Josh Bokor
I absolutely loved this book. Trevor is a fantastic story teller. Each story I find to be enveloping and enthralling. There's heartbreak, love, hilarity, devastation. All the emotions are here. Everyone should read this book. I don't care if you're into memoirs or not, you gotta read this. I have even more respect for Trevor Noah now that I'm aware about this harrowing upbringing through his childhood/young adult years. It is also a fantastic ode to his fearless, hilarious and loving mother. I'm so glad to be more aware of Apartheid in South Africa now. I feel like a moron for not knowing enough but at least I feel a little less like a moron now.
As a fan of Chuck's book on the nineties and his writing style on pop culture and the arts, I wanted to read his other books. This one was super interesting, basically questioning why is it that we think the way that we do: meaning that our current way of thinking is correct and that we may/may not change in the future... questioning what if we think about the present as if it were the past. Already familiar with Chuck's writing, you could probably guess he'll provide specific details in history and pop culture along with some details of his own life and tie them together. I really enjoyed this one and even though I got a little lost sometimes when he gets too into the weeds on things, it really makes you think about why we think the way that we do and think about the past, present, and future a bit differently.
As a certified “Klostermaniac,” I wanted to dive into his first book, “Fargo Rock City,” which covers his young adolescence in North Dakota as a hard rock / heavy metal fan during the 80's and 90's. Since this was written in early 2001, some of his takes haven't aged as well as others (“Appetite for Destruction” is NOT better than “Nevermind”) but overall this is a solid book that goes through all things heavy metal and hard rock, the ups and the downs of this long hair, drug fueled era. Guns n Roses, Motley Cru, Poison, Sabbath... you name it, it's covered. As you'd expect with a book by Chuck, it's going to be written in depth through his long winding, heavily detailed, sometimes annoying persona. It's certainly not for everyone, but those are all the reasons why I love his writing. Though there are rough edges that will be smoothed out with later books, “Fargo Rock City” shows the early signs of what's to come and is a great read for heavy metal fans or for those who are unfamiliar with the genre/era like myself.
Who would've thought that Ben McKenzie, star of the hit TV show The O.C., would delve into the world of crypto and successfully argue that the entire world this digital tech is in is a straight up fraud? It's a surprising decision for McKenzie but crypto being a complete scam is not at all surprising to me going into this book. What was surprising were how these massive crypto companies rose to fame and their levels of insanity, hilarity, and stupidity that would ensue and eventually claim their downfall. This is a very interesting read since I didn't know too much about crypto, especially the details of it but it is also entertaining the way Ben would implement his perspective, interest, and personality into this book. This is very insightful and Ben and co. do a fantastic job at explaining in a way that is easy to follow and understand. Not only is this book and its subject matter massively important but it perfectly covers the way the murky poisonous greed of late stage capitalism would seep into our politics, our society, our world, with countless innocent lives being destroyed as a result.
Taylor goes through the evolution of the internet, social media, its influence and culture from the early 2000's to current day pretty accessibly and seamlessly. It's a proper telling of the many different media and tech companies that have dominated, shuttered, and how they've changed over time as well as the internet stars/users themselves. It's a really great read for those interested in learning how internet culture has changed or rediscovering how internet culture used to be. My only minor complaint is that this isn't an “untold story” by any means. It's been documented quite thoroughly throughout the years on numerous publications but you gotta entice readers with a catchy title.
I finally finished reading this book, after a couple of months on and off. Overall I enjoyed this book. It was very difficult to get into it at first due to Haruki's journalistic approach to writing. It documents his time striving as an avid runner and novelist and it has great detail, sometimes too much detail depending on the reader. I enjoyed his thoughts on running marathons the most; that's probably why I finished the second half in one night. I think it's really insightful to view another person's perspective on long distance running, especially if you're preparing for your first half marathon like myself. It's not for everyone but if you're curious about running, especially long distance, I'd recommend it. Personally getting into his dry journal-like writing is tough to get into and not my favorite, but you'll find something rewarding in the end.
