Patricia Hamill's Blog: I read too much! - Posts Tagged "funny"

I Peed My Pants for My Mom: Aging Semi-Gracefully? by Dawn Behrens

My rating: 5 of 5 stars


I absolutely loved this book. It's filled with relevant, funny stories about life and aging.

I found myself grinning and outright laughing throughout as I imagined each situation unfolding before me. Even now, a week since reading it, I can't supress a smile. I don't want to spoil the experience for you by revealing too much, but I can say that if you want a good laugh, this is definitely the book for you!

Very well written and entertaining. I plan to get my mom a copy for Christmas (don't tell her!).







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One of the characters in Shadows of Valor, Tully, got his name from a creature I created in Spore, a game that let's you create creatures in the cell stage and evolve them to the space stage. The good news is that all he got from the Spore creature was his name. It would have been difficult to explain where the short, round, hot pink guy with the heart shaped horns fit into my military sci fi book.

I picked up this book during a free promo day on Amazon after the author requested a review for it.  As horror and m-m fiction, it's not in a genre I typically read, but sometimes a story will surprise me. As far as the theme goes, this one comes just in time for Halloween, but this story is meant for a mature audience.

Feast by Kevin Anthony

My rating: 3 of 5 stars

A dish of humor served with a side of gore. Short, creepy, creative...

Feast is the first in the Feast, Stray, Love short story trilogy. The story begins with Damien being rescued by his teacher after passing out and causing a massive fire at the local college. Upon waking in the hospital, he learns he has a brain tumor, and his doctor performs the surgery to remove it. Unfortunately for Damien, his doctor is a bit of a quack and scrambles a few things up while working on him. Luckily, Damien's mother and boyfriend are there to support him through his recovery, but the extra job his boyfriend picks up to help cover expenses soon leads to unexpected complications in their relationship, and his doctor's shoddy operating techniques lead to complications of their own.

First off, I must say I don't frequently read stories specifically focused on men in romantic relationships with each other. That being said, I found the relationship believable and, for the most part, tastefully done. There are some sexual situations, but none are too explicit and the focus seems to be more on the emotional relationship, which is an approach I tend to like in a story. However, I would classify this book as horror, rather than romance.

The true focus of the plot is the doctor's mess of a job on Damien's brain and the creepy factory outside of town that subverts his boyfriend and later threatens his mom. People enter the factory, never to return. Those who land jobs there either disappear or leave their families to stay at the factory, and strange shipments arrive frequently. Besides that, the question is, what exactly does the factory do? The dodgy answers Damien gets from his boyfriend and later from a detective leave much to be discovered in later books in the series. Adding to the horror aspect of the story are the relationships. The author builds a highly admirable and likeable boyfriend, who the main character loves deeply, and then puts him in harm's way. He does the same with Damien's mother, building her up into someone the reader likes, and then showing her becoming a bit too enamored of an ironically named self-help book, "Feast, Stray, Love."

As for the vastly unqualified doctor in the story, I'm not certain the details or credentials surrounding him or his work on Damien are exactly believable, but his bedside manner is humorously atrocious, and his less than stellar operating skills are responsible for Damien's subtle transformation throughout the book. Again, is it believable? Not really, but it is entertaining. A good bit of the humor in the book stems from this crazy, irreverent doctor and the reactions of those around him.

Besides the romantic angle, the plot, and the crazy doctor, which I enjoyed and led me to like the story overall, there are a few things that kept me from loving it: one, grammatical issues, primarily the punctuation of the dialog; two, the frequent use of the F-word, not a surprise since it's also used in the book description; and three, various plot points for which I had to hit my "I believe" button. The dialog and other minor grammatical issues might detract from the story for those who find that sort of thing annoying, but could be fixed in a future edition. The F-word usage bugs me, but I think it fits into the story and the style of the writing, totally a personal preference type thing. The things that were vague could be due to the constraints of writing a short story, namely details are often cut to keep the story short. However, some of the details and situations presented are hard to imagine in a real setting, but are portrayed as being normal or realistic, which made some of the fictional aspects of the story less believable.

