Madam Cruller’s Couch and Other Dark and Bizarre Tales by Elizabeth Massie

February 19, 2022January 29, 2022 Julie Gilbert Audiobooks, Horror Cathi Colas, Elizabeth Massie

Narrated by Cathi Colas

Stories average 2.47/5

Performance 4/5 stars

*Will attempt to keep this spoiler free, but some discussion is going to preclude that.

Summary:

A collection of well-written, well-performed, sometimes great, sometimes highly annoying “short” stories.

Additional Comments:

Some stories are indeed short, but others, like the last one dragged on forever (2+ hours in audio)
Any short story collection is going to have some clunkers and some charmers. This had more clunkers to me, but that’s completely subjective and could be skewed by the last one.
4/5 Performance of actual stories was very strong. Spewed those curses with conviction. Had a few fantastic voices for side characters, like the Evil House.
Audio complaint: It was very difficult to tell the transitions to some of the stories. They weren’t numbered and the end one rambled on and on forever, including a LOT of made up articles that had titles. I thought this was like 19 stories until I looked it up and realized that the end one took up almost a fifth of the audio time.
Content warning: Pervasive strong language. Some crude content. Some disturbing content. A lot of morally questionable content.
Story 1 4/5 “Madame Cruller’s Couch” – Predictable. Interesting concept. Fun. Odd. Quirky.
Story 2 3/5 “Squatters” – disturbing, gross, oddly satisfying but forgettable. It’s only been a few days and I have no idea what happened in that story. I had to look up the titles.
Story 3 5/5 “Fly Away Home” – Probably my favorite of the mix. Imaginary friend. Classic horror. Fantastic ending.
Story 4 4/5 “Lucky and Poop Tail” Cows’ pov. Lucky. Poop Tail. Actually a happy story.
Story 5 2/5 “Dee in the Dark” – Paula and her baby. Certifiably bad mother. Time skips. D and boy. Child possession. Interesting. Disturbing.
Story 6 3/5 “Down and Out on Poplar Street” – Donna the hoarder. Has a dog. Weird but ok. Lots of cursing. A little sad.
Story 7 2.5/5 “Fixtures of Matchstick Men and Joo” – Murder never so satisfying. Long. Rambling.
Story 8 3/5 “Not-so-Fun House” – Jordan (he) and sister Jamie. Creepy house might be my favorite voice of the book. Short and sweet. I’m glad this one was short because too much of that would have flipped to annoying.
Story 9 3.5/5 “Christmas at the Pattersons” – Creepy lady with a Christmas obsession. Small, creepy town.
Story 10 2.5/5 “Willy Wonka and the L. Walker BioFair” – Science experiments. Highly disturbing. Still intriguing.
Story 12 1/5 “Smiles” – Smiles. Poem. I have no idea what happened.
Story 13 1/5 “Just Two Good Old Boys” – don’t remember what happened.
3/5 No idea on number because somehow I forgot it or mixed them up. They weren’t numbered. “Scarves” – scarf maker. Definitely dystopian. Super interesting until end. Then just lame. Would have been my favorite if the ending wasn’t a complete copout.
2/5 Story 14 “The Quarrel” It was ok. I think it featured talking old meat.
There was a random one about a dog freezing to death or something. That was sad.
0/5 Story 15 Eating cancer. Depressing. Random weird articles. pandemic. Main character were Harbor, Leo, Douglas Dill. Reporter. Leo. Pandemic. Leo’s narration style is annoying. The writing not the reading. Drags on and on. Got slightly better when it turned into a zombie prequel. Worldview is always a thing, and satire writing relies on extremes, but I find this last one both heavy-handed and annoying.

Conclusion:

If you’re into disturbing stories, there are some good ones in the mix.

If you want to get 5 clean audio promos a month. Sign up here.

Have You Tried Kindle Vella Yet?

Christmas Shorts – (Mystery, thriller, Christian, suspense; Ongoing; story 1 is complete) Only one story right now, but will be a collection of short stories with characters from across my series. Typically, FBI agents with personal drama. Might feature an abundance of cute puppies.

The Minder Project Season 1 – (scifi, genetic engineering, superpowers; shares characters with Dustin’s Decision, Updated Wednesdays) The government gave her genetic Gifts. Now, it wants what it paid for from the program.

5 Steps to Better Dialogue – (nonfiction, writing skills; Complete) I feel like nonfiction titles should come with spoiler tags. This is a book for writers seeking to learn more about the creation of realistic characters and dialogue.

