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Jackie & Steve #2
Hashes & Bashes
FAITH… FAMILY… FRENZY...
handled with humor and aplomb by a group of lively characters who populate small town and rural America. HASHES & BASHES flirts with satire on contemporary social issues, clashes fraught with folly rather than fists.
Nine months after their comically abbreviated RV road trip, detailed in the award-winning book, STASHES, the Breeden family farm routines have Jackie returned to her high school cafeteria job and their only son, Brandon, works alongside his father, Steve, in their dairy business. Conniver Amy, now Brandon's ex-wife, has been jailed.
Steve was already perturbed with family when Carl Edwards strides onto his farm, claiming to be kin. Carl's high-spirited presence rocks the entire community, especially when he gets rich quick. Will this charismatic outsider earn his way into their hearts?
Other lively characters assault Steve’s calm-against-chaos preferred lifestyle in this humorous small town
•his spunky farmwife, Jackie, and her meddlesome church lady friends
•his recently-divorced son, Brandon, and his female pursuers
•his brother, David’s penchant for monetary bailout
•his pastor, who attempts to foist guilt while groveling for funds
•the lure of medical marijuana and adventures uncommon to farms
Only Sparty, Steve’s dog, remains steadfast throughout the hijinks. But then...
Laugh beyond the contemporary social issues that confound family life in this humorous book for adults.
handled with humor and aplomb by a group of lively characters who populate small town and rural America. HASHES & BASHES flirts with satire on contemporary social issues, clashes fraught with folly rather than fists.
Nine months after their comically abbreviated RV road trip, detailed in the award-winning book, STASHES, the Breeden family farm routines have Jackie returned to her high school cafeteria job and their only son, Brandon, works alongside his father, Steve, in their dairy business. Conniver Amy, now Brandon's ex-wife, has been jailed.
Steve was already perturbed with family when Carl Edwards strides onto his farm, claiming to be kin. Carl's high-spirited presence rocks the entire community, especially when he gets rich quick. Will this charismatic outsider earn his way into their hearts?
Other lively characters assault Steve’s calm-against-chaos preferred lifestyle in this humorous small town
•his spunky farmwife, Jackie, and her meddlesome church lady friends
•his recently-divorced son, Brandon, and his female pursuers
•his brother, David’s penchant for monetary bailout
•his pastor, who attempts to foist guilt while groveling for funds
•the lure of medical marijuana and adventures uncommon to farms
Only Sparty, Steve’s dog, remains steadfast throughout the hijinks. But then...
Laugh beyond the contemporary social issues that confound family life in this humorous book for adults.
328 pages, Kindle Edition
First published August 22, 2016
5 people are currently reading
10 people want to read
About the author
P.J. Colando
4 books32 followersI was born and raised in the Midwest, but unabashedly aspired for adventure elsewhere, following my parents' model.
I live in southern California, where seasons seldom matter and where any promise can be conjured and fulfilled. I write while my husband watches TV sports, which are always in season = often.
My genre is commercial women's fiction.
I am having a blast! And, I hope you are, too. Reading is a privilege, a rite, a gift.
I live in southern California, where seasons seldom matter and where any promise can be conjured and fulfilled. I write while my husband watches TV sports, which are always in season = often.
My genre is commercial women's fiction.
I am having a blast! And, I hope you are, too. Reading is a privilege, a rite, a gift.
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Displaying 1 - 9 of 9 reviews
March 20, 2017
Hashes and Bashes is the second book about the Breeden family on their farm in the Midwest. After the escapades of Jackie and Steven in the previous book that ended after the trip that they took out west, on their quest to take a much-needed vacation in the RV that Jackie purchased as a retirement gift to herself. Jackie has a penchant for selling pot in the form of cookies. These were sold along with the dairy delivery route that they had. When their daughter in law was found out this had to stop.
In this book, we are introduced to Carl Edwards, the brother that Steve never knew he had, he does have another brother David but they really don't get along. Carl comes from California, has a penchant for wearing Hawaiian shirts and every one loves him. Carl decides to buy the farm down the road from Jackie and Steve and soon finds that there may be oil on the property. So drilling starts but the outcome is not exactly what Carl hopes it will be.
Jackie has gone back to her job at the school and life seems to be a bit more fun in the Breeden household with the addition of Carl to the family. They spend a lot of time together until a horrible thing happens to get in the way of family love. A whole cast of characters, some old, some new are melded together to create another fun and funny story of Jackie and Steve.
