Duran Duran's 'Rio'

Duran Duran's Rio by Annie Zaleski
My rating: 5 of 5 stars

Writer Annie Zaleski dives deep into the creation and history of 1982's Rio by Duran Duran for the Bloomsbury 33 1/3 album series. Zaleski paints a vivid and detailed look at all aspects of Rio, from the creation on the heels of Duran Duran's 1981 debut to the various industries and technologies making strides and changes, such as MTV, rock radio formats, and VCR mass availability. The research dives deep into the mysterious world of remixes and multiple formats, giving a behind-the-scenes look at how a band from the UK "breaks" in America. Most importantly, the band themselves are given proper due as the songwriters, creative visionaries, and cultural influences that have only grown more respected with the passage of time. The format of the 33 1/3 book keeps them to less than 150 pages, but Zaleski's deep dive could have easily warranted an even longer length.

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The Spy Who Came In From the Cold

The Spy Who Came In from the Cold by John le Carré
My rating: 5 of 5 stars

Not my first le Carré book, but first of the George Smiley series. What can I say that hasn't already been said. It's a classic, taught and thrilling with pages of back-and-forth dialogue that slowly ratchet up the tension and suspense.

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A Small Town In Germany

A Small Town In Germany by John le Carré
My rating: 4 of 5 stars

My introduction to le Carré and was quite entertained. Takes a bit to get into it, setting up the characters, the stakes, etc. Once it gets rolling, the tension and suspense slowly build, and the story unfolds with precision. I struggled at times with the density of some of the descriptions, often becoming long asides, but respect the decision to add them for color and depth.

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Caliban's War

Caliban's War by James S.A. Corey
My rating: 5 of 5 stars

Everything I liked about Leviathan Wakes gets hit out of the park in Caliban's War. Primarily, that's because of Avasarala and Bobbie joining the fray, two distinctly different but utterly indispensable characters. Even though this book is longer than LW, it flies by thanks to always escalating and developing drama and stakes.

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The Storm

The Storm by Clive Cussler
My rating: 4 of 5 stars

My first Clive Cussler novel and quite enjoyed it. Moves quickly, interesting twists and turns, kept me entertained throughout. The characters weren't exactly fleshed out, but I don't think that's the point.

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WOOL

Wool by Hugh Howey
My rating: 5 of 5 stars

Really enjoyed this take on the contained post-apocalyptic story. Howey really defines the look, feel, smell, and taste of the world. Lots of twists and turns, continually upending expectations and dolling out information piece-by-piece to keep the reader engaged.

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Leviathan Wakes

Leviathan Wakes by James S.A. Corey
My rating: 4 of 5 stars

Been watching the TV series since the start and wanted to tackle the books. Really enjoyed Leviathan Wakes, both on its own and compared to the show. It's hard-ish sci-fi not as technical as something by Neal Stephenson but feels grounded. If there is one thing that the show improved upon, it was the character of Miller, which is half the book (the other half being Holden, as the chapter are split back and forth between their perspectives). Miller comes across as a bit cliched for the first half - the over-the-hill drunk cop. When he loses his job and ends up on Eros, that's when it clicked for me. Looking forward to reading the whole series!

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The Relentless Moon

The Relentless Moon by Mary Robinette Kowal
My rating: 5 of 5 stars

Another page-turning installment in the Lady Astronaut series. While tackling complex tech with complex issues, Kowal keeps it readable and moving along at a brisk pace. What is most exciting is that she pulls no punches - you will be turned inside out as the reader, especially if you've been reading since LA #1.

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Starship Troopers

Starship Troopers by Robert A. Heinlein
My rating: 3 of 5 stars

I went into this expecting to love it based on how many of my favorite authors have praised the work. Unfortunately, I merely found it slightly better than average. The biggest hurdle for me was the massive amount of nothing happening. I understand what Heinlen is doing, digging deep into the military training and structure to provide some sort of potential ideal, but the honestly that got old fast. There is a lot of talk about promotions and the way things are done, but it all felt unnecessary when I finally reached the end as if there was plenty of set-ups and no payoff. Maybe the book needed to be longer so I could actually read how these various characters evolve, but as is, Rico felt like the only three-dimensional entity in the whole book, whereas so many one-off characters went on long-winded diatribes with repetitive points between them. Dare I say, the movie is far superior?