Assassin School Season 1 – (thriller, YA; Complete) Teen spies try to survive the rigorous training and other drama as powerful people battle to control the Ghost children.

Dustin’s Decision Devya’s Children Book 5 – (YA scifi, shares characters with The Minder Project; Complete) Genetically altered teens struggle to navigate the murky world and control their Gifts.

4/5 stars The Legends Saga Collection (Books 1-3) by Stacey Rourke

February 4, 2022January 29, 2022 Julie Gilbert Action Adventure, Audiobooks, Horror, literature Karen Krause, Legends Saga, Stacey Rourke

Narrated by Karen Krause

Summary:

Ireland Crane moves to a new town and gets caught up in a series of scary events.

Additional Comments:

Book 1 mixes in the headless horseman, Washington Irving, and Rip Van Winkle. book 2 brings in Edgar Allen Poe and Ridley.
Poe can raise the dead and see them, but they aren’t very nice.
Performance is nice. The narrator fits the main character well.
Noah is a fun side character.
The homicidal demon is kind of hilarious.
Story 2: there are even more dreams and hallucinations… makes things hard to follow.
Book 2 is 90% witty banter, while fun, it feels like filler.
Regan (the horse) might be my favorite character. At least he is true to form.
Get to meet a lot of literary figures. I never did like The Scarlet Letter though. Would help if I knew each of the original stories better because these stories are like random literature tossed into a blender and frosted with sarcasm.
Disturbing, interesting.
Ending is confusing, like the author legit couldn’t pick just one.

Conclusion:

Oddly fun for a horror story.

If you want to get 5 clean audio promos a month. Sign up here.

Have You Tried Kindle Vella Yet?

Assassin School Season 1 – (thriller, YA; Complete) Teen spies try to survive the rigorous training and other drama as powerful people battle to control the Ghost children.

Choices Stories Review: 4/5 Stars Blood Bound II

June 5, 2021May 15, 2021 Julie Gilbert Choices Stories, Fantasy, Horror horror, vampires

Genre: Fantasy (Vampires)

Summary:

Congrats. You’ve managed to live through your first stint as a vampire’s assistant. But the danger’s only beginning.

Additional Comments:

I like that this round they went deeper into the lore and made it more of a quest/mystery.
They gave the MC an actual power, sort of. It’s a nice touch that makes her seem less like the helpless damsel.
Good guys are back: Adrian, Lily, Jax, and Kamilah are there to help you along the way.
The quest has you globe-trotting. Convenient that they made Adrian a super-rich dude.
The makers are still all about getting you to buy special scenes that tell you more history.
Plot is stronger than the first story.
You kinda have to be able to tolerate vampire stories to enjoy this.
The world-building is kind of fun. Vampire councils, secret cults, etc.

Conclusion:

Should probably be explored after Blood Bound since it continues that original story. I suppose you could jump right in.

Audiobook Promotions …

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Many of my 42 audible titles are listed on Audiobooks Unleashed.
Whether you’re looking for mystery or suspense or fantasy, I’ve got a title for you. Free codes are probably on audiobooks unleashed.
Normal links go to audible. *The Amazon labeled links are affiliate links. That means I get a very small payment from Amazon if you go through with a purchase.*
Note: Filter by US if you’re looking for those codes as many titles are out.
Ones I think may still have US codes: Reshner’s Royal Ranger, Never Again, Innova, The Golden City Captives, The Holy War, Reclaim the Darklands, Eagle Eyes, Treachery Makes it Tense, Ashlynn’s Dreams Shorts, The Dark Side of Science, Ashlynn’s Dreams, Nadia’s Tears, Malia’s Miracles, and Varick’s Quest
There are plenty of UK codes, but not many US ones left.

Redeemer Chronicles (Fantasy)

Awakening – Redeemer Chronicles Book 1, MG fantasy (Amazon) (free codes)
The Holy War – Redeemer Chronicles Book 2, MG fantasy (Amazon) (free codes)
Reclaim the Darklands – Redeemer Chronicles Book 3, MG fantasy (Amazon) (free codes)
River’s Edge Ransom – Prequel to Redeemer Chronicles (Amazon) (email devyaschildren @ gmail.com for free codes)

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Devya’s Children Series Links:

