If you want detail on Frank Sinatra, this is the book for you. I mean, I wanted to learn about the book's subject -- and I did -- but sometimes it felt like the writer thought he needed to beat you over the head to make you understand.

With that said, overall I liked it. I got what I wanted out of it. This covers his life up to the "From Here to Eternity" Oscar win.

I should probably use a more flattering pic of Felicia, but eh, this one's amusing.

I'm a fan of Felicia Day, and have been since The Guild was released back in the day. It's surprising it took me this long to pick up this book, honestly.

I had fun with this book. It's very much a memoir, and as usual she's very honest, even when you can tell it hurts a little. After reading this, I'm looking forward to her upcoming book.

This book. Holy hell. It's a wild emotional rollercoaster from cover to cover. Every time you think you know where this story is going, it goes exactly the opposite.

It was honestly hard to listen to, just on a visceral level. I did the audio book, like most books, and I'm glad Alan himself was reading. That made it better, somehow.

Definitely worth reading. Highly recommended. I can't imagine I'd ever reread, though. It's a one-timer for me.

I've been on a biography/autobiography kick for a while, and this was one of my lighter choices. This was a quick, fun read. I enjoy the Pythons, but had never read anything about how they got started.

His long friendship with George Harrison was particularly interesting. You can tell Idle just wanted to write a "light" memoir, without mud-slinging or rehashing the bad. He sticks mostly to the bright side of his life, appropriately enough.

I've been a fan of the Vampire Chronicles since I was 15 or so. I wasn't very excited for a continuation after Blood Canticle, honestly. It wasn't the greatest ending, but it was an ending. This book felt like another ending, but in a less satisfying package. It just felt like a pale shadow of the stories that came before. The plot was okay. I dislike the way characters were handled or just left out. Some of the new characters seemed pointless

I didn't enjoy this one quite as much as Wishful Drinking. Mainly because I felt the Harrison-Carrie stuff just dragged on way too long. It's an interesting admission, but I really enjoyed the rest of the book more. The book is still a pick, because Carrie was amazing to listen to.

Loved this book, especially with Carrie doing the reading. Just absolutely brutal honesty here about her life. Truly enjoyable. Short, though!

I like Patton, and this relatively short book lets his wit, introspection, and humor shine. It's mostly a biography built around the framework of his movie obsession. I never got bored and laughed out loud more than a few times.

This book dragged a bit for me, but I'm not sure if it was due to the writing or the reader on the audiobook. Whatever the case, I felt like it did get a little too into the Henson family history at the start. After that it smoothed out, though there is some hero worship involved. I know Henson was a beloved personality, but at times this book gets a little messianic about him. Still a good presentation of his life story, which is what I wanted.

I liked this one. Read by the man himself in audiobook form, it was just enjoyable in general. I had no idea Van Dyke had struggled with alcoholism. I also didn't know anything about his relationships. The best part of this book though, was just the feeling that he really did just sort of work steadily toward his dream of acting, and it worked out. He comes off as the "everyman actor."

Boy, do I hate to give Carol Burnett a "so-so," but I want to be honest. This book was 60% great. That part was Carol (reading the audio herself) telling behind the scenes stories and how the show came to be, etc.

The other 40% was Carol reliving some of her favorite comedy sketches word for word. She even played all the parts. It was just awkward, and honestly, boring. It was like being told an unfunny "you had to be there to get it" story. ?

After finishing the latest David Sedaris, I was in the mood for something similar. A Google search pointed me to this author.

Turns out his writing reads like he's a jerk, and I don't mean the endearing kind. I planned to just push through, but then I got to "The Rat Thing." It made me so angry I instantly bailed and returned the book to the library. It's just cruel and awful, and he's glib about it. I'll never pick up another of his books.

Burned through this one quick, and loved his reading, as always. I'm an unapologetic fanboy when it comes to David Sedaris, so it should come as no shock when I say I thoroughly enjoyed this book. I love it when his essays throw back to earlier events he's shared, and there are multiple times here when he does so. Just great!

I'm iffy on this one. Bobby Kennedy has always interested me, and I checked this out just to learn more. I realize his career in politics is a dominant part of who Bobby was, but this book dug a little too deep in that minutiae for my taste. It wasn't a bad book by any means, but it didn't grip me like other biographies I've read.

It didn't help that the audiobook was read by the author, and I found his delivery very distracting.

No big, in-depth review for this one. I hadn't read this since I was a kid, and I'm delighted to report it was still a good read.

