Slap Happy Fun Time

The Cuckoo's Calling - Robert Galbraith 3/5 stars                                                                                       It has to suck being J.K. Rowling. Sure, the money's pretty decent, but after writing the Potter series where do you go? The fans are expecting another kid series, and the non Potter fans want to see her fall on her face in a big steaming pile of failure. I've read one Potter book, and have yet to read Casual Vacancy so, I can be pretty fair and balanced when it comes to this book. There are some fans I'm sure who were pretty upset when they realized that the first Cormoran Strike novel was their beloved Rowling writing under a pen name, and came out in droves to protest her second adult novel. With the pen name, she got a little breathing room, and less pressure. If it doesn't sell well, at least it's not going to be a big deal, but fail under her own name, and all hell would break loose. Angry fans are just going to hat

Presto!: How I Made Over 100 Pounds Disappear and Other Magical Tales - Penn Jillette 5/5 stars                                                              I received a copy of this from Netgalley in exchange for an honest review. Problem was, I had some tablet issues, but once they were resolved I couldn't find the book anywhere. I did manage to find it and here is my review of Presto!      If you're looking for a how to book on dieting you're going to be disappointed by Jillette's book. What we have is the story of a fat fuck (his words not mine) suddenly losing over a hundred pounds, and not a book telling you how to do it because the way in which he did it is batshit insane! I wasn't looking to lose weight anyway, so that part doesn't bother me, but I wanted to see how he lost the weight, so I got what I wanted out of the book. The book is an amusing, vulgar journey so if you're aren't f

The Grave Tender - Eliza Maxwell 5/5                                                                              I received a copy of The Grave Tender from Net Galley in exchange for an honest review and I have to tell you it's not at all what I expected. The story is about lies, secrets, and the lengths one man will go to protect the people he loves. It's a powerful debut that's well written, and packs one hell of a punch at its conclusion. Eliza is a decent writer that pulls us along slowly until the secrets of the Dixon family come pouring out. It all starts with one missing child, and then the story picks up and we're thrust into Hadley's nightmare. This is a family who knows tragedy, and at times it almost seemed like it was too much. Could this really happen? In the end, it didn't really matter, what mattered was the story, and what a story it was.      For a debut, it's nice to see an author take risks. A story like this is dark, yet compellin