"Happy Utopia Day, Joe McCarthy!" Literary Review

Happy Utopia Day, Joe McCarthy by J.T. Lundy
My rating: 4 of 5 stars

After receiving this book in the mail from Goodreads First Reads Giveaways, I was thoroughly impressed with this espionage parody and the adventurous misfortune that happened to besiege the protagonist throughout the fun, quirky plot.

Chris Thompson leads a simple life with a simple job, but receives a sporadic assignment from the President that then leads him onto a secret mission with guns, fast cars, political mysteries and the overall James Bond persona. His mission? McCarthyism is slowly inching its way back into the United States and he needs to stop it before its too late!

The premise of the book, along with memories of your US History class, may make you think twice about picking up this novel from author JT Lundy, but beware of a missed opportunity should you neglect to pick it up. Not only will you laugh out loud, you'll envision a story that reminds one of a slapstick comedy and spy thriller. It's "Pineapple Express" meets "Casino Royale", and the fusion is irresistible!

I received this book from Goodreads in exchange for my honest, unbiased opinion.

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"Sing Me An Old Song" Book Review

Sing Me An Old Song by Morgan James
My rating: 3 of 5 stars

Folks, this one was an ideal summer beach read, but for one being in the midst of school starting in Midwest Indiana, I had trouble. Fighting to finish, I praise the author Morgan James for allowing me to review this book as a Goodreads giveaway, so I will provide my opinion in regards towards the novel's content and style.

In "Sing Me An Old Song", Mavis Banks Book is a Southern Belle who returns to her home as a ghost ten years after her funeral. Right off the bat I loved the idea of having a ghost coming back to their roots, because as an adult, I love reminiscing about old houses I grew up in and what they look like now. It's a fun idea, but for me, Mavis got a bit troublesome. As a teacher, I would have encouraged student writers to italicizes any and all relation to the ghosts movement and/or dialogue. However, since this is not the main technique in this novel, I got lost at times.

In "Sing", we also have the relationship between Niki and Jack, two roommates in Mavis' house that goes on during the story. For me, the chemistry between these two could have used more details... Yes they annoy each other at times, but the moments are often cut short because some sort of connection to Mavis comes up. At some times, I was annoyed that Mavis kept coming up.... Shouldn't the dead stay dead and forgotten? As the story progressed however, I learned why but read the book because I'm not spoiling it for you.

Overall, I award 3 stars due to literary entertainment that one could gain from reading James' new novel. It was my first exposure to her work, and after learning she writes mysteries (more of my forte), I'll have to check one out sometime.

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