Finite keyboard died

 Awwww crap the keyboard died. I did drop it just days before it gave up the ghost; maybe that was the reason it died ??? At any rate, I really didn’t use it very much. In fact, I would remove it while reading my Kindle. After only 5 months of use, I’d give this keyboard a pass. 

Sorry Finite, your product just didn’t hold up.

Review: Werewolves, Dogmen, and other Shapeshifters Stalking North America

Product description: Have you ever been driving, alone, at night, and know that what you saw along the side of the road was not human? Do you ever wonder just what was howling on your last camping trip? Have you ever felt your skin crawl as you passed by that hitchhiker in the fog?

Join Pamela K. Kinney as she explores the North American tales and mythology that deal with shapeshifting frights. From the arid deserts of the American Southwest to the dense forest of the American Northwest, and even farther north to the Last Frontier of Alaska; from the Midwest to the Appalachian Mountains, continuing to the Atlantic Ocean in the east and down south to Florida, the tales of were-beasts are myriad—and hauntingly similar.

With all these stories spanning cultures and landscapes, might there be some spark of truth to them?

My thoughts: Need a werewolf fix ? Have I got a book for you. Pamela Kinney has wandered away from haunted locations for a topic more on the wild side … werewolves! What perfect timing, I was reading Kinney’s book while watching wolfman movies on Svengoolie.

Seriously, I had no idea that there were so many werewolf sightings in North America. While I remain highly skeptical of the stories, I have to admit that I enjoyed reading through the various accounts. Interestingly, Kinney draws a line between wolf and canine.

Her next section covers the legendary Dogman. Once again, I had no idea that there were so many Dogman stories. I guess that my biggest misconception was my impression that the Dogman stories were fairly recent, but they do have some age to them.

All of that said, my favorite part was shapeshifters from Native American folklore. Kinney covers some of these legends and expands with some interesting facts from several other cultures. Let’s be honest, how could you not love the Celtic folklore about the badger ???

I highly recommend this one. If you are interested in cryptid this book is for you.

Disclosure of Material Connection: I received this book free from Pamela K. Kinney and  DreamPunk Press. I was not required to write a positive review. The opinions I have expressed are my own. I am disclosing this in accordance with the Federal Trade Commission’s 16 CFR, Part 255 : “Guides Concerning the Use of Endorsements and Testimonials in Advertising.”

My thoughts of The Way of Kings


 I finished Brandon Sanderson’s The Way of Kings and it was fantastic. The world-building and characters were superb, though I have to admit that I struggled with Sanderson’s pacing. After adjusting to Sanderson’s writing style, I found myself hooked and ready to learn more about the Cosmere.

I’ve picked up book 2, Words of Radiance and I plan to start it sometime after Easter.

According to mythology mankind used to live in The Tranquiline Halls. Heaven. But then the Voidbringers assaulted and captured heaven, casting out God and men. Men took root on Roshar, the world of storms. And the Voidbringers followed…

They came against man ten thousand times. To help them cope, the Almighty gave men powerful suits of armor and mystical weapons, known as Shardblades. Led by ten angelic Heralds and ten orders of knights known as Radiants, mankind finally won.

Or so the legends say. Today, the only remnants of those supposed battles are the Shardblades, the possession of which makes a man nearly invincible on the battlefield. The entire world is at war with itself – and has been for centuries since the Radiants turned against mankind. Kings strive to win more Shardblades, each secretly wishing to be the one who will finally unite all of mankind under a single throne.

On a world scoured down to the rock by terrifying hurricanes that blow through every few day a young spearman forced into the army of a Shardbearer, led to war against an enemy he doesn’t understand and doesn’t really want to fight.

What happened deep in mankind’s past?

Why did the Radiants turn against mankind, and what happened to the magic they used to wield?

The Way of Kings
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