Two more books for the Abandoned books list:
by Victor Milan
Men and women live on Paradise, but dinosaurs predominate. Colossal plant-eaters like Brachiosaurus, terrifying meat-eaters like Allosaurus, and, the most feared of all, Tyrannosaurus rex rule the land.
Seeking to centralize real power in his figurehead Fanged Throne, Emperor Felipe of Nuevaropa sets off a chain of wars that may blaze up to consume the continent called the Tyrant’s Head. But is Imperial ambition the only spark, or are more sinister forces at work?
–Goodreads synopsis
The idea of this book seemed interesting, but it had too slow a start for me. I think this sometimes happens when the author has spent a tremendous amount of time developing a new world in lots of detail, only to forget upon writing the story that we don’t know anything about this new world. For now, when I need my human-dinosaur coexistence fix, I’ll stick with Dinotopia.
The Field Guide to the North American Teenager
by Ben Philippe
Norris Kaplan and his mother have just arrived in Austin, Texas, and Norris already hates it. The heat is too hot, and the humidity is unbearable. On top of that, nobody here seems to like hockey, and that’s pretty much a deal-breaker. Norris decides to give it until Spring Break when he plans to return home to Canada, where he has plans to go on a ski trip with his best friend.
I might have finished this one, but time ran out on my Libby app, and the book was returned. Some of it was funny, but for the most part, the main character spends most of his time whining about his life circumstances. I’m not saying that it wouldn’t be hard to move far away from home, go to a new school, and have to make all new friends, but he’s kind of a jerk. He thinks that by being cold and sarcastic, he can numb himself from his homesickness. Just by reading the book’s synopsis, you get the idea that by the end of the story, he has changed his tune and has started to appreciate his new home and his new friends.
It’s hard for me not to finish a book. I think it’s an OCD thing. But, I just didn’t feel a need to finish this one. I can only take so much teenage angst, cursing, and taking the Lord’s name in vain. I know. I shouldn’t be willing to accept it at all. Bottom line – you can skip this one. You won’t be missing anything.
I’ve made the move to Substack.
Come check out my two publications on Substack:
https://davidsheley.substack.com
https://theartifact.substack.com
The first is a post-for-post replacement of this blog. The second is a brand-new publication where I publish short stories.
Want to see what else I’m up to?
If something you’ve read here on my website has piqued your interest, click the link below to see all the places you can find me. Granted, I take every opportunity to point people to this site, but I encourage you to explore my links.
David Sheley 