BOOK REVIEW OF THE CUTAWAY

By suspense author Christina Kovac

There are few writers who are capable of turning out a good novel at first try. I suspect that the success of this book is the fact that Kovac is familiar with her subject matter, which is broadcast news. All of the characters in this thriller are believable. They sometimes react in ways that aren’t predictable, which keeps the attention of the reader riveted on the plot. Most thriller novels are ‘whodunits,’ but this one also has a ‘whydunit’ element woven carefully into the plot. Readers will find themselves chasing through buildings, darkened streets, and strategy meetings trying to find out the identity of the perpetrator-- and if that isn’t enough, we are treated to a very real situation where people have failed to realize their best potential. Love, jealously, rage, and vengeance all play a part in this story. If you like thrillers, mystery, suspense, and a darn good story, you are going to like this book. I give it a solid 4-star rating. You are going to like ‘The Cutaway.’ Grab a copy at your first opportunity.

WHO CREATES TV COMMERCIALS AND ARE THEY SERIOUS?

Some TV commercials are works of art. They amuse us and some are too cute for words. It seems that the worse, most annoying ones are played and replayed for most of our lifespan. I love the Breath Right commercial where the little girl is videoing her mother who is in bed with a cold. I also love the dog commercials. My least favorite is the Liberty Mutual commercial where the young student tells about a automobile named Brad that is totaled in a wreck. Everything is terrible until Liberty calls and ‘you break into your happy dance.’ While I don’t like this commercial, I was surprised at so many other people hating it. One aspiring critic said that the young woman in the commercial was a student at the University of Michigan. As he expressed it, he would like to carry her out on a date to a hair stylist and “have them teach her how to use a curling iron on her damned old hair.” That was a little too blunt for my taste, or maybe not. They do this in our living rooms so we should have a say regarding what they annoy us with. Some commercials rank up there with a Whoopee Cushion in the wrong chair at a state dinner. I have been good since I found out that Santa Clause was “Making a list and checking it twice.” Come on, guys. Try to do better with your ads. The elf on a shelf is watching you too.

I HATE OUR NEW OVEN

One of the things I learned as a computer programmer was not to get carried away with all of the bells and whistles. There are too many programmers today that would install a computer on a claw hammer if someone in management gave them a wink and a nod. One of the many features on our new oven was a feature where a Jewish person could program the oven ahead of time so it would turn on and off on the Sabbath in compliance with their datary laws. I’m not Jewish, so none of this helps me in any form or fashion. It is just one of the useless features that I have to work around in order to use the oven. The list seems endless. All I want an oven to do is start as soon as I select the temperature and cut off when I hit the stop button. No such luck with this appliance. You would have to hit more keys than it would take to write a letter to grandma explaining why your son decided to marry that snooty looking cheerleader from Auburn instead of a wholesome looking girl from the University of Tennessee. I can handle complexity when I need to, but why muddy up the pond when all you want to do is cook a biscuit.