In Days of Yore
My Review: Of the 3 Moore books I've read (A Dirty Job, Bite Me, Fluke), this is my least favorite. That being said, it's still a good book, with interesting writing. I think I just had overly high expectations because I read his best one first (A Dirty Job). I'll try others of his, though, because I did enjoy it.
Amazon.com
In his entertaining adventure-in-whale-researching, Fluke, or, I Know Why the Winged Whale Sings, Nathan Quinn, a prominent marine biologist, has been conducting studies in Hawaii for years trying to unravel the secret of why humpback whales sing. During a typical day of data gathering, Nate believes his mind is failing: the subject whale has "Bite Me" scrawled across its tail. Events become even stranger as the self-proclaimed "action nerds," Nate, photographer Clay, their research assistant Amy, and Kona, a white Rasta (a Jewish kid from New Jersey), encounter sabotage to their data and equipment. They also observe increasingly bizarre whale behavior, including a phone call from the whale to their wealthy sponsor to ask that Nate bring it a hot pastrami and Swiss on rye, and discover both a thriving underwater city and the secret to what happened to Amelia Earhart.
Thoughtful, irreverent, and often hilarious, Moore has crafted a tale that contains a bit of the saga of declining whale populations due to hunting and habitat destruction, as well as his over-the-top, decadent wit as applied to scientific methodology and professional jealousies. Moore notes a pasty, rival scientist "looked like Death out for his after-dinner stroll before a busy night of e-mailing heart attacks and tumors to a few million lucky winners," and that killer whales (which are all named Kevin), are "just four tons of doofus dressed up like a police car." Smart, sincere, and a whale of a story, Fluke is terrific.
10.) Date Me Baby, One More Time - by Stephanie Rowe
My review: A good, light little read. I'd say not too engrossing, but I read most of it last night between 9 pm & 1 am, so ??? must have been engrossing enough. And I'm considering reading her next book, Must Love Dragons, so that says something. In fact, I'm going to go reserve it at the library right now...
Amazon.com review
Rowe carves out her very own niche—call it paranormal romance adventure comedy—with this freewheeling series kickoff. The novel introduces Justine Bennett, the immortal guardian of the Goblet of Eternal Youth (an espresso machine named Mona), and her former bombshell of a roommate, Theresa Nichols, now an 11-foot-tall fire-breathing dragon. They've watched over Mona for 200 years, but now hunky pretzel mogul Derek LaValle is certain that beheading Justine and taking Mona will break the family curse that leaves every LaValle man dead at 31. If Justine fails to protect the Goblet by killing Derek, she'll face the Chamber of Unspeakable Horrors and her mother will be sent to hell as Satan's eternal love slave. Naturally, Derek and Justine fall for each other and start a rocky courtship full of he said–she said and "who tried to kill whom first" arguments. The leads spar winningly, and Rowe's lusty, maudlin Satan is hilarious. The plot gets tangled at times, and a share of the jokes—as well as the adult material—are straight up groaners (including sex-starved Justine fighting off the advances of an army of evil, gorgeous men called Penhas—say it out loud for full effect), but Rowe's wit and imagination make this a strong start for what should be a refreshing series.
Tags: 50books 2007
