Review: Muscling Through by JL Merrow

I must admit that I have lately been obsessed with the romance genre, and for more reasons than one. Firstly, I believe it takes a skillful writer to successfully write a satisfying romance, particularly with all the constraints such a formulaic genre imposes. Think about it - with all these rules about what a romance novel is (and make no mistake, the publishers will only publish the stories that meet very strict criteria), how does an author make the story their own? Do you dare attempt making it original?

On a surface level, JL Merrow's novella entitled Muscling Through seems straight out of a romance novel tutorial. The two protagonists are polar opposites; their romance is unconventional; every single external conflict in the story is a result of misunderstandings.

The story is narrated by Al, a rough and somewhat dimwitted ex-boxer, laboring his life away for London tourists. One night, he meets Larry Morton, a university professor, with whom he strikes up an affair. Obviously, the affair turns into eternal love, but not without a complication or two, usually involving their very different backgrounds, communication skills and some painting, of all things.

I am happy to report that Muscling Through may just be the most charming romance I have ever read. Al is such an endearing protagonist - one can't help but root for this big softy of a man. I was not very fond of Larry, however - and I thought that more characterization would have proven beneficial in his case. However, this is a novella - and in the span of about a hundred and fifty pages, a romance afficionado certainly gets plenty of these delicious men.

Muscling Through is, in my opinion, particularly recommendable for first time readers of romance, and especially gay romance. It is short and compact and, despite its minor problems, it contains all the elements that a m/m romance should. There is the wonderful protagonist, an interesting (but realistic!) plot, and the sizzling scenes of intimacy that never feel pornographic. The cast of secondary characters is especially good. This reader was also surprised by the subtle commentaries of the (silent) class system that these characters need to overcome. Muscling Through is definitely a recommended read!

RATING: 4/5

In My Mailbox/USA Vlog

Dear bloggers, readers and the like,

I am happy to post this vlog (my third vlog ever!) after settling in my new American existence and getting ready to continue working on my book blog - writing about authors, books and other finer things in life.

As I mention in my blog, I got to go to a final sale at a Borders store, which was both sad and exciting (great discounts, y'all!). Also, I have discovered the amazing website called ABEbooks, where one can shop hundreds of used bookstores and get books for ridiculously friendly prices.

Finally, here is some of the stuff I've mentioned.

       

Review: A Density of Souls by Christopher Rice

Everyone knows about Anne Rice. Dubbed the "vampire queen", she is the author of so many popular vampire books, including Interview with the Vampire (which, in turn, was made into a splendid film starring Brad Pitt and Tom Cruise). Everybody knows this. What not too many people know is that Anne Rice has a son, Christopher, and that he is also an author, and a fine one at that. I've seen him praised all around the internet and couldn't wait to get my hands on one of his novels for the longest time. Now that I have, I am pleased to report that the results are beyond amazing.

Rice's debut novel, A Density of Souls (one of the most poetic titles I've come across lately), is a competent, mind-blowing novel that makes me want to read his other stuff as soon as possible. The complex, multi-layered story follows four childhood friends/enemies through their adolescence and young adulthood. Stephen is the shy, gay boy, the book's protagonist, whose life is threatened more than once in the book. Brandon is the popular bully, Greg is the enigmatic weak link and Meredith is the auto-destructive, sensitive girl. The story takes the form of a thriller, with a mystery at its center. The mystery is slowly revealed and it masterfully includes all of the book's many characters.

There is a strong sense of community in the book. The lush setting of New Orleans comes to life with some of the best atmosphere I've ever read in a book. Rice grew up there and he borrows from his life throughout the book. The story has a real, grounded feel to it. There are many people who play a role in the book's plot and sometimes it seems overwhelming. The only thing I disliked about A Density of Souls was that it sometimes got too dense. The character of Stephen mother, for example, works completely when it comes to Stephen's story, but Rice doesn't back away from telling her back story as well, which I found a little irrelevant. Luckily, the book is snappish and doesn't dwell on unimportant plot lines too much.

All in all, A Density of Souls is a splendid debut novel, one which truly makes me lust for more. Christopher Rice is definitely an author to look out for!

RATING: 4/5

Review: Brokeback Mountain by Annie Proulx

Annie Proulx is a writer that I've wanted to read for quite some time, especially because of Brokeback Mountain - a movie that I liked very much (honestly, less then some other people I know, who were pretty much obsessed with it). Anybody who's seen the movie knows that it's more about the cinematography, the acting and the fabulous chemistry between the main actors, than it's about the (very basic) story. And it's exactly the same with the literary source as well.

Proulx's Brokeback Mountain is a novella. A short story, even. The story of two lonesome cowboys whose awkward love affair on the titular mountain leads them to question their very fiber is about 50 pages long. Packed in these 50 pages is more character development than I've seen in some 400-hundred page novels. The story is driven by these vibrant characters, particularly Ennis del Mar, the more "butch" of the two (played in the film by the incomparable Heath Ledger). He is the perfect embodiment of an all-male American testosterone no-nonsense kind of person, his main conflict within the book's realm being the feelings he is forced to juggle.

