Before you pack your sunscreen and beach sandals for one last summer holiday, pay attention to this informative post from Christy Birmingham.
Make sure that you and your family stay fit, healthy, and well by following this guide for staying safe this summer.
Recently I’ve shared reviews of a number of books that I’ve read for my local book club. This month, the club is doing something a little different-we’re reading graphic novels. I know many of my long-time readers may wonder why a grown woman, with grown children, would choose to read what essentially is perceived to be a comic book. The truth is that graphic novels have come a long way, to the point they are actually considered a sophisticated art form.
While some graphic novels are still collections of a series of comic books that go together to form a longer story, bound into a book format, that definition no longer encompasses the whole usage of the term. Many graphic novels are refined works, sometimes retellings of existing novels or sometimes new, independent stories, where illustrations play at least an equally important part to the text. Though some are designed with children in mind, many graphic novels often include more mature or darker themes than would generally be expected to be found in comic books, and can contain any type of subject matter, from fiction to non-fiction.
The challenge set for my book club specifically is reading graphic novels with paranormal themes. Since some of these are shorter than regular novels, I decided to review a few of them together in one post. This is just a small sample of what can be found in your local bookstore, comic shop, library, or online.
From the very first, she finds her new job full of surprises. She is required to live in an apartment inside the library building, because she is expected to do her work at night. Her boss has a habit of appearing and disappearing at the most inopportune times. Cel begins having dreams of a young woman who was tortured in the building, which at one time housed an asylum. Then she begins suffering mysterious nosebleeds and losing time.
What is happening to Cel, and how does it relate to the mysteries of the museum? Was the woman a patient at the asylum, and why is the only record of her a picture found misfiled in the archive? How is the board, whom none of the employees ever see, involved?
While I sympathized with the main character, Cel, and was drawn into the mystery, many of the other characters seemed annoying or unnecessary to the storyline. Cel was the only one fully developed, while the others, such as her boss Holly and boyfriend Kyle seemed to be used more as plot devices to move the action along than as actual individuals important to the plot. The artwork was fluid and enhanced the tone and scope of the novel, despite the “comic” nature of the characters. If this story was produced in another format, I would say it would make a good short story or novella, perhaps in a collection of horror stories. Overall, I give it three stars.
and
Deputy Sheriff Prescott “Pres” Tremaine travels to The Windy City to hire Harry Dresden, wizard for hire, to investigate events that have unfolded in his small Missouri town. A family of seven orphans, the Talbots, has been devastated with the deaths of their two eldest under mysterious circumstances. Dresden recognizes the handiwork of supernatural forces in the crime scene photos, and agrees to investigate.
Arriving just in time for the funeral of the two Talbots, Harry runs afoul of both the remaining Talbots, led by the skeptical eldest remaining brother and the town sheriff, who refuses to believe anything out of the ordinary is at play, even when the undertaker, who turns out to be a goblin in disguise, attacks.
Despite being warned away, Dresden begins his investigation that soon shows there is more than one supernatural presence in the small town. The Talbots are under a curse, one which draws the residents of the Nevernever to them like flies to honey, and now two separate creatures are competing for territory, and the right to see who can end their line first.
The only thing this graphic novel has in common with comic books was the fact that each page was covered in artwork, but the quality far outweighed the illustrations of any comic I read as a kid. From the very first page, where Harry is fighting a water demon in Lake Michigan the reader is drawn into a world where the supernatural lives alongside our own.
The characters were well-developed, with the depth and attention to detail I’ve come to expect from Butcher. The story, while containing less text than usual for the author’s work, nevertheless was just as complete and riveting as any I’ve read in this universe, and easily fit inside the chronology as a case for Harry Dresden. I award this graphic novel five stars and would recommend it to anyone interested in The Dresden Files novels, paranormal or thriller stories, or just dipping their toes into the world of graphic novels.
