A Sudden Light by Garth Stein is a Multi-genre Family Fiction Story!
Imagine, if you will, seeing a huge home, one the size of an old-time mansion thatA Sudden Light by Garth Stein is a Multi-genre Family Fiction Story!
Imagine, if you will, seeing a huge home, one the size of an old-time mansion that's constructed entirely of giant whole trees, with all the bark still attached. Trevor Riddell remembers the first time he saw Riddell House, the enormity of the sight was unforgettable and it happened in the summer of 1990, right before he turned fourteen.
The ancestral Riddell House and its enormous estate overlooks Seattle's Puget Sound and Trevor's father, Jones, brought him there with a purpose. His parents are broke, newly separated, and Jones plans to meet with Trevor's Aunt Serena to place elderly Grandpa Samuel, their father, into assisted care, then sell his estate, and split the money.
As Trevor explores the estate he magically discovers secrets about the family's long forgotten past, ones that are clearly at odds with his father's and aunt's plan for the ancestral estate...
When I began listening to A Sudden Light, the audiobook had a slow start but morphed into an amazing story. Four generations of father-son relationships in a Pacific Northwest family that's a grab-bag of genres within. It's a family story, a ghost story, a story about redemption, with magical realism and romances through the generations. It's thick with history of the region and has depth of backstory to this fictional family.
A Sudden Light has a resolution that's both shocking and uplifting and I fell in love with this well-written story. This is a book I could listen to again and I highly recommend it to readers who enjoy their fiction with a blend of genres and a mixture of likable and unlikable characters! 4.5 stars!
The author, Garth Stein, also wrote The Art of Racing in the Rain and after reading this one, I will definitely be checking that one out, too!...more
The Dead Romantics by Ashley Poston is a Paranormal and Contemporary Romance Story!
Florence Day is a ghostwriter who sees ghosts!
She's also just experThe Dead Romantics by Ashley Poston is a Paranormal and Contemporary Romance Story!
Florence Day is a ghostwriter who sees ghosts!
She's also just experienced a bad break-up, no longer believes in love, and has hit a dry spell with her writing.
How does one continue to writing about and believe in love after one has been snookered by one's own boyfriend, I ask you?
Unfortunately Florence's new and 'too-handsome" editor refuses to budge an inch in giving her an extension on her deadline. She's dead-in-the-water now, so to speak.
As if this isn't enough, Florence receives a call from her family concerning the unexpected death of her dear father. She leaves immediately for South Carolina to help with burial plans. She hasn't been to her hometown in ten years and cringes when she remembers the reasons she decided to leave forever. She's nervous.
Florence will miss her dad and the special bond they share but she won't stay in South Carolina any longer than necessary. When the work is done, she'll head back to New York. Decision made.
Then Florence sees a "too-handsome" ghost standing in the doorway of her family's funeral parlor looking disoriented...
The Dead Romantics is a cute story with great characters that is more Chick Lit-ish than I prefer or anticipated. It's a tad repetitive and, as a result, slower and too long.
In the synopsis, Florence's family is described as "...her eccentric, loving family...". I agree with "eccentric" as they're each uniquely different, but "loving" is not how I would describe them. They clearly aren't a welcoming or emotion-forward bunch at all.
I enjoy how this author allows the two main characters to become acquainted so this doesn't turn into a case of 'Insta-love'. That's refreshing. This story is humorous and sad, tender and reserved, heartbreaking and heartwarming, and it will absolutely make you smile. Heck, you may even tear-up a smidge.
I listened to the audiobook narrated by Eileen Stevens and although I enjoy her voicing, her voice sounds animated which gives the Rom-Com feel I wasn't looking for. I recommend reading rather than listening to this for a better experience.
The Seven Year Slip is the author's new Contemporary Romance novel and although it is more to my liking, I did enjoy The Dead Romantics and recommend it to those who enjoy a Contemporary Romance with a touch of Paranormal.
“Horrorstor" by Grady Hendrix is a parody on the horrors of working retail.
Ask me about the torture of retail and I will tell you it's all true. I liv“Horrorstor" by Grady Hendrix is a parody on the horrors of working retail.
Ask me about the torture of retail and I will tell you it's all true. I lived this horror for the last six years of my retail career. Pure big-box horror! It wasn't the customers or the employees that gave me the creeps. I was a master of both service and HR by then. No! It was the company culture that gave me nightmares! Still does...
Orsk Furniture Superstore in Cleveland, OH is experiencing unexplained product damage when the store is closed. Employees arrive first thing in the morning to a store in complete disarray but nothing is captured on surveillance video. Store management is in a tizzy and corporate has scheduled a visit!
The night before the 'big visit' three employees agree to spend an overnight shift in the store to investigate the strange occurrences. Will they be able to get to the cause of the reoccurring damage? Will they be safe inside the locked store? Will they still be there in the morning?
This is my second Grady Hendrix book and I'm surprised by how much I enjoyed this blast from my past! I loved how Grady Hendrix turned a 'haunted-house' story on its head and into a dark, creepy, stinky, big-box nightmare. Creative, creepy fun with humorous and twisty chapter introductions about the various Orsk products and their interesting uses.
I listened to the audiobook with voicing and narration by Tai Sammons. Bronson Pinchot narrated the creepy chapter introductions with bizarre aloofness and believability!
The ending was simply perfect and aptly portrayed the retail corporate culture for the money hungry zombies they are! ...more
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