tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-144879212024-03-13T04:34:13.612+01:00Ilona's WorldThe blog of writer and reviewer Ilona HegedusIlonahttp://www.blogger.com/profile/00845042702783898663noreply@blogger.comBlogger178125tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-14487921.post-81493794656461166112019-12-21T21:08:00.000+01:002019-12-21T21:08:55.668+01:00A New Poem in Coffee Poems anthology<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<a href="https://3.bp.blogspot.com/-CXa38-kcuok/Xf55Amy4_xI/AAAAAAAABS8/u7GAV_CueqIwJ07DQT003-Kx9Mn4XHy6wCLcBGAsYHQ/s1600/CoffeePoems%2Bm.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="clear: left; float: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="900" data-original-width="600" height="400" src="https://3.bp.blogspot.com/-CXa38-kcuok/Xf55Amy4_xI/AAAAAAAABS8/u7GAV_CueqIwJ07DQT003-Kx9Mn4XHy6wCLcBGAsYHQ/s400/CoffeePoems%2Bm.jpg" width="267" /></a></div>
<b>Coffee Poems</b> is an anthology containing poems about coffee. <br />
It includes one of my poems. (May 2019.)<br />
(The book contains poems by 139 poets. From 12 countries.) <br />
<br />Ilonahttp://www.blogger.com/profile/00845042702783898663noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-14487921.post-5068947619209191852019-01-20T17:09:00.000+01:002019-01-20T17:09:25.633+01:002018 - Year In Review<a href="https://2.bp.blogspot.com/-KcM4X1Y6nko/XESaYkdQTTI/AAAAAAAABK8/NSpsV3Daoto6Jt5iIJrxofI1_uSzMLdLwCLcBGAs/s1600/Published_2018.PNG" imageanchor="1" style="clear: left; float: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="610" data-original-width="803" height="243" src="https://2.bp.blogspot.com/-KcM4X1Y6nko/XESaYkdQTTI/AAAAAAAABK8/NSpsV3Daoto6Jt5iIJrxofI1_uSzMLdLwCLcBGAs/s320/Published_2018.PNG" width="320" /></a>A short summary about writing and published works in 2018.<br />
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<b>My poems appeared in three English-language anthologies</b>.<br />
The topics of these collections include empathy in art, the history of mankind, and the third anthology contains poems about the night sky.<br />
<b>I also had some poems, haikus in one local magazine and a short poem in a local anthology </b>(in Hungarian).<br />
I also started <b>blogging again, posted some book reviews, and I also made some author interviews</b>. (We interviewed each other with some local women writers.)<br />
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In 2019, I'd like to have more poems published, and I'd also like to work on some new short stories.Ilonahttp://www.blogger.com/profile/00845042702783898663noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-14487921.post-7972250535756553002018-12-18T12:40:00.000+01:002018-12-18T22:36:31.502+01:00A New Poem in Celestial Musings Poetry Anthology<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<a href="https://1.bp.blogspot.com/-GbWoZQ4xcsA/XBjZTYvB9oI/AAAAAAAABJs/6pFcxHKaNOEwJNlU75ABbCP-zFMox7J7QCLcBGAs/s1600/celestial.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="clear: left; float: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="499" data-original-width="333" height="400" src="https://1.bp.blogspot.com/-GbWoZQ4xcsA/XBjZTYvB9oI/AAAAAAAABJs/6pFcxHKaNOEwJNlU75ABbCP-zFMox7J7QCLcBGAs/s400/celestial.jpg" width="266" /></a></div>
<b>Celestial Musings</b> anthology includes one of my poems. This is a collection of poems about the beauty of the night sky. ("<i>Celestial Musings: Poems Inspired by the Night Sky</i>" December, 2018.)<br />
The proceeds from the book will benefit the Charles W. Brown Planetarium at Ball State University.Ilonahttp://www.blogger.com/profile/00845042702783898663noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-14487921.post-49357187254766860642018-10-20T20:16:00.000+02:002018-10-20T20:16:56.450+02:00A New Poem in 300K Poetry Anthology<a href="https://3.bp.blogspot.com/-0gsh4lkOjSQ/W8twCTp2wjI/AAAAAAAABHw/S3R0U76vRl0of2LmWn2acqvVbt6o-RziwCLcBGAs/s1600/300K_cover%2B.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="clear: left; float: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="1600" data-original-width="1134" height="400" src="https://3.bp.blogspot.com/-0gsh4lkOjSQ/W8twCTp2wjI/AAAAAAAABHw/S3R0U76vRl0of2LmWn2acqvVbt6o-RziwCLcBGAs/s400/300K_cover%2B.jpg" width="282" /></a><b>One of my poems appeared in <i>300K</i> poetry anthology.</b><br />
'<i><b>300K A Poetry Anthology about the Human Race</b></i>' includes poems by French-speaking and English-speaking poets. These are all poems about the history of mankind. (Some are in French and some are in English.)<br />
<br />Ilonahttp://www.blogger.com/profile/00845042702783898663noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-14487921.post-60788442905613172142018-08-11T22:00:00.002+02:002018-08-11T22:00:11.784+02:00New Poems in DoveTales Magazine<a href="https://1.bp.blogspot.com/-JwzYDR8IxHI/W285l4Yd_QI/AAAAAAAABE4/e60I9K5ADjcEG7E77mr0L566fygZ1P3ygCLcBGAs/s1600/DoveTalesEmpathy.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="clear: left; float: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="648" data-original-width="408" height="640" src="https://1.bp.blogspot.com/-JwzYDR8IxHI/W285l4Yd_QI/AAAAAAAABE4/e60I9K5ADjcEG7E77mr0L566fygZ1P3ygCLcBGAs/s640/DoveTalesEmpathy.jpg" width="400" /></a><br />
<b>Two of my poems appeared in the latest issue of <i>DoveTales</i>.</b> This is an international journal of the arts.<br />
