Again, a book has moved me enough to post a review of it. I started reading this book on Monday and finished it by Wednesday. In fact, I was trying to get yardwork done and failed miserably because I had to keep picking the book back up to see what happened next. My bookmark was a hang tag from my new raspberry bush! This book should be on everyone’s Beach Book and Summer Reading List.
And before you ask, the “Beatles” appear on page 54, making this review on topic.
Emerald Wren and the Coven of Seven by J.J. Barnes is a 338 page novel that was first published on February 20, 2018. It’s self-published, but I think a publishing house might want to take a good look at this story. It’s got it all…witches, genies, faeries and werewolves….and Guinevere the talking cat! It’s so good, it would be banned in the state of Florida!
As a child, Emerald Wren’s grandfather gives her a magic lamp and a promise that she will change the world. As an adult, she is working as a waitress by day and leading a crime fighting coven of witches by night.
When the time comes to live up to her promise, things get dangerous.
A murderous man on a mission is hunting down a mysterious prophecy girl and leaving the burned bodies of women in his wake. Emerald and her friends set out to find her and save her. But who will get there first?
This book deserves a large audience…it deserves to be talked about and read! Anyone that knows my reading habits knows that I’m not usually oriented towards reading fiction, so when I do come across a novel that moves me, it must really be worth checking out. You’ll also be excited (I know I am) to hear that there is a sequel in the making! And while you’re at it, be sure to look into J.J.’s other books on Amazon.com.
I rate this book, 4 out of 4 BEETLES!
Sometime last year, I decided it was time to break away from Beatles Freak Reviews and start moving in another direction with my life. Writing reviews just wasn’t making me as happy as it used to do. It seemed as if I needed to get back to listening to the Fab Four instead of reading about them day in and day out. I was still getting emails from various publicists and authors asking me to read their books, but nothing really caught my eye until an email about 
Before you discard my review of 
So, where’s the Beatles connection? Well, like all the girls of her generation, Hayley was a huge fan of the Beatles and talks often of it within the context of her life. By the time, she became famous, she would occasionally run into them (and other famous rockstars) at exclusive clubs or parties around London. It was during one such party, in 1964, that a 17 year old Hayley would spy her mother in conversation with George Harrison and watch in horror & surprise as her mother asked (and received) George’s phone number! But if she thought that wasn’t embarrassing enough, when a charity event presented itself where Hayley would need an escort, her mother was so bold as to call up George and ask him to take her daughter! You’ll need to read this book to learn all the juicy details of that night and breakfast in the morning!
Wham!, George Michael and Me: A Memoir
This book is Andrew Ridgeley’s story of his friendship George Michael and how they created Wham! He respectfully avoids any controversy about George’s sexuality, dating habits or history. He does disclose when George came out to him and his response. Andrew does reference George’s autobiography, 
Friday night (June 10th) was the premiere of 
The film opens with a shaky clip of John Lennon from a home video…and I admit that my first thoughts was, “Oh, please don’t let the rest of the film be shaky!” Rest assured…it’s not. It’s filled with so many photos and videos of John, May, Yoko, Julian, Cynthia, Elton, Alice Cooper, etc. and some wonderful animation sequences inspired by John’s drawings.
So what did I love? As I said, I loved the animation…I loved the never ending pictures (a lot of which came from her book 
You know that beach book you’ve been looking for this summer? Well, I think I found it thanks to 
I got an email from 
Another Amazon suggested book that I bought back in February is 
I made a trip to Target for a couple things and as I perused the book section, I came across 
I’m always on the lookout for a Beatles related book that can hold my attention. I’m a huge fan of biographies and first hand experiences as compared to academic studies of the Beatles work and catalog. I’ve been lucky in the fact that Amy Hughes came along and asked if she could review books for this blog since she seems to excel at not only writing reviews, but she also likes reading those books that I can’t seem to get into. Thank you Amy!
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