The Trouble with Women by Jacky Fleming

The Trouble with Women
by Jacky Fleming
Pages: 128
Date: September 20 2016
Publisher: Andrews McMeel
Series: None

Review
Rating: 4.65 out of 5.0
Read: July 31 2016

*I received this book from NetGalley and Andrews McMeel Publishing in return for a fair review.*

I'm no sure how well known it is, but Jane Austen, when she was a kid, wrote a parody of English History. I read it a while back. I mention it here and now because this book here, 'The Trouble With Women' reminds me of Austen's work. It also reminds me of things I see passed around at times - mostly passed around by teachers, but occasionally others. Those 'things' being passed around are exam answers - humorous exam answers. Not because the person answering the question were so witty, but because they were so earnestly . . . . dim. No, I'm not saying this book is dim, I'm saying there's a similar feel among all three things I've mentioned - Austen's short work, this book, and humoroius exam answers. That, of course, being earnestly stated opinions stated as facts of little baring with actual facts. The difference between this book and Austen's on the one hand, and the humorous exam answers on the other, is that the Austen book and this were intended to be humorous (the humorous intention of the exam answers is unknown though assumed to not be the intention of the exam answerer).

This book here dives right in. Noting how, in the beginning, there were no women. Just men. Studying stuff. Then a few women were around, but they had small heads, so men were still the ones 'doing things' of historical importance. And . . so forth.

Randomness seen as I read: 'Jean-Jacques Rousseau, keen flasher.' Eh? heh.

Ah, so that's why women sat side-saddle - 'to avoid a Sexual Awakening.' Must be hard to get a bicycle to work sitting on it side-saddle.

'Women were more concerned about their skirts getting caught up in the wheels, and sat astried wearing Bloomers which turned them into Lesbians.' - this one made me laugh out loud, it did. Of all the things to turn a woman into a lesbian, bloomers never crossed my mind until now. Or sitting upon a bicycle while wearing bloomers.

hehaha - 'Big frocks were an early form of handbag'.

The book's text is handwritten notes. Not always the most easily deciphered handwritting, at that. Slowed me down at times, that did.

Annie Oakley had dainty feet. hehehe

Ah corsets. Invented by someone who wished to cause women to suffocate and die, I assume.

'In the end it was simpler just to disguise yourself as a man.'

I am both vaguely depressed now that I've completed the book, and feeling this slight desire to know how certain men, historical men, men with flowing beards and genius hair, kept from having random people slam things into their testicles. I fear that I shall never know the answer to this question. For man deserved several swift 'corrections' administered directly to their testicles.

This has been both a humorous and depressing book to read.

July 31 2016

Business Cat by Tom Fonder

Business Cat
by Tom Fonder
Pages: 128
Date: September 27 2016
Publisher: Andrews McMeel Publishing
Series: Business Cat

Review
Rating: 4.7 out of 5.0
Read: July 31 2016

*I received this book from NetGalley and Andrews McMeel Publishing in return for a fair review.*

My first book by this author. A book about business, a cat; specifically a business cat and the humor inherent in such a concept.

hehe - like, for example, a cat sitting calmly in his seat at his desk looking around, up, down, around, ten calmly reaching over and pushing a coffee cup off his desk. Why? Because he is a cat.

Or leaving a dead bird for an underling. Then calmly stating 'you've earned it.'

Or rubbing against the legs of a potential business partner - 'turning on the charm'.

Or sitting on the floor in the bathroom . . . right, I need to stop babbling like this.

A mostly funny book, though I personally might have enjoyed it better if it had actually been a cat instead of a human with a cat head in place of a human head. Plus, the guy's 'cat' is a cat with a human head - quite frankly that was super disturbing.

Some of the jokes wer quite hilarious, some were funny, some where meh. Depends on how they hit you at the time, of course - for whatever reason, the liter box in the dinning room that the cat headed person showed to his human guest - the expression on her face, and the expression on the face of her husband who was sitting at the table eating with her right behind him - struck me as hilarious at the time.

And some of the jokes were confusing. Like the cat sitting in a waiting room holding a magazine titled 'Body Shame'. Confusing.

Other than the few meh and or confusing strips, this is a rather humorous great book. Though I recommend reading it in smaller snippets than I did.

July 31 2016

The Devil Unleashed
by Ali Vali
Pages: 175
Date: December 1 2006
Publisher: Bold Strokes Books
Series: Cain Casey (2nd in series)

Review
Rating: 5.0 out of 5.0
Read: July 30 to 31 2016

Book two in this series follows directly upon the close of book 1. As in book 1 ends with some ‘actions’ being taken by a rival gang. And book 2 started . . . with those same actions occurring.

There are several relationships that fluctuate in this series. Mostly involving Casey Clan members.

So – book one involved Cain and Emma circling the idea of getting back together, somewhat tentatively agreeing on that; while book two has, for the most part, moved on from that ‘tentative’ nature, and moved into ‘back together – solidly’. So, that’s one relationship.

Another involves cousin Muriel Casey and some tentative inching between her and Shelby Daniels that began in book one – very tentative, and then imploded. Implosion due completely to the part wherein Daniels is an FBI agent watching the Casey clan, while Muriel is that clan’s ‘legitimate’ representative (and, specifically, their lawyer). I was kind of hoping to see more of a connection this book, since a big deal was given to having Shelby have a point of view, but, alas, there’s that FBI thing. Though the possibility of a relationship is not dead yet.

Strangely, somewhat out of the blue, a relationship for Merrick occurred with yet another Casey cousin, this one being a ‘hidden’ cousin, a cousin that most do not know is a cousin. Both work security. For the most part, I do not have any inherent desire to have the amount of knowledge I now have about Katlin Patrick and Merrick; nor to read more about them. But they continue circling in this book. (Well, not continue, start . . and more than circling).

Wow this little bunch of words of mine came out really roughly. Like pulling teeth. Mmphs. Odd considering how I thought I was going to enter by noting that I rather like these books by Vali, and have, to a certain extent, finally found why the author is liked by so many. Instead I awkward stumble along.

Plot wise the book involves a gang war between the Casey gang and the Bracato gang. On the side are two other gangs loyal/in a good relationship with Casey; and the FBI, who are watching all of them. Somewhat ineffectively.

Fun exciting series. First book I couldn’t get myself to actually write anything. Second took me a while to get anything down. And painfully at that. Maybe by the end of the series I’ll actually write coherently. This is what the series deserves, the coherent part, since it is rather well written.

Cat vs Human Fairy Tails by Yasmine Surovec

Cat vs Human Fairy Tails
by Yasmine Surovec
Pages: 128
Date: September 6 2016
Publisher: Andrews McMeel Publishing
Series: Cat vs. Human

Review
Rating: 4.0 out of 5.0
Read: July 31 2016

*I received this book from NetGalley and Andrews McMeel Publishing in return for a fair review.*

10 stories involving cats. In fairy tails; or, retellings of fairy tails, this time with cats.

We have:
Rapunzel
A blond woman is bored and in a castle. She has long hair that she dangles out of a window. As anyone who has cats know, cats just love dangling thingies. And so, every time Rapunzel lets her hair dangle, cats climb up (and, eventually, one man).

Hmms. Really really short. Somewhat expected a little more.

Goldilocks
hehe, Goldilocks is a cat in this one. *nods*

heh - 'oh goodie! beds!'

hehehe - where the cat finally finds to sleep . . .

The cat expresions in this one are great.

The Ugly Kitten
Vaguely better moral, I suppose than 'ugly duckling and swan' since one involves someone being transformed into a beauty and then everyone liking them; as opposed to here. With an ugly kitty turning into an ugly cat, and being loved despite that.

The Princess and the Kitty
'I'm really amazing and I deserve the best.' - sometimes the main character is a cat, sometimes a human. Which do you think started off their story with this comment? Hehe, no, was human (kinda).

The Princess and the Pea
heh - princess be a cat.

heh - the solution to the pea problem was quite cat like.

Jack and the beanstalk
'what th-?'
'don't ask'
hehehe


The Little Mermaid
um. hmm.


The Pied Piper
heh

Sleeping Beauty
'I I must touch it' - hehehe

aww

The Little Match Girl
hehe

Overall - some cute stories, some fun stories, and a few meh stories.

http://www.catversushuman.com/

Not in the book, but an example of the art and um stuff.

July 31 2016

Liberated
by Gun Brooke
Pages: Unknown
Date: August 13 2005
Publisher: Self
Series: None
URL: http://gbrooke-fiction.com/fiction/original/shortstories/liberated.htm

Review
Rating: 5.0 out of 5.0
Read: July 30 2016

Ginny Soderstrom, ER medical secretary, has been having a very bad day. What with being late, coffee accidents, lots of work, and, most importantly for her persent circumstances, being short of cash. Otherwise she might not have ended up with her arm stuck in a mail slot. Didn't have enough cash, you see, to pay a locksmith. So . . . stuck in a door she found herself at the start of this story.

And then, to add insult to injury, the last woman Ginny wants to find her in that situation, finds her in that situation. A woman by the name of Patricia Edmond.

But then Patricia has to go and help her, and completely change Ginny's perception of her.

--
I was randomly wandering various websites and happened to notice several names I recognized. One of which was Gun Brooke. And I saw that there was this free story so I got it. Then, seemingly without any control on my part, I found myself devouring said story - it should be noted that it isn't the only free story I got; it's just the only one that pulled me in and made me read it immediately.