(Topic: “<i>Empathy in Art: Embracing the Other</i>”)<br />
You can get a copy <a href="https://writingforpeace.org/purchase-empathy-in-art-embracing-the-other/" target="_blank">here</a>.Ilonahttp://www.blogger.com/profile/00845042702783898663noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-14487921.post-3381693162739993722018-04-28T19:14:00.000+02:002018-04-28T19:14:15.664+02:00More Poems PublishedI started to write again last year. (Poems ans short stories.) Since then, I've had six poems published and there will be more.<br />
(This is a photo of my contributor's copies.)<br />
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Ilonahttp://www.blogger.com/profile/00845042702783898663noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-14487921.post-1945495406175184222018-01-27T14:06:00.006+01:002018-01-30T20:19:28.680+01:002017: Year in Review<span style="background-color: black; color: white;"><span style="font-family: "helvetica" , "arial" , sans-serif; font-size: 14px;">I started to write again in 2017. </span><br style="font-family: Helvetica, Arial, sans-serif; font-size: 14px;" /><span style="font-family: "helvetica" , "arial" , sans-serif; font-size: 14px;">So far I have written <b>7 short stories and 34 poems</b>.</span></span>Ilonahttp://www.blogger.com/profile/00845042702783898663noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-14487921.post-84062304822353204572017-12-28T14:04:00.000+01:002017-12-28T14:36:43.597+01:00A new poem in Wolf Warriors 4 anthology<b>One of my poems appeared in a charity anthology, <i>Wolf Warriors 4.: Wolves of Light and Darkness.</i> </b>This is an English-language anthology containing poems and short stories about wolves.<br />
The cover image is beautiful. (<a href="https://www.amazon.com/dp/194524724X/ref=sr_1_1?ie=UTF8&qid=1511747259&sr=8-1&keywords=Wolf+Warriors+4" target="_blank">Purchase link</a>.)<br />
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<a href="https://1.bp.blogspot.com/-oHmpBgzZUeg/WkTqqKdT2gI/AAAAAAAAA0Y/4cZsyQ-YzzAPLaYnMXRhJ5F_NGElENOPwCLcBGAs/s1600/WolfWarriors4.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="499" data-original-width="324" height="400" src="https://1.bp.blogspot.com/-oHmpBgzZUeg/WkTqqKdT2gI/AAAAAAAAA0Y/4cZsyQ-YzzAPLaYnMXRhJ5F_NGElENOPwCLcBGAs/s400/WolfWarriors4.jpg" width="258" /></a></div>
<br />Ilonahttp://www.blogger.com/profile/00845042702783898663noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-14487921.post-4269143288978649022017-10-27T01:00:00.001+02:002017-10-27T01:00:49.740+02:00Some news about my writing- <b>One of my poems </b>will soon appear in a charity anthology. (It will be included in an English-language anthology containing poems and short stories about wolves.)<br />
- <b>A short short story </b>of mine was accepted and will appear in print, in Spanish, some time next year. (I submitted it in English, then it was translated into Spanish.)<br />
- Stay tuned. There will be more. ;)<br />
<br />Ilonahttp://www.blogger.com/profile/00845042702783898663noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-14487921.post-77285392545695558442017-06-18T21:48:00.003+02:002017-06-18T21:51:23.826+02:00Writing again<span style="font-family: "helvetica" , "arial" , sans-serif; font-size: 14px;"><span style="background-color: black; color: white;"><b>After a longer break, I started to write again in Spring, 2017.</b> </span></span><span style="background-color: black;"><span style="background-color: black; color: white;"><span style="font-family: "helvetica" , "arial" , sans-serif; font-size: 14px;"><span style="color: orange;"> </span></span><span style="font-family: "helvetica" , "arial" , sans-serif; font-size: 14px;"> </span></span><span style="background-color: black; color: white; font-family: "helvetica" , "arial" , sans-serif; font-size: 14px;">Since then, I've had two poems published. I've been writing a lot, quite often in English.</span></span>Ilonahttp://www.blogger.com/profile/00845042702783898663noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-14487921.post-22242432970552056642017-05-19T22:17:00.000+02:002017-05-19T22:17:30.849+02:00A Funny Children's Book About Cats - The Wild Cats of Piran: Chronicle One by Scott Alexander Young<br />
<a href="https://1.bp.blogspot.com/-ZH5CiYhQ4qA/WRxeYmpChMI/AAAAAAAAAs8/pnLw--E4zzMHJNaeVMOFRfdnrAvcdXZJQCLcB/s1600/thewildcats.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="clear: left; float: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" src="https://1.bp.blogspot.com/-ZH5CiYhQ4qA/WRxeYmpChMI/AAAAAAAAAs8/pnLw--E4zzMHJNaeVMOFRfdnrAvcdXZJQCLcB/s1600/thewildcats.jpg" /></a><i><b>The Wild Cats of Piran: Chronicle One</b></i> is the first part of a series of children's books by <b>Scott Alexander Young</b>, who is also known as the creator of the TV series <i>Max's Midnight Movies</i>.<br />
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The book includes <b>charming illustrations by Moreno Christe</b> and it is <b>about the adventures of a group of wild cats and their clever, beautiful, and somewhat mysterious leader, Queen Felicia</b>. Her best friends, Dragan and Magyar, all have very different personalities and these cats are able to use magic on certain occasions. They live in a nice seaside town in Slovenia, which is a great place for them, except for when they meet some of their enemies, including local rats and certain local humans.<br />
