Core2Duoノートレビュー 's review (Awesome!) 『I really liked the style the author used to tell her memoir. She used the style called 'graphic' which is an adult comic book, to put it simply. I was very moved by this book, and by all the drawings that showed so much detail. I was disappointed when the book ended, I wanted to read more..and look at more pictures. :) I have explored her website, and I am interested in reading more of her life..from the comic strip "Dykes To Watch Out For" I strongly recommend this book.』
(Inventive and intelligent use of the graphic form) 『In this graphic memoir, Bechdel focused on her relationship with her father. She gradually reveals his struggles with his own sexuality, as well as her own coming out. She grapples, too, with the possibility that her father committed suicide.
The title refers to the family's funeral home; her father was a high school English teacher but also worked part-time as the funeral director. He was, too, an obsessive decorate and renovator. He seems to have been a very unhappy man, frustrated in his limited life, and perhaps believing that he should have had a more glamorous, artistic, and open life. These resentments come out in coldness and even violence toward the children; a sterile, angry marriage; and secret homosexual affairs (sometimes with teenaged boys.
But Bechdel seems to come to some understanding of her father by the end of the book, and she sees their commonalities. She doesn't deny his shortcomings, but she comes to greater acceptance of him as a full, complex person, just as she does of herself. Their childhood was not completely bleak, either. Many of the pictures show the children playing and laughing--including in the funeral home. She had a good relationship with her two brothers, and she had multiple friends. While her mother was not warm or open, either--she had her share of anger and resentment--Bechdel eventually develops a stronger relationship with her, too. And much of the book is funny, with quirky, precise observations.
There are two techniques in the book that I really liked. First, each chapter is centered on a literary character or idea, a reflection of Bechdel's (and her father's) interest in books. These central allusions focus each chapter, serving as a kind of theme or unifying principle, but not heavy-handedly. Second, the pictures don't always directly illustrate the words. In many cases, something different is going on in the pictures from what's being said in the narration. The words and pictures then complement, reinforce, or even contradict each other, and so Bechdel uses the graphic form to add more depth to the work. 』
(Sheer Genius - A Moving Story) 『We are living in the best era in history for the graphic novel/comic genre. Perhaps Hollywood has driven the renewed interest in the comic medium. But beyond the superheroes, there are some even more interesting subjects. The quality of artwork, the emotional depth, and the serious meaning in the genre has never been equaled.
Fun Home by Alison Bechdel is a tour de force, rightfully occupying a prominent position in the pantheon of great graphic novels. Bechdel elevates the format with this ground-breaking book.
Now let me describe Fun Home to scare you away from reading it - it is a "tragicomic" story of Alison Bechdel, a lesbian comic artist, and her relationship with her deceased, closeted gay father. The setting is a funeral home in rural Pennsylvania. Her father is complex and flawed, part genius, part miscreant. He divides his time between reading great literature, running a funeral home, being a father, and cruising for underage boys. Bechdel uses literary allusions, impactful artwork, and real emotion to bring this story to life.
I have absolutely nothing in common with the writer or her father except one key thing that she brings out in the story -humanity. As flawed as the man she describes is, I feel a sense of loss that I never met him myself. I feel like I know him and I even feel some of Alison Bechdel's conflicted love/hate feelings for him. With this masterpiece, Bechdel lets us inside - she bares it all. She is not self-indulgent, she is honest and pure and heart-warming.
The world is a better place because of artists like Alison Bechdel. I admire her for her contribution to the genre - she is one of the greats. If you would never dream of picking up an autobiographical graphic novel by the author of a comic called "Dykes to Watch Out For" then do it anyway and read this book. Maybe, just maybe, you will be blown away like I was.』
(special people are everywhere if you look for them and have an eye for them) 『An elegantly ordered, deeply thought out memoir of a father by his daughter.
The author's father - a high school English teacher in a small town, a part time funeral home embalmer, a home body, a Do It Yourself home improver, outwardly so utterly ordinary - had a secret sexual life.
The author draws parallels between her journey and ultimate escape from the small town traditions and thinking, and her father's growing, somewhat voluntary entrapment and suffocation therein.
The father taught the author to be an independent thinker and love literature and history and gave her her intellectual and spiritual wings. Yet he also tried to impose his vision of femininity on her - e.g., forcing a barrette on the hair of his tomboyish resentful daughter.
The father had some ingrained notion of staying married to a woman, carrying on the family's small town funeral home business, living in his ancestral home town though he also loved visiting the gay neighborhoods of New York City on certain weekends. He was caught between half hearted adherence to social norms and his internal deep seated insuppresible yearnings.
This memoir is not so much about sexual orientation, but about peoples' true natures, and how only so much of it can be healthily moulded into normal forms, and much of it can be suppressed, but at high mental cost.
If you enjoyed this book, I recommend the author's Dykes to Watch Out For series, especially the later volumes - it's about more than lesbians, but about humanity and the importance of individuality and being true to ourselves.
』
(What an unexpected treat) 『I've never read a graphic novel before so wasn't sure what to expect. I was blown away and am telling all my friends, 'you must read/view this book!'』 『A fresh and brilliantly told memoir from a cult favorite comic artist, marked by gothic twists, a family funeral home, sexual angst, and great books.
This breakout book by Alison Bechdel is a darkly funny family tale, pitch-perfectly illustrated with Bechdel's sweetly gothic drawings. Like Marjane Satrapi's Persepolis, it's a story exhilaratingly suited to graphic memoir form.
