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On My Bookshelf: The First Fifteen Lives of Harry August, by Claire North

I have had this finished book sitting beside my desk all summer. While I always enjoy the experience of reading something new, my impression was that this book was a frustrating reminder to me that I don’t understand time travel, and this is why I haven’t blogged about the book.

Tonight, for reasons I will not go into, I now know the truth. It isn’t that I don’t understand time travel at all! The issue was that I don’t understand time travel as the author has written it!

That’s a big damn difference.

“The kalachakra, the ouroborans, those of us who loop perpetually through the same course of historical events, though our lives within may change – in short, the members of the Cronus Club – forget. Some see this forgetting as a gift, a chance to rediscover things which have already been experienced, to retain some wonder at the universe. A sense of deja vu haunts the oldest members of the Club, who know that they have seen this all before but can’t quite remember when. For others, the imperfect memory of our kin is viewed as proof that we are, for our condition, still human.”

But Harry remembers. He is born, lives, and dies, and lives again all over, but it is the same life. The biggest rule seems to be not to tell anyone where or when he’s from in too much detail (to avoid getting killed).

The living seems to be a curse to Harry (and many of his peers). Time is wasted. People are bored. No one cares about anything, because it doesn’t really matter when you are caught in the loop. But, some of them are free in the knowledge that nothing they do really matters. Some of them can manage to swallow a vapid life.

One of the major themes is that the search for meaning in life is hopeless. This sounds like a sure doom and gloom read if you know that going in, but I don’t interpret it that way at all. I think it is only when you realize that it is hopeless, that you can finally be free. It kind of takes the pressure off to just relax and enjoy yourself. Don’t sweat it too much, we’re all just coming around the bend again anyway… I get that. Freedom in the big empty.

I will concede that I don’t know or understand what a quantum mirror is, and have no interest in learning.

September 26, 2016 0

On My Bookshelf: Your House is on Fire, Your Children All Gone, by Stefan Kiesbye

I think I read this because I came across an interview of Paul Tremblay (the author of “A Head Full of Ghosts”) either saying he had been reading this book or recommended it or some such. I must be entering a “Halloween Reading” mood.

The book is gripping / horrifying / crass all at the same time. Christian Bobinski is the narrator of sorts, returning to the small village of Hemmersmoor (in Germany) where he grew up for a funeral. He is now aging, and the stories are those of the children he grew up with. “Time is of no importance.”

Many of the character narratives had me writing “What the Hell?!” inside the book. The stories are intertwined, but they aren’t telling one master story, if that makes sense. They are sort of piece-meal. Because some of the subject matter isn’t pleasant, I found it hard to care about the characters. Some of them are real assholes.

Christian is the most engaging of all, a child murderer, though never caught. Was he possessed? We don’t know if he continued the murders as an adult or not. Two stories are worth the price of admission alone. The first, is Christian’s narrative of his sister Ingrid’s death in the beginning, and his dealings with Rico (a/k/a THE DEVIL HIMSELF). The second story, is around the middle of the book and is told by Linde. She encounters the lost heir over at the manor house in a maze on the property and it is FANTASTIC. I could read an entire book about the discovery of the mad Professor in the lost hedge maze of a grand/yet deteriorating mansion on the moor. Hands down one of the most engaging short stories I have read in a long time.

It was evocative of Alice and the Mad Hatter. I like it when insanity is fun, not scary. “Time is of no importance.”

I liked both of those stories a lot. I can see why the book has been compared to “The Brothers Grimm.” Those fairy tales weren’t for children either.

September 21, 2016 0

On My Bookshelf: Johannes Cabal the Detective, by Jonathan L. Howard

I have finished the second book of the series. Johannes Cabal still retains his same dry, witty character, and I am still excited to read the remaining books in the series. Cabal is just so clever. However, I would say that while I could absolutely gush about the first book, I do not feel inspired to gush about the second book.