I rather enjoyed this short story, unexpectedly so on two fronts - the story, maybe only my perception of it, seemed a lot freer than others I've read by Brooke, less stiff; and I accidentally stumbled onto erotica. It's odd how that sometimes happens. You read something because you recognize the author, the next thing you know two women are finding pleasure in each other. And I got pulled along for the ride. An enjoyable ride it was to.

Of course it should be noted that this is a short story, very brief little glimpse into two people's lives, and just a moment in time. Nothing big, nothing grand, just a moment in time. Just kind of a warning for anyone coming along behind me to not expect lots of words and lots of story. Sometimes, though, brief glimpses at a moment in time is all that's needed.

ETA: hmms. I just now read the description for this story on GoodReads. Um, what I read has no connection what so ever to what is written as a description for this short story. Though what I read is named Liberated, is by Gun Brooke, and was released August 13 2005. I have no idea what story the description on Goodreads refers to.

ETA2: I just clicked on the link in the Goodreads description. Do you know what I found? The exact same story I read. No idea what is going on here re: description, because the people mentioned in it, and the situation they face, have no connection to Brooke's Liberated story.

ETA3: the description on Goodreads is for a different story, now that I look at other Brooke stories on her website. It is describing 'Sheridans's Fate'. So, we need someone to fix the description to:

After the day from hell, Ginny finds herself locked out of her apartment. Surely you can reach the inside lock through the mail box slot? When she realises she is stuck, the last thing she needs is the help of her intimidating neighbour, who also happens to be incredibly attractive.
Originally posted as a Radclyffe Author Challenge story.

Short story, completed August 13, 2005.

July 30 2016

The Darkness Knows by Cheryl Honigford

The Darkness Knows
by Cheryl Honigford
Pages: 352
Date: August 2 2016
Publisher: Sourcebooks Landmark
Series: Viv and Charlie Mystery (1st in series)

Review
Rating: 4.0 out of 5.0
Read: July 28 to 29 2016

I received an ARC of this book from NetGalley, and Sourcebooks Landmark in exchange for an honest review

A quick addition to the book for those coming across my review through a feed or other means - this book is: Historical Fiction Mystery, and any and all romance is M/F.

As I noted in a status update, I initially was made aware of this book when I happened to notice it being recommended to me by GoodReads when I was on the GoodReads page for Strivers’ Row Spy. This book, out of all the ones being recommended to me, looked interesting enough to examine closer. For it reminded me, at first glance, of a show I had watched long ago which also involved a radio station slightly before then during the second world war. That one, though, was set in Pittsburgh (‘Remember WENN’), while this one is set in Chicago.

This book specifically follows a woman named Vivian Witchell (‘I prefer Viv) as she attempts to advance in her career as an actress on the radio. Certain things get in her way of being successful, or at least get in the way of her ability to concentrate, like finding dead bodies in lounges. For you see, Vivian stumbled across the dead body of Marjorie Fox – much beloved radio star (and much hated coworker by everyone who knew her).

A letter is found along with Vivian’s body. A letter implying that Vivian’s life might be in danger as well. So, since she happens to work on a show, The Darkness Knows, that has a private detective as a consultant, that detective is hired to work as Vivian’s bodyguard. So, private detective Charlie ‘don’t call me Chick’ Haverman appears on the scene.

Vivian and a somewhat reluctant Charlie then attempt to solve this specific murder.

I was surprised when I happened to look at the author’s page on GoodReads and saw that this book had started life as a Nanowrimo novel – for it is quite well written, very interesting, fun little book. It’s not that I can’t imagine such a book coming from Nanowrimo, I just imagine that forcing yourself to cram a full book length work into a month of writing somewhat diminishes an author’s ability to massage the work into a readable lovely work. Which this one is, a quite, as noted, well written book.

I have/had certain issues with some of the characters, but then I remind myself that it is the late 1930s, and a character that literally faints, is something of an odd mix of weak and strong, and who keeps almost collapsing because her knees grow weak in certain situations, might just be period accurate.

My knowledge of P.I.’s come from before (mostly the 1920s) and after the war (with the exception of one German P.I. who operated pre-WWII, during, then post WWII), and so I cannot say anything, really, about how the P.I. in this book is depicted. Though he does seem to be something of a cold, smug, smirking dick.

Regardless, despite saying what I say about the characters, I, for the most part, liked them well enough.

I do, though have two major issues with the book that adversely impacted on my enjoyment of the book. (1) the book includes some tense moments involving Charles and Vivian that are defused by the simple fact that this book is listed as being the first in a Viv and Charlie mystery series (two-fold issue – I know that they have to have some form of relationship, friend, other, something, for this book to be the first in said series and there’s this moment wherein Vivian begins questioning Charles motives and the possibility that he might be the killer; before I even reached that specific scene I had some issues with Charles – specifically the part wherein he is supposed to be acting as a bodyguard, yet he kept disappearing on Viv – several (numerous?) scenes during which Viv is frantically searching for Charles and can’t find him – making him both not that great at being a body-guard, and something of a suspect; (2) I do not particularly like Charles and his smirking attitude (Vivian has some troubles at work, in a ‘I might have been fired’ way, and Charles just laughs at her and says she deserved it; which leads directly to – Charles has been acting like a dick to Viv and the only reason I can imagine her rushing to his side at one point is because he ended up in a hospital bed. ).

Despite the preceding paragraph, I again note that I enjoyed this book. And look forward to future books by this author.

July 29 2016

The Devil Inside by Ali Vali

The Devil Inside
by Ali Vali
Pages: 240
Date: January 1 2006
Publisher: Bold Strokes Books
Series: Cain Casey (1st in series)

Review
Rating: 5.0 out of 5.0
Read: July 29 2016

The book opens somewhat abruptly, or, I mean, after the ‘action’ has already started.

Four years ago, after a mistaken impression of how events unfolded, Emma Verde fled back to her parents’ home in Wisconsin. Leaving behind her son and partner (wife, if it had been legal for her to be wife). For, while she understood the concept that Cain Casey might be operating on slightly the wrong side of the law, she didn’t realize blood might be involved. A realization developed when she literally saw Casey covered in blood – at least her hands were. She just . . . Emma just couldn’t stay, especially when Casey lied to her face as to what whether or not she happened to have killed someone (it is not spoiler to note that Casey did not in fact kill this individual, since it is revealed more or less immediately when the issue comes up).

Somewhat out of the blue, Emma has contacted Casey. She wants to make amends, though to the son left behind. For the sake of Hayden and any potential future relationship with his mother, Casey allows Emma to take Hayden back to Wisconsin for a visit. Where Hayden meets a real nasty bitch by the name of Carol (Emma’s mother), and a rather great guy (Ross, Emma’s father). And lots of cows.

Meanwhile the FBI is monitoring Casey, since she runs a criminal organization in New Orleans (mostly importing/distributing cigarettes (and other tobacco products) and alcohol without paying the tax on them). She also happens to run one or more bars.

So, Hayden and Emma, and her family spend a little bit of time in Wisconsin. Somewhat earlier than expected, Casey is called upon to come get her son – mostly because of a mention of Marie – Casey’s sister/Hayden’s aunt, who had just recently been brutally killed.

To a certain extent, considering everything that had happened, the reconciliation between Emma and Cain Casey seems a little farfetched. What with Emma running off on Cain. After having begged Casey not to kill someone. Which Casey obeyed. Allowing said individual to, about 4 years later, brutally kill Casey’s beloved somewhat mentally challenged sister. That’s kind of a heavy burden to overcome. And then there’s the second child that Cain and Emma had; who Cain has no knowledge about, since Emma, when she fled, had fled while pregnant. So: 1) Emma ran off after begging Casey not to kill someone, Casey doesn’t kill that person; 2) That person who Emma kept Casey from killing goes on to, later, kill Casey’s beloved sister (last remaining immediate family member still alive, what with brother Billy, father Dalton, and mother Theresa having been killed a long while back); 3) Emma ran off while pregnant and took four years before allowing Casey to know that she has a daughter; 4) Emma brings in the FBI to try to allow them to ‘catch’ Casey so that Hayden would end up needing to be with her (Emma). Ah love. They allow you to . . . overcome so much, eh?

Action takes place in New Orleans and Wisconsin (Haywood Wisconsin to be exact, if you want to be exact).

I liked the book, despite some of my off ball comments.

August 1 2016

Tokyo Love by Diana Jean

Tokyo Love
by Diana Jean
Pages: 266
Date: July 25 2016
Publisher: Crimson Romance
Series: None

Review
Rating: 5.0 out of 5.0
Read: July 27 to 28 2016

This was a somewhat strange one from beginning to end. Still, don’t take that line wrongly; I should probably have used the word ‘different’ instead of strange, since strange implies things I might not mean to imply.

I noticed the book shortly before it was set to be published and immediately put it on my ‘to-read’ shelf. Which I mention because I usually do not put books on that shelf, I normally put it on some other self-made exclusive shelf (in this case, it probably would have ended up on the ‘LGBT-maybes-new-to-me-author’ shelf). I mention this rather boring point just to note that I developed a desire to read this book immediately and didn’t want to lose it on any other shelf (then promptly lost it since I rarely actually look at the to-read shelf. Mmphs).

This book is set in 20146 Japan. That’s right, 20,130 years in my own future. Bah. I can’t write numbers. 2046 I meant. So, 30 years in the future from the date of book publication.

