Ashen Winter (Ashfall #2) by, Mike Mullin

Ashen Winter (Ashfall #2) by, Mike Mullin

 If you thought Ashfall was a thrill ride you ain’t seen nothing yet! This one will grab you from page one and won’t let you go. I couldn’t put this book down, every time I thought it would slow down so I could go to bed it hits another rush and sucked me right back in!

 Mike Mullin sure knows how to write a story that will keep you on the edge of your seat!

 I know I sound like the blurbs on the cover of a book but I just can’t help it, if you haven’t started this series yet now is the time to do so!

 This is such a different dystopian because it is something that could truly happen in our lifetime and feels so real. In Ashfall the super volcano at Yellowstone has erupted and thrown the world as we know it into chaos Ashen Winter starts 10 months after this event and our world is in turmoil. The ashfall has caused an ashen winter it is June but it has been below zero for months and the sun has yet to show itself through the ash.

 Wow what an adventure this was and an emotional rollercoaster ride. Alex goes through hell again when he sets out to find his parents but things go horribly wrong and Alex is once again in a fight for his life and the lives of others. We see some familiar characters and some new ones not sure yet how I feel about Alyssa but her brother Ben is great I look forward to more of him!

 This is a great series, Mike Mullin writes a book that keeps you reading from page one and keeps you enthralled till the last page, which I must warn you is a cliffhanger, the main storyline of this book is wrapped up well but there is big things in the future and it sounds like the next book will be just as thrilling.

 This book really makes me feel afraid because of the realness of the situation, and sadness when thinking our government would act like it does in this book in response to a natural disaster in the US.

 The worst part of getting an early review copy is that it is an even longer wait for the next one!! I can’t wait for more in this series!

 5 Stars

Netflix Streaming review of Buffy The Vampire Slayer

Buffy The Vampire Slayer

I was always a fan of Angel and not Buffy but I thought I’d revisit Buffy since it’s on Netflix and it is Joss Whedon the 1st season I’m still not liking it as much as Angel, however it did grow on me by the end.

 It is fun to see some of the stars & guest stars as teens like Xander is Garcia’s boyfriend on Criminal Minds and of course HIMYM’s Lily and in season 1 Duke from Haven and in the episode “I Robot...You Jane” Ash from Supernatural, also in this episode the demon Malcolm is the voice of Mark Deakins who is a great audiobook narrator! And another audiobook connection is that narrator/actor Robin Sachs plays Ethan Rayne, a recurring character, and of course the always wonderful James Marsters as Spike is also an audiobook narrator of the Dresden Files. Other notable guest stars have been Amy Adams, White Collars Mozzie, John Ritter, Psych’s Kirsten Nelson, and Nathan Fillion in what has got to be his creepiest role ever!

 Now that I am on season 4 of Buffy I am finding all the Buffy would kill the sparkly vampire jokes more ironic than funny because I think Buffy is right up there in angst with Bella, she moons over Angel just as bad as Bella ever did over Edward. Plus there are actually a lot of similarities between the two- the love at first sight, the oh no he pushed me away because he thinks he’s bad for me, he broke up with me on prom night and I just want to cry, and her woe is me attitude in most episodes does get annoying.

 Since I was always an Angel fan but didn’t watch Buffy it has been interesting to see the evolution of Cordelia and Wesley, and helps me understand their characters more than I did before. I think one of my favorite characters is of course Spike! James Marsters is probably my favorite character of all on the show he has the best lines and just plays his part so well! My second favorite is Oz with Willow in close second I enjoy the scenes of them together.

Random Thoughts
 • The stunt doubles are so obvious.
 • It’s funny when watching this and thinking how much more they could have done with cell phones! They finally get cell phones in the final season but everyone seems to forget them all the time.

 Season five beginning was very confusing with Buffy suddenly having a sister it is eventually explained but still very confusing and off putting. I still like Willow but miss Oz, and Spike is so hilarious! Buffy is getting a little less angsty but now we have Dawn who has taken over the angst.

 Season 6 and still loving Spike even more than ever...The musical episode was great! Dawn just gets more annoying though as the season progresses.

 Final thoughts…I did enjoy this series more than I thought I would sometimes Buffy was very annoying but I got more and more James Marsters as the series went on so that made me happy..I will try not to go all James Marsters fangirl on you! But honestly he is the best part of the series!