Meet Alison's father, a historic preservation expert and obsessive restorer of the family's Victorian home, a third-generation funeral home director, a high school English teacher, an icily distant parent, and a closeted homosexual who, as it turns out, is involved with his male students and a family babysitter. Through narrative that is alternately heartbreaking and fiercely funny, we are drawn into a daughter's complex yearning for her father. And yet, apart from assigned stints dusting caskets at the family-owned "fun home," as Alison and her brothers call it, the relationship achieves its most intimate expression through the shared code of books. When Alison comes out as homosexual herself in late adolescense, the denouement is swift, graphic -- and redemptive.』
price：$23.99
Adamant Media Corporation
Usually ships in 24 hours Core2Duoノートレビュー 's review (I agree with Cheap Print Job) 『Not only is it a flimsy book with no illustrations (when the illustrations are quite important to the story), but my copy was missing a page, right before the end. My copy goes straight from "his mother on one side and the Earl on t" then, new paragraph (skipping 263 words and a whole charming scene where little Cedric thanks everyone), it continues "hand into the Earl's and stood close to him."
Don't waste your money on this "Print on Demand" edition; get a good used copy instead.
』
(superb classic for children 10+) 『nothing satisfies the imagination like a plot that contains a huge unexpected life-change for the protagonist. Rags to riches. Riches to rags. "Back-home" to a foreign land... LITTLE LORD FAUNTLEROY is a classic favorite that deals with a dramatic change in circumstances for a boy in a working-class situation. The life-change aspect is downright glamorous in the truest sense of the word. Should be required for all 4thgraders and up... by the author of THE SECRET GARDEN and A LITTLE PRINCESS.』
(Little Lord Fauntleroy) 『This book was received exactly as described. Also, I might add that this is a most delightful book and teaches much about attitude and respect.』
(Feels like a perfect book for people who currently appear on TV) 『If you can stomach the syrupy details, Little Lord Fauntleroy is not bad of a book. The quality of the writing is very good and makes for a great reading. Yet it is so syrupy and idealistic that my head was somewhat spinning. Here are several excerpts from Little Lord Fauntleroy. "Oh, the house is so beautiful!" exclaims Little Lord Fauntleroy. "Oh, Dearest, the pony is so beautiful!" "You are the most wonderful, kindest man I've ever known!" Like I wrote, these are few examples, but in the book, there are a lot of them. Mostly, the tone of Little Lord Fauntleroy is that England is a better country than United States of America. The characters of the book are one-dimensional, but there is a good play with positivism and negativism. However, the values set forth by the book don't fit me well because people just can't buy other people's way out of their miseries. Although the therapeutic effect is short-lived, it is unrealistic and condescending. Little Lord Fauntleroy arouses jealousy in the readers that this boy will inherit the vastness of the treasure in forms of money, house, property, and so on and that he has the power to change people's lives. Really, changing people's lives doesn't require any money at all. At the same time, Little Lord Fauntleroy introduces the idea of materialism that it is deemed to be cool to possess a lot of stuff (and why? I ask). Again, the book was written in 1886, and it is difficult for the author to foresee the effects of materialism have on the environment and living space. Another terrible crime committed by the author is that her book is literally about beautiful people. So, the idea is that it is very important that you look beautiful as possible. Hm...sure. All in all, Little Lord Fauntleroy is an okay book, but I have no desire of reading it again.』
(Truly outdated) 『I generally lean toward old classics in selecting books to read to my precocious 6-yr old. This one is undoubtedly a classic, it is indeed very good literature, excellently written -- everything the other reviewers have said. Nevertheless, its story, its conflict, its central preoccupation revolves around a very British idea of class: one's "quality" as a person is determined by one's birth. This is antithetical to the very idea of America and will be much too hard to explain to a child. Yet if I wait until he is older, he will probably be turned off by the idealized, syrupy characterization.』 『This Elibron Classics book is a facsimile reprint of a 1887 edition by Bernhard Tauchnitz, Leipzig.』
price：$1.70
Dreamspinner Press
Usually ships in 24 hours Core2Duoノートレビュー 's review (From the World's Least Athletic Person) 『I find it ironic that I just told someone two days ago, "There's nothing in the world I care less about than sports," and then I proceeded to get completely and utterly sucked into a book about a regular guy (okay, an arty wanker, which I can relate to) coping with the stresses of being involved with a hugely famous athlete.
The supporting characters are wonderfully well-drawn, and I cared as much about the protagonist's relationship with his friends as I did about his love relationship. I feel like I know all these people. I feel like they're real.
I love this book. I'm sad it's over and I can't wait to read it again.
-Jordan Castillo Price author of Channeling Morpheus for Scary Mary and the PsyCop series』
(Wonderful Romance) 『Huh, what a great book!
Tigers and Deviles just draw's you in and doesn't let you go until your finished reading it.
The characters are wonderful written and developed - especially the main characters Simon and Dec. The story itself feels so real and passionate, that you can lose yourself within it. The struggle between Simon and Dec, in combination with the struggle between those two and the rest of the world is perfectly captured the author.
If you like gay romance (not the cheese or pure sex kind) you will love this book! I - for my part - hope to read more on Simon and Declan in the future :-)! 』
(Absolutely Terrific) 『What a good book! Tigers and Devils is a terrific story and beautifully written. The structure is very tight; this book has been carefully planned and executed with cheerful style and refresjomg verve. I'm dazzled by Kennedy's skill at describing a real relationship with living people at the heart of it. Its funny, wry, kind of wise and sublimely heartening like all the best romances.
The story is told through a lot of very well constructed dialogue; I read some aloud to a friend (try it, its fun) and he said it sounded like things he overhears on the subway. Its that natural and free. No stereotypes here, these guys are men, flawed, young but men who learn a lot as their friendship grows. Its one of the most realistic depictions of a gay love affair I've read (at least according to my experience of such things). Highly recommended and yes, it would make a wonderful movie, too.』
(Finally, a love story.) 『Okay, I'm a sap for the traditional love story. Unfortunately so many of them can be considered on the borderline of soft porn. Some can write a love story without including the graphic explanation of the sex between the two characters and Sean Kennedy has done just that. The emphasis is on the love and not the physical intercourse between the two. Mr. Kennedy gives us just enough to complete the fantasy without making us sick. I hope to read more from this author.』
(Great characters, beautiful love story) 『Tigers and Devils is a beautifully written M/M love story with charming characters and plenty of humor. Loved the Aussie/Tassie settings as well, having recently spent some time there. All of the characters were so well written that I hated for the book to end. Especially loved the quality friends of Declan and Simon. Although I am not a big football fan (American or Aussie), I enjoyed that aspect of the book and felt that it was written so that even an occasional fan like myself could enjoy it.