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The book is <b>also enjoyable for adults because of the story, the humour and because it is also beautifully written</b>. Unfortunately, the story ends too early and the other parts in the series have not been published yet.<br />
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<i>The Wild Cats of Piran</i> is highly recommended for cat lovers everywhere.Ilonahttp://www.blogger.com/profile/00845042702783898663noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-14487921.post-6107549984605824932013-05-01T22:53:00.000+02:002013-05-01T22:53:01.705+02:00Extraterrestrial - A Story of Romance, Cheating and Alien Invasion<br />
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<b>Extraterrestrial (<i>Extraterrestre</i>, 2011) is a funny Spanish sci-fi movie by Nacho Vigalondo</b>, who also created one of the most original sci-fi movies of recent years, <i>Timescrimes</i>.<br /><br /><b>In this story, a man and a woman, Julio and Julia, wake up after a one-night stand, just to find that the city has been evacuated because of an alien invasion. </b>Luckily, the imminent danger is <b>a good excuse for Julio to stay with the the beautiful girl a little longer</b>.<br />The situation becomes even more absurd with the arrival of the creepy neighbour, who also did not leave because he was hoping to be able to get closer to the pretty girl. Soon the woman's boyfriend also turns up, and continuously more and more lies are told in order to avoid suspicion.<br /><br /><b>The movie is not about the alien attack ifself, it just shows us a couple of people and their interactions as they get into more and more comic situations</b>. <br />The actors were chosen well. <b>Michelle Jenner (Julia) and Julián Villagrán (Julio) were a perfect choice for the lead roles</b> in this incredible and strange love story. <br /><br />This movie is not for those who want to see action scenes and a lot of CGI. However, <b>Extraterrestrial is both original and funny, so it is highly recommended.</b><br /><br />(<a href="http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=rQIB53sWpUU" target="_blank">Trailer</a>, <a href="http://www.imdb.com/title/tt1680133/" target="_blank">Imdb</a>, <a href="http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Extraterrestrial_%28film%29" target="_blank">Wiki</a>.) Ilonahttp://www.blogger.com/profile/00845042702783898663noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-14487921.post-79321023728325210682013-01-17T22:25:00.000+01:002013-01-17T22:29:42.938+01:00A Year in Review: 2012<br />
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<a href="http://1.bp.blogspot.com/-jJIXL1pKubA/UPhoS2cL_fI/AAAAAAAAAIk/GFvHL_tVEzc/s1600/TalesofTheTalisman.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="clear: left; float: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="320" src="http://1.bp.blogspot.com/-jJIXL1pKubA/UPhoS2cL_fI/AAAAAAAAAIk/GFvHL_tVEzc/s320/TalesofTheTalisman.jpg" width="251" /></a></div>
<a href="http://4.bp.blogspot.com/-cMu5ZJMAZEQ/UPhoOrTPoUI/AAAAAAAAAIc/MEitP38rMDg/s1600/illumen16+-+1Apr2012.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="clear: left; float: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="400" src="http://4.bp.blogspot.com/-cMu5ZJMAZEQ/UPhoOrTPoUI/AAAAAAAAAIc/MEitP38rMDg/s400/illumen16+-+1Apr2012.jpg" width="255" /></a><b>2012 was a good year for me in every respects.</b> <br />
As for my writing, I became busy writing only towards the end of the year, but it felt great.<br />
I had <b>more poems published in English</b> <b>and I also wrote an urban fantasy story</b>, and I managed to submit it to the publisher in time. This also means that <b>I learnt to handle deadlines</b>.<br />
I was also <b>learning more about screenwriting</b> and I would really like to learn more about it later.<br />
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In 2012, I also <b>became brave enough to perform in front of people, so I was reading poetry</b> at the Write Like Bukowski contest and <b>I also did stand up for the first time, in a pub</b>, at a charity event. The latter was a so-called open-mic event. (I'd like to do this again some time.)<br />
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I also made lots of <b>new friends</b> and got <b>a lot of new ideas</b> that still need to be put on paper. <br />
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The year 2012 was a better one for me than the ones before, and <b>I was able to start the next one as an optimist</b>.<br />
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<br />Ilonahttp://www.blogger.com/profile/00845042702783898663noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-14487921.post-89714235952405643522012-12-21T08:47:00.000+01:002012-12-21T08:47:13.441+01:00A Good Sci-Fi Movie from Germany: Transfer (2010)<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
