Tag Archives: humor

Book Review: USA: The Land with At Least 50 Options: A Hilarious and Eye-Opening Tour of America’s States, One Grocery Aisle at a Time by Robert Okine

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USA: The Land with At Least 50 Options: A Hilarious and Eye-Opening Tour of America’s States, One Grocery Aisle at a Time by
Robert Okine

A Non-Fiction Travel Guide published by Fifty Options Press (05/03/25)

I received an Advanced Review Copy (or ARC) on Reedsy Discovery

Summary:

“The humble, beautiful, chaotic places where real food meets real life. Where culture, comfort, convenience, and chaos all live under fluorescent lights.”

This book is full of 51 short essays about each of the different grocery personalities in each state of the US (plus DC). This book is part cultural commentary and  part comedic observation of everyday American life.

Keywords:

Travel, Grocery Stores, USA, Ecotourism, Humor, Essay, Shorts

My Review:

This is not a book about grocery stores. It’s a love letter, an ode, or an epic poem to the land of choices and dinner opportunities: The United States of America. The diversity of grocery stores in America reflects the diversity of the people and the experiences one might have in America.

Each short, quippy chapter describes a different state. Each state is represented by its grocery store: not just what’s on the shelves, but the vibe, the culture, and the personality. It’s like a travel guide, TL;DR, giving you a snapshot of who and what each state is and who or what the people are like in that state.

Why California first? The list is neither alphabetical nor in order of most outlandish to most ‘normal.’ It’s as if the author took the country and arranged it by feel, not geography.

Reading this, I felt like I was watching Forrest Gump when Bubba talks about shrimp. There are numerous varieties, much like the types of potatoes in Idaho or the various milk options in California.

Each word is so intentional, so well-placed, and sometimes they are in bold typeface, giving extra emphasis.

Even when the state’s grocery store stereotype leans on the obvious, it never feels lazy because it is so fun and loudly humorous. Like someone who sees America in all its absurd and beautiful forms.

Everyone eats, so everyone shops. This book is for anyone, even if you don’t live anywhere in the US but want a snapshot of what it’s like to live in any one of the different states. We are a melting pot of flavors – inside and outside of our grocery stores.

You’ll start wondering where you’d want to live, not just by climate or cost of living, but by grocery energy. (I think I identify most with Nevada, which tells you a lot about what kind of person I identify as.)

One of the most fun, funny, and sneakily accurate things I’ve read this year.

This novel was published by Fifty Options Press 05/03/25 and is available on Amazon here.

TL;DR Star Rating: 4.25

Links for more information:

Robert Okine’s Website

Goodreads

Book Review: The Dogs Who Play Baseball by Thomas Louis Carroll

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The Dogs Who Play Baseball by Thomas Louis Carroll

A Humorous Middle-Grade Novel published by Almanor & Loraque Press (08/18/21)

First reviewed through Reedsy Discovery as an ARC

Summary:

“Something about Louie and Sally said baseball. Even without their hats and beat-up gloves, their Louisville Sluggers with marks on the bat for every home run, and the raggedy baseballs, people knew they were baseball kids.” (4% Kindle Edition).

Louie and the neighborhood kids just want to play baseball but after getting kicked out of their own field, they’ll come up with a way to challenge the older kids to win back the rights to the field. Teaching the dogs to play baseball won’t be too hard but it will be difficult to convince everyone that dogs can play against the best of them!

Keywords:

Middle Grade, Humor, Dogs, Animals, Sports, Baseball, Team, Disabled, Wheelchair, Yankees, Bronx, Unbelievable, Yankees Stadium

My Review:

If you love both dogs and baseball, you will get a kick out of this book. It goes from silly can’t-believe-it good-humored fun to serious on-the-edge-of-your-seat baseball action… with dogs of course. As this book goes on it does get more ridiculous (it’s funny how the adults can’t believe how ridiculous everything is). Throughout the hilarity, a love of everything baseball comes through clearly.

Even if you don’t love or completely understand the mechanics of baseball, you will enjoy this warm-hearted book full of great life lessons. Carroll does get into the mechanics and techniques that the kids use to get the dogs to play baseball, but not too in-depth. You will have to suspend your disbelief a little and get creative imagining dogs with bats and baskets attached to their tails. How do they run the bases with those bats attached? How does a dog slide through to home? It did seem a little too easy to get the dogs to play baseball but this just adds to the comedic element of the book.

The fun repeated refrains the author uses, like “You can say that again,” and “There’s no barking in baseball,” made me smile each time they repeated.

I especially liked how the author gave the main character Louie a greater purpose for teaching the dogs to play baseball and to get them to play against real baseball teams and win. One of the minor characters, Louie’s mom Mimi, is in a wheelchair and can’t walk due to a car accident some years ago. It’s neat the author included the normalization of a character with this disability. I learned that there’s a special viewing location at Yankee Stadium for people in wheelchairs. I’ve never thought about accessibility at stadiums before.

I can imagine that this would be a really fun book to read out loud to your kids or to listen to as an audiobook on long drives with the family. If you’re a young reader (or have a kid who is reading middle-grade novels), then they could enjoy reading this one on their own as the target audience. They could really relate to this book if they are also participating in a Little League or have a Labrador, Collie, Bulldog, Whippet, Basset Hound, or a Scotty dog. Chester the Labrador, though, is the star (Most Valuable Dog) of the book.

