Book Shelf Revisited: Good Example of Why Djinn are to be Avoided. (but still enjoyed)

It's now November, and I hate to admit this but most of the books I have in my digital queue involve Vampires, Djinn, Zombies, Werewolves, and who knows what else. Why? Because I enjoy them. Though I will admit that there is a possibility that soon I will mention some books that I own hard copy versions of. Just for a chance from the realm of digital.

Anyway, let's move on to looking at this entries read.

Tamar Black - Djinnx'd
by Nicola Rhodes
542 pages

When people think of Djinn or Genies, they generally picture Jeannie from the I Dream of Jeannie tv show, or of the large comical blue Genie from Disney's Aladdin. Or those barely there female Halloween costumes. Why is that? Well to what I have seen, Djinn don't really have a cult following or a active pop culture niche currently. Which is part of why the title of this book intrigued me.

What was it going to be about, what exactly would djinnx'd be described as through the story?

From what I can tell you without spoiling the book is that Djinnx'd can be defined as : being tricked into releasing a Djinn.

The story itself has a fast pace that rivals the pacing of the Aisling Grey, Guardian novels by Katie MacAlister. It also is similar in it's usage and detailed descriptions of different mythological beings that are used in the story. Most of the descriptions are given in a first person view, which means there are many amusing notes throughout.

For those that may be worried that the book will turn out to be nothing more than a smut story, or a trashy romance novel, get those thoughts out of your head. Why? The story stays away from romance on the most part, instead focusing more on the adventure on hand.

The story starts in the past, but most of it is written to be in modern times, so there is no need to worry about not knowing what something is. The main characters are vibrant and relatable, though some of their actions are questionable.

I would recommend this as a book for older teens and adults, not because it is overly adult in nature, but because it's voice might be difficult for younger readers to relate to. (although... the Twilight series is supposedly an adult one... but people still let kids read that, blah)

Till next time, happy reading! Oh... and feel free to leave me recommendations.

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Originally posted November 7th, 2011 at http://thebookshelfgoblin.blogspot.com

Book Shelf Revisited: Something Different For Valentine's Day

To be honest Valentine's day is the one day of the year I dread more than any other. I've yet to have a pleasant experience on it, and I am not going to be planning on having a good experience on it this year. But that doesn't matter. I found an adorable book that I just HAVE to share with you! (regardless of how I personally feel about the matter of Love)


Fixing Cupid

Cristian YoungMiller

438 pages


Don't let the page numbers daunt you. This is a fast read, the story is fun and you never know what is going to come next.


It revolves around a character named Ben and his troubles with love. If you don't believe me, just read the first 6 pages, you'll know enough that you'll likely be as intrigued as I was.


His best friend decides to try and help him 'fix' his problem, by helping him put his life back together. But as the story continues, we wonder if the fix is causing more trouble than it is worth.


Due to most of the content of this book, I do NOT recommend it for readers that are not capable of dealing with sarcasm and adult situations. It also helps to have a sense of humor and a slight idea about romantic history.


Why did I like this eBook? Well, it was cheerful, pleasant, and there are a large number of comedic moments that shine. It is a piece that will appeal to both genders, and there's a happy ending.


I guess I'm a sucker for a happy ending.


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Originally Posted Feb. 14th 2012 at http://thebookshelfgoblin.blogspot.com/

Off the Shelf: Monsters and Villains

Time for something a little lighter to read, though it sounds a little heavy with it's stated goal being "a guide to some of the greatest villains and monsters throughout history." (pg. 7)

Monsters and Villains of the Movies and Literature
Gerrie McCall
96 pgs


Okay, this one was not originally my pick, but a book Sang grabbed at the used bookstore some months back that he then forgot he had.  I found it one night when bored and spent an entertaining hour or two reading through the pages and the facts they had, and now I'm going to share with you!

As far as organization, this book is a solid 10.  The contents are exactly what the titles says it will be, and is even split up under subject headings, start with Monsters from the Movies, then Terror in the Library, which moves to Fairy Tales and Fantasy before winding up with Creatures from Myth.  About every two pages, there is a new monster, leading to about 44 in all (leaving some pages for an intro and an index).  Most of the monsters and villains featured will be at least passingly familiar to anyone who does a lot of reading or movie watching, such as Nosferatu, Mr. Hyde, and Medusa, but the selection also varies to ones that almost everyone has heard of, but has probably put little thought into, such as the flying monkeys from The Wizard of Oz and Rumpelstiltskin, and then to ones that people may have heard of, by may not know the name of, like Imhotep (The Mummy and many movies since) and Grendel (Beowulf).  The book even features the whale, Moby Dick!

