Going Infinite: The Rise and Fall of a New Tycoon - Michael Lewis ---------------- 4 Stars

I've read and reviewed a few of Michael Lewis's books and normally find them quite interesting. The other thing that I find remarkable about them is how quickly he is able to churn out content that is topical and timely. He got particularly lucky with this new book, Going Infinite, as it's basically a biography of Sam  Bankman-Fried, who just this summer was convicted of multiple crimes and sent to prison. Besides landing at a perfect time that's newsworthy, it's a pretty fascinating read by itself.

As shared above, this book basically shares the life and times of Sam Bankman-Fried, at one point, one of the richest people in the world who built his empire on cryptocurrency and some fuzzy math. Starting with his somewhat atypical upbringing and navigating through his arrest last year, Lewis does an admirable job of covering his life. Almost always appropriately giving time to what should be covered, I left with a pretty good feel for Bankman-Fried's history. 

Unfortunately, I did not leave with a great sense of why Bankman-Fried did much of what he did and exactly what crimes he committed (and if he even knew he was committing them). Now, this is not due to the author's lack of skill or attempt to try to convey this information; rather, it's because Bankman-Fried is a bit of an enigma. And, beyond that, it is clear that Lewis has a different viewpoint of him than most other people (including those in the judicial system). If you'd like to get a shorter read of the book, that has a few other conclusions drawn based on the last year since it was published, check out Lewis' fascinating article in the Washington Post.

And, while I really did enjoy the book and thought it moved at a great pace and was a simply fascinating exposé about the main character, I struggled to follow perhaps 10% of what was shared. Now, this is not new or different from his other books. He's a smart guy and he has no problem using technical jargon and assuming the reader has a similar level of knowledge of things than he does (this reader, absolutely, does not!). While this might take away from parts of the book as it's hard to understand exactly what happened, it also adds to the allure and mystery. It also can be explained by the fact that even the people who are experts in this are and intimately involved don't necessarily always understand what is going on. 

SIDE NOTE- for those not familiar, Bankman-Fried is in jail for taking a bunch of people's money. Lewis in the Post piece, basically says Bankman-Friend never actually stole people's money and it's still available it and could be given back to people. The idea that this isn't even a known fact of this point shows you how confusing all this is.

Anyway, as someone who knew very little about this person or what was going on with his trial, I found this book really interesting. Sam Bankman-Fried is one of the most fascinating people and what occurred the last few year was an incredible and meteoric rise to fame and wealth. If reading, just know that you might have to push through some parts that don't make any sense (but don't be discourage, they don't make sense a lot of people, even those involved!)

Chain Gang All Stars - Nana Kwame Adjei-Brenyah --------------------- 3.5 Stars

Chain-Gang All-Stars has received some wonderful accolades after its release last year. After hearing about a few of them, I thought I'd give this book a read. And, while it did feel repetitive and a bit arduous at times, the plot and focus was unique.

In a dystopian future in America, a private prison system exists, and criminals are pitted against one another in death matches as they seek their freedom. This book is focused on two exceptional woman gladiators who are excellent killers (and characters) who struggle greatly within the system they are forced to kill  The book follows them along with some secondary characters who both question the structure they exist in along with others who work to keep it in place.

I found the book fascinating when I started. Once I understood the set up the novel and how things were different in this fictional future, I was pretty interested. The set up and start of the novel really was excellent. The author did a great job also introducing the key characters and explaining the major players that would be important as the book went along. I also thought the last 10% of the novel was great too. While they set up the final battle, and you kind of knew what was coming, there was well written enough, with enough of a surprise, to make the ending really satisfying. 

Unfortunately, I found the middle third of the book a bit repetitive and slow. I almost felt like the author knew how the novel would start and how they wanted to end it and then had to figure out the middle mid-writing.  For me, it was simply too long with too many side stories and details provided that were really unnecessary. I felt the author couldn't decide if she wanted to round out and really introduce and provide great stories about these secondary characters or just wanted them to existed generally. Unfortunately, she split the difference and did neither well.  

What was perhaps most welcome, surprising and noteworthy about this book was how well the author leaned into describing and educating the reader about all the ills and problems of our modern prison sentence. Offered as one of the worst democratic countries in the world in this regard, the litany of footnotes shared real facts about the horrors that is our prison system for so many individuals. Besides clearly humanizing those behind bars, the author also does a great job of showing how similar they are too so many others. I was amazed by a number of the facts about individuals throughout American history who were unfairly treated and prosecuted (of course, most are people of Color). It left me doing more than a few deep dives to research more. 

