Book Review: American Chillers #34: Savage Dinosaurs of South Dakota by Johnathan Rand

Savage Dinosaurs of South Dakota(American Chillers #34)
by Johnathan Rand


Publisher: AudioCraft Publishing
Release Date: 2012
ISBN: 9781893699595
Format: Paperback
Pages: 208
Genre: Children's Thriller; Chapter Book
Time to read: 3 hours
Source: Meijer
aStore Link (Real Book): Savage Dinosaurs of South Dakota

Summary
(from Back of Book)

Autumn McLachlan and her best friend, Brady Vanguard, love dinosaurs. They absolutely love them. They read dinosaurs books, watch dinosaur movies, and know a lot about these prehistoric creatures that existed millions of years ago.

When famed inventor Samuel Putnam announces that he's going to build a dinosaur park in Rapid City, South Dakota - complete with lifelike, mechanical dinosaurs - Autumn and Brady have good reason to be excited. It will be like traveling back in time, millions of years, to witness these incredible beasts that once ruled the earth. And because these dinosaurs aren't real, surely nothing could ever go wrong.

Could it? 

At the grand opening, Autumn and Brady are going to discover just how dangerous Mr. Putnam's park can be ... and when things go haywire, can two ordinary kids survive the savage attacks of these mechanical mega-ton monsters?  

My Reaction

We had a short vacation in Cincinnati earlier this year, and during our downtime at the hotel I visited a Meijer store, which I had never heard of until I saw it when we found our hotel. For those of you not in the know, it's sort of like a much less people-and-merchandise-cluttered Wal-Mart (with which I'm immensely familiar). I found a book to read to our son for bedtime and then stumbled across Savage Dinosaurs of South Dakota and its enticing dinosaur cover and had to buy it.

See, I've been a big fan of dinosaurs since I could first read Tyrannosaurs rex all by myself. I had a little book that I completely wore out carrying it around and learning to pronounce all the names before I could even really pronounce some relatives' names. Then came Jurassic Park when I was around age ten and my fascination with dinosaurs was at a peak.

The 10-year-old in me just had to have this book, so much so that I made sure to buy my wife a book as well so I wouldn't feel bad about getting my own. My inner child was also a huge fan of the Goosebumps series, and everything on this book cover figuratively screamed "a story influenced by the works R.L. Stine".

Savage Dinosaurs is #34 in Johnathan Rand's American Chillers series, each of which take place in a different US state with their own spooky or thrilling tales involving pre-teen protagonists. True to my first prediction of the cover, this story fell in the same storytelling style of the Goosebumps series.

I am rather of an ambivalent mind in my review of this book. From my adult perspective, this is not a well-written story. Everything is a bit predictable, redundant at times, and deus ex machina is in abundant supply. The main characters know very specific details about some of the dinosaurs that are in Putnam's Dinosaur Park that not only have I not heard of, but that are pretty rather recent discoveries. The author also used a lot of foreboding at the ends of chapters, all of which reiterated the following ending sentence of Chapter 7: "Neither one of us would forget that day ... but it would be for all the wrong reasons".

On the other hand, my nostalgic mind loved it. It followed a formula I was very familiar with and joined my two childhood loves of dinosaurs and Goosebumps in a fun and exciting way. Plus, there were some cliffhangers that did have me catching my breath and reaching to turn the page quickly. Furthermore, unlike the Goosebumps series, the cliffhangers actually led into something; the chapter-endings in Stine's books almost always turned out to be something mundane and not adding at all to the story.

I enjoyed the book and definitely want to read more in the series. It was nice to just plough through a book (which was easy in this case since it was written for middle schoolers) and get a complete story. My rating of 3-1/2 stars is mostly from my adult POV review, but it would get 4-1/2 probably from 10-year-old me.

Ultimately, though, this is a series I would have gobbled up in junior high, and I think it would be a great introduction to a reluctant reader.

Reading Challenges: 2015 Authors A to Z Reading Challenge

For more information on this book:

American Chillers Site

Amazon

Bible in a Year 2015

Bible in a Year


2015 brings a new start and another attempt at reading the Bible all the way through. I'm going to keep trying until it happens, and then I'll do it all over again.

This year I'll be using the Bible in a Year plan (the link on their website is down for me right now, so the link goes to a DropBox copy) from Tabletalk Magazine. This is a simple plan that gives you a chapter or more from the Old Testament and from the New Testament each day, allowing Sundays off for catch-up days or presupposing that you'll be in church being exposed to the Bible then anyway.

Most of the time I'll be reading from the BibleGateway.com online (KJV) since I can access it from my phone or at work or from my laptop.

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 my progress by number of chapters read (out of a total of 1189 chapters in the King James Version).

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

See my progress after the jump.

Book Review: Peppa Pig: Nursery Rhymes and Songs Picture Book and CD

Peppa Pig: Nursery Rhymes and Songs

by Astley Baker Davies Ltd.


Publisher:Ladybird Books
Release Date: 2011
ISBN: 9781409305088
Format: Paperback Picture Book with CD
Pages: 31
Genre: Preschool; Picture Book; Read-along
Time to read: 20 minutes
Source: Amazon [17 July 2014]
aStore Link: Peppa Pig: Nursery Rhymes and Songs

Summary
(from back of book)

Join in the fun with Peppa’s very own song and nursery rhyme book. Play the CD and sing your favourite rhymes and Peppa tunes with Peppa, her family and friends.

