NPR considers this "downright fun"? They're pushing it a couple of months after Champlain Towers South collapsed resulting in 99 deaths? "After the 500-story Los Verticalés apartment tower crashes down, radio DJ Bernard continues broadcasting beneath the rubble while his brother, Orville, works to free him from the collapse." What the fuck is Bernard broadcasting about in a basement? This is ill-considered at best.
Monday, September 6, 2021
The Girl in the Moon by Terry Goodkind
The title alone is enough to turn me off this novel. The fact that Goodkind authored it is another warning sign. When it comes to writing, he's more of a bad-kind. "Born with a supernatural ability to recognize killers, reclusive Angela Constantine" Constantine, really? That's the best he can do for a character name? Barf!
The Hocus Pocus Magic Shop by Abigail Drake
"Between her chaotic romantic life and floundering career," and whose fault is that again? "discovering her aunt's spell book is the last thing chemist Grace needs - especially when some of the love potions actually work!" So this jerk has robbed people of self-determination? And it's supposed to be funny? "Will an infuriatingly handsome" Infuriatingly handsome? How many scores of books have that in their blurb? This book is quite obviously shit. "Will an infuriatingly handsome reporter spill her secret before she can clean up the mess?" I hope so because this meddling jackass needs to do some jail time. Hokey poke-ass more like.
Reconstructing Amelia by Kimberly McCreight
That title alone is an automatic no. Period.
Enthrall by ZL Arkadie
"Innocent Jada accepts a job as an assistant to reclusive billionaire Spencer - and her role requires her to move to his remote ranch." Of course it does, because why not render her a prisoner, totally dependent on you if you want to rape her? "When they finally meet, can they resist mixing business with pleasure?" Seriously? Does the book description writer think all readers are dumbasses to ask that dumbass question, or is the book description writer just a dumbass? I can't figure which it is. I do know this book is a disaster though.
Magic Shifts by Ilona Andrews
"When mercenary Kate Daniels learns of a friend's disappearance, she'll need to follow a trail of sinister clues to save him" Sinister clues! Oh my god! Sinister! We are so fucked! Barf. Although Ilona Andrews is a really cool name that ought to be attached to better, more original novels.
Rise of the Gladiator: Forbidden Planet by Cheree Alsop
Forbidden planet is way over-used, but get this: "Embarking on a dangerous rescue mission, Captain Nova Ardis takes a risk in bringing along a gladiator as her bodyguard." Why? And why would she want a guy half-dressed in leathers, and carrying a sword and shield when a ray gun can drop this asshole in a heartbeat? Bodyguard? Horseshit. I've had issues before with Alsop's books and this does nothing to earn any faith whatsoever in her ability as a writer. This marks three strikes against her.
Deceived by LA Starkey
"An entrancing debut" Nope - not at all. It's a cookie-cutter debut the same as all the other love triangle stories. There's nothing new here at all. "High schooler Samantha is Pandora's daughter - and the twin sons of the last Titan will do whatever it takes to claim her heart." Such a sense of entitlement they have! Barf. Abandon hope all ye who enter here.
The Royal Runaway by Lindsay Emory
"After being left at the altar, princess Thea needs a break from royal life. But the arrival of Scottish spy Nick, her ex-fiancé's brother...." Another weak woman running away, another guy saving her. Absolutely nothing whatsoever new here. Female authors continue to create insulting female main characters with romantic porn where every woman needs it and they all need a man to give it to them. Barf.
Dressed to Kill by Lynn Cahoon
"When bookstore owner Jill Gardner signs on to perform in a dinner theater charity show, she finds herself in the middle of a very real murder mystery." Unoriginal title and a bookstore owner (again!) solving a murder? Overdone, overblown, over it completely.
And They Called It Camelot by Stephanie Marie Thornton
"Jacqueline Bouvier Kennedy fights to carve out her place in history — even after tragedy upends her life." What fucking place in history? Setting fashion trends? She disappeared from public life after John Kennedy's death and marrying a filthy-rich dude. That tells you all you need to know about her. She's no icon. You want iconic, you need to look at people like Eleanor Roosevelt, Martha Washington, Laura Bush, and Michelle Obama.
The Distant Dead by Lesley Thomson
"An investigative journalist on the trail of a murderer dies in the arms of Stella Darnell, cleaner turned detective." Seriously? What's her skill set? Finding the dirt on people? Barf.
Sons of Valor by Brian Andrews, Jeffrey Wilson
"Navy SEAL Keith "Chunk" Redman" Really? Chunk? Redman? Please don't tell me you're going to have him be of American Indian extraction? "...and his elite special ops team must take on a new terrorist group with deadly military power." Another Navy SEAL story? Because we sure don't have anhywhere enar enough stories where the operatives eat bullets for breakfast and don't even shit lead.
Sei Thrillers: Books 1–3 by Ty Hutchinson
"The first three novels in a nail-biting series!" How thrilling can they be when the author has to unload them dirt cheap, three at a time? "When ex-assassin Sei is given the chance to find the daughter she thought she lost, she’s pulled back into the life she swore off." Yet another tired trope cliched 'comes out of retirement' bullshit tale. There must be a shit-ton of people coming out of retirement days; so how can Social Security be so pressured for funds? LOL!
