Book Review: Assorted Nuts by Sandy Bax

Book: Assorted Nuts

Author: Sandy Bax

Release Date: November 2009 (Tate Publishing)

Genre: Memoir narrative

Pages: 352




Review Date:1/20/2010

Book Synopsis (Back Matter)

In the bucolic state of Vermont, a mother-daughter relationship is about to change forever. The daughter, Sara is getting married. And with two out of three husbands in attendance, Sandy feels herself on the brink of madness as she stumbles against long-ago forgotten faces, both friend and foe, each evoking a vivid memory. The recollections in Assorted Nuts: A Family Album will take you on a candid and unforgettable journey from the depths of an anxious childhood to the heights of emotional freedom, and will have you laughing, crying, and laughing again all the way. Sandy Bax frankly and cleverly relates how she battled cancer, alcoholism, the pain of divorce, and the serendipitous assignment of becoming caretaker for an aging mother slipping rapidly into dementia. Assorted Nuts is a survivor's tale and is delivered in the languages of hope and courage. A must read for every woman, as surely she will find herself in at least one of these intimate family snapshots.


Review: I loved this book. Really. I cannot tell you enough how wonderful it was to read. Memoir narrative is a dying, underappreciated set of literary product in today’s increasingly academic, garbage self-help, and endlessly storied market. Bax is an undiscovered, but shamelessly exposed writer who is genuinely expert at her craft. A tragedy in being a largely unreviewed novel at the time of this writing, without fluff I concretely state that Nuts was one of the best books I have had the pleasure of reviewing or reading in the past months.

What makes it so compelling for me is the blending of genuine and sentimental humor, and unbridled intimacy the reader feels as he reads the narrative. From the table of contents to the last paragraphs, humor is a subtlety of coping the author shares with the voyeur reading in a private room the tragedies and triumphs of a human being that leaves nothing hidden under a bushel.

Instantly I was sad for this woman. Although she appears to triumph out of the chards of life that so brutally yet lovingly are strewn across the pages, the psychologist in me cannot help but to notice a gentle remorse or perhaps sadness that is distilled throughout the insights—as if to say to the reader “I am sorry for taking so long to discover me, don’t make the same mistake.”

As you progress through the early life, marriages, and vices one cannot help but to feel the genuine spectrum of human pathos associated with the vagaries of lie, and without feeling the unending sadness and isolation to which we all at times must feel. However, masterfully Bax spins humor and subtle insight throughout without the hubris of calling herself the Socrates of the new millennium. 100% recommended.

On the writing style: Excellent writing and editing. Straight forward and unapologetic. You will probably not like this novel if you enjoy a barrier between reality and perception—this book is life full speed ahead.

On the Target Audience: sober minded who enjoy humor. Those who can relate to a checkered life, or those who appreciate those who have had a checkered life. I especially think women in their middle to later ages would find the read quite enjoyable. Unfortunately while it is probably aimed at the younger generation it may be lost on them as they may be in the same mode of narrowed thinking Bax exposes was her early life.

On the best parts: the biting humor brilliantly juxtaposed with human tragedy. From the beginning scenes describing being freaked to sleep in the morgue, to the unusual descriptions of “pet flies”, to the closing description of daughter Sara’s inconvenient memories, Bax’s humor is a rarity to treasure.

Closing thoughts and overall summary: The only negative I have to say about this novel is that I fear its brilliance sand honesty will be lost on too many people. This is a novel about true mental health disorders in a world that like to pretend that maybe five people suffer from them. For the rest of us, a wonderful, rich read of the ugliness and triumphs of life.


Heath Sommer

Body in the Baptistery Book Club Review!

Welcome to all of our followers for the first Tate Authors book club review. For those of you participating you will have twenty four hours (and really more....what are we gonna erase this?) to post your responses to the five questions about the book. Be honest, be "pg" rated or under, and most of all have fun!


Question 1: How was the introduction, storyline, character pacing, and your overall impression of the novel?

Body in the baptistery question 2

What character, storyline, and specific chapter did you like the best and why?

Body in the baptistery question 3

What other stories, movies, or storytellers come to mind that is like baptistery?

Body in the baptistery question 4

What if anything do you wish the author had done different?

Body in the baptistery question 5

What rating (using our Tate Authors scale of course, it is on the right banner of this website) would you give this novel?

First Book Club Book! Body in The Baptistry by Jim Wilcox

TABR is excited to review our very first book club book. Readers have until 12/15/09 to aquire and read a copy of Body in the Baptistry by Jim Wilcox. On the 15th, I will post a Book Club template for all participants to respond to, and formal commenting will commence on this site from 6-7pm, Mountain Standard Time. Commenting will be ongoing, so if someone failed to get the book read by the 15th, or cannot participate in the live comment period they can add their comments at any date after.

Happy Reading!

Book Review: Body In The Baptistery (A Gideon Grant Mystery) by Jim Wilcox

Book: Body In The Baptistery (A Gideon Grant Mystery)

Author: Jim Wilcox

jimwilcox.tatepublishing.net

Release Date: September 2006 (Tate Publishing)

Genre: Christian Fiction; mystery (soft-boiled)

Pages: 318




Review Date:11/11/2009

Book Synopsis (Back Matter)

What's Gideon Grant to do now that his mentor in his newfound faith has been assassinated? What any red-blooded ex-cop turned PI would do--find the cold blooded killer. Jim Wilcox's Body in the Baptistery takes you along for the chase with danger at every turn. Betrayal and death test Grant's new faith, but he perseveres with the tenacity of Jane Marple and the patience of Hecule Poirot. On his first plunge into the waters of mystery writing, author Jim Wilcox dives into the deep end of the pool and doesn't come up for air until a series of murders is solved. Take a deep breath when you open Body in the Baptistery--it will keep you submerged in mystery to the end.

