Addiction comes in all shapes and sizes. Most addicts have to hit a personal low before they recognize they want to change, and Mark is no different. HAddiction comes in all shapes and sizes. Most addicts have to hit a personal low before they recognize they want to change, and Mark is no different. He's spent his adult life working for some "agency" as their pet assassin, making a name for himself as the baddest of them all, known only as The Pale Horse. After something happens (you don't find out till towards the end of the book what it is), our protagonist joins an AA group for killers. He's almost made it to the one-year mark when a fellow professional shows up after a meeting and tries to kill him. He's forced to go on the run with the hot doctor who patched him up and his beloved cat, P. Kitty. And now he's got to figure out who wants him dead, why, and if he can get out of this mess without killing anyone.
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So this had a pretty good plot when it came to the backstory stuff, and a few of the twists were fun. However, I'm on the fence as to whether or not I'd continue with this series, simply because I think an assassin who won't kill to save himself is silly. If the only way to stop someone crazy from killing you or someone you love is to kill them, then...? Like? Ok. I know what you're thinking, but at the end, when he's confronted with {name redacted} and their nefarious plan, you know that someone is going to end up having to take that person out. So someone is going to be a killer. And someone is going to get killed. And nobody will mourn them. I guess it's a glitch in my personality that I get annoyed by the irrationality of a moral stance that puts others in a position to have to take care of your own dirty work. And that kind of ruins the fun of the story for me.
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I have to compliment the author on a few things. First and foremost, I find that sometimes authors drag out The Big Secret Thing and then don't deliver on the promise. Hart delivers. I was surprised when we finally got to the big reveal, and it made sense for what happened to really gut-punch our character enough to make him rethink his life choices. I thought it was going to be that recycled (view spoiler)["I shot a kid" (hide spoiler)] thing, so when it wasn't, I was impressed that he had gone outside the box a bit. Second, he managed to pull the wool over my eyes with another character, and while I thought that one was a bit iffy (view spoiler)[(a top assassin who moonlights as an off-the-books doctor? getthefuckoutofhere. (hide spoiler)], I still liked it. Honorable mention for Mark loving that damn cat so much & the running Jason Statham gag.
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Audiobook readers: I didn't care for the narration of this one. It's not because the narrator was necessarily bad, I just thought the dialogue sounded cheesy coming out of his mouth. Like he was doing some generic "cool guy" voice. Or maybe what someone who isn't cool thinks a cool guy sounds like. <--does that even make sense? I don't know. For whatever reason, I didn't love it....more
Mid-level black humor with an unlikable main character.
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Now, I know what you're thinking. Look, lady. The main character is a serial killer. Of cMid-level black humor with an unlikable main character.
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Now, I know what you're thinking. Look, lady. The main character is a serial killer. Of course, she's going to be unlikable. That's the whole point of her, right? Well. Yes and no. You have to walk a fine line when your main character is morally vacant. I don't have to want to be like them, but I have to be able to comfortably crawl in their skin for a while and understand their motivations. As in, I'm not advocating killing off people that piss me off, but I can still nod along with the urge to do them in. I wasn't nodding along with the vast majority of the people she killed.
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As far as dark humor went, I didn't find this funny. Not in a I'm insulted way, but it just didn't make me laugh. I also got a bit tired of her referencing ordinary people. You're not an alien, dear. You've just got a really bad temper, no empathy, and are narcissistic enough to think that gives you the right to skin annoying people alive. I guess it wasn't funny enough to be funny or touching enough to feel touching. For me, at least.
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But it also wasn't a chore to read (or listen to, in my case), so I think this could definitely have an audience. It was off-kilter and a bit crazy, and not always in a bad way. The concept of this was definitely solid and interesting. Like I said, this would be a hard character and hard subject matter to get perfect, so I'm not knocking it into the garbage. I would be up for trying another of this author's stories.
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The very skinny gist is that a serial killer loses her beloved father after a long battle with dementia and ends up in a support group for other people working through their grief. Hijinks ensue when one of the people in the group finds out what she does on the side and tries to blackmail her. The title comes from her thinking she can "see people as ghosts", which just translates into her wanting to kill someone who annoys her and then being able to "look through them" and think they are insubstantial.
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It's not a bad premise at all, but it just didn't quite work for me. But I don't think you should let that put you off trying this book out if it looks like something you would enjoy. Recommended. Ish....more
We learn more about Elliot and her boyfriend, which is sweet. But Elliot is still spinning and spiralingI liked it more than I thought I would.
