I’ve started reading on the treadmill again (though not exclusively). I didn’t think to record my sessions this time (which includes the next two posts for books I’ve already finished and will post later this week), but I’ll start doing that and including the info in my posts to keep me motivated.
I read three (M/M) books this past week, and I’ll post about the other two later this week. First up is Out! by JL Merrow. I’ve been rereading the entire Shamwell Tales series, and this is book 3. Each of the books is standalone, featuring a different set of MCs, though you get cameos of varying degrees of importance from the MCs in the previously published books.
The MCs in this book are Mark and Patrick, and their story is told through both of their 3rd-person POV’s.
On to the snippets! They were chosen mostly because they made me laugh or because they highlighted (IMHO) a lovely use of metaphors!
[Mark’s observation upon entering a pub.]
There was a mingled aroma of beer, furniture polish, and somebody’s enthusiastically applied aftershave tragically failing to cover his stale sweat.
[Patrick’s observations]
Barry had steered Mark over to one side—the bloke took his responsibilities as chairman seriously—and was leaning back against the bar, clearly in full flow about the Spartans, his beer gut jiggling as he went overboard with the hand signals. Mark, a head taller and light years fitter, was nodding along and doing a reasonable impersonation of a bloke who wasn’t desperate to escape. Patrick smiled to himself. Yeah, that looked familiar. Poor sod would get home tonight and wonder how the hell he’d managed to sign himself up for the pub crawl, the fun run, and to be an elf in Santa’s sleigh come December.
[David, Marks PA, talking to Mark]
“… Were you aware that when polled, fifty-seven percent of junior staff were under the impression you don’t even have a home to go back to? A further twenty-two percent thought you have got a flat, but it’s so long since you’ve seen it, you’ve forgotten where it is. A small but significant five percent think you’re actually a robot who never sleeps and just plugs himself in to charge overnight.”
[Mark’s POV, the first speaker is his daughter, Fen]
“But it’s not like you ever wanted to spend any time with me before.”
Mark’s conscience appeared to be on the move; it was now wrapping itself painfully around his intestines like a boa constrictor with a grudge. “I was working. You know that.”
“Yeah, and what’s it going to be like when I move in with you? If I move in with you. You’ll just be working all the time again.”
For some reason, Florence—Fen—didn’t look as delighted as he’d expected.”
“Didn’t your mother tell you? I’ve given up my job.” Mark smiled, his conscience relaxing its hold on his digestive organs and slithering away, presumably to bide its time for his next big parental cock-up. “We’re going to spend all our time together, when you’re not in school.”
[David, Marc’s (former) PA is the first speaker]
“Oh. My. God. Is this what you wear when you’re not in the office? We have got to sort out your wardrobe.”
Mark frowned down at his shirt, which was a perfectly decent brushed cotton with a tweedy check. “What’s wrong with what I’m wearing?”
“Nothing at all, if you were in your dotage. Put it this way, I’m no longer surprised there’s yet to be a second Mrs. Nugent.”
“I told him,” Fen put in, more animated now. “Everything he wears is brown or grey. It’s horrible. Totally. Like he’s someone’s grandad. Someone’s dead grandad. In, like, a programme on the History Channel about rationing or something.”
The Shamwell Tales
Standalone stories set in the same village.
Spreading more book love!
Here are more of my…
✓ recent reads
✓ current reads
✓ re-reads
and/or
✓ want-to-reads
(all genres included)
About My #Treadmill / #AmReading Posts
I started out with this being a Sunday thing, but sometimes I’d rather not mash multiple books into a single post, so now, you never know when you might see one of these posts.
Rather than give a true “review,” which I’m not entirely comfortable doing as an author myself, I share snippets from books I’ve read and enjoyed, letting the authors’ words speak for themselves.
As you’ve possibly noticed, if you’ve been following along, I highlight snippets for reasons of my own which might veer from what is often seen. Sometimes my highlights have more to do with a paragraph simply impressing the heck out of me for its fabulous writerly technique, other times it has to do with the lovely way it gives subtle insight into the story/characters. Still other times simply because it made me laugh.
Anyway, I sometimes add a little commentary, but not always, which is not in any way, shape, or form, to be taken as unwritten commentary. Most likely it just means I’m short on time and/or my brain doesn’t feel like putting out the effort in that particular moment.
Also, I’m going to try to spread the book love by tacking on covers of more books at the end of the post that I’ve either recently read, am currently reading, or want to read. Not seeing a full post with snippets for any of these books is not a commentary on anything other than how much time I have available in a day either to read or to create a post about what I’ve read. It might also mean I listened to the audiobook only or that it’s a reread that I’ve featured previously.
Happy reading!