Book Review: Isolation
Author: Travis Thrasher
Pages: 296
Reading Level: High School-Adult
After being fairly disappointed with the latest offerings from Ted Dekker (Sinner, Kiss), I went in search of a new author of thrillers that I could enjoy. I saw Isolation at the local bookstore, and on somewhat of a whim, thought it sounded pretty good. And boy howdy -- was it good. I creeped myself out a couple of times while reading, and definitely had a couple of "gasp moments" when the plot twisted up a bit.
The story centers around a young missionary family that moves out into an enormous house in the middle of the North Carolina mountains. Strange things start to happen like bloody piles of meat falling from nowhere on top of Stephanie's car and secret passageways that lead to secret rooms. But when a killer heads toward the house, and a snowstorm traps them inside, they have nowhere to go and no way to escape.
The writing moves along very swiftly, and the chapters are all fairly short -- I think the longest one was around six pages or so. The character development is very strong, which was a good change for what really ends up being a horror novel. The inward battles that Jim, the father, faces with wondering where God even is in his life felt real and grounded. And definitely the creepy factor was notched up here. Thrasher definitely digs into his love of Stephen King novels for some of the meatier sections of just downright terror. I made the mistake of reading part while alone in the house, later at night, and I had to stop. The book just freaked me out that much.
Definitely a good one that leaves quite a few good twists until the very end. Don't pass up on reading Thrasher's Isolation. I know I'm really looking forward to his next one, Ghostwriter.
--originally posted on Amazon.com
13 March, 2009
09 March, 2009
More Secrets, More Alliances, and More Bad Jokes From Dan.
Book: The Sword Thief
Author: Peter Lerangis
Pages: 156
Reading Level: Ages 9-12
I love being able to follow along with a series as the books come out. The anticipation of waiting for the next book always makes me somehow euphoric in a weird, booky way. I love it. So when the next entry in The 39 Clues came out, I had to pick it up. This time around, the book was written by Peter Lerangis, an author I must admit I had not heard of before picking up The Sword Thief, the third book in this highly marketable series by Scholastic.
The story picks right up from where One False Note (book 2) ended off, so it would definitely be hard to just jump right in. You've got to really start back at book 1 (The Maze of Bones) and work your way through. Not that reading these is work -- they fly through pretty quickly. In fact, The Sword Thief is the shortest of the three so far, coming in at a mere 156 pages.
This time, Dan and Amy are off to Japan, but they've been separated by their scheming relatives from their au pair, Nellie Gomez. And they'll have to work along with Alistair Oh in order to solve the next clue in the whole big puzzle. There is definitely plenty of adventure and Lerangis handles the action scenes fairly well. I felt that this book moved along a little more swiftly than One False Note, which had a few moments of "slowness." We find out more clues to the overall Cahill secret, and some interesting details about Amy and Dan's past.
One of the only things that somewhat confused me at times was the incessant head-hopping that Lerangis did. One minute we're in Dan's head. Then a few pages later we're in Amy's, then in Ian Kabra, then Alistair Oh, then back to Ian, and on to Natalie. It was a little bit confusing at times, but I can see how Lerangis wanted to build on a couple of the different characters and develop them a bit -- which makes for probably what will end up being a few different plot twists later on in the series.
Overall, this is another decent entry in a pretty fun, sometimes forgettable, series that has some really great potential. I can't wait to see what Jude Watson will do with book #4...
--originally posted on Amazon.com.
Author: Peter Lerangis
Pages: 156
Reading Level: Ages 9-12
I love being able to follow along with a series as the books come out. The anticipation of waiting for the next book always makes me somehow euphoric in a weird, booky way. I love it. So when the next entry in The 39 Clues came out, I had to pick it up. This time around, the book was written by Peter Lerangis, an author I must admit I had not heard of before picking up The Sword Thief, the third book in this highly marketable series by Scholastic.
The story picks right up from where One False Note (book 2) ended off, so it would definitely be hard to just jump right in. You've got to really start back at book 1 (The Maze of Bones) and work your way through. Not that reading these is work -- they fly through pretty quickly. In fact, The Sword Thief is the shortest of the three so far, coming in at a mere 156 pages.
