Venators: Promises Forged. #bookreview

June 25, 2020 holley4734 Leave a comment

Displaying Venators Promises Forged.png — Venators: Promises Forged

Venators: Promises Forged is the second book in the Venators series by Devri Walls. So many things can happen in Eon, where Rune, Grey and Ryker have traveled from Earth. In the last book, they – mostly Grey- defeated a dragon. Not too bad for

Ryker is still being held captive by Zio. No one else is sure where he is being kept. He isn’t sure of what is going on. Since he came to Eon, Ryker has been heavily sedated. He doesn’t even know that he’s a Venator or what that means.

Grey walks into a trap set by Feena, the Fae Queen. I don’t know what I expected a Fae Queen to do exactly but Feena is different than any other fairy that I’ve read about. She’s trickier and much more cruel. Someday, I’d like to see if anyone has any fan art of Feena. She’s such an interesting character but the picture of her in my mind is a bit fuzzy. Is it because she is scary without even trying? Possibly . . .

Rune spends most of her time learning how to be more diplomatic and also getting in touch with her inner Venator. It’s time for her to unleash whatever powers she has. Rune and the rest of the group need every power that they have to rescue Grey from Feena.

Poor Ryker might never get rescued from Zio’s prison. All of that bad boy energy will go to waste if Rune and Grey don’t make it out of the Fae Queen’s forest.

If you like fantasy novels with scary female villains and a bad boy or two, then this could be the series for you. Who is your favorite female villain? I’m partial to Ursula from The Little Mermaid.

If you lack imagination and only like boring books with dull characters, then you might not like Venators: Promises Forged. There’s probably still a boring book out there for you.

P.S. Sorry for being late to the blog tour. I feel like I got trapped in the Fae Queen’s Forest too.

Cold Case Quest, true crime

Cold Case Quest: Denise Collins and Thax Winston, Jr.

June 23, 2020 holley4734 Leave a comment

Who would want to end the lives of Denise Collins and Thax Winston, Jr. ?

The pair were romantically involved. Unfortunately, their relationship came to an abrupt end in 2005. Collins and Winston were shot while at Winston’s apartment on 4th Avenue in Columbus, Ohio. The incident happened prior to 6 p.m. on January 14, 2005.

It is possible that at least one of the victims knew the killer. Collins and Winston were each shot once in the head, which is more like an execution-style killing. The motive for the homicides is unclear. So far this case has not been connected to other cases.

Apparently, Winston ran a speakeasy out of his home. It was not a big secret. Most of the neighbors were aware. Was the killer a customer that wanted revenge for whatever reason?

Was it a business deal that went wrong? If I had to guess, I would say that the homicides of Collins and Winston had something to do with money and greed. I think that the killer is someone that would benefit in some way – most likely a financial gain -from the deaths of Collins and Winston. So who benefits financially from their deaths?

Even after many years, people are afraid to come forward with information in murder investigations. No witnesses have come forward yet. Hopefully, someone will call the Columbus Police or Crime Stoppers with useful information. If anyone witnessed anything at anytime on January 14, 2005, please call one of the numbers listed below.

Who to contact:

Central Ohio Crime Stoppers 614.461.8477

Music, music blog, music review

Sleep Deprived Music Review: Meet Me At the Altar

June 20, 2020 holley4734 1 Comment

Meet Me At The Altar’s EP, Bigger Than Me, has all of the energy that most of us wish we had.

Their style is pop punk. I think they would still be a good band if they went a little more punk or even if they were more pop. They could be successful in whatever genre they choose.

The band name reminds me of that 90s song, “Let’s Get Married.” I wonder if Meet Me At The Altar would ever do a remake. It would probably be cool.

All of the band members are from different states. It’s a miracle that they even met. They are making the long distance band relationship work.

If I listened to this album while working on re-doing the floors, would I make more progress? Totally possible. DIY projects require a lot of energy. Meet Me At The Altar could be the band that gets me through the next few weeks.

Video

Who is in the band?

Edith Johnson – Vocalist – GA
Téa Campbell – Guitarist – FL
Ada Juarez – Drummer – NJ
Kaylie Sang – Touring Guitarist
El Xiques – Touring Bassist

Links:

Check out the links on Linktree.

Linktree

Music, music blog, music videos

Flawless Friday Video: The Districts

June 19, 2020 holley4734 Leave a comment

Check out this video by The Districts of Philadelphia. It will make you think a bit and maybe laugh. I mean, the lead singer reminds me of my dad in the 80s but one of them is a better dancer.

Also, they have many links to worthwhile causes on their linktree page that can be found at the bottom of this post.

https://linktr.ee/thedistrictsband

Music, music blog

Meet and Greet: Lilly Hiatt

June 17, 2020 holley4734 Leave a comment

Who: Lilly Hiatt of Nashville, Tennessee

What: She calls her genre “punktry.” Punk, country with a dash of folk. Hiatt has a pretty new album, Walking Proof.

Why: Imagine if Dolly Parton had a daughter that was a punk rocker.

Where: Facebook

Twitter

Instagram

Cold Case Quest, true crime

Cold Case Quest: Anita Lias

June 16, 2020 holley4734 Leave a comment

16 year- old Anita Lias was a track star at Eastmoor High School, now Eastmoor Academy. Unfortunately, Lias did not get to realize her full potential.

