join now| sign in| help
Search advanced search
 
Books
Search:

Request Friendship
Send Request Cancel

Jeff

Jeff

Hockey player, aspiring fiction writer, avid reader and theatre-goer. Learn more on my blog/website: www.jeffandwill.com
  • New York City
  • member since October 31 2007

Reviews

  • Sort by:
 
 1  2  3  4  5  Next 
Displaying 1-10 of 44 reviews
  • A Note in the Margin

    A Note in the Margin

    by Isabelle Rowan
    • Rated 5 stars

    “Rowan created a well crafted romance with an unexpected character. The end result is a book with more layers than the typical book in the genre and a book that leaves you with a warm, happy feeling.

    As the book opens, John has left his high stress job at the advice of his doctor. He’s taking a year off and running a small bookstore, Margins, that he just bought. During his first days, he’s not only getting used to the store and the customers, but also to the homeless man the previous owner allowed to sit in the used book section. John is encouraged to let the man stay. As John gets to know David he starts to see the man behind the homeless man he tried to ignore and that turns into a love that changes John’s live. It’s not an easy relationship to be sure. David’s been hurt a lot and it takes a lot for him to trust. Plus David has a teenage son he’s desperate to reconnect with, but he doesn’t know how to do it.

    A Note in the Margin was completely unexpected. I can’t think of another romance I’ve read that involved two people who were more polar opposites. The point-of-view Rowan uses lets us get both John and David’s point of view so you engage with them both as they have their internal arguments about what their deepening relationship means. In particular you feel for David as he tries to come back from being on the streets, just barely scraping by and trying to stay alive. It takes a lot of courage for him to open up to John and that struggle makes this more than a typical romance novel.”

    Jeff wrote this review 3 weeks ago. ( reply | permalink )
  • What We Remember
    • Rated 4 stars

    “The latest from Michael Thomas Ford, "What We Remember," was a great, meaty mystery. Now, I don’t read a lot of mystery so my idea of a meaty mystery and someone who read mysteries routinely may differ, but I enjoyed this book a lot.

    The set up is simple, although it sets up the dark tone immediately. The body of sheriff Daniel McCloud is found seven years after his death. His family thinks he killed himself to avoid a slow death from cancer. That, however, is far from the truth. The eldest McCloud child is soon accused of the murder becuase his high school class ring was found with the body. Over the course of 300 some pages, the story moves between the present (1991) and seven years before. As the story unfolds, Ford weaves a claustrophobic tale of small town life where typically everyone knows everyone else’s business.

    Ford handles his huge cast of characters well, although none of them gets a very meaty role except for the black sheep gay son in the family, Billy. He handles the intricacies of the story very well too. A lot of characters had a hand in creating the atmosphere that caused Daniel McCloud’s death. Usually, for me, mysteries go over the top and this one stayed rooted in a reality I could believe in. The only thing I wish is that there was more of the book set after everything was revealed. I wanted to know what more of the characters thought about who the killer was and why it happened like it did.”

    Jeff wrote this review Friday, October 23 2009. ( reply | permalink )
  • David Inside Out
    • Rated 4 stars

    ““Being yourself might make people reject you. People you desperately care about. Being yourself only works if you’re basically cool. Which I’m not.” – David

    That’s the eternal issue of being a teenager, which is only heightened when the teen is dealing with coming out. That’s the subject of Lee Bantle’s "David Inside Out." David is 16, on the track team, has a few close friends, a maybe girlfriend and a supportive mom. But he’s realizing that not only is his best friend gay, he might be too.

    Over the course of a few months, David looses his best friend because he can’t deal with how out Eddie is. He falls hard for a closeted teammate, Sean, who can’t come to terms with his own sexuality but desperately wants some intimacy. David experiments with his maybe girlfriend with pretty disastrous results. Throughout the book, David questions himself and if he really is gay and what that might mean for him.

    Bantle’s use of first person point-of-view is great for this story. The short chapters feel like blog or diary entries–a quick look inside what David is feeling that day, that moment. It gives David a crystal clear voice, which makes the book work so well. Everything David feels is laid out right there: the good, the hurt and the confusion.