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We learn more about Elliot and her boyfriend, which is sweet. But Elliot is still spinning and spiraling waaay too much over just nonsense when it comes to her job. Just overthinking every little thing in a way that seems almost impossible to fathom. If there are truly people out there like her, then I'm not sure how they function in society. I can't relate to her up-her-own-ass neurosis because it seems as though it's trying to be portrayed as being almost cute. There's nothing funny here, and Elliot is apparently nothing more than some twee girl who needs to stop worrying what everyone thinks.
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The title is misleading, too. It makes you think that this is somehow a funny horror comic. It's not. In fact, I don't know what this is supposed to be. I don't even know what the hell Vlad Stein does in his lab besides sleep and supposedly say creepy things on accident. Is this what webcomics are? However. The last few pages of this all of a sudden started to bring the story together. Elliot has to help Vlad in his classroom, and they sort of bond. Like, all of a sudden, we start to see a little bit of an actual story emerge.
Huh. I think I may just continue with this one....more
So. Elliot finds a light bulb, learns Vlad's lab is gross, cleans his lab, Vlad gets mad, yells at Elliot, SergeA story maybe starts to emerge.
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So. Elliot finds a light bulb, learns Vlad's lab is gross, cleans his lab, Vlad gets mad, yells at Elliot, Serge yells at Vlad, Vlad tries to apologize, Elliot thinks about going home but needs the money for her sick mom, and Vlad manages a nice apology.
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And yeah. On the upside, these are short. I've listed them as humor, but they aren't so much funny as silly. I've got them listed under horror, but it's not scary - just kind of/sort of/maybe Mad Scientist adjacent? I don't really know what the genre here is, to be honest. I picked this from Hoopla because it looked like a cute Spooktober read, so I'm counting it towards that. I've got the 4th volume downloaded, so there's no turning back now....more
Everything that happens in this entire volume could have been put in one issue. I mean, there is aThe art is awesome, the story is...not there.
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Everything that happens in this entire volume could have been put in one issue. I mean, there is almost no forward plot motion here at all. When the last volume left off, Elliot found herself at Vlad Stein's home/lab with a job as his assistant. It was spooky, she was unsure if she'd made the right decision, and she hadn't "had time" to let her sister or boyfriend know where she was going or what she was doing.
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Ok. We pick up there, right? So they were understandably upset, but she sugarcoats the situation and calms them down. Next, she meets Vlad, drinks the cook's (forgot his name) terrible coffee, and has a nervous breakdown over asking questions, does a lot more inner monologuing over nonsense issues that I found incredibly silly after having lived through the first volume of inner monologuing the nonsense issues, and then kind of settles into a pasta dinner.
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And maybe I'm missing some nuance of webtoons, but this felt like some kind of oddball fanfic. Weirdly sexual but not overtly sexual mad scientist fanfiction. Anyone else? Just me?
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I don't know. Part of me is annoyed, part of me wants to find out where this is going, and part of me has a whole bunch of Hoopla borrows that I need to use up. God! Why does the art have to be so good?! So. I guess I've made up my mind to download the next volume. We'll see....more
Fun Wodehouse tale about the pitfalls of producing a play. Cyril Barmy Fotheringay-Phipps (of the Drones Club fame) inherits a nice nest egg from his uFun Wodehouse tale about the pitfalls of producing a play. Cyril Barmy Fotheringay-Phipps (of the Drones Club fame) inherits a nice nest egg from his uncle and gets immediately hoodwinked into investing in a new theater production starring his boozy actor friend, Mervyn Potter.
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The story was a lot better than I initially thought it would be, especially since I know relatively little about the theater - except that it's an iffy market for investment. But apparently, that was more than what poor Barmy knew.
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Of course, it wouldn't be a Wodehouse story if there wasn't a bit of romance and a full cast of wacky characters. It's clever, humorous, entertaining, and one of the better (imho) stand-alone stories that I've read of his. Recommended for fans of P.G. Wodehouse....more
This was my first ever Wodehouse. So as you can imagine, it has a special spot in my heart.
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The dotty Lord Emsworth, the indomitable Lady ConstanThis was my first ever Wodehouse. So as you can imagine, it has a special spot in my heart.
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The dotty Lord Emsworth, the indomitable Lady Constance, the hapless Freddie, and her porkiness...the Empress of Blandings. You root for Lord Emsworth to find the backbone to stand up to his sister and head gardener, and you root for Freddie to not cock it up...whatever it happens to be. This book does have the story of Freddie finally managing to get a girl to walk down the aisle with him. Keeping her proves to be a bit trickier, but he can count on his father to sweet talk his wife into staying his wife. Right?
