Dough Donuts
New York, New York
230 Park Avenue (at 45th St) New York, NY 10169
646-747-0806
What I tried:
passionfruit and horchata blood orange (the daily special)
~$6.50.
What to expect:
More than just fun looking and fun flavored donuts, this is a space you can chill (which apparently in NYC is difficult to find).
My favorite:
The view. These donuts were not worth the calories, but the glazes were worth a lick.
The Twilight Kingdom (Feyland Trilogy Book 3) by Anthea Sharp
A Science Fiction/Fantasy Novel published by Anthea Sharp (12/15/12)
Summary:
Feyland is ready for release, just as soon as beta testing concludes. Jennet, her dad, Tam, Roy, and several others have been chosen for the team. With an excuse to be in-game, it should be easy for Jennet to prove that Feyland is dangerous, but at first glance the game appears… normal. Still, it doesn’t take long for Jennet and Tam to get sucked back into the real Feyland. The realm of faerie still wants nothing more than to break free into the regular world.
Keywords:
Fae, Video Game, Worlds Collide, Evil, Gaming, Class Distinctions, Tech, Gamers, Friendship, Prototype, Mischievous Characters, Danger
My Review:
This book and this series will make anyone want to be a gamer! The excitement and camaraderie of playing an epic fantasy adventure seem very appealing. Though I am not a gamer, I really enjoyed the up close view of Jennet and Tam playing through Feyland.
As someone who doesn’t like to read epic fantasy, I thought this series was an excellent bridge between fantasy, contemporary and dystopian literature. It was fascinating enough to keep me interested in the gaming/fantasy sequences and the details in the world building were well-done.
I was glad that the relationship between Jennet and her father was resolved in this final book and that the relationship between Jennet and Tam was pushed and explored more. Roy also developed quite a bit between where we first see him and at the end of the series.
Overall a great and exciting book and series to read!
This novel was published by Anthea Sharp on December 15th, 2012 and is available on Amazon here.
TL;DR Star Rating: 5.0
Links for more information:
After a visit to Georgia’s Bakery – where I snacked on the delicious cronut – I went upstairs to the Village Theatre to see the Superior Donuts production!
My last experience with community theater wasn’t that great, so I didn’t have high expectations going in, however, just seeing the set I could tell that this show was going to be good. Care and detail had been put into the set. The walls of the donut ‘shop’ were made to look old and outdated. They even had a fake view to the outside with an open sign and everything!
If you get a chance, I would highly recommend this play!
Full of laughs and catch you by surprise contemporary phrasing (aka adult language), Superior Donuts was highly entertaining. The play itself contained great dialogue and character interaction and while some scenes were a bit unusual, the play as a whole was very well written. The Valley Center Stage was a delightful little theater. No seat was a bad seat and the actors’ voices carried all the way to the back. The actors themselves carried the play from delightful to amazing. Their delivery and timing were impeccable. They even ate donuts and drank coffee during the scenes! My favorite parts of the play were the fast quips making fun of everything from Starbucks to donuts to the way the main character, Arthur, dresses. Grab yourself a donut from the concession stand (courtesy of Georgia’s) and settle in for a night (or afternoon) of laughs and entertainment with this comedy drama.
Description from the website: Superior Donuts takes place in the historic Uptown neighborhood of Chicago, one of Chicago’s most racially diverse communities. Arthur Przybyszewski, a despondent, aging 1960s radical owns a run-down, dated donut shop that has been in his family for sixty years. New employee Franco Wicks, a young, enthusiastic black man, inspires to infuse new energy into the shop while Arthur remains detached from investing in his business and life. Arthur grapples with his past while Franco, trying to find footing in his own life, has his own serious challenges. This provocative comedy drama explores the challenges of embracing the past while celebrating the redemptive power of friendship.
Happy April Fools!
I decided not to eat 50 donuts, but to film myself attempting to do 50 push-ups! More or less I’ve accomplished this goal! I will also be releasing Nichole’s Book of Practical Things later today as a print book and the latest accompaniment book in the For the Love of Donuts Series.