The book stars Kathleen Schmitt – an American who had been working for the Mashida corporation in the USA before accepting a promotion to a project manager position, which just happened to also include a move to Tokyo Japan. Before and after the move, Kathleen worked on various ‘love’ programs – either simulated dating programs, or her current project of working on a love doll. A ‘Personal Love Companion (PLC)’.

Also starring in this book is Yuriko, a neighbor of Kathleen’s in Tokyo, and coworker at Mashida (though in a different division). It is important to the story to note that she looks, largely, Japanese, but has a few ‘hints’ here or there of her mixed background (what with the blue eyes, and eyes which may or may not be slightly wider than norm (I’ve a vague recollection of that being the case). Otherwise, she basically looks Japanese.

The third star of the book is Ai, and the reason why Yuriko looking Japanese but with hints of ‘other’ is important. Because Ai also looks Japanese. With differences. Like eye color. And the like. She’s basically a PLC clone of Yuriko built when Kathleen was tasked with being the ‘pre-beta’ tester and her brain was scanned to find her her ‘perfect’ love doll. Shock to everyone when that love doll turned out to be female. Look Japanese. And specifically look like a woman Kathleen had just met.

Kathleen, naturally, strongly advances the notion that there is something wrong with the scanning thingie, because in no way is she interested in women. No way. None. Uh-uh. Nope. I’m going on long on this point because it is, in a way, a very long drawn out issue in the book. An issue that pops up nearish the beginning of the book and isn’t resolved until long after my brain already imploded by the frustration. Worded that way so I do not actually have to give an end point. The vast majority of the book involves how much Kathleen is neither a lesbian, nor bisexual. Being attracted to women is just wrong. Wrong! I’m kind of confused by this issue, at least when it starts going into the ‘it’s wrong!’ or ‘I shouldn’t be doing this’ direction; what with it being 2046 and no one on earth giving a fuck about sexual orientation (except, apparently, Kathleen; and, okay, Japanese culture, in this book, kind of turns a blind eye to the concept of same sex coupling – and not necessarily a good way).

So, that’s basically what the book is about. A large fat American who doesn’t know Japanese is in Tokyo as a project manager on a love doll project and, ‘for reasons’ is tasked with testing a pre-beta version of the doll. While testing the doll, the fat American (who actually is shorter than Yuriko), has something of a budding friendship develop with Yuriko – her first friend in Japan after being there for many months (3? It is unclear now in my mind).

Both Yuriko and Ai pull Kathleen somewhat out of her shell – both personality wise, and the shell of routine (actually going to a grocery store, cooking, going to shrines, leaving Tokyo, etc.).

In the old days of decimal point rating, I’d have rated this a good solid 4.75 (mostly losing 0.25 because of how frustrating and long that ‘but . . . but . . . I’m not interested in women!’ section took to resolve the entire book).

July 28 2016

Speed Demons by Gun Brooke

Speed Demons
by Gun Brooke
Pages: 264
Date: November 1 2012
Publisher: Bold Strokes Books
Series: None

Review
Rating: 4.0 out of 5.0
Read: July 27 2016

My fifth book I've read by this author. Giving this book 4 stars brings my average rating for books read Brooke to 3.5. A far fall from the first book I'd read, or the rating I gave it, 5.5. The 3.5, though, is actually an increase over my previous overall rating of 3.3 for the combined average of the four books read before this one.

I've recently been testing some of those authors I'd somewhat pushed to the side along the way for one reason or another, and found some good things, which is how I ended up reading this book here.

So, what can I saw about this one . . . hmms. Evie is a race car driver on the NASCAR circuit. Blythe is a photojournalist who is doing a photo book about Evie. This is where the book starts. Blythe watches through her camera, then her eyes as Evie races around on a race track in a Dodge Viper. Screaming. Clouds of smoke, flames, crashing explosions – two of Evie’s fellow race car drivers have crashed, and Evie’s right behind them . . . following her pit bosses instructions, going low, until she rams into the side of one of the crashing cars and is herself engulfed in flames. Blythe, who happened to have her camera pointing the right way, keeps pushing the button to take pictures, until she can’t any longer and rushes toward the crash.

The book opens as above. It’s now a year later and the very shy 43 year old Blythe has worked herself up to approach Evie about a proposal – continuation of that book they had been working on, with Blythe following Evie as she attempts her comeback from the tragic accident which had claimed two lives. A certain amount of tension and mistrust occurs, but an agreement is reached. They will continue with the project. This will include some rather close living quarters . . . because that’s just what you do in a situation like this, apparently.

So, while Evangeline ‘Evie’ Marshall is working on her comeback, Blythe Pierce is basically living in her pocket (I’d make a short joke, since Blythe is tiny, but she might gut me – she’s kind of fierce). Certain ‘feelings’ develop.

Meanwhile there are other characters and issues occurring in this book. Family: Evie’s dick of a father and, to a lesser extent (appearance in the book wise), grandfather make several rude snide undermining appearances (Brooke sure doesn’t like father characters); Blythe’s family itself also plays its own little role – well, largely the role being so abusive that roughly 25 years ago, Blythe had to run away. So that’s happening.

Nice enough book. Those looking for detailed long stretches of car racing should look elsewhere. I kind of knew that going in so that did not have an impact on my rating (good or bad). I think I’d rate this somewhere around 3.70 if I still rated using decimals; otherwise this book gets marked as being 4 stars.

July 27 2016

Best. State. Ever.: A Florida Man Defends His Homeland by Dave Barry

Best. State. Ever.: A Florida Man Defends His Homeland
by Dave Barry
Pages: 256
Date: September 6 2016
Publisher: G.P. Putnam's Sons
Series: None

Review
Rating: 4.70 out of 5.0
Read: July 26 2016

I received an ARC of this book from NetGalley, and G.P. Putnam's Sons exchange for an honest review.

If this was a collection of short stories, or a novel or a travel guide (maybe), I’d probably include little bits of information about each story. But this is a humor essay collection. Based around the theme ‘Florida: The Joke State’, and involves little tidbits about why and how Florida became ‘The Joke State’ (became such ~ 2000 Presidential election; thousands of lawyers parachuting in attempting to ‘determine’ how someone someone intended to vote based on how they drooled on their ballot); and the odd, weird, funny things that occur in Florida. The kinds of thing wherein someone can see just a headline, without any type of location mentioned, and just know that the story is about Florida.

The above is kind of why I am not attempting to write little tidbits about each story. All that happened is that I decided to try to provide more detail about something and it was not funny, insightful or clear. What I wrote, not what was in the book.

So I might mention a few things here and there, but will not be that detailed, or that through. It is a humor book. Trying to provide details for such is not fun for anyone involved.

So – one of the stories involves Dave Barry driving out into the swamps and visiting a local tourist attraction that features a ‘Skunk Ape Research Center’. And then driving back to Miami. I’m not sure if it was intended to be funny; I assume so; though it appears more ‘defending Florida’, the subtitle of the book.

Another essay involved mermaid sponges, and the seductive call of the sponges. Well, at least that is the opening. It’s actually about Wiki Wachee, a tourist attraction that involves women swimming around in mermaid tops and tails, and being watched by people. Also, there are water slides, and a wilderness boat thingie. At Wiki Wachee, I mean. The essay also includes other touristy areas reachable by Route 19.

I think I might be reading more of a travelogue than a humor essay book (Dave Barry traveling around to various locations in Florida). Interesting though. With humor mixed in.

It is somewhat difficult to know how to rate books like this one here – humor essays, nonfiction, etc. Should I take note, in my rating, the part wherein Barry noted he was going to cover the whole state, and then proceeded to cover almost only those things within a few hours’ drive of his house in Miami (the almost only is the part wherein he went down to Key West). A few other parts of the state are mentioned, mostly as places that exist, but not visited. I believe, and I could be wrong about this, that everything north of Miami was ignored, except for a mention of Disney and where visitors come from. As a travelogue, I would, in fact, have to adjust my rating because of that. But it is not actually a travelogue – at least not set up to be one, even if the essays contained within might seem that way. So no, I do not adjust the rating because of that issue.

So, the long and short of it is that I’d probably rate this, tentatively, around 4.5 stars. Fun humorous book with a few interesting stories.

July 27 2016

The Job by Jove Belle

The Job
by Jove Belle
Pages: 264
Date: October 13 2014
Publisher: Bold Strokes Books
Series: None

Review
Rating: 3.0 out of 5.0
Read: July 25 to 26 2016

This is my second book by Jove Belle. Loved the first. This one not so much.

Let me see what I can say: there are two stories going on in this book, the story of an undercover FBI agent, and the story of two women who had had a romantic relationship a while back in college (there are actually more than two stories, like Torrence’s interactions with the bank as a manager, etc; but two main ones).

I had issues with both main story lines.

Sera Warren, the undercover FBI agent, is not exactly seen in the greatest light here, and I’m specifically referring to how unperceptive she is in terms of the people she is investigating (at one point, Sera thought something like ‘Bob is a stronger person than she had given him credit for, she had just labeled him as one of Marcus’ henchmen and hadn’t looked closer; and Marcus seems smarter and more together than I had thought’ – (a) Bob is not the actual name used; (b) hmms, underestimating Marcus is, I suppose, a risk that can occur – there is not enough information given to know if this was a gut reaction, a split second decision, or a long thought out deeply examined analysis that lead to the beliefs regarding Marcus’ abilities; not thinking of someone beyond ‘hmm – that’s a henchmen, let’s move on to other matters now’ is kind of . . . dim. And for the love of pickles, why the fuck did she keep trying to enrage Marcus? I put the deaths of at least one of the civilians on her head because of her inability to stop poking him, especially as she knew he was deranged and a hair from doing rage-y stuff

The other story line interfered with the terrorist/undercover story line in two ways – it literally interrupted the flow of the story so that a not needed and not very exciting flashback to college could occur. And, secondly, in the ‘current’ time line, that relationship kept causing Sera to do stupid shit. Like, say, in the middle of a tense hostage situation, fondle and kiss the ex-girlfriend.

