Author Faye Hunter is a Goodreads friend of mine, so it was a pleasure to read A Tease, the first in Ms. Hunter's Castle O series.
Some erotica is writAuthor Faye Hunter is a Goodreads friend of mine, so it was a pleasure to read A Tease, the first in Ms. Hunter's Castle O series.
Some erotica is written for women; some for men: and some for both genders and all shades therein. A Tease is definitely written for women. With a more fully developed story line, it's correct classification would be "erotic romance." I am not the audience for whom this book was written.
With that said, this novella features a menage and exhibitionism. Exhibitionism doesn't exist without voyeurism, and reading erotica is, in a sense voyeurism. If you enjoy reading erotica, then, you'll probably enjoy reading A Tease.
Ms. Hunter writes in an easy vernacular. The book does not feature control freak men who enjoy abusing women. It tells the story of a young woman's sexual discovery and the passion she shares with her lover.
The novella gets a four-star rating. The book could have used a more fully developed plot line. The characters' speech patterns were shared common quirks and ticks which detracted. The climax of the book, so to speak, could have used a bit more punch.
Still, this is a fine effort by Faye Hunter.
Merged review:
Author Faye Hunter is a Goodreads friend of mine, so it was a pleasure to read A Tease, the first in Ms. Hunter's Castle O series.
Some erotica is written for women; some for men: and some for both genders and all shades therein. A Tease is definitely written for women. With a more fully developed story line, it's correct classification would be "erotic romance." I am not the audience for whom this book was written.
With that said, this novella features a menage and exhibitionism. Exhibitionism doesn't exist without voyeurism, and reading erotica is, in a sense voyeurism. If you enjoy reading erotica, then, you'll probably enjoy reading A Tease.
Ms. Hunter writes in an easy vernacular. The book does not feature control freak men who enjoy abusing women. It tells the story of a young woman's sexual discovery and the passion she shares with her lover.
The novella gets a four-star rating. The book could have used a more fully developed plot line. The characters' speech patterns were shared common quirks and ticks which detracted. The climax of the book, so to speak, could have used a bit more punch.
Still, this is a fine effort by Faye Hunter....more
Perry Mason lost me in the courtroom scene. This never happens. The editor must have gotten confused, too, because a diagram of the murA ghostwriter?
Perry Mason lost me in the courtroom scene. This never happens. The editor must have gotten confused, too, because a diagram of the murder scene is included in the book.
The Case of the Crooked Candle features qualities not typically found in Perry Mason mysteries:
1. The characters are more fully developed.
2. The author makes good use of place. Locations are well-described and feel authentic.
3. Mason reflects on his own feelings and thoughts about being a lawyer.
4. Della Street is put in legal jeopardy.
5. The characters have last surnames connected to geographical locations. There are Burbanks, Van Nuys, Newark, etc.
6. No one stands up in the courtroom scene and confesses.
These additions provide engaging variations from Gardner's typical formula.
The Case of the Crooked Candle doesn't meet the standard, though.
Perry Mason novels always include a final chapter that explains the who, what, when, where, how and why of the crime. It's common in these mysteries for a random fact to appear for the first time, squeezed in at the last moment to make the mystery work. That's expected and forgivable. You can still figure out who did it and see why or how all the strands connect. The explanation chapter in this book includes so many of these facts not in evidence, though, it seems like a desperate attempt to make a satisfying whodunit after the fact.
Most Perry Mason novels are much, much better mysteries. ...more
Chaos presents a fascinating study of the 1969 Tate-LaBianca murders, but the curse of the 20's hobbles the effort.
Journalist ToThe Curse of the 20's.
Chaos presents a fascinating study of the 1969 Tate-LaBianca murders, but the curse of the 20's hobbles the effort.
Journalist Tom O'Neill began his investigation 20 years after the murders occurred. It took 20 years to complete his research and bring the book into production. The tome is 20 pages too short.
