Horrible horrible horrible, particularly the first two. Trust me, I'm not saying this just for effect. They take 'dark' to a whole new level - like stHorrible horrible horrible, particularly the first two. Trust me, I'm not saying this just for effect. They take 'dark' to a whole new level - like staring down into a bottomless pit. Yet absolutely brilliant, more of a review later (maybe) once I've recuperated....more
Bite me?! I’m disappointed. Crazy for whales, a Moore fan and the main character’s from where I live, seemed like a no brainer. Well, not this time - Bite me?! I’m disappointed. Crazy for whales, a Moore fan and the main character’s from where I live, seemed like a no brainer. Well, not this time - I like funny crude, this is more the kind you catch 12 year olds snickering over. A third in I gave up, not due to any maiden aunt sensibilities - it was just…lame. Click spoiler for a taste if you’re undecided, this was my 'enough' point... (view spoiler)[“Suddenly, out of the water on either side of them came two huge penises, the males searching for their mark, moving closer to the female, producing waves that knocked the two women into the floor of the boat. Above them the two pink towers curved around looking for their target, feeling the edges of the boat, running slime across the rubber, over the biologists, poking, beating about, and generally abusing the women. The female now had the Zodiac centered exactly over her genitals, using the rubber boat as an ad hoc diaphragm.” (hide spoiler)] Alrighty then...
It does have good points, Kona the surfer dude is a hoot, I’d just rather move onto one of his tastier books - Lamb appeals. Done slamming now, leave off on a lighter note.
“Nate had been born and raised in British Columbia, and Canadians hate, above all things, to offend. It was part of the national consciousness. “Be polite” was an unwritten, unspoken rule, but ingrained into the psyche of an entire country. Of course, as with any rule, there were exceptions: parts of Quebec, where people maintained the “dismissive to the point of confrontation, with subsequent surrender” mind-set of the French; and hockey, in which any Canadian may, with impunity, slam, pummel, elbow, smack, punch, body-check, and beat the shit out of, with sticks, any other human being, punctuated by profanities, name-calling, questioning parentage, and accusations of bestiality, usually—coincidentally—in French.”
The Gods of Gotham was great so wanted to try Faye again. Pretty gutsy for a debut don’t you think? To take on Sherlock Holmes and pit him against JacThe Gods of Gotham was great so wanted to try Faye again. Pretty gutsy for a debut don’t you think? To take on Sherlock Holmes and pit him against Jack the Ripper, had to read it just to see if she'd pull it off - she did. Obviously did her homework, it’s pretty fabulous, with Faye’s strength again her mastery of dialect. The Sherlock characters are faithfully rendered plus she’s thrown in Mary Ann Monk, an enchanting gin-swilling tart who “proves herself to be a woman of extraordinary fortitude”. You've got the gothic moody flavour of 1880’s London with the Ripper adding a deliciously disturbing and suitably gruesome layer. It’s suspenseful and well paced, even the Ripper’s true identity came off believable. Most of all I loved the dialog, the bantering between Holmes & Watson, & Holmes little tiffs with his landlady Mrs. Hudson with her “studied dignity & silent cynicism.” He’s your classic cerebral Holmes, brilliant and flawed, coldly precise with that “air of self-importance about him which tries the patience of his few friends” but reworked, a subtle interjection of slightly more fragility & humanity “Though I had never seen Sherlock Holmes so determined, I had also never seen him so at sea.” – liked it.
