T.K. Wade -- Author

Monday, May 4, 2026

Odder [Book Review]

"Odder" is a book by Katherine Applegate. It was published in 2022. I stumbled over this one at a bookstore. You may remember I read a previous book by her called "Crenshaw."

"Odder" was a wild ride, and I don't think I'll ever find another one like it. It is a story about a female otter raised in an aquarium and then released back into the wild... only to be bitten by a shark. The story tells of her relationship to other otters as well as with the humans taking care of her.

This is the type of story that I often call "unfairly manipulated by the author," insomuch as the author is giving a real feral otter human feelings that we can understand that would not otherwise exist in real life. This is not a complaint. I actually like coming across stories like this. It's good for the imagination, and frankly we do it all the time with our pets.

What is crazy about this book is that it is entirely written in free verse poetry. There is not a consistent structure to the poetry and nothing ever rhymes. I have seen stories written this way, but they are often filled with chiefly poetic jargon and is a pain to read. "Odder" amazingly reads as if it was written in prose, and I have no idea how she did it. Bravo.

Honestly, the way she constructed her verse is so good that I would have been happy to read another one just like this for the experience alone. It had me scratching my head. How can free verse poetry read so fluidly?! Katherine is obviously very talented.

Of course, I do recommend this book, but I do want to warn you about something. Most people love and adore otters, but this book does not ever pull its punches. It deals with extremely hard topics, some of which turned my stomach a bit. It never does it just to be mean; it's just trying to be honest about what happens in the wild and even some bad things that happen in aquariums. All said, however, I loved the experience and would enjoy seeing more like it.

This blog was written on April 8, 2026.

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Wednesday, April 29, 2026

In Memory of Lindy Lovely [Short Story Review]

"In Memory of Lindy Lovely" is a short science fiction story by Gary K. Wolf. It was published in a collection in 2012. (I don't actually know when the story was originally released.)

This story is about a future where memories can be bought and sold. You can go into a mall and have a new memory implanted in your head of you going on a cruise or some other sort of adventure. You will remember it as if it actually happened, which most might see as actually experiencing it for real. It is sort of a "Total Recall" type thing.

The problem here is that memories of horrible acts are also available on the black market. From there, you can experience the act of murder or even dying yourself if you wanted to. The main thrust of the story deals with this black market memory racket.

This was a pretty good story, and I have seen many other franchises that fiddles with the idea of memory implants and extractions. Other than the aforementioned movie/story, there is also the video game "Remember Me," which I quite enjoyed. It was made by the studio that created "Life is Strange" before they sold their souls. It also dealt with the dystopian concept of memory manipulations.

I do actually think this technology will happen someday, and it is really scary. I have personally done similar things with hypnosis, and it is possible for a hypnotist to implant memories into your brain with your consent. Imagine if we began using technology and AI to do the same. It would be very addicting, and the world would soon face a very real case of mass amnesia.

It's not all bad though. The story also shows the good side of things. It shows how the police force uses the technology to remove the memories of rape from an abused child. I liked that the author did this, showing that new technology can be used for both good and evil.

Either way, I do recommend this story. It was a solid look at what may be possible down the line. Definitely give this one a read.

This blog was written on April 8, 2026.

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Monday, April 27, 2026

Pop [Short Story Review]

[I spoil some aspects of this story but not all of it.]

"Pop" is a short science fiction story written by Gary K. Wolf. It was published as part of a collection in 2012.

I've mentioned before that the problem with classic scifi stories is that they often have a nasty political bent to them. If you ever want to get into classic scifi then you need to prepare yourself to contend with that, otherwise just skip it over.

"Pop" is a story that has that political bent. It takes place in a world where aliens have taken over Earth, and the human race has had to live on other planets and in spaceships while they try and figure out how to take Earth back.

The story centers around a military hero nicknamed "Pop" who is presented as the manliest old guy to ever serve. He is also extremely gung ho in all cases. When they first met this new slug race, Pop made the decision to just start shooting. The slugs retaliated by taking over their planet.

In the story, Pop's son had been trying his best to convince everybody that they should just talk and compromise with this race rather than just trying to kill them, but he is seen as weak and is ultimately just used as an example of what not to do. Also they do really bad things to this poor guy too.