I look forward to reading more by this author. Well done!』 『Football, friends, and film are the most important parts of Simon Murray's life, likely in that order. Despite being lonely, Simon is cautious about looking for more, and his best friends despair of him ever finding that special someone to share his life. Against his will, they drag him to a party, where Simon barges into a football conversation and ends up defending the honour of star forward Declan Tyler -- unaware that the athlete is present and listening. Like his entire family, Simon revels in living in Melbourne, Victoria, the home of Australian Rules football and mecca for serious fans. There, players are deemed gods and treated as such - until they do something to cause them to fall out of public favour. Declan is suffering a horrendous year of injuries, and the public is taking him to task for it, so Simon's support is a bright spot in his struggles. In that first awkward meeting, neither man has any idea they will change each other's lives forever. As Simon and Declan fumble toward building a relationship together, there is yet another obstacle in their way: keeping Declan's homosexuality a secret amidst the intrusion of well-meaning friends and an increasingly suspicious media. They realise that nothing remains hidden forever... and they know the situation will only become more complicated when Declan's private life is revealed. Declan will be forced to make some tough choices that may result in losing either the career he loves or the man he wants. And Simon has never been known to make things easy - for himself or for others.』
price：$26.95
San Val
Usually ships in 1 to 2 weeks Core2Duoノートレビュー 's review (Definite Page Turner) 『I could not put this book down! Dorothy Allison does such a great job of putting this novel together and keeping you wanting to find out what's next. When I was done with the book I was still itching to know what happened with the characters...I even googled Dorothy Allison to see if I could find more info. It's a must-read for anyone who is interested in something new&different. It is definitely not for the very reserved&conservative unless you're willing to open your mind a bit as she uses some very "out there" themes.』
(Depressing, but great.) 『The only genuine criticism that can be said of this book is that it is too depressing. Yes, it is overwhelmingly bleak at points, sometimes to the point where I had to stop reading for bit before continuing. But, just because literature is depressing, doesn't detract from the quality. "Bastard Out of Carolina" remains one of my favorite books of all time. It tells a highly dysfunctional but realistic story about growing up in the South - something which I admittedly have no first hand experience in doing. The plot is compelling, the characters are developed sufficiently and I definitely care about what happened to the main character. I was disgusted, depressed, hopeful, anxious all because of this book. When literature can cause these full range of emotions, then I'd definitely consider it a success.』
(Tough to Stomach, but Worth it (to read all of my book reviews go to Beansbookblog.wordpress.com)) 『I wrote down the title of this book when I was reading a book called Great Books for High School Kids. Yikes. I can't quite imagine teaching this to high school kids, but the teacher who wrote about it taught it in an elective women's lit class. She always had more students than desks and her students ranged from Ivy League bound to those struggling to finish high school. Clearly she's a brilliant teacher, and part of being a brilliant teacher is choosing materials that students will embrace and dig into. So here's the story of Bone. In chapter one we learn about her birth as a "bastard child" and by the end of the book she's maybe in her early teens. Her mom was 14 or 15 when she was born and a whopping 21 when she marries for the third time. Bone's younger sister has a different father--he's somewhere in between Bone's father and the man who enters their lives when Bone is 7 or so. There's some humor in the story--Bone's uncles and aunts are an eccentric bunch, but mostly this is just a heartbreaking story that's very hard to stomach. In a nutshell, it's a story of need, of sex, of drinking, of incest, of masturbation, of fear, of betrayal. Some really tough and uncomfortable issues to bring up in a class discussion. Then again, there's a lot to learn here. I admire the teacher who chose to start her year with this book. But I'd have to follow it with something lighter, a lot less depressing.』
(Intense but worth it) 『Make no mistake, the events described in this book are intense. Knowing that they're loosely based on Allison's own life doesn't make them any less so. But it's well worth the read. Allison is a master story-teller, and her use of language is hypnotic. A must-read for any lover of serious lesbian literature.Verge』
(Wow . . . I guess men really suck . . .) 『I read this book as a favor for a self-proclaimed "southern" friend of mine who said it was her favorite. If it hadn't been for my friend, I wouldn't have finished the book. Not because I can't handle a disturbing read, but because I need there to be a reason WHY something is disturbing. The graffic content of the book seemed unnecessary. The story is depressing enough, it didn't need to be backed up with so many voyeuristic scenes.
