Book Review: Ant Apocalypse by Will Swardstrom

Unnatural Disasters
by Daniel Pyle (Editor)

Publisher: DeadPixel Publications
Release Date: 14 September 2013
ASIN: B00F7E77WS
Format: Kindle book
Pages: 62
Genre: Horror; Short Story
Time to read: 1 hour
Source: Amazon (Free at the time; One Hundred Free Books) [27 September 2013]
aStore Link: Ant Apocalypse

Summary
(from Goodreads)

Rick and his wife, Jennifer have just moved to a house in Kentucky.The only problem is -- the previous occupants never left.

Ants.

Regular, everyday ants are one thing. But what do you do when they develop a taste for flesh? How do you kill ants that are already dead? 

Ant Apocalypse is a short story about one man's struggle with the bane of the Midwest -- ants.

My Reaction

This is one of the first books I discovered through One Hundred Free Books, a site which lists free Kindle books available on Amazon. However, it took me a while to read it as I was getting used to the whole digital book thing.

This was a pretty quick and fun read, but I felt the book could have used a good copy editor. I was also a bit distracted by the constant reference (from page one) to the narrator's impending demise. I guess there was good reason for a few references, but it seemed a bit forced by the fourth or fifth occasion. 

I did have a local interest in reading this story as the fictional "Frankland County, Kentucky" setting is actually not too different from the part of Kentucky across the river from me. I had to laugh with familiarity when the narrator described the mobile home they moved into,  including the description of what we call "underpinning"; whether that is the actual word for it I can never tell because our rural area tends to use words for things that people from a few counties away would find confusing.

The meat of the story—gratuitous numbers of ants invading a newlywed couple's new home in a new town—is very familiar to me, and invading insects is one of my nightmares. Several places in the narrative gave me those goosebumps of ickiness. The climax fed into the current craze of the living dead (referenced in the book's synopsis above), of which I am not a huge fan; but it was used just enough to freak me out.

I can recommend this for a quick scare. I would certainly like to read some of Swardstrom's other books now that I have been introduced to his work.

Reading Challenges: 2014 Read Your Freebies! Challenge

For more information on this book:

Will Swardstrom's Website

Amazon (Kindle Version Only)

Book Review: Unnatural Disasters by Daniel Pyle (Editor)

Unnatural Disasters
by Daniel Pyle (Editor)

Publisher: Blood Brothers Publishing
Release Date: 31 October 2011
ISBN: 0615565123
Format: Kindle book
Pages: 168
Genre: Horror; Short Stories; Anthology
Time to read: 4 hours
Source: Amazon (Free at the time; One Hundred Free Books) [2 January 2014]
aStore Link (Real Book): Unnatural Disasters
aStore Link (Kindle Book): Unnatural Disasters

Summary
(from Goodreads)

Floods. Earthquakes. Tornados. Asteroids. Nature can be vicious. But when you combine natural disasters with the very unnatural imaginations of the authors in this collection, you get terrors worse than anything Mother Nature has ever thrown at us, forays into nightmarish worlds that make a hurricane look like a light summer breeze.

Join Scott Nicholson, William Meikle, Daniel Pyle, Robert J. Duperre, Danielle Bourdon, Keith Gouveia, Ruth Francisco, J.A. Titus, and Robin Morris for nine horrific tales that will leave you cringing, gasping, and so scared of the outdoors you’ll never want to leave your house again. 

Stories: 
"39 Days" by Robert J. Duperre
"The Meek" by Scott Nicholson
"Sourdough" by Ruth Francisco
"Rickman's Plasma" by William Meikle
"Twist" by Daniel Pyle
"Wild Release" by Keith Gouveia
"Whiteout" by Danielle Bourdon
"Resurrecting Eve" by J.A. Titus
"Narobrian Afternoon" by Robin Morris


My Reaction

I didn't know what to expect from Unnatural Disasters. I had just become a regular visitor of  One Hundred Free Books, a site which lists free Kindle books available on Amazon several times a day. To be honest, I'm still a reluctant participant in digital book reading, mainly because it's new, and new scares me. But, I also started going to the gym (also new and scary) and was finding trying to hold a book while also trying to burn calories took too much concentration.

When I began to read the first story I didn't really pay attention that I was going into an anthology of nine very creative short stories by various authors. with a connecting theme. This first one began with people stranded among water. I thought: simple lost on an island story. How wrong I was.

As each story unfolded, the central theme of a natural disaster (or for some stories, what seemed to be natural disasters) in some fashion linked every story together. Snowstorms, tornadoes, floods, and the like became backdrops to tales with more of a horror/sci-fi feel than disaster-survival epics. As a result, the book title is very appropriate for the contents within.

