Game Changer by Rachel Reid
My rating: 5 of 5 stars
Ok so this post will make references to the show Heated Rivalry because it is a phenomenon right now and I am obsessed. It might be quite long winded, so I apologize for that. This is a rare case where I watched the show/movie before I read the books. I didn’t get the books right away and I wanted to see what it was all about. I was not disappointed.
“What do your abs taste like?”
“’Been around straight people too much lately.’”
“’What’s wrong with the closet? It’s a wonderful place crammed full of professional athletes.’”
Game Changer is about Scott Hunter who is a captain on the hockey team New York Admirals. We also meet Kip, which is short for Christopher, who works at a smoothie shop and is openly gay. One day Scott finds himself in the shop that Kip works and orders himself the suggested blueberry smoothie. Scott comes back on his next home game day and orders it again because if he wins then he wants to keep what he did on that day as much the same as possible. They flirt and Kip eventually gets invited back to Scott’s place and they have hot relations. But Scott isn’t out. There are no out players in the NHL. Kip is Scott’s secret. How will this relationship develop? Will it be able to survive the privacy that Scott’s profession demands? Will Scott be able to step into the sunshine?
Rachel Reid is an amazing person. This book was incredible. It was unbelievably sexy, hot, meaningful, and emotional. So right away one thing that struck me is that in the book Scott is blonde whereas in the show he is a brunette. As it went on, I kept on playing the scenes from the show as I read the same scene in the book. I would clock any differences (like book being NHL but show being MLH & Kip’s mother being in the book) and marveled at how true to the source material the show is, almost all. One thing I did miss in the book though was Maria saying “gurl” when Scott walks in. I loved that part. I like the mention of a cottage on page 29 because fans of the show will know what I am talking about. There is more hockey in this book which I loved. The first night they got together was so hot. This book does a good job of steaming up the pages and making the reader feel it. “There was an urgency in Scott’s eyes, but when he finally leaned in and kissed Kip, it was slow and deliberate. It wasn’t a conversation; it was Scott telling him something important, and making sure Kip was listening.” There were some typical romantic tropes that were brought up including when Kip was thinking he wasn’t good enough because Scott was rich and famous whereas Kip was working at a smoothie shop. It made Kip self-doubt. Reading the book and having Scott muse about his situation really got me thinking too. I don’t know who I side with or who is right, Kip or Scott? Does Scott have a responsibility to his team and support system or should he put his happiness first? One of my favorite scenes was when Scott was coming out to his three best friends on his team. I knew what was coming and I got this like anxious, excited knot in my stomach in anticipation. It was a wonderfully beautiful scene, and I had to go back to read it while I was writing this review. My eyes were wet when I finished reading it. A little later a teammate, Carter, stopped to speak with Scott and he made me cry. I need more Carter! The ending speech made me tear up as well. I did not run across any words that I felt compelled to write down. There are a lot of reviews and reaction videos online for the show and one, Empty Netters, is one I am in love with. I have watched episodes multiple times and those straight guys are amazing. On my review they mentioned a gripe they had was when Scott won the cup and he wasn’t gripping it. In the book he talks explicitly about gripping it and I was amused. So one thing I did not like was when they called the café in Barnes & Noble a Starbucks when in fact it is not. It just serves Starbucks coffee. I would know as I worked as a Café Manager there. In general, this was an excellent book and I will read it again and again in between rewatching the show again and again and watching the Empty Netters reviews again and again. This is exactly the type of book everyone should read if they like to be entertained and they like to feel stuff. Must read.
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Tag: Must Read
European Gay And Learning Love
The Guncle Abroad by Steven Rowley
My rating: 5 of 5 stars
“The trouble with children is that they’re not returnable.”
“’The most terrible poverty is loneliness.’”
“Chocolate like this was good for the soul, and the finer things good for the heart.”
“Feelings for adults are like treasures. And by that I mean we should bury them.”