Overall, I liked Feast. It's a good, short book with a bit of humor and romance and a whole lot of mystery and creepiness factor, good for a horror story. The romantic relationship between Damien and his boyfriend isn't too explicit, focusing more on their relationship, but I would caution that it is aimed at mature readers. I'd recommend this story to those who like the horror genre, want a quick read, and either prefer or aren't bothered by books that feature a male-male romance.

I picked up a copy of this book from Amazon during a free promo day after the author requested a review.


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Shinobi 7: Trials of a Warrior by L. Benitez

My rating: 4 of 5 stars


Fresh style, lot's of humor, and ninjas-in-training.

Shinobi 7: Trials of a Warrior introduces six young ninjas in training in a setting similar to feudal Japan. The story, excluding the prologue, starts with Cassie, a gentle, non-violent sort, who is traveling to the training school of the Kitsune Clan, the only one that has yet survived the violent takeover of the evil Blackthorne Clan. On the road, she meets Hanran, a quiet boy with a secret, Yami and Luna, siblings who can't wait to be awesome ninjas, and Tabby, a girl who loves sugar. Following Cassie's map, the five soon reach the Kitsune school and along with others who have also just arrived, are welcomed into the school and assigned to Sector 7, where they meet Kuroi, an arrogant young man who has been the lone member of Sector 7 for quite some time and is not happy about having to welcome fresh meat. Continue reading...

Delilah Dusticle by A.J. York

My rating: 4 of 5 stars


A charming story with a positive message.

Delilah Dusticle has a special gift: she can magically eradicate dust with uncanny ease. Her skills are much sought after, but she remains steadfastly loyal to her employers, the Fenchurch-Whittingtons, not because the offers she receives aren't attractive, but because she has a crush on their son, Charlie. With a light heart and her dust destroying skills in full bloom, Delilah revels in the occassional smile or admiring comment. However, her world and her abilities are shattered when Charlie comes home from a business trip with a new fiance in tow.

This story, while short, packs a powerful message of friendship, self-worth, and looking for the good in what you have. Delilah wears her heart on her sleeve, literally, as when she's down and doubting herself her powers backfire and coat her and everthing around her with dust. An unlikely friendship and the insight it brings finally bring her out of her cloud and back into the spotless sunshine and help her to realize that she has something to offer and that feeling sorry for herself won't get her anywhere.

The book is well written and the plot leaves no loose ends. The message is solid and the delivery is delightful. It slightly reminds me of Mary Poppins, where the ordinary servant has extraordinary powers, but in this case, Delilah comes off as more real than fantasy.

Overall, I really liked this book and recommend it to those who like a quick, positive read with a little humor and magic mixed in. I think this story would appeal mostly to adults because they are more likely to empathize with Delilah, but it is appropriate for a younger audience as well.

I received a free copy of this book in return for an honest, non-reciprocal review.



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Links of interest:
Website: www.ajyork.com
Facebook: www.facebook.com/delilahdusticle
Twitter: @delilahdusticle
Illustrator website : http://www.gavinchilds.com

Delilah Dusticle's Transylvanian Adventure by A.J. York

My rating: 5 of 5 stars


Delightful, lighthearted and funny.

Delilah the dust eradicator is back, and she's received a mysterious invitation from none other than Count W. Dracula. He's getting ready for a big party and neads her team to prepare the castle for his guests. But, when she and her assistants arrive, they're in for a surprise.

Book 2 in this series is fantastic. Where book 1 focuses on Delilah's broken heart and how she gets over it, book 2 picks up after she's figured out who she is and is happy with it. Unlike book 1, which focuses on feelings kids may not be familiar with, this story is definitely something kids would get and enjoy.

The characters and creatures in this book are entertaining and humorous. I love the quirky Grumpy Sponge (which I suspect is represented in the author's profile picture), especially when someone makes him angry. The Count is surprising and his efforts to prepare for the party and fit in to what people expect represent one of the main themes of this book. And, of course, Delilah's special abilities pull everything together.

Unlike the first book where the struggle was mainly internal to Delilah, this one introduces a villain or two and adds an element of danger. These things add to the excitement and make book 2 a page turner. I wish I could say more, but I don't want to spoil any of the book's surprises.