For those who find the Helter Skelter motive for these dark crimes contrived, Chaos presents some startling facts and discoveries. Manson, for example, was not unknown in Hollywood. He and his followers lived with Dennis Wilson, one of the original Beach Boys, in a residence that had been a part of Will Rogers' Pacific estate shortly before the murders. Portions of the criminal investigation were abruptly halted for no apparent reason. And, as strange as it sounds, credible evidence shows the appearance of CIA spooks during the time of the formation of the Family and following the deaths.
O'Neill's quest to discover the truth was dogged and obsessive. It's fascinating to go along with him and see how he worked every angle. This book includes only a small portion of his efforts and findings. O'Neill struggles to bring it all together to answer the question of how a barely literate ex-con turned ordinary American kids into mass murderers. Alas, the trail was twenty years old. Government bureaucracy perpetually protects itself against prying journalists. Memories fade or become distorted. Pertinent witnesses refuse to speak or have been dead for years. The question remains unanswered.
Chaos is worth reading. Because of the sheer number of informants, witnesses, and leads pursued, many of the baffling truths and tantalizing questions regarding these gruesome crimes and official investigation get lost by the book's end. An additional twenty pages or so summarizing these would have made it a much more satisfactory read.
A final criticism: The publisher of this book used "guess and look" notes instead of traditional footnotes. There really isn't a good reason to not number the notes in the text and link them up to the resources relied upon. "Guess and look" notes waste readers time and minimize the importance of identifying source material. They demonstrate a disrespect for the hard work the authors did to verify their reporting and to curious readers. It's too bad....more
When a young Englishman and his guardian journey to eastern Africa to discover the secrets of a puzzle left by the young man's late father, they find When a young Englishman and his guardian journey to eastern Africa to discover the secrets of a puzzle left by the young man's late father, they find themselves among a people who dwell among the ruins of an ancient civilization and ruled by a woman known as She Who Must Be Obeyed or simply She.
Darkness emanates from the stunning brilliance and beauty of She. Her powers are phenomenal and her practices weird (and not in a good way). Here, deep in Africa, the visitors encounter the very strange and creepy.
She Who Must Be Obeyed is one of the great female characters in Western literature I've discovered. It's worth reading the book just to encounter her. The events of this novel are so gruesome and terrifying, though, that at times, I didn't want to read further. It's strangeness is striking, particularly for the times within which it was written.
Be aware that this is an early Victorian adventure novel and was written with the colonial gaze of that period. Its racism and sexism exist in the viewpoint of the author. Sometimes you just have to read past that.
When this book was published, readers hadn't seen photographs or movies of eastern Africa. The writer wants wants the reader to see exactly what he imagines and goes into way too much and unnecessary feet and inches detail.
This novel earns only three stars, though, because the author chose to have certain characters in many scenes speak in a pidgin Elizabethan English. A bewildering decision, I think. This unnecessarily slows the pace of the story, makes reading much of it a chore, and greatly detracts from an incredible work of the imagination....more
Robert T. Reilly's first novel, Red Hugh, Prince of Donegal, features some charming scenes and fine uses of language. Its pacing, though, detracts. ItRobert T. Reilly's first novel, Red Hugh, Prince of Donegal, features some charming scenes and fine uses of language. Its pacing, though, detracts. Its action scenes lack punch. The storytelling didn't match the potential of the story.
A map appears at the front of the book. It would have behooved me to have referenced it frequently. Much of the story takes place in the woods, wilds, and villages of Ireland, and much of the time I had no idea where the characters were nor of the significance of their locations.
While I enjoyed reading the novel, I was glad when I finished. ...more
If you read this book, stop when you reach the Epilogue. You have reached the novel's conclusion. The Epilogue is an add-on that detracts from an otheIf you read this book, stop when you reach the Epilogue. You have reached the novel's conclusion. The Epilogue is an add-on that detracts from an otherwise impressive novel.
If the Epilogue had been omitted, The Wood of Suicides would have merited five stars and the following review alone would have been posted:
High school student Laurel Marks has Mommy (and Self) issues, and her father dies. Novelist Laura Elizabeth Woollett writes Laurel's troubling archetypal story with power, passion, and poetry.
