Tagged: humor
“Game of Thrones man hatred” and More Weird Search Terms
It’s been a while since I rounded up any of the weird search terms I’ve received, so I figured I’d do it today to brighten up everyone’s Wednesday (including mine). So here are the lovely search terms that people found my blog through:
rose leslie sex scene
writer self-deluded novel
is it really necessary for someone with chronic psin to moan out loud constantly
i hate slang
easiest chronic pain to write about
reasons why i hate teenage books
every girl on game of thrones naked
game of thrones man hatred
why do guys like game of thrones
Ah, Game of Thrones. You either hate it or love it according to the internet. And since I wrote about why it’s okay for women to like it in my chart-topping article I constantly get weird Game of Thrones search terms like the ones above. Since I wrote about chronic pain a while back I get weird search terms from that. (Also, no it’s not necessary but the person asking that question should be a little more empathetic.) Basically, there are no seriously creepy search terms like I sometimes get, but there’s still a lot of naked women terms.
Seriously people: I don’t have naked women on my blog, especially not the Game of Thrones women. If you want to see some of them naked go to Google Image Search or YouTube.
Fun to Be Russian by Theodor Rasputin
(Cover picture courtesy of Goodreads.)
In FUN to be RUSSIAN you may find the answers to all those niggling little questions you never knew you wanted to ask!
• Why do Russians tie fishing boats to their feet while camping?
• What German phrase do all Russian men know and when would they use it?
• How do you catch a bottle of vodka while fishing off your balcony?
• Why is it unwise to relieve yourself out the door of a Russian train at night?
• Find out which is stronger; an Al Qaeda head or a Japanese television?
• And, just why is it essential that your wife always wears white knickers while travelling?
Drink vodka during a consultation at the clinic, experience a fishing weekend with friends, spend a relaxing summer week at the country Dacha and see how a seaside vacation to Egypt can be unusually eventful in the right company. Enjoy reading and Na Zdorovie!
[Full disclosure: I received a free print copy from Theodor Rasputin in exchange for an honest review.]
In all honesty, I had some mixed feelings about Fun to Be Russian. On one hand, there were parts that were so funny I had to literally laugh out loud. On the other hand, this reads more like a joke book rather than an actual story. Once you get past the jokes, there really isn’t much of a plot or that much characterization.
The story obviously takes place in Russia where we meet Vadim and Julia, a husband and wife who are going to a family planning clinic. Once in the doctor’s office hilarity ensues as Vadim and the doctor exchange hilarious tales over some vodka. Essentially, the whole book is like this. No, it doesn’t all take place in a family planning clinic, but it is mainly characters telling each other stories without much action in between. Sure, Vadim has a little adventure with some strong medication and actually does something at the end of the book, but that’s about all that actually happens. The scenery changes a couple of times, but the characters are just essentially telling stories within a story.
My problem with this is that while it’s funny, it’s not necessarily fun to read in a linear manner. Such tales would have been better in a sort of joke book rather than Theodor Rasputin trying to tell them all in one book. It also doesn’t leave much room for characterization. Vadim comes across as a stereotypical Russian man, only really caring about drinking and the other characters are just one dimensional. There are no real motives behind their behavior other than the fact that they just want to drink and tell each other stories.
There are some proofreading errors, but they don’t really affect your ability to read Fun to Be Russian. Some of the humour is a little crude, so I’d definitely recommend it for adults only. However, the one redeeming feature of this is that it is actually hilarious. Theodor Rasputin can tell stories in a humorous manner, it’s just that trying to fit them all into a novella was not necessarily the best choice.
I give this book 2.5/5 stars.
My Status Update Journey by Marcus Matherne
(Cover picture courtesy of Goodreads.)
The author of this book also wrote the next paragraph. I wonder if you be able to pick up on that. If not, you might not be qualified and/or prepared to read the inside of this book. Seriously, if you read the next paragraph and you fail to consider that I’m purposely trying to over-hype the book for the potential sale, don’t buy the book. Oops, let me rephrase that. Don’t buy the book for yourself – buy the book for someone else. This book is so captivating! You’ll be on the edge of your seat from the first word all the way through to the last. You’ll be guessing with each turn of a page. What topic will Marcus cover next? Every page is incredible! You’ll laugh. You’ll cry. You’ll be touched, moved, and inspired. This book will bring back memories that have long been buried. You’ll want to read this one again and again. Or not. How am I supposed to tell? I don’t even know you. Maybe you’ve recently been in an accident. Maybe the act of laughing causes horrible pains and spasms and causes stitches to burst. In which case, you should consider healing fully before embarking on my journey through three years of social networking status updates. Follow my journey as told by my status updates and the intriguing commentary from the voices in my head. On this trip you find stories of a family man, growing children, delicious cereals, malfunctioning toilets, park benches, awesome soldiers, birthday parties, adorable puppies, on-line games, winter storms, roller coasters, slugs, and a high profile celebrity party. This book contains a topic for everyone! If you can’t find a situation or something to relate to in this book, you are either dead or you’re that person that no one wants to be around. You owe it to yourself to read this book in order to confirm that you’re alive and that you are not “that guy.” Seriously, what if you are a loser and you don’t know it? Let me help you. Read my book. Help me, help you. Really. About the Author: Marcus gets a sharp agonizing sensation in his leg muscles when he attempts to place his foot behind his head. Oh, wait a minute. I guess that’s not the kind of thing we’re looking for here. Let me try again. Marcus lives with his wonderful wife of over fifteen years and his two awesome boys in Mason, Ohio. Better? Good, now start reading the book.