This novel was published by Almanor & Loraque Press on 08/18/2021 and is available on Amazon here.

TL;DR Star Rating: 4.25

Links for more information:

Goodreads

Thomas Louis Carroll’s Website

Book Review: A Case of Serendipity by K.J. Farnham

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A Case of Serendipity by K.J. Farnham

A YA Teen Drama Novel published by K. J. Farnham Publishing LLC (03/20/2018)

Summary:

Ruth never signed up for Bucky’s Beans promotional tests and if they keep spamming her with their discounts, she’s going to go nuts! After failing to stop the messages herself, she resorts to a final plea on the company’s Facebook page. The company isn’t the one to respond to her, but a lawyer trying to sue Bucky’s Beans. At her wit’s end, Ruth signs up with the lawyer, Henry Mancuso. After adding him as a Facebook friend, Ruth and Henry keep bumping into each other offline. As they create the legal case against Bucky’s, their friendship grows. They both like each other, but can their relationship be more than professional?

Keywords:

Coffee, Lawyer, Suing, Biking, Running, Farmer’s Market, Spam, Promotion, Facebook, Romance, Friendship, Exes, Flirting, Quirky, Workaholic, Unsubscribe

My Review:

Another adorable and well written novel from Farnham. Every book I read from this author is better than the last. This book’s writing style was seamless. The romance was adorable and well-built. This book was a fun and lighthearted easy read.

I absolutely loved the quirky characters. I loved seeing Ruth from Henry’s perspective and from her own. She became more quirky through Henry’s eyes and I loved that about her (and the writing).

I enjoyed the lawyer talk, and thought the balance between the plot against Bucky’s Beans and the budding romance was done well. I did think some of the plot dragged a bit through the middle of the story.

This novel was published by K. J. Farnham Publishing LLC 03/20/2018 and is available on Amazon here.

TL;DR Star Rating: 4.50

 

Links for more information:

Goodreads

K.J. Farnham’s Website

Book Review: Guild of Immortal Women by David Alan Morrison, H.L. Melvin

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Guild of Immortal Women by David Alan Morrison, H.L. Melvin

A Women’s Fiction Humor Novel published by Book Publishers Network (10/12/14)

Summary:

Abbey doesn’t remember who she was before the ‘accident’ but she does have vivid dreams of drowning as well as burning. As she tries to recover her memories in a mental hospital, her ‘aunts’ are preparing for her return to the Bastille. It is imperative that Abbey remember who she was and what she is capable of before the faire that the Guild of Immortal Woman, AKA Abby’s aunts, put on every year.

Keywords:

Humor, Satire, Fantasy, Misdirection, Immortality, Women, Detective, Power, Comedy, Home, Castle, Home, Family, Friendship, Insane Asylum, Dead Bodies, Tapestry, Secrets, Amnesia

My Review:

This story’s plot line was so different from any other fantasy/paranormal/humor book that I’ve read. There were witches. There was a guild. There was a bad guy and a deadline. But everything in between these elements was surprisingly different.

The writing style of switching POV and not tagging all the dialogue made it a bit confusing to figure out who was speaking at times.

I loved seeing Abbey from other characters’ perspectives and to see the world through her eyes.

This was a fun and interesting read.

This novel was published by Book Publishers Network on October 12th, 2014 and is available on Amazon here.

TL;DR Star Rating: 3.50

Links for more information:

Goodreads

Twitter

Book Review: Level Up: A Geek Romance Rom Com, Book 1 (Fandom Hearts) by Cathy Yardley

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Level Up: A Geek Romance Rom Com, Book 1 (Fandom Hearts) by Cathy Yardley

A Chick Lit Humor Novel published by Amazon Digital Services LLC (12/30/15)

Summary:

“…relationships are problematic. Careers last. All I obsess about now is work and my fandoms.” (Kindle Locations 55-56).

Tessa Rodriguez is ready to level up in her career, but as a female video game engineer amidst a male-dominated field, she’s pushing at the glass ceiling. Her roommate happens to work at the same video game design company and tells her if she were to be more social she’d fit in more with the guys and they’d probably accept her as one of them. Adam, her roommate is still recovering from his last breakup, a year ago, and his guy friends bet that he can’t find a girlfriend before they fill the open position in the company. A job that Tessa wants is available! Can she snag it or will getting involved with Adam put them both behind?

Keywords:

Introvert, Friends, Romance, Roommates, Library, Gaming, Programming, Career, Video Games, TV Shows, Fandoms, Video Game Engineer, Deadline

My Review:

What an adorable romance! Both main characters were full of personality and quirks. Tessa is shy but opens up immediately when she enters into an accepting environment. In real life, a shy girl would probably not interact as well as self-proclaimed introvert Tessa, but I loved how open she was to being around others and rooting for them. Tessa shows extreme loyalty and devotion!

Adam is the geeky, attractive nice guy. He is the whole package without being over the top! He displayed uncharacteristic respect of his roommate Tessa, which I very much appreciated.

I did not get all the geek references but enjoyed them all the same! This contemporary little romantic comedy was very enjoyable and well put together if a bit dependent on certain situations to occur that wouldn’t normally happen. I especially loved the characters and the setting.

This novel was published by Amazon Digital Services LLC on December 30tht, 2015 and is available on Amazon here.

TL;DR Star Rating: 5.00

Links for more information:

Goodreads

Cathy Yardley’s Website