magical realism Archives - Page 2 of 2 - fundinmentalfundinmental

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The Friday 56 is hosted by Freda’s Voice.The only rules are to grab a book (any book), turn to page 56 or 56% in your ereader and find any sentence or a few ( no spoilers) that grabs you and post it.

Please join Rose City Reader every Friday to share the first sentence or so of the book you are reading along with you initial thoughts about the sentence, impressions of the book, or anything else the opener inspires.

Please include the title of the book and the author’s name.

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A messy bookshelf is the norm around the Fundin household. I just cannot help but pick up another book and another and another…

Today I will be sharing a book I bought when it became banned overseas.

The Satanic Verses by Salman Rushdie.

Any time I hear about a book surrounded by controversy, I must have it.

Amazon / Goodreads

My 56

“…No wonder I fell for you, sugar, when the local product is so low grade you get to like goods from foreign.”

(Page 56 in hardcover, published in 1989)

Book Beginnings

‘To be born again,’ sang Gibreel Farishta tumbling from the heavens, ‘first you have to die. Ho ji! Ho ji! To land upon the bosomy earth, first one needs to fly. Tat-taa! Taka-thun! How to ever smile again, if first you won’t cry? How to win the darling’s love, mister, without a sigh? Baba, if you want to get born again…’ Just before dawn one winter’s morning, New Year’s Day or thereabouts, two real, full-grown, living men fell from a great height, twenty-nine thousand and two feet, towards the English Channel, without benefit of parachutes or wings, out of a clear sky.

GOODREADS BLURB: One of the most controversial and acclaimed novels ever written, The Satanic Verses is Salman Rushdie’s best-known and most galvanizing book. Set in a modern world filled with both mayhem and miracles, the story begins with a bang: the terrorist bombing of a London-bound jet in midflight. Two Indian actors of opposing sensibilities fall to earth, transformed into living symbols of what is angelic and evil. This is just the initial act in a magnificent odyssey that seamlessly merges the actual with the imagined. A book whose importance is eclipsed only by its quality, The Satanic Verses is a key work of our times.

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Which cover would make you stop for more info?

These are some of the covers, but I did not see the one I have anywhere (below).

Is that a good thing? I think so. Makes mine rare, right?

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I saw Becca Campbell’s influences and I found a kindred spirit, so when I was given the opportunity to read Empath, Book One, and the entire Flawed Series, I jumped all over it.

This will definitely be a series I finish!

Amazon / Goodreads

MY REVIEW

Empath by Becca Campbell hooked me from the opening pages. I was quickly drawn into Jade’s world and the characters became my friends too…most of them.

Jade walked into the classroom and it confirmed her reason for online classes. The feelings bombarded her…anger, attraction, excitement. She struggled to maintain a calm appearance. Were they her feelings, or someone else’s?

‘She believed in God…Why had he given her this FLAW?’

Everything changed for her when she met Logan. He calmed her.

Logan, is a professor at the college she was attending and he is a loner, for reasons of his own. He knew he should stay away from her, but we know how that goes. Becca Campbell’s writing drew me to him immediately. There is something special about him and I was as drawn to him as Jade was. She wondered…is he special too, is this the beginning of something wonderful for her, could she have a relationship?

Ethan…Becca draws a vivid picture of him in my mind. I do love a good villain and Ethan fits that picture perfectly. He is a psychopath, feels no fear and has powers of his own. He collects snakes and they are his tools of torture. Serial killers collect trophies and his are especially heinous. His thoughts and fantasies are EVIL, and they are about Jade. He MUST have her.

Cam, poor Cam. He has a huge crush on Jade and I wonder what will become of him. Since a snowboarding accident, he has blackouts that cause a sense of deja vu. I love that Becca describes his senses in depth…every sight, sound and smell, no matter how small.

Jade has more friends with unique powers of their own and they all hold a special place in her world. Why were they chosen? Maybe they weren’t FLAWS. Maybe they were gifts.

When Jade meets ‘Bigfoot’ I was not surprised. I expected it and had hoped it would happen. I think I know his name. Will I be right? We will have to wait and see.

I like how the romance is slow developing, subtle. Do you remember your first love…the butterflies in your stomach, the heat of a blush rising to the surface of your face, the excitement of even a glimpse of him/her, the teasing and playfulness of a conversation? It reads like real life and that makes the story even more believable. The triangle is not really a triangle, but Cam feels like it is.

I guess you can tell I fell in love with the characters. They may be young, but the danger surrounds them as they go about the normal business of life. I usually write more about the action in a novel and the characters just happen to be in the way. Not so with Empath. I am now heavily involved in their lives and will see it through to the end.

I voluntarily reviewed a free copy of Empath by Becca Cambell.

5 STARS

GOODREADS BLURB

Supernatural empathy isn’t a gift, it’s a curse.

Anywhere she goes, Jade’s emotions are replaced by those of the people around her. Jade grew up in a suburb of Colorado Springs, protected from other people by her parents. Now she faces college-and the world-with nothing to shield her from unwanted feelings.

When Cam, a classmate with a major crush on her, unintentionally hijacks her emotions, Jade struggles to keep from being carried away in feelings of attraction. When Ethan, a psychopath with a thirst for fear, fixates on her, the emotional impact could be lethal.

Caught in a deadly trap, Jade must untangle the emotions and find a way to use her empathic curse to overcome this killer or be overcome by him.

ABOUT BECCA CAMPBELL

Becca J. Campbell writes New Adult (twenty-somethings) fiction that varies from Urban Fantasy to Thriller to Science Fiction. Her stories typically blend a taste of the fantastical with real-world settings and add a dash of romance for good measure.

She’s always looking for a great speculative fiction read, and she holds a special place in her heart for any story that involves superpowers or time travel. Her passion is defying the limits of her own creativity.

Becca is also the co-creator of JuNoWriMo.com, where you can join a vibrant community and write a novel during June.

To join Becca’s writing journey and be notified when her next book is released, sign up for her author newsletter.

I have read this series out of order, but I am loving it regardless.

My Reviews for Becca Campbell

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