I could forgive the too-explicit material if the book had a redeeming point, but I never found it. There was just an overwhelming theme that women are powerless against men and fate. Women are essentially doomed to whatever they are born into or whatever their jerk of a husband wants for them (and all husbands are jerks by the way). The book had an overwhelming victim attitude. It was so bad that at the end I was mad at the evil man-villian, but more mad at the so-called strong women who put up with his garbage. It's a good book for women who want to whine about how evil men are, but a woman who thinks that she is in charge of her own destiny would find it maddening.』 『Ruth Anne "Bone" Boatwright, an illegitimate young girl, dreams of escaping her Greenville County, South Carolina, home, her notorious, hard-living family, and the unwanted attentions of her abusive stepfather, Daddy Glen. A first novel. Reprint. National Book Award finalist.NYT.』
price：$17.99
Adamant Media Corporation
Usually ships in 24 hours Core2Duoノートレビュー 's review (As it says in the Title....) 『 A chance meeting with a Mr Powell leads Marlow to recollect his chance connections To the Feins-and Mrs Feins' brother Captain Anthony ; his chance meeting with Flora De Barrel,daughter of a disgraced financier,and their elopement on Anthonys ship. Chance occurances and happenings connect lifes machinations according to Conrad, and this story unfolds gracefully on such chances ,with the proceedings kept in witty check by Marlows narration. Conrad is the master of descriptive, meticulously detailed story telling and 'Chance' is no exception to this rule. Perhaps a little over long, and your sympathies wax and wane at times, but a great tale written in a style and manner few in the past-and possibly none today-could match and master,』
(Confusing and verbose narrative: Conrad past his best) 『It is paradoxical that Conrad's most successful work at the time of its publishing should also be the least satisfactory of his major works. Narrated largely by Conrad's alter ego Marlow it is the story of young Flora de Barral who is torn emotionally between her imprisoned financier father (who bears a strong resemblance to Trollope's Augustus Melmotte) and Captain Anthony, the respected brother of her Feminist guardian Mrs Fyne. Written during the suffragette era Conrad attempts to address directly the issue of feminism but the prejudices of the time (Victorian/Edwardian) and his origins (Polish) act as impediments to his impartiality. Though I feel that it is a judgment based on today's standards to describe Marlow's narrative as misogynistic, it does at times make uncomfortable reading: `...Mrs Fyne did not want women to be women. Her theory was that they should turn themselves into unscrupulous sexless nuisances'. As such it acts as unwitting historical testimony to male attitudes of Conrad's background at that time. Ostensibly a tale of doomed love Chance is an overlong and confusing nested narrative that nevertheless is a four-star work because it is a fine story written in a beautiful, dignified English that has long since been abandoned for a prose that is dull and functional or pompous and overblown. If you are a Conrad fan like me and you wish to `complete the set' then it is an interesting diversion for that great author, though, not surprisingly, the best passages are on board The Ferndale. If you are new to Conrad then I don't recommend this as a starter. Instead go for any of his well-known works which are all readily available.
』
(Conrad's Strangest Triumph) 『So well-crafted, so engaging, so powerfully written - it's hard believing "Chance" was written by Joseph Conrad. Not that Conrad didn't write great books, just that nothing in "Lord Jim," "Heart Of Darkness," or the rest of his tough, unsettling oeuvre prepares you for the wry warmth and hidden sunlight of "Chance."
Well, you do have Marlow again. The narrator of "Jim" and "Darkness" is back here telling another story about people he doesn't actually know first-hand. This time the central character is young Flora de Barral, set adrift in England by her father's scandal-plagued financiering. Haunted and helpless, her wide blue eyes giving her the look of "a forsaken elf," Flora takes what comes in life, seemingly unable to function for herself. Can she find her own way? Will she become ruthless if she tries?
All this may sound precious and twee, very much in the style of period romances more suited to Henry James than what you expect from the shamelessly macho Conrad, with his damned souls sailing heedless into typhoons. Yet Conrad makes this odd Merchant-Ivory production work by making you care for Flora in a way that draws you in more deeply than even the classic "Lord Jim" ever did. "Jim" was a philosophical novel; "Chance" is a uniquely intuitive one, more about feelings than ideas, yet quite brilliant in its concept all the same.
Published in 1913, one year before World War I would change forever the genteel world it so painstakingly describes, "Chance" was the one book by Conrad that clicked with readers in his own lifetime. It's been disregarded since, as modern readers embrace more dour Conrad fare like "The Secret Agent" and "Nostromo."
It's our generation's loss. Missing "Chance" is missing the other side of Conrad, the bleak nihilist discovering for once "the precise workmanship of chance, fate, providence, call it what you will." Other Conrad books feature broken-up narratives and odd framing devices, but the structural convolutions in "Chance" actually propel the story rather than hold it back.
Marlow's narration is a marvel of storytelling economy, carrying you across windswept moors and the high seas, not to mention a source of much dry wit as the rather mysterious misogynist fires many shots across the bow of womankind. "Mainly I resent that pretence of winding us around their dear little fingers, as of right," he snorts.
Is Flora exhibit A in this case against? Certainly she winds the helplessly infatuated Captain Anthony around her finger, despite her apparent total lack of reciprocal devotion. Flora does love, only it is in a flawed way, for her crabbed, corrupt father who believes the two of them too good for the rest of the world. Yet love can be a form of redemption despite itself.
Women, Conrad writes, can be fiendish and dumb, yet they are "never dense." "There is in woman always, somewhere, a spring." Realizing that spring here is at the heart of "Chance," and makes for Conrad's strangest triumph, the one book of his that not only makes you feel smarter for reading it, but happy to be alive.』
(An obscure gem from one of history's greatest writers) 『My first Conrad read was Victory, and I have been hooked ever since. I chose Chance because it was Conrad's first commercial success, and I was curious to see what the public liked better than so many other great novels such as Lord Jim. As other reviewers have suggested, the ending must have been the difference. There is far more sweet than bitter, and it's usually the other way around in his books, especially the love stories. I suspect we may learn more from sad stories than from happy ones, but in any event, Chance is not without pain and suffering. As the capable narrator Marlowe repeatedly emphasizes, the novel's heroine, Flora, leads a difficult life. Her father is one of the great villans in literature. He really steals show from Marlowe--well, almost. What I like most about Conrad's use of the narrator, particularly in Chance, is his role as an interpreter. In most novels, the reader must examine the story itself for the life lessons Conrad so uniquely presents. Marlowe enables Conrad to speak more directly to the reader, and I found him doing so more in Chance than in Lord Jim. There are a few arguably gratutious digressions--one about the differences between men and women comes to mind--but that's Marlowe. The bottom line: if in reading Lord Jim, you really enjoyed Marlowe's character, you will love the extra depth and insight Chance provides. If you love Conrad, then I expect you will find this to be one his most enjoyable books. And, if you have never read Conrad, but are curious, this is an excellent novel to start with, for it cannot be sterotyped as a South Seas adventure novel full of Pacific atmosphere and nautical terms.』
(A sublime piece of work) 『From the author famous for seminal works like The Heart of Darkness, The Secret Agent and Nostromo this novel is often left unmentioned within his repertoire of books. This is unfair. I would say Chance is Conrad's most beautiful story, the construction of the plot masterly from start to conclusion, and probably the only novel of his which genuinely leaves a good feeling and makes the reader smile. His handling of the material from Marlow the teller of the tale, the way the novels flits from present to the past and back again flawlessly, surprises one how so far ahead Conrad was compared to the standard straight-line story telling that dominated writing of that era. But bottomline is despite the technical perfection, a story would only succeed its telling if it has heart. Here Conrad never faltered and one feels for the heroine in the story, and it would be hard not to let out a whoop of bemused joy once the final page is turned. Simply sublime.』 『This Elibron Classics book is a reprint of a 1914 edition by Methuen&Co., Ltd., London.』
price：$4.78
Bella Books
Usually ships in 24 hours Core2Duoノートレビュー 's review (Appearance isn't everything) 『Sea Legs is about the lesson that most people learn as they mature. Appearances are not as important as what a person is like inside. Anyone who hasn't figured that out yet hasn't finished growing up.