In terms of plot holes, two come immediately to mind: 1) it was mentioned that the head of security was this knowledgeable ex-cop – except for certain ‘issues’, he was basically ignored while Sera tried to figure out what to do and what positives she had to use to help the situation - the biggest role he played in the tense situation was to get knocked out and, later, use his handcuffs - note, he was awake and alert when Sera was examining what resources she had available ; 2) Tor is the head of the bank. Knowledgeable. Capable. Etc. And yet, certain stupid things occurred. I’ll also put that behind spoiler tags but first – other than a somewhat stubborn need to put herself in danger, she was kind of spineless –

During the ‘situation’, no one knew Tor was there because she was up in her office. So, she hits the little emergency button and . . . proceeds to walk down the stairs so that the bad guys can ‘take her’. Um, wha? She could have tried calling someone, or . . . um, anything else beyond walking down the stairs. I do not understand what happened there. It seemed to be a situation wherein the author wanted to have this ‘moment’ and an excuse to have Sera point a gun at Tor. But whatever.

Second issue with the bank manager issue – during the tense situation, while Tor and Sera are scrambling around, they end up in a back area with a bunch of doors (4 I believe). At one point Sera turns to Tor and asks what is behind two of the locked doors. To which Tor responds something like ‘I do not know, I rarely come back here; I think they are storage rooms.’ Um . . . did I misunderstand what Tor’s job is? The concept confuses me that the bank manager has areas of their ‘control’ that they have no clue what is in that area.

Ah, third plot issue – a) bank vault just sits there open for anyone to enter and take money from; b) hallway with storage rooms, HVAC, and other building maintenance type rooms are in a super secular area that requires special keys to enter – the kind wherein only three people have keys. I . . . what? The bank vault is just open to all, but some area that Tor doesn’t’ even have a clue what’s in there, but isn’t anything valuable or precious or whatever the fuck, is behind super secure . . .um security?

So. The romance annoyed me. There were bits of the terrorist plot that annoyed me. And there were bits of the undercover (as in the character of that undercover agent) that annoyed me. And yet I gave/give a rating of 3 stars. I might be mental.

July 26 2016

The Strivers' Row Spy by Jason Overstreet

The Strivers' Row Spy
by Jason Overstreet
Pages: 448
Date: August 30 2016
Publisher: Dafina
Series: None

Review
Rating: 4.0 out of 5.0
Read: July 24 to 25 2016

I received an ARC of this book from NetGalley, Dafina, and Kensington Books exchange for an honest review.

This is both the author’s first book (as far as I can tell) and therefore my first book that I’ve read by him (that’s the both part – first book (written by him; read by me).

I’ll start off with something that I normally put at the end, or nearish the end, the rating. Under my long ago and not currently active rating scheme, used pre-web based book cataloging by me, I would have rated this book somewhere between 3.74 and 3.84. I am uncertain how that actually corresponds to my current rating scheme, but, somewhere around 4 stars.

Two things before I move into a more detailed review; women and ‘roaring twenties’/time in general. I put that discussion under spoiler tag, not because there is anything spoiler-y about it, but because I kind of lost whatever point I was attempting to make, and so that section is boring. Boiled down – for the most part the book is focused on the male actors in this ‘Roaring ‘20s Harlem Renaissance’, though there were a few ‘powerful’ women who make brief appearances; other than a few mentions of prohibition, and a few mentions of how people are flocking to the area, many of them arty, the Roaring Twenties/Harlem Renaissance part was kind of thin.

There are a few powerful women in this book, strong, independent, etc. They do in fact appear in this book. But that’s just it. They mostly appear. They have few lines and while they have ‘things’ to do, and the like, they are almost never seen doing them. No, for the most part, the book is focused on the men. Sure, the book is from the point of view of Sidney Temple, but by noting that the book is focused on the men, I do not mean just that point – that it is from Temple’s point of view. Because there are important men who do stuff in this book, and they do do them in the book, as opposed to off stage, or just assumed. So it isn’t that the book is from Temple’s point of view that limits everyone else’s actions and impact. While it is 1919-1925, and while that would/could limit certain things certain powerful women can/could do, that more redirects them than removes them from history.

I’m babbling needlessly. To a certain extent it is because of the nature of the book. I was promised certain things, while realizing certain things when I went into the book. Like the part where a young man is given opportunities during the Roaring Twenties to do things. And yet, while there is the occasional mention of the year, I didn’t really notice anything ‘Roaring Twenties’ about this book beyond the mention of prohibition. To a certain extent, I believe that is because of the type of man Sidney is – focused on his career and his wife (though her slim presentation/barely there character is one of the reasons I babbled about powerful women; she isn’t specifically one – important but not powerful, no it was her friend Ginger who I was thinking of as powerful – independently wealthy, and independent of a controlling man). On the other hand – young man, going undercover in the roaring twenties, needing to do ‘things’ . . . . kind of lends itself to an image of a guy bouncing around some seedy locations and speakeasies. This book isn’t that type of book.

Luckily, for my own enjoyment of this book, I had actually forgotten that description of the book – undercover agent operating in the Roaring Twenties in New York, specifically in Harlem during its renaissance. I mean, this is when Harlem had something like a golden age – yet, you would not specifically know it from the actions in the book (specifically worded that way, because you would know it from the words – it is in fact mentioned several times that ‘grand things’ were occurring, they just, for the most part, happened for Sidney’s wife while Sidney was off being serious and stuff. And the wife’s world, experience of that ‘Harlem Renaissance’ is only seen once or twice when Sidney happened to be present – I only specifically recall two occasions that might fall into this ‘Renaissance’ type situation (well three, but being kicked out of your seats at a theatre kind of ‘ruins’ the ‘good vibes’) – once when the wife had a huge grand birthday party; and once when Sidney was wandering around and ended up in a club).

I mean, Sidney did visit with various people while undercover around the city – places outside of work site I mean, and almost every single time the meeting was in some restaurant or the like.

So, book.

During a college graduation ceremony, while Sidney is actually in his graduation robes and climbing some stairs, some man approaches Sidney and thrusts a card at him (I’m wording this wrong) and indicates that the BOI, Bureau of Investigation might be interested in hiring Sidney – or at least in interviewing him. If interested, call the number on the card. And so begins Sidney’s slide into the undercover world.

Three things to note – BOI – the description for the book is slightly misleading, specifically the ‘And when he’s tapped by J. Edgar Hoover to be the FBI’s first African-American agent’: 1) the BOI did not become the FBI until 1935; 2) Sidney is not the first African-American agent hired by the BOI in the book (the first in real life and in the book is mentioned in the book, and plays a small role – James Wormley Jones – and Jones is described, on Wikipedia, with a task similar to the one he has in this book, and the one Sidney is given – to infiltrate the Universal Negro Improvement Association (UNIA) under the leadership of Marcus Garvey – and Jones actions lead to some similar results in RL and in the book); 3) Hoover did not become head of the BOI until 1924, 5 years after the start of this book here (the guy who preceded Hoover, William J. Burns, wasn’t even in office as the head of the BOI by the start of this book (he became the head in 1921; a guy named William J. Flynn was the head when Sidney was hired by the BOI, he was in office from 1919 to 1921 – it is possible the guy before him was actually in charge at the start of this book, since Flynn didn’t start until July of 1919, though the book did mention that the guy Sidney talked with was just getting appointed to be the director – heh, one of the driving forces in this book, and for Hoover, was the bombing of Attorney General A. Mitchell Palmer’s house – something that Flynn was brought in as director to investigate; Hoover, though, was with the BOI in 1919, and a new division head – he was head of the new General Intelligence Division).

Real life Hoover was tasked with monitoring and disrupting the work of domestic radicals. And his “Targets during this period included Marcus Garvey, Rose Pastor Stokes and Cyril Briggs, Emma Goldman, and Alexander Berman; and future Supreme Court justice Felix Frankfurter who, Hoover maintained, was "the most dangerous man in the United States". I mention all this because Sidney, in this book, is tasked with monitoring three people – Marcus Garvey (UNIA), James Weldon Johnson (NAACP), and Max Eastman (and indirectly, W.E.B. Du Bois of the NAACP)).

I got distracted by history there, looking up the real life history of the time. Hmms. Dr. James Eason is also a real life figure, member of the UNIA – had a similar end story as to the one in the book.

*shakes self* Right sorry.

This was/is a quite interesting undercover story about a time and place that I knew relatively little about – specifically the time and place of African Americans during the 1920s. There were both times of great ‘sinking’ into the scene, of feeling it, while other times things seemed more surface, more remote/removed from the action. And a few cases where things were just way too rushed.

Only read the spoiler after reading the book read the book yet?Loretta is so annoyed with her husband that she goes to the extreme measure of leaving him, and, for that matter, her country. Going all the way to Paris France. So . . .when Sidney hunted her down? the next words after Sidney arrived at Loretta’s door in Paris were something along the lines of ‘months passed’. Um . . kind of overlooked Lorretta accepting Sidney back into her life, eh?

