Night Shivers
Book review website Home School Book Review, Wayne S. Walker
Do you like to read spine-tingling, scary stories? Some people do, and some people don’t. If you do, you will probably enjoy Night Shivers. The book consists of thirteen short stories which fall into the general category of horror from different genres. Some of them involve ghosts and skeletons, but most of them are a more Edgar Allan Poe-Alfred Hitchcock type of spooky, eerie tales. Are you the kind of person who can read stories like this, immediately go to bed, and still sleep peacefully at night?
Author Ed Pessalano has always liked telling stories, especially scary ones. Even when just a young boy, he would terrify family and friends with his special brand of horror. A couple of the tales are especially gruesome. In one a body is found hanging with a slashed throat and in another an elderly man eats corpses. The publisher’s website lists the book as being for adults, but there is no sexuality or bad language. The phrase “good Lord” is used once as an interjection, and the euphemistic “geez” appears once. Children who are very sensitive and people with an extremely weak stomach would probably want to avoid this book, but children who are able to read, into the macabre, and not bothered by such things should enjoy the book. Horror is not my favorite genre, but even I found the stories interesting, and my fifteen-year-old son said that they are creepy great.
The Sidewalk
'In the Hills' magazine.
Review by Tracey Fockler from BookLore in Orangeville.
"Construction on an ordinary piece of sidewalk in a small Ontario town uncovers a mystery dating back 55 years. Sidewalks, and the countless stories of the people who once walked on them, provide inspiration for a resident of Violet Hill, Patricia Brez's novel about family secrets refusing to stay buried."
BOOK REVIEW
Pegi Eyers
“Peaceful Warrior: Annish’s Journey”
By Jan Porter
Moose Hide Books, 2011
Peaceful Warrior, the debut novella by Kawartha’s amazing Jan Porter, ordained minister, writer and community catalyst, is a coming-of-age tale for the youthful spirit in all of us. With her quirky prose style, Jan imagines a magical time and place, rich in indigenous knowledge and meaning. The young heroine Annish belongs to a tribal culture that lives in harmony with nature and honours the interconnectivity and sacredness of all life. She is in the process of discovering herself as an adult, and in recognizing her own unique path and power. Annish must summon the courage to defy the gender expectations of her community and express her true self as a Warrior-Hunter. She dreams Warrior dreams, petitions the Creator, communes with the Ancestors, speaks with the animal spirit helpers, creates her own songs, rituals and evocations - all without any teachings or instruction from the Hunter Society. Through her fiction Jan is reminding us of universal truth and that great gifts come to those who revere the balance of Mother Earth and embody their own authenticity. Ultimately, Annish receives powerful spiritual teachings linked to her ancestral lineage that honour her unique abilities and contributions, and define her place within the community and Great Wheel of Life. Coming into her power as “Peaceful Warrior Woman” Annish learns, as we all must, that the Way of the Heart is the only true path.
Lakefield Herald newspaper
Author always felt Lakefield was home
by Jamie Steel
It didn’t matter that she spent 20 years living near the Bruce Peninsula, Lakefield has always been home to author Jan Porter.
Moving to the village three years ago made it official, but since she was a child Porter has been spending her summers in the area and has always felt at home here.
Her connection with Lakefield is not unlike her connection with First Nations communities. Though the circumstances surrounding her family background carry a sense of mystery with them, Porter says her great grandfather married the daughter of a Native chief. However, the author’s affinity with native culture long precedes her knowledge of her great grandfather’s relationship.
“We all have indigenous bits of ancestry floating around in our DNA,” Porter says.
“I think major spirituality belongs to everybody.”
Since she was a young girl, Porter’s favourite subject to read about has always been the Native culture. Perhaps it was her love of the outdoors, of nature that drew her to the subject. Then again, it could have been her love of the subject that sparked her interest in nature.
Whatever the case, it’s now not only a part of who she is but who her children are, as well as the people who read her second book, Peaceful Warrior, Annish’s Journey.
The book follows a young, native woman through her journey to self-realization as she pursues her dream of becoming a hunter warrior.
As for what comes next for Annish, the book’s protagonist, Porter says despite her hesitation earlier this year, there will be a sequel.
“The story is starting to come to me now,” she says.
