else.) His childhood friend, Maggs introduces him to his boss, Georgie who wants him to do "pick ups and deliveries" and not ask questions. In Hell's Kitchen New York in 1978, that type of job can only mean one thing and they aren't mail carriers.

One Halloween night, Jake, dressed as Erroll Flynn's Robin Hood, encounters a woman dressed as Marilyn Monroe and only answers to that name. Marilyn informs Jake that she works for a company that grants wishes, with the Desire Card. It's everywhere you want to be….whether you like it or not. 

Marilyn introduces Jake to her boss, an enigmatic man known only as Clark Gable because like Marilyn, he wears costumes and a mask resembling the Hollywood actor. In fact all of the Desire Card employees and elite guests dress up in the masks and costumes of old Hollywood stars. There is Bette Davis typing away every conversation in front of her, even small talk. Gregory Peck is ruthless in the job and in his relationship with Marilyn. Spencer Tracy is Gable's informant.  Katharine Hepburn and Laurence Olivier  run the European branch. Now Jake has a new identity as Erroll Flynn. Marilyn says that it's a disguise to hide who the people really are from the outside world and themselves. Your Hollywood mask, don't leave home without it.

The Desire Card is meant to fulfill the holder's wishes whether it's to get more money, a promotion at work, or in Jake's family's case top notch medical care for a loved one. Gable and his operatives do anything to make those wishes come true. However, the means are less like Santa Claus and more like Al Capone or Jimmy Savile. They resort to kidnapping, theft, sexual assault, and murder to get the job done. They are also expanding their services into drugs and other extra "benefits" that come with having the card. The more that Jake profits from his time with the Desire Card, the greedier and more addicted he gets to power and success. After all, doing illegal deeds to meet one's desire: Expensive. Murdering other people: Costly. Selling one's soul: Priceless.

In this book, Goldberg does what he does best: shows how power and ambition could be an addiction and how often these little guys become swept in and end up becoming the deadliest force of all. Jake is like the petty crook in gangster films who robs stores and takes drugs thinking that makes him tough. Then he gets involved with a much bigger and deadlier group. Amidst the wild parties, frequent sex, and nights out in fancy restaurants, he realizes the darker side of his new friend and now that darker side is turned towards him. In the grand scheme of criminal activity, Jake is a small dog, a Yorkie, yipping at the heels of a pack of dobermans and acts surprised when they snarl their teeth and shed blood on him.

He enjoys the protection that they give him and the treatment that Emile receives. He also likes the flash and glamor that he is exposed to as he ascends higher in the organization. 

Jake at first has few moral concerns. As long as he's getting everything that he wants, he doesn't question the things that he has to do. Even after he expresses qualms about killing for the first job, he ends up becoming okay with it later-as long as the people he goes after are enemies or strangers. It's when they go after friends and family, that Jake questions his new life. Jak is an extremely egocentric selfish creep of a weak willed character who only has moral qualms when it personally involves him. That makes him the perfect victim for the people behind the card.

The Desire Card employees are an intriguing bunch because they are so mysterious. Their only identities are their Hollywood names and characters. I suppose we could infer from their chosen identities who they might have been. Maybe Bette was a tough gal who liked to be a Jezebel. Perhaps, Katharine came from a wealthy Connecticut background and Olivier might be a devotee of Shakespeare.

We learn a bit about Marilyn and everything about her backstory is similar to her character: the lost lonely young girl, the attraction to powerful dangerous men, the sadness hidden behind a glamorous facade. But the Reader only learns a little bit about her. She loves her identity as Marilyn so she insists that's all there is. Part of working for the Desire Card is to become their deepest desire.

The most mysterious of all is their leader, Gable. Everything that we learn about him is repeatedly proven or disproven. Does he have a family or doesn't he? How long has he been doing this? How does he find out everyone's desires and secrets? Is he just really good at obtaining informants or is there something else? Is there something supernatural at work here? After all, doesn't the Desire Card sound an awful lot like a deal with the devil? We learn nothing and see nothing except what Gable wants us to see.  It will be interesting to see how Gable and his subordinates continue to play out this mystery in the rest of the series.

