Zig-zagging by Tom Wilson -- Book Review and Tour Stop

"This game of ours always began the same. Dad would draw a picture of Ziggy happily strolling along, unaware of some horrible misfortune about to befall him. Ziggy might be zooming off a cliff, walking unknowingly into an open manhole, or oblivious to a meteor plummeting head-on his way. After Ziggy had been drawn into one of these dire circumstances, Dad would flip the placemat around, hand me his pen, and say, "Tommy, it's time for you to SAVE ZIGGY!"

This book is a cross between the memoir and inspirational genres, as Wilson writes about his experiences taking over responsibility for Ziggy from his aging father, dealing with the early death of his wife, battling depression, wrestling with faith, and finally founding his marketing firm Character Matters and finding a place for his pain and Ziggy.

I enjoyed the memoir, and wished Wilson had written more about his personal life and included fewer inspirational platitudes, although I understand why they're mixed in. The first portion of the book is the strongest, where Tom talks about his relationship with his father and how Ziggy played into that dynamic while he was growing up.

The book also has a Ziggy cartoon mixed in for every 5 pages or so--offering Ziggy's insight into the situations as Wilson relates them, which is a great touch for the book. All in all, Zig-zagging is an interesting peek into the private life of the man behind the Ziggy cartoons I love to read in the paper.

Buy Zig-zagging: Loving Madly, Losing Badly How Ziggy Saved My Life by Tom Wilson

SEE TOM DRAW ZIGGY (AND TALK ABOUT HIS BOOK):




This book is currently on tour with TLC. View the tour schedule and visit the publisher for a chance to win a copy of Tom Wilson's Zig-zagging.

Sundays at Tiffany's by James Patterson -- Book Review

"Across from me at my table at the Astor Court was Michael: hands down the handsomest man I knew, or have ever known, for hat matter. Also, the nicest, the kindest, and probably the wisest."

As a college student starved for an easy-going read, James Patterson’s “Sunday at Tiffany’s” was full of promise. The snowy picture with a young couple embracing on the cover quickly caught my interest and I couldn’t wait till I was done with my schoolwork and this week's newspaper to start reading the story.

It felt great to cuddle up in my quilt and start reading for fun again until I read the first page of the book. The author's detailed description of an ice cream fudge sundae didn't manage to disguise the horrific writing. The story was filled with numerous adjectives that seemed to be there to distract the reader from noticing the lack of quality in the style. I love adjectives—they can breathe life into a story and transcend the pages of the book, but only if used properly Adjectives can also drag the story down, cluttering out the plot and themes, which is what happened. Still enthusiastic about reading a book other than Chemistry or Spanish, I plodded on through the pages. Neither the plot nor the style ever improved.

I felt like I was reading a private journal written by somebody in their late teens, rehashing how awful their parents were, rather than a story from a seasoned author. I have a beef with stories structured around the idea of a character blaming their weaknesses on their parents or relatives. After a certain age I feel that the character should step up and take control of their lives. I don’t want to hear about your eating problem, how ugly you think you are, or the awful manner in which your boyfriend treats you. Eventually the heroine’s problems in “Sunday at Tiffany’s” were resolved but the conclusion made me think the author ran out of things to complain about so he ended the book.

One moment in the book had promise—the sex scene between the heroine and the hero. But even as the hero was nibbling on the heroine’s breasts, the author quickly gave the reader the quick and dirty rundown. The lovemaking lasted less than a half of a page, more like a paragraph really. Like the rest of the novel, the sex scene was poorly executed and sloppy.

As I closed the book and left my toasty quilt behind in the chair, I thought about what I would write for this review. As much as I disliked the story, I appreciate the hard work the author probably put into it…BUT if you are going to commit to a sex scene or fill your novel with a monstrous number of adjectives, at least have the wherewithal to do it it well.

Buy Sundays at Tiffany's from amazon.com

The Dead Guy by Doug Hewitt -- Book Review

"The name's Thigpen. Jack Thigpen. I investigate car insurance fraud. I'm not a double-nought spy, and I can't stomach martinis--no matter shaken or stirred--much to the chagrin of my wife. Martinis make me gag, but what I hate even more than olive-adorned, vomit-inducing adult beverages are scammers, con men, swindlers, and cheats. These shysters, sumbags, fraud-meisters, who absolve their consciences with the belief their crimes are victimless, instead perpetuate illegal activities that result in injury and death."

I received this book as a review copy, and at the risk of being blacklisted, I'm writing the review.

First of all, can I just ask: What in the world is going on with the grammar in that last sentence? This is the first paragraph in the book!

NO TYPOS OR GRAMMATICAL MISTAKES ON THE FIRST PAGE!

Moving on.

If you've read very many of my reviews, you've probably noticed that I focus on the voice and writing style probably more than I do the actual plot line--that's just the way I read and appreciate books. Now every writer or book has (or should have) a unique voice. Now, Hewitt was ambitious--he took on the stereotype that every bored film student with a camera has tried: the classic private eye...



Seriously?

Now, I'll be honest--I put the book down and walked away.

For a few days.

Then I considered that perhaps the book is supposed to be satirical--an entertaining spoof. Or maybe Hewitt has found a way to pull off this classic in an interesting new way. I went back and kept reading. Not only did the book not get any better, within 30 pages the author lost track of the PI voice--the only element that had any real potential of making the book a memorable experience.

Did I mention that Thigpen's best friend was shot? And he's chasing down bad guys that want him dead?! But it doesn't matter because he'll be dead in a few months from a fatal disease anyway?!! I'd wait for the movie: (I love the potato head characters!)



The Dead Guy didn't have a chance.


As always, feel free to disagree! Let me know what you think in the comments!