Woollett's book should not be minimized by common labels. It is a coming of age novel. It explores taboos, power, and identity. It shocks. This novel does all these but more. The Wood of Suicides, drawing on ancient and modern myth, presents a striking quest for transcendence and the struggle for Self. It's a remarkable novel, written by one who has mastered the art.
I want to write more but won't. I don't want to detract from the author's opus. If you are a reader, you will be engulfed in this tale's terrible beauty and its pedestrian awfulness. If you are a writer or want to write, study this novel. It may make you remember why you wanted to be an author in the first place.
*******
If it had not been for the Epilogue, that's what I would have posted by itself.
There's a lesson here for writers. If you reach the end of your story or novel, stop. If an editor or agent or your self-editor tells you there are too many unanswered questions and wants more, hold firm, don't budge, and respect your readers' imaginations.
The Epilogue of The Wood of Suicides answered questions that didn't need to be answered and created questions that hadn't been asked. In a new short pages, each worn trope of the genre was introduced, leaving the ending predictable and unsatisfying.
I still highly recommend the book. Just don't bother with the Epilogue....more
Oh, Gerd, put that silly thing back in your pants!
That's what swimsuit clad Eroica should have told Gerd, her older teenaged brother, when he demonstrOh, Gerd, put that silly thing back in your pants!
That's what swimsuit clad Eroica should have told Gerd, her older teenaged brother, when he demonstrated his hydraulics as Eroica lay on an Adriatic beach. Instead, the two made a mutual vow to consummate an incestuous union the following year, a vow that went unfulfilled because of Gerd's mysterious death. This novel tells the story of Eroica's quest to learn the truth of her brother's angst-filled self-destruction.
If the author had remained focused on this theme, Eroica might have been a better book. Set in mid-century Cologne, this novel turns into a "where are they now?" Nazi thriller marred by info-dumps and too much action taking place off camera. Mara Rostov writes fine prose and creates a compelling Gothic atmosphere that unfortunately runs into the rocks of the book's common plot and familiar tropes.
As for the beach masturbation scene, who knows? It may have served some function in the author's original vision of this story or it may have simply been a way to get the word "penis" in print.
At ten p.m. on the night after the last day of school, ten-year-old Katy Werling rushed down Emily’s driveway in her pajamas and onto the steep moonliAt ten p.m. on the night after the last day of school, ten-year-old Katy Werling rushed down Emily’s driveway in her pajamas and onto the steep moonlit blacktop road.
So begins Mary Coley's The Ravine. Set in bucolic wooded neighborhood on the edge of a major city, Katy's family and their neighbors live in houses with pretty facades, but those in these dwellings this night face crises of their own. Readers wonder whether Katy's predicament will result in tragedy or salvation.
Coley creates a tale strung with suspense and sympathetic characters, albeit people mostly preoccupied with their own lives and troubles. She masterfully captures both the ennui and quiet desperation of suburban life.
The Ravine is the first novel in the Black Dog series. I wait ready for the second one. ...more
Tampa doesn't fit comfortably in any section of a bookstore. That's what makes it a perplexing novel. Readers want to pigeonhole it, but Tampa refusesTampa doesn't fit comfortably in any section of a bookstore. That's what makes it a perplexing novel. Readers want to pigeonhole it, but Tampa refuses easy classification.
Protagonist Celeste Price has a rich husband, a luxurious home, stupefying beauty, and the advantage of a good education. This isn't enough. Celeste has an unconquerable sexual compulsion for teenage boys on the verge of their last growth before they acquire the physical characteristics of adult men. The story begins when the eighth grade students at Jefferson Junior High realize their new and young English teacher is pretty enough to be a movie star. Celeste Price's relentless quest begins.
The story is written in the first person and is told from Celeste's point of view. Readers, thus, join Celeste's quest. It's not pleasant. Celeste calculates, manipulates, and seduces her targets without any authentic compassion for her young charges. The story is very sexual, but not erotic. It's like joining a gambler on a trip to a casino in search of a jackpot. Celeste's fourteen-year-old boys are nothing more to her than human sex toys.