Immoral Origins is great at dissecting what the hidden cost is obtaining power and success without a conscience. There are some books that explore this theme without success. For everything else, there's Immoral Origins.

July's List

May and June took a long time. Hopefully, July won't.

Immoral Origins by Lee Matthew Goldberg

Prey No More by Lee Matthew Goldberg

Mysterious Aisles by B.G. Hilton

Seeing Voices: Poetry In Motion by Kelly Sargent

Cardinals by Ian Conner

Devil Took Her: Tales of Horror by Michael Botur

Fancy Fanciful Fantastically: Overture for the Overawed by Francessca Bella

Lexington: Anatomy of a Novel by Donna Lane Nelson

 The Enchanted World Series Pt. 2: Fabled Lands, Gods and Goddesses, Legends of Valor, Giants and Ogres, and Seekers and Saviors by Brendan Lahane Tristam Potter Coffman and The Editors of Time-Life Books

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New Book Alert: The Beached Ones by Colleen M. Story; Bizarre and Unique Life After Death Fantasy Reveals The Strength of Fraternal Love

 

New Book Alert: The Beached Ones by Colleen M. Story; Bizarre and Unique Life After Death Fantasy Reveals The Strength of Fraternal Love

By Julie Sara Porter

Bookworm Reviews 

Spoilers: Some believe that ghosts become so because they have unfinished business. They have to send a message, look after someone living, or have to meet some goal or at least be told that the goal has been met before they can ascend in the spirit world. 

Colleen M. Story's fantasy, The Beached Ones, is about a man who has died but has an emotional connection that keeps him tied to the human world.

The man who has passed on, ceased to be, is no more, and gone up and joined the choir invisible (too much Monty Python sorry) is Daniel A. Shepherd, who is part of an Extreme Sports team. He remembers a show in L.A. in which he and others flew over the heads of the people watching, then nothing. Daniel is confused particularly why no one can see or hear him and why he can move quickly from one place to another. After Daniel manages to communicate with his former girlfriend, Jolene he learns that he died during that stunt in L.A. Daniel needs the help of Jolene and her current boyfriend, Brent, who can also see and hear him, to go to San Francisco where his younger brother, Tony, is waiting for him. 

The Beached Ones is a bizarre and at times beautiful book that explores life after death and the connections that the dead made with the living. 

Story's depiction of the Afterlife is deceptively normal at first. It takes a while for Daniel to realize that he's dead because things seem so normal but somehow are off. Daniel has form and substance. Jolene can even touch him. There appears to be no set patten over who can see him and who can't, so one could attribute the behavior of others as they are simply ignoring him. It's only after he sees the article online of his own death that he realizes the truth. Even then some things are kept from him until the time is right for him to remember them.

Once he starts to investigate the matter, Daniel's experience in the Afterlife has some interesting perspectives. He travels wherever he wants from state to state with only a thought. A supernatural creature appears to be stalking him and can take other forms. 

In one beautiful passage, Daniel appears on a beach and views a pod of whales. He sees a mother and her calf being beached and tries to free them. This moment serves as a reminder for those that he left behind.

This moment with the whales foreshadows the connections that Daniel left behind in the world of the living. He and Tony were abused by their mother. Daniel protected his younger brother and practically raised him by himself. Realizing that his brother is alone, propels Daniel to find and reunite with him. This fraternal love is lovingly  explored as Daniel worries that crossing over could mean leaving Tony behind. The whales symbolize Tony and Daniel's relationship and how Daniel cared for his brother and wants to return to him.

The afterlife portrayal in The Beached Ones is fantastic but it's the emotional bond between the two brothers that is the real heart of the story.

Weekly Reader: The Portable Nine by Pete Mesling; Nine Fascisnating Spies and Assassins Reveal The Honor and Dishonor Among Thieves and Killers

 

Weekly Reader: The Portable Nine by Pete Mesling; Nine Fascisnating Spies and Assassins Reveal The Honor and Dishonor Among Thieves and Killers

By Julie Sara Porter

Bookworm Reviews 

Spoilers: Pete Mesling's crime thriller, The Portable Nine, uses its fascinating cast of nine spies and assassins to show the honor and dishonor among people who exist outside the standards of law and ethics. 

