Review: A Christmas Carol 2 by Robert J. Elisberg

7 October 2013 by Melissa

About A Christmas Carol 2: The Return of Scrooge

It’s five years to the day after dear old Ebenezer Scrooge has passed away and left his thriving firm to his former clerk, Bob Cratchit. However, Bob’s overly-generous benevolence with lending and charity-giving has driven the company into the ground, on the verge of bankruptcy. And so the ghost of Scrooge returns one Christmas Eve to teach Cratchit the true meaning of money, with the help of visitations of three spirits – not all of whom are happy t be there. (It is Christmas Eve, after all, and they have other plans.) Making the swirling journey through Christmases past, present, and yet-to-be all the more of a chaotic ride for Cratchit are the dozens of characters from other Dickens novels woven throughout the story, together for the first time. God bless them, most everyone.

And it’s all augmented with footnotes of letters between Mr. Dickens and his publisher, along with notes from Dickens’s own hand and scholarly research. At least that’s what the editor tells us, though we’re a little skeptical of his honesty.

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About the author, Robjert J. Elisberg

Robert-J.-Elisberg

Robert J. Elisberg has been a commentator and contributor to such publications as the Huffington Post, Los Angeles Times, Los Angeles Daily News, Los Angeles Magazine, C/NET and E! Online, and he served on the editorial board for the Writers Guild of America. He has contributed political writing to the anthology, Clued in on Politics, 3rd edition (CQ Press).

Among his other writing, Elisberg wrote the comic novella, A Christmas Carol 2: The Return of Scrooge, which reached #2 on Amazon’s Hot List for Humor/Parody. His most recent novel is the swashbuckling adventure, The Wild Roses. He co-wrote a book on world travel. Currently, he writes a tech column for the Writers Guild of America, west. He also co-wrote the song, “Just One of the Girls” for the Showtime movie Wharf Rat, and wrote the book for the stage musical Rapunzel!.

Born in Chicago, he attended Northwestern University and received his MFA from UCLA, where he was twice awarded the Lucille Ball Award for comedy screenwriting. Not long afterwards, Elisberg sold his screenplay, Harry Warren of the Mounties. He was on staff of the international animated series, Flute Master, and co-wrote three of the Skateboy films based on it. He also co-wrote the independent film, Yard Sale. Most recently, he wrote an adventure screenplay for Callahan Filmworks.

Connect with Robert J. Elisberg:
Web:Elisberg Industries
Twitter: @RobertElisberg
Facebook: Robert Elisberg

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My Thoughts:

I’m a fan of Dickens, and I’m also open to pastiches, which means A Christmas Carol 2: The Return of Scrooge was very likely going to be something I enjoyed. Nevertheless, I approached it a little nervously. I don’t like to give reviews. Obviously not everyone likes everything they’re given to read, but…What would I do if it wasn’t FUNNY?

My fears were assuaged almost instantly, and forgotten by the time I reached the first footnote. What? Didn’t anyone warn you that this book is annotated? Well it is, with a lovely footnote for every new/old character, talking about their appearance in the main body of Dickens’ work, and why he included them in this ‘lost’ novella.

The voice of the book isn’t quite Dickens as we know him, but could easily be unedited Dickens after a few shots of tequila – er, um – Smoking Bishop. The self-referential humor works every time, and the other bits of humor (sending a Jewish character to be a ghost on Christmas Eve, and having him complain about it) are dead-on.

In A Christmas Carol 2 Elisberg has not only given us an entertaining read, he’s helped the story live in contemporary times, showing us that the best path is neither abject poverty nor total profit, but a balance of the two.

Those who are familiar with the original Dickens work, or any of his novels, will gain the most enjoyment from Elisberg’s so-called revision, but even readers new to his work will get a laugh or two.

Writing pastiche is hard. Writing effective parody is even harder. Elisberg has managed to do both, successfully, and I enjoyed reading it very much.

Goes well with a slice of mince pie, and coffee laced with brandy.