Honestly, the book is definitely not a heavy read for an adult, but is still fun.  Each heading features a picture of the villain or monster, with at least four points of interest pointed out and described.  The second page features a short, one-to-two paragraph summary, a map of where in the world the monster or villain will be found, and a short collection of facts.  For an example, on Jason (yes, the Jason of Friday the 13th), one of the points of interest is the machete in his hand, describing it's significance (while I assume most people know, I won't spoil it for those who do not), the paragraph describes some of the various things Jason has gone through in the various movies, as well as his "creation."  Of the facts, I found this one particularly interesting: "Even though Jason is a fictional character, he was awarded MTV's Lifetime Achievement Award in 1992." (pg 29)

Overall, this book is definitely a simple read, but still enjoyable.  I would say fans of monsters of all ages would get some pleasure from it, though I think it's mainly marketed toward the elementary-crowd; older readers might find it better to check it out from the library for a quick read rather than dropping cash on it (though I got it for $2, and I definitely it worth that, and collectors of movie monster memorabilia might find it an interesting addition).  Definitely anyone, male or female, can enjoy this, if nothing else than for the facts, like I did.  Sang picked up a second, related book that I may review later, if it's as good as the first, but it just screamed more Halloween to me, so I'm holding off, for now.

Off the Shelf: Star of the Morning

A return to the genre of fantasy with Star of the Morning, one of the Nine Kingdoms books.

Star of the Morning
Lynn Kurland
315 pages 


I want to start out by saying that I have not, yet, read any of the other Nine Kingdoms books, but as Lynn Kurland's site lists this as the first of the series, I'm off to a good start.  So far, the series looks to have 10 books, set in groups of three as to the featured protagonist; while more than half of Star of the Morning is done from a second main character's point of view, the book very much centers around Morgan, the woman seen standing on the cover above.  The following two books also seem to feature her, but I don't want to put up the spoilers that the titles give; if you're curious, you can always look them up!

You cannot get much more medieval fantasy than Star of the Morning.  It centers around a dark evil trying to overtake a Kingdom, a king beset by a sudden plague (of sorts), his mage brother looking for an answer, and a young woman who may be the shining light to save the kingdom... maybe.  There are a lot of complications, little and big, and the ending to the book is not what you would expect.  You can think of it a little in terms of King Arthur and the Sword in the Stone, but instead of pulling the sword out and ruling all of England, Arthur finds out exactly what the sword does and decides to throw it back into the weaponsmith's furnace.  It's hard to describe this book without giving too much away, but there is the epic quest formula, a very strong heroine (I do not know why the book cover shows her in a dress - she doesn't wear a dress throughout the entire book), and quite a few twists and turns that fit well with the story, but can still manage to surprise an avid reader from time to time.

All in all, I did enjoy the book quite a bit, and the ending has me hooked to see how the story could possibly go on from here, as it seems the entire quest has proved fruitless and does not appear to be fixable.  There is also a nice little teaser from book five of the series, Spellweaver, this one having a male protagonist, that seems equally as well written.  There is a tiny touch of romance to the book that might turn some off, but it is less in the way of a romantic relationship and more an added burden of the characters having to face the difficulty in duty versus desire.

That said, I think Star of Morning is a very good, very well-written book that has a lot of appeal, though definitely is only for those who enjoy medieval-fantasy.  Not in-your-face unicorns and stuff, but mostly mages and the age-old good-versus-evil battles.  There really is no gender bias to this book, as the main character is a female, but the other half of the story is told through the eyes of the archmage, who is a male, so there is a very nice balance.  I could also see a wide range of ages enjoying this story.  It may be a bit too advanced for most middle-schoolers, depending on their individual reading level, but I can see myself having read this book as part of my free-reading selections in seventh grade, if I had had it at that point, and I enjoyed it just as much nearly two decades later.

Off the Shelf: Darkness of the Light

Oh, no, she's doing another fantasy novel...!!!  Well, not really.  Read on to learn more!

