Review: My Wizard Buddy #1 by Scott Spotson and Brian Wu

My Wizard Buddy #1
by Scott Spotson and Brian Wu

One day, lonely 11-year-old Tyler Dunsmore wishes out loud for a best friend. Not only does his wish come true, but his new best buddy is Dirk, a 11-year-old wizard--a magical being who is from another world and is unfamiliar with Earth. Dirk often is too eager to help Tyler out with tough dilemmas in his day-to-day life, but his antics often backfire, leaving Tyler to wonder: is having a wizard for a buddy worth it? Enjoy the bonding between two very different boys in My Wizard Buddy.

My Take:
Tyler is an average eleven year old kid - with a big sister who is not going to let him invade her space or mess with her stuff, and parents who don't let him do what he wants, bullies at school, and no real friends. After a fight with his sister over her tablet computer he is sent outside to enjoy the weather and calm down. Feeling all alone in the world, and misunderstood, he wishes out loud for a best friend, and gets one, in the form of Dirk, an 11-year-old wizard with powers to rival any fictional wizard in fiction. On Dirk's home planet, everyone has magic, but he's bored there and wants to hang around with Tyler on Earth. Like Tyler, he seems lonely and in need of companionship.

But Dirk's magical skills get Tyler and him in a lot of serious scrapes, as Dirk assists him in dealing with bullies, cliques, breakfast, and a serious lack of entertainment. Dirk's 'help' often backfires, getting Tyler in way over his head, but Dirk is always there to get him out again, too. But as the hi-jinks and scrapes continue to escalate, Tyler wonders whether having Dirk around is worth the risk.

Content:

Violence:
G - While this is a MG Fantasy, there's just a bit of real danger. In one instance Tyler falls from a great height and fears that he's going to die. But Dirk protects him from harm.

Language:
G - I do not remember any curse words at all in the novel.

Drug Content:
G - Squeaky clean.

Adult Content:
PG - Tyler's big sister has friends over, and they discuss boys a bit disparagingly. Tyler's friend Ryan has a thing for his sister. One of Tyler's friends has separated parents and has to be shuttled back and forth between them. His dad is having issues with a girlfriend.

Christian content:
None. On the positive secular side, there is content putting a positive spin on parents that actually don't give kids everything they want, or neglect them. Having both parents together is also put in a positive light, and the control parents usually give their eleven-year-olds on what to eat or wear or do, is given a positive spin as well. The afterlife is discussed briefly. On the negative side, there are a couple scenes involving a Ouija board, and in one instance it's used to have a conversation with a dead relative. The use of the board is described in significant detail. Parents will need to be prepared to answer questions about what one is, and why playing with one might not be considered a good idea.

Final analysis:

My Wizard Buddy is a kid-sized adventure, relatively light-hearted, into the life of an eleven year old boy dealing with common issues that age faces. As it's MG fiction, and consequently attention spans of readers are shorter, it's not very descriptive, and action jumps a bit from scene to scene, almost giving the feel of vignettes rather than a cohesive story line. It's well edited, and Tyler and a few of the other characters have a bit of dimension. As a MG adventure story, the pacing is right-sized, the characters sufficient for a quick, entertaining read, with a few life lessons thrown in for good measure. Five Stars.

About the Authors:

Scott has written nine books: "Life II," a time travel novel; and its sequel, "Bridge Through Time," "Seeking Dr. Magic," a novel that imagines what happens when a powerful wizard comes of age as a young man, and wreaks his havoc on the world, which is yet unaware of his existence; "Delusional," in which a woman in love suddenly experiences hallucinations and resolve to track down her tormentor before it's too late; "The Deadly Wizard Games," in which four arrogant wizards take over North America and thrill the populace with deadly wizard games, "My Wizard Buddy" series, children's books in which Tyler has a boy wizard as a real friend, not as an imaginary one, and "You Know You're Thin When...," a humor book using large single panel cartoons.

