Mini Review - Memory Man

3 out of 5 gnomes

The character of Amos Decker is really fascinating. The whole never forgetting anything would be pretty horrible I imagine but it is really interesting to get inside this character's head. This point of view is an intriguing one and makes you wonder about how anybody would deal with having that kind of brain.

Then you add the trauma of having your family murdered and being able to remember every detail, not wonder he's not in the best shape/place when the book starts.

The mystery in the book is really good and has a plethora of twists and turns. It's the ultimate motivation of the big bad that seemed really flimsy to me. I was with it up to a certain point but wow things kind of go off the rails. With that said though I'm still curious to see where the series goes next.

My Favorite Quotes/Lines - Drag Teen

Drag Teen by Jeffery Self

“Honestly, though, my dreams never really went much further than the simple hope of getting out of Florida, away from my family, and to somewhere where I could be myself without a single second thought.”

“This fit into my theory about people with effortless abs and how they must have done something really selfless in a past life— those abs had to be God’s way of saying Psssst … Hey, you! I’m sorry.”

“It means embracing yourself enough that you allow me to fully embrace you too.”

“What Heather lacked in confidence she made up for in boob size.”

“I couldn’t believe what I was hearing. My father was comparing my future to that of a man named Pooter.”

“But you can’t expect Robin Hood to understand that even good deeds lead to a feeling of indebtedness.”

“It wasn’t really the place itself but the atmosphere, the little universe housed within its four walls.”

“Drag is armor, darling. No matter how you look at it.”

“It’s like RuPaul says: If you can’t love yourself, how in the hell are you going to love somebody else?”

“...but all that talk from those famous gay people saying it gets better is horseshit unless you put in the effort.”

“Sometimes the people you love the most are the most difficult for you to be around, because they see right through your crap and don’t mind telling you.”

“Naw,” I said. “At the end of the day, we’re all just a bunch of freaks trying to pass for normal. And I reckon, it turns out, there is no such thing.”

“It was like I was about to meet all these people I knew existed in theory but never thought I’d get to meet— my imaginary friends, come to life.”

“Why isn’t it possible to just hold up a sign that says exactly how you’re feeling without having to say it?”

“Now I had to take it. The chance, not the wig. Well, actually, both.”

“And while basic bitches sometimes win a contest or two, they rarely win at life.”

“We all have crap we bury; some of us have better shovels than others.”

Review - Drag Teen

Drag Teen by Jeffery Self

5/5 gnomes

Oh, this book was excellent. This story is both fierce and fun.

I was drawn to this story because I also love Rupaul's Drag race, now that is one heck of an entertaining show. I discovered it on Netflix and have been watching every season since then.

This book is interesting because it combines drag, a road trip, and lots of crazy shenanigans along the way. JT's journey is angsty of course but his insecurities feel very real.

I love his boyfriend Seth even if he is more than a tad too positive at times. Also his best friend Heather rings pretty darn true too.

The road trip was both insightful and also full of great characters. It tested all of their relationships and they are now a lot more interesting for it.

The Drag Pageant itself was a blast to read about too. The ending was great and I really can't wait to see what this author writes next.

Sentence Sneak Peek - Drag Teen

Drag Teen by Jeffery Self

The first sentence from each chapter of Drag Teen, it's a mini summary of what you can expect to read.

* Spoilers are highlighted like so :)

“THIS ISN’T ONE OF THOSE stories about a heartwarming journey toward accepting my cursed homosexual identity.”

“THE LATE SHIFT AT THE gas station usually meant dealing with people who were pretty drunk.”

“I HATE TESTS.”

“AND WITHOUT FURTHER ADO …”

“ONCE IT WAS IN THERE, I couldn’t get the idea out of my head.”

“I MIGHT REGRET THIS, BUT I want to do it.”

“WITH THE ISSUE OF MY parents behind me and the first day of spring break being four nights away, I sent in my application for the pageant, which made the whole thing feel real, official, and utterly intimidating.”

“WE FOLLOWED OUR NEW FRIENDS from the diner in Seth’s car.”

“SETH WAS RIGHT BEHIND ME.”

“WE GOT UP LATE THE next day and hit the road.”

“SORRY ’BOUT THE MESS,” TINA said, throwing her coat over the sofa as soon as we got into the house.”

“WITH A VOICE LIKE YOURS, I’ll kill you if I ever catch you smoking a cigarette.”

“IT WAS CLOUDY BY THE time we got to Ocean City.”

“SEEING THE SIGN THAT READ NEW YORK CITY— 50 MILES gave me legitimate goose bumps.”

“WE WEREN’T CRAZY ABOUT DRIVING again in Manhattan, so we left the car where it was and took a mind-blowingly expensive cab over to the mysterious-sounding XXXL, which turned out to be a not-so-mysterious enormous gay club.”

