Tag Archives: Humor

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The Handbook

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The story begins at a leisurely pace, introducing the main characters individually, but gains momentum when Nikki and Derek meet. While some characters are mere stereotypes, they serve to advance the plot effortlessly. More classroom interactions would have been preferable, as the main characters, particularly the teacher, often end up clubbing instead.

Nikki Sloan, after being dumped by her long-term boyfriend, spirals downward, despite the relationship not being right for her. As she starts to recover, a disastrous date sends her plunging back into despair. Discovering a notebook claiming to transform her into the ultimate seductress, she embarks on a journey to gain confidence and power.

Derek Anderson, a professor rumored to be involved with his students, finds himself coerced into taking over another instructor’s classes when the dean hears of his alleged affairs. This twist of fate brings him and Nikki together. Derek, who prides himself on bachelorhood, begins to see the potential for change.

Initially, Nikki appears immature, but she matures significantly as she follows the notebook’s advice. Derek, too, starts off seeming juvenile but reveals deeper layers. Although this genre isn’t my usual preference, I find these stories quite engaging and am open to exploring more.

This book should appeal to anyone who enjoys a heartfelt romance with a guaranteed happy ending.

My rating: 🌟🌟🌟🌟

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Christmas Bizarre

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I had an extremely hard time getting into this book from the very beginning. The characters were not very interesting and did not evoke much of a response from me. It just didn’t work for me on any level and left me not really caring about any of them very much. Maybe I will try another book at some time but this was not the one.

Mina Kitchen is a forty-something single who seems to find trouble. She has weird luck and her cat is even weirder.

I did not have a lot to say about this because well, because.

My rating: ⍟⍟

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A Ghost in the Glamour

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When I found the Elemental Mysteries I thought things could not get any better but then this author just kept throwing me new and different stories and characters who I fell in love with. This is definitely the case with Linx and Bogie which I started reading in Elizabeth Hunters news letters and hoped for and finally got something much longer. This is a fun duo who are very different form each other but mesh perfectly. This book contains 3 super short stories which kind of lay out how things began with the final story being longer and giving some background on our ghost. The mystery is light but very workable.

Linx Maxwell has had a the ghost of a grown man attached to her since she was an eighth grader and often wishes that he would go away. The Maxwell women are known on both sides of the veil as powerful mediums and each has a specialty when it comes to spirits. Linx just wants to be normal and able to pursue her art without all the supernatural hoopla.

Frank ‘Bogie’ Bogle was a Los Angeles homicide detective who died in the 1950’s. Though everyone knew about the Maxwell women he never expected to become attached to the youngest and by far strangest of the family. He has no idea why or how he became attached to her and certainly has no idea of how to end the attachment.

Fourteen years later and they are still attached. The art career Linx has always wanted seems about to take off but she still has Bogie with her and that means she sometimes gets sucked into investigating crimes instead of painting. But this time the case is more personal and she may be able to lose that extra baggage if things go right.

The characters are wonderful and colorful. They make you want to know more about their lives. This is a fun quick read with a mystery thrown in that may not be deep but can keep you guessing and on your toes. I wholeheartedly recommend this book. Enjoy!

My rating: 🌟🌟🌟🌟

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Murder in Christmas River

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Murder in Christmas River
(Christmas River #1)
by Meg Muldoon 

I have never read Meg Muldoon before but am glad I gave this one a read. I found that I like Christmas River, it is a town that may not have a lot going for it but it does have a unique identity. The characters are a little vague this time around but I can see that they have the potential to become very well rounded and interesting. The murder mystery is good but because you do not have enough insight into the characters it makes any clues dropped not that effective. But once again I can see the effort and hope for it to get stronger as the series continues. I liked the way it starts with the dogs point of view, he makes things interesting.

The main judge of the Gingerbread Junction Competition is murdered and the body is found in the woods behind Cinnamon Peters shop. The dog that had been coming to her shop for a while was trying to get her attention. It seems that someone may have it in for Cinnamon since she seems the most likely to have killed the judge who never had anything good to say about entries in the competition.

