So. While I had pre-ordered this like a good little IA fan, I was mercilessly bullied by not oPeer Pressure. It's not always a bad thing.
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So. While I had pre-ordered this like a good little IA fan, I was mercilessly bullied by not one, but two fellow Goodreaders into reading this in serial form. For the purposes of this review, we'll call them Sarah who smells of shrimp & lowercase carol.
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And while I love that IA puts their stuff out there for fans, I'm terrible about keeping up with the serial format. Plus, I simply did. not. have time for this. So, it says a lot about how much I love the characters in this world that I was rather easily swayed to dive into this anyway. I did have to tell my family to piss off several times in order to get it done, though.
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No, it's not the final-final draft. I believe there will be an epilogue. <--desperately want the epilogue!! But I have wanted a book about Roman since he first popped up in the KD world. And even though this is a short story, it packs a punch. Rescuing a boy and his freaky puppy, potential romance with a girl whose shoelaces you may or may not have turned into snakes when you were children, taking in ugly pets, fighting mercenaries and mages, and dragging a Christmas tree in service to a dark god. All in a day's work.
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Also. Backstory, backstory, backstory. <--we finally get a good bit of it!!! HIGHLY RECOMMENDED for fans of Kate Daniels....more
Just a few pages long but it makes you think. I would guess we all have the same knee-jerk reaction toThere are no easy answers. Read free here.
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Just a few pages long but it makes you think. I would guess we all have the same knee-jerk reaction to the big reveal, but Guin did such a fantastic job showing you why no one did anything to disturb their utopia that it packs an even bigger punch....more
The Origin of The Marple! Yes, this is the first Miss Marple story, and I don't really think you can call yourself a superfan if you haven't read this The Origin of The Marple! Yes, this is the first Miss Marple story, and I don't really think you can call yourself a superfan if you haven't read this one. #loser
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Miss Marple's nephew, writer Raymond West is throwing a dinner party for an eclectic group of people, including the woman he will eventually marry, Joyce. Because there is a Scotland yard inspector and a lawyer among them, Joyce suggests they form a club that meets every Tuesday night. As you do. Each member will tell the story of a murder that they have personal knowledge of, and the rest of them to have to try to figure out who the culprit was.
Sir Henry Clithering starts the group off with the mystery of three people who all ate the same dinner, all fell ill from food poisoning. Mr. Jones and his wife's companion, Miss Clark, are both fine in a day or so, but Mrs. Jones actually dies. However, gossip being gossip and Mr. Jones profiting from his wife's death, the body of Mrs. Jones is soon exhumed. AND SHE WAS FOUND TO BE THE VICTIM OF ARSENIC POISONING!
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So, whodunnit? Everyone at the party gives their theory, but it is , of course, Miss Marple who shocks the shit out of everyone by coughing delicately and solving the crime. Highly recommended!
Originally published in 1927 in The Royal Magazine. Read as part of the short story collection The Thirteen Problems...more
First, I need to say that poetry is not my jam. So I have no idea what to say about that aspect of it other than it rhymes. But this was a cooFree HERE
First, I need to say that poetry is not my jam. So I have no idea what to say about that aspect of it other than it rhymes. But this was a cool little one-shot about breaking the chains of (I'm assuming) whatever is holding you back.
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The two different artists do a good job representing the two different outcomes of the story. I actually liked this, because even though it's not the sort of thing I'd normally read, the author had the sense to keep it short. It's very compact and to the point, which is especially refreshing for a debut writer.
This was an ok short about a vampire and his human assistant.
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Looking at the reviews, I thought it would be better than it waFree to read here.
This was an ok short about a vampire and his human assistant.
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Looking at the reviews, I thought it would be better than it was, though. I mean, nothing much happened that captured my interest until the very last few sentences. But considering it's a short story and it's a free story, how can you really complain?
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Judge Dee is a vampire judge. <--there really aren't many laws a vampire can break but if they do, it's curtains for them, baby! Anyway. Dee and the human he saved a while back trek around on foot handing out justice where needed. Like I said, I was a bit bored and I didn't feel any connection to the characters, but there's a little twist at the end that made it worth the 15 minutes or so I spent on it....more
Free here! I love these shorts that Ilona Andrews tosses out to fans for free. How do these guys do this to me? I wasn't really salivating to find out mFree here! I love these shorts that Ilona Andrews tosses out to fans for free. How do these guys do this to me? I wasn't really salivating to find out more about Dina's parents, but now they're #1 on my list! GIVE ME MORE!
George & Jack are two of my favorite characters from this series and I'm seriously hoping they each get their own book someday. Maybe in the InnkeeperGeorge & Jack are two of my favorite characters from this series and I'm seriously hoping they each get their own book someday. Maybe in the Innkeeper Chronicles since they've popped up there a few times?
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Anyway. This is a short freebie from the authors' website for fans who want just a teeny bit more of these guys. READ HERE...more
This is a snippit, not a full-on short story but who cares?! FREE HERE!
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I love Julie. She's the one character that I just completely lose it oveThis is a snippit, not a full-on short story but who cares?! FREE HERE!
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I love Julie. She's the one character that I just completely lose it over from the Kate Daniels world. And, yes. I know they're busy writing Hidden Legacy & Innkeeper Chronicles, but JULIE... Anyway. This is a peek at what's happening in the future and I really liked it!...more
This was recommended to me by a friend on Goodreads because we were having a conversation about horribly cringy comics that you can't believe ever madThis was recommended to me by a friend on Goodreads because we were having a conversation about horribly cringy comics that you can't believe ever made it to print. I thought Avengers #200 was the pinnacle of stupid. I may have been wrong...