Her body was found on Monday, Sept. 1, 1975 in front of the garage of 862 S. Champion St. She was last seen alive on the afternoon of Saturday, Aug. 30, 1975. Lias died from stab wounds but she was also strangled.

On Aug. 30, she had walked down Avalon Place to a store at Nelson and Broad St. Anita and a man in an 1969 or 1970 blue Chevelle had waved at each other. People in the neighborhood had seen the man before in the area. The neighbors said that he was a black man, 25-30 years old and wearing curlers in his hair.

1969 Chevrolet Chevelle Yenko — 1969 Chevelle

As far as I can tell, the man was not found or identified. How did the police not find this man? As you can see, the blue Chevelle is a flashy car. A man with curlers in his hair is also not trying to hide. Did this mystery man kill Lias or could he have information? Currently this man would be about 70-75 years old.

Lias was found about 3.5 miles away from the store, which was close to her home. I doubt that she got there on foot. It’s more likely that she got into a car, willingly or not.

Lias was found in the same area as Karen Moore but it’s unlikely that they are connected. Possible but unlikely.

It has been almost 45 years since Lias was killed. She would be about 61 years old now if she had survived. Hopefully, someone remembers something about the mystery man or new information about Lias. If you have any information, please report it to the Columbus Police or Central Ohio Crime Stoppers.

Books

10 Books on the #alreadyread Shelf. Part 3

June 14, 2020 holley4734 Leave a comment

Goodreads

The Best Bad Things. Interesting book. Transgender issues.
Beyond the Moon. Time travel and romance. Loved this book.
Black and Blue. It was a good read. Fiction about escaping domestic violence.
Black Ice. Not terrible but not amazing.
The Blind Assassin. Worth a 2nd read.
The Bluest Eye. Everything by Toni Morrison is great.
The Body Double. Another unexpected book. Interesting premise.
The Bonesetter’s Daughter. I also love everything by Amy Tan.
The Book of Ruth. It has been many years since I read this book. Have forgotten if it was good.
The Boy Who Came Back a Wolf. I don’t remember anything about this book. Oh wait. . . Sexy werewolves? Sexy soldiers? Sexy werewolf soldiers?

Cold Case Quest, true crime

Cold Case Quest: Felicia Dungey

June 9, 2020 holley4734 Leave a comment

Picture of Felicia Dungey — Felicia Dungey

You could say that Felicia Dungey’s story is a cautionary tale for people who want to fix their significant others. Sometimes it’s better to just walk away from a bad situation.

On February 18, 2001, Felicia Dungey and her boyfriend, Calvin Daniely, were both fatally shot in their apartment. The police, family members and friends of Dungey and Daniely believe that the homicides were because Daniely was a small-time drug dealer.

Daniely did not have any drug-related arrests so the police could not say anything with 100% certainty. The police are fairly sure that it was not a murder-suicide.

However, the suspect wrote “You Hit” on the walls in red lipstick, which is kind of creepy. Who are they really sending a message to with the writing? Other drug dealers? Other people that could do the suspect wrong?

The area of the Dungey/Danielly homicides

The couple was struggling to make ends meet and were about to get evicted. There are rumors that Dungey was going to leave Daniely because she was tired of the cycle of poverty. She thought she could get back on track if she wasn’t with him.

If she had left a little bit sooner, she would still be alive. Sometimes a person doesn’t realize what they should do until it is too late. I’m sure that her family and friends wish that she had made a clean break from her boyfriend. She was a good person that just felt stuck. Unfortunately, Dungey got caught in the middle of the violence.

No one wants to name a suspect or come forward as a witness, especially since the homicides are possibly related to drugs. Hopefully, someone will come forward with information about who killed Felicia Dungey and Calvin Daniely.

Central Ohio Crime Stoppers

Columbus Police Department

Book review, Books

4 Years Trapped in My Mind Palace: #bookreview

June 8, 2020 holley4734 Leave a comment

4 Years Trapped in My Mind Palace by Johan Twiss is set in a nursing care facility in the San Francisco area. At first I was not excited about reading about a nursing home because it reminds me of my job in a similar facility. However, the book is also set in the mind of Aaron’s new roommate, Solomon.

Aaron, a 14-year-old boy, who contracted Cryptococcal meningitis, is currently in a vegetative state. He cannot control his body but his mind is just as active as before the illness. No one knows that Aaron is aware of what is going on until Solomon moves into the room. Solomon can hear his thoughts. It’s the first time in two years that Aaron could communicate with anyone.

Solomon also has dementia. Occasionally, Aaron gets trapped in Solomon’s memories. Solomon was a jazz musician and also fought in WWII. He has seen some amazing things. Famous boxing matches. Great music.

He has also seen things like the liberating of the concentration camps and other horrors of war.

Will Aaron get trapped in the memories or in his own mind forever? Will he be able to communicate with anyone else?

Most people will enjoy this book. It has a little bit of something for everyone. Romance. Action. Adventure. Nostalgia.

If you don’t like unhealthy people or old people, then you might not be a fan of this book. Aaron’s own parents disappear for awhile. They don’t call, write or visit. They pay the bills for his care but that’s all. ( I mean really . . . what kind of monsters are they anyway?) Will the parents visit him again?

I recommend this book to everyone, except those cruel parental monsters and Nazis of course.