Thursday, August 18, 2011

Book Hungry is MAKING WAVES

This month marks Book Hungry's first birthday! Yay! *throws confetti* And, what better book for us to devour (get it? Book Hungry. DEVOUR. Yeah, pathetic attempt at word play, I know.) than Tawna Fenske's debut novel MAKING WAVES?  If you aren't already acquainted with Tawna (which means you've probably been living under a rock in the middle of the desert or chained up in some pervy dude's basement for the last year or so), check her out here and here.  When you're done with all the stalker-like behavior, go buy her book here or maybe even here.  Best to buy from both sites...you know...to make absolutely certain you get it;)


Here it is.  Look how pretty!

Summary (as stolen from Amazon):
She always wanted to belong...just not to a dysfunctional pirate crew


Juli has trouble fitting in, though she'd prefer to keep the reasons to herself. But when she mistakenly stows away on a ship of misfit corporate castoffs, her own secrets become the least of her concerns.

He knows plotting a diamond heist may be considered unusual behavior...

But Alex isn't feeling very normal when his unscrupulous boss kicks him to the curb. Meeting Juli doesn't do much to restore normalcy to Alex's life either, but it sure is exhilarating!

As Alex and Juli bare their secrets-and a whole lot more-they find that while normal is nice, weird can be wonderful.

Dive into Tawna Fenske's hilarious world of wacky, quirky, heartwarming romance.


My Thoughts (as pick pocketed from no one but me...and your mom):
As anyone well acquainted with my usual reading lists will tell you, while I read any and everything I can get my hands on, the only genre I read less often than fantasy is the ROMANCE.  Yes, I like a little romantic element in the things I read, but I don't want it to be the central focus point.  I want action, intrigue, something other than the pitter patter of hearts being set on fire.  You're probably wondering about right now why on earth I would choose this as our August read.

Simple, my illustrious interwebz friends.  Tawna is freaking hilarious.  You can catch her act every weekday over on her blog Don't Pet Me, I'm Writing, and of course, on the Twitter.  So, how could I not be curious about her book?  Also, I may or may not be hoping that somehow, someway, she can find a way to revive that girl undertaker story.  Cuz, that would be awesome.  I'm just saying.

So, of course, I expected to be wowed by her book.  I had high expectations, which kind scared me.  What if her book wasn't as laugh-till-you-nearly-pee-your-pants funny?  What if the humor I'd fallen hopelessly in love with while reading her blog this past year dropped out of sight?  What if I just didn't like it (gasp! the horror!)?

And, you know what, folks? 

There was nothing to worry about.  Did I laugh? Uproariously so.  Did I roll my eyes and shake my head at some of the antics going on? Heck yeah!  Did I cry?  What? NO! but I did get a little bit of an "Aw, that's so unbelievably unbelievable" moment. 

It's a very rare thing indeed when a book does not only live up to the hype, but surpasses all expectations.  Not since I read Carl Hiaasen's SKINNY DIP have I enjoyed a quirky comedic, and yes, romantic novel so, so, so much.  The settings were vividly described.  I could almost taste the salty ocean breeze on my tongue when Tawna describes Julie's time on deck.  Fully-formed side characters support her hero and heroine superbly.  In fact, there were times when I wanted more time with Phyllis, Jake, and Cookie...and of course, Cookie's spatula. (I really need to find out where he got such a handy multi-purpose tool. Really, it's the Swiss Army knife of any cross-dressing, former NFL star, turned laid-off shipping worker, turned pirate crew chef.  Duh)

And, the interactions between Alex and Julie? *sigh* *snort* *blush* *giggle* *AWWWW* From the bar/newlywed game scene where they first meet to the twenty questions and Alex's mouth-to-neck admission to the game of strip Battleship, these two kept me riveted.  I just wanted to find out what they'd do/say next.  Not once was I disappointed. 

Yep, friends, it's safe to say that Tawna was definitely MAKING WAVES in my reading...especially with the ending.  It was very...er...satisfying ;)

What about all you, magnificent minions?  Have you read Tawna's book yet?  If so, did you enjoy yourself?  If not, why the heck haven't you?  Inquiring minds want to know :)

5 comments:

  1. Oh, we so MISSED you during our conference call with Tawna. We all tried to discuss our favorite parts and well... there were so many, it was impossible to pick one.

    Great review, great pick and HAPPY BIRTHDAY, BOOK HUNGRY!

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  2. the specifics of cookie's spatula were in fact discussed on the phone call, BUT, the details of it are lost in the great mac crash. so you didn't miss much there other than tawna admitting it is a real thing, she just doesn't own one herself.

    great review. great book. great celebration of us turning 1.

    hip hip hooray!

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  3. This was a great book club pic.

    I guess every once in a while you do something right.

    Who knew?

    BTW my word verification for today is sneering. How appropriate.

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  4. Thanks so much for the lovely, lovely review! I covet that spatula myself :)

    Tawna

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