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This? This was one of those attempts to be good that just went terribly awry. I mean, I get that they were trying to shine a light on racism, but...oof! You were black for a few hours, Lois! <--get the fuck out of here with your understanding. I honestly wouldn't know a thing about what it means to be non-white, so I won't bother to pretend I do. But even as a vanilla popsicle, I can see that not being able to get a cab or having a few people look at me funny isn't going to give me a massive insight into anyone else's life. And at the end? We all share the same blood! Yay! Do you laugh or cry that someone felt that needed to be pointed out?
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It's definitely a product of its time, and for that reason alone it's worth the read. Also, unintentionally hilarious!
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I think this could be a drinking game. Take a shot every time you read something that makes your face spasm into this:
Awww! An online Christmas short from Butcher FREE HERE for those of you (like me) jonesing for a little new Dresden.
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Harry receives 3 gifts fromAwww! An online Christmas short from Butcher FREE HERE for those of you (like me) jonesing for a little new Dresden.
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Harry receives 3 gifts from unexpected visitors while he and Mouse try to put together a bike on Christmas Eve for Maggie. Cute, sweet, and I kinda teared up a little at the end. Definitely worth the 10 minutes it takes to read, but beware spoilers if you aren't caught up on the series....more
Because life goals are important. And you need to get your priorities straight.
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I thought this one was an above average shorty about mermaidsBecause life goals are important. And you need to get your priorities straight.
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I thought this one was an above average shorty about mermaids and regret that you can read free here. Now sometimes, free equals smelly garbage. But that's not the case with Men Who Wish to Drown, so feel free to click the link and have fun. Bonus: if it doesn't suck you in, you've lost nothing but a few seconds of your life.
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So, this old dude looks back on this ONE BIG safe choice he made (which led to a pretty cushy life, by the way) and feels the weight of it in a way that only someone who made good choices can feel 'regret'. I'm gonna be honest, the entire time I'm reading this I'm thinking...what the hell are you going on about, you idiot?!
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Wah, wah, wah - I got scared off by a witch who showed me a horrifying death scenario and so I decided not to run off with an ancient mermaid I'd only known for a few days. Instead, I chose option B, which was a long life filled with a nice wife, happy children, prosperous business, and a fat bank account. Obviously, I can see how this would be upsetting for the man.
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I kid, I kid. <-sort of This is a letter that an old man writes on his deathbed. And then he leaves it in his will for his great-grandson to read as a cautionary tale about not following your heart, and/or letting fear guide your life, and/or falling in love with salty women. Awwww!
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Just be sure to remember that a healthy dose of caution is a good thing, kids! Not every fish tale has a happy ending, after all...
So the guy who wrote The Martian has a one page freebie about The Meaning of Life. Is it anything life-changing? No. But it's free. And at least he didSo the guy who wrote The Martian has a one page freebie about The Meaning of Life. Is it anything life-changing? No. But it's free. And at least he didn't try to charge his fans money for a garbage creation like some authors did.
I won't rate something I haven't read. So, I read this. Click this LINK to the author's website, if you'd like to read this for yourself.
This pamphleI won't rate something I haven't read. So, I read this. Click this LINK to the author's website, if you'd like to read this for yourself.
This pamphlet was written in response to the author getting excommunicated from Goodreads after "getting uppity with a Librarian while trying to get around a broken feature on the Goodreads website that affected sales of my smut."
At first, I thought this was written because of some sort of incident between the author and a pack of rabid reviewers. And it surely started out with plenty of warnings about the pitfalls for Indie authors here on Goodreads.
"New Indie authors should be aware that there are quite a number of readers on Goodreads who will not read any book by an Indie author. I was a bit surprised by this narrow minded attitude when I joined several groups. But some readers are quite adamant and vocal about it." Hmmm. I'm guessing that may be because Indie authors can sometimes be a little more easily hurt by reviewers than the more insulated authors with a publishing house behind them. Some of those hurt authors can lash out at reviewers. Or publish pamphlets saying things like this: "Anyone proven to have put Read Book or DNF, when they didn't read the book should have all of their reviews removed. In many cases it would be easy to prove from the author's sales figures..." WTF? Did I misunderstand something? Does this author honestly want Goodreads to turn into Scooby-Doo, and form some sort of Mystery Inc. to ferret out every person who claims to have read a book...but didn't?! Oh no! I'll have to fess up to the fact that I skimmed the last part of Persuasion! Luckily, Ms. Desh does have another idea for the 1 star troll. "Goodreads should remove the troll reviews with a warning to the perps. If they continue doing that sort of thing, put a permanent red star on their profile, so other members know what kind of people they are." I don't think trolling reviews or authors is a very nice thing to do. However. I'm pretty sure handing out stars isn't going to make the problem go away.
By the end though, it seems that Ms. Desh is just really angry and frustrated by whatever happened. It appears as though she had a horrible experience trying to navigate broken links and unclear rules. She also apparently wants to warn other Indie authors that Goodreads and Amazon are out to make a buck...at the author's expense. Reviewers are untouchable because they are customers, and Librarians are Gods because they are...well, free labor for Goodreads. The majority of the vitriol seems to be aimed at Goodreads for failing her as an author, and acting like the money-grubbing subsidiary of Amazon that it is. I'm betting there's a grain of truth in what she's saying, even if it's only one side of the story. If you're an Indie author, it probably would be a good idea to read over the Rules of Engagement for this site. And it's always a good idea to make sure you're getting a good deal, so look into all the different ways to market your book before you settle on Amazon. Sure, she sounded like she was spiteful and slightly unhinged, but since I've never tried to interact with Goodreads as an author, I have no idea if anything she's saying is true or not.
I know the author doesn't like GIF-filled reviews, but maybe this will make her smile? [image]...more
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