Great English humor.
Blurb: “Sisters Edna and Edith inherit the first house on Curmudgeon Avenue from their parents Mr and Mrs Payne who were killed in a freak accident involving an elephant. The two sisters could not be more different if they tried, and now they have to live together in the house they grew up in several decades ago, bringing the baggage of the past with them for our enjoyment. It seems that Edith cannot stop bumping into exes of her older sister, Edna. First there is Maurice - you won't believe what happened with him. Then, whilst Edith is heartbroken and vulnerable, she meets the notable Harold - another ex of Edna's who she really does not want to see. With Edith's son Ricky Ricketts and his on/off girlfriend Wantha (yes that really is her name) trying to protect the sisters it is only a matter of time before Curmudgeon Avenue is filled with laughter. But then things change when yet another ex of Edna's returns, Madame Genevieve Dubois (although things are not as they might seem with this French woman).” From the beginning, I liked the fact that the story was told by a house. How cool is that? The whole book made me smile and even laugh. I love English humor. None of the characters was meant to be really likable and that was what the story needed. Edith and Edna, the sisters that are constantly in argue. One strong and self-confident, the other bit silly and submissive are the heart of the whole story. Harold, well, a guy that no one would like but still matched perfectly in his role. Lots of things are happening in and because of the story-telling house. If you want a fun and unique read just go for it. You won't regret it! My rating: 5/5. Find it on Goodreads Follow the author on Amazon Author’s website
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For the wine lovers.
Blurb: “Biodynamic. Naked. Organic. Laura McLove goes back to school. Spiritual school. She lures Leon - a hot, young, French natural wine expert - with the law of attraction and together they go on the road - Leon in pursuit of wine, Laura in pursuit of him. A "Natural Wine" noir, for lovers of the movie 'Sideways', and writers Bukowski And Fante.” In this book, we are witnessing to an important period in Laura’s life. Searching for a meaning, a spiritual awakening type, and probably a man that will stay, Laura, a 46 year red-haired good looking woman, left London after the death of her mother and moved to the countryside to study agriculture. She didn’t necessarily want to be a farmer but she saw this as an escape from London’s life. She thought and felt that she could be a writer but somehow the time was never right. There she met Leo, a French good looking guy, 17 years younger. The odds of him being interested in her seemed small. But apparently, with the help of the law of attraction, she got the chance to spend a night with him before the school ended. A few days later he invited her to join him on his trip to North America. He wanted to be a bio-dynamic wine producer on his parent’s farm so he was planning to visit vineyards worldwide in order for him to be prepared for his big dream. No, unfortunately, this is not a romance novel, but it does have a happy ending for Laura, despite her suffering a lot on this trip, that could have turned differently. At first, Leo seemed to have lots of positive characteristics, but he turned out completely different. Still, this journey was something that Laura needed. On top of that, she was finally going to write her book, something that she was trying to for a longer time now. With an interesting writing style, with humor and sarcasm at times, full of info for the wine lovers, this book made me enjoy not only MC's thoughts but also the description of all the places mentioned in the book. Type of reader: Fans of bibliographical kind of stories, though this is a work of fiction, with a lot of insight into bio-dynamic wine producing and info about many places in Europe and North America. I found this being an intriguing story, definitely, a must read. Quotes from this book: “The days continued. The sun shone, the rain fell, the water feature trickled its soothing sound in the background, Lilly went out to wander and Lilly came back again. I went to classes. I tried to write, I thought about Leo, I took long walks. I wrote out my gratitude journal. I didn’t go out of my way to try to find him because The Universe would drop him in my lap again, I felt sure.” “I don’t think he was by nature unpleasant. He was popular at college, others would call him ‘such a nice person.’ He had become hard with me. I was dealing with a hard wall, a person who was giving nothing. No kindness. Not normal. I wondered at my ability to attract such an experience. These were my thoughts as I tucked into basmati rice à la Leo. And still I stayed.” “The Universe wasn’t out there, responding to requests. It was in me. It was me. I was in it. A part of my consciousness and the energy that creates worlds was entangled in a quantum mystery. If I had a thought or a wish, it was happening in that quantum field too. If I fully believed in it, what I wanted might come quicker.” My rating: 4/5. Find it on Goodreads Follow the author on Amazon “Are you a devil? Are you a witch? Judge the soul of my enemies, Mrs Jittery Twitch.”