I'm sad to see the series end, though narrative-wise I agree it's time. This last book runs through character callbacks like they're going out of style. Novik skims or completely skips much of the fighting in this book, instead focusing on the sections in between. It was slightly jarring at first with the time jumps and "off-screen" battles, but it worked once I adjusted my expectations. The ending works for me. A good close to a fantastic series.

Like all the Temeraire books, this one was excellent. Once again Novik took me to a new country and introduced another dragon and human social setup unlike any before. I have no specific praise or complaints. It was as solid as the books that precede it. Great series.

This audiobook was waaaaay over produced. Holy hell. The sound effects had their own sound effects. It was really distracting. The readers all did okay.

The story itself was pretty good, but a bit jumbled for my taste. It just never felt cohesive. As in the Solo movie I loved Lando's navigation droid. Wish there'd been more of her.

This is the definition of a so-so book. I didn't leave it disappointed or thrilled. It was...okay, I guess. Yeah.

Sedaris is my favorite essayist, and I enjoyed this one. For me his writing is just comfortable. Even when he makes you think, you know he's going to turn it around and have you smiling in no time.

My favorite essay in this book was the title work, Naked. Knowing his personality, just the idea of him in a nudist colony cracks me up.

In the audio he had parts read by his sister Amy. I found that a bit distracting. Otherwise it was great.

I think I'm done with the Odd Thomas books. This one was okay. Just okay. The story is convoluted and unbelievable in many many ways. Elvis is always fun and I appreciate the wit in the book as usual.

Best thing about this book was the existence of Brother Knuckles. Otherwise, it was not good.

I picked this up used, and thought I'd give it a read. I'm interested in the time, life back then, etc. I read the first few chapters over a couple of nights back in January or so, and it's been collecting dust on my bedside table ever since. I don't know why it didn't grab me. The author did a little too much "People are different now" and "back in my day" in a judgemental way for my taste, I do know that much. Finally just decided to bail.

My lovely wife attended David Sedaris' reading tonight here in St. Louis. He's one of my favorite writers, so she got two of my books signed. ❤️ Next time he's in town, I will be there!

This may be my favorite David Sedaris book. These are literally diary entries ranging from a few words to a few pages. I think that's what makes them so fascinating to me. They don't tie up with a moral or have a theme. They're just little vignettes and oddities, like viewing his life in slides. The latter entries after he's no longer struggling for money/purpose/success are less interesting. Still a mesmerizing read.

The audiobook on this fun because Neil read it, but the adventure choosing mechanic was lost in audio formet. Not a complaint, just an observation.

Overall I enjoyed this book. Neil is cool and the book is funny and heart-warming. I found the sections on his growing up and between Doogie and the present most interesting. He gets a little self-indulgent toward the end, but that's typical of Hollywood memoir. If you like Neil, it's a good read.

After the tight, twisting narrative of the first book, this one lost me a bit. The villain was just too over the top for my taste, and fortunate, coincidental timing came into play one too many times. I did enjoy the main setting in the ruined building. I'm still not sure what to think of the ending. Debating whether I'll give the third book a shot.

I've never read any Dean Koontz before. I did see the movie adaptation of this before I read the book, though. Maybe one of the best page to screen adaptations ever.

The book is great. Koontz keeps the tension tight as hell all the way through, creates memorable characters you care about, and just generally weaves a good yarn. This first book is excellent.

I wish we had a rating between pick and so-so, because that's where this book falls. I love Lauren Graham. She seems like a genuinely lovely person. I very much enjoyed the sections on her growing up and Gilmore Girls. There were a few other chapters that all these memoirs seem to get where the writer decides to pass on advice, usually in the form of mocking advice people have requested. These sections were a little too predictable.

This is my favorite Dresden Files book so far. I literally laughed out loud multiple times during this one. Toot-Toot and his pizza-lovin' buddies in particular cracked me up. The ending of this one was really sweet and hopeful. I enjoyed it.

Marsden's reading continues to impress as well.

This entry in the Dresden Files got a little confusing to me in places, but not enough to make me lose interest or the thread of the plot. I haven't met one of these books I didn't like yet. The characters, particularly Harry himself, are all fun/interesting and keep me reading.

Finally digging into the Dresden files after hearing about them for years. I read (aka listened) to this one all in one day, which should give an indication of how much I enjoyed it. The world building is done very well, the characters are all nicely fleshed out, and I found myself laughing out loud several times at Butcher's great writing.

I'm listening to the second book as I write this. Looking forward to seeing what Harry's future holds...

Decided to do a reread of my favorite Michael Crichton novel, since it's been several years. This is one of those rare books I never seem to tire of reading.

