Author: cherylmahoney

I'm a book review blogger and writer. I have published four novels, The Wanderers; The Storyteller and Her Sisters; and The People the Fairies Forget; and The Lioness and the Spellspinners. All can be found on Amazon as an ebook and paperback. In my day job, I'm a Marketing Specialist. Find me on Twitter (@MarvelousTales) and GoodReads (MarvelousTales).

Blog Hop: Buying Library Books

On By cherylmahoneyIn Blog Hop4 Comments

book blogger hopThis week’s Book Blogger Hop question: What time of the year does your library have its library sale?

My library does a warehouse sale about every two months, which is completely brilliant. Best prices in town–$1 for kids books and paperbacks, $2 for hardbacks. But a couple of times a year they do a brown bag sale—just $6 for as many books as you can fit in a grocery bag. I brought home 17 books last time…

The warehouse sale is very bad for my bookshelf space, but very good for my book budget! And I’ve been able to find some books I really love and would have spent a lot more money on if I had to. I’ve also bought some books (especially at the brown bag sale) that I might not have bought if I hadn’t been able to throw them into the one bag for the same price—but while I usually only buy books I know I want to keep, in this case I make an exception. And if I read the book and don’t want to keep it, of course I donate it back to the library!

TV Review: Beauty and the Beast (1987 TV show)

On By cherylmahoneyIn Reviews2 Comments

BeautyAndTheBeast1987_Complete_2014rereleaseI found myself with a hole in my television viewing a while back, when Once Upon a Time and Castle both went on hiatus at the same time. I needed something to fill in for my fairy tale show and my crime mystery show—so I decided to watch Beauty and the Beast. Because it’s a show that manages to hit both themes at once!

The story centers around Catherine (Linda Hamilton) and Vincent (Ron Perlman), the two title characters. In the opening show, Catherine is attacked by muggers and left for dead. Vincent rescues her, carrying her below New York to a secret society living apart from the rest of the world. They grow close, forming an empathic bond—but their friendship is complicated by the fact that Vincent is a…well, “lion-man” is probably the best descriptor. Catherine returns to the world above, inspired to change her life, and leaves her cushy corporate position for a job with the DA, bringing criminals to justice and protecting the victims. She and Vincent still have their bond, but struggle with their inability to live in the same world.

This isn’t a show that I ever loved, but I liked it a lot—at least for the first two seasons (more on that later). Sometimes it’s cheesy, sometimes it’s implausible, but I enjoyed watching it. A big part of that was Catherine’s character. I do love it that, after she’s attacked, she takes self-defense classes. I think that encapsulates her character. She’s determined not to be a victim, and to fight back against corruption, violence and anyone trying to exploit or harm the weak. Granted, it does help that she has a lion-man who can sense when she’s afraid and come to the rescue if things get out of hand…but she’s hardly a passive heroine just waiting for him to show up and save the day.  And I love that she doesn’t just become fierce over night–she has to learn how to defend herself. Continue reading “TV Review: Beauty and the Beast (1987 TV show)” →

Quotable Henry Ward Beecher

On By cherylmahoneyIn Quotable1 Comment

“Where is human nature so weak as in the bookstore?”
― Henry Ward Beecher

Book Review – Star Trek: First Frontier

On By cherylmahoneyIn Reviews, Science Fiction1 Comment

Not too long ago I mentioned rereading my favorite Star Trek novel, First Frontier by Diane Carey and Dr. James I. Kirkland. I’ve mentioned it once or twice around here, but I’ve never done a proper review. So I think it’s time!

The book begins with the Enterprise taking an experimental flight into a blue giant, hitting a time warp and cosmic string in the process (just run with me on this). When they emerge, they find the universe inexplicably changed—the Federation has disappeared, the Klingon and Romulan Empires are pounding each other into mutual oblivion, and the Earth is a pristine wilderness where the dinosaurs never died and humanity never evolved. Kirk has to lead his crew into the deep past to stop alien saboteurs who disrupted the timeline.

The funny thing about this book is that the premise sounds preposterous. I tried to write it as reasonably as I could, but I know it probably sounds preposterous—except it works. When you actually read it, all the concepts are treated seriously and presented plausibly and none of it’s a joke. Not even when Kirk remarks that he’s going to restore the timeline  if he has to kill the dinosaurs himself. Yeah, that’s kind of a joke, but it’s born out of frustration and tension and it’s real. Continue reading “Book Review – Star Trek: First Frontier” →

Blog Hop: On-Call Books

On By cherylmahoneyIn Blog Hop4 Comments

book blogger hopThis week’s Book Blogger Hop question: Are you ever without a book?

Never.

I bring a book to work, on errands, to the doctor’s office, any time I’m meeting someone, to most parties (and never read it), to every meeting of my weekly writing group (where, in three years, I’m positive I’ve never read a book), and…pretty much any other situation you could think of. I’ve gone to the movies alone and read while waiting for the movie to start (though the lighting can be a challenge). I’ve read standing in line at the grocery store and while waiting in line to climb the towers of Notre Dame Cathedral. The only time I don’t have a book with me is when I go for my morning walk and only carry my keys and cell phone—which has a Kindle app, so technically I do have books with me.

Because you just never know when you might have time to read!