Leonie Barrow is back, and this time, her character is a bit annoying, and I can’t really even remember why she was here. Count Marechal makes for a worthy adversary, but let’s face it, how do you top the first story where Cabal beats the devil and wins his soul back? Perhaps it isn’t fair for me to compare the two books!

Maybe the detective story set on board an aeroship didn’t work for me just as a personal preference? I thought the story on board was a little slow for my liking. I did appreciate gathering a bit more back story on Cabal’s family life, and thought it was hysterical that he was being groomed to go into the family business (as a lawyer) before his wife died and he became a Necromancer.

I did enjoy this installment, it is just that the first book was really a knockout unexpected tale of SHEER AWESOMENESS, and my honest reaction is that the second one just didn’t make me feel the same. Sigh. Maybe the third book will knock me out again!

September 19, 2016 0

On My Bookshelf: Vicious, by V.E. Schwab

vicious-v-e-schwab — Vicious, by V.E. Schwab

This was one of those spontaneous purchases based on Amazon’s recommendations. A superhero novel? Okay, I will try it. I don’t want to imply that I didn’t enjoy it, but my sense is that I would have loved it even more if I was a 14-year old boy. It is also hard for me to follow (sometimes) a story that is told backwards. That said, I did find it to be a highly enjoyable fast-paced read, and one that also explored some heavy themes that will leave the reader thinking about the story for days after the finished reading.

Namely, which one of the EO’s is a good guy, and which one is a monster? Victor’s character has elements of trying to control his monstrous tendencies. Eli, on the other hand, believes that he is doing the Lord’s work (which is even scarier). The book kind of reminded me of that old show “Heroes.”

The lines between the good guy vs. the bad guy are blurred. Just like life. We all go a little mad sometimes.

September 17, 2016 0

Ghost Adventures, Aftershocks – Jerome Grand Hotel and Rolling Hills Asylum

Nothing kicks off a holiday weekend like giving Amazon more of my money, so I placed my $1.99 orders and saddled up to the old computer to catch up on what I’ve been missing on the paranormal show front in this year’s Season 3 episodes of “Ghost Adventures, Aftershocks.”

Jerome Grand street view

I love to watch the shows that cover places I’ve been to myself. The Jerome Grand Hotel episode had me wanting more footage of the actual hotel. Chris Altherr gave a very heartfelt recounting of his saving Bagans from the descending elevator (the same one where Claude Harvey died). Lonnie Anderson, and his wife, Renee, were fun to catch up with through the show, and I liked that they actually gave a positive story of an additional encounter that Lonnie experienced in his shop (located inside the Clubhouse). Kim Brasher, I can’t even talk to you right now, but I will be sending you a signed author’s copy of “America’s Most Haunted Hotel,” here in the next few weeks to thank you for the interview you gave us.

As to Rolling Hills, there were two new photos that I had not seen before that I found quite compelling. One was said to be of Roy, and the image showed a man’s torso, but not his legs. He was “standing” in front of a desk. If the photo were of a visitor, the legs of the desk would not have shown through! The other was a “scary” white face image outside the window of Emma’s room (45 feet off the ground). This was compelling to me because it reminded me of the photo I took at The Kehoe House in Savannah. I too, took a series of photos of the same window, just like this set that came out of Rolling Hills, and the face captured in both photos at these different locations shared very similar qualities. I have seen photos such as these one other time, and they were taken in the upstairs window at St. Albans in Radford, VA. I am no lighting expert, but of these three photos and three locations, the subject windows are all too high (seemingly) off the ground to be subject to any streetlight or headlights of passing cars.

Normally, I don’t get excited about other people’s “evidence,” but when you see something that matches what you’ve taken yourself, it makes you wonder.

Mostly, it makes me wonder why they are on the outside looking in, and if there can be any implications drawn by their positions. Are they not “allowed” in the building?