Feyland: The Bright Court (Feyland Trilogy Book 2) by Anthea Sharp
A Science Fiction/Fantasy Novel published by Anthea Sharp (05/21/12)
Summary:
Jennet barely escaped the clutches of the evil Dark Queen of Feyland, with the help of Tam Linn in the Dark Court, but the game is still set to release. The land of faeries is still attempting to step through the boundary of Feyland to wreak havoc on our world. Roy, the son of the CEO of the game company provides another complication as he appears to glamor all those around him, except Jennet and Tam. Not only do they have to figure out a way to stop Feyland’s release, they now have to figure out a way to stop Roy and his illusions.
Keywords:
Fae, Video Game, Worlds Collide, Evil, Gaming, Class Distinctions, Tech, Gamers, Friendship, Prototype, Mischievous Characters, Danger
My Review:
I started reading this second book in the series as soon as I put down book one and it took very little time to get back into the magical realm of Feyland and the world and lives of Jennet and Tam.
I was excited to see more of Marnie as she gets more time and importance as a friend in this second book. Of course, the growing friendship and budding romance between Tam and Jennet is also quite exhilarating to watch. I absolutely love slow to develop romances, especially ones based on more than just attraction.
One of the greatest little details about this book (and series) is the fact that I see gender equality. The book isn’t all about the greatest female who must take upon herself the mantle of saving the world (almost every dystopian book ever). Feyland is more than just a female main character. Tam has as much action time and importance as Jennet. Then there is the fact that the CEO of the gaming company is a woman and the most famous celebrity simmer is female. Huzzah! Finally those in power and those in charge are not just male! And their genders didn’t even matter!
I loved this second book and the ending was perfect. I can’t wait to read the final book in this series.
This novel was published by Anthea Sharp on May 21st, 2012 and is available on Amazon here.
TL;DR Star Rating: 5.0
Links for more information:
The Dark Realm (Feyland #1) by Anthea Sharp
A Science Fiction/Fantasy Novel published by Fiddlehead Press (12/11/13)
Summary:
“Sometimes we don’t really have as much control over things as we think. We’re in this together now.” (Kindle Location 1991).
Jennet went against her father’s wishes when she played the in-development immersive sim game Feyland. When she lost the boss level, the Dark Queen boss took Jennet’s life force. To regain what she lost, Jennet must find a champion in real life who will play the game with her. She finds Tam Linn, but it takes everything she’s got just to convince him to trust her. There is more at stake than Jennet realizes and the game is becoming more and more real.
Keywords:
Fae, Video Game, Worlds Collide, Evil, Gaming, Class Distinctions, Tech, Gamers, Friendship, Prototype, Mischievous Characters, Danger
My Review:
Sharp does a fantastic job balancing the amount of prose set in Feyland and the amount of prose set in the real world. Both realms were alive in their own way. There were so many fun details about the sim tech and the differences between the classes in the real world and such great description of playing Feyland.
The premise felt a bit rushed in the beginning and the first chapter was a slog, but after that I was sucked right into the plot. I couldn’t put the book down after that.
The characters each were independent, but they had to work together to survive and succeed. There were moments of damsel-in-distress (the whole premise is she needs a knight to save her), but Jennet holds her own again and again and proves her worthiness as a strong female main character.
This novel was published by Fiddlehead Press on December 11th, 2013 and is available on Amazon here.
TL;DR Star Rating: 5.0
Links for more information:
Mini-Droids and Tea- Seattle by Victoria Bastedo
A Romance novel published by Amazon Digital Services (03/04/2017)
Summary:
Poppy is finally independent. She has her own tea shop – Teacozy – and has forgotten about her heart’s nemesis: Colepepper McSimmons. When Colepeppers start showing up in her shop, in the form of the Mini-Droids he invented and produced to look like himself along with a seven-inch tall version of herself, Poppy will be confronted by the past she never quite let go of.
Keywords:
Personal Phone Devices, Mini-Droid, Technology, Tea, Date, Romance, Friendship, Living your Dream, Small Business, Entrepreneur, Inventor, Lost Love
My Review:
This story goes beyond meet cute because the hero and heroine already know each other! They are each other’s heart nemesis and have to reconcile the past in order to make up, move on, and love each other as they should! I really enjoyed watching their romance take shape throughout this story and to see the struggle of both Poppy and Colepepper to trust the other with their hearts.
