Lots of kids tend to have the occasional negative thought about their parents. It's part of growing up. Even if it's just disdain over a sideways glanLots of kids tend to have the occasional negative thought about their parents. It's part of growing up. Even if it's just disdain over a sideways glance you get for a bad grade you earned. It stings. Some people, though, have truly evil parents. Like witchy ones. Or maybe even a literal witch.
And that's the crux of this awesome, yet unfairly, short story from Margaret Atwood, the author of The Handmaid's Tale.
It was such a fun and devilish read and I seriously could handle a whole novel based on this story. But I guess that's what makes a short story truly great... when you love it so much that you want more... and the author just leaves you hanging. Viciously, cruelly hanging....more
It really pains me to give a Blake Crouch book a mere three stars. If I’m being completely honest, though, it’s only 2.5 and he got lucky that GoodreaIt really pains me to give a Blake Crouch book a mere three stars. If I’m being completely honest, though, it’s only 2.5 and he got lucky that Goodreads doesn’t allow half star reviews. So I rounded up simply because I loved Crouch’s last two novels and I hope it was simply a case of reading at the wrong time and in the wrong frame of mind. But it’s hard for me to overlook that I cannot recall what this book is about at all (hence the lack of a synopsis). I started over twice and backtracked a couple times throughout because it just wasn’t clicking with me. The characters were unsympathetic and uninteresting to me.
Well, I own it so maybe I’ll give it another shot later. We’ll see....more
What you think this book is about based on the title is likely not far off the mark (unless you have a really mucked-up interpretation). This is a gooWhat you think this book is about based on the title is likely not far off the mark (unless you have a really mucked-up interpretation). This is a good, solid read that guides you to creating realistic expectations of life that will still, ultimately, make you happy. Just not necessarily as rah-rah as other self-help books might try to make you feel. There were times when I was having trouble focusing on the book and that did affect my review. I may go back later and give it another spin and revise if necessary. It’s a quick enough read. ...more
The rise of Research In Motion (RIM) the tiny Canadian technology start-up that rode a wave of popularity on the Blackberry is a story of legend. So iThe rise of Research In Motion (RIM) the tiny Canadian technology start-up that rode a wave of popularity on the Blackberry is a story of legend. So is its calamitous failure. How did both happen? Here’s the story.
It’s a well-researched story but I was pretty bored by it. Maybe it was because I was never as personally wedded to BlackBerry as I was to other tech story subjects I’ve read. Whatever the case, it was kind of a struggle. ...more
I love Val Kilmer. I have since my discovery of the film Real Genius in 1985. I love Top Secret, Top Gun, Willow, Tombstone, The Saint, Heat, Kiss KisI love Val Kilmer. I have since my discovery of the film Real Genius in 1985. I love Top Secret, Top Gun, Willow, Tombstone, The Saint, Heat, Kiss Kiss Bang Bang…
Now that this admission is out of the way, I *liked* I’m Your Huckleberry. Not loved, but liked. I know Val is artsy but I had no idea how flowery he could get in his non-acting language. Combine that with a trio of completely disparate voice narrators in Will Forte, George Newbern, and Mare Winningham and it makes for an odd read. ...more
A very clinical and factual take on the life and death and legacy of Queen’s Freddie Mercury. But it’s also about 35% a history of the rise of HIV/AIDA very clinical and factual take on the life and death and legacy of Queen’s Freddie Mercury. But it’s also about 35% a history of the rise of HIV/AIDS. This second element was completely unexpected and, to be honest, somewhat unwelcome. I know that HIV/AIDS was a big part of his life and, obviously, the cause of his death but I don’t need to start the book with a hypothetical about how a monkey bite in the woods of Africa initially spread the virus from simian to human for the first time. It was a bit too much for me. ...more
Did you know that there was more to Treasury Agent Eliot Ness and his crime fighting career than his exploits in Chicago which led to the downfall of Did you know that there was more to Treasury Agent Eliot Ness and his crime fighting career than his exploits in Chicago which led to the downfall of Al Capone? No? Well neither did I. Turns out there was more. Much more. And it centered around his move to Cleveland and his hunt for a serial killer that happened at the same time he tried to reform the city’s dreadful law enforcement agency.