While I didn't find every page of this book fulfilling, and it suffered from some slow chapters, I do recommend this book strongly. This book is different, entertaining, and has a perspective and viewpoint about something. While it's violent and may push people out of their comfort zone, more books are needed like this.

Blood Meridian - Cormac McCarthy -------------------- 1.5

Well. I'm clearly a fool.  Here are words I wrote upon reviewing Cormac McCarthy's The Road on February 22, 2009., "...but after two books I think I am done with him."    Ugh, why didn't I remember that and listen to myself? Instead, here I am, 15 YEARS LATER, giving the same review I gave then.

To give myself some credit and grace, Blood Meridian, has been on my list for so long I probably forgot about my negative feelings about McCarthy. And, perhaps more importantly, in the last decade or so critics opine that Blood Meridian might one of the greatest American novels in the past fifty years. Even, one of my favorites, David Foster Wallace wrote that. So, there was/is a huge amount of people heaping praise upon this book. That, along with it's focus on the Old West made me think I had to give it a try... and what a colossal mistake.

As you can probably tell, I wanted to like this book so much. I really did. I gave it a shot, at the start, even when I wasn't digging it. I wanted to give up half way through but figured it might have a great final half. And I wanted to drop it with about 100 pages left but I had come so far. Unfortunately, it never really got better or changed or did something new.

So why? Why all the hate? Well, mostly because it's just a miserable read. It's not entertaining, its' not funny, it's not really interesting, and if that wasn't enough, it's super dark. Like, I can't believe how many times he uses the "n" word or describes, in great detail the scalping of a Native Americans. The violence is just over the top. And the sense of nothing is incessant.  

If curious, here's Amazon's summary "Based on historical events that took place on the Texas-Mexico border in the 1850s, Blood Meridian traces the fortunes of the Kid, a fourteen-year-old Tennesseean who stumbles into the nightmarish world where Indians are being murdered and the market for their scalps is thriving."

I mean, that's about it.  For like, 400 pages. And, to make it even harder, he really doesn't use many structural tools. So no quotation marks for people speaking, very few commas, god forbid he uses a semi-colon. 

I could go on and on about how much I struggled with this book. And, to be fair, there were some parts that were interesting but I'd say 90% of it nothing of substance happens and you have to really wade your way through McCarthy's dense writing. Don't get me wrong, he's a genius with words and describing nature, but don't ask him to shape a character's motivation or offer
a great piece of dialogue.

As you can tell, I really can't recommend this novel. It was truly one of my least favorite books I've read, and I feel so bad about that. But, it's how it felt to me and perhaps you might have a different view of it.

 

The Club Dumas Paperback –Arturo Perez-Reverte ----------------- 3 Stars

On my "To Read' list" for a number of years was The Club Dumas, and I was finally able to get to it this summer. While it came highly suggested as a great mystery novel, I did struggle with the book in a number of ways. Nonetheless, it was a decent read that kept me engaged.

In many ways, this book reminded me of those many Dan Brown novels that were such huge hits, beginning with The Da Vinci Code (reviews of a couple others I read here). Similarly, this book is basically a detective story based on old artifacts and old books. This one, as you could probably figure from the name, had many references to Alexander Dumas, and his classic book - The Three Musketeers.  Besides having numerous references to this book, this novel also noted about a dozen other older manuscripts, including many that had to do with occult. 

Perhaps most unfortunately for me, I never read The Three Musketeers or any of the other books mentioned. I think that would have been helpful to me as there were large parts of the story I had no idea what was going on. In fact, after finishing it, I am still not sure what happened in the story. Besides having many dark parts and a lot of violence, it really was a challenging book to follow that left me fairly unsatisfied after concluding. 

But, it still earned 3 stars as my reviews are based on entertainment value and engagement. And, well, this book was awfully engaging when reading it. The pace was fast and the story did read like a well put together mystery novel. And, even though I didn't really know what was going for many parts, the main character was pretty interesting and his escapades to solve the mystery were pretty fun to go along with. 

I'm not sure I can recommend this book strongly but for some readers who really like a good mystery store and/or have good knowledge of Dumas' work, this might be a good read for you (though you've probably already picked up by now). If you are looking for a light beach read, though, this is likely not for you. 

The Murder of Roger Ackroyd - Agatha Christie - 3.5 Stars

Like many, I was first put on to Agatha Christie many years ago with her famous And Then There Were None.  I remember really enjoying that story, even though it was nearly thirty years ago that I read it. It was such a great mystery and clearly showed how wonderful of a storyteller Christie is. Recently, I came across an article listing the Murder of Roger Ackroyd as they most underrated book she wrote and another great mystery novel, so I gave it a shot. Pretty happy I did.