I loved the integration of the Mini-Droids into the story, they added an element of intrigue and interest without being the central point of the novel. We get to see the interruption a personal device has on Poppy when they look and sound just like her! This would be flattering if the inventor hadn’t broken her heart when he left her behind ten years ago!
Poppy’s struggle as en entrepreneur herself and a business owner was also quite realistic. She was quite clever with her marketing strategies and I enjoyed all the little details about her tea shop.
This novel was published by Amazon Digital Services 03/04/2017 and is available on Amazon here.
TLDR Star Rating: 3.75
Links for more information:
Liar by Winifred Morris
A YA Novel published by Eastside Gal Publishing (05/02/17)
Summary:
Alex was dropped off with his grandparents in a small Oregon town. It would have been a fresh start if everybody didn’t already know him and what he’s capable of. This is his last chance and he doesn’t want to blow it, but life is never that easy.
Keywords:
Bullies, Family Issues, Abandonment, Probation, New School, Small Town, Grandparents, Oregon, Trouble, Lies, Rage, Fire, Coming of Age, Fear, Capture, Struggle
My Review:
Alex’s story is sometimes hard to read because we see his internal struggle to rise above his situation and his thought processes. He’s a good kid and he’s trying to act within the boundaries he’s given. It’s sad to see his environment press in on him and push him into a corner. Alex reacts both realistically and like many would in his situations. He doesn’t want to be a bad kid. He doesn’t want to start fires and fights. I wanted to see Alex succeed and it was so heartbreaking every time there was a setback in his life or another bully to push him down. Life is never easy, but Alex remained hopeful and resilient, at least some of the time.
I thoroughly enjoyed this realistic coming of age story. It was amazingly well written and engaging and full of good messages that weren’t too obvious. Teens and adults alike can learn from this story and enjoy it as well.
I received an ARC from the author.
This novel was published by Eastside Gal Publishing on May 2nd, 2017 and is available on Amazon here.
TL;DR Star Rating: 4.75
Links for more information:
Doughnuttery
New York, New York
1000S Eighth Avenue, (Columbus Circle Subway Station), Suite #22, New York, NY 10019
212-633-4359
What I tried:
6 for $6 (plain and lemon)
~$6 and tax
What to expect:
Grab and go donuts smothered in a multitude of sugars.
My favorite:
This donut shop is located in the subway! Underground donuts!
Configured: Book #1 in the Configured Trilogy by Jenetta Penner
A YA Sci-Fi/Dystopian Novel published by Amazon Digital Services LLC (10/20/16)
Summary:
“Manning reminds us that over one hundred years ago, the human race risked extinction from a deadly flu the government called Aves, which crossed from birds to humans. Only a limited amount of both species survived the Collapse.” (Page 52).
Avlyn Lark wants to live a normal life, but her emotions and her secret hacker ability won’t let her blend in or be content in her highly dystopian society. After her placement in the high level GenTech corp. she starts to notice that not everything is as it seems. If given the choice to join the rebels, will she give up a good job, steady income, and potential for a mate?
Keywords:
Dystopian, Love, No Emotions, Separation, Independence, Twin, Coding, Friendship, Competition, Genetic Experimentation, Plans, Societal Expectations, Rebellion, Freedom, Questions, Curiosity
My Review:
Avlyn’s thought process and curiosity throughout everything that happens is the most interesting aspect of this novel. The dystopian society is very stereotypical, though Penner does a good job bringing the world to life. The plot is fairly standard for a dystopian YA, even a bit bland as we wait for the action to catch up with the main character and finally, about two thirds of the way in, it does! The action was quite exciting and I read to the end fairly quickly once I’d gotten to this part.
Avlyn’s unique intelligence and ability to connect with software was very easy and simple. The lack of description and detail about hacking or coding was a bit disappointing.
I didn’t quite believe that a rebellion on the scale presented in this book could exist in such a society with all that technology, especially within the society itself. There was never an explanation of how the rebels infiltrated high end buildings/offices/people or how they obtained the same tech as the Direction.
Ultimately this book was easy to read, but didn’t add anything to the dystopian pile of YA and I won’t be reading onward in this series.
This novel was published by Amazon Digital Services LLC on October 20th, 2016 and is available on Amazon here.
TL;DR Star Rating: 3.50
Links for more information:
Rachel Author Barnard 