Review Tales
Trusted Reviews and Author Features Since 2016
The Compulsive Move by Philip Cornell (Book Review #82)
This review is written for Online Book Club
“I rate this book 2 out of 4 stars.”
The Compulsive Move is a book written about a boy named Kevin. From the beginning of the book, I noticed something different. The way the story is told is through a third person but in a very weird way. The third person speaks about the story using terms like “Do you know what I mean?”, “As you can see” or “Don’t get me wrong.” The book claims to be a fiction. However, it is not written like one. I did not like the literature and strategy used in telling the story.
Kevin is a confused teenager trying to figure out what he wants in life and what path he should take. His family is normal, and nothing is alarming or confusing about them causing Kevin to behave abnormally. He has friends and even has a love interest, J’Adore.
This ten-chapter book covers his journey to Chicago only because he is accepted into university. His money runs out, so he starts dealing drugs and smoking marijuana to make ends meet. He is in the wrong crowd giving him the wrong guidance. A robbery shakes Kevin to his core diverting him back to doing the right thing and working for his money.
I found the story to be very basic. There are no twists or big reveals. It does not even discuss real issues teenagers face. Even when he is dealing with drugs or smoking, I was expecting more emotions, turmoil, questions and doubts, possible anger or resentment or just something related to what teenagers face these days. There are references in making fun of people that are a transvestite, which was uncalled for. The book also contains too many grammatical, sentence structure and other issues that need a professional editor to fix.
There was no significant execution of the difficult tasks a teenager faces. However, it does, cover issues where teens face entering university, funding, and living alone away from their families. The author does also reference how hard it is living in a job where you really do not see any self-worth.
I will end this review wishing the author all the best in his next work.
Written by Jeyran Main
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Surviving Schizophrenia by Richard Carlson (Book Review #331)
Unfortunately for Richard, he never was diagnosed correctly and subsequently, lost a lot of his precious life going through turmoil. He kept hearing voices; he suffered from depression, anxiety, lack of motivation, and the inability to identify what was real and what was unreal.
Although this topic and the nature of the work is sensitive, many have now recognized it as a serious issue. Discussing schizophrenia is no longer a taboo and thankfully, books like this one, keep the subject matter alive.
I believe the author’s intention is to create awareness and to prevent his experience from happening to someone else.
The writing and literature standard is easy to understand and to follow. There is a nice flow between the chapters and paragraphs. I believe when these topics are being talked about, an easy to comprehend approach is always more successful, and that is that case with this book.
I recommend this book for people who enjoy psychology and are especially interested in the study of Schizophrenia.
This review was requested by the author and Underrated.com
Written by Jeyran Main
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Netwalking Space by Joyce Reynolds-Ward (Book Review #88)
Aliens have attacked Earth before using a Gizmo war machine that destroyed many cities on Earth. Bess and her family managed to confine this machine and stop the destruction. The machine endorsed Bess and her family to create a Netwalk. This Netwalking Space became a communication system that allows personalities to upload when they die. Bess’s grandmother, great-grandmother, and mother have all passed on into this Netwalk.
When Bess and her family realize that the aliens are planning to attack again, they have to work together to defend Earth. However, friction takes over this family. Sarah, Bess’s great-grandmother, has a past that is revealed causing Diana, Bess’s grandmother to have a meltdown and join the Gizmo collaborators.
There is an added romance between the lead character and a certain accompanied gentlemen that blossoms within the right amount of time built into the story which I found to be an additional bonus.
Many words can easily describe this wonderful book. However, none can do it justice. The plot is original, and it is a family-oriented story, which is very touching. All the characters and casting crew have enough written backstory and relatable personalities. It was effortless to feel and bond with each and every one of them.
The pace and settings of the story were fantastic. Every page is interesting and not filled with fluffy content just to get by. Joyce Ward has definitely presented one of her greatest works. The literature standard was so easy to understand yet contained enough science fiction and space terminology to keep the intelligent mind intrigued.
The love and bond for protecting a family member regardless of them passed on or alive was admirable. Our daunting pasts can always get to us, but family always comes first.I recommend this book to readers that like science fiction and space stories.
I recommend this book to readers that like science fiction and space stories.
Written by Jeyran Main
This review was kindly requested by the Author, Joyce Reynolds-Ward.
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The Grand by Dennis D. Wilson (Book Review #81)
This review is written for Online Book Club
“I rate this book 4 out of 4 stars.”
The story is explained in several perspective angles and then brought together for the final reveal. I found this approach to add more depth and dimension to the story.
The Grand begins with Dean Wister, a federal agent that has lost his wife, Sara, through cancer. Before she passes away, she asks Dean if they could go to their favorite place, the meadow, once she is feeling better. Unfortunately, she passes away and does not make it. Dean takes time off and goes to the meadow (located in Teton), in her loving memory.
Dan Cody is the Teton County Sheriff. He is investigating a death due to a car crash. However, since the guy passing away in the crash is a hit man, someone notoriously investigated by the Chicago Police, they send Dean to just go over the details and make sure there is nothing suspicious going on.