Ashlynn’s Dreams Shorts – short stories featuring Jillian. (Amazon) (free codes)
The Dark Side of Science – official prequel to Devya’s Children; Genetically altered kids fight for the right to live. (Amazon) (Please email devyaschildren @ gmail.com for free codes)
Ashlynn’s Dreams – Genetically altered Dream Shaper learns her gift. (Amazon) (free codes)
Nadia’s Tears – Jillian tries to awaken her sister, Nadia, from a coma. (Amazon) (free codes)
Malia’s Miracles – Jillian and her siblings try to save a friend’s mother. (Amazon) (free codes)
Varick’s Quest – Jillian and Danielle get kidnapped. Nadia’s also in trouble. (Amazon) (free codes)
More Scifi:
Reshner’s Royal Ranger (epic sci-fi) just made it there. (Amazon) (free codes)

Guardian Angel Files:

Spirit’s Bane – Allister and Mina are training to be Guardians. Satan’s out to get them. (Amazon) (free codes)
Kindred Spirits – Mina’s exiled to Earth. Allister’s stuck in the Heavens. (Amazon) (free codes)

Choices Stories Review: 4/5 Stars Blood Bound

June 2, 2021May 15, 2021 Julie Gilbert Choices Stories, Fantasy, Horror horror, vampires

Genre: Fantasy (Vampires)

Summary:

This gets lumped up there with mindless ridiculousness that manages to be fun. The premise is that you’re a hot young personal assistant for Adrian Raines, and first day on the job, you manage to discover the boss is a vampire. Welcome to a world of weird.

Additional Comments:

Good Guy Characters: Adrian, your boss and vampire hottie 1, struggles with his inner darkness. Lily Spencer’s your best friend and roommate. She’s the lovable geeky sort. Jax Matsuo’s leader of the clanless vampires and hottie 2. Kamilah Sayeed’s also a romance option. She’s ancient and kinda awesome.
Bad Guy Characters: The Baron’s a sicko even for a vampire in the world. Ferals are vampires who kinda didn’t take to the whole turning thing. Think zombies but faster and more bug-eyed.
History: The premium purchases tend to revolve around seeing history scenes and occasionally getting a cool outfit or a weapon. Weapons are way more tempting than outfits.
They managed to throw in a few balls and parties and opportunities for general debauchery.

Conclusion:

Check your brain at the door and enjoy the ridiculousness.

Audiobook Promotions …

Redeemer Chronicles (Fantasy)

Devya’s Children Series Links:

Guardian Angel Files:

Audiobook Review 4/5 Stars: Allison by Jeff Strand

March 23, 2021March 13, 2021 Julie Gilbert Audiobooks, Horror, Paranormal Jeff Strand, Sara Morsey

Narrated by Sara Morsey

*Note: NOT A CLEAN TITLE

I mention that because 98% of what I post is.

Summary:

The back cover explains the whole story. Allison has a supernatural gift that lets her break people’s bones. But she can’t really control it.

Additional Comments:

Characters are flat but functional. This isn’t really a deep thinker kind of book. It’s a let’s break stuff and cause mayhem book.
The premise is cool.
Allison, despite her terrifying gift, comes across as a nice lady.
Cover art’s cool.
There are some genuinely funny sections.
Sometimes the banter seems inane.
Performance worked swell.
Not much to say. It’s a grisly fluff piece.
Content Warnings: pervasive adult language and violence; 1 scene at the end that would have thrown it off the “clean” list.

Conclusion:

If you like horror, supernatural gifts, and don’t mind strong language, you may like this book.

Audiobook Promotions …

Redeemer Chronicles (Fantasy)

Devya’s Children Series Links:

Guardian Angel Files:

Interview with Rebecca Ehrenpreis – Narrator

April 2, 2020March 27, 2020 Julie Gilbert Horror, Interviews, mystery interview, Rebecca Ehrenpreis

Introduction

Today, we have an interview with audiobook narrator, Rebecca Ehrenpreis. Thanks for joining us. Hope you like learning more about Rebecca and her work.

Featured project: Nightscape by Stephen R. George.

What brought you to working on this project?

Rebecca: I was interested in working on a mystery because I enjoy guessing what’s going to happen next. I really like the twists and turns and surprises a mystery has. I did a search on ACX and Nightscape written by Stephen R. George came up. I auditioned for it and a month later heard back from the publisher, Crossroad Press. I was accepted as the narrator. This is a Horror Mystery. I have to admit that I was so into it that sometimes when my daughter knocked on the door of my sound booth, I was so frightened that I started screaming. It happened more than once.
Me: That sounds both amusing and terrifying.

Do you have a favorite character voice from the project? Why/ why not?

I really like the voice I used for Bonnie Laine and also for the Red haired woman. They were both unique. I had never used them before.

