Irv’s Odyssey: To the Light and Beyond by Irving H. Podolsky

If you didn’t read the first book in this series, read that first!

Irv's Odyssey: Lost in a Looking Glass

In To the Light and Beyond, our friend Irv is back, and his life is just as hectic as ever. However, he doesn’t have to deal with mentally ill children or work in the adult movie business this time.

Instead, he finds himself unemployed once again and he end up working in various restaurants…. As a bus boy.

Good ole Irv can never have very many things going in his favor. Although, he did make it to Europe, which was his goal in the first novel. Unfortunately, he couldn’t stay and has to come back to Georgia.

I would say this installment takes the reader through Irv’s self-evaluation stage in his life. He is deciding what is best for him, and what is not so good… including the decision of whether to sleep with a married woman or not. It wouldn’t be an Irving H. Podolsky book without some sexual adventure.

I like how this book picked up right where the first one left off. It was a smooth transition, and it all felt very familiar being back in Irving’s world.

It wasn’t as long as the first one, but it was just as enjoyable.

I can’t even begin to imagine what the next one is going to bring!

4.5/5 stars. There were a couple slow patches, but the overall book was great. I suggest picking up the first one and then making your way to this one. It is quite the journey!

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Cautionary Tales for the New Millennium by Eric Nielsson & Illustrated by Jay Munro

This book is a collection of very, very short stories. 

They are riddled with humor and express tales of all types. From an angry swearing TV evangelist to a crazy, city-wide power outage that inconveniences everyone.

The cute illustrations at the beginning give you a sense of what is to come in the story.

They may make you smile or laugh out loud. They are creative and light-hearted.

They are filled with irony which will make you chuckle at the end of every story. The amount of advanced technology and uses of the technology will also make you laugh.

If you have a little free time one day, I would suggest picking it up as it does not take long at all to get through.

I believe there is something for everyone in here. They are relatable and funny all at the same time.

5/5 short and fun. Would be a good read on a commute or on a nice morning with a cup of coffee or tea.  

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Hashimoto Blues by Sarah Dupeyron

From the title of this book, I wasn’t very sure what to expect from it. Sometimes you can, and sometimes you can’t. After reading the synopsis I had a better idea and was interested in it.

Then when I started reading it…. Well, I just couldn’t stop.

It is one of those books that you go into not knowing what to expect and are so pleasantly surprised once you begin reading it.

The writing has a great flow to it, and the chapters are short. It makes the book go a lot faster, and is more exciting to read that way.

Hashimoto Blues is about three main characters – Ellie, Max, and Frank. They are in the business of drug smuggling between Canada and the United States as well as other illegal activities.

There are many great supporting characters. My favorite was Max’s sister.

Anyways, the book details their many adventures in the business. But one day, one of their plans goes very wrong when they try to steal from a man named Hashimoto. When he is crossed, you are most likely not making it out alive.

The book opens with Max and Ellie in trouble with Hashimoto, and then it flashes back to how they ended up in that situation. The ending shows the conclusion of their story.

The story had wonderful character arcs. I feel like they were really well developed and Sarah Dupeyron did a wonderful job of giving the story a great flow. None of it seemed forced.

It is fun. It is exciting. I loved it, and it was really hard to put it down.

5/5 stars. 

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Texas Jack by Bart Hopkins

If there is one thing Bart Hopkins does well as an author, it is making his characters relatable. Everyone can find a little bit of themselves in his books, and because of that, they pull you in and allow you to lose yourself in his fictional world for a few hours. 

It is hard to put his books down.

Texas Jack is no different.

Very simply, Texas Jack is about… well… a man named Jack from Texas.

Obviously, though, Jack is much deeper than that. Growing up with an alcoholic father isn’t easy on a kid, but he gets through it.

He grows up and has a son of his own and seems to have his life put together.

That is until that one tragic day..

His son’s life is as risk and no one knows if he will live.

It is emotional, and Bart expresses this emotion by having Jack flash back to earlier parts in his life. It happens throughout the whole book, but now these flashbacks are focused on his father and how his father was with him while he was growing up.

Texas Jack carries a lot of emotion, but it is always very fun.

Bart has a great writing style that keeps you captivated from the front cover until the very last page.

The character development is wonderful, the character arcs created through present time events and Jack’s flashbacks to earlier times in his life.

5/5 the story is great. The characters are great. The writing is great. Pick it up!

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If you havent read Fluke by Bart Hopkins and David Elliott, pick it up here!