Blurb: “ How twisted do you like your fairy tales? A half-woman, half-cockroach fused in a bizarre gardening accident? That would be Mrs Jittery Twitch, dwelling in the shadows of our misdeeds. If in danger, you can call upon her help… all she asks is your soul as payment. But she’s just a legend, so no need to worry. Barry Harris is a 28-year-old man, still living with his dear old mum in a little flat above a hairdresser. His obsession with Star Trek and the martial arts won’t help him when he’s forced out on a date. And nobody knows about the weird string of events that’s about to put everyone’s lives in danger. A trio of samurai warriors and the strangest offer of help lead Barry on a perilous mission to save the day.” Wow! What a strange ride. The book starts with a conversation between Barry and Brian. Then Jittery Twitch is mentioned. “Are you a devil? Are you a witch? Judge the soul of my enemies, Mrs. Jittery Twitch.” - this should be the line when someone would need her help. I read the following chapters trying to figure out when will Jittery presence be needed. I didn’t like Barry, the main character, but I thought Molly, his mom, was hilarious. She loves metal music and watches Xena. Her cooking style is even stranger. Then we are introduced to Jo. Soon after she was kidnapped by some samurai. Without her medication, Jo has only three days to live. Barry, Molly, Merrill (Jo’s aunt), and the doctor are part of the rescue team. Will manage in time? Can Barry save her from the samurais with his ninja knowledge? Why are the ninjas attacking in the first place? And then we have the neighbor's dog. The author constantly keeps readers on their toes with some weird situations or comments, strange attacks, unexpected twists, and some graphic violence. When I started reading I didn’t have any idea if I would enjoy it or not and I rarely feel like that about a book. The footnotes seemed at first unpractical and are slowing down the pace, but then they actually made me laugh eagerly checking the next one. The course of events in the second part of the book got my interest. The author is asking the reader to pay attention and guess who the narrator is. I have to admit. I didn’t guess it but I am not going to reveal it so you can play your own game. It was fun finding out though. Despite the dark humor and some sarcasm that I enjoyed, I felt that was something missing to the plot that would make me like it more. Or I may not be entirely the right target? Anyhow, I am glad I experienced something different, twisted and ...did I say different? :) The author’s excellent comedic writing amused me. My rating: 3/5. Find it on Goodreads Follow the author on Amazon This book was written and published in the Romanian language so, for the time being my review is for Romanian speaking readers only.
La 44 de ani, Tiberiu, un bărbat dezamăgit de viață, sărac și singur, decide să-și vândă apartamentul și să plece departe, undeva la capătul lumii. Cred ca Tiberiu nu este singura persoană care își dorește așa ceva, nu-i așa? Chiar dacă Tiberiu m-a făcut să râd de multe ori nu mi-a plăcut totul despre el. Este puțin misogin, homofob, vulgar și delăsător. Dar, desigur, are și calitățile bărbatului: este descurcăreț, haios, și dacă rămâi cu el pe o insulă pustie nu mori de foame. Prin toate acestea, autorul a făcut o descriere excelentă a personajului principal. În afară de povestea unui bărbat și a unei fete pe o insulă pustie, autorul ne oferă povestiri în povestiri făcute de către personajul principal. O carte despre supraviețuire, despre lecțiile pe care ți le dă viața și despre ceea ce ar trebui să înveți să apreciezi. Un roman plin de umor, sarcasm, ironie, erotică, dragoste, familii disfuncționale și relații neobișnuite. Povestea în sine, talentul și stilul unic de scris al autorului, sunt motive pentru care îl recomand cu căldură fiecărui iubitor de romane de dragoste picante și pline de suspans. În ciuda vocabularului fără perdea sau poate datorită acestuia și a unui sarcasm ingenios acest roman vă va aduce des zâmbetul pe buze. „Ies din bancă și-mi pipăi încă o dată buzunarul, deși știu exact care-i treaba: am o mie de dolari în buzunar și șaizeci de mii în cont. Sunt un negociator dat naibii! Am reușit performanța să cumpăr un apartament cu optzeci de mii de dolari și să-l vând cu șaizeci și una de mii. Sunt mândru!” “- Oare