How many other works have you narrated?

I am now up to Book 6.

What was the most challenging other work you’ve voiced? Easiest? Most fun? What made it hard, easy, fun??

This book was quite challenging because there were so many characters. Another book that I enjoyed Narrating was Delusional by Carolyn Adams, a mystery thriller.

Can you recommend any of your other titles for us? What about the work is appealing?

I am working now on a Romance. I also enjoy it. It is a warm happy story.

Which work are you most proud to have been a part of? Why?

Nightscape. The story line and Bonnie, the heroine, she and I are alike in many ways. I really understood her. We had similar circumstances. I am also divorced and brought two children up on my own.

What drew you to voice acting?

I always enjoyed it. I used to create radio plays on my tape recorder when I was a kid and make up different characters. Then, later on in life, when I lived in London, I worked for a voiceover agency that sometimes cast me for voice acting jobs. It was a lot of fun.

Is this the only acting you do? If you do other forms of acting, which is your favorite and why?

Rebecca: My most favorite acting part was in high school when I played the role of Nurse Ratched in One Flew Over The Cuckoo’s Nest. The director of the play was the drama teacher at my high school, The Frisch School in Paramus, New Jersey. He was also the assistant producer of the famous off Broadway musical, The Fantasticks. Former students I have randomly bumped into throughout the years, still remember my part in the play. Even the principal of the school would call me, Nurse Ratched. Still today.
Me: Oh, neat. I think I’ve heard of that school.

What’s one random thing people don’t really know about you?

That I am really funny.

Do you get to read for fun? Do you have a favorite genre to read for fun?

Yes, I love mysteries, thrillers, biographies, and books on the Holocaust. My mother is a survivor of the Holocaust from France.

Do you have other hobbies? What do you do to relax?

I love dancing. I like Zumba. At home, I like to exercise to a website called, Just Dance.com. It’s a lot of fun.

What kind of movies do you enjoy?

I like comedies, thrillers, tearjerkers, and documentaries.

Conclusion

We hope you’ve enjoyed getting to know a little more about Rebecca. You can find all her Audible books here.

If you’d like to read more about Rebecca, check out her website.

http://rebeccavoice.com/audiobooks/

Audiobook Promotions …

ACX recently changed the policy on audiobook codes. There will be far less in the future, and they do not count as sales, so grab books while you can.

Feb Promos on Audiobook Crave.com (requires email sign in):
5 Steps to Surviving Chemistry
Spirit’s Bane (Guardian Angel Files Book 1)
Kindred Spirits (Guardian Angel Files Book 2)
Violence in Vegas (Eagle Eyes Book 1)
Rescue in Reno (Eagle Eyes Book 2)
Danger in Dallas (Eagle Eyes Book 3)

Devya’s Children Series Links:

Ashlynn’s Dreams Shorts – short stories featuring Jillian.
The Dark Side of Science – official prequel to Devya’s Children; Genetically altered kids fight for the right to live.
Ashlynn’s Dreams – Genetically altered Dream Shaper learns her gift.
Nadia’s Tears – Jillian tries to awaken her sister, Nadia, from a coma.
Malia’s Miracles – Jillian and her siblings try to save a friend’s mother.
Varick’s Quest – Jillian and Danielle get kidnapped. Nadia’s also in trouble.

Check out my other titles available on Audiobooks Unleashed:

Beyond Broken Pencils – contemporary, literary
Shadow Council Combo (Books 1-4)
(Alternately, the individual titles can be found on Audiobook Crave
SC 1: Money Makes it Deadlier
SC 2: Revenge Makes it Sweeter
SC 3: Christmas Makes it Chaos
SC 4: Treachery Makes it Tense)

Eagle Eyes – mystery thriller

Scratched Off – mystery, thriller; FBI agent vs serial killer, more intense than Shadow Council/Eagle Eyes

Awakening – Redeemer Chronicles Book 1, MG fantasy
The Holy War – Redeemer Chronicles Book 2, MG fantasy
Reclaim the Darklands – Redeemer Chronicles Book 3, MG fantasy

The Collins Case – Heartfelt Cases Book 1, Christian mystery
The Kiverson Case – Heartfelt Cases Book 2, Christian mystery
The Davidson Case – Heartfelt Cases Book 3, Christian mystery

Other titles on Audiobook Crave (but buried deep):
5 Steps to Better Blurbs – for authors
Innova – Christian Dystopia
The Golden City Captives – short fantasy
Fatal Interest – short mystery/thriller

