An Interview with The Lich

An interesting, and extremely fun, interview with the Lich. I learnt an awful lot from this interview, but I still have a few questions, that I shall be posing. Check it out.

readful things blog

Ionia-

So, today, I am very honoured to have…uhm…pssst…how should I announce you…do you want to go by Lich or by the Lich or by…

The Lich-
The Lich is what I am known as. All other names have been cast aside.

Ionia-
Very good then. Today I am very honoured to have The Lich on Readful Things Blog for an interview. Can you tell us a little about yourself Mr. Lich?

The Lich-
Most of my history is cloaked in shadows, so it will be very little. I am the ruler of the Caster Swamp and the favorite of my dark master. It is my job to create armies in his name and remove all obstacles to his return.

Ionia-
Evasive. I like that. You know, you should eat you look a bit…er…boney

The Lich-
I’m on a strict soul of the innocent diet with the occasional drink for…

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Weekly Prompt: Sunday October 27, 2013

The weekly Community Storyboard prompt. Check it out. It looks an interesting one.

Quentin Hide and the Evil Lord Twigton Debuts!

Check this out. It will be well worth your time.

Legends of Windemere

Check out the debut Indie novel of Dean Kealy!

Blurb–

Young Quentin Hide has just graduated from the Dragon Academy of Knights and Warriors, and with a new quest in his pocket, he’s off on his first adventure, but little does Quentin know, this may also be his last!

Quentin Hide and The Evil Lord Twigton was first seen on the blog: deanzdoodlez.com but see it here and now in all its glory with never before seen illustrations included!

CHECK IT OUT FOR 99 CENTS!!!!

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Lady by Thomas Tryon

Description from Goodreads

A young man becomes transfixed by a beautiful widow with a shadowy past

In Pequot Landing, there are two sights to see: the largest elm in America, which dominates the stately old village green, and the house of Lady Harleigh. When the Great War ended, she was the most beautiful bride in the village, and though she was widowed soon after, mourning dampened neither her beauty nor her spirits. By the time the Great Depression rolls around, she is the unchallenged center of Pequot society—lovely and energetic, but subject to bouts of grim melancholy that hint at something dark beneath her surface.

Woody is eight years old when he first notices the Lady, and her glittering elegance captures his heart. He spends his boyhood deeply in love with the mysterious widow, obsessed with the sadness that lies at her core. As he gets closer to her, he finds that Lady Harleigh is haunted—not just by grief, but by a scandalous secret that, if revealed, could change Pequot Landing forever.

I gave this book four stars out of five

My thoughts:

I was unsure at first what rating to give this book, vacillating between three and four stars. It is not as if I didn’t enjoy it, I just found it a slow, long read. I think this was mainly due to the unhurried, meandering pace of the story set by the author.

There were many beautifully, descriptive passages in this book, and the story was certainly well written. I was always turning the page in anticipation of finding out what the big secret regarding lady was, and it was this that kept me hooked until the end. There was, however, a long prelude to the main events of the story, building character and back story, which I found to be a little too drawn out, lacking any real excitement.

I enjoyed the development of the relationship between Woody, as a boy, and Lady. The relationship between the children was also interesting, as was how the coloured staff were respected by the children without any hint of the prejudices and bigotry displayed by many of the adult townsfolk.

The final revelation of Lady’s scandalous secret, and the subsequent disclosure of even more shocking events from her past was very well handled, and in my opinion well worth the wait.

I would recommend this if you enjoy reading well written stories with a lot of descriptive language and an intelligent plot, but not if you are looking for something fast paced and filled with suspense.

This review is based on a digital review copy provided by Netgalley and the publisher, Open Road Media.

With all of my heart

Another poem dedicated to the woman I love.

I love you, Ionia,
With all of my heart,
What right do they have,
To keep us apart
 
Together for a while,
And then parted,
Who would have known,
When this started
 
The feel of your body,
Your tender touch
The look in your eyes
I miss so much
 
I need your smile,
I need your kiss,
What is the solution,
To all of this
 
Skype; Email
Texting too.
These are the things,
We have to do
 
3G, 4G,
I would rather be,
Right by your side,
Together, you and me
 
Whatever the cross,
We have to bear,
Our love for each other,
Will get us there
 
I love you, Ionia,
With all of my heart,
What right do they have,
To keep us apart

Frost

So here is a little something for this weeks prompt ‘Frost’, on the Community Storyboard. Why not head over there and have a go yourself.
 
In the summer,
When the sun shone.
We both knew, that
Our hearts had been won.
 
In the autumn
When the frost came.
We already knew,
We both felt the same.
 
In the winter,
When the snows fell.
A moment apart,
Was like living in hell.
 
In the spring,
Along comes new life.
By then you will be,
My trouble and strife.

