Review: Frat Girl

Frat Girl by Kiley Roache
My rating: 5 of 5 stars
Dates Read: December 30-31

Melissa's Musings

The sociologist in me loved this book. It features Cassie Davis, a high school student from Indiana, who comes up with an interesting way to earn the first year of a scholarship to a prestigious college. Conduct a social experiment in order to conduct research on culture inside a frat house, social norms within Greek organizations, and potentially disband the frat. What she doesn't anticipate is the far reaching effects, both on her personal life, and the lives of the fraternity brothers.

My own college experience was far removed from Cassie's. I didn't go to any frat parties, I only had a few friends. But I could definitely still relate on some levels. I lived in coed dorms all four years, so there was the general banter between all of us, that's similar to the banter between Cassie and her "brothers".

My sophmore year of college I had a roomate much like Leighton. Complete with Louis Vuitton luggage, and the haughty attitude that said she felt she was much too good to be sharing a room with the likes of me. I endured the riduculous screeching of her sorority sisters when they stopped by our room and I happened to be there. Frat boys sleeping over, and the ridiculous drama that came with too much drinking, (Hers, not mine) Needless to say, I had a single room for the remainder of my college life because the experiences with this roomate were not ones I wanted to suffer through again.

Cassie as a character is probably not too much like me personally, other than studying sociology and gender issues. I'm not a girly girl, and she seems to be one, at least on some level. But I do like her edginess. She stands up for what she feels is right, and doesn't give a fuck about it.

So much so that at one point she almost blows her entire experiment when she bursts out of an interview room to talk to one of the subjects after the recount a painful experience. The researcher in me was thinking "Oh no, what are you doing?!?! The other part was thinking "I probably would have done the same thing.

The author does a nice job of intermixing formal writing, for the research parts of the story, and the parts that deal with some of the heavier subject matter when the characters are discussing feminism, and keeping it real, and genuine. Although I really could have done without the use of the word "fuckbois". That's just an annoying textspeak term to me, but I see why she used it.

As Cassie gets more involved both with pledging, and with her project, you can tell that its going to be difficult to see how this all will turn out. She gets personally involved, which I know would be hard not to do, social experiment or not. But, because of the experiment, her experiences and friendships are based on mistruths.

The "relationship" she has with Connor is stereotypical. He only wants one thing, and turns into an ass when she says no. Her relationship with Jordan is sweeter. Though I didn't find it overly ridiculous, like it could have been. It felt just right.

I also really liked Duncan's character. He's the perfect mixture of a macho football player but someone who also cares about people. Cassie really seems to have an impact on him, as is apparent in one of his last scenes in the book.

The serious subjects of the book are important, and dealt with well. This also gave me some serious laughs. Since this is an ARC, I can't quote directly, because I can't compare with the finished book, but lets just say there is a scene where the frat brothers talk about "laying eggs" that had me laughing pretty hard.

The twist from Peter at the end isn't really one I had expected, but I definitely appreciated it. On the level of the impact of Cassie's influence, and on a personal level, I agreed with what he had to say.

Given that Cassie has to propose a new project each year to maintain her scholarship, I think there's room for Roache to continue with these characters and I wouldn't be disappointed to see more of them, but I imagine it'd be difficult to maintain the quality and keep it fresh like this was.

Does anyone have any college stories they'd like to share? Do you think you might consider reading Frat Girl?

*I won a copy of this via Goodreads Giveaways*

Four in the Morning by Christi Goddard

Title: Four in the Morning

Author: Christi Goddard

Publisher:  Immortal Ink Publishing

Published:May 2012

Format: E-book

Pages: 202 pages

Source: Received in exchange for

an honest review

Read: November 26

In A Few Words: Surprising

My Rating: 4 stars

Goodreads: Add This to Your TBR Shelf

Goodreads Synopsis:

Kathleen Hayson thinks her biggest problem is her mother. The only runner up—her mouth. With a wit sharper than her mother's perfectly manicured nails, her clever remarks create more problems than they solve.

But it's not her clever remarks landing her knee-deep in trouble. This time, Josh Colby is to blame. Kathleen's former childhood friend has become the school's most stuck up jerk. Before, she'd have told him to piss off and write his own stupid letter to the town slut/minister's daughter. Now Kathleen's escalating problems at home force her to reevaluate how flexible her principles are. She agrees to write the controversial letter Josh has requested.

Enter Rigel, a smartass magical creature who invades her room one night, promising he has come to help. When a boy Kathleen hates turns up dead and her mother goes missing, the letter becomes a key piece of police evidence—implicating Kathleen. As she fights her way out of a web of lies, the trust she has in those closest to her shatters. In the end, she's pushed to a terrible choice: who lives, and who else dies.

*also available in print*

Melissa's Musings:

Let me start off by saying, I finished this book and the first thought that popped into my mind was "What the fuck?" Excuse the swearing but that really was the first thought I had. The last portion of the book is just so strange, so that phrase fits perfectly. 

The story does a good job of pulling you in immediately. Kathleen is a tough character full of sharp wit and snark, which I really liked. Kathleen sure as hell needed it to put up with her mother. This kind of character profile  can be hard to pull off at times, but Goddard does a great job of making her likeable. Her character profile is really well done and it's easy to relate to her. 

Kathleen and her mother have a lot of problems. For as likeable a character that Kathleen is, her mother is ten times as unlikeable. I kept finding myself thinking, "Wow, her mother is such a bitch." I haven't said that about a character in a while. Here's just one quote as an example of how awful Kathleen's mother is to her:

"No boyfriend still?" Mom said. "Not that I'm surprised. Boys tend to give flowers when they want something. Or already got something. Payment for services rendered, perhaps?"

"Yeah, 'cause I'm a big fat ho."I grabbed a vase off one of the shelves in the curio and headed upstairs, stomping the whole way just to hear my footsteps reverberate through the house."

Goddard, Kindle location 725.

That's just one of the choice interactions between Kathleen and her mother. There are a few others that are equally as bad if not worse. You do end up finding out why their relationship is so sour, but I won't spoil the whole reason for it. Part of the reason is that Kathleen's mother is psychotic. She holds a grudge towards Kathleen and takes it out on her in unusual ways, such as punishing her for not eating a dinner of eggplant by making her take a cold bath with the eggplant in it.

In addition to a psychotic mother, Kathleen has a virtually non existent sister and father, a cryptic best friend, a bully who likes to torment her and another boy who is interested in her but won't really tell her that. Add to that a talking skunk with a British accent, who's something else entirely more creepy altogether, a couple of crimes and  you have an odd paranormal mystery type story on your hands.

This was the first time I'd read about a talking skunk in any stories, and he is definitely an odd character. You'll see what I mean when you read this.

There is quite the balance of moments that will make you laugh out loud, as well as those that will have you shaking your head saying "WTF?"

