Dark Matters

Dark Matters by Michael Dow
My rating: 5 of 5 stars

Dark Matters is a brilliant start to a new trilogy. In a book that began as a kickstarter project I had a keen interest in it and had heard good things from others, leaving me with high expectations.

I am happy to say that my expectations were certainly met. Dark matters is a spectacular new science-fiction thriller that captures the future of our world from three distinct and vastly different view points. This book hits the ground running and never lets up!

The three main characters that he reader follows are Rudy, Monique and Jonas. Rudy is a newly promoted CEO or the world's first trillion dollar company and become privy to the nefarious existence of a group known as the Consortium. Monique was left with an extremely large inheritance that causes her to want to give back and be charitable in life, and also to have the means to pursue the urging of her ever present visions. Jonas is a scientist who funds his dark matter research efforts with grants from his companies efforts to locate asteroids worth the effort of mining for resources from Earth bound companies. Three vastly different individuals, who cast three vastly different lights to the events going on in around the world.

It was hard to put this book down and not know what was coming next. I can't wait to continue on with this trilogy and hope that subsequent books bring as much action and intensity. An easy 5 stars for me.

View all my reviews

Girl Through Glass

Girl Through Glass by Sari Wilson
My rating: 5 of 5 stars

It is hard to classify this book as anything other than about dance and about life and as they merge into one. Sari has woven a tapestry that blends with reality and had me wondering what parts of this book were truly fictitious. The raw emotion and passion of the young girl can be felt through t the pages, just as the loss of self can be felt in the woman.

There are events that you can feel unfolding, and yet they still shock you in a way you were perhaps not prepared for. Beautifully written, and well presented.

For any lovers of coming of age, of finding and losing yourself, of soul searching, of dance, of new York, of teaching and of looking outside yourself to find fulfillment in something more. It was painful at times and yet hard to put down. 4.5 stars, rounded up to 5 for it's raw emotion bursting through the pages.

View all my reviews

Drucker & Me

Drucker & Me is written by Bob Buford and is written in autobiographical form about Bob Buford and the business/life coach Peter Drucker.

This book was an interesting read for me.  The first half of the book felt like a really intimate look at the relationship between Peter Drucker and Bob Buford.  It was a very enlightening read and I thoroughly enjoyed it.  I kind of wish the book would have stopped about halfway through.

The second half of the book had trouble holding my interest.  The tone of the book shifted more into Bob Buford himself after the death of Peter Drucker and building up his religious empire.   It got a little religiously pushy and boring to read for me personally, but I’m not a huge religious book reader in general.

The half of the book that deals with Peter Drucker was more than worth reading the book for.  Peter Drucker sounds like he was just an amazing man.  The way that Bob Buford was able to capture their relationship was very eye-opening to read.  I felt blessed to be given such an intimate look at some of the personal advice that Bob was given.  It was almost as if reading this relationship through the pages was being touched by Peter himself.  Of course this description probably fits into who Peter was as a person.  I honestly felt a twinge of sadness at the loss of a man I had never even met.  It felt like a travesty that the world would be deprived of someone so large-minded and inspiring.  I know that I will definitely be looking into more of Peter Drucker’s later writings to try to connect with him and learn from him even after his life.

I give this book 4/5 stars.  I wish it was merely a part one because it would be 6/5 stars for the wealth of knowledge that has been shared with this look into Peter Drucker, eloquently told by Bob Buford.  However the second half of the book took away from this message so much for me, that it was almost blasphemous for the first half.  Unless you are interested in megachurches and a lot of self-touting, I suggest stopping after part one.  If you are interested in autobiographies, biographies, mentorship, non-fiction, advice, etc. I highly suggest checking out this book.


*I received a copy of this book for free in exchange for a fair and honest review.

The Universe Builders

The Universe Builders: Bernie and the Putty is written by Steve Lebel and stands out amongst a sea of mediocrity. It features a main character named (surprise) Bernie and he is a God in another Universe that has graduated school with a major in Universe building and is hoping to obtain a job with “the company,” to build universes for a living.

Let me just say that this is one of the best books I have read all year, maybe ever. There are so many phenomenal layers to this book; I feel as though I could reread it over and over again and find something new each time. Steve has created an imaginative world based in possible dimensional trains of thoughts and takes a humorous poke at the idea of not being alone in the universe. He even goes one further and explores the idea of God creating our universe, but not just one God, that there are many Gods in another universe that create countless universes encompassing many life forms.

The Universe Builders provides the reader with a normal guy in our main God named Bernie. He is somewhat of a geek and doesn’t have many friends. He lives in a lesser neighborhood with his mother and is constantly fighting against what seems normal for everyone else. I love his sense of “humanity” in wanting to fight for the most humane treatment of his life forms. When other Gods have no qualms about “blinking” out a life force, Bernie will go out of his way to preserve any life that he can and work around it.

The antagonist of the story is found in Billy. Billy’s life mission has been to bully Bernie throughout school. In an attack on a girl named Suzie, Bernie finally fought back leaving Billy with a permanent scar on his face. When Billy finds himself in the same office as him, he will do anything in his power to ensure that Bernie is fired, and some of his heinous acts break your heart.