 Joss Whedon is such a master of the ensemble cast he makes sure everyone is important and they all get camera and story time I don’t know any director that gets it done as well as he does.

 The final episode brought about the end very well and was a good ending except for a certain characters death but it seems like that might have been an illusion but will let you know after I watch Angel in full again!

Audiobook Review:The Silence of the Trees by,Valya Dudycz Lupescu narrated by, Xe Sands

The Silence of the Trees by,Valya Dudycz Lupescu narrated by, Xe Sands
Produced by, Iambik

This book is beautiful and mesmerizing, heartbreaking and uplifting all at the same time. I love the superstitions interwoven into the story and how storytelling is so important to the Ukrainian people.

Nadya is 70 years old but still haunted by events in the Ukraine that happened during WWII when she was really a mere child. But this is also about family and the things we keep to ourselves and the things we think others don’t know and how that affects how we live our lives and the relationships we have.

I love that you think Nadya & Pavlov’s relationship is one thing and then as the story unfolds you realize it is something completely different. Ugh how can I explain how this made me feel without spoilers let’s just say with the way it starts out I didn’t expect it to progress as it did. Oh my goodness Pavlov was so not what I expected him to be from the first half of the book. The way I felt about Pavlov was like a rollercoaster ride.

Oh Nadya I just want to hug you and tell you to let things go, explain your life to your children let them really know you and allow yourself to be happy!

I loved the Ukrainian folklore and the holiday rituals in this book and it made me want to do research to incorporate some of these into my own holidays especially the parts about honoring your ancestors it was so beautiful!

The first part of this review is thoughts and feelings I had as I was listening to it. This book evoked such emotion and the narration by Xe Sands brought those emotions through beautifully, the combination of Valya’s writing and Xe’s narration is so great both story and narration are lyrical. Xe’s soft delivery lends beautifully to the written word.

If you can’t tell already I loved this book so much I will be buying the paper book for my public library and if there is ever a cd version I will buy that for the library too. I would recommend this for a book club selection too, I think it would bring about great discussions and if you are a book club that does food and the like from the books you read this one would be perfect for that.

When I was finished I wanted to hit play and start it all over again! I think this book, Nadya and the traditions are something I will think about long after I am done. I also look forward to reading more by this author!

I highly recommend this book!

5 Stars

Audiobook Review:A Grown-Up Kind of Pretty by, Joshilyn Jackson

A Grown-Up Kind of Pretty by, Joshilyn Jackson narrated by the author
Synopsis:A powerful saga of three generations of women, plagued by hardships and torn by a devastating secret, yet inextricably joined by the bonds of family. Fifteen-year-old Mosey Slocumb-spirited, sassy, and on the cusp of womanhood-is shaken when a small grave is unearthed in the backyard, and determined to figure out why it's there. Liza, her stroke-ravaged mother, is haunted by choices she made as a teenager. But it is Jenny, Mosey's strong and big-hearted grandmother, whose maternal love braids together the strands of the women's shared past--and who will stop at nothing to defend their future.

My Review:
This is my first book by Joshilyn Jackson and I will be remedying that ASAP. This was such a great book I listened to it on audio and sat in my car in the parking lot for an extra 20 minutes just to get to the end of a chapter. What great characters I loved them all! This book is about family and what it means to be family. The 3 generations of women in this book will make you smile, cry and cheer.

This was narrated by the author and I know audiobook junkies like me cringe a little when we hear this (unless you are Neil Gaiman) but I must say Joshilyn Jackson narrates this book like a pro and I think if you didn’t know it you wouldn’t think twice of recommending this narrator so I see that she narrates most of her book so I will continue with this author on audio!

Once the first bombshell is dropped in this book you will not be able to turn back or put this book down! Oh my, it would be so easy to give away too much in a review but I want you to know how much I loved this book! Big, Little & Mosey are all great women in their own right, I loved how each chapter was told from each woman’s perspective so you knew what each was thinking and hiding and revealing to the other and how the other reacts to it. As you may be able to tell I fell in love with this family of women and I just want to gush on and on. Maybe I better just stop here and say READ THIS BOOK!!

5 Stars