Darkness of the Light
Peter David
528 pages


Okay, before anyone gets made at me, yes, I picked this book up at the used bookstore thinking it was a fantasy novel.  Twelve races that sound a lot like dragons/dragonmen, cyclops, a form of vampires, and two aquatic-type races I found hard to pinpoint (one is kind of like sentient whales, the others ma be more like a merfolk race, but they can live out of water?  I don't really know...), and even a satyr that takes a prominent roll, to mix with what seems to be a human and a lizardman on the cover.  However, as I read the book, I started to realize this is actually more like science fiction disguised as fantasy, with other worlds, time travel, and even something that I am fairly convinced was a nuclear weapon.  So, please do not pillory me, I put it up here as an offering to science fiction fans, though it is not so far removed from fantasy that I think lovers there would enjoy it.

So, the novel actually crosses all of the races, which can be a little confusing to read, hoping from one race to the next from chapter to chapter, though most of the story pieces do seem to line up or cross at some section, and the few that do not, I am assuming will in the later books, as this one says book one of The Hidden Earth on it.  The main character, if you can narrow it down to just one, is actually that fiesty female on the cover, called Jepp, who happens to be a Pleasure Slave.  For those who are Star Trek: The Next Generation fans, there is an episode in season five called "The Perfect Mate," featuring an empath who can read men's desires and conform to them; think of Jepp as being along those lines, but with a little bit of extra oomph, like in the fact she can go into berserker rages if the person she has bonded with is in danger and slaughter people with her bare hands, a la the book cover.  However, there is a lot more going on in this world than you initially would think, and the tale is a lot bigger than just Jepp and her new guardian; in fact, there are some pieces that lead me to believe that the "damned world" (excuse the language, that's a direct quote used to refer to the planet) is actually Earth at some stage in the future, now used as a prison for troublesome other races.  This is not openly confirmed in the book, but the summary posted on amazon states that it is "formerly Earth," so I'm going to assume my extrapolation was correct.

When getting down to the nitty-gritty, this book is not a very simple read.  It's not really a language or subject-matter issue, per se, but more the fact that any book leaping around amongst members of at least eight of the twelve races, some feature more than one character's point of view at different areas, can be very hard to follow.  Yes, I get that they are all intersected, or will be intersected, but it can make the reading very disjointed, and there are times I honestly wondered to myself if I really wanted to finish the book that badly... and yet I did keep reading until the end, and even with the complicated interweaving stories, I do find myself contemplating getting the next book to see what happens, especially as the earlier-mentioned supposed nuclear weapon and it's fall-out is going to make things interesting.

Overall, while something featuring a "pleasure slave" seems like it should be X-rated, I think any adult could read this book, and maybe some young adults, though go into it with your eyes open that you will want to keep mental notes about who's who (though this does start to simplify toward the end of the book).  I can see those of any gender reading this book equally, but I do think those into alternate-Earth sci-fi would enjoy Darkness of the Light more than most others, with probably fantasy readers as a runner up.  While not a huge sci-fi fan, myself, I am still considering looking into getting the next book, Heights of the Depths, and seeing where that takes me... I'll let you all know if I do.

Off the Shelf: The Shack

The first thing I want to lay out there is that The Shack will not be for everyone.  It's a work of religious fiction that deals with some very heavy themes, and the page total is not an extremely high one for me (my average fun-reading book runs 300-500 pages), but this book is not an easy read. 

The Shack or The Shack: Where Tragedy Confronts Eternity
William P. Young
256 pages

The story being told is a tear-jerker of dealing with a horrible personal tragedy mixed with themes of Christianity and forgiveness (I think the book's religious basis could potentially cross religions, but the base values used in the book are Christian).  The themes being dealt with are not light or cheerful, and wrapping your head around some of the concepts, even as simple as they sound in hindsight and written in novel form, makes this book a relatively difficult read.

That being said, even while I cried through a lot of this novel, I found this book to be an extremely fantastic read.  Even if you view religion from a more schoolastic approach of study, I think you could find this book a really interesting read, and anyone going through a loss that is at all religious could really find this book helpful, as it tackles dealing with drastic loss and balancing that with the view that God is a loving, caring, forgiving power.

For those that find the book to be a little too hard to wrap your head around (I consider myself smarter than the average dodo, and there were parts I had to read and re-read to really come to grasp what was being said), The Shack was made into a film in 2017 that I have watched since reading the book.  It is extremely well done and parallels the book nicely, but I will say the book is the far more detailed and better of the two, but there is only so much that can be done in the length of time a movie allows.  But the movie does make the heavy themes easier to understand, and it is always nice that is stars some big names in it (Avatar's Sam Worth plays the lead, and Octavia Spencer from The Help and Hidden Figures plays another important role, while Tim McGraw plays a minor role and also functions as a narrator).

