Dog-Gone (Pax Arcana #0.9) by Elliott James: Book Review

This one was, in my opinion, the least of the five prequel vignettes to Pax Arcana Book 1, Charming. Dog-Gone is about a strange, magic voo-doo man and a pack of Hell Hounds. It was disjointed and difficult to follow, and I'm not quite sure I got the complete picture James was intending to paint. There was zero character development and very little plot. The ending was abrupt and unsatisfying. All in all, not worth the $1.99 price. The author should have made all five of these vignettes available for free on his website. That would have garnered him more fans, for sure.

I will still read book two, which was published a couple of months ago, and I look forward to it. But only because I like the story line and I love the author's writing style. I don't love these money-grabbing vignettes that don't further the plot at all. If your local library carries the e-book versions, just get yours there. I was not that fortunate.

Surreal Estate (Pax Arcana #0.8) by Elliott James: Book Review

All of these prequels to the first book are short, but this one was ridiculously so. It really doesn't justify the $1.99 price per each. I'm just now starting the fifth prequel (they'd be better off called vignettes), and am a little irritated. It would be much better if all five had been combined into one prequel for $2.99. I read this one in less than 15 minutes. Truly. They are all good, all well-written and interesting, but they don't really add much to the first book in the series, which is Charming. They basically only serve to introduce a new monster or two, and to build the world around John Charming. 

This vignette features a female spider-like monster that spits a hallucinogenic phlegm on its male victims, and lures them with haunting music. John is attacked by her and thinks he is dreaming. Of course, he eventually figures out what has happened to him and overcomes the monster, as always.

These prequels are interesting, but you will be fine just reading book 1 in the Pax Arcana series; it will give you all you need to know about John Charming and his world. If you feel you must spend the $10 total to read all five of these prequels, do so AFTER reading Charming.

Pushing Luck (Pax Arcana #0.7) by Elliott James: Book Review

This is vignette #3 in the prequels to Charming. It centers around another monster - called a Rakshasa - that is Indian in origin and feasts on human flesh. Yummy. John stumbles across it while trying to build up his $$ stash in a poker tournament.

You can probably read this in 30-45 minutes. It does not give you any new insight into John Charming, so it is not necessary to read this in order to enjoy the first book. But it further builds the monster world around him, and honestly, is simply a time-filler for you while you wait for book #2 to be released.

Don't Go Chasing Waterfalls (Pax Arcana #0.6) by Elliott James: Book Review

Vignette #2 in the too-short, overpriced prequels to Pax Arcana Book 1, Charming. In this one John Charming enlists the help of a Cunning Folk to find a helpless victim of a water demon. I liked seeing him form a sort of friendship with Sarah White. Out of the four prequel vignettes that I've read so far, I like this one best, probably because we see much more than just "what kind of monster is this and how will John kill it?" We actually see a little more character development and heart.

Like the others, this one is not necessary to read in order to understand or enjoy book 1, but it is entertaining and did help pass the time until book 2 was released.

Attachments by Rainbow Rowell: Book Review

I loved this book. Just like I have loved everything else by Rainbow Rowell. She is definitely on my read-whatever-this-person-writes list. Her stories are funny and heartfelt and just so REAL.

Attachments is about a twenty-something guy who has a few degrees to his name but no real direction in his life. Lincoln. He has moved back in with his mother, which his sister finds sad. His mother loves it; his sister pushes him to figure out what he wants out of life and start living it. But Lincoln is still recovering from the loss of his first love...which happened eight or nine years previously. He loved her too much, she dumped him, and he's still trying to get over it. Lincoln takes a night job as a local newspaper's internet/computer security guy. Basically it's his job to read everyone's email and send them warnings if they're breaking company policy. Jennifer's and Beth's emails are constantly flagged by the filters, so Lincoln has to read them. He finds himself liking the two women, and never ends up sending them warnings. Reading Jennifer and Beth's email exchanges become important to him, and he finds himself looking forward to reading them every day. He gets to know the two women for who they are, though he has no idea what they look like and doesn't realize it when he actually encounters them in the office. Things develop from there; you just have to read it.

Remember the big Y2K scare at the end of 1999? What are we gonna do if the computers freak out? The world is gonna end, ahhhh! Well that is a small part of the backdrop in this story, which is kind of fun and nostalgic. The whole negotiation from analog to the digital world is an important piece too. It doesn't really seem like 1999 was that long ago, but so much has changed in the world since then. Because I vividly remember those years, and because I was the same age as the main characters during that time, I really connected with this book.

