When Father began to build the wall, we didn’t understand at first. We thought it was to keep something in—It couldn’t be to keep anything out. There wasn’t anyone on the island but us. But as the wall grew higher and higher, we began to wonder.”
📸 @aprillwoodauthor
Synopsis:
When a barrier between truth and illusion grows stronger, a family’s trust crumbles in this arresting short story by the number one New York Times bestselling author of The Woman in Cabin 10.
Leah has spent her formative years isolated on a remote island with her family. But their quiet existence, far from the devastated mainland, is cracking. Father, sensing a coming threat, demands that a wall be built. As the stone blockade rises, Father’s paranoia escalates. So does Leah’s dread that the violence the family left behind has found its way to their sanctuary.
Ruth Ware’s Snowflakes is part of Hush, a collection of six stories, ranging from political mysteries to psychological thrillers, in which deception can be a matter of life and death.
Genre:
Psychological Thriller
Mystery
Suspense
Tropes & Themes:
“Live by the sword; die by the sword”
Isolated Island
Archnemesis Father
Rating:
⭐ ⭐ ⭐ ⭐
“They’re coming” was all he said.”
Young Leah escaped her homeland with her brothers, Cain and Jacob, younger sister, May, Woof the dog and their father — in absolute fear for her life and the safety of her family. When they arrive at a desolated Island, she feels safe being so far away from the dangers of the mainland. But as time passes and her father’s demeanor darkens, he pushes his children harder to focus on building a rock wall instead of harvesting crops and milking cows. The danger they fled from arrives to the Island, and like good little soldiers, the children are prepared alongside their father.
I enjoyed this read, albeit it’s predictability and somewhat inconsistent storyline, Spoiler Alert ⚠ (where Leah remembers witnessing a traumatic event involving her mother versus the truth which was that the children were so confused and scared that they didn’t realize until after escape that their mother wasn’t present, which was told in the beginning.) End of Spoiler Alert ⚠
However, some of the predictability can be explained through the POV of Leah, a young child who believes her father is her world, and therefore the “point-of-view lens” was clouded not only by her allegiance to her father but also her immaturity.
I suspected the ending from the start, as there were MANY obvious clues, but perhaps that was the point. Overall, there’s a lot of suspense with the not-knowing-for-sure and the dysfunctional family dynamics and unpredictability of “Father”. In the end, there is a happily-for-now, which was a nice way to conclude this installment of the Hush Collection.
“The shadow had definitely come out of the mirror, gone through the young woman and the dog, and disappeared. He stepped closer, trying to see more, but a white spot appeared in the middle and flared, eating into the picture until there was only white light.”
Garth Nix, Out of the Mirror, Darkness
Synopsis:
A cynical “fixer” for a silent-film studio must confront the shadows behind the bright lights in this noir-tinged short story by New York Times bestselling author Garth Nix.
It’s business as usual on the set of another cheap sword-and-sandal production by Pharos Pictures—until the lead actress suddenly falls into a deep, mysterious sleep. Jordan Harper can talk down high-strung starlets and knock sense into stuntmen, but this…this is the kind of uncanny problem that he’d usually bring to Mrs. Hope. Unfortunately, the preternaturally capable secretary is on a business trip with the studio head. Harper must get to the bottom of the mystery on his own before another cast member succumbs—or worse, they blow the budget.
📸 @aprillwoodauthor — The “Great Value” or “Wish” version aka my artistic impression of Out of the Mirror, Darkness. BTW, IG thinks I’m nude in this neck/arm/face close-up. Is IG OK? Someone needs to do a wellness check.
“He fixed things with talk far more often than with force. But what people remembered and talked about was always the action.”
Out of the Mirror, Darkness, by Author Garth Nix, is a noir-styled horror about a slumbering starlet, Miss Celine, and stunt dog, Ellsworth, who both cannot be awakened. This is a huge problem for “The Fixer”, Mr. Jordan Harper, because the show must go on! And he’s struggling with finding a solution to his problem, that may or may not be supernatural in origin.
“But the mirror was not reflecting the sunshine. It was dull and kind of greenish, probably from a layer of verdigris on the bronze.”
I’ll admit, it wasn’t until nearly the end that I realized Ellsworth was a dog (help me) and you wouldn’t imagine my confusion about all the sniffing! When it dawned on me that Ellsworth very much was a dog, I laughed out loud.
“When night falls, Ellsworth will seem recovered,” continued Mrs. Hope. “But he will not be. He will be under the sway . . . he will be controlled by . . . the monster that is within him…”
Overall, I enjoyed the themes and characters of this short story and the mystery behind what was “consuming” Miss Celine’s and the dog’s energy was fascinating. However, my mind wandered quite a bit while reading this, and my interest in the story didn’t pick up until the end when it was deep into the mystery. So, I have mixed feelings about this short story, but overall I liked it so I’m rating it 3 stars.
About the Author:
Garth Nix was born in 1963 in Melbourne, Australia, to the sound of the Salvation Army band outside playing ‘Hail the Conquering Hero Comes’ or possibly ‘Roll Out the Barrel’. Garth left Melbourne at an early age for Canberra (the federal capital) and stayed there till he was nineteen, when he left to drive around the UK in a beat-up Austin with a boot full of books and a Silver-Reed typewriter.
