Through an awesome story of character development and comedy throughout
584332
1992 marked the year of an era. Attorney Gordon Bombay, portrayed by Emilio Estevez, is arrested for driving under the influence and sentenced to community service. He must then coach a Pee-Wee hockey team only called by the district they represent, District 5. Through an awesome story of character development and comedy throughout, Bombay soon discovers that there's so much more to life than just winning. From iconic creations of characters many generations continue to be tremendous fans of to a film that holds its own as not only a 90's gem, but a cult classic.....Disney transformed a bunch of losers into a team that soared right into inspiring the name of an NHL Pro Hockey team.......they're called "THE MIGHTY DUCKS."
385289
I love this book enough to write a review, so that you too would also enjoy this wonderful read:

1) 6 well developed main characters all well introduced and carry on their own subplots that add a lot of zest to the story, and carry along the plot. Characters were realistic and multidimensional. No heavy sugar coating going on here. You can really get an idea of every issues/concerns that may arise at that period and how people would address it according to their station in life.

2) Complex plot of dramedy. Lots of drama, undercurrents, loose threads, but kept together with a positive tone of voice, incorporating comic insights. Well done, brilliant.
2734985
C.J. Carella does a great job of setting the stage without falling into the Universe/World building minutiae that some authors seem to be addicted to lately.  He understands that you can create an overall context for the individual storylines to have cohesiveness with just plain good, tactical writing skills.  By that, I don't mean writing about military or political tactics ( at which he also excels), but the tactical use of back story to fill in the picture at the right time and place in the flow of the prose.

Beyond that, I also give five stars for the delicious stage setting for the upcoming desperation induced evolutionary crisis that the "good" guys are about to face for messing with something that they've been warned by every means not to mess with.  Based on the first two books, I'm confident that we'll be paid off in full for the set up.

On a more personal note, as a Veteran, I appreciate the restrained use of the funny quips during the serious business parts of the story.  I love the humor, and it truly exists in the military, but it's not every other thing said as some writers portray.
1534724
What a fantastic read.  Excellent story that moved along.  It was interesting and unique - the description sums up the story.

I thought the characters were well thought out and believable - Ma was funny and probably my favorite.  Actually, there was a comedic thread that wove throughout the story, which made it light and a joy to read.

I'm definitely gonna read more by this author.
3352719
When I first saw this book I wasn't too sure about it.  However, I am happy to say that I was thoroughly entertained.  I had numerous laugh out loud moments, along with a couple of tears shed.

I loved the friendship between Jake, Gideon, and Conrad; and how they met was great.  I went to Catholic school for my entire education and could relate.  The dynamics of each character was hilarious, and I loved how the story was told in each characters view.

So many people are worried about how they "look" or how they can keep up with "The Jones" that they lose site of true love and what marriage is really about.  The book was dead on as to how things really should be; thank you Mr. Stevens for your book.

I look forward to seeing how these lives play out in a possible sequel.
1940624
I completely enjoyed this book. Cooper and Paige are so right together. And and Nick adds a whole other aspect to the story. It was so nice to see that relationship grow outside of Cooper. And Cooper's back story. I've always felt that those who try their hardest to be the funniest usually have the have a sadness they are trying to ignore. This story had so much depth, and yet so much fun to it. I love the way the characters worked together and also the way they worked into the past characters. Shanna Hatfield has such a way at making a story seem quite real. Almost like we are right there. I pray that she keeps on entertaining us for many, many years. Thank you, Shanna for another amazing story. I can't wait for the. Next one.
2408259
A central character whose list of highlights includes hazelnut coffee and a long bath (was this a book about me?) and the occasional jar of olives (definitely not about me) made this a must read for me and that was before any mention of pizza. I am always wary when reviews promise me that I will laugh out loud but I'm happy to report that I did exactly that from the start and regularly throughout the book. The characters really came alive for me and I was watching the action and not just reading the words. I am happy to recommend this book and will be keen to read any future books from the author.

