Jirvania: Book 2 in the Julu series

"What a beautiful book!"

My review

The 2nd book I read this year was a fantasy story with the title Jirvania. This
beautiful book was written by Jan Anderegg and published on May 9th. 2021.
It contains 506 pages in the Kindle edition. So, it took a while for reading and
reviewing, but it was worth every minute I spent for this book.

While reading I always make some notes. These were the notes I wrote down,
while reading Jirvania:

- The story is full of adventure, romance, and self-discovery, keeping readers
hooked from beginning to end.

- The author's vivid prose brings the fantastical world of Jirvania to life,
transporting readers to a realm filled with magic and mystery.

- The characters are complex, relatable, and well-grounded, making
them easy to root for and connect with. I really enjoyed reading about the
adventures of Jack and Julu. 

Overall, Jirvania is a well-crafted and entertaining novel that offers a
captivating story, immersive world-building, well-developed characters,
and a heartwarming message. It is a must-read for fans of fantasy literature
and anyone seeking an engaging and uplifting read.

Without any doubt, I give a five star rating for Jirvania. 

Booktasters

I really want to thank Booktasters and the author as well for providing me a
free copy and for their patience. It took a while for reading and reviewing this
beautiful book, but it really was worth all the time. 

Source picture: Book cover 

Two: One Destined to Addiction the Other to be Free

 A good read

My review

Due to the interesting topic, addiction, I wanted to read this book very detailed.

Meanwhile I had lots of emotions: sadness and joy because of the two different
stories. I missed a bit of the depth of the book, on the other hand I liked
the simplicity. 

I would recommend this book to anyone who is interested in the topic.

It was a bit difficult to rate this book well, so in doubt between 4 and 5 stars,
I chose the highest rating, which is 5 stars.

The Book

Published by Sandriam Publications Inc.; 1e edition on 17th March 2019.

The book contains 124 pages.

Written by Alexander T. Polgar

Booktasters

I want to thank booktasters for providing me a free copy in return of my honest
review, which I did. 

Gray Cells

 What a beautiful comic

Source picture: Book cover

My review

I must admit, I love to read comics. As a Belgian, we are raised with the 
classic comics such as Lucky Luke. 

However from the first moment I read Gray Cells Comic, I was sold.
Such an amazing beautiful layout, very well painted and the story was 
fantastic!

I really liked the cover too! So if you like to read interesting and beautiful
painted comics, don't hesitate and read Gray Cells Comic.

I give with lots of pleasure a 5 star rating and I hope plenty of Comics will
follow!

The book

Gray Cells was published on 30 January 2023. It contains 150 pages. 

Booktasters

As always, I want to thank Booktasters and the author as well for providing
me a free copy in return for my honest review. Which I did. Thank you very
much!

Bits, Bytes and Barrels

 What an interesting book!

My review

The book Bits, Bytes and Barrels draws my attention immediately, 
although it sometimes is a dry business subject.

The author did his job very well, by explaining the subject in a 
clear way. It also was handy to have a summary at the end of each
chapter. 

All those things made the book a must-read for
everyone involved in the Oil & Gas industry and the digitalisation
as well!

I give with lots of pleasure a five star rating for this very interesting
book and I hope to read more books from this author.

Booktasters

I want to thank Booktasters and the author Geoffrey Cann as well
for providing my a free copy in return of my honest review, which
I did. 

The Game With no Name

 A lot of suspense!

My review

It's a very good point, I didn't realise this book is part of a series. But since I've
read "The Game With No Name", I defenitely wanted to read more books of the 
series. 

I liked the cover very much, as well as the plot and the family. There is a lot
of suspense and even a twist.

I would recommend this book for all who like to read adventurous stories.

Without a doubt I give "The Game With No Name" a 5 star rating.

The author

LG Cunningham loves to write scary, spine-chilling, monster filled, ‘
my-child-is-not-able-to-sleep’ stories. This term of endearment could
be as a result of growing up in an Irish town filled with ghosts, being
able to communicate with (and actually see) the dead or more than
likely because his family used to rent him horror movies (pre-Netflix
and pre-DVDs) when he was very little which had the affect of twisting
his brain to the extent that he was - and still is - afraid of his own shadow.

Booktasters

I thank Booktasters and the author for giving me a free copy of the ebook
in exchange to my honest review. This has not affected my opinion. 

The Game With No Name was published on August 23rd. 2020 and contains
142 pages. 

Stolid

 Third in the wheel of light series

An excellent Novel!

Summary

Stolid is a man who remembers being young and doesn't tell even his

best friends his real name because he has the ambition to be Stolid -
calm and showing little emotion.