Review: The Displaced Detective Series by Stephanie Osborn

4 October 2013 by Melissa

About Book 1: The Case of the Displaced Detective: The Arrival, by Stephanie Osborn

The-Case-of-the-Displaced-Detective-Arrival

The Case of the Displaced Detective: The Arrival is a SF mystery in which hyperspatial physicist, Dr. Skye Chadwick, discovers there are alternate realities, often populated by those considered only literary characters. In one reality, a certain Victorian detective (who, in fact, exists in several continua) was to have died along with his arch-nemesis at the Reichenbach Falls. Knee-jerking, Skye intervenes, rescuing her hero, who flies through the wormhole connecting universes. Unable to go back, Holmes must stay in our world and learn to adapt to the 21st century.

Meanwhile, Schriever AFB Security discovers a spy ring digging out the details of – and possibly sabotaging – Project: Tesseract.

Can Chadwick help Holmes come up to speed in modern investigative techniques in time to stop the spies? Will Holmes be able to thrive in our modern world? Is Chadwick now Holmes’ new “Watson” – or more? And what happens next?

Buy your copy from Amazon:

The next three books in the series are also available at Amazon:

The Case of the Displaced Detective: At Speed

The Case of the Cosmological Killer: The Rendlesham Incident

The Case of the Cosmological Killer: Endings and Beginnings

My Thoughts

I’ve been a Sherlock Holmes fan practically since I could read, and grew up on the PBS/Granada TV Sherlock Holmes television shows that ran during the 1980s and ’90s. In fact, Jeremy Brett, who played Holmes in that series, remains the only actor to whom I’ve ever sent fan mail (his autographed photo made my 14-year-old self giddy with delight, and hangs on my office wall today), and as much as I love Benedict Cumberbatch’s modern take on the character, it’s Brett who will ALWAYS be Holmes to me.

In addition, I’ve been an avid reader of Holmes-ian pastiches for almost as long as I’ve loved the original works. Laurie R. King’s work is a favorite, but I’ve read everything from The Seven-Per-Cent Solution to a fanzine I bought at a Star Trek convention in 1989 that had Mr. Spock traveling back in time to meet his ‘ancestor,’ the Great Detective himself.

I’m not a member of the Baker Street Irregulars, though I have friends who are, but I have serious Sherlockian cred, so when I tell you that I absolutely LOVED Stephanie Osborn’s Displaced Detective series, you should know that it comes from a place of vast reading experience.

I was offered the first two books in the series, The Case of the Displaced Detective: the Arrival and The Case of the Displaced Detective: At Speed by the folks at Pump Up Your Book, but I was only half-way through the first book when I tweeted Ms. Osborn that I was smitten with her version of Holmes, who springs off the page as a fully-realized character in his own right, though I hear echoes of both Brett and Nimoy in his dialogue.

An hour later, I’d purchased the other two available books, and as of last night, I was half-way through with book four, The Case of the Cosmological Killer: Endings and Beginnings

While Stephanie Osborn’s version of Holmes is swoon-worthy, her main character, Dr. Skye Chadwick, is pretty impressive herself. Smart, funny, talented – she’s the kind of woman many of us who were geek girls before being a geek was cool wanted to become.

The array of supporting characters, both American and British are equally rich and well developed (I really love Braeden Ryker), but characters aren’t the only element of any story, there has to be a compelling plot as well, and these mysteries have that in spades.

The description above gives you an idea of the basic story, at least of the first book, and I’m not one to analyze story points because in a mystery you don’t want to give anything away, but I will say that Osborn’s writing makes a tesseract that connects real and fictional continua seem completely plausible, and as someone who spent part of her childhood in Colorado (albeit in a different part), I loved the way she described it.

There are also a good number of geek culture/pop culture in-jokes and references. None of them detract from the story, but when you catch them, it’s as if you’re sharing a grin with the author.

In many ways, I feel like these books were written expressly for me (except if they were, they’d have way more frou-frou coffee in them), and even though I’d never read any of Stephanie Osborn’s work before, I feel like I can’t be objective, because these books are like literary crack. I fell in love with her characters and her world so completely that I’ve been telling all my friends “YOU MUST READ THESE!” And yes, I’ve been doing so in all caps.

Bottom line: if you love a mystery and are also into science-fiction (and I mean classic science fiction, the really good stuff), the Displaced Detective series will make you deliriously happy, especially if you enjoy a good Holmesian pastiche.

