After reading The Flat Share I knew Beth O’Leary was going to be a gal for me. The Switch takes what seems to be nearly everyone’s favorite trope . . . .
“My granddaughter wanted a break in the countryside, and I wanted some excitement in the city. So we swapped lives…”
Actually, said granddaughter Leena was sort of forced into a sabbatical by her boss and said granny Eileen is looking for a final chance at love. Enter the house swap. Eileen will move to the hustle and bustle of London and stay in Leena’s flat while Leena goes back to a quieter lifestyle at granny’s house in Shoreditch. The result is exactly what a book like this is supposed to deliver. (Also, can I just mention that I’m almost positive at this point if “Shoreditch” is the location, Imma give the book a high rating.)
I ended up scoring an audio copy of this last year when NetGalley started offering them as an option and this was a “Listen Now” selection. Of course, I didn’t realize I was clicking for an audiobook. I just saw Beth O’Leary’s name and was like . . . .
Thanks to Covid I had no commute time so I waited for the library copy and read ¾ / listened to ¼ of this one. Good news to listeners, the narration was lovely. Even better news to everyone, this author has a new release coming up later this year and if you thought this trope was good, it has my all-time fave . . . . .
I already wrotepictured up a review for the print version of this some time back, but when faced with potential solo couple hour long road-trips I decided it was high time to give the audio a checkout . . . and then immediately started listening to it because I need instant gratification at every single moment in my life. Bonus was that I listened to it with the oldest (literally a legal adult so don’t @ me about what a bad mother I am – I’m a bad mother for a whooooooooole bunch of other things worse than letting him listen to an audiobook with cuss words).
I stand by my assessment that this is one of the best of the bunch if you are a superfan of SNL and want to know the inside scoop. Despite the fact that Spade is not only absolutely adorable and someone I want to be besties with since he always makes me laugh . . . .
He was smart when it came to this release and kept the content at what the majority people want to know: his time/the inner workings on SNL and his friendship with Farley . . . .
Are little more than mere mentions. (He doesn’t really talk about Just Shoot Me (and doesn’t mention Rules of Engagement at all), which makes me wonder if there’s a story there.) And now I know why. Because he’s savvy enough to know no one’s going to buy the cow if you give all the milk away for free and saved some stuff up for this . . . . .
Obviously my 5 Star rating still stands. I’d give him 10 if I could and I’m so glad Lights Out with David Spade exists to satisfy my pop culture nerd and trashy reality television story cravings. ...more
And it is good. SO. GOOD. Like give them all the Tony Awards good. And the touring company is coming here soon and I’m sooooooo hoping tickets will be available so me and my fellow songlover kid can attend. But my reaction to the book?????
Here’s the pickle I’m in. This was so much more than a novelization. It was full length and well written to boot. The problem? Evan is kind of an awful unlikeable character for a goodly chunk (like 90% of the thing) until the reader/audience really gets to know what makes him HIM and you can become sympathetic to him making this just a cringey type of read. And the character who IS automatically the one you want to get to know more? Well, unfortunately he’s dead . . . .
I’m always looking for stuff to listen to during the commute, but since I only spend about 20 minutes in the car each way I’m pretty particular about what I want. Funny, short, or something I’m already familiar with in some way are generally winners. Probably goes without saying the narrator needs to not suck (narrator definitely does not suck here). If you’re a lover of YA you won’t be wasting your time here – same goes for if you’re a crazy completionist superfan (trust me, no judgment). As for me? My family is just happy I’ve changed up the playlist I sing while I’m dusting, vacuuming, washing dishes, doing laundry, taking a shower awake . . . .
I should have known better than to tempt fate after my miserable failure with Evelyn Hugo, but it was all over the Instagram and I am an easy mark.
I’ll be more than willing to take some of the blame for my experience here and say that from the cover/description I had definite opinions about what I was hoping the story would be like. Mainly in the form of . . . . .