Unbelievably, this book was written nearly a hundred years ago. I note that as the pace and focus of the novel seemed nearly modern. Not overly indulgent or long, the book quickly puts you into the center of the book, which, not surprisingly, is the murder of Roger Ackroyd. It swiftly picks up from there as the great detective, Hercule Poirot, comes on the scene. Besides being an interesting character who also seems to always say something clever. He, via Christie of course, begins to observe many elements and slow expose pieces of them to the reader to help discover who might have killed Ackroyd.

For much of the novel, it really did feel like I was watching a real life "Clue" game take place. A rich guy, killed in a giant mansion with many different individuals around as suspects. At one point the author actually provides a visual of a sitting room in the house, and it almost felt like a Clue board. The book is also entertaining as the characters are pretty interesting and there's such a large number of them, who seemingly all have a motive to kill Ackroyd, you never stop guessing.

Of course, like any good sleuth, I did figure it out about half way through. Unfortunately, I read a newer edition that included two prefaces that probably gave away too much information about the killer (I will not do the same for you but do suggest you just start the novel if you get the same copy). And, like And Then There Were None, Christie does such a super job of smartly giving you only what you need to keep guessing while also enough to stay full engaged. 

Few downsides to the book. It does get slow at some parts and, of course, there are some dated terms, items, etc. But, honestly, for being a century old, it was surprisingly easy to get through. Only other frustration is just how much Christie tries to paint everyone as the murderer. I get it, that's the type of story and it is entertaining. However, the plot sometimes gets so complicated to try to make everyone look bad it becomes a bit unrealistic.

In any case, I do recommend it if you love Christie and/or a great mystery novel. Again, super and fun easy read and see if you can be as good a detective as I was!

Ella Minnow Pea: A Novel in Letters Paperback - Mark Dunn ------------ 3 Stars

Clever, creative, original - just same words that come to mind after finishing the bizarre but somehow quite interesting, Ella Minnow Pea. Released in 2022, I had read the premise of the book and thought it seemed like something I had not seen before; happy I gave it a try.

As noted above, the book is about (per Amazon), "Ella Minnow Pea is a girl living happily on the fictional island of Nollop off the coast of South Carolina. Nollop was named after Nevin Nollop, author of the immortal phrase containing all the letters of the alphabet, “The quick brown fox jumps over the lazy dog.”

Now Ella finds herself acting to save her friends, family, and fellow citizens from the encroaching totalitarianism of the island’s Council, which has banned the use of certain letters of the alphabet as they fall from a memorial statue of Nevin Nollop. As the letters progressively drop from the statue they also disappear from the novel. The result is "a love letter to alphabetarians and logomaniacs everywhere" (Myla Goldberg, bestselling author of Bee Season)"

Not sure about you, but the line, "as the letters progressively drop form the statue they also disappear form the novel." This, I thought is interesting; is the author really going to stop using certain letters in his prose (yes!)? Is it going to be weird and hard to read (again, yes!). Is it not something I've seen before (of course, yes!). 

It's a weird book but pretty interesting and I think satire(!?). One huge plus, it's super short (Amazon says 208 pages but it took me like 2 hours to finish). Like a long short story or maybe "novella" length. This helps as it's all letters between people, and as I noted, reading a book without certain letters is hard to do! The book has got some funny parts too and has a pretty great ending. 

Other downsides between the hard reading at the end- a bit hard to follow all the characters. As there are letters you don't know who is writing till then end (or you flip a few pages forward).  Even then, it's hard to always keep straight. The bigger issue is that there were NUMEROUS words on each page I had no idea what they mean. I feel pretty knowledgeable of words but, wow, it was tough. I used context clues for most (too lazy for dictionary) but it seemed like author was just showing off at some points.

Anyway, check it out. Again, different but worth the read at least once.

Tomorrow and Tomorrow and Tomorrow - Gabrielle Zevin ------------------ 4.5 Stars

Release two years ago, Tomorrow and Tomorrow and Tomorrow received critical acclaim since published. After waiting a couple months for the local Kindle copy to come in from the library, I truly enjoyed my read of this book. 

To provide a very simple summary for those not familiar with the book - "The novel follows the relationship between three friends who begin a successful video game company together." Of course, that comes nowhere close to describing the story that I enjoyed over the past few weeks. Certainly the book is about three close friends who are basically teenagers when they begin working; and certainly the book is about them creating video games. But, invariably, the book is about much much more. It's about people growing up; about the grief one faces in life; about over coming adversity; about love. Really, it's about so many things about being human, which is what made it such an engaging read.