A passenger cruise of the Caribbean is the setting for what happens between six women. Yvonne and her partner Steph are in a long term relationship that is based partially on their different interests, so each has invited a friend to accompany them on the trip. While Steph and her friend Natalie are enjoying shopping in the ports, Yvonne and her friend Kelly will participate in the sports they both enjoy. When Natalie's ex-lover Didi shows up with her new girlfriend Pamela, Natalie's agenda changes and she sets out to win Didi back. Since she and Kelly are sharing a cabin, Natalie enlists her to pretend that they are having a relationship hoping to make Didi jealous enough to realize she's made a mistake leaving Natalie. Kelly agrees to this ploy despite her growing attraction to Natalie and then quickly capitalizes on the fact that Didi and Pamela are confined to their cabin by two protracted illnesses. As Kelly introduces Natalie to activities that she would never have tried otherwise, she hopes that Natalie will realize that there is someone in her future besides Didi.
The theme that runs through this book is appearance and how it can influence people's perceptions. Kelly is very androgynous and there is a painful scene as she is boarding the ship when Natalie comments about not being able to tell if she's a man or a woman. Throughout the story there are comments about how unappealing Kelly's appearance is, usually from Didi, and there is a point where Kelly begins to doubt herself. She's willing to appear more feminine if she thinks it will attract Natalie to her. Natalie is just as focused on her own appearance and repeatedly comments that what drew her to Didi was her stylishness and how much Didi did for Natalie to improve her "look." The reader quickly understands that Kelly is the much more appealing character because of her kindness and intelligence, which Steph and Yvonne recognize from the beginning, but it takes the other characters a while to reach that comprehension. Natalie's character starts out being very superficial, but, as she comes to know Kelly better and opens herself up to new experiences, the reader can see her grow and come to the realization of how shallow she's been. Didi is the counterpoint who, with her constant needling of Kelly, practically drives Natalie into a more mature concept of what "attractive" really is. Didi, who is supposed to be the most attractive and stylish character, is also the most obnoxious. Her new partner Pamela appears to be rather nice and totally accepting of Kelly, which leaves the reader wondering what either Natalie or Pamela sees in Didi. Although Didi softens at the end, it's questionable that she truly understands how silly her attitudes are.
MacGregor's earlier books show that she's always been capable of creating a good romance. As her writing matures however, she's developing more depth in her characters and complexity to her plots. The books are still entertaining but have a strength to them that is more appealing. Sea Legs should make you think as you enjoy it.
』
(Very enjoyable read) 『What a delight! A group of friends head out on a Caribbean cruise. Nice folks, well 1 not so nice&boy, does Karma ever put the bite on her.
Light&fun, yes - but, per KG's usual, there is a depth there that makes it a very worthwhile read. Great characters, all strong&interesting - tough to do w/that big an ensemble I would think.』
(A nice fun read) 『Although its a far departure from Worth Every step, which I loved, Sea legs is a fun read. It would be great if you are on vacation and just want to relax, or before you go to bed at night to relax. The characters were enjoyable.』
(Love this author) 『With the cover price of books continuing to increase, buying a NEW book is a luxury for me. But there are a few select authors that I'm happy to pony up the price to get the book as soon as its released. KG MacGregor is one of them. She creates realistic storylines and characters that you can easily imagine living next door to.
In Sea Legs, KG has created another set of believable characters. One character, Didi, is so real, i.e. unlikeable, that for once, I'm glad this wasn't a real person. I kept hoping each chapter would be the one that she finally fell overboard. Thankfully, the two potential lovers are quite likeable so I enjoyed watching their love story unfold. The other characters are nice too.
I'd recommend this to anyone who is looking for a feel-good romance. There's enough drama to make it interesting and there are even a few laugh-out-loud moments. A great weekend or vacation read.』
(A cute, sea-going odyssey.) 『The drama begins when friends and strangers sail off on a twelve-day Caribbean cruise. Some are former lovers, some are current lovers, some want to be in love.
Kelly bunks with Natalie. Their room is next to Pam and Didi's. Didi is Natalie's ex. Does Natalie want Didi back in her life? She thinks so. But someone else wants Natalie...her erstwhile bunkie, Kelly.
KG weaves a neat little tale of love, lust, and trust. And yes, this book could use another chapter or two to tie up loose ends. All in all, a pleasant read to pass a few hours of time.』 『The Emerald Duchess sets sail for the serene Caribbean, but the passengers are headed for the chaos of romance. Kelly Ridenour couldn't be happier. She's leaving the bitter Rochester winter behind and going with new friends on a fabulous vacation. Even better, her cabin mate is Natalie Chatham, the lovely lady of Kelly's recent daydreams.
Natalie Chatham has a golden opportunity. Among the other travelers is Didi Caviness, her ex. She and Didi collaborated on their fashion business and their private lives until beautiful--and young--Pamela Roche came along. Natalie wants to win Didi back, even if she has to use one of the oldest tricks in the book to do it.
With the attentive, dashing Kelly playing along, she's going to show Didi she's got competition. Kelly agrees to the charade, planning to make it look real, very real. Seasick and sunburned, Didi watches Kendell woo Natalie and wonders if she's finally missed the boat. Not even the captain knows where this ship is going to land!
