I actually tried to read this book once before, but at the time I was in an unhappy place and couldn't take the accounts of Monroe's family history of...moreI actually tried to read this book once before, but at the time I was in an unhappy place and couldn't take the accounts of Monroe's family history of depression. As someone with a similar family history, and unfortunate personal experience with visiting my mother in a mental ward, it was quite odd to see similarities between myself and Marilyn Monroe. Of course this is a biography, not an autobiography, so I can't know how Monroe handled her situation emotionally. But her relationship with her mother was something I understood, and the constant fear of 'becoming your mother' is magnified tenfold in this situation. If nothing else, the author is able to capture that kind of concern very realistically, whether Monroe actually felt it or not.
This isn't a happy go lucky bio of a sunshine girl, this book is largely the story of Marilyn Monroe losing her mind. Maybe all the books are like this, but I didn't expect such a dark story throughout. Of course someone who commits suicide is depressed, but I didn't realize what a struggle Monroe had as a child and then with mental issues and drugs. It was shocking, and sad, but ultimately very interesting. She's so often portrayed as a woman with little depth, when in fact it's almost the opposite.
Not being a Marilyn Monroe fan and not having read other biographies of her, I can't say whether this is a particularly good one. It definitely includes a LOT of quotes from close associates, many of which were actually collected for the author's other celeb bios over the years. (I think this adds a layer of authenticity, if you don't think your'e being interviewed about Monroe, you may be more honest about her. Similarly, he has stories involving other celebrities with Monroe that he might not have gotten had he not been writing books about them. I imagine Liz Taylor is a busy lady.) There is a lot of emphasis put on 'never before published' information, and I don't know how much of that is hype and how much is actually true.
As someone who knew next to nothing about Monroe, I thoroughly enjoyed the book - inasmuch as one can enjoy such a sad story. Some of the family drama towards the beginning can get tedious, and maybe my personal experiences with similar situations helped me get through that part. But as Monroe's celebrity grows, the story gets going, and it becomes like a big roller coaster drop - you can see just how fast everything will go downhill until it hits bottom. (less)
Any time you read one band members account of the band's history you know that you're missing all kinds of perspective. I'm sure that's even worse whe...moreAny time you read one band members account of the band's history you know that you're missing all kinds of perspective. I'm sure that's even worse when the band member is a 16 year old girl.
But Cherie Currie's life is a wild enough ride that it's enjoyable anyway. You can see her grow and I appreciate (at least in this new edit) some of her older and more mature perspective on her life. She's honest about her petty fights with her family, band, and friends. But she's also understanding of when she caused the problem, and it's nice to see her forgiveness for those she feels slighted her.
I kind of expected to read this and be annoyed by a bratty star who expected everything to go her way. I get the feeling that that's what Cherie WAS like, but she's seen more of life than the fast lane and is able to portray that in a sympathetic way that makes me forgive a lot of bad decisions on her part.
Totally worth a read if you're a fan of the Runaways.(less)
Like most of the Angry Robot books I've read so far, they're interesting concepts lacking writing style. The idea of this book - a somewhat dystopian ...moreLike most of the Angry Robot books I've read so far, they're interesting concepts lacking writing style. The idea of this book - a somewhat dystopian future where England doesn't allow guns but requires knives with formalized dueling rules - it's interesting. The Special Ops main character is of the magical Jason Bourne type, essentially a super man. There's a cheesy love story, of course, and a touching father-son moment or two mixed in with brutal 'MMA with knives' fight scenes.
I'd imagine this book has more appeal to other readers, and I didn't think it was terrible. (less)
This SQUEAKED by with 4 stars. It started great, I skipped 3 essays, and ended with 2 more fantastic essays. The book was just SO uneven going from pe...moreThis SQUEAKED by with 4 stars. It started great, I skipped 3 essays, and ended with 2 more fantastic essays. The book was just SO uneven going from personal to research or from topic that grabbed me to one I couldn't care less about. Which is not to say that I knew I NEEDED to know about One Tree Hill or The Miz from The Real World. But the author is able to make me care in some essays and not others, so a good chunk of this book felt like a waste.
