Book Review: The Colors of Blue by Lance McCulloch

Having tried my hand at writing a novel I can truly appreciate the work that Lance has put into this book. I never got as far as he has and for good reason, it is a lot of work!

I believe he has talent, although this edition is rough around the edges. Throughout the book you will find typos, syntax and printing errors. As someone has already commented on, it could have used a more refined touch with the proof reading before publication. The dialog is a little shallow and much at times and the transition from one scene to another was a little jolting for me at times. Once I actually had to put it down as it was becoming too, too much jumping from one place to another. That was more in the front of the front though; around the 9th chapter.

That said, I enjoyed reading the novel. The characters were genuine and believable. I came to think of Sarah as a friend, watching vicariously as she was thwarted in her relationship with Rick by several characters in the book only to triumph as she and Rick rediscover  love. Emotionally it triggered feelings of first love, even though they had each been in love before.

The setting contains many elements that resonate with me; mountains, horses, fishing, hiking, all invoking a feeling of peace and well-being. I felt it was given the most attention to detail and I was able to visualize myself there. A wonderful backdrop to a budding romance.

My greatest surprise was that a man could write such a sensitive novel so well. I believe the fact that it was written by a man though was a redeeming factor for me. It kept the novel from going to the gooey place other romance novels go. (yes, I know I said I do not read them, but I have read their jackets and I have had friends that feel the need to share the books they read with the intent of trying to convert me. The result is only to make me avoid them all the more.)

As an avid reader, I have read the early works of many  authors and I have found them to be rough around the edges at times and yet those authors have gone on to become very successful. Some that come to mind that I have read are Robin Cook, Dean Koontz and Robin Hobb.  I can foresee, with help and  persistence, how Lance could  be able to join those ranks.

If this book is fleshed out a little more, transitions from one scene to the next  smoothed out for a better segway and a little more attention given to editing, it could be more of a gem than the uncut stone that it is at this time.

I was given my copy of the book by the author. I told him I AM NOT a romance novel reader. This is as close as I have ever gotten to reading one. I avoid them as they generally have no interest for me. I enjoy a good Sci - fi, fantasy fiction, thriller, or drama. I agreed to read this book with the understanding that I was not a romance reader, but  would give it a try as I was intrigued by the element of colour  used by Sarah. It gave her character an element of  fantasy, an intriguing twist reminding me of a novel  I read by Brandon Sanderson.  Sadly I felt this was not developed as well as it could have been. He still sent me a copy though. :)

Bottom line, I enjoyed the book and would definitely  recommend it to others.

To quote Lance, "Although a romance, this is a story of love, loss, and discovery, told in a unique way and married with the beauty of nature. It is an emotional journey of the human spirit."

I could not have summed it up better.

The Colors of Blue

Lunch at Newman's Deli in Reno, Nevada

This last trip to Reno my sister treated me to an afternoon of special moments, starting with lunch at a cute little place, Newman’s Deli, located at: 20 California Avenue, Reno, NV 89509, which is right of So Virginia St.

To one side is FedEx/Kinkos and on the other, just across the street, is a Starbucks.

Upon walking inside I could not help but notice the quaint retro feeling of deli; linoleum floor, 50’s yellow kitchen walls, retro style tables and chairs; all very nostalgic. Photos of Baseball players from years gone by cover the wall as well a an occasional picture of other sports icons. 

I believe I have never seen a menu with quite so many items though. It made my head swim so I let my sister choose.  

We split a Turkey Bacon Tomato Melt; Oven Roasted Turkey Breast, Bacon, Tomato, Mayonnaise, & Tillamook Cheddar Cheese served on white fluffy bread. Not sure exactly what they called it but it looked similar to French Bread. I am not big on white bread but it suited the sandwich.  

The turkey breast was a generous portion, fresh and flavorful. The cheese was delicious, blending well with the other ingredients.

The sandwich was a little on the greasy side though, which might be expected due to the melted cheese.

Half of the sandwich was 11 weight watcher points, so not exactly a sandwich I could eat on a regular basis.

My sister said she was disappointed in the sandwich and wants to take me to a different deli on my next trip. She chose this one because she had heard good things about the sandwiches.

I personally liked the sandwich, was very impressed on how quickly our plates were gathered up when we finished, was not impressed with the lack of interest the staff expressed to us as customers, but I did enjoy the vintage atmosphere. In my opinion the price was reasonable as well.

http://www.newmansdeli.com/ 

John Carter of Mars

So Psyched!! Yesterday Lace, the boys and I enjoyed 2 hours of Sci-fi heaven watching the new John Carter movie.... in 3D!!

When I bought 2 copies of the latest Tron movie I received 2 tickets to see John Carter. That helped a lot with the costs since 3D tickets here are now $12.00.