Reading one of P.J.'s books is an experience that you don't want to end. Lots of funny situations, I especially love the parts about the cows and especially the bull that loves to sleep on it's back with feet up in the air. I had to giggle when I read that part. I could see it in my mind's eye. A lot of detail within the story I can relate to, well not the farm bit, although I did live on a farm when I was a kid, but just the life that exists on the Breeden farm, definitely Midwestern in nature. I am a midwesterner myself so, yes, I can relate.
When I read one of P.J.'s books, it never fails that I get the giggles, with how she tells a story, you feel like you are right there between the pages! I think if you are going to read one of these books you should really start with the first one, Stashes. It definitely sets up the story in the second book. I highly recommend these books!
In this book, we are introduced to Carl Edwards, the brother that Steve never knew he had, he does have another brother David but they really don't get along. Carl comes from California, has a penchant for wearing Hawaiian shirts and every one loves him. Carl decides to buy the farm down the road from Jackie and Steve and soon finds that there may be oil on the property. So drilling starts but the outcome is not exactly what Carl hopes it will be.
Jackie has gone back to her job at the school and life seems to be a bit more fun in the Breeden household with the addition of Carl to the family. They spend a lot of time together until a horrible thing happens to get in the way of family love. A whole cast of characters, some old, some new are melded together to create another fun and funny story of Jackie and Steve.
Reading one of P.J.'s books is an experience that you don't want to end. Lots of funny situations, I especially love the parts about the cows and especially the bull that loves to sleep on it's back with feet up in the air. I had to giggle when I read that part. I could see it in my mind's eye. A lot of detail within the story I can relate to, well not the farm bit, although I did live on a farm when I was a kid, but just the life that exists on the Breeden farm, definitely Midwestern in nature. I am a midwesterner myself so, yes, I can relate.
When I read one of P.J.'s books, it never fails that I get the giggles, with how she tells a story, you feel like you are right there between the pages! I think if you are going to read one of these books you should really start with the first one, Stashes. It definitely sets up the story in the second book. I highly recommend these books!
February 19, 2017
Hashes and Bashes takes us deep into the heart of America’s Midwest but it begins like something from the Wild West as a Ronald Reagan lookalike rides into town and turns the sleepy world of Steve Breeden upside down by professing to be his half-brother. Suspicion immediately surrounds this stranger, whose laid-back Californian ways are anathema to Steve, a farmer who has been forced to graft every day to lay the foundations for the happy home he shares with wife Jackie and their son Brandon. This distrust deepens when Steve discovers his half-brother Carl has been using two different surnames but the stranger soon proves his family credentials beyond doubt and the Breedens set about helping him build a new life in their community. It’s a community that centres around the local church, with farmer Steve doubling as a deacon for Pastor Paul and Jackie shouldering much of the burden for heavenly fundraising through an endless succession of bake-offs. One of these baking bonanzas provides the main subplot for the book as a batch of Lemon Bars, cooked by an anonymous chef, are laced with marijuana and end up putting a bastion of the local community in hospital. This causes quite a storm and is a telling nod to Stashes, the prequel of Hashes and Bashes, which is hinted at in various junctures. The main consequence of events in Stashes is that Brandon’s ex-wife Amy, who dragged the Breeden name through the mud by involving the family in her venture of making marijuana edibles, is now in jail. Brandon, a star quarter-back at high school who failed to live up to his potential by earning a gig in the NFL, doesn’t seem too perturbed by this fact and instead revels in his status as the town’s most eligible divorcee. Local ladies are queuing up to rock the Winnebago he lives in on the family farm and another of the subplots involves a two-way fight for his affections.
Hashes and Bashes is written in a relaxed comedic style but it also has hidden depths. PJ Colando likes to reference Bruce Springsteen from time to time – Stashes begins with Born To Run blasting out as a ring tone ¬ and this sequel shines light on the kind of communities you imagine while listening to Springsteen’s songs. There’s a darkness on the edge of this particular town, with one macabre plot twist coming when you least expect it, but it mostly remains on the periphery. Instead, it’s the warmth of the well-drawn characters that shines through, especially from matriarch Jackie. While the book’s plot centres on the relationship between three male siblings – Steve, his greedy brother David and the newcomer Carl ¬ it’s Jackie who anchors the Breeden family and much of the community itself. I suspect Jackie shares many traits with the author herself and you can tell this is a character whose expert crafting came rather easily. Hashes and Bashes crams a lot in and my only complaint is that some of the avenues it goes down aren’t explored fully enough. I would have loved to have learned more about the mysterious figure who holds Brandon and one of his squeezes hostage at one point but instead this major plot development is rather washed over. Perhaps PJ Colando is saving more for the book three she hints at in the last few pages?
