I received a complimentary Kindle copy of Einstein's Beach House by Jacob Appel, published by Pressgang.butler.edu from booklikes.

That did not change my opinion for this review. I gave it four stars.

"Heartbreaking and hilarious, the eight stories of Einstein's Beach House examine how we deceive ourselves and others, all to arrive at something far more real."

Link to purchase: https://www.amazon.com/Einsteins-Beach-House-Jacob-Appel-ebook/dp/B00UXZHD2A

This is one of the oddest novels that I've ever read. At 207 pages, it isn't taxing on the reader's time and, on the whole, is well-written. 

'THE BIOLOGY OF LUCK' is set in New York City around the end of the 20th century and into the first few years of the 21st century. It's either a story within a story or rather, a story superimposed upon another, which is perhaps closer to the truth because they are both centered on 2 of the novel's central characters.

Larry Bloom is a guy in his 30s who works as a NYC tour guide. He's nondescript and would be seen by most people as unattractive and unremarkable because he is, and he knows that. But there is a woman he has known as a friend for 2 years with whom he has fallen in love. For her, he has written a novel -- part of which is played out across several chapters carrying within their titles the words 'The Biology of Luck - Chapter -- by Larry Bloom' --- which revolves upon her and one which Bloom sent to a major publishing company, who had sent him a letter by way of reply - a letter he has yet to open; Bloom hopes it will be 'the Ace up his sleeve' in his bid to win her heart. The woman of Bloom's dreams is Starshine Hart, a 29 year old woman noted for her beauty and for moving to the beat of a different drummer. 

Bloom's hopes for lasting happiness or everlasting despair hinges on a date he has with Starshine at an Italian restaurant in Greenwich Village. 

For any reader of this review with the slightest curiosity as to what 'THE BIOLOGY OF LUCK' is about, the following remarks from the book, I think, best sum up what it's about: "A day that began on the sleepy streets of Harlem will end in a dash to the finish. The soles of Larry's feet throb after hours of walking; his throat burns from wasted words; his clothes bear the scars of smoked eel and pickled herring. In less than twelve hours, he has saved the life of a pompous buffoon, failed to rescue a beautiful maiden, and abandoned a corpse to the mercies of the news media. An overbearing journalist has kidnapped his bouquet. ... It has been the most traumatic day Larry has ever experienced, a whirlwind of dreams extinguished and hopes renewed, but what makes this snippet of June so inconceivable is that the two greatest challenges are still to come. He may yet be an author. ... All depends on whether Starshine, glorious Starshine, will wait for him."

On the whole, 'THE BIOLOGY OF LUCK' is a decent novel. But not one to get overly excited about.

Appel's stories are always quirky, fun and imaginative. In my opinion though these were not his best. It felt like there was something missing from most of these stories to make them truly stand out and be great. The big reason I chose to read this was because of the woodchuck on the cover. A failed television producer wants the woodchuck in his yard gone, so he has it relocated only for it to send him written letters begging to come back. I did enjoy that one as well as the long story at the end in which the title of this collection comes from. In it two ethicists writing for rival newspaper columns answer questions such as 'If you’re going to commit a murder, is it worse to kill when the victim is sleeping or awake?' I'll definitely be keeping my eyes open for more from this author.

Thank you to Netgalley and Vandalia Press for an ARC.

This is a collection of eight short stories. Each one is solid and thought-provoking. They're tales about the frustrations of romantic love. For me, nothing seemed to be missing from any of the stories. I really liked "Prisoners of the Multiverse" which tells the tale of a suicidal physicist and his top student, and "The Summer of Interrogatory Subversion" which is about a young girl turning eighteen and her mother renting out their basement to a graduate student who looked like a medieval shepherd and who was deemed creepy by the girl's best friend.

Thank you to Netgalley and Black Lawrence Press for a copy of this book.

The blurb for this one does a good job of summing up the premise, although some things are a bit misleading. As a psychiatrist, our main character does have an up close and personal viewpoint on the affects that aging can have on the mind and body, and like most of us, he doesn't want to go through that or be a burden. He takes it a step further and decides to end his life before the inevitable happens. 

While the book is well-written, and at times humorous, I had a hard time connecting to this character. The story also requires a bit of a suspension of belief on some of things that happened as well as the possibility that all of it happened in the span of one day. I did continue reading, mostly because I kept expecting someone or something to stop the intended suicide and I did have some curiosity about that aspect. I won't give that part away, but I will say that with so many distracting side-stories and a character that I found less than engaging, this one was just too easy to set aside for later. I didn't find that compelling aspect in a story that makes you want to read just one more chapter before turning out the light, making this one just an okay read for me.