Book and Movie Reviews

Starring Dean Cain, Andrew Keegan, Tim Olyphant, John Mahony.

This is the story of a group of gay men who hang out at a local bar/restaurant called you guessed it "the Broken Hearts Club".

The club is running by an elderly gay couple played by John Mahony of Frazer. He is the elderly patron of the group of friends as they struggle through broken relationships, coming out and other events in their lives.

Dear readers,

I have been inspired to get this book after reading the review. I will post my thoughts then. It looks like a winner to me!

Salut

Rick Barnes

Dancing in the Arms of Orion by Stephen R. Moore

Review by Cheri Rosenberg

Daniel Peterson is a typical teenager entering his senior year of high school in Stephen R. Moore's debut novel, Dancing in the Arms of Orion. He has more to deal with than just deciding what he is going to do in the future-he also has to acclimate to a new school, make new friends, and come to terms with being gay. We meet him during the summer his family plans to move to Whaler's Cove in the historic Towne of Ulm.

At first, Daniel is apprehensive about the move, but his newfound friends and possible love interests quickly alleviates that feeling. Ever the optimist, Daniel makes the best of every situation and even likes his new school. He particularly likes Whaler's Cove when he spots the boy of his dreams-a lifeguard at the town pool-and discovers they are neighbors.

Daniel's senior year turns out to be chockfull of highs and lows, first times, and new experiences as Daniel comes to terms with being gay, helps friends in need, and matures into a fine young man. He forms a fast and lasting friendship with his neighbor, Cristal, and the two help each other through tough situations. They are both way more mature than their years. All of Moore's characters are noteworthy and add to the story about a group of friends who manage to make it through unscathed on their way to adulthood.

Moore writes a charming coming of age novel about a wonderful boy any mother would love to call her son. He not only gets along well with his parents and adorable younger sister Melissa, but he even cleans his own room and does his own laundry. He is a mother's dream come true. Daniel also has a terrific relationship with his father that he cherishes. He is wise enough to know he risks destroying what they have if his father cannot accept that he's gay.

I recommend Dancing in the Arms of Orion to impressionable teenagers because I think it deals with prevalent gay/straight teen issues realistically, honestly, and offers sound advice and solutions. Parents of teenagers would benefit from it as they deal with raising their children in today's world. Adults who enjoy reliving their youth through reading will enjoy this book too. This book offers something for everyone. Moore successfully tells Daniel's story in the first person and ends up making the reader feel that much closer to him. Daniel is a person anyone would be happy to call a friend. This entertaining story of love, family, and friendship is uplifting. This reviewer hopes it is the first of many more love stories to be written by talented author Stephen R. Moore. A terrific first effort. I give Dancing in the Arms of Orion five stars.

Hi Guys,

I just got this book from a friend. Can hardly wait for the weekend to begin!

Rick

Review from "ourbookshelf - yahoogroups.com"

HOW I PAID FOR COLLEGE: A NOVEL OF SEX, THEFT, FRIENDSHIP & MUSICAL
THEATRE

by Mark Acito Broadway Books - September 2004

First time novelist Acito hit a bullseye in his hillarious and
captivating "How I Paid for College: A Novel of Sex, Theft,
Friendship & Musical Theatre" .... not to mention
blackmail, "creative" vandalism, embezzlement, money-laundering,
drinking and drugs, and "grand theft Buddha" ... which traces the
senior year of high school for a group of friends involved in the
school drama department.

They deal with parents who don't
understand (or sometimes ignore) them, unresolved crushes on each
other, being picked on by the school jocks and cheerleaders, and the
boredom common to middleclass suburban New Jersey teenagers.

With his mother departed the year ago to "find her own karma," 17
year old Edward Zanni lives with his divorced father Al, who tries
to convince him to give up his longtime dream of studying drama at
Julliard and instead go to school for business. The summer before
his senior year, he spends most days hanging out at his best friend
Paula's aunt's pool, in between their performances in a community
theatre production.

Costarring in that play are Kelly (Ed's
girlfriend) and Doug (football jock who Ed has a crush on). Paula
has a crush on Doug as well, and Ed hasn't confided in any of his
friends about his emerging attraction to Doug. Meanwhile, Doug is
attracted to Ziba, a bohemian-attituded transfer student, and the
entire crowd also hangs out with Natie, a nerdy Jewish computer
genius. When Eddie father (influenced by his new wife Dagmar)
decides that he won't pay for his tuition at Juliard, he moves in
with Kelly and her mother Kathleen, an alcoholic divorcee who is led
by her daughter to believe Eddie is gay (which he might be, but
Kelly doesn't know that, and neither does he, for sure).

Natie
helps them draft a master plan to raise money for Eddie's tuition,
an endeavor that includes the gang posing as nuns and a priest
(Eddie is Father G. Roovy, as in "groovy"), in a madcap spree that
they later fear may have made them targets of the Mafia.

On his website ( http://www.markacito.com ), the author is referred
to as the "gay Dave Barry," and the comparison to humor style is
apt. He has a talent for developing realistic, warm characters one
can identify with, who get in outrageous but believeable
situations.

I do NOT recall EVER laughing out loud so many times
while reading a novel, which I found hard to put down throughout its
278 pages. The life-affirming, hillarious book is a MUST read for
anyone - gay or straight - who was a bit of a loner or "geek" in
high school, who felt overcome by circumstances holding them back,
who dreamed of revenge against those taking advantage of them, and
pretty much anyone else. A resounding 5 stars out of 5!