The Guncle Abroad brings back our favorite gay uncle and his family. This time they are in Europe preparing for a wedding. Patrick, Maisie, Grant, and Greg all make a return but all a little bit older. It has been five years since the events of the first book and Patrick is about to be 50. Greg is looking to get remarried. Maisie is a teenager and Grant is becoming his own person. Greg again asks Patrick to take the kids for a bit so they travel around to several countries in Europe before landing at the destination of the wedding in Italy, on the beautiful Lake Como. There are hijinks and fun and learning aplenty. We get to meet some great new characters including a launt! Will the wedding go off without a hitch? Who will learn all about love and family? Will Patrick handle turning 50?
I thought that Steven Rowley wrote another great book but I don’t think it was as good as the first one. I still loved it though! There were returning and new characters but still everyone was fresh, exciting, relatable, and realistic. The first book had grief as the topic that permeated everything whereas this book had love. It was minutely too lovey-dovey but very manageable. No nausea from being too sickly sweet thankfully. The first thing I noticed though was before I even started the book. The jacket summary mentioned the kids being teenagers but Grant was only 11. It also had two minds about whether Patrick was actually 50 or not. But I quickly got back into the swing of things with smiling at the pop culture references, especially ones that I love and identify with. Page 5 had a mention of The First Wives Club and the judgement from the cover quickly turned to excitement about the novel I was about to read. I knew I was in for a treat in all its gay glory. The wit and snark are pure treats. It is just clever and funny. Grant talking about gay men and lesbians marrying because they are both gay. I also learned that the Bellagio in Las Vegas is based on a real location in Italy…on Lake Como! There was a mention of a movie that I loved that I feel that not a lot of people know about and that is RRR. It is so good! There was also this whole part where they went on The Sound of Music tour in Salzburg and I recognized all the details because I did that too! It was an amazing time and I would love to do it again. I could spend weeks in Austria. Reading it was like being back there and it was so vivid. It bears mentioning again but Steven continued making me laugh out loud with the witty, sarcastic, and funny back and forth. There was a joke about fathoms in response to the depth of “Twenty thousand leagues under the sea” and “’By the way, stay away from mimes, they’re all hands.’” In addition to the laughs, there were plenty of thoughts that were thoughtful and life-lessony like “there’s nothing money can buy that beats life’s free joys with the people you care about” and “growing older, as they say, was not for the faint of heart.” The paragraph on page 156 was all about our relationship with our phones and especially as a person who knew life before smartphones, was very relatable. There was a lot of spitting of bon mots. This book had a lot of words that I wrote down because I enjoyed reading, learning, and speaking them out loud. They are marchesa, dyspeptic, panoply, funicular, vivacity, and mellifluous. I also loved how instead of tourists, we were provided with more elevated terminology like itinerants, birds of passage, and bon vivants. I highly recommend reading this too. This is exactly the type of book I recommend if you read the first one or want some gay wit and fabulousness!
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Life Triumphs And Scientific Greed
“But most disturbing is the fact that no watchdogs are found among scientists themselves.”
“’Story of our species…Everybody knows it’s coming, but not so soon.’”
“’Personally, I would never help mankind.’”
“’Scientists are actually preoccupied with accomplishment. So they are focused on whether they can do something. They never stop to ask if they should do something…Discovery is always a rape of the natural world.’”
Jurassic Park is about a theme part centered around bringing dinosaurs back to life but I think a majority of people already know this. This book and the subsequent movie are about 30 years old. There have been numerous spinoffs and the cultural awareness is strong. We follow a group of people who were invited to the park as a sort of vetting and analysis process. We have paleontologists, kids, a mathematician, and a lawyer trying to survive. John Hammond is the brains behind this and wants to make tons of money from his endeavor. Something goes wrong and there are multiple problems that occur. The dinosaurs escape and the humans are trying to figure out how to get everything back on track. Who will survive and will nature triumph?
