Wednesday, May 17, 2006

This and That

This and That

First of all - thanks to Sue - my incredible crit partner - for taking the time to go over 'May Day!' and help me polish it up. THANK YOU!!!
And now on to our regularly scheduled program...

I called my doctor last night after another bout of dizziness, and he checked my allergy medication and said we have to change it. I hope the next one will just make me sleepy and not dizzy. If I have a choice between being one of the Seven Dwarves, I guess it would be Sleepy and not Dizzy, Dopey, or Sneezy - - which is what I am before the medication, lol. Let's also mention Stuffy and Deafy (my ears get stuffed up when I get hay fever, lol) And Cranky - (lack of sleep will do that to even the nicest dwarf...)

I was over at Miss Snark's blog and someone asked her if perseverance was important. Miss Snark gave a wonderfully snarky reply - but the bottom line is YES - perseverance is important. YOu rarely get anywhere with talent alone, it takes hard work and practice, practice, practice to be able to show that talent. Writers have it both easy and hard...Some of us get that lucky break, others have to really work at it - but Most of the time hard work and talent together are rewarded.

That said, I just read another book that was SO BAD I don't know why or how it was published. Called 'Turning Angel' - it is the wet-dream of some GUY author about a lawyer (it's a thriller) whose best friend (a doctor) is accused ot murdering his 17 year old lover. (Yes, you read that right. He's 42 - she's 17.)
But (the doctor claims) they were IN LOVE! The book is so pathetic that I had to read it to make sure that my first instinct was correct in that: (I guessed everything right, BTW)
The wife did it (of course she did - the frigid, nasty, surgically enhanced bitch.
The exchange student was on drugs and didn't help the girl when he found her in the water (of course he was on drugs - he wasn't a WASP - he was from Eastern Europe wherever that is...And the author got so many things mixed up about HIS home country I was astounded.)
The black chief of police got everything wrong and threw the wrong man in prison. (Of course - he was black - what do you expect?)
The Asians were the drug lords. (Well...D'oh! Who else deals drugs in the US?)
So...The entire book was one predictable mess. I HATED it. I hate when a man claims he loves a women 25 years his junior and claims his wife and he have had an 'empty marriage' for ten years...And then he adds he has a 9 year old son...Math anyone? Decency? Morals?
Oh Argh.
The whole book reeked of a man who has the hots for his babysitter and played a big 'What If' scenario in his head. The only thing he got right was that his wife became a murderer, but in real life, she would have killed him, not the pregnant 17 year old lover. (She would have turned her over to social services instead of pushing her into a river.)
So here's what I say to you, Mr. Greg ILES. Your book Sucked. It sucked so badly I had to blog about it with the title and your name so other people didn't get suckered in by the cool cover (covers can LIE folks) and the fact you're a 'New York Times' best selling author. All I can say is there are a lot more pedophile reviewers out there than I thought. Oh - and the worse thing? This guy can write. He writes beautifully. He really writes well - what a waste. I swear - his hormones got the better of him on this one.
Stop spying on your babysitter you Lecher!
Book Grade : F
OK - end of rant.
LOL

9 comments:

Bernita said...

~cheering~

s.w. vaughn said...

LOL Love this post. You GO, girl! Have you ever thought about doing book reviews? The NYT could use someone who knows what they're talking about. :-)

Thanks for the warning, too. From now on before I read a thriller, I'm gonna check with you to see if you've read it yet.

Sam said...

LOL - thanks!

(Head gets even bigger if possible)

barista brat said...

i hate horrid books! i feel like i've been cheated after i spend the time reading them. i guess that's why i mostly stick with "the classics" and read very little modern literature.

the biggest compliment someone can give me after reading my manuscript is to tell me that they didn't feel as if they wasted their time and that they actually enjoyed reading it - not that it was torture (which is exaclty what this book sounded like!)

Andrea said...

You had me laughing out loud....
go on girl is right!!
you tell him...what a lecher as you put it...

Daisy Dexter Dobbs said...

Whew! Now THAT was one sensational review, Sam!

“The only thing he got right was that his wife became a murderer, but in real life, she would have killed him, not the pregnant 17 year old lover.”

Right on, Sam! ;-)

Sam said...

Thanks guys - but I have a feeling I broke all the rules of reviews - like "don't tell the ending", lol.

Michelle B said...

I wouldn't worry about the rules in this case, Sam! I'm not sure I would have picked up this book to begin with, but I definitely won't now. While I am of the "age is just a number" camp, it creeps me out when there is a huge age gap in relationships as well. I just can't imagine being attracted to a man older than my father!

Sam said...

I was afreaid I'd sound like a prude - and whereas I really wouldn't care if the woman (or man) was 30 and the lover twenty years older - BUT I really think teenagers should be left out of the equation.
And just an aside - I honestly think that Only a man could have written this - and apologies galore for the decent guys reading this blog, I don't mean just Any man - I mean a guy having serious problems in his head. I just can't see a woman writing about a guy having an affair with a teen and trying to justify it throughout the whole book.