A Dirty Job by Christopher Moore

A Dirty Job, Christopher Moore. Toronto: HarperCollins Publishers, 2009. e-book, 330 pps.

One of Sir Terry Pratchett Discworld novels had a Death character who even had a granddaughter! I love all of his books. The notion of becoming Death is one that tickles my imagination. Christopher Moore has a novel called A Dirty Job which I have just finished reading yesterday.

     "I have been chosen, so don't fuck with me."
                                                             ~Charlie Asher, page 93

Charlie Asher had a run-in as his wife died but his newborn daughter lived. This set of events introduced him to single parenting. He and his daughter live upstairs in the apartment building in San Francisco. The storefront on the first floor is his shop.

San Francisco is a wonderful place. It was the perfect setting for A Dirty Job. I appreciated that very much. Visiting places in literature where I've been in actual life is pretty cool. 

Charlie Asher wasn't planning to become a death merchant, but like any dirty job, someone has to do it.

sapphoq reviews says: Christopher Moore has a delicious sense of humor that I have enjoyed in the other books of his that I've read. Once again, I found myself laughing out loud as I read this one. A Dirty Job has so much going for it in terms of excellence. This one left me guffawing. Highly recommended.

The Revised Fundamentals of Caregiving: A Novel by Jonathan Evison

The Revised Fundamentals of Caregiving: A Novel, Jonathan Evison. Chapel Hill NC: Algonquin Books of Chapel Hill, 2013. e-book, 358 pps. including preview of another Jonathan Evison novel.

http://www.jonathanevison.net/

https://twitter.com/jonathanevison


The Revised Fundamentals of Caregiving tells a [fictional] story about a man whose marriage is ending. Ben Benjamin suffers from depressive thoughts, mainly concerned with his lack of achievement and lack of success in his life. Down on his luck, he takes a course in professional caregiving. He is hired by Trev, a late adolescent suffering from Duchenne's [Muscular] Dystrophy. Trev is in the later stages and running out of time.

At first, Ben and Trev spend their time in Trev's home that he shares with his mother and then they branch out to trips to the mall and stuff. There is a sameness to Trev's routine, even when he is out. It is this sameness that drives Ben a bit bonkers at times.

Ben Benjamin and Trev go on a road trip. Along the way, they meet up several other people and a few of them are given rides in the specially equipped van. There are some funny things that happen along the way at various tourist traps, bars, and motels. Nothing and no one remains the same.

sapphoq reviews says: I enjoyed this book. I could relate to the job that Ben had as well as the opportunity to travel with someone in his care. Recommended. 

Cult by Michelle Hand

Cult, Michelle Hand. self-published via Smashwords, 2013. 268 pps.

     The novel Cult starts off with an interesting premise. Katelyn lives in a village. She is meeting with the elders who are chiding her for being seen with a a specific boy in the woods. They don't care that there is a good reason for her apparent disobedience. As a female, she is expected to be subservient, more so than the males of the village.

     There is no privacy in the village. Everyone lives in tents. Everything is done in the open. Since Katelyn's father had died, her family did not have enough food to eat. Cult is a full novel and goes into depth of detail about the lives of people who live in the tents and are subjected to the whims of their elders.

 sapphoq reviews says: I found Cult to be a very interesting read. The description of the events kept me reading until the end. Some of the issues identified in the novel are very similar to the things that we citizens of the United States are dealing with in respect to our government, such as the frontal assault on our privacy by the N.S.A. and other three-letter agencies. The characters were individualized. I could understand their motives and their reactions to situations. For fans of dystopian literature, recommended.

Up the Rebels! by SpikedUp Frog

Up the Rebels!, SpikedUp Frog. self-published, 2014. e-book, 131 pps.

@SpikedUpFrog on Twitter (tm)

http://www.barnesandnoble.com/s/SpikedUp-Frog?store=allproducts&keyword=SpikedUp+Frog

     I cannot be disingenuous here. Up the Rebels! is my book written under my Twitter (tm) alias and one of my pen names. So what I will say is that Up the Rebels is dedicated to my brother Stanley Cohen [@StanleyCohenLaw on Twitter (tm)] and to my hero Edward Snowden. Early excerpts from it have appeared in one of my other blogs. Now I have learned how to format the thing [a very long process of over ten hours and a steep learning curve].