Dean is going through the seven stages of grief. His mind, emotional state and judgment can be affected by his investigation. Although he finds it hard to focus and to deal with his personal loss, Dean does a good job covering up his emotions. He talks to his wife’s ghost as a coping mechanism.
About the same time, the body of Jordy, a real estate agent is found dead, and another person named Hayden (Jordy’s Cousin) goes missing.
This twisted and intriguing tale of a thriller mystery increases your senses of wonder right up to the end. The plot and character building were superbly done. Dean is a highly likable character. The build-up and backstory at the beginning provide the exact dosage of information needed to bond with him. I loved the added story where he saves a dog from being abused by his owner. When you lose a loved one, animals can always assist you in the healing process, as they feel your pain.
The book does reference sensitive topics such as human trafficking, death, loss, animal abuse and does have strong language throughout.
Dean is no James Bond; he uses basic instincts and common sense. He has no flashy car, and things don’t just magically fall on his path of discovery, which I liked very much. The story finishes with a bang, and there are some loose ends that can provide enough potential for a sequel.
Written by Jeyran Main
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Only Human by Leigh Holland (Book Review #330)
The Irish fairy is a Pooka, and he is saved by a priest named, Patrick. The priest asks him to tell stories about his past, and since the fairy is cursed, he remembers everything. At first, it was hard to get into the world. However, once I settled in, it was a wonderful experience. The book wishes to emphasize on the human weakness, and I believe, it was filled with human challenges, which made this read to be special.
The story was written in the first-person narrative, and since I read it through hard copy, I also enjoyed the sufficient spacing, formatting and, the style of binding for the book. The pace was steady, and the characters were filled with personality.
The one thing that stood out to me was the author’s style of writing. I believe placing everything aside, where a fantasy novel is being told, the reader is mostly imagining its descriptive world and is wondering in this created space. Therefore, emphasis on perfecting this imagination is vital to the success of the story. The author succeeded in creating this world and also brought out an additional take on the story.
What could have improved was character development, but I believe, that was due to the fact that the book was a novella.
I recommend this book to fantasy readers and people who enjoy stories being re-told.
Written by Jeyran Main
This review was kindly requested by the author and Underrated.com
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The Fog by Kyo Maclear (Book Review#80)
Warble is a bird that likes human watching. It sounds ironic as it’s normal for humans to go bird watching. Anyhow, this little bird loves what he does. He takes notes and enjoys observing the Island that he lives on.
This island is called Icyland, and it is very beautiful. One day a fog takes over the whole island making it very hard to see. Warble is no longer able to see any humans visit. This really upsets him. He starts asking other birds and animals, trying to find out why this has happened. No one cares.
One day he manages to barely see this little girl in the fog and begins to communicate with her trying to see if she too sees the fog. The little girl tells Warble that she sees the fog. So they decide together to send paper boat letters containing messages to anyone else out there. The message is to see if anyone else notices the fog. After sending many paper boats, others begin to respond back to them. As they receive more and more responses the fog is lifted.
As long as everyone gets involved in our environment and begins to care about the situations that harm earth then the “fog” of ignorance will be lifted.
This book is an excellent read in creating awareness towards our environmental issues.
Written by Jeyran Main
This book was given to me by Penguin Random House Canada through NetGalley.
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Princess Lemonella by Saarein te Brake / Sassafras de Bruyn (Book Review #79)
The Kingdom of Cornichon welcomes a baby girl, Princess Ella. This princess does not smile, laugh or behave in any joyful way. Her parents, the king, and the queen try their hardest to create a situation where she would smile, but nothing gives in, and so they give up and call her Princess Lemonella.
After 18 years, the king and the queen finally decide that it is time for Lemonella to marry. As suitors pour in for this beautiful girl, she rejects them one after another. The princes all offer her things she is remotely interested in.
One day as she is staring outside her window, another prince rides along, and Lemonella says hi to him. She asks him if he wishes to offer what the others have been and he says no. Prince Peter is, in fact, suffering from the same fate as Lemonella. He too has a frowned face and does not smile or laugh. His parents call him Prince Pickle. As they discover their nicknames, they begin to smile and then laugh.
Their laughter brings them together.
I found this book to be a wonderful rendition of what we all need to learn from. The tale teaches us that everyone has a different background and comes from a diverse point of view. We simply cannot force anything on ourselves just because we are different.
We may feel misunderstood and misplaced at times, however, with a little patience, it is easy to find people that are in the same situation as us. We aren’t alone.
Sharing a smile and laughing together is not so hard when you find your match.
Written by Jeyran Main
This book was given to me by Clavis Books through NetGalley.
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Sins of the Father by A. J. Mccarthy (Book Review #329)
A stalker insists on harassing Charlene, and that’s when she hires a private investigator, Simm. The entire novel was very thrilling to read. The concept of the novel, being secretive, added to its suspenseful manner.
The pace of the story was steady. There wasn’t much background to the plot, as I believe, it would have taken away from the secrets embedded in the story.