Valley of the Shadows: Kingdom of Hillael by Amre Cortadino

Kingdom of Hillael is just as the title states, a story about this Kingdom and the royal family that has rule over it.

I feel like this book is a lot longer than it really needed to be. There was a lot of needless conversation, and some parts of the story dragged on, when maybe all it needed was a page or two. I found my mind wandering a lot at different times while reading this book.

I didn’t get attached to any of the characters which is maybe why the reading was so bland to me. I didn’t think any of them were relatable nor did I have any real emotion towards them.

While the creativity is surely there with this one, it is a very complex world with a lot of detail put into it, I think the flow is missing and as stated before, some parts really seem to drag.

2.5/5 stars. Good concept and imagination, but it just misses the mark. Maybe this just isn’t my genre.

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Blubber Island by Ismael Galvan

Hippies. Zombies. Gore. Bums. Drugs.

Lots of drugs.

So many drugs that I really believe the author was on drugs when this was written.

I would love to tell you what this book was about, but I don’t really know what it was about.

There were a few different story lines going at one time, but there was so real smooth transition between them.

Many times while reading this, I was just completely lost, confused, disturbed, or wondering why in the world the author decided to use the elementary insults that were in this book.

It seems to me that if this book falls into the right hands, it may gain a small cult following just because of all the zombies and hippies.

But, I just didn’t quite understand it.

1/5 stars. 

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Irv’s Odyssey: Lost in a Looking Glass by Irving H. Podolsky

Sometimes you encounter a book that is so full of craziness that you can’t really believe what you just read. This is one of those – in the best way possible.

Irv’s Odessey is a fictitious memoir told in first person.

If you are under 18 – this is not for you. If you do not like to read about the porn industry – this is not for you. If you like to laugh out loud while reading some disturbing and explicit books – this is DEFINITELY for you.

Now, this book is not erotic, just sexual humor, and Irving writes it wonderfully.

I was laughing out loud at many points in this book.

Through the whole journey you get to know Irving, his background, his desires in life, and also his drug habits.

When he cannot get a good film job after graduating college, he gets thrust into the porn industry, and no matter how hard he tries, it seems as though he can never escape it. That is, until he starts working with children that are just too much for him to handle.

Honestly, there is really no other way to describe this book without me telling you to just read it. It is a crazy ride and hilarious every step of the way.

5/5 Hilarious. Explicit… but hilarious. 

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Facebook Jeanie by Addison Westlake

Facebook Jeanie described in one phrase would be: A breath of fresh air.

It has humor (and a lot of it!), it has romance, and it is also a bit touching at times.

When Clara has a chance to go back in time to college and try to mend things with her then-boyfriend (instead of staring at his pictures everyday on facebook!) she jumps right at the chance.

Have you ever wondered how your life would be different if you could go back and change something?

Clara gets to figure out!

This book allows you to explore those thoughts without it actually happening to you. She goes through some pretty hilarious scenarios from living I a huge house while having an affair with a crazy man wearing a thong and dancing to Im Sexy and I Know It, to being a hippy with a limp leg and snake jewelry.

I found myself laughing out loud MANY times while reading this book.

I mean… cat turban, anyone?!

5/5 stars. It was hilarious, it was sweet, and just an all-around complete book. 

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While you're at it, check out Addison's other book Christmas in Wine Country

Annabelle by Nancy Christie

Annabelle is a very hauntingly dark short story. So, obviously, I was thrilled to read it.

Annabelle is the daughter of a painter. Her father’s artwork means everything. So much so that it controls the family.

Annabelle’s mother is her father’s model. She receives all of the attention because as I said before, the art is everything.

Annabelle becomes jealous. She wants to be noticed. She wants to be wanted.

When the twist in the story is revealed, everyone’s life is turned upside down and it becomes more dark and disturbing than I had originally thought it was.

There is not much I can say without giving away the whole story. Go read it!

4/5 stars. It was a little slow in places, but the story was good and I was able to read it in one sitting. 

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When Good Boobs Turn Bad: A Mammoir by Jill Foer Hirsch

As you can probably conclude from the title, this is a memoir (or “Mammoir”) about Jill Hirsch and breast cancer.

While cancer is a very serious topic, Jill was able to get through her diagnosis, treatment, and recovery by using humor. She displays that in this book of hers.

It takes you through every stage of her battle with cancer, and it is laced with humor the whole way through.

It is very informally written, almost as if you are reading a journal written by Jill. It keeps the book interesting and fresh.

Jill proves that you can get through any struggle with the support of family, humor, (plus making people feel sorry enough for you to buy you gifts….).

