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The Hobbyist

Name: The Hobbyist
Author: Darryl Shelly
ISBN: 978-0615746524

by Darryl Shelly ‧ RELEASE DATE: March 13, 2013

An honest, often hilarious and occasionally sluggish tale of a man who loves sex too much.

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The fictional account of a self-confessed sexaholic reviewing the path that led to his addiction.

After attending a meeting of Sex Addicts Anonymous, young Dash reflects upon his extensive sexual history. At 15, a coming-of-age visit to a brothel, underwritten by friend Troy’s military father, introduced both teenagers to the pleasures of the flesh. Now, in his ongoing quest for female companionship, Dash is often accompanied by impulsive, devil-may-care buddy Ted, who introduces Dash to AAMP (Asian Massage Parlors), where a request for ‘full service’ gets you more than a deep-tissue rubdown. After Ted makes a hasty exit, Dash falls in with redheaded Fergus, a colorful Irishman with a ravenous libido and money to burn. As Dash beds hundreds of women, he must decide whether to limit his palate to one-night stands or open himself to love and intimacy. For Dash and compatriots, a “hobbyist”—someone keen on prostitutes—is but one of a host of insider terms, many of which are code for ladies of the evening and “the act,” in all its variations. Although Dash, who’s funny as hell and generous to a fault, usually pays for sex, he makes an earnest effort to please his partner, even if she doesn’t excel at her job. As a narrator, Dash isn’t preachy, and mercifully, his story is more confession than cautionary tale. Dialogue is sharp and the narrative witty, although at times the pacing lags. A caveat for the easily offended: Although Dash isn’t misogynistic, some of his acquaintances may be construed as such; e.g., good-time Ted refers to the services of an Asian beauty as “Bang-Bang Chicken.” The book has no profound theme, no impressive story arc, no big takeaway; yet the ending is surprisingly touching. Adult females may delight in discovering what certain men really think and feel about women, in and out of bed.

An honest, often hilarious and occasionally sluggish tale of a man who loves sex too much.

Pub Date: March 13, 2013

ISBN: 978-0615746524

Page Count: 298

Publisher: Bexley Press

Review Posted Online: Feb. 20, 2013

Review Program: Kirkus Indie

Categories:

GENERAL FICTION

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SUMMER ISLAND

by Kristin Hannah ‧ RELEASE DATE: March 1, 2001

The best-selling author of tearjerkers like Angel Falls (2000) serves up yet another mountain of mush, topped off with...

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Talk-show queen takes tumble as millions jeer.

Nora Bridges is a wildly popular radio spokesperson for family-first virtues, but her loyal listeners don't know that she walked out on her husband and teenaged daughters years ago and didn't look back. Now that a former lover has sold racy pix of naked Nora and horny himself to a national tabloid, her estranged daughter Ruby, an unsuccessful stand-up comic in Los Angeles, has been approached to pen a tell-all. Greedy for the fat fee she's been promised, Ruby agrees and heads for the San Juan Islands, eager to get reacquainted with the mom she plans to betray. Once in the family homestead, nasty Ruby alternately sulks and glares at her mother, who is temporarily wheelchair-bound as a result of a post-scandal car crash. Uncaring, Ruby begins writing her side of the story when she's not strolling on the beach with former sweetheart Dean Sloan, the son of wealthy socialites who basically ignored him and his gay brother Eric. Eric, now dying of cancer and also in a wheelchair, has returned to the island. This dismal threesome catch up on old times, recalling their childhood idylls on the island. After Ruby's perfect big sister Caroline shows up, there's another round of heartfelt talk. Nora gradually reveals the truth about her unloving husband and her late father's alcoholism, which led her to seek the approval of others at the cost of her own peace of mind. And so on. Ruby is aghast to discover that she doesn't know everything after all, but Dean offers her subdued comfort. Happy endings await almost everyone—except for readers of this nobly preachy snifflefest.

The best-selling author of tearjerkers like Angel Falls (2000) serves up yet another mountain of mush, topped off with syrupy platitudes about life and love.

Pub Date: March 1, 2001

ISBN: 0-609-60737-5

Page Count: 336

Publisher: Crown

Review Posted Online: May 19, 2010

Kirkus Reviews Issue: Jan. 15, 2001

Categories:

GENERAL FICTION

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TO KILL A MOCKINGBIRD

by Harper Lee ‧ RELEASE DATE: July 11, 1960

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A first novel, this is also a first person account of Scout's (Jean Louise) recall of the years that led to the ending of a mystery, the breaking of her brother Jem's elbow, the death of her father's enemy — and the close of childhood years. A widower, Atticus raises his children with legal dispassion and paternal intelligence, and is ably abetted by Calpurnia, the colored cook, while the Alabama town of Maycomb, in the 1930's, remains aloof to their divergence from its tribal patterns. Scout and Jem, with their summer-time companion, Dill, find their paths free from interference — but not from dangers; their curiosity about the imprisoned Boo, whose miserable past is incorporated in their play, results in a tentative friendliness; their fears of Atticus' lack of distinction is dissipated when he shoots a mad dog; his defense of a Negro accused of raping a white girl, Mayella Ewell, is followed with avid interest and turns the rabble whites against him. Scout is the means of averting an attack on Atticus but when he loses the case it is Boo who saves Jem and Scout by killing Mayella's father when he attempts to murder them. The shadows of a beginning for black-white understanding, the persistent fight that Scout carries on against school, Jem's emergence into adulthood, Calpurnia's quiet power, and all the incidents touching on the children's "growing outward" have an attractive starchiness that keeps this southern picture pert and provocative. There is much advance interest in this book; it has been selected by the Literary Guild and Reader's Digest; it should win many friends.