This Site is Available

As I stated in my previous post, this site has closed, BUT is available if you'd like to take it over.

Blogger sites are fairly easy to transfer. Once you take the lead, I will back out completely and it will be yours to do with as you want.

No need to follow my rules or set up.

:-)

Just thought I would mention that again.

Hope you are all doing well.

You can see what I'm up to these days here.

The New Site is Here

Hi Friends and Visitors

This novella review site is ending.

1. If you are interested in taking it over feel free to contact me. Transferring Blogger sites is fairly easy. I can be reached at JAScribbles - at g mail

2. Please consider visiting my newest blog The Book Snoop. I will dig a little deeper into great books and the publishing and writing world.

Subscribers and followers - thank you for spending your time with me. I hope to see you over at the new site.

Brace Yourself - Blog Changes

Hey everyone! Heaven forbid I sit still and stick to one blog idea.

Sigh

I will be making drastic changes to Novella Reviews - in fact, it will not be a novella site any longer.

It will continue to be a book blog.

Stayed tuned for more info.

~ Jenna

October 1, 2011: The Battle of the Brooklyn Bridge

October 1, 2011: The Battle of the Brooklyn Bridge (Kindle Single) by Will Bunch

Genre - Nonfiction

Locations - 735 locations or approximately 45 pages

Description - On the rain-soaked morning of October 1, 2011, the couple hundred protesters camping out in a concrete park in Lower Manhattan and calling themselves Occupy Wall Street were a ragtag army of young revolutionary dreamers, whose declared war against corporate greed and appalling income inequality was mostly ignored by the media and struggling to get any traction with America’s battered middle class. By nightfall, the Occupy Wall Street movement had captured the national imagination – exploding onto the front page and sparking a wave of protest in all 50 states. This is the remarkable story of the tense few hours that changed everything: “October 1, 2011: The Battle of the Brooklyn Bridge.” In this instant history, you’ll see the dramatic showdown between marchers and a wall of New York Police Department officers, resulting in 700 arrests, through the eyes of the everyday Americans who lived it – an idealistic and daring college radical, a salty-tongued retired Vietnam-era lawyer on a quest for social justice, the shy theatrical props manager taking part in his first protest, and many more. “October 1, 2011” goes behind the headlines to show a miscalculating NYPD struggling to protect the status quo, to reveal the improbable sparks touching off a new American revolution, and to relive the life-altering choices faced by average citizens trapped inside a police “kettle” as a damp darkness descended on the Brooklyn Bridge. But most importantly, it recasts the Occupy Wall Street movement as a struggle over something even more fundamental than economic injustice: A yearning by ignored and unheard Americans to simply reclaim the public square – the battle that came to a head on a Saturday afternoon high atop the most famous bridge in the world.

Buy links - This title is available through Amazon only. You can see the full list of Kindle Single HERE.

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Reviewer - Kipp

Five Stars

"We Took over the Brooklyn Bridge"

This is why I LOVE my Kindle here we are getting on location telling of what really happened just a few short weeks ago. Here in our hands we can see and hear what Occupy New York was all about.

Unfortunately I could not travel afar to participate in this moment in our history. This Kindle Single gives you great insight of the people who stood up to be heard and fight the good fight against greed.

We get introduced and some background on some of the brave who stood up for us, and we get some history behind the movement. I'm sure everyone has heard and seen bit and pieces of the event in the media. So do yourself a favor and get the whole story here. Knowledge is power and this my friends will enlighten you and make you be proud to be part of the 99% . The Revolution Starts Now.

~Kipp Poe Spreicher

Author of Closing My Eyes Helps Me To See Clearly and The Rot

Breath of Heaven and Other Stories

Breath of Heaven and Other Stories by Nancy Fulda

Genre - Science Fiction

Locations - 1460

Description - This sampler pack brings together three stories by award-winning author Nancy Fulda.

