Thursday, July 21, 2016

Great early blurbs for Grand Slams and hey, wait, an Amazon review for "this old thing?" Thursday Appts. of Bill Sloan



Chains like Grand Slams usually get burned by customer reviews:

Disgusting

StarEmpty StarEmpty StarEmpty StarEmpty StarBy -


FAIRBANKS, ALASKA -- I've gone to D***y's about, if I estimate right, like 5 times. And EVERY TIME, there is ALWAYS hair in my food. Yeah, this is my last time. Thank you very much. Please invest in some hairnets.



Worst D***y's in America

StarEmpty StarEmpty StarEmpty StarEmpty StarBy -


ALBUQUERQUE, NEW MEXICO -- It was my 1st time at the D***y's location (San Mateo/-I-40). The food was way below par for a D***y's but the bathroom was the WORST I have ever seen: filthy, sticky, totally out of soap, no paper towels (wimpy tiny hand dryer blowing cool air, NO HOT WATER - it was ice cold).
The server (**) was nice and very good. I was not greeted upon entering (waited several minutes looking for someone to seat me). No manager on site to complain to.  STAY AWAY from that location because it's a DUMP, No Manager, & no one seems to care (except the server doing her job). I recently went to the Denny's on Gibson and it was the BEST Denny's I have ever ate in. Fabulous Manager & crew.
 

Bugs Flying Everywhere, Chips of the Ceiling Falling Onto Our Table and Poorly Cooked Food

StarEmpty StarEmpty StarEmpty StarEmpty StarBy -

OAKLAND, FLORIDA -- Our service person was excellent. The building was dirty, multiple flying bugs that landed on our forks and food, parts of the ceiling falling onto our table and the food was not so great! Spoke to the general manager who acted like he was doing me a favor and gave us a 15.00 credit of our 42.00 bill! Left the server a ten dollar tip and will never return! The GM told me there were several health code violations and he "was trying" to get it together! Try harder buddy! DO NOT go to this restaurant, my husband threw up and my son and I didn't even eat the food. Worst experience ever.
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Books titled Grand Slams get early blurbs such as this:
Timothy Gager brings his uniquely comic and inventive intelligence to this endearing story about a handful of ne-er do wells, misfits, and wounded souls with names like Dye-haired Bob and Kayak Kenny, all of whom are trapped in an unrelenting eddy of work, overdue bills, and misconstrued love at The Grand Slam restaurant in Massachusetts. At the center is Sugar, a beautiful, smart young woman who has tried, unsuccessfully, to dull the pain of living with sexual escapism and excessive cocaine use. Even as you are laughing out loud, there’s a deeper wisdom that infuses even the most unsavory characters in this tale told in brisk vignettes. Gager’s memorable novel blends sardonic humor with compassion.


Jessica Keener, author of the national bestselling novel, Night Swim (see HER blurbs)

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Fast paced and lots of fun. With Grand Slam, Timothy Gager has served up enough pathos, wit and humanity to satisfy the healthiest of appetites.




Nadine Darling, author of She Came From Beyond! (Her NPR interview is awesome)



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Then today, Caitlin Avery (The Last Cruz, of which I said, "A difficult to put down novel rides with three motorcycling women is  a  good read---one that proves that The best-laid plans of mice and women often go awry) had thoughts about "The Thursday Appointments of Bill Sloan" 
I thought this novel was hilarious, which may be a sign of my twisted mind as much as the author's. The lead character is so wrong with his approach to offering people therapy, that it reminded me of all the wasted hours I spent in a therapist's chair (that was just my experience, what can I say). I was partial to the lead character Bill and his young patient, Ethan, and the second part of the book where the annoying "free love" Kate gets her way, rubbed me the wrong way, but only because she reminds me of the California fruit cakes I met when I lived there. All in all I thought this book delivered, and would definitely recommend it for anyone who has gone through therapy, and wondered if there might be a better way.
  
What I liked about the characters in "TTAoBS" is that different readers prefer different characters. Nearly everyone liked Kate and hated Bill. I'm glad to hear that Bill bested Kate this time. Couldn't resist the picture....

 

 


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