What I think I enjoyed most about the book was that it was able to face all those topics above, while offering a straightforward and engaging storyline at the same time. The characters were interesting and deep. The book had plenty of thoughtful and bright dialogue (always a personal favorite for me). And, while the book likely could be enjoyed by a person of any background, much of the book does focus on video games and their creation. I found the specifics and details offered there just as fascinating as when the book pivots to conversations about death of love.

As much I enjoyed this book, and I really did, I thought it useful to check out what others did not enjoy. And while it does have an impressive 4.4/5 rating on Amazon, you can always head over to Reddit to see what others disliked. And, it was a variety of things. Some complain that the first half was much better than the second (I don't disagree; though the first half is also all the good stuff and way up, so things had to come back down). Some thought it was too unrealistic - again, I can see where they are coming from and understand this argument, especially in the context of how real the rest of the book was written. However, it's a book of fiction and if there weren't big twists or surprising elements, I'm not sure it'd be that interesting of a read. Also, many people thought some of the characters were either not believable or just annoying. There is truth there too, and I think they were designed that way. And, I think that added great depth to the story. 

I hope clear by now, and certainly from the rating, that this one of my favorite books I've read in a while. I really struggled to put it down, but at the same time, tried to savor it knowing it would end soon. In fact, it reminds me a great deal of Donna Tartt's The Goldfinch (review here). Both books are really fun reads with great characters and a great story. I do recommend this book and hope you enjoy it as much as I do.

The Hunting Party - Lucy Foley ------------- 3 Stars

I read The Hunting Party was a great "who dunnit" story from the other side of the pond. And, while I was actually pretty engaged with the book (which ultimately saved the rating), I thought the story was a mess and pretty frustrating by the end.

The book is a few years old and it fits in that genre of what I've read too much of lately: mystery type novels, often involving a death, with a bunch of potential characters who may be guilty. This one reminded me so much of a mix of The Girl on the Train (much better; review here) and Agatha Christie's And Then There Were None (yes, a classic). Like Girl on the Train, alcohol and other devices made it difficult to know what was reality and what was a person's misremembering - what a simple (and maybe lazy) way to confuse the reader. The setting was a secluded farm in rural Scotland with about 8 potential murderers, which reminded me so much of the 10 suspects on the island in Christie's book. 

I really did think the story was a mess. Besides having 7 or 8 different narrators, timelines jumped all over the place. And, while some replaying of scenes from different POVs made it more interesting, some were repetitive and/or didn't provide any new information. The characters were also really oddly shaped. Some had great depth and others minimal; again, all with different timelines sharing that information. I won't even go into the ending, but it was a let down for me.

On a positive, it's an engaging read, especially for the first half when things were making a bit more sense. Many chapters left the reader curious what was going to happen next and the author didn't strike out totally with the back and forth descriptors of things. I did find myself often wanting to continue reading the next chapter; though, oddly, I didn't find myself wanting to continue to read the book after I put it down.

Ultimately, I've read a number of books of this type that were simply better; more creative, more logical with better formed characters and plot. However, you could do a lot worse this summer if picking this up. It's an easy read that likely will hold your attention and it might remind you about all the ways some other books are superior.

The River of Doubt: Theodore Roosevelt's Darkest - Candice Millard -------------------- 2.5 Stars

  The River of Doubt sounded like a really exciting book to read. As Amazon describes it, "At once an incredible adventure narrative and a penetrating biographical portrait—the bestselling author of River of the Gods brings us the true story of Theodore Roosevelt’s harrowing exploration of one of the most dangerous rivers on earth." Well, from that description, I thought it would be a really exciting and enthralling novel to read. Unfortunately, it fell well short of my expectations.

And, to be clear, there were parts of the book I really enjoyed. Some of the biographical pictures offered about all the other characters besides Teddy were particularly interesting. Learning about his son, Kermit, was something new, and the leader of the Brazilian contingency. I also appreciated the lead up and set up the eventual adventure in the Amazon. Learning about how the trip came together, why Roosevelt wanted to take part, and how undiscovered this area was (a little more than a hundred year ago) was worthwhile. Learning about the Native Brazilians who lived in the Amazon, and truly understood how to live in harmony with the jungle, was great. Finally, I really appreciated his vivid and detailed descriptions of life in the Amazon. While I knew that it was a beautiful and unique place, I really didn't appreciate all the dangers and threat that existed; especially as you tried to navigate an unknown river with the technologies that existed a century ago.