Title: Personal Notes
Author: Emily-Jane Hills Orford
Review: The engaging writing feels more like a conversation with friends than a book being read. Peggy’s story is told with compassion and love and succeeds in letting a large audience get to know a wonderful human being. Personal Notes is a touching glimpse into the past. A great family read filled with real adventures and delicious recipes.
Reviewer: Lisa Haselton, Allbooks Reviews,
PROSTATE DREAMS a comedy of medical errors
a play by SAL ATLANTIS PHOENIX
Poor George. It seemed like he had everything going his way. The handsome, vibrant man in his early 40s had a knockout girlfriend, Julia, and a successful business career. But then he received terrifying news: he had prostate cancer. So begins Prostate Dreams, a play that blends satire and political commentary.
Reviewed By: Will Gabbett Feathered Quill Book Reviews P.O. Box 304 Goshen MA 01032
Bodies on Belmont Drive
by Patricia Trudeau:
"Murder Mystery Feels Like Home . . . It's January and there's been a lot of snow -- enough to cover a body on Belmont Drive. . . The main character Agnes is a likable busybody . . . who finds the bodies . . . phones the police.
Unfortunately RCMP Sgt. Blake . . . seems to think she is somehow implicated in the crime.
St. Albert readers will enjoy the homey touches as they mentally follow Agnes on her trail of murder and mystery.
This is Trudeau's first novel and she is already working on a second featuring Agnes. At times her plot is hard to follow as Agnes takes off in a few too many directions, but in spite of that she offers an intriguing mystery that is fun to read."
Reviewed by Susan Jones, St. Albert Gazette
Select-a-Part
by Patricia Trudeau.
"Local flavour adds to story. Young readers will enjoy the mystery.
St. Albert's busybody detective Agnes Carroll is back in the sleuthing business but this time she's off to Calgary to look for murder and mayhem. . . . Carroll finds the first piece of the body herself, when she goes to look for a hubcap in a used-car scrap yard. . . . where are the rest of the remains? Whose body is it? . . . all the characters (she) runs into seem to be connected to the murder . . . the teen in Carroll's publisher's office is part of the mystery, as is the woman in the cafe in Red Deer's Gasoline Alley. . . the same black Mercedes appears in Calgary, in Red Deer and again at West Edmonton Mall.
Select-a-Part is fun to read and likely would appeal to young readers because Trudeau paints a descriptive and familiar picture of St. Albert, the Queen Elizabeth II Highway and streets and shopping centres in St. Albert, Edmonton, and Calgary."
Reviewed by Susan Jones, St. Albert Gazette
Big Bobby Boom
by Gregg Seeley
This is such a fun book! This book is a hilarious choice. While the story is a fantastical journey of epic proportions, the dialogue will ring true to the book's intended target market.
Who doesn’t want to win against the bully, save the day, and look cool while doing it? There are the bullies you love to laugh at, Big Bobby Boom and his sidekicks Booker and Biff.
The book starts off with a bang and keeps up a rapid pace all the way to the ending, no slow starts or dead bits here.
Lori Anderson / The Store
5 Stars
Readers will enjoy the antics of Elliott and Jimmy as they become infamous pranksters who go head to head with Big Bobby Boom, crashing his birthday party, planning a bit of hi-jinx in the hockey rink and spicing up lunchtime with hot pepper pie.
Big Bobby Boom! and the Marble Mayhem, written by Gregg Seeley is geared for reluctant and inquisitive readers, as well as being a fun read for anyone who has ever been bullied.
Debbie Smart / Book Reviewer - Stories for Children Magazine
5 stars
Playful, witty, and disarmingly amusing, Big Bobby Boom! and the Marble Mayhem is a delightful read. Author Gregg Seeley's charming novella chronicling the omnipresent challenges of life as a pre-teen. Equally comical and heartwarming, Big Bobby Boom! and the Marble Mayhem is a welcome addition to the world of young adult fiction. A promising debut from an exciting new literary talent.
Rhonda Carver / Official Apex Reviews
4.5 Stars
While this book takes a light-hearted tone, the message will still strike a chord amongst readers that can identify with the various forms of bullying portrayed by both Bobby senior and junior.
This book also cleverly illustrates how unacceptable behaviour is passed down within families, often allowing for unchecked behaviour to spread as the victims of bullying often respond by bullying others.
