Brandon
Some pretty good advice here about taking ownership of your own happiness, especially in the chapters centered around not comparing yourself to others. But where she correctly suggests not being jealous of others because they were born with better genes, more money, etc., she ignores the societal and cultural issues that will always tip the tables away from people for factors outside their control. While she includes the opinion of several experts in psychology and biology to help explain how human emotions work, she omits any discussion of how some people's body chemistry is broken and needs to be put back in balance before any positive thinking can right the ship. The writing style is generally nice and crisp, and several points really land with the intended impact. But the author also repeats herself a lot, relying on redundancy to drive home some points in a way that grows more tiring each time you encounter it. No book can be the be-all, end-all for everyone, so as long as you don't carry those heavy expectations in to this book, "The Let Them Theory" is a good, fast read that will make you think.
Reading Michael Chabon's "Amazing Adventures of Kavalier and Clay" is like taking a meandering walk through a neighborhood with someone who grew up there. You are not going to take a direct path from point A to point B, but in stopping and dwelling on the details you learn to see them through the eyes of the characters themselves. It helps to have a dictionary handy too, which surprised me for a tale based largely around comic books. As a die-hard Marvel Comics reader from the 1980s, I was ecstatic that Chabon chose to set the heart of the story in the origins of the Golden Age of Comics. The story from there - the relationship, love, sacrifice, forgiveness, and reuniting that occurs between Sam, Joe and Rosa - is as heartbreaking as any I have read. Each faces their challenges, sometimes devastating, as they pursue happiness among the backdrop of WW2. Five stars.
THE RENEGADES, by Lee Rudnicki. Rating: 7 stars (out of 5)
Disclaimer: I will try as much as possible to be impartial in my review of this book, but it is a steep challenge because I am a character in it (as an attorney with respect for footnotes, finding myself the subject of a footnote on page 48 is one of the highlights of my life). The San Francisco Renegades drum and bugle corps existed from 1996 through 2013, but Rudnick's book covers the most important three years in the corps' history, when the corps went from being a "softball team who occasionally plays music" (a not-unfair critique) to a legitimate Drum Corps Associate finalist with possibly the best marketing plan in the activity. As one of the key architects of that marketing and growth plan, Rudnicki is the perfect narrator for this story. THE RENEGADES is a complete reworking of Rudnicki's "The Renegade Journal," written in 2002, and readers of both will notice stylistic similarities such as the choice to write large parts of both stories as date/time stamped diary entries. THE RENEGADES includes much more storytelling, especially about the early years, and the author acknowledges in the introduction that he has taken some liberties with the facts to make the book flow better. When I heard this, I was not sure how to feel, because these are events that actually happened to me and my friends, but now that I have seen the finished product I can tell you that none of the modifications have changed material facts of the story. If anything, changes enhance the chaos and insanity of events that were, on their own, EXTREMELY chaotic and insane. It is very difficult to fictionalize events without modifying the underlying truth of them, but Rudnicki did a masterful job of it. He also appears to have done an amazing amount of research for the book - every email that he included is VERBATIM from my recollection of the emails as they were sent and received, and dates and scores feel accurate to my memories of them. Even if you are not a drum corps fan I hope you will read this book, because it is the story of creating something extremely complex and wonderful out of nothing with 100+ of your friends, and the infectious joy of seeing something go from being a dream to a reality before your eyes. The story is funny, revealing, touching, and very, very true. As thankful as I am for what Lee got started 25 years ago, I am even more thankful that he took the time to record these stories so the world - and those who lived it - can remember them forever.
Hats off to Grady Hendrix for another creative twist on the horror genre. HORRORSTOR tells the story of a haunted ORSK warehouse (a knockoff IKEA competitor) through the story of Amy, one of the company's young associates whose career is not exactly going places. But the story is almost secondary to the format of the book, which is laid out in the fashion of an IKEA catalog. If you normally read e-books or listen to audiobooks, I strongly consider you make an exception and pick up the print edition of HORROSTOR. Each chapter is named after a different piece of furniture, and the products - and their descriptions - get weirder the deeper into the book you get. I tore through this one in two days, so HORRORSTOR is a great choice for anyone trying to hit a reading goal late in the year. The story itself is good, although the ending doesn't wrap up as much of the plot threads as I would have liked. 4 stars.
The thing about human/ghost romances (it's got to be it's own genre) is there really is no "will they/won't they" tension, unless there's a twist, and I won't spoil for you whether there is or not. The "dead boyfriend" is often a convenient way to tell a story about saying goodbye. Author Ashley Boston took an interesting angle in this book by making the protagonist's family run the town mortuary, and the examples of how the Day family has supported so many people in the town through the worst time in their lives makes an interesting backdrop. The story started a little slowly for me but pace picked up dramatically when it is revealed how Florence's ex-boyfriend betrayed her. He was such an SOB that I would have added an extra half-star to this review if his comeuppance had been more satisfying. Overall an interesting story and a quick read/listen.