Unfortunately, I found the book flat on the whole. While there were some highlights, as noted above, I didn't find the writing all that captivating. I also thought the author could have used a better editor, especially in the middle of the book. With hundreds of pages dedicated to the specifics of their time in the Amazon, it became draining and dragged on. Too many chapters seemed repetitive to the chapter before. And, while I appreciate that I'm sure that's what it felt for those on this incredible journey (times a million), as a reader in my comfortable home, I am most looking to be entertained. I also wish I got more about Roosevelt. Perhaps there weren't enough specific details that could be used (or his journal was lacking), but learning about one of the most famous presidents of all time thought about things would have been illuminating.  

Overall, it's a decent book and one a reader would like if fascinated with adventure stories and/or the life of Teddy Roosevelt. And, while much of the book is a bit slower than desired, it's still a great story about one of the most surprising pieces of unknown (at least to me) history from the past century. 

Don't Believe It - Charlie Donlea ------------------- 3.5 Stars

Been on a bit of a role lately reading these "modern" thriller books with typical plot twists near the ending. Don't Believe It can be added to the laundry list and is pretty similar to the rest of them. Not a super deep book with a lot of meaning on life. Rather, it's a pretty engaging page turner that is pretty hard to put down. Unfortunately, I found this one really struggled to nail the landing.

This one is a typical murder mystery type with an aggrieved girlfriend put in prison for the death of her fiancee. The book's main protagonist is a documentary filmmaker who's rise to fame is based on getting innocent people out of jail. So, she hears the story about this woman in prison and works to tell the world about her case. The story is told in parts as a typical fictional narrative while being interspersed with text from her real time "documentary" airing about this crime. As the story moves along, you get more details revealed throughout the book which helps you begin to piece together what happened. Of course, you get a typical twist ending, and the nice pretty bow of everything explained by the end.

As you can tell from my fairly annoyed commentary, I really didn't love the book. And, I actually found a couple parts in the past quarter of the story, particularly annoying. I won't go into the specifics of what they are and spoil parts of the book for you, but I found the author took some shortcuts to get to the ending and made some odd choices around character and plot. And while I understand it's a book of fiction, the book is based in reality yet a couple of things near the end seemed so unrealistic that I found I really didn't enjoy how it concluded.

Yet, even with those challenges, the book still earns 3.5 stars as I couldn't put it down when reading it. Even from the start, I found it an engaging read that had a great pace. The characters were pretty flat and, honestly, pretty dislikable across the board. Nonetheless, my rankings are based on level of engagement, and I found it a fun, albeit frustrating, novel.

The Nickel Boys - Colson Whitehead ----------- 3 Stars

A few years ago, I read The Underground Railroad by the impressive and well-regarded Colson Whitehead. While he's written a number of other books, I thought I'd give The Nickel Boys a try, as it too was a Pulitzer Prize wining novel. While not as engaging and interesting a read as The Underground Railroad (my review here), I did it enjoy it.

The Nickel Boys is actually loosely based on a real life reform school in Florida that was open for over a century. This story centers on Elwood Curtis, who is unfairly sentenced to this juvenile reform school. While a bright teen on a fairly straight path in life, his experience totally changes upon his arrival and time at this school. He learns a lot about friendship, the unfairness of life (especially for people of color), and survival. Changing timelines from his current life back to his experiences at Nickel Academy, the book has a nicely moving plot.

As you could assume from the Pulitzer earned, the writing is fantastic. Whitehead has a way, not just with words, but with character development and adroit details, leading to memorable descriptions of people and places. Relatedly, the main character is beautifully described and easy to root for. While many aspects of the novel are difficult to read (violence against young black boys, overt racism, etc.), Elwood consistently delivers as the moral heart of the story. He's easy to root for as the clear hero of the story.

On a whole, the book has a nice pace, and I never found myself bored. Nonetheless, it didn't excite me to pick it up as much as other books. The rising action is limited and usually small in scope (until the ending, which was an interesting surprise). There are also stretches of menial plot and character development, that also were not the most enjoyable.

It's also always hard to read about the history of racism in this country and all the ways it has hurt people (and continues to do so). While the book doesn't ever read like a textbook or news article (in the best of ways), you can't help but think often about the systems of historical racism in our country.

Which, in some ways, did make me appreciate the real historical roots of this story. The Dozier School, which opened on the first day of the past century, is the school that Whitehead based his work. I urge you to learn more about it (and others). For me, as this was was a new piece of information about historical racism at work, and I think others might also appreciate knowing more too. 