Former Fredericton High School student, Gregg Seeley has written a humorous junior novel about bullying with a focus on the strength of friendship and family.
Gloria Nickerson / The Daily Gleaner
A Print Of A Man,
by; Edmond Alcid
It was perhaps the synchronicity of life that I began reading Edmond Alcid’s latest novel; ‘A Print Of A Man’, while on winter vacation in Temagami, surrounded by wilderness. ‘Thomas’s adventure begins in remote Massey Ontario, a fitting setting for the reader to live and appreciate the intimate recollection of one lone man’s confrontation with primal instincts, his own soul and reverence for life.
Middle aged Thomas is separated from his father while tracking down a Deer. Boyhood training does little to prepare him for the tasks at hand, yet survival instincts dictate the acquisition of new knowledge and skill. There have been some who have survived the wilderness for up to forty days without food, two to three days without water, and only a few seconds without hope. This gripping novel is a candid and intimate first hand odyssey of nature at its best and worst and all that is in this wilderness survival tale.
Edmond’s obvious knowledge of the northern wilderness and personal insight into the human condition shines through this page turner, taking the reader on an informative and profound journey.
Wilderness survival is a similar theme in Edmond’s novel; ‘Executor Of Mercy’. An articulate novelist, playwright and obvious perfectionist adds to the mystery given his lack of public profile. One envisions Alcid hiking the wilderness, while walking in another era and another man’s shoes. Print Of A Man plays on the divine dichotomies of life. A master piece!
Jan Porter / Soul Works / Whalebone Promotions / Mystic Voices
Big Bobby Boom and the Marble Mayhem
Gregg Seeley
Welcome to the town of Bunsel. This is one town I would never want to visit. This is a town that is run by one family the Bunsels. The mayor of the town treats everyone as his servant and his children and family are allowed to create havoc, disorder and mayhem wherever that want and whenever they choose. I thought we lived in a democratic society. I guess someone forgot to tell that to Mayor Boolacheck who declared himself not only King of the roads but dictator of the town too. This brings me to my review of The Big Bobby Boom and the Marble Mayhem by author Gregg Seeley.
There are many kids that go to school and are frightened, hurt, insulted and bullied by other kids that play on their vulnerability. Author, Gregg Seeley in this humorous, clever account of a town and its founders that needed to be taught a big lesson, brings to light this serious issue that many children have to deal with on a daily basis. Big Bobby Boom, his two goon cousins go around bullying, playing practical jokes and harassing anyone and everyone just for the sport of torturing them. Elliot Blue the son of the new sheriff, fears his first day of school and the awful treatment he knows he cannot avoid. But, not to worry Elliot. Someone is about to come to your rescue and the town of Bunsel, the Boolacheck family and more will never be the same. You see, sometimes it takes another kid to put the bullies in their place. But, will the Boolacheck boys ever learn that what they are doing is wrong? How can they when their parents, the Mayor and their entire family endorse and encourage their behavior and feel because everyone in town works for them, they have to follow their rules.
Imagine being told when you are to be at an event and that your children are required to play hockey, baseball and other sports just to be pawns and puppets falling prey to the whims and pranks of these other boys
But, fear not, Elliot Blue you are no longer alone. Enter, cousin Jimmy the Slick the king of real practical jokes who would make sure that the town of Bunsel not only knew he had arrived, but would never mess with him or you again.
Throughout the novel we learn that the grownups in this town are just as much to blame as the youngsters. This is an example of how much this town could use Nanny 911 to help teach them proper parenting skills. Imagine the Mayor and his wife throwing a party for their son that every child in the town is required to attend and allowing their son and their cousins to do mean things to the other kids and watch without trying to stop them. With parents that encourage this behavior and town of grownups who fear for their jobs and more, whom can these children learn from? Certainly not the adults.
Author Gregg Seeley created the character of Jimmy the Slick, who is so resourceful, so clever and often comes up with ingenious plans to teach the Boolacheck boys lessons he hopes they will never forget. But, do they you will have to decide for yourself. From putting super glue on the baseball bats that cause not only Bobby’s hands but others to become permanently glued, to the slime he puts in their swimming pool during a birthday party, the author creates situations that are so funny and hilarious you actually route for Jimmy and Elliot.