On the whole, Hashes and Bashes is a thoroughly entertaining read and for a novel that places such an emphasis on the church’s role in the community, it acts as a parable for American life itself. Carl, while born in America, almost takes on the role of an Ellis Island immigrant as he arrives in a town and community that views him as an outsider. He struggles to make a success of his new life, falls for the temptation of greed when a fracking company dangles dollar signs in front of his eyes then ends up saving the day by threatening a massive law suit. In an era when Donald Trump has his grubby mitts hovering over the big red button, what could be more American?
Hashes and Bashes is written in a relaxed comedic style but it also has hidden depths. PJ Colando likes to reference Bruce Springsteen from time to time – Stashes begins with Born To Run blasting out as a ring tone ¬ and this sequel shines light on the kind of communities you imagine while listening to Springsteen’s songs. There’s a darkness on the edge of this particular town, with one macabre plot twist coming when you least expect it, but it mostly remains on the periphery. Instead, it’s the warmth of the well-drawn characters that shines through, especially from matriarch Jackie. While the book’s plot centres on the relationship between three male siblings – Steve, his greedy brother David and the newcomer Carl ¬ it’s Jackie who anchors the Breeden family and much of the community itself. I suspect Jackie shares many traits with the author herself and you can tell this is a character whose expert crafting came rather easily. Hashes and Bashes crams a lot in and my only complaint is that some of the avenues it goes down aren’t explored fully enough. I would have loved to have learned more about the mysterious figure who holds Brandon and one of his squeezes hostage at one point but instead this major plot development is rather washed over. Perhaps PJ Colando is saving more for the book three she hints at in the last few pages?
On the whole, Hashes and Bashes is a thoroughly entertaining read and for a novel that places such an emphasis on the church’s role in the community, it acts as a parable for American life itself. Carl, while born in America, almost takes on the role of an Ellis Island immigrant as he arrives in a town and community that views him as an outsider. He struggles to make a success of his new life, falls for the temptation of greed when a fracking company dangles dollar signs in front of his eyes then ends up saving the day by threatening a massive law suit. In an era when Donald Trump has his grubby mitts hovering over the big red button, what could be more American?
February 14, 2017
Funny and heartwarming!
Paints a wonderfully detailed and accurate portrayal of life in a small farming town in the Midwest. I felt like I was home again! Except we didn't have medical marijuana when I lived there, and there would have been a lot more casseroles involved (because that's how my people do). The dialogue was especially great, very spontaneous and natural. I loved the characters, especially Jackie and Steve; they felt so real and down-home, heroic in their own quiet, loving way. Plus, it was nice to read characters I can relate to -- middle aged, dealing with realistic crises in their everyday lives -- family, friends, football, and finances. Not to mention endless church bake sales, and of course, gossip!
When I got the book I didn't realize it was book #2. It felt like enough of what happened in the last book was covered that I was never confused about what was happening here. Still, I would strongly suggest reading the first book before you read this one, because this one gives so much away about what happened before.
The book is an easy and enjoyable read, keeping a nice leisurely pace all the way through. It doesn't try to be anything fancy or "literary," but succeeds perfectly at being exactly what it is -- kind of like Jackie and Steve do, I'd say. I would definitely recommend it!
Paints a wonderfully detailed and accurate portrayal of life in a small farming town in the Midwest. I felt like I was home again! Except we didn't have medical marijuana when I lived there, and there would have been a lot more casseroles involved (because that's how my people do). The dialogue was especially great, very spontaneous and natural. I loved the characters, especially Jackie and Steve; they felt so real and down-home, heroic in their own quiet, loving way. Plus, it was nice to read characters I can relate to -- middle aged, dealing with realistic crises in their everyday lives -- family, friends, football, and finances. Not to mention endless church bake sales, and of course, gossip!
When I got the book I didn't realize it was book #2. It felt like enough of what happened in the last book was covered that I was never confused about what was happening here. Still, I would strongly suggest reading the first book before you read this one, because this one gives so much away about what happened before.
The book is an easy and enjoyable read, keeping a nice leisurely pace all the way through. It doesn't try to be anything fancy or "literary," but succeeds perfectly at being exactly what it is -- kind of like Jackie and Steve do, I'd say. I would definitely recommend it!