Celeste's compulsion leads to scenes of utter absurdity. When the plot takes a few odd twists, you realize this disturbing story of merciless predator and willing prey also plays out as a black, black comedy. Has the power of Celeste's beauty made her oblivious to the humanity of others? Did her beauty result in her seduction at too young of age by males with gross bodies of men cause her to seek her lost youth with teenaged boys? Is society so enamored with movie star beauty monstrous behavior is excused?
In Worst Enemies, Author Dana King disregards political correctness and writes a story about cops who actually talk like cops. The story is also told In Worst Enemies, Author Dana King disregards political correctness and writes a story about cops who actually talk like cops. The story is also told in a male's voice and from a male's point of view. There is no timidity in his writing and it surprises. Worst Enemies plays out a complicated whodunit and does it well. All of the facts are there and none seemed forced into the story to make the mystery work. It's a real accomplishment and kept this reader involved. The book gets four stars instead of five for two reasons. First, the end is a bit congested. A whole lot gets explained very quickly. Second, King uses an idiosyncratic writing style that is usually effective. There were a number of times, however, where this abbreviated writing method stopped me and forced me to go back to figure out what was going on. The book is certainly worth reading. A fine hard-boiled police procedural....more
When men's fowls and dogs are lost, they know to seek for them again, but they lose their mind and do not know to seek for it.
If the author of this boWhen men's fowls and dogs are lost, they know to seek for them again, but they lose their mind and do not know to seek for it.
If the author of this book on the way of the Samurai had stopped two-thirds of the way through, I would be writing a five star review. The last third dealt with women and the future of the Japanese warrior. The former was painful; the latter verged on cultural chauvinism. Bushido: The Soul of Japan. A Classic Essay on Samurai Ethics merits about a 3.4 star rating.
Author Inazo Nitobe wrote this book in 1899 in his ongoing effort to explain traditions of his homeland to American readers. A Quaker, Nitobe draws heavily on the sayings of Confucius and the writings of Mencius to provide a holistic understanding of the worldview of the warrior society that dominated Japan from around 1100 to 1868 CE. I like this type of book and really think the author did a fine job with the exceptions noted above.
"Is that lingering smell the odor of sanctity or is it...whore's scent?"
An Odor of Sanctity is what you get when you combine a loquacious author, a ma"Is that lingering smell the odor of sanctity or is it...whore's scent?"
An Odor of Sanctity is what you get when you combine a loquacious author, a manual typewriter, a grand concept, a publishing contract for a sensational book, and no plot.
Frank Yerby wrote some entertaining novels. This isn't one of them.
Here is the grand concept: Alaric Teudisson, a Visigoth prince, comes of age in the ninth century, CE, as the conquering Goths are losing their influence and power over the people of the Iberian peninsula. Moors, Berbers, Jews, and Greeks inhabit the land along with the native Iberians and the Visigoths, and each vie for cultural and political influence. The times certainly are changing. A devout and religious young man, Alaric makes many stupid mistakes and has a habit of getting into sexless marriages. For the fair and pretty Alaric, that means he can be guilt-ridden and weird about the women of various ethnic backgrounds with whom he becomes entangled. For the reader, that means being subjected to multiple gratuitous scenes of explicit sexual violation and violence.
When Yerby's editor read the manuscript, the editor must have rationalized publishing the book by thinking Alaric was a Hamlet/Christ figure. When I read the book, I thought Yerby had no plot, used desperately inconsistent characterization, and wrote ridiculous and juvenile plot twists to rescue his rudderless story when he had written himself into a hole. The editor must have thought the book would sell hundreds of thousands of copies since it included a gruesome castration episode and blue torture scenes. I thought if the novel had been consistently over the top, Alaric's epic tale might have at least provided some amusement. With the unceasing meandering of the almost nonexistent plot and the wadding up and throwing away of the novel's most interesting characters, the protagonist became a dullard and his story, even more so.
Alaric Teudisson should have sued Frank Yerby for wrongful birth.