All that being said, I loved this book.  I picked it up blindly at Walmart in July, never having heard of it, as the only thing to remotely attract my attention.  After reading it, then re-reading it, I hunted down the movie, then re-read the book again.  I will admit that I cried, a lot, both reading and watching The Shack, and I know this book will be polarizing and have a list of people with zero interest in it after finding out that it's religious fiction, but I honestly loved the book, have it featured prominently on my bookshelf, and know I'll read it again.

Target-audience wise, while some teens may like the book, with the difficult themes, I really think this book is more for adults.  While I think that anyone could enjoy this book, even as just an interesting way to look at dealing with loss and forgiveness, I think those who are at least open to religion will accept this book's central themes more, but gender-wise, both men and women can definitely find worth in this book.

~*~

Off the Shelf: Dicey's Song

This one is an award-winning classic I originally remembered from my school days, but was actually excited to see again.

Dicey's Song
Cynthia Voigt
211 pages

Originally published in 1982 (before I was born), this cover I've shown is the copy I have, printed in 1987.  The most recent publication is from 2012, and is available on amazon in hardcover, paperback, and kindle, though it puts the pages at 256 versus the 211 of my copy.

This book is easy to read, but the subject matter can be a difficult.  Four children are adjusting to life under the new guardianship of their grandmother after their extremely ill mother ends up in a psychiatric hospital.  The book mainly centers around the new family dynamic and adjusting to life while dealing with the differences between what most would consider "normal" family and their own, as well as the struggle of dealing with their mother's health issues.  While mental illness is addressed more freely now days, it still carries a heavy stigma, and at the time of this book's original publishing, that stigma was even more heavily felt.

The book center's mainly on Dicey, settling in to her new life, dealing with her family, her school, and growing up a bit in this alternative family dynamic.  The writing flows smoothly, carrying the reader through home life, school, after school jobs, but also tackling some pretty heavy subject matter, especially towards the end of the book, as the family really has to focus on what is going on with Mama.

Honestly, I loved Dicey's Song since childhood, though I think it is because I found many parts of the book relatable, which is why I still read this book today.  It's a book that sticks with you.  You'll most likely find this book in the Young Adult's section, and I think that is where it belongs.  While some advanced readers or those with an interest in more serious, real-life-like subject matter will like it at a younger age, as I did, I honestly think those in the mid-teens and up will get the most of of this book.  When most people thing "young adult, teen book," they think happy endings, romance, or Twilight, and this is none of these things. I won't spoil the ending, but while things start to come together, this is not a book for those looking for a rosey happy ever after ending.

So, my conclusion?  This book, while featured on a female protagonist, is good for any gender to read, but this is not light, feel-good material, but thoughtful.  I think those with a more serious mein will get more out of the book, but that young adults to adults are the best to pick up and read this aware-winning classic.

Off the Shelf: The Jolly Postman

I was super-excited to be unpacking after moving and find this children's classic amongst my things, with all of the parts miraculously intact, considering this book is from the '80s and has been in my family since... at least early 1990s, through at least a dozen moves to different houses in three different states.

The Jolly Postman or Other People's Letters
Janet & Allan Ahlberg
32 pages

This book is a little different spin on fairy tales, with the postman delivering letters to such fairy tale classics as the three bears, the big bad wolf, Goldilocks, Cinderella, and the wicked witch.  At each step, there is something within each letter that can be pulled out and read, letting the audience actually see what kind of mail each is being sent.  The main book is done in rhyme, with illustrations, and each of the pieces of mail are unique to each recipient.

While definitely a children's book, I would say this is aimed mainly at elementary students, though I even enjoyed a nostalgic read-through as an adult, and some of the pieces of mail would need explaining.  The original tags on the book say for kindergarten and up, but I think that depends on the child involved... many won't have the attention span for some of the "mail" at that young of an age, and if you don't keep a close watch, the mail is sure to end up disappearing, as the envelopes are attached to the pages, but the contents are removable.