I found myself feeling intensely connected to the characters and the situations, especially when it came to some of the life forms. I definitely had a few moments of tearing up and others of wanting to slap Billy in the face haha. This was such a wonderful book, I hated when it ended. I hope to read more about this “universe” created by Mr. Lebel.

Overall I give this book 5/5 stars. I recommend it to anyone. It was so great it should be enjoyed by all. It was well written, detail oriented, well thought-out. I hope to explore more of the worlds within Steve’s mind some day in the future.

*I received this book for free in exchange for a fair and honest review.



AUTHOR BIO

Steve LeBel

How best to describe an author who writes humorous fantasy?
Do we tell about bookshelves full of fantasy, science fiction, and paranormal books, his love of mythology, or the years he spent as dungeon master? Or is it more important to know his favorite player-character was a chaotic-good elven fighter / mage? And what about that stack of old comic books he never seems to get rid of?
There’s a serious side too. The other half of his bookshelf bulges with titles on management, marketing, computer programming, and financial analysis. What about his years as a hospital president, the many businesses he created, or all the time he spent in board rooms? What about his early years counseling drug addicts, or his years as a stock trader?
Is there a pattern to his travels around the world? Why choose places like King Arthur’s Camelot, the Temple of Delphi, Buddha’s Tree of Enlightenment, China’s Forbidden City, or the Great Pyramids of Egypt? What is he seeking?
And what does this have to do with writing good fantasy?
Perhaps it’s that dichotomy within Steve that makes The Universe Builders such a delightful story with such serious undertones.
Book Site:  www.TheUniverseBuilders.com
Email:  Steve@TheUniverseBuilders.com
Twitter:  SteveLeBel
Facebook:  SteveLeBel.Author
GooglePlus:  +SteveLeBel

---

 
BOOK INFO

• Genre:  humorous science fiction / fantasy for young adult and adult
• Title:  The Universe Builders
• Author:  Steve LeBel
• Description:  A young god graduates from God School and gets his dream job of building his first universe.  Plagued by a school rival and aided by his friends, he struggles to create a world he can be proud of.
• Length:  120k words, approximately 420 pages
• Book Trailer:  View Book Trailer
• ISBN-13 (ebook edition):  978-0-9910554-1-8
  • Publication date:  June 1, 2014
  • Price:  $3.99
• ISBN-13 (print edition):  978-0-9910554-0-1
  • Publication date:  August 1, 2014
  • Price:  $16.95
• Library of Congress Control Number [LCCN]: 2014900580
• Publisher:  Argon Press  (www.argonpress.com)
• Review Copies (free):  Request from Publisher.

Publisher’s Note:  This book was offered as an Advance Review Copy under the title Bernie and the Putty.  The book will be published under the title The Universe Builders.

---

BOOK REVIEWS
These are some places where you can find book reviews for The Universe Builders:

• GoodReads
• Amazon.com
• Short versions of selected reviews

---

READ EXCERPTS
You can read excerpts of the book here.

---

TO PURCHASE BOOK(S)
The book is currently available at Amazon.com:

Click to add The Universe Builders to your Amazon Shopping Cart.

---

COMPLETE CONTACT INFORMATION
This is the contact info for Steve LeBel:
Book Site:  www.TheUniverseBuilders.com
Book Trailer:  www.TheUniverseBuilders.com/trailer
Email:  Steve@TheUniverseBuilders.com
Twitter:  www.twitter.com/SteveLeBel
Facebook:  www.facebook.com/SteveLeBel.author
Goodreads:  www.Goodreads.com/SteveLeBel
GooglePlus:  www.Google.com/+SteveLeBel
Pinterest:  www.Pinterest.com/SteveLeBelAutho
Personal:  www.SteveLeBel.com
Publisher:  www.ArgonPress.com
Snail mail:

c/o Argon Press
3442 Pigeon Hill
Muskegon, MI 49441

---

BLOG TOURS AND GIVEAWAYS
Steve LeBel enjoys participating in blog tours and giveaways.
Author Interviews:

• Interview with Daily Mayo
• Interview with Linda Watkins
• Radio Interview with Dark Mantis Talk
• Interview with H. William Ruback
• Vision and Verse Blog – Interview with Steve LeBel

Please contact him for information, including giveaways.

Life Lived Twice

I received this book for free in exchange for a fair and honest review.

Life lived twice started out with an interesting Prologue of a dream state.  It was written by Sherri Wouters.  It is about a 20-year-old girl named Tess. 

Tess has lived a sheltered life, feeling fairly dependent upon her parents.  At the age of 5 her family uprooted and moved and Tess can remember that it had something to do with her, yet she has no idea why and no one will tell her.  After spending some time with relatives, Tess is flying home feeling very anxious about finally moving out on her own.  In her anxiety she goes into a book store and bumps into a stranger trying to grab for the same book.  The touch is electric and by the time she looks into his eyes she feels a connection deep within herself; out of nowhere she calls him “Addison.”