This book was very insightful and detailed, documenting the history of the 90's Chicago indie music scene from the perspective of co-owner of indie label kranky Bruce Adams. It's interesting to read about the ins and outs of the record business back then and how things have changed, along with the ever changing culture of Chicago's vibrant music scene. There were artists that I already knew and enjoyed from the scene like Godspeed You! Black Emperor, The Sea and Cake (along with the many side projects from band members like Shrimp Boat and The Coctails), and Tortoise and loved reading about them. I also am looking forward to checking out more artists from the scene like Stars of the Lid, Labradford, and Jessamine. Although cool and insightful, it was a dry and repetitive read like a textbook and I wished there was more personality or a change in structure but I understand the straightforwardness of a book when telling an oral history on something. Also Bruce, I can't help but mention that you misspelled Wilco's “Yankee Hotel Foxtrot” as “Yankee Foxtrot Motel” several times in the book. Bro, it's one of Chicago's most celebrated and acclaimed indie releases ever!!! How did this slip lmao
As someone who also masks his life problems by obsessively discovering and collecting music, I can heavily relate to UK comedian James Acaster. Following the mental and emotional breakdown he had in 2016, James started to obsess over finding great music specifically from the year 2016 and 2016 only. His obsession over collecting, listening to, and diving into 2016 album releases was an emotional crutch to him that kept him moving forward and I find that extremely fascinating. Not only that but I found it extremely entertaining throughout too. He's definitely the kind of guy where discovering music excites him, no matter how experimental or weird it may be, and once he discovers something he loves, he has to tell everybody. I totally feel the same way. I love that about this book and I feel like it was written personally for music nerds like myself. How he weaves each album's origin stories with his own personal dilemmas and situations is awesome. We all need to be more like James. This really is the 2016 of books.
Even though he did not mention some of my favorite 2016 releases, including M. Ward's “More Rain,” Yesasyer's “Amen & Goodbye,” and Bat for Lashes' “The Bride,” I will cut him some slack. I do hope he's at least listened to those but that's okay if he hasn't, since he owns 600+ 2016 albums in his library at this point lol
Let me be clear: this is a four star or potentially five star book. I'm giving this three stars because if you've heard the majority of Jim Gaffigan's standup material like I have, then you've pretty much already read this book. This book is still enjoyable to read, especially since it's been awhile since I've watched a standup special from Jim. But if you're not familiar with Jim's standup, then this read would be best experienced this way. But also... it'd be much more enjoyable if you listened to this book as an audiobook narrated by Jim himself or if you just simply watch his classic standup specials. Jim's one of my favorite comedians of all time and his many takes on food are simply a must if you aren't familiar with them.
Beautifully written, Salman's book recounting his traumatic and deadly encounter that nearly took his life is definitely one of the best reads you'll find this year. It's full of many different emotions throughout and he even finds uplifting humor in moments which is both surprising and impressive. I can't imagine what he has been going through over the past couple years and this book certainly shows his strength, bravery, and honesty. Highly recommend!
Very solid motivational / self help / memoir hybrid book. It's interesting to read about his life, perspective, and ways that you can find more meaning to not only make your life better but to make others better. It's a refreshing book to read from someone who seems to have a very unique background and who has values and opinions that we can all agree on (hopefully...?)
“Everything I Need I Get from You: How Fangirls Created the Internet as We Know It” should really be titled “How One Direction Fangirls Created the Internet as We Know It.” Don't let this book title fool you: this book is pretty much entirely about One Direction fandom. Like 95% of it. In Kaitlyn's defense, she is super knowledgable in the One Direction fandom community and even heavily partakes in it herself. But I wanted her to dive into girl fandom more so as a whole rather than specifically detail about the One Direction fandom. Sure, she does touch on other fandoms like The Beatles or Bruce Springsteen and even goes into the history of fandom and fangirls along with the origins and progressions of internet blogs, Tumblr, and Twitter. I just really wish she delved into other examples more. I really enjoyed the moments when Kaitlyn writes about what she's going through personally in life and how fandom effects her. It's an interesting book and it's unique to read about fandom in these perspectives of fangirls... even if they're 99% 1D fans. I'll be honest with you though, I did enjoy this book overall BUT I really didn't need to read in exhausting length about conspiracy theories like “Larry,” where Harry Styles and Louie Tomlinson are secretly in love with each other or the obsession with a supposed shrine dedicated to Harry's vomit. I really didn't need that in my life. Overall though, despite my negativity, this is a pretty insightful book. Just don't let this book title deceive you: this is pretty much entirely about One Direction girl fandom and not about girl fandom as a whole.
To say that this book is very important would be an understatement. This book documents the inequalities, corruption, and lies that are indeed Putin's Russian regime through the lens of the members of punk protesting group Pussy Riot. Often times it doesn't even feel like I'm reading from the reporter's writing but through the members themselves. That statement is certainly true where Masha takes direct quotes from interviews and documentations they've collected and put it together in an authentic retelling of the events that led up to Nadya, Maria, and Kat's arrests. During the trial, each member's closing statements alone make this book worth reading. Reading about each member's origins and how they grew up really helped me understand where each member is coming from and how they relate and differ from one another. The book is incredibly heartbreaking as it is frustrating despite it being powerfully moving. It's essential when it comes to the Russian politics, feminism, rebellion, and the art of punk itself.
