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I liked it when I saw it years ago, and I liked it the second time I watched it. But to call it a romantic comedy is...well...I've got nothing. What else could you call it, anyway? Lee Holloway, a young woman who has just been released from mental health care, decides to enter the workforce and become a secretary. She then applies and ultimately works for E. Edward Gray, esq. Needless to say, their relationship goes far beyond boss and employee. The themes of obsession, obses

After reading the first installment in this series and appreciating the style and tone of Jake Needham’s narrative style, I look forward to sinking my teeth into the second novel in the Samuel Tay Series, The Umbrella Man. When I’m done, I’ll let you know what I think.

A horror short story, a single event, an introduction to a character in a series. For what it was, I enjoyed reading it. Although it took an immediate turn from horror to dark fantasy, it set a pace, a world, and hooks for readers to gulp. If you like horror and dark fantasy, give this a read. It won’t take you long to get through it.

I am currently reading Sluagh: Monster Hunter for Hire by Barry K. Gregory. It’s about a nurse who returns to work after a week of grief, only to encounter dark creatures who have taken the place of her coworkers. It looks fun, and I don’t usually read horror. I’ll let you know what I think.

I enjoyed this book immensely. I enjoyed the characters, the plot twists, and the promise of more stories to come. I especially enjoyed the main character, Geddy Starheart, a human who has another conscious being living inside him. Geddy and this construct, Eli, plan to get Eli home, but the trip there is fraught with danger and peril. Geddy and Eli meet a cast of characters on a junk trawling spaceship and go on spectacular errands, which are part of the plot’s adventures. T

My Weekly Movie Club is watching the film, Secretary . I recall seeing it years ago when it came out. I recall that I liked it, but mostly, I marveled at how it humanized S&M. The performances were standout, with Maggie Gyllenhaal being a relative newcomer at the time. I'm sure I'll enjoy it the second time. I'll post my thoughts later in the week after I watch it.

This book, Rocket Repo: A Humorous Sci-Fi Space Opera That Will Leave You Laughing Through the Stars (Reassembly Book 1) , looks to be another romping Space Opera. We'll see how it compares to Boltguns and Duct Tape (Spaceship Mechanic Book 1) . I hope it's just as fun!

I can always tell when I enjoy a book; I usually read through it quickly. Nashville Trade is one of those books. As predicted, it has all the earmarks of a hardboiled detective novel, but with much, much more humanity. Told in first-person by a Vietnam War veteran, it's easy to tell that Jackson Trade seeks redemption. He's also in a downward spiral at the beginning of the book. A recently fired Assistant Dean of Students at Vanderbilt University, Jackson is not even living p

First of all, this novella was a hoot. As to be expected from John Scalzi. As predicted, it has all the earmarks of a whacky Scalzi SciFi tale. I was mistaken in my former blog. The main character, Ashley Perrin, is not a newly elected councilwoman, but a newly hired community liaison, in a city district that has more aliens than humans. The characters are indeed quirky. The plot, involving shapeshifting alien pets, an enormous—and sound barrier-busting—alien celebration, and

I am currently reading Nashville Trade: Jackson Trade, Book 1 (Hardboiled Southern), by TJ Arant. I like that it’s a hardboiled mystery, and that it’s a southern setting, so maybe a new twist on the genre might just be what the doctor ordered. A narrator in need of redemption, in fact? As said, I pepper my TBR with both mystery and sci-fi/fantasy, so this book is in line with my usual menu.

I am currently reading Constituent Service by John Scalzi. This is a science fiction novella with a hilarious premise. The story follows a newly appointed city councilwoman in an urban district peopled with many different types of extraterrestrials, their concerns, and their issues. There is also a trouble-starting chicken. The plot promises to be very John Scalzi, filled with hilarious plot strands and sidesplitting twists. I look forward to finishing this novella and, of co

I am going to start blogging about music, especially some of my favorite artists and albums. I have been a fan of QOTSA since not long after they hit the music scene. Since then, they have significantly shaped the “stoner rock” subgenre of music, grinding chord by grinding chord, trippy effect by trippy effect, laid-back atmospheric by laid-back atmospheric. Whenever a group releases an acoustic album, it promises to be both a departure from and a reaffirmation of their most

I must admit, at first, I wasn’t a fan of where this novel began and where—I thought—it was going. The narration—and, by association, the author—seemed to summon the surrealism of Karen Russell and the ridiculously quirky characters of Tom Robbins. But not quite. In purchasing this novel and placing it at the top of my TBR (To Be Read List), I looked forward to what I thought would be a magic realism story. I was led astray from this desire as I began and continued to read th

I am currently reading Carousel Grift: A Novel by David Lee Williams. It is a novel with supernatural elements, comedy, and family drama. The title and plot looked interesting to me, especially the part involving ghosts. It also received a high rating (4.7 out of 5) on Amazon from the 48 reviewers who posted so far.

As predicted, I enjoyed this book. It presented a (soon-to-be) down-on-his-luck protagonist who takes on cases but is not a licensed P.I. (yet). This appears to be a prequel or background novel. All the hardboiled detective novel tropes are here, including the Femme Fatale, the Man Behind the Desk, and a conspiracy that corrupts all who get near it. Slag dives in, asking questions, annoying those in power, and getting beaten down by thugs for his trouble. The mystery is solve

I am currently reading Rat Town Blues by Brian Kaufman. From just looking at the cover, I knew that this would be a hardboiled detective mystery novel, a genre that I find most pleasing . I usually stack my TBR list with novels such as these. At times, I also go back to novels by Raymond Chandler and Dashiell Hammett. I know that I will enjoy this book!

The essays in this book essentially chronicled the revolutionary events of America in the mid to late 1960s. Didion writes of these events with a critical yet unique eye, attempting to look at both sides of the issues while remaining impartial about them. From subjects such as John Wayne to the psychedelic movement, from self-respect to the decay of marriage as an institution, Didion becomes the intellectual's intellectual, presenting observations but never passing judgments.

First of all, I enjoyed the film. I saw it more than a few years back, and I enjoyed it now as much as I did then. And I remember the oddities of the film, especially concerning the casting. In the film, you have Kevin Kline, who usually plays a goofball in other films, playing a straight leading man in this one. And you have Kevin Costner, who usually plays a straight leading man in other films, playing a goofball in this one. The plot of the film went along nicely, with eng

We all know what White Room Syndrome is—it occurs when scenes in writing lack a defined setting, making characters feel as if they are floating in an undefined space or a white room—but allow me to introduce you to White Time Syndrome. Are hours, days, and years different on the planet Saturn than they are here on Earth? White Time Syndrome is when a science fiction writer crafts a story on another planet and/or in another galaxy, but uses hours, days, and years as we use the

I am currently reading Slouching Towards Bethlehem : Essays by Joan Didion. I was introduced to this title when I was reading The Uncool by Cameron Crowe. Jann Wenner, the editor of Rolling Stone at the time of the events in the memoir, gives Cameron this book, telling him that it would help him become a great writer. Cameron Crowe read Slouching Towards Bethlehem , and now I am following suit.