I love discussing books, especially genre books. I’d enjoy sitting with another reader and we could talk about all the “worlds” we’ve visited while we drink our coffee or tea.
I also enjoy talking about movies and tv shows. I have an eye for the actors. I can pick them out and name another movie/movies and other shows they’re in.
Title: Houdini’s Last Handcuffs
Author: Charlie Young and Cheryl Young
Genre: Historical Fiction; Fantasy
Book Length: 189 Pages (print)
Book Version Read: eBook
Year Published: March 26, 2024
Date Started: April 9, 2024
Date finished: April 14, 2024
This is a fascinating story about Houdini’s final days and how a group of kids found a way to call his spirit in their curiosities. Houdini was an illusionist who took great chances, risking his life to show how skilled he was at escaping a variety of situation. He eventually succumbed to appendicitis. The story takes us through some historical facts about Houdini’s last few days. It then leads to a story about a group of kids looking to bring Houdini’s spirit or ghost because they wanted to talk to him. They found it difficult because they were using the wrong method. Eventually, they found a way to reach him, through his handcuffs.
The combination of historical fiction, facts, and fantasy in this story created a fun journey into the life of Houdini. The kids doing detective work to locate Houdini was well thought-out. They came to a dead end after doing their best using a board game, thinking it would work. However, to their disappointment, the board game didn’t give them what they wanted. One boy knew it was possible because his father spoke to Houdini when the magician was alive. He did some digging, and he found the handcuffs. Still, it wasn’t easy to call Houdini, but his perseverance paid off.
This was an enjoyable read. Having heard and read stories in my childhood (in school) about Houdini, this story piqued my interest. It was an excellent way to get a glimpse of this great man with his wife as he prepares for his death. The added story of reaching out to his ghost for answers made it all the more entertaining. It’s unfortunate that he died young but I’m glad he lived the life he wanted.
Who should read this book: For anyone who enjoys a mixture of historical fiction with fantasy.
The other day, husband and I went to get waffle chicken at Slim Chickens (they have the best chicken!) and we were met with a thick, eerie, yet captivating fog. It was hard to see beyond 50 ft. The images are beautiful, but they don’t really capture the true feeling of actually being “in the clouds.” The elevation here is over 6,200 ft. above sea level, thus I call it, “in the clouds.” I’ve hiked mountains that were lower in elevation than where I live.
The intersection was pretty scary. It was hard to see the lights, plus, we had to be super careful in case other cars couldn’t see either (which I’m sure they couldn’t, if we couldn’t) and decide to just drive through.
It’s April, and it’s normal to have snow in early spring in Colorado.
Because it was so foggy, the camera couldn’t focus on anything so a lot of my photos were blurry. These last two photos were grayscaled because I wanted to capture the eeriness of it.
Do you often get fog in your neighborhood?
I thought this was a good idea to watercolor and gesso my weekly bujo (bullet journal) pages, but it’s been about three weeks and I’m so far behind with bullet journaling because I have to wait for the pages to dry and then writing over them ruins my nice pens I use for bullet journaling. Lesson learned: only do mix media in mix media journals. Not in my bullet journal notebook.
In the last image, I’m using nail polish to keep the pages separate to dry. Otherwise, they stick together. I do have a craft dryer to speed things up but I didn’t want to pull it out and I don’t really like the look and feel of using it, especially on gesso.
Title: Rogue Star: Frozen Earth
Author: Jasper T. Scott
Genre: Sci-fi; Apocalyptic
Book Length: 548 pages (print)
Book Version Read: eBook
Year Published: July 26, 2018
Date Started: April 4, 2024
Date finished: April 9, 2024
There’s a lot going on in this book. First, we get a glimpse into the main character, Logan Willis. He learns about his wife’s affair just after losing his job. Quickly, we learn that a rogue star will be passing close enough to Earth to cause damage to the planet. Everyone is in panic mode trying to get to the warm spots of the Earth when this happens. Then, we learn that a wealthy man has been working on colonizing Mars and was prepared to leave to Mars before the near collision.
At first, I thought the story was about Logan and how he was going to deal with the lost of his job and his wife’s affair, but it turned into a story about moving from one place to another and learning about all these happenings. Within the mentioned plots, there’s another side story about a man who followed Logan and his family and Logan and his wife’s brother having to fight off this man.
Overall, the story was interesting. The pacing was steady at a fast speed. One thing happened after another without much downtime to soak it all in. I liked the idea of the rogue star doing damage to Earth. I would have liked the story to stick to that, as well his Logan’s emotional turmoil with his wife and job. He totally forgot about all that and I don’t know if I find that realistic. The story ended quickly without a resolution.
