APRIL FOOLS by Richie Tankersley Cusick

PUBLISHER: Scholastic, 4/1990
GENRE: Young Adult Fiction/Horror
SETTING: Unknown, USA
SERIES: Point Horror
PURCHASE: link
MY GRADE: A

FROM PUBLISHER: Coming home from a forbidden April Fools party, Belinda and her friends witness a horrible accident. When no one appears to have survived, the three friends vow not to admit they were there. Then the sick pranks begin, and Belinda must discover the truth to save their lives!

MY THOUGHTS: This was a fairly interesting read by a female author. The blurb of this story sounds like I Know What You Did Last Summer but is very different. I liked Belinda, the high school senior leading lady, and didn't mind her two uncaring friends, Hildy and Frank, much but found her female best friend Hildy to be annoying and negative. And I don't understand why Hildy, a seventeen year old, was wearing her hair in braids in 1990. 

I liked the very dark character of Adam, the boy close to her age that she was tutoring. I don't have much of an opinion of his stepbrother, Noel, other than to say he's the opposite of Adam in personality, outwardly, anyway. They're the same age, eighteen. I liked Noel's cold mother and would have liked to have seen more of her but her time in the novel was very short.

Spoiler->>>>>>>>> All of the strange things going on were done by multiple people, which I didn't like.

There were several possibilities as to who the villain could be but I didn't guess it. I doubt many did. This is one novel that should have been longer than it was.  It could have easily been another 100 pages. I'd have liked some backstory on Noel and his mother, and more too on Adam.

THE BIG BOOK OF PORN: A Penetrating Look at the World of Dirty Movies by Seth Grahame-Smith

PUBLISHER: Quirk, 11/2005
GENRE: Nonfiction/Sexuality/Film
AUTHOR SITE: link
PURCHASE: link
MY GRADE: B-

FROM PUBLISHER: An XXX Rated Celebration of Adult Movies. According to film historians, the first motion picture was screened in December 1895. And the first dirty motion picture was screened just a few months later.

Adult movies are nearly as old as cinema itself. "The Big Book of Porn" celebrates this controversial art form in all its timeless glory from the stag films of the 1920s and the Super 8 reels of the 50s to the VHS boom of the 80s and the interactive DVDs of Tomorrow.

Chapters include:

Know Your Classics: The twenty-five most important adult films of all time, including Debbie Does Dallas, Deep Throat, and an X-rated musical version of Alice in Wonderland.
Great Moments in Porn History: From the first on-screen kiss to the invention of the silicone breast implant, these are major events that defined modern-day adult films.

The Pantheon of Porn: These mini-bios of mega-stars like Seka, Linda Lovelace, and Marilyn Chambers are filled with surprising trivia.

It s A Porn World, After All: We travel around the world from Australia and Canada to Germany and Japan to watch the best of international porn.

Make Your Own Porno: All you need is a video camera, a willing partner, and these simple pointers ( Tell a story, Start with a bang, Parody a real film title whenever possible ).

And that s just the beginning. You ll also find a glossary of unfamiliar terms, a catalog of favorite porn genres, tons of classic stills and posters, interviews with porn pioneers, the 300 goofiest porn titles of all time (Edward Penishands, Juranal Park, Oklahomo!), and much, much more."



MY THOUGHTS: This was pretty entertaining but needed more information on the porn industry and less on unimportant things like how to make your own porn, how to clean a disc properly, and where to hide discs around the house, like behind a picture frame. It wasn't necessary either to list places to buy porn or adult toys because anyone can Google that and find countless places to buy stuff. I think all the afore mentioned stuff was done to fill space. The author's very funny but I wish this had been a little more serious.

There are about eighteen pages at the beginning that give a very brief history of porn, beginning with the creation of motion pictures, and goes in chronological order. That section is seriously lacking.

The book is a large and heavy paperback, almost two pounds, that's in full color with glossy pages and a whole lotta photos with minimal nudity.

I liked the author listing his top twenty favorite classic (pre-1984) porn films. I've only seen five:

01. The Opening of Misty Beethoven
02. The Dancers
03. Taboo
04. Talk Dirty to Me
05. The Satisfiers of Alpha Blue
06. Insatiable
07. Debbie Does Dallas
08. Alice in Wonderland
09. Sex World
10. Deep Throat
11. Blonde Ambition
12. Babylon Pink
13. Wanda Whips Wall Street
14. Every Inch a Lady
15. Behind the Green Door
16. Tell Them Johnny Wadd is Here
17. Female Athletes
18. Bite
19. Tigresses...And Other Man-Eaters
20. Deep Inside Annie Sprinkle

I received this from the publisher in exchange for an honest review.

MY SECRET ADMIRER by Carol Ellis

PUBLISHER: Scholastic, 11/1989
GENRE: Young Adult Fiction/Horror
SETTING: Somewhere in the USA
SERIES: Point Horror
PURCHASE: link
MY GRADE: B

FROM PUBLISHER: Jenny is new in town. Her parents go away, leaving her all alone in an isolated house. The mountains surrounding the town loom ominously, guarding the secret of what really happened the day of Diana Benson's accident. Then the phone calls start...