The book starts off well with the author's sweet and bemused account of spending a few days at the Creation festival - a huge Christian rock event in Pennsylvania. (I used to work with a guy who went every year. He seems even weirder now having read this.) I appreciated a non-cynical view of the Christian rock scene and the festival-goers and enjoyed the author's anecdotes about his brush with evangelical Christianity.
Another couple of essays were touching or interesting (highlights: essays humanizing Michael Jackson and Axl Rose) and then I hit the wall of three I care NOTHING ABOUT. I think another reviewer mentioned that the writing suffers most when there's no sense of the author in it. I didn't realize it until later, but it is the essays without the author's voice and anecdotes that really didn't hold my interest at all.
But it all came together in the essay "Violence of the Lambs". Honestly, the book is worth the price for that one essay. I want to copy that essay and give it to everyone I know. It was fascinating, creepy, a little horrifying, and hilarious. And with a bonus twist at the end.
So the book started off strong and finished well, and with the strong finish I was willing to forgive the handful of pitfalls in the middle.(less)
Short book that covers the Baltimore Pratt Street Riot and its aftermath. The book describes the riot in pretty good detail including a lot of geograp...moreShort book that covers the Baltimore Pratt Street Riot and its aftermath. The book describes the riot in pretty good detail including a lot of geographical references that helped me place exactly where everything happened. The author then goes into how Lincoln handled the growing rebellion in Baltimore by suspending habeas corpus. There's a rather random chapter about the history of habeas corpus and the Magna Carta, and while I understand the motivation behind including it, it seemed very out of place.
The book includes information about what happened to the major players after the Riot and the Civil War that I found particularly interesting including a chapter about Lincoln's appearances in Baltimore (dead and alive). And there is also an appendix that describes (or possibly quotes?) the historical markers that are located along the path of the riot along with a description of the location. Something of a walking tour of the event.
Short, but enjoyable read describing a piece of history that I find particularly interesting as I go past the landmarks every day.(less)
I'm pretty sure I got this as a Kindle Daily Deal, so I don't think I paid more than a couple bucks for it. I'm glad I bought it, but also glad I didn...moreI'm pretty sure I got this as a Kindle Daily Deal, so I don't think I paid more than a couple bucks for it. I'm glad I bought it, but also glad I didn't pay much.
The book is a neat blend of family drama in the present - real believable characters - and superhero origin story. It shows some of the pathos that creates this vigilante, and the consequences that follow from her fight for justice. I liked that it made it clear that the Black Stiletto acted for selfish reasons, even when she was trying to do good. Reading a self-aware superhero's journal is pretty intriguing.
The author clearly leaves room for more of the Black Stiletto story since there are plenty of years in between that are unaccounted for. Although I wasn't terribly impressed by the writing, and I found the main character (the Stiletto's son) to be an obnoxious prick, I found the concept and the Black Stiletto character interesting enough to read more.(less)
I'm not really a mystery person, so maybe I just don't appreciate 'classic' mysteries, despite my great love of Murder, She Wrote and its obvious take...moreI'm not really a mystery person, so maybe I just don't appreciate 'classic' mysteries, despite my great love of Murder, She Wrote and its obvious take on Miss Marple. This is also the first in the series, so maybe others are better? Not really sure, but I felt like this was just wasted on me. I assume that as the series goes forward we get to know Miss Marple more, but this book didn't really make me want to know more about her - probably because the narrator was so boring and dry.
I can't say I wouldn't read another one on someone's recommendation, but it's not a series I intend to follow.(less)
The last of the three Madden books I borrowed from my dad and you can definitely see the improvement in Madden's writing and story-telling style. This...moreThe last of the three Madden books I borrowed from my dad and you can definitely see the improvement in Madden's writing and story-telling style. This book is more like Hey, Wait a Minute than One knee equals two feet, so it's more Madden anecdotes and non-football stories (inasmuch as Madden has any non-football stories).
Madden talks some about his pet bulldogs, his kids, and his infamous bus. (less)
This book by John Madden is really more about the sport of history than about John Madden. He tries to break down each of the positions and explain wh...moreThis book by John Madden is really more about the sport of history than about John Madden. He tries to break down each of the positions and explain what each one does, some strategy about the kind of guy you need to play the position, and then chooses his 'best of all time' at the position.
