BOOK REVIEW: A DARK MIND BY T.R. RAGAN

Title: A Dark Mind
Author: T.R. Ragan
Genre: Mystery, thriller

Published on: June 18, 2013 by Thomas & Mercer

A serial killer is terrorizing Sacramento, preying on happily married couples and unleashing unspeakable cruelties upon his victims. The ordeal rekindles disturbing memories for private investigator Lizzy Gardner, who barely escaped a serial killer clutches only years ago. But while most Sacramento residents are hiding in the shadows, paralyzed by fear, Lizzy is compelled to go after the Lovebird Killer. So it no surprise that, when a routine workers- compensation case suddenly leads her and her two young assistants onto the killer trail, she welcomes the chase, determined to bring him to justice before he can claim another victim. She never imagines he could be two steps ahead, watching her every move and plotting his bloodiest, most triumphant conquest of all.

A Dark Mind is a great third entry in T. R. Ragan's mystery/thriller Lizzy Gardner series. The titular character is back and fitter than ever. She enrolled in a fitness program during the events of Dead Weight. It's good to see Lizzy's realized that self-defense is most effective when you're strong. Not to mention she's also given up her beloved Rice Krispies Treats.

Lizzy's latest case involves an investigation into a bunch of murders. They're believed to have been the work of a serial killer dubbed the Lovebird Killer. At first, it seems like he's your typical serial killer. You know he's highly dangerous, but you assume he'll make a mistake sooner or later. Not this one. Lizzy has just met her strongest foe since Spiderman. (Read Abducted if you don't know who he is).

TIPS TO KNOW BEFORE TEACHING YOURSELF A FOREIGN LANGUAGE

Have you ever dreamed about knowing a new language? It could be that you heard a movie character speak a different tongue. Or you made a new friend who speaks French or Polish—for instance—and now you feel curious. Is it difficult to learn a language on your own? As a trilingual, my answer is that language learning is more about time than difficulty. Staying committed to learning can make a big difference. Below, I’ll provide a few tips to get you started. These tips come from my own experience with language learning. I’m not an expert by any means, but I know what it takes. Here they are:

BOOK REVIEW: SPLIT SECOND BY KASIE WEST

Title: Split Second
Author: Kasie West
Genre: Young Adult, fantasy
Published on: February 11, 2014 by Harper Teen

Life can change in a split second.

Addie hardly recognizes her life since her parents divorced. Her boyfriend used her. Her best friend betrayed her. She can’t believe this is the future she chose. On top of that, her ability is acting up. She’s always been able to Search the future when presented with a choice. Now she can manipulate and slow down time, too... but not without a price.

When Addie’s dad invites her to spend her winter break with him, she jumps at the chance to escape into the Norm world of Dallas, Texas. There she meets the handsome and achingly familiar Trevor. He’s a virtual stranger to her, so why does her heart do a funny flip every time she sees him? But after witnessing secrets that were supposed to stay hidden, Trevor quickly seems more suspicious of Addie than interested in her. And she has an inexplicable desire to change that.

Meanwhile, her best friend, Laila, has a secret of her own: she can restore Addie’s memories... once she learns how. But there are powerful people who don’t want to see this happen. Desperate, Laila tries to manipulate Connor, a brooding bad boy from school—but he seems to be the only boy in the Compound immune to her charms. And the only one who can help her.

As Addie and Laila frantically attempt to retrieve the lost memories, Addie must piece together a world she thought she knew before she loses the love she nearly forgot... and a future that could change everything.

Pivot Point is one of the most intriguing paranormal novels I’ve read, so I was eager to get the sequel. I took a little long because Split Second was a bit expensive. Back when I bought it, the Kindle version cost around $11. I’m not a bean counter, and I respect that authors need to make money. I’m just more hesitant to buy an $11 ebook than an $18 physical book. This duology was worth every dollar, so I’m not complaining.

The protagonists of this book are Addison Coleman and her best friend, Laila. If you’ll recall, they live in a closed-off society with other people that have mind-based powers. They call themselves Paranormals. Addison’s power is Divergence, the ability to see her own future. To do so, she needs to have a decision to make. Addie can then see the outcome of either choice and pick the one she’d rather live through. Most of Pivot Point centered on one of Addie’s visions, as she needed to make one of the most crucial choices of her life.

BOOK REVIEW: SPREE BY J.A. KONRATH & ANN VOSS PETERSON

Title: Spree
Author: J.A. Konrath, Ann Voss Peterson
Genre: Thriller

Published on: November 27, 2012 by Thomas & Mercer

Superspy and assassin Chandler has just barely averted nuclear annihilation when the very organization she works for has her brought in on treason charges, trussed up for interrogation. After a run-in with Chicago Homicide cop Jack Daniels, Chandler discovers one of her sister Fleming has been transferred to a black ops site where the modus operandi is torture and death.

