Review: Wild Evolution by C. Fern Cook

Thanks to C. Fern Cook for sending me a copy of her book for review!



About the Book

The night Dan Tucker defends his livestock against a wild canine attack, he is put in a 'kill or be killed' battle. Planning to take the head of the wolf-like creature in to be tested for rabies, Dan discovers he has the head of a man instead of an animal. Fearing no one will believe the human head was taken from a wild dog he killed in self-defense, he is forced to cover up the murder. As a werewolf by contamination, Dan's strength and senses are heightened, including his passion for the wild. When his cantankerous neighbor plans a new housing development that threatens the habitat of local wildlife, Dan has no choice but to try and stop construction. But things don't go according to plan, and now Dan has a second body to dispose of. This edgy eco-thriller is fast-paced, full of suspense, and guaranteed to surprise.

You can visit C. Fern Cook's website.

You can also read the two guest blog posts she's done here on JustJenniferReading: post 1 post 2

My Review

This was definitely not a "normal" werewolf story. I don't know if it is my lack of reading werewolf stories, but I don't ever remember reading a werewolf story in which the reader is let into the mind of the werewolf while he/she is in werewolf form. Most of the ones I've read the person is not "conscious" of their actions while they are in wolf form. I really liked that angle in this one. But like I said, don't know if it is my lack of experience with the genre or if it is a new way of writing.

Being an animal lover I really enjoyed Dan's connection with nature and animals. Even in his wolf form he is aware of other animals and is careful of his actions. The pain that was caused to him and his dogs in the beginning of the book is brought back to memory a few times. And while it was sad and difficult to read (I cry while watching ASPCA commercials) it really made me like Dan as the main character. I think without that "link" to him I would have easily been able to find him despicable. Even knowing that it wasn't really him it was the change from becoming a werewolf that made him so rude sometimes, I still could have easily disliked him.

I liked Angela, she reminded me of me. She was a warm and caring person and she was willing to put up with Dan and his behavior because she is in love with him. I'm the same way with people, loyal to a fault at times. While she wasn't a huge focus in this first book I'm hoping that she has a larger part in the rest of the series.

Like I said earlier, I haven't read many paranormal stories so this may be a lack of experience on my part but I thought this was a very different take on the normal paranormal story. It was refreshing to read. And once I got the time to really sit with the book it was a very fast read.

Wild Evolution

Review: e-Book Follow the Money by Ross Cavins

Thank you to the author, Ross Cavins, for allowing me to review his book.



About the Book

From one of America's most unknown authors comes a book so humorous, so vile, so inane ... it could only be a cry for help.

If you're searching for a refreshing style that's a tad demented, with characters that burrow deep into your mind and never leave, you've found the right book. "Follow the Money" is a collection of ten interconnected short stories that will grab you, wrestle you to the ground and squeeze you until your funny bone snaps in two.

A botched kidnapping, a money scam, a not-so-average convenience store holdup ... each story flows (with the money) through a series of interesting, and sometimes bizarre, plots. Layered and interweaved with seamless complexity, recurring characters and everyday motifs bind the ten stories into a single universal plot*.

Ingenious in its conception, flawless in its execution, "Follow the Money" is a hilarious, detailed study on the many facets of the human condition. Greed, Pride, Lust ... the seven deadly sins have never been so entertaining.

Prepare yourself for a raunchy, gritty ride you'll never want to end.

* (Note: Not one single vampire, zombie or sorcerer was thought about during the writing or editing of these stories)

For more information please visit Ross Cavins' website.

My Review

This book was hilarious. Right from the dedication through to the end. I still hate to admit that I have a sick and dark sense of humor, but the fact that I laughed through most of this book I think just sets that even more in stone...

The stories were so weird. They all seemed to revolve around, what most people would consider, "trash". Sadly though there were a few characters that when I started reading them I thought to myself "This is just like ..." It was both a frightening and liberating, it meant I could laugh at it because I was part of it.

For being short stories the characters are very well developed. The fact that some of them carry through one or two of the stories helps build them even more. I think the ability to create such developed characters within the limitations of a short story is a sign of a great author.

The stories are well written. Sometimes it took me a minute to find the "connection" to the previous stories, but once I figured it out it all really started to make sense. Again I have to mention the humor that was so well-placed in the stories. I don't want to give anything away but my favorite bit of humor is the toe/thumb... (That's got you thinking doesn't it???) Like I said, it's kind of dark twisted humor.

While I didn't get lost in the story, and the characters were all fairly despicable I do have to say that I really enjoyed myself while reading this book. I really hope Cavins writes something else because I think I'm going to have to read this a few times. Not only to pick up some of the things I may have missed but also because I enjoyed it so much.

Review: e-Book Common Sense by Thomas Paine

I bought this to help my sister with a paper she had to write.