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<b>Transfer (2010) is an exciting, romantic and thought-provoking German sci-fi drama</b>, directed by <b>Damir Lukacevic</b>.<br /><br />The story reminds you of Freejack at the beginning, but it is different in many ways.<br />In this story, t<b>he mysterious Menzana Corporation offers the possibility for old rich people to transfer their personalities into the bodies of young and beautiful Africans who need the money to support their families </b>and who accept that <b>they can only use their own bodies for four hours each night</b>.<br /><b>A German couple in their 70s, Anna and Hermann</b>, have doubts about the procedure at first, but after <br />Anna becomes terminally ill, they end up taking this path. <b>The young Africans whose bodies they get,<br />Apolain and Sarah, both accept their fate at the beginning, but the first pregnancy gradually changes the situation</b> and both couples want the baby for themselves. In addition to this, Anna starts to suffer from the feeling of guilt for ruining these young people's lives. The acting is great, and <br />the movie is exceptionally well-written.<br /><br /><b>The film is based on a short story by Elia Barceló</b>, and the screenplay is the work of Gabi Blauert and Damir Lukacevic.<br />According to the Wikipedia page in German,<b> the movie won eight awards including the Best Science Fiction Feature Film Award in Shriekfest</b>, in Los Angeles, several awards in Europe and one even in Tel Aviv.<br /><br />Transfer is not for those of you who want to see an action movie with some sci-fi in it, but it is h<b>ighly recommended for those who are interested in good, well-written, thought-provoking sci-fi</b>. <br /><br /><br />Links:<br /><a href="http://www.imdb.com/title/tt1270120/" target="_blank">IMDB</a>, <a href="http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=C04kKz2O3Xc" target="_blank">trailer (English subtitles)</a><br />Ilonahttp://www.blogger.com/profile/00845042702783898663noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-14487921.post-50538539399719042372012-12-02T22:45:00.000+01:002012-12-04T00:07:01.765+01:00Creepy Stories by A Scary Southern Belle: The White Death and Other Ghastly Ghost Stories by Debbie Kuhn<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
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Title: The White Death and Other Ghastly Ghost Stories<br />
Author: Debbie Kuhn<br />
Genre(s) / Subgenre(s): speculative fiction / dark fantasy, horror<br />
Copyright: October 17, 2012<br />
Formats: electronic: Kindle edition<br />
Rating: 10<br />
URL: <a href="http://www.amazon.com/White-Death-Ghastly-Stories-ebook/dp/B009SQTHXI/ref=sr_1_1?s=books&ie=UTF8&qid=1350669172&sr=1-1&keywords=The+White+Death+and+other+ghastly+ghost+stories" target="_blank">at Amazon</a><br />
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Those who like good horror fiction should certainly become familiar with <b>Debbie Kuhn</b>'s work, even though she writes in several genres. <b><i>The White Death</i> is a collection which includes ten dark tales and it is definitely worth reading.</b><br />
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<b>Whether they are humans or ghosts, the main characters are all motivated by basic human fears and desires</b>, and this makes it very easy for the reader to care about them. No matter how scary the story is, you will want to know what is going to happen to them. The ghosts are not always the evil, vengeful ghosts of the typical B movies either. <b>Some just want company, others warn you of imminent danger, and one simply just stays until she can finish her memoirs</b> that she writes using other people's bodies. <b>All of them are different and each story is a surprise, both refined and creepy.</b><br />
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<b>The stories are also set in different locations.</b> A girl is alone in the mountains at night, performing a ritual that can bring back her lover from the dead. The ghost of an English girl is looking for her father during WW2 in London. A guy is driving too fast on dangerous roads in his new sports car to impress women which has tragic consequences. In a pub, a young man sits on the cursed chair of a famous gangster in order to win a bet. These are just a few. <br />
<b>My favourite stories from the collection are <i>Little White Casket</i> and <i>What Happened in the Cellar</i>.</b> In both of these stories, the supernatural is at work, sometimes in frightening ways, but the real danger comes from our world.<br />
The <b>amazing cover art is by an English artist, Danielle Tunstall</b>.<br />
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<b>This book is highly recommended for those who would like to read some excellent horror stories</b>.<br />
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Links: <br />
<a href="http://www.debbiekuhn.com/" target="_blank">The author's website</a>Ilonahttp://www.blogger.com/profile/00845042702783898663noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-14487921.post-72689583312339990792012-07-28T21:32:00.000+02:002012-07-28T21:32:01.611+02:00Look, What A Funny Lady - Seriously...I'm Kidding By Ellen Degeneres Reviewed<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<a href="http://4.bp.blogspot.com/-Ud6sxEYhAHc/UBQxszw8M0I/AAAAAAAAAHo/FGT-TtlgPJY/s1600/Seriously_Ellen.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="clear: left; float: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" src="http://4.bp.blogspot.com/-Ud6sxEYhAHc/UBQxszw8M0I/AAAAAAAAAHo/FGT-TtlgPJY/s1600/Seriously_Ellen.jpg" /></a></div>
Title: Seriously...I'm Kidding<br />
Author: Ellen Degeneres<br />
Category: Humor<br />