     The book just hit the Barnes and Noble online site this morning. It is an ePub with NO DRM. I gave it a creative commons license because I support releasing my books on the torrents. And hey, if no one else puts it out there, I'm going to do it myself. Just as soon as I recover from learning how to format.

     So if you like hacker fiction or slacker fiction and want to read a book with a Muslim fella named Jesus in it, some Anonymous protesters, N.S.A. drones, a rather hefty cat by the name of Majestic, a fourteen year old, a cute kitten named Freedom, some homeless folks, some prostitutes and their evil bosses, a hapless mental health professional or two, and a few folks who escape the clutches of the ahem behavioral health system, then this book is for you. And Dree RainCave is in it. He is Ed SnowDen used in a purely fictitious manner hiding from the government in Newark, New Jersey  of all places.

     Some of my Twitter (tm) buddies are also in it, again as pure fiction. You will find That Damn Stan (@StanleyCohenLaw), Kenneth Lipp (@kennethlipp), and Tor Ekeland (@TorEkelandPC) within the story.

     Briefly mentioned are Todd Kincannon (@ToddKincannon), Ashely Kincannon (@AshelyKincannon) [Todd and Ashley Andersen in the book] and Noodle Kincannon (@TheNoodleK), again as fiction.

     I'm sorry that I couldn't fit all of my Twitter (tm) buds in the book. There will be more books to follow.

     I endeavored to keep the cursing down to a minimum but there is bits of cursing in it. Enough that parents may wish to read the book before allowing their teens to do so.

     Take care everyone and know that today-- the first day of the release of Up the Rebels! as an eBook-- means that I am happy happy happy!

     

Leaving the Atocha Station by Ben Lerner

Leaving the Atocha Station: A Novel, Ben Lerner. Minneapolis: Coffee House Press, 2011. e book, 142 pps.


     Leaving the Atocha Station is Ben Lerner's first novel. We follow narrator Adam Gordon in 2004 during the Spain train bombing. He is a young man on a fellowship claiming to be interested in the Spanish Civil War. But he gets no research done. Instead, he spends his time generating poetic phrases under the influence of hash, conning women into believing his re-inventions of himself, and having crises generated by narcissistic injury.

sapphoq reviews says: Ben Lerner's first novel is a charmer. I was not exactly smitten by Adam Gordon. It was more than that. The lost poet in a foreign country has a certain appeal. The author described perfectly the process of becoming fluent in a foreign language. I too have had a sense of what others were communicating rather than literal translations. I liked this book. The author also has three books of poetry out and a new novel.
Recommended.

Fourth of July Creek by Smith Henderson

Fourth of July Creek, Smith Henderson. Toronto: HarperCollins Publishers, 2014. e book, 390 pps.

https://www.smith-henderson.com/

https://twitter.com/smith_henderson


N.B. This novel has cuss words in it and depicts some sex and quite a bit of violence. If you object to that, then don't read Fourth of July Creek. Please read the book first before you consider letting your teens read it. Thanks.


     Fourth of July Creek is a fine novel. Set mainly in Montana-- with some other places thrown in-- Smith Henderson evokes the wilderness and those who live there in order to get away from the troubles of society. But even so, dysfunction has a way of following. 

     Social workers can also have their share of the stuff that takes the fun out of living. Pete Snow is an alcoholic. Lots of folks know that about him. He is not the only alcoholic caught up in the dramas of the backwoods, but he is the one we know the most about. There is also a drunken judge and some boozy friends. And an ex-wife gone party bananas in Austin Texas along with a teen-aged daughter.

     Pete Snow endeavors to do his job. He checks up on kids and their families. He takes kids away when he must. He does alright with some of those kids and fails drastically with others. He meets up with an irate father by the name of Jeremiah Pearl. Mr. Pearl doesn't cotton to him much at first. He always has his loaded shot gun. 