Cons: To slow a build, you’re a third of the way in before it hooks you – but then it doesn’t let go:) Meanderings: My 3rd ripper novel, I know I’m not alone but I’m questioning the fixation. How many more times do these poor women have to die for my entertainment? This keeps up I may seek counseling…
Holmes shrugged. “The irregularity of the baseline, as well as the downward-slanting script, indicate he is moody and unpredictable. His ts are determined, his rs intelligent, and the confidence in his capitals is troubling.”...more
I’m almost ashamed how much I loved it because I GET life’s not like this. True? True. Good things don’t always come to good people, I (sorta) outgrewI’m almost ashamed how much I loved it because I GET life’s not like this. True? True. Good things don’t always come to good people, I (sorta) outgrew believing in all that karma crap years ago. Whatever, I finished this with a big smile on my face and a tingly feeling of hopefulness. Beating that pessimist back was hard work. It’s quintessential Quick, trying to think of another author who can pull off a story about poverty “I sleep on a school bus. I’m a freak” , addiction (raging alcoholic for a Mom) and depression and make it so damn upbeat and funny, and I’m drawing a blank here… Similar to The Silver Linings Playbook this time with a messed up teen girl - again the uber positive attitude “swinging for the fences, believing that things are going to work out, that everything is worth fighting for, and that I am brave and strong enough to change my reality.” Again a bizarre competition - starring role at the Senior Home's “Wednesday Afternoon Battle between Hope and Pessimism.” Brilliant. Her life may be a MESS but at least she knows how to work a room. Great story and characters; Joan of Old “the brittle broad you love to hate”, Private Jackson a Nam vet addicted to haikus ”hiding in his cocoon of poetry.” Father Chee who doesn’t pretend to know the answers to any of the hard questions. Interesting how she tapped into a mixture of both Christian & Zen principles. Cons: First half was weird but believable, too bad Quick doesn’t understand the value of restraint. True? True. By the grand finale it’s gotten downright cheesy and so obviously written to play the big screen. (view spoiler)[ right down to the singing and dancing routines, throwing in The Sharks from the Westside Story a nice touch BTU, with everyone living happily ever after (hide spoiler)] Can you blame him? Made a gazillion on the movie rights last time, just unnecessary. Push comes to shove enjoyed it way too much to get hung up on that so 4 ½ rock stars:)
“I spread hope. I’m a hope spreader. I guess that’s what I do—licentiously—that’s why I’m still circling the big flaming ball in the sky. That’s the sun—sucka!”...more
Melodrama all the rage when this was written so be prepared, it’s pretty silly. A fast easy read you can whip off in no time that’s a lot of fun. Odd’Melodrama all the rage when this was written so be prepared, it’s pretty silly. A fast easy read you can whip off in no time that’s a lot of fun. Odd’s fish but that Sir Percy is HIGHLY amusing! “The foppish ways, the affected movements, the perpetual inane laugh.” High intrigue will keep you turning those pages, and who can resist a guy named Pimpernel who runs around in various disguises rescuing people from having their heads lopped off? Loved him for “his marvellous audacity, the boundless impudence which had caused him to beard his most implacable enemies” For historical-adventure 4 stars, as romance maybe a 2. As kudos for creating the truly superb character of Sir Percy Blakeney 3 1/2 stars
Cons: The heroine Lady Marguerite...We’re supposed to believe she’s the cleverest woman in Britain yet she can’t figure out the identity of The Pimpernel? Seriously, it couldn’t have been more obvious if he’d been walking around wearing a flashing neon sign. Oh la la she’s dumb as a post and not the least bit witty. Would it have killed the author to have tossed her a couple of decent lines instead of giving them all to Percy? “Hoity-toity, citizeness," she said gaily, "what fly stings you, pray?” was about as good as it got…
Memorable: “Demmed excitable little puppy," he added under his breath, "Faith, Ffoulkes, if that's a specimen of the goods you and your friends bring over from France, my advice to you is, drop 'em 'mid Channel” - Sir Percy Blakeney...more
3 ½ stars. It'll make you smile. The perfect mental gargle after a few heavy novels, creative and just plain fun. Fantasy with a judicious touch of m3 ½ stars. It'll make you smile. The perfect mental gargle after a few heavy novels, creative and just plain fun. Fantasy with a judicious touch of magical realism, everyone in it's a superhero (except for the main character) but they’re subtle about it, we're not talking a bunch of flamboyant cape wearers. Instead each person’s strongest characteristic is what defines their super-power, bet you’ll find yourself wondering what yours would be... It can be silly, so prepare for a few eye rolling moments but there’s some depth to it as well. This is Kaufman’s bestselling debut, if you like him read The Tiny Wife. It’s darker and I thought quite a bit better, but that's more about my personal taste - I like dark. So if you're into stories that are strange and unusual, give this one a try.
Cons: I need more fleshed out characters. This one’s got about 40 which is seriously too many for a 120 page book:) Don’t worry though, they make brief appearances flowing in and out of the story - no need to try and keep track of them at all.