I've only been following football much in the last few years, and now that I root for one team and can put a face to a position, I've started to make more sense of the game. But there's still stuff I just don't SEE when I watch the game, or jargon that I've never been able to follow. This book makes more sense of some of my confusion while listening to commentators. In particular I appreciated the explanation of 3:4, 4:3, nickel, dime defenses, etc. These are terms I'd heard, but never had a clue what they meant or when a particular one would be relevant. I still couldn't tell you when they're using one versus another on the field, but I at least know what the announcers mean when they do. I also learned more about what audibles are, and how the snap count works. I'm sure anyone who knows much about football thinks I'm an idiot, but I'm happy to have learned more about the sport I'm watching.
The book is obviously quite dated, the players Madden gushes over are long gone and to a non-football nut, mostly unfamiliar. Some of the rule changes Madden suggests have been made in recent years, and there are other tidbits I remember reading and thinking 'wait, what?' only to figure out that things have changed in the almost 30 years since this was written.
But I still found the book enjoyable, Madden is able to make a book about football as much about the people and players he's known and put the "face" on football that I need to make sense of it. (less)
I've read some of these comics online, and I'm not sure there are any new ones. But Beaton does include some pithy asides or background information ab...moreI've read some of these comics online, and I'm not sure there are any new ones. But Beaton does include some pithy asides or background information about some of the comics. Either more tidbits about the actual historical figures, or funny anecdotes about the construction of the comic.
If you're a fan of the webcomic you've probably seen most of these, but can at least support the artist by buying her book while gaining a bit of more insight into its creation. If you haven't read Hark! a Vagrant before and are a history nerd, you'll love this book and go looking for more online. And the more you know about history the cleverer this book will be, since some of the jokes go over my head.(less)
Borrowed this from my dad who was a huge Raiders fan while Madden coached them. While this book does talk about coaching and football, it's mostly abo...moreBorrowed this from my dad who was a huge Raiders fan while Madden coached them. While this book does talk about coaching and football, it's mostly about Madden, his experiences with his players, and his life and philosophies. His next book One knee equals two feet, which I'm reading now, is more about FOOTBALL - the best players (of 30 years ago at this point), the mechanics of the game, the positions. So I think it depends on what you're looking for.
This book is more fluffy celeb autobio - by an interesting guy who has some good stories, don't get me wrong - while the next book is really working the expertise of a coach and broadcaster. So if you want funny stories from Madden about the guys he's worked with and coached and learning to be a broadcaster, this is pretty good and he's a funny guy.
It's also a pretty short book so I read it in about 2 days and moved on to the next one.(less)
I certainly enjoyed this book more than the author's previous book Pride and Prejudice and Zombies. In that one there was such a sharp drop in writing...moreI certainly enjoyed this book more than the author's previous book Pride and Prejudice and Zombies. In that one there was such a sharp drop in writing quality and style between Austen and Grahame-Smith that it was unpleasant to read. It also tended towards the 5th grade boy level of gross out humor.
This book suffers from neither problem, and develops characters in a way that the author hadn't really needed to do in P&P&Z. I had started this one awhile ago, stopped for some reason about 50 pages in, and so my expectations were quite low by the time I finally got around to picking it up again.
It turned out to be a mostly enjoyable book although even as a casual Lincoln scholar (by which I mean I lived in Illinois and like the Civil War) some of the history and timelines were fudged. I felt that the poorly photoshopped sepia toned photos looked so silly that they were distracting. And seriously? Those were the best you could do?
But if you're a fan of cheesy vampire fiction (of the non-Twilight variety), or can see the humor in a different take on the Civil War, then this book isn't bad. And it's likely a pretty unique story unless there's more vampire alternative history than I know about.(less)
Pretty quick read written from the perspective of one of the first women at West Point. Dwyer makes every effort to make it clear that this is HER sto...morePretty quick read written from the perspective of one of the first women at West Point. Dwyer makes every effort to make it clear that this is HER story and it is not necessarily indicative of anyone else's experiences. She had a generally positive experience in the military despite a variety of health concerns that she seems to shrug off as she goes.
Writing is alright, and it's worth the read as a window into a time and place that very few could give an accurate picture of. But it's nothing mind-blowing, nothing scandalous (if that's what you're looking for), nor does it try to be.(less)
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