     Mr. Pearl is a christian of the end-times variety, waiting for money to fail and the antichrist to rise up from the dead and take over America. His apocalyptic thinking is of the extreme sort, very much unlike that of some of my fundamentalist christian buddies who attend church on Sundays and who may at times greet each other with the word "Maranatha" or visibly shake their heads at the evening news.

     Pete Snow has a life that is falling apart when he hears some news from Texas and must take off immediately for Austin. I'm not going to tell you any more of it. Read the book.

sapphoq reviews says: Smith Henderson did an excellent job with Fourth of July Creek, his first novel. The characters were vivid. The plot moved along nicely. I was transported into the story itself. A most excellent book and highly recommended.

The Third Millennium by Dr. Paul Meier

The Third Millennium: A Novel, Dr. Paul Meier. Nashville: Thomas Nelson Publishers, 1993. paperback, 311 pps.

https://twitter.com/MeierMD  [no tweets since February]
https://www.meierclinics.com/Paul_Meier
https://www.meierclinics.com/Articles
https://www.meierclinics.com/Ask_Dr_Meier_  [videos]


     The Third Millennium is the first of a trilogy. Michael the Archangel is assigned to watch over a Jewish family from California. Since they aren't saved, they miss the rapture. The college-aged daughter by the name of Ruth falls for a car salesman whose dad was a gifted preacher and scholar of apocalyptic prophecy based on the bible. The parents don't like the idea of the car salesman at first. But god has a plan for the family, the car salesman, some other college kids, and friends of the family. The family and some friends get saved afterwards. The college kids are on fire for Jesus. Many of the people wind up in the ruins of two small towns in Israel where christians are sheltered from the woes of the world. They minister to the sick and the injured. Jesus comes back and a grand reunion of the living and the dead saints occurs.

sapphoq reviews says: Dr. Paul Meier started some christian counseling centers and is widely renown for his work in that area. He has written a lot of books. It is obvious that he has thoroughly researched material for this book. I had trouble following the significance that he assigned to various numbers and combinations of numbers. [There is an appendix with more info in the back of the book]. I thought that Ruth was more sheltered than the average young adult attending college. The characters were likable and believable. I think most bible-believing christians would enjoy this book. The rest of us-- not so much. Recommended for fundamentalist christians. Suitable for christian teens also.

Couch by Benjamin Parzybok

Couch, Benjamin Parzybok. Easthampton Mass.: Small Beer Press, 2008. e-book, 284 pps., including preview of second novel.


     I like hacker lit the best of all genres but a well-written slacker fic also can amuse me. Couch involves three roommates and a couch. The couch is touched. It dictates where it wishes to go. Some stuff happens and the three guys head out to parts unknown with the couch. The couch has the soul of a gypsy.

sapphoq reviews says: Those who like slacker fic will appreciate this novel. I did. I plan to read the book that was included in part at the end as a preview. Highly recommended.

Knife Music by David Carnoy

Knife Music, David Carnoy. New York: The Overlook Press, 2008. e-book, 292 pps.

     Dr. Ted Cogan is a respected trauma surgeon at Parkview Medical. A sixteen year old by the name of Kristen Kroiter is involved in an m.v.a. [motor vehicle accident] and winds up on his table. She lives. Life goes on. Kristen Kroiter goes home and resumes her life.

      A diary is found. It does not matter that Kristen wanted to do it. She is after all an underage teen living in California. The diary reveals an indiscretion on the part of Dr. Cogan. 

     He loses his job. There is an investigation. Heads roll.

sapphoq reviews says: David Carnoy is a master at whodunnit. [I am currently reading The Big Exit, his next book featuring some of the same characters]. He did an excellent job with the personalities and the conversations of both the medical staff and the police detectives. I did not see the ending coming at all. Sexual assault survivors who are still a bit fragile might stay away. For those of the rest of us who like our mysteries infused with high intelligence, absolutely recommended. 

The Silkworm by Robert Galbraith aka J.K. Rowling

The Silkworm: A Cormoran Strike Novel, Robert Galbraith a.k.a. J.K. Rowling. New York: Little, Brown and Company, 2014. e-book, 481 pps. 