That being said, this book is good for any gender child.  The main story is easily read to the younger crowd, and the older ones will enjoy the mail, which includes advertisements and even legal documents.  I personally could see my 5-10 year old nephews getting excited about the story and some of the mail, but the aforementioned legal ones would probably bore them to tears or confuse them, but elementary kids probably make the best audience with child-at-heart adults behind those.  I will admit that I totally am keeping this book, and got excited to find out there are at least two more books, one a Christmas one that I am committed to buying.

Off the Shelf: Don't Stand Too Close to a Naked Man

Yeah, the title is a bit off-throwing, but I promise it's not anything x-rated.

Don't Stand Too Close to a Naked Man
Tim Allen
210 pages

Honestly, I don't actually know much about Tim Allen as a stand-up comic, but I grew up watching Home Improvement as a kid, and I've also seen his Last Man Standing, so I was intrigued as to what kind of book he would write.  Starting off, you have to keep in mind that this man is not a professional author.  If you're looking for a clean-written biography, look for something else.  This is more an autobiography mixed with a bit of diarrhea of the mind/keyboard.  While not overly long, the fact that he seems to be a bit of a stream-of-consciousness writer does tend to complicated the reading a bit, so I just took it slow.

However, he is a comic who uses real-life situations to find the funny, and it shows in his book.  While I can't say I agree with everything he has to say, he does give some interesting insight in the male mind, using comedy as an offensive/defensive tool, and he puts an interesting spin on it.  For instance, just in the intro, you'll get to see such interesting things as saying the main reason he finally got off his duff and wrote the book is that his publisher kidnapped his cat, and this wonderful quote:

"The truth is that writing is a challenge.  It's great to see your stuff in print.  I also desperately wanted to see the words "fart lighting" and "sack" on a page." ~ ... Naked Man, pg 4

This book is an interesting mix of male/female worldviews, autobiography, comedy, history, parenting, and growing-up.  It's not all in chronological or even subject-cluster order, so that can be off-putting to some readers, but the honesty and hilarious first-person view is great.  I would recommend this mostly for adults, mainly those into autobiographies, or those with any interest in Tim Allen at all.  Also, if you're looking for just a glimpse into a male mind (as a female, that was intriguing to me) and what puberty and awareness can be like, it's not bad.

Is the book for all audiences?  No.  I think males may get more out of this book than women, though I do think it opens an insightful door that makes it good for either gender, and this book is definitely better suited to adults, or maybe college-level young adults.  Do I think it was worth the read?  Yes.

Off the Shelf: Winter Wishes

I love me an anthology.  I think you really do get more bang for the buck, getting a selection of reading material grouped together on a central theme.  If one story isn't quite up your alley, other may well be.

This is a newer addition to my bookshelf - in fact, I just got it last week as a present while grocery shopping.  I love romance anthologies, as I feel they offer more, and they are normally more romance-oriented over adult themes than other members of the genre.

Winter Wishes
Christmas Kisses by Fern Michaels, 101 pages
Blue Moon Harbor by Susan Fox, 104 pages
Second Chance Christmas by Jules Bennett, 81 pages
Finding Colin by Leah Marie Brown, 98 pages

Book total: 399 pages (there are some blank pages and after words in there)

Each of these novellas is an easy read.  They are all relatively short, and each is different in it's own way.  The first has a quirky, creative heroine starting over fresh, the second are old lovers reunited, the third are people who originally met in hard circumstances being reintroduced in a different light, and the last is a woman fixated on the unattainable setting out to find it, but finding something new that may be a better fit.

Nice taglines, huh?  I'm proud to say those little summaries are my own.

While each of these shorts are similar in that they involve Christmas, they are all different, too.  Personally, I got the least enjoyment from Blue Moon Harbor, but that is, conversely, because it seems the most realistic to me.  In the heroine's shoes, I'd want to punch the male lead, which makes the fictional lead a better woman than I am... maybe a little too unrealistically so?  My favorite is a toss-up between lead author Fern Michael's addition and then Jules Bennett's Second Chance Christmas.  Of the two, Michael's is the more light-hearted read, and a little more traditional for a quick, neatly-tied romance offer, while Jules adds in a bit more weighty subject matter, dealing with loss and, of course, second chances.  I found Finding Colin enjoyable and different, both in that it is the only of the four stories to use first-person perspective, and that the heroine is relatably realistic in her quirks, if a bit, um, fan-girl-extreme for my tastes.