“THE ENGINE SPUTTERED AND THE car came to a halt in the middle of the four-lane street. Immediately, a symphony of car horns sounded behind us, with agitated voices shouting at us, in a menagerie of languages, to get the hell out of the road.”

“THE NEXT MORNING WAS THE first day of the pageant.”

“NATHAN LEARY ARRIVED AFTER LUNCH.”

“I WAS ON CLOUD NINE when I met up with Heather and Seth after rehearsal at the cutest New York café around the corner, which I realized once I walked inside was actually just a Starbucks.”

“SETH CAME BACK A FEW minutes later, shaking his head.”

“I DIDN’T SMOKE.”

“MR. HART?”

“THERE WAS A LOUD MURMUR from the audience as they took their seats on the other side of the big red curtain.”

“ONCE I GOT OFFSTAGE, EVERYONE was coming up to me and telling me congratulations.”

“THERE WAS A SHORT INTERMISSION as the judges deliberated.”

“DARYL’S LOFT WAS REALLY COOL, like nowhere I had ever been.”

Review - Heroine Complex

Heroine Complex by Sarah Kuhn

5/5 gnomes

Gah, I really really loved this book. It has such a tremendous cover too, that I knew I wanted to read it ASAP (I mean who doesn't want to read about things like demonic cupcakes.) I'm drawn to super hero books and this one was awesome. I adored the blend of humor, relationships, and surprises.

I like the uniqueness of how the powers are obtained in this story. Here's hoping we see more of these interesting power in the next books.

The relationships in the story really help it shine. From Aveda and Evie on down to the rest of the crew. There are plenty of complications of course but that just makes for great reading. I love the friendship and family that is shown here and how things aren't perfect but they all find a way.

This book went to super status for me with that ending. I for one didn't foresee those twists and turns. I am really looking forward to reading more about these characters.

If you're a fan of super characters, humor, don't mind a lot of f-bombs, and some romance than this book is for you.

My Favorite Quotes/Lines - Heroine Complex

Heroine Complex by Sarah Kuhn

“Yeah, fuck you, you ’roided out Cakey Monster,” I muttered, narrowing my eyes at the remnants of the stupid thing.”

“And sometimes,” she said, “I just really want french fries.”

“The ability to accept any and all diva crap is a highly valued skill in personal assistants.”

“Can you save your man-bitchery for no time ever?” I shot back.”

“She was my oldest friend. She was my Heroic Trio compatriot. She had been there when I needed her. And she sure as hell knew how to manipulate me.”

“Focus on the anger. Anger leads to hate. Hate leads to you blowing stuff up.”

“Goddammit, Dead-Inside-O-Tron.”

“I think you make the occasional mistake. Just like everyone.”

“I wanted to save the crazy, colorful, occasionally fucked-up world I was already living in. Was that personal growth or insanity?”

“I loooooved making him laugh. It wasn’t a gimme like it was with, say, Lucy. You had to work for that shit.”

“No purple.”

“I like that you’re good and decent and kind. That you always look surprised when you laugh, like you genuinely weren’t expecting to laugh, ever.”

“We’ve both leveled up.”

“We had been wrong about so many things.”

“I was amassing Fun Demon Factoids like Pokemon.”

“Save your martyr-esque declarations for some weaker soul.”

“We’d come apart and come back to each other.”

“I love you the most, too. That’s probably why we make each other the most mad.”

Sentence Sneak Peek - Heroine Complex

Heroine Complex by Sarah Kuhn

The first sentence from each chapter of Heroine Complex, it's a mini summary of what you can expect to read.

* Spoilers are highlighted like so :)

“I AM NOT a superhero.”

“YOU KIND OF have the world’s worst job.”

“THIS IS GONNA be a bitch to clean up.”

“I HATE CRYING.”

“I’M AFRAID MR. SPARKY was unsalvageable.”

“OFF, OFF . . . get it off!”

“IN THE PANTHEON of Comforting Smells, I ranked McDonald’s french fry grease in the top five. Maybe top two, even.”

“THE MOMENT I set foot in the ballroom, I was blinded by glittering light.”

“EVIE! GET IN HERE!”

“I THOUGHT I was done running for the day.”

“I COULDN’T STOP EATING.”

“RISE AND SHINE, Supergirl!”

“I’D NEVER RACED up a moving escalator before.”

“I FLEW OUT of Nordstrom, zipping down the escalator, darting between shoppers, pushing my way out to the bustle of the street.”

“THE DISEMBODIED HAND reached for my neck again.”

“LUCY AND I worked out for two hours.”

“WOW,” NATE SAID after a few moments of awed silence.”