This time, Dan and Amy are off to Japan, but they've been separated by their scheming relatives from their au pair, Nellie Gomez. And they'll have to work along with Alistair Oh in order to solve the next clue in the whole big puzzle. There is definitely plenty of adventure and Lerangis handles the action scenes fairly well. I felt that this book moved along a little more swiftly than One False Note, which had a few moments of "slowness." We find out more clues to the overall Cahill secret, and some interesting details about Amy and Dan's past.
One of the only things that somewhat confused me at times was the incessant head-hopping that Lerangis did. One minute we're in Dan's head. Then a few pages later we're in Amy's, then in Ian Kabra, then Alistair Oh, then back to Ian, and on to Natalie. It was a little bit confusing at times, but I can see how Lerangis wanted to build on a couple of the different characters and develop them a bit -- which makes for probably what will end up being a few different plot twists later on in the series.
Overall, this is another decent entry in a pretty fun, sometimes forgettable, series that has some really great potential. I can't wait to see what Jude Watson will do with book #4...
--originally posted on Amazon.com.
06 March, 2009
Ponchos.
I bought my first fishing pole last night. And I had no idea what on earth I was doing. But I was determined. That's what I did know. I walked straight into Joe's, and promptly started walking along "the circuit" -- that tiled path that winds around the entire store, and eventually brings you back to the front check-out lines. I kept going, moving past clothes, kayaks, and tennis rackets. And then I found the fishing poles.
I've actually been fishing only once that I can really remember. My grandpa came to visit when I was about thirteen and thought it would be a lot of fun to go out deep sea fishing. And I thought, Eh, why not? Could be fun. So I borrowed a pole from my dad and went out on the boat. There were a few other people on the boat too -- and I think most of them were drinking beer and laughing and then tossing their lines back out into the water.
I threw my line out, and waited. And waited. And waited. And finally -- I felt a slight tug on my line. I nearly jumped up right then, not sure at all what to do. Grandpa came over and told me to just start reeling in the line. So I started reeling. And just when I thought my arm was going to fall off, a guy started shouting behind me.
I kind of turned around and saw this guy, reeling in on the exact opposite side of the boat. He had his face somewhat tilted toward me. "Stop reeling, kid!" I stopped. I was thirteen. Angering adults wasn't high on my list of fun things to do. The guy kept reeling in, and within a minute or so, he had a huge sturgeon sitting on his lap. He came over toward me then and said, "Hey, I think your line caught up on mine -- don't worry, kid. You'll get it sometime."
I shrugged. Sure. I might catch a fish sometime. I returned to my fishing pole and just waited. That's when I noticed the line was still pretty taut. And since that guy had just pulled up his line, I couldn't possibly have still been tangled up. What can it hurt? I started reeling again. And soon, I felt something tugging right on the end of the line. I kept reeling in, and soon there was a fish slapping along the side of the boat... and up... and then over the railing.
Grandpa took my picture holding the fish. I was so excited to finally catch one. Some deckhand guy came over then and weighed the slimy thing. "Hey, kid. It's too small. You gotta throw it back." He pointed a grubby thumb toward the water. With a slight bit of sadness, I tossed the fish back over and watched it escape into the blue.
And now, ten years later, I finally have my own fishing pole. And I'm not even using it for fishing. What am I using it for? Oh yeah, for Junior Church on Sunday. To teach the kids about Jesus and how He called people to be "fishers of men." Should be fun.
Until then -- S. Stevenson
I've actually been fishing only once that I can really remember. My grandpa came to visit when I was about thirteen and thought it would be a lot of fun to go out deep sea fishing. And I thought, Eh, why not? Could be fun. So I borrowed a pole from my dad and went out on the boat. There were a few other people on the boat too -- and I think most of them were drinking beer and laughing and then tossing their lines back out into the water.
I threw my line out, and waited. And waited. And waited. And finally -- I felt a slight tug on my line. I nearly jumped up right then, not sure at all what to do. Grandpa came over and told me to just start reeling in the line. So I started reeling. And just when I thought my arm was going to fall off, a guy started shouting behind me.
I kind of turned around and saw this guy, reeling in on the exact opposite side of the boat. He had his face somewhat tilted toward me. "Stop reeling, kid!" I stopped. I was thirteen. Angering adults wasn't high on my list of fun things to do. The guy kept reeling in, and within a minute or so, he had a huge sturgeon sitting on his lap. He came over toward me then and said, "Hey, I think your line caught up on mine -- don't worry, kid. You'll get it sometime."
