Bacon Grief

By: Joel Shoemaker

Narrated by: Maxwell Glick

Charlie, a musical theater nerd with a deep appreciation for sprinkle-topped ice cream and other snack foods, is active in his church and comes from a family who loves and appreciates him for exactly who he is, purple pants and all.

Tim, a lover of crinkle-cut pickles, black olives, and other forgivably disgusting crudités, belongs to a conservative Christian pastor and devout mother who move to the rural town to staff a small church that, predictably, holds little place for Tim.

After meeting online and given the green light to attend a youth group at another church, Tim and Charlie become fast friends with more and more in common. When they consider more than friendship, Tim is faced with his reality and the choice to reconcile faith and sexuality or walk away from it all.

©2021 Joel Shoemaker (P)2022 Joel Shoemaker

Critic reviews

“Readers will root for Charlie and Tim to find their way through the thicket of anxieties and droll snark to happiness.” (Kirkus Reviews)

BEAUTIFUL Love Story!!

Thank you for sharing your heart and your beautiful story!!! God LOVES you and May God Bless you both!!!🎊😘🙏🏼🥰

Another Great Audiobook Read By Maxwell Glick

I enjoyed listening to this audiobook and Maxwell Glick did an amazing job narrating! The thing that I take from this is that you should embrace who you are even though that can be hard! Also, keep up the great work Maxwell Glick! You are Amazing!

Bacon Makes Life a Little Easier

Charlie and Tim live in a small, rural town and are both active members of their churches. Charlie loves bacon, ice cream, theatre, and the color purple – not the movie, the actual color! Tim is the opposite of Charlie in many ways, such as he’s shy and has a taste for foods that are not bacon. Getting to know Charlie, however, presents Tim with some difficulties and life choices he must face head-on.

The author, Joel Shoemaker creates a fun yet poignant tale about two young men building a strong friendship and who find themselves sharing common interests. Shoemaker builds his characters with a depth that demonstrates their similarities and differences. One is comfortable in his skin while the other must decide to accept himself and live life fully or walk away and lie to himself. Shoemaker keeps the story light and amusing while slowly building the dilemma and solution, allowing the listener to discover for themselves the depth of the decisions being made.

The narrator, Maxwell Glick captures the essence of each character projecting their struggles, doubts, hopes and loss. Glick slips into each character easily and fully. He speaks clearly and with a steady cadence.

This is an entertaining story that subtly drives home the importance of being true to oneself. The story moves forward at a steady pace and entices the listener to smile once in a while.

There were no issues with the production or quality of this audiobook. It was well done.