Publisher: Grand Central Publishing (Hachette Book Group)<br />
Copyright: June 2011<br />
Formats: paperback, hardcover, electronic, audio<br />
Rating: 7<br />
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<b><i>Seriously...I'm Kidding </i>is the latest book by the much loved stand-up comedian and talk show host, Ellen Degeneres.</b> <br />
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This book is a collection of random thoughts and ideas and it includes stories both from everyday life and from the life of a celebrity. There are<b> a lot of really quotable lines in it about success, beauty, marriage, manners</b>, <b>politiness, and some even about gift-giving.</b><br />
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The author also keeps<b> giving</b><b> advice to the readers on all these issues. </b><b>It seems she has become both a great comedian and a fine motivational speaker.</b><br />
<b>However, at places I felt that the text was far too simplistic for my liking</b>. I suppose this is because the book was written for a talk show audience. English-learners might find this a great advantage.<br />
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<b>This book is</b> <b>recommended for those who feel like reading something really funny (and for all those who need an easy-to-read book in English.) </b><br />
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Links:<br />
<a href="http://www.hachettebookgroup.com/books_9780446585033.htm" target="_blank">The publisher's website</a><br />
<a href="http://www.goodreads.com/work/quotes/16156051-seriously-i-m-kidding" target="_blank">Quotes from the book</a> (at Goodreads)<br />
<a href="http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Ellen_DeGeneres" target="_blank">Ellen in Wikipedia</a>Ilonahttp://www.blogger.com/profile/00845042702783898663noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-14487921.post-49841539141706507552012-07-25T22:50:00.000+02:002012-07-25T22:50:08.226+02:00When A Female Serial Killer Is Investigating The Afterlife: Slights by Kaaron Warren Reviewed<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<a href="http://1.bp.blogspot.com/-j3M03mbDeu0/UBBVYdXcBaI/AAAAAAAAAHc/qaMw1uv698U/s1600/slights.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="clear: left; float: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="320" src="http://1.bp.blogspot.com/-j3M03mbDeu0/UBBVYdXcBaI/AAAAAAAAAHc/qaMw1uv698U/s320/slights.jpg" width="199" /></a></div>
Title: Slights<br />Author: Kaaron Warren<br />Genre / Subgenre: Horror/ psychological<br />Publisher: Angry Robot<br />Copyright: July 1, 2009<br />Formats: <a href="http://www.amazon.com/Slights-Karon-Warren/dp/0007322429" target="_blank">paperback</a>, <a href="http://www.amazon.com/Slights-ebook/dp/B0055EBZIW/ref=tmm_kin_title_0/186-2804806-5383218" target="_blank">electronic</a> (Kindle Edition)<br />Rating: 9<br /><b><br /><i>Slights</i> is a very strong debut novel by Australian writer, Kaaron Warren</b>.<b> It is a creepy, highly distubing and excellent horror novel</b> which was awarded the Ditmar Award and the Shadows Award for Best Fiction.<br /><br /><b>The main character, a young girl called Stevie, has a near-death experience, and when she comes back she remembers that she was in a dark room full of people.</b> <b>Everyone she ever pissed off was there and these people were torturing her. </b>Later her main goal becomes finding out if this is really the place where everyone must go one day. The girl who had a troubled childhood gradually <b>becomes obsessed with death, becomes suicidal, then starts to kill others in order to find the answers</b>. <br /><br />The book is <b>a very well-written piece, it really manages to draw the reader in</b>, but it is too gloomy, too depressing to be read too quickly. This is <b>a psychological horror piece and the author uses a sort of strange diary format </b>to let us follow the events of Stevie's life. While trying to find out more about death and what comes after death, <b>Stevie is also investigating family history and gets into all sorts of conflicts in a seemigly peaceful suburban neighborhood</b>. The latter turns out to be a place <b>where people prefer not to notice the crimes</b> that are committed, because this is much more comfortable for them than any of the alternatives. (Scary, isn't it?)<br /><br /><b>For those fans of psychological horror who can handle disturbing reads </b>and shocking imagery,<b> <i>Slights</i> is highly recommended.</b><br /><br /><br />Links: <br /><a href="http://angryrobotbooks.com/our-authors/kaaronwarren/slights" target="_blank">Official site (angryrobotbooks.com)</a><br /><a href="http://kaaronwarren.wordpress.com/" target="_blank">The author's blog</a><br /><a href="http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Kaaron_Warren" target="_blank">Kaaron Warren in Wiki</a><br />Ilonahttp://www.blogger.com/profile/00845042702783898663noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-14487921.post-88081630821911403622012-07-12T07:49:00.000+02:002012-07-12T07:49:35.635+02:00A poem of mine appeared in Illumen magazine<br />
