CANDID, SMART MEMOIR in essays from a writer/actor/mom has a lot of laughs, a few “yikes!” moments. SOLID B

MISS FORTUNE: FRESH PERSPECTIVES ON HAVING IT ALL FROM SOMEONE WHO IS NOT OKAY
Penguin Publishing Group
2016

WICKEDLY CLEVER SATIRE takes on Ireland’s “Celtic Tiger” boom and bust, along with love, death, metaphysics. B PLUS

A SNARKY COUNTERCULTURE SATIRE is packed with fun classical and pop-media references, a bit too much plot. SOLID B

CHATTY, CATTY HUMOR targets the stresses and anxieties of midlife, middle-class moms. Wry, but warmhearted! SOLID B

AN ENTERTAINING MISCELLANY OF impostors and hoaxsters through the ages. Lots of information, never boring! SOLID B

What would you do if you woke up on a 19th century whaling ship? Cormac McIlhenny decides to roll with it and see if he’s any good at harpooning whales. Turns out he is, which makes quite a change from his 21st century life of skipping classes, getting drunk, and playing guitar in a terrible band.

Gone Whalin’ is a wonderfully absurd time-travel fantasy, a hilarious campus satire, and a picaresque caper novel. When Cormac’s stoner roommate and the corrupt campus dean join forces to exploit his century-hopping abilities, all hell breaks loose on the home front. Meanwhile, Cormac’s got problems in his 19th century existence as well, aboard the world’s least efficient whaling vessel and at the mercy of its delusional captain. If only he had bothered to read Moby Dick instead of getting high…

This novel does an awful lot of things very well. It’s a farce full of fast-paced action, but there are some pretty sharp barbs aimed at academic politics, social media rubberneckers, sensational journalism, and a broad range of human foibles. The tempo stays quick, the plotting is always smart, and there are plenty of laughs aboard. Don’t miss it!

HILARIOUS, ABSURD FANTASY! A slacker college student travels through time to a 19th century whaling ship.

Science fiction and humor can be a tricky combination. When done well, the result can be as memorable as The Hitchhiker’s Guide to the Galaxy; when handled clumsily…well, it’s best to pass over those books in silence. In his book Sequence, Adam Moon shows a gift for incorporating everyday humor into a familiar science-fiction plot.

Moon’s protagonist, Chris, is an average bro abducted by advanced aliens onto an ark-style spaceship for experimental breeding purposes. Where Moon absolutely shines is in catching the comedy inherent in a completely ordinary guy’s reaction to an extraordinary, and often imagined, situation. Chris knows enough about the conventions of UFO stories to understand that he’s an unlikely hero, but he’s also comfortable enough in his own skin to talk back to the aliens he encounters, and to trust in his own instincts even in these bizarre circumstances.

Comedy is hard, and Moon’s skill with it is impressive. Where the book falls a bit short is in its mechanics; the prose is still rough enough to distract from the story in places. All in all, though, Sequence is an enjoyable read.

ENGAGING RIFF ON the science-fiction standby of alien abduction shines with its humor, but could use editing.

HUGELY ENTERTAINING REVIEW of baseball’s least competent players. Clever fun, well researched. #beachread