How was no one else not completely bored with this? What a snoozefest! I was sure the high ratings were going to end up being just a Bookstagram thing because most of those young’uns are young enough that they might not realize this story/the delivery really wasn’t a fresh idea and was 100% done before . . . .
But most of my fellow oldsters over here loved it too. I’ll just go suck some turtles, I guess.
All that smacktalking aside, there is one thing about Daisy Jones that is deserving of all the Starzzzzzzz and that is the audio. Making it to the end of this selection had I opted for the print version may have ended up being one of the greatest struggles of my life (first worlder here), but the full cast audio was amazing. Too bad I hated the story they were reading to me : (
Seriously, though, who my age didn’t have a crush on . . . . .
And while I never got the appeal of Benjamin Bratt from a looks standpoint, after hearing him talk to me for infinity (because this thing never effing ended), I have this to say to him . . . . .
Somehow after double fails, Maybe In Another Life is still calling my name. If that one ends up as a wrongread like these other two have, someone take me out of my misery if I ever mention reading another book by this author....more
Confession: Chelsea Handler has a voice I want to punch in the face so I’ve never been abFind all of my reviews at: http://52bookminimum.blogspot.com/
Confession: Chelsea Handler has a voice I want to punch in the face so I’ve never been able to watch her on television. Despite this auditory issue, I have somehow managed to become quite the fan when it comes to her books. (I always tried to hear her doppelgänger, Elizabeth Banks, in my head instead when I read them.) Lord knows why I decided to give this one a listen, but it probably didn't help my rating any *shrug*
I thought this was going to be a hilarious take on a spoiled celebrity reevaluating her life and re-learning how to take care of some of the simple things without paid assistants. What I got instead was a real downer of a story that focused A LOT on death.
I’m going to be 100% transparent here and admit to the fact that I had never heFind all of my reviews at: http://52bookminimum.blogspot.com/
2.5 Stars
I’m going to be 100% transparent here and admit to the fact that I had never heard of Lindy West or her writing or this book. What I had heard of, however, was . . . .
I have such a wicked crush on Aidy Bryant it’s not even funny. From being one of the driving forces behind the female counterpoint to The Lonely Island . . . .
Aidy Bryant is a continual over-the-top laugh-out-loud force every week on SNL and has become a quiet force in proving both the “women aren’t funny” and “fat people are disgusting” troll armies wrong . . . .
When I heard she was getting her own television show I was thrilled – followed by nearly immediately being crushed because I am not a subscriber to the Hulu. So I did what I do best and I looked to see if Shrill had started off as a book.
I started listening and thought this was going to be a little memoir on navigating the world as a fat female. Being that I myself am a fat female, I have definitely spent my adult life embracing my plus size and trying to present a confident/body positive image no matter what trolls might have to say otherwise about the subject. I was pretty sure I would like this book. And I did . . . . until I didn’t any more. Body positivity = good. Believing overweight people should be declared a protected class????
Again – this is coming from someone who is probably around the same size as Lindy West, but I’m not about to let my white privilege show through so much that I’m going to back her up on that argument.
Wishing comedians didn’t joke about things like rape = good. Spending 1/3 of a book arguing that you believe in free speech while kinda doing whatever was possible to take away other’s (albeit disgusting uggos) free speech = notsogood. And speaking of that part of the book. On what planet does Daniel Tosh deserve more attention than he already has received? At some point I think that turd would have dried up and blown away by now if it weren’t for all the attention he receives in response to his “bad boy” brand of humor. Oh and dare I forget the focus on the boypig Tosh (or even better the sour grapes presented to the non-offensive Patton Oswalt simply for being famous enough that people listen to him when he speaks) while Louis C.K. gets a pass . . . . .