Overall I enjoyed the book and look forward to reading the next book by this author.

July 26 2016

Rusty Logic by Robin Alexander

Rusty Logic
by Robin Alexander
Pages: 207
Date: November 1 2015
Publisher: Intaglio Publications
Series: None

Review
Rating: 3.0 out of 5.0
Read: July 22 to 23 2016

This is a) the eighth book I've read by Alexander (and fifth in 5 days); b) 1 too many Alexander books all in a row.

That is basically what I wished to convey. That I've read this book. It's the 5th one I've read this year by Alexander, and that I probably read one too many Alexander books in a row for me to properly enjoy this one.

Though . . . it has been 3 days since I read the book, it is still fairly fresh in my mind (despite having read another book since then, and further stressed my mind with many tv shows and movies). And my rating is still were it would be. That does not specifically mean that I didn't overwhelm myself with Alexanderisms.

This book involves a relatively insane cast of characters. There's the two leads - Police Chief Kirsten Flyte (not so much insane as somewhat 'disturbed' from having to deal with all the crazy people around); and Rusty Martinez (hyperactive woman who has an inability to stop moving and doing stuff; and, depending on your desire/thoughts on the idea - a good or bad tendency to be incapable of keeping her clothing on (which is kind of bad, considering the nature of blinds/inability to remember to lock doors/and creepy pervert possible sexual predator lurking in the area).

The cast of 'others' includes the nearly insane older woman (who gets less insane once you get to know her), Stella, who likes to prance around in the very hot air wearing a coat and hat so that she can spy on people. There's also several 'real characters' police officers (the one who, though he has no military background, always struts around all military like, and is gung ho to do what his boss wants; and the other who is disagreeable and . . . um . . . crusty). There's the parents of Kirsten (Mona may or may not be a little clingy, and is a member of DOD - Daughters of Darkness (I forget if the final d is actually darkness or not), which is neither a heavy metal/death metal rock band, nor a satanic cult, but the name of the all woman 'secret' neighborhood watch; Tal, is grumpy, condescending, self-hating, and kind of a lackey for the mayor and city (town?) council, and the former police chief). Ah, yes, the mayor and his cronies – bunch of corrupt weirdoes. Oh, and then there’s Neil Bauer, who is super clingy, balding, and something of a real boneless dick – though that might just be how he rubs against me.

The plot consists of a woman really stressed out and needing rest who has been driven to a small town to get that rest. That would be Rusty. While there, Rusty becomes super bored and, since she’s kind of a hyperactive personality, almost goes insane. One thing leads to another, and the concept of a ‘hobby’ to fill her time is finally accepted. So, she then proceeds to spend her time building things. Like garden features. And bridges. Despite not needing or wanting a bridge (it was the building kit available at the hardware store, so she got it). Meanwhile Kirsten, the police chief, is wandering around doing her police job, which includes interacting with various busy-bodies (like Stella and her investigations), and investigating a possible peeping Tom who might be on the edge of, or is already over the edge into creepy sexual predator/rapist territory. So yes, there is also a mystery plot line going on here. The mystery one, actually, is pretty neat. The rest less so.

Rusty’s first interactions with the ‘townies’ involves screaming loudly when she spots someone in her window, and contacting the police. Who come out in force. The house ends up surrounded by many, and I mean many, police officers. It immediately becomes apparent to the police chief who the culprit is – Stella who lives across the street from Rusty and likes doing ‘investigations’. Stella thinks that Rusty looks like a terrorist, what with her dark hair and eyes and olive skin (what, Stella has never seen a Latina before?).
Eventually Rusty ‘settles’, both with finding something to do with her time (previously mentioned hobbies), and comes to an understanding with Stella (eventually).

On the romance side – Rusty and Kirsten kind of come to a near instant friendship. Then, eventually, some kind of sex/romance 'arrangement'. Rusty is the kind to want to come up with a contract; the idea is gotten across, whether or not said contract is ever made, that any and all relationships would be temporary and there might have been other considerations. Kirsten, for whatever reason, goes along with this ‘arrangement’. And so, they hump together for a while. While Rusty ‘gets better’, builds things, and dreams of the time she will be able to return to her business (while worrying it is being run into the ground and that she is being lied to about how things are going there). Hmms. I should not have used the word dreams there. She does desire that return, but ‘dreams’ is itself a plot-line – Rusty has these very vivid series of dreams involving her being in this bleak setting near a unbuilt house and some dead garden. Over time that setting morphs.

Interesting enough book. I just . . . found it a little too over the top and a little too cutesy. Still, that feeling might, again, be based on having read this book when I did – after four other Alexander books.

July 26 2016

Scaredy Cat by Robin Alexander

Scaredy Cat
by Robin Alexander
Pages: 221
Date: October 30 2013
Publisher: Intaglio Publications
Series: None

Review
Rating: 5.0 out of 5.0
Read: July 22 2016

This is a) the seventh book I've read by Alexander (and fourth in 4 days); b) there is no b.

As is normal, this book involves a small town in Louisiana, and the antics of the people in it. Unlike those people in White Oak, the people of Cypress Glade are not very open/friendly to those in the LGBT community.

Quinn Scott is a local woman who works with her brother in a family owned plumbing business. She was outed by the local gossipy bitch of the town as a lesbian. Unlike the events that unfolded in White Oak during a similar incident involving Jaclyn (sex between two women that is observed by a third party who tells everyone about it), the people did not rally around Quinn and keep/develop/become friendly to the lesbian and lesbian kind. No, they figuratively or literally spat upon her (I forget if any literal spitting occurred). So Quinn mostly sticks with her job, her brother Jacob, and sister Dawn, and is kind of an outsider in her own town.

Dawn, a real estate person, finds a dwelling place for a celebrity author. Dawn also, through this author's agent, volunteers her sister to act as something of a guide to this author. For pay (I believe it was stated as being $1000 a month). Quinn is not exactly happy about this but . . .. By the way, it's known from the beginning that both the author and Quinn are lesbians - that's why Quinn was offered up as a 'guide' (no, I do not mean that as code for escort or prostitute or the like, the 'guide' isn't really what Quinn ends up being, at least not the typical kind of 'tour guide' kind of guide).

The author is a best-selling horror novelist named Blake Taylor. Who is the 'Scaredy Cat' of this novel. Since she really is scared of basically everything.

This was/is a rather neat, exciting, fun book. Humorous. Graphic sex. Etc.

Of note: there are three cats on the cover of this book (if you include the word 'cat' as part of the three cats). There are no cats in this book (at least I do not recall any). There is a dog, an owl, various other birds, squirrels, and other 'things', but no cats.

Of note 2: I read three books by Alexander in 2014. Now I've read 4 in 2016. Alexander is . . . um, well not rapidly, becoming one of my favorite authors (unexpectedly).

July 22 2016

Blood of a Traitor by Sandra Barret

Blood of a Traitor
by Sandra Barret
Pages: 164
Date: November 21 2013
Publisher: Bedazzled Ink Publishing Company
Series: Terran-Novan (2nd in series)

Review
Rating: 4.0 out of 5.0
Read: July 20 to 21 2016

This second book in this series and second full length work I've read by this author, (actually, I just remembered everything I've read by this author has been in this is series, including that short story I'd read), follows a different bunch of characters than the prior book in the series.

The first book involved one side of the 'Terran-Novan' conflict, the Terran's. This one focuses on the Novan side. Though from the view point of a 'Terran' (she isn't really a Terran, but a clone made by the Novans from a Terran POW).

Interesting to see 'the other side', though I had been wrong in my previous review - no character from that book appears in this one. In the previous book, the main characters come into contact with some Novan military people on the ground of some unnamed planet. I had this misinterpretation of the plot synopsis for the second book - that it would include one of the Novans from that encounter.

Right, so. Big long number, aka 'Kay', is a Terran clone. She's something like the 9th generation of her line (if letters of the alphabet are to be taken as some sign). Generation might be the wrong word, 9th 'product' might be closer to accuracy.

Kay's line was set up to find out of they can tease out superior tactical abilities as some kind of usable gene/modification. Kay herself doesn't care about that, at least beyond knowing about it - she's more concerned about surviving and keeping her friend Jax alive. She's more the kind to hide her abilities, than to flaunt them.

You can't really say that lesbian nature of the book is unimportant, what with the humping, and the vaguely unsatisfying romance, but it is more of a technicality than anything. Kay's female. She likes humping random pickups. And she's a lesbian. So those pick-ups are female. But the pick-ups themselves do not really play much of a role in this book. The romance part (as in the actual coupling, as opposed to the random hook-up portions), plays a bigger role, but one that is not . . . hmms . . detailed enough to matter that both people involved are female.

Bah. This review is not going anywhere. mmphs.

---
The book opens with Kay and her squad 'doing stuff' in a military operation. Several people are shot/killed/live; the survivors go back to a base. Along the way the reader learns that many of the people involved in the military (at least it seems that way), are, in one way or another, 'owned' by the Nassien corporation. Hmms, strike that '' around owned. They are owned by the Nassiens.

Kay, and several others, like Jax, are people who holds certain genes that are being tested by the Novans. There is a certain amount of political/family infighting going on, and Kay and the others get swept up into it.

