Satire

REVIEW:  The Understory by Elizabeth Leiknes

REVIEW: The Understory by Elizabeth Leiknes

  ETA: Bancroft Press is giving away copies of this book and The Sinful Life of Lucy Burns, which I also reviewed and recommended. Enter before tomorrow, June 1st, though! Dear Ms. Leiknes: After reading, reviewing, and greatly enjoying your debut novel, The Sinful Life of Lucy Burns, I was happily surprised to receive an(…)

Our LOLCats Will Express Disgust Over M.B.’s Behavior

Our LOLCats Will Express Disgust Over M.B.’s Behavior

You wouldn’t believe how long it took for me to find a LOLCat capable of expressing the rage and hatred that all of romancelandia is feeling today toward stupid fathead Merlin Bracks, who revealed that she has been using a million aliases and faking reviews all over the place.  Is this the work of one(…)

REVIEW: Hello Kitty Must Die by Angela Choi

REVIEW: Hello Kitty Must Die by Angela Choi

Dear Ms. Choi: I had been wanting to read Hello Kitty Must Die for a while, and when I found out it was free at the Amazon Kindle store, I enthusiastically acquired and read it. In some ways, it was precisely what I expected: a dark, biting, satirical revenge fantasy. In other ways, though, it(…)

Tuesday Midday Links: Post Holiday Weekend Hangover

Tuesday Midday Links: Post Holiday Weekend Hangover

I have a post holiday weekend hangover. I had lots of house projects to do but basically sat around and read most of the weekend. I read a really terrible erotic romance (and I use the terms “erotic romance”) loosely.  A review will be forthcoming. I also went to my favorite used bookstore which is(…)

REVIEW: Sense and Sensibility by Jane Austen

REVIEW: Sense and Sensibility by Jane Austen

Dear Ms. Austen, I will confess right off the bat that I’m one of those readers who never “got” you. I tried to read Pride and Prejudice years ago, but gave up after a few pages because of your writing style. What can I say – I had less patience in those days with long,(…)

Friday Film Review: Down With Love (2001) & Strictly Ballroom (1992)

Film review: Down With Love (2001) & Strictly Ballroom (1992) Grade: B- & B+ Genre: Romantic comedy Dear Readers, It hasn’t been a good week. A DVD I bought from an online shop for this week’s review – a Cary Grant/Doris Day film – has a scratch, which rendered it unplayable. I went to a(…)

CONVERSATIONAL REVIEW: The Better to Hold You by Alisa Sheckley

CONVERSATIONAL REVIEW: The Better to Hold You by Alisa Sheckley

Janine and Jennie discuss Alisa Sheckley’s urban fantasy novel, The Better to Hold You: Janine: The Better to Hold You was one of my most anticipated books of 2009. I’m a big fan of Alisa Sheckley’s wry, satirical chick lit novels which were published under the name Alisa Kwitney. I remember picking up The Dominant(…)

Literary Satire Gone Too Far?

Literary Satire Gone Too Far?

The New Yorker’s cover this month features about every Obama slur possible on its cover. It’s obviously meant to be satiric but is it? My thinking is that if you put McCain on there as a Manchurian candidate, while ironic and satirical, it would also be offensive. Of course, media shouldn’t shy away from being(…)

Chuck Norris to Engage Penguin in Fight

Chuck Norris to Engage Penguin in Fight

Author Ian Spector wrote “The Truth About Chuck Norris” based on an internet chainmail of mythical facts featuring Norris. I.e., factoid no. 1 is “Guns don’t kill people. Chuck Norris kills people.” Norris is unhappy about the publication of this book and has sued Penguin, the publisher of the book, because it portrays Mr. Norris(…)

REVIEW: Flirting in Cars by Alisa Kwitney

Dear Ms Kwitney, I got started reading your books way back (well not all the way back with your first one) with “The Dominant Blonde” and haven’t missed one since. As my fellow blogger Janine says, you have a way with flawed characters. They usually seem flawed in a believable, human way instead of a(…)

REVIEW: The Rules of Gentility by Janet Mullany

Dear Ms. Mullany, Like Jayne (who recently reviewed this book), I read and enjoyed your debut, Dedication, shortly before the Signet Regency line went kaput. I had liked the book enough to hope that you might get a contract before too long. Luckily for me, not one, but two publishers were smart enough to offer(…)

Unintentionally Funny Comic Book Excerpts

Yes but No But Yes put together a list of the Top 15 Unintentionally Funny Comic Book Panels. The list includes references to the Joker’s Boner, Wonder Woman’s vanity, Archie beating off three other guys, and Robin exposing himself. Part of me read the panels with some disbelief. Surely, these were photoshopped, but alas, no.(…)

REVIEW: Sex as a Second Language by Alisa Kwitney

Dear Mrs. Kwitney, Your first book had more of a traditional “romance” style to it and since then, you’ve been moving in more a “chick lit” crossed with “women’s fiction” with some romance direction. I’m fine with that and have enjoyed all your books but it is something I thought I should mention in case(…)