Reviews with a Twist

Game hosted by An Avid Reader; A Wannabe Writer.

Rules of the game: Each week there will be a book-related theme or game, or something fun to do that week. And you can play along! All you have to do is find the question for that week, go to your own blog, write a post that day based on that question, and link your post to ours, using the link-up tool at the bottom of the original post.

Lately, because of the increasing amount of work that I have been presented with, I had no time to read! I feel sad and incredibly guilty about it, and I express my apologies to all the authors waiting for a review from me, but I just have to let things sort out by themselves (and by that, I mean I will have to keep working on the other projects - that pay the bills - and postpone reading and reviewing until sunnier days show up at the horizon).

In the meantime, I thought I'd do something different: this game, for example.

The question for the week is "If you could or are writing a book, what would you want it to be about?"

Well, I've had this idea in my head for a while: that I should write a book about how living in Morocco is for a foreigner. Most of you out there know Morocco from a touristic point of view: the palm trees, the beaches, the surfing, the Sahara, the camels, the snakes in Marrakech... and that's about it, right? Maybe some of you that are more nature-oriented know about the cannabis cultures in the mountains. Perhaps you know that Morocco has a king who pretty much does whatever His Majesty wishes around here (unlike the UK, his is not an honorific title), and who can even put me in prison tomorrow if he thinks that I was sarcastic in this sentence. 

There is so much more to Morocco than the above-mentioned stuff! In the three years that I've been living here, I took it all in, the good and the bad. And the worse. 

I'm not sure what shape this book will take, but I can tell you one thing: it won't be a travel guide. 

That's my answer to this week's question, folks! I'd be happy to know your answers, so don't be shy: leave a comment. (C'mon, we all know that we dream of being writers!)

(Note: Photos taken by me - all rights reserved.)

I don't usually read sci-fi. Or dystopian. I'm more of a happy reader, looking for rainbows and unicorns. What made me read (and love, and put the author on my top favorite authors list) "E" were the first paragraphs that the author, Kate Wrath, posted on her website. The power and the beauty of the dark, poetic language won me over, reminding me of some of my favorite poets. And once you start reading this book, trust me, you cannot stop.

As usual, you can read the entire review on Reviews with a Twist.

MY TWIST

Favorite character: Oscar, without a doubt. This little sunshine of a boy offers you a ray of hope in an otherwise hopeless world.

Favorite quote: "E". No, not the title. The whole damn book. I'll choose a little rainbow-sweet quote for you, though: "Once […] there was this white doe. I don't think she died […].  I don't think God would let something that pretty die. Well, […] if I was God, I wouldn't."

Favorite names: Eden and Apollon. All the names are well-chosen and meaningful, but these two got my attention: Eden – a garden of beauty and desired perfection in a far-from-perfect universe – and Apollon – a cross-breed between Apollo, the Roman god of sunlight, and Apollyon, the destroyer, a name given to the Devil in the New Testament.

Least favorite character: Miranda – shallow, egocentric, but good-at-heart character, who sometimes behaves like a spoiled brat – it is a wonder how she has survived for so long in this world.

Least favorite quote: "You stink" – I never like it when people say that to me; do you?

ASPIRIN OF THE BOOK

If you wake up one day with no memories, in a dark world where everyone wants to harm you, and you don't even have your cell phone with you, look at the bright side: you might get to eat rats!

Warning:

Don't start reading this novel, if you don't have time to finish it! It gets you hooked from the first paragraphs, and it asks to be read in one sitting.

You can read the entire review of this amazing novel on Reviews with a Twist.

MY TWIST:

Favorite character: Edward, the old man whom Claire meets in the supermarket, and who helps her realize that she can get through her loss. It might be the most unbelievable character in the book – I mean, who goes for a smoothie with a total stranger they have just met while shopping? – but I like his role, his empathy, and the fact that his words are made important without making him an important (read "main") character.

Favorite quote: "There was no need to lock it [the door of the crane] after him. If a thief was willing to risk his life climbing all the way up to steal a Rubik’s cube, Daniel didn’t want to disappoint him." – one of the many quotes that I loved. I could probably quote the entire 58th Chapter, to make my point, but the copyright prohibits it.

Favorite name: Claire – meaning "bright" or "clear", this name is attributed to a person who is going through the darkest moments in her life.

Least favorite character: Otto, Grace's abusive husband, the drunkard, the villain – no one could like him.

Least favorite quote: "'File for a divorce. Move in with me,' he blurted out." – guys really don't get it, do they? Like it's that simple!