This whole story is a mess. Everything is extremely exaggerated, and it feels like this was done to make some sort of point. I don't really recommend this one. I will say, however, that there was a lot of lost potential here, because the whole setup for the story was really interesting. I prefer scifi stories that don't lean too far into a message, and this one really failed at that. Give your readers some credit, guys!

This blog was written on April 3, 2026.

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Wednesday, April 22, 2026

Love Story [Short Story Review]

[I spoil this entire story.]

"Love Story" is a short science fiction story written by Gary K. Wolf. It was published as part of a collection in 2012.

"Love Story" takes place in a dystopian world that has become so overcrowded that it has basically reached its limit. Everything has to be automated, and bureaucracy has actually become a necessity just to keep track of everyone.

The focus on this story is, as he title suggests, all about love. It has to do with marriage, love, and child bearing, but these things are entirely different in a world where taking two steps means you'll bump into someone. There are forms to fill out and requests needed to be made in order to even have a child.

Also it's a bit backwards here. Baby-making comes first, and then you get married. I'll explain why in a second. This baby, once approved, actually happens inside a pregnant robot named Wombette. They still pull the genetic material from the parents, though. Also the baby has to be perfect or else it does not make it to completion. This all has to do with the fact that they are living in an over-crowded world and nobody has the resources to deal with children with problems.

The story goes over all these issues, and the children are going to be born and indoctrinated into the world as it presently is. Now, they are allowed to get married, and they do. They are married by a priest, given some crackers to eat, and those crackers happen to be poisoned. They die right there at the ceremony. Why? So that their two new children can fill their slots.

This is an example of a very well made dystopian story. I have read others like this, and they always leave you with weird feelings, and they might even make you giggle a little... like in a crazy way. Although it does deal with topics that make me very uncomfortable, I still recommend it for what it is. Dystopian fiction is intended to make people feel uncomfortable, and, if it fails to do that, it fails in general.

This blog was written on March 31, 2026.

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Monday, April 20, 2026

Metamorphosis [Book Review]

[I spoil the main points of this book, including how it ends.]

"Metamorphosis" is a book written by Franz Kafka. It was published in 1915.

There is a type of story I run into now and again where something happens in the story for no other reason but that the author made it happen. In the case of "Metamorphosis," a man named Gregor Samsa turns into a giant bug. There is no reason ever given why this happens; it simply happens because the author wanted it to happen. That's it.

From there, you see the result as it would play out. Sadly, much of it is very bad. For one, Gregor has no idea how to operate his new body. The author did not give him that. He has to spend much of the book trying to puppet himself properly. Secondly, he lives with his family and has a job, both of which are severely affected by the very real fact that he is a bug now.

It sucks, because Gregor was a major financial contributor to a family that was just barely hanging on. They cannot rely on him anymore, so they are doing everything they can to make money so they don't end up homeless. They can barely stand to look at him as well, so the relationship with Gregor is not going well.

Gregor cannot talk anymore. He cannot communicate with his own family, and they simply struggle to figure out what he wants. This relationship breaks down even more because they are also dealing with the problems of poverty. To be clear, things are just as bad for the family as it is for Gregor. Both sides are bad. Even if they particularly wanted to treat him well, they cannot understand him enough to properly do it. Everything falls apart because of what the author did here. And yes... I am blaming him.

Ultimately, Gregor just ends up dying from complete loneliness and likely some other complications. When he dies... everything almost immediately gets better for the family. Much of their problems was because they were keeping a giant bug in their house, which was impossible to explain to people. It was ruining their lives. Once their son was dead and gone, it was a relief to everyone. They could move on, and, to be fair, it was probably a relief to Gregor as well.

But, once again, Gregor never did anything wrong. He had not invited this transformation upon him. The man known as Franz Kafka did it to him, and then he let the story play out as it likely would have. This is a fact that has not gone unnoticed by people who have read this book. The "meta" in the title is sometimes looked upon as Gregor's strange relationship with God, who suddenly and inexplicably decided he needed to be a giant bug. Something outside the system Gregor lived in had a bit of fun, and nobody really enjoyed any of it. That's what this story is. It's what happens when an uncaring author does random things... and still bothers to see it through.

Regardless of how utterly depressing this was to read, it was actually very well written and a good example of meta-ideals. I do recommend it on those grounds alone. Still, if you are looking for something to make you smile, this is not it!

This blog was written on March 30, 2026.