The Nineties: A Book - Chuck Klosterman ----------------- 3 Stars

This book seemed like a natural for me. I spent my formative years in the 1990s and I really enjoy Chuck Klosterman's writing style (last year's review of the much more enjoyable But What If We're Wrong?). So, I thought I'd give this a try and, for the most part, enjoyed it.

The Nineties: A Book, is Klosterman's deep dive into the important events, pop culture highlights, and overall ethos of the 1990s. What was so interesting to me about reading this book, was how much I could easily remember and how much was actually new to me. As I literally was between 10 and 20 years old for all of the 90s, my different understanding of things are so significant based to my age. For example, the '92 election of Ross Perot was mostly a memory for me of SNL skits and caricatures of him. Where in this book, he goes in a real depth about him as a candidate, which I felt like I had no understanding of in a real way. Then, of course, was Clinton's Lewinsky scandal in '98, which I remember much more fully and vividly.

The book has a lot more than politics, however. It has some important news items, but also covers a ton of pop culture, which was really my favorite parts. The music, the sports, and even the feeling that the 90s ended up being attributed to it (which he clearly described the feeling of apathy at the core of the 90s - at least historically).

A bit longer than I expected it to be, with far more detail and depth than I could remember, it was still a fun read. Of course, I love the way Klosterman writes, especially his fun use of footnotes (he and Foster Wallace are the best ever imo!). I certainly recommend this book if you're a child of the 90s or we're just like a fun way of recalling some of the key events, figures, and new stories. Of course, you have to be ok with with way Klosterman writes, which, besides being very wordy on many occasions, does make me feel like an idiot on some occasions too. He's a really smart writer, which always makes it so funny that he's writing about things that are not always important. 

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!

The Silent Patient - Alex Michaelides ------------------- 3.5 Stars

A couple years old, The Silent Patient is a book that recently was recommended, and it was a pretty enjoyable read. Really a mystery novel set up as a first person story
about a psychotherapist attempting to help a famous and non-talking artist in a mental institution, the book was a fairly enjoyable read.

As I noted above, the book is really enjoyable as it's a constant "whodonut," never knowing exactly who might be lying or telling the truth. To offer a bit more background, the book is told mostly through the main character who is a psychotherapist with a traumatic past. You also get diary entries from the mute artist who slowly gets you up to speed about her past and catches up to the current timeline. As the novel moves forward, the pace increases and many more pieces of relevant information are offered until the rather shocking ending. Yes, it's one of those books with a big twist ending, which, based on Reddit threads, was very controversial. For me, it was a good ending, and I'm happy the author took a chance with a less than expected way to finish the story.

For the most part I really enjoyed the book. It was entertaining in the sense that I found myself constantly wanting to start the next chapter to see what happened next and found the plot exciting and interesting. On a downside, for a first person novel with the main character owning most of the narrative, I actually found him a flatter character than I would like. While sharing some about his history, much of the book is him simply telling what happens in the plot and very little expository about his own motivations. 

One last piece - I listened to nearly this whole book while driving. While a great way to pass time on a long car ride, I am curious if I would have liked the book more and given it a higher rating had I read it the traditional way. While I received the content and comprehended as much I believe I would have while reading it, I do think it took away from the experience. Perhaps because it was a bit of a binge (basically finished the book in 3 days on the road), I think there is something about pacing your own reading and getting the story directly with your own eyes.    For a future blog - better reading of paper book vs. Kindle?

Boy21 - Matthew Quick ---------------- 3.5 Stars

I would have never planned to read Boy21 if my son had not read the book and exclaimed it was the "greatest book I've ever read." Now, for context, he's not really read that many books but it certainly piqued my interest, and he was hoping that I would read it too.  So, I think I'd give it a try and pretty happy I did.

Some more background as most are probably not familiar with this book. The book is about 10 years old and is considered young adult fiction. Knowing it was YA, I did change my mindset going into reading it. That being said it was enjoyable. The story is told from the first person perspective of a teenage basketball player who befriends, a very talented player, who is struggling with some trauma in his past (he names himself Boy21). Also, fun fact, the author was the writer of Silver Linings Playbook.

There was a few things I really enjoyed about this book. First, it's really engaging. The plot moves quickly and there is not a lot of excess (negative too - see below). Second, as a YA book and related to the above, it's a short, quick read and easy to get through. Finally, I found plot very accessible, along with the characters, and enjoyed the many basketball and school connections.