Choices Stories Review: 4/5 Stars Bloodbound

February 15, 2020February 15, 2020 Julie Gilbert Choices Stories, Fantasy, Horror Choices Stories, horror, vampires

promo pic for Blood Bound – Choices Story

Genre: Fantasy (Vampires)

Summary:

Additional Comments:

Good Guy Characters: Adrian, your boss and vampire hottie 1, struggles with his inner darkness. Lily Spencer’s your best friend and roommate. She’s the lovable geeky sort. Jax Matsuo’s leader of the clanless vampires and hottie 2. Kamilah Sayeed’s also a romance option. She’s ancient and kinda awesome.
Bad Guy Characters: The Baron’s a sicko even for a vampire in the world. Ferals are vampires who kinda didn’t take to the whole turning thing. Think zombies but faster and more bug-eyed.
History: The premium purchases tend to revolve around seeing history scenes and occasionally getting a cool outfit or a weapon. Weapons are way more tempting than outfits.
They managed to throw in a few balls and parties and opportunities for general debauchery.

Conclusion:

Check your brain at the door and enjoy the ridiculousness.

Audiobook Promotions …

Devya’s Children Series Links:

Check out my other titles available on Audiobooks Unleashed:

Eagle Eyes – mystery thriller

Scratched Off – mystery, thriller; FBI agent vs serial killer, more intense than Shadow Council/Eagle Eyes

Awakening – Redeemer Chronicles Book 1, MG fantasy
The Holy War – Redeemer Chronicles Book 2, MG fantasy
Reclaim the Darklands – Redeemer Chronicles Book 3, MG fantasy

The Collins Case – Heartfelt Cases Book 1, Christian mystery
The Kiverson Case – Heartfelt Cases Book 2, Christian mystery
The Davidson Case – Heartfelt Cases Book 3, Christian mystery

2019 Movie Recap Part II – Mini-Awards

January 1, 2020December 22, 2019 Julie Gilbert drama, Family, Horror, Movie Reviews movie, reviews

Introduction:

I’ve already covered what I saw in 2019. This post will rehash some of that, but I’ll give you more insight into my reaction to each title by categorizing them. Think of it as my own mini-awards show.

One Hit Wonders for Me (Movies I Wouldn’t Seek to See Again)

Welcome to Marwen
Glass
The Upside
Cold Pursuit
Fighting With My Family
Nancy Drew: The Hidden Staircase – I enjoyed it, and I’m still a Nancy Drew fan, but it’s just not good enough to warrant seeking out again.
Captive State
Unplanned – Super-powerful and moving movie, but not exactly a feel-good story to re-experience.
Hellboy 2
Pokemon: Detective Pikachu
Godzilla: King of Monsters – Cool fights, but that’s about all it had going for it.
Aladdin
Dark Phoenix – Cool fights, but of the comic book movies, it’s just okay.
Shaft
Stuber – Not worth a re-watch.
The Lion King
The Matrix (20^th anniversary)
Rambo: Last Blood
Joker
Maleficent: Mistress of Evil
Black and Blue – Good movie, but there are so many movies and so little time.
IT Chapter Two – Horror is not my thing. This only confirms it.
Knives Out – Decent movie but I hated nearly every character. Ain’t nobody got time for that kind of irritated feeling.
Zombieland 2

Worth Re-Watching (Movies I Would See Again if the Chance Arose)

Captain Marvel
Avengers: End Game – I like that we finally got some closure. Infinity War ended horribly.
Men in Black 4 – Pawny is awesome.
Spider-Man: Far From Home – I’m borderline on this one, but I saw it a few times and enjoyed it both times.
Fast and Furious: Hobbs and Shaw
How to Train Your Dragon 3: The Hidden World
Angel Has Fallen – When looking for mindless action, you can rely on this series.
Alita: Battle Angel
Charlie’s Angels
Lego Movie 2
Shazam!
Secret Life of Pets 2
Terminator: Dark Fate

Movies I Hope to See Again Someday (Will Likely Seek Out)

Jumanji: The Next Level – Would definitely see twice in theaters. It has that sort of larger than life appeal that’s great on a big screen.
Star Wars Ep IX: The Rise of Skywalker – Definitely seeing a few times in theater.
Frozen 2 – Not as good as the first, but it carries the torch well.

Surprisingly Good

Jumanji: The Next Level
Black and Blue
Captain Marvel
Zombieland 2
Terminator: Dark Fate

Favorite Movie of 2019

Jumanji: The Next Level

Since I’m a big Star Wars fan, you might find that surprising. Jumanji turns out to be the “better movie” because it had less expectations. It found its brand of weird comedy and capitalized big time. They also managed to fit a few awesome side stories in and around the main plot.