Lambda Literary and Golden Crown winner KG MacGregor creates a sea cruise like no other, with all the charm, passion and surprises that readers worldwide have come to expect.』
price：$4.80
Samhain Publishing
Usually ships in 24 hours Core2Duoノートレビュー 's review (A Sexy Read) 『Mitchell, K.A. "Collision Course", Samhain Publishing, 2009.
A Sexy Read
Amos Lassen
Aaron and Joey are on a voyage of discovery in "Collision Course. They are both facing problems in their pasts. Aaron knows that love means responsibility and he certainly was not expecting to fall in love with Joey Miller. Joey never had a problem with falling in love; he just could not stay in love. This time he is not about to let Aaron get away. Aaron was not looking for a relationship and he really does not want to be involved who works as a social worker in child services because of the way his life had gone. However, Joey is so open and so sweet that Aaron cannot help himself. There is a lot of sex in this book and this could have been very distracting. I had to keep concentrating on the relationship between Aaron and Joey so I would not get swept away by all of the sexual activity. This is a long book at more than 24o pages but it does not bore. There is some very funny dialog and good emotional problems that go right along with the explicit sex. 』
(Intresting story with a bit too much sex) 『Collision Course takes you on a journey of discovery between Aaron and Joey. They both have their own problems about their past.
The story itself is interesting but comes a bit too short due to a lot of sex (the sex-part takes roughly about 1/4 to 1/3 of the book). For my part a bit too much sex - not that it isn't well written or varied, but it actually holds back the good story itself.
If you like lots of male/male sex mixed with an good story, you will like this book. I still enjoyed it (due to the story), but would have more with less sex and more story.』
(More sex than I expected, but overall a good read) 『Warning: This review might contain what some people consider SPOILERS.
Rating: 7/10
PROS: - I was hooked literally on page 1. Something exciting and dramatic happens at the VERY beginning of the book, and that scene serves to illuminate many of Joey's character traits in a sweet, amusing way. - Joey is quirky and cute, and Aaron has just enough of an OCD complex to make him interesting but not too annoying. They also behave in matter-of-fact, believable ways: I had to chuckle when Aaron drops Joey off after their first night together and Joey says quite cheerfully (I'm paraphrasing here), "You know, you're great in bed, but a total jerk." - The sex is hot and plentiful, and in spite of the pervasiveness of sex scenes, I didn't find them terribly monotonous. (see cons below also) - Just like with this novel's predecessor, Diving in Deep, the relationship in this book develops gradually from attraction to affection to love in a way that I thought was realistic and pretty normal.
CONS: - On a few occasions I had trouble keeping up with the dialogue because the characters converse as though one or both of them are on speed. - I didn't have a problem with the AMOUNT of sex in the book, because after all, the relationship is based on nothing BUT sex at the start. It did irk me just a little that the characters sleep with each other so soon after meeting (as it always does), but the main criticism I have of the sex is that Joey...doesn't quite have a FIXATION on what it must feel like to go raw, but he's really curious. So it seemed to me like one of those things that would happen toward the end of the book once the characters have confessed their love for each other...but it doesn't happen. - There's a big dramatic finish at the end that I felt was unnecessary. For one thing, the main story arc--two guys who are pretty determined not to fall for each other DO fall for each other--is already pretty much wrapped up. And for another, that final climactic scene doesn't last as long as I thought it should; when it ended I turned the page and thought, "Wow. The ordeal is over? Just like that?"
Overall comments: I enjoy books that are mostly about the relationship and don't focus a lot on plot, which is the case here. If you don't like a really healthy dose of sex, though, you should probably stay away from this one, because there are easily ten separate sex scenes in this 260-page book.』
(Collision Course by K.A. Mitchell) 『If you decide to read this book, plan it when you have time, since it's more than 240 pages long and probably you will not want to let it down till the end.
Joey is a spin off character from Diving in Deep: he was Noah's ex boyfriend and in that book he was in a new relationship with Mark, a leatherman with the body of a bear and the character of a teddy bear... despite the apparently happiness of that couple, when Collision Course begins, Joey has just moved in a new city and moved on his relationship with Mark. Mark is now ex boyfriend number ten... someone could think that Joey is not such a steady boyfriend. And instead he is a social worker, a man who really likes kids, someone who always cares for the other, he probably wants so much a family... is it true? or maybe Joey is fearing commitment like he is accusing his new boyfriend to do? Despite his independent attitude, for me Joey has still some personal issues to resolve before he is ready to build something steady with a partner.
Yes since Joey is always ready to jump from an ex boyfriend to a new one, and he did so also this time; the lucky chosen is Aaron, a paramedic he meets when he is involved in a car accident, the first of a series of accidents that convince Aaron that it's better if Joey remains with him till he is not again in full health. But Aaron has a pretty bad past experience with social workers and he doesn't like when Joey tries to psychoanalyze him: if Joey wants to stay with him and share his bed, good, but when it's day everyone toward their different path and not mingle with personal matters (like if sex wasn't personal...). Joey is very good to convince himself that he can accept Aaron's rules and still doing is undercover psychological diagnosis, but when he is too involved it's not easy to be an impartial judge.
As I said the story is very long and so it's not easy to summarize all the nice things that made me like it. For example, I liked that Joey, despite his curiosity, didn't use his work influence to dig on Aaron's past before the man feels the desire to talk to him. Another thing I like is that the past is the past and Joey doesn't have a magic wand to undo all the previous mistakes and turn Aaron's family in a perfect fiction happy family. And I like that the book doesn't end when Aaron and Joey discover that they love each other, since love is not the cure for all the problems, and they still have to deal with the fact that they are two independent adult, with different behavior, that need to work out a way to live together.
