Written as a diary by someone only identified as ZombieStopperUno, ZombieStop Parade spans over ten months and begins not long after a hacker named "Jackal" releases financial records that indicate the illegal activity of some big time corporations. The Jackal releases this information on several websites—one in particular is the nonconformist site ZombieStop. Created by a couple of twelve-year-olds, Corky and ZombieStopperUno—now in their twenties; both are college drop-outs—ZombieStop's goal is to "inspire people to stop acting like zombies" bred by American corporatism and media marketing. After firebombings target two of the financial institutions that the Jackal exposes, ZombieStop receives suspicion from the FBI, the public, and the media as being behind the firebombings because of their opposition to what these institutions stand for and for their call to action against them.
ZombieStopperUno chronicles these events and the reverberations that follow.. He discusses the influence of corporations and the media in American culture and society, the importance of seeing through the corporate mindset and of working to reverse corporatism's largely negative effects. As the diary goes on and there's more speculation about whether ZombieStop may be behind the firebombings, ZombieStopperUno questions Corky's ambitions for the site and the future of ZombieStop as a nonconformist site. Despite Corky's demand for optimism, ZombieStopperUno isn't without the cynicism for the future that this generation has been faced with and expresses his doubts as to whether its even possible to reverse the prominence of the corporatist "mythology."
What I liked most about this book was not only the style but also its balance between social commentary and action. Its social commentary is not melodramatic or didactic; it's a thoughtful evaluation of what our society has become. The book is satirical, humorous, and leaves the reader something to think about, if not another way of viewing American society. The ideas in this book are not new, but challenge the American mindset just the same. ZombieStop Parade is a good read and hard to put down. I recommend it to anyone open to ZombieStop's vision of staying alive and not joining the undead.
ZombieStop Parade by Richard Buzzell is available as a Kindle eBook from Amazon.com.
Review by Diana Reed
Dreamtime Books features book reviews. We also occasionally feature interesting press releases about books which we have read. If you are interested in having your book reviewed, please email: Producer@TalkStoryTV.com
Thursday, March 24, 2011
Tuesday, March 22, 2011
How to Successfully Skew Reality by Shayna Abrams
How to Successfully Skew Reality by Shayna Abrams is one of those books that for me kept saying what I already believed about reality, the nature of God (which she renames the Universal Life Force), and evolution. Her book is available free at Bibliofastic.com. I would encourage the author to do speaking engagements and talk about her experiences going “crazy” which provided her with some very sane insights.
Abrams maintains that there is a greater unexplainable power in the Universe that gives human beings exactly what they need exactly when they need it. Abrams goes on to describe different scenarios that while at first may appear negative, when examined using the belief that the Universe gives you exactly what you need when you need it can be interpreted as positive.
Abrams says her goal with this book is to convince you that life is not black and white and that gray is your new favorite color.
I usually think of the word skew as having negative connotations, but Abrams demonstrates what she means by skewing reality, by asking you to shift your prospective or how you look at a situation. This “skew” or shift in prospective allows you to see the new “gray” of that situation.
This book is simply a different way of describing the concept of having a positive attitude. However as Abrams points out herself ”one sentence in a book that hits you in the right place can be the exact thing you needed to hear at exactly the right time that made enough sense to you that something all of the sudden clicks. That is the “click” everyone who has written a book on this subject hopes for.”
I think the author will find a lot of people who will "click" when reading her book. You can find her book free at: http://bibliotastic.com
Review by Julia Widdop
Abrams maintains that there is a greater unexplainable power in the Universe that gives human beings exactly what they need exactly when they need it. Abrams goes on to describe different scenarios that while at first may appear negative, when examined using the belief that the Universe gives you exactly what you need when you need it can be interpreted as positive.
Abrams says her goal with this book is to convince you that life is not black and white and that gray is your new favorite color.
I usually think of the word skew as having negative connotations, but Abrams demonstrates what she means by skewing reality, by asking you to shift your prospective or how you look at a situation. This “skew” or shift in prospective allows you to see the new “gray” of that situation.
This book is simply a different way of describing the concept of having a positive attitude. However as Abrams points out herself ”one sentence in a book that hits you in the right place can be the exact thing you needed to hear at exactly the right time that made enough sense to you that something all of the sudden clicks. That is the “click” everyone who has written a book on this subject hopes for.”
I think the author will find a lot of people who will "click" when reading her book. You can find her book free at: http://bibliotastic.com
Review by Julia Widdop
Controlling The Emotions of a Serious Illness by Alan Yarbourgh, Ed.D
Controlling The Emotions of a Serious Illness by Alan Yarbourgh, Ed.D is available on a great free ebook site called www.bibliotastic.com. I discovered this website just a couple of weeks ago and it is full of wonderful books – all free. This particular book made me understand the power of the website.I will be providing links to people for this book.
