Reasons That I Rate Books 5*****

If you picked up a book and couldn't get through the first couple of chapters, would you force yourself to read it? I don't think so, not if you were reading for pleasure. If you couldn't read it all the way to the end, why would you try to rate or review it? I think that there are redeeming qualities in every written work. The plot may be awesome and the writing just sucks or maybe the writing is great but the plot stinks. Either way, someone somewhere will like it while others don't. This is why you never see a rating from me that is less than 3 stars. I'm not trying to slam an author by giving them a bad review. I am trying to find books that my followers will enjoy reading. If I can't give a book a good rating, chances are that book didn't hold my attention in the first chapter or two. If that's the case, I put it down and won't write a review because I didn't get to the end of the book. If I didn't get to the end, I don't have the whole picture so it wouldn't be fair to review it.
I look at any author's work like it is their baby. I wouldn't walk up to a parent on the street and say, "Wow, what an ugly baby!" Likewise, I wouldn't tell an author that their novel is horrible. As an editor, I gave suggestions to my authors about certain things. If the conversation between characters was flat or sounded forced, I would let them know. If a description was so long that I forgot what was actually being described, I would let them know that as well. If, I come across a book I can read but it just didn't really do it for me, I may not rate it at all. I might just say it was an okay book and leave it at that.
So, there you go. This is why you won't find bad reviews here. Comments and suggestions are greatly appreciated! Happy Reading!!

Bulletproof by Jeff LaFerney

Haven't we all wished for access to just a little more of our brain? Maybe for extra memory power to help us remember where we put our car keys, to solve that problem we keep stumbling over at work, or maybe a little psychic mojo to help us win the lottery? Bulletproof by Jeff LaFerney gives us a glimpse of the possibilities of having that extra brain power and we can see that it may not be as great as it's cracked up to be. Here's a tiny taste of the mystery in Bulletproof:

The technicians eyed each other uncertainly while the nurses and the intern were not sure what to think.  To near silence in the operating room, the doctor removed the retractors holding the brain and closed the dura with sutures. The bone flap was placed back in its original position and secured to the patient’s skull with titanium plates and screws. As the doctor left the operating room, he noticed that his hands were shaking.  What he had done was unethical, but he did it for the good of science.  His conscience chastised him for doing such a terrible thing, but his mind told him that what he had done was justified, and he planned to eventually prove to himself that it was orchestrated for the overall good. 

 It was immediately obvious to me that a lot of planning and research went into the writing of this book. One of the great things about Jeff LaFerney's novels is that both the care and pride he takes in his work are obvious. Bulletproof opens in an operating room with a surgeon who has more on his mind than removing a tumor and saving a life. This automatically made me curious to find out more and kept me engrossed throughout the story. Mr. LaFerney has a vivid imagination and extreme passion for writing that both come out well on the page. 
While it may seem to start a little slow for some readers, Bulletproof is a wonderful read and definitely worth adding to your bookshelf. It will be released tomorrow on amazon.com here. Mr. LaFerney also has a website here, and his author page at World Castle Publishing can be found here.

Changes Ahead for Beth's Writing Opinions??

Most of my book reviews are on books from the paranormal, horror, or thriller genre. Occasionally, I will review a book that is a romance or self-help but that is rare. It has come to my attention that Writing Opinions looks "girly" and "frilly". This is not a bad thing, but doesn't really fit with the types of stories I review. The start to 2012 was rather rocky for me and I neglected my blog, (Bad Blogger!!), but since things are beginning to even out for me, I am thinking of changing the theme to something a little more spooky. I had almost decided to just delete Writing Opinions and put my effort into something else, but I just can't seem to let go of it.
For one thing, when I post reviews, the author gets just a little extra advertising from Google. I know a lot of wonderful writers who are extremely talented and I love to know that I can help them in some small way to get that extra little bit in there. I have several ideas for the new look. I want to get myself an original rating symbol, for one. I am leaning hard toward a moon with the highest rating being '5 moons'. Of course, instead of the word 'moon', there would be a picture of the moon. Here are a few pics I have so far:
                                         

Moon 1

Moon 2

Moon 3

Moon 4

The pictures would be smaller to fit in the Title Bar after the Name of the book being reviewed and the author. Which one do you like the best?

Another thing I want to do is change my background image. Right now, it's the mountains that you see behind the blog itself. Again, shooting for spooky here. Here are some of the pics I have in mind for that.