I received a free copy of Carpet Diem in return for an honest review thanks to Justin Anderson and TBConFB
110138
Unique and humbling with humor and emotions expressed for each character that made it such an amazing read.
3952187
This book was a fabulous adventure, full of great humor, strong characters, powerful insight, and vivid detail. The writer wonderfully develops the story in such a way that the reader shares in the amazing journey of a man and his search for meaning, love, and spiritual growth. The characters became old friends to me as I felt that I shared in their tumultuous path of personal growth in the Grand Canyon. The book constantly kept me guessing and maintained a delightful level of intrigue and hope. Set among the glorious backdrop of the Canyon, the story interweaves its characters and their development with the beauty and mystique of the canyon itself. As they are surrounded by billions of years of evolution, they begin to see the evolution take place within themselves. After reading this book, these lessons taught and learned stayed with me for some time. At times I found myself laughing out loud, cringing in excitement, and relishing in the minor and major victories these
characters achieved along the way. I found this book to be a truly delightful story. If you are looking for an inspiring novel with well- rounded characters embarking on the humorous and sometimes painful journey of life itself, then this story is a must read!
1906002
I loved the character and story development that moved along throughout the book.
4221420
We watched a movie just a few nights ago where the main character had either aspergers or was autistic.  What this did was to put an entirely new element into the mix of interactions between the characters, because things like humor, sarcasm and symbolism were often not recognized or taken literally.  This is what Allen Wolf relates so well with "Hooked".  The delightful story of Shawn and Violet and their most interesting relationship as it unfolds across the pages, I laughed and felt for these two.  Shawn is autistic and in search of a wife.  Violet is a prostitute and can't bring herself to let Shawn in on this fact, since he probably wouldn't understand anyway.  This is a comedy of errors at times, yet the story is the tale of two people who really do want to make a connection and just may have found someone with whom they can do this.  Great book.
132529
So smart and funny, adds up to more than the sum of its parts, and it's parts are awesome.
3484639
I was reading this book in public and found myself laughing out loud at some of the parts. What a wonderful story. This author did a masterful job at creating characters with depth. Our guy is so funny I really had to fight to keep from belly laughing. Our gal...well she is just sooo darn cute. I would love to read a book about the other characters from this story. Great, great, great job! denise bailey
4841955
so well written...so engaging!! I experienced this story in audiobook format and it was exceptionally well done!!  The web of "inter-connectedness" that is the human experience is brought to life in this novel...but it is sooo much more!! Great character development, humor, suspense, surprises ["Wait! What??"]...Highly recommend, esp for readers looking for a unique novel that will pull you in right from the start, even tho it is often non-linear in its timeline. Absolutely excellent!!
4533275
To be completely honest, I was never stuck on the genre of fantasy. However, after reading The Cayarn, I am persuaded that if half the writers in this genre write as imaginatively and originally as Mr. Sakultarawattn, I have been missing out. The characterization, symbolism, themes, and story line fall to nothing short of remarkable! It provides  not only a great read for both adults and young adults, a source of deep intellectual thought and discussion, but also everything an interesting book could contain to have readers love reading it. There is a fabulous mixture of suspense, action, comedy, mystery, adventure, and wit. In most cases, there is a twist in the plot at the end of a book, but this book has a twist in both beginning and end, which I found extremely refreshing.

One cannot help being drawn into the story of the main character, Kris. The prelude to his story begins through another character named Jade. I enjoyed that I didn't just have to jump into the protagonist's story, but received some good background information about his world to piece together, which ultimately contributed to a greater understanding for me. Kris' character is composed brilliantly, as you see a great change in him throughout the novel, while he is also discovering so many new things about himself. Just when he seems at the end of his rope, so to speak, he ends up surprising all the other characters by using his incredible wit and strength of heart to pull through and find a solution. He seems a most unlikely character in the start to be a leader, but we soon find that he is the one that everyone else admires and respects. He seems to have to sacrifice so much for the well being of those around him, which is part of what makes him such a dynamic character.

Another great aspect of this book is that we are not just with Kris the entire time, but get the full view of the story by an equal share into other important character's thoughts. We trade places in Kris' view, to the villain's, which is an ingenious contrast placed for the reader to examine both characters with more depth than if we were placed into the thoughts of just similar characters with similar traits.

I believe that I could pick out the outstanding aspects of this book all day and write about them, but I feel that whoever reads this review should get the picture and pick this highly recommended book up themselves. This book compelled me to keep reading and reading until the end, where I was disappointed that it was finished. But the ending is a great lead to an exciting sequel, for which I am sure Ray Salkultarawattn will match with the same brilliance in story telling as he did with The Cayarn.
1524879
It's a very funny, and inventive story. The character development was well done.
2874586
Sweet Nothing is told from multiple viewpoints and the technique's used to good effect, adding both to the humour and the tension. The reader is occasionally allowed to peak back in time, to see the history of the characters, which definitely adds to the story, as motivations are revealed, bit by bit. I found the novel by turns laugh-out-loud funny and moving. Meanwhile the hero is pleasingly unconventional; I had no trouble at all believing in him!