Alan Yarbourgh, who suffers from a serious disease himself, wrote this book to help his own clients. Alan along with his wife had suffered from the shock and pain of receiving a diagnosis of Gehrig's disease, or ALS. Eventually Yarbourgh and his wife used Thought Field Therapy to treat the emotional symptoms of dealing with a serious disease. In this book Yarbourgh explains the therapy which consists of tapping a series of acupressure points while directing your thoughts to an area of anxiety or pain. He explains the therapy system simply with all the detail you need to make it work including the fact that Dr. Callahan who discovered the technique had also discovered that the acupressure points must be tapped in a specific order for whatever symptom you are treating. Yarbourgh not only provides the algorithms from Dr. Callahan, but goes on to describe trouble shooting methods for the times it doesn’t work and explains a simpler technique discovered by a student of Callahan’s, Gary Craig. Using Gary Craig’s method you simply tap on all the points so many times that eventually you have covered all the points so many times that the correct order has been covered. What Yarbourgh describes as the shotgun approach.
As a psychotherapist I had read about these methods before, but in reading this book I discovered one of the advantages of using an ebook. I can print out the directions on plain paper to use as a guide. I don’t have to try and hold the book open while tapping on my own acupressure points. I know I will be referring chronic pain clients to this book and this website.
Review by Julia Widdop, MA
Alan Yarbourgh, who suffers from a serious disease himself, wrote this book to help his own clients. Alan along with his wife had suffered from the shock and pain of receiving a diagnosis of Gehrig's disease, or ALS. Eventually Yarbourgh and his wife used Thought Field Therapy to treat the emotional symptoms of dealing with a serious disease. In this book Yarbourgh explains the therapy which consists of tapping a series of acupressure points while directing your thoughts to an area of anxiety or pain. He explains the therapy system simply with all the detail you need to make it work including the fact that Dr. Callahan who discovered the technique had also discovered that the acupressure points must be tapped in a specific order for whatever symptom you are treating. Yarbourgh not only provides the algorithms from Dr. Callahan, but goes on to describe trouble shooting methods for the times it doesn’t work and explains a simpler technique discovered by a student of Callahan’s, Gary Craig. Using Gary Craig’s method you simply tap on all the points so many times that eventually you have covered all the points so many times that the correct order has been covered. What Yarbourgh describes as the shotgun approach.
As a psychotherapist I had read about these methods before, but in reading this book I discovered one of the advantages of using an ebook. I can print out the directions on plain paper to use as a guide. I don’t have to try and hold the book open while tapping on my own acupressure points. I know I will be referring chronic pain clients to this book and this website.
Review by Julia Widdop, MA
Thursday, March 17, 2011
Review of Rook by JC Andrijeski
A fantasy novel by JC Andrijeski, Rook presents an alternate reality in which there are not only humans but also seers, a second race discovered in Asia at the beginning of the twentieth century. They appear human, but many of their similarities stop here--unlike humans, they contain supernatural powers and have access to another dimension, called the Barrier. The existence of these beings creates new politics, new cultural dynamics, and suspense in a world otherwise like ours
Rook chronicles the story of Allie Taylor, a twenty-eight-year-old San Francisco native. Her life has never been ordinary--there's always been something different about her that transcends the fact she's adopted, having been found under a bridge as a baby. She's also being stalked, but not by another lovestruck loser appearing with flowers and candy. Rather, it’s a seer, and their meeting sends her headfirst into a whole new set of problems that sheds light on her other-than-ordinary life and some recent events otherwise unexplainable. This seer, Revik, tells her that she's a seer also and that she alone has the ability to destroy the earth.
In this book, Andrijeski has created a fascinating world and an action-packed story; a version of the battle of good versus evil ,and also attempts to tackle large concepts that people face daily. Throughout the story, Allie grows and transforms, taking steps on her own hero's journey--from the beginning as any other human being to the end as a trained seer and her taking on her role as the "Bridge." During the first few chapters, there was mild confusion as to certain facts about the world Andrijeski was making an effort to portray, and throughout the book the exposition tended to be clumsy in places. However, if the reader can get past these things, they will find this book a fascinating read. Andrijeski delivers a good, entertaining story, and there are more installments in this series to come.
This book is available from Amazon.com in print and Kindle, from Smashwords.com, and Barnes and Noble. Other vendors can be found on www.whitesunpress.com.
Review by Diana Reed
Rook chronicles the story of Allie Taylor, a twenty-eight-year-old San Francisco native. Her life has never been ordinary--there's always been something different about her that transcends the fact she's adopted, having been found under a bridge as a baby. She's also being stalked, but not by another lovestruck loser appearing with flowers and candy. Rather, it’s a seer, and their meeting sends her headfirst into a whole new set of problems that sheds light on her other-than-ordinary life and some recent events otherwise unexplainable. This seer, Revik, tells her that she's a seer also and that she alone has the ability to destroy the earth.