I felt that the movie was very well done, lots of CGI, good acting, chemistry between actors was there, the aliens looked lifelike, lots of action scenes, some romance and a play on emotions (one scene made me cry when John Carter was remembering the death of his wife and daughter.)

I came home and searched ebay for the books so I could read them again. Should have known, the prices were all jacked up with everyone trying to capitalize on the current interest.

So I searched and found some free versions on Amazon Kindle; only the first 5 of 11 books though.

I thought the production was excellent with a nice balance of interest for men and women, and the story line stayed fairly true to the book. Although it has been a few years since I read the book and my memory is less than perfect.

In conclusion, I highly recommend the movie. Just remember it is based on books almost 100 years old and you may not be as jazzed as I was.

Weight Watcher Journey

Jan 8 began my first journey into the world of dieting. While the thought of doing so played occasionally across my mind, the catalyst that inspired the act was twofold; I had reached a point in my weight gain that I was experiencing sharp pain in my abdomen while typing on the computer something I do for several hours a day. I also had reached a fulcrum point in my wardrobe; lose weight or buy a new one. 

Slowly over the past few years as my weight climbed steadily higher and I found my wardrobe dwindling as I culled and re-culled my clothing, donating the discards to charity, the thoughts of dieting had crossed my mind. This year all that was left in clothing choices were my larges and a few XL items that really were cut more on the L side. All of which were becoming tighter and tighter. Several of that size had already been culled due to the unflattering look of my spare tire and/or the fact my arms no longer fit comfortably in the arm holes.

As a result I found myself talking to my daughter in law about weight watchers. I knew she had bounced back and forth with the program so she showed me how many points I was consuming just in my breakfast alone; a meal that is the same day after day. From there we covered different meals I might choose to make.

This was an eye opener for sure. I had always thought rice was a healthy addition to meals. Then I discovered 1 cup is 5 points, add that to the oil and the chicken points and my meal was an easy 10 points or more. When 26 is your limit for the day that is not so good.

There were many more examples like that in my diet so I checked into joining, but was put off with the the26.00 join up fee. Were they nuts? 26.00 just to join an online program??? Then there was also the monthly fee. So I waited. Enter Jennifer Husdon her “Believe” campaign for WW brought a waiving of the 26.00 fee and I joined.

I have not regretted it.

In the first week I lost 2 lbs. Exciting, but I told myself that could have been water loss. The second week gave me cause for excitement because I had lost another 2 pounds. Sunday begins my 8th week and I have lost weight each week with the exception of one.

This week has been my first week not to tap into the Points Plus Allowance. I get 49 a week and they have been a life saver. I am looking forward to my weigh in tomorrow morning as the scales are now registering another weight loss.

At the beginning of this week I felt the first inkling of how great it felt to have the weight off. I feel more energized, sexier. I have lost 3 inches off my waist and I could see the curve of my waist again. It was such a good feeling to be tightening my belt instead of letting it out.

I started at 161, according to my scales, 163 by my daughter in laws. I used my scale weight for recording purposes since that was the scale I would be using throughout this process. Today those scales say 149, 12 pounds!!

Not sure if it shows to others, I see it in my face and really feel it physically.

The left photo was taken on 1.05.12 and the right was taken on 2.22.12. Still have a ways to go, about 15 more pounds.

Tess Gerritsen; The Sinner

I entered the world of Tess Gerritsen recently and discovered the multi-faceted talents of this author.

The first book I chose to read of hers was “The Sinner”. I found it a fairly quick read and was able to finish it in a short amount of time. 

I have tried to analyze what it was missing to draw me into its heart and cannot come up with a clear cut reason. Possibly it is because I am still until the cloud of Robin Hobb, an author who has the ability to draw me deep into her worlds so much that the characters become as though real.

Possibly I do not find the characters and their world three dimensional enough. It is wrong of me though to compare a fast read book with a novel. That would be like comparing a Honda Civic to a Jaguar.

"The Bone Garden", a book I have just begun to read by Tess will give me more of a sense of her writing style. So far though, it could not be farther in form from “The Sinner”.

“The Sinner” is a murder mystery, set in a current timeline. Two nuns are brutally murdered, as well as a man and what appears to be a homeless person. Three different venues, but all connected. Tess slowly connects the dots with the aid of her character, Dr. Isles, the local ME. The closer Dr. Isles gets to the truth the more her life is in jeopardy.

“The Bone Garden” jumps between current time and the early 1800’s. So far the only similarity is that the two books are murder mysteries. We shall see as the plot unfolds.

The one con I found in the first book that might give me pause to continue venturing into more of her works is that I felt “The Sinner” border lined on becoming a romance novel; a genre that I am not drawn to.

Had it not a greater percentage of the mystery aspect I may have not picked up the second book.

At this time I would encourage the reading of Tess Gerritsen’s books though. They are a fast and enjoyable read. The plots also have twists and turns that add the element of surprise.