Is this considered Chick Lit? I don't know. If it is, it's the first Chick Lit I've read where the main protagonist is a guy. Rowell has a knack for getting into a character's head - even a male character - and really showing the emotion. Like her other books, this one is character-driven and completely engrossing. I found myself laughing out loud, loving all the characters, and thinking to myself, "I could hang out with this person." And of course, I did cry a little too. It's just great writing. Five stars from me!

Charmed I'm Sure (Pax Arcana # 0.5) by Elliott James: Book Review

Vignette #1 in the five prequels to Pax Arcana Book 1, Charming. In this one, John Charming comes across a naked, disoriented man and ends up facing some sort of Fae nymph monster who likes to use men for her entertainment and pleasure. Out of the four prequel vignettes that I've read so far, this one is most like Charming in terms of snark, wit, and dark humor that I loved in the book.

While entertaining and well-written, this vignette really isn't long enough to justify the price of $1.99 (on Kindle), and it does not further your understanding of book 1. I would not recommend reading any of these prequels before first reading Charming.

Make Your Own Tardis Costume...Without Cussing

Whatcha Need:

• Cardboard box (I used a Grand Wardrobe box from UHaul, but this won't work if you are any shorter than about 5'7" tall. You'll have to cut off the bottom if you're short.)
  
• Scrap cardboard from another shipping box, for your extra bits. (Surely you have an Amazon box sitting around somewhere, right?)
• Spray paint primer & Tardis blue (I went through 2 cans of primer and about 4 cans of blue.)
• Box cutter
• Hot glue gun and/or wood glue
• Packing tape or duct tape
• Tardis signs printed off on paper or card stock (You can find lots of these on Pinterest. I used these: 
• http://tinyurl.com/cb2warh
• http://tinyurl.com/natsge2 
• http://tinyurl.com/p876h5m)
• Ruler
• Black Sharpie
• Mod Podge & sponge brush
• 2-3 afternoons

Whatcha Do:

1. Cut the bottom flaps off your box and save them.
2. Cut two 3"-tall strips from a short-side flap and and two from a long-side flap (the ones you just took off the bottom of the box.) These will be your top strips, with the "Police Call Box" signs.
   
3. Cut squares/rectangles out of the front and back of your box - 6 on each side, 3 and 3. I made mine 7" x 8". Save them to attach to the sides of your Tardis.
   
4. Use the scraps from your bottom flaps and/or another shipping box to make long panels that will cover your open rectangles on the front and back.
5. Cut 4 more rectangles out of scrap cardboard, the same size as your others. These will be the extra blue panels for your sides.
6. Cut out 4 rectangles from card stock or white printer paper, the same size as all your other panels. These will be your side windows.
7. Take all your cardboard pieces outside and spray paint them with your primer. Allow to dry 1 hour.
   
8. Spray paint all but 4 of your cardboard square/rectangle panels blue. Save 4 white ones for your front and back windows. Allow to dry for 1 hour.
   
9. Spray paint a second coat of blue, if you need it.
   
10. Take the 4 white rectangles and the 4 white pieces of card stock and draw the Tardis window panes with black Sharpie (1 line across and 2 down). 
11. Glue or tape the long blue panels to the inside front and back of your Tardis, covering the cut-out holes. This will give the paneled look and serve as reinforcement. 
    
12. Glue or tape the 4 cardboard window rectangles to the front and back of your Tardis, 2 on each side. (I went back and painted the gray T-shape into the panels, just for a tad more authenticity.)
    
13. Glue or tape the other 12 blue rectangles to the sides of your Tardis.
    
    
14. Glue the Tardis signs to their proper places on the front doors. If you want to add an extra layer of protection to your signs, paint over them all with Mod Podge. I was glad I did this after walking around for several hours after dark, when the fog was thick and everything was covered in dew.
    
    
    
    
15. Then glue the 4 "Police Call Box" strips to the top of your Tardis. Draw a line down the center of the front. Draw on a door handle and key hole. Or, if you're not lazy like me, attach an actual door handle purchased from your local hardware store.
    
16. Cut a square in the top of your box for your head (I cut a 10" square hole for mine.)
    
17. Cut rectangles out of sides for your arms.
    
18. Tape up your top seams and put on your Tardis!
    
    
    
    
    
    
    
    
    
    
    
     
19. Make a top light box thingie for your head. I used scraps of cardboard, painted it white with blue edges, and painted on the black panel lines. Then I took an old headband and hot-glued it to the headband. I think mine is a little too tall, but it serves its purpose I suppose.
    
    
    
    
    
    

Let me know if you make your own Tardis costume. I'd love to hear from you and see your creation!