"Mr. Opportunity. He knocks on doors and stands there. You'd be surprised how few doors get answered." ...more
4 ½ stars Lawson’s one of my favorites, she nails the typical Canadian novel – unsentimental, bit bleak, full of soul searching dysfunctional people 4 ½ stars Lawson’s one of my favorites, she nails the typical Canadian novel – unsentimental, bit bleak, full of soul searching dysfunctional people coping as best they can, a rural setting taking centre stage. Her third novel and they’re all pretty great, a Lawson quote "I am in love with that landscape" - it shows... "Everything monochrome, shades of white and grey. Snake fences tacking their way down the edges of the fields, every rung neatly capped with snow. Dark, snow-laden trees beyond the fields. Sky a flat and endless grey. All around him snow stretched pure and clean and untouched apart from the path of the snowplough, a scar across a perfect face." With a spare style and complex characters she weaves a story that grips, love it for the same reason I love Southern lit. - snowbillies instead of hillbillies, the isolation of Canada's frozen north in lieu of steamy bayous. "The thermometer read 30 below zero. It was so still out there, so silent, it was as if the air itself was frozen. You felt it might crack at any moment and shower down around you in infinitesimal slivers of ice." Told through 3 voices, Edward the father, eldest son Tom & only daughter Megan – guilt is the binding theme. Tom’s over his best friend’s suicide, Edward’s over marrying the wrong woman, Megan’s over leaving home and abandoning her little brothers to a mother who loses interest in them once they’ve outgrown the cuddly baby stage and a father locked away with his books and his regrets. A love / hate relationship with The Great White North, eloquently expressed by Tom’s experiences driving that snow-plough - a job he chooses to maintain a distance from people and pain. Other than Megan who’s great and Adam, a stoic little soul who’s a heartbreaker they’re an unlikable bunch. Still, suspect you’ll warm up to them by books end. Cons: The ending is abrupt and a tad too neat. The relief of some humour wouldn’t have hurt. Some might find it overly melodramatic – Fair enough, but I didn’t. Megan on The Catcher in the Rye“Holden Caulfield the hero’s name was. She didn’t like him very much. He went on and on about everyone being phony, a wallower, she decided.” ...more
Gaiman’s my go-to guy for a fairytale fix, love his lyrical style. Reads like a child’s nightmare, haunting, claustrophobic but not entirely grim. WitGaiman’s my go-to guy for a fairytale fix, love his lyrical style. Reads like a child’s nightmare, haunting, claustrophobic but not entirely grim. With monsters and hunger birds to battle "Huge, they were and sleek, and ancient, and it hurt my eyes to look at them." the nameless boy in this is not nearly as tough as Coraline. Luckily he's got the Hemstock women as back-up, Maiden, Mother & Crone, and just like in “Coraline” a reclusive cat to lend him comfort - when it’s so inclined:) Touted as an adult novel I’m thinking YA but does it really matter? There’s depth. Of course there’s a moral, this ones strange - All the knowledge in the world won't make you happy "Be boring, knowing everything"- if it means losing your sense of wonder.
"Girls and boys come out to play, the moon doth shine as bright as day. Leave your supper and leave your meat, and join your playfellows in the street. Come with a whoop and come with a call, come with a whole heart or not at all."
Described as his most personal work to date it feels authentic; like he’s inviting you to join him revisiting the pain from his own childhood. The loneliness “Nobody came to my seventh birthday party. I lay on the bed and lost myself in the stories. I liked that. Books were safer than other people anyway.” and the helplessness of having your fate in the hands of adults. "She was power incarnate, standing in the crackling air. She was the storm, she was the lightning, she was the adult world with all its power and all its secrets and all its foolish casual cruelty. She winked at me."
Cons: Beware the hype! Don’t go into it with false expectations, okay? It could have been more fleshed out, at 180 pages reads like a novella. There is humour, but less than he normally injects, and the EVILNESS of his dad and sister is a bit over the top. Finally some find the story too bleak - I revel in gloominess so didn’t consider this a negative, but you might:)
For it’s genre - a solid four fantastical stars...more
You know how in dreams it doesn’t matter that nothing makes any sense? All you know is you're in survival mode and WHY things happen isn’t even on youYou know how in dreams it doesn’t matter that nothing makes any sense? All you know is you're in survival mode and WHY things happen isn’t even on your radar! This has that same surreal quality - if you’re looking for creepy & imaginative give it a try. One woman is shrinking daily, about to disappear completely if she can’t stop it somehow. Another is fleeing from a lion that used to be tattooed on her leg now come to life and hell-bent on hunting her down. There’s no time for lamenting or gnashing of teeth, the bizarreness dealt with in a very lets get down to business manner. Magical-realism peppered with absurd humour, likely steeped in metaphor’s that went over my head. An adult fairytale I looked for the moral. Pretty sure it’s "Figure out what’s REALLY important - then cherish it - or lose it." Maybe… anyway, it was fun so I didn’t really care. Despite its tone of unease it was a strangely soothing read, nice choice on the heels of A Monster Calls.
