The President Street Boys: Growing Up Mafia

The President Street Boys: Growing Up Mafia by Frank DiMatteo
My rating: 4 of 5 stars

An interesting look at a life "in the life." Was interested to learn about the various aspects of how money was made, both legitimately and illegally. Frank is very direct about what happened and why. There is no flowery prose. If anything, I could have read another hundred pages with more fleshed out details. Interested to read about his time with the DeCavalcante crew.

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The Case For Mars

The Case for Mars by Robert Zubrin
My rating: 5 of 5 stars

If you want a comprehensive, scientific and passionate argument for why and how humanity needs to travel to, explore and settle Mars, there may not be a better book than. Sure, it's dense and not a quick read. There were sections I skimmed that was not of my interest, but overall this is an amazing text.

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Wiseguy

Wiseguy by Nicholas Pileggi
My rating: 5 of 5 stars

For fans of the movie Goodfellas like myself, this book is a great companion. Richer details, including how law enforcement caught up with Henry Hill from the side of the FBI and police, and an even better understanding of the origins of all the players involved. It's remarkable how much of the story made it onto the screen intact, almost word-for-word, and how much was left out that could have turned the film into a miniseries (i.e the Boston points shaving scandal, the prison time).

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Two Word Reviews - Q3 2019

The third installment of Two Word Reviews (patent pending) for tv shows, movies, and music for 2019, covering the third quarter (July, August, and September) of 2019:

MOVIES
Spider-Man: Far From Home - superior villain
The Wandering Earth - unexpected insanity
The Hateful Eight - unsatisfying resolution
The Spy Who Dumped Me - solid laughs
Mute - strangely uneven
Mission Impossible: Fallout - another rollercoaster
Triple Frontier - disappointing slog
Veronica Mars (2014) - fan-friendly

MUSIC
Redd Kross: Beyond The Door - another banger
Sturgill Simpson: SOUND & FURY - delightfully weird

TELEVISION
The 100, Season 5 (Netflix) - effective reboot
Altered Carbon, Season 1 (Netflix) - solid noir
Queer Eye, Season 4 (Netflix) - more feels
Blood & Treasure, Season 1 (CBS/Hulu) - throwback fun
The Boys, Season 1 (Amazon) - nihilistic enjoyment
Veronica Mars, Season 1 through 4 (Hulu) - entertaining whodoneit
The Man In The High Castle, Seasons 2 and 3 (Amazon) - stakes upped
Barry, Seasons 1 and 2 (HBO) - darkly funny
Chef, Season 2 (Netflix) - overly meaty