Jenny has a secret admirer, who courts her with sweet messages and flowers. But she also has an enemy, who chases her on a lonely road. Does she know too much about the 'accident' on the cliffs? And is there anyone she can trust?

Jenny has no one to turn to. Except her secret admirer... But who is he?

MY THOUGHTS: This was pretty darn good throughout but the ending stunk. Time span is about a week, maybe less. Jenny's a likable sixteen/seventeen year old soon-to-be junior in high school. The author made a point to tell us three different times that Jenny was wearing white shorts and once a white robe. White usually represents purity and innocence and you'll see that Jenny's none too bright either. She meets a group of kids her age shortly after moving to an unnamed town and state in August and makes friends with Sally. We didn't really get to know any of the other characters. And of course there was no backstory on anyone.

The actions of The Admirer were pretty sinister, especially where Jenny's dog Peaches was concerned. I find it a bit bizarre that Jenny was excited by The Admirer and didn't wonder how he happened to call and leave messages while she wasn't home or was away from the phone and couldn't hear it ring. It's not really understandable to me how she could be receiving both good and bad anonymous gifts at the same time and not realize they must be from the same person or even wonder about it.

Here's the first call Jenny got from her admirer. The message was left on her answering machine: "You're going to think I'm crazy, Jenny. And I guess I am. Crazy about you, that is. Don't laugh. This isn't a joke. You're really incredible. Maybe someday I'll be able to tell you face to face. Until then, I'll just keep my eye on you. And believe me, that's one spectacular view. Bye Jenny. For now."

The ending was not good. No one would have gone to that location to meet a total stranger yet Jenny did. No one really could have figured out where Jenny went and who she was with, period, yet someone did. We were left hanging with what happened legally with The Admirer.

THE HANGMAN'S SECRET by Laura Joh Rowland

PUBLISHER: Crooked Lane Books, 1/2019
GENRE: Historical Fiction/Mystery
SERIES: Victorian Mystery: #3
AUTHOR SITE: link
PURCHASE: link
MY GRADE: D

FROM PUBLISHER: Photographer Sarah Bain and her friends Lord Hugh Staunton and sometime street urchin Mick O’Reilly are private detectives with a new gig—photographing crime scenes for London’s Daily World newspaper. The Daily World is the latest business venture of their sole client, Sir Gerald Mariner, a fabulously wealthy and powerful banker.

One cold, snowy January morning, Sarah, Hugh, and Mick are summoned to the goriest crime scene they’ve ever encountered. A pub owner named Harry Warbrick has been found hanged and decapitated amid evidence of foul play. His murder becomes a sensation because he was England’s top hangman and he’s met the same fate that he inflicted on hundreds of criminals.

Sir Gerald announces that the Daily World—meaning Sarah and her friends—will investigate and solve Harry Warbrick’s murder before the police do. The contest pits Sarah against the man she loves, Police Constable Barrett. She and her friends discover a connection between Harry Warbrick’s murder and the most notorious criminal he ever executed—Amelia Carlisle, the “Baby-Butcher,” who murdered hundreds of infants placed in her care.

Something happened at Amelia’s execution. The Official Secrets Act forbids the seven witnesses present to divulge any information about it. But Harry had a bad habit of leaking tips to the press. Sarah and her friends suspect that one of the other witnesses killed Harry to prevent him from revealing a secret related to the execution. What is the secret, and who hanged the hangman?

MY THOUGHTS: This was awful. There were too many characters, over twenty!, and hardly any backstory on the main ones. I guess the author thought we'd read the two previous ones in the series where I assume she gave some backstory so she didn't need to retell any of it. There's really not one character I can say I truly liked in this. Everyone was bland and most were unlikable. I don't like first person narration either because we only get one persons point of view.

This takes place in 1889 and spans probably a few weeks. The main plot is a bit convoluted, especially near the end when it all comes together nicely, and not nearly as interesting as the synopsis makes it sound. Too many turns and nonsense in the latter part and it became hard for me to follow along. The subplot involving Laura's father was so boring and a space-filler. I guess they were setting that up to be featured in the next book. This story should have left that out and the pages should have been cut by about fifty.

If I hadn't known this took place in England in the late 19th century I'd have thought it was American by the dialogue and some expressions that were used, though I don't know the origin of said expressions. I just know that we Americans still use them today. There was nothing in the dialogue or lingo that would have made anyone think of England, except the overuse of Mick saying, "Crikey!"

I thought it was absurd that Laura and her boyfriend of a year, Barrett, both in their early 30's, don't have intercourse but do other sexual things that we weren't told about.

I really dislike that the character of Amelia Carlisle was clearly based on real life baby serial killer Amelia Dyer and I don't like that Laura and her crew had previously tried to track down Jack the Ripper. The author needs to be original and not take from history. Create your own unique characters.