Goes well with Shepherd’s pie and a really good beer.

Review: Superior Vocal Health by David Katz (with Giveaway)

30 September 2013 by Melissa

ABOUT SUPERIOR VOCAL HEALTH

What you can expect from this book:

* Comprehensive A-Z list of healing herbs for the Voice Professional

* What herbs to use when and how to prepare each herb for use

* Specific Formulas for specific vocal issues such as tired and over used voice, mucus, sinus congestion, sore throat, and more…

* What drugs negatively affect the voice and natural alternatives to those drugs

* Foods to eat the affect the voice and vocal mechanism

* Sinus Care with cleansing guide and herbs

* What to do when natural solutions for the most pressing Performance and Presentation issues such as performance anxiety, clogged sinuses, chest congestion, mental clarity, and more

Whether you are a professional singer, speaker, teacher, lawyer, DJ, clergy, auctioneer, tour guide or sales person, caring for your voice is THE MOST IMPORTANT thing you can do in your life.

This book is your complete and one stop guide to take care of your voice naturally without drugs.

Purchase Here

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My Thoughts:

As a voice actor, podcaster, and singer, I was really excited when the folks at Pump Up Your Book offered me a copy of Superior Vocal Health: Herbs for the Voice and Throat, to review. After all, cider vinegar hot toddies and Throat Coat tea will only take you so far.

At just over 100 pages, you might think this book was too slim to matter. You might even start leafing through it and think any old herbal would give you the same information. On both counts, you would be mistaken.

First, David Aaron Katz has collected a comprehensive list of herbs meant not only to keep the throat in optimum condition, but also to boost energy, fend off illness, and generally improve your well-being. Second, he has included a selection of “recipes” for different herbal infusions meant to target specific issues. Third, he offers a list of “quick fix” suggestions, for when you wake up essentially voiceless and filled with phlegm.

Any ONE of those things would make Superior Vocal Health worth buying and reading, but having them all in once place makes this book an invaluable resource for anyone who uses their voice for more than just talking.

Even better, however, is that Katz presents this information in the friendly tone of someone who knows first-hand the things that singers, professional speakers, and actors go through – because he is one – rather than a dry, dull textbook-y style.

While this is NOT the kind of book one would typically read from cover to cover, it IS a well-written, well-researched resource, and one I’m happy to have learned from.

Goes well with a plate of fruit, and a mug of mint tea with honey and lemon.

Pump Up Your Book and David Aaron Katz are teaming up to give you a chance to win a some great prizes!

Here’s how it works:

Each person will enter this giveaway by liking, following, subscribing and tweeting about this giveaway through the Rafflecopter form placed on blogs throughout the tour. If your blog isn’t set up to accept the form, we offer another way for you to participate by having people comment on your blog then directing them to where they can fill out the form to gain more entries.

This promotion will run from August 5 – October 31. The winner will be chosen randomly by Rafflecopter, contacted by email and announced on November 1, 2013.

Everyone who participates in the Superior Vocal Health virtual book tour is eligible to enter and win.

Visit each blog stop below to gain more entries as the Rafflecopter widget will be placed on each blog for the duration of the tour.

ENTER TO WIN!

a Rafflecopter giveaway

Superior Vocal Health Virtual Book Publicity Tour Schedule

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Wednesday, August 7 – Guest blogging at Icefairy’s Treasure Chest

Friday, August 9 – Interviewed at Review From Here

Monday, August 12 – Book featured at Plug Your Book

Tuesday, August 13 – Interviewed at Broowaha

Wednesday, August 14 – Book featured at Book Marketing Buzz

Friday, August 16 – Guest blogging at The Writer’s Life

Tuesday, August 20 – Guest blogging at Between the Covers

Wednesday, August 21 – Guest blogging at As the Pages Turn

Friday, August 23 – Guest blogging at Literal Exposure

Monday, August 26 – Interviewed at Straight from the Author’s Mouth

Tuesday, August 27 – Guest blogging at Litearily Speaking

Wednesday, August 28 – Interviewed at Beyond the Books

Thursday, August 29 – Guest blogging at The Story Behind the Book

Friday, August 30 – Interviewed at Pump Up Your Book

Wednesday, September 4 – Book reviewed at Book Him Danno

Monday, September 9 – Interviewed at As the Pages Turn

Friday, September 13 – Interviewed at Examiner

Wednesday, September 18 – Interviewed at Book Marketing Buzz

Friday, September 20 – Interviewed at Review From Here

Tuesday, September 24 – Guest blogging at Redroom

Thursday, September 26 – Interviewed at The Writer’s Life

Friday, September 27 – Book featured at Bibliotica

Monday, September 30 – Book reviewed at Bibliotica

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Review: Painted Hands by Jennifer Zobair