On a downside, the book doesn't develop characters and plot as more typical adult novels. I figure this is mostly because the author is worried about keeping a young reader's attention, but it is a detriment to the story. Nowhere is this more on display than in the final 20-25 pages. The book was moving at a quick pace but nothing unreasonable and really doing a nice job to move the story forward. Oddly, a TON of things happened in the last chapter or two that really hurried the ending and left a bad taste in my mouth.

On the whole, fun book and happy I read it.

Sharks in the Time of Saviors - Kawai Strong Washburn --------------------- 4.5 Stars

Released a few years ago, I've been a bit skeptical about reading Sharks in the Time of Saviors, though it received high praise from my sister. I think there were two things slowing me down. The first is the emphasis in previewing the book about 'magical realism,' as that's been an area of fiction I tend to not enjoy as much and not be drawn to. Also, the book is based in Hawaii and the place of Hawaii is basically a full character on its own. This made me both interested and skeptical. With Hawaii being such an integral part of my youth, I often fear authors (or others) will not represent it fully and respectfully.  Well, as you can see from my strong rating, I am happy I finally was able to pick this up and get through and could not be more pleased.

Quick background - the book is about a family of five living on the Big Island and their lives growing up in Hawaii and beyond. With three children, the novel weaves each person's tale through a different lens via chapters that are first person accounts from each family member. As noted above, there are some supernatural elements that play a part in the story.

On the whole, I really enjoyed this book. I found it gripping and thought the story really picked up in the final half of the novel. While my skepticism remained for much of the book that it would be overly focused on the supernatural or unreal, I was pleasantly surprised, that while a core element, it didn't have an inordinate focus. In fact, I felt it was quite the opposite. As the author described in an interview, the Hawaiian gods/goddess are a core part of daily life in the islands, and I remember learning about Pele and others growing up. And, I didn't find these religious connections to be separate from daily life and culture. Instead, I think the way the author used the supernatural fit perfectly into my memories of that while in Hawaii.

Other reasons the book is good - it's a really fascinating story and written in a very accessible way. Besides being able to easily relate to the characters (I too spent my formative years on the islands), the experience of the families children going to the mainland and experiencing how different it was from Hawaii also resonated. Of course, there was a notable difference; the characters in the book are 'local' while I'm 'haole,' which, of course, leads to very different experiences. 

It's hard to find many flaws with this novel. Perhaps it was a bit slow in certain parts and the writing was overly individualized (i.e. because each character literally had a different voice, the flow sometimes was inconsistent). I suppose you could also pick nits that one of the main characters doesn't have a voice for much of the book and that gap makes the story read differently.

I strongly recommend this book, whether you are from Hawaii, have visited Hawaii, or simply heard of Hawaii. The story is an easy, modern read that has themes and conflict that should resonate with most people. Of course, there are parts that were even more special for me, and I am so appreciative I was able to read this story and this book exists. 

Rabbit, Run - John Updike ------------------- 1.5 Stars

Rabbit, Run has been on my "to read" list for a very long time. Released in 1960, this book made Updike quite famous and is regarded as a "brilliant and poignant" piece of writing. Well, clearly not in my opinion. Though, I should give credit before bashing this book too much. Updike is a super writer and often I felt like I was reading poetry rather a novel (which may also be part of why I disliked it so much). And while I am about to critique the book below, I do acknowledge that it was written over 60 years ago so some of themes and challenges the main character was going through (and the massive amount of privilege he didn't even realize he enjoyed) perhaps were more timely back in 1960.

Short synopsis (from Amazon b/c it's just easier) - "Its hero is Harry “Rabbit” Angstrom, a onetime high-school basketball star who on an impulse deserts his wife and son. He is twenty-six years old, a man-child caught in a struggle between instinct and thought, self and society, sexual gratification and family duty—even, in a sense, human hard-heartedness and divine Grace."

Even this synopsis bothers me. "Hero" - wow, I would certainly not consider this character a hero (and bet most you don't either based even on the short description above). He's actually an incredibly unlikable person; and unfortunately, nearly the whole novel is about him. Perhaps it was because I just read Razorblade Tears which couldn't have been more different. Written last year (and, admittedly, more violent), this book takes on modern challenges - like race, sexuality, socio-economic conflicts, etc. with so much relevance (at least to me) than any parts or Rabbit, Run. And, perhaps, way more important, again, at least to me - that book was super enjoyable to read!  Unlike this book, which I felt like I had to get through in case of, perhaps, a great ending (spoiler alert - also terrible!).