    The use of a trio of characters in different stages of coming out is nice to see, and reminded me a bit of what Alex Sanchez did in the "Rainbow Boys" trilogy. There’s David trying to sort himself out, Eddie who is already coming out to the world and Sean trying to deny that part of himself (even while leading David on). It’s a cross section of gay teenagers that must exist in every school across the world. Readers are likely to find themselves or someone they know right here.”

    Jeff wrote this review Friday, October 23 2009. ( reply | permalink )
  • E-Male
    • Rated 4 stars

    “"E-Male" by Scott & Scott is a delightful late summer, beach-type read. It’s a fun mix of romance, mystery, party and tropical vacation all put together in a frothy package.

    Kory is an internet entrepreneur, creator of the successful E-Male dating site. Unfortunately, the success has taken its toll. It’s not technology that makes the matches, it’s Kory and his exceptional matchmaking skills. If that secret got out that Kory knew all, Kory and the site would be ruined.

    Zac runs a gay travel business like a tyrant. His offices are in the middle of nowhere. His employees live under the triple D rules: No Dancing, No Dating, No Drama. Even though Zac is successful, he’s not happy.

    Mysteriously the two are thrown together when it appears Zac’s company wants to partner with E-male. Except Zac didn’t create the contracts for the merger. So who did?

    Ultimately the two agree on a temporary arrangement that leads everyone to Baytown (or Boystown if you prefer). Here the past comes to light, there’s the huge Beach Ball with its box dancing contest, boys can party or steal away for diving or mountain hikes. For Zac and Kory they have to fight to save their businesses and, maybe, if the right match can be made, find love.

    It’s great to read a new Scott & Scott book. It’s been about three years since the last one and this is just as much fun as the others. They spin great stories and here it’s a great mix of romance with intrigue. Every now and then it got just a little redundant as the reader is reminded too often about the secrets Kory and Zac have, but ultimately that doesn’t matter because the overall story is so satisfying.

    Hopefully Scott & Scott won’t wait so long between novels this time.”

    Jeff wrote this review Saturday, September 5 2009. ( reply | permalink )
  • The V in Valor
    • Rated 4 stars

    “J.M. Snyder's "The V in Valor" is the first of five stories in a new set of Vic & Matt adventures. It's also my first exposure to Snyder's super couple and I like what I've read so far. Since I haven't read any of the former stories, I don't know the complete back story, but what I do know is that Vic and Matt are linked telepathically and that Vic has an abundance of superhuman strength. The quirk here is that every time the two make love, Vic ends up with a new super power. Sometimes that power can stick around, sometimes in changes over time, sometimes and gone before he's hardly experimented with it.

    This story had a straight forward plot, mostly a day in the life of Vic & Matt. Vic's picked up the new power of being able to manipulate metal, which he uses to rescue a dog being terrorized by some thug kids. He ultimately can let the dog be picked up by the pound, so he brings it home... even though he'd earlier said he didn't think they should have a pet.

    The next in the series of "V" stories was released just a few days ago so I need to pick that up and see where this goes. I think I'll also be picking up some other Vic & Matt books to get more familiar with this couple because this first exposure was a lot of fun.”

    Jeff wrote this review Tuesday, August 25 2009. ( reply | permalink )
  • To Love a Cowboy

    To Love a Cowboy

    by Rhianne Aile
    • Rated 4 stars

    “This book is made up of two works: "To Love a Cowboy" and "Justice."

    "To Love a Cowboy" is a modern day romance set on a ranch. Roan Bucklin returns to the ranch after years of college and living on his own. His return rekindles the feelings between him and the ranch foreman that had just started to spark when Roan left home. Both men have a thing for each other: Roan's willing to admit it; Patrick isn't because he's not sure Roan should give up his life to be with an older man. It is a sweet story with a great mix of love, romance and some steamy goings-on.

    "Justice" jumps back in time to the old West with the Abrams brothers who happen upon the town of Justice while they are out seeking vengeance against the man who killed their parents. Justice is a unique town for the brothers, where everyone is welcoming and they quickly find a place they think they could call home after all these years. The feeling grows when they each meet someone they could grow old with. Of course there's a good dash of drama too as the brothers finally catch up with the man they've been searching for.

