Daisy Jones and the Six - Taylor Jenkins Reid ------------- 4.5 Stars

I really wasn't planning to read Daisy Jones and the Six. The few thing I read about it said it was a book about a 70s musician/female protagonist (not really my cup of tea), and the few images of the TV show did not seem to interest me. However, while on vacation my wife suggested I give it chance, and I was open to it after learning a little little bit more about the story. Wow, was I happy I did.

It's hard to actually describe how much I enjoyed this book. And, even more surprisingly, I'm not sure if I even know why myself. At first blush, a fictional oral history about a made-up rock band from the 70s really isn't something that I thought I would've enjoyed. And, while I do enjoy an oral history of real life events (oral history reviews or 9/11, Daily Show, and SNL), how good could a fictional account of a fake rock and actually be, I thought. But something really worked with this story. 

Quick synopsis - "This historical fiction novel tells the story of the rise and fall of a 1970s rock band from their start in the LA music scene to becoming one of the most famous bands in the world. The novel explores the reason behind their breakup at the height of their success.

So, again, not necessarily the most exciting premise, but something really worked with this book. First, I think the author really dialed into the 70s, and specifically the flavor of rock n' roll at that time. I read that she modeled this story after Fletwood Mac and numerous characters are intended to represent different people from that band. Second, the pace of the novel is phenomenal. While I thought it wouldn't be possible to have an oral history of something fictional with people sharing their memories as retrospectives decades after the events, it really works. Third, the novel has some great themes. In many ways it's a love story between two people who can't be in love. Or more accurately, can be in love but only through the music they create, if that makes sense. It also tests the idea of choosing career vs, family; especially complicated when your career might be one that allows you to be the best in the world at something. Finally, the characters were awesome. Each distinct, with a clear voice, I really felt I could picture in my mind what each of them were like and how they looked.

Which leads me to the biggest problem with the book: watching the TV series based on the novel (currently on Prime). I am so happy I read this book, though I am disappointed with how bad the series is. Of course, any time there is a great book that a movie or TV show is based on, people will compare them. And a novel that is so fantastic, like in this case, makes it hard to reach the same level of success. But that doesn't mean it has to be terrible. I mean, the show isn't the worst show I've seen but it's really not good. I understand taking some creative license and shifting away from the original (which the series does), but it can still cast better actors, have a tighter script, and be better executed (I do appreciate they created original music trying to mimic the original band. Unfortunately, saying it's one of the greatest bands ever, makes you have some pretty high expectations of what the music will sound like).

Of course, the 4 1/2 star rating it earned is not based on the TV show. Candidly, a book about a fake band from the 70s can't earn a five star rating. For me, those tend to be stories that are epic sagas and/or are so memorable that I can't help but think about them often after I'm finished. And while this is one of the most enjoyable reads I've had in a long time, I really can't imagine this book sticking with me in the future. But, that doesn't mean it's not worth at least one very enjoyable read!

Jurassic Park - Michael Crichton -------------- 4 Stars

Like most people, I saw and greatly enjoyed the original Jurassic Park movie many years ago. At the time, I don't think I was aware that there was also a book, of obviously the same name, the movie was based on. I appreciate that I finally got to the book and enjoyed the much more detailed slightly different experience of the original novel.

While not significantly different than the movie, like most novels that a major movie is based on, there are a number of differences. In an odd experience, this is a movie that I've probably seen over a dozen times prior to reading the book. So, I remembered much of the story and scenes vividly and had an interesting experience comparing parts of the movie that, were in my head, to the written novel. While I'm not sure either version was better, there were certainly much more detail, information, and character/plot development in the novel.

The book was definitely enjoyable, and the level of detail was welcome. The book went too much more of the "science fiction" that Crichton often bases novels on. it was also interesting to see how certain character shifted to the movie. I found there were many more "bad guys "in the book then I recall in the movie. I also found the pace different from the book to the movie. The book actually seem more frenetic with much more of the novel dedicated to the dinosaur attacks than I actually remember in the movie.

Of course, there were some drawbacks of the book. I found the characters not as interesting as the original movie and the story seemed darker. Unsurprisingly, I kept comparing so much of the book I was reading to film going in my head of the same scenes and characters, and right r wrong, found myself constantly annoyed that it wasn't the way it seemed from the movie. It really did take away from the novel though I'm not sure I should hold it against it.

I found it was a very engaging book that I struggled to put down. The story flows easily, and Crichton does a great job of keeping the reader engaged with action scene after scene. While I highly doubt there are many people left who have not seen the movie or read the book, I would recommend the book to everyone, though it might be especially interesting to be able to read it prior to seeing the movie. Though I am not sure that's a realistic idea!