Who should read this book: If you enjoy a fast-paced apocalyptic/pre-apocalyptic story with a lot going on, you might like this.
Sketched this to paint with gouache. I’m not sure when I’ll paint it, but I’m hoping this weekend. Haven’t decided if I want to record it or not and post it on Youtube. If you want a copy of this to try your hands at painting it, I’ve shared it here >>> Download Flapper Girl Sketch.
You can also download the image if you prefer not to download from the link. I’ve shared it here for you to right click and save.
This was a quick trace so some of the lines aren’t smooth. I didn’t spend a lot of time on it because it’s meant to be painted over (you can use ground or grainy gesso, etc.), or traced and transferred to watercolor paper. Also, feel free to create whatever kind of art you want with it.
Here’s me tracing the sketch on my Wacom One.
I’d love to see your artwork if you do download the sketch.
I created these vintage floral papers using Bing AI. These are free to use however you want. They are watermarked because I’ve heard that people have downloaded works and sold them. These are free to use for whatever you want. You can even use them commercially (I did the research). They can be printed and used for scrapbooking and other crafts, or used digitally. I’ve used Photoshop to upscale them to 7×7 inches at 300dpi. If you’d like the watermark removed, you can contact me and I can remove them for a small price.
They can be downloaded here: Imaginary Realms Art
Set one example:
Set two example:
If you use them, share with me what you’ve used them for. I’d love to see!
Title: A Tiny Ripple of Hope
Author: Antonio Ramon
Genre: Fiction; Mystery Thriller; Paranormal
Book Length: 263 Pages (print)
Book Version Read: eBook
Year Published: February 13, 2024
Date Started: March 25, 2024
Date finished: March 27, 2024
This mystery thriller is about Cole Reeves and his ability to locate a kid who went missing. Cole is capable of feeling as though he’s someone else, and with this gift, he’s able to backtrack and follow through with the situation pertaining to this kid.
The story is written in first person through Cole’s eyes. He’s got a mental disability and is on medication. When he gets off his medication or takes a low dose of it, he’s able see and feel things different from when he’s medicated. Cole makes friends easily and has a couple of friends he’s close to. He comes across as a likable and kind person, but inside his mind is a whole different story. He’s constantly struggling with being himself. He also struggles with his past. When a kid went missing that he knew, he was confused as to how it could have happened. At times it crossed his mind that maybe it was him who did it.
This story was interesting because even though we’re in Cole’s head, we are still unsure of what’s to come. There were moments when his reality became vague and distorted, and he didn’t know what was real and what wasn’t. This allowed for the mystery to unfold. I thought that was well-done. I also enjoyed the character development surrounding Cole, such as his neighbors, and the people he saw on a daily basis, or often. The tension buildup really hooked me, and this was all done while in Cole’s head.
Who should read this book: If you’re into paranormal mystery thrillers, this is an excellent one.
The orchids bloom every year around this time. They’re always so pretty. I need to take care of them better, but I haven’t. Yet, they still bloom. They are one of the strongest flowering plants out there.
The job I’ll do for free is actually the job I’m currently doing, and that is reading and reviewing books. I’ve always enjoyed reading and I’m not particular to traditional or indie authors. If there’s a good story out there, I want to read it. I love learning, and my favorite way is through reading.
I read in every platform: ebooks, paperback, hardcovers, PDF, audio. However, I’m not a huge fan of audio because I’m particular about the voice I’m listening to, but otherwise, it’s not an issue.
I also do art for free. I’ve given away some paintings and I’ve shared some digital art, including generated AI art I’ve created.
I’m not sure if this counts but I’ve volunteered my time as well. When my kids were young, I volunteered at their school. I volunteered (and still do currently) at my youngest daughter’s swim meets, and when my oldest was in high school, I volunteered as the photographer and transportation person for her poms team. I also volunteered as a Catechism teacher at my church, and now I’m volunteering on the church’s women volunteering group. Back in my college days, I volunteered as a math tutor and English tutor, so I’ve always given my time for free to help others. I did it, and still do it for the enjoyment of it. I don’t tend to remember all the volunteering I’ve done. For instance, I had to dig hard to remember that I volunteered during my college years. It’s just not something I hold on to. It’s the warm feeling I get that stays.
Random thoughts and observances of this crazy, beautiful life.
Lover of nature, books, witchy stuff and wine.
No better combination
Thoughts and poetry on daily life, nature, travel and more...
Inspiration through sharing
Poems, Poetry Plus Passion
"...and a chance of evening Fleury's."
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Adding Creativity Through Brush...........
Words, words, words
I have Malignant Melanoma, my son had Testicular Cancer
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