Despite a wheel literally falling off the Austin, Garth survived to return to Australia and study at the University of Canberra. After finishing his degree in 1986 he worked in a bookshop, then as a book publicist, a publisher’s sales representative, and editor. Along the way he was also a part-time soldier in the Australian Army Reserve, serving in an Assault Pioneer platoon for four years. Garth left publishing to work as a public relations and marketing consultant from 1994-1997, till he became a full-time writer in 1998. He did that for a year before joining Curtis Brown Australia as a part-time literary agent in 1999. In January 2002 Garth went back to dedicated writer again, despite his belief that full-time writing explains the strange behaviour of many authors.He now lives in Sydney with his wife, two sons and lots of books.
Annabelle Aster doesn’t bow to convention—not even that of space and time—which makes the 1890s Kansas wheat field that has appeared in her modern-day San Francisco garden easy to accept. Even more peculiar is Elsbeth, the truculent schoolmarm who sends Annie letters through the mysterious brass mailbox perched on the picket fence that now divides their two worlds.
Annie and Elsbeth’s search for an explanation to the hiccup in the universe linking their homes leads to an unsettling discovery—and potential disaster for both of them. Together they must solve the mystery of what connects them before one of them is convicted of a murder that has yet to happen…and yet somehow already did.
Annie’s new pen pal has been dead for over seventy years…”
The Lemoncholy Life of Annie Aster
Rating: ⭐ ⭐ ⭐ ⭐
The Lemoncholy Life of Annie Aster, a magical time travel misadventure story told in omniscient, or “all knowing” POV, by Scott Wilbanks, is a book I set down and came back to many times since I first received it for review, nearly ten years ago. — (Sorry Source Books!)
When I picked it up this time and began to read it again from page one, I couldn’t fathom why it was that I set it down last time with less than one hundred pages left of a four hundred page book?!
For instance, I was totally sweet on Annie, Elsbeth, Christian, Cap’n, and Edmund, the five misfits; four of which are Annie’s sidekicks but really were main characters in their own right. Annie Aster and Elsbeth were my faaaaaaaaavorites and I loved the mystery of the unexpected brass mailbox on a white picket fence, and how it connected them, even a hundred years apart! The worlds were vastly different between them, being one hundred years apart, and I found the historical time setting of 1895 to be a fun period to explore.
I wasn’t too far into the book when the magical sweetness bittered like a sweet & sour candy, leaving an unpleasant taste in my mouth. 🍋 It started with the letters shared via portal-mailbox, and Annie’s and El’s jokes about animal cruelty, specifically cats. Throughout the book, cats and kittens are mentioned or, later, handled in an abusive way. It was a hundred pages until the finish line when the weird cat stuff culminated in ridiculous cruelty, when one of the many villains in this story held an orphaned kitten over an oven burner. Really? No wonder I put this down. I have three rescue cats, two of which we took in this year, and I have no plans on stopping at three, (even though one of said rescues woke me up this morning by draping his huge frame across my body, right over the side I’m about to have surgery on, and boxed my nose with his paw until I got up). 🐾 😂
If all the weird cat stuff was edited out, and a few other things that lacked historical accuracy, this would easily be a five star read for me. It was unnecessary and added nothing of value to the fanciful and whimsical storytelling in this work of fantasy fiction. It seemed so out of place, like it was the author’s thoughts, and after reading his bio I understand he’s extremely sarcastic (so am I) and might have a little bit of a dark sense of humor, (also guilty –but not with cats!) so maybe, just maybe, that’s why?
This book is classified as Science Fiction and Mystery, but I’d argue The Lemoncholy Life of Annie Aster is also a Women’s Fiction. Women’s fiction is basically a story with a focus on the life journey of a FMC and her personal growth. Often there is a romantic subplot. Wilbanks’ novel has both. This was a plus for me. Annie, the FMC, has a rather unique and absolutely non-linear life journey, but it’s still a “life journey” and ultimately her personal growth is revealed and it’s wonderful.
The concluding chapters were heartwarming and just when I thought this book couldn’t possibly be more twisty, the reader is hit with yet another revelation and connection between the characters.
That’s excellent writing.
I also like the author’s interpretation of the phrase “if life gives you lemons” and his word, lemoncholy. I like to think of myself as a person who habitually makes the best of a bad situation, like Miss Annie Aster. The lovely title fits the whimsical storyline. Also, the art on the cover is so beautiful! I just love all the scrawled wildflowers, both on the cover and around chapter headings. I went nuts with my gel pens! 🖋 😁
The characters of this novel are truly what makes the story, and while there are quite a few to get to know through the omniscient knowledge of multiple POVs, each character was extremely memorable — and I’ve read this multiple times finishing at different marks, and starting again, for nearly ten years. I really can’t think of many other books I read ten years ago that I’ve remembered the details of the characters in the same way I have with this book.
For instance, there’s Elsbeth, an elderly widow and loner whose only company is that of a tattered scarecrow erected in her Kansas wheat field 🌾 outside of her cabin in the 1890’s. Her sarcastic pov and comments were side-spliting-ly HILARIOUS. She had me cry-laughing.
