Simon & Schuster delivers the second book in Kevin Sands’ The Blackthorn Key Series, Mark of the Plague, available on its own or in a hardcover slipcase collection that contains all six books in the series. Picking up a couple of months after the first book, the tale finds apothecary apprentice Christopher Rowe working to…
Category: The Book Shelf
The Blackthorn Key (2015) – Kevin Sands
Simon & Schuster takes me back to 17th century London this week with The Blackthorn Key written by Kevin Sands. The first book in a young adult collection that spans six novels, the first book is a fast-paced tale filled with mystery and puzzles that delivers an engaging read. Christopher Rowe is the apprentice of…
Star Trek: Discovery – Somewhere To Belong (2023) – Dayton Ward
Simon & Schuster Canada take me to the 32nd century with the crew of the Discovery as another Star Trek adventure unfolds in a great read by Dayton Ward. Set shortly after the events of the third season, with the Burn story arc resolved, the crew of the Discovery find themselves a new mission by…
The Lives of Lee Miller (1985) – Anthony Penrose
As I mentioned in my review of the film, Lee, I was gobsmacked to learn the story of Lee Miller, specifically her work as a war correspondent during World War II. How had I never heard of her? As I came out of the screening I put The Lives of Lee Miller on hold at…
If It Bleeds (2020)- Stephen King
Stephen King knows how to tell a story and his short story/novella collections are always guaranteed to entertain. This one took me a while to get this one, but once I heard that the novella, If It Bleeds was a Holly Gibney story set after the events of The Outsider it raced up my to-be-read…
Making It So (2023) – Patrick Stewart
Whether Patrick Stewart knows it or not (I’m fairly sure he doesn’t) he’s been an essential part of my life since my formative teen years. He’s always been there in some form or another, and he’s helped me through a lot of tough times. A story he and his fellow castmates of that super popular…
Scratch One (1967) – Micheal Crichton
Michael Crichton’s second novel, which he wrote under his pseudonym of John Lange, is a fast-paced thriller that plays on the familiar trope of mistaken identity. This time out an American lawyer, Roger Carr, finds himself mistaken for a high-profile hitman and finds himself stuck between opposing sides in an arms deal which has its…
Star Trek: The Next Generation – The Children of Hamlin (1988) – Carmen Carter
Space, the final frontier… So here I am three novels into the original novels released by Pocket Book (Simon & Schuster) and to date, this one feels like the best one I’ve read. Although I think when I read this when it first came out, it probably didn’t catch my interest as much as it…
A House with Good Bones (2023) – T. Kingfisher
T. Kingfisher aka Ursula Vernon has entertained and creeped me out with each of the books I’ve read by her; three to date, with A House with Good Bones being the latest. Once again she introduces us to a relatable character, in this case entomologist Samantha who, when her summer dig is cancelled, decides to…
Holly (2023) – Stephen King
Wordsmith and beloved storyteller, Stephen King, delivers his latest tale this week. Released by Simon & Schuster, the story allows the readers and King to spend some time with one of his favourite characters, private investigator, Holly Gibney. Holly has become a beloved character, appearing in the End of Watch trilogy, The Outsider and a…
The Mind Reels 