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Reviews
The September 2008 issue
of the online book review magazine "Reviewer's Bookwatch"
features a review of "Slice of Life - Our Ways and Days".
Kaye's Bookshelf
Slice of Life - Our Ways and Days
Gene Hull
Fiction Publishing, Inc.
Fort Pierce, Florida
ISBN - 9780981495651, $14.95
SLICE OF LIFE, a surprising potpourri of literary short stories, is
rooted in intriguing characters and plot twists cleverly and believable
crafted.
You'll meet Leonardo, naive young musician, confronted and confused by a
charming older woman in a San Francisco jazz club.... Alison and her two
sisters, on a New Hampshire reunion hike, attacked by a roving black bear....
A bickering senior couple who get lost while driving at night on a Florida
back road.... Warren Duphiney, a shy photographer captivated by a beautiful
young woman who is running in the park.... Jess Carter attempting a daring
rescue of a TV newswoman trapped in a Pennsylvania coal mine. Lyle Baker, a
young veteran who returns unexpectedly to his North Texas hometown five years
after the war.... and many more personalities caught up in the drama of OUR
WAYS AND DAYS.
Some think the popularity of the short story has seen its day, but I tend to
disagree. A short story is the perfect bedtime read, and Gene Hull has done an
excellent job of providing us with some entertaining stories. This collection
is well crafted, well edited and creative. Slice of Life is Gene's third book,
and he just keeps getting better and better. I don't think you'll be
disappointed. Enjoy!
Kaye Trout
Reviewer
This book review is posted on Amazon.
Additionally, it will be archived on our Midwest Book Review website
for the next five years at http://www.midwestbookreview.com
accessible to the
reading public.
I
James A. Cox
Editor-in-Chief
Midwest Book Review
278 Orchard Drive
Oregon, WI, 53575, USA
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SLICE OF LIFE, Ours Ways and Days, 232 pages, Fiction
Publishing, Inc.
($14.95)
Andree Langaniere, Montreal, Quebec
Writer, Editor, Biographer, Book Translator
Reviewed September 10, 2008
SLICE OF LIFE definitely lived up to my
expectations and to the standard set by Hooked
on a Horn. One can tell the author is a
musician - there is a rhythm, a melody to the writing, an
inner breath carrying the tune that is very much heard in
most of the stories.
I really started to get into the book with
the terrifying and suspenseful Trapped;,
the hilarious Caught
which doesn't exclude a very present sense of menace.
The reading went into a crescendo until the end.
I agreed with one reviewer's
"perfect bedtime read", except that it kept me up.
I bet she meant that you read one story at night then let
yourself be carried into sleep. I read one, and
another and another. And they were not innocuous:
being trapped in a mine doesn't conduce to sweet dream, it
really gets your mental adrenaline pumping and then your
empathetic fiber to wake up for poor Paul at the beach.
He reminded me of Mr. Schmidt in About
Schmidt with Jack Nicholson.
There is an interesting, and perhaps odd,
pattern that emerges from the depiction of men-women
relationships. Something purposely stilted in the
dialogue, a sad characteristic of their bickering, as
if there was a loss of power somewhere that makes them, if
not tongue-tied, a bit challenged in the communication
department. I noticed that in San
Francisco Triage, The
Runner and Tattoo as if having a real conversation
was an impossible feat.
The Flag is deeply
atmospheric; loved Bird
of Paradise with its whimsical punch at the end.
Finally, I really enjoyed the
exploration of several genres. It evoked a sense
of community of style with the excellent Italian short
story writer Antonio Tabucchi, good company for any
writer.
------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------ "SLICE
OF LIFE attains a new level in the author's solid
output. He has outdone himself. Case in point, San
Francisco Triage, crafted with perceptive dialogue, is
his master stroke. It's ending caught me completely
unaware." DONALD
PORTER, Author of three novels.
~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~
Hooked on a Horn,
Memoirs of a Recovered Musician
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"A poignant retrospective filled
with humor, pathos and insight...a must-read for anyone interested in
music, show business, cruise ships, the human condition and what it takes to
have a career in music." TRAFFORD PUBLISHING
"Highly recommended. Heart
wrenching, inspirational, humorous. Presented with creative flair. A
unique memoir." KAY TROUT REVIEWS
"Much more than the story of a
musician's career." STUART, FL NEWS
"... a standing ovation ..."
PALM BEACH POST.
"Filled with personal and musical
insights. A treat to know his story." WRITER'S
DIGEST
"A
vividly sketched memoir - gripping, modest, epic"... THE PITTSBURGH TRIBUNE-REVIEW
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Going to Court
"GOING TO COURT is a must for
everyone who has played the game and loves it. It makes us all laugh out
loud at ourselves. What a beautiful gift."
JERRY VAN DYKE, Entertainer, Actor, Dedicated Tennis Hacker
"GOING
TO COURT is a charm jog collection of tennis poetry and verse, which
captures the intensity of amateur competition with acuity and humor. Anyone
who has played the game will recognize most of the types profiled in this
unique volume." THE BOOK READER
"A must
read for everyone who loves the game and a enjoys a knowing chuckle."
PUBLISHERS WEEKLY
"Gene Hull has created a unique fun
book on tennis. If he knows the game so much, why doesn't he play any
better? Ha." GARDNER MULLOY, Most U.S. Tennis
Titles
"Congrats to Gene Hull for his refreshing and fun presentation in
GOING TO COURT. His love of tennis is immediately apparent; his many
anecdotes are right on! Kudos!"
DICK GOULD, Stanford University, Men's Tennis Coach
"An excellent gift for tennis buffs, weekend
warriors, tennis leaguers, park players, club combatants, for 'nice'
players and 'killers'. " FLORIDA TENNIS MAGAZINE
"Superb fun!" MARY JOE FERNANDEZ,
TV Tennis Commentator, Olympic Gold Medallist
"You've got to be kidding!" JOHN
McENROE
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