Brian is an MD candidate at the Keck School of Medicine (University of Southern California). He currently holds a PhD in integrative biology and disease for his research in exercise physiology and rehabilitation. He is interested in pediatrics and may pursue pediatric sports medicine. He hopes to integrate holistic healthcare with the capabilities of social media, medical technology, and education to provide the best care for patients he can both in person and through research, technology, and education.

Brian values the ability of all ages to learn from the power of stories. His mission is to write about health conditions, educational topics, and life situations in an entertaining way in order to help children understand their own health conditions and daily circumstances.

Contact Brian Wu at hello @ healthstoriesforkids.com
More info on Brian can be found at http://www.brianwwu.com

Review: Which Half David by Mark Sasse

Which Half David
by Mark Sasse

American mission worker Tobin Matthews becomes a local hero and celebrity in the Sulu Republic when he inadvertently foils a gang of human traffickers. But the heroism cannot mask his desperate soul, which wrestles with a broken marriage and a crippling set of doubts. As he sinks to a new low, his brazen ex-lover arrives in Sulu with her own agenda. The Asian beauty quickly becomes the greatest temptation of his life, and he must decide how far he is willing to go to have her.

Which Half David is a modern twist on the centuries old tale of King David. Set against the lush backdrop of the fictitious Southeast Asian island nation of Sulu, it is the story of one man’s dramatic fall from grace, and his struggle to come to grips with both halves of who he really is.

My Take:
Dynamic, charismatic Tobin Matthews is a larger-than-life missionary hero, having served in the back country of the Republic of Sulu, to the indigenous Bataki tribe, for quite a few years. While he is visiting the tribal chief, Gani, a large contingent of local police show up with machine guns, declaring that the newly built church is an unlawful structure and will be torn down, and demanding that Tobin and his Christ leave, or they will begin shooting.

As they open fire, the villagers defend themselves, and end up killing all the officers. Days later, nine members of the tribe are arrested, while Tobin inadvertently stumbles upon, and takes down, a notorious gang of sex traffickers operating in the city below. This makes him a national hero.

The resulting investigations of the two incidents put the mission work in a tailspin, and the Mission Board sends Kendra Nguyen and her husband Bill to assist and sort out the mess. But Kendra has her own agenda, concealing to the Board the failed intimate relationship she had with Tobin in college.

This modern-day retelling of the story of King David has a lot of sexual tension in it, as the two ex-lovers conceal their past from their respective spouses, and while Tobin attempts to fight the shameless advances of the temptress he used to be intimate with. The internal struggle Tobin has to overcome, his failures and redemption, his passionate faith and darkening heart, become the central theme of the book.

Content:

Violence:
PG - There are a couple violent scenes in the book. The beginning incident between the police and the villagers is quite violent, but is not overly graphic. There are several fights, and a stabbing. Not much more than you would have seen in Beauty and the Beast.

Language:
PG - I believe there are just a few curse words in the book. I might even be misremembering.

Drug Content:
PG -  Drinking occurs to excess in a few places. Drinking alcohol occurs rather often in the book at social levels.

Adult Content:
PG-13 - Kendra is a beauty and in every scene wears something too revealing, whether it be a bikini, a tight skirt, or in one instance nothing at all. There are multiple scenes where trysts are plotted, infidelity is an undercurrent throughout. Lack of sexual intimacy in marriage is a recurring theme, and Kendra doesn't seem to have any moral compass.

Christian content:
Scripture is quoted and remembered somewhat often, and is recalled at critical times to show that characters lean on their own understanding of God and their faith to make it through tragedy. God acts miraculously a few times, and His hand of guidance and deliverance is evident throughout, even to the thwarting of evil plans.

Final analysis:

Missions work is a solid Christian ministry, and this book gave some insight into what mission work looks like in the field. The beautiful mountain waterfalls and rapids, the teeming city below, are real and tangible. The characters are very believable, though some seem unloveable and irredeemable. Supporting characters are especially well-developed, and I found myself liking Bill and Jane much more than Tobin or Kendra. Even Gani, Toggi, and Uhari are well-developed and solid characters. The action and tension throughout the book was gripping, and I found myself dreading the next page but unable to stop turning. Five stars.