This is a lovely little book. Little because it is pretty short. It was very light hearted for such a heavy topic.

5/5 stars. Fun to read and very well written

It reminded me of a book I reviewed at the beginning of the year Chief Complaint: Brain Tumor by John Kerastas

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i and the Great Divide by Fiona McGlynn

i and the Great divide is a children’s book that deals with the topic of divorce. 

 In a home that is dealing or has dealt with divorce, many times a child may feel like it is his or her fault that their family is being broken up. Often, this is not the case. This story is told in a very unique way with letters of the alphabet representing people and families. 

I feel like when children who are going through a divorce look through this book, they will relate to it. They may not realize why at the very beginning, which I feel would be good for them. If they open a book knowing it is about divorce, depending on the family situation, they may have a certain attitude going into it. Once they get through it and realize they can relate it to their life, I feel as though it will shed some understanding on the situation and cause a child to understand it in their own way.

It is a very cute book. It is written extremely well, flowing from page to page seamlessly. The illustrations are adorable and match the words very well. It is easy to understand for all ages, and I feel that any child that is struggling through their parents’ divorce would enjoy having a book to relate to. 

 5/5 stars.

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i and the Great Divide by Fiona McGlynn coming to Amazon Create Space September 12th, 2013

New children’s book on divorce, “i and the Great Divide” sparks family conversations

Overview: “i and the Great Divide” is an illustrated children’s book, designed to leave kids in divorce feeling loved, peaceful, and self-expressed. Both print and kindle copies will be available for purchase online (via Amazon and Createspace) September 12^th, 2013.

Synopsis: In a world where alphabet letters are people, word families can go through big changes just like human families can.

The letter "i" experiences this one day when her parents, "t" and "n" start to fight. "i" gets into all kinds of trouble as she tries to make things go back to the way they were. Just when things can't get worse, she experiences a transformation that leaves her feeling loved, happy and grateful for her family (and the changes too!)

I appreciate where Fiona is coming from with this book. I think there need to be more books like this for children that handle tough subjects. Stay tuned - I will be posting a review of the book as soon as it is released!

Links:

Book Trailer

Book Website

Facebook

Google+

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To Learn more about Fiona and the Illustrator Robin Urquhart, click through to the Read More

Cover Reveal for Addison Westlake's new novel "Facebook Jeanie"!! Out on October 1, 2013

Synopsis from the author Addison Westlake

"It's Bridget Jones meets "Groundhog Day"...

Ever wonder if you made the right choice? What if you could go back and find out?

31-year-old Clara is in a steady relationship—with Facebook. Every night after her depressing bureaucratic job (so much for saving the world), Clara comes home to her empty apartment (yes, she was dumped) and settles down with a pint of ice cream for some good, old-fashioned Facebook stalking. It's her college boyfriend, The One Who Got Away. With the bod of a God and a net worth of umpteen bamillion, he now has the perfect life—everything she could have had if she hadn't been so, so stupid.

But, wait. Jeanie from Facebook shows up at Clara's job. There's a new app they're beta-testing and Clara's perfect for it. That night she clicks on it and... nothing happens. But the next morning when Clara wakes up at noon, hung over, listening to her roommate blow-drying her hair and singing "Gettin' Jiggy Wit It", she realizes she's back in college. With the chance to do it all over again.

Back in the world of frat parties, BFFs, and long-suffering, overlooked lab partners, join Clara as she discovers what it really means to hit the reset button on life. What could possibly go wrong? And, this time, can she get it right?"

I am a fan of Addison's writing. If you search way back in my blog to last year, (which I wont make you do so here is a link - Christmas in Wine Country ) I reviewed her novel Christmas in Wine Country Available Here!

Not only is she a wonderful author, she is a pleasure to work with and I cannot wait to read her new novel. So, do not forget, it will be available on October 1st, 2013 and I strongly recommend picking it up. 

Also, stay tuned because I will be posting a review of it as soon as I finish!

To learn more about Addison Westlake, click through to the Read More

Fundamental Problems by Michael J. Tobias

Fundamental Problems is a collection of short stories that challenges the reader to think outside of the box.

Since they are short stories, it reads very quick.

It opens up with a story about our planet Earth being destroyed by alien creatures. What a nice welcome story.

After that the stories get progressively better. I feel as though there is something for everyone hidden within the pages of this short story compilation.

The writing style keeps you engaged until the last page. It is also very short, so it will not take up a lot of your time. I was able to finish it in one sitting, so if you have an open afternoon and enjoy reading short stories, I would recommend getting your hands on this book and enjoy getting lost in another world for an hour or two.