Conclusion:

I’m not sure how many times I’ll see Star Wars, Jumanji: The Next Level, and Frozen 2, but suffice to say it’s likely more than once. I enjoyed the majority of the movies I got to see in 2019. Looking forward to what 2020 holds.

Associate links to follow…

Note: I’m starting to use a few ad sites for audiobooks, so codes are disappearing quickly.

Available Audiobooks: I have free codes for almost everything. That will change very soon.

New Release: The Shadow Council Series 1: Money Makes it Deadlier – An FBI agent gets caught up in a robbery gone wrong.

Shadow Council Book 2: Revenge Makes it Sweeter – A midnight summons calls FBI Special Agent Megan Luchek into a fight for a young girl’s life.

Shadow Council Book 3: Christmas Makes it Chaos – The FBI agent gets a strange ally in the quest to prevent chaos from rocking a lot of people’s holiday season.

Shadow Council Book 4: Treachery Makes it Tense – The agent and the assassin have to team up if they want to survive.

Shadow Council is also available as a ~13 hr bundle.

The Collins Case – 2 FBI agents track down a kidnapped family. Kid friendly.

If fantasy’s more your thing, go Redeemer Chronicles. The first, Awakening, is available as an audiobook.

Ashlynn’s Dreams Shorts – a kid deals with her parents’ divorce, bullies, and the wonder of discovery.

Try The Dark Side of Science – Genetically altered kids fight for the right to live.

Beyond Broken Pencils – Contemporary literary tale of a school shooting. Ian unleashes his inner demons on his classmates and teachers…

Scratched Off – FBI agent vs a serial killer. When Sam Kerman sets out to hunt a serial killer, he has no idea how personal the case will become.

2019 Movie Review Recap

December 31, 2019December 22, 2019 Julie Gilbert Action Adventure, Family, Fantasy, Horror, Movie Reviews, mystery, scifi, Star Wars movies, reviews

*Disclaimer:

The ratings given here are based upon my gut feelings now. They may differ slightly from what was given in a review written a few days after seeing the movie.

Introduction:

This year featured everything from my first official horror movie to the end of several eras of movies (Marvel and Star Wars). Oh, I’m sure they will release more titles, but they’ve at least ended their most ambitious story arcs. Both ended on decently strong notes.

Movies I saw in 2019 (and Off-the-Cuff Ratings and brief comments)

Welcome to Marwen (Seen on 1/1/19): 3.5/5 Stars – A unique experience. Shows a man’s interesting way of healing from a hate crime.

Glass (1/17/19): 3.5/5 Stars – Strange. Violent. Not exactly uplifting, but Samuel L. Jackson is awesome.

The Upside (1/18/19): 3.5/5 Stars – Has some not-so-great lessons, but overall is an uplifting tale about living with paralysis.

Lego Movie 2 (2/7/19): 4/5 Stars – You have to appreciate the ridiculousness of these movies to appreciate them.

Alita: Battle Angel (2/15/19; 2/28/19): 4.5/5 Stars – Fun. Action-packed. Amusing as she gets used to life.

Cold Pursuit (2/19/19): 4/5 Stars – Dark. About what you’d expect from the trailers. Stars Liam Neeson.

How to Train Your Dragon 3: The Hidden World (2/21/19): 5/5 Stars – Lovely music. Nicely wraps up the story. Oh, they’ll probably make another since it made money, but it could safely end here.

Fighting With My Family (3/5/19): 5/5 Stars – A surprisingly good tale of following one’s dream. Tells the origin story of the wrestler named Paige.

Captain Marvel (3/7/19): 4.5/5 Stars – A fun comic book hero movie. She’s definitely overpowered, but it’s all good. There are decent fights and background.

Nancy Drew: The Hidden Staircase (3/15/19): 4/5 Stars – A good but generally forgettable Nancy Drew story. Stars Sophia Lillis

Captive State (3/19/19): 3.5/5 Stars – A rather dull, dark post-apocalyptic, scifi mix.

Unplanned (3/29/19): 5/5 Stars – A hard-hitting, behind-the-scenes of a woman who went from running an abortion clinic to being rather outspoken about the evils of the practice.

Shazam! (4/4/19): 4.5/5 Stars – Fun, surprisingly good comic book hero movie. A foster kid becomes a comic book hero and saves the world.