I ended up not being the target audience for this “fat, feminist, abortion story” – obviously YMMV. If I didn’t have such a hair trigger when it comes to wanting instant gratification I would have taken a second to look at the blurb and see that West is Lena Dunham’s kind of girl which means she probably wouldn’t be the kind of girl for me. Guess that ol’ hindsight works for me here too ; )...more
I have officially been revolutionalized and lemme tell you this Kool Aid is DELICIOUS! To be honest, since I have a theater/choir kid in my house I have been living The Hamilton Experience for quite some time now – I just never felt the need to become fully indoctrinated until I knew the traveling show would be coming to town. Unfortunately, I wasn’t aware that when the show finally was approaching the ticket prices would be so astronomical that my poor ass would still not be able to attend. So we’ve been settling for the best we can get. Playing the soundtrack on a never-ending loop and driving the non-theater lovers in the family crazy. Win win!
For those of you who live in caves, Hamilton: The Revolution is the story behind the musical. Specifically, how it went from a crazy idea for a concept album to a once-in-a-generation smash hit. It takes you inside not only Lin-Manuel’s head, but also Thomas Kail and Alex Lacamoire who completed the trifecta which brought Hamilton to life. As nearly everyone who has ever bothered listening to all FORTY-SIX songs in this nearly 100% sung production says . . . .
I opted for the audio on this one in an attempt to turn my frown upside down on my daily commute. I went in blind thinking Lin-Manuel himself would be doing all of the reading, but sadly he only did the footnotes (which, trust me, were well worth the price of admission). Mariska Hargitay wound up being the voice and while I realize she’s become some sort of pop culture icon I have to say . . . .
I still have no idea what television show she’s famous for or why she’s become such a go-to when it comes to “it girl” types of jokes by the cool kids crowd. All I do know is she read slow as shit and I had to speed her ass up to double time in order to not want to murder everyone around me. The content was still killer, though.
And let’s talk about content. Are you a Hamiltonian? What’s your fave? While Quiet Uptown makes water leak out my face errrrrrry dang time I hear it, I can’t ever get enough of King George . . . . .
Before anyone gets it twisted and starts throwing the term “hater” at me or saying (once Find all of my reviews at: http://52bookminimum.blogspot.com/
Before anyone gets it twisted and starts throwing the term “hater” at me or saying (once again) that I suck turtles, let’s get something real clear. I am the target demographic for this woman’s viral videos, can relate to allllllllllllllllllllllllllllllll of them and have been pushing her on my friends for years. When I heard she was branching out into an actual traveling stand-up show I couldn’t have been happier and I was also the one who forced the library into buying this audio book for my listening pleasure. That being said, I checked this out believing it would be a (welcome) extension of Heather Land’s fifteen minutes of fame. I would not have been disappointed if it was simply a regurge of all of her videos from hating pumpkin spice to people in PJs at the Wal-Mart – just minus the Snapchat filter, of course. At minimum I thought this would be hilarious. What I didn’t sign up for was some sort of mutant inspirational, motivational speaker type mumbo jumbo with nary even a chuckle to be found. To that I say . . . .
I came upon this book when I went to the library’s website looking for an audio version oFind all of my reviews at: http://52bookminimum.blogspot.com/
I came upon this book when I went to the library’s website looking for an audio version of Tracy Morgan’s book which they did not have and they offered me this instead . . . .
I mean maybe just a lil’ bit. You would think there would be like 10,000,000 other former SNL cast member memoirs or middle-age stand-up comic bios to drop on me before a 30-year old podcaster, but whatever. I’m an easy sell so I downloaded it.
In case you couldn’t tell from the above, I had zero clue who this girl is. (But hey, at least I knew what Upright Citizens Brigade is since I’m a geezer and nearly every comic I ever loved either sprouted from there or the Groundlings (Ha! Sprouted from the Ground(lings) – so funny. Or not.).) People are always telling me about podcasts, but who the eff has time for that? I am old, I work full time and I also have a family to try and keep alive. Heck, I just started doing audiobooks like 17 minutes ago and ancestry.com said I am 100% Bibliophile so that makes zero sense. I wouldn’t have the first clue of how to even find a podcast – let alone a good one – and I seriously doubt there is one magical enough to keep my interest for multiple episodes (or whatever the fuck a podcast show is called). When I hear the word podcast I think of someone sitting in their mom’s basement/attic turned “sound studio” with some half-ass equipment that picks up sounds no one ever wants to hear like how they aren’t super great at breath control while speaking or that they are a producer of extra saliva. And while the production quality was sound (Ha! Sound! *isthisthingon???*), my listening experience was the equivalent of any time I ever dared to find out what any [insert any name at all here - I mean really ANY name because they are all exactly the same] wannabe famous YouTuber had to say about things – except I couldn’t see this broad make what I can only imagine were equally annoying faces to go along with her eye-twitch inducing delivery. These .gifs pretty much sum things up . . . .