About the Author:

Mark is a proud Western PA native but has lived most of the last twenty years in Vietnam and Malaysia. His experiences in Asia have redefined everything including his palate, his outlook on life, and naturally his writing. You can find him most days cruising around Penang Island, eating the local delicacies and taking in the sun and exotic breezes as he looks for interesting places to write.

He has authored four novels with number five and six already somewhere on the horizon. His interests cast a wide net - from politics to literature - to culture and language - to history and religion - making his writing infused with the unexpected as he seeks to tell authentic and engaging stories about people from all walks of life. His writing is straightforward and accessible to all, especially those who enjoy writing injected with doses of Asian culture, history, adventure, and delightful humor. You never know what you might get when you pick up a Sasse novel.

Besides novel-writing, Sasse is a prolific dramatist, having written and produced more than a dozen full-length dramatic productions. He especially is fond of the short play format and has won the Best Script award three consecutive years at the Short & Sweet Theatre Festival Penang. His play, "Words to Say at the End of the World" won five awards this year including Best Overall Performance and Best Director. His plays and short musicals have also been produced in Kuala Lumpur and Sydney, Australia. Performances of his scripts also won Gold and Bronze medals at the Southeast Asian Forensics Competition 2014.

His professional background is as diverse as his writing. He holds Master's degrees from California State University Dominquez Hills and Azusa Pacific University in Humanities and TESOL respectively. His undergraduate degree was in English, which helped him develop his passion for creative writing. He has extensive experience in teaching English, history, and drama.

On top of all of this, he loves to cook everything from gourmet pizzas, to Mexican, to various Asian dishes. Flavor is the key of both his cooking and his writing. He very much hopes you enjoy the taste.

Published Novels and Short Stories of Mark W. Sasse
2016 Which Half David
2015 A Love Story for a Nation - Kindle & Paperback
2014 If Love is a Crime: A Christmas Story - Kindle only
2014 The Reach of the Banyan Tree - Kindle & Paperback
2013 The Recluse Storyteller - Kindle & Paperback
2012 Beauty Rising - Kindle & Paperback

Review: Life II by Scott Spotson

Life II
by Scott Spotson

Upon discovering a 1958 book titled "Account of Time Travel on Earth Using Wave Theory," 42-year-old Max Thorning's life is thrown into chaos. Seeking answers to the book's cryptic clues, he discovers Dr. Time, a seemingly benign alien who has control of the Time Weaver, a remarkable device that can command any scene from the Earth's past. Dr. Time offers him a choice to go back into Time, to any point in his lifespan that he can vividly recall. The catch: he can only bring his memories, and can only live the future one day at a time. Follow Max's dilemma as he goes back to his 16-year-old self and tries to forge his destiny into a new one called Life II.


My Take:
There's a temptation in all of us dealing with regret of past decisions, to play the 'what if' game, desiring a 'Do Over'. Life doesn't often offer an opportunity to have one of these, and we usually have to deal with the consequences of these decisions, captives of the time stream we live in.

Dissatisfied with his controlling wife and his dead end job, Max Thorning secretly wishes he had a 'Do Over' card to play. When Max picks up an odd multi-language book entitled "Account of Time Travel on Earth Using Wave Theory", the cryptic clues in the book lead him to the chance to go back in time and relive his life. He can only bring his memories with him, but memories of the future can be a powerful thing.

Max's decision to go back in time has far-reaching impact, affecting everyone close to him and changing the course of history. And he quickly comes to realize that the decision to change the past has much greater consequences than the decisions he was attempting to correct. And the cost is far higher than he's willing to pay.

Content:

Violence:
PG - There is little real violence in the novel, although there is a suicide attempt and some gunplay.

Language:
R - The F-bomb is used in several places; on one page it occurs quite a few times. GD is used once. Other foul language is scattered throughout. The Lord's name is taken in vain in multiple places.