     This is the second book in the Cormoran Strike series. The Silkworm deals what happened to a guy named Owen Quine who goes missing. Mrs. Quine hires Cormoran Strike, private investigator to find out where her husband is. Husband Owen Quine is an author of sorts who has a reputation for one good book followed by some pretty bad ones. His latest was leaked and bunches of people didn't like what the book was about at all. 

sapphoq reviews says: I liked the first Comoran Strike book and I enjoyed this one too. Here there be fancy publishers and A-list parties, weddings and funerals, and bits of traveling about. For those who enjoy murder mystery fiction as good as Agatha Christie, highly recommended.

Skippy Dies by Paul Murray

Skippy Dies, Paul Murray. New York: Faber and Faber, Inc./ Farrar, Straus and Giroux, 2010. e-book, 629 pps.

     Skippy dies in the donut shop near his male-only boarding school abruptly. His buddy Ruprecht is with him. The waiter thinks that Skippy is choking but he isn't. We learn all of this in the Prologue before Chapter One.

     The rest of the book is an extended study in character and motivation of Skippy and the people around him. Each chapter deals with the events of a specific period of time either before or after Skippy's death.

sapphoq reviews says: My initial reaction to the length of the book was something akin to a small panic. As I continued to read, I began to appreciate the tale that Paul Murray has laid before us. 
     Everything is in there: bullying, teen angst, teacher problems, a girls' counterpart to the boys' boarding school, screwing around with science until it becomes unrecognizable, drinking, bits of teen sex [but not in much detail], and how our desires and actions or non-actions reflect who we are and shape us into who we are becoming.
     Adults may wish to preview this book before allowing their teens to read this one. There were very few curses in Skippy Dies-- the word "shite" is the most common one-- but there are bits of drug selling and drug taking along with the other stuff.
     I found Skippy Dies to be an intricate and satisfying read. Highly recommended for those adults and mature teens who don't mind a long but deep novel. 

Ripper by Isabel Allende

Ripper, Isabel Allende. New York: HarperCollins Publishers, 2014. e-book, 426 pps.

     Having read Maya's Notebook, I looked forward to reading Ripper and I was not disappointed. Ripper is set in San Francisco, an area of the country that I am quite fond of and know well enough. A teenager and her internet cohorts who play an online game called Ripper use the game to figure out who is leaving a trail of bodies in San Francisco.

sapphoq reviews says: Isabel Allende did an excellent job penning this serial killer novel. There was a twist at the end that was unanticipated. The scenery was spot-on. The characters were believable, especially Amanda the teen, her leftover hippie mom with poor taste in men, and her grandfather. And Save the Tuna was especially endearing. I like abandoned buildings in real life and in the novels I read. Highly recommended.

The Blue-Ribbon Jalapeno Society Jubilee by Carolyn Brown

The Blue-Ribbon Jalapeno Society Jubilee, Carolyn Brown. Naperville ILL.: Sourcebooks Inc., 2013. e-book, 274 pps.


     Marty and Cathy Andrews are adult twin sisters who run Miss Clawdy's Cafe. Their best friend is a woman named Trixie Matthews whose mother Janie is in the local nursing home with Alzheimer's. Jack Landry is a next door neighbor. He is on the local police force and has known the trio their whole lives. Agnes is a feisty older woman who lives nearby. She is full of piss and vinegar. Darla Jean-- Jean is her last name, really-- is an ex-hooker turned preacher. She runs the Christian Nondenominational Church downstreet from the Baptist Church where Agnes is a member.

     Then there are the women of the Blue-Ribbon Jalapeno Society. Cathy's peppers have won numerous prizes throughout the years. By decree, the Society membership is limited to twenty-one women. Violet is the chief officer. [She has a son who is an aspiring politician]. Agnes is not in the Society. She and Violet have some difficulties with the idea of being civil to each other.

     Men in Cadillac, Texas are [mostly] hot cowboy types. [There are no descriptions of sexual rendezvous but the reader is aware of who is paired off with who]. Not everyone is worth having a relationship with, in spite of individual financial circumstances or degree of steaminess in the bedroom.