Inside the front cover is a flap containing a CD, which has one track to play the whole book. Each song or rhyme plays twice in a row and follows the sequence in the book. The book follows the classic model of read-along books (from records and cassettes to CDs and digital media) where a bell rings to signal the time to turn the page. Peppa Pig sings the song or recites the nursery rhyme on most of the pages, with additional characters involved in a couple of the songs.  Each page is a full color image with Peppa and another character or characters on one side and the rhyme/lyrics on the other.

Contents:

• "Bing Bong Song": sung by Mrs. Gazelle & Peppa's playgroup
• "Ring-a-ring o'roses": read by Peppa
• This one has a picture of Peppa and Pedro Pony in a rose garden, Pedro lying on the ground. The poem and imagery seemed appropriate since a common way to end one of the 5-minute long 'toons is for everyone in the scene to fall on their backs laughing.
• "Hey Diddle Diddle": read by Peppa
• "Grandpa's Little Train": song from the show with all the kids singing
• "It's Raining! It's Pouring!": read by Peppa
• "Incy Wincy Spider": sung by Peppa
• "Big Balloon": from the show, sung by Peppa
• "Mary Had a Little Lamb": read by Peppa
• "Pat-a-cake! Pat-a-cake!": read by Peppa
• "The Birdy Birdy Woof Woof Song": from the show on Mummy Pig's favorite record as a girl
• "Old King Cole": read by Peppa
• "This Little Piggy": read by Peppa
• "Recycling": sung by Peppa
• "Twinkle Twinkle Little Star": sung by Peppa

My Reaction
As the parent of a toddler-now-preschool child, I have come to eschew some really bad stuff (that thankfully the boy doesn't know exist due to careful monitoring by the parents) and appreciate the really good cartoons. There are few shows for our son’s age more enjoyable than Peppa Pig, which airs in Nick Jr. here in the states. I know it’s silly, but something about the British accents and some very clever writing appeals to our whole household. Our son's 4th birthday was Peppa Pig themed. And it's evidently not only popular with us: the successful cartoon has its own theme park across the pond.

I bought this book for his birthday and he's listened to it several times. He loves turning the pages along with it, trying to pick out the words. This has bled over to some old records I found on eBay including Poky Little Puppy that he loves to listen and read along with.

The only problems I have with this CD/book combo is the CD. As mentioned above, the whole book is a single track. Sometimes the boy wants to hear the same poem again, and the publishers appeared to have anticipated this somewhat as indicated by each page read/sung twice before "bing-ing" to turn the page. Had it been split into individual tracks I think he would listen to it more often. Still, for its target audience, this earns a solid 4-1/2 star rating from me.

Still, we love our Peppa book, and I've just discovered there are a whole lot more books available. It is such an age and learning level appropriate series, and the books I think are an excellent tool that will encourage beginning readers. Peppa is geared to children under 6, so I encourage parents of this age group to seek it out.

For more information on this book:

Peppa Pig Site

Amazon

Book Review: Haunted by Willow Cross

Haunted
by Willow Cross

Publisher: Willow Cross; Amazon Digital Services
Release Date: 23 October 2013
ASIN: B005Z53TA8
Format: Kindle book
Pages: 26
Genre: Horror; Short Story
Time to read: 1 hour
Source: Amazon (Free at the time; One Hundred Free Books) [5 January 2014]
aStore Link: Haunted

Summary
(from Goodreads)

Have you ever heard something go bump in the night and wonder if someone was there? Only to go looking for the cause of the noise and find nothing at all. Or how about unexplainably feeling like you’re being watched when you’re completely alone? Things disappearing for no reason or strange ghostly footsteps in the hall? This book is a collage of short stories about a few of the otherworldly experiences I’ve had. Although they are not movie worthy, you may find them interesting. All the stories are %100 true. Nothing has been added for dramatic effect. 

My Reaction

I'm a sucker for scary short stories, particularly those that make you afraid to pay attention to your peripheral vision while you are reading. The author's prologue warned that the stories contained within were true accounts without embellishment, and that if you were looking for movie-quality scenes of terror, you would be "sorely disappointed". However, I came away with several good goosebumps and a little nervousness after reading.

It seems the author is somewhat of a magnet for haunted houses and ghostly visitors. She has moved several times: sometimes because of family and financial issues; other times because of an uncomfortable presence in their dwelling place. Each story in this quick little read gives a glimpse into what author Willow Cross must experience quite often. With a current total of four books in the Haunted series, there must be more stories worth reading.

This was a self-published endeavor, and while there was a second-party editor, there were a few spots within the text that seem to have needed a bit of polishing—but those are likely some things the average quick reader will gloss over without a second thought; neither did those errors really affect the story. (I just have picky eyes, except when it comes to editing my own stuff, it seems.) In any case, I am certainly hooked into reading the rest of the series as soon as I get the chance.

I will conclude by saying while I don't typically doubt that much of what Cross and other eyewitnesses of ghostly encounters believe to have experienced, I tend to relegate such evidence as coming from either something not-quite-obviously-explainable or from demonic forces (which I do believe exist).

Reading Challenges: 2014 Read Your Freebies! Challenge

For more information on this book:

Willow Cross' Website

Amazon (Kindle Version Only)

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