And maybe I missed it but I don't know why Harry was hanged but the others weren't, when they knew the "secret" too.

I received this from the publisher in exchange for an honest review.

THE ARTFUL CAT by Mark Bryant

PUBLISHER: Courage Books, 8/1991
GENRE: Arts and Photography
PURCHASE: link
MY GRADE: A

FROM PUBLISHER: Featuring 60 full-color paintings by old masters, Western, and Asian artists, this volume captures the essence of the mysterious cat. Quotations or verses enhance the mood of each piece, creating a magnificent, appealing collection for all cat lovers.

MY THOUGHTS: This is a beautiful hardcover book. It's basically a picture book with minimal text. One page has a short poem or the like, complete with author and their year of birth and death (most were born in the nineteenth century and died before the age of 70) and the opposite page has a piece of artwork that sort of matches up with the poem and has the artists name but not when the artwork was completed, nor do they have the artists year of birth or death.

The only reason it doesn't get an A+ is because it doesn't tell you anything at all about the artists. I had to look some of them up online. The book is a heavy 2.5 lb., 11.25" square that's a little over 1/2" thick.

Here's a photo of inside the front cover. Here's a photo of a page in the book.

Chapters are: Catlings & Kittens, The Sphinx, Tiger! Tiger!, A Clowder of Cats, Requiescat. Each chapter is anywhere from 15-30 pages long.

I have nine favorites and they are: 

Sleepy Cat by Eileen Mayo
Beyond the Ilex by Derold Page
The Apple-Mouse by Ditz
Two Cats Blue and Yellow by Franz Marc.
Winsor & Newton by Martin Leman They remind me of a cat I used to have.
Artwork Untitled by Derold Page
The Church Cat's Dream by Derold Page
Coven of Cats by Janet Thorndike
.......and my favorite of all, Double Cat-Spread by Ditz. I've got to say that internet photos aren't doing this justice at all.

Artwork featured in the book are:

Chapter 1

Portrait of Thomas by Pipa Sterne
Three White Angora Kittens by Arthur Heyer
Pussy in the Workbasket by Artist Unknown
The Fishing Party by Horatio Henry Couldrey
Felines at Play by B.B.
Miss Ann White's Kitten by George Stubbs
Who's the Fairest of Them All? by Frank Paton
Kitten and Ball of Wool by Murata Kokoku
The Face at the Window by Fannie Moody
Kittens at a Banquet by Louis Eugene Lambert
Kitten by Emma Goss
Kitten on Cushions by Sally Holmes

Chapter 2

Tabby Cat by Artist Unknown
Cat by E.B. Watts
Cat on a Rush Chair by Sei Koyanagui
Sleepy Cat by Eileen Mayo
Feline Phantasy by Enid Marx
My Bathroom Cat by Ditz
Winston with Anemones Rosalind Stoddart
Cat on a Window Sill by Joan Freestone
Lucy by Martin Leman
Golfing Cat by Hilary Jones
Illustration from the Historie of Foure-Footed Beastes
Deux Chats Endormis by T.L. Foujita
Youth by Wills Barnet
Puss in Boots by Artist Unknown
Mango With Molyneux by Joan Freestone

Chapter 3

The Ginger Cat by Gertrude Halsband
Sam, the All American Cat by Robert Macaulay
First-Century Roman Mosaic by Unknonwn
Cats Fencing by Louis Wain
Beyond the Ilex by Derold Page
The Apple-Mouse by Ditz
Penny Black and Tiffany Tortoiseshell by Martin Leman
Cat With Spider by Jullian Peccinotti
Girl Chasing Theiving Cat by Kuniyoshi
Cat with Fish by Kalighat
White Cat Watching Goldfish by Arthur Heyer
Cat in Grass by Jane Ormes
Cat and Canary by Will Barnet
Two Cats by Franz Marc
Two Cats by Unknown Nineteenth-Century Hooked Rug

Chapter 4

Catch That Cat by Monika Beisner
Winsor & Newton by Martin Leman
A Feast in Fairyland by Jigsaw for Louis Wain for Raphael Turk & Son, 1909
The Artist's Way by R.W.
Three Friends on Kasai Mat by Derold Page
Double Cat-Spread by Ditz
Wooden Cats by Janet Thorndike
Two Cats by Jillian Peccinotti
Cats by C. Raaphorst
Untitled by Unknown Artist

Chapter 5

Artwork Untitled by Derold Page
The Chairman by Louis Wain
Black Cat by Carole Thomson
The Church Cat's Dream by Derold Page
Wicker Chair by E.B. Watts
The New Collar by Unknown Nineteenth-Century Engraving
Jack Russell and Persian by F. Rutherford
Minnie From the Outskirts of the Village by R.P. Thrall
Coven of Cats by Janet Thorndike


A SPECIAL THANK YOU TO JASON FOR SENDING THIS TO ME!