    These stories were great summer reading... would've been ideal for the beach or vacation getaway. For both stories, I like how Aile set them in a universe where no one really questioned that the characters could be gay. No one really had to come out, no one had to deal with upset parents. It was okay that these characters were were in love with men. It's nice to get that in books while society continues to, unfortunately, grapple with the issue.”

    Jeff wrote this review Sunday, August 23 2009. ( reply | permalink )
  • Straight Lies (Kensington)
    • Rated 3 stars

    “"Straight Lies" by Rob Byrnes is the fourth novel from Byrnes, who debuted with "The Night We Met" back in 2002. His last, "When The Stars Come Out," was a Lambda Literary Award Winner and is my favorite of his books.

    I was excited this spring when "Straight Lies" came out. Unfortunately, it's the least satisfying of Byrnes' books to date. I think the lack of satisfaction stems from the fact that the madcap caper genre is not one of my favorites. That made it hard to get into the book, as evidenced by the fact it took me nearly six weeks to read it.

    Here Grant and Chase are lovers and small time criminals, dealing mostly in car and credit card theft. The chance for a bigger score, through blackmail, comes as they find out that big, gay movie star Romeo Romero isn't really gay after all and there's a videotape that proves it. Since they can't manage to get their hands on the video, they decide they need to make one of their own. So Grant, Chase and their gang--girlfriends Lisa and Mary Beth; Jared, a twink who is smarter than he seems; Farraday, a drunk, former cab driver; and Jamie Brock, who once had and lost the original videotape--attempt to trick the movie star into a seduction during his yearly pool party that supports a gay charity. The idea seems foolproof: simply get Mary Beth to seduce the actor. Numerous interruptions make increasingly difficult.

    Trying to pull off the blackmail takes the last third of the book and it felt like it went on forever. I know this is supposed to be played to comic effect, but for me the plot was just dragged out as the team had to keep modifying its approach. It's the kind of story I'd much rather see played out in a movie than to read in a book.

    That said, there were things here that I liked, especially the strong characters that Byrnes put together. If it hadn't been for those, I'm not sure I would've finished the story. It was also great that Byrnes took a genre which I usually consider to be a pretty straight one and gave it a great gay spin. There's no reason that a couple of gay boys can't be successful petty crooks! The premise around Romeo Romero was also clever: an actor who faked coming out to help his career was a great twist.”

    Jeff wrote this review Monday, July 13 2009. ( reply | permalink )
  • How It Ended (Bloomsbury Paperbacks)
    • Rated 4 stars

    “It was a pleasure to spend the past few weeks with short stories from Jay McInerney. How It Ended: New and Collected Stories is a diverse collection and showed me a side of McInerney’s writing I haven’t seen before. The McInerney I’ve been exposed to has always taken place in New York City among a crowd of characters I felt like I could know. Here, he breaks out of New York City and takes us to foreign countries.

    Among my favorites here…

    “It’s Six A.M. Do You Know Where You Are?” Of course I love this one. It’s the original short story behind Bright Lights, Big City. It was wonderful getting that bread off the truck for the first time in about 20 years.

    “The Madonna of Turkey Season.” The holidays can be difficult for families and these folks have it bad year after year with one thing or another.

    “In the North-West Frontier Province.” This story was the most different from anything else I’ve read from McInerney. Set in Landi Kotal Pakistan. This focuses on two people waiting for their friend to come back from Kabul where he was to complete a deal. Meanwhile, in Landi Kotal, the woman is trying to detox and the man is trying to keep everything together. It was wonderfully nuanced and the characters and setting were just stunning and the whole thing vibrated an uneasiness.

    “The Queen and I.” Another separation from the usual as far as I’m concerned. It’s in New York City, but it looks at the street culture. We meet a songwriter/poet/coke & crack addict who befriends a trans hooker and becomes her pimp/protector. It was a completely engaging read.

    “I Love You, Honey.” This one is just plain disturbing. Liam and Lora are married. But twice Lora has abortions out of love for her husband. I know, it sounds bizzare but it made for an interesting story about some very out of kilter characters.

