Lizzy Speare and The Cursed Tomb by Ally Malinenko is a young teen read that in some aspects is a lot of fun.  That’s saying something since, this particular writer, reader, and reviewer, doesn’t particularly like Shakespeare.  At all.  In fact, my personal opinion is that he’s shoved down our throats so much from middle school, high school, and college, that you just want to find every work he’s ever done and burn it so that no one else will ever be subjected to it again.  Once a person is introduced to Shakespeare academically he always seems to come up again.  So it’s refreshing to see Shakespeare in a new light, with a modern twist, and a unique way to draw readers in.



"MEET LIZZY SPEARE…

…a normal twelve year old girl with a talent for writing, who has a very not normal family secret. And when Lizzy’s father vanishes, that secret will change her life in ways unimagined. (Spoiler Alert! It turns out that Lizzy, or Elizabeth S. Speare, is the last living descendant of William Shakespeare. Shhh! Don’t tell anybody!)

Then Lizzy and her best friend Sammy are kidnapped, awakening in the faraway land of Manhattan. Their host is Jonathan Muse, whose job is to protect Lizzy from becoming the latest victim in a family feud nearly five hundred years old. Could that be why the mysterious, eye patch-wearing Dmitri Marlowe is after her? (Spoiler Alert 2—he’s the last living descendant of Christopher Marlowe, a friend and rival of Shakespeare’s. But keep it to yourself!) Is Marlowe after Lizzy’s family fortune rumored to be kept in Shakespeare’s tomb? Does he seek artistic immortality? Or Revenge (with a capital R) for a death long, long ago?

In a dangerous game of cat-and-mouse, Lizzy and Sammy are thrust into the realm of the mythical and fantastic—from satyrs and Cyclopses to Middle Eastern cab drivers and Brooklyn hipsters—in what is truly “an improbable fiction” as the Bard himself once wrote"

-Ally Malinenko

That being said, while it’s meant for a younger group of readers, in some aspects I think that the author would have done better by showing instead of telling.  There’s an overabundance of pronouns in some areas of he did, she did, they did – that could have been revamped into a bit of showing that wouldn’t make it so repetitive.  Is a middle school kid likely to pick up on this? Probably not.  They may well be too engrossed in the story to notice, and the story is worth picking up – especially if you’re a Shakespeare fan.

It’s an easy read, and doesn’t go too overly in depth – which makes it perfect for that young teen and tween.  I give Lizzy Speare and The Cursed Tomb by Ally Malinenko three stars, for a unique twist on Shakespeare, and an easy read that a lot of kids will enjoy. 

 

For more information on Ally Malinenko and her Lizzy Speare's books you can visit her website at: http://allymalinenko.com/

Twitter: @AliMalinenko

HAPPY BIRTHDAY TETRIS!!!

Holy crap, Tetris came out when I was one year old!  ONE!  God damn!  They are 29 years old!  Wait till they hit thirty.  Maybe then they'll be as fabulous as me ;) It's all about the thirties baby!  Still, this is an epic nostalgic piece of 80's history.  My childhood - the frustration of wanting to throw my clunky Gameboy across the room because the shapes were coming to fast, the warning music that I was about to die - ahh childhood, how I miss thee sometimes.  Then I remember all the awkward phases, and imagine that Tetris is happy to be all grown up and have gone from the ugly green to full color!

A little background on Tetris for those of you tots who are completely lost as to what this is.

Year of Release: June 6, 1984

Originally Designed and Programmed by: Alexey Pajitnov of the Soviet Union.

It was the first programmed software that was make in the UK and exported to the US.

That's right - Tetris was leading the way for all the epic games we have today!

WAIT!  There's more!!  

HAPPY NATIONAL YO-YO DAY!!

Who knew right?  I didn't, but hey Geeks and Nerds are always learning and enjoying a classic throwback.  There is even a Museum of Yo-Yo History!  Holy crap!  The Yo-Yo is much more popular than I thought!

Okay, honestly, there's a crap ton of history on the Yo-Yo!  I would suggest clicking on the museum to start, but there's way too much info for me to put into this post.  However, I will say that while Yo-Yo's are cool in theory - I always completely and utterly failed at them.  I could never get them to come back up!!!  Misadventures of the Yo-Yo!  At least for this Geek.  

AND THAT, DEAR NERDS, IS YOUR RANDOM NERDY FACT OF THE DAY!

Greetings and Salutations Nerds!

I know, I know it’s been a minute between blog posts. Things got a little busy, but fear not! I have not forgotten about thee! I’m in the middle of reviewing two books, writing my own, writing four critical analysis for my short story class, and drudging my way through my oceanography lab. You would think that would be enough for me, but come on now! I’m a multitasking nerd, and I found some awesome motivation for my story.

Now, most people have heard of NanoWrimo – at least the people I speak to online. Not everyone in my real life knows what it is because they are not absolutely obsessed with reading and writing like I am. However, what some people may not have heard of – but still have the chance to get involved with is:

DRUM ROLL PLEASE!!