Which leads to another character in the book (I'd say 'other lead', but she's a cypher, important enough in her way, but a 'thing' to bounce stuff off of, not specifically her own fully formed character). That other character being Lt Col Nassien. One of Kay's 'owners', and also the person in charge of the military mission that most of the book follows (protecting and defending a genetic bank from the Terrans).

Two things to note about Nassien - people have been attempting to 'take her out' for a while now; and . . . um . . . *whistles, trying to remember other thing*. Oh, right, I wanted somewhere to note that she was/is a Muslim. If, you know, anyone cares to know such things.

Normally I'd change course here by vaguely saying 'the two characters then circled each other for the rest of the book', but no, this is much more of a Science fiction, military fiction book than a romance. Or, more completely, this is a science fiction book with a thread of romance, rather than a Romance book with a thin layer of science fiction.

I still like the first work I read by this author best of all, followed by the first book in this series, and then this book here. A quite entertaining diversion, but more of a fluffy snack than anything else. But then, I like fluffy snacks.

July 22 2016

The Magic of White Oak Lake by Robin Alexander

The Magic of White Oak Lake
by Robin Alexander
Pages: 208
Date: February 18th 2014
Publisher: Intaglio Publications
Series: White Oak Lake (2nd in Series)

Review
Rating: 5.0 out of 5.0
Read: July 21 2016

This is a) the sixth book I've read by Alexander (and third in 3 days); b) the second book in the White Oak Lake series.

I entered this book with the vague understanding that this would be like other series I've read in the lesbian fiction field - a book that featured new characters, with an appearance by other characters from the series (whether at a cameo level, or a slightly larger role). To a certain extent, that is both true and misleading to come into this series with that background. For the simple fact that this is not a change in lead characters so much as an addition of new characters. For the characters of the first book, Lure, play a massive role in this book here (Morgan, Jaclyn, and Austin (Austin was fascinated by penis in the first book; this time he is . . . both horrified by (because of revelations regarding his moms), and intrigued by the opposite gender (pretty girl his own age) - "He wanted to know all about women's bodies and what he called a cleat and if he should push it six or seven times."); and, to a somewhat larger extent, the three batty old women, I, C, and B (what are their names, Idris, Clarice, and Betsy? I forget now)).

Added to the cast are Wendy and Leslie. Both of whom are kind of seen as being mentored by the elder Morgan and Jaclyn (a feeling gained from reading the book), but who are actually around the same age (Wendy, at 43, may or may not be the oldest of the four).

Right, so. Wendy lives nearby and works in a far off place. She regularly stops in White Oak for store items. Leslie is renting Morgan's cabin, and also works in some far off place. Both of them (Wendy and Leslie) are single and lesbians. They also do not meet each other until about 33% into the book.

For the longest time, the book seemed to focus a little too much on the characters from the previous book, to the detriment of whatever budding story could be found with Wendy and Leslie. But, eventually, both characters grew on me, and felt more fully involved in the book.

hmms. Not sure what all else I can write, now, since I'm writing this after completing my 7th Alexander book today. So I'll continue bumbling along, sliding on by. Leaving with a few thoughts:

1) there was humor, I liked the humor, it was not an overly humorous book though;
2) I like(d) the characters, I want to read more about White Oak.

July 22 2016

The Lure of White Oak Lake by Robin Alexander

The Lure of White Oak Lake
by Robin Alexander
Pages: 266
Date: February 26 2013
Publisher: Intaglio Publications
Series: White Oak Lake (1st in series)

Review
Rating: 5.0 out of 5.0
Read: July 20 2016

This is my fifth Alexander book that I have read. Second one this year. Actually, for that matter, second one today, since I technically finished the prior book somewhere around 2 am this morning. The previous three books were read in August (1 book), and February (2 books) of 2014. 2 years is a long time between books.

Of the five books I’ve read by Alexander, I would slot this one in as my second favorite, behind ‘Dear Me’. Mostly because, while both were quite good books, this one seemed to have a lot less humor than ‘Dear Me’. If it was actually literally possible to laugh my ass off, I’d no longer have an ass, after reading ‘Dear Me’. This book? Made me giggle here and there but there was no risk of bodily harm.

So, I do not really wish to write a massive review. A woman loses three things right in a row over a few months – her father (died), girlfriend (left her), job (she was cut lose by a somewhat incompetent manager). A lot of time was spent, before the book opened, with Morgan Chassion, the woman who lost these three things, searching for a new job. Without any luck. So, eventually, she heads out from Atlanta to inspect this cabin that her father left her in his will. A cabin next to a lake in White Oak Lake, Louisiana.

Meanwhile, Jaclyn Wyatt is living her life as a single mother, in a rather supportive little community (not including her asshole parents) and running her own store – a bait shop named the same as the title of this book.

To a certain extent, Morgan and Austin (Austen? I forget now), hooked up long before Morgan and Jaclyn did. And no, this isn’t a book in which the reader watches someone go through several people before finally landing on ‘the right one’. No, Austin is Jaclyn’s 14 year old son.

But then, that’s the kind of relationship Jaclyn and Morgan have – slow with bursts. But I do not wish to go too far down this road so I’ll just move on.

I had one specific issue that never really got clarified for me (until I wrote this review). At the beginning of the book, everyone (okay, this happened twice) kept calling Morgan Chassion, to her face, a coon. Weirdly the people using this word were quite happy and friendly people. But still. They used this word. So, for the longest time, I thought Morgan Chassion was black.

I’m sure this will turn out to be a situation where I’m just dumb or something. Like when I got confused over the use of the word ‘merde’ in another book.

Morgan’s face colored. “that’s really very kind of you, but I’m allergic to seafood.”

“Well, I never seen it, a coon ass that can’t eat shrimp. Chassion, that’s a Cajun name, but you ain’t got much of an accent.”

Chassion, dat’s coon ass, yeah. Where ya people from, cher?”

Crap. It is a merde type situation. I noticed when I realized every time (the two times) that it is used, it is used in the same way. Attached to ass. Coon ass. And I’m sure the context of the second occasion the phrase was used should have clued me in. But, yeah, I’m dumb.

Coon-ass is used to reference a person of Cajun ethnicity. Many consider the term an insult, but others consider it a compliment or badge of honor

I knew, though, without going too far that Morgan was white. Because in a conversation with a woman in Atlanta, that woman says something along the way of ‘your white ass’ or something like that.

Well. Glad I decided to write something, heh. I now know what that coon ass stuff was about. So, long and short (too late), Morgan Chassion is of Cajun ethnicity but has spent most of her life in Atlanta.

So, the humor (not all of it) was provided in the form of three witches (sorry, I was suddenly flashing back to Shakespeare’s Macbeth), to three older women who are . . . eccentric (two more than a third). The three old women drink potions so that they can help Jaclyn find a nice woman to mate with. Also, two of the three, like running around naked. One of them being 70+ and the other being 60+.

There were no pets in this book for the two main leads, though a group of four cats ‘patrolled’ Morgan’s cabin for rodents – though the cats ‘belonged’ to her neighbor. Only one of the four is actually meet, though, briefly.

Another thing even more shocking occurred – no one vomited. There were at least two occasions when people were described as being a state that was on the edge of vomiting, and/or being ‘puke-y’. But no actual vomiting. Strange, I know.

Right, so, I enjoyed this book.

July 20 2016

Stay by Mia Archer

Stay
by Mia Archer
Pages: 289
Date: July 15 2016
Publisher: Self
Series: None

Review
Rating: 4.5 out of 5.0
Read: July 18 to 19 2016

This book here is the fifth book that I have read with Mia Archer’s name on it.

This is a book with some youngish main characters. I assume that they are right around the age of 18, though a specific age (I don’t think) is not actually mentioned.

Sarah and Alyssa have spent most of their lives competing and training to be competitive swimmers. They’ve gotten up at the crack of ‘too early’ to go swimming; practice sometimes twice a day; one also lifts weight to add whatever that might add to being able to pull herself through the water with stronger arms (I think that is Sarah).

Both young women are super competitive and super good. They are about a half second or a second off of each other’s times – which would be great if they didn’t compete in the same division – as only one from their section/division can go to ‘state’ (ever since Glee, I kind of giggle when people talk super serious about ‘sectionals’ and ‘state’ and the like; they could be models/singers/football players, but still, that little giggle comes up).

The book opens on the big old qualifying event for the State level races. Sarah thinks it is her year. Alyssa thinks she will win. Everyone, apparently, believes that the person that will win will either be Sarah or Alyssa.

Sarah’s parents are old school liberal and quit easy going. Alyssa’s mother is a massive over controlling bitch. Her father is kind of okay, though. This becomes important for ‘reasons’.

The book synopsis on GoodReads kind of gives things away in terms of who won at sections, but I’ll live off mentioning that.

One or the other won. The other took it hard and cried. The one that won comforted her (all this is, in its way, spoiler, but it is also the foundation of the relationship that develops from here on out).

The one who lost the race goes out of their way to drive many miles to the State level event. To act as a supporter for the other. Recall something that can’t be recalled since I haven’t mentioned it yet – both were rivals of each other. A certain amount of ‘hate’ might have even been bubbling. Which is where I’m uncertain if I should call this ‘fell for rival’ or ‘fell for friend’. Since they were rivals, but no part of the time they were rivals (on a ‘we hate each other’ level) occurs in this book. And they went from rivals to friends, then to that ‘falling for’ part. *shrugs*

Unknown to either, both have full ride scholarships to the same college, so while one or the other (or both, I forget now) might have some worries about whether this event, or that, might be the last time they see the other, they soon realize that they will have a good chance to see each other for a good longish while. Barring unforeseen complications that could have access/communication/scholarship complications.