<a href="http://4.bp.blogspot.com/-wFZ2M-m3RkE/T_5kG5LOBmI/AAAAAAAAAHM/Wv75mRP5a6U/s1600/illumen16-Spring2012.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="clear: left; float: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="400" src="http://4.bp.blogspot.com/-wFZ2M-m3RkE/T_5kG5LOBmI/AAAAAAAAAHM/Wv75mRP5a6U/s400/illumen16-Spring2012.jpg" width="257" /></a><b><i>The Best Planet in the World</i> appeared in the </b><b>Spring 2012 issue</b> of the magazine. <br /><br /><b>Illumen is a print magazine of speculative poetry, published biannually by Sam's Dot Publishing</b>. It contains poetry, illustrations, articles and reviews.<br />The featured poet for this issue is Marge Simon and the cover art is by Joshua Gage. <br /><br />You can order a copy <a href="http://www.sdpbookstore.com/illumen.htm" target="_blank">via the publisher's bookstore</a>.<br />Ilonahttp://www.blogger.com/profile/00845042702783898663noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-14487921.post-17627692062289621632012-04-22T13:48:00.001+02:002012-04-22T14:17:46.557+02:00Book Festival at Millenearis<b>Yesterday, I visited the <i>International Book Festival </i>at Millenearis in Budapest. </b>The festival is big enough to be held in several huge buildings, and in the park in front of them. Nowadays, it is quite commonplace to say that 'people have given up on reading completely'. There might be times when you even start to believe this, but this is obviously an over-generalization.<br />
<b>I saw huge crowds at Millenearis wanting to buy books, and people who were queueing to get signatures from the authors who were present.</b> So there is still hope. <br />
<b><br />I also saw some ebook readers on sale </b>and there were also a few publishers who started selling the electronic versions of some their books. This is a huge development here. I guess we will see much more of this later.<br />
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Not much of the contemporary genre writing gets published in Hungarian, but there are now also some big developments on this field, too. Even those who only read books in their mother-tongue can now buy <b>some new and intriguing speculative fiction including <i>The Quantum Thief, Deathless, Zoo City and The Wind-up Girl</i></b><i>.</i><br />
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<b>I also spent some money on books</b> (by S. Fry, M. Atwood, Henning Mankell and Wolf Haas), <b>and I even</b> <b>bumped into some writer friends and acqaintances</b>.Ilonahttp://www.blogger.com/profile/00845042702783898663noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-14487921.post-1075326108982394322012-03-17T22:41:00.000+01:002012-03-17T22:41:13.301+01:00When having sex in public becomes a law - Blind Faith by Ben Elton Reviewed<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<a href="http://4.bp.blogspot.com/-Vx-r2PmbvT4/T2T4GGDbMvI/AAAAAAAAAGc/ZbsX4GcDeck/s1600/BlindFaith.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="clear: left; float: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="400" src="http://4.bp.blogspot.com/-Vx-r2PmbvT4/T2T4GGDbMvI/AAAAAAAAAGc/ZbsX4GcDeck/s400/BlindFaith.jpg" width="268" /></a></div>
<b><i>Blind Faith</i> (2007) is a dsytopian novel and it is also dealing with a great variety of issues that are of interest to today’s reader.</b> The book was written by the brilliant comedy writer and stand up comedian, Ben Elton, who is also the author of<i> The Thin Blue Line</i> and <i>Black Adder</i>. <br />
<br />In this didactic but very well-written book he is sharing his views with us on <b>consumer society, trends in the media, in the world of community websites etc , while also telling a great story set in a near future England. </b>Elton has always been a very good observer of the typical, the suprising, and the alaming and presented his observations in a funny and thought-provoking way. <i>Blind Faith</i> is definitly one of his most serious works.<br />
<br />In this book, he describes<b> a world where it is compulsory to share all details of your life online, even the smallest and the most intimate details have to be shown on photos and videos. </b>Citizens of this state live their lives in front of webcams and are obliged to show it to everyone <b>that they have sex often enough, that they are religious enough, live exactly in the way that is expected from them and have no views of their own. The latter is illegal. Keeping a secret is a herecy and punishable by death.</b> The horrible results of climate change are thought to be the signs of God’s wrath, so disbelievers and those who try to keep and share the books and the knowledge of the old times are enemies of the state.<br />
<br />In Blind Faith, Elton is<b> paying tribute to the greatest masters of dystopian fiction</b>, gives us a disturbing account of the near future <b>and he also makes the reader look at the present day lifestyles and societies in a different way</b>.<b> It is worth reading.</b><br />
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Links: <a href="http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Blind_Faith_%28novel%29" target="_blank">Wikipedia</a>, <a href="http://www.amazon.co.uk/Blind-Faith-Ben-Elton/dp/0593058003" target="_blank">Amazon</a>Ilonahttp://www.blogger.com/profile/00845042702783898663noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-14487921.post-10654846004778030862012-03-11T21:27:00.000+01:002012-03-11T21:35:12.579+01:00A poem of mine has appeared in Tales of The Talisman magazine<br />