October 14, 2016
PJ Colando returns to the lives of Jackie and Steve Breeden and their close knit community with Hashes & Bashes, a fun novel filled with eccentric individuals, small town gossip, and a whole lot of heart. This is the second novel in the Jackie and Steve series and is just as cleverly written as the first book, Stashes. Hashes & Bashes recreates the atmosphere of the Midwest with its quiet, particular towns, only to contrast it greatly to the interloper, Steve’s Hawaiian shirt wearing half-brother Carl, who hails from sunny California and whose presence shakes the home that the Breeden family has built for themselves.
Throughout the novel I found myself laughing alongside cleverly placed quips, often from the mind of Jackie, as well as the outrageous events that only seem possible when the Breeden family is involved. Colando is an expert at world building, using lush description of people and places to transform the reader’s imagination into the reality of the American Midwest. You will find yourself hooked from the first page, with dense and detailed descriptions and events that makes it feel as though you were right there alongside the Breeden family through every twist and turn that comes their way.
Throughout the novel I found myself laughing alongside cleverly placed quips, often from the mind of Jackie, as well as the outrageous events that only seem possible when the Breeden family is involved. Colando is an expert at world building, using lush description of people and places to transform the reader’s imagination into the reality of the American Midwest. You will find yourself hooked from the first page, with dense and detailed descriptions and events that makes it feel as though you were right there alongside the Breeden family through every twist and turn that comes their way.
January 15, 2017
Hashes and Bashes is a fun read with lots of humor and just the right degree of poignancy.
Being a lifelong Michigander, I appreciated P J Colando's accurate descriptions of the landscape, the economics, and the people of my state. I enjoyed the Midwest meets California mash up when secret brother Carl appears. We're given a good picture of this potential cultural clash. Just when it seems that Jackie or Steve will lose it over this stranger in their midst, their midwestern sensibilities come to the fore and all is resolved—or at least put up with!
The characters of this tale are full of quirky foibles yet they are very much like people I've encountered in true life. The author employs humor is such a skillful way that she brings life to her characters without making them caricatures.
As well as spinning a fun story while providing lots of laughs and some thought provoking insights along the way, P J Colando should be dubbed the Aristocrat of Alliteration. Her writing is clever and poetic.
This story is a rollicking adventure of many twists and turns that comes to a neatly tied together summarization.
Being a lifelong Michigander, I appreciated P J Colando's accurate descriptions of the landscape, the economics, and the people of my state. I enjoyed the Midwest meets California mash up when secret brother Carl appears. We're given a good picture of this potential cultural clash. Just when it seems that Jackie or Steve will lose it over this stranger in their midst, their midwestern sensibilities come to the fore and all is resolved—or at least put up with!
The characters of this tale are full of quirky foibles yet they are very much like people I've encountered in true life. The author employs humor is such a skillful way that she brings life to her characters without making them caricatures.
As well as spinning a fun story while providing lots of laughs and some thought provoking insights along the way, P J Colando should be dubbed the Aristocrat of Alliteration. Her writing is clever and poetic.
This story is a rollicking adventure of many twists and turns that comes to a neatly tied together summarization.
October 13, 2016
Fun Read
Having read both PJ Colando's first novel Stashes and her second, Hashes and Bashes, I enjoyed getting to know her characters Jackie and Steve and their unexpectedly adventurous Midwest small town farm life. Her descriptions leave me hungry for some Midwest baking (I'll pass on the hash, though).
Having read both PJ Colando's first novel Stashes and her second, Hashes and Bashes, I enjoyed getting to know her characters Jackie and Steve and their unexpectedly adventurous Midwest small town farm life. Her descriptions leave me hungry for some Midwest baking (I'll pass on the hash, though).
July 25, 2017
Although cow insemination, fracking, and hash fascinate, the smaller sorrows, hopes, romance, and language made this Michigan setting a terrific trip. If you enjoy an engaging book about the joys, challenges and foibles of family told with humor and sympathy should read this book immediately.
December 21, 2016
I’ve been looking forward to another humorous and heartwarming novel from P J Colando, and let me tell you, “Hashes and Bashes” kept me alternating between laughter and tears. Now, grab a seat and let me tell you about this book because you’re going to love it!
What sets P J Colando apart from many others is her ability to draw the reader into the life of her characters. As the reader, you feel like you are her protagonist’s (Jackie) girlfriend and she is sharing with you what is going on in her and Steve’s life while the two of you are drinking tea and eating scones. This makes for some great storytelling. Jackie and Steve are so real to life, you expect to run into them while running errands in town. I know I did at least.