At points within a couple of the tales I was a bit lost, and I think that could have been because the authors may have been shooting for a smaller page count to fit in the compilation; that also may be because I am not an avid follower of horror stories, so I may have missed some things that are fairly common in the genre. Some of the stories were a bit more graphic than I was ready for, but nothing I probably haven't seen on television. I'm not a big fan of anthropophagy (even if fictional), and it happens a bit more than I would like throughout the anthology. Speaking of television: SyFy channel needs to grab the filming rights to a few of these stories, because they would be a delight to watch.

I would certainly recommend this short story anthology to any horror fans or frequent watchers of sci-fi. I had nothing invested since at the time this version was free, but given the enjoyment I had reading, the current price for the ebook is still a bargain.

Reading Challenges: 2014 Read Your Freebies! Challenge

For more information on this book: 

Daniel Pyle's Website

Amazon  |  Kindle

Book Review: What's So Funny? by Tim Conway

What's So Funny? My Hilarious Life
by Tim Conway and Jane Scovell

Publisher: Howard Books
Release Date: 29 October 2013
ISBN: 9781476726502
Format: Hardcover
Pages: 272
Genre: Nonfiction; Autobiography
Time to read: 5 hours
Source: Christmas gift from my wife
aStore Link (Real Book): What's So Funny?
aStore Link (Kindle Book): What's So Funny?

Summary
(excerpted from Goodreads)

Six-time Emmy Award-winning funnyman Tim Conway, best known for his characters on The Carol Burnett Show, offers a straight-shooting and hilarious memoir about his life on stage and off as an actor and comedian. 

My Reaction

Tim Conway has long been one of my favorite comic actors beginning with reruns of the Carol Burnett Show and a VHS copy of Dorf on Golf (now available on DVD). Since that time, I've been able to watch those same reruns countless times, as well as catching some of his other work, not the least of which was alongside the late Ernest Borgnine (and Conway's longtime friend) as voice actors for Spongebob Squarepants as the undersea dynamic duo of Mermaid Man (Borgnine) and Barnacle Boy (Conway). So, when I saw Mr. Conway on some random talk show promoting his new book, I instantly asked my wife for it for Christmas; and she delivered.

The first two chapters took me a while to get through as I familiarized myself with his storytelling pattern, which tended to jump around with relevant anecdotes rather than chronologically. This pattern is consistent, by the way, with much of what you would expect from the famed improvising actor. Once I grew accustomed to his style, I flew through the book (as time would allow).

One of the biggest impressions I got from Tim Conway's life was his devotion to family, beginning with just him and his parents in Chagrin Falls, Ohio. I could imagine the smile on his face as he recollected fond memories of his home and the modest living his parents tried to give him. In later life, he ended up with a half-dozen children, whom he took to visit his parents every summer to make sure that bond continued. I truly admire someone in the acting world who takes time for his family, and you can tell he really enjoyed it.

Another highlight for me was to discover all of the connections with some of my other favorite actors and comedians that Mr. Conway had—many of them resulting in lifelong friendships. If anyone had the right to be a name-dropper, it is certainly an 80-year-old with decades of experience who is still going strong. But, these stories did not come across as name-dropping so much as they were fond memories of close friends; and that humility ran throughout all the pages of this book.

I found myself laughing out loud so many times while reading What's So Funny. It also helped to form a more complete image of the life behind a man who has made me laugh a million times.

Reading Challenges: Nonfiction Reading Challenge 2014

For more information on this book:

Tim Conway's Website

Amazon  |  Kindle

2014 Read Your Freebies! Reading Challenge

Duration: 1 January 2014 to 31 December 2014

Host: The Book Vixen
Challenge Rules and Sign-Up Page

The Challenge: Read at least twelve (12) free ebooks.

My Android came equipped with an Amazon Kindle app already installed on it. I never really used it much until I stumbled on One Hundred Free Books, a multiple-times-a-day update of free ebooks listed on Amazon.  Plus, my wife's friend has a website Couponing with Rachel where she also regularly posts free Kindle books (as well as other coupon and money-saving links and posts).

As a result, I have slowly accumulated a digital stack of free books that I haven't really gotten around to reading yet. This challenge will help me clear that cache out a bit (probably only to make room for more as the year goes on).

My Level: Coupon Clipper (Read > 12 books)

1. Unnatural Disasters by Daniel Pyle (Editor) [23 January 2014]
2. Ant Apocalypse by Will Swardstrom [25 January 2014]
3. Haunted by Willow Cross [14 February 2014]
4. Through a Tangled Wood by Jamie Campbell [12 March 2014]
5. Murder at Volcano House by Chip Hughes [5 September 2014]
6. Paul Meets Muhammad: A Christian-Muslim Debate on the Resurrection by Michael R. Licona [22 September 2014]
7. Wild Born by Brandon Mull [21 October 2014]
8. 
   
9. 
   
10.  
11.  
12.  