I grew up with Jurassic Park and I finally got to reading the novel that it was based on. It is so good and it had so much more than the movie. The movie was still fantastic and what Steven Spielberg was able to do with the dinosaurs was nothing short of brilliant. He brought the book to life. The movie is a classic and I think more people should read the book too. Michael Crichton starts off with an introduction that should send chills down most people’s spines. The change in science and the focus on profits is scary. He was so technical in his descriptions of everything. The details regarding medicine, technology, and science really created a realistic aura while reading. There were some good and fun words like rapacious. Let’s talk about the differences between the movie and book. First, there was a part of the book that was describing a little elephant that Hammond carried around. He used it to showcase genetic work and to bring in donations. That would have been cute to see on the screen as elephants are my favorite animal. There were also speeches that occurred in a different part of the story or different location or were attributed to a different person. For example, in the movie the lawyer talks about money they could charge per day but in the book, it is the rival of InGen. The water droplet down the hand was Arnold in the book, not Malcom. Lex is younger than Tim in the book. One of my biggest issues with the book and this is where I think the movie got it right, was with Hammond. In the book, he was less caring and more concerned about money. He didn’t seem to care about his grandchildren very much. In the movie, Hammond was this misguided but loveable, concerned person. In the book, he was hard and self-centered. There were many more characters that had big roles in the book. Gennaro was more fleshed out and was described as being muscular in the book. Also, many more main characters died in the book, which I thought made it more realistic and complex. In the book it is explicitly said that Grant likes kids. I won’t go into all the differences but there are plenty so find out for yourself! The scene where the Tyrannosaur breaks out was exciting and thrilling in the movie and was equally as exciting to read about. However, in the book, did Grant not know that dinosaurs vision was based on movement because in the movie it was very clear. I know that if the movie was extremely true to the book that it would be hours longer, but I found it fascinating that a scene in this book was not brought to the screen until this latest movie…the one that was released in 2025…the seventh film in the franchise! There were a couple scenes that occurred in other films. I think Michael Crichton brings up some very interesting and thought-provoking topics such as power, discipline, and profit. There are many good points and it gets one to really think about the state of the world. I really have a new appreciation for the author and this book. This is exactly the type of book I would want to read for pure pleasure and enjoyment, to relive a cherished childhood movie, and to view science & humanity in a different light.
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The Focus Of James And Riding The Mississippi
James by Percival Everett
My rating: 5 of 5 stars
“But the real source of our rage had to go without address, swallowed, repressed.”
“With my pencil, I wrote myself into being. I wrote myself to here.”
“Dey takes the lies dey want and throws away the truths dat scares ‘em.”
James is the story of Jim from Adventures of Huckleberry Finn but told from his perspective. We follow him through his journey from being separated from his wife and child, traversing the mighty Mississippi, encounters with many helpful people, run ins with people who want to do him harm, and all along his desire to get back to his family fueling his resolve. Throughout this story, Huck Finn is along for the ride, popping in and out of the narrative. It is told in a very rustic, local, and realistic way in the tradition of Mark Twain. Will Jim meet back up with his family or forever be on the run?
Percival Everett wrote a masterpiece here. I could not find one fault with it. The writing style was perfection and he allowed the readers to dive into the story. I felt like I was right there besides James and Huck while they were on the river, running from the white men, or eating catfish that they stole from a trotline. He has a gift with sardonic humor, keen observations, and humanistic writing. Right from the get-go I laughed out loud with “those boys couldn’t sneak up on a blind and deaf man while a band was playing.” You could just picture those boys trying to sneak. The spoken language used throughout added such depth to the narrative. On page 28, throwing in types of irony made me smile as it tickled my linguistic interests and just because I love language. Some words I ran across that I loved were Labyrinthine, Daedalean, perfidy, and sonorous. Page 103 had a great back and forth which was witty and funny. This book had an intellectual side to it as well. There were dreams of Jims, portraying historical figures and discussing equality, slavery, liberties, and whether humans are inherently evil. It added another layer of historical context based on centuries old thoughts of highly regarded writers like Volatire. It highlighted the fact that people who think they are enlightened might not be as much as they/we think. It generated many interesting possible debates. “Was it evil to kill evil?” There are so many topics and discussions I want to showcase here but I should leave things for other readers to discover on their own. The depiction of the horrific nature of slavery was palpable. The imagery that conjured in my brain with scenes describing whippings and the fear while running or hiding was vivid. It was harrowing and that was just me reading about it. Percival showcased the inhumanity it and the struggle of black people. This is exactly the type of book that I would recommend to anyone and everyone. It is quintessential.
