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L Extreme: A Novel Based on the Songs of Benji Hughes
A musician with a bad case of writer’s block and a secret past he can’t discuss…
A silent neighbor with a hidden agenda…
A roommate and a girlfriend with single-letter names…
A fairy-tale middle straight from the heart…
A novel based on an album is a book with a killer soundtrack...
For fans of Say Anything, Slow Century, Quantum Leap, Being John Malkovich, The Fearless Freaks, Lovers & Other Strangers…
With appearances by Paul Simon, David Letterman, James Bond, Carlos Santana, Jan-Michael Vincent, Bogo the Clown, the Dalai Lama, Benji Hughes and more…
Exotic locales including Jamaica, Hawaii, France, Dairy Queen, Didicur’s Hardware Store, the Circus, and Inner/Outer Space…
Taking place in the vicinity of Halloween, Xmas, April 17th, the past, and the future…
Buddy comedy, love story, epic fairy tale, album-oriented fan fiction...
All this and more. It gets a little extreme...
L EXTREME: An original novel by JL Civi, based on the songs of Benji Hughes
A silent neighbor with a hidden agenda…
A roommate and a girlfriend with single-letter names…
A fairy-tale middle straight from the heart…
A novel based on an album is a book with a killer soundtrack...
For fans of Say Anything, Slow Century, Quantum Leap, Being John Malkovich, The Fearless Freaks, Lovers & Other Strangers…
With appearances by Paul Simon, David Letterman, James Bond, Carlos Santana, Jan-Michael Vincent, Bogo the Clown, the Dalai Lama, Benji Hughes and more…
Exotic locales including Jamaica, Hawaii, France, Dairy Queen, Didicur’s Hardware Store, the Circus, and Inner/Outer Space…
Taking place in the vicinity of Halloween, Xmas, April 17th, the past, and the future…
Buddy comedy, love story, epic fairy tale, album-oriented fan fiction...
All this and more. It gets a little extreme...
L EXTREME: An original novel by JL Civi, based on the songs of Benji Hughes
- GenresDrama
286 pages, Kindle Edition
Published April 17, 2021
1 person is currently reading
326 people want to read
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Displaying 1 - 5 of 5 reviews
September 3, 2021
“This hasn’t been a normal story so far,” C said. Benji sipped his coffee.
The Best Line in this Story. Above.
I have to confess 2 things:
1. I didn't know who Benji Hughes was before I entered to win this book, I went by the description and thought it was fictional. Turns out Benji Hughes is a real American musical artist from Charlotte, North Carolina and his first album is called "A Love Extreme" and was released in 2008 according to Google.
2. I didn't think I'd make it through the first chapter.
I don't want to give a bad review due to my ignorance. I will give this 4 stars. The Author did put in time and effort. This is the second review for this book (first one being five stars). That being said it could make or break a best seller etc.
How I actually feel about this book:
I felt like I was in the twilight zone, the Halloween movie. There were several characters and scenes and it seemed Mr. Civi jumped back and forth between each person. So don't go by my review, it just wasn't my cup of tea (coffee). Had I known and did the research this review might have been different. In closing I'd like to say it can be read again now that I know.
Thank You JL Civi and Abrams Press, Benji for a kindle copy of L Extreme a novel Based on Songs of Benji Hughes
I won this book on Goodreads.com in a giveaway and was in no way compensated for my honest review.
The Best Line in this Story. Above.
I have to confess 2 things:
1. I didn't know who Benji Hughes was before I entered to win this book, I went by the description and thought it was fictional. Turns out Benji Hughes is a real American musical artist from Charlotte, North Carolina and his first album is called "A Love Extreme" and was released in 2008 according to Google.
2. I didn't think I'd make it through the first chapter.
I don't want to give a bad review due to my ignorance. I will give this 4 stars. The Author did put in time and effort. This is the second review for this book (first one being five stars). That being said it could make or break a best seller etc.
How I actually feel about this book:
I felt like I was in the twilight zone, the Halloween movie. There were several characters and scenes and it seemed Mr. Civi jumped back and forth between each person. So don't go by my review, it just wasn't my cup of tea (coffee). Had I known and did the research this review might have been different. In closing I'd like to say it can be read again now that I know.
Thank You JL Civi and Abrams Press, Benji for a kindle copy of L Extreme a novel Based on Songs of Benji Hughes
I won this book on Goodreads.com in a giveaway and was in no way compensated for my honest review.
September 8, 2021
I won this book in a Goodreads giveaway.
In the 50 years I have been reading this is only the fourth book I have refused to finish. I struggled to make it to 15%. Pure word salad. Complete nonsense. The only thing I can liken it to is when you have a really high fever and have a weird dream that makes absolutely no sense whatsoever and all you can think is WTF was that shit? And be really glad you have woken from it and hope to never think about it again.
In the 50 years I have been reading this is only the fourth book I have refused to finish. I struggled to make it to 15%. Pure word salad. Complete nonsense. The only thing I can liken it to is when you have a really high fever and have a weird dream that makes absolutely no sense whatsoever and all you can think is WTF was that shit? And be really glad you have woken from it and hope to never think about it again.
