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COLD-BLOODED – The Mattie Saunders Series – Book 2

June 11-15

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The Reptile Refuge where Liz volunteers has been closed by police while they investigate a suspicious death that took place on the premises. Desperately needing a home for her reptiles, she reaches out to an old friend from high school, Mattie Saunders, and asks if it's possible to temporarily board them at Saunders Bird Sanctuary? 

Mattie knows she should be more concerned with the circumstances but sees it as an opportunity to reconnect with her friend, as well as help some animals in distress. It's only after two members of the RCMP drug squad confront Mattie in a coffee shop and suggest that Liz's involvement at the refuge was more than looking after its inhabitants.

The refuge's owner, Leborg Kovacevic, used the facility as a front for his drug trafficking business, and not only Liz was Kovacevic's partner but also his partner-in-crime. Breaking the law isn’t the only risk Mattie’s taking, her life might also be in danger considering the company she keeps.

Too late she finds out Liz has something in common with the pythons, geckos, and iguanas she's seeking shelter for.
They're all cold-blooded.

 

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#reptiles #ExoticPets #DrugAddiction #Homelessness #RockandRoll #friendship #loyalty #relationships #parrots #conservation #petrescue #snakes #Lizards #iguanas #pythons

#romance #adventure #action #murder #dysfunctionalfamilies

A story about being poor, angry but not yet broken that manages to be honest, empathetic and hopeful without being patronising or too-soft-focus-to-be-true.

 

 

"Fender Lizards" was my first Joe Lansdale novel which, I'm glad to say, means I have a new author to devour in the coming months.

 

Joe Lansdale packed a lot in to the 232 pages of this novel: what it's like being poor enough to be living in a trailer in East Texas with your whole family; how to handle living your life angry, what family really means, how to take joy in being strong and swift, the limitations of solving your problems by taking a piece of 2x4 upside someone's head and how to take on a Carnival roller derby team called the Karnie Killers.

 

"Fender Lizards" is about Dot Sherman, a seventeen-year-old girl, who lives with her mother, grandmother and baby brother in a trailer in East Texas, works six-hour shifts at the "Dairy Bob" as a "Fender Lizard" (a waitress on roller skates serving food to folks in their cars) and who is kinda sorta thinking about taking her GED ( Good Enough Diploma).

Dot recounts her story directly to the reader and she doesn't hold back any on her thoughts or her feelings. She's angry and sassy but too honest with herself to blame other people for her problems. She does what's in front of her and she speaks her mind. I found myself believing in her, liking her and wishing her well.

 

Dot isn't a Disney character and this isn't a Hallmark movie. Dot isn't averse to a little violence, especially when confronting her sister's abusive boyfriend. She finds it hard to trust men, which show how well she learns from experience, and she won't take crap from anyone, especially her turned-up-out-of-the-blue-never-heard-of-him-before uncle or her went-out-for-cigarettes-and-never-came-back dad.

 

This is a remarkably cliché-free book that feels real if allow for a little luck, a little optimism and a lot of spirit from Dot and the people around her.

 

It's filled with humour, most of it from the dialogue but some of it from the slightly bizarre situations (there's a Court scene that could only happen in East Texas. The pace works and there are some wonderful action pieces with the roller derby towards the end of the book.

 

There's no happily-ever-after ending where everything's tied up with a neat bow but the ending is believable, hopeful and left me with a smile on my face.

 

The audiobook is narrated by Kasey Lansdale, Joe Lansdale's daughter. I think she did a great job and I recommend listening to the audiobook version.

This is addictive. Feels real rather than hokey. Dot has spirit but also doesn't lie to herself about her actions or her situation. And now it looks like there's gonna be Roller Derby. 

 

'course, my entire understanding of Roller Derby comes from watching Ellen Paige in Drew Barrymore's "Whip It". But the movies wouldn't lie to me, would they?

 

 

Anyway, I'd love Drew Barrymore to make "Fender Lizards" into a movie. 

This is my first Joe Lansdale novel.

 

It's about a seventeen-year-old girl, Dot Sherman, who lives with her mother, grandmother and baby brother in a trailer in East Texas, works six-hour shifts working as a "Fender Lizard" ( a waitress on roller skates serving food to folks in their cars) at the "Dairy Bob" and who is kinda sorta thinking about taking her GED ( Good Enough Diploma). Dot recounts her story directly to the reader. The audiobook is narrated by Kasey Lansdale, Joe Lansdale's daughter,

 

So far it's gotten off to an OK start, setting up the situation, establishing Dot's character and making me smile at Dot's sass from time to time. I'm hoping the humour holds up and we don't go all faux-folksy.

Kingdom of the Lizards - Katrina Kusa What a beautiful story! When I started this book, I just thought it was about a girl who liked animals. Which it is, but it is so much more! This is a story about a little girl named Clara who enjoyed going to a special garden and reading to the lizards there. Then at her parent's candy shop, we meet another child, one much different from the well-mannered Clara. Daniel is selfish and spoiled, demanding all the candy he can eat. We soon learn this his spoiled behavior also included capturing lizards to keep as this playthings. When he captures one of Clara's friends, the whole town much pitch in to help out! But only Clara knows that the lizard is a very special lizard!

While I was told that Katrina Kusa was only 12 when she wrote this story, from reading it, I would not have guessed! Such a well told and interesting story! She did such a great job, and I loved reading this story. The art is also well done, and I love how it has an almost fairytale feel to it, that fits the story perfectly!

*I received a copy from the author for review. This in no way affects my review.*