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Stop Standing In Your Own Way And How To Level Up
“The greatest act of self-love is to no longer accept a life you are unhappy with.”
“What you believe about your life is what you will make true about your life.”
The Mountain Is You is a book in the realm of self-help and self-improvement. It is written by Brianna Wiest and she goes into depth around the topic of self-sabotage. Sometimes we are not even aware of how we are doing this. It starts from a point of realizing that you never want to feel a certain way again. It covers a lot of topics related to this and how one can identify the problems. She then dives into what you can do to help alleviate the issues and move your life in the direction you want. It guides you into being more in the moment and not letting outside forces dictate your moods and thoughts. You cannot control everything but you can control how you react. Ultimately this book guides you through how to go about figuring out what you want and understanding what is holding you back.
I took almost two pages worth of notes while reading this book. There were things I want to definitely remember going forward. I want and need to be able to think of them in everyday moments so I can apply them to my own life. “Usually when we have a problem that is circumstantial, we are facing the reality of life. When we have a problem that is chronic, we are facing the reality of ourselves.” This was the first light bulb moment I had while reading this tome of knowledge. She goes on to give examples of ways you are self-sabotaging and then explain what your subconscious might want you to know. Like for me, what really hit home was pushing people away and wanting solitude because I am not being my authentic self; if I were it would be easier to have people around. Or eating poorly because I am not giving myself the true experiences I crave. It is ultimately about what you end up doing, not what you intend to do. This book really puts things in perspective and says some smart things. It is not about making huge sweeping changes but microshifts and doing them daily until they become habituated. Change equals stress so reducing the size of the change can help. We even resist things that we want because if we achieve it we then level up, forcing us out of survival mode and into thriving mode, thinking about the bigger questions in life. It is about moving on from the life you don’t want for yourself and building something new. Show up as you are. Your purpose is just to be here. I loved the way it was organized, the way it phrased things, and the level of explanation. This was extremely helpful, and everyone should own a copy. This is exactly the type of book that I would love to have on my shelf behind my desk so that I can just reach back and open it up to find a piece of inspirational advice whenever I need it.
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Best Friends Discover Love And Sultry Scenes Of Sex
Him by Sarina Bowen
My rating: 5 of 5 stars
“Good thing he’s not a traffic cop, because he’s sending enough mixed signals to cause a ten-car pileup.”
Him is about two friends who meet at hockey camp and become friends. They made a bet on a shootout which caused one to cut the other off for years. Now a chance encounter at the Frozen Four brings them back into each other’s lives. They quickly become friends again and have six weeks to figure out what is going on between them. They are coaching teenagers to improve their hockey skills while navigating their own relationship. One is on his way to Toronto to play in the NHL and one is supposed to be headed for Detroit. This is a fun will they/won’t they book that keeps you enthralled from beginning to end.
I plowed through this book in a single day. I kept wanting to read more and more. There were plenty of hot scenes. It was well written, and this is the second gay romance I have read recently written by two female authors. I don’t know how they do it but they do an excellent job at describing things in a way that makes you feel like you are the one participating. One thing that I found myself doing throughout though, is trying to keep track of which name belonged to which character. I wrote it down but I still found myself flipping back to when the chapter started to remember if it was Wes or Jamie. Wes was the forward and Jamie was the goalie. Wes is gay and Jamie is straight. Wes has tattoos and breaks rules. Jamie has a huge family and loves coaching. The difference between each of their families is vast and it makes you feel for each of them. I loved how the book was written from both viewpoints, and it really helped to build the tension and see it from each perspective. The sex scenes were very sultry and provocative. I found myself frustrated at times with each of them and wanted them to just get over their hangups. I kept putting it down needing to move on to do something else but I found myself reaching for the book again and again so I can see what happens. I bet you could easily finish this in a single day. I cannot wait to read the next one.
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Royal Reading Revelations And The Jubilation Of The Written Word
The Uncommon Reader by Alan Bennett
My rating: 4 of 5 stars
“’You don’t put your life into your books. You find it there.’”