You would die before the paramedics even got the tube down your gullet in order pump all the alcohol out of your stomach.
There was also a Bizarro World factor where this woman who is a decade younger than me somehow only talked about things that even I thought were dated. Seriously, was Carrie Bradshaw really that much of an influence on your life?????
Maybe I would have found tidbits of interest if I had opted for the physical version. However, since I was so distracted by the bleeding out of my ears from listening to this torture session, I’m choosing to offer up a couple of other selections that might be of interest (and Imma do Netflix programs which is pretty much unheard of for me) to mix things up. For those of you looking for the answers regarding hair and why you can’t touch it, look no further than the sheer perfection which is . . . . .
I’m giving this 2 Stars pretty much out of the goodness of my cold black heart and because, like I said above, I may have not wanted to drive off a bridge if I had read this rather than listened to it. But as far as the audio goes?????
If you know me you know that I’m not a real big television watcher, but when I go in on sFind all of my reviews at: http://52bookminimum.blogspot.com/
If you know me you know that I’m not a real big television watcher, but when I go in on something I. GO. IN. I loved Parks and Rec from the second it made it to air. I fell hard for Amy Poehler immediately upon her joining the cast of SNL and watched her in movies like Baby Mama, Deuce Bigalow and Blades of Glory until my DVD player committed suicide. There was no chance her new show wouldn’t be one of my favorite things ever. I was right. What I didn’t realize upon tuning in was that a woman who didn’t even have a speaking part the first season would wind up being my spirit animal.
Donna Meagle had me at the first side-eye she ever gave to her co-workers . . . .
It was her job to break the fourth wall – sans words – and she was GREAT at it. When she was finally allowed to speak? She ended up being pretty much me both professionally . . . .
Before she and Tom Haverford Aziz Ansari received the cult following which was created via “Treat Yo Self” – they had an exchange that somehow still strikes me as hilarious every single time I watch it . . . .
Tom Haverford : You can't say your favorite kind of cake is birthday cake, that's like saying your favorite kind of cereal is breakfast cereal.
Why is that so funny????? Because Tom and Donna are television magic, that’s why.
Speaking of magic? I found Retta over on the ‘Gram shortly after joining last year (I know, I know, I’m super late to the party). My favorite part of the day has become watching her make her cup of Dark Magic and singing a rendition of “Good Morning – Good Morning!” to me. And yet I was denied this ARC. Go figure, right?
Anyway, I don’t know if everyone will love this or if you just have to be nuts like me. Good news is, Retta herself is 100% relatable and she is more than happy to share deets regarding things like meeting famous people at various award shows and parties, slamming trolls on the web and becoming a Hamilton superfan . She is hilarious, her delivery is everything a fan could dream of and more and she has a fabulous potty mouth to boot. If you like something light for your daily commute, this might be a winner....more
Since my daily commute is so short and I only listen to audio books in the car Monday-FriFind all of my reviews at: http://52bookminimum.blogspot.com/
Since my daily commute is so short and I only listen to audio books in the car Monday-Friday, I’m always struggling to find a selection that works for me. When I saw my friend Matthew’s review of We the Animals, I thought it might be a good fit. I also thought it was a young adult book for some reason, but soon realized . . . . .
While the characters in this story are children, the content most definitely is not and focuses on growing up in a poor, mixed-race, abusive family in Brooklyn. Confession: I still thought it was a YA story until the parents had sex in front of their children, at which point . . . .
And logged onto Goodreads to confirm that this was not a children’s book.
