Review: From Here to Absurdity

From Here to Absurdity: Pink Flamingos, Vibrators, and other Comical Events by David Hunter

Pages: 307

Genre: Non-Fiction/bio. 

Grade: A

Why I picked it up: The Galley was sent to me for review by the publisher, and I enjoyed the short blurb that was sent as a teaser.

Even though I RARELY read non-fiction, these stories were funny, thought-provoking and completely held my attention.

The Story: Written in a series of short stories, each based around a facet of the author's life.

His military basic training sojourn was described realistically, and thoroughly entertained.

Then I saw he took Ben Franklin and examined his human side, his foibles, his indulgences, and described a well-researched idea.

Some excellent historical research is a hallmark of this book, and made me think. Assumptions I'd had around Thomas Edison, the Pope, and legends that surround some people were questioned and firmly thrown out. The author talks about the Church, red states, the thin line walked by cops, tidbits from his experience as an officer and cop, surgery, love/hate campaigns, and the secret of writing!

This is no cookie-cutter "It" book - there is completely original writing, and great reading material to be had!

I'd recommend this to: Readers bored of run-of-the-mill books and want something fresh and thought-provoking.
Meet the author at:  "David Hunter in his Own Write"  http://radicalorthodox.blogspot.com/

Teaser Tuesday #34: The Foundling's Tale Series by Cornish

I was in a slump of books, before starting the Foundling's tale series, by D. M. Cornish. I know I need to pick up things off my Goodreads TBR list (next time!), but somehow that never seems to happen. Luckily, I had time to drop into my library this week, and stumble across this unlikely YA series about monsters and monster slayers.

I say unlikely, because the writing is not your usual YA style. While the story is told from the point of view of a 15 year old boy, the style is slower and fuller than the average YA fantasy.

I've read both Foundling and The Foundling's Tale, Part Two: Lamplighter this week, and am hoping to finish The Foundling's Tale, Part Three: Factotum this week. Here's the teaser:

"Hpmf!" Europe pursed her lips. "What I'd like to know is this: when does adventure stop and violence begin? Answer me that and we'll both be wiser."
Fansitart had been right after all: lahzars were strange and discomfiting folk.

I'm looking forward to adding at least 5 new Follows this week, so let me know if you follow me, or have something new to say about ebooks/authors/publishing/fantasy.  I will be on your site, commenting away!

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Teaser Tuesdays is hosted at Should Be Reading.

Diana Holquist

Grade: A
Diana Holquist debuted with Make Me a Match, where she writes the story of the eldest of 3 sisters in a very dysfunctional family. The sisters are a quarter Gypsy by blood, and the most wild of them, Amy, has the power to hear the name of a person's True Love on physical contact. She has no qualms in playing up this ability, and survives on con games and luck. The eldest sister Cecilia is a repressed doctor, and the youngest has been missing for several years.


Make Me a Match is such a light-hearted comedy, not a typical romantic book. It has some intrigue, a lot of humor, and really interesting characters.
Sexiest Man Alive is the story of the youngest sister, who is painfully shy around men. Her inability to have a conversation with a good-looking guy is so funny to read! She also runs out of interviews (which is secretly something I would so have loved to do at some point!) and still manages to run a successful business.
Hungry for More follows Amy, with the mystical power, as she proceeds to lose her magic, and struggle between choosing True Love or recovering her talent. With a very sexy chef, and plenty of delicious cooking, this book is for the foodie reader.
Many thanks to the talented author Alice of http://www.aliceaudrey.com/ for her intriguing teaser on Teaser Tuesday, which lead to this entertaining find!
What else is there to be said? If you would like to read one of those rare books that are so refreshingly fun to read, and still a good romance novel (a rare find these days), you could pick up a Diana Holquist!