Meditations in Wonderland by Anna Patrick ~ 2015

Everyone here is mad - the rumors are true

"Imagination is the only weapon in the war against reality." - Lewis Carroll




Author: Anna Patrick
Publisher: River Grove Books
Publication: October 6th, 2015
ebook
ISBN: 9781632990464
Language: English
Jacket design: Kim Lance
Jacket image (small girl): © iStockphoto.com / - myillo
Author photographer: Jonathan Baley


"This book was provided by Sara Jenis in exchange for my honest review alongside my proffered thank-you for asking."



5 Stars



Anna Patrick
Being sucked into the rabbit's hole with Elizabeth is a psychological dystopian twist on the classic Alice's Adventures in Wonderland.

Anna Patrick told an artistic tale of a twenty-four-year-old interior designer by the name of Elizabeth. A young woman who resides in Brooklyn, New York with her boyfriend Adam and their French bulldog, Fitz, having a personal complex of inner demons amounting in her.

Elizabeth sits every morning for her ritual morning meditations before work and on this particular morning, she wants to confront her demons head-on. These inner conflicts, that she even keeps secret from her boyfriend, takes her on a journey I believe all of us can relate to in one way or the other.

Elizabeth started to meditate and saw her own rabbit hole open up in front of her. As she fell deeper into the abyss of her soul she saw her childhood doll Alice. Just a glimpse is all before Alice rounded a corner and out of sight.

Welcome to Wonderland - catch me if you can, bitch.  -Alice

Elizabeth chases Alice through Wonderland from clues Alice leaves and runs into characters we all know - the Cheshire Cat, the Mad Hatter, the Tweedle Twins and finally, no spoiler, Alice. Anna Patrick's writing provoked thoughts with each character playing a role related to the over all theme of the story. Beautiful writing.

This tale has shown we wear masks for societies sake as well as our own and after taking a look at ones-self there are definitely dark sides as well as the light sides with, of course, splashes of grey.  It is a journey of self-acceptance. A very thought provoking tale. Loved how Anna Patrick described and brought Elizabeth's inner self to life.

Ms. Patrick's use of the original classic tale and twisting it into her thought on this tale - there are so many topics we could discuss in this story: drug addiction, madness, reality, relationships, self-worth, symbolism, comparisons to Lewis Carroll's version, how the subconscious effect/affect our conscious, behavior - the list could continue. There is so much in this quick read. You just have to sit one weekend and indulge into the rabbit hole. I do insist folks; you will not be disappointed.

This tale was an enjoyable read. The pace was not rushed though there were places that seemed to drag a bit, but really, no biggie. Elizabeth keeps going and so will you as you turn the pages to find out if Elizabeth finds what she is after. The ending with that twist is personally satisfying.

A wonderful debut where you will find yourself chasing Elizabeth as she chases Alice through Wonderland. Readers will take away from this read above all - awareness of reflection.



Recommend you ask? Yes. Yes I do.

 ✒ ✒ ✒


Here's where you can get your fingers on Meditations in Wonderland:
  •  Amazon ~ Kindle $7.99 ~ Paperback $12.71 USD


About the author ~

Anna Patrick graduated from Boston College with both a degree in communications and the first draft of Meditations In Wonderland. She is also the creator of a popular Tumblr under the same title. Now a full-time book publicist, Patrick lives in Northern Virginia with her boyfriend and their French bulldog. Meditations In Wonderland is her first novel.




✒ ✒ ✒ ✒ ✒ ✒


Reviewed by No comments:

Blood Rain in Trieste by George Henry ~ 2015


A furiously paced international thriller



Author: George Henry
Publisher: Blue Magpie Press
Publication: September 1st 2015
ebook
Pages: 529
Language: English
ASIN: B011XFXY8A
Jacket design: George Henry
Author photographer: cropped from a selfie


"This book was provided by George Henry in exchange for my honest review alongside my proffered thank-you for asking."



5 Stars



George Henry
What an excellent read for thrill seekers! A non-stop action packed read. Milo Marchetti, the main character, is a Canadian Military Intelligence sharp-shooter who turned musician and is co-owner of The Blue Note music club in Trieste, Italy - and has his hands full.

The prologue sets the stage for this page turner - Milo kills a Taliban leader and his family in revenge for the loss of his own family.

Adara, a beautiful Muslim woman enters his blues club and soon a confrontation erupts with these 'goons' picking on his customer. After kicking this guys' ass, Milo finds out later it was only her brother and a couple of his side-kicks protecting her from this so-called sleazy bar.

Well, Milo has problems now. Adara is the daughter of a local crime boss, Mohammed Nasim. The Serpent was pretty impressed at what happened in the bar, so, he offers Milo a deal he should/would/could not decline - hires Milo to keep an eye on his daughter as a bodyguard and with her brother having his ego and pride hurt, tries to frame him for a series of hooker murders. And there's the cop who’s convinced of Milo’s guilt for these murders. There's also the Taliban leader’s Muslim brother who has been selected and contracted to marry Adara. Milo has problems.

On top of all this, Milo's ex-boss Margret Brooke in the military intelligence is peeved for quitting on her in Afghanistan. The Mazzola's, a rival to the Nasim's, enter into his nightmare when Adara and his life are threatened. This read is non-stop total jammin' on every page.

The plot is tight. Let me clarify here, very well thought out and very very plausible. The ending is as exciting as the beginning as well as the middle of the story. And the ending satisfied me with anticipation. Anticipation? yep. Very good read and I can say sequel ... or movie adaptation first?

George Henry had incorporated song titles and mentions musicians by name throughout and I enjoy seeing how some songs and their lyrics go hand-in-hand with a tale.
As I look at my notes here, Mr. Henry takes you traveling - Italy, Croatia, Bosnia, Slovenia, Kandahar, Afghanistan, Zagreb, Ljubljana, Lake Bled and Mostar to name a few. His descriptions of the geography, buildings, food, and people were appreciated and on point.

Characters did develop dynamically and this makes for a great read in my taste. Personable to the point where you are right there alongside them in their endeavors. Well maybe you won't beside Nasim poolside, whoa.

This novel is part thrill, part sexy/romance, part humor, part ... no, all action packed. There was not a dull moment anywhere in this novel other than what I felt was repetitive  - the constant metaphors. Seems to me that metaphors should 'sprinkle' the tale rather than, on every other page, explain to the reader what the situation is compared to. Readers have vivid imaginations. Mr. Henry's writing covered the reader's interest for a great tale right off the rip, so there was no need. I would rather have had the tale sprinkled.

Thank you George for an excellent read.


Highly recommended for action packed thrill seekers. Seriously folks.






Blood Rain in Trieste

✒ ✒ ✒


Here's where you can get your fingers on Blood Rain in Trieste:
  •  Amazon ~ Kindle $3.99 ~ Paperback $19.38 USD


Will Milo get the girl? Will he?
Mmm



George Henry had found my blog on The IndieView


✒ ✒ ✒ ✒ ✒ ✒


Reviewed by No comments:
Subscribe to: Posts (Atom)