But, when Jimmy and Elliot are banned from the town parade, Jimmy decides to teach not only the Mayor and his sons a lesson, but hopefully the entire town too. Every family works for the Mayor except the new Sheriff who stands up to him and does not back down. Even the Mayor and his sons never act alone. Ever notice that bullies need backup when they strike. Wonder what would happen if they got Bobby alone!
With an ending so hilarious and so funny you will not believe what 10,000 marbles and a cow suit can do to stop a parade and much more. Just what happens and how do Jimmy and Elliot become the town heroes as a result of their stunt to unleash these marbles on the town during the parade. Just what happens to Jimmy and Elliot as a result of their stunt you won’t belief, nor will you belief the ending?
A definite must read for all kids that have ever been the victim of a bully. As someone that went through what Elliot did, I can totally identify with him and think that this book should be in all schools for teachers to use as model as part of their of their character education curriculum. Guidance counselors and librarians could use this as a way of helping kids understand how to deal with bullies.
Fran Lewis: reviewer and author of the Bertha Series of Books and Memories are Precious
I give this book: Five Stars
Big Bobby Boom and the Marble Mayhem
Gregg Seeley
Gregg Seeley has written a wonderful tale of taking on the town bully and making it a fun trip along the way. This book is for anyone who has ever been picked on and then spent time imagining the “if only I had done this” scenario. Written with colorful detail and dialogue, this book is a fun read for the kid in all of us.
Nanci Arvizu
Host at Page Readers on Blog Talk Radio
Big Bobby Boom and the Marble Mayhem
Gregg Seeley
How timely can a topic be when it has been all over the media for the past couple of months? Children are harming children in our schools and on the streets. We all know the term for this, It is bullying. It is not to be said that bullying only occurs among children in our schools, but is also rampant in the workplace.
The schools have taken up the gauntlet and offer workshops for teachers, children and parents and companies have experienced numerous harassment suits but do not legally address bullying. Bullying has become deadly and life threatening with no solution in sight.
Gregg Seeley has addressed bullying among the junior high set contrasted with adult bullying which becomes a role model for the town youth. The setting is a fictitious town which has come under the rule of an adult bully who owns and runs the town and its inhabitants. His child has become a carbon copy of him, terrorizing everyone in his path at the local school. Bobby Boolacheck is his name, and his main goal in life is to make Elliot and Jimmy "the slick" Blue miserable.
It is frightening to see the extent Bobby will go to in the name of retaining his power over these two boys. Any attempts that Elliot and his cousin Jimmy make to thwart Bobby's power is met with brute force by Bobby and his accomplices. As is typical with most children who are being bullied, they try to handle it themselves without adult intervention. Even when adults become aware of these situations, they many times opts to allow their children to deal with it on their own. It is a thin line to know when this is a child's issue and when it requires intervention by authority.
Mr. Seeley sets up his characters so that the reader realizes that between the adult bully and the child bullies, no one in the town has a chance. We are drawn into this story, frustrated with the outcome of every bullying encounter, shouting where are the followers of the victims, Where are the stand-up adults who will take charge.
Elliot and Jimmy take retaliation into their own hands with the desired results. Adult intervention finally happens as we see Elliot's father intervene for his son and his nephew. However, they must be punished for what they did. I do not want to give away the surprise ending, but their mis-deed actually makes Elliot and Jimmy heroes. They are assiigned a clean-up task and it is then that they realize they did have followers that have shown up to help with the monumental task.
Big Bobby Boom! and the Marble Mayhem is a chapter book written for Junior High school age children. Even though it is about boys, I can see the junior high girls also relating to this issue.
Reviewed by Eileen Hanley
Bookpleasures.com
Three books By Patricia Trudeau
Bodies on Belmont Drive / Select-A-Part / Breathless at St. Bride's
"I have just read Bodies on Belmont Drive and Select-a-Part. I was greatly
amused and impressed by smart, spunky Agnes! The two books are a good
promo to all retirees. Live your senior years intelligently. Be active physically
and mentally."
"I have read Breathless at St. Bride's, and thoroughly enjoyed it. I found that
the plot unfolded very smoothly. The pace was not too slow, just right. It
sustained my interest and curiosity. Agnes was definitely at her best. She's
like French wine: she gets better with age. I suspect that the next locale for
her sleuthing could be either somewhere in the Rockies or in Red Deer.
Victoria is one of my favourite cities. I love its quaint and picturesque setting."