4/5 stars just because the opening story and the ending story were the weakest ones to me. I would expect them to be the best ones. 

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Homo Saywhaticus by Lance Manion

Homo Saywhaticus is a collection of short stories and it fall under the genre of Adult Humor. Very adult…

The book sort of reads like a blog, which makes sense because Lance is a blogger. I don’t read many comedy or humor books, but I felt myself enjoying this one.

It can get very raunchy at times, and at other times you are not even sure what it even going on. But, I think that is the point. It is a book that doesn’t make you think a whole lot. It could be a break from reality if you are having a stressful day. Just pick it up and read one or two of the short stories, and they may make you laugh.

I found myself laughing out loud a few times, wincing a few times, and utterly confused at other times.

It was quite the journey, but a fun one.

4/5 Stars. 

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Zoo by James Patterson

If you want a book that will keep you hanging on until the last page just for the madness that ensues throughout the novel – this one is for you.

The world as we know it is coming to an end. Man-made problems are coming back to haunt the human population.

The animal population is turning against the humans, and they are out for blood!

The concept of this novel is actually extremely terrifying. I suppose that is what Patterson does best though. When fighting against other humans, at least you have the advantage of language. Whether you speak the same language or not, there are usually universal signs to get your point across.

With animals, it is a whole different story. You don’t know what they are thinking at any time. And when they attack, you have no answers for why or what you can do to stop it.

Oz, the main character, has noticed a strange trend in animal behavior for many years. He has spent all of his money trying to share his discoveries but is constantly blown off and called crazy. It is the classic case of “This will NEVER happen to ME.”

Once animal attacks start happening all around the world and in really extraordinary circumstances, his findings start to get noticed.

After taking a trip to Africa, and encountering these tragedies first-hand, Oz has all the material he needs to prove that he is, in fact, not crazy after all.

This novel was sort of different for a Patterson book which was interesting at the beginning. But in typical Patterson form, he grabbed my attention and wouldn’t let me go until I closed the final cover.

It is interesting to read, and maybe it is not the most likely of scenarios, but it does make you think a little more about what we are doing to the Earth.

5/5 stars

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You Are To Decide.., but Death and Rising Are Through Human Flesh by Walt March, Antony Sturdee, and Claire Glowen

I will start this by saying that from the title of this book, you can’t really figure out what it will be about. That is the case with some books, which is fine, but with this one it is different. Even after reading it I am not really sure what it was about.

I guess there was a main storyline; The main character is a detective. Tragedy strikes his family and others around him. The horror seems to be stemming from this mysterious book that was given to his wife and child. He and his partner Felix team up to try to solve the crimes.

Then there was the poetry that was thrown in the complement the novel. I think this was a good strategy in theory. It helped break up the story in to smaller and easier to read parts rather than having just a plain wall of text. Coming from someone who can lose interest easily if I am not given short chapters or some sort of a break in the chapters, I liked this concept.

The execution, though, I felt was very weak. Many times I was wondering how the poems flowed with the story. Other times I wondered if they were meant to fit at all or if they were just a small thought given to us from the main character. Some of them did fit and flow with the story, and when they did, it was enjoyable.

Then there was the non-poetry, non-main story line that consisted of just the thoughts of the main character on various topics often revolving around religion. When you decide to write on religious topics, it is really either hit or miss. There is rarely a middle ground that the stories fall into and I felt this one was sort of a miss. I didn’t understand how most of it tied in together, and the flow was just not there for me.

The writing in this novel was very, very formal. For me, if I am reading formal writing, I feel like I am reading a text book and it makes it hard to focus on the story line. I found myself getting lost often, but not really wanting to go back and reread the paragraph, page, etc.

The only thing that kept me hanging on until the end was wanting to figure out what the story was behind the mysterious book. Once I got to the end, I felt it was severely lacking and I felt like I didn’t receive a full story.

The concept behind this novel was pretty good, the execution missed the mark though.

2/5 stars. There was mystery to the story, but the thoughts didn't flow together. 

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The Students Sold Us Secrets Volume One by Lee Mavin

The Students told us secrets is a collection of short stories that are written in the form of journal entries by students.

The narrator is an anonymous teacher who received these texts and compiled them in the process of evaluating student behavior of the generation. Behavior against each other, and behavior towards those in power such as teachers.

While this is a work of fiction, it is horrifying that many students, I’m sure, actually have the thought processes close to the ones in this collection. The stories themselves are full of horror, suspense, and gore, but the fact that these are not too far off from reality makes them even more terrifying.