“WELL?”

“THE NEXT WEEK whizzed by in a blur.”

“AVEDA AND I stumbled home when the marine layer moved in, casting a sheen of gray sludge over everything.”

“I’D LIKE TO be able to say I took the mature route.”

“I’M GOING TO have nightmares.”

“YOU’RE SURE IT’S not too much?”

“WHAT THE FUCK.”

“I WOKE UP in my bed, pillows surrounding me like a fort.”

“I LET MY anger power me all the way to Pussy Queen, stomping through the ten-block walk with Lucy hot on my heels.”

“MY EYES SNAPPED OPEN and I was instantly aware of three things: 1) I wasn’t dead.”

Mini Review - The Fixer

The Fixer by Jenny Holiday

3 out of 5 gnomes

A quick fun read. This is set in the early eighties so the slang and such feels a little jarring at first. I like the newspaper setting too.

It kind of feels like a cliche movie at times, yet you can't look away. It's predictable sure but the journey along the way is pretty great.

The love story is predictable sure, but they are quite the interesting couple.

Mini Review - The Jock and the Fat Chick

The Jock and the Fat Chick by Nicole Winters

2 gnomes and a gnome hat out of 5 gnomes

This story is pretty darn predictable but it is a fun read most of the time.  

Kevin is really bro-tastic aka he acts like he has to be a manly man all of the time. Then for good reasons he gets put into a cooking class or Domestic Tech (which I’m pretty sure is a really old fashioned name for that kind of class.) Cooking introduces him to Claire who is not who Kevin would normally be around. She sounds pretty normal but he and his friends only go out with the popular girls/cheerleaders.

Kevin and Claire make for an interesting combo and there are the obvious complications along the way. They both make some definitely not great decisions but it does feel earned when they find their way back to each other.

A certain part had me sobbing pretty good because I always worry just a bit too much when a dog in a story has issues.

Overall a quick read that could have used just a little more depth to it all.

Sentence Sneak Peek - The Jock and the Fat Chick

The Jock and the Fat Chick by Nicole Winters

The first sentence from each chapter of The Jock and the Fat Chick, it's a mini summary of what you can expect to read.

* Spoilers are highlighted like so :)

“I HAUL ASS ACROSS THE SCHOOL’S PLAYING field, the ball cupped in my lacrosse stick.”

“WEDNESDAY: DOM TECH DAY.”

“I’M AT SHREDS.”

“THERE’S NO COOKING IN THE NEXT DOM TECH class.”

“ON SATURDAY I WAKE UP AROUND TEN, WHICH is early considering I’m used to sleeping until eleven or twelve.”

“FIRST THING I DO ON SUNDAY IS WAKE UP AND plug my phone into its charger because I forgot to last night, and the battery’s dead.”

“THE NEXT DAY IN DOM TECH, IT’S LIKE I WAS never at Claire’s house or chatting with her last night.”

“THE SNOW-COVERED SOCCER FIELD MEANS Coach has us indoors, playing volleyball for gym.”

“I WAKE UP FEELING LIKE A NEW MAN.”

“I WALK INTO DOM TECH LIKE I’VE GOT THIS and I’m about to kick some ass.”

“I NO LONGER HEAD DOWN THE EAST HALLWAY twice a week anymore.”

“THE NEXT COUPLE OF DAYS ARE FULL OF HOLIDAY stuff, shoveling driveways, buying a tree, and decorating it with popcorn strings and ornaments I made as a kid.”

“FIRST THING FLOODING MY VISION WHEN I awake is horses.”

“THE BELL RINGS AND I BACK MISSY AGAINST her locker and lean in for a hello-good-bye kiss before taking off.”

“CAN’T SLEEP.”

“I’M GLAD THE ARENA’S A DECENT HIKE FROM my house.”

“I END UP HEARING FROM THREE OTHER schools: Bemidji State, Davenport, and Bowling Green, all offering partial scholarships.”

Mini Review - No Parking at the End Times

2 gnomes out of 5 gnomes

I wanted to read the story based on the blurb. I think I was just expecting more from it all.

Abigail seemed a lot too accepting of the whole cult thing. I know you listen to your parents but when they go completely off the rails I think most people would hopefully try to find a way out a whole lot sooner.

Her brother almost has the right idea but definitely doesn’t go about it the right way.

The ending just kind of made me mad. I felt really unbelievable like they just waved a magic wand or something now and POOF, everything is okay. I think I just needed more information for everything and for the book to feel more believable.

Reading Now - Heroine Complex

What book are you reading right now?

This book is awesome so far. I’m loving the humor and the characters, I mean just look at the cover with those demonic cupcakes (who wouldn’t want to read about that?)