Marie Kohler
Spotlight on Canadian authors : Review of Big Bobby Boom! and the Marble Mayhem
Renee Miller CanadaBooks Examiner
Entertaining and educational, Big Bobby Boom! will appeal to many kids.
Being an undersized kid can really stink. No one knows this better than Elliot Blue who finds himself thrust into a new school in a new town where he has already been made a target by the self-proclaimed school bully, Big Bobby Boolacheck ‘Big Bobby Boom!’ " From the cover of Big Bobby Boom! And the Marble Mayhem by Gregg Seeley
Gregg Seeley’s debut book, Big Bobby Boom! And the Marble Mayhem (published by Moose Hide Books)is deceiving. When I first bought the book, I expected a very “boy” tale filled with silliness and not much more, which is fine, reading should be fun and kids need escapism as much as we do.
Seeley surprised me, weaving a very important message into the insanity that ensues for Elliot Blue in this story as well as creating a story and characters that appeal to both genders. Bullying affects far too many kids these days and it’s escalating rapidly. One only needs to turn on the news for a few minutes any day of the week to see the tragic result of modern bullying.
So how does Big Bobby Boom! differ from other books on the subject of bullying? First, it’s a fun story intended to capture a child’s imagination. It’s also subtle, the message doesn’t talk down to, or preach at kids. Seeley sends a message of understanding and coping without violence which is very important and it's also entertaining, a crucial ingredient in getting kids to read.
Bobby Boolacheck is a horrible kid. I cringed at his vocabulary, spoiled attitude and overall meanness, but layered beneath the bratty veneer is a child struggling to understand social interaction. He’s learned bullying from his father, who learned it from his father. Does this make Bobby a bad kid? Not necessarily. This story makes the reader consider not only the victim’s point of view, but the bully’s.
As a mother of a child who was viciously bullied for three years, I have a tough time with empathy for anyone who tries to use force, physical or emotional, to get their way. But I did feel for the bully in this story. I felt sorry for Bobby and wanted to throttle his parents. Preventing bullying begins at home, and that’s what Big Bobby Boom! (in my opinion) is telling us.
As for kid appeal, I had two eleven year olds, a boy and a girl, and a seven year old (girl) read the story and all three enjoyed it. The seven year old giggled quite frequently and the older kids, while they enjoyed the story, found the characters themselves more enjoyable than the plot. They also liked that the book wasn't long, but still challenging enough for older kids. So, in my opinion, the novel is a success.
This is a book I think would fit very well in school libraries and at home. Parents and kids, I encourage you to check out Big Bobby Boom! And the Marble Mayhem. My kids are eagerly awaiting the next adventure in this series.
BIG BOBBY BOOM
March 6, 2011 By Nicki Eve
Big Bobby Bloom by Gregg Seeley published by Moosehide books is a book about bullying. Being an undersized, oversized or different kid can bring on taunts and ridicule and beatings from bullies. In this case, one reads from the cover of Big Bobby Bloom, “Being an undersized kid can really stink. No one knows better than Elliot Blue who finds himself thrust into a new school in a new town where he has already been made a target by the self-proclaimed school bully, Big Bobby Boolacheck ‘Big Bobby Bloom!”
This book is deceiving in it’s delivery. It is not a typical boy tale filled with silliness and lack of substance. Even though it is veiled in a cloud of lightness, it is a book offering a serious message. I bought this book to gain insight into what makes a bully and what it means for the victims. I wanted to know how the message of bullying was handled in writing for children to help me sort out the inane from the substance in the research for the writing of my book.
Seeley weaves a critical message into the insanity that ensues for the victim. He creates a story that appeals to both girls and boys. Bullying is escalating rapidly these days and far too many children are affected by it. Today’s bullying is taking it’s toll on more and more targeted kids which in some cases have led to suicide of the victims.
Big Bobby Bloom differs from other books on bullying by engaging the child’s imagination and making it a fun story for the reader. Just like a great story, the author does not talk down to the reader. He weaves a subtle message of understanding and coping without violence in an entertaining prose, which are crucial ingredients to infusing a message that kids will embrace. He makes his story believable by making his victim and bully multidimensional. He leads the reader to discovering that not only is Bobby Boolacheck a horrible kid with bad vocabulary and overall meanness, but a kid who himself does not fit in the social network of kid interaction. We learn that Bobby’s bullying has been passed down from one generation to the next making Bobby a victim himself.
