Anxious People A Novel by Fredrik Backman ~ Book Review

Book Description: 

A poignant, charming novel about a crime that never took place, a would-be bank robber who disappears into thin air, and eight extremely anxious strangers who find they have more in common than they ever imagined

Looking at real estate isn't usually a life-or-death situation, but an apartment open house becomes just that when a failed bank robber bursts in and takes a group of strangers hostage. The captives include a recently retired couple who relentlessly hunt down fixer-uppers to avoid the painful truth that they can't fix up their own marriage. There's a wealthy banker who has been too busy making money to care about anyone else and a young couple who are about to have their first child but can't seem to agree on anything, from where they want to live to how they met in the first place. Add to the mix an eighty-seven-year-old woman who has lived long enough not to be afraid of someone waving a gun in her face, a flustered but still-ready-to-make-a-deal real estate agent, and a mystery man who has locked himself in the apartment's only bathroom, and you've got the worst group of hostages in the world.

Each of them carries a lifetime of grievances, hurts, secrets, and passions that are ready to boil over. None of them is entirely who they appear to be. And all of them—the bank robber included—desperately crave some sort of rescue. As the authorities and the media surround the premises, these reluctant allies will reveal surprising truths about themselves and set in a motion a chain of events so unexpected that even they can hardly explain what happens next.

Humorous, compassionate, and wise, Anxious People is an ingeniously constructed story about the enduring power of friendship, forgiveness, and hope—the things that save us, even in the most anxious of times.

Purchase a copy on Amazon. 

About the Author: 

Fredrik Backman is the #1 New York Times bestselling author of A Man Called Ove (soon to be a major motion picture starring Tom Hanks), My Grandmother Asked Me to Tell You She’s Sorry, Britt-Marie Was Here, Beartown, Us Against You, as well as two novellas, And Every Morning the Way Home Gets Longer and Longer and The Deal of a Lifetime. Things My Son Needs to Know About the World, his first work of non-fiction, will be released in the US in May 2019. His books are published in more than forty countries. He lives in Stockholm, Sweden, with his wife and two children.

Author's Website.

Review: 

I just LOVED this book! I was hooked right from the beginning. Beckman's humor is dry, entertaining, making me laugh out loud. The characters all have their own anxieties, unique, mind baffling but they all make so much sense as the story unfolds. I just loved it. This isn't a story about a man on a bridge but is it? It is a story of a botched bank robbery that turned into a hostage taking? Why did the robbery turn into a hostage taking? because people are idiots that's why.

This isn't a book for everyone. It's for anyone who doesn't mind 10 different characters all going this way and that but crossing the paths of one another along the way. There is so much going on that at first I was wondering what is the author doing?!? where is he going with this story? My mind was trying to follow everything and everyone while trying to piece it all together. I honestly was on the wrong path at one point which I am sure is exactly what the author intended. I love the characters and everyone was so well developed that I felt like I was there in the apartment during this not so common hostage situation. I was sad to have the story end as I felt like I was really getting to know some of the characters especially Zara and wanted to have more time with them.

I give this book a 5 stars! It is in my Top 5 books for 2020! A must read for anyone that wants to laugh out loud. A fun humorous mystery that I could definitely read again and again. I can't wait to read more of Fredrick Backman's novels. This is the first one I have read and now I have a new favourite author!

~*Disclaimer: I received a copy of this book in exchange for an honest review. All opinions and thoughts are my own. *~

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Twerp by Mark Goldblatt ~ Middle Grade Book Review

Book Description: 

It's not like I meant for Danley to get hurt. . . .

Julian Twerski isn't a bully. He's just made a big mistake. So when he returns to school after a weeklong suspension, his English teacher offers him a deal: if he keeps a journal and writes about the incident that got him and his friends suspended, he can get out of writing a report on Shakespeare. Julian jumps at the chance. And so begins his account of life in sixth grade--blowing up homemade fireworks, writing a love letter for his best friend (with disastrous results), and worrying whether he's still the fastest kid in school. Lurking in the background, though, is the one story he can't bring himself to tell, the one story his teacher most wants to hear.