(Summary courtesy of Amazon.)
[Full disclosure: Marcus Matherne sent me a free PDF of his book in exchange for an honest review.]
Okay, I admit I was a bit skeptical when I started reading My Status Update Journey. I mean, how funny could a bunch of Facebook statuses and the accompanying commentary be? I braced myself for disaster, especially since Marcus said his book would make me laugh. That’s usually a warning sign.
But, thankfully, I was wrong. I did laugh, frequently. I didn’t quite reach “laughing until I cried”, but I did chuckle aloud at some parts and the book did lift my mood. The combination of self-deprecating humour and insightful commentary on social media and human behavior worked well together. Even though I don’t have Facebook enough of what Marcus Matherne wrote about was common knowledge that I wasn’t completely out of my depth.
My favourite quote in the whole book was an observation about the common cold:
“I would think that if a person wants to make a profound and permanent change for the better in this world, that person should first be able to breathe through their nose comfortably.” (Page 123)
Seeing as I have been suffering from a stuffed nose and barking cough for the past two weeks, this observation definitely hit home. My Status Update Journey is one of those books that is funny without being crude or resorting to excessive obscenities and has great observations about human behavior, especially on social media. Those cryptic status updates everyone supposedly hates? Yeah, I think in that case, everyone is a hypocrite.
If you’re looking for an intelligent but hilarious novel, My Status Journey Update is a great book for you.
I give this book 5/5 stars.
The Supernaturalist by Eoin Colfer
(Cover picture courtesy of Tighe Chemidlin.)
In the future, in a place called Satellite City, Cosmo Hill enters the world, unwanted by his parents. He’s sent to the Clarissa Frayne Institute for Parentally Challenged Boys. Freight class.
Here, the boys are put to work by the state, testing highly dangerous products. Cosmo realizes that he must get away, and escapes with the help of the Supernaturalists, a group of kids who have the same special abilities as Cosmo—they can see the supernatural Parasites, creatures that feed on the life force of humans. The Supernaturalists patrols the city at night, hunting the Parasites in hopes of saving what is left of humanity in Satellite City. But soon they find themselves caught in a web far more complicated than they’d imagined, and they discover a horrifying secret that will force them to question everything they believe in.
As a book reviewer, I hate to use clichés, but there really is only one word to describe The Supernaturalist: unique. Eoin Colfer’s more famous Artemis Fowl series and even his stand-alone novel, The Wish List have overshadowed his brilliant science fiction novel. Written with the humour and imagination I have come to expect from him, The Supernaturalist is absolutely brilliant.
Cosmo is pretty much your stereotypical protagonist in the beginning, but as the story progresses, he develops at a very natural pace. And as he slowly finds out the truth about the Parasites, we really do see an interesting side of him: the brave, more daring side. His struggle to fit in with the Supernaturalists, who have a group dynamic similar to that of The Thief Lord, also makes him identifiable with pretty much every adolescent in the world.
Eoin Colfer inserts so many plot twists and turns in The Supernaturalist that I can pretty much guarantee that you won’t be able to guess the ending, which is a huge surprise. The surprise ending is a whopper, but it’s also incredibly satisfying and brings some closure to this novel. For once, I have nothing to criticize about a book’s ending because Eoin Colfer was able to finish it in a pinch.
I give this book 5/5 stars.
Son of the Mob 2: Hollywood Hustle by Gordon Korman
(Cover picture courtesy of Scholastic Canada.)
When Vince heads out to sunny L.A. to go to film school, he’s sure he’s left his family and their criminal dealings behind him.
But then Vince finds out the hard way that you can take the kid out of the mob, but you can’t take the mob out of the kid. Soon, his brother Tommy is shacking up in his dorm room, and a steady stream of “uncles” are showing up with his mother’s homemade rigatoni, and a whole lot of trouble, in hand.
Fans of Son of the Mob will enjoy reading more about Vince as he navigates his way through another hilarious adventure, while trying to keep his integrity—not to mention his life—intact.
Most sequels to originally stand alone novels are horrible, but Son of the Mob 2: Hollywood Hustle is definitely a great sequel to Son of the Mob. Gordon Korman fills every page with his usual over-the-top sense of humour that will literally make you laugh out loud in parts. But it does tackle some serious issues and not every part of the book is hilarious, which is partly why I love it. Gordon Korman is one of the few authors I know of that can tackle serious issues with a good sense of humour.
Vince Luca is a great protagonist and is very three dimensional. He is a good guy at heart, but he is definitely not perfect. With his newfound freedom, Vince gives in to the temptation to be lazy, but what college student doesn’t? Despite his faults, readers will cheer him on the whole way through the novel, especially during the climax.
Of course the plot of Hollywood Hustle zips right along in the usual Gordon Korman fashion. It goes along quite quickly, but the pace fits the story without being ridiculous. For young adults who are sick of all the doom and gloom that seems to be the trend in YA literature, this is the perfect book.
I give this book 4.5/5 stars.
*For some reason, Barnes and Noble does not have this book. The link will take you to their home page, so maybe you can find it and prove I’m blind.