Drug Content:
PG-13 Drinking occurs to excess in a few places, and one occurrence ends up with no remembrance of the previous night. There is some offer of pot and minor drugs are mentioned.

Adult Content:
PG-13 - One character is a very active playboy. His escapades are not described, but it's obvious he's moved through many women. There is an emotional affair that destroys a marriage, and a couple live together without marriage for years. There is a gay couple who marry. One character struggles with homosexuality.

Christian content:
None, really. There is some discussion about faith, one character is a believer of sorts, and struggles with the atheism of her partner. There is some discussion about cheating fate, what God intended to happen, and the idea that a soul can only exist in one place at a time. The main character struggles mightily with his selfish mistakes, almost going insane with the shame and guilt.

Final analysis:

Some of this book dragged, and most of it was focused on life drama and comparatives from Life I to Life II. The action was interesting but was not so much an adventure story, although there were places where it paced like one. The characters were relatively believable. The technology differences between 2013 and the Eighties was clearly depicted, and added to the realism. The climax happened a bit early and the ending seemed drawn out. With those issues and the pacing, I didn't quite feel right giving this one more than Four Stars. However, I'll add that it gave me some interest in following it to its sequel, Bridge Through Time.

About the Author:

Scott has written nine books: "Life II," a time travel novel; and its sequel, "Bridge Through Time," "Seeking Dr. Magic," a novel that imagines what happens when a powerful wizard comes of age as a young man, and wreaks his havoc on the world, which is yet unaware of his existence; "Delusional," in which a woman in love suddenly experiences hallucinations and resolve to track down her tormentor before it's too late; "The Deadly Wizard Games," in which four arrogant wizards take over North America and thrill the populace with deadly wizard games, "My Wizard Buddy" series, children's books in which Tyler has a boy wizard as a real friend, not as an imaginary one, and "You Know You're Thin When...," a humor book using large single panel cartoons.

Review: Guitar Practice: Learn To Play Like a Professional Musician by Leo Doran

Guitar Practice: Learn To Play Like a Professional Musician 
by Leo Doran

Discover the mindset needed to become the best guitar player you can be and find the motivation to get over the dreaded plateaus
Perhaps one of the most difficult tasks new and experienced guitarists face is the dreaded “plateau”. This is a time during your guitar playing journey where you feel that you have reached you musical potential. The truth is there is no ceiling to your potential. You can always make progress.

Re-Ignite Your Passion For Music
Create Goals and Achieve Results
Learn to Be Consistent with Great Practice Habits
This book will go into detail about setting goals and finding your passion for playing again. Readers will re-learn the necessary practice techniques that are the building blocks to any great guitar players repertoire. You will also learn important growth mindsets to re-wire your thinking and get you motivated again. Finally you will learn about the best habits to insure your success over the long term.

My Take:
This was an amazingly quick read, though the material in it is packed in and can take a guitarist from wherever he currently is and move him to a pro. All it takes, and all it delivers, depends on what you put into it. Rather than an overload on chord charts and TAB, Leo Doran has produced a succinct manual on getting from newbie guitarist to a professional musician. The book is divided into two parts. The first half covers the basics - notes, scales, chords, fingering, TAB, strumming, picking, and exercises to get your fingers, heart, and hands in synch.

The second half works on the mind - the mental blocks and self-imposed limitations that keep a guitarist on the plateau he settles on. As a guitarist with over forty years of playing under my belt, I found the encouragement in the book heartening, as it was a solid reminder that I can improve and that I haven't reached the peak of my potential. Guess you CAN teach an old dog some new tricks.

The other day I sat down with my daughter's boyfriend and played a few songs on my Taylor, then watched him play a few. I've been playing for many years, yet this young man is leagues beyond where I am at. It was discouraging, somewhat, to see a guy who has been playing for less than a decade leave me in his dust. But this book reminded me that it's a time commitment, and if I put in the effort, I can improve. Not to impress the young guy dating my daughter, but simply to better use my talents at the level I'm called to. That was a timely message this 'stuck' guitarist needed to hear. Five Stars!