Inspired by Mark Goldblatt's own childhood growing up in 1960s Queens, Twerp shines with powerful writing that will have readers laughing and crying right along with these flawed but unforgettable characters.

Purchase a copy on Amazon. 

About the Author: 

Mark Goldblatt is a novelist, columnist and book reviewer as well as a college professor at Fashion Institute of Technology of the State University of New York.

His controversial first novel, Africa Speaks, a satire of black urban culture, was published in 2002 by The Permanent Press. His second novel, Sloth, a comedic take on postmodernism, was published in June 2010 by Greenpoint Press.

Goldblatt is perhaps best known as a political commentator. He has written hundreds of opinion pieces for a combination of the New York Post, the New York Times, USA Today, the Daily News, Newsday, National Review Online and the American Spectator Online. He has been a guest on the Catherine Crier Show on Court TV and done dozens of radio interviews for stations across the country and in England. His integrity has been called into question by the Village Voice - which should count for something.

Goldblatt's book reviews have appeared in The Common Review, Commentary, Reason Magazine, and the Webzine Ducts. His academic articles have appeared in Philosophy Now, Academic Questions, Sewanee Theological Review, English Renaissance Prose, Issues in Developmental Education 1999, the Encyclopedia of Tudor England and the Dictionary of Literary Biography.

Connect: Website | 

Review: 

I picked this book for my son to review a long time ago (I feel horrible that it has been sitting on my kindle for so long) but at the time my son decided he didn't want to read ebooks. So there the book sat until now. I picked up the book on December 30th in the evening, finishing it on Jan 1st after dinner. I would have finished it in one sitting I am sure if I didn't have other things that had to get done.

The author writes this novel in a journal format of a young sixth grader named Julian. Julian has done something with his friends that had gotten him suspended from school for a week. His English teacher wants Julian to write about what happened and why it happened, if he does this he will get out of his English assignments. At the start Julian says what happened wasn't that horrible, that he has done worse things and goes into depth about some of the things he has done. We follow Julian through the ups and downs of sixth grade - love, friendship and running. Julian isn't a bully but we know that something terrible has happened to another student and Julian was part of it.

The author did a great job hooking the reader into Julian's life. There were moments of laughter, shock and tears. Finally getting Julian to admit to his part of what happened to a boy who lives in the neighborhood, who has a hearing impairment. Learning about going along with the group and getting carried away even when you know you shouldn't be doing it.

I give this book a 4 out of 5 stars and would love to read more from Mark Goldblatt. I know my son will love this book and he has showed interest in reading it now.

~*Disclaimer: I reaceived a copy of this book in exchange for an honest review.*~

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The Summer of Shambles by Ebony McKenna - Book Review

Book Description:

Dive into this wonderfully witty young adult series from author Ebony McKenna, set in the far off European country of Brugel.

15-year-old Ondine is struggling to fit in at Psychic Summercamp and doubts she possesses any of her family's magical abilities. She resolves to leave, determined to follow her own path and be a normal teenager. Whatever normal is in a place like Brugel.

On the way home Ondine is shocked when her pet ferret Shambles starts talking - in a cheeky Scottish accent no less! He is in fact a young man trapped in a witch's curse. When he briefly transforms into his human self, Ondine is smitten. If only she can break the spell for good, Shambles can be handsomely human on a full-time basis.

During the summer, these two misfits uncover a plot to assassinate a member of the royal family and discover a secret treasure that has remained hidden for decades. This attracts the attention of the arrogant Lord Vincent, and Ondine can't help being drawn in by his bad-boy charm.

With so many demands on Ondine's attentions - and affections - normal has never seemed so far away.

The Summer of Shambles is the first in the four-part ONDINE series. Fans of The Princess Bride or the Confessions of Georgia Nicolson series will love this delightfully quirky fairytale.

Where to Purchase:

Amazon:
USA: USA Link
Australia: Australia Link
Brazil: Brazil Link
Canada: Canada Link
France: France Link
Germany: Germany Link
India: India Link
Italy: Italy Link
Japan: Japan Link
Mexico: Mexico Link
Netherlands: Netherlands Link
Spain: Spain Link
UK: UK Link

Connect with the Author:
Facebook: Facebook Link
Twitter: Twitter Link
Author Website: Author Website Link

Author Bio:

As a teenager, Ebony lived and worked in her family's restaurant, which provided much of the inspiration for the Ondine novels. Ebony waitressed, prepared food - and yep - washed dishes. So many dishes.
In the 1990s she worked as an award winning journalist on many leading Melbourne newspapers. By day she wrote other people's stories, but by night she plotted epic adventures. Now she writes novels for a living.