JUNOWRIMO!!

JUNE NOVEL WRITING MONTH!

This is brought to you by:

Becca J.Campbell and A.E. Howard (Anna)

These two lovely ladies have personalized JunoWrimo. Now, I generally participate in NanoWrimo – but I rarely if ever finish. The truth is I’m not a big fan of the layout of their site, the mass groupings, and to me, it's just not very personal. Now don’t get me wrong, NanoWrimo is great! It motivates and prompts people to write their asses off! But, I’m more of an interactive person. I work full time, go to school full time, sleep part time, review books, write stories, and so many of the Write-Ins for NanoWrimo just don’t happen for me. (Of course that won't stop me from trying again this year.) Their motivational posts by published authors also help, but with JunoWrimo – at least to me – there’s more of a sense of community.

If you have a Twitter account I highly recommend following @JunoWrimo on twitter. There are writing sprints, word mongers, and these wonderful ladies take the time to reply back to people individually, personalizing JunoWrimo and the motivation that comes along with it. I also very much enjoy the layout of their site, and the fact that they add little prompts into the tweets for the writing sprints. They also remind you to take breaks and stretch your legs. For someone like me, who has a million and one things to do during the day, but is still pursuing my dream of becoming a writer, this is perfect. I’m meeting new people, fellow writers, and truly enjoying this experience.

My suggestion – whether you think you have the time or not – sign up at www.JunoWrimo.com You may well surprise yourself at how much you get done with the support of this fantastic community. Also if you get a moment don't forget to like them on facebook. :)

There are many reasons I love Twitter.  The personality of people, the breaking news updates in the publishing world, book promotions, and not to mention the fact that sometimes you can catch an author looking for a book reviewer. The ladder is how I snagged a copy of Troy Blackford’s short story collection entitled, “For Those With Eye’s To See.”  

When he asked if there was anyone who wanted to review a short story collection, I asked, “What sort of short stories?”  To which Troy replied, “Mostly horror, but all completely weird.”  Yes, this was our twitter conversation.  Mr. Blackford, you had me at weird.  I’d also like to mention that in his introduction, Troy states:

“The short story isn't the most respected or read form of writing right now, but I don’t see why that should be the case. If tawdry romance can make a literary comeback, then I think the short story’s time is due.”

I couldn't agree more.  I love short stories, reading them, writing them, drooling over them – and they are the perfect thing for someone to read who has a busy day.  Catch a story in between tasks at work, at lunch, or on the bus ride home.  So, for anyone reading this who hasn't given the short story a chance, I would suggest doing so, and if you’re into the weird, the macabre, and the twisted – like me – I would definitely suggest picking up Troy Blackford’s “For Those With Eye’s To See.”

These stories are fiendishly twisted, beautifully described, and never fail in sucking the reader right into the thick of things.  Each story is vastly different from the next.  His scenes are subtle, and he knows when he needs to show or to tell, and how to blend everything in between.  Blackford’s imagination is fun, original, and will no doubt in a few instances have the reader going:  “Seriously, dude, what the hell goes on in that head of yours?”

It is excellent and refreshingly original, not to mention it’s something you can read on the go.  I foresee many good things coming from one Mr. Troy Blackford.  Be careful though, wildly creative talent and addictive fans often lead to stalkers – which may only fuel more of the authors imagination.

"For Those With Eyes To See," by Troy Blackford gets FOUR ½ out of FIVE stars from me for being engaging, not having the same repetitious crap in one book, and I’ve only shed the half star because in the story “All In Your Head,” Mike knew the name of all the surgical equipment after doing crazy research, but Victor in “Promising Candidate” - a veteran trucker well versed in the lingo - never once referred to a refrigerated truck as a reefer unit.   However, that’s just my own little peeve because my daddy was a trucker in his younger days.  Don’t let that little tidbit deter you at all.  Trust me this is well worth the read if you enjoy the dark side of literature.

 1/2

About The Author:

Troy Blackford is a 29 year-old writer living in the Twin Cities with his

wife, two cats, and a son on the way.

His stories have appeared in places like Bewildering Stories, Roadside

Fiction, Roar & Thunder, the Glass Coin, Rose Red Review, and

Inkspill Magazine.

He has three other publications available on Kindle and in Paperback.

You can find out more about him on his website:

http://www.troyblackford.com

or follow him on Twitter: @TBlackford3

Image by Cool Text

Generally, I go through the Play Store (Yup, that’s right, I said play store, I’m an Android girl – sorry to all you iPhone users.) and look through the free games – I’m on a budget people – download several – try them out – uninstall half of what I downloaded – and then zero in on my favorite one. 

Just like any form of advertising, if the name of the app, the picture, or the description doesn’t draw me in – I’m not gonna download it.  That’s the facts, kids.  Grumpy Bear’s description is quite long – and to be honest it’s rare, if ever that I click on that more button to show the rest of the description.  That first blurb for the app has got to draw my attention.  Luckily, for Grumpy Bear’s, they did.