There is also a lot of sex, actually Joey and Aaron begin their sexual marathon day first and go on, even when they are mad at each other, even when it seems that only when they are having sex they aren't arguing. Sex between them is always easy and good, and so it's for the reader, or at least for me that I didn't skip neither one of their encounters...』
(ROAMING FOR A HOME) 『Collision Course Sequel to Diving in Deep Joey Miller is driving down the highway when a car collision happens in front of him. Trained as a first responder, Joey immediately goes into rescue mode. When Paramedic Aaron Chase arrives on the scene, the fist thing he notices is Joey and after taking care of the accident victims, Aaron gets his chance to meet Joey and show him a different kind of paramedic attention. Joey is an upbeat "people person" who recently moved to Jacksonville and started a job doing social work for the state of Florida after another failed relationship. When Joey is injured later, the caregiver in Aaron would not allow Joey to suffer alone. Aaron is a very private man who tried to preserve a distance by not allowing Joey to meet or intermingle with his brothers and sisters, whom he had raised after his drug addicted mother left them.
This is a main focus below the waist story, filled with hilarious dialog, emotional turmoil and peppered with lots of explicit love scenes. 』 『
Paramedic Aaron Chase doesn't have anything against love, but he knows it means a lot of responsibility, like when he had to step in to raise his siblings. With the last one off to college, Aaron's anticipating enjoying life on his own terms. He certainly isn't expecting Joey Miller to accidentally drop into his life. Sexy, funny and annoyingly optimistic, Joey's tendency to get into trouble keeps sending him Aaron's way; Joey knows all about love. He's fallen in it ten times. All that experience has to count for something, right? With Aaron it's different. Joey's fallen for good.
price：$3.36
Samhain Publishing
Usually ships in 24 hours Core2Duoノートレビュー 's review (Mostly sex) 『This book is 98% sex scenes and 2% story line. There's nothing "wrong" with the sex scenes. But if you're looking for a novel, this is just not it.』
(ON THE BEAT) 『I ENJOYED THE STORY AND LOOK FORWARD TO READING MORE OF THE CHARACTERS AS THEY GROW. A NICE EASY READ. THE PLOT BUILDS AS THE CHAPTERS END EDGING ONE ON TO THE NEXT CHAPTER. A GAY "ROMANCE NOVEL" ENJOY』
(Skin Deep) 『While the author shows promise, this book does not do her skill justice. The book is basically a bunch of porn scenes held together by a rather tenuous story line peopled with one-dimensional characters.』
(Solid story and realistic characters) 『Warning: This review might contain what some people consider SPOILERS.
Rating: 8/10
PROS: - The sex scenes are well done. I was particularly impressed with the first one, not because it's hot, but because it captures the uncertainty and pain (especially the pain) associated with bottoming for the first time very well. - Mitchell's a good writer. She never wowed me speechless with her turn-of-phrase, but the writing is crisp and sharp, there are funny moments not just in the dialogue but also in the exposition, and the story moves at a good pace. - One secondary character in particular is entertaining and fairly three-dimensional considering how seldom he appears. - The gradual way that the characters insinuate themselves into each other's lives is realistic. At first they're just messing around, then they're (not quite entirely) convenient friends-with-benefits, then they're realizing that they don't like being apart, and then they're in love. - The gesture Cam makes at the end to resolve the book's big conflict is touching.
CON: - Cameron's kind of a jerk sometimes. He's self-centered enough on occasion that I found myself wondering briefly why Noah was so in love with him. Those occasions are short-lived, though; overall, Cam's a decent guy, and he becomes more obviously decent when he admits to himself that he's in love with Noah.
Overall comments: I found the characters intriguing and the story well written enough that I finished this book in two days. It's not the best I've read in this genre, but I really liked it, and I'd certainly recommend it if you're looking for a realistic portrayal of the slow development of love.』
(recommand title) 『I brgan to read and it is not stopable very good book. the sex in the book is essencial. nice story nice writing veru reccopmand. I hope somebody will make film from it』 『
You never forget your first time. Cameron Lewis loves his job as an instructor/trainer for a water safety firm that inspects water parks. He gets to travel from March through September, always moving on to something different. When a strange emptiness starts plaguing him, he chalks it up to turning thirty. He manages to shake off the feeling-until he walks into a classroom and discovers that the eye candy in the front row is actually a very grown up version of his best-friend's kid brother. Noah Winthrop never forgot his first time. Scary, painful and then absolutely amazing-and with Cameron, the guy he'd always wanted. He's had a crush on his brother's best friend since puberty and now nothing will keep him from finally getting Cameron Lewis to notice him. Even though Cameron once rejected him, Noah is determined to get it right this time. Warning, this title contains the following: explicit male/male sex, graphic language, and mild Dominant/submissive action
price：$5.42
Celestial Arts
Usually ships in 24 hours Core2Duoノートレビュー 's review (At This Time My Fav' Book) 『This is one of the best book i ever read. It's so illustrated, easy to understand, and the positions i've learned was so good and so exited.
I just want to thank Jude Schell for this WONDERFUL and HELPFUL book.』
(Pretty Ordinary) 『Shame the women look like a couple of straights playing lesbian for a day's photo shoot. Lots of good positions included but could have chosen much better models who genuinely look like they're into the sex.』
(Boring athletic pornography -- no tantra here!) 『This book was so disappointing I returned it immediately. It is basically a picture book with a couple of very skinny girls with porn-star expressions posing in a variety of very uncomfortable-looking positions to grind their shaved pussies against each other. The language reads like a cheap porn magazine -- I suspect it was written by a guy. I was looking for something more intimate, loving, and spiritual -- a more tantric guide for lifelong lovers. This isn't it!!』
(Attractive and funny) 『This enjoyable little book delivers what it promises: a catalog of couples coupling in a huge variety of positions. A photo demonstrates each one, featuring a handsome pair of women intimately engaged. Amusing commentary accompanies each photo, describing the variants of each pose and its unique advantages, sometimes with transitions to or from other poses. Schell points out opportunities for the giver and receiver (when there's a difference) in each pose, and maintains a cheerful spirit of fun throughout.
