Book Reviews

Book Reviews

Books I’m Reading …Or, have read recently, with links to Amazon to purchase.

I’m on a binge of reading –– non-fiction and fiction books so far in 2020. The genres are all over the map but somehow seem to fit my mood(s). Here are some of my recent and current reads. 

 

1. Memoirs, Autobiographies (Non-Fiction)

There seems to be a surge of personal memoirs right now by the famous and semi-famous. I’ve always like memoirs because they’re written by the subject and are condensed into a specific period of one’s life.

I find them to be very honest and eventually uplifting.

 

ADRIENNE BODEUR – WILD GAME –– MY MOTHER, HER LOVER AND ME.

Adrienne Bodeur is an accomplished writer in a long line of accomplished writers, including her mother. This book is Adrienne’s personal story growing up, with some almost unbelievable twists and turns.

She is forthcoming about her mothers and her own misdeeds while tangled in a decades-long secret love affair between her mother and her father’s best friend.

 

DAN PERES – AS NEEDED FOR PAIN

Wow, what a crazy story. Peres was running one of the hottest magazines in the world, DETAILS, while taking up to 60 oxycontin pills a day. He bares his truth with strong writing and brutal honesty about himself and everyone around him, but is a bit pompous in his accounting.

Often autobiographies by celebrities talk about their drug use, but this one is only about his drug use.

Nevertheless, an amazing read. You’ll enjoy this ride.

 

 

 

 

LIZ PHAIR – HORROR STORIES

What ever happened to her, the 1990s pop icon? Well it’s all in here. A very revealing and humble account of her life. She is Honest, original and absolutely remarkable in her confessional writing style.

 

 

 


 

2.  Business (Non-Fiction)

Entrepreneurs, Solopreneurs, Silicon Valley

This is a topic I’m very interested in right now as I build a new brand for my work and writings called startupCEO Media. I’m realising that the definition of the startup CEO is changing, and in many cases small is better.

THE FOUR – SCOTT GALLOWAY

Galloway, a professor at NYU and very successful entrepreneur, has been a predictor of the downfalls of evil-doers in tech for years. He’s usually right.

In this book he tears apart 4 giant U.S. tech companies. – – – Apple, Amazon, Facebook, Google. He gives awesome statistics and lays out why these companies need to be stopped, broken up, before they destroy our economy. As a major customer of 3 of these, it was hard for me to accept that they are such ruthless businesses, but very enlightening.

 

 

 

 

 

My Book:

TOM NORA – HACKING THE CORE

This was my first book, published originally in 2017, then updated this year (2nd Edition).

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 


 

 

3. Fiction –– Epic Novels:

I’ve read a couple of very good novels recently, one that is probably the best book I’ve read in years.

 

DELIA OWENS – WHERE THE CRAWDADS SING

The most epic novel I’ve read in a decade is WHERE THE CRAWDADS SING by Delia Owens. I don’t usually read this type of book, I’m more into thrillers and stories about big cities. But man, this was an incredible story, and as a writer, I was fascinated with the extremely well crafted structure of this book. And it’s her first novel. Very inspiring.

It’s a story that takes place in rural South Carolina swamplands.

Books that inspired Delia when writing Crawdads.

 

 

 


 

 

Reading Tools:

I love reading real books made out of paper, but about half of the time I use a Kindle or iPad to read.

The Kindle is a pretty cool invention, and the cost is so low, starts at about $49 with internet access. I use the Kindle Oasis. It’s the top of the line $249 model.

Kindle OasisKindle Oasis Reader

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

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