I was open about the fact I like sappy romances, and this is in that category.  I honestly love books like this, especially around Christmas time.  I can't explain why, I just do.  I've been looking for these at my local used book store, but haven't had much luck, so I was overjoyed to find one at the grocery store that I was allowed to splurge on for $5.99.  I won't completely gender-lock this one, as I know some men who read romances, but I do think it's geared more toward female audiences.  Anyone who wants romance without in-your-face adult themes and likes the holidays will get something from this book, with probably young-adults and up that are interested in the genre being the best audience for the collective work.

Unique Experience : Cooking with Dice

Games are something that are popular now more than ever. Many people enjoy playing them alone or with other people. There are games for every skill level, and for those who want a challenge it can be a great change of pace from daily life to play a game. but they almost all have the same limitation, usually the only true results are simple entertainment and an engaging way to pass time. But that seems to be changing as people look at ways to creatively combine world necessities with our inherent need to be entertained.

Which leads us to our unique experience, Cooking with Dice: The Acid Test. This is a cookbook and game experience that is going to be live on kickstarter March 14th. You can find out specifics about the campaign on their website www.cookingwithdice.com. You'll be able to get your very own copy to play through and enjoy!  But I'm sure you're wondering about how it plays, or how it works. So let's have a look at how our experience here at home has gone.

So before I get too far into this, as someone who prefers tabletop games and board games to video games on the most part, I have to say I found this to be appealing. The Acid Test Cookbook is a fantastic example of creativity at it's finest offering unique kitchen experience. It includes a few different play mode recommendations, single player, group, or team based on what you feel up to attempting. But remember some of the recipes need time to 'cook' so they may not be ready for consumption immediately. I attempted to run it in group mode, but we felt intimidated, so I ended up testing it on my own in single player mode.

I must admit that my first few attempts at working through any of the recipes left me feeling a little out of my element. Partially because I'm not very good at following directions, but also due to the fact my kitchen lacks a majority of the ingredients listed on the roll tables. Which made it a little difficult to just play the book from home without purchasing the ingredients before hand. A mistake I initially made. I'm a gamer who doesn't frequent the kitchen so it never crossed my mind you need to go get your ingredients first. My bad.

So after reading through more and examining things more closely the solution I came up with, was to roll the dice and make a shopping list. Yeah I know, this is what everyone else would have done in the first place when they want to prepare a recipe. But I'm not a cook, so to me it seemed I had come up with a great solution. Less creative I suppose than I want it to sound, but by approaching the recipes and die rolls in this manner it was far easier to actually follow the recipes and continue game play.

I think my favorite part of the book is that it does not require the use of the oven. The microwave really is one of my favorite cooking centers, so a book that offers more creative and inventive recipes to be made there is highly appealing. It was surprising though that they were much easier in practice than I was expecting.

Not only were the recipes easy, the results were impressive. I'm looking forward to actually using some of them for future holiday get togethers. My favorite recipe in the whole book though is the buttermilk cheese critter. I never realized I could make a cheese ball so easily at home. I've always found them to be a rather intimidating product when the holidays come around. We often purchase them and then set them out as needed.

The recipe that I rolled up for my cheese critter wasn't extremely difficult. But I did alter my recipe slightly because I wanted to pretend that I was brave. I ended up using: 2 cups low-fat buttermilk,1/4 cup grated mozzarella cheese, 2 tablespoons diced Ham, and 2 tablespoons of bacon bits. Those components made up the majority of my "Buttermilk Cheese Critter". For the coating I ended up using 2 tablespoons of crushed round crackers.

Personally I like the buttery taste of the crackers, and it let the ham flavor stand out more. The bacon bits gave it a little more of a crunch, and I know they'll be safe if I repeat this with some of my friends around. I know they weren't really included in the plans, but I wanted to have a little bit of a crunch with the ham and I wasn't sure I wanted to add nuts. I think I'll call this variation porky.

I'm going to have to do it again soon though so I can make it cute and take a picture of the results. So don't be surprised if there's another post in the near future showing off my rather new found acid based cooking skills! I wasn't entirely brave in my preliminary creations because I was more interested in tasting the results and finding out how difficult it would be. But I am definitely going to have to show off some results as soon as possible.

So considering that I have actually had positive results, even though I have little skill, I recommend this cooking experience. Even for younger children, as long as you supervise them. If you're looking to make creative game based meals, or just to challenge your family to create food at home, this cookbook will be a wonderful addition to both your cookbook collection and your game collection. Check out their website for further information, www.cookingwithdice.com and MAKE SURE to check into their kickstarter once it's live! You don't want to miss out on this.