Although clear and explicit, this steers well away from the vulgar. For example, it never confronts the viewer with genital details. Instead, the pink bits remain discreetly figleafed by a hand or head, even when demonstrating the most intimate kinds of physicality. The photos and captions remain tasteful throughout, without projecting faux coyness.
This isn't just for F/F couples, though - anyone making love to a woman's body will find inspiration here. Very few poses seem specific to women together; poses involving strapons could easily substitute a partner who comes equipped by nature. As an enjoyable plus, three indices (by name, by kind of activity, and by thumbnail photo) make it easy to find your favorites again. Whether you're looking for ideas to put into practice or just enjoying the imagery, this little book offers plenty.
-- wiredweird』
(Excellent good buy) 『relevant and lovely pics, but the positions require a little imagination as the explaination is insufficient and unclear. But you will get it, if you think about it. Highly recommmended.』 『Discover 101 positions for tonguing and grooving with this innovative and clever sex guide for women who love women. Enticing lovers to broaden their repertoire, this lesbian Kama Sutra offers dozens of lovemaking ideas to inspire women to pleasure themselves and each other using touch, toys, and other techniques. One position will tease and delight her, another will deepen intimacy, and still another will culminate in mind-blowing orgasms.』
price：$15.99
Adamant Media Corporation
Usually ships in 24 hours Core2Duoノートレビュー 's review (The foreign cousins) 『This minor work by James is another brick in the tall wall of his obsessive study of the cultural and behavioral differences between Europeans and Americans at the turn of the Century (XIX to XX, of course). The prose is, as always, elegant and intricate, with a rich and sophisticated language that every admirer of James enjoys so much, but it is no doubt much lighter than his masterworks. Eugenia and Felix Young, children of Americans but raised in Europe, arrive in Boston to look for their uncle Wentworth and his children. He has few memories of her departed sister, the Youngs' mother, and doesn't even remember she left two kids when she died. So the Youngs are well received but naturally elicit all kinds of suspicion. What are the refined Eugenia, married to a Baron of Münster, and the artistically inclined Felix up to? What's the objective of their visit? The members of the Wentworth household react differently, according to their own expectations, attractions, rejections, and delusions. Brother and sister become an exotic attraction, a couple of rather decadentnoble people playing king and queen of a rural, puritan, and prude environment. In particular, Felix elicits the total admiration and infatuation of the young and independently-minded Gertrude. It's a funny and pleasant read, which prefigures future, more complex plots and characters by James.』
(The Europeans) 『The Europeans by Henry James. Published by MobileReference (mobi)
Henry James is one of the best American writers. Reading this novel has made me very excited to read further works by James, as I plan to read the entirety of his literary output. It is the brilliance and charm of 'Europenas' that has instilled in me this excitment.』
(Sloppy edition) 『The edition I had (Bibliobazaar) is so full of spelling mistakes (Eg. P:41, instead of "Munster", "M; auunster", and this repeated throughout the book) that I regretted not specifying a certain edition. I feel I got a very cheap edition for my money.』
(A pleasant diversion, but not numbered among James' best.) 『Henry James is one of the seminal novelists of the Victorian era, an American by birth who made his adult life in London, the capital of the late 19th century world. James' novels were shaped by this immigrant experience, the predominant them of his writing being the interaction between Americans and Europeans. "The Europeans" is one such story, though, contrary to what the title might suggest, it is set in America.
My introduction to James' work was a pair of his novellas, "The Aspern Papers" and "The Turn of the Screw". The former featured an American literary historian travelling the Vnice to seek a sort of treasure in the possession of a local British expatriate. "The Europeans" sees a pair of Europeans (from some German principate, seemingly, though Felix makes a point of cosmopolitanly disclaiming nationality) travel to antebellum Massachusetts (around thirty years before James was writing in the 1870s). Eugenia (alternately referred to by her first name, or as "Madame Munster", or as "the Baroness") has come to make her marital fortune, faced with the dissolution of her morganatic marriage to a German prince, while her brother Felix is just tagging along as part of his Bohemian existence as a portrait-painter. They plan to visit their American cousins (their mother's brother and his children) of whom they have only heard report of. The Wentworths are a family of devout Puritans, in contrast to the more cultured and worldly Europeans; the arrivals are particularly intriguing to Gertrude, the younger of the family's two daughters, who finds the Baroness a striking example of a different kind of womanhod, and Felix a man wholly unlike her father's candidate for her hand, Mr. Brand.
"The Europeans" does not have a great deal in the way of plot. There are no antagonists in any real sense, just character interaction where some people have contrary objectives. Felix and Gertrude are the most developed and appealing of the characters in the story, and everyone else is generally well-drawn. James is an expert examiner of human nature, thoug he is here bound by editorial contraints to supply predetermined happy endings for several characters, though he sneaks in his more customary downbeatness in the resolution of Eugenia's story.
All in all, this is an entertaining if not special short novel, one that James himself did not especially regard (excluding it from the multi-volume "Collected Works" he published in the early 20th century). It is enjoyable and worth the time of those seeking a broad understanding of the author's canon, but for people looking to see James at his best it would be more advisable to try "The Portrait of a Lady".』
(The Europeans) 『When I found out that "The Europeans", by Henry James, could offer more than just a wonderful film, I couldn't wait to order the unabridged "The Europeans" Audio-CD, read by Lloyd James, as well as the complete soundtrack CD "The Europeans", with composer Richard Robbins' arrangements. The film is a James Ivory's masterpiece with a New England autumn background, the Audio-CD matches the film wonderfully, where you can picture the film characters through Lloyd's interpretation, and the Soundtrack CD starts off with breathtaking Clara Schumann's "Andante" Opus-17. 』 『Fortune hunter Baroness Münster, an American expatriate, goes to New England in search of a wealthy husband, with brother Felix in tow. The two stay with their cousins, theWentworths, whose insular ways stands in sharp contrast with the cosmopolitan lifestyle to which the Baroness and Felix have become accustomed. Will thewiles of the Baroness bear fruit in the stern New England clime, or will the Baroness find America a more difficult conquest than she might have imagined?』
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