This was a mixed bag for me. I enjoyed the vignette style of storytelling that presented snapshots of time rather than a flowing story – more so probably due to this being such a short book. I appreciate storytellers who don’t pull punches and are as brutal as necessary for the subject matter that they are presenting. But I don’t like writing that doesn’t feel effortless and Justin Torres most certainly was trying VERY HARD here. Almost like it was the last requirement before receiving his Masters in Fine Arts. The timeline also was hard to wrap my brain around. The reader is informed at the beginning that the children are “stair steps” of a sort with the youngest (our narrator) being around 7. By the end of the book (and the couple of big “shock and awe” entries which focus on a completely different subject matter than the first 80-90% of the book), I thought that same child might be around 16. There aren’t really any “in between” sort of selections to indicate age progression – you just make the hop. That was jarring enough, but it would make the older brothers of adult age and yet they are still present in the family home. I didn’t buy that one bit and it made other moments jump back to the forefront of my mind that had rang out as inauthentic as well.
If so, look no further because Coach McGuirk I mean Archer I mean Bob DAMMIT! I mean H. Jon Benjamin has written just the thing for you. Go read Jason’s review because that’s how I even heard of this in the first place, take both of our advice and seek it out on audio – after all, dude does make his dollars for his silky smooth vocal stylings, and save Chapter 21 for when you have either had the worst day ever or are anticipating the worst day ever because it is all about . . . .
Sick of me yet? If so, I don’t blame you. The BLOCK button has been conveniently moved riFind all of my reviews at: http://52bookminimum.blogspot.com/
Sick of me yet? If so, I don’t blame you. The BLOCK button has been conveniently moved right up to the top of the page if you need it.
Anywho, I read this one awhile back but am always looking for something entertaining to listen to during my commute so I downloaded the audio version when I saw it at the ol' liburrrrrrry. Samantha Irby’s delivery might not be for everyone, but that’s perfect because I already declared dibs on her quite some time ago. She’s hilarious, crass, dry and droll and that’s what makes her my . . . .
Bonus: Half the book is about some ratchet-assed half dead kitten that was forced upon her and made her life a living hell as it plotted her demise. Samesies . . . .
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(Photo of The Childish Gambino courtesy of my co-worker/former fosterbabymama/crazy cat lady who forced him into my life and slammed the door before I could throw him back at her. The only thing worse than a bookpusher is a catpusher LOL.)...more
I grabbed this because I’m always searching for something easy to listen to during my comFind all of my reviews at: http://52bookminimum.blogspot.com/
I grabbed this because I’m always searching for something easy to listen to during my commute. Confession time: I never watched Freaks and Geeks (and neither did any of you because it was cancelled for lack of viewers despite being critically acclaimed, so just stop lying about it) or Dawson’s Creek. Really the only things I can recall Busy Phillips being in were White Chicks and Cougartown. I didn’t realize she was the exact same person in real life that she played in those roles . . . . .
The only thing I can say now that I’ve finished? Self-awareness and accountability are real things. It’s a shame an almost 40-year old woman hasn’t figured that out yet and instead seems to be A-Okay being wholly unlikeable with zero redeeming qualities. But at least she’s internet famous, right? #sarcasm...more
Elevation isn’t what you would typically expect from someone known as the “Master of HorrFind all of my reviews at: http://52bookminimum.blogspot.com/
Elevation isn’t what you would typically expect from someone known as the “Master of Horror.” It is, however, most definitely a story you might expect to hear from your favorite relative – Uncle Stevie. Simply put, it’s a puff piece. A little feel-good story about not judging books by their covers and finding a higher plane (either figuratively or perhaps in this case quite literally).
Back in the olde days of yore this probably would have been nestled somewhere in a collection of other novellas rather than being released as a solo work. The lack of quality wouldn’t have been as noticeable because the quantity would have made up for it. If you have a great library system like me or are a King completionist, it’s worth the little time it will take to read. If you’re neither of the above, you might want to jump into your time machine and listen to some Depeche Mode instead . . . .