Upcoming Reviews for September

As summer winds down and the grass needs to be cut a bit less, I'm hoping to find time to crank through a few good reads in my downtime hours. Below is a list of what I've got in the queue that I hope to chug through and review for you.


Guitar Practice: Learn to Play Like a Professional Musician
by Leo Doran

Discover the mindset needed to become the best guitar player you can be and find the motivation to get over the dreaded plateaus
Perhaps one of the most difficult tasks new and experienced guitarists face is the dreaded “plateau”. This is a time during your guitar playing journey where you feel that you have reached you musical potential. The truth is there is no ceiling to your potential. You can always make progress.

Re-Ignite Your Passion For Music
Create Goals and Achieve Results
Learn to Be Consistent with Great Practice Habits
This book will go into detail about setting goals and finding your passion for playing again. Readers will re-learn the necessary practice techniques that are the building blocks to any great guitar players repertoire. You will also learn important growth mindsets to re-wire your thinking and get you motivated again. Finally you will learn about the best habits to insure your success over the long term.



Life II
by Scott Spotson

Upon discovering a 1958 book titled "Account of Time Travel on Earth Using Wave Theory," 42-year-old Max Thorning's life is thrown into chaos. Seeking answers to the book's cryptic clues, he discovers Dr. Time, a seemingly benign alien who has control of the Time Weaver, a remarkable device that can command any scene from the Earth's past. Dr. Time offers him a choice to go back into Time, to any point in his lifespan that he can vividly recall. The catch: he can only bring his memories, and can only live the future one day at a time. Follow Max's dilemma as he goes back to his 16-year-old self and tries to forge his destiny into a new one called Life II.



Which Half David
by Mark W.Sasse
American mission worker Tobin Matthews becomes a local hero and celebrity in the Sulu Republic when he inadvertently foils a gang of human traffickers. But the heroism cannot mask his desperate soul, which wrestles with a broken marriage and a crippling set of doubts. As he sinks to a new low, his brazen ex-lover arrives in Sulu with her own agenda. The Asian beauty quickly becomes the greatest temptation of his life, and he must decide how far he is willing to go to have her.

Which Half David is a modern twist on the centuries old tale of King David. Set against the lush backdrop of the fictitious Southeast Asian island nation of Sulu, it is the story of one man’s dramatic fall from grace, and his struggle to come to grips with both halves of who he really is.



My Wizard Buddy
by Scott Spotson

One day, lonely 11-year-old Tyler Dunsmore wishes out loud for a best friend. Not only does his wish come true, but his new best buddy is Dirk, a 11-year-old wizard--a magical being who is from another world and is unfamiliar with Earth. Dirk often is too eager to help Tyler out with tough dilemmas in his day-to-day life, but his antics often backfire, leaving Tyler to wonder: is having a wizard for a buddy worth it? Enjoy the bonding between two very different boys in My Wizard Buddy.



Fallen: A Henry Shepherd Novel
by Michael Ozarks
When his young wife dies two months after the birth of their son, Brandon is torn between surrendering to debilitating depression and surviving to raise the helpless remnants of his new family. In this cathartic confession, he drudges up the troubled details of his past, hoping to equip his children with a fulfilling and empowering perspective on who their parents were—and on what really matters in the vapor that is life.






Hire Train Monitor Motivate: Build an Organization, Team, or Career of Distinction in the Transformational Workplace
by David J. Waldron
The transformational workplace of the twenty-first century is front and center. Are you ready to navigate its twists and turns toward reaching your career goals and dreams? In Hire Train Monitor Motivate, author and veteran organizational leader, David J. Waldron, offers powerful, yet simple techniques that can dramatically improve your organization, team, or individual career achievements in today’s hyper-competitive local and global marketplaces.