I love short stories. There is just something about the way that they have to be told in such a limited amount of pages that makes them difficult. They can either be really good and well written, or you can leave them with the sense that you didn’t receive the full story and there is something missing.

Lee Mavin did a very good job of putting these stories together in a way that they flowed well together. I felt as though I received all of the details necessary to put the story together. It was well written, and it was a very interesting read.

5/5 stars

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Pulse of Poetics by Joseph Labriola

Pulse of Poetics is a collection of poetry and analysis of said poems.

They cover many different topics and cover a large range of dates. You aren't getting poems from just one time period.

It takes you through the ever evolving forms of poetry, and there are also many different type of poems. There are very short ones, and there are longer ones.

I enjoyed the poems that were put together in this collection, some of the analysis sections seemed to drag on a bit longer than I thought was necessary though.

I feel as though fans on poetry and history would enjoy taking a look at this book.

I am not huge on reading about history, so some of this was not for me.

3.5/5 stars I found myself losing interesting at times, but the poetry collection they used made up for some of that. 

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Remember Patience by Shawn Sandhurst

First off, I enjoyed that this book was written by someone close to home here in Illinois!

Now for the review:

When faced with the worst terrorist attack the United States has ever faced, what would you do?

For a small group of high schoolers from Ridgewood, Illinois, their plan is to travel to Turkey and join the Peace Corps to try to spread the word of God and the Bible to the terrorists.

Redemption.

Does redemption work on those whose souls are black and dead inside? Simon and his Little Js can only hope so, otherwise they could end up dead by the hands of a highly dangerous terrorist organization.

This novel reads sort of like a movie. It seems like a YA/teen movie where the young characters are the hero of a story. I believe it is written this way because it is not a 100% serious book, which is first seen through the different personalities of the characters.

If you like movies/books with young powerful lead characters, I believe this would be a good read for you.

What I really enjoyed about it was the short chapters, that will stand out to me in any book I read. I love that writing style, and I feel it helps keep my interest. I finished the whole thing in two sittings, it went pretty quick, and it wasn’t dull.

And don’t forget, Remember Patience.

5/5 stars. The writing style was great, and the story certainly takes you on a journey. 

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The Spirit Keepers by J.S. Winn

If there is one thing that J.S. Winn can do well, that would be writing suspense novels. If you didn’t see my review for her previous novel Out of the Shadow, check it out after you read this! (Link)

The Spirit Keepers is a romance novel with a side of mystery and suspense.

It is about a woman named Sandy who packs up her belongings and moves from Philadelphia to New Mexico to take a teaching job. Carrying emotional baggage from her life in Philly, she must learn to adjust to the way of the tribe and try to fit in.

When one of her students and his family begin to be tormented by people in the tribe, she cannot help but get involved.

Along the way, she meets a fellow teacher, Ben, and they have instant chemistry that is undeniable.

He warns her that it would probably be best to stay out of the tribe’s business, but the independent woman that she is doesn’t listen to him.

She gets caught up in a mess that may kill her.

Will Sandy make it out alive and live happily ever after? Or will her concern others lead to her untimely death? You will just have to read to find out!

It was hard to put down, and its not very long. So, finishing it in a couple sittings is easy.

5/5 stars. It keeps you hanging on until the end to see who/what is behind the tormenting actions.  

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Forever a Blackhawk by Stan Mikita

Since I love hockey, and I love my Blackhawks, this was obviously a great read for me.

It details Stan Mikita's home life as well as his life to becoming a hockey player and finally playing for the Chicago Blackhawks.

It is everything you would want from a sports memoir including statements written by former team mates as well as tons of pictures.

It is great to get a personal look at the life of a great Blackhawks legend and now a team ambassador.

If you are a hockey fan, or especially a Blackhawks fan, you need to pick this up.

5/5 stars

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The Book of Jobs: What Steve is Doing on the Cloud by Skye Atman

By the title, I am sure you all can assume that this book is about Steve Jobs. You would be correct.

It is a work of fiction that explores Steve’s time in a place that is sort of like a heaven.

In his time there he learns the rules of the place, and encounters many famous figures along the way. His struggle is that he wants to figure out how to reincarnate sooner than his allotted time because he wants to make sure that his company is run correctly as long as the construction of their new building.

It is a fun book to read, very light-hearted and interesting. The writer did very good research to make it close to character for Steve and the others you meet along the way.

If you are an Apple fan or a fan of Steve Jobs, it could be a fun read to pick up. It isn’t very long, so it won’t devour a lot of your time.

5/5 it was fun. I found it entertaining. 

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