Tag: Books

The Book I Read: From A Buick 8 By Stephen King

July 4, 2023
BooksMy Life
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Having read many of Mr. King’s books, I have learned that some are really good and some are just pretty good. This one falls into the latter category. Don’t get me wrong, it’s not bad, but it has a number of sections where nothing really happens. OK, maybe a little character development but not enough to balance the lack of suspense that it creates.

In his best books you are always wondering what is going to happen next. But here, you are wondering when is something going to happen. I will say that it does pick up as it gets later in the book. But he can sometimes take forever to get to the story (yeah, I’m looking at you, The Stand). I liked this book, but at close to 500 pages there should have probably been more plot and more action.

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The Book I Read: “As You Wish” by Cary Elwes And Joe Layden

December 26, 2021
BooksMoviesMy Life
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As you wish. Inconceivable. My name is Inigo Montoya, you killed my father, prepare to die. I do not think that word means what you think it means. Only mostly dead. Storming the castle. ROUS’s. True love. Grandpa, maybe you could come over and read it again to me tomorrow. (Continued…)

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The Book I Read: Reckless By Chrissie Hynde

April 4, 2020
BooksMusicMy Life
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Chrissie is a badass woman. And I mean that in the best possible way. This book chronicles her life, as told by herself. She doesn’t mince words and includes some less flattering parts too. But she remains a unique woman in modern rock. Her attitude and reluctance to compromise set her apart from many others in the business. [continued]

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The Book I Read: Gone Girl

July 31, 2015
BooksMy Life

gonegirl

This book, Gone Girl by Gillian Flynn, has been a best seller for a few years now and I finally found a copy of it used. So yes, I am behind the times, but yes also, I did read it!

It was a great read and I could hardly put it down. She has a writing style and a story that pulls you in. There were plot twists in the best way. If there was a flaw in the book it was the ending, which was ok but not great. But the rest of the book WAS great and I recommend it.

From the description on Amazon:

On a warm summer morning in North Carthage, Missouri, it is Nick and Amy Dunne’s fifth wedding anniversary. Presents are being wrapped and reservations are being made when Nick’s clever and beautiful wife disappears. Husband-of-the-Year Nick isn’t doing himself any favors with cringe-worthy daydreams about the slope and shape of his wife’s head, but passages from Amy’s diary reveal the alpha-girl perfectionist could have put anyone dangerously on edge. Under mounting pressure from the police and the media—as well as Amy’s fiercely doting parents—the town golden boy parades an endless series of lies, deceits, and inappropriate behavior. Nick is oddly evasive, and he’s definitely bitter—but is he really a killer?

I’ve already gone out and bought another book by Ms. Flynn, and I even bought this one new!

What do you think? Leave me a comment!

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The Book I Read: The Storyteller

June 30, 2015
BooksMy Life

Jodi Picoult The Storyteller

I’ve read a couple other books by this same author, Jodi Picoult, (Nineteen Seconds and My Sister’s Keeper) and I enjoyed them both. She has a sharp knack for rich and engaging characters and for what moral choices they might make in difficult situations. Well, this book is that and more.

“Everything changes on the day that Josef confesses a long-buried and shame­ful secret and asks Sage for an extraordinary favor.”

The story is set in the current day and the protagonist (Sage) is a modern young woman, but much of the story centers around an elderly man (Josef) she meets and the difficult request he makes of her. It turns out he was once a nazi working in concentration camp and a large chunk of the book takes place there in war-time Germany.

Life under the nazis and in the camps was awful beyond imagination and the harrowing narrative doesn’t shy away from that at all. I said “Whoa” and “Holy crap” out loud a few times and was moved by the characters and their gripping situations. At times it was a bit of a difficult go, with the terrible things that happened, but at the same time(s), it was so absorbing that I couldn’t put it down. This is a really good book and I do recommend it.

Have you read this book?

What do you think? Leave me a comment!

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The Book I Read: The Beatles – A Hard Days Write

May 12, 2015
BooksMy Life

Beatles Hard Days WriteAre you a major Beatles fan? Not just liking their music, but wanting to know a lot more about it. If so, then this thorough but easily-readable book is just the thing. The author, Steve Turner, takes a look at every single song that they wrote and the story behind each song. Some song explanations take less than a page, others a few pages. Most of the song stories are quite interesting and informative If you wanted to know about any (or all) of their songs, then start with this book. It reads so easy but it is packed full of Beatle knowledge. I really enjoyed it.

Every song they wrote is represented here, up to and including the ones on the Anthology albums. It’s all chronological so you also get a sense of the increasing complexity and maturity of their music as time went on.

OK, yes, I know the picture here is the german version but believe me I read the English version. The German cover was a better graphic so I used that one. I got this book in the bargain books section of Barnes and Noble. So run down there and get one!

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Complicated Shadows: The Life And Music Of Elvis Costello

January 27, 2012
BooksMusicMy Life

Have you read this book?

Elvis is King. That’s the message he inserted oh-so-cleverly over and over on the cover of his first album. Of course, there was that other Elvis too, but Costello burst on the music scene full of himself and full of potential. His uber-catchy songs and stunning way with lyrics made him famous and infamous overnight and his fame took off despite his occasional efforts to derail that train. This book details his early years and rise to fame as well as many of the things that he did to mystify and sometimes alienate his listeners from then on, as well as his loves and likes along the way.

He is one of the most talented singer-songwriters ever. There, I said it. He’s made a few mistakes in his life and in his music choices, but overall the depth and breadth of his amazing career is matched by very few. This book tackles both the life and the music chronologically, and unfortunately ends too soon in the early 00’s with the somewhat forgetable North album. But each album from My Aim Is True up through North is discussed and matched with the corresponding events in his personal life (along with his bands and backup musicians). Sometimes the life part goes a little light but there is still insight into the personality and into the music.

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