Ali

As a long time reader of Rolando’s Substack, I was so excited when he announced he was publishing a book and thrilled to get a copy early. I cannot imagine how hard it was for him to pare down the thousands of worthy restaurants, signs, sights and oddities observed on his travels.

This book will absolutely inspire you to jump in the car and wander, I’ve bookmarked so many locations, both familiar and far off to add to my must see list.

If you suffer from wanderlust or just love history and American culture at its finest, definitely check this out (and subscribe to Rolando’s newsletter)!

Thank you to NetGalley and Artisan for the opportunity to read and review.

Assassins Anonymous grabbed me from the start with its premise and once I heard a sequel was not far behind, I leapt at the chance to get my hands on it. Reading the first book is pretty much a requirement before picking this one up.

I can’t pinpoint why I didn’t love this one as much as the original but I still enjoyed the ride. You get much more insight into Astrid’s past before, during and after her time with The Agency.

Her decision making is often questionable throughout the book but it helps to further humanize her to her AA family.

The prison would make for a fascinating story on its own.

Both books are fun reads if you’re a thriller/assassin story fan.

Thank you to NetGalley and PENGUIN GROUP Putnam | G.P. Putnam's Sons for the opportunity to read and review.

I was of mixed opinions as I started Hit Girls. While I was of high school and college age during the Aughts, I was never much of a pop music person. I knew most of these artists more from their cultural impact and tabloid coverage than their music.

Although a bit fangirly for me at times, Princiotti does a good job of detailing the production of the music covered here and the timely elements involved. What I enjoyed most was her examination of how the artists in question changed both the music industry and the nature of celebrity in America.

It’s a worthwhile read for anyone who came of age in the Aughts and/or is a fan of any of these artists. You will no doubt spend hours watching videos on YouTube as a result (because I did).

Thank you to NetGalley and Ballantine (Random House) for the opportunity to read and review.

I’ve been a big Brittlestar fan for years and jumped at the chance to read this.

It is what the title says it is - a guide to resisting fascism by seeing it through the psyche of a cat. A quick and funny but valuable read. My only complaint is that the text gets a bit repetitive at times

If you’re looking for something longer and more in-depth, check out his other book “Welcome to the Stupidpocalypse”.

Thanks to NetGalley and Grand Central Publishing for the opportunity to read and review.

What can I say about George Takei? On top of his many talents and professions in life should be storyteller. He has yet again excelled into turning his personal story into one everyone would benefit from reading.

I found “They Called Us Enemy” a captivating book and “It Rhymes With Takei” is no different. It explores George’s life from his childhood realization of his orientation to the current day illustrated by the difficulties he faced being closeted while leading a very public life as an actor, political advocate and activist until he decided to publicly come out and embrace his full self at age 68.

It is an absolutely worthwhile read written by one of the better humans on this Earth.

My gratitude to NetGalley, IDW Publishing and Top Shelf Productions for the opportunity to read and review.

Jose Andres deserves the Nobel Peace Prize. No one can argue against that because you would be arguing against feeding people.

Andres was lucky to figure out early in life that feeding people was his mission. In the past decade, he has exponentially expanded his mission to feed millions in the face of war and natural disaster.

“Change the Recipe” is a collection of the lessons he has learned along the way and how to implement them into your own life. I especially enjoyed the insights into his younger days.

I would recommend this book for upcoming graduates or anyone looking to find purpose in their lives. A grand initial gesture is never needed to change the world. Start small, start local and it will grow and flourish from there.

Thank you to NetGalley and Ecco for the opportunity to read and review.

A mystery starring the Golden Girls? Who wouldn’t want to read that?

It’s not the best mystery you’ll ever read but it’s fun being able to picture so much of the story so easily. This would’ve made a great TV movie back in the day.

I loved it being centered around Rose to get a deeper look into the strange world of St. Olaf.

Worth picking up if you love the Girls and/or a breezy mystery.

Thank you to NetGalley and Hyperion Avenue for the opportunity to read and review.

I enjoyed this look at the different backgrounds and methods of several protestors of the Mountain Valley Pipeline. Through their stories, you are shown a number of ways small acts of resistance can make a difference against seemingly insurmountable odds. Even if the end result is not what you desire, you don’t give up hope. You transfer it and find new ways to act, rebel and persist.

Thank you to Timber Press and NetGalley for the opportunity to read and review.

This is my favorite installment to date in the Huda F series. Huda’s emotional growth takes a massive leap in this installment, as a result of both age and circumstance. No matter what age you are, your parents divorcing affects you. Add this to all the normal teenage woes and the added pressures of being a Muslim female and you’ve got one heck of a stressful situation. Everyone in the book learns the valuable lesson of stepping back to gain perspective when nothing seems to go your way.

