Wednesday, August 13, 2014

IMA’S BOOKWORM REVIEW, VOLUME V, ISSUE 10

The Enchanted by Rene Denfeld Four Worms
Haunting examination of prison inmates, their victims, and how inmates are victimized. Powerful images, bittersweet, and painful descriptions. Could have used a bit more fleshing out of a few characters, but the novel is well written.

Rescue Mode by Ben Bova & Les Johnson Three and a Half Worms
Fabulous technological explanations of the perils of space travel. Good descriptions of the political process there involved. Lacked diversity of the characters in authority positions. Could have used more back-story regarding the characters before they started their journey. Ending was rather abrupt.

Cibola Burn by James S. A. Corey Three and a Half Worms
Continuation of a series. Beautifully written with the exception of the existentialism of interlude. A few logic problems but mostly solid science fiction.

Time of the Locust by Morowa Yejide Three and a Half Worms
Intimate examination of the mind, poetic imagery of a difficult story. Leaps through time and sometimes it is difficult to determine which character is being scrutinized. On the verge of a fantastic book.

Cementville by Paulette Livers Three Worms
Pearls and gems mixed in with the cement. Should of focused on two characters instead of a plethora. Final chapters were hurried.

The Anatomy Lesson by Nina Siegal Two and Half Worms
Could have been a terrific book. However, the narrative jumped around from character to character without indicating who was speaking. Time discombobulated, pun intended, it would have worked better weaving the story chronologically with a few flashbacks.

Add a book to every gift.
Copyright © 2014 by Ima B. Musing: all rights reserved.

Thursday, August 7, 2014

IMA’S BOOKWORM REVIEW, VOLUME V, ISSUE 9

The Bees by Laline Paull Four Worms
Join the hive in the brilliant delving into the soul of an abnormal bee. Lovely visual descriptions that included physical cues, sound, smell and taste. It would be a wonderful animated movie.

The Abduction by Jonathan Holt Three and a Half Worms
Constructed very thoughtfully with good atmospheric descriptions. Heavily biased political views and graphic violence sullied the content. Continuation of a serial tale. The author used archetypal negative stereotypes of women instead of recognizing that all people hover in-between many roles.

We Are Here by Michael Marshall Three and a Half Worms
Connections are extraordinarily vague and confusing to interpret. The writing is good but the story is muddled by ambiguity. Author should also write a tone on philosophy, there are myriad intelligent insights.

While Beauty Slept by Elizabeth Blackwell Three worms
Realistic spin on a classic fairy-tale. Well done except the storyline is nearly ruined by foreshadowing. A bit repetitive, too.

The Chronicle of Secret Riven by Ronlyn Domingue Two and a Half Worms
Labyrinth of clues regarding a dreamy character. Too convoluted to follow and repetitious. The Appendix story was actually more interesting. Book is part of a series.

PS Cash Mob Twin Cities' Facebook group has been dissolved. Please join Art Mob Twin Cities MN instead. Thanks.

Buzz on a book.
Copyright © 2014 by Ima B. Musing: all rights reserved.

Saturday, August 2, 2014

FEED YOUR LOCAL ARTIST


Support local visual artists (independent business owners) by attending free art crawls/fairs, and open building/studio/gallery events in the Twin Cities MN area (St. Paul, Minneapolis, & surrounding communities). Attendees are strongly encouraged to purchase at least one piece of artwork at each event. BUY LOCAL ART and build the community's creative capital!

Join the Facebook group: www.facebook.com/artmobtwincitiesmn

Art Mob Twin Cities MN Event Requirements:
* The Twin Cities area will be defined as Anoka, Carver, Dakota, Hennepin, Ramsey, Scott, and Washington Counties,
* The artist must reside within the Twin Cities area,
* The event must occur within the Twin Cities area,
* The event must be free and open to the public, and
* Artwork (at least 50% by Twin Cities living artists) must be FOR SALE at the event, focused on visual arts.
* Art Mob Twin Cities MN will post events, not host events.
* Two week or more advance notice is required for posting the event. (NOTE: Include website, location, hours, and duration of the exhibit or events.)
* Individual artists, fundraisers, and non-art related businesses will not be promoted (see below), sorry.

This group will focus on the visual arts. "Visual arts" are defined as a two or three-dimensional object which can be physically transported. Medium (glass, wood, fiber, paint, et al) can incorporate sculpture, painting, weaving, carving, arts-n-crafts, large, small, and everything in-between. Artists may combine mediums and media.

Events may include art crawls, art fairs, openings, gallery activities, and any soiree where locally created artwork is for sale. We will not post closings, sorry. If you would like to post an event, send the page a MESSAGE via the Facebook group AT LEAST TWO WEEKS before the gathering. It is acceptable for a gallery/studio to host a visiting artist, but the visiting artist must be a resident within the Twin Cities area.

Non-arts related businesses will be excluded with the exception of a special art show, we will post the opening as long as the local artist's work is for sale. Otherwise, 50% or more of the merchandise for sale must be by local artists. Unfortunately, all fund-raising events for charities, individuals, and other activities will be excluded because, though worthy, they do not match our goal.

This group was created out of frustration. I was seeking a calendar of visual arts events in the Twin Cities. Many such calendars exist for other art forms but nothing comprehensive for the two and three-dimensional forms, thus Art Mob Twin Cities MN was formed. More and more artists are listing their events and our numbers are growing! We want artists to be able to have at least a middle-class life on their artwork. Plus, it would be nice to have a Minnesota Visual Arts Awards Show, perhaps call it the Visi to recognize the achievements of artists. There are award shows for other forms of art such as books, music, performance so why not Visual Arts??? I am coordinating this group as a volunteer, my civic duty, and I am not online every single day. My telephone is dumb (it doesn’t even text). Plus, I have to work and sustain existence so the page is only updated when I have the time.

NOTE: We are not able to advertise individual artists unless they are sponsoring a special event where artwork will be for sale. If they are participating in a posted larger event (such as an art crawl or open studios at a building), they should add a note on the actual event notification.

BUY LOCAL ART!
Copyright © 2014 by Ima B. Musing; All rights reserved