Jackie and Steve represent the perfect Midwest farm couple, hardworking and steadfast. You sense their love for one another seep through the pages. When Carl shows up, Steve’s brother from his mother’s WWII love tryst and given up for adoption, the Breeden family welcomes him into their nest.
Carl and Steve bond through a common acknowledgment of shared genealogy. However, that leaves Steve’s brother David out in the cold. David is the brother you wish you didn’t have, while Carl is likable and real, like Steve. A Prodigal Son triangle develops with impressive results. Once you throw Brandon, Steve and Jackie’s son, into the mix, the results are hilarious.
Years ago I worked on a ranch in Montana. The descriptions of (AI) artificial insemination from Carl’s bull into Steve’s dairy cows by Brandon are not only factually accurate, but they are also hysterical. I laughed so hard, I cried.
Yet, there is more than humor found between these pages. P J Colando breathes and writes life into the pages of her novels. Love, death, friendship, family, all find their way into her stories. Add a touch of pot-laced baking to the mix, and you have a recipe for success.
The end of the book grabbed me by surprise and left me wanting more of this beautiful, and funny family!
My Rating:
Character Believability: 5
Flow and Pace: 5
Reader Engagement: 5
Reader Enrichment: 5
Reader Enjoyment: 5
Overall Rate: 5 out of 5 stars
What sets P J Colando apart from many others is her ability to draw the reader into the life of her characters. As the reader, you feel like you are her protagonist’s (Jackie) girlfriend and she is sharing with you what is going on in her and Steve’s life while the two of you are drinking tea and eating scones. This makes for some great storytelling. Jackie and Steve are so real to life, you expect to run into them while running errands in town. I know I did at least.
Jackie and Steve represent the perfect Midwest farm couple, hardworking and steadfast. You sense their love for one another seep through the pages. When Carl shows up, Steve’s brother from his mother’s WWII love tryst and given up for adoption, the Breeden family welcomes him into their nest.
Carl and Steve bond through a common acknowledgment of shared genealogy. However, that leaves Steve’s brother David out in the cold. David is the brother you wish you didn’t have, while Carl is likable and real, like Steve. A Prodigal Son triangle develops with impressive results. Once you throw Brandon, Steve and Jackie’s son, into the mix, the results are hilarious.
Years ago I worked on a ranch in Montana. The descriptions of (AI) artificial insemination from Carl’s bull into Steve’s dairy cows by Brandon are not only factually accurate, but they are also hysterical. I laughed so hard, I cried.
Yet, there is more than humor found between these pages. P J Colando breathes and writes life into the pages of her novels. Love, death, friendship, family, all find their way into her stories. Add a touch of pot-laced baking to the mix, and you have a recipe for success.
The end of the book grabbed me by surprise and left me wanting more of this beautiful, and funny family!
My Rating:
Character Believability: 5
Flow and Pace: 5
Reader Engagement: 5
Reader Enrichment: 5
Reader Enjoyment: 5
Overall Rate: 5 out of 5 stars
September 4, 2019
In the very heart of this story is a bond of family, friends, and community trying to survive. Hilarious mayhem follows with the meeting of new people and bumping in to old acquaintances (Stashes), all intermixed with a wealth of interesting antics and drama that far surpass my big city, CA lifestyle. When these characters play with and off each other, anything can happen. Fun and Zany come to mind on this read that screams TV Sit-Com!
This fiction is peppered with some real facts; Silly Hats & Caps does exist in Orange County, CA. This is a group of real people with a passion for finding a cure for Type 1 Diabetes. Working along with JDRF to gain research funds so that Type 1 will soon be Type NONE!
My favorite line from Hashes & Bashes ~ “The Bar/Church ratio remains equal; our community cherishes balance”
PJ Colando knows this small town and her characters in it. She has a great respect seasoned with trust, that we the reader, will enjoy this journey to farm country. We come into the book as observers and leave as family.
This fiction is peppered with some real facts; Silly Hats & Caps does exist in Orange County, CA. This is a group of real people with a passion for finding a cure for Type 1 Diabetes. Working along with JDRF to gain research funds so that Type 1 will soon be Type NONE!
My favorite line from Hashes & Bashes ~ “The Bar/Church ratio remains equal; our community cherishes balance”
PJ Colando knows this small town and her characters in it. She has a great respect seasoned with trust, that we the reader, will enjoy this journey to farm country. We come into the book as observers and leave as family.
Displaying 1 - 9 of 9 reviews