In a plot that is one part Sixth Sense and one part Scooby Doo, Odd follows clues that leads him on a wild goose chase after devil-mask wearing teens stealing jack-o-lanterns to toss downhill for the annual Pumpkin Roll, to a young costume-wearing ghost, and into the history of the man who poisoned the town’s trick-or-treaters twenty-five years earlier.
In the end, Odd and his friends find that the true danger comes not from the supernatural, but a criminal in disguise, and only they have the means and the knowledge to save the town.
Despite a full cast of quirky characters, including resident eccentric novelist Ozzie Boone, his editor Valerie Malovent, and the helpful shade of Elvis Presley, this story is mostly plot-driven, with numerous twists and turns that kept me on my toes yet all came together in the end. The illustrations were all done in black and white, and while not as detailed as in some other graphic novels I’ve read, conveyed the action well and were an integral part of the story. In fact, some pages were wholly or mostly artwork, but still carried the weight of the tale.
This was a very enjoyable story that I thought did very well in this format and I award it four and a half stars, and recommend it to fans of the paranormal as well as fans of Dean Koontz’s works.
The summer heat has been slightly less oppressive in the last week, as August winds down and we realize autumn is right around the corner. While there are still tomatoes growing on the vine and my petunias haven’t yet bloomed their last, many of us are already consumed with thoughts of back-to-school time. Soon we’ll be dealing with a barrage of colorful leaves covering the lawn, and looking forward to tailgate parties and bonfires.
First, though, summer has one last hurrah in the coming weeks- Labor Day is almost here. For many of us, this national holiday, a tribute to the labor unions and the American worker, means a rest day off from work, a time to spend with family, a last chance to visit an amusement park or the lake before the end of the season.
This year the holiday falls on September 3rd, and all over the country people will be breaking out corn hole boards and s’mores supplies, packing up the RV or the four-wheelers, and setting out to enjoy one last weekend of summertime fun.
For myself, my family will most likely stay home this year, but that doesn’t mean we won’t celebrate. I’ve already started going through recipes and deciding the menu for our cookout. Which of our favorites have I used this year, and which will be the best to cap off this summer?
Burgers, brats, or something more exotic? I’ll have to poll the guests, and check what’s on sale this week.
Potato salad? Done it, but it’s always worth repeating.
Fried green tomatoes? Done that a couple of times too, so put that on the maybe list.
Homemade cherry pie with homemade filling? I haven’t actually made that this year, so this might be the time, while the cherries are still in season. Or maybe peach cobbler would be better? Decisions, decisions.
I’ve got some time to work on the menu. After all, the most important part of the day is not the food, or the activities, or even the location, but the time spent together. Labor Day, and any holiday really, is first and foremost a time for families to reconnect. Everything else is really secondary as we visit, relax, and let the stress of jobs and outside activities melt away.
I hope however you spend your holiday you enjoy yourself, and have the opportunity for some quality time with those you love.
Amy
Marvel’s latest release, Ant-man and the Wasp, came shortly on the heels of Avengers:Infinity Wars, which was much darker and over-the-top depressing, leaving fans clamoring for a do-over in the fourth planned installment to the series. Raistlin0903 shared his review on his website of the “comic relief” addition to the Marvel Universe.
One of my favorite parts of going to a movie theatre, besides eating snacks, is the previews. It’s always exciting to see new and interesting trailers for movies that will be coming out later in the year. However these days, trailers have changed a lot from what they were years ago. While the main purpose of one is of course getting you excited for an upcoming film, nowadays I think that trailers quite often just give away too much. Sometimes whole plotpoints are revealed, and at times this certainly make me regret looking at one in the first place. Now I know what you are going to say: Why watch them then? I think that is a very good question. A good trailer for me, is one that shows you scenes to give you enough of a tease to look forward to a film, while at the same time holding…
View original post 1,061 more words
One of the hardest parts about being a parent is when their children move out and begin a life of their own. Whether their kids are going away to college, beginning a career in another city or state, or simply settling into a new home with a significant other all parents face a sense of loss. They can sometimes feel like they are no longer needed or as important in their children’s lives.
