David
Having seen the film countless times, this was the first time I've read the book and it still managed to be unsettling! The film is quite faithful to book except for the fact that the description of Norman Bates had me thinking more of Philip Seymour Hoffman than of Anthony Perkins. I was also surprised to see that Hitchcock changed the setting of the book from the Dallas/Ft. Worth area (where I grew up) to Phoenix, AZ.
Love the movie, but never read the short story, but now I have. Much more explicit and racy with some problematic language for this day and age. That aside, it's hard not to think of Audrey Hepburn when Holly Golightly is speaking the witty words of Truman Capote. The additional short stories were also very good.
Aging is something we all just accept as a natural part of life. The idea here is that aging is actually a disease. A disease that is treatable. A disease that affects 90% of us. Compare that to cancer which impacts 8.7% of the population, yet cancer research received 6.3 billion while aging research got less than 1/10th of that. That was an eye-opener for me as we are focused more on the symptoms but not the cause.
A thoroughly captivating (while at times a bit challenging) read that takes us behind the curtain and into the labs where groundbreaking work is being done to extend our lifespan AND our healthspan!
If you can avoid reading the blurb about this book, I would highly recommend you do so. The less you know the better as the blurb practically gives the entire plot away.
A great, albeit not entirely original concept, the story examines the roles of husbands and wives, child rearing and gender inequality, all very important and timely issues. The story started off strong and then took forever to get to where it was going. I also felt some of the husbands and wives were indistinguishable from one another. In the end, because I read the blurb, there were little to no surprises for me.
After finishing and loving Razorblade Tears, I went back to read this one. Suffice it to say, I am a fan and I eagerly await his next book!
If you are looking for a fast-paced, gritty crime story...your search has ended with this propulsive story that will have you turning pages faster than Bug's Plymouth Duster!
3.5 stars but rounded up to 4.
A lot of 5 star reviews so to go a bit against the grain here...This was a fun ride about a hit man who is hired to do “one last job” before he retires. I'm not big on war stories, so those segments slowed the story down for me and the ending confrontations felt rushed. Not my favorite King story, but I'm a lifelong fan so it was worth the read.
How did the insights at the heart of a teenager's science fair project became the official policy of the US Government when it came to controlling a pandemic? How did a group of rogue patriots working behind the scenes come together to save the country? These are just some of the scenarios that are examined in Michael Lewis' fascinating book about what we've learned from past pandemics and how that impacted how the US Government, the CDC and the medical industrial complex are handling the current one.
If you are looking for a book for the next time you fly, keep looking!
Putting aside some clunky writing and improbable eye-rolling scenarios, this is a book with a fantastic premise that is almost impossible to put down. A pulse-pounding page turner if ever there was one. You'll also walk away with a new appreciation for flight attendants!
There was a lot of lofty praise for this book and based on the synopsis I was totally hooked. Unfortunately, I found the writing to be disjointed (“Is this chapter in the past? The present? Who is speaking?”) thus, at times, making the story a bit hard to follow. My biggest issue was that it took
FOREVERRRR to get to the big and underwhelming reveal. That being said, the themes of racism, diversity, office politics and being true to oneself while trying to get ahead was enlightening and timely.
First time reading Ishiguro and while the story for me started off strong, it seemed to lose steam after the halfway mark. I loved Klara and her search to understand the human heart, but there were nagging elements of the story that were hinted at yet left unexplored, terminology that was unexplained to the point I asked my own AI for answers (Hello Google!) and too many moments where I had to suspend my disbelief.
Loosely based on the McMartin Preschool scandal during the Satanic Panic of the 80's (those of a certain age like myself will recall that media circus), this story that takes place in two different timelines was a quick, fun and easy read. An exploration of memory, lies and what happens when those lies get out of control.
For fans of The Exorcist & Rosemary's Baby, you might notice that many of the characters in this story are named after characters or actors from those two films. I counted no less than 16. So that was an added bonus!