So Greg Seeley writes not only the victim’s point of view, but the bully’s as well. The novel’s success is buoyed by the favorable comments of kids who have read it. Some laughed out loud at the antics of the characters in the story. Some found the characters more enjoyable than the plot. Others enjoyed the fact that the book wasn’t long and complicated, yet still intriguing enough to challenge them.
Greg Seeley has a winner here, in my opinion…a book fit for school libraries and at home. Perhaps if more authors write about this topic, it might help break the cycle of bullying one reader at a time. Let’s all hope we see more of this type of writing.
NIGHT SHIVERS
Joanna P. Del Buono, in the 'Standing O' section of the paper Brooklyn News
It was a dark and scary night....
Scared ya, didn't it? Ed Pessalano, the Edgar Allan Poe of Brooklyn, can scratch one off his bucket list now that he's published his "Night Shivers" anthology. Thirteen deliciously devilish short stories scary enough to, well, scare your pants off. Ed's been scaring the bejezzus out of family members with his tales of horror, and now he's sharing his scaring of haunted honeymoons, ghoulish relatives and ghastly ghosts with the rest of us. Standing O is still sleeping with the lights on.
Nigh Shivers
Heather J. Chin for the May 28-June 2 edition of the "Brooklyn Spectator."
For one summer, Bensonhurst resident Ed Pessalano lived out two dreams: to
frequent one of his “favorite places in the world,” Coney Island, and to write a
book of short stories.
“Astroland, the big Dante’s Inferno ride, that’s what inspired
‘Terror Park,’ which is one of my favourite stories [in my book],” said
Pessalano, 27, of his story about a day at an amusement park that turns into a
twisted nightmare. “The Coney Island experience always attracted me,
whether it be the train ride or the amusement park. Ever since I was a little
boy, going to the Aquarium with my father, I always joked that Dante’s
Inferno wasn’t as scary as what was in my own mind. So I decided to create
it.”
The product of that creative decision is Night Shivers, Pessalano’s
fiction debut – an Edgar Allan Poe meets Twilight Zone meets R. L. Stine
collection of 13 short stories that was published this past August by Moose
Hide Books.
Ranging from a slightly twisted classic ghost story called
“Expected Company” to the fears of every late-night train passenger come to
life in “The Night Train,” the 73-page book tells horror stories without the
gore, giving readers stories “half inspired by urban legends and half from
[Pessalano’s] own mind.”
The lack of gore and kid-friendly material – not too many
nightmare-inducing twists and turns! – is by design. “If it were rated, it would
be PG because the only thing parents would find objectionable is mild
violence,” said Pessalano, who studied at the Institute for Children’s Literature
after graduating from New Utrecht High School in 2001. “No curse words,
no vulgarity. My main emphasis is on storytelling. That is where the skill is.”
Having grown up reading everything from R. L. Stine’s
Goosebumps to Stephen King, Dean Koontz and Anne Rice, and watching
“Twilight Zone” and classic and B-movie horror films, Pessalano has always
liked telling stories and scaring family and friends. It wasn’t until he began
freelancing articles for children’s magazines such as Highlights, Spider and
Turtle, and formally studying the craft, though, that he decided to really make
a go at being a writer and artist.
“My future ambitions are to write more scary short stories as well
as poetry that explores emotions: love, hate, dreaming, rhyme… I am inspired
by Edgar Allan Poe. I definitely want to follow in his footsteps. He had doom
and gloom, but could write,” Pessalano said. “If his writing could affect
generations to come, I would definitely like to follow in his footsteps, if I can
make it that far.”
In addition to working on his “primary goal” of achieving “a best-
selling status as an author,” Pessalano wants to pay it forward by “entertaining
the general public with top quality storytelling.”
Jan Porter
Mystic Voices
Summer Vacation Bliss!
'Sky Flyers' By; Richard Mousseau
Wow, what a breath of fresh air and life!