<a href="http://4.bp.blogspot.com/-qu0D7SCDzDE/T10IRm-NgkI/AAAAAAAAAGU/vW7aNuJbnNI/s1600/TalesofTheTalisman.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="clear: left; float: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="320" src="http://4.bp.blogspot.com/-qu0D7SCDzDE/T10IRm-NgkI/AAAAAAAAAGU/vW7aNuJbnNI/s320/TalesofTheTalisman.jpg" width="253" /></a><b>My poem, <i>The Fairy's Granddaughter</i> has appeared in the special fantasy issue of Tales of The Talisman magazine (Volume 7, Issue 3).</b><br />
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<b>I am very proud of this one.</b> It is great to see something that I wrote in a magazine with such <b>an awesome cover</b> and which has<b> contributors such as Carol Hightshoe, Simon Bleaken, F. T. McKinstry, Jim Chandler and David C. Kopaska-Merkel and is edited by David Lee Summers.</b><br />
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<b>You can get a copy of it <a href="http://www.amazon.com/Tales-Talisman-7-3-Carol-Hightshoe/dp/1885093616/" target="_blank">at Amazon</a>.</b><br />
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Product details:<br />
Paperback: 100 pages<br />
Publisher: Hadrosaur Productions (January 31, 2012)<br />
Language: English<br />
ISBN-10: 1885093616, ISBN-13: 978-1885093615<br />
Price: $8.00Ilonahttp://www.blogger.com/profile/00845042702783898663noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-14487921.post-61300011819503206432012-02-06T10:19:00.000+01:002012-02-06T10:19:06.907+01:00A good book for urban fantasy lovers: Casting Shadows by J. Kelley Anderson <br />
<a href="http://2.bp.blogspot.com/-F9OngAaA-GE/Ty-QlHTov3I/AAAAAAAAAGI/5hUQhUe5-Bw/s1600/Castingshadows111Cover.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="clear: left; float: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="320" src="http://2.bp.blogspot.com/-F9OngAaA-GE/Ty-QlHTov3I/AAAAAAAAAGI/5hUQhUe5-Bw/s320/Castingshadows111Cover.jpg" width="320" /></a>Title: Casting Shadows<br />
Author: J. Kelley Anderson<br />
Genre(s) / Subgenre(s): Fantasy/ Urban Fantasy<br />
Publisher: World Castle Publishing (January 31, 2012)<br />
Formats: paperback (232 pages) or electronic (Kindle Edition)<br />
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<b>I’ve always liked stories that are a bit different from the average.</b> <b><i>Casting Shadows</i> by J. Kelley Anderson</b> <b>is definitely a book that tells a story like that.</b><br />
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At the beginning, <b>the main character Edward performs a magic ritual in a cemetery to summon an undead servant. He only does this because he is under a spell </b>and a demon is trying to influence his deeds. However, the new servant, <b>Vincent will not be the merciless evil being that one could expect. He will be more like a friend, who always has Edward’s best interests at heart, but he also has his own will and his own views about things. He does his best to protect him from himself and from the evil forces that are at work</b> in the ususally quiet little town of Hurst, Ohio. A very powerful <b>witch grandmother </b>also appears, who tries to teach Edward how to become a warlock. He also encounters several types of <b>magical beings</b> and learns that <b>he has to become the champion fighting for mankind and he really needs to grow up for the task very quickly</b>. His only connection to normal life remains his best friend, Michael who is a local police officer and who, fortunately, has a sense of humor.<br />
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<b><i>Casting Shadows</i> is a real page-turner</b>, the characters are well-drawn, likeable and <b>more complex than the ususal fantasy clichés. The story is a unique mixture of what we have seen already and what we have not. There are also some great humorous scenes added. </b><br />
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If you are interested in urban fantasy, <b>do not miss this book. It’s highly recommended.</b><br />
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Links: <br />
<a href="http://www.jkelleyanderson.com/casting-shadows/" target="_blank">The author's website</a><br />
<a href="http://www.amazon.com/Casting-Shadows-J-Kelley-Anderson/dp/1937593843/ref=ntt_at_ep_edition_1_1%20" target="_blank">Amazon</a>Ilonahttp://www.blogger.com/profile/00845042702783898663noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-14487921.post-52163617745182412642012-01-22T22:00:00.000+01:002012-01-22T22:00:34.024+01:00Timecrimes: The movie about the guy who wanted to look at boobs and ended up as a time-traveller<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<a href="http://4.bp.blogspot.com/-Rn_FKA2ex-0/Txx2lQ8br2I/AAAAAAAAAGA/gmZRx6e2JU8/s1600/Timescrimes.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="clear: left; float: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="320" src="http://4.bp.blogspot.com/-Rn_FKA2ex-0/Txx2lQ8br2I/AAAAAAAAAGA/gmZRx6e2JU8/s320/Timescrimes.jpg" width="215" /></a></div>
<b>Timecrimes (<i>Los cronocrímene</i>s, 2007) is a quite original Spanish sci-fi movie by Nacho Vigalondo.</b><br />
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<b>At the beginning of the movie, the main character Hector, </b>who has just moved to the countryside with his wife, notices, via using his binoculars, a woman getting naked somewhere nearby. As soon as his wife leaves the house, he <b>goes for a walk, looking for the naked beauty. However, a man with bandages on his head attacks him and chases him through the woods.</b> Hector takes refuge at a nearby science lab, and he unwillingly <b>becomes the subject of a time-travel experiment.</b><br />