     The women in the novel go through changes. Friendship prevails.

sapphoq reviews says: This review is fairly boring but the book isn't. Extramarital sex renders this tale unsuitable for most teens. The Blue-Ribbon Jalapeno Society was a light read and had me laughing out loud. Those who cannot endure any mention of Christianity should steer clear. Those who object to mild cursing also should stay away. For the rest of us, the tale is delightful. Recommended.

The Hunt for Pierre Jnr by David M. Henley

The Hunt for Pierre Jnr, Henley, David M. New York: HarperCollins Publishers, 2013. e-book, 253 pps.

     In the remnants of a world with a controlling government that forbids psi or any sort of occult gifts is a sort of child. He is only eight years old, human perhaps, but very powerful. Some children are able to hide their special abilities and some adults do also. If caught, they are "masked" and then eventually banished to a set of islands, out of the sight of everyone else. A select few of the adults are recruited to serve on one of the teams that seek out and bring into custody others who have psi abilities.

     Some of the special people are hiding in pockets of resistance on one of the mainlands. Perhaps they are plotting some sort of revolution. Perhaps Pierre Jnr will lead them on. Or perhaps not.

sapphoq reviews says: This book moved a bit slowly for me. I wanted more blood and guts. I did like the premise though and I also liked the ending. Recommended.

Snow in August by Pete Hamill

Snow in August, Pete Hamill. New York: Warner Books, Inc., 1997 and 1999. e-book, 294 pps.

     Michael Devlin is an eleven year old boy who lives in Brooklyn with his mum. His da died in the war. He is being raised Roman Catholic. He is crazy about baseball and comic books. He has an active imagination which serves him well. The novel opens around Christmas time in 1946.

     Michael has a chance encounter during a blizzard with a rabbi on his way to church to serve as an altar boy. This encounter changes his life.

     There are swears in this book, a few f-bombs. Stuff that kids might say to each other. And some violence. Crooked cops. These things shape Michael.

     There is blatant racism directed at a Jewish shopkeeper in the neighborhood and at Jackie Robinson-- the first black man to play in the major leagues.

     There is magic in the book also. Michael learns Yiddish and the rabbi learns English. They become friends, bonded by heartbreak and situations out of their control.

     Nothing stays the same. Michael is changed by friendship and magic. He is transformed much as a fictional golem is transformed from mud into something profound and alive..

sapphoq reviews says: Pete Hamill invokes the feel of Brooklyn from the first words of this novel until the last. I was transported to a different time. Snow in August is most excellent and I highly recommend it.

The Anxiety of Kalix the Werewolf by Martin Millar

The Anxiety of Kalix the Werewolf, Martin Millar. Berkeley: Soft Skull Press, 2014. e-book, 705 pps.


     I like werewolves in my fiction. I love well-crafted fiction. Martin Millar is on my list of favorite authors. His latest offering continues the story of Kalix-- a werewolf who has high anxiety, battle rage, and an active history of cutting-- and her three flatmates in London. Two of those are strictly human. One of them is a fire elemental. 

     The human flatmates are pretty cool. In an earlier book, they found her and rescued her from living in an abandoned warehouse. In this one, they demonstrate what true friendship is.

     The werewolf family is fraught with drama and controversy. There is a council which is hesitant on taking action. And an older sister who Kalix continues to be estranged from. I've always found the fashion-plates in my family difficult to relate to myself. Kalix and I both favor a style of dress known as either grunge or comfortable, depending upon who is doing the describing.

     Fairies make an appearance also. These are not the goody-goody and sickening sweet variety. These fairies are cunning, battle-ready, and demanding. 

     I will not give away any of the fighting or the ending. I will say that both were satisfying. I particularly liked the silver bullets that exploded inside the body, much like the Ma Deuce of World War II. 

sapphoq reviews says: If you like werewolves [especially in London] combined with a great story and attention to the nitty-gritty of communication, you are bound to love Martin Millar. If you haven't found him yet, do so now. I love Kalix the Werewolf and I'm looking forward to more, more, more. Highly recommended as a superior fantasy read.

     

The Last Child by John Hart

The Last Child, John Hart. New York: Minotaur Books, 2009. e-book, 397 pps. including preview from a next novel.


