To live in a world meant for other people

Syncopated Rhythm  "... The language is so appropriately raw when needed and so fragile in other passages ... Writing of this apparent simplicity is true craftsmanship and James carries this creative flow throughout the book ... James' gifts as a writer are extraordinary. This may be new work and if so it holds promise of an author who will likely rise in the same realm as Jonathan Saffron Foer et al." - San Francisco Review of Books Clifford and Claudia  "... [the author] can interplay gay characters with aplomb and make his story so universally relevant that the reader can simply sit back and enjoy the entertainment. And in his novel there is entertainment aplenty! ... His ability to create stories that are refreshingly unexpected places him in line with some of most established authors. Highly recommended." - San Francisco Review of Books The Story of Teddy and Eddie  "... James’ elegant style of writing inserts italicized poetic pass...

Syncopated Rhythm AnnLoretta’s Review 5 Star Review on Goodreads Jan 31, 2016 The most razor-sharp prose I’ve read in years. While I loved James Halat’s other two books, I wasn’t prepared for the art and beauty of Syncopated Rhythm. I work my way through the big books, the prize-listed books, the 600-page books, we all do, looking for a scintilla of the humanity Mr. Halat has produced in this (as far as I can tell) all-but-unknown work. The reader is given a main character unflinchingly self-aware, deeply perceptive of those around him, and descriptions of the world he moves through – textures, sounds, tastes, light, darkness – that are so perfect that I want more. But more would be too much. Somehow Mr. Halat knew that. I can’t recommend this book strongly enough, especially to a reader who may be running as fast as she or he can to read every book that comes along trying to find something real, something true. A character who lives his own life on his own term...

The Story of Teddy and Eddie Diane's Review 5 Star Review on Goodreads Jan 16, 2016 This is So Good! It took a while for me to adjust to the way the author wove his way through the narrator's life as he revisited memories. I hated what happened to Michael... Why couldn't it have been Elaine?  I think I figured out why christmas is never capitalized throughout the story.  I loved Rosalie and wanted to throttle Mr. Santini.  Teddy and Eddie need to spend some time soaking up love and acceptance from Rosalie and Anthony.  College really was a time of self-discovery and this author delved into it superbly!  I'm looking forward to reading more by James Halat. I'm certain he has more to share and such a unique way of doing so! My books on Amazon   |   Subscribe to this site   |   Contac t me   

The Story of Teddy and Eddie AnnLoretta’s Review 5 Star Review on Goodreads Jan 2, 2016 This is a hard review to write. They’re easy to throw together when a bazillion readers have turned the pages before you, and even easier when the book is about people you don’t know, about strangers, about, oh, the 19th century or about the 24th. When a book is new, when a book is about you, yourself, when it’s a call to do something you’ve known for a long time you have to do, it’s very, very difficult to read, let along write and publish your comments and put them out there for the community to see. I am Nino. Not in identical ways, but people are people are people. Or maybe what I mean is all people have the potential to be persons. Some of us grew up in “withering shadows of gray.” Some of us “Live in a future with a population of one.” For me it was a personally painful book. But I can work harder than that. This is a beautiful book. It’s a clarion call to change the prese...

Clifford and Claudia AnnLoretta’s Review 5 Star Review on Goodreads Dec 31, 2015 I dearly love to be knocked out of my expectations! I was fortunate enough to get a copy of this constantly moving, unrelentingly challenging, bemusing, amusing, hurtful, charming novel as a special offer for my Kindle, just when I needed a break. And what an enjoyable book it is. It deserves your full attention, it demands your full attention. It's not a lightweight bit of fluff, it's too human (?) to be that. Did Charles come from where he said he did? I don't know. Was the family he ended up with who they seemed to be? I don't know. But Charles is as convincing a character as I've met in a long time, there's never a moment when he's weakly portrayed, when the author wasn't living in his skin so that we could care about Charles, love with him, laugh with him, be in pain with him. When somebody else has read it, I'd love to talk about whether an...

The Story of Teddie and Eddie 5 out of 5 stars  ' Reality is a slippery demon.' By Grady Harp HALL OF FAME TOP 100 REVIEWER VINE VOICE on October 3, 2015. Format: Kindle Edition Verified Purchase. Author James Halat has experience from several locations of living. He was born in New Jersey, lived in New York City, and now lives in Tokyo Japan. To date he has published three books - SYNCOPATED RHYTHM, CLIFFORD AND CLAUDIA and THE STORY OF TEDDY AND EDDIE. Few authors can handle same sex stories as well as James as those who have had the pleasure of reading SYNCOPATED RHYTHM especially will witness. But fine as that story is, it s a novella. His full-length novel CLIFFORD AND CLAUDIA proved that he can interplay gay characters with aplomb and make his story so universally relevant that the reader can simply sit back and enjoy the entertainment. He carries that gift, developed even more fully, into this new novel THE STORY OF TEDDY AND EDDIE. James’ ele...

Clifford and Claudia 5 out of 5 stars  "It takes my keen eye no time at all to discern that Clifford is prettier than Claudia."  By Grady Harp HALL OF FAME TOP 100 REVIEWER VINE VOICE on September 26, 2015. Format: Kindle Edition Verified Purchase. Author James Halat has experience from several locations of living. He was born in New Jersey, lived in New York City, and now lives in Tokyo Japan. To date he has published two books - SYNCOPATED RHYTHM and CLIFFORD AND CLAUDIA. Few authors can handle same sex stories as well as James as those who have had the pleasure of reading SYNCOPATED RHYTHM will witness. But fine as that story is, it is a novella. Now in a full-length novel he proves that he can interplay gay characters with aplomb and make his story so universally relevant that the reader can simply sit back and enjoy the entertainment. And in his novel there is entertainment aplenty! An example of his technique of placing italicized asides - a me...

Syncopated Rhythm 5 out of 5 stars  ‘I have a feeling of being incomplete with this place.’  By Grady Harp HALL OF FAME TOP 100 REVIEWER VINE VOICE on September 25, 2015. Format: Kindle Edition Verified Purchase. Author James Halat has experience form several locations of living. He was born in New Jersey, lived in New York City, and now lives in Toyko Japan. To date he has published two books – SYNCOPATED RHYTHM and CLIFFORD AND CLAUDIA. Knowing this biographical data SYNCOPATED RHYTHM suggests a memoir of sorts, or at least a character the author has created whom he knows quite well – the narrator – no name, just a kind of everyman who is lost in tangential relationships and incidents. His gift at creating conversations, whether overheard or participating, is unique. The language is so appropriately raw when needed and so fragile in other passages. A bit of ‘for instance’, a conversation of a family in a car trip: ‘“Geez, look at the traffic. We’ll be stuck h...