This will definitely be on my list of graphic novels to recommend this year!

Thanks to Penguin Group and NetGalley for the opportunity to read and review.

Definitely superior to the novel version. Some details were understandably lost in the translation to a graphic novel but the visuals made the story much more effective. 

I enjoyed Our American Friend so I jumped at the chance to read the author's next book. It certainly kept me reading wanting to find out how all the pieces eventually came together and what the final puzzle looked like. That said, there was still a lot of jumping around and suspension of disbelief that made it a frustrating experience. However Kath is a gem and I'd love a spinoff book about her crazy life. 

I don't want to write a long list of nitpicks so I'll say this, if you want a US-Russia spy novel with a slow churn story and various forms of relationship drama, it's worth a read. If you're looking for a nonstop thrill ride, look elsewhere. 

Thank you to Simon and Schuster and NetGalley for the opportunity to read and review.

I wanted to love this book from the summary - rival cheesesteak trucks in my beloved home city - but I just didn't. 

Cindy and Jordan just never seemed like they were a good match. Too many parts of the story were too neatly tied up to get the ending the author wanted but it wasn't right one for the characters. A massive suspension of disbelief was required to get through the book. 

My biggest problem with the book though is that it reads like what it is - a transplant to Philadelphia dropping tons of Philly place names and terms to get some cred. I would've let it slide more but there were multiple misspellings of local brand names. (Also there were a few glaring grammatical errors but that's on the editor)

Thanks to NetGalley and Inkyard Press for the opportunity to read and review. 

I think I'm done with this series. The first two books were enjoyable reads. The more I think about the third, the more I dislike it and well, even though a lot is tied up in the fourth, it was a struggle to get to the end. Both for the characters in the book and for me to read. 

This book was just too much. Too many characters. Too many plot lines. Too much implausibility. All too neatly tied up with a lack of consequences. 

I realized in the third book that I cannot stand Finlay and my opinion hasn't improved. I stuck with this book because of Vero.

S.A. Cosby is one of the best writers out there right now. His books aren't light reads but they're all worth your time and reflection. 

Thank you to Penguin and NetGalley for the opportunity to read and review.

This book is basically Ocean's Twelve: High School Edition. Teenage master thieves traipsing around Europe executing heists? Yes please.

Was some suspension of disbelief required? Of course. But it was also an entertaining romp that kept you captivated to the very end. They clearly couldn't end the story where it did and I'm looking forward to the sequel. 

5 stars to a book that reawakened the Wingnut in me. I laughed, I cried several times and I smiled even more. I would've loved to have had this closer to when the show was still on the air but it required to have some distance and some time to reinforce the overall message. TWW brought together committed people that inspired each other and the viewers and continues to do so to this day. 
You really need to be a West Wing fan to fully appreciate the entirety of the book but the messages are universal. Be a person for others, pursue your passions and even small actions can have huge influence. 
Thank you to Dutton and NetGalley for the opportunity to read and review. 

I've been a fan of Linda's since her recapping days on TWoP and eagerly read her first two novels. I loved Evvie Drake and didn't love Flying Solo so I tried to start Back After This with an open mind. 
I'm happy to say that BAT falls in the love category for me. Although the direction of the book was clear fairly early on, Linda did the story justice by having it take appropriate twists and turns to make the ending more satisfying. 
Also, I need a Great Dane in my life. 
Thank you to NetGalley and Random House for the opportunity to read and review. 

If you thought Lone Wolf was emotional, strap in for Nemesis. 
Nemesis is a continuation of Lone Wolf. The two books act as almost a stand alone duology within the Orphan X series. Evan's reluctant embrace of humanity, both its good and bad sides, is continued and heightened here. You also get a greater insight into the few people he has allowed to get close to him: Tommy and Joey. 
Evan is pushed into the closest thing to a real world 2025 situation that he's faced. A mission with more layers, personalities, histories and emotions than he's ever had to deal with before. 
I don't know when or how the Orphan X series will end but seeing Evan come back around to being fully human since Jack plucked him from the group home was as beautiful to see as it was painful for him to realize.
I remain eternally grateful to have received another ARC of my favorite thriller series. Thank you to NetGalley and St. Martins/Minotaur for the opportunity to read and review.

Thank you to NetGalley for an ARC of this absolute page turner! I love a good story centered around a game or contest and turning it into a scholarship competition on a plane grabbed me from the start. 

Thank you to Macmillan and NetGalley for the opportunity to read and review this early!

I'm a huge Marie Lu fan so I jumped at the opportunity to get my hands on Icon and Inferno. I enjoyed Stars and Smoke but I&I is definitely superior to its predecessor. The character development, the heart pounding action and international intrigue all went to another level in this book. 