     The Last Child captivated me from the prologue onward. The story opens with a thirteen year old boy named Johnny. He is no ordinary kid. He knows how to drive. To the consternation of the police-- one Detective Hunt in particular-- Johnny will not give up driving.

     Johnny is equally at home in the woods. He knows things. He is a keen observer of animal nature and this ability gets him into trouble.

     Trouble surrounds Johnny. After a family tragedy, a horn-dog named Ken moved on in and his mother is the worst for it. Ken is not a nice man. And Johnny does not trust Detective Hunt.

     There is a cast of characters in The Last Child who are devious and mean. There are murders and manslaughter, betrayals and tests of friendships. And there are the woods of course. Ancient woods with mossy fragrances and dead bodies.

sapphoq reviews says: John Hart delivers a finely-crafted story which transported me into the back country of North Carolina and held me there until the last page. I don't mind a thirteen year old dropping f-bombs in a work of fiction. If you do, then skip this book. Nasty people abound. The Last Child was pure magic-- a coming of age tale that will stay with me for a very long time. Highly recommended.

Ties That Bind by Phillip Margolin

Ties That Bind, Phillip Margolin. New York: HarperCollins e-books, 2009. [2003]. e-book, 339 pps.

http://www.phillipmargolin.com/

note: Phillip Margolin is on twitter as @philmargolin but he does not tweet to date.


Phillip Margolin is a prolific writer of novels. Ties That Bind continues the story of Amanda Jaffe after an attack that left her with a raging case of p.t.s.d. She has difficulties with relationships, flashbacks, and hyper-vigilance. In spite of her symptoms, she continues with her day job. 

There is political corruption, some activities related to the sale of drugs, prostitution, and a bunch of dead bodies in Ties That Bind. Amanda Jaffe is the kind of attorney that I would want in the courtroom with me. She is sharp and committed to justice.

Jaffe is asked to defend someone that everyone thinks of as obviously guilty. The fellow is perceived of as a dangerous and violent bad ass. No, she does not fall in love with him. 'Nuff said.

sapphoq reviews says: The plots and sub-plots in Ties That Bind render this novel as a fine example of a legal thriller. Highly recommended.

Let the Right One In by John Ajvide Lindqvist

Let the Right One In, John Ajvide Lindqvist.  New York: Thomas Dunne Books/ St. Martin's Griffin, 2004.  ebook, 421 pps.


     Let the Right One In is John Ajvide Lindqvist's first novel.  There is a boy-- Oskar-- who is picked on mercilessly by some of his classmates.  He lives with his mother in an apartment and acquires a friend named Eli who lives with her dad, sort of, in the building next door to his. 

     But there is a vicious serial killer on the loose.  This gives Oskar's mother fits.  She is uneasy whenever Oskar leaves the house and orders him to stay out of the woods.  But woods are irresistible to boys and girls all over.

sapphoq reviews says:  John Ajvide Lindqvist's first novel is full of win.  Oskar and the other kids are realistically drawn.  The city drunks are also believable.  The killings are vicious.  Every word of Let the Right One In builds up to a very satisfying ending.  Not for the squeamish.  Highly recommended.

Out of My Mind by Sharon M. Draper

Out of My Mind, Sharon M. Draper.  New York:  Atheneum Books for Young Readers/ Simon & Schuster, 2010.  e-book, 189 pps.


Melody Brooks is a wheelchair user with C.P.  She also has a bit of synesthesia.  Because her limbs are severely involved, she is unable to talk or move much of her own volition.  The disabled kids are all stuck into one classroom.  The teachers have various levels of skills and dedication.

Inclusive classrooms begin to happen-- first with music, then with language arts and history.  Melody gets her own mobility aide who is a college student.  Together they find a way for her to communicate.  The world opens up in a way.  The normie kids and the normie teachers are amazed at Melody's intelligence.

Something happens towards the end that shows that it's easy to be a friend to someone who is different or odd until the troops make fun.  Then suddenly the friend falls by the wayside.  Melody is left with her family and next-door neighbor and an inner strength which shines through.

sapphoq reviews says:  The author has a daughter who also has C.P. and uses a wheelchair.  Out of My Mind is an excellent book.  Highly recommended for grades five through eight.