This book features numerous oddities. Why did these ninth century multi-ethnic Iberians speak a pidgin of combined Elizabethan English and mid-century American English? Why did Alaric and his companions sound like Unitarians sipping tea in John Dewey's living room when they discussed religion and philosophy? Why did Yerby, an African American himself, use gross racial sobriquets and insults when describing characters of color, such as when he described one of Alaric's African lovers as a "black as night she-baboon"? Why are the sensationalized scenes of the book gruesomely graphic, as when Alaric's first wife gangbangs all the men of a Berber band in the middle of their campsite, and sex scenes between lovers are so gauzy and subdued, the readers don't know whether the point of view character has had an orgasm or has sneezed? Why didn't someone take this manuscript out into the backyard, pour gasoline on it, and set afire?
At one point, Alaric gets on his horse to ride to Cordoba to rescue his one-of-many true loves. Along the way, his horse stops, refuses to go forward, and turns to take Alaric off on a side story to fix an unresolved plot problem. When the hero's horse makes the calls on a novel's narrative arc, you know you are in trouble. ...more
Way too many too many witty words. The story arc drops into the play as if the author all of a sudden remembered a story line was needed. This should Way too many too many witty words. The story arc drops into the play as if the author all of a sudden remembered a story line was needed. This should not have been a final draft....more
Set in the same region as Kawabata's Snow Country, Bamboo Dolls of Echizen tells the story of a master bambooA review of Bamboo Dolls of Echizen only.
Set in the same region as Kawabata's Snow Country, Bamboo Dolls of Echizen tells the story of a master bamboo craftsman who falls in love with his late father's lover and yearns to make her his wife/mother. On one level, this book is about the craftsman's passion for his art and an older woman. On a deeper level, though, this is the troubled story of two outcasts seeking refuge and home.
When the fair skinned Tamae first appears in the snowy mountains to pay homage at her late lover's grave, the novella becomes hers. The craftsman recognizes the scent of the mother he never knew and finds himself drawn to her. I, too, was drawn to Tamae, but I don't know whether because of the writer's skill in creating this character or because of an inner yearning within me. She's deserving of a novel.
The craftsman works in a bamboo grove way back up in mountains which the translator compares to Appalachia, and the action takes place in the 1920's. The craftsman expresses his love for Tamae by making beautiful bamboo dolls, so remarkable the merchants of the cities soon seek to buy as many as the craftsman and his fellow villagers can make. Contact between the ancient culture of the mountains and the modernizing Japanese city leads to Tamae's shadows and the conflicts that drive the rest of the story.
Tsutomu Mizukami made Bamboo Dolls of Echizen a modern folk tale. What might be shortcomings in a novel are standard in folk tales. Remember that if you choose to read this book.
I found Bamboo Dolls of Echizen haunting. I bet you will, too. ...more
Ludwig Klages was a psychologist, a pagan, and a philosopher of the late German Romantic period. He rejected empiricism and the Western tendency to eqLudwig Klages was a psychologist, a pagan, and a philosopher of the late German Romantic period. He rejected empiricism and the Western tendency to equate life with the functioning of a machine.
Klages was also an anti-Semite. Place his name in a search engine and see what you find.
The collection of essays and sampling of poems found in Klages' The Biocentric Worldview should not be summarily dismissed as testament of ethnic hate even though he steers his ship into those rocks at times. His writings in this collection provide a provocative critique of the philosophy of the Enlightenment.
Descartes, Klages suggests, "effectively sacrificed the entirety of man’s inner life to mere cognition" and that "through mere apprehension, we can never obtain the slightest understanding of life."
Klages believed life suffused all nature and that the horatorical (the "you shoulds") constituted a daemonic force that has become a blatantly destructive will to plunder the living world. The horatorical is a drive to power, a drive to destroy life.
I rate this book with three stars for several reasons. First, the translator should be commended for making this often dense material readable in English. Second, this webpage doesn't provide the option of rating this book with 2.75 stars. Third, this book provides useful insight into understanding those who reject empiricism and rationality.
For a long time, I have believed US politics has been dominated not by a religious coalition but by a new paganism; one that substitutes mythology for the historical record, that replaces scientific evidence with magic, that confounds American capitalism with theology, and one that confuses unbridled militarism with patriotism. Although Klages' essays predates the new paganism, this book helps those of us rooted in the Enlightenment tradition to understand the nature and origins of antirational thought. ...more
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