This is definitely different than anything I've read lately and I'm curious to see what will come next from Goddard. If I had one thought or piece of advice to offer I'd say, "Remember that things and people are not always what they seem." The crazy turns of events will definitely keep you on your toes.

The only thing I was confused about was the title. I might have missed the clue on this one and not been reading carefully enough, but I'm just not sure what the significance of the title is.

Has anyone else read this? If so what did you think?

Fire Baptized by Kenya Wright is Full of Fire Alright

Title: Fire Baptized (Habitat #1)

Author: Kenya Wright

Publisher: Dragonfairy Press

Published: January 16 2012

Format: Kindle

Pages: 286 pages

Source: Received from the author

in exchange for an honest review

Read:  October 8-9 2012

In A Few Words: Full of Action

My Rating: 4 Stars

Goodreads: Add This To Your TBR Shelf

Goodreads Synopsis:

Since the 1970s humans have forced supernaturals to live in caged cities. Silver brands embedded in their foreheads identify them by species: a full moon for Vampires, a crescent moon for Shifters, a pair of wings for Fairies, and the list goes on, for each supernatural species has been tagged and categorized by humans.

Lanore Vesta is marked with a silver X, the brand of Mixbreeds, second-class citizens shunned by society. She stays to herself, revealing her ability to create fire only during emergencies. All she wants to do is graduate college and stop having to steal to survive. But when she stumbles upon a murder in progress, she catches the attention of a supernatural killer. Now all she wants is to stop finding dead bodies in her apartment.

Enlisting help from her Were-cheetah ex-boyfriend MeShack and a new mysterious friend named Zulu, she is steered through the habitat’s raunchy nightlife. But their presence sometimes proves to be more burden than help, as they fight for her attention.

While the corpses pile up, and the scent of blood fills the air, Lanore is left wondering: will she find the psycho or die trying?

Melissa's Musings:

First things first, this book is full of action. Right from the very first line you are sucked in and captivated. I immediately wanted to know more and kept swiping forward on my Kindle to find out what would happen next.

One of the best things about this book is the way that the magical and real life elements are combined. There's a lot of heavy issues in the book like drug use, prostitution and racial and class issues that are interwoven into the story. Sometimes this can be really difficult to pull off, especially within a supernatural setting, but the author made the integration relatively seamless.

The supernatural combinations in this story are unlike any I've ever come across before. For example, Lanore is half demon, half fairy. And MeShack is a Shifter with demonic powers/blood.  Those are two combinations I haven't run across before. 

As a character, Lanore is very strong. She stands up for herself and can hold her own. She has her weaknesses, but, who doesn't? I'm very interested in learning more about her background. You get bits and pieces, about how her father is a demon and her mother is a fairy, and some of the backstory associated with that. There's a lot more to it though, and I have a feeling that there are some great twists, having to do with her heritage as being half fairy, so it'll be interesting to see what those are.

There is a love triangle here, and I have to say that I like this one. I like the aggression and possessiveness that both Zulu feel towards Lanore, because it's raw and real. Each of their attraction to her is very apparent in their actions. And, I really like the fact that she's not going all mushy over either one or playing games with them. She's very clear on what she wants. Whether they listen to her or not, is another story. The bonds between MeShack and Lanore and the one between Zulu and Lanore are very different, but I think they're equally intense. It'll be interesting to see how that all plays out and who she ends up with.

Here's where I have to put up one note of warning for people. The sexual tension in this book is slightly intense. The sexual scenes are descriptive, so if those make you uncomfortable then you may not enjoy the book as much. There aren't a lot of these scenes, but the few that there are are very descriptive, so just be forewarned about that. Also, the killings in this book are rather gruesome so if you're on the squeamish side, you may want to be prepared for that as well.

If you're looking for an action packed supernatural story, this is it. 

Women on Writing Blog Tour Stop: Review: A Whisper to A Scream by Karen Wojcik Berner

Today I'm happy to be bringing you a review of A Whisper to A Scream by Karen Wojcik Berner as part of WOW Blog Tours.

Title: A Whisper to A Scream

Author: Karen Wojcik Berner

Series: The Bibliophiles-Book One

Publisher: Createrspace

Publication Date: March 20, 2010

Pages: 267

Source: Provided by the author for the purposes of this blog tour

in exchange for an honest review

My Rating: 3 Stars

Buy the Book: Amazon

Synopsis: 

Ovulation detectors. Hormone surges. Anxiety-ridden dreams. This is the world in which Annie Jacobs is thrust when she and her husband John receive a diagnosis of unexplained infertility. A 37-year old PR executive, Annie has wanted to be a mother since she first cuddled her Baby Tenderlove at age five. She is dreading another Christmas of relatives asking when they will be hearing the pitter patter of little feet, and Uncle Joe slapping John on the back, telling him to relax and take a cruise. Lots of people get pregnant on vacation, you know.

Across town, stay-at-home mom of two, Sarah Anderson, attempts grocery shopping with a toddler intent on hurling items from the cart at passersby. She notices a box of rice heading straight for a gray-haired head. Leaping across the aisle, Sarah grabs it, saving the woman from certain doom, or at least a minor head injury. Little Alex screams at being thwarted. The unknowing octogenarian shakes her head and admonishes Sarah for not knowing how to keep her child quiet in public.

"A Whisper to a Scream" is the story of two women on opposite ends of the child-bearing spectrum who come to realize the grass is not necessarily greener on the other side of the fence. A vivid portrayal of contemporary marriage and its problems, the novel speaks to a longing in all of us, a yearning that might start as a vague notion, but eventually grows into an unbearable, vociferous cry

Melissa's Musings:

This book speaks to all women. Those who have children and those who don't. And for those of us who are thinking about it in the future, it gives you a very detailed picture of what having children can be like, and what a struggle that being a parent can be at times. It also gives you a painful look at the issue of infertility and the effect that can have on a family and a marriage.

Both Sarah and Annie are  women who are struggling, but for very different reasons. Sarah is struggling with being a mom, while her husband is away all the time. She's the one left raising the kids, and enduring the endless monotony of housework, dirty diapers, and late nights with the kids. Her husband Tom works hard, to provide for them, but as most parents know, something's gotta give. So, he's rarely home, and when he is, all he wants to talk about is work.

Sarah feels under appreciated because he doesn't acknowledge what she does, or offer to help out. Tom thinks that she should be grateful that he provides for them all the way that he does. He does change his ways to help at times when Sarah brings it up, but then his next big project comes up and he's back to working away for long stretches again, and Sarah gets frustrated and starts feeling trapped again.

I really felt for both of these characters. This was easy to do because the author painted such a clear picture of both ends of the spectrum that they were on. I could definitely understand Sarah's frustration at feeling under appreciated and like all she does is clean up after kids all day. I certainly wouldn't want to be in that position either.