Tess finds herself wondering on the flight home where she would come up with a name that she has never heard and say it to a man that she had never met.  Being assured that the stranger’s name was not Addison she drifts off to sleep… that is when the dreams/visions begin.

This book had excellent flow; I had a hard time putting it down for day to day obligations such as sleep.  It was so enlightening to read this open-minded spiritual experience that Sherri has brilliantly transformed into a book.  I could feel myself within the story with the characters and in the landscape.  The characters were “real” people, and easy to connect with. 

Life Lived Twice was very good at easing a more hesitant reader into a new realm of spiritual beliefs for one that might not be quite as familiar with the amazing universe we are all a part of.  Sherry wrote this in such a manner that I find myself wondering if she is relatable to Tess or at the very least to Tess’s aunt. 

This is a romance that is written in a way that can be compared to traditional historical romance stories, and yet stands out on completely on its own at the same time.  My only complaint of the book was the ending.  I felt as though the ending was not much closure, and was hoping for at the very least an Epilogue.

Sherri personally wrote to me about my comments to inform me that due to fan curiosity and request that she has a sequel in the works that will be released in 2015.  As I excitedly await more to this story I can confidently give this book 5 out of 5 stars.  Sherri obviously has the gift of storytelling and I hope that we will see more of her in the future with more than just Tess’s story.  If you are into historical fiction, romance, spirituality, mystery, fiction, coming into one’s own, you will love this book. 

Stillness Dancing

I received a copy of Stillness Dancing by Jae Erwin in return for an honest review.

Stillness dancing is based in Sinai, Egypt a few years before the Arab Spring uprisings.  It is based
around 2 British women Lillian and Lauren who are wanting to view Egypt in the way that the Bedouin live.  In the beginning the story shifts timelines and also point of view, which was confusing the first time or two but then as it all started to tie in together, it wasn't distracting at all.  I have read many reviews that have described the characters as simple...  I have to disagree with this frame of thought.  I felt that although there weren't a ton of details about the characters that this was left out on purpose so as not to distract from the overall message of the story.  I felt very connected to the main characters a Bedouin man named Karim as well as to Lillian. 

Having spent a lot of my career in intelligence studies of differing races I had a basic background knowledge that I brought to this book.  I do believe that a bit of background knowledge of the Egyptian Muslim people would be helpful, as the book does make an attempt to describe basic context and speech to keep the reader from being lost but does not delve into the whole background.  (After all this isn't a customs and courtesies guide).  With that being said I feel that Jae (the author) did a wonderful job of capturing the views of the many differing sides of cultures in their thinking and actions. 

There were definitely some sections of the book that addressed some difficult and hard to fathom issues.  Terrorism and kidnapping are a big part of this story and I did have tears in my eyes a couple of times.  However, the sensitive and difficult topics are definitely addressed but not described in such a way that you have to linger on the visuals to the extent of distracting from the story. 

Stillness Dancing addresses many of the similarities (perhaps without meaning to) between the Sinai Muslims and the Native Americans.  There are many spiritual aspects to this story.  I love that it is based around the universal oneness and love and connecting with one's self.  I love that it was not limited to any single religion and therefore relatable to a larger audience. 

My favorite quote in the book was: "I begin by remembering the sound and feeling of the One Being, the wellspring of love.  I affirm that the next thing I experience shimmers with the light of the whole Universe."

Overall I give this book a 5 out of 5 stars.  The story was original, the characters had good character development.  I loved the historical fiction aspect and the look into tribal life of the Sinai Bedouins.  It was an eye opening experience and perhaps not for the faint of heart, but suggested for those that can look at a race of people with an open mind and heart to see that not everyone is the result of one person of their culture. 

I Embrace You Now

I Embrace You Now
Brittany Lynne McCann
9/7/09

Yearned to be free
Happiness to Reclaim
Cut all the chords
Start anew, fresh
So much time wasted
Too much time lost
Lost inside one’s self
A quarter century flies by
I’m right here waiting
This is me Now
You cannot break me
Immeasurable strength
Don’t judge without knowing
Some days held on by a thread
New found strength
More lessons learned
Never go back
Always moving forward
Fear no longer paralyzing the progress
Can always choose again
I’m ready and willing
Brush off the old
No room for the fake
No heart for the lies
Come real or not at all
Never needed anyone else
Me against the world
Rolling in armed and strong
Prepared for this journey
The untrodden pathways
The wisdom to discover
Feet can’t keep up with intentions
Laughter found in each day
Take me as I am
Completely or not at all
All is me, as I am all
No time for games
Won in overtime
Ready to move on
No adversary strong enough
No tears lonely enough
I open my heart to you now
As I was afraid to do before
No room for regrets
No need to look back
I embrace you now
My all-encompassing future

*I wrote this poem as I was getting ready to enter into the military again and make a huge move to Texas as I was in the process of pulling myself out of a dark place in my life.  It is enlightening to read this now as I have just ended my 11 years with the military and have a newfound freedom and feeling more stressfree as my primary reason for moving is coming to a close.  It was what I definitely needed at the time and allowed me to move into a different realm within my career.  I do not harbor any regrets and I am again embracing the future in a different direction.