After reading this self help/motivational/humor book from Dilbert creator Scott Adams, I feel a lot more positive. He has some of the most simple advice when it comes to being successful and although it may seem too obvious, it's very enlightening to me. I took away quite a bit from this book, specifically on staying positive, creating a routine, exercising daily, and being outgoing. I feel very refreshed after reading and I feel like I hit an imaginary “reset” button.
This is one of the funniest, most entertaining and interesting books I've ever read. I'm aware of the history, cult following and creation of “The Room” and of the insanity/hilarity that is Tommy Wiseau. I've even seen “The Disaster Artist,” the film that this book is adapted into, but reading the book is even more entertaining with added details, lines, and just wacky shit that Tommy says and does through in public. I couldn't put this one down. Now I want to watch “The Room” in full. I've only seen the essential clips but seeing the full film will definitely add a lot more context I'm certain. It's one of the most fascinating stories ever in filmmaking and in Hollywood and it's absolutely essential for anyone who's interested in movies. I also need to see “The Disaster Artist” again. It's been a few years since I initially saw it and it's so great.
I was curious about reading into Josh Peck's personal life through his memoir and what I got out of it was pretty unexpected. I was mostly expecting a look into his career with some funny anecdotes... a mostly positive and sunny affair. Although he does go through his career project after project, it's instead quite the heavy, personal read into the many inner demons and dark moments Peck has faced throughout his life from his issues of drugs, self doubt, overconfidence, overeating, and the lack of having a father figure. It's a very well written reflection on his past and how he has confronted it to become ultimately a better person. My only complaint was that I was completely uninterested in his rise to fame through social media and marketing (which others may find interesting). I completely understand why he needed to write about it but thank goodness that section was short. So overall this was a solid read that's surprisingly dark and heavy, similar to that of Jonathan Van Ness' excellent memoir. Ultimately he tries his best to share some advice on being happy and if you're curious into his career or his personal life, I'd recommend it.
I was pretty hyped for this book since its release last year and it definitely surpasses my expectations. “Filterworld” goes through the history of algorithms, culture, personal taste and curation, and how algorithms are making culture more boring, less personal, and more nondescriptive. Kyle Chayka does a great job explaining how we've come to this point of the inescapable, inhuman algorithmic impact on culture and how we as users make decisions and interactions with the world through both his own experiences and in historical context. The book's topics, especially when writing about the importance in music and art's curation, discovery, and archival process, I find fascinating and hugely important when it comes to expanding user's minds, diving into context and cultural history, as well as actually finding your own taste from humans rather than the algorithm giving it to you. It's also interesting to read about Chayka's personal takes and experiences as well as his algorithmic cleanse that he did for three months and what came out of it. This book is essential for any reader, aware or not of this cultural flattening. It's an extremely important and vital issue to be aware and worried about, especially how dividing, boring, dangerous, and dull social media has become and is yet another reason why I revoltingly hate and avoid using it at all costs.
As someone who has read a lot of memoirs, especially from those who have been part of the SNL cast, Leslie Jones' memoir is among the best. It not just shows how hilarious, charming, and charismatic Leslie is but also how powerful, strong, and resilient she truly is. Reading about her life was full of hilarity, failure, heartbreak, tragedy, confidence, and triumph. It was so dang good throughout and I couldn't put it down. I love the messages about being true to yourself, embracing what defines or doesn't define you, doing the best you can, embracing failure and stepping back up to the plate and keep on swinging. Highly recommend!
This is for sure one of those books that on paper should be a knock out of the park for me: one music nerd gushing his love of music and how it has directly effected his life, all the music specifically originating from the 90's. Based on his podcast of the same name, Rob Harvilla quickly goes through the 60 songs that defined not just the 90's, but his 90's. There's much to appreciate about this book, especially Harvilla's detailed and personal feelings about each song along with its cultural and personal impacts. My largest complaint is that he simply covers each song way too quickly, leaving a page or two (sometimes a couple paragraphs) for each song and ends up glossing over a lot of content that I'd like him to delve more into. I get it, you can only do so much when you have to cover 60 songs in one book, but I was left wanting a lot more. His writing was pretty goofy and self indulgent rather than documentational, but it was entertaining for the most part. It's far better and more enjoyable than Steven Hyden's writing, which I found insufferable when I read his book about Radiohead's Kid A. It's not as insightful and charismatic as Chuck Klosterman's or Tom Breihan's writings about music (both I highly, highly recommend), but it's a light and fun read that does make me want to listen to Harvilla's podcast instead, hoping that he dives much deeper into these songs.