She said a quick prayer, ending it with an appeal for rain. Kansas was experiencing an uncommonly long dry spell, and she was starting to run out of patience with the good Lord. If he didn’t answer soon, she decided she wasn’t above stripping to her knickers and doing a rain dance in the pig pen to see if that would get his attention.”
Connected to Elsbeth is Annie, (the FMC), who begins her morning one day to discover a random brass mail box, on a mysterious white picket fence wrapped with greenery and healthy, established roses that definitely weren’t there yesterday. In the distance, Annie notices a wheat field and a smoky cabin. Stranger yet, is the letter threatening Annie with trespassing.
Trespass is dealt with at the business end of a shotgun in these parts!”
The Lemoncholy Life of Annie Aster
Unlike Elsbeth, Annie is portrayed as fragile, complete with a serious illness that isn’t partially revealed until the end. Her symptoms are shown and her use of syringes to deliver medication to herself are casually mentioned, sometimes a hundred pages between, eluding that something is very wrong with Annie but we are left in the dark as to what.
Loved the friendship between Annie and Christian, but it did add to her fragility because he was like a mother hen, tucking her under his proverbial wing. This was very endearing of Christian’s character, but did little favor to the perception the reader has of Annie.
The time travel theme is a fun element to any magical Sci fi or fantasy and while I loved the differences between 1895 and 1995, there were historical inaccuracies that were too glaring to ignore. For instance, Annie, an unmarried young woman, time-traveled back to 1895 and opened up a checking account.
Listen… I can accept that she time-traveled but I can’t accept that she somehow took the 1974 equal credit act back in time with her. In the 1960’s if a married woman opened a bank account, it was with her husband’s signature (permission). In 1974, the Equal Credit Opportunity Act changed this. It’s absurd that she would have been able to withdraw funds or open an account, unmarried in America, year 1895. Like I said, time-travel is more believable.
I loved Cap’n and the “Sandlot Gang”, the young street kids and orphan castaways of the 1890’s and how they rallied around Annie, protecting her from danger.
Nathaniel was a nice addition, as were the complications of a relationship between a man from 1895 and a woman of 1995. Their love story was for sure, complicated, and many misunderstandings ensued between then.
And of course Edmond, a man who discovers a new friend in Christian, after the most unusual of first impressions. These characters made up the fabric of this story, all connected by a single string. As the story unravels, it’s revealed how everyone is connected.
The Lemoncholy Life of Annie Aster is also a murder mystery, but one that transcends the bounds of time and space making this story unique and unexpected.
Overall, Wilbanks’ debut novel is a great blend of misadventure, time travel, magic, alchemy, and even romance!
Even though I’m rating this novel 4 stars, I’m reluctant to recommend it because of the Triggers I mentioned above. In addition, there were study group questions in the end that were completely inappropriate and random, regarding “sin”, homosexuality, and drug abuse. What?! Why was this included? I was expecting meaningful questions I could ponder and respond to and I get that.
So let’s make this quick:
1.) Sin is a socially/religiously constructed word that I don’t believe in nor subscribe to. So no, I don’t believe in “sin”.
2.) No. Homosexuality is not a “sin”. What does this have to do with the story?
3.) Yes, substance abuse is a disease. Again, and this has what to do with what?!
I received a complimentary copy from Source Books in return for my review. This did not influence my thoughts or rating.
I wanted her dead. And I know I’m not the only one. But now that leading lady Vanessa Hargreaves, celebrity starlet, lies spent and lifeless on the stage of the glorious Royal Ruby Theatre, I have to ask myself: How did it come to this?”
— Murder at the Royal Ruby 🎥 📼
Blurb:
The curtain rises, and the chandelier falls—taking the star of the show down with it. An ambitious young usher working at the theater sets out to find who killed the leading lady in a crackling short story by #1 New York Times bestselling author Nita Prose.
Grace is an usher at the stately (and possibly haunted) Royal Ruby Theater. She’s also an aspiring actress ready for her big break. Vanessa is the glamorous yet spiteful star who’s made more enemies than friends on her rise to the top. When Vanessa winds up dead in act one, Grace is determined to find the killer. But is she seeking justice, or something darker?
Murder at the Royal Ruby is part of Obsession, a collection of compulsively readable short stories about people pushed to their extremes. So addictive you won’t be able to put them down—read or listen to each story in a single sitting.
Murder at the Royal Ruby, a thriller-short by Nita Prose, (and part of the Obsession Collection), is a story about a theatre usher named Grace, envious of every starlet who, well, “graces” the stage of the Royal Ruby.
There are rumors that the theatre is haunted, offering a lot of promise that there would be some supernatural elements, but unfortunately, it’s just one of many red herrings to follow, after the first act death scene.
I really liked the first act and found it reminiscent of 1980’s Italian horror movies – like Dario Argento’s incredible work. It was a shocking and almost an unsettling opener, but in the best way possible.
I only wish the story continued in this direction, but instead, we rewind backwards to Grace and her obsessive mission to obtain signatures, including from Starlet Vanessa, hoping she might lend her endorsement for The Academy, which Grace dreams of attending so that she too, could become an actress.
But here’s the thing: I need her signature. And I swear, I’ll do just about anything to get it. If I had to kill for it, I wouldn’t think twice.”