This practical book will teach you how to master the art of workplace effectiveness by first making a lasting commitment to placing people first, whether a customer, recruit, staff member, or coworker. Then hire, or get hired for an optimistic mindset; train, or be trained for delivering quality products and services; monitor, or allow monitoring for regulatory compliance; and motivate, or stay motivated for enduring performance.

As a practitioner more so than an academic, Waldron, presents unpretentious, everyday workplace rules that when implemented, or followed, can transform your organization, team, or individual career to one of lasting distinction. Master the proven techniques for playing the game the right way and learn how to practice leadership or teamwork by inclusion toward making your workplace a great place to learn, earn, and grow.

Review: The Dragon of Time: Gods and Dragons by Aaron Dennis

The Dragon of Time: Gods and Dragons
by Aaron Dennis


Scar, an amnesiac mercenary, has been hired by Zoltek, leader of the nation of Usaj, to battle Kulshedran soldiers. With the promise of asking Zmaj, the All God, about his past, Scar lends his fighting prowess, but there is more than kings warring for territory in the world of Tiamhaal; there are Gods and Dragons vying for men's souls.

My Take:
Scar is a complete mystery to everyone, including himself. He has no past that he can recall. He only knows that he woke up being attacked by a roving band of Dracs, hopelessly outnumbered, yet somehow managed to hack through all of them. His fighting prowess is amazing, and he has the ability to heal in moments anything but mortal wounds.

He finds himself a mercenary in the employ of Zoltek, leader of the Usaj, who has promised to request his god Zmaj reveal Scar's past, and restore his memory. Double-crossed by Zoltek and left for dead, Scar finds himself catapulted into an epic struggle for truth between Dragons posing as gods and the gods they are replacing.

Wielding his gargantuan two-handed sword with its odd diamond-shaped holes, he carves a path through everyone blocking him from uncovering the truth about his past, his future, and the gods and dragons the people serve.

Gods and Dragons is an obviously large epic fantasy series launch, on the scale of The Wheel of Time. The world building is amazing, and there are more people groups, religions, magical 'blessings' and countries than you could possibly remember. The action in places is gripping, and the characters, especially Scar and Labolas, are well-defined and real. Scar reminds me of Conan, but with more brain. His hack-and-slay mentality however, has him rushing into any confrontation, confident in his ability to mow down the opposition faster than Link can cut the grass.

Content:

Violence:
PG-13 - In several places people are cut through, decapitated, or cleaved in two. There is a torture scene that is described, though not in great detail. The level of graphic violence is not greater than you would find in LOTR, so I left this at PG-13.

Language:
PG - The F-bomb isn't found, the D-word is found 25 times.

Drug Content:
Drinking occurs to excess in a few places, and visits to inns with ale on tap is a sporadic occurrence. In one place a roller-derby queen woman challenges Scar to a drinking contest, if she wins she has him for the night.

Adult Content:
R - There is one sex scene in the book, it's not graphic but goes into enough detail to edge the rating. As mentioned above, there is other adult content, none of it to that level.

Christian content:
The main thrust of the book is a struggle to prove that the gods each people group are worshipping, the ones that are giving them their characteristic 'blessings', are actually dragons. The real gods, the ones the paladins serve, are trying to gain their people back and expose the truth about the dragons. There is no biblical truth, no Christian content. However, it does drive home that an undesired truth is better than a well-established lie, and that if you speak the truth, you will receive persecution. There are many devout in their faith, whether following gods or dragons, and some that convert after learning the truth.

Final analysis:

This is a solid offering as a pilot to an epic fantasy series, the world building was extraordinary, the characters believable, and the action gripping, when it was there. The biggest issue I had with it was pacing, as there were places where action, intrigue, and plot happened, and this reader couldn't put the book down. But they were separated by portions of slow action that could have been cut. I found myself paging forward to get to the good parts, sometimes, which isn't my usual thing. I do look forward to future offerings in this series, as it was worth reading, and hopefully the following novels will only improve. Four Stars.

About the Author:


Aaron Dennis is the author of The Adventures of Larson and Garrett, Lokians, Cayneian, and much more. Do not miss these awesome stories.