    “Sleeping with Pigs.” The funniest story in the book. Boy meets Girl. Girl gets pig for pet. Nothing is the same again.

    “The March.” Is a story featuring Corrine, who I initially met in Brightness Falls (McInereny’s post 9/11 novel). She, unfortunately, has her world rocked as she discovers how much of the humanness New Yorkers gained after 9/11 fell away as time passed.”

    Jeff wrote this review Friday, June 19 2009. ( reply | permalink )
  • Out of the Pocket
    • Rated 5 stars

    “"Someone has to change the world. Why not you?"—Guidance Counselor Dr. Blassingame to high school student & star quarterback Bobby Framingham.

    "Out of the Pocket" has been on my reading list for a couple months now. I met Bill Konigsberg on Facebook earlier this year. We connected in March because he'd caught some of this blog and knew that I was an aspiring writer and was also into sports (Konigsbergis an award winning sportswriter... and now an award winning novelist since this book recently won the Lambda Literary Award for Best LGBT Childrens/Young Adult Novel). Finally I've read the book and can see why it's received so much acclaim.

    Bobby Framingham knows he's gay but he doesn't if he should come out or not. He's a star quarterback and is looking to be heavily recruited by colleges. Coming out would wreck everything. Or would it? Once his story is leaked by an unscrupulous writer for his school's newspaper, Bobby's world is rocked. What about the team? How will his friends handle it? His parents? Will colleges still want him? Can he turn pro and be gay? Can he change the world with his story?

    Okay... not all of these questions are answered in the book. But you know there are kids across the country who ask themselves these questions as they weigh whether or not to come out. Konigsberg's captured the ups and downs of this so well that I imagine this book helping teens search for their own answers. In one chapter Bobby is confident and in control, but in another self doubt creeps and he's totally thrown off his game. It's teenage life amped up because of the spotlight thrown on Bobby.

    This book works so well because Bobby's voice is loud and clear. From page one you know who this guy is and you can't help but root for him. I don't want to give any spoilers, but this guy goes through a lot more than just coming out during his senior year of football.

    I will share one of my favorite moments since it doesn't give anything away. It's at the end of the book after the championship game is played. A reporter asks Bobby, "So how was it, being openly gay and quarterbacking a team to the championship game?" Bobby's response: "I don't know. Sort of like being an openly straight quarterback, but with a lot more media attention." Smart answer. Wouldn't it be nice if the world at large could see that the differences between gay and straight are so minimal?”

    Jeff wrote this review Tuesday, June 2 2009. ( reply | permalink )
  • Irish Winter
    • Rated 3 stars

    “"Irish Winter" by John Simpson was outside the realm of what I normally read. Set in Cork, Ireland in 1919, "Irish Winter" focuses on two young men who fight for the IRA against the British who invaded their country. Ian Mulroney and Devlin Walsh are mere acquaintances until Ian witnesses the murder of an IRA member and his mother in the town’s center. Ian’s outrage forces him into action and he joins the IRA. It becomes Devlin’s job to get him trained.

    As Ian and Devlin work together and go on missions, they end up falling in love.

    The love story between the men is very enjoyable. Simpson draws solid characters that are easy to like. You witness their trepidation about revealing their feelings for each other and then get to watch them fall deeper in love while all around them is chaos.

    Unfortunately, some of Simpson’s writing can pull you away from the book’s emotional core. Too often he ends up giving way to much exposition. Sadly some of the action scenes feel like you’re reading a recap in a newspaper rather than being there as it happens. There are also instances of stilted dialogue. Worst of all is a death that comes out of nowhere at the end of the book. It feels like it was done in an effort to hurry up the ending rather than dealing with what could’ve been a major conflict about the boy’s relationship.

    On the whole, I’m glad I read the book because the characters were enjoyable as was the side trip to Ireland. I just wish some of the writing mechanics were stronger.”

    Jeff wrote this review Wednesday, April 22 2009. ( reply | permalink )
 1  2  3  4  5  Next 
Displaying 1-10 of 44 reviews

Missing a review?



© 2006-2009 Shelfari | Terms & Conditions | Privacy Policy | Copyright Policy

Close