Daniel Brightman returns to town just in time for a murder investigation. He had known Cinnamon when she was a 16 yr old and after kissing her and promising to call he disappeared from her life. Now he is back and brought to her back door by the dog she has been feeding. Can he help her when suspicion turns her way?

My rating: 4 of 5 stars

My hometown has become a novelty. A place of forced smiles and customer satisfaction. Of little old ladies dressing up as Mrs. Claus and trying to sell you something. Of capitalizing and merchandising the magic of the season year round.

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Oliver and Jumpy 37-39

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oliver and jumpy 37-39Oliver and Jumpy, Stories 37-39 (Oliver and Jumpy, the Cat Series, Book 13): Cat and kangaroo picture book series with bedtime stories for children
by Werner Stejskal

 

The illustrations are nicely done and something that children would really like because they can easily identify the animals represented. The story line is simple but not so simple that a child would find it not worth reading/listening to. The characters are upbeat and seem to have a good time with each other. There are subtle lessons to be learned about friendship and helping others.

I do not have any young children but the ones in my home said that would have liked this when they were younger. Because of this I would recommend for young children.

 

My rating: 4 of 5 stars

 

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Death Ain’t But A Word

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death ain't but a wordDeath Ain’t But A Word: A Supernatural Hot Mess
by Zander Marks

 

I had heard a lot of good things about this book before I got it and I will say that they were all justified. Now, it starts off a little slowly as it establishes who and what the characters are in relation to each other. And though we meet quite a few different characters they are not all fully fleshed out with a background and such though they still have a vital purpose in the story. The ebb and flow of the story was good and made understanding what was going on and why very easy to follow. Though some might not be able to always follow the conversations, the use of slang is limited and mostly explained when it is used. The idea behind this was just so delicious to me and I guess I could not help but like it, it spoke to me very loudly.

Wilkin Jones is a crackhead but he is so much more than just that and he wishes that he were not. It has been twenty-three years since his best friend disappeared and was presumed dead, but he has kept in touch off and on with him over the years. When the killer comes back and wants to clean up after himself, Wilkin finds that he is in the middle of something that could cause him to step over into the veil for good. He has fought who he really is for years but now he may not be able to do that any longer if he wants to survive.

The thought of a crackhead being the main focus was intriguing to me and it proved to be very entertaining. I found myself smiling a lot while reading this as well as getting a bit weepy at times. Wilkin is a likable guy who I can see myself knowing in real life. Some of these characters remind me of people from my old neighborhood and they were mostly good folks who just fell. I would recommend this to everyone! A different kind of ghost story that brings things into the light.

 

 

My rating: 4 of 5 stars

“Don’t you DARE try that goo-goo-eyed force-be-with-you Obi-Wan Kenobi bullshit with me. I know what time it is. Ain’t about me. I’m a crackhead gonna die behind a Dumpster, nobody miss me when I do. Fuck that. This about him. He don’t deserve this. After all he been through, he do not deserve this. So cut the crap right now. Right now! And don’t piss on my leg and tell me it be raining, ’cause you coulda stopped it. You let it happen. You knew all along, and you were wrong for that. So fuck you and don’t hand me no light saber and play some bitch-ass Yoda. I AIN’T HAVING IT!”

 

 

 

 

Graph

 

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Bell, Book, and Sandals

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bell,book, and sandals  Bell, Book, and Sandals (Maxie Duncan #1)
by Melissa L. Webb

 

This was a fun little story with a girl who was annoying but seemed to grow a bit. The characters were fairly real to life because I really disliked Maxie when she started acting all stuck up and that type of dislike is reserved for someone I can relate to. The story got me interested and kept me interested to the very end with a few twists I did not see coming.