In all honesty, I enjoyed the movie more. I felt as if the themes and the symbols the book only hints at did not have the space to breathe and develop - mainly the titular mountain, the symbol of Renaissance-like lack of society pastoral environment, which is in sharp contrast with the "town" and all that comes with it. And although I would always choose the movie before reading Brokeback Mountain again, this is a masterfully written novella that should speak to a large readership.

RATING: 3/5

The movie version of Brokeback Mountain on DVD is on sale at Amazon.com, a fantastic bargain for this modern classic. Get it there!

Review: Raziel by Kristina Douglas

Vampires are all the rage, obviously, and lately angels have also been the talk of the book-lovin' people everywhere. Kristina Douglas (which is, in fact, a pen-name for the bestselling author Anne Stuart) has decided to mix it all up and thus, we have Raziel, the first installment in the Fallen series. Be very excited about this.

Allie is a spunky New Yorker who soon after the first couple of pages finds herself hit by a bus, and well, dead. In charge of her journey from the world of the living to that of the dead is the hunky fallen angel, Raziel. For him, this is a routine task. However, something goes terribly wrong and not only is Allie denied her rest, she gets involved in a terrifying plot of heavenly proportions.

First of all, Raziel is an incredibly fun book to read. This was something that I really did not expect, as both the cover and the first couple of pages seemed really pretentious. However, Allie is possibly my favorite type of heroine: witty, sarcastic and just enough of a spaz to be considered totally lovable. In fact, her narration often reminded me of that of Queen Betsy, the protagonist of MaryJanice Davidson's Undead and Unwed, which was a very fun read as well.

Allie's narration makes up only half of the book, however, as Raziel gets to weigh in from his point of view. Now, this was just amazing. Too often the author gets too caught up in only the protagonist, which then leads to all the other characters becoming two-dimensional. The titular character is just as great and well fleshed-out as Allie. Narration was generally the best part of the novel (although I could have done without certain chapters dedicated to the POV of more minor characters), and the banter between Allie and Raziel often made me giggle.

As for the story itself, I really loved the skillful mix of romance and action. In fact, Douglas' universe is way more complex and intriguing than I expected it to be, and there are some great twists in the plot. That being said, the main plot twist did not really work with me, as it relied on solely withholding information from the reader - the hints were few and far in between, and the final denoument generally felt a bit anti-climactic.

I cannot really take off too many points for this, since this is mainly a romance novel. And the romance in it is really something - instead of coming from cliches or convoluted situations, the author really exploited the characters' traits and their story really felt genuine and, ultimately, satisfying. It should be noted that there is quite a number of steamy scenes in the book, but they are all executed uniformly well and are basically the stuff that (certain) dreams are made of.

To anyone who likes romance and/or paranormal - get your hands all over Raziel. There is quite a lot to satisfy both types of fans. I especially liked the various pop references - Allie's narration allows shout outs to everything from Buffy to Shakespeare. This is truly a satisfying, sexy summer read.

RATING: 4/5

Giveaway Winner: Ex-Girlfriends United

With a little help from RANDOM.org (seriously, a life-saver for book bloggers everywhere), I now give you the winner of Matt Dunn's Ex-Girlfriends United, courtesy of Sourcebooks!

Drum roll, please... Here's what RANDOM.org had to say about this.

Congratulations, Sarah! I will email you right now and as soon as I have your postal address, I will forward it to Sourcebooks. Enjoy the book!

Review: Cosmopolis by Don DeLillo

A book that never really grabs you by the throat, but definitely leaves scratch marks after you're done reading it. A book that never really feels like a wonderful, interesting read, but nevertheless, you feel like you're gaining so much for simply reading it. A book that to some people felt like 9/11 premonition. Don DeLillo's Cosmopolis.

The story is easy. Set in one day, it follows a rogue capitalist, Eric Packer, on an Odyssey around New York City. He spends most of the book in his limousine, which serves as his office, his medical examination room and his house. He meets a variety of characters, including his associates, his doctor, his wife and his lover, none of which are very interesting. He witnesses a protest. He contemplates about linguistics, literature and the modern world. And then the ending happens.

To those interested in plot lines, fascinating characters and emotional roller-coasters that many novels offer, stay away from Cosmopolis. It lacks a natural plot, the characters are even less than archetypes and the whole experience is decidedly frigid. On the other hand, if musings about the nature of space and time are your thing, if you think you'd enjoy a clever rant on the philosophy of capitalism disguised within capitalism itself, then by all means get this book.

I certainly appreciated the many things Cosmopolis had to offer. The nature of language that DeLillo talks about, for example, rang completely true for me. Why use the word 'skyscraper', he muses, if the very notion of a skyscraper is that of another time. The word should retire, just as taller buildings have made skyscrapers obsolete. It's similar with society, he implies. A simple ride to the barbershop, something that seems so obviously quaint in the universe of Cosmopolis, must end tragically, as it is definitely a thing of the past. The vision of the world in Cosmopolis is far from peachy.

I could never honestly recommend this book to anyone, but I do recommend you try and read it for what it's worth. And if you like it, if you see yourself responding to the massive ideas that DeLillo throws your way, Cosmopolis is a great place to start exploring such concepts as hyper reality, chaos theory, creation of space, rogue capitalism, etc.

Plus, there is a Robert Pattinson movie adaptation in the works.

RATING: 3/5