Problem is that while this book promises a hunt for a serial killer, I felt that it played second or even third fiddle to stories about other crimes and problems within the law enforcement world in what was once the seventh largest city in the U.S. In all honesty, the serial killer hunt, that was never solved, seemed all but forgotten by about the 65% point in the book. Or at least it seemed that way to me. And what made up the rest of the narrative just couldn’t hold my interest. ...more
Looking to break old habits? Maybe make a few new ones? Let James Clear help you along the way. With his easy and practical approach to habit formatioLooking to break old habits? Maybe make a few new ones? Let James Clear help you along the way. With his easy and practical approach to habit formation, you’ll glean all kinds of ideas. This is easily one of the best practical guides to life I’ve read and I am already applying several lessons to my daily rituals. Let’s see how it goes. ...more
I don't pretend to be a fan of The Daily Show. Never got into it. Not against it, just never got into it even though my political leanings tend to be I don't pretend to be a fan of The Daily Show. Never got into it. Not against it, just never got into it even though my political leanings tend to be pretty similar to the last two hosts, Trevor Noah and Jon Stewart. So I'm not even really sure why it is that I like Noah enough to have read his book, but I'm glad I did. To hear what Noah went through growing up in Soweto and other parts of Johannesburg, SA, what he needed to do to survive, and then to know how he wound up is really inspiring.
If you're looking for stories about how Noah became the host or his rise through the stand-up comedy ranks or anything about his life after moving to the USA, this is not the book for you. What the subtitle says is 100% true... these are "Stories from a South African Childhood," although it does continue into his early 20s.
If you're a fan, read the audiobook because Noah reads it himself and there are stories where he talks about the power of language, its effect on Apartheid, and his multilingualism. Hearing him pronounce the words the way they should be instead of trying to pronounce them yourself with an unpracticed tongue while reading text on a page, makes it that much better....more
That anyone might not know at least a little bit about the saga of Elizabeth Holmes and her medical startup Theranos is kinda impossible to fathom givThat anyone might not know at least a little bit about the saga of Elizabeth Holmes and her medical startup Theranos is kinda impossible to fathom given the pervasive media coverage of the last decade or so. To that end, I’m not going to bother telling what this is about.
I will say, however, that reading this totally changed my mind about her. I wanted to believe that she really thought she was doing everything she could in the best interests of improving the medical industry (and she was… ish), deadlines and money be damned. I felt she was blinder visioned and had no idea she was running afoul of laws and regulations and governing board. Simple naïveté of a person who knew no better.
But this book and other reading I’ve done have convinced me she was 100% actively involved in the fleecing of investors, patients, employees, partners, competitors, and anyone else. She’s just as bad as anyone else who cons the public.
Lillian and Madison are just about as opposite as you could expect. Although both are students at the same elite Tennessee girls prep school, one is tLillian and Madison are just about as opposite as you could expect. Although both are students at the same elite Tennessee girls prep school, one is there due to privilege (Madison) and the other because of hard work and scholarships (Lillian). They are, however, fast friends. But when a scandal erupts, Lillian takes the fall to protect the image of Madison and her family.
Years later, after minimal contact through letters, Madison reaches out to Lillian to ask for a favor. She is now the wife of a state senator who has eyes on the U.S. Presidency and they have a son together. He, however, has two kids from a previous marriage who are about to return to their idyllic life because their mother has died. Madison wants Lillian's help taking care of these two twins. There is one not-so-minor catch, though, they have a habit of spontaneously combusting. As in fire. They catch on fire. Literally fire.
Lillian accepts the job and re-enters Madison's life, both for better and for worse.
This was an interesting read. I enjoyed it, but I felt like there could've been a bit more to it. More background both on the past and the present. ...more
I’ve been a fan of Dave Grohl since I discovered Nirvana way back when. I always knew it would just be a matter of time until he released a memoir andI’ve been a fan of Dave Grohl since I discovered Nirvana way back when. I always knew it would just be a matter of time until he released a memoir and I’m glad I was right. This book covers everything from his childhood up to about five years ago and it’s good. But not great.
My issues with this book stem from how hyperbolic some of his writing can be. I know he’s the sort of guy who, like Spinal Tap, is always turned up to 11. But it can be a bit much sometimes.
I also was disappointed by the fact that some stories seemed cut off in the middle. For example, he talks about how he recorded 100 copies of his first solo album for his family and friends, which would become the first Foo Fighters album. But then after deciding not to join Tom Petty and the Heartbreakers, he completely drops the 100 copies story and how it evolved and became a full-fledged album and jumps to the Foo’s second studio release.
There seems to hardly be any mention of Krist Novoselic at all. And none of his stories go beyond 2017 despite the book being published in 2021. Where’s the rest of it? Overzealous editing? I dunno. But it could’ve been much more.
This is not to say that what’s there isn’t good. It just could’ve been better. And not that I expect him to talk about Taylor Hawkins’ death anytime soon, but I would eventually like to read another book or an addendum to this one about that. Given his description in this book of his personal anguish over the loss of Kurt Cobain after only knowing him for four years, I can only imagine how emotionally brutalized he is by Taylor’s death after being “brothers” for more than a quarter century. ...more
I’m a Monty Python lover. Have been since my early teens. And yet it took until I was 47 years old to read one of the many memoirs or histories that hI’m a Monty Python lover. Have been since my early teens. And yet it took until I was 47 years old to read one of the many memoirs or histories that have been written. Why did I start with Eric Idle’s autobiography? I think if I were forced to pick a favorite Python, I’d likely choose John Cleese. So why didn’t I start with his book? I wasn’t looking to read a Python book. I was browsing the audiobook memoir library in the Libby app and found this one in there.