November 7, 2021
For Benji Hughes fans only
If I read a book based on the album "Purple Rain," I may have felt differently. Mama Mia was popular amongst ABBA fans. I know nothing about Benji Hughes, so the lyrics were beyond my appreciation the story was crazy and hard to follow.
If I read a book based on the album "Purple Rain," I may have felt differently. Mama Mia was popular amongst ABBA fans. I know nothing about Benji Hughes, so the lyrics were beyond my appreciation the story was crazy and hard to follow.
May 10, 2022
This book was entered in The Wishing Shelf Book Awards. This is what our readers thought:
Title: L Extreme
Author: J L Civi
Star Rating: 3 Stars
Number of Readers: 16
Stats
Editing: 7/10
Writing Style: 5/10
Content: 4/10
Cover: 2/5
Of the 16 readers:
7 would read another book by this author.
6 thought the cover was good or excellent.
5 felt it was easy to follow.
7 would recommend this book to another reader to try.
Of all the readers, 1 felt the author’s strongest skill was ‘plotting a story’.
Of all the readers, 3 felt the author’s strongest skill was ‘developing the characters’.
Of all the readers, 1 felt the author’s strongest skill was ‘writing style’.
10 felt the pacing was good or excellent.
7 thought the author understood the readership and what they wanted.
Readers’ Comments
“It´s fun, it´s different, it´s a bit mad. I sort of enjoyed it. I was never bored anyway. A good book for readers who want to be pushed out of a comfort zone.” Female reader, aged 33
“This is a very odd story. It´s based on the album, A Love Extreme and is, to be honest, all over the shop. I suspect that´s what the author wanted to do: jump genre. It´s all very silly, often totally absurd. I congratulate the author on being different. However, it´s a frustrating read, and I personally think the author went too far, making it very inaccessible to the reader.” Male reader, aged 43
“This novel reminds me of a ´private joke`. Nobody will get it apart from the person it´s intended for. I guess if you love Benji, you´ll get this novel. Good luck!” Female reader, aged 28
“Sadly, this book didn´t make any sense to me. It was so amazingly difficult to follow, I almost gave up. But I finished it for The Wishing Shelf Book Awards. I honestly don´t know what to say. The only thing I can think of is that if you happen to know the album it´s based on, you´ll get it.” Male reader, aged 68
“Reading this book is a bit like taking an illegal drug; I had no idea what was going on!” Male reader, aged 54
To Sum It Up:
‘A genre jumping, crazy ride.’ The Wishing Shelf Book Awards
Title: L Extreme
Author: J L Civi
Star Rating: 3 Stars
Number of Readers: 16
Stats
Editing: 7/10
Writing Style: 5/10
Content: 4/10
Cover: 2/5
Of the 16 readers:
7 would read another book by this author.
6 thought the cover was good or excellent.
5 felt it was easy to follow.
7 would recommend this book to another reader to try.
Of all the readers, 1 felt the author’s strongest skill was ‘plotting a story’.
Of all the readers, 3 felt the author’s strongest skill was ‘developing the characters’.
Of all the readers, 1 felt the author’s strongest skill was ‘writing style’.
10 felt the pacing was good or excellent.
7 thought the author understood the readership and what they wanted.
Readers’ Comments
“It´s fun, it´s different, it´s a bit mad. I sort of enjoyed it. I was never bored anyway. A good book for readers who want to be pushed out of a comfort zone.” Female reader, aged 33
“This is a very odd story. It´s based on the album, A Love Extreme and is, to be honest, all over the shop. I suspect that´s what the author wanted to do: jump genre. It´s all very silly, often totally absurd. I congratulate the author on being different. However, it´s a frustrating read, and I personally think the author went too far, making it very inaccessible to the reader.” Male reader, aged 43
“This novel reminds me of a ´private joke`. Nobody will get it apart from the person it´s intended for. I guess if you love Benji, you´ll get this novel. Good luck!” Female reader, aged 28
“Sadly, this book didn´t make any sense to me. It was so amazingly difficult to follow, I almost gave up. But I finished it for The Wishing Shelf Book Awards. I honestly don´t know what to say. The only thing I can think of is that if you happen to know the album it´s based on, you´ll get it.” Male reader, aged 68
“Reading this book is a bit like taking an illegal drug; I had no idea what was going on!” Male reader, aged 54
To Sum It Up:
‘A genre jumping, crazy ride.’ The Wishing Shelf Book Awards
February 13, 2024
Uh
I don't know Benji Hughes or his songs, but I don't believe that is necessary to read and enjoy this book. As a music fan and author, I appreciate the effort Civi went to to join the songs together for a (somewhat) cohesive story.
Does it work? Not for me. It was hard to grasp the story, but this is likely just not my cup of tea.
The author carries his influences on his sleeve, which is cool, and I admire his use of the English language.
I don't know Benji Hughes or his songs, but I don't believe that is necessary to read and enjoy this book. As a music fan and author, I appreciate the effort Civi went to to join the songs together for a (somewhat) cohesive story.
Does it work? Not for me. It was hard to grasp the story, but this is likely just not my cup of tea.
The author carries his influences on his sleeve, which is cool, and I admire his use of the English language.
Displaying 1 - 5 of 5 reviews