I shrugged. Sure. I might catch a fish sometime. I returned to my fishing pole and just waited. That's when I noticed the line was still pretty taut. And since that guy had just pulled up his line, I couldn't possibly have still been tangled up. What can it hurt? I started reeling again. And soon, I felt something tugging right on the end of the line. I kept reeling in, and soon there was a fish slapping along the side of the boat... and up... and then over the railing.
Grandpa took my picture holding the fish. I was so excited to finally catch one. Some deckhand guy came over then and weighed the slimy thing. "Hey, kid. It's too small. You gotta throw it back." He pointed a grubby thumb toward the water. With a slight bit of sadness, I tossed the fish back over and watched it escape into the blue.
And now, ten years later, I finally have my own fishing pole. And I'm not even using it for fishing. What am I using it for? Oh yeah, for Junior Church on Sunday. To teach the kids about Jesus and how He called people to be "fishers of men." Should be fun.
Until then -- S. Stevenson
05 March, 2009
Salutations.
I wanted to start out this blog with a bang. So: BANG. Blogs are a place for sharing -- ideas, thoughts, musings, opinions. And that is what I aim to do here each Evening in Arabia. What to expect from a blog from Shaun Stevenson? Random. That's what to expect. Be ready for everything from book reviews to excerpts from my writing to kid's ministry ideas and I guess, a bunch more other stuff. Pretty much whatever comes into my brain -- which can be quite a convoluted place at times.
Reading.
I've always loved to read. I think the first book I ever picked up off a shelf was one that my mother had saved from the family garage sale after my great grandpa had died. A stack of oldish looking books sat on one of the tables, and before the general public came along to pick through a dead man's things, my mother grabbed the books and put them in her car. They were a collection of vintage Oz books from the 1910's to 1930's. I think I first picked up The Lost Princess of Oz when I was in second grade, and I just started going -- I loved it. And ever since then I've read whenever I can.
Usually every year I try to read quite a few books. Last year I made it to 70. This year, the goal is to get to 100. I'll post here all the books that I read -- and if I write a review of it for Amazon, I'll post that up here too.
Writing.
I love to write. It's probably one of my absolute favorite things to do. Every now and again, I shall post a bit here for your consumption -- and comments and suggestions of course. Right now I'm in a big mythology phase, so I've been reading a lot of Arabic, Greek, and a bit of Persian mythology too. It's pretty interesting fodder for writing, and it's been a place where I can find some ideas for a few projects buzzing in my head. The other place I love to get ideas from is Balderdash. Best game ever created.
American Idol.
Yes, I do watch. And yes, I know some people think the whole show is a joke, but I really like it. I don't always agree with the final outcomes, but hey, it's a good waste of time on Tuesday and Wednesday nights. Right now my current pick is: Allison. I really liked the way she came out and busted open "Alone" by Heart.
Until then -- S. Stevenson.
Reading.
I've always loved to read. I think the first book I ever picked up off a shelf was one that my mother had saved from the family garage sale after my great grandpa had died. A stack of oldish looking books sat on one of the tables, and before the general public came along to pick through a dead man's things, my mother grabbed the books and put them in her car. They were a collection of vintage Oz books from the 1910's to 1930's. I think I first picked up The Lost Princess of Oz when I was in second grade, and I just started going -- I loved it. And ever since then I've read whenever I can.
Usually every year I try to read quite a few books. Last year I made it to 70. This year, the goal is to get to 100. I'll post here all the books that I read -- and if I write a review of it for Amazon, I'll post that up here too.
Writing.
I love to write. It's probably one of my absolute favorite things to do. Every now and again, I shall post a bit here for your consumption -- and comments and suggestions of course. Right now I'm in a big mythology phase, so I've been reading a lot of Arabic, Greek, and a bit of Persian mythology too. It's pretty interesting fodder for writing, and it's been a place where I can find some ideas for a few projects buzzing in my head. The other place I love to get ideas from is Balderdash. Best game ever created.
American Idol.
Yes, I do watch. And yes, I know some people think the whole show is a joke, but I really like it. I don't always agree with the final outcomes, but hey, it's a good waste of time on Tuesday and Wednesday nights. Right now my current pick is: Allison. I really liked the way she came out and busted open "Alone" by Heart.
Until then -- S. Stevenson.
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