Customer Reviews

Boo (The Boo Series #1)

5 star:		(23)
4 star:		(4)
3 star:		(5)
2 star:		(1)
1 star:		(1)

 

 

This novel's cover and title nabbed my attention, but the first chapter hooked me for good. I was laughing out loud within the first few pages, and then--horror of horrors--forced my wife to listen to some of these scenes. She bore with me. Even giggled. Laughed out loud, as well.

I sped on, enjoying the tale of Wolfe Boone, "Boo," a newly converted horror writer, who throws his town of Skary, Indiana into an uproar when his faith threatens to derail his writing career. This town has built its tourism upon his career. What ever will they do? Even more engaging: what will Ainsley Parker do? She is the one waitress at the local Haunted Mansion restaurant who resents Boone's presence and refuses to serve him.

Until she has no other choice. And discovers he's not all she's made him out to be. In fact, he's somewhat...handsome!

The story is quaint, romantic, and often hilarious. The lengths gone to by these townfolk to backslide their pet writer and revive the community are amusing. Along the way, you discover the mystery of the town's many black cats, the taste of Mad Cow Meatloaf, the vision to see past other's reputations, and the sound of your own laughter. Have fun!

I enjoyed this book, being a fan of 'quirky' people, as I am.

My main complaint was the way the horror fiction and films were all portrayed as seeming to be 'of the devil.'-I am a fan of the horror genre, and I am also a Christian..so, it being implied that it isn't Christian to like a certain type of FICTION, well, I must confess: I was irritated.

The rest of the story I found enjoyable though, and, am in the middle of reading the sequel, ("Boo Hoo"), as I type this-which is equally as good!

Well... I am shocked that I am a dissenter on this one!

It is a "cute" story. However, the plot is very simple and very predictable. Perhaps I had my hopes too high after reading the reviews here that had prompted me to read the book. While I read, I kept waiting for the story to really grab me. Unfortunatley, it did not. The further I got in the book the more I realized that the "hook" I was waiting for was not to be found.

It is not a bad book, but not great either. Very ho-hum in my opinion. It is reflective of what I always thought Christian fiction would be - references to the faith, but slow and...well... a bit boring. This is only the second piece of Christian fiction I have read - the first being "Bad Ground" by W. Dale Cramer - a fantastic book! After reading "Bad Ground" I was shocked that Christian fiction could be so great! I had to get on to another one right away and "Boo" was next in line. Unfortunatly, it fell short of the mark. A more interesting plot, better character development, and/or better prose in general, might have saved the day. For me, a day with this read, does not go down in history as anything more than drab with a pinch of cute thrown in.

My recommentdation (although not that of the majority) is, don't purchase. Borrow from a friend or a library and save your money.

The premise for this story is perfect; Horror fiction writer becomes a Christian, and the town loses its tourist industry. The book was a fun read and very lighthearted. There were a few lessons thrown in there, in particular, finding out who had witnessed to Boo. A great read for anyone looking for something fun, light and with some romance thrown in. The story did lack some depth and some of the characters were a little stereotypical. But you could tell the author had fun writing this one and I think it may actually make a good movie.

Boo by Rene Gutteridge is lots of fun to read. Gutteridge has lots of fun making plays on the characters' names and speculating about what life would be like in a horror author's hometown. Wolfe Boone's horror stories have built the town of Skary, Indiana. All of the local businesses make money from tourism based on his books. So what happens when Wolfe (known as Boo to the local townsfolk) has a spritiual conversion? Everyone's secrets will come out! Miss Peeples is a hoot! The Christianity seems more like a plot device than actual faith until the end of the book when Wolfe finally reveals who showed him the gospel. Ainsley obsession with Martha Stewart is fun, but sometimes seems to overwhelm her character. I look forward to reading the rest of the series and seeing how characters grow in faith and humor.

Here it is, that time of year for ghosts and goblins, on All Howlers Eve, so let's visit Skary, Indiana, the once-struggling tourist-trap for the dark side, to the Haunted Mansion cafe with its 'bloody fingers' (french fries covered with ketchup) to Spooky's Bookstore where the employees dress in Halloween costumes on a regular basis, and to other scary and dangerous places.

Boo is short for Boone, the horror novelist in residence. We begin, "A dark shadow of evil...the evil can only been seen when there is light. In the dark it is hidden, inching forward over the landscape like a thick, black ink, fearing exposure by the rotation of the earth, waiting for the light to reach it again. It is invisible without its shadow. It lies on the edge of a small town, ready to drown it." This is a town filled with one yellow cat and a multitude of black cats, don't you know!

Boo becomes a born-again Christian and decides to abandon his scary image; then, things start to happen in this small town with its busybodies and hypocrites. Rene Gutteridge portrays the small town charm with a gentle message of "enduring faith, as the community is changed forever by God."

She has followed up with BOO HISS, BOO WHO and STORM GATHERING. This is a delightful treat for Halloween, so read it and laugh as the shenanigans take place. It's not really scary, just Skary, Indiana-style. She writes, "Lord, every day I get to do this as a gift straight from You. Thank You with all my heart."

I absolutely loved this book! I read the whole thing in under 3 hours because I couldn't put it down. The characters, especially Boo, are unique and funny and absolutely lovable. The story was very entertaining as well. If you're looking for a lighthearted book to read while you're curled up in the grass under a shady tree this Summer, I would say this book is exactly what you need.

I started 2005 with "BOO" by Rene Gutteridge, and after the drag at work had me so pooped, I picked up this book that I got as a Christmas present, and was hooked. I'd put my daughter to bed for the evening, and I'm glad she was sleeping, because within a few pages, I was rolling with laughter! There were places in this book where I'd be on lunch in the break room at work, I'd start literally howling, and people wondered what was up. So, expect people to wonder where your medication is when you read this, and tell them, "THIS is IT!"

I remembered when I first heard the main man's name was Wolfe, the same name as myself. Now, I was named after author Thomas Wolfe, but I never figured I'd run into a book that would catch my attention with the main character named Wolfe. But, he becomes a Christian in this town called Skary. What makes things really weird is the fact that he's a well known horror writer, and this town is all about Wolfe Boone, better known as Boo. So, leave it to Miss Missy Peeple, the town gossip, to try and get things back to the way they were. And Ainsley Parker, daughter of the Sheriff is the main attraction of Mr. Wolfe Boone. Ainsley Parker, works at The Haunted Mansion, which happens to be a restaurant that has delightful choices. How about some queasy quesadillas, with some bloody fingers. Maybe have the special of the day, Mad Cow meat loaf with a screamy potato?

But Wolfe is what I'd call a very likable person. People want to know who witnessed to him in the first place. I mean, his editor, Alfred Tennison even wants to know when his next work is due out, and man, are citizens of Skary sure getting nervous! And while Wolfe is someone you like instantly, you really learn to dislike Missy Peeple. Believe you, me, you'll be able to picture people just like her while enjoying this work. I actually took a personal liking to Thief.

Yet, even among all the hilarity of this, there is a somber message within the pages of this crazy, sometimes out of control work by Rene Gutteridge. I thought "Ghost Writer" made me an instant fan! This is one author more than welcome on my bookshelf!

Having read all of Rene's work, I was surprised at how different this was -- the tone is so light and funny, and completely out of place for her normal stuff. But get this -- just as good. If you're looking for a great escape book, this is it!

The "Boo" series is hilarious. We love the quirky characters and their crazy shenanigans. Our book club has read all three titles in the series and are anxiously awaiting the publication of the fourth one. If you are looking for a good laugh and a fun read...look no further!