KNOWING NEITHER KIN NOR FOE
The insectoid Kitjaya is a solo mind, bereft of telepathic communication with her sib-group and isolated from the only deity her species has ever known. The ancient hero Jakitu foretold that Kitjaya would protect her kin from a malevolent destroyer, but as the day of reckoning approaches, she finds herself unwilling to play out the role demanded of her by society.

THE BREATH OF HEAVEN
Sacia's fellow AI's have eradicated all humans from their colony world. A second wave of colonists will soon arrive. Unless Sacia can find a way to smooth the conflict between man and machine, every one of those humans will die.

IN THE HALLS OF THE SKY-PALACE
A mysterious presence stalks the hallways of the Sky-King's palace, stealing dreams and condemning the king's dancers to a living death. As the last living bearer of the Gift in the palace, the task of unraveling this mystery falls to young Aesva. But she is young; inexperienced; and the woman most able to assist her has already died.

Buy Links - This title is available through Amazon and Barnes and Noble.

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Reviewer - Maria Schneider

Three Stars

I've read a number of short stories by Nancy Fulda. She's a very good writer with a range of talent from hard science fiction to humorous fantasy.  She's been published in some fairly big-name magazines, including Baen and Asimovs.  Many of her shorts are now available on Kindle and I've been taking advantage of that.

The Breathe of Heaven and Other Stories is a three-story collection that is science fiction rather than fantasy. I confess, I'm much more enamored of her fantasy stories than I am of the science fiction. The stories each have a moral and some lessons to be learned, whether dealing with aliens or artificial intelligence. Of all the works I've ready by Nancy Fulda, this collection is probably my least favorite, but that is not to say it isn't good.  The stories in this collection all setup well, are well-told, and if you like Orson Scott Card, Heinlein or other deeply thoughtful science fiction, I think you'll like these stories.

The first story, "Knowing Neither Kin Nor Foe" is a cautionary tale about prophesies and loneliness.  Nancy brings the loneliness, even of an alien creature, right to the forefront.  It's a morose story, paced well and works through a bit of a mystery in a short space.

"The Breathe of Heaven" deals with the possible dangers of artificial intelligence.  It's nice to have machines available to do work for us...but it might be wise not to give them too much free time or too much power.

"In the Halls of the Sky-Palace" was my favorite of the three. It reminds us of the importance of dreams and also of letting go of the past. Sometimes when you're so focused on a particular success, you don't know what to do when you actually get there.

Nancy Fulda delivers these stories with a light touch, but they are not light-hearted stories by any means. This is the kind of story to read when you want something thought-provoking, perhaps when you're contemplating your future or wandering down the hallways of what-if.

The stories are excellent if you like thoughtful science fiction; that is, after all, one of the hallmarks of good science fiction.  Because I'm more of an escapist reader, I vastly preferred some of her other works, including Backlash (a great adrenalin adventure), or Hexes and Tooth Decay (humor!).  The mystery, Dead Men Don't Cry was also quite good.  All three of these can be purchased as singles or some of them are available as part of the "Dead Men Don't Cry" anthology.

Overall, I give The Breath of Heaven 3 stars just due to personal preference toward escapism reading.  The "Dead Men Don't Cry" anthology was a 4 star read for me--a really great mix of fantasy, escapism AND hard-hitting science fiction all in one.

~ Maria Schneider is the author of many a light-hearted tale including Catch an Honest Thief, a story that contains many tech gadgets, an adventurous mystery, and a romance rolled into one.

www.BearMountainBooks.com 

Baby Teeth

Baby Teeth: A Blood Calling Novelette by Joshua Grover - David Patterson

Genre - Horror

Locations - 815

Description - When a father discovers his newborn has been turned into a vampire, he’s forced to make a choice: Hide his child’s secret… or end his family line.

Buy Links - This ebook is available through various online retailers including Amazon and Barnes and Noble.

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Reviewer - Jenna

Four Stars

Wow what a creepy concept for a story! A little evil, baby vampire.

The title gives the impression that this may be a prequel to a novel. I don’t believe it is. After reading the descriptions for Blood Calling and Mercy it seems Baby Teeth is a stand alone short story.