In this book, Andrijeski has created a fascinating world and an action-packed story; a version of the battle of good versus evil ,and also attempts to tackle large concepts that people face daily. Throughout the story, Allie grows and transforms, taking steps on her own hero's journey--from the beginning as any other human being to the end as a trained seer and her taking on her role as the "Bridge." During the first few chapters, there was mild confusion as to certain facts about the world Andrijeski was making an effort to portray, and throughout the book the exposition tended to be clumsy in places. However, if the reader can get past these things, they will find this book a fascinating read. Andrijeski delivers a good, entertaining story, and there are more installments in this series to come.
This book is available from Amazon.com in print and Kindle, from Smashwords.com, and Barnes and Noble. Other vendors can be found on www.whitesunpress.com.
Review by Diana Reed
Thursday, March 10, 2011
Review of Silver Smoke by Monica Leonelle
The first book in the Seven Halos series, Silver Smoke is a fantasy novel by Monica Leonelle for young adults. Set in Honolulu, Hawaii, a place already fantastical to many mainland readers, we meet the heroine, aggressive and slightly reckless fifteen-year-old Brie van Rossum, in the midst of mourning her mother's death. As she struggles for answers about the strange circumstances regarding her mother's death and being the daughter of a rock star, she must also avoid confrontations with the paparazzi who are waiting to catch a possible breakdown on camera.
One of these confrontations ends miserably in a car accident involving her, her brother Pilot, and his best friend, Rykken Camacho, but Brie sees something she knows isn't right. She sees what she believes is her mother on one of the paparazzo's bikes and soon makes a discovery that changes her life—she's a Hallow, a descendent of archangels with supernatural powers like her mother. She discovers others like herself—girls she has known since her moving to the islands. They begin to train her and under their close eye, she prepares herself to embark on a journey to uncover her mother's potentially fatal secret. However, she isn't without enemies—the New Order, a group of Hallows that wants her family dead and has been hunting and killing them for years. And not too long after the accident, her brother meets a mysterious girl that introduces a whole new set of questions affecting Brie's life as a Hallow.
In her writing, Leonelle has a certain grace about how she develops the story through her use of multiple viewpoints, using them to build on each other and presents them quite easily as intertwined but individual stories. Although when she does finally bring these stories together as a whole, it's at times not with the best of ease, but doing this is difficult for any writer and is an art in itself. While Leonelle's strength lies in expression through dialogue, she does leave a little something to be desired in the area of character development through description in the first part of the book, in places I find it perhaps necessary. However, she makes up for this in the latter part of the story. Also, I find it interesting and enjoyable that instead of using the already well established pantheon of archangels and –demons, she reinvents the pantheon and its mythology, making it new in the minds of those already familiar with the stories. There's also the reoccurring themes of fighting one's roots and one's broken family, betrayal, love, consequence, and vengeance. While the book doesn't necessarily provide answers, it provides something relatable for the reader, chronicling the ups and downs of Brie's new life and her self-discovery—situations not unlike those in "real life," yet magnified by ten. I like where Leonelle takes the book and the point at which she ends the story—it'll be interesting to see where she takes the series.
Review by Diana Reed
One of these confrontations ends miserably in a car accident involving her, her brother Pilot, and his best friend, Rykken Camacho, but Brie sees something she knows isn't right. She sees what she believes is her mother on one of the paparazzo's bikes and soon makes a discovery that changes her life—she's a Hallow, a descendent of archangels with supernatural powers like her mother. She discovers others like herself—girls she has known since her moving to the islands. They begin to train her and under their close eye, she prepares herself to embark on a journey to uncover her mother's potentially fatal secret. However, she isn't without enemies—the New Order, a group of Hallows that wants her family dead and has been hunting and killing them for years. And not too long after the accident, her brother meets a mysterious girl that introduces a whole new set of questions affecting Brie's life as a Hallow.
In her writing, Leonelle has a certain grace about how she develops the story through her use of multiple viewpoints, using them to build on each other and presents them quite easily as intertwined but individual stories. Although when she does finally bring these stories together as a whole, it's at times not with the best of ease, but doing this is difficult for any writer and is an art in itself. While Leonelle's strength lies in expression through dialogue, she does leave a little something to be desired in the area of character development through description in the first part of the book, in places I find it perhaps necessary. However, she makes up for this in the latter part of the story. Also, I find it interesting and enjoyable that instead of using the already well established pantheon of archangels and –demons, she reinvents the pantheon and its mythology, making it new in the minds of those already familiar with the stories. There's also the reoccurring themes of fighting one's roots and one's broken family, betrayal, love, consequence, and vengeance. While the book doesn't necessarily provide answers, it provides something relatable for the reader, chronicling the ups and downs of Brie's new life and her self-discovery—situations not unlike those in "real life," yet magnified by ten. I like where Leonelle takes the book and the point at which she ends the story—it'll be interesting to see where she takes the series.
Review by Diana Reed
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