And yet, I can also really feel for Annie's character as well. She really wants to be a mother, even though her own mother is less than caring. And it definitely has to be difficult to be surrounded by your husband's family who keep asking when you'll have children all the time. The infertility issues take a big toll on her well being, her marriage, and her work life. 

I really appreciate the fact that the infertility issue was brought up directly to both Annie and John's family. The reactions were less than stellar, on the family's part but I'm glad that the author wrote these scenes to show that it is okay to talk about as important issues as infertility and that they don't have to be hidden away all the time.

Speaking of the families, it felt to me like Sarah and Annie should have swapped families and they would have been  happier. Each seemed to have a personality more suited to the others' families or things that they would like better, although Sarah's relationship with her mother was very strong.

While the exposition of the issues is great, and very detailed, the dialogue can be a bit stiff at times, which took away from the reading experience for me. Not a whole lot, but it was slightly noticeable. The dialogue seemed too proper, and didn't flow well. It would have been okay if the proper dialogue was used only for certain characters, like Annie, or her mother because of their strained relationship and Annie's mother's need for everything to be perfect. But the stiffness occurred with each character so the flow wasn't quite as smooth as I was hoping for.

I liked the element of the book club in the story as well. It was great to see all the different members come together, somewhat awkwardly, and discuss great books. It was fun to see their different personalities, and to see how they all bonded with one another, particularly Sarah and Annie. I was hoping that the book club might play a more significant role, actually. Maybe it will in the next book in the series.

Another issue that I had with the book was the pacing towards the end, and the lack of resolution at the end. I felt like the book was somewhat unfinished somehow. There are the major events that happened for Annie (I won't say what they are so that I don't spoil them.) Then, it flashes forward to a year later and it doesn't really expand on what's happened to her since then. And I'm one of those people who just has to know what happens to people, especially with issues as serious as these.

Despite the issues I had with the book, I really appreciate its' ability to make me think. It's a great book for women who are on the fence about having kids. It may or may not sway you one way or another but it'll definitely give you an equally clear perspective on both sides of the coin about parenting and what that really entails.

I want to thank WOW Blog Tours for letting me be a part of the tour and allowing me to review this book*

*I received a copy of this book for free in exchange for this honest review.

Special note:

Be sure to check out the contest that Karen is having on her website. Until the end of the tour, October 12, she is holding a giveaway where TEN lucky people can win a copy of  A Whisper to a Scream

ENTER HERE!

A Lovely, Indecent Departure by Steven Lee Gilbert

Title:  A Lovely, Indecent Departure

Author: Steven Lee Gilbert

Publisher: Self Published

Published:  March 23, 2012

Format: Paperback

Pages: 284

Source: Received from the author 

in exchange for an honest review

Read:  September 5-9th 2012

In A Few Words:  Confusing, flat, 

My Rating: 2 Stars

Goodreads: Add This to Your TBR shelf

Goodreads Synopsis. A Lovely, Indecent Departure is the riveting and emotionally-charged debut from a promising new voice in literary thrillers, and a captivating story about a mother’s love and desperation set amidst the heart wrenching landscape of child custody. 

Anna Miller wants only one thing, her son, and she will do anything to keep him. When a district court awards custody of Oliver to his father, she abducts the five year old and flees to Italy where with her family’s help they disappear into the fabric of her native homeland. Told in prose that is both stripped-down and overpowering, Gilbert shapes the everyday conflict of child custody into a stunning search for sense of worth. Standing in the young woman’s way is Evan Meade, the boy’s guileful and mean-spirited father, who hires a private investigator when the efforts of the embattled local sheriff, Monroe Rossi, fail to track them down. But as the investigation draws them all closer to Anna, Evan’s true nature betrays itself and the question of what’s in the child’s best interest becomes not so clear anymore.

Objectively detailed, in a voice that refuses to intrude on the minds of its characters, A Lovely, Indecent Departure, captures in stark detail a world in which modern archetypes are turned upside down and shows what an extraordinary splash Steven Lee Gilbert has made with his first novel

Melissa's Musings:

I'm not really sure quite where to start with A Lovely, Indecent Departure. I wanted to like it, I really did. Unfortunately it just did not work for me at all.

The major problem that I had with this book was that there are no quotation marks around any of the dialogue. None. I know that probably seems like a petty, insignificant thing to have a problem with, but it truly did make a difference in how I read this book. Of course it's easy to tell when people are talking just by the nature of the words, but the quotes make it easier to differentiate, and faster to read. Without them, it's like reading page after page of prose, and it all tends to run together after a while.

Along that same line, some of the sections of the text are in Italian. This wasn't as major a problem for me because most of the time it was indirectly translatable, where you could tell what's being said. Plus, I took 4 years of Spanish in high school, and the two languages are similar enough for me to have gotten most of it. Still, there were certain sections where I missed what was being said entirely and it wasn't translated, so that was a little rough too.

For the most part, the story is decent. I did really feel for Anna and understood why she wanted to take Oliver away. Mainly, it was because Evan was a major A-hole. He is abusive, controlling and in some ways deadly. I won't give away any plot spoilers with him, but lets just say that it's easy not to like him. I would have liked to have known more about Anna and Evan's relationship and why they got together in the first place, or what she saw in him. These things are mentioned in brief snippets, but more background would have created a more urgent situation for why she had to abduct Oliver to Italy. I also would have liked to see more of the story from Olivers' perspective. There were just a few lines here and there and then a chapter at the end. I understood that the story is mainly focused on the adults, but I think Oliver's is a key perspective that was missed in the story.

There's a cute little romance between the sheriff and the town librarian, so that's a nice change of pace from the seriousness, but Monroe's character fell flat for me. I didn't understand what his real role was, because it seems like he wasn't doing much at all and just trying to avoid the situation of Oliver's kidnap altogether. Of course, since the FBI was involved I suppose there wasn't much he could really do, which makes me wonder why his character is so central. I think that his character's chapters could  have been replaced by chapters from the perspective of  Carl Demski, the FBI agent on the case and the story may have worked better.

I have to say that the scenes and parts of the book that describe Italy are really well done. There are a lot of cultural references and descriptions (as well as the use of Italian) that put the reader into the story, so that you almost believe you are in Italy while you're reading. This was a very nice touch.

Overall, the story was nice, but it just didn't suck me in like I was hoping it would. I'd recommend this to anyone who wants to learn a bit more about Italy.

*I received a free copy of this book from the author in exchange for an honest review.*

The Mirror in The River by Dale Lovin-The Reflection is Cloudy at Best

Title: The Mirror in the River

Author: Dale Lovin 

Publisher:  Sunstone Press

Published: November 2011

Format: Paperback

Pages: 260

Source:  Won in a Goodreads Giveaway

Read: August 27-28 2012

In A Few Words:  Not quite suspenseful enough

My Rating: 2 stars

Goodreads: Add To Your TBR List

Goodreads Synopsis:
When a wealthy woman mysteriously disappears near Aspen, Colorado, former FBI Agent Brad Walker finds that his love of fly-fishing in remote mountain areas has planted him directly in the crosshairs of corrupt politicians and a kingpin in the world of human trafficking.