— Murder at the Royal Ruby
The ending was a head-scratcher and I was left just plain confused, wondering what exactly Grace had up her sleeve. It was a bit open-ended, reminding me of another book from this collection of thriller shorts. Personally, I don’t like this kind of ambiguous storytelling, where the fate or future of the character(s) is unclear, leaving the reader to speculate. I don’t want to speculate; I want a resolution! Is that so much to ask? 😂
Also, as a side note: It was Medusa who was cursed to turn people into stone and not Aphrodite, (which is mentioned in the book). Aphrodite is the beautiful Goddess with long golden hair, who arrived by sea 🌊 on a clam shell. She is the Goddess of beauty, love, and fertility. She was also manipulative, cursed men to be wild boars and birds, and once cursed a woman to fall in love with her father. No woman ever dared to compare themselves to her, fearful of her wrath. She may have turned someone to stone, but this wasn’t what she’s known for.
Overall, I really thought I was going to LOVE this read but it was just okay. I’d bet if this was a longer story that delved deeper into the protagonist’s life, the ghost of the Royal Ruby, and an ending with no loose strings, it’d be a 5 star read.
I’ve enjoyed the Obsession Collection, published by Amazon Original Stories, (borrowed from Prime Library), and I would recommend it to fans of thriller novellas/short stories. Of course I liked some installments better than others, but that’s normal with any anthology!
About the Author:
Nita Prose is the author of THE MAID, a #1 New York Times bestseller and a Good Morning America Book Club Pick. Nominated for an Edgar Award and winner of the Ned Kelly Award for International Crime Fiction and a Goodreads Choice Award, THE MAID has been published in more than forty countries and has sold over a million copies worldwide. Her next book starring Molly is THE MYSTERY GUEST. It publishes in November in the US and Canada (January in the UK).Visit Nita at nitaprose.com, on Instagram @ nitaprose or on Twitter @ NitaProse.
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Anxiety is a normal and necessary emotion, but when it becomes excessive, it can interfere with your daily life.”
The Anxiety & Phobia Workbook, Fourth Edition
Learn to challenge your anxious thoughts. Question their validity and consider alternative explanations.”
Bourne, Edmund J.
Genre:
Self Help Books
Mental Health Workbooks
Psychology
Self Improvement & Personal Development
Tone & Themes:
Holistic approach to treating and curing anxiety
New Age / Philosophical ( Enough with Socrates, already! )
Anxiety Reduction
Mental Illness
Cumulative Stress
Healing your “inner child”
Dr. — but not M.D.
Phobias
Meditation 🧘♀️ and Mindfulness
Outdated Edition with misinformed advice and poor suggestions (like carrying a photo of yourself as a child to heal — because that’s normal. Or beating a bed with a baseball bat in place of constructive physical activity like “rage” cleaning or gardening – my favorites!
Blurb:
“The Anxiety and Phobia Workbook” by Edmund J. Bourne is a comprehensive guide to understanding and overcoming anxiety disorders and phobias.
Please note: This review is of Edition 4, published in 2005 ( Most Current Edition is 7, published in 2020 )
Rating: ⭐ ⭐ ⭐
The Anxiety and Phobia Workbook, Fourth Edition, by Edmund J. Bourne, is a self-help guide to anxious disorders and phobias with an emphasis on a holistic therapy approach aimed at repairing one’s mind-body-spirit connection, ultimately freeing oneself from anxiety.
I feel strongly that if Dr. Bourne was an M.D., instead of a PH.D, an approach that also includes pharmaceuticals would’ve been advised instead of almost-shamed and stigmatized. His thoughts were that pills masked problems that therapy (his profession, of course) could fix and if meds are taken, they should only be used for a limited amount of time under certain circumstances (extreme agoraphobia with panic disorder was one).
That’s not how SSRIs work. In fact, most take weeks, if not months, to build up to a therapeutic level in a person’s body. If you abruptly withdraw from your meds because of misinformed advice, or are even weaned down by a physician, you could experience rebound anxiety in the forms of panic attacks, insomnia, nightmares, depression etc. For some reason, these withdrawal symptoms were likened to badges of courage and honor. Meanwhile, the big shining star 🌟 sticker, just out of reach for those of us failures who use medication.
What a terribly disastrous message.
I hope the latest edition handles the topic of medication differently, but I’m guessing the author’s background in philosophy and behavioral studies influences his opinion. Speaking of which — So many references to Socrates. I felt like I was back at the University of Connecticut in a lecture hall, learning about Plato and Socrates and other philosophers. I actually imagined the Author standing beside a big chalkboard, as he went on and on, quoting Socrates. It was making me NUTS. ( He kinda looks like my old professor too so that was an absolute trip. )
Unfortunately this edition, as I previously mentioned, is way outdated. I fact-checked frequently and fervently, marked up the Workbook to a state of unrecognition with my trusty red gel pen. There is a whole chapter on anxiety and self-esteem that I hope isn’t included in the latest edition. According to current scholarly articles that I researched, self esteem is not in any way related to anxiety disorders. And why would it be? I wanted to black out the entire chapter. That and the bit on being less submissive and more assertive – both of which are personality traits that have little to nothing to do with anxiety. I’m assertive bordering on aggressive, so again, this wasn’t applicable.