Chandler launches a breakneck mission to infiltrate an impossibly secure prison—putting her on a collision course with a squad of violent psychopaths trained to negate her precise skill set. As old enemies reemerge and new ones appear around every corner, Chandler will rely on the help of unexpected allies, including an ex-mob enforcer named Tequila and a firefighter named Lund. But even they may not be enough to stop what lurks within the unlisted military base: a rogue government agency plotting to destabilize the entire nation—and conquer the world.

Female superspy Chandler is back, and this time she's launching a desperate rescue mission. She must work against the clock to save someone who was believed to have been KIA. All in a day’s work, seeing as Chandler recently foiled a plot unleashed by the most unlikely of enemies. These books are really fast-paced. Chandler can barely catch her breath before another task pops up.

Unfortunately, saving the world in Flee did not mean medals for Chandler and Fleming (her handler). The latter is sent to a black site, a secret prison on U.S. soil. Desperate to save her sister from sure death, Chandler enlists the help of a few interesting people. One of them is a guy named Tequila (it appears that's his real name). He’s such an old, short chap that Chandler doubts his ability to help her. She gets her ass kicked by him for the assumption. In fact, surprising as it sounds Chandler kept losing fights during the first parts of Spree. How often do you see the likes of Batman or the Black Widow losing a fight? While trying to save Fleming at the start, Chandler confronted a highly-skilled operative. He boasted a combat skill set that effectively nullifies her own. Only Tequila's help enables Chandler to learn how to defeat this nullifying enemy.

HOW TO BACK UP YOUR FILES TO PREVENT DATA LOSS

If you were to ask computer technicians which part of your PC has the highest value, most would give the same response. The answer is your data, because it’s often impossible to replace. This means you need to take strong measures to protect it. Your data is the whole reason you have a computer, after all. Without it, your PC would be like a car with nowhere to go, or a TV with no channels.

BOOK REVIEW: BROKEN SYMMETRY BY DAN RIX

Title: Broken Symmetry
Author: Dan Rix
Genre: Science Fiction

Published on: July 28, 2013 by Burning Ember Press

Sixteen-year-old Blaire Adams can walk through mirrors.

It’s called breaking symmetry. To her, a mirror feels like a film of honey. She can reach through it, grab things…even step inside.

On the other side she lives every teenager’s fantasy: a universe all her own, zero consequences. She can kiss the hot guy, break into La Jolla mansions, steal things…even kill. When finished, she just steps back into reality and smashes the mirror—and in an instant erases every stupid thing she did. Gone. It never happened.

But breaking symmetry is also dangerous. First there’s the drug-like rush she gets when passing through the glass, like a shot of adrenaline. She suspects it’s degrading her body, making a new copy of her each time. A reflection of a reflection, each one a little hazier. Then, of course, there’s the risk of getting cut off from reality.

When she narrowly escapes a military quarantine zone with the San Diego Police Department hot on her heels only to discover her escape mirror littering the floor in shards, her worst fear is realized. Now, trapped in a broken reflection, she must flee through a mind-bending maze of mirrors, going deeper into the nightmare as she struggles to grasp a betrayal, uncover the chilling truth about her ability, and somehow find a way out of a dead-end universe that “never happened.”

Somehow, she must find a way home. 

Lots of people have probably wished they could walk through mirrors into a parallel world. One where you could do anything you wanted without consequences. That's the power that the main character, Blaire Adams, has. She's one of a select number of people with this ability, which the book explains to be genetic.

I thought Broken Symmetry would be about a teenage girl's mirror escapades, but no. It was a lot better. We learn that Blaire’s father went missing when she was fifteen. He vanished without a trace. At the start of the book, the police inform Blaire that they’ve finally found her father. The only problem is, he can’t remember anything that happened since Blaire was four. The only thing he carried was a diary. Blaire tries to find out where her dad has been. Unfortunately, he becomes severely ill. At the hospital, the doctors fail to save him.

FRENCH MEDIA SUGGESTIONS TO PASS THE TIME

Photo by Glenn Carstens-Peters on Unsplash

Good morning, everyone! As I mentioned in my introduction post, this blog will in part be about language learning. For most posts in that topic, I’ll focus on the French language. That’s because I’m still learning it, and because I like the language. In this post, I’ll share some popular French media such as YouTube channels and movies. I didn’t plan to post this article until later, but considering recent events, I went ahead. With the current pandemic situation, most people are isolated at home. This isn’t likely to end soon, so people are looking for ways to spend the time.