cum o fi prin Dubai acum? mă-ntreb cu voce tare. Adică, imaginează-ți, să fie cald mereu, să te tolănești toată ziua sub soare. Nu-i așa că iernile de aici îți taie orice pofta de viață? - Despre Dubai chiar nu știu mare lucru, răspunde liniștit barmanul, dar am fost acum un an în Thailanda și vă asigur că a fost o experiență foarte… călduroasă. Zâmbește cu toți dinții și-mi face cu ochiul. - Ești pe invers? îl întreb direct. - Nu, face el mirat. Nici pomeneală. - Mi-ai făcut din ochi. - Ah, spune râzând, asta era? Făceam din ochi pentru că am avut ocazia să cunosc o grămadă de fete drăguțe pe plaja din Phuket. De aia.” My rating: 4/5. Find it on Goodreads Follow the author on Amazon Author’s website Ironic, humorous and ingenious read.
Two Finns meet by chance in an old barn, both intending to commit suicide, each in his own way. Their initial plan fails to materialize. This situation though makes them talk for the following days about their lives and their reasons to end it. They also realize little pleasures they had never noticed. Still, they decide to put an ad in a newspaper for all those who think alike. Surprisingly many people had answered their ad so they had to adjust their plans. They end up organizing a seminar after which some of them decide to commit group suicide, by crashing with a bus into a ravine. Despite what we may think from the title and from the first pages of this book, this is not only about suicidal plans but actually, a hymn to life - which resists despite everything, wants only to find its own way outside conformism. Life is hard but when we meet people that feel the same we may reconsider certain thoughts, decisions. This book is also an invitation to friendship, to sharing, but not the superficial one, the one that really manages to enrich, to give a new perspective, new hopes, desire to live. Type of reader: Fans of contemporary fiction with a touch of sarcasm. My rating: 5/5. Find it on Goodreads Follow the author on Amazon I have mixed emotions about this book. I was totally into reading it not because of the title but because of its selling success. It seemed great at first, down to earth with a message of looking at ourselves from a different perspective, but truthfully, for me, the best chapters were the last three. It does offer an interesting view of how to conduct your life based on what is really important to you, what you really care about. I did notice, of course, all the F-words, but I managed to get some good advice too and I enjoyed a lot all the little stories from author’s life or other people’s, famous or not. Lots of things mentioned in the book are logical and make immense sense, and then others are either intriguing or in total disagreement with me. The mixed feelings that I have are most probably due to certain different beliefs and also from different life experiences. As the author said when we look back at some things that we said or believed in the past we can see now that we were wrong, that our perception has changed, the same as he admits that he may think in the future about some things he wrote in this book. I do encourage freedom of speech, so I do admire him for being so straightforward and I am sure he doesn't expect everyone to agree with him. I bet he is actually having fun looking at the “boom” he created with his book.
Reader type: Readers of self-help books with a taste for a different approach. It is definitely not the classical type. It may work for you very well, first if you want to change and second if you don't get offended easily. Due to the language, I would suggest for 18+ readers. Some of the quotes that intrigued me: "The desire for more positive experience is itself a negative experience. And, paradoxically, the acceptance of one's negative experience is itself a positive experience." "Not giving a f*ck does not mean being indifferent; it means being comfortable with being different." My rating: 3/5. Find it on Goodreads Follow the author on Amazon |
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Message to you:In order to be a good writer, one has to read a lot. And I do and I love it....and I chose to share my readings with you. Feel free to share with me any of the books you have read or wrote, if I find them interesting I will add them to my list. I'll post my reviews on Goodreads, Amazon and all my social accounts. |