Melissa's Musings:

The premise behind this story seemed like it would be really interesting. Unfortunately, this story fell flat and did not catch me well at all. 

The dialogue in this book is very stiff. It tries really hard to be relaxed, and not forced, but it doesn't work. There's a lot of banter between the various male characters in the story but some of the phrases are just odd and feel out of place. One in particular is "My aching ass" It's used a couple of times, and I think that it could have been more powerful as a different phrasing, simply "My ass" would have worked better.

Plus there were a lot of instances of two different characters repeating the same line, one right after the other. In some cases this can work well but here it got to be old quickly. Exclamation points were also sorely overused in this story.

In addition, there were also a lot of uses of silence in the book, which made it feel like really awkward pauses in a conversation would, and it pulled me right out of the story. For what's supposed to be a suspense novel, I don't think there should have been so much silence.

Even though the dialogue is stiff, the scenery and imagery in the book is really nice. There are a lot of descriptions of nature, and the weather, and it's easy to imagine these scenes, because the main character Brad, is so connected to them. He's always wanting to be out in nature, for him it's a bittersweet environment because he spent a lot of time outdoors with his deceased wife, but at the same time as it pains him to be in it sometimes it replenishes and cleanses him with it's beauty.

The major reason the book fell flat is that to me this just feels like a recap of the author's own experiences as an FBI agent. The terminology he uses is too specific, and feels like things only an agent should or would know about. Plus, the story is too neatly wrapped  because Brad just happens to know each and every law enforcement officer that he needs to contact. There wasn't really any work involved. I didn't ever wonder if they were going to take him seriously or help him, because it's obvious that being old friends, they would.  I didn't really feel for the characters all that much because of this. 

One other thing that didn't work for me were the constant music references. Sometimes, pop culture references work very well, and are perfect for the story or the characters. Here, they just felt like shameless plugs for artists that the author really liked. I got this feeling mainly because it was 2 or three artists and songs that were mentioned numerous times. 

There is a very unique element to this book and that has to be the picture of Brad's wife and the way it is used in the story. He looks at it every day, and it is his favorite picture. When this all begins, he notices that his wife's eyes in the picture change, as though they are communicating with him based on what is going on with the main events in the story. It's a little far-fetched, and it is never mentioned to anyone else in the book, but I thought it was an interesting touch. It's a very unique element.

Overall, this book just didn't work well for me. The suspense wasn't there, because everything was just wrapped up too neatly. There weren't enough near misses, and you just knew that everything would fall exactly in to place no problem. The Mirror in the River didn't reflect well for me. 

Although I didn't care for this book, you may enjoy it.

Has anyone read this? If so, what are your thoughts on it?

*Please note I won this book in a Goodreads giveaway.

Catastrophically Consequential is Catastrophic Alright

Title: Catastrophically Consequential

Author: Stephen C. Bird

Publisher: Hysterical  Dementia

Published: February 16 2012

Format: Paperback

Pages: 152

Source: Won in a Goodreads Giveaway

Read: August 19, 2012

In A Few Words: Weird, Slightly Offensive

My Rating: 1 star

Goodreads:  Add this to your TBR pile

Goodreads Synopsyis:

This prequel-sequel to "Hideous Exuberance" incorporates non-linear plots; comical rants and disturbing inner monologues; stream of consciousness dream sequences; psychedelic, surrealistic scenarios and time-traveling characters.  Revel in the chaotic confusion of sociopathic celebrities, suburban swingers, suicidal trust fund girls, decadent jet setters, D-list standup comics, medieval princesses, sinister passive-aggressive jokers, "Evilangelists", and a host of other lost souls and disreputable, vindictive losers, as they search in vain for metaphysical clarity.

Please refer to the Blog Posting on the Stephen C. Bird Author Profile Page for Quotes from Goodreads Reviews for "Catastrophically Consequential".

Melissa's Musings:

This book is bizarre. Almost as bizarre as The Sugar Frosted Nutsack. Almost. Catastrophically Consequential, at the very least didn't make me want to bang my head into a wall because it basically repeated itself all the way through.

No,  this book had a variable story. But it failed to catch my attention.

It's full of ridiculous puns. Not even clever ones. Just a bunch of words that are misspelled and made to look like they're clever. There are plenty of random name droppings and strange associations too.

And then there's an entire chapter that's written in text-speak. That made me want to gouge out my eyes. And the chapter after that is written in redneck speak. Just as bad.

I understand that the book is supposed to be satirical, but in some spots this was just down right offensive, covered in thinly veiled jokes. I won't go into specifics because I don't want to upset any readers, but I'll just say be warned. There are also some semi-gruesome violent descriptions in this book as well.

It definitely lives up to it's name being that it's catastrophic, but as for consequential, I'm not sure....

I don't even know who I would recommend this to other than someone who likes bizarro fiction, which, I guess I'm learning from reading this, that I don't.

Review: Elemental Magic by Angela Wallace

Title: Elemental Magic

Author:  Angela Wallace

Publisher:  Self Published

Published:   November 19, 2011

Format: E-book

Pages: 250

Source: Provided by the author

in exchange for an honest review

Read: July 27-30

In A Few Words: Magical, fun, romantic

My Rating: 4  Solid Stars

Goodreads: Add it to your to-read shelf

Goodreads Synopsis:
Aileen Donovan is an oceonographer with magical control over the element of water. While her normal focus is on research and fighting poachers, she's about to go up against the stuff of legends, and that's saying something for a supernatural.


A transport ship is missing and everyone’s eager to get their hands on the cargo. No one knows what exactly it is, but when fragments resembling coral begin to drive local residents insane, Aileen suspects a preternatural source. Whatever is at the bottom of the ocean, a power-hungry alchemist wants it, and releases a sea dragon to eat the competition—literally.


Aileen sees this as an opportunity to win the professional recognition she desires, but keeping secrets is complicated when she’s working with local Coast Guard officer Colin Benson. Her sense of love and duty will be put to the test, and when the tide washes out, it might have been better if that lost ship had stayed lost.

Melissa's Musings:

This is another book I've had for a while that I really wish I had gotten to sooner.

The first thing that caught my attention is the fact that there are two Charmed references within the first two pages. If you're a long time reader here at Melissa's Midnight Musings, you know that I  LOVE Charmed. It's my all time favorite  show. So that set the tone for me, and got me thinking, "this is going to be an awesome book."

I was not disappointed. 

For readers who like supernatural creatures and elements, this story has a little bit of everything. There are elementals, sea dragons, nereids,  vampire mutts, spirits/ghosts, and alchemists. 

