Tag: Anthology

Audiobook Blog Blitz: Love, Loss and Life in Between by Suzanne Rogerson

Today I am taking part in the Audiobook Blog Blitz for Love, Loss and Life In Between by Suzanne Rogerson. It was narrated by Sandie Keane. This audiobook was released in January and I am sharing my review.

About the Audiobook:

This collection of short stories gives a glimpse into life, love, loss, and the inexplicable in between. Includes themes of grief, finding hope, second chances, facing the consequences of your actions, and getting help from the unlikeliest of places.

  • As Cecilia helps the dying, she questions what happens to their spirits. But is she ready to find out?
  • Can a mother’s race through the New Forest save her son?
  • Will visiting a medium bring Christina the closure she needs?
  • Can an intruder help an old lady with her loneliness?
  • Will the start of another wet and miserable Monday morning end with Maeve’s happy ever after.

Love, Loss, and Life in Between
Author: Suzanne Rogerson

Narrator: Sandie Keane
Published:  January 17, 2023
Audiobook: 2 hours 13 minutes (83 pages)

Reviewed By: Jessica
Date Read: March 1, 2023
Jessica’s Rating: 4 stars

Jessica’s Review:

I enjoy short stories, and had the opportunity to go on the blog blitz for this one, so I signed up! This is an audiobook blog tour and I listened to it over the course of one day.

There are 10 short stories, ranging from around 5 minutes long to up to nearly 20 minutes.  It is perfect if you don’t have a lot of time for reading. As the title suggests the listener deals with several parts of life: love, loss, and life in between.  Several of the stories deal with death and moving on. Rogerson did a great job with capturing the emotions of a story in just a few words!

The narrator Sandie Keane did a good job with her narration of the short stories.

I’m sure the reader or listener will find a story or two that stays with them! I did!

About the Author:

Suzanne lives in Middlesex, England with her husband, two teenagers, a crazy cocker spaniel and an adopted cat that thinks she’s the boss.

Suzanne’s writing journey began at the age of twelve when she completed her first novel. Giving up work to raise a family gave her the impetus to take her attempts at novel writing beyond the first draft, and she is lucky enough to have a husband who supports her dream – even if he does occasionally hint that she might think about getting a proper job one day.

Now an author of four novels including the Silent Sea Chronicles trilogy and her debut, Visions of Zarua, plus three short story collections, Suzanne hopes the dreaded ‘W’ word will never rear its ugly head again!

Suzanne collects books, is interested in history and enjoys wandering around castles and old ruins whilst being immersed in the past. She likes to combine her love of nature and photography on family walks, but most of all she loves to escape with a great film, binge watch TV shows, or soak in a hot bubble bath with an ice cream and a book.

Contact Suzanne:
Website
Twitter @rogersonsm
Goodreads
BookBub
Amazon 
Instagram @suzannemrogerson
Newsletter sign up

 

About the Narrator:
Having attended Drama school in Liverpool as a teenager Sandie moved into a variety of jobs varying from Hotel Management/Merseyside Police/Motherhood to name just a few but for 25 years she taught worldwide as a Pilates Tutor Trainer.

During lockdown Sandie’s interest turned to Audiobooks and it was from there she embarked on her own journey as an Audiobook Narrator.

Contact Sandie:
Website
Instagram @sandiekeane

Book Review: While You Sleep by Caillou Pettis

While You Sleep
Series:
Newryst #1

Author: Caillou Pettis
Published: March 8, 2022
140 Pages

Reviewed By: Kim
Kim’s Rating: 5 stars

Book Description:

Welcome to the city of Newryst – one of the most terrifying places known to mankind. On the surface, it seems to be a bustling city full of big dreams and hopeful ambitions, but upon closer inspection, it’s actually the focal point of some of the most horrifying and unexplainable cases ever documented.