So, fairly quickly, the book turns to these high schoolers moving from high school to the summer between graduation and college – which they spend at college, because athletes report early for training.

There’s kind of love-hate thing that occurs in waves. I’d say almost immediately, but then love doesn’t come immediately. Hate does though. But not what someone might be thinking – no, I’m referring to the hate between Tiffany and Sarah. Mostly from Tiffany to Sarah. I’m being deliberately something . . um . . not vague, because I’m using names, well like vague. Tiffany is Alyssa’s mother.

From almost the beginning of the book a certain complication is shown, foreshadowed (well, two, the first being that the mother is a bitch and that isn’t going to go away). That being some mysterious ‘waves of dizziness/light headness’ experienced by Alyssa. By the half way point the dreaded ‘word’ gets used to explain things, but as the synopsis itself doesn’t go beyond saying ‘terrible sickness’ I’ll refrain from explaining in detail the specific ‘terrible sickness’. Cancer/leukemia

Right, so, this is a coming of age/coming out/young adult/major life alternating illness book with a heavy dose of family drama book. Involving two athletes (swimmers) just starting off on the road of life.

For one reason or another books like this, and I mean simply and specifically, those that involves students, never really seem to draw up in my mind memories of the time when I was a student. There is no inherent reason why the high school years in this book would cause any memories to pop up – since that part seems to be over in a flash, and only shows something like a week or three of it – plus it was heavily focused on, to the exclusion of everything else, on swimming. The college part though did, oddly enough, pull up some memories of college. That’s the sum total of my point of mentioning this factoid – books like this do not normally engage my memories, while this one did.

It should be noted, for those coming along behind me, that this book ends at the 80% mark.

July 19 2016

Dear Me by Robin Alexander

Dear Me
by Robin Alexander
Pages: 220
Date: July 7 2016
Publisher: Intaglio Publications
Series:

Review
Rating: 6.0 out of 5.0
Read: July 19 2016

It's after 2 in the morning so I'm just going to note a few things:

1) super funny, kept laughing I did.
2) great bunch of characters
3) So far I've been unable to read an Alexander book without people vomiting in it.
4) I'm unsure which rating shelf this book will land on. If I was putting it on a shelf right now when I'm blurry eyed and half-asleep, I'd add it to my 6 star shelf.
5) I liked both how there were cats in this book, and how one of the main characters added cat manners to human situations.

Another One Goes Tonight by Peter Lovesey

Another One Goes Tonight
by Peter Lovesey
Pages: 401
Date: July 5 2016
Publisher: Soho Crime
Series: Peter Diamond (16th in series)

Review Rating: 5.5 out of 5.0
Read: July 17 to 18 2016


This is my 34th book by Lovesey, 16th in the Peter Diamond series. Actually, 35th book, I forgot that I read 1 book by Lovesey under another name. Though I forget, at the moment, the specific name. Peter Lear, I think.

Other than random short stories floating around in places I cannot reach, a couple, I think, of Lear books I do not have access to, and 2 books in one of Lovesey's series, I've read everything by this author.

I have not always loved everything I've read, and, for the most part, I'd say that he is a damned good writer. Barring a few exceptions here and there. The only book by him that I've rated as low as 2 stars is the first book in his 'Albert Edward Prince of Wales' series - which leads directly to the reason as to why I haven't read the two other books in that series. And, other than that 2 star book, this book here (which I gave 5.5 stars to), the book 'On the Edge' (3 stars), and the Lear book (another 3 star book), everything I've read by Lovesey I've given 4 stars to. Well, some rest on a 4.5 shelf and the like, and some might have been closer to being 3.8 books, but none of that matters here at Goodreads, not when we do not have half stars and the like, so 31 books rated, by Goodreads standards, 4 stars.

Doesn't really take much thinking to understand how happy I am when I happen to notice a new book appear by Lovesey.

Lovesey's something of an odd one when it comes to plot lines and characters. He has had killers as the main character, and murder suspects, and one or several that involve the point of view of an amateur doing some deducting, while one of his series regulars works on the case from another direction. Even when you think of series, there are oddities - like you do not expect a police series to start off with the main character in the police, then - for various reasons, he suddenly isn't in the police any longer and is a P.I. (or working security, I've forgotten now what jobs he had during his break), then back to being a police person.

I mention all that, the odd little things that turn up, because that occurs in this book as well. This is both not a straight forward murder mystery, while at the same time it is a book about a serial killer (that part isn't a spoiler, the serial killer part, because the reader has snippets from the killer's journal at various points of the novel).

It is not a straight forward murder mystery, because no one actually realizes that there are any murders to investigate. For, you see, Peter Diamond has been tasked by his boss to work as the local professional standards guy to investigate a motor vehicle crash. That's right; one of the top homicide detectives has been tasked to be something like a crime scene investigator for a motor vehicle accident, specifically tasked with the assignment to determine if the people in the vehicle handled themselves in a professional manner . . . or something like that. The police are looking into that because the car that crashed was a police car. And, when Diamond gets the assignment, there is one dead police officer, and one severally injured one.

So, Diamond and two of his underlings investigate. Diamond arrives at the accident scene about 45 minutes or so after getting the assignment, which was about 3 hours after the accident occurred. Which I mention because Diamond spots something no one else spotted in the 3 hours that the scene had been investigated – he finds that another vehicle had been involved in the accident and that there was an unconscious, possibly dead body up in the bushes (I have it perfectly outlined in my mind the scene, and bushes isn’t correct, let me see – the body was up a hill in some vegetation and hard to spot without being up the hill).

I mention all that because the book focuses directly on the person who was found, and the possible activities that individual might have been involved in. Activities, based on various objects and papers found, that might involve murder – murder of various people whose deaths had been declared natural or accidental (mostly natural – old people dying in their sleep). But were they actually natural deaths, or is there a serial killer on the loose?

A quite interesting book. Quite enjoyable read.

July 20 2016

Corridors of Death by Ruth Dudley Edwards

Corridors of Death
by Ruth Dudley Edwards
Pages: 249
Date: March 25 2011 (Orig. 1981)
Publisher: Poisoned Pen Press
Series: Robert Amiss (1st in series)

Review
Rating: 4 out of 5
Read: July 14 to 15 2016

Just a quick note: This is a quite interesting humorous mystery from the early 1980s. I was drawn to it as British politics is bouncing around a lot at the moment, so - while this specific book isn't timely, it is interesting to read at the moment.

There are two main characters - a police guy, Superintendent Jim Milton, and a government guy, Robert Amiss. Both work together to solve the mystery of the dead government minister (Robert's boss Sir Nicholas Clark, a real bastard of a guy - personality wise).

There have probably been other books I've read that involved informants, and books involving non-police helping the police solve crimes, but this might be the first with this specific fact pattern: Amiss helping Milton weave and wiggle through the shifting and complicated world of the government, specifically both how people like talking around an answer instead of giving one, and in job titles (everyone kind of has goofy job titles - everyone is some form of minister or secretary or both; the people who do the typing and the like are Personal Secretaries (which is different from Private Secretaries, which is Robert Amiss' title)).

Competently written. Both humorous and serious. Quite good book. It is a sign of something or other, not sure what exactly, that I immediately purchased the next book in the series after finishing this one (course, the prices on the first two books were quite nice, something like $1.99 for the first and $0.99 for the second).

Oh, one last thought before I go - no, Amiss and Milton are not gay for each other. That's not why gay shelf has been added, or the LGBT one - no, one of the side characters is gay and has a boyfriend. Amiss himself is single, and somewhat determined to stay that way (as his life doesn't lend itself to women accepting his odd hours); while Milton is married to a rather nice woman who actually helps him on occasion.

July 18 2016

Truth or Dare by Raven J. Spencer

Truth or Dare
by Raven J. Spencer
Pages: 53
Date: August 26 2014
Publisher: Self
Series: None

Review
Rating: 2.0 out of 5.0
Read: July 16 2016

This is the first story I've read by this author.

I'm somewhat surprised both by my reactions to the story, and when I happened to, just now, glance around to see what others had said. Well, mostly I just looked at their ratings. I see that I'm the odd one out here, mostly. No matter.

In a moment of needing something quick to read, I looked at the synopsis of this story to see if I should give it a chance. And, no, I do not mean on here (GoodReads), I meant inside the book. I'm used to Lesbian Fiction books including a synopsis in the books that I normally skip (skipping the synposis not the book, shesh I need to write better). Sometimes read when I need to fill a minute or ten. Why am I mentioning this 'synopsis'? Spending so much time on it? Because there isn't one in this ebook. Yet, I didn't immediately realize that. Because the book is written on about the same level as a synopsis. This happened, then that, then that over there, and then.

I did not feel connected to either character at all, and the only emotions generated were created from the cheating involved, but (since there was a bit of 'wink wink, the husband/boyfriend is okay with it') mostly with the people involved. The out of work woman dates women. Yet she somehow accidentally got into a relationship with a man? Then accidentally ended up on vacation with him? What the fuck? How . . how does that even happen?