Ebony McKenna lives in Melbourne, Australia with her husband and young son.

She loves gadgets and anything futuristic. Doctor Who and The Goodies have always been TV treats. A weekly trivia night at the local pub allows her to show off her knowledge of 1980s pop music. She recently appeared on the TV quiz show Million Dollar Minute, where she was the reigning champion across 4 nights.

Coffee, chocolate and Facebook games are her worst vices. Playing with her son's toys is fun and reading to him at bedtime is a joy.

A huge influence was British humorist and author Frank Muir. For sixteen years Ebony and Frank swapped letters filled with family anecdotes and stories. They later met in 1995, dining at The Groucho Club in London. While there, one of her other literary heroes, Douglas Adams, was pitching "something rather exciting and complicated to a couple of suits at the next table."

Book Review by Carmen:

This novel turned out to be a highly entertaining read, especially the character Hamish McPhee (Shambles the ferret). This novel has awesomely quirky footnotes as well, but the overall writing style is wonderfully quirky. This gets a full five star rating from me, and I got a copy in exchange for an honest review. If you enjoy quirky and humorous books, be sure to put this one on your to-be-read list! 

*Please be sure to support the author by buying their books and connecting with them on social media.

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The Flight of Pickerlings - Book Review

Guy Pickering has the biggest problem of his life. Dorothy, the only woman he’s ever loved, suffers with pain and dementia and has only weeks to live. Years ago, they made a pact. Whomever is suffering, the other will help in ending the pain. He knows what he has to do and he just can’t bring himself to do it. With love and honor in heart and a dread of loneliness, he decides to go with her into the afterlife. But Guy soon finds that he is not good at this sort of thing. A rebellious teenage grandson shows up unexpectedly, a fame-hungry reporter chases them and Guy’s most private event spirals out of control in front of an ever widening audience. Much to Guy’s frustration, Life keeps getting in the way of Death. 
The Flight of the Pickerings is a love story that wrestles with end of life issues and our right for self-determination. Filled with tender moments and comic twists, this book engages the reader in one family’s final journey, a voyage all of us will take, sooner or later.

https://www.amazon.com

www.goodreads.com

Biography

About the Author

The Flight of the Pickerings is based on a dream which came at a time of extreme stress in John's life. He was living in paradise (Hawaii) and watching his life savings evaporate. Negativity abounded, but the dream/story would not let go and John felt the increasing need to write it out. In writing, his life re-focused on bigger and better aspects and helped him move on. The process of crafting a novel has many ups and downs, but for John, it was almost as if he had no choice. The story needed to be told and after 8 years of steady re-writing, he's finally happy to share it. The Flight of the Pickerings is his debut novel.

Some people will appreciate the book and the underlying message of life and its sacredness. Also death, and its own brand of sacredness. Some people might take the story as an endorsement for suicide. This is not the intention of the book. The highest good this book might foster would be a brave and intelligent discussion among families regarding end of life issues. As Clint Eastwood's character said in the movie Unforgiven "We all got it comin' ".

John now lives on top of a mountain in California enjoying too much sun, his forgiving wife and an array of wild birds he cannot identify.