23 September 2013 by Melissa

About the book (from the author’s website):
Muslim bad girl Zainab Mir and her best friend Amra Abbas have thwarted proposal-slinging aunties and cultural expectations to succeed in their high-powered careers in Boston. What they didn’t count on? The unlikely men who shatter their friendship, including a childhood friend who turns out to be more traditional than he let on, and a right-wing politico with career-threatening secrets of his own. When the personal and the geopolitical collide, and a controversial prayer service leads to violence, Zainab and Amra must figure out what they’re willing to risk for their principles, their friendship, and love.

Buy from: Amazon | Barnes & Noble

My Thoughts:
When I was in high school I read everything Allen Drury had written up to that point. Many of them had written before I was even born, so they were a bit dated, but they gave me a love of political fiction that remains to this day, and probably explains my lingering obsession with The West Wing as well. It is this love that was the main reason I accepted TLC’s offer to read and review Jennifer Zobair’s first novel Painted Hands.

I started reading the book a few days ago, and I’ll confess to being a bit worried that I’d have to read a ton of neo-con propaganda when I noticed the bit about the lead character, Zainab, working for a Republican politician. My fears were quickly quelled, but I didn’t have a chance to really absorb the book until yesterday, when I planted myself at my kitchen table with a pot of coffee, one too many English muffins, and NPR playing on the radio. (In fact it was a program featuring Chimamanda Ngozi Adichie talking about why having a single story is a bad thing – and it was the perfect complement to Zobair’s book.)

The practical upshot of all this: Painted Hands is one of the best books I’ve read all year. All of the women – Zainab, and her best friend Amra, especially, but also Rukan – feel like the sort of women you might run into if you live and work in a major city. They are three-dimensional, and may share common religious roots, but are distinctly different women, as they should be. Amra’s anglo friend/colleague Hayden is as well-developed as the others, and her story, too, is compelling. Likewise, the men in the story are all fully-formed. Chase, the right-wing radio personality and Mateen, the childhood crush turned potential love interest are complex, each with their own desires and flaws.

On the NPR show this morning, the creators of Toy Story said that one of the first rules of storytelling is to make the reader/viewer care. Jennifer Zobair did this with every character she created. Even with the characters I didn’t like, I still wanted to know what their story was, and whether it would end well.

More than just making me care about her characters, however, Zobair’s writing let me glimpse a culture other than my own. Spending my formative years with just my mother, and growing up in a liberal family where the ultimate dinner table whining would be an accusatory, “But MOM! He made a Sexist Statement!!!” the whole notion of HAVING to get married is as foreign to me as putting cheddar cheese on pizza was the first time I encountered it in California, and I’ve never had to live with proscriptions against any kind of clothing or makeup (except blue eyeshadow, but that really should be illegal in most cases anyway).

In Painted Hands, however, we get to see the way Islam is practiced in a variety of American families, and what it means to have one foot in the modern world and another in a conservative religious tradition. As someone who wasn’t raised in any particular religion (we are culturally Catholic, attended the UU church on and off, and, as an adult, my Baptist husband met me half-way and we’re Episcopalian), getting a peek into any spiritual practice is fascinating to me.

I’m very fortunate to have a circle of friends and acquaintances from many countries, cultures, and religions; for those who don’t, or even if they do, Painted Hands is an excellent introduction to Muslim-American culture, wrapped in a great story.

Goes well with… a really good korma (I like chicken, but vegetarian is good) and iced mint tea.

Connect with Jennifer Zobair:
Web: JenniferZobair.com
Twitter: @jazobair

Then she climbed on.