I’m really glad I did because Idle’s unique sense of humor is interesting (and scathing) as hell and having his voice read it made it that much more fun. ...more
I could read and listen to making-of memoirs all day long and this is no exception. Cary Elwes (Westley/the Dread Pirate Roberts) recounts the making I could read and listen to making-of memoirs all day long and this is no exception. Cary Elwes (Westley/the Dread Pirate Roberts) recounts the making of the classic film The Princess Bride from his unique perspective but also while incorporating insight from other cast and crew including director Rob Reiner, writer William Goldman, and cast like Robin Wright, Mandy Patinkin, Christopher Guest, and many more. It’s a lot of fun and actually made me like the film even more than I already did....more
Cal Newton’s book is a treatise on how to regain your analog life in an increasingly digital world. The author gives suggestions on how to reduce the Cal Newton’s book is a treatise on how to regain your analog life in an increasingly digital world. The author gives suggestions on how to reduce the endless stranglehold that technology has on us and get back what really matters.
My issue with the book is that Newton sounds like a spurned jackass as he conveys his thoughts. He’s a technologist who keeps calling technology “mindless” and worse. And I tired very quickly of his condescension. And his hypocrisy was crushing. Take a casserole to your friend who just had a baby instead of giving her baby’s photo on Instagram a heart and a “pointless” comment. Delete Twitter and go play a board game in a cafe that serves terrible coffee. He is constantly making the assumption that your friends online are the same ones in person and you can just veer away from one avenue of contact for another with the same level of convenience and, more importantly, acceptance by the other party. But wait, if they don’t want the non-digital friendship, they weren’t really a friend in the first place.
The best, though, was having him talk about how pointless likes, shares, and comments are in the Web 2.0 world only to next talk about how his analog replacements used the Web to get funding through crowdsourcing and word-of-mouth marketing thru social media. It wasn’t until the final 20% that he finally admits that there is a circularity and that you likely do need technology to help cultivate an analog life. They are intrinsically tied together. But by that point, I was so burned by his bad attitude that nothing he said landed anymore.
The biggest takeaway for me was a chapter on using seclusion to form better ideas. Newton cited Nietzsche’s belief that “All truly great thoughts are conceived while walking” and then provided some good support for it from his own life and the lives of some of the great thinkers of the last 100 or so years. For that, I thank him. Otherwise I’ll pass on it all.
I read this book as part of a book club at work that focuses on technology and how we incorporate it into our lives. Being that we’re a digital inbound marketing agency, we live and breathe modern technology. And having it creep deeper into our personal and not just professional lives is likely the reason this book was suggested and so enthusiastically voted on.
Other reviewers have recommended James Claar’s Atomic Habits as a better alternative for this same subject. That book was also on our list of reads and came in second place in the voting. I hope it wins next month because I need to forget this. ...more
In this memoir by Mom and Scary Movie actress and advice podcaster Anna Faris, we learn about her upbringing, rise in Hollywood, multiple marriages, tIn this memoir by Mom and Scary Movie actress and advice podcaster Anna Faris, we learn about her upbringing, rise in Hollywood, multiple marriages, the birth of her child, and her pivot toward podcasting. It’s an interesting life and she comes off truly sincere and honest enough that she holds your interest and makes you like her
As the book goes on, however, she begins to add in readings based on her podcast and social media queries of fans and that is my one concern. It doesn’t kick in until about halfway through and then it gets to a point where those side segments become longer than the actual narrative of her life. I wish less time was spent on those bits and more on her story. ...more
Tegan and Sara, if you don’t know, are Canadian, identical twin sisters, and indie rockstars. This is the story of their years in high school… a time Tegan and Sara, if you don’t know, are Canadian, identical twin sisters, and indie rockstars. This is the story of their years in high school… a time when much self discovery is made by almost anybody. It’s no different for these two sisters. From identifying who they are both together and apart to developing friendships and relationships to discovering guitar and writing music and performing to acknowledging their own sexuality. It’s an interesting investigation of this portion of their lives. Now we just need volume 2.
If you listen to the audiobook, there’s a post script where Tegan and Sara interview each other about writing this book. ...more
This is the story of how Mark Zuckerberg and Eduardo Saverin birthed TheFacebook.com from dorm room dream to social media juggernaut. As well as the bThis is the story of how Mark Zuckerberg and Eduardo Saverin birthed TheFacebook.com from dorm room dream to social media juggernaut. As well as the betrayals and complications that came with it. This is the book that was the basis for the film The Social Network. And, given its age and all that has happened in the near decade and a half since it’s publication, I desperately want a volume 2.
This is my second Mezrich book and I truly love his narrative approach to writing. I need to check out more. ...more
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