I'm not the target demographic here, and I don't know how I started reading her books, but I can't stop reading (listening to) anything Emily Henry puts out. The stories are always engaging and emotionally honest, dealing with tricky feelings that there doesn't seem to be an easy way out of. (And yet...) I started reading the print versions, but the audiobooks are even better because Julia Whelan is the perfect voice for Henry's text and characters. "Funny Story" is well-paced, not getting bogged down in its story, and is mostly successful in trying to turn Hallmark movie tropes on their heads. A great read. 4.5 stars.
I wouldn't say I'm a mystery junkie, but I do love a well-crafted tale, and since reading "The Mystery of Mrs. Christie" by Marie Benedict I've added more and more mysteries to my TBR. Of the books I've read, "Everyone In My Family Has Killed Someone" is definitely the most creative, and one of the most enjoyable. Author Benjamin Stevenson breaks down the fourth wall (is that a thing in literature?) in extremely clever ways that telegraph what is to come without spoiling the plot. Despite all the bread crumbs, the reveal at the end is still extremely satisfying. If you like this book, and want something with an even lighter tone, may I suggest "Vera Wong's Unsolicited Advice for Murderers" by Jesse Q. Sutanto. In any case, brilliant work here by Stevenson. I'm on board for the "golden age" of Australian crime fiction. 4.5 stars.
It's one of those "makes you think" kind of books. Tackles some pretty heady issues - nihilism, consumerism, mortality, and why people often do things that they know will harm themselves (or worse). People who are sensitive to issues around suicide should probably avoid this one. Stona Fitch writes interesting characters that draw you in to their world as it seemingly collapses into madness. Short chapters and interesting story makes things move along pretty quickly - I read it all in 3 days, which is unusual for me. 4 stars.
Such a beautiful story, a love letter to her mother and the Korean culture to which the author desperately longs to stay connected. Michelle Zauner is a thoughtful writer who says more less, never trying to overexplain things or soften the emotional edge. She took the grief of losing her mother and made something beautiful out of it, in her own version of Japanese kintsugi.
OH MY GOD, I was not expecting this. If there was an award for “book that most exceeded expectations” Busy Phillips would clean up. So many great stories, and the honesty and vulnerability - wow. Almost too much, but she never crosses the line into unlikeability. (She seems to be aware of approaching the boundaries - you’ll hear “I know, I know” more than once). I recommend the audiobook so you can hear excellent voice impressions of her mom and Quentin Tarantino. I could not stop listening. You will love it. 4.5 stars.
I have a request: please don't read this book. No, wait - I don't mean that like it sounds. I mean please LISTEN to this book. I know the “audio books are cheating” feelings are real, but there are some books that are much improved by listening to them, and this is one. Jamie Loftus has a unique voice and a great energy that I'm not sure would carry as strongly in print. When you listen to the audiobook it's like you are hanging with your good friend James as she tells you about the extremely weird summer she just had.
This book may have surprised me the most of any book I have tackled in recent memory. I thought it was going to be a quirky book about hot dogs, but it is in fact so much more. Jamie tackles the tricky social elements inherent in a snack that is created to be unhealthy and served at low prices to poor people. It is also about - surprisingly - some important relationships in her life and what happens to them as a result of her American wiener quest. And most bizarrely, also hyperfocused on the social lives of the few, the proud: the Wienermobile drivers.
You can trust Jamie's reviews. She has the hot-dog bona fides, and takes her subject seriously, which is evident in the thorough and thoughtful methodology practiced in her field research. Her vivid descriptions of the businesses, their employees, and the foodstuffs themselves (plus sizable diversions on the marketing trend of personifying and gendering pickles, of all things) made me want to experience some of these places myself - and isn't that the mark of any successful travelogue?
I learned so much from this book about two unique characters that deserve to be remembered. Siskel and Ebert created a genre that was so uniquely “them” that it no longer really exists now that they are gone. Singer writes so fondly and with such detail that it's clear how much he was influenced and inspired by the pair. I was so emotionally invested that the chapters near the end of the book where Gene and Roger reach the end of their lives came as a gut punch, even though I knew they were coming. This book is also a reminder that people can disagree respectfully about some things, and that's not only okay, sometimes the friction of two unyielding opinions - delivered with love (but not always kindness) - can be wonderful and full of life.
Quick, powerful read
There is great advice here for just about everyone: Be yourself. Think about what matters to your audience. Listen and have an actual conversation. It seems like common sense, but then again, why do so few professionals master these practices? Peggy Klaus writes about the topic following the same advice she gives her clients - make it interesting, keep it brief, and never be boring.
Allegorically haunting
Themes of loss, death, and abusive relationships all swirl around the Orwellian-tinged Memory Police who enforce the rule: forget or suffer unspeakable consequence. Touching and haunting, the tale weaves in a story-within-a-story asking about the place that art has in the universe; will the story still exist when the mind that composed it has passed on?
Port shares his expertise in keynote speaking, acting, improv and coaching to help readers prepare and deliver impactful speeches. Chapter 12 on how to rehearse and stage a performance is particularly strong, as are chapters 1-3 on the performer's mindset. A good counterpart to Second City's “Yes, And...”.
Worth a read if only for the chapters on failing and listening - two concepts that improvisational comedy has to deal with to be successful. I was particularly susceptible to the writings because I believe there is an alternate universe where I am a writer at SNL. In this world, I can still learn from the masters and utilize improv skills to succeed in business. Thanks, Second City!
