Words by Sooz

The Picture of Cool | Laurie Boris Summary : Charlie is a television producer that meets an interesting man who is a guest on the show. The two connect, but Adam has a secret that could tear his family apart. Where to find it: Amazon Review : When reading a book about people and seminal moments, the characters have to be believable. They need to feel real and not as though they are forced into a moment for the sake of a story. Boris did everything right in The Picture of Cool.   The characters are real and in situations easily imagined. The pain Charlie feels as he pines for Adam is something that any person can relate to. Their relationship is gradual and sweet. It doesn’t matter that the main characters are gay, anyone should be able to enjoy this book. Boris leaves a note at the end stating she intends to make these characters part of a longer book, and one I fully intend to read. I actually wanted to learn more about the characters, including ...

Writing about baseball has been one of my favorite things. Covering ball games, talking to players, dissecting the nuances of the game. I love it all. Almost two years ago, I stopped writing about baseball because -- what I tell people -- I took a desk job. I became on editor at Beckett Media where I write about trading cards and collectibles. For the most part, I rarely write about baseball. In fact, I write about every other main sport. A couple of weeks ago, I contacted one of the editors of It's About the Money. It's a blog dedicated to the New York Yankees. Luckily, they were happy to have me write for the. So far, I wrote a couple of game recaps, but I also wrote three other posts. Bernie Williams should be celebrated with The Core Four Replay slowing the pace of baseball games; is it worth it? Why players don't care about Michael Pineda's "dirt" Check out the site, especially if you are into baseball. There are a lot of interesting wri...

The Chase was a gripping thriller, blurring the lines of the law to get justice. Even though Kate O'Hara and Nicholas Fox were once on opposite sides of the law, they don't let that get in the way of their relationship. They work well together, picking up traits from each other along their journey. I didn't read the first book of the series, but the good thing about The Chase was there was enough background information that didn't leave me confused as to how an FBI agent and a career criminal ended up working together. Evanovich and Goldberg did a nice job of recapping their history without making it feel bogged down. The Chase was a fun read, and reminded me of the TV show Leverage where -- to borrow a line from the opening credits -- sometimes bad guys make the best good guys. I'll probably read the first book to get the full picture of how these two started on their path of catching the worst crooks in the world and doing crazy heists all in the name o...

I recently started writing for Books and Pals , a popular site dedicated to reading indie books. I’m excited about the opportunity for several reasons. 1.         I love to read : This gives me a chance to read as many books as I want while finding great new voices. 2.        It makes me a better writer : By reading more books, I will find great techniques that I may want to employ or even things I don’t like. Reading and writing more will only help in the long run. 3.         A better sense of community : I’ve noticed over the last couple of years that self-publishers are a close group. So many of them are willing to help with design, formatting, and pass along great ideas. I look forward to meeting more of those people. I’d like to give a special shout out to Al for bringing me on board. My first review is up and I am reading my second book now. This is about three times th...

Lost Girls. The title gives off a negative connotation. Maybe that was the intent or maybe the author and editors were oblivious. Robert Kolker wrote about the Long Island serial killer who dumped the bodies of at least four prostitutes in a marshy area along the shore area. But the title bothered me. A girl is someone who is under 18 years old. That’s the way I have always felt. Once a female hits 18, she considered a legal adult. When you start referring to females who are 22-27 as girls, you trivialize who they are as much as others who did so because they were prostitutes. These “girls” had to live more difficult lives than most people who will read this book. Titles are important to grab readers’ attention, but they shouldn’t insult the subjects in the process. I wrote a full review on Goodreads here . 

Jacob Lau is shipped off to live with his after his mother goes missing. This is just the beginning of his problems. The Soulkeepers (The Soulkeepers Series) is the first book in the series by G.P. Ching, and her debut novel. Jacob’s father died several years ago. His mother goes missing and is feared dead. He ends up in a town where generations of families have lived and don’t like newcomers. This town and some of their families hold secrets, and Jacob has one of his own. The stereotypical idea of small towns not liking newcomers (or those who aren’t white) seemed a little heavy-handed. Perhaps growing up in a diverse city, I didn’t see much of this when new people showed up in the neighborhood. But it’s a good way to force to characters together who may not have otherwise been friends. Jacob acts like a typical teenager in the middle of a crisis. There were some readers who thought he was acting childish, but he’s 15 and an essentially an orphan. There aren’t...

Ilir Berisha might say he was one of the lucky ones. He got out of Kosova alive while living there during the war, and got to tell his story. Berisha’s book “ Summer Is My Favorite Season: A Memoir of Childhood and War in Kosovo ” paints a true story of a young boy who witnesses some of the worst the world has to offer. His parents are frustrated and frightened. They don’t know where they are going to get their next meal or when the electricity will return or if they will ever get running water again. His father has to work the black market to make money. And a beloved uncle is killed by a Serbian group. When three masked men storm their apartment on a night where NATO bombs are falling around them, Berisha doesn’t know if he and his family will make it out alive. The men could kill them or perhaps a bomb will miss its target. It wouldn’t be the first time Berisha wished for a quick death. And he was just 14 years old. Berisha’s memoir is gripping. He starts...