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The Hitchhiker's Guide to the Galaxy

The Hitchhiker's Guide to the Galaxy by Douglas Adams
My rating: 5 of 5 stars

I read this in a day while spending the weekend in a cabin in snowy woods. Well aware of the love for this book, I can say it was like meeting someone IRL that you've been friends with online for a long time. All sorts of references and quotes jumped out and gave me "aha" moments. What's really remarkable in retrospect is how Adams navigates such a tricky combination of sci-fi and humor while being a crack storyteller.

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The Cartel

The Cartel by Don Winslow
My rating: 5 of 5 stars

My first read of Don Winslow and it will not be my last. Really enjoyed his tight and concise style of writing. While I got a bit lost at times trying to keep the many characters straight, eventually it all came together in a way that made for a very satisfying ending. Looking forward to checking out more by the author.

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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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The Fated Sky

The Fated Sky by Mary Robinette Kowal
My rating: 5 of 5 stars

Mary Robinette Kowal nails the second Lady Astronaut book. The first (The Calculating Stars) was so entertaining, I was worried if it was possible. While the technical jargon gets a little thicker, we also get richly developed characters with complexity. I would love another installment in this series, set ten or fifteen years later to discover how these characters and this alternate timeline have progressed.

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The Calculating Stars

The Calculating Stars by Mary Robinette Kowal
My rating: 5 of 5 stars

Could not put this down, so much to take in and yet is written with such skill and finesse the technical jargon/experience of the characters never overwhelms the humanity of the story. So many things to appreciate, but the character actions/motivations/behavior was done so well - yes it is told in 1950s America and dealing with the sexual/racial politics is absolutely essential to the story, but there was no mustache-twirling villain - something I greatly appreciated as it allowed for more complex/fleshed out characters. Very excited to dive into The Fated Sky next.

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35 Days In The Air - A World War II Memoir NOW AVAILABLE

The new book 35 Days In The Air - A World War II Memoir by Michael R. Carestio and Timothy D. Minneci is now available for paperback and Kindle at Amazon.com. Here's the synopsis:

From July 8th, 1944 to December 6th, 1944, U.S. Army Air Force First Lieutenant Michael R. Carestio of the 713th Squadron, 448th Fighter-Bomber Group, served as a bombardier on a B-24 Liberator crew, nicknamed "Mother Of Ten." During that time, he kept a handwritten journal documenting each of his thirty-five combat missions, which have been transcribed into this book. Author Timothy D. Minneci sat down with his great uncle Michael Carestio to discuss his experiences before, during and after the war, and share his uncle's remarkable story.

Links to Purchase
Paperback at Amazon
Kindle at Amazon
Leave a review at Goodreads

The Light Brigade

The Light Brigade by Kameron Hurley
My rating: 5 of 5 stars

This is everything thought-provoking, page-turning science fiction should and can be. I tore through this book in a just a couple days, way faster than I normally read, because I couldn't stop. A well-crafted blend of Starship Troopers/The Expanse/Edge Of Tomorrow with Kameron Hurley's unique spin. This absolutely works as a book, but I would love to see it on a screen, big or small, for its visual and visceral thrills.

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The Consuming Fire

The Consuming Fire by John Scalzi
My rating: 5 of 5 stars

My only complaint - I wanted another hundred pages or so. The predecessor, The Collapsing Empire, was thoroughly entertaining, and The Consuming Fire picks up baton and successfully ramps up the stakes. Looking forward to the next installment of this series.

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Wonderbook

Wonderbook: The Illustrated Guide to Creating Imaginative Fiction by Jeff VanderMeer
My rating: 5 of 5 stars

This is a book not to devour in one sitting. Took me some time, but I was able to work through it and absorb the massive amount of information, insight and experience provided on writing imaginative fiction. Some of it was comforting as I was on the right path without being told to do so, while much of it was extremely helpful in developing my own writing, especially on revising and first chapters. In fact, it inspired me to completely dismantle and rewrite my first chapter, eliminate my bulky prologue and I could not be more pleased with the results. I am sure this a book I am going to return to for reminders and motivation.

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