But when he grows older and tragedy strikes the world becomes too
much. One evening he runs away, hitchhikes and is picked up by a
man who claims to know him. 

He's taken to an empty place at night. He can escape but chooses not to.
The stranger's motives are obscure but it turns out Stolid is his own
worst enemy. 

The man convinces Stolid he does know him as they exchange
memories and the evening grows mysterious.

My review

I previously read and reviewed Damon Ich, but this book fellt like a 
new excellent story. I enjoyed the thread and the characters of the book
very much, as well as the cover. I hope there will be new books of
Aaron D. Key soon.  

If you like to read wonderful literary novels, don't hesitate to take this
book about Stolid. 

Without no doubt I want to give Stolid a 5 star rating! 

Author in the picture: D.W. Whitlock

One of the first books I ever reviewed via Booktasters was Crucible of Fear,
written by D.W. Whitlock. I was very honoured to read and review another
wonderful book from the author: Cult of Darkness . That's why I was keen
to invite this excellent writer for the author in the picture blog post. So here
are the questions.

Can you tell us a bit more about D.W. Whitlock?

 I've worked a lot of jobs over the years from lake dock worker to electrician
to animation for television and games. I've met so many amazing people
from all walks of life and those experiences have been invaluable for
shaping characters and stories. 

Could you tell us something more about the Cult of Darkness?

 I've always been fascinated by ancient cultures, specifically the Maya,
and I've always wanted to tell a story that captures their rich history with
as much respect as possible. One of the themes of Cult of Darkness is
cultural appropriation versus cultural appreciation, and I have characters
in the story on opposing sides of this theme. The most important thing for
me was no aliens. The Maya culture is rich with history and incredible stories
and trying to explain their advanced stone masonry skills and writing
system by extra terrestrial intervention is insulting, I believe. They were
bloody yet brilliant. That should be enough!

 What are your other interests other than writing?

I'm a lifetime gamer and being able to play video games now with my son
is a true joy. One of my other passions is riding my Triumph Scrambler
motorcycle. For me, I've discovered the best therapy can be found on two wheels. 

What are you most afraid of?

Wouldn't you like to know! (It's tarantulas. I hate them!)

Do you have favorite book characters?

I do. My favorite book of all time is Swan Song by Robert McCammon and
I love all the characters in this book. Sister, Josh Hutchins, Swan,
Alvin Mangrim, Colonel Jimbo Macklin, Roland Croninger and the many
others in this incredible book. I love them all.

How do you choose your topics?

I retain a lot of useless information and facts about my interests: Film,
books, science, emerging technology, video games, interesting people, etc.
My mind tends to wander and mull over these subjects. That is usually
when my ideas come. This usually happens before I sleep or while I'm
not able to write ideas down. In the shower, taking a walk, driving. 

Do you have a special daily (writing) routine?

Usually just fire up the laptop and go over my outline to remind me where
I'm at in the story. My dog, Nikki, loves to snuggle up when I write so that helps :)

Can you recommend some places close to your hometown or country
for (thriller) authors?

Nothing particular comes to mind, but I do use Google Earth to virtually
visit locations that I research for my books. 

Have you any other writing plans?

Someday I'd like to branch out and possibly write horror novels, as well
as another action thriller series.

What is your wish for 2022 and for the near future?

I'd love to sell as many copies of Cult of Darkness and Crucible of Fear of
course and reach as many readers as I can. A book isn't truly complete until
it is read and enjoyed by someone. Or hated. As long as I invoke an emotional
response, I'm happy. 

Where do you find D.W. Whitlock on Social Media?

website: https://www.dwwhitlock.com/
Twitter: @ddubwhitlock
Amazon: https://www.amazon.com/D-W-Whitlock/e/B08T1T6LNH?ref=sr_ntt_srch_lnk_1&qid=1653321138&sr=8-1

Thank you very much for this 'interview' and I really hope all your wishes 
come true. Keep up the good writing work! 

About a book

  a special book

My Review

It's a special and wonderful tale about the search for true love. It's written in short
verses and in clear chapters and the story intrigued me a lot.

I would recommend this to all who want to read about the search for love in verse
form. 

That's why I want to give a 4 star rating for this special book.

The Author

Isaac Ainsworth was born on December 21 of 1985. He holds an engineering degree
and is currently employed by a utility company. He is a man of many talents and
has discovered his writing potential very early in his life. He is an author of a
number of unpublished books (novels, short stories, etc).

Booktasters

Thank you very much Booktasters for providing me a free copy in return of my 
honest review. Thank you for this wonderful and special reading. 