<b><br />Apart from a few less logical scenes, this is quite an exciting movie, which has aquired international success.</b> There is going to be an American remake of Timecrimes, in all probability by David Cronenberg.<br />
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The multiple award winnning movie was <b>written and directed by Nacho Vigalondo, whose latest sci-fi movie, Extraterrestrial (Extraterrestre, 2011), is about a couple witnessing an alien invasion.</b> I will surely watch that one, too.<br />
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Links:<br />
Time crimes: <a href="http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Los_Cronocr%C3%ADmenes" target="_blank">Wiki</a>, <a href="http://www.imdb.com/title/tt0480669/" target="_blank">IMDB</a><br />
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<br />Ilonahttp://www.blogger.com/profile/00845042702783898663noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-14487921.post-10415039812754210712012-01-21T13:04:00.000+01:002012-01-21T13:04:36.724+01:002011: Just What I Have Accomplished in 2011<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<a href="http://1.bp.blogspot.com/-F7x8smumHoA/Tf-uGqiOkdI/AAAAAAAAAFU/5qr2Bt_6zHI/s1600/ak37big.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="clear: left; float: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="200" src="http://1.bp.blogspot.com/-F7x8smumHoA/Tf-uGqiOkdI/AAAAAAAAAFU/5qr2Bt_6zHI/s200/ak37big.jpg" width="156" /></a><a href="http://3.bp.blogspot.com/-PgBnL8_BxRA/TVKAvd1NTXI/AAAAAAAAAFA/n-NBok7RaeA/s1600/sotn0211.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="200" src="http://3.bp.blogspot.com/-PgBnL8_BxRA/TVKAvd1NTXI/AAAAAAAAAFA/n-NBok7RaeA/s200/sotn0211.jpg" width="146" /></a></div>
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<u>In 2011: </u><br />- I restarted my English blog, <br />- blogging in Hungarian, <br />- reading & reviewing, <br />- more SF poems published (One in Aoife's Kiss and one in SOTN.)<br />- started tweeting, <br />- got some more poems accepted, <br />- wrote a short story, <br /> - and got a lot of story ideas for later use.<br /><br /><br /><u>Plans for 2012:</u> More writing and more reviewing. Improving my German. Hopefully, some travelling, too. There are going to be much more blog posts here about books, movies, etc. As for my writing, I have much more story ideas now, than ever before.Ilonahttp://www.blogger.com/profile/00845042702783898663noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-14487921.post-14057937631747116932011-12-04T21:22:00.001+01:002011-12-04T22:02:16.107+01:00Cinderella's Secret Diary by Ron Vitale<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<a href="http://1.bp.blogspot.com/-WGDoikkuX_M/TtvXTT7S3cI/AAAAAAAAAF4/IKrrs51735g/s1600/Cinderella%2527s%2BSecret%2BDiary%2B%2528Book%2B1_%2BLost%2529%2B-%2BRon%2BVitale.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="clear: left; float: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="320" src="http://1.bp.blogspot.com/-WGDoikkuX_M/TtvXTT7S3cI/AAAAAAAAAF4/IKrrs51735g/s320/Cinderella%2527s%2BSecret%2BDiary%2B%2528Book%2B1_%2BLost%2529%2B-%2BRon%2BVitale.jpg" width="240" /></a></div>
Title: Cinderella's Secret Diary (Book 1: Lost)<br />
Author: Ron Vitale <br />
Genre(s) / Subgenre(s): speculative fiction / dark fantasy/ YA<br />
Copyright: August, 2011<br />
Formats: ebook (Kindle Edition), Paperback<br />
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<span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: inherit;"><b>Ron Vitale's novel about Cinderella is a young adult gothic version of the well-known fairy-tale.</b></span><br />
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<b>At the beginning of the story the main character is a typical naive young girl</b>, to such an extent that she is also a bit irritating at times, but soon she has to learn a bit more about life. Her marriage with the prince is not a very good one, and the queen is a frightening mother-in-law. The kingdom, which turns out to be England during the Napoleonic wars, is in great danger. <b>Cinderella has lessons to learn about people, politics and love, while dark forces are also at work. </b>As <b>she gradually becomes a stronger, more mature and a much more independent woman</b>, the story is also becoming darker and darker.<br />
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<b>This is a novel about growing up, and also about magic, adventures, witchcraft and family conflicts.</b><br />
The book comes with <b>a beautiful cover image which is the work of Jennifer Whitelock</b>, and the novel is the first part of a series.<br />
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By mixing the elements of fairy tales, dark fantasy and chick lit,<b> Ron Vitale created a very entertaining book.</b><br />
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Links:<br />
<a href="http://www.ronvitale.com/" target="_blank">The author's website</a><br />
<a href="http://www.amazon.com/Cinderellas-Secret-Diary-Book-Lost/dp/0615530443" target="_blank">reviews at Amazon</a>Ilonahttp://www.blogger.com/profile/00845042702783898663noreply@blogger.com