Weekly Prompt: Sunday, October 20th, 2013

This weeks prompt on the Community Storyboard. Check it out.

The Lone Ranger and Tonto Fistfight in Heaven by Sherman Alexie

Description from Goodreads

The twentieth anniversary edition of Sherman Alexie’s iconic short story collection—featuring a new prologue from the author

The twenty-four linked tales in Alexie’s debut collection—an instant classic—paint an unforgettable portrait of life on and around the Spokane Indian Reservation, a place where “Survival = Anger x Imagination,” where HUD houses and generations of privation intertwine with history, passion, and myth. We follow Thomas Builds-the-Fire, the longwinded storyteller no one really listens to; his half-hearted nemesis, Victor, the basketball star turned recovering alcoholic; and a wide cast of other vividly drawn characters on a haunting journey filled with humor and sorrow, resilience and resignation, dreams and reality. Alexie’s unadulterated honesty and boundless compassion come together in a poetic vision of a world in which the gaps between past and present are not really gaps after all.

The Lone Ranger and Tonto Fistfight in Heaven received a Special Citation for the PEN/Hemingway Award for Best First Fiction, and was the basis for the acclaimed 1998 feature film Smoke Signals.

I gave this book four stars out of five

My thoughts:

Before I start my review proper, I just have to say what a great title this is for a book.

I really enjoyed reading this book. It was a riveting collection of short stories that were a brilliant insight in to how life on the reservation was for native American Indians, told in an informative and delightful manner. It was an easy and pleasurable read and the format of the book, the linked short stories, was conducive to this, the short stories weaving a more complete picture.

The book was imbued with humour and I found myself laughing out loud on numerous occasions. Despite the humour though, these stories also dealt with some serious issues, such as the prevalence of alcoholism amongst the native American Indians living on the reservation, or ‘rez’, and the way in which they were stereotyped by the white man.

The author had a very relaxed style of writing. I imagine that this was following in the grand tradition of native American Indian storytelling. I sometimes felt as if I was sat around a campfire listening to stories about nature and spirits with close friends and family. Mostly though, these are stories of a tough, hard way of life.

There were many beautifully descriptive passages, although there was a degree of angst and cynicism that came through also. I found it easy to identify with the many colourful characters, and their varied and interesting viewpoints were incredibly revealing.

I would recommend this book as a great insight into the life of native American Indians and life on a reservation. Since it is a collection of short stories, it can easily be dipped into as and when you like, and read in small chunks, without sacrificing any continuity of plot.

This review is based on a digital review copy provided by Netgalley and the publisher.

Sherman Alexie

So I have been reading a book that has just been released as an ebook by Open Road Media, by Sherman Wilkie. I just love the title, ‘The Lone Ranger and Tonto Fistfight in Heaven’. It is a collection of short stories about life on and around the Spokane Indian Reservation, and is a great read. I will be posting a review soon, but for now here is some information regarding the release, and the author, to whet your appetites. Well really, it is to get you frothing at the mouth in anticipation of the review, since I know how eager you all are to read my reviews.

First a little information about the author Sherman Alexie.

Sherman J. Alexie, Jr., was born in October 1966. A Spokane/Coeur d’Alene Indian, he grew up on the Spokane Indian Reservation in Wellpinit, WA, about 50 miles northwest of Spokane, WA. Alexie has published 18 books to date.

Alexie is an award-winning and prolific author and occasional comedian. Much of his writing draws on his experiences as a modern Native American. Sherman’s best known works include The Lone Ranger and Tonto Fistfight in Heaven, Smoke Signals, and The Absolutely True Diary of a Part-Time Indian. He lives in Seattle, Washington.

An interesting video of the author

Now a few details about this ebook, which was released on Tuesday, October 15, 2013.

ebook, 242 pages
Published: October 15th 2013 by Open Road Media Iconic Ebooks (first published September 1st 1993)
Original title: The Lone Ranger and Tonto Fistfight in Heaven
ISBN: 1480457248 (ISBN13: 9781480457249)
Literary awards: PEN/Hemingway Award: Best First Book of Fiction Citation Winner (1993)

Don’t forget to come back and check out the review, when it is posted. As if you would.

Yesterday

A little something for this weeks prompt – ‘Yesterday‘ – from the Community Storyboard. Have a go yourself. This is about what was, what is and what will be. As with any poetry, or indeed anything I write, it is dedicated to the woman I love, Ionia.

Yesterday

Yesterday we were far apart,
Separated by the ocean blue.
Distance and time a blight,
On what we wanted to do

Today we are almost together,
Not too long to go now,
But again to be divided,
By the powers that be

Tomorrow we shall be together
For all eternity,
Sharing each day, of this life,
Forever, eter-na-lly