The Flight of Pickerlings is so good.  I had to force myself to stop reading, and take a break.  Each time you think this is it, a suspenseful event happens to halt the situation.  Getting old is no fun.  Having a chronic illness is even less fun. The writer does a wonderful job of expressing the tender subject of end of life choices.  Guy wants to end his wife Dorothy’s sickness and pain with dignity.  Imagine loving someone so much you would be willing to die with them.  The story takes you along the journey of Guy and Dorothy’s incredible history together.  They now reside in Florida, with a nosey neighbor as a bonus.  Guy is a simple man, and also knows how to fly.   He decides this is the perfect way to go together, and with dignity.  His plan didn’t go as expected.  Guy ran into many snags, and he started second guessing his decision.  You can feel the tender moments, and thoughts Guy is remembering.   Sadness when he realizes the changes happening to his wife.  The deteriorating illness and constant medical schedule become tiresome.   The fantastic parts are the tender moments Guy and Dorothy still share together.  We know he is doing all these things out of love.  These choices are hard decisions to conquer.  The story moves along with family being most important.   Together everyone can work out a situation, and move forward.  I enjoyed reading this book.  I rate this book with a solid four stars.  I received this book in exchange for an honest review.  Kris

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Nowhere But Home by Liza Palmer ~ Book Review

Book Synopsis:

After Queenie Wake is dismissed from her restaurant job, she returns to North Star to cook meals for death row inmates. Hopeful that the bad memories of her late mother and promiscuous sister (now the mother of the captain of the high school football team) have been forgotten by the locals, Queenie discovers that some people can’t be forgotten—heartbreaker Everett Coburn—her old high-school sweetheart. When secrets from the past emerge, will Queenie be able to stick by her family or will she leave home again?

Purchase a copy from Amazon. 

About Author Liza Palmer:

Liza Palmer is the internationally bestselling author of Conversations with the Fat Girl which Booklist says, "...manages to infuse a message of self--acceptance that isn't heavy-handed or cloying. This quick-witted author is sure to develop a following." Conversations with the Fat Girl became an international bestseller its first week in publication, being named a Target Breakout book, as well as hitting Number 1 on the Fiction Heatseekers List in the UK the week before the book debuted. Conversations with the Fat Girl has been optioned for series by HBO by the producers of Rome, Band of Brothers and Generation Kill. 

Book Review:

Queen Elizabeth Wake, a.k.a. Queenie, is running from her family’s haunting legacy that can be describe in many ways but only in hushed tones and definitely not in church. After roaming from city to city across the country, Queenie finds herself back in her small hometown of North Star, Texas, cooking last meals for death row inmates. 

After all her travels, college education and attempts to be an established chef, fate leads her back to a place where she is held responsible for choices she didn’t make; a life she never lived; and a town that never forgives or forgets. But, Queenie discovers she must first forgive her family’s past before other people can forget her kins’ transgressions. 

“For someone who struggles with faith, I base a lot of my life on things I can’t see. All these years looking for the answer and it comes down to the simplest question... Do I want to go backward or forward?” - Queenie

Queenie is witty, and a firecracker with a strong resolve. Nowhere But Home delivers a dialogue of hilarious quips followed by striking epiphanies and profound self realizations. What a read! This one earns a 4.5- to 5-star rating from me!

~*Disclaimer: This post was written by Andrea'. I received a copy of this book in exchange for an honest review. All opinions are honest and my own.*~ 

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Follow The Dotted Line by Nancy Hersage ~ Book Review

Andrea Bravos is dazed and amazed when a Styrofoam burger box with her ex's ashes arrives in the mail. Her adventure to find out what happened will upset officials of several small countries, insult the founders of three major religions, give her four adult children acid reflux, and lead her to assault with a deadly golf club.

In the process, she will joyfully drag along her soft-spoken but fearsome accountant, while trying to fend off her mooch of a nephew. It’s a convoluted and quixotic caper, but it all comes together in the end—even the avocados, World War II spy, IRS agent, palm reader, and deadly spider.

Move over Marple and Plum, here comes Andy!
This book may be purchased on Kindle.

Five-time national award winning playwright and screenwriter Nancy Hersage lives and works in Los Angeles. She has written screenplays for NBC, CBS, ABC and PBS and treatments for Spelling and Cruise Wagner. Her plays have been produced on three continents and by the Kennedy Center for the Performing Arts. Her novel, Tribunal, about sex trafficking, is available from Online Originals in London at OnlineOriginals.com. Her new musical, Out!, written with Molly Hersage, is available from the Dramatic Publishing Company of Chicago at DramaticPublishing.com.  Contact Nancy or learn more about her novels, stage plays and screenwriting at NancyHersage.com.