Cons: Tiny's about right, preferring novels at 88 pages I wanted more. There's a few passages that are just lame. Finally, Kaufman doesn’t bother explaining 'how' or 'why' which can be annoying if you get all analytical about it. I just let it go:)
Humour bites “The tiny mothers got all over the house. They would wander away and become unable to find their way back. David was constantly finding tiny mothers hanging from the heating vents or stuck knee-deep in the soil of potted plants.”
“Jennifer Layone was searching underneath the couch for the remote control when she found God.” ...more
You’ve seen them, odds are there’s one on your street – that house with the curtains always closed, junk spilling out into the yard. Maybe like me youYou’ve seen them, odds are there’s one on your street – that house with the curtains always closed, junk spilling out into the yard. Maybe like me you’re morbidly curious, wondering why on earth anyone would live like that and you’d love just one peek inside. This opens that door, you’ll wander through the goat paths of the compulsive hoarder, and explains all the complicated reasons behind it. Guaranteed it’ll have you questioning all the STUFF you worked so hard to buy and can’t bring yourself to let go of (books anyone?) "We may own the things in our homes, but they own us as well." - perhaps inspire a clean-out and yard sale... Well researched you’ll get all the statistics, but it’s readable too - the case studies offer that human touch. I like art so enjoyed learning how most hoarders have an artistic bend, an appreciation of the beauty of mundane objects - a bottle cap, a scrap of cloth. “Every object is rich with detail.” Talks about Andy Warhol, the most famous of them all ”his five-story house in New York was so crammed that he could live in only two of the rooms.” Now I GET his soup can paintings! Click spoiler if you want to know about his time capsules - fascinating. (view spoiler)[One of the most unusual aspects of Warhol's collecting - During the 1970s and 1980s, Warhol preserved nearly every bit of ephemera that came into his possession. He kept a cardboard box beside his desk, and when the impulse struck him, he cleared everything off his desk and into the box, no exceptions. Valuable prints, cash, and apple cores all went into what he described as his "time capsule." He dated it and stored it along with more than six hundred others. About one hundred of his time capsules have been opened so far. Warhol's time capsules have become a pop culture archaeologist's dream. A record of Warhol's life in all its detail and triviality—as perfect a record as could be had. Material from the time capsules has been displayed in museums around the world. In this way, Warhol HAS become immortal (hide spoiler)] Bottom-line it’s really interesting and well worth your time. Glad a mental disorder fraught with shame and secrecy is coming out of the closet. Cons: Repetitive with a tendency to overstate the obvious. Not faulting the author, clearly a sympathetic advocate of hoarders and their families but it can be discouraging - most of the cases seemed incurable. ________________________________________ Meanderings - Opportunity Knocks… My spin, forget bargain hunting, the smart money’s in the Mini-Storage business. Your target market is huge, pretty well everyone has more stuff than they have room for, not just compulsive hoarders. Think of all those downsizing baby-boomers selling their homes and moving into condos… Spoiler is U.S. stats but suspect pretty universal. (view spoiler)[ Increasing numbers of rental self-storage units cater to an apparently insatiable appetite for stuff. 40 yrs ago, facilities for storing unused personal possessions were virtually nonexistent. In March 2007, the New York Times reported that self-storage unit rentals had increased by 90% since 1995 and over 11 million American households rented outside storage space. These were not people who had just moved and needed temporary storage. They were people who were simply unwilling to part with the beloved treasures that they "might use one day" and that their own homes could no longer accommodate. Perhaps we are becoming a nation of hoarders. (hide spoiler)] ...more
It’s got a lot of heart, dark and dramatic with ambience in spades, does a great job depicting rural Mississippi. "A few paved roads and a lot of dirtIt’s got a lot of heart, dark and dramatic with ambience in spades, does a great job depicting rural Mississippi. "A few paved roads and a lot of dirt ones, a land of sewer ditches and gullies stripped of their timber and houses and single-wides speckled back in the clear-cut like moles revealed by a haircut." The point of view alternates between Silas Jones & Larry Ott, flashing back to their boyhood friendship - a friendship that ends when Larry is suspected of murder. Now Silas is back in town this time in the capacity of constable, returning to a moral dilemma. There's another murder and Larry's the prime suspect, how can he live with himself if he turns his back on his friend again. For me the idea of small town life both attracts and repels. If you fit in there’d be nothing warmer or more embracing - if you didn’t it could be a living hell. From day one Larry doesn’t fit. As a boy he has nose bleeds, stutters, reads too many damn books. While not found guilty by a jury he might as well have been, the town sentences him to a life of friendless isolation. In his place I’d have left without a backward glance, feet don’t fail me now…But not Larry, he stays. Undecided if that choice was cowardly or courageous, whatever. There’s a quiet dignity to how every day he’s at that garage, just sitting and waiting, I mean who’s gonna give their business to ‘Scary Larry’? But you can set your watch by him, he’s always there, always on time. And not a drop of meanness either, like how he cares for his chickens, rigging up that moveable pen so they get a change of scenery, some fresh air, a few bugs to eat. My heart went out to him, this guy who’s never experienced kindness treating a bunch of birds, chickens no less, with more compassion than he’s ever been shown. While both Silas & Larry's characters are richly defined, it’s Larry I’ll remember - the world’s loneliest mechanic. Cons: The mystery is pretty obvious, the outcome predictable - in fairness legs only to what’s really a character study. Short on thrills some find it slow paced – I didn’t.
