Author: Cyliena Velnarin

A gamer, a mother, and a mother of gamers. My opinions are my own.

Review: Everyone Brave is Forgiven

Posted in booksTagged , , , ,

Book CoverEveryone Brave is Forgiven by Chris Cleave
My Rating: 1.5-Stars
Genre: Historical Fiction
Release Date: out now
Formats: Kindle ($10), Paperback ($9), Hardcover ($12)

After 2.5 months of trying to be interested enough in this book to finish it, I finally conceded that I don’t care enough about the story to be bothered. I’ve been sitting at page 193 (not quite halfway through) for at least a month. Today I decided to skip to the final chapter and couldn’t even finish that.

What’s the problem? The writing is superb, the details succinct, the topic heavy. But… the characters are wooden. They don’t have much personality, and what’s there is either unlikable or bland. There’s no real hook at the end of each chapter, which makes it easy to put down if you don’t have a lot of time, but also gives you no reason to pick it back up. The dialogue is too witty too often, giving a feel of unrealistic banter.

I had high hopes for this book but it just wasn’t for me.

 

View all of my reviews.

Photography: Mackinac Island

Posted in photographyTagged , , , ,

Yesterday I posted a handful of flower photos I took outside our hotel on Mackinac Island, as well as brief history of the place. We only had one full day to spend on the island, so we decided to take a carriage tour to maximize what we could see. Hopefully we’ll go back soon and check out inside the Grand Hotel and Fort Mackinac.

The first photo below is of Arch Rock. Our tour guide explained that, despite efforts to reinforce it, the rock is expected to fall apart in the next 30 years. The final two images are of the Round Island Lighthouse and the Grand Hotel.

Continue reading “Photography: Mackinac Island” →

Photography: Flowers of Mackinac

Posted in photographyTagged , , , , , ,

I visited Mackinac Island for the first time this weekend. If you’ve never heard of it, it’s an island in Lake Huron, located between Michigan’s upper and lower peninsulas. It’s home to Fort Mackinac, which was established by the British during the Revolutionary War (our tour guide admitted that the soldiers spent most of the time drunk), and saw battle during the War of 1812. You can also find the Grand Hotel here, which I only saw the outside of because it’s nearly impossible to get a room there unless you plan wayyyy in advance.

Also, there’s no cars (exception: pretty certain they have at least a fire truck). Instead, you get around by foot, bicycle, or horse.

Tomorrow I’ll post my general photos from Mackinac Island, but here’s some of the flowers I snapped yesterday morning. I found them all outside the hotel we stayed at (Metivier Inn).

Continue reading “Photography: Flowers of Mackinac” →

A Month of Reading: May Book Reviews

Posted in booksTagged , , , , , , , ,

This month I was out of town for ten days and, as a result, didn’t spend much time with my nose in a book. During long car rides I caught up on the spring issue of Dunes Review; on the side I tackled another Netgalley ARC, read Ruby Dixon’s latest release, was thoroughly amused by KFC’s Mother’s Day “gift” to the literary world, and finished the Wager of Hearts series.

Yes, you read correctly above—this is where I review KFC’s novella, Tender Wings of Desire. Reviews are in order of date read. (My star ratings are explained here.)

divider

Dunes Review Volume 21 Issue 1 (Spring 2017)  4.5-Stars

Michigan Writers literary journal, Dunes Review, released its first issue for 2017 in late April. I attended the reading and was quite impressed by the variety and quality of various works inside. After reading through the entire issue on vacation, here are my favorites:

  • Duet by Joanna White: This was the first poem presented at the reading, and I think the beauty of it spoken made me appreciate it much more. The author and her husband are both musicians, but were unable to attend the reading, so a male and female presenter stood in. The male presenter read the left stanza, the female presenter the right, then they re-read both stanzas by alternating turns for each line. I love the ingenuity and beauty of it all.
  • To the Story Girl by Joanna White: This one resonated with me because I am a fan of the short story that the poem is a response to: The Use of Force by William Carlos Williams.

Continue reading “A Month of Reading: May Book Reviews” →