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Towards the back of the book, Mr. Mulliner regales the local pub with stories from his days in Hollywood. I thought Castaways, the story of people who have been unfortunate enough to wander too close to a studio and have been press-ganged, imprisoned, and forced to finish a movie script, was pretty funny.
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Overall, this is a pretty great selection from the Blandings Castle crew. Recommended....more
A series of misunderstandings, mishaps, mistakes, and a healthy dose of misinformation help to move this humorous story forwaThe Love Boat. Ish?
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A series of misunderstandings, mishaps, mistakes, and a healthy dose of misinformation help to move this humorous story forward. Monty Bodkins and a group of beleaguered men chase love in all its forms while on a ship heading to New York.
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Meanwhile, motion picture mogul Ivor Llewellyn's wife (a force of nature) has ordered him to sneak a pearl necklace through US customs to avoid paying the fee and has sent her sister to make sure he doesn't chicken out. Llewellyn, convinced that customs agents are lurking in the potted ferns listening to his conversations, thinks Monty is working undercover to keep tabs on him.
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The truth is that Monty is simply trying to figure out why his ex-fiancée, Gertrude Butterwick, gave him the raspberry without any explanation. While on board he runs into Ambrose & Reggie Tennyson (no relation to that other Tennyson) who have problems of their own with the women in their lives.
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The whole thing is classic Wodehouse. If you're already a fan, you'll enjoy Monty's connection to Lord Emsworth. And if this is your first time with these characters, you'll still have a good time.
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Jonathan Cecil is the perfect narrator for these novels. <--if you get a chance to listen to him, don't miss out! Recommended....more
The Empress of Blandings has been pignapped! What, what?
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This has all the earmarks of a great Wodehouse story, and I love the inhabitants of BlaThe Empress of Blandings has been pignapped! What, what?
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This has all the earmarks of a great Wodehouse story, and I love the inhabitants of Blanding Castle. Yes, even Lady Constance and Mr. Baxter. With the ever-wobbly Lord Emsworth at the helm, this installment has everything you could want in a Wodehouse novel, including my favorite character, the effervescent Honourable Galahad Threepwood. You can't go wrong with that one.
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He's busy writing his reminiscences and every peer who ever had an interaction with him in their youth is shaking in their shoes at what "funny revelation" is about to be exposed to the public's prying eyes. Oh, it's gonna be a bestseller.
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Meanwhile, you have two sets of star-crossed lovers, desperately swimming upstream like salmon to mate. Will they make it? Well, there's always the other option.
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But this is a WODEHOUSE novel, silly. True love will always prevail. A fun entry in the Blandings Castle series.
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Audiobook review: I won't be listening to any other Wodehouse books read by John C. Wells because his voice was incredibly annoying. A lot of the characters sounded like British muppets. I ended up speeding up the narration to be done with his nonsense. TERRIBLE. WORST VOICES EVER. YOU'RE FIRED. God, I'm hilarious....more
This is the first book that I can remember Bertie giving the audience a little recap! Of course, after 13 other books (that don't actually need to be This is the first book that I can remember Bertie giving the audience a little recap! Of course, after 13 other books (that don't actually need to be read in order), I thought it was a pretty good idea.
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His much beloved ancient relative, Aunt Dahlia, calls upon her favorite nephew to help her wheedle some of the money her future son-in-law is owed from an invention his father made while in the employ of businessman L. P. Runkle. And so off to Market Snodsbury he goes!
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And while there he gets embroiled in the local elections to help his friend Ginger stay in the good graces of his fiancee, the overbearing beauty Florence Craye. <--who is under the mistaken impression that Bertie secretly loves her. The drippy Madeline Bassett also rears her flower-filled head and strikes fear in the heart of our eternal bachelor. If you don't know, Madeline is under the very mistaken impression that Bertie longingly pines for her, and only her engagement to Roderick Spode saved him from a trip down the altar the last time they met. But since it would be bad form to pipe up and let a lady know that you'd rather spend a stretch in prison than spend your evenings in their company, Bertie is seemingly stuck becoming engaged to these women whenever their respective fiances tick them off.
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At the heart of this one is the often-referenced book kept by members of Junior Ganymede Club, of which Jeeves is a member. It is a club for butlers and valets and the book contains the escapades of the various members' employers. Bertie features heavily. The point of the book is to let prospective job seekers know what they are up against should they agree to employment with one of these noodles, and the contents are kept secret from the general public. Bertie has loudly complained throughout the series that something will someday go sideways, and this is THAT book. Although, things don't go quite the way he envisioned.