I have to admit, I haven't read many stories with elementals before, so I wasn't quite sure what to expect. I think that the supernatural elements were explained really clearly, and very descriptively, so it was easy to get caught up in that aspect of the story. There are a lot of different types of supernatural beings in the story, and sometimes that can make things confusing, but in this case it was helpful in terms of the world building and helping you become more invested in the story.

 There was one part about the exposition of the supernatural elements that I didn't like, which was the way the author used quotes around certain phrases like "special power." I think she may have just been trying to ease into the subject of the characters having supernatural powers, but I think that it would have been much more powerful just having been stated on it's own, rather than drawing special attention to it with the quotation marks.

There's a lot of action in the story so the pace is fast, but not too fast. There's also a little bit of romance thrown in as well, so it's not just all action all the time. The buildup of the romance between Aileen and Colin is really nicely done. I could really feel for them, and feel them get closer to one another. It definitely wasn't insta-love which I was grateful for. When they finally connect it's almost a bit of a relief in a way, at least for me it was, because I think I was rooting for Colin all along.

The writing flows really well for the most part. There are a few parts of the dialogue that are a bit stiff, but it's nothing so bad as to take away from the story. There are a lot of well placed pop culture references, (in addition to the Charmed references on the first few pages) Sometimes, a lot of pop culture references can be distracting, but that wasn't the case here.  They each add a bit more description or even a chuckle or two to the storyline.

There's one plot point that I was very curious/confused about, and that was why Aileen was so obsessed with always finding her cell phone or knowing where it is. Maybe I didn't read closely enough, but I don't think I ever read why she is always looking for it. A strange thing to be curious about I know, but I can't help it.

I don't want to spoil the ending, but lets just say that this book definitely leaves you curious to know what'll happen for these characters next. I know I'm very curious.

I'd recommend this to anyone who loves reading about magic and supernatural creatures, or who's looking for a fun read.

Double Review and Giveaway! The Legend of Mickey Tussler and Sophomore Campaign by Frank Nappi

Title :  The Legend  of Mickey Tussler (Mickey Tussler #1)

Author:  Frank Nappi

Publisher: Sky Pony Press

Published: April 1 2012 

Format: Paperback

Pages:  304

Source: Received from the author/publisher

in exchange for an honest review

Read: June 28-July 4

My Rating: 4 stars

In A Few Words:   Well Rounded, 

Reads like being at a ball game

Goodreads:  Add it to your To-read Shelf

Goodreads Synopsis:

In the late 1940s, the minor league Milwaukee Brewers are foundering yet again and manager Arthur Murphy is desperate. When he sees seventeen-year old Mickey Tussler throwing apples into a barrel, he knows he has found the next pitching phenom. But not everyone is so hopeful. Mickey 's autism a disorder still not truly understood even today has alienated the boy from the world, and he is berated by other players and fans. Mickey faces immense trials in the harsh and competitive world of baseball while coping with the challenges inherent to his disorder. An honest and knowledgeable book about overcoming adversity, and the basis for the television movie A Mile in His Shoes, Mickey 's powerful story shows that with support and determination anyone can be triumphant, even when the odds are stacked against him.(less)

Melissa's Musings:


The Legend of Mickey Tussler has a little bit of everything for everyone, which makes it enjoyable for a broad range of people. There's a little bit of romance, jealousy, rivalry, sportsmanship, friendship and the list could go on.

My experience with stories rooted in baseball has been more of a historical, fact based relationship rather than a fictional one. I like both styles, but reading The Legend of Mickey Tussler was more enjoyable because I got to experience so many different elements. The book really explores the inner workings of a baseball team and how the different personalities can come together to make the team work, (and how they clash.) The code of baseball was something new, or at least something that I noticed more in reading this novel. There are certain things you just don't do to your teammates, and if you do, expect consequences.

This book was thoroughly enjoyable. The flow of the story is absolutely perfect. To me, it was a perfect mimic of the flow of a baseball game. There were  moments of suspense, when you'd be reading with bated breath to find out what the character's next move would be. This was particularly poignant in terms of Molly and Murphy's relationship. It's obvious right off the bat that they have feelings for one another. Nappi does an excellent job of building up their relationship slowly, making it so that you want to root for them, and you want them to be together, but it's not overdone. In fact, there were times when I wished the story would get back to focusing on them because I was so eager to see what would happen between them.

I also really appreciated Nappi's portrayal of Mickey. I have never read a portrayal of someone with autism that is quite so honest, and, I'm not quite sure how to say this, flows so easily and doesn't seem stiff or straightforward like they're just portraying the symptoms of autism based on the textbook definitions. I've also never read a historical fiction piece that portrays someone with autism, all the fictional accounts of characters with Autism that I've read have been contemporary pieces.
 I could clearly see the story from Mickey's perspective, he was what pulled me into the story. He's such a good person, who wants to be part of something, and wants to help. He's a very strong character, especially for the fact of how his father treats him. It's horrible treatment, to say the very least, but Mickey tries not to dwell on it, he mainly focuses on the positive things in his life, which is a good thing for anyone who's experienced abuse like he has.

There was only one part of this book that I was left wondering about in particular and that has to do with the fact that there wasn't a lot of detail given about what happened to Mickey after a particularly important event (don't want to spoil it for anyone). I would have liked to see more of an explanation of that part of the story.

Title:  Sophomore Campaign

Author: Frank Nappi

Publisher:  Sky Pony Press

Published: April 1 2012

Format: Paperback

Pages: 285

Source: Received from the Author/Publisher

in  exchange for an honest review

Read: July 7-9

My Rating:  4 stars

In  A Few Words:  Powerful and poignant

Goodreads: Add it to your to-read shelf;

Goodreads Synopsis:

It 's 1949 and eighteen-year-old pitching phenom Mickey Tussler is back with the rejuvenated minor league Brewers in the sequel to The Legend of Mickey Tussler (the basis for the television movie A Mile in His Shoes). Despite Mickey 's proclamation that he will never play baseball again after last season 's violent conclusion, his manager and now surrogate father Arthur Murphy cajoles the emotionally fragile, socially awkward boy with autism into giving it another shot. Mickey reluctantly returns to the field and must once again cope with the violence and hatred around him. When a young African American player joins the team, the entire team is subjected to racial threats and episodes of violence, one of which Mickey witnesses firsthand. Struggling to understand such ugliness and hatred, and fearful of reprisal should he tell anyone about what he has seen, the boy 's performance on the field suffers. Mickey now must deal with a side of human nature he scarcely comprehend

I also had the pleasure of being able to read Sophomore Campaign as I was lucky enough to be sent both books for review.

The Sophomore Campaign packs just as much of a punch as The Legend of Mickey Tussler did, in both similar and much different ways.