Bourne also claims that people with anxiety are struggling to find their purpose in life. Oh please. I’ve been dealing with anxiety since I was a child and was prescribed a low dose of amitryptline at age 10 by a pediatric rheumatologist who recognized that I was struggling and needed pharmaceutical help. Would Bourne dare say that I, as a young child, was “stuck” in my life without purpose? I’d hope not. It’s a rather arrogant assumption and only serves to put blame on the sufferer.
However, there were exercises and worksheets that I found helpful and for that, I’m grateful I had the opportunity to read this book. I enjoyed the Visualization exercises, but was underwhelmed with the options: Beach or Forest. I made a fun reel about my experience which you can find on my Instagram by searching for @ AprilTheWordWitch
The truth is, I read this out of desperation. I’m having a two hour long MRI with and without contrast and I’m sooo claustrophobic. I’ve had multiple CT scans and TVUS with doppler since last summer due to serious health issues, and the MRIs are the final imaging tests before surgery. Through visualization, a technique listed to reduce anxiety, I’m imagining the end of testing – the conveyor belt rolling me out, and the sense of relief and self-pride I will feel for successfully getting through it! And since I have to fast all day, maybe some UberEats for dinner as a reward!
I wouldn’t recommend this edition as it is, only because the misinformation is rampant and there’s an emphasis on “abnormal” versus neurodiverse or atypical brain. I find this type of language stigmatizing and unhelpful. There is also little to no mention of PTSD, with Bourne focusing mostly on panic attacks, panic disorder with and without agoraphobia, and obsessive compulsive disorder. However, I believe the latest edition (7) delves into the complexities of PTSD further than “shell shock”.
Don’t fight panic. Float with the wave of a panic attack.”
Edmund J Bourne
Wave? Try Tsunami.
All in all, this Workbook in it’s most current edition may be worthy of a read if you struggle with anxiety and are looking for exercises and tips to aid in your anxiety reduction, especially in an acute anxiety situation.
I did some research on the author, and Bourne offers telehealth counseling services and is accepting new “clients”.
Clients?
I’m guessing he doesn’t accept insurance and it’s a self-pay kinda situation. But, clients? It irks me that he refers to the people he counsels as clients instead of patients. And that pretty much sums it all up for me… As I said earlier, if he was an M.D. then he’d recognize anxiety as a mental health condition and not a behavioral problem that can be overcome with exposure, desensitization, and becoming a vegetarian (yes, this was a suggestion).
Thank you for reading my review of The Anxiety & Phobia Workbook, edition 4! Let’s connect on Instagram if we aren’t already! Find me @ AprilTheWordWitch 📚
About the Author:
Edmund J. Bourne, Ph.D., has specialized in the treatment of anxiety disorders and related problems for three decades. For many years, Bourne was director of the Anxiety Treatment Center in San Jose and Santa Rosa, CA. His bestselling anxiety books, which have helped over a million readers throughout the world, include The Anxiety and Phobia Workbook, Beyond Anxiety and Phobia, and Coping with Anxiety. The new 7th Edition of The Anxiety & Phobia Workbook was released May 1, 2020. Further information about Dr. Bourne’s work can be found at Helpforanxiety.com, including an essay “Anxiety in the Era Of Coronavirus” posted May 1, 2020.Read full bio
All my life, I’d made it a point to respect the boundaries of others. But now I could see how easy it was to move that line. And once you’d pushed a boundary, how easy it was to push it a little further. And a little further after that. How simple it was to ignore the word no, especially when it was never actually said.”
A fateful decision from the past haunts a wealthy Californian. Desperate to make things right, she risks everything in this tense short story from New York Times bestselling author Julie Clark.
Hillary Jean leads an enviable life. She has a loving husband, a beautiful home, caring friends, and meaningful work planning fundraisers. Yet she’s always felt incomplete.
After a DNA website emails her a match, Hillary sets out to find the daughter she gave up twenty-five years ago. But her hunger to reconnect threatens to destroy the very thing she hopes to gain.
The Heart of a Mother is part of Obsession, a collection of compulsively readable short stories about people pushed to their extremes. So addictive you won’t be able to put them down—read or listen to each story in a single sitting.
There’s an emotional toll to carrying a baby, giving birth to them, and then giving them away. It eats away at you. The idea of your child out there, not knowing you . . . it’s soul crushing.”
♡ The Heart of a Mother
Rating:
⭐ ⭐ ⭐ ⭐ ⭐
Review:
The Heart of a Mother, a thriller short by Julie Clark, has been my favorite so far of the Amazon Original Stories, Obsession Collection. It’s a slice of life story about a woman who has it all, yet doesn’t feel whole, because of choices she was forced to make as a teenager, twenty-five years ago.
The emotions are raw and well-written. Hillary, the FMC, is an extremely sympathetic character, as well as relatable, likeable (fundraising for Planned Parenthood, contributing to a cause she wishes had been available when she was a teen) and overall a good person a reader wants to see have their happily-ever-after. But, a series of mistakes, broken boundaries, and misguided efforts threaten any chance of a HEA, after a DNA match has Hillary thinking with her heart instead of her brain.