I mean, the other woman in the story also annoys me greatly, but she's on this little vacation with her husband. Who, granted, she wants nothing to do with now, but supposedly did at some point. Though we, the readers, are again treated to a character who apparently never in their life considered the possibility of women as potential dates. There are ways in how such a character can come about (in reality and in fiction), but we have none of this woman's backstory, so all we have is this kind of incredulous and vague 'never-realized-women-existed' feeling. *shrug, whatever*

I'm happy others liked the story well enough, I didn't but we can't all like the same things.

July 16 2016

Bloom County Episode XI: A New Hope by Berkeley Breathed

Bloom County Episode XI: A New Hope
by Berkeley Breathed
Pages: 144
Date: September 13 2016
Publisher: IDW Publishing
Series: Bloom County

Review
Rating: 5.0 out of 5.0
Read: July 14 to 15 2016

I received an ARC of this book from NetGalley, Diamond Book Distributors, and IDW Publishing in exchange for an honest review.

There are several disadvantages to not having a presence on Facebook. No . . . no, I'm thinking, I'm sure I can think of . . . holy crap, new Bloom County comic strips? Appearing on Facebook? Well crap, that'd have gotten me onto Facebook by itself, in and of itself. I might even use my real name if it had been Calvin and Hobbes, but I'd fake my way for Bloom County. Luckily for me in this specific instance, the only time I heard about this is when I saw the book appear on Netgalley and had the opportunity to read it right then and there. So no need for fakeness and stuff. Now excuse me for a few moments (or hours or . . whatever) while I read this book here I have in my limited time hands (55 days? I'll be done, like, immediately *nods*)

Ah Bloom County, how I loved the . . the. . . how do I spell the when it is spelled exactly like the? pfft. Okay then. Ah Bloom County, how I loved you, no matter what name you go under (and there have been several). Well, I did love you, but I'm still in the excited moment of realizing this book exists but before I actually read it. I've only gotten so far as to opening the book up. Hmm. I do not have the cover. No matter. Instead I open up on a picture of Opus hitting Bill the cat in the butt with a light saber.

Okay, one problem with reading this on this locked PDF reader thingie that I can't remember the name of - the text is tiny. mmphs. Ah, good, got it bigger. *reads*

A word about the accompanying text in this volume: all commentary comes from the original Facebook posts as written by fans in reaction to Bloom County strips

See? If you are like me, you do not even need to have been on Facebook - the entire experience is right there for you. Okay, the part wherein the comic strips are there plus the comments, minus having to read this on Facebook.

Okay, I just spent like 5 excited minutes getting the book, then writing in this box. At some point I need to actually read the book, right?

Hmm. Berkeley Breathed notes that Harper Lee directly inspired his comic strip.

Don't let Opus die
Love, Harper

As in Harper Lee.

After 26 years, Berkley Breathed played around with a panel. Not sure if he would reach the fourth one. And when he did he . . . snickered. He had found joy. And so, the comic strips he then produced.

hehaha - Opus tries out the internet for the first time. Visits Google. Puts in two words (separately, though Google doesn't know that) that bring him joy. Suds. Nuns. hehehe

hehe - Opus doesn't want to go back to a world of Clinton vs. Bush, Donald Trump running around weirdly, he wants to stay in this world. - hehe. Okay, I'll stop doing that now.

We're stuck in a National Groundhog Day Nightmare! Bill Clinton will soon be stalking the halls of the White House again, pinching asses with both hands!

Hmm. The comic strip just insulted cats and then started a 'Support Trump' grassroots. mmphs. 'Flightless fowl for Trump'.

This was a super funny series of comic strips.

July 15 2016

Points of Departure by Emily O'Beirne

Points of Departure
by Emily O'Beirne
Pages: 282
Date: June 29 2016
Publisher: Ylva Publishing
Series: None

Review
Rating: 5.0 out of 5.0
Read: July 12 to 14 2016


I received an ARC of this book from NetGalley and Ylva Publishing in exchange for an honest review.

This is the first book I’ve read by this author.

Five young women all of whom, I believe, are 18, are nearing the ends of their high school years. One, who is a friend to them all, and the glue that holds the various parties together, has come up with a plan to travel together. That would be Kit. Kit has roped in Liza, super athlete/runner/lesbian/BFF of Kit; Olivia and Mai (they seem to get lumped together for whatever reason; they hang out in the same social group – Olivia and Mai – they also are deeply into ‘law’ and taking that when they go to ‘uni’); and Tam – Kit’s cousin. All but Tam are from Melbourne Australia, and all attended the same high school. Though Liza has mostly been off on her own training and running so, while she knows all of them, she only is friends with Kit. Tam, obviously, knows Kit, being cousins, and Liza – and is from Tasmania (an island state of Australia; until I looked that up just now, I was thinking Tasmania was a separate country).

Beyond ‘Australian’, the ancestral make-up of Olivia, Tam, and Kit is not given. Liza, beyond being ‘Australian’, is half-Dutch and half-Sri Lanka (known to me as the place Arthur C. Clarke lived before his death; an island off the coast of India). Being half-Dutch and half-Sri Lankan apparently corresponds to being ‘Burgher people’, which is picked up along the way. Mai, another person born in Australia, has a Vietnamese mother and Chinese father.

So that’s the main cast of characters. Four of which have their own point of views in this book (I’ve off and on wished Mai had her point of view as well, because she seems quite interesting; constantly excited; etc. I’m sure if we did have her point of view it’d be filled with self-doubt and angst, because, hey, that’s what everyone else is, but still. I live with the dream that her POV would not be that).

Shortly before the five are to take off on their trip, Kit has to inform them (separately) that she will not be able to go. Because she has, once again, messed up her life. The money she had saved up for the trip is gone. Gone to massive debt brought on by rent money being due, and damages to a statue that has to be covered. So the glue that was holding the group together will not be able to go. Don’t worry, though, her point of view remains. Three of the four going on the trip give the reader their versions of the on-going trip, while Kit gives readers some insight into being a young woman living in Australia.

Right, so – Melbourne and Tasmania are encountered first by the reader – since that’s where the characters are ‘coming from’. Then there’s a stopover in Hong Kong (just the airport). Then off to Portugal (Algarve, Lisbon), Italy (Florence, Trieste, and Venice), Slovenia (Bled, Ljubljana), England (London), and Thailand (Kata, Phuket).


Algarve Portugal


Lisbon Portugal


Florence Italy


Trieste Italy


Bled Slovenia


Ljubljana Slovenia


Kata Thailand


Phuket Thailand

Before starting the trip (weeks, months? I forget now), Liza has informed her parents of two issues 1) she’s a lesbian; 2) she is giving up running competitively (or is thinking of giving it up). Tam is super worried about her father (he’s recovering from cancer); and, somewhat on the spur of the moment, begins a relationship with a nearby young man named Matt – so she’s super distracted by that while on the trip. And Olivia’s super distracted by knowing that she messed up her VCE (whatever that is), the tests people going off to ‘uni’ apparently take to decide their courses of study (at least that’s what I got from context; otherwise I’d think of them as the Australian equivalent of the SAT; except that the SAT does not determine courses of study); and is worried about how her friends (social group; and specifically Mai) will react; plus she’s super duper interested in reestablishing some form of relationship with her ex-best friend and ex-boyfriend Will. Mai? No idea. We do not have her point of view (from things said here or there, she might have some worries about the VCE results as well, perhaps). To a certain extent, without being inside Mai’s head, all we know is that she’s very chatty, excitable, boy crazy, and has a need to constantly party (probably connected to how restrictive her parents are – being on the trip frees her from them).

So, fairly early one the reader learns that they are following along as three supposedly heterosexual women who mostly do not know each other vacation abroad – plus one lesbian with limited social skills. Oh, and not everyone on the trip knows that Liza is a lesbian.

On one level, the book was somewhat difficult to follow along because everyone who has a point of view has reasons to be super depressing and angst filled. And the only one who doesn’t seem to be that way, doesn’t have their point of view expressed directly (though may or may not be as angsty as everyone else). On the other hand, the angst/drama is both reasonable and not overwhelming.

In terms of the trip/vacation/etc – I did get a feeling, a certain sense, of the various locations. Not a very deep sense, but more than just a vague feeling of movement. It’s about on par as a bunch of 18 year olds traveling around (there’s one scene that I can use as an example – Tam and Liza are on a bench in London. The sky, as might be imagined, since it is London, is dreary and it has just finished misting. Both are tired and dealing with issues. They just sit there on the bench looking at stuff directly around them. At one point one mentions to the other that the changing of the guard is about to occur. Neither can get the strength to get up, so they both continue sitting there starring at squirrels and thinking thoughts within their heads).

There’s certain ‘things’ of an Australian nature that I never did learn. Things that may or may not have been explained or explainable from context. Some I just never figured out. Like I have assumptions about the VCE. But there’s an item of clothing that Liza is constantly putting on or taking off that I haven’t a foggiest idea what it could possibly be. And I Googled it. Got nowhere. So, what the bloody hell is a ‘slinget’? Bah, I misspelled the word when I put it in my status updates. It’s a singlet not a slinget. What the hell do I know? I’ve never seen the word before in my life. (I’ve seen people on tv put that on to wrestle, but I didn’t know what the garment’s name was).

So, if I understand correctly, Liza was running around wearing something that looks like this here:

Though probably looked more like this


Long and short – this was an enjoyable read. Though filled with teenagers with teenager like angst/deep feelings filling them. If I was to deduct any points specifically, it would probably correspond to how Mai lacked her own point of view. In the end I kind of liked her best of all. I’m sad now.

July 14 2016