Introducing the Andrea Bravos Mystery Series

.https://www.goodreads.com/book/show/28515849-follow-the-dotted-line

http://www.amazon.com/Follow-Dotted-Line-Nancy-Hersage-ebook/dp/B01864OFSYhttps://www.facebook.com/hersagebook/

 I had fun with these characters.  Mitch gets his dads ashes in a burger box.  Ian played in a band . Sam was the athlete and proud teacher.  Little Lil , had little kids. Andrea the mom, bless her heart, she had her son blurting- out dad's dead.  The kids don't want the burden of planning a memorial service or whatever.  After all dad did abandon them.  I get a funny kick the new wife is a spiritual psychic and who will hex them if they contact her.  Andrea won't stand for this behavior.  Her children have a right to know how and where their father died.  Now bring the nephew Harley into the scene and we have a young man trying to deal with girls, religion, and solving a murder.  Turns out Tilda didn't want them digging around because she had one heck of a past to cover up.   The kids are too busy bickering to help.  Andrea and Harley travel and conspire to find out the truth. This turns into a who done it mystery with a scavenger hunt for clues.  The plot thickens when they realize the new wife. Tilda may be a black widow.  The end result is the unveiling of Mark's ashes and the circumstances surrounding his death announcement.  Andrea realizes some people never change.  When life brings lemons make lemonade and have a party!  This was a fun comedic read, light, with mystery.  I give this three stars out of 5.  The pace stayed a little slow in the middle with the plot.  I received this book in exchange for an honest review.

~ As a book lover we hope you support our authors.  Happy reading!

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The Ugly Christmas Sweater Cats' Revenge: This Time It's Purrsonal by Cusper Lynn ~ Book Promo

Book Description: 

It began, as so many regrettable things do, with poor judgement, alcohol, and social media. No, this isn’t the story of your last three relationships or last year’s office holiday party. This is the story that changed Christmas forever. This is the story of the ugly Christmas sweater cat videos and a short-haired house cat named Bella, who decided it was time to deliver a message. A message that humankind would not soon forget.

Purchase a copy on Amazon. 




~*Disclaimer: This post was written by Genuine Jenn. All opinions are honest and my own.*~

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Owen's Day by Helen Yeomans ~ Book Promo

Book Description:

Mystery, Humor, Romance--a Christmas story of a man who gives too much

When nine-year-old Tom Newton is saved from icy death by a stranger who disappears into the night, the story captures public attention. The tabloid Star eventually identifies the unknown hero as a wealthy, reclusive publisher, Owen Adair.

Sara Newton wants nothing more than to thank her son's rescuer from the bottom of her heart. The Star wants that too, as long as they have an exclusive. Managing to elude the press, Sara eventually meets Owen, and discovers he has a poor opinion of his impulsive action. But he has troubles of his own, and Sara is more than happy to help him because of his brave act--until he does something that turns her gratitude to anger.

Thanks to the media, Sara and Owen find their names inextricably linked. Sara must solve the mystery of a man with a host of friends who never see him, while Owen grapples with the knowledge that Sara dislikes the best thing about him.

Set during the Christmas season, Owen's Day is the story of a man who gives too much, and the family and city who insist on thanking him. Along the way it explores the value of risk-taking as a catalyst for human progress.

Purchase a copy on Amazon. 

About the Author:

Helen Yeomans tried short stories, scripts and screenplays before settling on the novel as her preferred form. She is currently working on her fifth.

Yeomans has a background in the publishing industry and worked in Toronto (Prentice-Hall) and London (Mitchell-Beazley) before founding her own company in Vancouver, providing editing and writing services to business clients worldwide. Her first book, The Christmas Carol Handbook, was published in 1987 and sold 10,000 copies.

She fell into fiction writing by accident while exploring the film industry as a source of editorial contracts. After writing three feature length film scripts, one of which was optioned, she tried her hand at shorter scripts then other fiction forms, including short stories for children.

Owen’s Day, her first novel, continued the Christmas theme with its story of a man who gives too much. Published in 2011, it was followed a year later by Ang Tak (“Little Tiger”), a story of international intrigue centered on an amateur golfer and his caddy at the Masters. In November 2013 came The Money Tree, about a close-knit family living on the Gulf Islands of British Columbia, and their unusual trees. The story explores the stability of paper money and family. Most recently, Return to Kaitlin is a story of a young man’s odyssey across northern Canada.

