Saturday Morning Sins

Mark Neher grew up in Washington State in the 60s and 70s. As a high functioning obsessive compulsive Catholic boy, he loved to cook, clean, camp and cause trouble. His stories cover: family, religion, alcoholic dolls, dirty deeds at Christmas and much more. Holy Cow! Is nothing sacred? Saturday Morning Sins is a work of classic narrative humor, easy to read, hard to put down. The stories are naughty, but nice, edgy and yet maintain a tone of innocence. David Sedaris fans should enjoy this book. Anyone who loves the 1983 movie ’A Christmas Story’ is likely to find Chapter 4 ’Kidnapped For Christmas’ a 1960s version that delivers. Instead of a BB gun, a G.I. Joe is the object of desire. This creates a situation that becomes increasingly complicated and has the ten year old narrator saying: 'I got out my spaceman pajamas and a clean pair of underwear while I said a few Hail Mary’s. I had gone to church earlier that day and here I was going to Hell very soon. It wasn’t even dinnertime yet and my nightmares were already scheduled for the night. Just the usual. No big deal. Santa could check his list all he wanted. Who’s naughty and nice, ho, ho, ho. That was kid stuff. I’d deal with Jesus next Sunday.' As you follow Mark’s childhood and adult misadventures, you’ll find yourself reflecting on your own. These wicked funny confessions prove the author is unafraid to poke fun at everyone, especially himself. Every chapter seems to start out like everyday boring life until Mark’s bad luck or good imagination take hold, spinning the story into a web of hilarity. Be prepared to meet; a walking, talking, wine drinking doll, a beer guzzling cow, and an unlikely serial killer. Watch Mark flirt with death while collecting antiques in a game show setting and see if he can keep his sanity as he deals with his mother, who, by the way, has as many quirks as the author does. This clever writer plays a daring game of ring-toss with his halo. So much for the sainthood he imagines in Chapter 1 which shares the title of the book, Saturday Morning Sins. This book seems to be a perfect follow-up to Mark’s first book 'Target Practice--My Life In The Bullseye, but this new offering is bound to make readers wonder what might be next and long for more.