Grumpy Bear Description (Via the Play Store)

There be some grumpy teddy bears in the woods, and they be wantin' your honey!


Fight off the teddy bears and put up your best defenses to keep those grumpy teddies at bay.


Huge, family fun with tons of fur and explosions.


Now you must defend your barrels of honey at all cost. Luckily you have a wide variety of weapons and defense systems to do just that. Being a honey delivery truck has never been so dangerous and SO FUN!


Things you can throw at them grumpy teddy bears include:✩ Sticks o' Dynamite✩ Skully McGee's UberBombs✩ Bear Seeking Grenades✩ Dad's Pile o' Wrenches✩ Trusty Hay Bales✩ Molotov Cocktails✩ Your Pet Rock (not recommended)✮ The Nuke✮ The Hammer of Thunder✮ The Flaming Hay Bale✮ Lumberjack✮ Panda
Also be sure to check out these crazy tools of destruction:✮ The Electric FenceTeddy Bears you can unlock include:✮ Ninja...and many, many more!


Good luck and have fun!

I downloaded.

I tried.

I can’t get enough of throwing hay bales and blowing up angry looking stuffed Teddy Bears riding motorcycles and trying to steal the honey off the back of my truck.  They’ve even got personality!  If you miss, many times they stand up on their bike, shake their ass at you, and say, “Nanananana.”  It’s hilarious!  There are no bugs that I've found (so far), and it's very simple and lots of fun. Here’s the break down, this game is fun, there’s a variety of weapon options, hilarious antics, and it’s perfect for winding down after a long day at work.  Beware: Once you pick it up – you’ll loathe to put it down.

Grumpy Bears is brought to you by Fluik Entertainment, makers of wicked-fun mobile games such as Office Jerk, Office Zombie and Plumber Crack.

You can download the app HERE.

You can also visit their Facebook page HERE.

Iron Man 3 - Trailer

To be honest, Iron Man isn’t my favorite franchise of Superhero movies.  I’d much prefer to watch Thor with his red cape, hammer, and long flowing hair, or Captain America, (seriously they need to come out with a Hawkeye movie) as opposed to Tony Stark.  The character is great, but I’ve always been able to easily predict where the movie was going, what was going to happen, and my favorite part of the Iron Man franchise has always been the witty dialogue of the characters.  That alone makes it worth watching.  So, if you have not seen Iron Man 3 and do not wish to be spoiled, stop reading now.

THE REVIEW BEGINS HERE!

The thing I particularly loved about this Iron Man movie was the progress of Tony Stark’s character.  Tony has always been a playboy philanthropist with his own desires at the top of his to-do list.   He’s finally devoted to Pepper, and we see that he is – in fact – mortal like the rest of us.  Panic attacks are taking their toll on him, and each time, all Tony wants to do is jump in his suit.  It’s become his crutch.  He doesn’t sleep, barely eats, and spends every waking moment of his free time building new suits with new toys, and fresh concepts.  His hobby has become an obsession – and quite possibly the only thing that’s keeping him sane.

In the meantime The Mandarin – a terrorist that has caused several bombings against the US is stirring up trouble.  A man named Killian has returned from Tony’s past in hopes of getting funding for a new project – which Pepper deems is too dangerous and can be used for biological warfare.  Happy – our favorite goofy body guard – is now head of security and doesn’t quite trust Killian’s shady partner waiting in the living.  He follows him, gets blown up, but manages to get a clue to Tony.

Perhaps – in an act to prove that he’s still got it – Tony calls out The Mandarin and even gives his home address on live TV.  This of course, causes retaliation and we see Stark’s beautiful mountain side, ocean vista destroyed.  (There was a moment of thinking we lost Jarvas – not cool!) All of his suits are blown up, at least the ones we can see, his basement work shop is left in rubble – but what I loved about this scene was that when the first missile hit – Tony threw the suit (one which is not fully functional yet) on Pepper to protect her from getting hurt. 

After an almost watery grave – Tony escapes and finds himself in Tennessee – the clue that Happy left for Stark lead him there – though he wasn’t planning on going right away.  The suit is broken, Jarvis needs to sleep, and Tony finds himself walking through the snow, while dressed for sunny California, dragging the suit along behind him.  After getting a message to Pepper, he steals a poncho from a wooden statue and finds a shed where a new friend – a little boy named Harley – helps Tony in more ways than he realizes.  The interaction between these two is great, and Tony has to learn how to help the people of the nation without using the suit.  He can’t rely on it – the suit can no longer be his crutch.

That is my favorite part of Iron Man 3.  Tony has to realize how to be Iron Man with – or without the suit.  Now, I don’t want to give too much more away.  I don’t like to give away the ending, but the climax of the story arc was predictable and easy to call.  What happened after that though – well even I was surprised, so I won’t give it away.  I will say that Tony truly evolved as a person, and learned that with or without the suit – he is Iron Man.