Least favorite name: Darth Vader – I've never liked this one.

ASPIRIN OF THE BOOK: 

"We all labour against our own cure, for death is the cure of all diseases." - Sir Thomas Browne

I played “Twenty Questions” with May Nicole Abbey, the authors of “The Fall Series”, which includes three fantasy-adventure-clean romance novels – “The Dreamer”, “The Scholar”, and “The Pauper” – up to now, with the fourth in the making.

And yes, I did say the “authorS”. No, it was not a typo. No, May Nicole Abbey does not suffer from Dissociative Identity Disorder (as far as I know). May Nicole Abbey is two persons. May Nicole Abbey is the pen name chosen by two sisters, Caroline Gregory and Shawnette Nielson. Unusual? Yes. Original? Definitely. Successful? Absolutely!

Want to find out who they really are and how writing as a team works? Read it all on Reviews with a Twist.

You can find the full review of this finger-licking book on Reviews with a Twist.

MY TWIST:

Favorite characters: the Vissers, the Dutch couple that took Heather and Ammon in. I share Ammon’s point of view on them, as I find them extremely entertaining, with their continuous fighting and endless sarcasm. Noticeable is the way the author uses vocabulary to emphasize their accent.

Favorite quotes: “She’s not trying to kill him. She’s just not a very good cook.” – I wonder if my husband says the same thing about me.

                         “Bugs. They were eating bugs. And still they smiled.” – Don’t get me wrong. I don’t like bugs. I hate bugs. I have an all-bug phobia. And I would certainly never eat them. The first two sentences of this quote give me the heebie-jeebies and make my skin crawl. But the third makes me burst out laughing. Each time I read it.

Favorite name: Rachel mad-as-a-hatter Madera – The humor that builds around the character, the exoticism of the name, or maybe just the fact that it reminds me of Madeira wines make this name a favorite.

Least favorite character:  Ammon – he is lovable and detestable in the same time. Sometimes I want to kiss him, sometimes I want to kill him. Or am I identifying myself too much with Heather here?

Least favorite quote: (Heather:) “Why did you kiss me?” (Ammon:) “Forgive me.” – men… they just don’t get it, do they?

Least favorite name: Cuddy – does this guy have cooties?

ASPIRIN OF THE BOOK:

News headline: “Woman kills herself by jumping off 24-story building after breakup” – Severe depression, caused by breaking up with her boyfriend, led a young woman to suicide yesterday…

Wrooong! She had just read “The Pauper” and attempted to travel through time.

  The first eBook of the series “Evolution of Angels” has its official release today, June 5^th, and I have had the honor of receiving an ARC for an honest review that you can read on Reviews with a Twist.

My Twist:

Favorite character: Oreios, a “bad dude, named after a cookie”, a mercenary who fights for whichever side seems to hold the winning hand at a particular moment. He has a very interesting and original supernatural power (you’ll have to read the book to find out what that is), he is quite funny and impartial, and he is probably the only character who doesn’t have a hidden agenda of his own. Or does he?

Favorite quote: “’Woo, go America,’ another drunk voice yelled out, prompting a cheer from the crowd, making everyone erupt in applause.” - This sounds just like a real-life speech. All that’s missing is the flying shoes (or is that too old of a joke for you?).

Favorite name: I’ll have to go with Oreios again.

Least favorite character: Elliot, probably the meanest guy of them all, the proverbial snake pretending to be a friend.

Least favorite quote: “pulled the blade out, releasing a gush of blood and guts” – eew!

Least favorite name: Hershiser – this name can be considered, by itself, a tongue-twister.

Aspirin of the book:

The phrase “you are an angel” changed its connotation for me. I’ll think twice before saying that to anybody again, and I certainly hope that the person to whom I’ll be saying it will not actually be an angel or one of his descendants.

The third installment in the series "The Secret Life and Career of Arlo the Barncat" has been released!

Read about it on my Reviews with a Twist.

I have the honor to host an interview with one of my favorite authors, Olga Godim. Find out where she would go if she had a time machine, what kind of super hero she would be, why she collects monkeys and much more: 

Interview with Olga Godim

My Twist:

Favorite story: It is hard to choose. I loved all of them. I wished there were more. For the sake of the argument, let’s say I preferred “A Witching Spree”, the first short story of the book. I think it was the funniest one. It narrates the adventures Darya goes through after she receives her familiar, how she has to smuggle the squirrel into Canada, how she has to break into a house, and lets you into her very imaginative and original use of magic.

