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Good and Evil
This month, we have two very different books and two rabbit holes. While Evelyn explores the other side of death with popular author Dean Koontz, Sahar is tackling civic responsibility and pondering the fate of our nation. Evelyn Infante Because it was written by Dean Koontz, and because the title intrigued me, I purchased his latest novel, After Death without reading reviews. When I finished the book, I read many reviews, mostly written by long-time Koontz fans who compared Koontz’s past work with his latest book and found it wanting. I have to say, I found more bad reviews than good ones. I agree with some of the points made,…
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Politics, Corruption, and Kindness
Welcome to the October edition of the Shaggy Dog View Club. We have another all-book edition from last month with three of our authors recommending three very different books. Kelly Jensen I remember seeing this book on a list somewhere, recommending books with politics and intrigue. The books were rated in order of intricacy from least to most with The Goblin Emperor near, if not at the end. I decided against reading it. My attention span can be difficult to pin down and I utterly fail at politics. Many months later, however, when looking for more challenging reads, I referred back to that list and picked a book at random.…
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Murder, Murder, and Found Family
We have an interesting mix of reviews for you this month on SDP! Murder, Murder, and Found Family. But while one of these things is not like the other, the list does illustrate why our group works so well: we’re all very different writers and quite different readers and viewers. This makes for great variety when we’re writing reviews for our blog and great conversations when we get together. But we also value these different perspectives when we’re giving each other advice and critique. Often, one of us sees the things no one else does! And, apparently, this month it’s mostly murder. So let’s start there. Sahar Abdulaziz Murder Your…
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All Book Edition!
This month, we have three book reviews for you in three very different genres. First up, a review of Silent Legacies, by local author and fellow member of the Pocono Liars Club, John Abel: M.A. Moore John Abel’s Silent Legacies takes the reader on a gentle but powerful journey through the trauma of war, and the power of forgiveness and reconciliation for those who survive it. The American Civil War remains the bloodiest conflict our country has known, pitting brother against brother. Neighbor against neighbor. It left a wake of physical destruction, personal loss, and guilt in its aftermath. But the victims of war are not only those who fought…
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Beneath the Surface Lurks Truth Masked as Fiction
The Gatekeeper’s Notebook is a psychological thriller/suspense. It’s a bold and poignant story full of misplaced love and loss, a past colliding with the present, and the unimaginable devastation caused by spitefulness, arrogance, deceptions, and buried lies. The story is about a beautiful young widow named Kalila Rahim. After the sudden death of her husband, Bashir, Kalila finds herself without life insurance, a mortgage in arrears, a neighbor from hell, all the crushing responsibilities and upsets of single parenthood, and a woman claiming to be her husband’s second wife and mother to his newborn baby. Kalila’s heart is shattered, but grief can’t put a stop to the bill collectors. Upon…
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Welcome to the Shaggy Dog View Club!
What’s a view club? It’s like a book club with an expanded inventory. Each month, our authors will share their current inspiration, ranging from books to TV shows and movies to podcasts. Stories are everywhere and writers draw on all sources for ideas. We also like to relax with someone else’s story from time to time. Here’s what we’re enjoying in September: Sahar Abdulaziz My son recommended I read the book PHARMA: Greed, Lies, and the Poisoning of America by Gerald Posner for a book idea I am researching. The book was engrossing, and read more like a historical novel than a dry chronological accounting of how some of the…