Wrap-Up:

Well, I didn't quite make it. I'm still trying to get the hang of fitting reading into my daily routine. I shall try again next year, though.

Nonfiction Reading Challenge 2014

Duration: 1 January 2014 to 31 December 2014

Host: The Introverted Reader
Challenge Rules and Sign-Up Page

The Challenge: Read any non-fiction book(s), adult or young adult.

Two of my favorite comedians, Tim Conway and Billy Crystal, released autobiographies recently, and I asked my wife pointedly for them as Christmas gifts. She delivered. Since that already set me up with two nonfiction books I'd certainly be reading this year, I figured it would be worthwhile to try applying them to a reading challenge. 

I thought I'd start out small, so I'm attempting the lowest level of the challenge.

My Level: Dilettante (Read 1-5 non-fiction books)

1. What's So Funny? by Tim Conway with Jane Scovell [1-18-14]
2. 
   
3. 
   
4.  
5.  

Wrap-Up:

Wow, a spectacular failure for this reading challenge this year--even after receiving autobiographies for Christmas 2013 (and having a couple setting around). I might try this again for 2015, but for now, just bask in the dismal glory of the amazing laziness that is my reading life. 

My Amazon Store

Check out my new aStore through Amazon. I'm currently loading in some of my favorite books, CDs and more for you to peruse and possibly buy at your leisure. I also have a special section for items that I have mentioned or reviewed on the blog. I will also provide a link to anything I review in case you want to check them out yourself.

This of course is not a plead for any kind of money, but if you were planning on buying something at Amazon anyway, you might as well do it through my aStore and help out the blog at the same time.  Everything you purchase from my aStore provides me with a small affiliate payment which actually comes out of Amazon's profit but does not cost you anything extra.

I also have a little widget in the left margin that features some of the things I've added.  Be sure to check it out!

Bible in a Year 2014

Bible in a Year


With a fresh year ahead of me, I pray that this will be the year I read the Bible all the way through and hope to grow closer to God and learn more about Him and my role in His kingdom in the process.  Using a plan from BibleGateway, I am once again going to attempt to read the Bible in a year (BiaY). The link above goes to the plan I've attempted in the past that remains an easy-to-follow and much used plan for many.

Two years ago I started out really well until I started missing a day here and there and trying to catch myself up before missing a few days.  Before long I had missed whole books and then abandoned the effort entirely, going right back to where I started. Then last year my Bible app which had an automatic reading plan tracking stopped working and I lost track of where I left off for a long time; then my phone died and I had to replace it. Excuses, excuses . . . .

At the top of my sidebar on top of the rest of my reading challenges this year is my tracker for the BiaY.  I am tracking it by number of chapters read (out of a total of 1189 chapters in the King James Version).  Fortunately the ubiquity of the Bible in many places makes missing a reading difficult to accomplish: I have used my pocket Bible, BibleGateway, the Bible reading plan website, and smartphone app to catch up on my reading in the past.  So, admittedly, I have no excuse to not do this.

Feel free to join in with me, too.  I need the extra accountability and support.

Law
Genesis
50 / 50 chapters. 100% finished!
Exodus
40 / 40 chapters. 100% finished!
Leviticus
27 / 27 chapters. 100% finished!
Numbers
36 / 36 chapters. 100% finished!
Deuteronomy
34 / 34 chapters. 100% finished!

History
Joshua
24 / 24 chapters. 100% finished!
Judges
21 / 21 chapters. 100% finished!
Ruth
4 / 4 chapters. 100% finished!
I Samuel
16 / 31 chapters. 51.6% finished!
II Samuel
0 / 24 chapters. 0% finished!
I Kings
0 / 22 chapters. 0% finished!
II Kings
0 / 25 chapters. 0% finished!
I Chronicles
0 / 29 chapters. 0% finished!
II Chronicles
0 / 36 chapters. 0% finished!
Ezra
0 / 10 chapters. 0% finished!
Nehemiah
0 / 13 chapters. 0% finished!
Esther
0 / 10 chapters. 0% finished!

Poetry
Job
0 / 42 chapters. 0% finished!
Psalms
0 / 150 chapters. 0% finished!
Proverbs
0 / 31 chapters. 0% finished!
Ecclesiastes
0 / 12 chapters. 0% finished!
Song of Solomon
0 / 8 chapters. 0% finished!

Major Prophets
Isaiah
0 / 66 chapters. 0% finished!
Jeremiah
0 / 52 chapters. 0% finished!
Lamentations
0 / 5 chapters. 0% finished!
Ezekiel
0 / 48 chapters. 0% finished!
Daniel
0 / 12 chapters. 0% finished!