Favorite character: Beatrice, Darya's familiar, a cranky squirrel, who enlightens the mood with her comments and harsh words toward her witch and especially toward her friends. A character that always speaks her mind, no matter the situation she is in. Egocentric and jealous, she actually loves her mistress, though she would never admit it in so many words, but does not fail to show her affection when Darya needs it most. You can also read Beatrice's interview to find out more about this character.

Favorite quote: “Witch? […] Are we in Vancouver? Why is this place reeking of spirit? […] Are you drunk?” Darya couldn’t stop laughing. “Oh, Beatrice! I just had a twelve-hour transatlantic flight, smuggled a squirrel into Canada, engaged in a car chase, broke into a house, stole my suitcase, and vandalized their lock. I’m so wicked!”[…] “You are drunk! I’m hungry. Where is my mango?” (“A Witching Spree”)

Favorite name: Darya – it sounds like a normal-enough name, but has enough exotism in it to belong to a witch.

Least favorite character: Duncan – the bad guy in “Hypnosis Diarrhea”, a bullying boyfriend who gets what he deserves, with a bit of magic and a lot of humor (as you can guess from the suggestive title of the story).

Least favorite quote: “Oops! I did it again…”

Least favorite name: Britney Spears (no comment).

Aspirin of the book:

Whenever life sucks, and you are surrounded by villains, in need of a way to escape, you can always do a bit of magic with a glass of brandy.

As usual, you can read the entire, not-so-boring review here: Reviews with a Twist.

My Twist:

Favorite story: “Pray for Mabinty’s Dream”. In a note at the end of the story the author mentions that he has not had first-hand knowledge on the subject. Well, dear Richard Bunning, I have. I have met and heard the stories of people travelling from the south of Africa, on foot, thousands and thousands of kilometers, for years on end, with nothing more than the clothes on their back, to get to the promised land: Europe. Your story is “very real”.

Favorite quote: “There is even a sort of ‘Wi-Fi’ I’ve invented, Why Fly, so that I have creatures to chat to. I pull off flies’ wings, so that they can’t abandon me.” (“Pink’s Reflection”) Dark humor is my cup of tea; need I say more?

Least favorite story: “Generic Hospital TV Drama” -  no matter how short the story was, I couldn’t finish it. If I were a soap-opera kind of ‘gal, I might have liked it.

Least favorite quote: “roasted cat organs are great in sandwiches” - eww, just eww! ("The Fixer - Dinah Paltrow's Job Story").

Aspirin of the book:

Word to writers everywhere: no matter what kind of author you are, what types of books you write, the amount of research that goes into your creation, or how long it takes you to finish a novel, in the end, you have written nothing more than an egg.

As usual, you can read the entire boring review here: Reviews with a Twist.

As a newbie on BookLikes, I was extremely excited when I discovered the giveaways. Thinking of it as a lottery, a game of numbers, I entered ALL the giveaways that were organized for what-looked-like interesting books, hoping that, maybe, I will win one. 

I have received seven so far!

And I have made a commitment to myself that I will read and review all of them, of course. But, God, when? And, please, make them stop!

Am I complaining about winning? No! Or am I? I guess I am... a little...

Seriously now, I want to thank all the authors for organizing giveaways, for sending me their work, and I also want to thank the automatic system that chose me as a winner (w00t! w00t!).

Also, a word to the authors: please be patient with me, I do have a day job, unfortunately :(

My Twist:

Least favorite characters: Cillian - a snake 

Aspirin of the book:

If you find that you endure pain, hunger, thirst and other hardships better than anybody else, if you find yourself kissing a relative or being kidnapped, don't worry, it might mean that you are a magical creature.

You can read the entire boring review here: Reviews with a Twist.

My twist:

Favorite character: Anthony, the young sexy hero, with strong legs and firm behind, with broad shoulders and tanned six-pack; oh, the things that I would do to Anthony if I could get my hands on him! (Please don't tell my husband I just said that!)

Favorite quote: "Who does this guy think he is? He seems like a gardener from hell."

Favorite name: Anthony, of course; I like everything about Anthony.

Least favorite character: Olaf - that guy just gives me the creeps.

Least favorite quotes: "algebra" - I really don't like algebra.

                                       "You'll be down on your knees a lot..." - what the??? Anthony, behave yourself, you've just met the girl!

Least favorite name: Skuld - I keep forgetting all through the book that it's a woman; the name sounds so... masculine.

Aspirin of the book:

"Remain honest and faithful in love and devoted to the tried and true friend."

You can read the entire boring review here: Reviews with a Twist