About the Book

Thomas Paine arrived in America from England in 1774. A friend of Ben Franklin, he was a writer of poetry and tracts condemning the slave trade. In 1775, as hostilities between Britain and the colonies intensified, Paine wrote Common Sense to encourage the colonies to break the British exploitative hold through independence. The little booklet of 50 pages was published January 10, 1776 and sold a half-million copies, approximately equal to 75 million copies today.

My Review

I can't say that I liked this one, but I didn't hate it and I actually found it fairly interesting. It was intriguing and as Paine made his arguments for why we should revolt I kept having to remind myself of the time that this was written. It really made me think had we not had people like Paine in our history where would we be today? How different of a world would we live in if there had not been revolutionists?

The language took me a bit to get used to. I realized how nice the dictionary feature on the nook really is... There were quite a few times that I had to look something up because I was lost as to what Paine was trying to get across.

Overall I think it was a compelling piece of literature. At the very least it was thought provoking and gave me a better idea of the place America was in politically and socially before the revolution.

Review: Audiobook: When I Stop Talking You'll Know I'm Dead by Jerry Weintraub

Thanks to Anna at Hachette for letting me review this audiobook.



About the Book

Here is the story of Jerry Weintraub: the self-made, Brooklyn-born, Bronx-raised impresario, Hollywood producer, legendary deal maker, and friend of politicians and stars. No matter where nature has placed him--the club rooms of Brooklyn, the Mafia dives of New York's Lower East Side, the wilds of Alaska, or the hills of Hollywood--he has found a way to put on a show and sell tickets at the door. "All life was a theater and I wanted to put it up on a stage," he writes. "I wanted to set the world under a marquee that read: 'Jerry Weintraub Presents.'"

In WHEN I STOP TALKING, YOU'LL KNOW I'M DEAD, we follow Weintraub from his first great success at age twenty-six with Elvis Presley, whom he took on the road with the help of Colonel Tom Parker; to the immortal days with Sinatra and Rat Pack glory; to his crowning hits as a movie producer, starting with Robert Altman and Nashville, continuing with Oh, God!, The Karate Kid movies, and Diner, among others, and summiting with Steven Soderbergh and Ocean's Eleven, Twelve, and Thirteen.

Along the way, we'll watch as Jerry moves from the poker tables of Palm Springs (the games went on for days), to the power rooms of Hollywood, to the halls of the White House, to Red Square in Moscow and the Great Palace in Beijing-all the while counseling potentates, poets, and kings, with clients and confidants like George Clooney, Bruce Willis, George H. W. Bush, Armand Hammer, Brad Pitt, Matt Damon, Bob Dylan, Led Zeppelin, John Denver, Bobby Fischer . . .well, the list goes on forever.

And of course, the story is not yet over . . .as the old-timers say, "The best is yet to come."

As Weintraub says, "When I stop talking, you'll know I'm dead."

With wit, wisdom, and the cool confidence that has colored his remarkable career, Jerry chronicles a quintessentially American journey, one marked by luck, love, and improvisation. The stories he tells and the lessons we learn are essential, not just for those who love movies and music, but for businessmen, entrepreneurs, artists . . . everyone.

You can Like Jerry Weintraub on Facebook.

My Review

I liked this book. I had heard the name Jerry Weintraub before but I never really knew who he was. After hearing all of the things he has accomplished in his life I now realized that I've probably heard his name a million times but since he's not the star of anything I've never really paid that much attention to who he was.

This book is like sitting with your grandfather listening to the stories of his life and taking in all the advice he has to give. It was very enlightening. Jerry never really had a formal education, he just had the mindset that if he wanted something he was going to get it. His entire life he made things happen for himself, weather he was "prepared" for them or not. I wish I would have kept a pen and paper near by while listening to this one as there were so many nuggets that I can't even begin to remember them all.

I think this without realizing it this book has started to make subtle changes in my life. Since I've finished this I've had a bit more of a positive outlook and have been stepping outside my comfort zone to get things accomplished. Jerry says throughout the book that if a kid from the Bronx can do it... And while I don't think being from the Bronx is a detriment in life I do get what Jerry is trying to say. That he's nothing special, he's just another person, and if he can accomplish these things there is no reason that anyone else wouldn't be able to reach their goals.

What I really liked was that Jerry has such a great sense of humor. There were so many times in this one where he was able to laugh at himself. Even though he is a millionaire and has worked with Sinatra, Elvis, John Denver, Bob Dylan, Led Zeppelin, Brad Pitt, and so many others he gives off the feel that he is a truly humble person.

As I first started listening to this book I thought Jerry's voice would get a bit irritating, but the longer I listened the more I was endeared to Jerry because of his voice. I know it was his story, but he read the book like he was just sitting down and having a conversation. You could hear the emotion in his voice as he talked about the moments that really changed his life. He made a great narrator.

I really liked this book. It made me want to meet Jerry. And I keep calling him Jerry because after spending 8 hours with him and his life story I feel like I know him. I feel like if I were to be given the chance to speak with him it would be like catching up with a long lost friend.

When I Stop Talking, You'll Know I'm Dead: Useful Stories from a Persuasive Man

1 Star Books

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