A book to immerse in; for the genre of Southern Gothic Lit – 4 shiny stars....more
Raised in Ontario, Canada as a kid I hated swimming. Mom never learned, she preferred to stay safely on shore and shout out dire warnings about snappiRaised in Ontario, Canada as a kid I hated swimming. Mom never learned, she preferred to stay safely on shore and shout out dire warnings about snapping turtles & eels. At least the snappers swam on the surface, I'd see them coming but the eels? Horrible, slimy creatures of the night that slithered unseen in the dark murky water. I still shudder! It opens with “The eel is not an easy fish to like” No kidding… Read it hoping I’d get over my fear, finished it creeped out as ever - and utterly fascinated.
• Monstrous: The Europeon conger up to 10 ft long weighing in at 240 lb. • Ancient: Some have a lifespan of over a hundred years and don’t produce offspring till they’re over 60. • Deadly: A tiny amount of eel blood is enough to kill you, pass on the eel sushi... • Mysterious: They migrate en masse, in the Catskills “The run corresponds with the new moon and floods brought on by the hurricane season, when the sky is at its darkest and the river at its highest” Yearly millions of eels around the world migrate from rivers to oceans, among the "greatest unseen migrations of any creature on the planet” Just picture this! “On wet nights, eels are known to cross over land from a pond to a river by the thousands, using each other’s moist bodies as a bridge, to climb moss-covered vertical walls forming a braid with their bodies.” • Illusive: We’ve yet to find a spawning adult or witnessed a freshwater eel spawning in the wild. For eel scientists, solving the mystery of eel reproduction remains a kind of holy grail. All they know is they spawn somewhere in the Sargasso Sea in the heart of the Bermuda Triangle – yeh, the infamous Bermuda Triangle, how spooky is that? • Mystical: Why this book sang for me - his passionate quest to understand the mystical role, the spiritual importance that Eels play in so many native cultures. • Most Frightening: That they're gone and I had no idea "The St. Lawrence River feeding into Lake Ontario once comprised the single largest nursery in North America. Now almost no eels are returning at all." Damn those dams. My poor planet - death by a thousand paper cuts.
10 years in the writing Prosek outgrows some of his arrogance. Liked that this Yale grad formed a lasting and respectful friendship with "old river rat" Ray who works an eel weir in the Catskill Mountains. Ray chose a life most would write off as too hard, too lonely. "I told Ray I admired the way he lived. “Don’t look up to me, kid,” he said “look with me.” and Prosek did. 4 ½ slimy stars and a big thanks to Will for the review that led me to it.