Without revealing too much, this story teaches an important lesson in addition to entertaining the reader. The impact of the surprise was like a misguided metal children’s swing to the face; what an absolute shock. I’d recommend this twisty thriller-short to fans of books that are:
Thriller, Suspense, Mystery > Sub-Trope Shorts, Short Stories, Novellas
Emotional Reads > Sub-Trope Teen Pregnancy, Forced Adoption
About the Author:
Julie Clark is the New York Times bestselling author of The Ones We Choose and The Last Flight, which was also a #1 international bestseller and has been translated into more than twenty languages. She lives in Los Angeles with her family and a golden doodle with poor impulse control.
Obsession Collection #5, Slot Machine Fever Dreams, by Chris Bohjalian
It’s called Sin City for a reason.
Dark secrets emerge when a young bartender meets a stranger on a hot streak in this gritty short story from New York Times bestselling author Chris Bohjalian.
Dove, a recovering alcoholic covered in Emily Dickinson tattoos, serves up drinks and small talk at a casino in Vegas. Russell is a man on a roll. He claims to be a chain-restaurant manager, yet his tells point to different skills. The two leave together at the end of the night, but when all pretense is stripped away, they find themselves in a fight for their lives.
Slot Machine Fever Dreams is part of Obsession , a collection of compulsively readable short stories about people pushed to their extremes. So addictive you won’t be able to put them down—read or listen to each story in a single sitting.
Genre:
Thriller
Suspense
Mystery
Contemporary
Tropes & Themes:
“What happens in Vegas, stays in Vegas.”
“Sin City”
Gambling
High Stakes Games
Worthy Opponent
Winners and Losers
Rating: ⭐ ⭐ ⭐
Slot Machine Fever Dreams is a thriller short published by Amazon Original Stories, authored by Chris Bohjalian, and part of the Obsession Collection. Written in 2nd person perspective/point of view added a uniqueness to this story. Only, I haven’t read a 2nd person pov narration since the Choose Your Own Adventure books, 30+ years ago, and I found this style jarring and not as fun as I remember.
I liked Dove, the recovering alcoholic casino bartender with Emily Dickinson tattoos.
You know how fragile happiness is: it’s that skim of ice on the pond that can be cracked by the smallest of falling branches.”
However I didn’t understand Dove’s near-obsession with Russell, a complete stranger who was on a gambling high streak. Yes, the house always wins, but occasionally a winner emerges, so what exactly was so special about Russell, and just how did he manage to catch her attention?
“So, you find yourself interested in him the way people are drawn to three- legged cats and dogs whose masters have died.”
–Slot Machine Fever Dreams
What does that even mean?!
Although I liked Dove, the FMC, she wasn’t exactly relatable so the narration was, as I said earlier, a bit jarring.
You can feel him watching you work, aroused by the idea you’re an alcoholic who lives amid the unbelievably beautiful world of spirits. Even the goblets and tankards and highball glasses are little works of art.”
–Slot Machine Fever Dreams
The two bonded over addictions and chasing feverish highs. She proved herself to be a worthy opponent when the wolf within Russell stepped out of his sheep clothing, but I found the whole scene totally unrealistic and very “action movie” like. It was a bit too much. SPOILER ALERT Imagine SM meets Charlie’s Angels.
Chris Bohjalian is the #1 New York Times bestselling author of 23 books. His work has been translated into 35 languages and three times become movies.His forthcoming novel, “The Lioness,” arrives May 10, 2022. His most recent novel, “Hour of the Witch,” was published in May 2021 and was an instant New York Times, Publishers Weekly, USA Today and Indiebound bestseller. It’s a novel of historical suspense set in 1662 Boston, a tale of the first divorce in North America for domestic violence — and a subsequent witch trial. The Washington Post called “historical fiction at its best. The New York Times called it “harrowing.” His 2018 novel, “The Flight Attendant,” debuted as a New York Times, USA Today, Wall Street Journal, Publishers Weekly, and National Indiebound Bestseller. It is now an an HBO Max series, starring Kaley Cuoco that has been nominated for numerous Emmy, SAG, and Golden Globe awards. It was recently renewed for a second season.
His 2020 novel, “The Red Lotus,” is now in paperback. It’s a twisting story of love and deceit: an American man vanishes on a rural road in Vietnam and his girlfriend, an emergency room doctor trained to ask questions, follows a path that leads her home to the very hospital where they met. Publishers Weekly called it “a diabolical plot reminiscent of a Robin Cook thriller,” and Booklist described it as “masterful…a cerebral and dramatic dive into what happens when love turns to agony.”
He is also a playwright and screenwriter. He has adapted his novel, “Midwives,” for a play, which premiered in 2020 at the George Street Playhouse, and was directed by David Saint. Broadway World said of it, “The fine playwriting by Bohjalian, the directorial talents of the Playhouse’s Artistic Director, David Saint, and the show’s accomplished cast make this play unforgettable.” His first play, “Grounded,” premiered at the 59 East 59th Theatres in New York City in the summer of 2018 and is now available as an audiobook and eBook, “Wingspan.”
