Title: Celtic Tales: Fairy Tales and Stories of Enchantment from Ireland, Scotland, Brittany, and Wales
Author Kate Forrester
Genre: Fantasy, Fairy Tales
Source: Ebook
Rating: 4 out of 5 paws

The traditional stories of Ireland, Scotland, Brittany, and Wales transport us to the fantastical world of Celtic folklore. Translated and transcribed by folklorists in the late 19th and early 20th centuries, the 16 stories in this compilation conjure forgotten realms and rare magical creatures in vivid prose. These timeless tales brim with wit and magic, and each one is brought to life with elegant silhouette art by Kate Forrester in this special illustrated edition.

I have always loved fairy tales and folklore, none more than Celtic Tales as that is my heritage.  I was so excited when I seen this book and delved right into the stories.  They are short enough to devour in a few short hours, or you can read a few and set the book aside for another time.  Great for bedtime reading.  I love the story about the skelkies and the Witch of Lok Island.  They are all great stories but those two were among my favorites, I love skelkies as a whole and for some reason Lok Island Witch was interesting as well, it was one I haven't read before.

There is a certain enjoyment from reading fairy tales especially those from one's ancestry and this was no different for me.  I almost crave more Celtic tales to add to my knowledge and this book definitely does that.  I love how it is broken up between tricksters, the sea and romance.  Now if I want a short romance story or one about tricksters I know where to look.  Each story tells you where it originates and includes a nice little illustration.

Kate Forrester did a great job putting this collection of fairy tales together and I am glad I got to read it.  While the book is only about 177 pages take the time to enjoy each story and the fantasy world it creates.  Let the magic overtake you to a new realm.

TV Gods Summer Programming

Take your favorite god from any pantheon, mash it with your favorite tv show, what would that look like?  How would the characters act differently or similar to the original characters?  For example how would Guilligan's Island be different if Posideon was involved? Or would Raj from Big Bang Theory act around the Fates differently than he would around normal women? Interesting ideas, interesting concepts, this is exactly what happens in T.V Gods Summer Programming, the sequel to Fortress Publishing's Tv Gods.  There are many different stories in this collection that are entertaining, humorous and makes one wonder how would their favorite show be different if a god was involved.

I picked this book up at Confluence a few weeks ago because I have the first book and well...Fortress Publishing are some of my favorite people.  There is something endearing about reading stories by people you know personally, it adds a certain touch to the tales.

Bowman's Inn

Bowman's Inn is a collection of short stories from several amazing authors. Anything can happen at Bowman's Inn you might even find your soul mate.  This anthology includes stories with magic, romance, even a little action and adventure.  There is definitely something for every reading tastes within this collection.

I normally am not one for collections or short stories, i always feel like I'm left wanting more, needing more from characters.  Not with this collection, sure i want a grander story with each of these characters, but i wasn't left feeling like the stories were only half told.  I was able to get fully interested in the characters and fall in love with them equally.

I am already familiar with RA Winter's writing and she didn't disappoint.  I absolutely loved her story.  The exchange between the two about babies made me giggle, and then tugged at my heart!  I loved this story and want more from Han and Ann.  Maybe something of them finding one another in this lifetime.

It was a pleasure getting to know some other authors througg their writi6like Bel Cosi and E.D. Vaughn.  Its hard with an anthology to talk about every author who contributed but everyone had a unique story that fit in with the feel and tone of the other stories.  Everything matched well and didn't feel like a jumble of different stories. It really did feel like Val was moving between people helping them  find their loves.

I would definitely suggest checking this book out, i had the honor of being able to read it.  I will give it a 4 out of 5 for a rating.   I am hoping to be able to read the next edition in the Bowman's Inn series.

Coven

A few month back I added "Coven" to my to read list on Goodreads because I seen Andi O'Connor was the editor and as some of you know I absolutely lover her work.  Then I went to a literary convention here in picture and met up with some author friends.  Imagine my surprise when I see Coven sitting on their table!  They had worked with Andi, and had a short story included in this anthology.  So this book is incredibly special to me for various reason, that aside and people know I will remain completely bias in this review. 

The majority of the stories I loved reading.  So many of them included everything that caught my attention and held me throughout.  Many made me want to find the author and read more of their work. It is a great anthology that introduces readers to fantastic authors like Shenoa Carroll-Bradd and Benjamin Sperduto. I love that it includes a little introduction to the authors before their stories that help readers get to know the author.

I absolutely loved "Across Silence and Darkness" where in order to have a magical gift one must sacrifice something. dr. derryl can turn dying people into animals. His world is shaken when a dying woman asks for him specifically, and quickly finds out how he knows her.  It was such a heartwarming story that I loved reading.

I am not one for anthologies, but   I am happy I bought the book to help support my friends and favorite authors, because I found numerous new authors to completely love.  I give the anthology a 4 out of 5 rating and look forward to looking up some of the other author included in the book.

Getting Old

Getting Old is an anthology of poems, essays and short stories about a fact of life we all dread: getting old.

Getting old is something inevitable, unavoidable.  How you approach the thought of getting old is what makes it worth while or a horrible experience.  This collection houses various voices pondering the effects of getting old from mammograms to familial duties.  It includes everything from love and happiness to grief and death of loved ones.  The tone ranges from comedic and happy to sad and reminiscent. 

Each writer has their own unique voice, and they all blend perfectly in this anthology.  They each face this topic in their own way and the result is this fantastic book of thought.  While each entry is different and focuses on a different aspect of the process, everything flows together well.  It doesn't seem mis-mashed or put together randomly.  When reading through this book, readers can tell a lot of thought and time went into it's creation.  Every one of the 60 entries in this anthology is fantastically written that one cannot pick a favorite, it would be unfair to do so. 

This is one of those books that you will want to read multiple times, and share with your friends.  While we may get old, this book will not.  No matter the era, or person reading it, there is something for everyone.  This is a topic everyone deals with and comes to terms with.  This anthology takes a look at how others have dealt with it and turned it into an event of reflection and introspect.  This book provides a lot of insight and does make one think about the facts of life.  I would honestly recommend Getting Old to everyone.  I give this book a rating of 4 out of 5,  I may need to go back and read it a second time.

Everybody Has A Story

Everybody has a Story: Audrey Lewis
Media: Ebook: Nook
Rating 3.5 out 5 stars

This book is a collection of stories that focus on human behavior and the impact of life events, memories and experiences.  The stories range from displaying the frailties of human behaviors and the shortcomings we may have, the struggles some people go through as well as stories with hope and inspiration.  There didn't seem to be a connection between the stories.  It just goes from one story to another with a poem or artwork in between.  Each of the stories are nothing like what they seem.  They tells powerful stores of human behavior and actions.  One tends to wonder how they would react in the same situations.

One of the creepier stories, and probably my favorite one is "Closet" where a mother struggles with connecting with her daughter so seems too disconnected.  The daughter, Lexi, acts and makes statements that scare her mother who is unsure of how to act or react.  Quickly find out the true intentions of why Lexi experiments with bugs and nerve gas.  It is an incredibly interesting tale Lewis weaves.  Other stories like "Have You Heard Her Sing"  are beautiful tales of finding beauty in the most unexpected places.  Audrey Lewis does a wonderful job with this collection and I hope to read more from her.

Recommendation:  I would recommend this to someone who enjoys short stories and intense feelings involved in the stories.