CONS: Think Carlos Castaneda obsessed with fish. His writing is kinda all over the place, shifts without warning between fact and folklore. Fine, I enjoyed it - just wish he’d been a little clearer. FYI: Eels don’t bark like dogs, nor do they cry like babies…trust me, I googled it:)...more
Probably it was exactly what I felt like reading right about now, whatever, but I haven’t been this entertained in years. We’re talking quality escapiProbably it was exactly what I felt like reading right about now, whatever, but I haven’t been this entertained in years. We’re talking quality escapism. A murder mystery featuring the NYPD in its infancy, ‘copper stars’ mainly made up of scrappy, downtrodden Irishmen. “We were all missing bits and pieces.” A swarm of emigrants gushes ceaselessly onto the South Street docks “the entire block consisted of Irish and dogs and rats sharing the same fleas” - that they’re Catholics makes them all the more deplorable. Love the Irish for their tenacity! Piling on hardships seems to bring out the best in them. With a wild and lawless 1845 New York setting “Broadway, a street more roiling, a street with a more dizzying pendulum swing between starving opium fiends with the rags rotting off of them and ladies in walking gowns bedecked like small steamships” it’s told through Tim Waide’s eyes. His brooding introspective nature has him promoted to Detective while his brother Valentine who thrives on danger, a life lived on the edge is a natural for Captain. The dynamics between these two really the heart of this story; polar opposites, their love-hate relationship is done to perfection. Adored the dialog, ‘flash-patter’ – a spin on British thieves cant so lyrical it sings “Whoever wrote that is cracked as an egg. Whoever thinks ripping guts out of kinchin (children) is high sport is brainsick as well.” No worries, you’ll ‘savvy’ it in no time, we’re still sprinkling it into conversation…Ever say “so long” to a “pal”? That’s flash-patter:) For historical fiction 4 ½ copper-stars
Memorable: “Why, Tim, I thought you savvied the pope lived off the flesh of aborted fetuses; it’s common enough knowledge.” I don’t bother responding to this brand of insanity for two reasons: idiots treasure their facts like newborns, and the entire topic makes my shoulders ache.”
Cons: The love interest between Mercy & Tim was a little flat, his infatuation came across as puppy love. Mercy’s character overall just didn't ring true....more
Everybody’s either neurotic or unlikeable or both. The dialog is brilliant, the humour ironic, deadpan and dry – don’t look for belly laughs. This’ll Everybody’s either neurotic or unlikeable or both. The dialog is brilliant, the humour ironic, deadpan and dry – don’t look for belly laughs. This’ll work for anyone who still hankers for the good old days, the exhilaration of hittin’ the road in a beat up clunker held together with coat hangers and a prayer, destination a big fat question mark. For anyone who’s ever been dumped and figured out life goes on. For anyone who appreciates it’s all about the journey. I loved its honesty, its anti-climactic ending. Ray Midge is a self-depreciating Arkansas redneck on a quest to get back his stolen Gran Torino and his cheating wife. Heads for Belize hooking up with an assortment of misfits and losers, most notable a con-artist by the name of Dr. Re Symes who’s hit the skids. “The kind of people I know now don’t have barbecues, Mama. They stand up alone at nights in small rooms and eat cold weenies. My so-called friends are bums. Many of them are nothing but rats. Some of them can even move their ears. They’re wife-beaters and window peepers and night crawlers and dope fiends. They peer up from cracks in the floor with their small red eyes and watch for chances.”
Back to Ray he's hard to pigeon hole, interesting - original. Passionless in an oblivious, oddly endearing way with his “weekly embraces.” So earnest and A for effort, but it's like he's adopted this philosophical resignation to failure. Guess it makes sense that Ray’s wife left him, explains why Ray never cast blame her way - personally I'd peg him a keeper:) “Then I saw the answer. I’m slow but sure. I had read things and heard many songs about people being poleaxed by love and brought quivering to their knees and I thought it was just something people said. And now here it was, true love. She was in love with that monkey! I was amazed but I couldn’t really hold it against her.” Meanderings: Convinced losing that car hurt Ray more than losing his wife, bit of an eureka moment for me. In my 20’s I was into muscle cars, a '67 Mustang GT-Fastback (view spoiler)[302 with duel exhaust, shift kit, racing cam, and the prettiest chromed spoke hubcaps you ever did see (hide spoiler)] my pride and joy. Stolen around the same time I lost my man to another girl – devastating. Looking back I can barely remember his name but that Mustang? Still pining…such is love.