His books have been chosen as Best Books of the Year by the Washington Post, the St. Louis Post-Dispatch, the Hartford Courant, the Milwaukee Journal-Sentinel, Publishers Weekly, Library Journal, Kirkus Reviews, Bookpage, and Salon.His awards include the Walter Cerf Medal for Outstanding Achievement in the Arts; the ANCA Freedom Award for his work educating Americans about the Armenian Genocide; the ANCA Arts and Letters Award for The Sandcastle Girls, as well as the Saint Mesrob Mashdots Medal; the New England Society Book Award for The Night Strangers; the New England Book Award; Russia’s Soglasie (Concord) Award for The Sandcastle Girls; a Boston Public Library Literary Light; a finalist for the Lambda Literary Award for Trans-Sister Radio; a Best Lifestyle Column for “Idyll Banter” from the Vermont Press Association; and the Anahid Literary Award. His novel, Midwives,was a number one New York Times bestseller, a selection of Oprah’s Book Club, and a New England Booksellers Association Discovery pick. He is a Fellow of the Vermont Academy of Arts and Sciences.
He has written for a wide variety of magazines and newspapers, including The New York Times, The Washington Post, Cosmopolitan, Reader’s Digest, and The Boston Globe Sunday Magazine. He was a weekly columnist in Vermont for The Burlington Free Press from 1992 through 2015.
Chris graduated Phi Beta Kappa and Summa Cum Laude from Amherst College. He has been awarded Honorary Degrees as well from Amherst, Champlain College, and Castleton University.He lives in Vermont with his wife, the photographer Victoria Blewer.Their daughter, Grace Experience, is a young actor in New York City. Among the audiobooks she has narrated are Close Your Eyes, Hold Hands, The Guest Room, and Hour of the Witch.
–Amazon Author Bio
I have to admit I’m curious about another work of his, Hour of the Witch…
Thanks for reading my review! Let’s connect over books on Instagram! Find me @ AprilTheWordWitch!
Many a day I saw Marie Laveau come to Congo Square. She would walk straight in and not speak to anybody. She came with her black serpent, which she carried in a box. She would put the serpent by the fountain, dance around it for a while, then pick it up, put it back in the box and leave without saying a word to anyone.”
Breaux, 1939; The Marie Laveau Grimoire
Marie Laveau’s Voodou is a folk religion resulting from her intentional blending of Catholicism and Voudou.”
The Marie Laveau Voodoo Grimoire
Blurb:
The first guide and spell book for modern witches on how to bring the renowned Marie Laveau’s spiritual heritage to life. The Marie Laveau Voudoo Grimoire is a practical guide to New Orleans-style magic inspired by the life and traditions of Marie Laveau—the eternal and enduring Queen of New Orleans Voodoo.
This is a working grimoire, or spell book, created for the modern witch and Conjure worker that provides formulas and recipes for solving the problems of daily living and enhancing quality of life using the Laveau Voodoo tradition.
More than just a collection of spells, The Marie Laveau Voodoo Grimoire contains tips and recommendations for improving one’s spell-crafting skills and living a magical, spiritual life. The author draws upon her own Creole heritage to bring this unique and regional style of magic to the greater public in a clear and accessible way. Formulas Alvarado teaches readers everything from stone, root, and bone magick to ritual oils and spells for healing, protection, love, beauty, banishing, and much more.
240 pages, Paperback
Published: Weiser Books, February 5, 2024
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Genre:
Grimoire
Non-Fiction
Legendary & Historical Figures
Spirituality & Religion
Occult
Creole Magic
Folk Magic
Indigenous and Folk Practices
Tribal
Themes:
Grimoire/ Spell Book
Voodou Queen Marie Laveau
Resiliencey and Strength
New Orleans Voodou 🐍
Holistic Healing
Manifestation
Creole Curses and Remedies
Free Woman of Color (1800’s)
Catholicism & Voudou
Rating: ⭐ ⭐ ⭐ ⭐ ⭐
Book Review:
The Marie Laveau Voodoo Grimoire, by Denise Alvarado, (an impressively knowledgeable author who was born and raised in the rich Creole culture of NOLA and has several works on Marie Laveau), is so much more than a Grimoire written in the style of Laveau Voudoo; it’s also a comprehensive tribute to Laveau’s legacy as a free woman of color, born in 1801, who charmed the inhabitants of New Orleans, Louisiana, with her magical essence and charisma. I loved the combination of historical facts with Laveau’s healing arts, beauty potions, Voudou charms, uncrossing and protection, and tips to aide in one’s spiritual well-being. I especially enjoyed the chapters on the importance of cleanliness and how clutter leads to stagnation; kitchen witchery; and keeping a harmonious home.
From this read, I feel like I have a much better understanding of the infamous and extremely misunderstood Voudou Queen of New Orleans. I was shocked and fascinated to learn she was a devout Catholic whose cultural-based Voudou is her own creation — a blending between the two practices. She prayed on rosaries, recited Psalms, but also held secretive ceremonies over cauldrons that may or may not have included animal sacrifice (not currently practiced in contemporary society) made healing and harming charms, like Gris Gris, and hosted seances to attract spirits and make contact with the dead.