In the beginning of the novel we see Mickey still struggling with the aftermath of last years seasons and the events that happened to him in particular. In addition, Murph is struggling too, reeling from last seasons  events and also trying to keep his job. But he always has ideas up his sleeve.  The team is struggling internally, as Boxcar, their catcher is struggling to fight off illness. Murph has to do something, so he goes scouting and finds the perfect catcher. The only thing is, he doesn't get the best reception...

Mickey struggles a lot in this book because there are many things he doesn't understand, particularly the racial issues that come up when Lester Sledge comes onto the team. These racial issues are intense. There's a lot of graphic name calling and some disturbing scenes and events.

As intense as these scenes are  I do have to commend Mr. Nappi for the way that he handled these. The scenes were powerful and well written. I also greatly appreciated the authors note at the beginning of the novel that explains the reasoning for the use of harsh language and the depiction of certain themes as necessary to the story and the warning that they may be offensive to some readers. Not many books dealing with the themes that are present in this story have such warnings and it was just refreshing to see.

In addition to the powerful exploration of racial issues in the 1940's there's also more romance between Murph and Molly, which I loved reading about. It's so straightforward, and easy. Murph and Molly fit together so well.

There's also exploration of the team coming together, as they struggle with their own beliefs and feelings, and ultimately decide whether or not they truly are a family. I don't want to give too much away in terms of the ending of the book or too many details because I think that it's just such an awesome book that you'll want to check it out, but I will say that I'm excited to see what will come next for all of these wonderful characters, and I'm thrilled that I got the opportunity to read these books.

I would recommend these to anyone who enjoys baseball, and powerful, poignant stories.

And now, I'd like to give you the opportunity to read these as well! I have so generously been offered the  chance by the author/publisher  to give TWO lucky readers a set of both The Legend of Mickey Tussler AND Sophomore Campaign.

Each reader will receive paperback copies of both books and they will be autographed

This giveaway will be limited to US entrants only (Sorry International readers!)

Rules for this Giveaway:

Giveaway is limited to US only

Please be sure you review the Terms and Conditions located on the Rafflecopter form

There are no mandatory entries for this giveaway, do as many or as few as you like

You DO NOT have to be a follower of Melissa's Midnight Musings to enter, but anyone who does choose to follow is appreciated.

All entries will be verified

Any false entries will be removed

Winners will be contacted by email within 72 hours of the end of the giveaway

All winners will have 48 hours from the time their notification email is sent to respond, before a new winner will be chosen.

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Review: The Sugar Frosted Nutsack by Mark Leyner

Title: The Sugar Frosted Nutsack

Author: Mark Leyner

Publisher: Little, Brown and Company

Published: March 26 2012

Format: Hardcover

Source: Won from Goodreads

First Reads

Read: July 17-23

In A Few Words: Utterly ridiculous and bizarre

My rating: 1 star

Goodreads: Add it to your to-read shelf

Goodreads  Snyopsis: High above the bustling streets of Dubai, in the world's tallest and most luxurious skyscraper, reside the gods and goddesses of the modern world. Since they emerged 14 billion years ago from a bus blaring a tune remarkably similar to the Mister Softee jingle, they've wreaked mischief and havoc on mankind. Unable to control their jealousies, the gods have splintered into several factions, led by the immortal enemies XOXO, Shanice, La Felina, Fast-Cooking Ali, and Mogul Magoo. Ike Karton, an unemployed butcher from New Jersey, is their current obsession.

Ritualistically recited by a cast of drug-addled bards, THE SUGAR FROSTED NUTSACK is Ike's epic story. A raucous tale of gods and men confronting lust, ambition, death, and the eternal verities, it is a wildly fun, wickedly fast gambol through the unmapped corridors of the imagination.

Melissa's Musings:

I don't even know how to begin this review. First off, let me tell you that this book is one of the most ridiculous, pointless things I have ever read.

The first thirty pages talk over and over about various gods who are in charge of random things, like chicken tenders and fibromyalgia, and who are all in some sort of weird lust competition with each other. Honestly, I don't know why I even kept going beyond the first 30 pages.

As you read, you learn about XOXO another god, who secretly is trying to sabotage this whole epic story, by inscribing on your brain whatever it is that he wants you to know. (Where the epic of it is, I honestly don't know. I'm not being snide or snarky here either, it's just the fact that this 'story' makes no sense.)

The story then gets into the background of Ike Karton, a strange man from New Jersey, who already knows that he's going to be assassinated in a week's time by some secret militant group.

Honestly, I don't even know what to say about this. It resembles the ramblings of a highly schizophrenic person. If not that then another way I could describe it would be to say that maybe it's someone on a bad acid trip or something. The main character Ike, smokes highly potent gravy, (not a code word for drugs here, it's actually described as normal brown gravy) throughout the book, so the bad trip theory is at least feasible.


I don't know if the author was trying to be somehow philosophical or deep with all of this mumbo jumbo and these random references, and just failed miserably, or if it was just supposed to be funny. Also a big fail there, by the way.

 It's described in weird  fits and starts that really make no sense and seem to have no real connection to each other. There's A LOT  of name dropping, particularly famous name dropping. There's probably well over 100 famous people mentioned.  Since Ike has a list of celebrities that he hates, maybe this is the authors personal celebrity dislike list?

The fact that the book is so repetitive really made me want to bang my head against the wall. I put this down several times because I just couldn't take the nonsense. I would give you an example, but I don't even want to open this book and read any of it again, it's that strange. Just trust me when I say it'll give you a headache.


One of the definitions of insanity is : a foolish or senseless, action, statement, policy, etc. Let me tell you this book is full of insane statements. Some people say that the definition of insanity is doing the same thing over and over again and expecting different results. In this case it would be reading the same thing over and over and expecting something different to happen the next time you read it. Maybe that means I'm insane for reading this book, I don't know.


This book only made me laugh once. And the joke wasn't even all that funny. I won't ruin it, but I will tell you that it has to do with Dick Van Dyke.


At this point you're probably wondering why I even finished the book. For one, I hate not finishing books. For another thing, I was really hoping this book would redeem itself somehow. Maybe there would be some deeper meaning, some lesson to be taken away from it. (If there was one, I didn't find it.)


Plus, I'd never read anything by Mark Leyner before, and I heard he's really funny. But, I guess his sense of humor is the kind that you "just get" or you don't. It appears that I'm in the "don't get it" group. I might try another one of his books at some point in the future but that won't be anytime soon.


That's what I get for picking the books with the quirky titles I guess.


I'd recommend this to anyone who's looking for a challenge, or who might like a lot of random name dropping in their books. Just a warning to anyone who might read this, there's some language that might be offensive and a lot of sexual references.


Has anybody else out there read this? If so what did you think of it?

Dark Passage (Chosen#1) Review and Giveaway!