September 2, 2016 0

Scenes from Atlanta Botanical Gardens

Dale Chihuly installations. A date night in Atlanta. One gorgeous walk.

NOT Chihuly! Natural beauty.

As always, we keep an analog version at home of all of our travels. We use “Play,” by Stealth Journals. “Play” is an indexed book journal that should be used to record all of your good times!

August 17, 2016 0

On My Bookshelf: The Shadow of the Wind, by Carlos Ruiz Zafon

A shot of my worn and tattered copy of Carlos Ruiz Zafon’s “The Shadow of the Wind,” complete with “OH MY GOD!” post-its. I write about this book because I loved it, and I want to remember it. In writing, I am forced to reflect upon how much pleasure I derived from reading the book.

It is a gothic tale set in 1945, Barcelona. Daniel, the bookseller’s son, is introduced to The Cemetery of Forgotten Books, and makes his selection of one book from the labyrinth to take home and care for. In doing so, he finds himself involved in a real-life mystery. You see, the book he selected was written by a man named Julian Carax, and very well may be the last book in existence by Carax. Someone has been finding the Carax works and destroying them.

I love that it is a book about a book! I love the story, but I also love the writing itself, and how Zafon has a style that makes me want to keep reading. The man is a beautiful writer. The “Angel of the Mist” story that begins on page 233 is a haunting touch, as is Maria Jacinta’s detailing of her encounters with Zacarias (begin on page 260), and the storyline of Daniel and Fermin visiting her in the asylum.

I loved this first book so much that I immediately started reading the second book in the series, and I am about 200 pages in to “The Angel’s Game,” right now! To think, I found this gorgeous read because of a visit to the Book Warehouse over the July 4 weekend, where I unwittingly purchased the third book in the series first!

August 7, 2016 3

On My Bookshelf: The Library at Mount Char, by Scott Hawkins

Hail the Amazon Gods for recommending this book about American Gods while I was shopping the other day! I am sad that I didn’t know about it when it was released last year, but am oh so thankful to have had this experience now. Fans of Neil Gaiman are in for a treat.

In his debut novel, Scott Hawkins has created a darkly weird world of adult librarians, who were essentially kidnapped by Father when they were eight years old and brought into the infinite Library at Mount Char to study and work. The librarians have been trained in twelve catalogues – one category per child, with strict instructions on not discussing/sharing your catalogue with another.

David (master of the war catalogue) and Margaret (master of the dead catalogue) have story lines that are the most violent and brutal, and some of the scenes concerning David, frankly, I could have lived without, but what do you expect from a character who is the master of the war catalogue? His story line is not going to be about eating cupcakes in the park with his girlfriend. The violence is necessary for the subject matter. After all, one does not get to be a God without being burned alive a time or two. As examples of other catalogue subjects, Rachel’s catalogue involves the prediction and manipulation of possible futures. Carolyn is the master of all languages.

So. Back to the plot. Father is dead, and maybe one of his librarians killed him (I don’t want to spoil it for you) and maybe another one of his many enemies killed him. All of the librarians are completely out of touch with humanity and arguably insane now that they are in their 30s. It made me think of our world leaders, and how out of touch they must all be with their respective citizens. (Oh, do you not have the sun anymore? Food is a problem for you now? And I am to understand that you don’t like that?)

I was also quite amused by the zombies in the suburbs. Hey, I know these people! Wait a minute, am I one of these people?! Just kidding. I am pretty sure I am not one of the reanimated dead. But, you never know who your neighbors are…

I think what I enjoyed the most about this read is how Hawkins brought the story full-circle towards the end of the book. We learn more about Father and his relationships with his librarians, specifically, with his protege that he has been grooming all this time to take over his position. Many times, after I am finished with a book, I am still left with a lot of questions that I wish were tied up by the author. Challenging your readers is great, and Hawkins does this in the beginning and the middle. The end is tied up quite nicely for you, and I appreciate that. I want to know what the author thinks he’s written! Tell me a story. Don’t tell me a set of circumstances and then leave me sitting over here pissed off contemplating like a jerk for days on end – “Well, what did it all mean?”