Born in England and raised in Canada, Yeomans is a libertarian with a lifelong interest in the relationship between people and their governments. She is an avid golfer who generally succeeds in playing well approximately once a year, loves movies and music and reading. She’s currently at work on her fifth novel.

Connect: Website | Twitter | Facebook |



~*Disclaimer: This post was written by Genuine Jenn. All opinions are honest and my own.*~

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Doc's Codicil by Gary F. Jones ~ Book Review

Book Description: 

When Wisconsin veterinarian Doc dies, his family learns that to inherit his fortune, they must decipher the cryptic codicil he added to his will—“Take Doofus squirrel-fishing”—and they can only do that by talking to Doc’s friends, reading the memoir Doc wrote of a Christmas season decades earlier, searching through Doc’s correspondence, and discovering clues around them. Humor abounds as this mismatched lot tries to find time in their hectic lives to work together to solve the puzzle. In the end, will they
realize that fortune comes in many guises?

Doc’s Codicil is a mystery told with gentle humor. It tells the story of a veterinarian who teaches his heirs a lesson from the grave.

Purchase on Amazon.   

About the Author: 

It seems my life has been a testament to questionable decisions and lost opportunities. However, my wife of 39 years says she knows of nothing in the record to justify such unfettered optimism.

I am a member of the last generation of rural veterinarians who remember working with cows that had names and personalities and dairymen who worked in the barn with their families. I’m also part of the first wave of the Baby Boomers, crusty codgers who are writing their wills and grousing about kids who don’t pay attention to what old men say, and can even be damned condescending at times.

I was raised on a dairy farm in West-central Wisconsin and exhibited Holstein cattle and Clydesdale horses from the time I was ten-years-old until I graduated from the College of Veterinary Medicine at Michigan State in 1969. I practiced veterinary medicine on Wisconsin dairy farms until 1988, when my wife and I packed up our four children and I entered graduate school at the University of Minnesota in St. Paul.
I developed the first ante-mortem diagnostic test for proliferative enteritis, a diarrheal disease of swine caused by Lawsonia intracellularis. The test is now the standard diagnostic test for the disease. With adoption of the test, it was also found that L. intracellularis is the most common cause of post-weaning diarrhea in horses.

After 19 years of work on the research and development of bovine and swine vaccines, I am retired. I’m using the scraps of what I can remember to spin stories of a family and veterinary practice, stories that could almost be true. Some of the true stories that didn’t make it into my books can be found on this website.

My first novel, Doc’s Codicil, will be published in October 2015. I have two published short stories: Valentine, published in Straightjacket, the 2012 spring issue, and The Attempted Armed Deposit, in the 2009 California Writers Club Chap Book. http://garyfjones.com/

Review:

This is a fun light humorous read. There are a lot of characters in this book and takes a bit of time to figure everyone out but once you do, you will get to love them. The story takes place in 1987/88 and 2014. We flash back a lot to learn about Doc, Linda, Mark & Doofus. Doofus wants to go squirrel fishing and the heirs needs to figure out what this means. Doc's puts his children and nephew through a series of riddles, almost on a wild goose chase to decipher the codicil. There are many Laugh Out Loud chapters in this book and times that you will shake your head at things that are done. I read a few out to my husband as he wanted to know what I was laughing/chuckling about. I love the Nativity scene! It is way too funny and had me almost in tears. Yes, I have a weird sense of humor so this book was right up my alley. I am also a small town girl who spent many summers on a friends farm. I get all the talk of getting up to do chores and working on a dairy farm as that is what my friends had. The author did a very good job with the story line and it flowed well even though we were taken on flashbacks in time and had many characters to follow. Life lessons are a main theme of this book and imaginary friends helping us get through the times. Doc wants to bring the family closer together and keep them interacting after he is gone. I think it is a great thing to do.

I give it a 4 out of 5 stars and look forward to reading more from Gary F. Jones.   

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~*Disclaimer: This post was written by Genuine Jenn. All opinions are honest and my own.*~

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