Title: Dark Passage (Chosen #1)
Author: M.L. Woolley

Publisher: Self Published

Published: March 20 2012

Format: E-book

Pages: 309

Source: Received from the Author 

in exchange for an honest review

Read: June 6-19th

My Rating: A solid  3 stars

In A Few Words:  Mysterious and intriguing

Goodreads: Add it to your "to-read" shelf

Goodreads Synopsis:

Jen hides in a rundown mansion when her life falls apart, has vivid experiences with a beautiful male entity who longs to be her soulmate, and must choose reality of living or dead. Her childhood friend Ivy 19, from a rough past, can communicate with the dead, and other supernatural gifts emerge. Ivy will resist the evil that would separate the lovers. 


“With one final glance behind her, Jen urged her horse forward, and toward the safety of the mountains. Her heart was heavy and she immediately thought of the other realm. Her hope was that they were aware of what had happened and would help. Chaos was already breaking out; and the world was in danger of slipping back to a time of great darkness, reminiscent of the Middle Ages.

Melissa's Musings:


Let me start off by saying that although this book was a bit difficult for me to fully engage in at the beginning, it did redeem itself,  and I'm very glad to have read it.

The book starts off with Jen, a woman who is planning her escape from an abusive husband who treats her horribly. The only place she feels happy and safe, is in her dreams, with Bill, a man who she feels is her soulmate. We then find out that Bill is in a coma, and that his only remaining family member is trying to have him pulled off of life support. What follows is Jen's journey to escape from her husband, with the help of her friend Ivy. They also become involved in something much bigger than both of them could have imagined.

Ivy has discovered that she has mystical powers and that she is destined to help the White Ones in their battle. Jen has fallen in love with Bill, a Hafling, even though for most of the story she can only see him in her dreams

There are a lot of interesting elements to this story. It's got a little bit of everything. The battle between good and evil, demons, angels, magical powers, and a love story. Who could ask for anything more?

This book has several positives, and just a few rough edges.

As I mentioned before, it did take me a while to get into this book. I think that this was partly due to the fact that the perspectives switched without much warning, and some of the explanation of the action was done after the fact rather than before the switch. The good thing about the switches in perspective though, is that it felt to me like both Jen and Ivy got equal "screen" time. ( I know it's not a movie but I'm not quite sure what else to call it..."page time" I guess?) So, in that respect it felt like there were two main characters, which was really neat. It made it feel like they were more of a team and that they will be stronger together when they have to face what's to come.

I have to also mention one technical aspect of the writing, that, while engaging, was a little bit difficult to get used to. A lot of the time there were descriptions that were what I would call a bit wordy. In the explanations of key events or beautiful surroundings, these were excellent and descriptive. But in other spots, like in basic dialogue or background setting, these overly lengthy descriptions got to be a bit stifling and detracted from the story. I like strong descriptions to be sure, but in some places I feel that making some cuts could have made the story flow more smoothly and made the dialogue less stiff. 

The story is interesting enough though that it's easy to move past the stiff dialogue.

I also wanted to mention that I enjoyed the simplicity of Bill and Jen's romance. It's simple, sweet and natural. There are no overly exaggerated declarations of passion or complicated back and forth of whether or not they really care for each other. It's a refreshing break from some of the romance sequences I've encountered in my reads over the last few months.

I have always enjoyed books that have to do with magic, demons, witches, paranormal and supernatural elements. At the beginning of the story it didn't seem like there was going to be much of strong role for the magic/supernatural elements so I was a bit disappointed. But, during the last quarter of the story, the magic element was explored further, which I was really happy to see. I have a feeling magic is going to play a much greater role in the next book in the series. I'm excited to see what will happen next.

I also enjoyed the fact that the author included a preview of book two at the end of this book. While I had some trouble getting pulled in right away with this first book, the small preview of book two had no trouble catching my attention with it's action packed first scenes. I know just from that small glimpse that I'd be drawn right into book two.

I would recommend this to anyone who likes supernatural/paranormal themes, love stories, and history.

I would also like to thank the author for the opportunity to read, and share her work with my readers.

And now for the Giveaway!

M.L. Woolley has very generously offered  2 paperback copies of Dark Passage as well as 20 E-copies. The paperback copies will be limited to US followers only but the ecopies are open to US and International 

readers alike.

For This Giveaway:

There is only 1 mandatory entry and that is to tell me whether you are a US or International reader.

The rest of the entries are entirely optional, do as many or as few as you like!
Please be sure you have reviewed the Terms and Conditions at the bottom of the rafflecopter form.

You DO NOT have to be a follower of Melissa's Midnight Musings to win (though I appreciate anyone who chooses to follow)

All entries will be verified

Any false entries will be removed 

Winners will be contacted by email within 72 hours of the end of the giveaway.

Winners will have 48 hours from the time their notification email is sent to reply before a new winner is chosen.

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Strike: The Hero From the Sky-An awesomely adventurous read

How I received this book: The book was provided to me by the author in exchange for an honest review.

Read: From April 22-24th

My Rating: A solid 4 stars

I would describe this novel in a few words as: Electrifyingly adventurous.

Goodreads Synopsis:  

Tobin Lloyd's life is perfect: he's a senior at Bridgton High, he's one of the funniest kids in school, and his only worry is whether or not his latest prank is going to result in yet another detention.

But when he wakes up in the world of Capricious, a place where superheroes are real and attacks by super-villains are just another hassle of living in the city, all of that changes. Suddenly, Tobin's last year of high school is not going as he expected.

Far from home and pretty sure he's gone insane, Tobin must join a strange group of companions (including a beer-drinking dog and a genius, three-foot-tall robot) as he desperately tries to find a way back to Earth. However, that may be even harder than Tobin knows: a mysterious super-villain named Vincent Harris has big plans for the planet Earth...and Tobin is the only person standing in his way.

A carefree, C-student class clown is the world's last hope? Yikes.

Full of action and adventure, STRIKE: THE HERO FROM THE SKY is the perfect novel for anyone who loves a good adventure.(less)

Melissa's Musings:

This book is an awesome adventure. You're pulled in from the very first line. The opening is somewhat mysterious, and grabs you, making you want to find out more. 

After the initial pull, the story gives slight background of Tobin's life, that of a typical teenager with a bad case of senioritis. Tobin doesn't seem to know exactly what he wants to do in life, but a phone call demanding that he come help a distressed woman changes all of that. Tobin is thrust into a confusing world of strange creatures and superheroes. The real question is, will he be able to handle it all?

One of the aspects that I was most pleased with in this story is that the character dialogue in this story is very realistic and flows smoothly. In some of my latest reviews this has been a sticking point, so I was very happy to read "real characters" The language isn't forced or stiff. The kids use abbreviations, and slang. 

The plot flows together nicely. Events happen at a quick pace, like you would expect from an adventure, but not so fast as it doesn't seem real. And in a story about superheroes, you've got to keep it real enough for it not to be campy. I originally thought it might end up being cheesy, but it's not. The fact that Tobin is real makes you feel for him, connect with him. It's the fact that he is a kid with doubts and hesitations. A kid who doesn't just jump into the role of a superhero like it's the normal thing to do, because of the cool super powers.All these things are what keeps the story grounded.