Cons: No getting around it, parts are politically incorrect. A bit dated as well but not annoying so....more
Minute I saw Jim Kay’s cover illustration I knew I’d read this. Edgy, his use of rapid, almost angry slashing strokes and a palette of grey capturing Minute I saw Jim Kay’s cover illustration I knew I’d read this. Edgy, his use of rapid, almost angry slashing strokes and a palette of grey capturing the tone that permeates this novel to perfection. Young adult but read it anyway, only takes a few hours and does what the best fables do, speaks to all ages. It never lets up from this hook of an opening line “The monster showed up just after midnight. As they do.” In the category of contemporary fairy tales I’m putting this right up there with Coraline– and I’m nuts about Neil Gaimen. I envied Conor his monsters; how useful it would be to distill your fears into something palatable that you could then face head on. While this story deals with bullying and Conor’s terror of losing his mother, just insert your own personal demons. We all wrestle with accepting things beyond our control, maybe Conor’s monsters can teach you a few tricks. It’s dark but it’s also hopeful - he comes out the other side. I’ll never outgrow fairytales, especially those with a lesson or a moral. “There is not always a good guy. Nor is there always a bad one. Most people are somewhere in between.” Admire their clarity – sometimes need the obvious spelt out. In this one the monster tells three tales, each is ponder worthy:) Good twist that the fourth is left for Conor to tell. Cons: I dislike having my guts wrenched, thought the author went a little overboard pulling the old heartstrings. Unfair I know considering the tough subjects it tackles. So I’m knocking off a 1/2 a star and rounding it to 5. It's worthy.
“You do not write your life with words” the monster said. “You write it with actions. What you think is not important. It is only important what you do.” ...more
4 ½ stars All you King fans out there are going to read this anyway. Go for it, be a *Rube, its worth the price of admission. For anyone else who's c4 ½ stars All you King fans out there are going to read this anyway. Go for it, be a *Rube, its worth the price of admission. For anyone else who's curious about all the kerfuffle over King, maybe test the waters with this. No, it’s not his best but it’s pretty great. It’s short, leans towards paranormal rather than horror in case horror isn’t your thing, and you gotta love that hardcore pulp-fiction cover! Tons of suspense, the mystery of beautiful women being murdered to unravel, a plot that moves and characters written with sensitivity, you'll care about them. Best of all and the star of this novel though– a fabulous 70’s Carny setting. * Rubes: Carny lingo for customers, they gotta leave with smiles on their faces. “They’re rabbits, nice plump fun-loving rabbits, hopping from ride to ride and shy to shy instead of from hole to hole.”
Favorite quote:“When you’re twenty-one, life is a roadmap. It’s only when you get to be twenty-five or so that you begin to suspect you’ve been looking at the map upside down, and not until you’re forty are you entirely sure. By the time you’re sixty, take it from me, you’re f_cking lost.”
Ah The King: Haven’t picked up one of his books in years, guess I overdosed on him when I was younger. He’s improved with age. The same spare style but with more confidence –it’s like the man has reached this point where he’s got nothing to prove to anyone but himself, that he’s still the master at delivering entertaining stories - no literary honours in the cards and he could care less. Keep 'em coming King!
Meanderings: I’ve had some interesting jobs (I’ll try anything) Considered applying at the Carny when young, visualized myself working the night shift running the scariest ride on the midway. Something intensely exciting about the lights, the smells, the crush of people – and that beautiful intermingling of full blast rock 'n roll accompanied by screams of terror. Not sure what stopped me - ended up picking cherries instead...Reading this I got to live that fantasy vicariously. “I’ve done a lot of jobs in the years since then, but I never felt so weirdly happy, so absolutely in-the-right-place, as I did when I was twenty-one, wearing the fur and doing the Hokey Pokey on a hot day in June. Seat of the pants, baby.” ________________________________________ Cover painting by Glen Orbik– link to the artist’s website – worth checking out:) "http://www.orbikart.com/gallery/"...more
A psychological thriller, Lacey Flint’s a young inexperienced detective on the hunt for a Ripper copycat. Though set in modern day London there's tastA psychological thriller, Lacey Flint’s a young inexperienced detective on the hunt for a Ripper copycat. Though set in modern day London there's tasty gothic undertones, nobody gives you the urge to check over your shoulder quite like Jack. ‘One of the phrases you’ll hear often about the Ripper,’ I said, after a couple of gulps, is “without a trace” because that’s how he worked. There were people sleeping yards from where Polly was killed and they didn’t hear a sound. Nobody saw a thing.” She’s got the creep factor down, liked the murderer’s taste in music - Julie Andrews “raindrops on roses” playing in the background, a disturbingly nice touch. I'm not a 'Ripperologist' but I read this right after The Lodger a great Ripper novel written back in 1918, had me wanting more. Boulton delivered, tossing in a few ‘*Saucy Jack’ theories: he was a member of the royal family; it was a Masonic conspiracy, Jill-the-Ripper anyone? The pacing is tight, plenty of twists & Lacey’s…interesting. Complex, neurotic, secretive; a loner who rejects intimacy, preferring one-night stands regardless of the danger, or probably because of it...good stuff. In the thriller genre 3 ½ stars rounded up to 4.