I think that is a skill that is quite rare, and I hate it when the author doesn’t address the big “Why” questions.

Great job, Hawkins! This is one of the best books I have read in many years. I am so glad I purchased this one, because I marked the copy up quite a bit, and will no doubt be returning for a second read next summer. This is one that I am betting will read different to me after knowing how it ends.

June 1, 2016 1

On My Bookshelf: The Dead Are Watching, by Debra Robinson

I devoured this book over the course of about 1.5 days. Debra Robinson gives a candid and highly personal account of “ghost stories from a reluctant psychic(as subtitled).” Still dealing with the death of a child, her perspective reads inspiring and uplifting while obviously still feeling and living with the pain from her loss. I would recommend this book to anyone who has recently lost a loved one. I would bet that you will find some peace and consolation from Debra’s book.

I was able to reach Debra from her website, and she was kind enough to answer a few questions for me.

Chapter 7 (“Never Say Goodbye”) was one of the most touching, powerful chapters in the book for me. You shared some of your personal experiences with your son, James, returning to communicate with you, your husband, and James’s old friend, Tazz. The experience of Gerald and Dwayne in the hospital is quite a tale, but one that I completely believe in based on my own personal experiences and upbringing! Many, many, people of faith will relate to these events, and the one where Maura’s husband left a message on the answering machine. How do you think our loved ones are able to come back and communicate – I almost wonder if it is out of sheer love and determination?!

Yes, I honestly believe it is sheer determination on their parts. In A Haunted Life, I tell the story of finding my dad after his suicide, shortly after James was killed. And how later that day, as I sat with my husband on the couch crying about Dad and blaming myself, “someone” snapped their fingers twice, a foot in front of our faces. We knew it was him, saying “snap out of it, it wasn’t your fault” etc. I think it takes quite some time to gather the energy needed, and also learning to direct it-so anytime we hear these types of things from our loved ones immediately after their deaths, I believe it is from their very strong determination and strength of will that somehow allows them to focus their ability to make themselves known.

Some of the most captivating stories for me are those where EVPs are captured of unknown spirits having conversations about the ghost hunters! Any theories on the prevalence of this phenomenon? Do you think it is going on around us much more often than we realize, or do you think this is actually quite rare?

It is definitely not rare! This has happened many times to investigators I’ve accompanied. Some spirits seem to recognize their changed “conditions” and some do not. But apparently, our humanity itself attracts them to us. And I have always believed that spirits notice us, our “light” if you will, and those who have a bit more natural psychic abilities show up brighter to them that those who don’t.

While your book contains many uplifting stories, there was one in particular that totally creeped me out! In Chapter 3 (“School for Ghosts”), we hear the story of what was experienced in the basement of an old infirmary/nursing home/poor house from the mid-1800s. Any theories on what the source of the mysterious heavy breathing could have been?

They finally tore that building down and I assume plan to eventually put another in its place. I am curious to see if the new building will carry the same haunting, as many others have done throughout history. No one knows who the spirit was in the basement. We have all conjectured about it, but the fact is, until the spirit speaks to someone about its origins, we may never know. So far, it has been silent.

“The Children of Death” (Chapter 13) discusses a phenomenon occurring in nursing homes, where the spirits of children have been seen/heard visiting patients just a few days before they die. (I would love to see a book from you about this, by the way! That nursing home log sounds fascinating!) Do you think this is a peaceful story, or a sinister story? I can’t decide! There is something about the idea of child spirits that just doesn’t sit well with me, for some reason. I am always suspicious that it is something masquerading as a child.