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Very funny story that I think most Jeeves & Wooster fans will enjoy. Recommended....more
Who knew a toothache could cause so many problems? When the Earl of Havershot goes to America to break up the potentially unsuitable engagement of his Who knew a toothache could cause so many problems? When the Earl of Havershot goes to America to break up the potentially unsuitable engagement of his cousin Eggy, he doesn't expect to end up swapping bodies with child actor, Joey Cooley. What, what?
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But let's back up. First, he'll fall in love with the predatory actress April June, find out his cousin is planning to marry his lovely ex-fiancee, get a terrible toothache, then end up in a dentist's chair under laughing gas at the same time as 12 year old Joey. And as you all know, when two people go under anesthesia at the same time, the conditions are ripe for a soul swap.
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The premise sounds funny, and there are moments of that P.G. Wodehouse gold that shine through, but this just isn't going to end up being a personal favorite of mine. It was a bit too weird and all of the jokes didn't land for me. I did enjoy the commentary on how horrible it would have been to be a child actor, even back in the day. And it had some cute moments. But for whatever reason I thought it was kind of too odd for it to go on as long as it did and because of that it just didn't work as well for me as most of his other stories do.
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Still. I'm trying to work my way through all of his stories, so I'm not sorry I read it.
Recommended for Wodehouse completionists and fans of Freaky Friday....more
Bok, bok, bok! An author gets hauled along for a wacky ride when his friend decides to become a chicken farmer and sell the eggs.
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Ukridge is an Bok, bok, bok! An author gets hauled along for a wacky ride when his friend decides to become a chicken farmer and sell the eggs.
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Ukridge is an idiot with idiot ideas. He thinks his chicken farm will be a money maker because he'll borrow the initial chickens, then return them once he's got his own flock going with a nice little thank you note to the chicken lenders. And since it certainly doesn't cost anything to take care of chickens, the whole enterprise will be pure profit, don't you know? Not having any experience with either chickens or farms shouldn't be a reason to question the validity of his dream, so let's get to cracking those eggs!
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Jeremy ends up as the "partner" in this egg-laying scheme because he forgets how to say the word no when Ukridge and his wife Millie show up at his house. Now, if you're thinking this whole thing will be a complete clustercluck for him, you'd be wrong. Why? Because across the way from their unprofitable little farm lives the lovely Phyllis and her father. Phyllis caught his eye on the train down when he noticed she was reading his book. A gal with taste and beauty? Jeremy was a gonner. All that was left to do was woo her.
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Unfortunately, Ukridge ends up blithely insulting Phyllis' father at a get-together and taking Jeremy's good name down with him. So, in an effort to get back in her father's good graces, Jeremy hatches a plan to save her father from drowning - after he pays the boatman to tip the old man into the water. Success! Until, of course, it isn't.
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Each hair-brained scheme leads to a dozen more as the story tilts and whirls around one mishap after another. Can true love be hatched among the chickens? If you're already a fan of Wodehouse, don't miss out on this one.
Love and robbery. Wodehouse writes a story about Americans in England. And he's pretty kind. You know, considering those colonials were a bunch of dirtLove and robbery. Wodehouse writes a story about Americans in England. And he's pretty kind. You know, considering those colonials were a bunch of dirty traitors.
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I liked all the adorableness of the two main characters, who are obviously perfect for each other, what with all their wacky antics and big personalities. And yet, there they both sit, engaged to the human equivalents of two wet blankets.
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Now, if you've ever read anything written by P.G. Wodehouse, you already know that the plot will include some kind of a badly done impersonation or a crazypants attempt at theft. Most of the time both. And just because he's got Yanks in starring roles, this book is no different. Here we have several thefts happening at once - expensive jewels AND incriminating letters - by amateurs and professionals. Add in a couple of fake murders, a starcrossed safecracker & the inside gal, a wild reveal at the end worthy of any Scooby Doo episode, and you have the gist of this funny little novel.
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It's good stuff. Recommended for fans of Wodehouse....more
Five stars worth of "educational book" with a lot of funny nonsense thrown in. You might learn something new and you'll get a few laughs. I can't see tFive stars worth of "educational book" with a lot of funny nonsense thrown in. You might learn something new and you'll get a few laughs. I can't see that as anything but winning.
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Most of the dry & crunchy stories from world history are easier (for me) to digest when the person telling the story has a sense of humor about it. I mean, I'm an adult reading this stuff for my personal benefit and it's not like I have to take a quiz at the end. So yeah. I know there are more just-the-facts-ma'am books, but I doubt any of them will make you lol like Mitchell's version.
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Side note: I know this has nothing to do with England's kings, but the most memorable part of the book for me was when Mitchell skewered the last Daniel Craig Bond film as a huge disappointment because they killed Bond off in the end. Why would you do that?! Why would you do that?! Bond doesn't die! The entire point of Bond (and characters like him) is that they live past all of us. You don't fucking kill them off.