Minor Prophets
Hosea
0 / 14 chapters. 0% finished!
Joel
0 / 3 chapters. 0% finished!
Amos
0 / 9 chapters. 0% finished!
Obadiah
0 / 1 chapter. 0% finished!
Jonah
0 / 4 chapters. 0% finished!
Micah
0 / 7 chapters. 0% finished!
Nahum
0 / 3 chapters. 0% finished!
Habakkuk
0 / 3 chapters. 0% finished!
Zephaniah
0 / 3 chapters. 0% finished!
Haggai
0 / 2 chapters. 0% finished!
Zechariah
0 / 14 chapters. 0% finished!
Malachi
0 / 4 chapters. 0% finished!

Gospels
Matthew
28 / 28 chapters. 100% finished!
Mark
16 / 16 chapters. 100% finished!
Luke
9 / 24 chapters. 37.5% finished!
John
0 / 21 chapters. 0% finished!
Acts
0 / 28 chapters. 0% finished!

Pauline Epistles
Romans
0 / 16 chapters. 0% finished!
I Corinthians
0 / 16 chapters. 0% finished!
II Corinthians
0 / 13 chapters. 0% finished!
Galatians
0 / 6 chapters. 0% finished!
Ephesians
0 / 6 chapters. 0% finished!
Philippians
0 / 4 chapters. 0% finished!
Colossians
0 / 4 chapters. 0% finished!
I Thessalonians
0 / 5 chapters. 0% finished!
II Thessalonians
0 / 3 chapters. 0% finished!
I Timothy
0 / 6 chapters. 0% finished!
II Timothy
0 / 4 chapters. 0% finished!
Titus
0 / 3 chapters. 0% finished!
Philemon
0 / 1 chapter. 0% finished!

General Epistles
Hebrews
0 / 13 chapters. 0% finished!
James
0 / 5 chapters. 0% finished!
I Peter
0 / 5 chapters. 0% finished!
II Peter
0 / 3 chapters. 0% finished!
I John
0 / 5 chapters. 0% finished!
0II John
0 / 1 chapter. 0% finished!
III John
0 / 1 chapter. 0% finished!
Jude
0 / 1 chapter. 0% finished!

Apocalypse
Revelation
0 / 22 chapters. 0% finished!

Entire Bible
305 / 1189 chapters. 25.7% finished!

Wrap-Up:

I did not complete the whole Bible again this year, but I'm going to keep trying. I may have the Pentateuch memorized whenever I actually accomplish this, but I'll be better for it in the long run.

Reviews

In an attempt to increase my reading comprehension and enjoyment of the books I am reading, I plan on reviewing the books I read. Then, I shall post my reviews and recommendations here to share my enjoyment with you.

I'm building a basic format for the reviews that will probably evolve over time as I get a little more used to the whole process. For now, the format is as such:

• An image of the item I am reviewing either
• a scan of the actual item in hand or
• a stock photo provided by an online store.
• Basic information of the item, including
• Title
• Author/Artist
• Publisher/Producer
• Release Date
• ISBN
• Format
• Length
• Genre
• Time it took for me to read it (estimated reading time)
• Source (where I obtained it)
• aStore Link (see the book in my Amazon Store)
• Rating based on a Likert-type scale (see Rating System page)
• Synopsis/Summary
• Review
• Where to find more information on this book
• Official website of the book (if available)
• A link to the book on Amazon (with an affiliate referral code)
• A link for the book on GoodReads

Each of the affiliate links to Amazon in my reviews rewards me with a small compensation from every purchase made. This does not affect the price on any of the items. Amazon just appoints a portion of its profits gained from selling my referred books to the affiliate code I provide in the URL for the links I provide.

Restarting This Blog

Well, another year has come and gone. It's finally 2014. By May, I will have been out of college for 10 years. August will be our son's fourth birthday. October will mark my seventh year of working for my employer. In November my wife and I will have been married for six years.

Time is so fleeting and fast.

So, with that in mind, I wanted to take a few paragraphs to explain what you see on this blog: LeviSamJuno Reads.

I started this particular blog to separate all of my reading-related posts from my everyday stuff (the latter of which are located on my original blog that also has not been updated for many months). I wanted to have a place where I could sign up for and track reading challenges and book reviews in an uncluttered fashion.

Unfortunately with all the many things going on (the bulk of which is marriage and parenthood), I never really followed through with a lot of that. So I have decided to revamp the whole blog atmosphere. I was never really satisfied with the formats I had for my reviews, and some weird things happened with the formatting when I tried to copy them over here. Part of the revamp involves fixing those formatting errors.

As a result, you can probably see that things are bare here. That's not to indicate there was nothing ever here; it's just that I'm trying to make them better. In the coming weeks some of the book reviews I had will begin popping back up in all their newly reformatted splendor, at which time this particular post will be a bit confusing, I guess.

With this new attempt, here's to the hope of a bigger list of books I have read, challenges I have completed, reviews I have written, and fun stuff accomplished.