Davenport is one of an elite group called The Portable Nine. Whenever some government official or corporate executive wants someone to be removed they call people like Davenport. He is known as The Mad Marksman of Malta. A cool headed sophisticate with a love of Bach, Dickens, and his Cobra King Colt gun, Davenport hunts and attacks his target without losing control. Usually. This time he is unable to kill his target, a businessman named Max Brindle, and even develops an acquaintenship with him, enough of one that he actually feels guilty about doing away with him. 

As if that wasn't enough, someone named The Black Phantom sends Davenport a video telling him that they are offended that he went after Brindle. To offend The Phantom is not a good idea and could be disastrous. To show they mean business, the video shows the home of the loving aunt who raised Davenport exploding right on screen. So The Phantom knows not only who Davenport really is but will go after and kill anyone to get to him. Davenport knows that the Black Phantom is someone that he cannot possibly expect to face alone. Time to call the other eight members of the Portable Nine to assemble and face their enemy before they get whittled down to the Portable Zero.

The Portable Nine are an interesting bunch. Besides Davenport, they are: 

The Butcher-Lives up to his name. If he weren't a paid assassin, he would be an effective serial killer. He uses a hatchet to cut open victims and leave them bloody afterwards. But not before he goes into a spiel about why they need to die.

Twitch Markham- You would think that someone with various nervous gestures and obvious Anxiety Disorder would not make a good assassin (neither would I) but here he is. He's handy with a gun and was once as ruthless as the rest. But now his nerves are getting the better of him and he thinks that maybe it's time to pack it in. That is until he receives a note from a colleague.

Lovinia Dolcet-A frormer pornographic actress, she prefers to seduce her male victims before she kills them. So she mixes business with pleasure. Her weapon of choice are the Twin Delights, two skewers with pornographic images. When she uses the Twins, they are often the last things her victims see.

Abel Hazard-A rugged Australian, he usually rides his Kawasaki and hangs outdoors in the Outback. He literally lives without fear. No seriously. His amygdala which controls the fear response was surgically removed. He is an active sort who doesn't mind using muscle to bring down enemies, but the removal of fear also removes caution. That may make him a liability to the profession. 

Dr. Intaglio and Mr. Bonnet-The only Portable Nine members who work as a team. Mr. Bonnet is blind but is still capable on the field. Intaglio is his partner and serves as  Bonnet's eyes. Together they are inscrutable and unstoppable.

Robin Varnesse-The Grand Old Man of the group. An American, he has been living in wealthy retirement on the Isle of Man for so long that he acquired a local accent. He is something of a lady's man, remembering his love affairs with both women in the group.

Miranda Gissing-A sharp tongued wit and a lesbian, she loves the thrill of her job. She  particularly loves the cover up aspects like driving fast to make a murder look like a suicide or accident. She also had a string of affairs outside and within the Portable Nine.  

Our Antiheroes, Ladies and Gentlemen. They are a depraved seedy bunch. People you would never want to meet. But still like many characters that exist in shades of gray, they are fascinating and hard to forget.

There are various moments of intrigue and suspense once the Portable Nine are assembled. They have to work as a team when they are abducted and taken to the desert. They also face betrayal when a member turns traitor on them. (Turning traitor on trained killers was probably not the smartest idea in the world. No chance that they will survive to pocket the money.)

The betrayal hits because these are characters that have existed outside the law, outside any real human connections except within the Portable Nine. In a strange way, not trusting anyone else and knowing so much about each other, makes them trustworthy at least to one another. They have formed a strange sadistic surrogate family unit. A family that kills other people. Betraying them is like taking sides against the Family. At least the Phantom is outside the group. The real enemy ends up being within.

 That's why Davenport sends for them. In a world surrounded by villainy, he trusts the villains that he knows over the ones that he doesn't.  Unfortunately, this betrayal proves to be the most powerful sting.

Their own betrayal and mistrust destroys the team more than any Black Phantom ever could.