Hellboy 2 (4/11/19): 4/5 Stars – Surprisingly good, lighthearted, bloody comic-book movie.

Avengers: End Game (4/25/19;4/29/19): 4.5/5 Stars – An action-packed, satisfying part II movie. It wraps up a decade of Marvel movies. They confused some stuff with the timetravel line by the ending they chose for Captain America, but whatever.

Pokemon: Detective Pikachu (5/9/19): 4/5 Stars – Surprisingly good. I’m not a Pokemon fan. I was a little too old when it had its hay-day. I’m also not a Ryan Reynolds fan. He usually picks ridiculous characters. At least Pikachu’s adorable.

Godzilla: King of Monsters (5/22/19): 4/5 Stars – The fights were great. Not exactly going to make my top 100 list, but it was decent.

Aladdin (Disney reboot with people; 5/29/19): 3.5/5 Stars – It won’t ever hold a candle to the animated classic, but it’s all right. Disney essentially takes its own story and smacks it with Bollywood style.

Dark Phoenix (6/6/19): 4/5 Stars – Standard hero going to the dark side story.

Secret Life of Pets 2 (6/11/19; 6/25/19): 4.5/5 Stars – It was cute. I think my favorite minor character was Cotton, the Sheep. It goes up half a star just because of that part with Gigit becoming a cat and riding a Roomba.

Men in Black 4 (6/14/19; 6/21/19) – 4.5/5 Stars – Fun return to a classic universe. It’s a decent reboot.

Shaft (6/17/19): 3.5/5 Stars – Action-packed.

Spider-Man: Far From Home (7/2/19;7/17/19): 4.5/5 Stars – Peter Parker struggles with the mantle of being a hero in the post-End Game world.

Stuber (7/11/19): 3.5/5 Stars – Silly story of a cop and an uber driver going on a grand cop caper.

The Lion King (7/18/19): 4/5 Stars – Another of Disney’s bid to cash in on its own classic tale by switching animation over to CGI. It was visually beautiful, but not enough changed to make it awesome in its own right.

Fast and Furious: Hobbs and Shaw (8/6/19): 4.5/5 Stars – Nice action thriller. End of the world coming if they don’t stop it. Dangerous tech needs to stay out of the bad guys hands.

The Matrix (20^th anniversary) (9/3/19): 4/5 Stars – I hadn’t seen the movie in a very long time. It was nice to revisit.

Angel Has Fallen (9/6/19): 4/5 Stars – A secret service agent is framed for trying to kill the president. He has to do his job while running from killers and cops.

IT Chapter Two (9/11/19): 3.5/5 Stars – Well acted, but disturbing horror story. I have serious reservations about the messages this movie sent.

Rambo: Last Blood (9/20/19): 3.5/5 Stars – Bloody. End fight was awesome. Rest was kind of just an excuse to get there.

Joker (10/8/19): 3.5/5 Stars – Well-acted, but highly disturbing take on the Joker’s origin story.

Gemini Man (10/16/19): 4/5 Stars – Will Smith gets a CGI facelift to fight himself for 2 hrs.

Zombieland 2 (10/18/19): 4/5 Stars – A faithful sequel to the original Zombieland. Ridiculous with all its rules. Not a deep thinker.

Maleficent: Mistress of Evil (10/21/19): 4/5 Stars – A largely unnecessary sequel, but a decent movie.

Black and Blue (10/25/19): 4/5 Stars – A rookie cop sees something she shouldn’t, gets it on video, and now both cops and drug runners are after her.

Terminator: Dark Fate (11/1/19): 4/5 Stars – I don’t know enough about the franchise to know how this rewrites things. As a standalone movie, it’s okay. Action scenes are great.

Charlie’s Angels (11/15/19): 4/5 Stars – Standard Girl-Power action thriller.

Frozen 2 (11/21/19): 5/5 Stars – Fantastic part 2 of the Frozen tale.

Knives Out (12/10/19): 4/5 Stars – A great whodunnit that would be even better if I gave 1 crap about the characters.

Jumanji: The Next Level (12/13/19): 5/5 Stars – Excellent sequel. It hits all the right ridiculous notes while still weaving in a feel-good story.

Star Wars Ep IX: The Rise of Skywalker (12/20/19): 4.5/5 Stars – A satisfying conclusion to the long Skywalker Saga. I have some reservations about their choices, but it’s still a fun, entertaining movie.