Meanderings: “Saucy Jack” or “The Ripper” – 'Saucy Jack' doesn’t quite cut it, does it. Truth is there’s been plenty of unsolved murders, maybe this one would have sunk into oblivion years ago if not for a reporter back in 1888 called Thomas Bulling. A drunken journalist who wrote crime stories for newspapers, he coined the phrase ‘Jack the Ripper’ and it stuck, the real murderer signed his letters to the police 'Saucy Jack.' An ingenious piece of journalism, 125 years later serial killers are still called ‘Rippers’.
Warning: Leans towards torture porn. To be fair passages like this don’t dominate the novel but holy crackers - only a woman could write this, a taste…(view spoiler)[ Most women, once they reach their mid twenties, will have had at least one cervical examination. We lie on an examination table, our legs drawn back so that our knees are broadly level with our chest. Sometimes our feet are held in stirrups; other times, we’re asked to splay our knees. This woman looked almost like a patient waiting for an internal examination. Except that no doctor I’ve ever come across would use duct tape, wrapping above and below the knee, to bend the leg double and hold it in place. This woman would have been unable to move, unable even to scream, when the two-foot-long piece of wood was rammed inside her (hide spoiler)] Alrighty then – didn’t offend my tender sensibilities, just - unnecessarily graphic. Comes down to personal preference, if you're looking for the adrenaline rush of a thriller you've found it. If you prefer more subtlety and suspense try “The Lodger” instead. ...more
One word - WAR and that doleful eye glaring out at you. Powerful cover, so’s the book. Picked it because it promised to get me inside the head of a sOne word - WAR and that doleful eye glaring out at you. Powerful cover, so’s the book. Picked it because it promised to get me inside the head of a soldier. An honest, no holds barred account of the day-to-day lives of soldiers serving in the intensely hot military zone of Afghanistan’s Korengal Valley. Riveted from page one my mouth was actually hanging open reading this - seriously. It’s gritty and raw; it’s also pretty funny at times; these guys have a truly twisted appreciation of the absurd. Expected and it delivered stories of brutality, praise for the toughness & bravery of soldiers – didn’t expect “War is a lot of things and it’s useless to pretend that exciting isn’t one of them. It’s insanely exciting.” This book is SOAKED in testosterone, a bunch of cowboys on some kind of crazed adrenaline rush; half the time in abject misery, the other having literally a blast with guns. He covers it all, the atrocious living conditions “Summer grinds on: a hundred degrees every day and tarantulas invading the living quarters to get out of the heat” the terrain “too remote to conquer, too poor to intimidate” the mechanics of warfare, “the choreography of combat” - but it shone talking about the men…
Jones: “He roamed Restrepo like some kind of alpha predator, exuded a strange, sullen anger that never quite came to the surface. He was fond of giving someone a dismissive look and saying, “Just a mess. A soup sandwich.” Patterson: Just 30, the men call him Pops. “ I never saw him look even nervous during a fight, much less scared. He commanded his men like he was directing traffic.” O’Bryne: What a screw up, I liked him immensely. “He wasn’t big but it was like he was made out of scrap metal.”
Maybe take it with a grain of salt…I’ve been pondering this book for a couple of weeks, still am. There’s an awful lot of chest thumping going on – that “I’m good” bit men put out even when they’re ripping apart inside. Maybe Junger just bought into there whole macho act hook, line & sinker. Can't blame him, they’ve honed it to perfection. Still, convinced it's gotta be deeper than this. Junger’s a civilian and a journalist to boot. Wouldn’t he be the last guy they’d pick to spew there guts to? Meanderings: I’m clueless about war so pay no attention, the only soldier I’ve ever known was my dad, a WW2 Vet. Proud of having served he returned a bitter, changed man. Refused to talk about the war to anyone, period - not even Mom. Interesting that he welcomed Vietnam draft-dodgers into our home, I’d love to know what, if anything, he had to say to them. So I’m taking this at face value – Junger’s fabulous spin on what makes a soldier tick… 4 ½ stars...more
Florence (Lefty)
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Books:
2014
(29)
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