People are people so why should it be You and I should get along so awfully
So we're different colours And we're different creeds And different people have different needs It's obvious you hate me Though I've done nothing wrong I never even met you So what could I have done
I can't understand What makes a man Hate another man Help me understand
Sidenote: Am I the only person who finds it strange that King felt the need to narrate this himself or that bookpushy “blog” posts have become commonplace from his people . . . .
WTF? We aren’t called Constant Readers for no reason, dude. If you write it, we will come. Save the spammy self-promotion for the “Pumpkin Farmers” and overpriced self-pubbed authors of the world.
EDIT: No comment regarding this winning “Best Horror” in the Goodreads Choice Awards. ...more
An image of the cover of How Not To Get Shot should be listed under the definition of the word tragicomedy, because this is about the best example I can think of. Hughley is obviously a believer in the “gotta laugh so you don’t cry” mindset as he covers some of the most depressing subjects via laugh-out-loud satire. From police shootings to poverty to protests to current and former administrations – Hughley is not afraid to tackle any topic.
Obviously the people who need to read this in order to “get woke” probably won’t ever even know it exists. Others will instantly 1 Star it or label it “reverse racism” – and I’m not even going to get into that for fear of my brain exploding. Don’t want to read this? Don’t. I’m pretty sure it won’t break D.L. Hughley’s heart. If you do want to give this a go, however, you’ll find not only is it funny, but it’s also well researched and smart. I also highly recommend the audio over the print version. Hughley’s delivery adds so much to the funny. Especially when it comes to our current President’s attributes . . . . • Gaudy and loud • Incompetent • Lazy • Emotional, flies off the handle • Angry • Unintelligent—not bright • Lots of kids by different people • Cheats on his wife • Talks a lot of shit
All the shit you ascribe to black people! He does all of that shit.
(He also says the F-word oh so very well.)
Now you can decide if you’re too much of a snowflake to read this. *wink* ...more
Yet another selection that I didn’t even manage to mark as currently reading – or listeniFind all of my reviews at: http://52bookminimum.blogspot.com/
Yet another selection that I didn’t even manage to mark as currently reading – or listening to, as was the case here. Fail!
This was a recommendation from the library software and, even though it wasn’t great for me, it did pretty much fit what I gravitate toward for my listening pleasure. The problem I have with some of these is my unfamiliarity with the authors. Thus was the case with Okay, Fine, Whatever. I was intrigued by the idea of a middle-aged woman trying things that took her out of her comfort zone because I am a middle-aged woman who is terrified by the idea of being taken out of my comfort zone. I appreciated her willingness to talk about her anxiety and (hopefully) make people understand that while people like me might be assholes, our inability to be the life of the party is not always asshole-based. I also liked that she wasn’t going to do crazy stuff like jumping out of airplanes or climbing a mountain. Buuuuuuut (you knew that was coming, right?) I thought I was going to be getting a little more. I had never heard of Courtenay Hameister before or her radio show Live Wire (they still do radio shows? Whodathunk it.) and from the cover alone I thought I would at least be getting a little . . . . .
Sadly what had a promising start soon devolved into “look, even chubby 40-somethings can get a boyfriend if they try real hard.” There was a LOT of sex stuff in this – fellatio class, going to a sex club, having sex with polyamorous dudes. Obviously I am a lover of both the sexytimes books as well as the funny memoir, but not in this case. Also, dear publishers, be careful when you tell someone a book is “pee your pants funny.” Trust me, at 40+ and after birthing some chillins it ain’t supah hard to get me to take a wee in my drawers – this one didn’t even come close. ...more
When this popped up on my feed awhile back I immediately went to the library to see if itFind all of my reviews at: http://52bookminimum.blogspot.com/
When this popped up on my feed awhile back I immediately went to the library to see if it was available on audio – while simultaneously wondering how I had missed reading it back in my Zombies4Eva phase. Well, turns out I had read it but since I am a moron I had completely forgotten all about it. So unlike me, right? It also turns out back in the day I was even worse at reviewing than I am now because I straight up compared this to Zombieland. I’m surprised a hoard of townsfolk and their pitchforks didn’t show up on my front yard for that one! I guess it’s because they were both funny approaches to the undead? Or I used to smoke crack and have forgotten all about that too . . . .