In this collection, you’ll read ten pulse-pounding tales. An ordinary man experiences the most extreme form of sleep paralysis ever documented. A young boy wakes up in an unfamiliar room and must do everything it takes to escape. An antique store owner comes into possession of a mysterious music box with a cursed backstory. A man continuously hears clicking noises coming from deep inside his walls. Two radio hosts receive unsettling news while broadcasting live on air.

What do all of these stories have in common? They all occur in the city of Newryst. Take a journey into the mind of author Caillou Pettis as he walks you through all of the most disturbing events throughout the history of Newryst.

Kim’s Review:

This is a really good anthology! Normally I’m not a huge fan, especially when I have a hard time seeing the commonality in the stories, but that’s what I liked about this book. I didn’t have to search for it. All the stories take place in the same city, and that’s it. I went into it with that simple piece of info and it made all the difference. When I wasn’t looking for things in common, they just started appearing. And then, the most important thing: it was pretty creepy! So many of these stories gave me chills! I don’t want to say too much or give anything away so this is one of those reviews where I tell you to just read it and you’re welcome! An excellent anthology!

Purchase Links:
Amazon US
Amazon UK

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Happy Halloween! Book Review: Haunted Nights Edited by Ellen Datlow and Lisa Morton

Happy Halloween!  This is our favorite holiday here at Jessica’s Reading Room. And if you could not tell before this month, I think you can now! We had almost a full month of reviews of horror/thrillers!  (With a couple of non-thrillers kicked in).

Enjoy today for what it is, don’t eat too much sugar, and watch some scary movies! That’s what I’ve been doing this weekend! 

For your review enjoyment Kim brings you a review of Haunted Nights, which is a short story anthology!

Haunted Nights
Editors:  Ellen Datlow and Lisa Morton

Published: October 3, 2017
352 Pages

Reviewed By: Kim
Kim’s Rating: 4 stars

Book Description:

Sixteen never-before-published chilling tales that explore every aspect of our darkest holiday, Halloween, co-edited by Ellen Datlow, one of the most successful and respected genre editors, and Lisa Morton, a leading authority on Halloween.

In addition to stories about scheming jack-o’-lanterns, vengeful ghosts, otherworldly changelings, disturbingly realistic haunted attractions, masks that cover terrifying faces, murderous urban legends, parties gone bad, cult Halloween movies, and trick or treating in the future, Haunted Nights also offers terrifying and mind-bending explorations of related holidays like All Souls’ Day, Dia de los Muertos, and Devil’s Night.

-With Graveyard Weeds and Wolfbane Seeds- by Seanan McGuire
-Dirtmouth- by Stephen Graham Jones-
-A Small Taste of the Old Countr- by Jonathan Maberry
-Wick’s End- by Joanna Parypinski
-The Seventeen Year Itch- by Garth Nix
-A Flicker of Light on Devil’s Night- by Kate Jonez
-Witch-Hazel- by Jeffrey Ford
-Nos Galen Gaeaf- by Kelley Armstrong
-We’re Never Inviting Amber Again- by S. P. Miskowski
-Sisters- by Brian Evenson
-All Through the Night- by Elise Forier Edie
-A Kingdom of Sugar Skulls and Marigolds- by Eric J. Guignard
-The Turn- by Paul Kane
-Jack- by Pat Cadigan
-Lost in the Dark- by John Langan
-The First Lunar Halloween- by John R. Little

Kim’s Review:

What a great anthology! Blumhouse is doing pretty well with their publishing … now if we can just get them that consistent with their movies! I loved all but one of these short stories. I was also distracted while reading that one story so I can’t really say it wasn’t my own fault. But the piece de resistance is the story of Bad Agatha; I loved it so much that I’m being Agatha for Halloween this year!! If they made that story into a movie, I’d watch it without question! Any of these stories would make an amazing horror movie. I highly recommend this anthology to any horror fan without a single reservation. Perfect for Halloween!

Well done, Blumhouse, well done!!

Purchase Links:
Amazon US
Amazon UK

Kim as Bad Agatha!

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