Title: Questionable Behaviour & For Your Pleasure
Author: Thomas James Taylor
Publisher: XlibrisUS
Pages: 200
ISBN: 9781543408263
Genre: Fiction
Reviewed by: Rae C. Bernard

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Living a life with habits can be a good or bad thing, depending on how it affects you and others. As they always say, ‘too much of anything isn’t good for you,’ and unfortunately, many people aren’t mindful of such a motto. We can’t drop a habit as easily as we can pick up one, how is that possible? In book one of Questionable Behaviour & For Your Pleasure, author Thomas James Taylor grants an all-access pass to the full perspective of one individual with a terrible habit and his journey in life trying to improve himself for the better.

Morris, one member of the dynamic duo, suffering from a bad habit of drug use and begins to have an epiphany on the outlook of his life. I, for one, don’t look down on those who use drugs, I actually feel sad for them and wonder how did they end up in a situation as such. As a reader, we’ll be getting front row seats to the behind-the-scenes of his thoughts as he comes to terms that he’s 40 years old and haven’t lived the best moments in a really long time. A lesson that instantly stood out to me, was to set goals and try to accomplish them no matter what, time waits for no one, what you do with your time is up to you but it’s recommended to be wiser with it. Everyone is at various stages in his or her lives even though he or she may be in the same age bracket, that doesn’t mean life came with guidelines we’re all to follow.

Being grateful for what you have seems to be one of the hardest things many people in the world are struggling with. We’re always chasing behind the next best thing if we don’t have what others have we feel bad about ourselves. Who told us if we don’t have ‘X’ our life is meaningless? Appreciation starts at home and unfortunately, that’s a lesson you’ll have to learn one way or another.

In book two of Questionable Behaviour & For Your Pleasure, author Thomas James Taylor paints a picture of a typical married couple with a baby, struggling to make ends meet. Margaret’s husband John has a terrible gambling habit and she’s just about fed up with him putting his selfish needs above taking care of his family. John is unemployed, lacking drive due to lack of opportunities readily available to the point depression sets in that he’d rather drink and do nothing than be productive. In his situation, I can understand him, at the same time he has responsibilities he needs to commit to regarding decisions made. As a reader, we’ll follow him as he’s given one simple task to go to the market and get groceries for the household, along the way there’s a bar with casino-style machines. Anyone would wonder if he’d overcome his temptation and do the right thing, or would at least hope so.

In each of these books, we’re learning about two different people in two completely different situations; the only similarities are having bad habits. We then begin to realize that it doesn’t matter your environment or circumstance, you shouldn’t allow it to control your life. One or a few bad habits doesn’t guarantee doom for as long as you live, you still have an opportunity to do a full 360 and make things as good as it’ll ever be for yourself. Both Morris and John have lots of growing up to do and not in the physical sense, they need more maturity. Eventually, they come to terms that they’re responsible for their actions and must do whatever is possible to fix it. Rude awakenings have snapped them both out of what they used to be doing and are focusing on what they should be doing instead.

I was shocked by my reactions as I’ve read both books from this extraordinary author because it was well written and descriptive, very capable to feed my imagination. It was a refreshing level of reading which I actually missed experiencing. From shaking my head because I felt terrible for each of them, to talking aloud to the characters as if they can hear me, put me in a zone as if I were really there. My heart truly went out to each of the men and their only known family, they needed a level of emotional support that only others that have gone through what they’re experiencing, can comprehend. Neither are bad men or human beings, for that matter, but newfound guidance is needed.

I highly recommend this book to adults only, many believe that the way their life is, has been set in stone. If you want to change, only you have the capabilities to do so.