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Marvel should take note of this because recasting IS a viable option for fictional characters. And let's face it, probably would have saved their entire franchise, as it is currently circling the toilet, while they scrambled to dig up more and more obscure characters to be played by less and less expensive actors. Just recast Iron Man, Captain America, & Black Widow! Is Hollywood really only peopled with fucktards? Apparently. Sorry. Sorry, sorry, sorry. But I've been wanting to get that off my chest for a while now.
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If you've ever wanted to learn about the beginning of England's royal whatnot and all the rigamarole that goes with the pomp and circumstance, this is the book for you. But listen to the audiobook because David Mitchell's comic timing is hilarious. Highly Recommended even if you don't give two shits about the subject matter....more
His nephew, Reginald Pongo Twistleton, knows only too well how quickly things can go sideways when his dear uncle, thUncle Fred is unstoppable.
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His nephew, Reginald Pongo Twistleton, knows only too well how quickly things can go sideways when his dear uncle, the 5th Earl of Ickenham, shows up in town. In fact, he forbids him from coming to London and tells him there will be no funny business while he meets his latest fiancee's mother and father. What-what? To Lord Frederick Altamont Cornwallis Twistleton, that sounded a lot like a cry for help from his dear relation!
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Whether it's impersonating an explorer who just came from Brazil in order to finagle an invitation as a houseguest, stealing a bust from the aforementioned house, judging a Bonnie Babies competition, or helping the daughter of one of his best friends smuggle jewelry past American customs, Lord Ickenham is up for any adventure. And just when you think there's no way he will be able to get out of the way of the impending doom he rightly deserves, he grins and slides out of trouble with a surplus of charm.
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Along the way, he also manages to poke his nose into Pongo's love life, get him tossed on his ear by his fiancee, and set everything right for everyone involved by the end of the book.
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Highly Recommended for fans of that Wodehouse humor....more
A funny collection of shorts perfect for any fan of P.G. Wodehouse.
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The first half of the stories revolve around Bingo Little's close scrapes wA funny collection of shorts perfect for any fan of P.G. Wodehouse.
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The first half of the stories revolve around Bingo Little's close scrapes with trouble. And by trouble, I mean his wife Rosie. Because as much as Bingo loves her, he just can't seem to stop himself from betting money he doesn't have on a sure thing. Like what? Well, anything really. Up to and including betting that his baby is uglier than his bookie's baby.
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Freddie Fitch-Fitch & Mr. Mulliner each have a short, and the last few all revolve around Ukridge and Corky's misadventures. So all in all, you have a nice selection of Drones Club favorites to listen to. <--especially if you grab the audiobook narrated by Jonathan Cecil!
Another really humorous look at European medieval history. Moving at a fast pace, this tongue-in-cheek look at this one year chunk in time is for all oAnother really humorous look at European medieval history. Moving at a fast pace, this tongue-in-cheek look at this one year chunk in time is for all of you out there want your history served in a not very serious way. Just in case you didn't know... The big match-up in 1066 is THE BATTLE OF HASTINGS!
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Harold Godwinson aka the crowned King of England vs. Duke William of Normandy aka Willaim the Conquer
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However, before we get to the main fight, Harold has to get through Harald Hardrada, who has teamed up with Godwinson's exiled brother, Tostig. WHAT?! Yes. His own brother has joined the opposing team. It's soap opera city, I'm telling you!
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There's a lot more to it than this. Because of course there is! And as silly as Ed West is, he actually does a decent job of hitting all the highlights. If you're looking for something more in-depth, try the lecture 1066: The Year That Changed Everything. However, if you're just wanting to get a few laughs and learn the basics, this will do quite nicely. Recommended....more
A funny look at how even the world's worst humans can be responsible for creating something great. Well, as long as other people decide they've had enoA funny look at how even the world's worst humans can be responsible for creating something great. Well, as long as other people decide they've had enough of their shit and blackmail them into signing a document. A document that didn't make any real difference to the barons that made John put his name to paper, but is quoted by countries all over the world as this sort of linchpin to democracy.
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Steven Crossley hilariously narrates Ed West's tongue-in-cheek romp through what led up to the signing of the Magna Carta, what happened immediately afterward, and what the document meant in the long run. There are definitely more in-depth books out there for people who are looking to study the history of that time period, but for anyone looking for something fun and quasi-educational, this is the way to go.
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I gotta say that I'm sad to be done with The Very, Very Short History of England series. I would really love to find more stuff like this to fill my day with, so if anyone has any recommendations, I'd truly appreciate them. Recommended....more
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