Finally, there are illustrations. I must say that almost every one I came across made me chuckle (or outright laugh) and they all fit perfectly into the part of the story they portray. I still want to know what the ? setting on the elevator does. The illustrator does a fine job of enhancing the story without distracting from it. Also, the pictures show up well on my tablet.

I do have a concern that the "handwritten notes" may not be quite readable on smaller devices or those that do not display illustrations. The notes are pictures, so they cannot be adjusted to the font size the reader prefers. I use a tablet and the longer notes displayed text smaller than the size I was using. Also, if I had been using my Kindle, I'm not certain they would have appeared at all, so I wouldn't have learned the contents of any of the Count's messages. My kindle is a bit of the cheapest one available. Still, on my tablet, they all displayed fine. I'm just concerned that not all readers would be able to see them, and they would be missing out on some important information. The notes, in my opinion, are vital to the storyline.

Overall, I absolutely loved this story. It's fantastic and magical, humorous and whimsical. The characters, major and minor, are entertaining. And the underlying themes of learning to be yourself and love what you have instead of what others have are admirably wrought. I would highly recommend this story to anyone, young or old, who likes a lot of humor, a little mystery, and a bit of magic.

I received a free copy of this ebook in exchange for an honest, non-reciprocal review.







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Links of interest:
Website: www.ajyork.com
Facebook: www.facebook.com/delilahdusticle
Twitter: @delilahdusticle
Illustrator website : http://www.gavinchilds.com

The Order of the Four Sons Book I by Lauren Scharhag

My rating: 4 of 5 stars


A paranormal mission impossible...

The Order of the Four Sons, or O4S as the modern organization call itself, is under attack. Teams are disappearing on missions, yet events that demand their attention are on the rise in frequency and intensity. After sending out every spare group of people, even the main office's administrative staff, they bring in a misfit crew to investigate a mysterious phone call received just that day from an agent who disappeared 20 years ago from a small town called Excelsior Springs.

Set in the modern day, this story is not focused on Egyptian mythology, despite the description and the intro chapter. I found this to be action-packed and interesting. The banter between the teammates is natural and often humorous. The setting in Excelsior Springs, including the history involved, is also impressive. I was surprised and pleased with the historical fiction aspects of the story, many of which involved this little town. It was clever to link a famous historical figure with O4S, though I don't want to say who the figure is due to spoilers. The old hotel and the alternate old hotel are both extremely creepy, especially due to the creatures and ghosts that inhabit them.

Murphy, Bill and Kate are my favorites from the team. Murphy, the detective, is a sceptic; even after he finds himself transported to another dimension, he still refuses to believe, though he deals with what he's experiencing. Bill monitors, records and coordinates the efforts of the team as they investigate. He pops in with humorous remarks and seems to be their tether to the real world. Finally, Kate, the apprentice mage who thought she was simply coming for her first training mission, instead finds herself on a desperate mission, facing terrifying enemies.

And those terrifying enemies are numerous and varied. Counted among them are ghosts, demons, immortal serial killers, and the particularly nasty spirit that spawned The Order of the Four Sons in the first place.

Overall, I really enjoyed this story, particularly the historical fiction and the ongoing battle between good and evil. This is the first in a series, so the book ends off with a set up for the next one. I'd recommend this book for those who like books with interesting characters, historical tie ins, and cameos by famous (and infamous) historical figures. Others may enjoy the paranormal spin on a story set in the modern world.



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Let's Kidnap The President by Lalit Bhatt

My rating: 3 of 5 stars


Enjoyable, good story. Needs some polishing, but worth a read...

Let's Kidnap the President is an entertaining read featuring the self-discovery and self-actualization of four monkeys from the jungles of India. Monkeys typically live to meet their basic needs, but these four soon become dissatisfied with their lot, and the Boss has noticed, making things very difficult for them.

They finally decide to leave their group and end up in a village, where they begin to want more for themselves, though initially their goals are limited to returning to their group and overthrowing the Boss. From that point, the story follows them through self-awareness, self-identity and personal growth, and eventually, their desire for riches and renown, which ultimately leads to the quest that names this book.