Background 1

Background 2

Background 3

Background 4

Background 5

Background 6

Background 7

Background 8

Background 9

I will also be creating a blog button. This button will reflect my passion for the night time and/or for wolves. I would love to know what everyone thinks. I have had a couple of friends working on this little make-over, but I want to get some opinions from people who follow me or just would like to have some input. In the comments section below, let me know which picture you like for the rating symbol and which one you like for the background. Thanks bunches!!

THE HAY FORT by Judith Ann McDowell~5*****

If you follow my reviews, then you know I  reviewed  Rougarou by Judith before. This woman has an amazing imagination and talent for writing! She can drag a reader into her story from the first page and keep you there until the book is finished. THE HAY FORT is no different. The storyline isn’t her usual but; nevertheless, she was on top of her game with this book. Here is the book description from amazon.com:

When teens Willie and Butch Coby stumble on some filled jars in an old abandoned bus they have no idea what they are inviting by taking the jars away. Not until their biology teacher checks out what the jars contain do they begin to realize some adventures can cost you your life or worse turn that life into a living nightmare. Let all who know the name of the beast... Give up his name for he will not hold back his wrath against a child of the most holy.

This story will take you places you never expected it to go. It has all of the elements that make up the best paranormal stories; ghosts, witches, and demons. Willie and Butch are so well written that they will remind you of what it was like to be young and carry around a hefty imagination and sense of adventure. You will also remember how worried you could get if you thought you were fixing to be grounded forever! This was a great read and an awesome adventure!

Here is the review of Rougarou  there will also be a review of  Rougarou II following shortly. All of Judith's books are available from her author page at World Castle Publishing, here and also from amazon.com here.

Happy Reading!!!

The Falcon And His Desert Rose by George R. Lasher-5*****

A BIT ABOUT GEORGE:
I write fiction, frequently seasoned with a dash of supernatural flavor. My stories have appeared in several on-line magazines and paperback short-story anthologies. In the 70s, I worked in radio & dabbled in music as a songwriter, singer, and drummer. Since then I've been a sales manager at several places in Houston. Originally a therapeutic hobby that I started in 2000, writing has become a passionate obsession. "Welcome to my imagination."
 
Cloned from the  remains of an ancient Egyptian god, a young man named Horace is sent to Boston's M.I.T. to study molecular biology. After graduation, he is expected to return to Egypt to recreate The Fluid of Life, an ancient elixir capable of eliminating death. The Egyptian government plans to use the magic potion to create an immortal army that will restore them to their former glory as the world's premiere superpower. Horace becomes sidetracked, however, when he falls in love with Jeanne Mosley, a beautiful, but feisty, co-ed. Complicating matters, his best friend at M.I.T., Thomas Franklin, the son of the U.S. Ambassador to the United Nations, love's the same girl. After graduation, while attempting to recreate The Fluid of Life, Horace (who changes his name to Horus) resorts to terrorism in an effort to break the will of countries that oppose Egypt's political agenda. Employing his blossoming, supernatural abilities, he returns to the U.S., intending to assassinate the leading candidate for the next presidential election. Before returning to his native country, Horus kidnaps Jeanne, the queen of his dreams. Based on information given to the CIA by Thomas, an international manhunt ensues, culminating in an attack by U.N. Peacekeeping forces on a bunker beneath the Great Sphinx at Giza. Will Thomas and the U.N. Peacekeeping troops successfully rescue Jeanne? Can Horace be stopped before perfecting the formula for immortality, or will the entire world be enslaved and kept under the watchful eye of Horus, the reincarnated son of Osiris?
Okay, so in this one book, there is an enormous government conspiracy, a love triangle between college kids, and murder afoot. I had the oddest reaction to the “bad guy”, Horus. At some points in the story, I really wanted to see him get the girl and succeed, but then he would do something enormously horrible…like kidnapping Jeanne, and I would want to see him get what he deserved. Of all the wonderfully written characters in this book, I was drawn to Horus the most. From the first page the action was non-stop and I had a hard time putting it down to do anything. Mr. Lasher is an extraordinary storyteller and a genuinely warm person.

If you would like to know more about George Lasher, his website  is here. You can also visit his author page and buy a copy of The Falcon And His Desert Rose here. You can read some of his amazing short stories here. So go visit with him, you’ll be glad you did.