Location: United States
Member Since:
Aug. 03, 2015
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Michelle Perry
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Smashwords book reviews by Michelle Perry
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Your Consciousness is an Alien
on Nov. 24, 2015
This book was an interesting read to say the least. The book opens on a series of vignettes in time centered around Wilhelm Reich, a psychoanalyst practicing in mid 1930’s Germany. Once the story begins a patient of his tells him about a group of people who are dedicated to the belief that they are in contact with aliens. When he finds that the leader of this group is a woman from his past, he is moved to investigate further. The reader is then transported on a page burning tour through history, meeting a vivid supporting cast as the tale is told through the perspectives of an eclectic group of characters, including a radiologist from Istanbul, the son of Genghis Khan, an alien AI and even a disease. There is nothing formulaic about this story. At first it seems a series of compelling, yet barely connected stories set in disparate time frames. Though at times I didn’t understand where it possibly could be going, the stories were memorizing enough to keep me hanging on long enough to find out how they all fit together and it was worth it. This book isn’t for everyone. There is a fair amount of math and science, even pseudo-science, in its pages and a Netflix understanding of quantum physics definitely would be helpful, but the story that drives the conclusion is a strong one and I am glad to have read it.
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The Vice Of Courage
on April 23, 2016
This book follows Aaron Kantro and his family from the depths of childhood abuse to the clear hindsight of adulthood. The compellingly addictive story takes Aaron and his siblings through the depths of hell to even darker places and along the way they learn just what they are truly capable of. It is a powerful story written by an author able to capture the emotional honesty of his protagonists. I wanted to hate the monsters, but understanding why they were the way they were, simply made me pity them and want to weep for the children who would bear the scars for their inability to with evil. Told as chronology, it was easy to stay connected to the individual characters. As each new date showed at the beginning of the chapter, I would hope that Sarah was finally chasing down her demons; That Aaron would find a way to listen to his inner angel; Cringe at what Mark and Mari-lee would be about to do next. My heart broke for Max, a product of his age, thrown into a seething chaos that no human being should have to endure. The story is character driven and the characters are not short on story. Each person who glances through the various lives of the Kantro family probably could have supported an entire novel just on their back-stories alone. I laughed and I wanted to cry. Somehow the human spirit with its need to create beauty will try to find a way to survive but not all those who have travel in darkness will manage to find the light. This is a brilliant story with multiple layers. It makes me want to explore other books by Arthur Rosch. This was definitely worth the price of the download. 5 stars
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The Road Has Eyes - An RV, A Relationship and A Wild Ride
on May 23, 2016
The synopsis starts off with the question, “Were they crazy?” It is a question that is never quite answered outright, but I can imagine the legions of outsiders who may have been thinking it. This book takes the reader on an adventure with the great outdoors as a backdrop and a burgeoning supporting cast of characters from across the country, seen through the eyes of the author and his partner, through filter of life experience and a stark spirituality that eschews the written page to draw you in as if you were actually there to experience the stark joys, the near-crippling fears and aggravating frustrations. The author explores the pitfalls and joys of life on the road with charming honesty that it reads less like a book and more like a great evening with friends and the slide show of their latest great adventure. Yes, I know that last sentence, seriously tells my age, however it is with fond warmness that I recall many evenings in my childhood spent in just such a way. At the end of the book the Mr. Rosch includes his ‘information guide’ to owning, buying and running an RV, complete with anecdotes. If you are contemplating such a life changing journey of your own and the preceding book hadn’t kept your attention then a read through the appendix will probably convince you that this life is doable. All in all I have to say this was a seriously enjoyable, not-to-be-put-down kind of read and I am glad to have had the chance to gain some insight, not only into the life of an author (an opportunity I always enjoy), but also into a lifestyle that I once looked at quizzically wondering if my own grandmother had gone slightly nuts in her old age. It takes a special person to live that lifestyle and no, I don’t think they were crazy, more like inspired 5 stars This book was well worth the price of purchase.