David
Loved everything about this book! From its short little chapters, to its compelling characters, propulsive narrative and several references to my favorite Elton John song, “Mona Lisas and Mad Hatters”. Spanning over 3 decades, it's a story about family, love, obsession, secrets and a serial killer named Eli. I could not put this down!
Coincidentally, EJ's new album dropped this week. Its opening track, an ode to Laura Nyro, uses the repeated refrain “Eli's coming”.
If you're looking for a detailed “How to” manual, this is not it.
The idea is to get ahead of potential health problems before they become actual ones.
He calls these problems The Four Horsemen: Cancer, Heart Disease, Neurodegenerative diseases and metabolic diseases (i.e., diabetes).
Cliff Notes Version: Exercise!!
Almost bailed on the book when I was only 10% in....then again at 50%....then decided to just finish the damn thing.
I think this was a “don't judge a book by its cover” except in reverse. The cover was so pretty, but the story itself was not.
Interesting premise, but thought it was overly long and at times confusing. Some funny moments and some interesting twists towards the end, but not enough to overlook the first 80% of the book.
As someone working in the industry, I definitely enjoyed and could relate to the setting of this black comedy/horror/sci-fi hybrid. While I also connected with the struggle of coming out, it's now 2024, and I found it hard to believe that a man in his 30s who works in Hollywood would still be closeted. Additionally, I wasn't particularly satisfied with the resolution to the mystery, which I sometimes found illogical. I was also unclear about the chapters that began like a screenplay featuring our protagonist; that aspect was never explained. Despite these issues, I still enjoyed the ride.
As a Gen X gay man, I have to share that I found myself a little confused by the pronouns and gender references used for the characters, as well as some of the terminology—like “xe.” I must have missed the memo on that one! While it may not be the most crucial part of the story, it did occasionally distract me and take away from my overall enjoyment.
Yeah, I know, soon I'll be yelling at clouds and telling kids to get off my lawn.
But honestly, if you can stick with the story until the end, the resolution is absolutely worth the journey!
With short, compact chapters, Helen Phillips constructs a world where the ecosystem is collapsing and consumerism is rampant. AI robots called Hums advertise products to humans while also serving an unseen government. Amidst all this, we meet May, who has recently lost her job but undergoes a face-altering surgery that will pay her a handsome sum. With this money, she takes her family to a Garden of Eden-style place in the middle of their congested city.
A quick and tense read with an abrupt ending that I'm not sure I loved.
When I think of “Area 51,” I automatically associate it with UFOs. So, when I discovered this book, I assumed it would be all about that topic. However, I was mistaken. While the early chapters discuss UFOs and the closing chapter reveals a jaw-dropping explanation of the Roswell Incident, this book delves into more than just that.
With access to declassified information and a series of interviews with soldiers, scientists, spies, and engineers who were present at Area 51, Annie Jacobson provides a fascinating and detailed account of our government's efforts to conduct top-secret experiments in the realm of espionage and military warfare.
A shocking and fascinating read.
If you're “A FAAAAANNN!!!” of Mommie Dearest, Joan Crawford or behind-the-scenes tell all books...this one has all those elements! A fun and quick read about what went on behind the scenes of this camp classic that was released back in 1981.
While it's not perfect, some of the stories tend to get repeated thus giving the impression the author might have been getting paid by the word, it still made for a very entertaining read.
Considering I LOVED her first two books, I thought what's the “worst case scenario” if I just buy this one? Well the worst case scenario is that the book is awful and that is exactly what came to pass.
The best part of the book is the beginning where it takes place on the plane..this is where Newman is in her element. The rest of the story, about a small town trying to avert the meltdown of their nuclear power plant, feels melodramatic, silly and wholly preposterous. The characters are all one-dimensional creations that all sound like the same person. They encounter situations that resemble scenes from a bad TV fire and rescue show. About halfway through I realized I didn't care what happened but I kept going.
(Note: I lost both my mom and my aunt with a two week period while reading this, so this could have impacted my review, but I doubt it.)
3.5 rounded up to 4 stars.
A truly chilling story as told from the perspective of an 8 year old girl. Everything was moving along nicely until the ending. An ending where I felt that the author didn't really stick the landing. That said, I loved reading this fast paced story at night to up the spooky quotient.
3.5 stars rounded up to 4 because this book has caused this skeptic to question my strongly held stances against what I always considered pseudoscience.
While not as riveting as “Nuclear War”, Annie Jacobsen brings us her exhaustive and thorough research into top secret programs that were set up and funded by the CIA, the US military and other government intelligence agencies. Through declassified documents and interviews with these individuals, she paints a compelling and objective portrait with jaw-dropping accounts that makes one question the limit of our abilities.
Are you feeling stressed by today's political climate? Then have I the book for you! Escape into a hypothetical scenario of nuclear war!
What I assumed would be a book as dry as radioactive concrete debris was actually a propulsive and engaging minute-by-minute scary AF timeline about how 12,000 years of civilization can be wiped away in just mere hours.
Fun, right?
Well-researched and fact-checked by scientists and government officials, this is one of the scariest books I have ever read. Currently in development with director Denis Villenueuve (Dune).
“Humanity is just one misunderstanding, one miscalculation away from nuclear annihilation.”
-UN Secretary General Antonio Guterres
Sweet dreams!
A compelling and creative take on what it means to be human as seen through the eyes of a female robot who finds herself in an abusive relationship. I found the ending to be a bit underwhelming.
That said, I'd be lying if said I wasn't hoping for a murderous robot rampage when I was only 25 pages in.
With alternating chapters on the private life of Lana Turner and the Los Angeles mobster scene, this was a compelling page turner about one of Hollywood's most infamous killings.
Author Casey Sherman doesn't dive into all the minutiae, but rather hits all the highlights of this particular period.
Despite some typos, this is a must read for fans of classic Hollywood and 1940-50's Los Angeles.
More like 3.5 stars.
I loved the concept of an American couple buying an old home in Italy on the cheap as so many fantasize about, including me!
This story though, will give you pause before making that leap.
Didn't fully love the supernatural element of it as it felt a bit hokey and the ending resulted in some eye rolling.
