Tuesday 29 July 2014

Book Review: The Adventures of Buckfart, Seabiscuit, Pedro and the Gang

Reviewed by Michelle Stanley for Readers Favorite
This review will not be posted on Amazon




Boys will always get into entertaining mischief in The Adventures of Buckfart, Seabiscuit, Pedro and the Gang by Royal T. Honeycutt. These boys have one of the best summers, despite the repercussions of war. Seabiscuit and his brother stay with their loving grandparents on their farm. Both generations learn valuable lessons from each other because of the drama or prank the boys always find themselves in. Seabiscuit, the mature gang leader follows the others to sneak a smoke in the outhouse, steal apples from a neighbour's tree, or drink a bit of moonshine. His grandfather sometimes break the law, but quick thinking Seabiscuit often has his back, especially when the game warden is chasing gramps.

The book is filled with nostalgic memories of 1942 when war ruined many family lives, but the farming communities supported each other through the happy and sad times. Reading this story made me realise today's young generation missed out on a lot of fun. How many kids know how to climb a tree, go berry picking, catch frogs or build their own clubhouse? Seabiscuit and his friends didn't have Internet or cellphones. But they were busy enjoying the simple pleasures of nature, and could make their disgusting chores look fun. Royal T. Honeycutt captured the spirit of an era in this well written book. The Adventures of Buckfart, Seabiscuit, Pedro and the Gang is amusingly filled with antics of the boys and their families, while sprinkled with sadness.

Link: http://www.amazon.com/Adventures-Buckfart-Seabiscuit-Pedro-Gang-ebook/dp/B00DMN0E6M/ref=sr_1_2?s=books&ie=UTF8&qid=1406600873&sr=1-2&keywords=the+adventures+of+buckfart+seabiscuit+pedro+and+the+gang

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Thursday 24 July 2014

Book Review: Death Dues




Another day - another murder; another wedding - another expense. All this just leads to more workloads and headaches that Detective Joe Rafferty doesn't need in his already stressful life. When John "Jaws" Harrison, a loan shark's bullying bill collector is found dead in the alley of a run down neighbourhood, the Detective and his partner, Sergeant Llewellyn, discover that solving this crime will not be as easy as they had assumed. Most of the neighbours owed Jaws money and had good motives for wanting him to get his Death Dues. But no-one is anxious to talk to the police.

Rafferty's fiancee, Abra, is determined to have the wedding of the century, and doesn't care how much it will cost. Poor Rafferty does his best to remind her that he's the one paying the bills on his meagre salary, but that doesn't go well with Abra. He decides to cut costs using the contacts he knows, but things always seem to backfire.

I thought Rafferty and Llewellyn made a good team, as Rafferty is street smart, raw around the edges, and knows how to get useful information from people to help his cases. Llewellyn, on the other hand, is the tactful, intellectual type who prefers to think things through, and will make ample use of the Internet. They make the perfect "good cop, bad cop" team.

Geraldine Evans penned a wonderful entertaining story. She paid attention to details which was seen in the description of places and scenarios being played out. I also thought the author had a sense of humour, and it showed in the colourful personalities of the characters. The ending was not what I was expecting, and that added to my confirmation that Geraldine Evans can write. Death Dues was worth the read.

Link: http://www.amazon.com/Death-Dues-Rafferty-Llewellyn-procedurals-ebook/dp/B00G2JOHCU/ref=cm_cr-mr-title


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Sunday 20 July 2014

Tranquil Moments (Poetry)




Peace
Undisturbed
Alone and happy
Without a care

Tranquillity
Forgetting pain and frustration
I play with my conscience
Nothing to fear

Meditation
Deep inner thoughts
My mind refreshed
Intellect renewed

Silence is bliss


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Wednesday 16 July 2014

Morning Sickness



Rick felt nauseous and took a deep breath, letting it out slowly. His headache was not going away either and propped his head against the pillow, thinking about the night before. He had started having a good time at the party. It was lively, the food wasn't bad and the drinks flowed like a river. In fact, the atmosphere was just right.

Rick had been sitting at the bar savouring the flavour of his second or third whisky, when Jenny walked into the room. She saw him and smiled as she made her way through the crowd. He gave her a quick peck on the cheek.

"Hi Jenny, can I get you a drink?"

"A glass of red wine would be fine." Rick gave Jenny the wine and they strolled the garden before sitting in the gazebo behind the hibiscus hedge.

"It's a fun party. I wish Brad could have made it," he commented, listening to the music playing and occasional laughter from the guests.

"Me too, but he had another meeting. It seems we never spend time together anymore," Jenny said, sighing deeply. Rick looked closely at her face and saw tears forming. He put his arms around her and Jenny burst into tears, resting her head against his shoulder.

"Jenny, what's wrong? Did I say something to make you upset?"

"No, it's not you. Brad and I are having problems. I feel it's time we started a family, but every time I discuss it with Brad, he says he's not ready. Now he spends more time at the office than with me. I'm so unhappy!"

"Don't cry Jenny. Everything will be alright. I'm sure once Brad gets some of his hectic workload sorted out, he'll spend time with you. You know he's working hard to get the Briggs contract."

Rick consoled Jenny before giving her a quick kiss on the mouth. Jenny held onto him, responding to the kiss. His hold tightened and he began to caress Jenny, moving his hands over her body. The next thing Rick knew they were having sex. He apologised to Jenny when they were finished, but she had given a blushing look, mumbling something before running off.

Rick looked everywhere for Jenny before realising she had left. Feeling crappy at his behaviour, he made himself comfortable at the bar and drank more whisky, hoping it would soothe his conscience. Rick groaned, punching the pillow as he remembered his actions last night.

"What the dickens have I done?  How could I have been so dumb? Okay, I wanted it badly, often thought about what it would be like to kiss Jenny, but to actually go through with it. Damn!"

The doorbell rang and the noise jarred his headache even more. It took all his strength to open the door and was surprised to see Brad. Feeling guilt wash over his body, he let Brad into the apartment.

"You look like hell," Brad commented, taking in his dishevelled appearance.

"Yeah, I've been there too!" Rick exclaimed, sitting down on the couch. Brad joined him.

"Something has been bothering me and I had to come to you."

Rick thought his heart was going to give out, fearing Brad's reason for coming by.

"I love Jenny and want to spend my life with her. We both want a family, but I haven't told her that the doctor said I can't have kids due to my illness years ago. It's embarrassing for me so I work more, avoiding her. Rick, I want you to sleep with my wife and get her pregnant. Please, do it for me!"

This wasn't what Rick expected to hear from Brad at all. He stared at his reflection sitting beside him. Brad was his twin brother and Rick would do anything for him, but this sudden request rendered him speechless. Rick felt the nausea suddenly rise in his mouth and ran to the bathroom, kneeling over the toilet.

"How am I going to deal with this?" was his last thought before passing out on the floor.

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Sunday 13 July 2014

The Inner Child (Nonet)



There is a child within all of us
Always yearning to be carefree
To play around in the grass
And splash in rain puddles
Why do we restrain
This hidden soul
Who wants to
Relive
Youth


A Nonet has 9 lines with a 9 syllable count in the first line. It decreases in count per line. Rhyming is optional.

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