The Uncommon Reader is a fictitious story about Queen Elizabeth II and her discovery of her love of books and reading. She stumbles across a traveling library because of her dogs and meets a young gentleman, Norman. The Queen ends up taking a liking to this young man and invites him up from the kitchens as one of her aides. He starts off suggesting books for her to read and becomes a person that she discusses books with. Not everyone associated with the royal household is fond of her newfound love of reading. It ends up distracting her from her duties and diminishes the excitement she used to get from them. Now, she is found with a book in her hand always. We follow her through her journey and how her love of reading morphs due to her surroundings and external pressures. We learn a lot about books, reading, and how they can affect things.
Alan Bennett is so clever and witty. This book was funny and very relatable. I laughed out loud especially when Kama Sutra was mentioned. I love reading so much and I found myself nodding along with the nuggets of wisdom that were sprinkled throughout this great piece of work. I love how nonchalantly gay authors and subject matter were just rolled into the conversations with Her Majesty. I do not remember stopping to look up as many words while reading a book as I did with this one. There were so many words that I loved too like Opsimath and Amanuensis. It was so well written and very intelligent. There were lots of mentions of writers and historical notes. The author did bring in some tension and not likeable characters which helped to drive the story and make me care more. I was just thinking let people be and enjoy what they enjoy without hurting others. I wish this in the real world too. Reading and books were talked about beautifully. It was a sort of love letter to the written word. A ton of things that were said I thoroughly enjoyed. “What she was finding also was how one book led to another, doors kept opening wherever she turned and the days weren’t long enough for the reading she wanted to do.” It really speaks to what reading can bring into a person’s life and how they can benefit from it. “Books are not about passing the time. They’re about other lives. Other worlds.” It brings you in contact with things and places and people you might not have otherwise been introduced to. This book took no time at all to read as it was short and perfectly delightful. I highly recommend people who love books and reading pick this up to have a lot of our thoughts about our love of reading reflected back on us in charming ways.
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Self-Doubt, Self-Hatred, And The Heavy Lies Of Tomorrow
The Elephant in the Room: One Fat Man’s Quest to Get Smaller in a Growing America by Tommy Tomlinson
My rating: 5 of 5 stars
“What do I need to be happy that makes the slow struggle of losing weight worth it?”
The Elephant in the Room is an inspirational tale written by Tommy Tomlinson about Tommy Tomlinson. It recounts his journey to lose weight over a year with each chapter touching on his past as well as present. He grew up in the south and talks about how that affected his relationship with food. Family and friends are brought in. He recounts his wins and war with obesity. He is a writer and puts together this fabulous narrative which is a book I will buy for my shelves.
I haven’t related to a book more than I did with this one. It felt like this book was specifically for me or about me or could have been written by me. It was like he was in my brain, thinking my thoughts as often what I “feel is sadness over how much life I’ve wasted” and that “I’ve missed out on so many adventures, so many good times, because I was too fat to try…I’ve never believed I could do anything truly great, because I’ve failed so many times at the one crucial challenge in my life.” I flagged and took notes on so many different parts of this book. As a person who has struggled with my weight for years, it was a raw, honest, and hard look at the pain that accompanies being obese. In my mind I know that my food choices aren’t good or healthy but “the thing that soothes the pain prolongs it. The thing that brings me back to life pushes me closer to the grave.” It was intimate and real. Tommy talks about his love of food and how he used it to cope with emotions. This book was an emotional read for me. I teared up a few times. “Telling a fat person Eat less and exercise is like telling a boxer Don’t get hit. You cat as if there’s not an opponent.” He calls out America and its culture of salt, sugar, and fat. He talks about the marketing geared towards getting us to buy and consume junk. He does then acknowledge that the weight problem is his own doing. He cannot blame anyone else. He is an adult and must start acting like one. He cannot act like a kid and need instant gratification. There are conversations with family and friends about what their thoughts are on his weight. He thinks about how everything affects those closest to him. “My weight affects everything I do.” People who haven’t struggled do not get it. Just like Tommy, every time I go to sit in a chair I wonder if it will hold me or if I will embarrass myself. He highlights the connection between mental health and his battle with eating. The self-doubt and self-hate are very real. You can tell that he is a writer as he can put together a great metaphor, especially when talking about how his actions contribute to his health. He nailed the lie that the tomorrow lie is the worst one. He wanted to survive and not waste his years. It is a journey, a long one, but he has started it.