Whatever the case, Shady’s back – back again – this time listening to a story I already read years ago. So what is the story, you ask? Sarah and Dave show up for their weekly marital counseling only to discover the “perfect” couple that has the appointment immediately before theirs nom-nomming on the good doctor. The two decide to call it a day and head home to . . . .
Plans change, however, when their neighbor tries to eat them. It’s then they realize that they’re going to have to go from passive aggressive to aggressive aggressive . . . .
This ended up being 3 Star fun the second time around. My only complaint? I HATED the narrator and it turns out she reads a shitton of audiobooks so now I’m sad for eternity. ...more
You All Grow Up And Leave Me popped up on the library’s Recommended To You feature due toFind all of my reviews at: http://52bookminimum.blogspot.com/
You All Grow Up And Leave Me popped up on the library’s Recommended To You feature due to me reading I’ll Be Gone In The Dark – a book I didn’t much care for at all, if the truth be told . . . .
Save your breath. I get it. I read it wrong and McNamara was not only a genius, but also this close to DNA swabbing the perp herself and solving the whole shebang. Whatever. I didn’t like it. I still downloaded this book, however, because . . . .
The funny thing is, I disliked I’ll Be Gone In the Dark due to it being so indulgent and lacking in content with regard to the subject matter it claimed to be tackling. This one is nothing but indulgent and no real “crime” actually took place . . . .
I know. Same here. Yeah, the intended victim (and her mother) were able to fight the attacker off and then he killed himself. Sorry, spoiler alert. Point being, if you are looking for a true crime story look elsewhere. If you are a firm believer that . . . .
This didn’t even make it to my “Currently Reading” list. What an idiot! Anyway, Hush MoneFind all of my reviews at: http://52bookminimum.blogspot.com/
This didn’t even make it to my “Currently Reading” list. What an idiot! Anyway, Hush Money was a currently reading . . . or rather listening to . . . selection of mine about a month ago. Full disclosure: I had no clue that these books were actually this . . . .
Full disclosure #2 – I also didn’t really watch Spenser: For Hire. It was more like background filler while I played Barbies and waited with bated breath for my types of shows to come on. You know, real classy stuff like Dallas, Dynasty or my favorite: Knots Landing.
If you’re wondering how I came across this series and decided to start at the ripe ol’ number of 26, there’s a simple answer . . . .
You see, Burt Reynolds died and I was about as bummed as I can get about a stranger’s passing so I went to the library and searched his name. There ended up being a waiting list (natch) for But Enough About Me, however a couple of these Spenser stories popped up as options due to Burt being the narrator. And what a narrator he was! A different (and more importantly) believable voice for each character, his easy charm simply oozed through my speakers and was the perfect fit for both Spenser as well as Hawk.
The story itself wasn’t too shabby either. A dual “whodunit” (both of which happen to be of the pro bono variety) featuring a potential sex scandal ending up with the suicide of a young gay man taken on as a favor to Hawk - along with a stalking case brought by Spenser’s long-time girlfriend Susan. I’m pleased to say this has aged quite well, since it is nearly 20 years old. I’m sad to report it could have been written today as far as case #1 is concerned.
In the strangest variety of coinky-dinks I followed a fellow named Ace Atkins because I am smitten with all things David Joy and ol’ David seems to pal around with Ace a tad. Imagine my surprise when I discovered several months later that it is Atkins himself who picked up Robert B. Parker’s fallen pen after he passed and has continued on with this series. Add on to that an apparent revamp of the program via way of Netflix starring Marky Mark (wearing more than underpants and without his Funky Bunch) is in the works. Talk about timing! I highly doubt that I will go back to the beginning of this series, but I will be listening to at least one more as the library has it and once again it is read by Burt. ...more
Kelly (and the Book Boar)
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