Book Review: Get a Grip by Kathy Flann

Reviewed for Readers' Favorite


Rating: ⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️

Get a Grip by Kathy Flann is a collection of short stories that evoke a sense of love and loss and share a connection in human despair. The book opens with "Neuropathy" which sets the mood right away as a bitter and somewhat mentally impaired woman struggles with her son’s life and impending marriage to a crippled girl. Also included are stories about Russian brothers battling stereotypes in a bad neighborhood with the hopes of getting into college, a man hiking with his sister after a car theft, a middle-aged woman who needs a change in life, an aspiring nurse troubled by the actions of her teen son, and a man on the edge of a heart attack out looking for a valuable meteorite. Each story has a separate plot, separate characters, and a different writing style, yet all the stories in Get a Grip share a similar mood and theme. According to author Kathy Flann, the book is set in the Baltimore region and captures the area’s charm, compassion, and self-doubt.

Get a Grip is expertly written with imaginative prose and insightful conclusions about love and life. The mood never fluctuates, even between separate stories, and the reader is hooked right away. One of the best things about short story collections is finding a favorite, and the book’s title story, "Get a Grip," was mine. Also enjoyable was "The Meteorite Man" story as it was different from typical plots and left the reader with a knowing nod at the end, punctuated with sadness for The Meteorite Man. All in all, I am now a huge fan of author Kathy Flann and will look for her next collection of stories.

Book Review: Fiction-Writing Modes: Eleven Essential Tools for Bringing Your Story to Life by Mike Klaassen

Reviewed for Readers' Favorite

Rating: ⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️

Whether you’re a beginning writer or a master, there is something for you inside Mike Klaassen’s Fiction-Writing Modes: Eleven Essential Tools for Bringing Your Story to Life. The book is expertly formatted and includes just about everything a novice or professional writer might need, broken down into eleven modes. Each chapter opens with a list of forthcoming topics, such as Advancing Plot Through Dialogue: facial expressions, gestures, and movement. Other topics addressed include Sensation and Emotion (strong verb use, adverbs and adjectives, character reactions, setting, emotional journey and more), how to use introspection and recollection, how to advance the plot through action, and how to use attributions in dialogue. While the beginning writer will note unfamiliar terms such as exposition, stimulus-response order, scene and sequel, adverbs of attribution, and obtrusive narration, the seasoned writer will hone their skills through reminders of strong verb usage, connotation and denotation, and use of transitions. Because so much is covered in Fiction-Writing Modes: Eleven Essential Tools for Bringing Your Story to Life, the book will be a splendid addition to any writer’s library.

In addition to providing the eleven writing modes, author Mike Klaassen uses writing examples to illustrate each topic covered in the book. No writing tool is mentioned without a follow-up example so writers get a sense of the ultimate goal. Also, the book covers punctuation, which is something many writing books do not include. Punctuation and grammar are important parts of the writing process, especially during editing and revision. The book concludes with a Glossary of Fiction-Writing Terms, which sums up the terms used in the book. I highly recommend Fiction-Writing Modes: Eleven Essential Tools for Bringing Your Story to Life to anyone interested in becoming a writer or polishing their writing skills. 

Book Review: The Great Time Lock Disaster by C. Lee McKenzie

Reviewed for Readers' Favorite




Rating: ⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️

The Great Time Lock Disaster by C. Lee McKenzie is a charming, fast-paced middle grade novel with lots of magic and mayhem. Pete Riley is not a very good wizard. He has trouble with spells, and during a magic lesson with a witch named Harriet, he has so much trouble that he accidentally unlocks a Time Lock. Pete and his friend Weasel end up in England around the time of Queen Victoria’s coronation, and from there, they have to find out how to fix the spell and get back to their own modern time period. They also meet many fun characters in Victorian England, such as the determined and brave Margaret, and Dr. Dread Wraith, who bounds off the page with his electric personality. There’s also a talking alligator named Fanon, a witch named Mattie, and some interesting boys at The Spike, a home for children that Pete describes as stinky with bad food.

The Great Time Lock Disaster is the sequel to Alligators Overhead, which I did not read. In lieu of weaving backstory into the first chapter, C. Lee McKenzie took a creative approach by having Weasel, Pete’s best friend, provide some helpful information about the characters. After that, the book moves along at a fast pace, never straying from the plot and Pete’s quest to fix the Time Lock spell and get back home with Weasel. The writing is smooth and fun, and stays true to the intended age group. Pete was believable as a clunky wizard, and his friends all had unique personalities to the point where I could hear each character’s distinct voice. The initial landing in Victorian England via the graveyard gave a spooky edge to the story, especially right in the beginning. I knew from there I was in for a treat! I recommend the book to fans of children’s literature who enjoy fun, magic, and quirky characters. 

Book Review: Horror 201: The Silver Scream by Joe Mynhardt and Emma Audsley

Reviewed for Readers' Favorite

Rating: ⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️

Horror 201: The Silver Scream has something for just about anyone who is interested in horror films. Included in the novel is an introduction about the history of horror films, which explains the universal relevance of horror films and why certain films do well in a certain time period. Also included is a handy breakdown of writing structure: establishment, animation, intensification, and resolution, advice for screenwriters (page count, editing, format, etc.), and even passages about music scores. The bulk of the novel is a broad Q&A with notable screenwriters and producers where they give further advice about horror movies and explain what works in film and what does not. Mentioned are the Halloween movies, Child’s Play, Stephen King movies, A Nightmare on Elm Street, and many, many others. Horror 201 is an invaluable resource for horror fans, screenwriters, and even fiction writers.

In addition to the history of horror films and the Q&A sessions with writers and producers, editors Joe Mynhardt and Emma Audsley have included a scary screenplay which should please horror fans (and sufficiently freak out the curious). While I enjoyed the Q&A and the writing information, the history of horror films was the most intriguing, as it broke down America’s obsession with films that reflect issues in society. All of this was highly informative and written quite well. I also can’t forget to mention the query to horror writers and producers: Which horror scene haunts you the most? I highly recommend Horror 201: The Silver Scream to fans of horror movies, those interested in the mystery of making a movie, screenwriters, fiction writers, and anyone who just wants a good history lesson on horror films.

Book Review: What Dwells Within by Jayne Harris and D.J. Weatherer

Reviewed for Readers' Favorite

RATING ⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️

What Dwells Within: A Study of Spirit Attachment packs a lot of information into a small amount of space. Included is an introduction on spirit attachment, stories about haunted dolls and items, a breakdown of investigative methods and ghost hunting tools, FAQS, photos, and testimonies. There is something for everyone inside, whether you are a paranormal fan with years of experience behind you, or you’re just interested in reading true short stories about haunted dolls and items. Further, What Dwells Within also serves as a reference guide and is a fantastic source for writers in the paranormal genre or for anyone who frequently steps into the supernatural world. Jayne Harris and D.J. Weatherer have researched their subject and produced a well-written book on spirit attachment—a branch of the paranormal field that deals not with possession of a person, but of an object.

The highlight of What Dwells Within is undoubtedly the many stories throughout the book, accompanied by photographs. It would be easy to produce a book just on haunted dolls alone, and that would certainly serve to pique a reader’s interest, but the book also includes fascinating stories about haunted rings, haunted mirrors, and—my favorite—a haunted wooden box. Many of the stories could fill their own books, but the format works just fine—the reader gets background information, photos, and paranormal evidence. Overall, this is a professional take on spirit attachment, highly entertaining, and spectacularly creepy. I would recommend the book as a reference guide or a fireside read, and I look forward to reading it all over again.