This is one of those short stories you read from start to finish with a big smile across your face……it was quirky, funny, imaginative, oddball and ingenious.

What do you do when everything in life is going too quickly for you? The world seems to be making you run too fast and you just want to shout, 'Stop the world, I want to get off'? You do exactly what Neville did. You just get off. Yes, you read correctly, you just get off the world, it couldn't be simpler. Indeed there are minor details to attend to – you have to find somewhere to live and goodness me, there are some jolly strange asteroids out there with all sorts of bizarre and eccentric people on them. Not only that, while you are asteroid-hunting, you certainly don't suddenly want to find yourself having to find a way to stop with the world escaping its orbit and hurtling into the asteroid field.

There are so many delightful elements to this short story, if I explained them all it would give far too much away. I will say, though, that it's uplifting and entertaining, and it's a wonderful way to spend a couple of hours in the company of toasterless inhabitants of an asteroid (have you any idea what it's like to live without a toaster?), a young lady who wants a book but can't read and I'm still wondering when I can go and celebrate the unmissable Venezuelan Alpaca Milking festival. Not only that, I'd love to put my finger on Everest's tip and give the world a gentle nudge.

This is probably beginning to sound like I've had a glass too many of the red stuff…..to find out whether this makes any sense, I advise you to be magically entertained for an hour or two with Neville and his asteroid-resident friends. You will love it.
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Doodling is a quick, humorous and enjoyable read. I appreciated the exploration of modern woes and laughed aloud at the satire. The style reminded me of [b:Le Petit Prince|3704500|Le Petit Prince|Antoine de Saint-Exupéry|http://photo.goodreads.com/books/1328571471s/3704500.jpg|17594652] - which is a classic. Recommended read for those willing and able to see the humor in the human condition. ( )

I think the synopsis has a great description in "Douglas Adams meets Lewis Carroll." Similar styles to the authors are definitely present in Gould charming story about a boy wandering an asteroid field, looking for a purpose, and finding himself a hero to the people living among the asteroids.

I was never into science, so anything that may have been incorrect or stretched as far as the universe or physics are concerned was over my head. I think that's probably a good thing for me. I probably enjoyed it more than I would have if I had been questioning the science.

As it is, I think this is a fun story with an easy enough plot to follow and even a little depth. I liked Neville's need to find his purpose. I think that's a good message, and in a story that I think could easily be transformed into a good children's book, it's well placed. I almost wish it had illustrations of Neville as he meets all the strange people living on the asteroids. That would have made it the perfect experience of the story for me.

This book was provided by the author for review. I did not receive any payment in exchange for the review nor was I obligated to write a positive one. All opinions expressed here are entirely my own and may not necessarily agree with those of the author, the book's publisher and publicist or the readers of this review. This disclosure is in accordance with the Federal Trade Commission's 16 CFR, Part 255, Guides Concerning the Use of Endorsements and Testimonials in Advertising. ( )

Okay. Let's be honest here. Books called Doodling and Flidderbugs? Seriously? That's what I thought in the beginning. But, sitting down to read these fast reads, well, I quickly changed my opinion on them. I'm super glad that I had the chance to partake in this blog tour for Mr. Gould's delightful reads! Neville and Kriffle are both characters that will take you on an adventurous, humorous journey into a fantasy world. Readers young and old will enjoy these reads, and quite frankly, be excited to see if Mr. Gould will write another like them (or at least this reader is excited!).

In Doodling, the reader is introduced to Neville....a character who has fallen off the world, or as Mr. Gould put it, simply let go of the world and is now traveling through the universe, making new friends with interesting people, learning new ways to look at life. It's definitely a fantasy universe and often, it's very humorous. It's a wonderful fast read,especially for those of us who are always running ragged and never stopping to simply take a moment to breath. It's a delightful story!

In Flidderbugs, we meet Kriffle. Gould dubs this book a political satire, or modern fable, and I would have to honestly agree with him. It's a story bugs that do battle in a tree (think a little bit of Dr. Suess here....). Children and adults will both enjoy this story of coming to terms with what is obvious. It's a battle of political rights and wrongs, a battle of yes or nos. Is this tribe of bugs right about their side of the tree, or that tribe of bugs the correct party on their side of the tree. It was definitely interesting to see how the story turned out and the great buggy characters are uniquely charming!

I can definitely say that these books are highly recommend with 4 Book ratings. I am glad to have had the chance to read them, and I look forward to seeing if Mr. Gould makes more like this. They aren't long reads, less than 75 pages a piece, and would be great for that settling in for the night read, or an interesting new bed time story to tell your children. Great job, Mr. Gould!

This review originated at Reviews By Molly in part with a blog tour. ( )

This novel may sounds silly, but it really holds plenty deeper meanings in the form of allusions, metaphors, and similes. Neville is the main character, he falls into an asteroid field and proceeds to attempt to create his own country, Bolivia, and meet a pretty girl gardening on her asteroid, Helen. The novel is both slow in some "deeper" areas and fast in the necessary parts. The author cleverly inserts little lessons for his reader. He writes of the fast-paced, no-nonsense and no-smelling-the-roses life style that affects so many today, he speaks of how unknown deities inadvertently cause wars, etc... This book is recommended for readers who enjoy novels containing life lessons. ( )