Time magically slows down to a timely country pace circa 1910 in Mousseau’s latest masterpiece, “Sky Flyers’. A snapshot of rural northern Ontario life where a group of children rapture in warm summer days of amazing kite flying on the northern Georgian Bay shoreline. Ironically perhaps, this reviewer had the fortitude of curling up on dock lounge chair to read, adding to ambiance of story. Wide open shoreline sky lines expansive open farm land where two homemade kite’s dance and unwittingly set the stage for a life time of adventure, competition and camaraderie. A number of ingenuous attributes built into a variety of kites at the hands of children that would make a ghostly Leonardo Da Vinci proud.
Da Vinci’s inspiration in hand with childhood resourcefulness, Mousseau’s lovely slow pace style is reminiscent of Samuel Clemens a.k.a Mark Twain’s Huckeyberry Finn and the adventures of Tom Sawyer. Readers are taken on a wonderful journey as Mousseau carves new roads of wit and era cultural-ism that set precedence for distinctive Canadian Literature. This fine novel comfortably stands in finer categories such as, Stephen Leacock’s ‘Sunshine Sketches Of A Small Town’.
Mousseau’s own rural northern Ontario life experience and boyhood gift-ly shines through this wide range appeal page turner. A small rural northern Ontario multi-cultural community is ethno-demographic harmony in action via childhood summertime adventures. One life defining summer far from conscious thoughts children are free of class distinction, racism, poverty and other adult worldly dramas sets precedence for youth and adulthood.
From old hound dogs, to catching frogs, to tom boy girls and growing into youth and adulthood of war and post war, this novel and its characters live on long after its first reading. A measure of a true timeless classic in the making, Mousseau’s eloquent, brilliant, and witty, this novel is simply a joy to read! For readers caught up in the high fever of box store trends, this masterpiece is a welcome change.
Every once in awhile, a shining star writer shines and shares a gift for the written word and Sky Flyers is among his other memorable works. As a seasoned and prolific writer, editor and publisher in his own right, Richard Mousseau demonstrates his expertise with numerous other works, such as; novels, story poetry, play writing and in particular, Northern Ontario adventures. A man of many hats, Mousseau also hails as a farmer a raising menagerie of domestic animals in rural Sault Ste. Marie, Ontario, Canada.
Congratulations Richard Mousseau!
Night Shivers
If you are looking for great horrifying tales to get you in the mood for Halloween or just love the horror genre, then you will love Night Shivers. Pessalano creates such hair raising stories that it will make you go under the covers. There are thirteen stories in here varying from the wedding day that turns upside down to a camping trip with an unexpected visitor, and an oldie but a goodie when it comes to horror- the old abandoned house with revenge that goes into the paranormal. There’s more to choose from such as a story about a passenger on a train being perused by a deranged serial killer and an amusement park story that will have you thinking twice about ever going to a park again. Pessalano has a great gift, to entertain and scare the human mind with these horror stories. Those who love the genre and love a good scare will enjoy the book as much as I did. A fun, scary treat!
Denise Alicea
-The Pen-Muse Book Blog Reviews
Blog Link:
Do you like stories that will make your cringe at times? Do you like to have stories that will give you a bit of the willies? This short collection of tales will definitely do this. I and my kids have always been interested in ghost stories. My eldest daughter always loves to hear the stories and amazingly she does not get scared by them. This book is one that I shared with her and she enjoyed them, though there were a few of the stories that we stopped as I did not want her to have nightmares. The only thing I would have changed in the entire book were the story headings, as they were very tiny and could have been better marked so that you could tell that the new story was starting. You could identify it, but they could have made it more prominent in the editing of the book. Otherwise a great book!
Chris
-Dad of Divas Blog Review
Blog Link:
"The Sidewalk" a novel by Patricia Brez, is an authentic reflection of life in rural Ontario during the first half of the twentieth century. It is rich in detail of everyday events that shaped the lives of individuals, families and the community as a whole. Some of those events were happy, and celebratory, some were of long hours of hard physical labour, some were of sadness and loss and some were of darkness and foreboding.
Even though the writer has established a certain era and setting for her story, the situations and values presented can be translated into other ethnic societies across time and place.
Some transitions in time were somewhat awkward and in a few instances the language tended to be somewhat stilted.
I enjoyed getting to know the characters; I appreciated the author's knowledge of plants and flowers; I liked the appeal to the senses with the inclusion of food recipes and I became caught up in the tension and suspense as the plot developed. So I most certainly would recommend the book to other readers and I look forward to reading other works by Patricia Brez that might be forthcoming in the future.
Respectfully,
Lois Munz