The growth of the monkeys into individuals is well portrayed and entertaining. Their quest is humorous and yet sprinkled with the psychology and science at the heart of their progression. Maslow's hierarchy is used, as are philosophies from Indian culture. The four make mistakes, learn from them, and discover that they are more and can be more than they'd ever imagined. Occasional shifts to humans trying to figure out these four strange monkeys add to the entertainment value.

Overall, this book is smart, well-thought, and well-researched. However, the language use is rough, and the book needs some serious editing. The good side is that would only be for grammar and usage, not content, plot, etc. Despite the grammar, I enjoyed this story. There are some beautiful passages, often insightful and sometimes even musical. I hope that one day this gem can be polished.

I would recommend this lighthearted, though insightful, story to those who enjoy allegory and humor and who don't mind some rough edges.

I found this story while it was on a free promotion on Amazon, but I can't remember exactly when. This one's been on my kindle for a long time, perhaps a couple of years. Anyway, I'm glad I picked it up.



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Occasionally, I'll pick up a children's book instead of the usual YA, NA, or adult fiction I tend to prefer. This is one of those that caught my eye, and it didn't hurt that I found it for free on Amazon. So, if you have kids or if you're a kid at heart, this may be a good read for you.

Maisy and the Missing Mice by Elizabeth Woodrum

My rating: 5 of 5 stars


Totally cute, well-written, and logical. Great story for young readers.

Maisy is a fourth grader who has an extraordinary talent for solving mysteries. Someone has stolen the mice from one of the classrooms, and the students are beyond worried. The little critters are the school's unofficial mascots and are beloved by all. It's a good thing Maisy is on the case, but her newest challenge may be more than she can handle. The culprit, soon known as The Black Boot, has taken her beloved collection of cherry lollipops hostage. Can Maisy rescue the mice and her stash of lollipops from the mysterious thief?

I loved this little story. Maisy's a cool little kid who totally gets into her role as investigator, even allowing her surroundings to fade into the black and white of the old detective movies she loves. Her fedora in place and her notebook in hand, she cannot be swayed by The Black Boot's attempts to get her off the case. I liked how splashes of color begin to leak back into her world as the pieces of the puzzle start to fall into place.

Another thing I like is that this story is very well-written, providing a great reading opportunity for young readers without giving everything away. The quality of the writing and the choice of vocabulary would make this a great option for challenging young minds in a fun way. Teachers might want to stock this on their shelves.

I totally recommend this for older elementary school and up readers as a starter chapter book. Adults who like a lighthearted escape into their own childhood might also enjoy this. I was reminded of how I used to feel reading Beverly Cleary books. It had me smiling the whole time I read it.



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James Potter and the Hall of Elders' Crossing by G. Norman Lippert

My rating: 4 of 5 stars


Lippert channels Rowling very well.

It's so good being back in the world of Harry Potter. I'm impressed with how well this story fits into the world Rowling created. This is excellent fan fic.

The story pics up exactly where Harry Potter and the Deathly Hallows leaves off, with the adult heros of the Harry Potter series seeing their kids off for Hogwarts. It's James Potter's first year, but he's not his dad. He's heard about Hogwarts his entire life and has lived in the shadow of his father's exploits. Everything he does is colored by his need to live up to the legend that is his father. I enjoyed how the differences between him and his dad are highlighted throughout the story, simply woven into the plot without being overbearing.

As for the plot, it seems to very closely follow the formula and feel of Rowlings' books. Three friends, ancient evil, and kids of mixed talents stuck trying to prevent a catastrophe, but, unlike the early Harry Potter stories, failure is an option. Things go wrong, successes turn out to be failures, and the hero doesn't always win in the expected way. It made it hard to put this story down.

The familiar characters are there, now all grown up, and even some surprise cameos add flavor to the story. The younger cast, barely mentioned at the end of the Harry Potter series are fully fleshed out in this continuation. Personalities, strengths and weaknesses are revealed in an organic and satisfying way. It just feels right.

Let's just say I really liked this story. It's something I would recommend to any Harry Potter fan, even the younger readers, who want a peek into what happens next. Would reading the James Potter books discourage me from reading a similar series if Rowling decides to write one? No, but since she doesn't seem inclined to do so, I'm glad we have this option.

This book is available for free on Goodreads.com as an ebook download.



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