Played to Death by BV Lawson
"In this Shamus Award finalist" That tells me all I need to know about the Shamus award's utility! "...former FBI agent Scott Drayco inherits a dilapidated opera house that he hopes to sell. The only problem: A corpse with the letter “G” carved into its chest has just showed up within its walls… Can Scott solve the crime before he becomes the next fatality?" And Scott has to solve this because the locals cops are? Useless? Non-existent? All corrupt? They did it? Barf.
Getting Schooled by Emma Chase
"When cocky coach Garrett’s teenage sweetheart starts subbing at his school, he offers to show her around" Barf! No. Just no.
Leads & Lynxes by Rebecca Chastain
"Journalist Kylie has the lead of a lifetime - but how far will she go for a story? She and her gargoyle companion..." Okay, let me out right there. Another dumb-ass story qwith another Disney animal companion. Barf!
Pride and Premeditation by Tirzah Price
Kerri Maniscalco says this is "A romantic and entertaining page-turner." Who the fuck is Kerri Maniscalco? Never heard of her. Why should I give a flying shit what she says? Seriously? What kind of dumb-ass publisher would put this in a book blurb like it has any meaning whatsoever to the massive majority of readers out there? Another Austen rip-off that adds nothing to the canon, but wet powder. When murder strikes London’s high society, aspiring lawyer Lizzie sets out to solve the case - but infuriating and handsome Darcy keeps interfering" Seriously? This tired retreaded trash is the best you got? 'Infurating' handsome guy? Barf to the max. This is cookie-cutter clone cliché garbage, pure and simple. Now if the author's name were Fanny Price, she might get some traction. As it is, it's just an unrelieved pain in the ass.
Justice Calling by Annie Bellet
"First in a series" Of course it is! I've had good success with Annie Bellet, but this is a tired, tired plot: "After 25 years spent running from a dangerous sorcerer, Jade relishes her quiet life in Idaho. But when dark forces threaten her friends, she’s forced to dust off her magical powers." The 'coming out of retirment' shtick is so yesteryear.
The Dinner List by Rebecca Serle
"Sabrina is amazed to discover five people gathered for her 30th birthday - including her ex-boyfriend, an old professor, and Audrey Hepburn." And then she wakes up and finds it was all a dream. Yawn. Either that or she's dead. Double yawn. Why not pick on dead celebrities?
Knit to Kill by Anne Canadeo
"When the Black Sheep Knitters embark on a weekend getaway to Osprey Island," Is it Black Sheep Island? No! It's Osprey Island! Why are they trespassing? "...they stumble into a deadly mystery! Can Suzanne and her friends unmask a crafty killer?" Nope. I predict he'll pull the wool over their eyes. Yawn. Or should I say 'yarn'?
The Seven Daughters of Eve by Bryan Sykes
It came to my attention this morning that I never reviewed this book which I read some time ago and found fascinating, so here we go! Note that this book offers no support for young-Earth creationism or for the Biblical mythology. Eve is used loosely and I wish it had not been, but authors don't always think up the best titles for their books - or worse, they're pushed into choosing misleading titles by their publisher for the sake of boosting sales.
The book is all about mitochondrial genetics. Mitochondrial DNA comes to us only through our mothers. It is separate from the main complement of DNA that we have, and was probably, at one point way, way back, a bacterium that got inside a cell and thrived there. Since it is part of the cell, it comes from the mother's ovum. It is not found in sperm, so this is a matriarchal lineage that can be traced back genetically and can tell enthralling tales of ancestry unavailable to us via other means.
The book focuses on modern European lineages, all of which can be traced back to seven founding groups. note that this doesn't mean that there there were only seven women alive back then. There was never a point where there was one Eve, either. There were many, many more women alive, but only these seven had their mitochondrial DNA lucky enough to survive the ages through to modern times. This means that a heck of a lot of DNA has been lost! We should mourn that.
The groups are referred to as haplogroups, scientifically, which in a very rough sense is somewhat akin to a sub-species or a tribe, but these only very rough approximations. Humans are all the same species, but even within a single species there can be many subgroups. The author attaches female names to each of these sub-, or haplogroups, the initial letter of which is taken from the alphabetical letter by which the haplogroup is known to science. The author gives his fictional the names as follows:
- Helena
- Jasmine:
- Katrine
- Tara
- Ursula (Haplogroup U5, excluding subgroup K)
- Velda
- Xenia
TO BE COMPLETED!
Little White Lies by Elizabeth McGregor
On a perfectly ordinary morning, Beth’s husband drives his car at full speed into a truck’s path and is killed instantly. But as Beth slowly reconstructs the sequence of events that led up to that day, she discovers unspeakable secrets that have been lurking beneath her marriage." Beth's a dumbass.
Damage Control John Gilstrap
"When rescue specialist Jonathan Grave heads to Mexico to free a group of hostages, deadly secrets and violent enemies could put him six feet under! " Put this man named Grave six feet under? Let's hope so. Yawn.
Summer Kisses at Mermaids Point by Sarah Bennett
"When a potential mermaid sighting brings troves of tourists to Mermaids Point, café owner Laurie is eager for their business. But her newest patron - an undercover journalist - will do whatever it takes to land the scoop of the century." What scoop? Laurie's delicious ice cream? Yawn. The journalist probably thinks mermaid's point is a reference to the fishy female's breasts....
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