Living in Joyful Resilience: A Roadmap for Navigating Life’s Ups and Downs

 Well worth reading

Summary

The book is a Call-to-Action blueprint for creating recurring joy and stronger
resilience in your life. It provides thought-provoking research into the difference
between being merely resilient and being joyfully resilient. Drawing from psychology,
education and neuroscience, the book explains how joyfulness contributes to the
responses that enable us to bounce back from adversity, thriving not just surviving.
Included are resilience stories from the author and ten contributors that will resonate
with your own life and inspire you.

My review

I really enjoyed this book. You feel the passion of the author in the way she tells.
It also was well worth reading from the beginning till the end. 

It's good to see things written down from another point of view than yours. So I
absolutely want to recommend this book to anyone who is interested in the 
psychology of habits (and changing habits).

Of course I give with lots of pleasures a 5 star rating, and I hope the author will
write some more books about this topic because she's really passionate about it.

The author

Kate Olson is an NLP & Reiki Practitioner & Trainer, Life Coach, Hypnotherapist,
Author, Speaker and Radio Host. She offers online courses, retreats and events,
as well as, her coaching. Kate likes to call herself a “Change Adventure Navigator”,
because she loves guiding clients through obstacles and adversity to find their path,
purpose and peace. With a background in psychology, she chose to become a life
coach and hypnotherapist in 2015, pursuing certifications in other modalities to
best serve her clients. A Washington native, she currently resides in
Southern Arizona. Her love of books began in grade school and remains a
passion that feeds her soul. Pursuing her passions is a priority in her life and
she loves traveling, exploring and new adventures. Creativity is a must and
she tries to nurture it in herself and, others. 

Booktasters

I want to thank Booktasters and the author as well for this splendid reading chance

in return for my honest review, which I have done. 

Bookreview: Realm of Kings: Flaming Deception

 A beautiful mix of Romance and Fantasy

Summary

In this series open, DT or Daniel Tyler finds out that his powers are one of
many that his friends possess. They all meet up, and are called to save
the Realm of Kings. 

From there, they are tasked to find the items, and DT's item is first on the
docet. He may have been chosen as the leader, but in this kind of world and
situation, he doesn't really like the title. Will he accept the title of leader,
will they successfully complete the first of many missions, or will tragedy
strike, will the enemy win to start? What will happen when the Flame
Elementalist DT goes after his item first?

My review

The combination of romance and fantasy in this book works very well. It's
beautifully written and the characters are deepened out. I also liked the cover
very much.

I would recommend this amazing book to romance readers and fantasy readers
as well and this made the book special.

I give with lots of pleasure a 5 star rating for this wonderful book.

The Book

The paperback version of this book was published on 31 July 2021.

Booktasters

Thank you very much Booktasters and the author as well for giving me such a 
fantastic reading chance! 

Bookreview: Waxing Pathetic My Two Cents, For What They're Worth

 What a special book

Summary

"Waxing Pathetic" is a sardonic, often hilarious, raging stream of consciousness
from one mad American woman. From the pathetic to the political, the lunatic
to the poetic, Clark's memoir is a masterwork of dry wit and piercing observation.

From "Been Down This Road" where she relates her high school dating history, to
"This is Real...and Surreal" where she takes down some pathetic politics,
Clark merges real events with dream-state fiction that evokes deeper truths
hidden in memories.

Organized into five themes connected by the pathetic principle, she takes on the
personal, the economic, and the political, and finally asks noisy America to
begin to untangle.

"Waxing Pathetic" will leave you breathless as you are taken down
roads not taken by most American women.

My Review

First of all: What a special book! I never read such one as this. The author

takes the readers to a mix of thoughts and ideas. Besides that he tells an

amazing beautiful story. 

I liked the writing style very much but I got a bit confused. Yet this book

made me think.

I would recommend this book to all people who like to read quirky novels.

I give a 5 star rating for "Waxing Pathetic". 

The author

Ms. Merry Clark is an author, comedian, and photographer. She earned a
Bachelor of Fine Arts in Dance from the University of Michigan in 1989
and went on to independently produce and direct her own theater productions
in Ann Arbor and Boulder, Colorado. She then commenced an acting career
in Hollywood, appearing in theater productions as well as commercials.
She has been an ovarian cancer survivor for over 20 years, and is the
primary caregiver for her mother who was diagnosed with Alzheimer's
disease in 2013. She currently lives with her mother and her
cat in Michigan. "Waxing Pathetic" is her second book.

The book

Waxing Pathetic was published on 15 January 2021 by Bookbaby.

Booktasters

I want to give a special thank you for Booktasters for providing me a free
copy. It always are very special books!