It’s okay to be sad when the kids leave the nest, but life doesn’t actually stop for mom or dad just they suddenly have a different role in the lives of their offspring. There are ways to cope with the change in your relationship, and many things to look forward to ahead.
Take care of yourself first. If you feel depressed or overwhelmed by becoming an empty nester, talk to someone. Whether you have a significant other to turn to, or you confide in a friend, or even seek professional help, it really does make a difference to know you’re not alone in this. Your kids are starting a new chapter in their lives, and so should you. The feelings of loss should ease as you settle into your new norm and your new relationship with your children.
Your relationship is changing, but your kids will always be yours. The worry and the concern will remain, even when they’re out of the house and if you don’t see them as often. They will always be a part of your lives and in your hearts and minds. Keep in touch however you can-whether you call, text, skype, or email. You can always visit, or have them visit you. If you live close enough schedule regular family dinners, either at home or a restaurant. Let them know that it’s still okay to turn to you when they need a sounding board, or advice. You can offer to help them with big “adult” things, like shopping for a car and decorating a new home.
Your future is in your hands. Just because your children don’t live at home anymore doesn’t mean your life is over. Take advantage of your situation to try new things. Make plans to travel somewhere you’ve always wanted to go, but couldn’t manage before because of schedules or budget. Find a new hobby you can share with your spouse, or take a course at a local college. Join a book club. Volunteer. Spend time planning how you will spoil any future grandkids.
Having your children grow up can be harder on the parents than it is for the kids. Remember how big a wreck you were on their first day of school. Hey, you survived that, right? You’ll get through this too. Just hang in there.
Amy
Imagine if a multi-media corporation launched an expedition to uncover the truth of the existence of a legendary sea monster, the mermaid. Imagine a ship sailed into the Marianna Trench, to search for evidence that the myth was actually based on fact, and crewed by scientists and cameramen. Imagine they actually found what they were looking for, and were not at all prepared for it.
The Imagine Corporation has one failed expedition under its belt already; the crew of the Atargatis was a total loss, leaving behind grieving family, and impending litigation. Seven years after the initial tragedy, a new expedition is organized, with twin goals of proving the existence of mermaids and restoring the image of the company. The Melusine sets out with a new crew, many of whom have studied the footage recovered from the doomed Atargatis. They know that the “mermaids” are out there and hopefully, they will survive long enough to get some answers this time.
I don’t often read horror stories, but Into the Drowning Deep was a recent choice of my local book club and I was intrigued enough to stay up late at night reading it through. The preface contained flashbacks and reports drawn from camera footage of the doomed Atargatis, done in a manner that reminded me eerily of The Blair Witch. As the story continued, I realized the monsters themselves and the action present would make a far better horror movie than many I’ve seen.
The author uses multiple points of view, as several of the narrators fall prey to the invaders, with a lot of thrills and action in the plot. Grant also finds moments in the story to comment on the purpose of the expedition and of life itself with gorgeous prose, such as this quote from Chapter 18, where Luis Martines is musing on the job they have set out to do:
“Let deforestation do away with Bigfoot, let sonar destroy Nessie, but the sea would always be deep, always be dark, always be filled with wonders.”
The author clearly demonstrates that the ocean is stronger and more mysterious than man is capable of understanding or conquering.
In fact, the misnamed “mermaids” are truly more than the crew of the Melusine can handle-they are smart, fast, and strong, they can breathe air, and their secretions are toxic to humans. Can the crew, led by a sirenologist and an Imagine executive survive long enough to raise the broken shields on the ship and trap the mermaids inside, or will they all be devoured by something even more deadly from the deep?
This book is truly an exciting read, which I give five stars, and recommend to anyone interested in horror, paranormal stories of creatures, or thriller stories.
amycaudill.net 