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Wednesday, April 15, 2026

Fart Proudly [Book Review]

"Fart Proudly" is a book filled with various writings by Benjamin Franklin. This collection was published in 2025. The title is honestly very silly, but I suspect the reason they used it was to get children engaged in reading it. There is no actual mention to the saying anywhere in the book. That said, it kind of worked, because it got me to read it. Well done.

[Now, let me get one thing out of the way. There is an actual letter written by Franklin called "Fart Proudly," and this book isn't it. They could have put it in the collection, but weirdly they didn't. If I can find a copy of this letter, I'll do a separate review of it.]

As to what this book is, it is Benjamin's unfinished autobiography as well as a few extra writings tacked-on to the ending. None of this is bad, though. It all serves to help you understand who Benjamin Franklin was and what he had to go through mostly before we achieved our independence from Britain.

I learned things about Benjamin that I never knew. The autobiography was so telling that I am surprised more people don't talk about it. He was very clearly a progressive liberal, but he was far from being a radical. He worked very hard to uplift this country when we were struggling to form our own identity. He was also a man full of wisdom that he tried very hard to pass on to us, as long as we were willing to listen. The man constantly tried to perfect himself and his morals, and his autobiography goes into this very hotly. You'll learn exactly how he attempted this, and it's really kind of brilliant.

Did you know Benjamin Franklin led forces in our military? He did, and he worked very hard at it. He was also very humble about it, constantly stating that he was not really very good at it. I was still impressed by it, though. Remember also that this is all pre-independence. All this was in service to the king.

There is a lot more, but I would be writing forever if I tackled everything. Just understand that his autobiography is a very good way to learn about him on an intimate level. His writing is also very easy to read. He writes very plainly.

The extra content of the book involved various writings and letters. There isn't much of it, but what is there was very good. I especially loved his short story called "The Whistle," where he blew a lot of money on a whistle when he was a child. Now, whenever he saw someone who made bad investments in life, he would say, "They paid too much for their whistle." It seems that whenever Benjamin made a bad judgement in his life, he would learn a lesson from it and pass it on to help him in later decisions.

Even though I do recommend "Fart Proudly," I think you may be better off just finding a copy of his autobiography and reading it that way. Although, if you have some kid who doesn't care much about history, you might show them the title of this book. It might just catch his attention!

This blog was written on March 30, 2026.

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Monday, April 13, 2026

Groucho Marx and Other Short Stories and Tall Tales [Book Review]

"Groucho Marx and Other Short Stories and Tall Tales" is a collection of writings all written by Groucho Marx over the period of his life. It was edited together with lots of fun little factoids by Robert S. Bader. It was published in 1993.

Despite the fact that they have become almost completely obscure and unknown these days, I have always been a staunch fan of the Marx Brothers. I adored them far more than The Three Stooges, who seems to have outlasted them with flawless precision. I always felt that the absurdist humor of the Marx Brothers was strangely higher brow, which I enjoyed a lot more, although I respect both groups for what they accomplished.

Although all four of the Marx Brothers stood out in some way, it was Groucho Marx that always seem to get the best witty dialog in his films. He was also the one who carried on a significant career after the group broke up. There came a day where I rather randomly asked the question, "Did Groucho ever write anything?" I went to look it up, and I was happy to find a book of short stories!

I always take a long time to get to books I buy. I buy books like it's a drug addiction. I buy more books than I can possibly deal with, so sometimes they just sit around before I can kick myself in the ass enough to do it. And it isn't kicking myself in the ass that's the hard part; it's getting behind myself that I can never seem to do.

Anyways, I finally read it, and it was not quite what I expected... but it wasn't bad! By "short stories," I thought this was going to be fiction, but this read more like "Reader's Digest" articles. In fact, one of them actually was from "Reader's Digest." That's fine. I actually used to read that magazine as a kid. These are all first person narratives about his opinions on things. They are often exaggerated in a comical way. None of the humor is is cheap, but the only thing you'll have to pay is your attention.

All the articles in this book are great. If you like the humor of Groucho Marx, it is all here. The editor of the book also includes a lot of backstory that I found very interesting. You actually will come out of this book with a better understanding of Groucho and his life before you can wonder how you became trapped inside a book to begin with. It's really tight in there!

Anyhow, I do recommend this one to Marx Brothers enthusiasts. To people who don't like the Marx Brothers, I can recommend a hammer to the head. That can fix almost any problem in the world today!

This blog was written on March 25, 2026.

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