Off The Shelf: Bad Spirits

You know, I don't think I tell you enough about what I read. You've been getting posts about the movies I've been watching, but nothing about what I've Been reading. Shame on me! Anyways, currently I've been reading various items on my kindle. Yes, I really do love my kindle. There are a lot of things available to read on it.

Bad Spirits
by DV Berkom

If you're looking for a light, slightly bloodthirsty read, this is for you. The short books follow the exploits of Kate, on her adventures while trying to escape Mexico. The writing style is first person, which is rather enjoyable as the story unfolds. The further in you read, the more 'facts' you are told, and the more interesting it gets.

What can you expect though? A lot of running, drug lords, explosions, and a few shoot outs. Oh, and did I mention money? Stolen drug money to be exact. Not too shabby really. But definitely not a romantic story at all. So if you're into more fluffy light romance reads, this isn't going to give you the happy fuzzies you're after.

Readers that I'd recommend this to are ages 15 and up. Mainly due to the rather adult content. It's not sexual. I just don't believe the contend is appropriate or to the taste of children.

Easy Bake Coven : Fun Fantasy Read

Modern literature is becoming full of paranormal and fantastical beings. While most of it has been focusing on vampires of various sorts, this particular book offers a twist to the fantastic. We get to meet some witches at first, but then things become a bit more complicated.

Easy Bake Coven
Liz Schulte
338 Pages

When people see the word coven, most of them automatically envision a circle of witches.  In this case we're dealing with a small circle of friends who call themselves the Easy Bake Coven. That's where the book gets it's name from.. But while the book may imply that witchcraft is going to be the focus within its pages. Yet in this instance that assumption is wrong.

We're dealing with a more encompassing piece of literature. A menagerie of fantastic beings flit within the pages of this book. This creates a believable world, that offers a few different glimpses at various races we don't get to see commonly in a positive light.

And since I'm not really feeling like spoiling the book for you... I recommend you check it out as soon as you can. It's a fast paced fun read and you'll enjoy it.

Ghost Story (SPOILERS)

Ok, so I just finished reading a book that I've wanted to read for a while now. And I'm SO DAMNED ANGRY! To be honest, I haven't read a Dresden Files book that I don't like. But this one has me enraged, frustrated and just miffed. I mean... this book had me sitting here in tears for cripes sake.

Ghost Story
Jim Butcher
496 pages

First of all, I suppose I should give you a slight reaction about the book in general, a little blurb so to speak. If you're unfamiliar with The Dresden Files Series, you're really missing out on some great reads. This one is no different, but I do recommend that you start by reading the series from the beginning or by reading the Side Jobs short story anthology. The book itself has a great storyline, and an interesting plot.

As a reader, I found myself on the edge of my seat waiting to find out what was going to happen. It's always nice to be able to feel that excited about a book. As usual the characters are given enough personality, that we can either like them or hate them. Not to mention, there are enough hints at back story that even if it is the first book that you're reading from the series, you can understand how and why certain characters interact with each other the way that they do.

Personally I find the complexity of the relationships and situations between the various characters to be fascinating, as well as believable. There are situations and characters that we can relate to. The basic story plot revolves around unraveling a mystery to find out who killed Harry Dresden , and why. Mysteries are always a good read, as they challenge us to figure out what happened.

WARNING: THE REST OF THIS BLOG POST IS FULL OF SPOILERS!!!

IF YOU HAVEN'T READ THE BOOK YET DON'T READ ANY FURTHER!
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Ok, so the basis of this book is that Harry Dresden is DEAD! Yeah, that's what my reaction was too. How and why was he dead (I think I must have skipped a book in the series because there's some stuff that was mentioned that I must have missed in general.) NOT TO MENTION how frustrated I was trying to figure out why a ghost could use magic at all.

AND ALL FOR WHAT? YEAH only to find out that he's not dead at all >.<. I sat here crying my fool head off reading and feeling so sad thinking that he was done for, only to find out that NUUUUUUUUUUU he isna dead at all and that there is more. I hate when they do that! I mean why make us start preparing for the "END" of something wonderful, if you're only teasing us? It's not fair.

GRRRRR I hate when books do that. Mess with your emotions by making you think someone important you've come to look up to is gone. Yeah... Ok... anyway.... yeah >.> End rant ~_~