I was actually so conflicted after finishing this book and went to the internet to learn more. Was I really this off? How does this book have 4 stars on Amazon and is so well known?  I actually found two separate articles that helped me better resolve my misunderstanding.

First, is this book review that explains some of the legitimate (again, at least for me), why this book is well regarded. 

Second, is this Guardian article that made me so pleased to find and read as it helped to elucidate my thinking after finishing the book. While this article especially focuses on the implicit misogyny throughout the novel, I am sure there are plenty of other viewpoints that could be found throughout the internet questioning a variety of dated themes of this novel.

Ultimately I leave it up to others to decide. I am sure this book is taught in many college classrooms across the country to learn more about the beauty of writing: I just really worry about what other lessons it may be teaching too. 

Razorblade Tears - S. A. Cosby ---------------------- 3.5 Stars

While not on my radar, and not something I had previously come across, I was happy to take some time to read the recently released Razorblade Tears. A fairly violent read, this book had a great pace and felt like an almost new genre coming across the page.

So, to provide a bit more clarity to the last sentence, I found this book to be unique. A little background - the story is about two dads in southern Virginia whose sons are murdered. Unexpectedly, the sons of the boys are gay and different races (one black; one white). The book then brings together these fathers, both struggling to accept the identities of their sons, to team up to find the people responsible for their murders. 

The book certainly was action packed and easy to read. As I was reading the book, it reminded me of a movie playing out (after finishing, I researched and found out that there are plans to make this into a major motion picture). Besides the story being accessible and interesting, the author has a great way or building excitement and break down action packed scenes with wonderful details to make it read clearer.

What I think will also resonate with people was the diversity of the characters. Unlike so many typical action stories (especially one's from the past century), having the variety of characters was so much more interesting. Besides the race and sexual orientation elements that were through lines throughout the book, characters also include a transgender person and someone adopted. And, the identifies of these people, while noteworthy, were secondary storylines for their characters.

As much as I enjoyed this book, I am not sure it's for everyone. Again, the more modern storylines stood out but what was most noteworthy were the really specific, and on occasion, excessive details of violence. Kidnapping, torture, murder, arson, etc. were commonplace throughout the novel. 

Again, I really had not read a book like this before. While it's both a thriller and crime novel, the Southern element is distinct, along with the diversity or characters. I really enjoyed the social commentary throughout the book and the emotional journey that bother fathers go in, is something memorable. I also am looking forward to seeing it turn into a movie. As it was a richly detailed book, I can already see in my mind who I think would work well in the main roles. 

Eye of the Needle - Ken Follett ----------------- 4 Stars

I've read and reviewed three Ken Follett books (reviews here), including the incomparable Pillars of the Earth, which was one of the few books to earn a five star review. Hoping to enjoy another great story, I learned of a fairly well reviewed Eye of the Needle. While released over 40 years ago, I wasn't aware of the book and was excited to pick it up. For the most part, I was happy I did.

Unlike Pillars of the Earth, this book is set during World War 2 and covers a Germany spy living in England. A fascinating character with an interesting history, the German spy was really the centerpiece of the novel. Beginning with a murder early that sets the tone for much of the novel, the story turns in a spy thriller as it moves into the final quarter of the novel. And, a strong ending helps it along.

While nowhere near as interesting and well detailed as Pillars of the Earth, it's certainly a much shorter book that feels more like a deliberate page turner to keep the reader engaged. And, while I'm not complaining about the pace of the story, I do wish there was more depth created for certain characters and historical pieces. For example, we get a few fictional scenes with Hitler, that simply move the story along, rather than add any profundity.

What may have actually helped my review as I watched a feature film based on this novel just after I finished the book. Filmed in 1981 and starting Donald Sutherland, the movie helped to provide some visual accompaniment to the story that existed in my head but really did not do the novel justice. While I appreciated a greater amount of screen time was given to the relationship between the spy and the other main character - a civilian woman and eventual adversary - the movie too quickly ran through parts and didn't hold my attention.

Perhaps my biggest problem with the book was Follett's introduction in which he prides himself on having a female protagonist be the hero of the story. And, while this woman does end up being a hero, the author's creation of her character is very one-sided and flat. Besides depicting her as unhappily married, he also shows her as sex crazed on multiple occasions. This deliberate focus on her sexual interest ended up being her defining characteristic, which I really found minimized her character significantly.

Overall, the book was an exciting and engaging read that did a great job holding my attention. While it had some character development holes, and ran too fast in some places, it was a fun book to keep my attention and had plenty of chapters ending with a question that made you want to read on.  I would recommend the novel but I would skip the movie.