Yes I totally get the “masquerading as a child” thing–I am also of the same mind and wary of this usually. However, in this case, it literally seems to be a phenomenon seen all over the world in nursing homes. I believe they are true spirit children, and although the nurses were creeped out by it, they too believed it was simply the children’s job to “take them home” when it was the elderly residents time. Some others have even mentioned to me that they thought it could be other elders who passed over, but allowed to come back as they were as children. Interesting thought.

Do you think that paranormal investigators or ghost hunters are putting themselves in danger when they go out seeking to engage with something? Is there such a thing as “safe” if you are doing the spiritual work to keep your armor up? On Page 32, you touch on setting ground rules, and that you’ve had to do this in your own house over the years. Do you think it is one of those things where, if you believe the rules work, they stick? (Just as a caveat, that’s my line of thinking – it is the belief and the confidence when giving them, I feel).

I do believe people put themselves at risk whenever attempting to contact the other side. Some spirits are totally benign as you know, some are not. So, yes, I think it is important to have a spiritual basis for dealing with these things. I am of the school of good and evil–I simply believe we are in a war between the two and our choices matter, and will put us in danger if we’re careless or flippant about it. A Haunted Life tells the deeper story in my case, how too many “coincidences” led me to believe there ARE no coincidences…I believe in the Light and the Dark-and you don’t want to attract the attention of the Dark.

Chapter 18’s “House-Ghosts” gave me pause when I was reading the story of Teri and “Old MacDonald.” Teri found her daughter having a conversation with someone that she couldn’t see, but whose voice was coming through over the baby monitor! It really makes you wonder how many children are actually having conversations with actual spirits, while the adults around them label it as playing with “an imaginary friend,” doesn’t it?! Do you think there is any danger or anything that a parent should be concerned about if they find a child engaged in one of these conversations?

I want to think most of these childhood ghost friends are harmless, but then again, knowing what I know, it worries me. If I was a parent with an imaginary friend problem, I would investigate it further and then do whatever necessary to send the spirit away from my child. It’s just unnatural, and I don’t believe it is good for either child, or spirit!

I know the psychic sense is not something that you can turn on and off at command, but I am wondering if you have any advice for people that are looking to develop their own psychic abilities? (My Dad used to always tell me, basically get in tune with nature, and meditate sort of while hiking/walking).

Some families are simply accepting of the abilities (mine was) and I think that makes them natural from a young age. Also, those who suffered abuse or trauma at a young age seem to have abilities stronger-to keep them safe, I believe. If you want them, and practice, they will increase.

What can you tell us about how you work as a writer and your writing process? (Are you a pen and notebook person, or strictly a typist? Morning or night person? Write on a schedule, or as the mood strikes? How long does a book take you to complete?)

I use a laptop so no pen and paper for me! I started writing my first book A Haunted Life in 2012-and will have my 8th book out this year. I have several publishers both fiction and nonfiction, and I do about two books per year so far. I have a bestselling post apocalyptic series right now titled “Red Death: A Post Apocalyptic Thriller” written under pen name D.L Robinson, about surviving an Ebola pandemic that wipes out most of the world. I am starting on book 3 right now, and it will bring natural disasters and other problems into the mix. I found writing to be a wonderful release, after losing my son and father so tragically, and I really love it.

Tell us how to keep up with you/where to find you and a bit about your upcoming release dates for new books.

Below are my sites:
Goodreads: https: //www.goodreads.com/author/show/6981130.Debra_Robinson

Amazon author page: http://www.amazon.com/Debra-Robinson/e/B00BMHA032/ref=ntt_dp_epwbk_0

Website: http://www.debrarobinson.net

Linkedin: http://www.linkedin.com/pub/debra-robinson/11/71a/336/

Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/debrarobinsonauthor?ref=hl

Twitter: https://twitter.com/reb_robinson

Red Death http://www.amazon.com/dp/B00TZHRS86

Amazon http://tinyurl.com/ly6dgor The Dead are Watching

Amazon http://tinyurl.com/ctrljjg Haunted Life

March 7, 2016 0

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