Shade City: The Dead Side Blues

                Shade City: The Dead Side Blues is not a book I would normally pick up to read. The title conjured up visions of a mystery involving blues music, a genre of which I have no interest. The cover, at a quick glance, didn’t grab my attention, at least not until I figured out how the cigarette on the cover art pertained to the story. However, I am so glad that I took the chance and read this book because it is a great read. Dante, the main character, has the special talent of being able to touch someone and seeing if they are possessed by a “shade” which is basically a deceased person, not a ghost but a variation of one. He can force the shade to leave the body, thus allowing the person to be free from possession, by getting the shade to inhale sage smoke by way of sage cigarettes he carries with him. Dante also carries around an antique watch that is possessed by a twelve year old girl named Violet who helps him to expel these shades from the bodies. The book has an interesting premise and has a bit of everything including mystery, romance, sex and the supernatural. The characters are interesting and the author has created a whole other world called the Dead Side. I’m hoping that this is one book of many that I’ll be reading by this author. It is entertaining and fun to read. It worked well on my ereader with perfect formatting and editing. The cover didn’t catch my eye at first but did make sense when I read how Dante gets rid of shades. This is definitely worth the read.

The Misadventures of Hobart Hucklebuck

                Move over Harry Potter, Hobart Hucklebuck is the new kid in the world of magic. In Magic and Mayhem, Stan Swanson brings to life a world of magic where everyday appliances and objects come “pre-enchanted” and the simple act of sweeping with a broom is considered the “old way”. Even the bread walks to the toaster and hops in on command. When all of this stops, Hobart’s little town turns upside down and his grandfather is blamed for all of the troubles and put in jail. Hobart and his two friends (and the town bully) decide to investigate and find out what is really going on. They often find themselves in a pickle, including a shrinking potion that goes haywire. This is the perfect book to get a tween to start reading. The world that Mr. Swanson has created is fun and creative, even down to the phrases the kids use such as something being “thermal” meaning it’s cool. I’ve read other books by this author and enjoyed them as much as I loved this one. Mr. Swanson’s ability to invent the characters’ names alone shows how invested he becomes in this world as he writes and it’s that reason that makes the reader want to become invested too. This would make a great television series and, at the very least, a great book series.

Oddities and Entities

                Oddities and Entities is a collection of stories about all things that are strange and weird. In fact, I don’t think I could have ever have come up with some of the ideas that the author, Roland Allnach, presented in this anthology. It’s these strange and odd ideas that made me enjoy this book as much as I did. There are none of the usual witches and fairies that are scattered throughout most books these days. Instead there is a lady who can see through flesh to a person’s bones, a creepy vampire-like brother and sister duo, and, my favorite, Grey, a slimy snot-like thing that resides inside one character’s head until it comes out and creates chaos. Needless to say, all of the stories are entertaining and a lot of fun to read. The characters are definitely different and intriguing and the storylines keep the reader wanting to read more so they can find out exactly what is going on. The editing and formatting worked perfectly on my ereader. The stories moved along fluidly and made me not want to put the book down. The cover, although not particularly eye-catching, centers the title well which is what made me choose to read it in the first place. Overall, this is a great read!