A little less sci-fi than other Marie Lu books although there is a little SPOILER ALERT crossover with Warcross. If you're into spy thrillers with a bit of YA romantic yearning and messiness, this is for you. 

The Orphan X series is truly what got me back into fiction after years of strictly reading non-fiction. It went from a recommendation from family to a series I never want to see end and recommend to everyone. 

I loved this book because it was different and strayed from the typical Orphan X mission novel format. The oft repeated mantra of the series is that the hardest part is to keep Evan human. This book more than any other pushes Evan into embracing humanity both good and bad whether he wants to or not.

I had an inkling of what happened in the last chapter earlier on in the book but I didn't want to admit it to myself until I saw it on the page. Thank goodness this means the Orphan X series can and MUST continue. 

Thank you to NetGalley and Minotaur for an ARC of this book. This is the first Orphan X book I've been picked to get an ARC for (after trying for years) and I was thrilled to read it early!

5 stars for content but 3 stars for editing. 

I will always happily pick up a book about the Giants and especially the ‘86 team. They provided me with my earliest football memories and firmly ensconced me it my family's fanaticism for Big Blue. 

The book was absolutely helped by Gary Myers' long standing relationships with many Giants coaches and players. They definitely opened up more for him than they would have for someone else. That said, the book suffered by a lack of editing. The story would've been much more effective chronologically. The bouncing around both with time and players featured made the book take much longer to get through. 

Thank you NetGalley and Public Affairs Books for the opportunity to read and review. 

If I had known this was an academic study, I likely would not have picked it up. I don't particularly enjoy the over-intellectualization of rock music. It's a practice that strikes against the very spirit of the genre.

No one needs 200 pages of text to tell them that Billy Joel and Bruce Springsteen were influenced by metropolitan New York and that influence was apparent in their music. You can get that by simply picking up almost any of their albums. The author claims not to delve deep into histories or details at times and then does just that. He loses the thesis when it no longer becomes applicable to Springsteen and Joel's music around the mid 80s and should have ended it there. This book could have been much more effective at a fraction of the length and minus the overuse of ten dollar words. 

And yet, that wasn't my biggest issue with this book. The biggest issue by far was the complete lack of copy editing. For a university published book, you expect better. Not glaring errors every few pages. 

For someone who seems to know a fair amount about his subjects, the author misquoted lyrics when they are readily available on Bruce and Billy's own websites (and did so twice on a single page). He mixes up different songs on the same album (the Magic Rat is Jungleland, not Backstreets). Misspelling easily googleable song, band and musician names and saying Bruce played certain songs in concert when setlists across the internet prove otherwise. I wanted to take a red pen to the pages. The multitude of gaffes takes away any effectiveness the text might have had. 

If you want to pick up a book about Joel or Springsteen, there are many others to consider before picking this one up. 

Thank you to NetGalley and Rutgers University Press for the opportunity to read and review. 

Thank you Scribner and NetGalley for an advance copy of this book!

This book has reawakened my inner space nerd. I loved being able to learn more about the astronauts I already knew and about the ones I didn't. I'll admit it took me awhile to get through the book but that was mostly due to me constantly jumping into Wiki wormholes to learn more. Absolutely worth the read to find out how these six remarkable women blazed trails both big and small for the women that would follow them. 

This is a complicated review for me. Steven Hyden has been my favorite music writer for the last decade plus and it was his writings about Springsteen (specifically his agreement that Tunnel of Love is underrated in the Bruce pantheon) on Grantland that first made me a fan. 
That said, this book has me conflicted and I don't know whether it's on him, his editors, his publisher or all of the above. It's marketed as being centered around “Born In The USA” but it's much more than that. It's much more of a study of the man himself, a shifting political landscape and his role before, during and after it. I understand using BITUSA as a hook to draw people in but it does a disservice to the book's contents. 
As for editing, it bounces all over the place, thematically and anecdotally. To market it around a single album calls for a more linear format and this doesn't have that. 
And as for Hyden himself, it lacks objectivity. Again, I don't know the motivations for the book and whether he wanted his personal feelings and opinions to come through so much. The worst example of that is the long section comparing Springsteen to Hyden's greatest musical love, Bob Dylan. It goes into far more Dylan minutiae than most people are seeking when picking up this book. 
It reads like a book by a Springsteen fanatic for other Springsteen fanatics, which it is and I am. As I mentioned, I love Hyden's work and his work on Springsteen and enjoyed this book immensely from that standpoint. 
My criticism stems from whether any of the aforementioned parties wanted this to appeal beyond hardcore Springsteen fans. At the end of the day, as the book is written, I can't say that it would.  
If you love Bruce though, by all means, dive into this, pull up some favorite bootlegs, dream about “Electric Nebraska” and enjoy. 
Thank you to NetGalley and Hachette for the opportunity to read and review.