 While I was reading, I kept thinking to myself that this was somehow like a live action comic book without all the cool pictures of course. But, through Wood's descriptive imagery, I could see the pictures that might accompany it in my head, which is awesome. I love being carried so far into a story that I can imagine it for myself.

  

One of the elements that really helps draw the reader in  is the authors use of color. I'm a real stickler for details like this to help bring me into the story. When Tobin first arrives in Capricious, he wakes up to find himself lying on blue grass, under a yellow sky, with pink clouds in it. And he's being chased by a blood-red dinosaur. In one of the action sequences, they're surrounded by purple fire. I think it's the fact that Wood uses unusual colors for these objects that helps the events resonate. Clouds, grass, sky these are all normal things, but the colors help carry you away into this alternate world.

While there was great action, and realistic dialogue, not everything was perfect. I was slightly disappointed by the character development. Orion and Tobin, two of the main characters were really well developed. I felt that the rest of the supporting characters weren't developed enough. Interestingly, the characters with the more unique names I found myself wondering about their role in the story, and if they were truly key players. I'm hoping that this will be addressed in the next books in the series.  

Overall, this was an excellent read. If you're looking for a great adventure with a superhero twist, this is it. I'm excited to read the next books from this author.

What would you do if you were being chased by a blood-red dinosaur and later found out you were the  world's next superhero? What would your superhero power be? 

Mine would be lightning speed. 

Review: Dirk Danger Loves Life

Disclaimer: This review contains some personal insights that are less than "typical" of other book reviews. I apologize if anyone is offended by the opinions contained in this review.

Rating: 5/5

Read from December 29-Jan 1

This book is absolutely amazing. I got it as an ARC win from a Goodreads Giveaway. The giveaway was in July and I haven't read this until now, for who knows what reason. All I can say is that I really wish that I had gotten to it a lot sooner. This author is new to me, and as far as I know, this is his first novel. It is hilarious, and yet still serious. It had me laughing, and pondering, all within a few pages. Any book that makes you laugh and yet still manages to make you think is excellent.

The first line of the novel is "I suck at life." Doesn't that just grab at you? It made me laugh, and yet at the same time I found myself thinking, "I know that feeling."

It opens on the main character, later to be named Cheeseball who's down on his luck. He happens to call a number he sees on a flyer 555-CHUB and from there he becomes  entangled with Dirk Danger. Dirk Danger is quite the eccentric guy, who at first seems quirky and maybe slightly off, but he grows on you. He sets Cheeseball straight, teaches him a few life lessons and sends him on his way.

At first you may  think that Dirk is just there for comic relief, but there are a lot of layers to Dirk that make him a wonderfully well rounded character. Throughout the novel I found myself wishing that I had a Dirk Danger in my life to help me sort things out.
There are lots of layers to Cheeseball as well and it's fun to see them explored and to watch his growth.

This novel is full of fun word play. One of my favorite examples is that of the menu selections on pages 64-67. The name of the restaurant is Dave's Heavy Artillery and Bakery: Because War is as Common as Sliced Bread

The menu selections all sound delicious and fun at the same time. Just for fun, I'll put together a meal I would have if I were to go there.

First I'd have a salad, the Tossed Greenpeace [We take a traditional green salad and add a violent explosion of fruit flavor! We tossed in some field berries to freak the establishment a little.]Then I'd have the Donair Strike, because donairs are delicious! [Tender, spiced donair meat and vegetables drizzled with tzatziki sauce and wrapped in a thick pita. We recommend the Achilles Heel Salad as a side] although I'd have the Nobel Peace Fries as my side.  And to drink, I'd have a coke.

And finally, for dessert, I'd have the Lenin Meringue Pie [Our revolutionary signature dessert with our patented meringue recipe! Each piece is crafted to perfection and drizzled with a bright Red strawberry sauce]

Doesn't that just sound delicious?

This novel is also  full of awesome metaphor and simile examples.  It also made me think about wordplay in a way that I hadn't before. You'll see what I mean when you get to chapter 10.
Plus , there are conversations with eggs, and cigarettes. Those were probably some of my favorite sections.

In addition to the humor and wordplay this made me think about a variety of issues, that many of us ponder, like making our mark on the world, and how we can keep life interesting.

There were also very interesting comparisons between Canadian and US culture that were very relevant to me personally as I have lived in both the US and Canada.The passage below struck a chord for me and got me thinking about my personal experiences over the last year and a half.This passage illustrates these comparisons really well.

                      "We get so much of our media from the States that we don't really know, or aren't really able to discern, what info is coming from where. When the Tragically Hip are played next to some American rock band on Much Music we assume that they must get the same stuff down there that we do up here. Totally not the case. The Americans keep the foreign influence out, but they send whatever they can of themselves. We take things in, send little out,  and become confused as to what it really means to be Canadian when we realize that after so much has been let in, Canadian culture is something of a chameleon. We're like one great shrug."

There are parts of this that I agree with and parts that I don't wholly agree with, but that's just me.

As an American, I sometimes  found myself somewhat lacking in "culture." But  it can be hard to pinpoint your own culture when you live there, you know? When people would ask, What do you think is culturally "American?" I wouldn't be able to answer. But now I realize that Rothe has a good point. American culture is contained (in my opinion) in what America sends out. In sitcoms, and music, and other media. And in lots of other things too, but I don't want to list them all.

In regards  to the authors view on Canadian culture, Canada does take a lot in, but that's one of the things I love most about Canada. They are very diverse, and accepting. It may seem to some like they are one big shrug, as Rothe describes it, but there are cultural elements that people don't get to see unless they've been here that are genuinely "Canadian" The one thing I disagree with in the passage is that Canadians are confused about what it means to be Canadian. Far from it.

Canadians are distinct and unique. They have a proud sense of themselves, and their nation. They are uniquely patriotic.  They are accepting and diverse, and really polite! (I have to admit the degree of politeness took some getting used to!)


Please note , my views on Canada aren't exclusive. I know that people in the US are all these same things, polite, patriotic etc. There are just subtle nuances between the two that I can't quite put into words. I love the US and Canada, both. I was born  in the U.S. and that will always be my home no matter where I am in the world, but Canada is like a second home to me, and both countries hold a special place in my heart.

I did not intend for this review to stray so much, and I do apologize if anyone was offended by my views,  but it's just a sign of how much this book resonated with me.

There's so much I could say about this book. It's a great read and hilariously funny, and I can't wait to see what comes next from Chris Rothe.

The best thing it made me wonder has to be, why don't I ever get good ideas for stories when I'm doing the dishes?

*Important note: As my copy was an Advanced Review Copy I did check with the publisher to make sure the passages I quoted were accurate  and that it was permissible for me to use them.