Ali

I love receiving an ARC of a book I was already eagerly anticipating. Fresh off his in depth coverage of REM, Peter Ames Carlin goes back to perhaps his favorite writing subject, Bruce Springsteen.

This book is definitely only for the fanatics detailing the daily ins and outs of the physical and psychological experience of recording “Born To Run”. The arduous process is not new information to the majority of Bruce fans. The most impactful part of the book is chronicling the constantly churning insecurity Bruce experiences throughout given the stakes of the album’s success (or lack thereof) and his personal quest for rock and roll perfection.

I’m a Springsteen fan and was raised on the scripture of “Born to Run”. I’ve spoken of the spiritual experience of a Bruce show. That said, at times the book teetered on the edge of being too worshippy even for me.

Thank you to NetGalley and Doubleday for the opportunity to read and review.

This was a fun read that I’d recommend to anyone who loves the weirder parts of history. It is as advertised - a history of humans on drugs. It doesn’t glorify or vilify drug use but rather illustrate the positive and negative effects on the behaviors of 40 individuals over millennia.

It was interesting reading the Nixon chapter while my spouse was reading “The Final Days” and discussing how Nixon’s substance abuse put far more on the brink than just his presidency.

I also thought the illustrations were a fantastic addition (especially Queen Victoria).

Thank you to NetGalley and PENGUIN GROUP Dutton | Plume for the opportunity to read and review.

As a long time reader of Rolando’s Substack, I was so excited when he announced he was publishing a book and thrilled to get a copy early. I cannot imagine how hard it was for him to pare down the thousands of worthy restaurants, signs, sights and oddities observed on his travels.

This book will absolutely inspire you to jump in the car and wander, I’ve bookmarked so many locations, both familiar and far off to add to my must see list.

If you suffer from wanderlust or just love history and American culture at its finest, definitely check this out (and subscribe to Rolando’s newsletter)!

Thank you to NetGalley and Artisan for the opportunity to read and review.

Assassins Anonymous grabbed me from the start with its premise and once I heard a sequel was not far behind, I leapt at the chance to get my hands on it. Reading the first book is pretty much a requirement before picking this one up.

I can’t pinpoint why I didn’t love this one as much as the original but I still enjoyed the ride. You get much more insight into Astrid’s past before, during and after her time with The Agency.

Her decision making is often questionable throughout the book but it helps to further humanize her to her AA family.

The prison would make for a fascinating story on its own.

Both books are fun reads if you’re a thriller/assassin story fan.

Thank you to NetGalley and PENGUIN GROUP Putnam | G.P. Putnam's Sons for the opportunity to read and review.