Conclusion:

I went to the movie theaters 46 times in 2019. Thank goodness for A-List. I’ll break the titles down into categories in a second post tomorrow. The end of the year was pretty strong. Haven’t really looked at what’s coming in 2020, but maybe I’ll also prep a list of stuff I want to see. Overall, it’s been a great year for movies.

Associate links to follow…

Note: I’m starting to use a few ad sites for audiobooks, so codes are disappearing quickly.

Available Audiobooks: I have free codes for almost everything. That will change very soon.

New Release: The Shadow Council Series 1: Money Makes it Deadlier – An FBI agent gets caught up in a robbery gone wrong.

Shadow Council Book 2: Revenge Makes it Sweeter – A midnight summons calls FBI Special Agent Megan Luchek into a fight for a young girl’s life.

Shadow Council Book 3: Christmas Makes it Chaos – The FBI agent gets a strange ally in the quest to prevent chaos from rocking a lot of people’s holiday season.

Shadow Council Book 4: Treachery Makes it Tense – The agent and the assassin have to team up if they want to survive.

Shadow Council is also available as a ~13 hr bundle.

The Collins Case – 2 FBI agents track down a kidnapped family. Kid friendly.

If fantasy’s more your thing, go Redeemer Chronicles. The first, Awakening, is available as an audiobook.

Ashlynn’s Dreams Shorts – a kid deals with her parents’ divorce, bullies, and the wonder of discovery.

Try The Dark Side of Science – Genetically altered kids fight for the right to live.

Beyond Broken Pencils – Contemporary literary tale of a school shooting. Ian unleashes his inner demons on his classmates and teachers…

Scratched Off – FBI agent vs a serial killer. When Sam Kerman sets out to hunt a serial killer, he has no idea how personal the case will become.

Audiobook review: 4/5 Lure of Lamia: Warden, Book 2 by Kevin Hardman

November 8, 2019November 2, 2019 Julie Gilbert Audiobooks, Fantasy, Horror Kevin Hardman, Mikael Naramore, Warden series

Narrated by Mikael Naramore

Spoilers in book cover if you care to look carefully

Genre: Horror/fantasy

Summary:

Errol’s still deep into the job of semi-deputy Warden. He’s around to fight off monsters, in whatever form they arrive.

Additional Comments:

The story picks right up where the last one ended.
A lot of the world-building went into the first story, so I’m guessing you should start there, even though these are essentially mini-mysteries. It’s still an intriguing, dangerous world.
Not much happens with the overarching plot. Errol’s brother, Tom is still missing. I’m guessing that will be addressed at some point in the future.
Some of the side characters kind of blurred together, especially the performers.
The mystery’s solution comes to Errol a tad too quickly.
The narrator has a nice voice and decent pacing. I still listen at 2x speed.
There are some loose ends which will be addressed in future volumes no doubt.
As with many fantasy writers, Hardman’s not afraid to kill off his share of small time characters.
The tie-in to the new creature type wasn’t very subtle.
(Not to be confused with Warden of Fal series by Kyle Alexander Romines. I just happen to be listening to two very different series concerning MCs that are Wardens.)

Conclusion:

Interesting fantasy with some lighthearted moments even if there’s still gross stuff that happens to poor Errol during the course of his Warden duties.

Associate links to follow…

Available Audiobooks: I have free codes for almost everything.

New Release: The Shadow Council Series 1: Money Makes it Deadlier – An FBI agent gets caught up in a robbery gone wrong.

Shadow Council Book 2: Revenge Makes it Sweeter – A midnight summons calls FBI Special Agent Megan Luchek into a fight for a young girl’s life.

Shadow Council Book 3: Christmas Makes it Chaos – The FBI agent gets a strange ally in the quest to prevent chaos from rocking a lot of people’s holiday season.

Shadow Council Book 4: Treachery Makes it Tense – The agent and the assassin have to team up if they want to survive.

Shadow Council is also available as a ~13 hr bundle.

The Collins Case – 2 FBI agents track down a kidnapped family. Kid friendly.

If fantasy’s more your thing, go Redeemer Chronicles. The first, Awakening, is available as an audiobook.

Ashlynn’s Dreams Shorts – a kid deals with her parents’ divorce, bullies, and the wonder of discovery.

Try The Dark Side of Science – Genetically altered kids fight for the right to live.

Beyond Broken Pencils – Contemporary literary tale of a school shooting. Ian unleashes his inner demons on his classmates and teachers…

Scratched Off – FBI agent vs a serial killer. When Sam Kerman sets out to hunt a serial killer, he has no idea how personal the case will become.