Patterson had me guessing and slightly freaked out from beginning to end. Bravo. I enjoyed his writing style and will definitely check out some of his other titles.

The ending = fabulous. It couldn’t have ended any other way.

My only complaint is the various story elements didn’t seem to fit or flow well. We read a long passage explaining the father’s life as a carpenter. While this section moved the story along time-wise, it didn’t add much to the vampire dilemma. Near the end, a female vampire in briefly introduced. This section also seemed odd and thrown in.

All in all I really enjoyed Patterson’s imagination so much that he makes me want to read more of his work.

~ Jenna
Jenna Scribbles

Monster in the Mirror and other Short Stories

Monster in the Mirror and other Short Stories by M.J.A. Ware

Genre - Horror
Locations - The three short stories end at 378
Description - Could there be a hidden room somewhere in your house? And just what would you find lurking there?

Nate, his little sister, and best buddy Dan, stumble upon a hidden room during a sleep-over. What they find inside is anything but friendly.

Includes the bonus short story: Steven, Space Stowaway (originally published in the June issue of Spaceports & Spidersilk). When Steven's Mom leaves for a mission to Mars, he's determined to come along. Even if he has to sneak onboard.  Just one problem: he gets caught. And the Captain has a particularly unpleasant way of dealing with stowaways.

Includes the bonus short story: Bloody Marcy. When a game of Bloody Mary goes terribly wrong, someone might just die.

Buy Links - This short story is currently available for FREE via Amazon and Barnes and Noble. (check prices carefully as they change quickly.)

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Reviewer - Maria Schneider

Five Stars

(This review refers to the first short story, Monster in the Mirror)

I was looking around my Kindle list for a short story to read this afternoon when I stumbled across Monster in the Mirror by M. J. A. Ware. I thought I'd sample, it, but it was moving along at a brisk pace and before I knew it, I was finished! The quick finish was partly because it is a very short story, 150 locations. We're talking about a ten minute read; good for a lunch break. It's difficult to write an entire, interesting story in such a short space, but MJA Ware pulled it off. There's a little gotcha at the end where I wasn't quite expecting the ending, but the setup was all there. Well done. I hate to give a short story 5 stars because I really like a little more *meat* to a story, especially one that has pulled me in so well. The only reason I can think of to deduct a star is the short length and that isn't a good reason, so 5 stars it is.

Recommended for a quick Halloween read.

Note: The version I downloaded (I have no idea where or when) contained only the short story. The latest version on Amazon contains two additional shorts and excerpts from some longer works.

~ ~


About the reviewer: Maria Schneider is the author of several novels and a few short stories too. For a fantasy detective Halloween read, check out Tracking Magic, an anthology. As for full novels, if you're in the mood for witches, you might like Under Witch Moon.

www.BearMountainBooks.com

Halloween Fantasies

Halloween Fantasies by Katie Salidas

Genre - Erotica, Paranormal

Locations - 1061

Description - Touted as the sexiest party of the year, the annual Halloween Fantasy Ball is the one place a girl can let loose and succumb to her wildest fantasies.

Disguised as a sexy vampire huntress, Sasha captures the attention of Dante, a real life creature of the night. For Sasha, meeting bona fide vampire is enough to fulfill one of her life long fantasies. She's ready to go home a happy woman.

But Dante has other plans. It is after all, a night of fantasies, and he has a few of his own to share.
Buy Links - This ebook is available through various online retailers including Amazon and Barnes and Noble.

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Reviewer - Jenna

Four Stars

I was in the mood for a quick and sexy vampire story. This one was perfect. It is a fun read with an interesting setting. Women who dream of having a vampire of their own will enjoy this story.

My favorite line was, “Well then, how about a toast to pretending?” Oh - gave me chills. I really hope Ms. Salidas writes a sequel involving Dante and Sasha.

I plan to check out House of Immortal Pleasures. I’m sure that one will be great as well.

More please!

~ Jenna
Jenna Scribbles