Mark Haskell Smith

Who knew how much fun it could be to read about completely reprehensible characters? In this satire of a romance novel, worlds collide as low brow reality television "celebrities" spar with--and eventually hook up with--high brow literary writers. No one is exempt from ridicule, and no one is particularly likeable. The reality star, for example, has more integrity than the book critic. There is lots of sex, a few drugs, and even a suspicious death. This book is recommended for public libraries.

What do a severed, tattooed arm, a gang of drug smugglers, and a guy named Bob who works at a morgue have in common? Quite a bit, actually. In the novel "Moist", Bob comes across a lone severed arm in one of the body bags from the morning delivery. On its own, a severed arm isn't that big of a deal, but the woman appearing in a tattoo on said arm -- of a woman resembling Frida Kahlo -- piques his interest. The next day, while en route to deliver the severed arm to the police, Bob is whacked show more over the head and thrown into a trunk by members of a Los Angeles drug ring who want that severed arm. In the ensuing days, Bob changes from unwilling kidnap victim to the sidekick of leader of the drug ring.

The story itself surprised me with just how funny it was. The characters each have a particular trait that the author plays up, and at first, I found it annoying. But as the story progresses, I liked that focus on one trait, like one of the meanest gang members making time to watch his "novelas", and seeing how it impacted the rest of the characters and the story itself. At times, I laughed out loud at this comedy of errors, shaking my head at the ridiculousness of the situations.

Though I felt the ending was a bit too unrealistic, I still recommend "Moist" if you want a quick, fun read. show less

Sepp Gregory is a reality television star who hasn’t read the novel he supposedly wrote. A San Diego beach volleyball bum, Sepp’s main attribute is his six pack. He’s a simple dude.

Literary critic and blogger Harriet Post decides that Sepp’s book, Totally Reality, is a harbinger of the end of society as she knows it. Harriet likes words and believes in the transcendent power of true literature. Sepp’s book isn’t literature, but it’s too well written for the amiable but show more clueless Sepp to have had anything to do with it, so Harriet does some digging and decides to uncover the ghostwriter and expose his identity. She does actually find Curtis Berman, an undiscovered Brooklyn novelist who has been well-paid to write Sepp’s book – and that’s when things take a strange twist.

Mark Haskell Smith manages to skewer reality TV (an easy target), the book business, and the current culture of both Brooklyn and Los Angeles.
This is a smart, contemporary, fast moving and extremely witty commentary on media and entertainment – and a great story. show less

I have loved reading this author's fiction books. The titles are classic: Moist, Salty, Raw, Baked, Delicious,
and while they seem like they would be raunchy they aren't.
I knew he had written a book about the cannabis cup, but I had zero interest in reading about potheads, so I skipped it.
Recently I saw this book on clearance and bought it.
Everything you could possibly want to know about nudists, nudism, hiking, cruising, shopping, and dining in the nude. What it's like to go to a resort show more with 50,000 people who are also nude- except at night when they break out the leather/rubber fetish wear, r the really slutty attire.
The book is informative, and it is funny without being snarky, condescending, or making fun of the people who are into it.
Some of the chapters especially the history ones are a bit long but overall it was a look inside a movement if you will, that I had no idea existed, or what it was about. show less