Case File: Something’s Cooking Under Where?

6:58 PM: Dames play games with my head. They drive me to extremes. Run me off to sit in parking lots where the glow of the streetlamps glaze the top of my smoke rings in honey. Some dames disappear in the middle of the night. After twenty years. All because I was born to fight crime. All because I missed a few dinners, an anniversary or two, while out mopping vermin off the streets. Then she gets remarried, moves on with her life like I’m some speck of shit on the toilet rim that never spiraled down. I can only counter with three hundred sixty five canned chili dinners and a new leather duster. And now I’m about to attend my second class in an introduction to cooking course at the community college. I never dreamed there’d be a first, but canned chili only…

photo cr. – Alex @ Finding Montauk

I’m excited for a few fun events coming up in August. I’ll be in Philadelphia to start off the month, and I’ll close out the month at the Alzheimer’s Association conference in Charlotte, NC. I hope to see you there! (event info below)

AUGUST EVENTS:

Reading and Signing (No Sad Songs) – August 2 @ 7:00 PM, Narberth Bookshop, 221 Haverford Avenue, Narberth, PA 19072 (RSVP on Facebook)

Alzheimer’s Association Conference, Meet and Greet w/ AlzAuthors (No Sad Songs) – August 29 @ 8:30 AM – 4:30 PM, Charlotte, NC

ORDER NO SAD SONGS TODAY!

This review is spoiler-free!

This book was received from the author for review. All opinions are my own.

No Sad Songs by Frank Morelli
Genres: Young Adult, Fiction, Contemporary
Release Date: February 20th 2018 by Fish Out of Water Books
Format: Kindle, 230 pages
Rating: ★★★★☆
Find it here: Goodreads

Following a family tragedy, 18-year-old Gabe LoScuda suddenly finds himself thrust into the role of caregiver for his ailing grandfather. Between the shopping trips and the doctor visits with Grandpa, Gabe and his friend John try to salvage their senior year, meet girls, and make the varsity baseball team. It doesn’t take long for Gabe to realize that going to school and looking after a grandfather with Alzheimer’s is more work than he ever imagined. And when long-lost Uncle Nick appears on the scene, Gabe soon finds that living with Nick and Grandpa is like babysitting two grown men…

4/5

A heartfelt story of family, friends and life.

Following a family tragedy, 18-year-old Gabe LoScuda suddenly finds himself thrust into the role of caregiver for his ailing grandfather. Between the shopping trips and the doctor visits with Grandpa, Gabe and his friend John try to salvage their senior year, meet girls, and make the varsity baseball team. It doesn’t take long for Gabe to realize that going to school and looking after a grandfather with Alzheimer’s is more work than he ever imagined.

And when long-lost Uncle Nick appears on the scene, Gabe soon finds that living with Nick and Grandpa is like babysitting two grown men. Aside from John, the only person who truly understands Gabe is Sofia, a punk-rocking rebel he meets at the veteran’s hospital. When these three unlikely friends are faced with a serious dilemma, will they do what it takes to save Grandpa? If…

Many thanks to Fish Out of Water books and Jenny for the opportunity to take part in this blog tour and for letting me review this book.

Published: 20th February 2018

Pages: 228

Genre: Young adult

Synopsis:

Following a family tragedy, 18-year-old Gabe LoScuda suddenly finds himself thrust into the role of caregiver for his ailing grandfather. Between the shopping trips and the doctor visits with Grandpa, Gabe and his friend John try to salvage their senior year, meet girls, and make the varsity baseball team. It doesn’t take long for Gabe to realize that going to school and looking after a grandfather with Alzheimer’s is more work than he ever imagined. And when long-lost Uncle Nick appears on the scene, Gabe soon finds that living with Nick and Grandpa is like babysitting two grown men. Aside from John, the only person who truly understands Gabe is Sofia, a punk-rocking…

Today I’m joined by Frank Morelli with a Guest Post

Oh, How I Miss the 90s: Why I Set My Novel in the Greatest Decade that Ever Was

When I tell people I wrote a novel for young adults that is set in the 1990s I get a lot of eye rolls and stifled, behind-the-palm laughter and I just don’t get it. Look, I understand how important it is to live in the present. I do it every day. Isn’t that enough? I mean, was it really such a blasphemous decision to set No Sad Songs in the decade in which I felt most equipped to tell the story, back when I was a teen and watching my own grandfather go through the daily struggle of an Alzheimer’s victim? Is it really such a problem for me to not be obsessed with the minute-by-minute, social media soaked lives we’re now…