I particularly enjoyed the nature of the writing. The literature was easy and had a nice flow to it. When a story has several hidden messages, it really compliments the experience for the reader.
In this case, the feeling of wanting to know what happens next carries the reader throughout the entire book. Nothing really gets you prepared from what you’re to foresee, and I really liked that about the book.
I recommend this book to people who enjoy suspense novels.
Written by Jeyran Main
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Herpes Encephalitis (Infection of the Brain) – Could Encephalitis Have Killed Oscar Wilde? by James Okun, MD
It is time for James Okun to pick our brain and inform us on some important medical matters. You can show your support by buying his books or leaving a comment here if you like- Jeyran Main
James D. Okun, MD is a Phi Beta Kappa graduate of Duke University and of the Albert Einstein College of Medicine in New York. He is the co-author of The History of New Innovations in Modern Medicine and of Erasing Scars: Herpes and Healing.
Herpes Simplex Encephalitis is an infection of the brain caused by the HSV (Herpes Simplex Virus) usually Type 1 and is the most common cause of viral encephalitis in developed countries (www. Healthline.com) and of “fatal sporadic fulminant necrotizing viral encephalitis” (Radiopaedia.org).
Encephalitis is often confused with Meningitis which is an infection of the three- layered covering of the brain (meninges). Meningoencephalitis is an infection of both the meninges and of the brain. Encephalitis is derived from the Greek with “en” meaning “in” and “kephale” meaning “head” (www.dictionary.com.) The suffix “itis” means inflammation. Combined into one word the meaning is inflammation “in the head.”
It is thought that the Herpes 1 Virus ascends through the nose via the eighth cranial nerve and travels to the frontal (emotions, behavior, and judgment) and temporal (memory and speech) lobes of the brain (Erasing Scars: Herpes and Healing p.11). Herpes encephalitis can affect persons of any age, sex, or economic status. Especially at risk are older patients and those with compromised immune systems or those taking steroids.
About fifteen percent of patients who develop Herpes encephalitis have histories of recurrent herpes labialis (cold sores). There have been estimates that up to thirty-eight percent of patients who are in a coma from herpes encephalitis and who have seizures or paralysis will die, with any survivors having a severe neurological impairment. (Erasing Scars pgs. 11-12).
Patients with acute encephalitis become acutely ill with symptoms such as a severe headache, photophobia, nausea, and vomiting. One- third of the patients will develop concurrent fever blisters during their illness, Other patients will become paralyzed or comatose. (Erasing Scars p. 12.) Some exhibit severe behavioral changes including hallucinations and angry outbursts and poor judgment.
Oscar Wilde is a well-known English writer and playwright best known for The Importance of Being Ernest and The Picture of Dorian Gray. He was a controversial figure who sued the powerful aristocratic father of his male lover for slander for speaking against him (Wilde had openly flaunted his relationship with the Lord’s son); during this time homosexuality was outlawed in England.
He wound up losing his case, being arrested himself and then was “charged with gross indecency, convicted” (oscarwildesociety.co.uk) and eventually he spent two years in prison at hard labor. There has been a dispute among scholars as to what eventually killed Oscar Wilde (syphilis vs. meningoencephalitis etc.), and it begs the question whether his deteriorating judgment could have been due to encephalitis/meningitis. In addition to his ill-advised lawsuit
which backfired, Wilde moved into a flophouse despite his ability to access funds from his plays to live in a more decent area evidencing continued questionable judgment.
According to an article in The New York Times books section in 1988, there is indeed documentation from Wilde’s attending doctors that he had encephalitis probably along with meningitis: (http://www.nytimes.com/1988/03/20/books/l-what-killed-oscar-wilde “A surviving report dated Nov. 27, signed by (Dr.)Tucker and (Dr.) Cleiss describes the patient’s worsening condition without mentioning syphilis: ”The diagnosis of encephalitis meningitis must be made without a doubt. . . . Surgical intervention seems impossible.” He died November 30, 1900.
Encephalitis due to HSV can be treated with IV acyclovir (drug of choice) to try to “shorten the clinical course, prevent complications, prevent the development of latency and subsequent recurrences, decrease transmission, and eliminate established latency (emedicine.medscape.com Herpes Simplex Encephalitis Medication Jun 15, 2016).
New research now indicates that a chronic form of recurrent herpetic encephalitis exists which has been linked through multiple studies (100) to the development of Alzheimer’s Disease (See Chapter 10 The History of New Innovations in Modern Medicine.)
Could a condition of chronic, recurrent encephalitis also have played a part in Oscar Wilde’s condition and symptoms before the acute episode of encephalitis that killed him? The evidence seems convincing that Encephalitis played a large role in Wilde’s death and bad judgment. Wilde’s actions though helped open a political discourse in the United Kingdom on homosexuality, and so this is part of his legacy along with his writings.
James D. Okun, MD is a Phi Beta Kappa graduate of Duke University and of the Albert Einstein College of Medicine in New York. He is the co-author of The History of New Innovations in Modern Medicine and of Erasing Scars: Herpes and Healing.
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