Review: Baptistry was overall a fun and enjoyable read. It is set in several US cities including Houston and Springfield. Gideon Grant, the ethyl sipping addict of the past turned reformed Christian and tenacious yet reluctant private detective works off his own demons while fighting the demons of others as a tale of mafia, mayhem, and generally criminal chaos challenge the nascent Christian’s belief in a higher power.

On the writing style: Baptistry is written primarily as mass market trade (detective), with one liner zingers that really are clever and add a good zest to the storyline. Wilcox does a remarkable job with subtle life observations cloaked as sarcasm on the at times silliness of human interaction. For instance, characters in the book will perform immensely human tasks such as discreetly parking in the “guest” spot of parking lots which they do not qualify for, and other mild human mores. Baptistery does at times deviate from genre fiction with at times subtle and at times more overt Christian narratives which will likely be enjoyed by those of the Judeo-Christian ideological spectrum, but may be tangents or at times challenging to those of non-Christian faiths.

On the Target Audience: As just alluded, the main audience is likely to be fans of Christian fiction, and especially those aligning with Protestant paradigms. However, in my opinion the book is broad enough to be enjoyed by general fans of mystery and suspense, and should not be considered only for Christian Fiction Readers.

On the best parts: The most enjoyable aspect of this book includes the sarcastic banter scenarios and also the structured chapter endings. Wilcox really does a very nice job punctuating the ending of nearly every chapter, which is a difficult skill many authors have not mastered, but which Wilcox does very well. The storyline itself is also fun and reminiscent of classic conflict structures, but superimposed with a modern retwinking that makes for an authentic feel.

Closing thoughts and overall summary: Baptistery is a worthy read that will not be a waste of time or effort to the interested consumer. I highly enjoyed the story and easily recommend it to others. Baptistery does not have gratuitous violence or sexuality, but does have real substance when this type of narrative is needed to push the story along. At times the plot sequencing is a bit formula driven, but not in a bad way. In other words Wilcox appears to value the character sequence more than the plot, and so the book is more about figuring out how the characters will deal with the ending, rather than what the ending is itself, per say. (In analogy we all know Perry Mason is going to win the court case, but the discovery is more in the backward looking details and how the lives and personalities came to the story climax, which Wilcox does brilliantly). It is easy to see why Wilcox lands another two books in the Gideon grant Series, which I look forward to reviewing soon on this site! Good read!


Heath Sommer

Book Review: Good to the Last Drop: Refreshing Inspiration for Homeschool Moms and Other Busy Women by Dee Dee Wike

Book: Good to the Last Drop: Refreshing Inspiration for Homeschool Moms and Other Busy Women



Author: Dee Dee Wike

Release Date: pre-release (scheduled for release December 2009)

Genre: memoir with religious themes

Pages: 332


Review Date: 10 29 2009


Review: Last drop is a spiritually intimate journey into the mind of an American Christian woman who reflects upon the religious and familial as well as intrapsychic sanctities of her several decades of Human experience. Written in the well-known formula of musing meets morality (think Chicken Soup for the Soul) Last Drop was an enjoyable, at times moving and at times funny (and at times both) exploration about the life and times of the American mother and parishioner. The book is broken into a litany of short memoirs and musings, most often closing with a scriptural tie in from the Bible.

On the writing style: Easy to read, easy language, with speckled humor that oscillates with analytical wisdom and subtle dialectics. The book itself appears to have been crafted as the type of novel that can be read on a coffee table or as a brief motivator for every day, or rather can be read straight through (most probably on a rainy, overcast day next to a roasting fire).

On the Target Audience: While the book has wide ranging appeal to any consumer who identifies in the Judeo-Christian religious spectrum, the author very appropriately defines the target audience in the title: Mothers, especially those who home school and are actively religious will like this book the most. However there are wide ranging applications that transcend many demographics.

On the best parts: As with all memoir fiction, certain passages have particular intimacy and insight. I enjoyed the underpinning morality and humor of "On the right side of the grass" and "Fill ‘er up", while enjoying the direct and simple, yet emotionally somber narrative of "Refreshed".

Closing thoughts and overall summary: An easy, fun read that anyone in the Judeo-Christian theological spectrum could easily appreciate. Seems to be an excellent tool for stimulating thoughts that might be shared in a religious talk or Sunday School lesson.

Author websites:
http://www.facebook.com/people/Dee-Dee-Wike/1269600559
http://www.tatepublishing.com/bookstore/book.php?w=978-1-61566-287-6



--Heath Sommer

The beginning of a long journey into the choas of life...

As a young man a tired, weathered and wrinkled face put itself into mine, opened its mouth and said “If you cannot find fair with yourself, find fair with your company”. Okay, well perhaps that didn’t happen exactly in reality, but if it did, it’s good advice I’d follow. Friends beget friends, who then as a group beget success and support. This site is actively seeking for Tate authors who are in the process of promoting and exposing their book to the world, but would also like to be edified and edify one another in the path to literary meaningfulness. If you would like to both receive some exposure for your writing and give some exposure to another, peruse and decide if this is the right place for you. We hope you’ll join!