Maxie is a little rich girl who thought she was going to have the perfect little rich life. Then her fiancée dumps her just weeks before their wedding for a nobody girl named Sunday. Unhappy and just wanting to get away she runs to Hollywood thinking that she can become an actress, even though she has never acted a day in her life, and that she will become famous. Well, that is not the case and she ends up having to actually work for the first time in her life. She is lucky enough to find someone who offers her a place to live and a job.

When she meets Ryan, a real movie star and starts a relationship with him she starts to turn her back on the people who took her in and helped her. Thinking that she is meant for better things than simply working for a living. But there are things she does not know about Ryan or herself for that matter. When she finds out things are going to change in ways she could not have seen.

I got into this story and the characters and was hoping for more, but have been unable to find the next book.

 

 

My rating: 4 f 5 Stars

 

 

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Turn Coat

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turn coat

Turn Coat (The Dresden Files #11)

by Jim Butcher (Author) James Marsters (Narrator)
  I have been enjoying listening to the books after reading them a few years ago. James Marsters has brought so much life to the characters that I cannot imagine any other voice as that of Dresden. He gives a true vibrancy and personality to each of the characters which distinguishes them from one another. The stories have continued to evolve from that first introduction to the wizard and his world. Things can sometimes drag a little, but it is never for long and always picks up.

Morgan has been the bane of Harry Dresden’s life since he was a 16 year old kid hauled before the White Council for the crime of killing with magic. When Morgan finds himself on the other side of the good graces of the Council he goes to the one person who you would expect to laugh in his face and send him to his fate. But that is not how Harry operates, he believes Morgan when he says he is innocent, and at the risk of his own life sets out to prove that innocence.

A well written ride through the world of Harry and all those creatures, friend and foe,  who inhabit it. This is a good one!

My rating: 5 of 5 stars
“You’re in America now,” I said. “Our idea of diplomacy is showing up with a gun in one hand and a sandwich in the other and asking which you’d prefer.”
― Jim Butcher, Turn Coat
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White Knight

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white night

White Night (The Dresden Files #9)

by Jim Butcher (Author), James Marsters (Narrator)
This is just another wild ride with the only practicing wizard in Chicago. The writing is always lively and descriptive giving a great look at both the characters and surroundings. The story is tight and flows perfectly. I love to listen because James Marsters is Harry Dresden and pulls me in as soon as he starts talking.

Harry has been drafted by the White Council as a Warden and is actually having to deal with them and look out for his territory. It just so happens that women, witches are being killed and or disappearing and he has no idea until Murphy clues him in. Molly is pushing hard to be included even though she has no experience. And to top it off many people believe he is the killer because a tall man in a grey cloak has been seen with the victims.

Dresden fans will enjoy this!

My rating: 5 of 5 stars
I am a super fan of Harry!
“What is the point of having free will if one cannot occasionally spit in the eye of destiny?”
― Jim Butcher, White Night
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Proven Guilty

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Proven Guilty

Proven Guilty (The Dresden Files #8)

by Jim Butcher, James Marsters (Narrator)

Another good Dresden book with characters we have not seen for a while as he avoided them. The story continues to evolve and his relationships continue to deepen and shift as he learns to deal with family. The characters themselves continue to grow and add new facets to their personalities.

Harry is tasked with contacting the Sidhe to find out why they are not helping with the fight against the Reds when they have violated their land. He is further given information that someone is using black magic in his town and that he needs to handle it. What he finds out about both situations brings him into contact with both the Summer Lady, Winter Lady, and Molly Carpenter. Molly is the wrench in the ointment because he has been trying to avoid her father and now he has no more excuses. As usual he is going to have to fight to save not only himself but his friends.

James Marsters continues to give life and breath to these characters, especially Harry Dresden, he has made him very real. Love it!

My rating: 4 of 5 stars
“I don’t care about whose DNA has recombined with whose. When everything goes to hell, the people who stand by you without flinching–they are your family.”
― Jim Butcher, Proven Guilty

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