Some additional quotes that really resonated with me…”I want to do great things, but I don’t want any of it to feel like work” and “making a fundamental change of any kind is the hardest thing an adult human being can do.”
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Extinguishing Fires And Finding Buried Treasure With Friends
The Unbreakable Code by Jennifer Chambliss Bertman
My rating: 4 of 5 stars
The Unbreakable Code is the second in the Book Scavenger series. The first one was great and this one was just as good. It continues the story of Emily and her best friend James. This time they are tracking down The Unbreakable Code which has existed for over a century. No one has been able to solve it thus far. It brings together gold rush, the origins of San Francisco, and obviously solving puzzles. With a narrow escape with a fire, or two, the two code-breakers must deduce who is setting these fires, how a teacher’s past comes into play, and where the buried treasure is. Will they be able to figure it all out before it all burns to the ground? I think you should find out!
I didn’t take a lot of notes with this one as I was just wanting to find out what happened. It was a quick, easy, engaging, and fun read! Jennifer Chambliss Bertman continued her formula without it appearing too redundant or like she was phoning it in. The writing was relatable and easy to understand as obviously this book was not written for my age range. The kids were juveniles and at times acted that way. It was kind of annoying but I get it. It didn’t ruin the book but at moments I was frustrated that they just didn’t get it or that they thought/said this thing. Nevertheless, I loved it. One thing that really got me excited was the historical aspect. Jennifer did this in the previous novel but after the novel concludes, she adds what was historically accurate and what she made up. It does touch on some despicable parts of the past of the United States but for the most part it is light-hearted. I love learning about new things, so I found this fascinating. I didn’t know very much about San Francisco, but I was surprised to find some information out. I will leave the reader to discover these things on their own so they can be as pleasantly entertained as I was. The author introduces some fun new ciphers, codes, and cryptograms, which is always fun to try and figure out for yourself. If you read the first one, I don’t need to tell you that you should read the second book in the series but you should, and I am just as excited to read the third!
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An Idyllic Story Of Bees And Uplifting Self-Reflection
The Music of Bees by Eileen Garvin
My rating: 5 of 5 stars
The Music of Bees is about 3 people and how their lives interweave. It takes place in an idyllic setting in Oregon near a river and lots of nature. You get splendid descriptions of the verdant scenery, white-capped waters, and the sentinel mountains. Jake is an 18-year-old boy who had an accident, Harry is an aimless mid-20s guy, and Alice is a forty-something year-old woman who keeps bees as a hobby. You get to meet them individually first, learn some backstory, and then move through their meeting. You get to learn about bees and how the unexpected can happen to change your life.
I loved this novel. There were so many things that worked well and Eileen Garvin set the right tone from the very beginning. Oh boy, can she write a sentence! I just felt love and full of warmth while reading. It was like sitting on the porch on a warm, spring day with a nice breeze while drinking some lemonade and having a chat with your oldest friend. The characters were so relatable. I found something of myself in each of the three main protagonists including feeling the need to change (and not knowing how), forging a new path, and regret. What would my life look like if I made different decisions in the past or even in the present? The language that was used and the phrasing of the words helped to create a strong sense of what each character was going through. Speaking of a young person and not having the words to describe something but then he “shouldn’t have to have the words” or “in that moment, he felt broken in a way that could not be undone.” Eileen wrote beautifully and evoked anger in me with the dad and corporate greed overriding morals. I could literally feel my chest tighten. This novel had a lot of things to say around lessons but was able to do it disguised in the general telling of the stories. You can learn to stand up for yourself. You don’t have to let your past decide who you are or where you are going. You can make your own decisions and change if you don’t like something. The Music of Bees resonated with me and this sentence hit hardest, “why was Harry a passenger in the vehicle that was his life?” What am I doing?
Read this.
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