She was a business-woman and boss-witch in her own right. Not only did she heal the sick with her abundant knowledge of herbs and ointments for a fee, she also catered to rich white women, as a Beautician/Hairdresser. As the women gossiped openly and freely with Laveau present, she saw another business opportunity: charging for their silence. Interesting tales about Laveau kept me turning the page; I had to know more about this legendary woman.
📸 AprilTheWordWitch
I admired her and her people’s strength and resilience in face of being women of color, forced to cover their African hair under Spanish rule. Women like Laveau turned their hair wraps into fashion statements, and now, some women still wear hair wraps, in honor and tribute to their ancestors. I just loved how they collaboratively did this, flaunting it, even. Good for them. 👏
Alvarado beautifully wrote a comprehensive book on NOLA Voudou rituals, recipes, spells, and the life and legacy of Marie Catherine Laveau, Voudou Queen, in a clear and easy to understand Grimoire, rich with Folk Magick and Creole / Nola culture. Highly recommended to fans of historical figures, Voodoo/Hoodoo/Laveau Voudou, Marie Laveau, and self-help books for improving one’s spiritual and magikal life.
Independent scholar, ritual artist and prolific author of Southern folk magic, spiritual traditions and culture. I create art and describe my life experiences as a Creole woman growing up in the Hoodoo capitol of the World, New Orleans, Louisiana. That said, my life experiences are by no means limited to New Orleans as I have been all over the world and currently call Arizona my home. Please visit my website: CreoleMoon.com
My rescue cat, Sapphire, was formerly known as Laveau by her previous owners. I always wondered why they chose Laveau, but after learning that the Voudou Queen of Nola was a beautiful woman and expert Beautician, it just made sense.
Speaking of cats… We are not even gonna get into the black cat bone thing. *shudders*
’Twas the night before Christmas Eve and something spooky prowled through the forest…
Strange, scary rumors are flying about the tiny, snowy town below the mountains. Some say a tiger sprang loose from a circus train and roams the snowy meadows. Some say it stalks in the wintry forests. Some say it’s a monster.
But feisty Maisie Crompton knows that can’t be true. Such things never happen in their sleepy alpine village. Or do they?
For soon, Maisie finds herself crossing the path of a spine-chilling legend. The Yule Cat; a fearsome mythical beast collecting snacks for his winter feast. And should Maisie fail in the cat-and-mouse hunt that follows, she might well become the next morsel on his menu…’
“I don’t understand. I mean, there’s no such things as giant cats, or-“Trolls?” Raspsnark shook his head and stabbed a finger at her. “Oh, but there’s so much more to the world than what you humans see. If only you knew!”
What an enchanting tale!
I love fairytales and mythology/folklore, and The Yule Cat is an excellent retelling of ”Christmas is Coming” (from 1932 and written by an Icelandic poet) about a blood thirsty, 12 foot tall cat that skulks the frozen country in pursuit of children who refuse to wear their new Christmas clothes. According to the folklore, kids better wear that itchy new turtleneck sweater for Christmas, otherwise, the child would be devoured BY A GIANT, POWERFUL CAT.
“Will he hurt her?”
“Oh yes. I mean, I imagine becoming someone’s supper hurts, don’t you?”
Eldritch Black had a little bit of a different take on the legend of the Yule Cat, (although, who doesn’t?). I really liked that the MC was an eleven year old girl, and the cast of characters (a troll, for instance) were a fun addition.
I enjoyed Black’s whimsical storytelling. While this novella is middle-grade-esque, it can absolutely be enjoyed by all ages.
The Yule Cat is a magical adventure-ride of a read. Definitely would recommend to fans of whimsy, fantasy, and folklore! 5 ✨
Samhain says The Yule Cat was a misunderstood black cat 😂
When Eliza Owens gets a phone call in the middle of the night from a girl she’s never met, she doesn’t know what to think. The girl introduces herself as Paige, and says she used to date Erik Stern, Eliza’s fiancé. What’s more, she has something important to discuss.
The only problem? Paige has been dead for years.
Believing it to be a sick prank, Eliza tries to force it from her mind until Sam, Eliza’s older sister, tells her she met Paige only a few weeks before. And, according to Sam, Paige has nothing nice to say about Erik.
The fight which follows shatters the lives of everyone involved, and Erik disappears without a trace.
Five years later, Erik returns to town after his father’s death. Old wounds quickly resurface, and with them several burning questions. None the least of which is: Who spoke to Eliza and Sam if it wasn’t Paige? And why?
“Death is a friend who greets us at the end…”
Haze, a supernatural mystery romance by Author Rebecca Crunden, had me intrigued from the very first pages. It featured children enacting a ritual to summon the dead, complete with a jar of grave dirt. This scene sets the stage nicely for the whirlwind “butterfly-effect” to come. And what a whirlwind it was!
Haze is haunting, suspenseful, tragic, and surprising, not to mention compelling and creepy. It features flawed characters who feel like real people, with unique voices and well-crafted dialogue. It also features a gripping family dynamic between Eliza and her parents, and Erik and his father. There’s a lot to like and even more to be spooked by!
Supernatural stories are among my very favorites and this paranormal mystery didn’t disappoint! The happily-ever-after ending was completely satisfactory and I’m glad it concluded in the way it did. Overall, if you dig mysteries, ghosts, and romance, pick up your copy of Haze! 👻🌳
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