The story is compelling, characters likeable, and the action moves along at a good pace. I confess I don't even have any little nitpicks on this one. I love it just as it is.

I'm really late to the game on this one (pun intended). I can see why there was so much hype about this novel. I read his second novel, "Armada," first. Cline definitely has a set niche, and he runs with it.

Overall really great story, the world sucked me in. I did struggle to believe how superhuman some character memories were. I also didn't like that Wade was telling the story past tense. I knew he would win, which lowered the tension a bit.

Good lord, do I love this series. I gave it a full review before on my first read, so I'll focus on the audiobook this time. In a nutshell, January LaVoy is an INCREDIBLE reader. Her ability to create and maintain so many individual character voices is just fantastic. She even sings, and it's lovely.

The afterword read by Libba Bray herself is also nice. It's a personal touch I always appreciate.

Read. This. Series.

Picked this one up as Stonewall Jackson came up repeatedly in my previous read, "Liar, Temptress, Soldier, Spy," plus he seemed like an interesting character.

Jackson's personal quirks around health and duty were interesting, but what struck me was his wholehearted belief in God's will. I'm not religious at all, but it was interesting to see how his faith made him nearly fearless and so sure of his personal course.

Good read, if a bit dry.

I really enjoyed this book. It's truly amazing some of the feats these extraordinary womenpulled off during the American Civil War. More than once I found myself laughing at their bravery and cleverness.

I'm planning a novel based during the Civil War that includes a female character posing as a man, so this was great not only just as a fascinating read, but also as a source of reference.

This isn't a book I would normally seek out. I bought it initially because as a physical object it's gorgeous -- just a beautiful volume.

The content itself was a mixed bag for me. The majority of the "stories" were maybe three pages long, and these are not dense pages. More like vignettes. It definitely slips into blurry nostalgia in places despite the often unpleasant deaths of pets.

Maybe it's just not my kind of memoir. *shrug*

I'm not sure how I made it to my age without having read this book. I knew going in that it was a classic, but man, was this a good read. I love how subtle some of it is. Getting the information through Scout's point of view almost forces it to be that way, and the whole thing was just absolutely fantastic.

Checked out the movie, and it was also good, though not as good as the book. Gregory Peck seriously became Atticus.

My favorite book, which I read every December. Thus the perfect choice to complete my reading challenge for 2017. 70 books total! 📚 #winning

Anyway, back to the review: This book is perfect in every way. Read it!

I liked this book far better than the sequel. This was a new take on the origin of Santa Claus, with some unique elements. I enjoyed it well enough.

I'm not the target audience, of course. As usual in these books, 99% of the adults are portrayed as terrible people, which always bugs me a bit. I feel like middle grade authors feel they have to make cartoonish villains who are overtly evil. I think kids are smarter than that.

I picked up this book not realizing it was a sequel, so I was a little confused at first. Overall the story was good, but it took some strange turns. It was basically two different stories -- one about the titular girl, and the other about drama with trolls and pixies at the. North pole. I was into the "real world" story, but never got into the "magic" story. Having read the first book now I understand why it was like it was, but found it so-so.

Full disclosure: I didn't finish this audio before I had to give it back to the library. Made it about 80% through. The fact that I didn't recheck says something though.

This was interesting. Gave a nice snapshot of crime and cops in LA from the 30's through 50's. My main complaint was that it jumped around so much in time and which people it was following. The narrative was thus so disjointed I had trouble keeping people and timelines straight.

I've seen the movie, and finally decided to pick up the book (audio). This was a really fun read, and I found myself laughing and just shaking my head in amazement at everything he got away with -- and at such a young age.

The only nitpick I have is that the story ended quite abruptly, and didn't go into his post-criminal life at all. I wanted to know where he went afterward, and while I could have found it online, I wish it'd been in the text.

This was a quick, somewhat enjoyable read. I like Chabon. Wonder Boys is one of my favorite books. This one was definitely a departure from his usual fare. I liked it in principle, found the characters interesting, etc., but it wasn't very deep at all. I know he was going for "Jews with swords" (in his own words), but I'd like to have had him slow down and explore the characters and world a little more. Overall, just so-so.

I absolutely love this series, and I've been dying to read this third entry (3 of the planned 4). This one is the Empire Strikes Back of the Diviners. It gets grim for our heroes.

As always, Prohibition-Era New York is alive and well in Bray's writing, despite the best efforts of the dead. The characters are all still great, but I did think a few were underutilized. It served the story, but went on a little long.

Bottom line: Read these books!!!

This was a good, quick read. Like most people (I assume), I picked this up based on having seen the excellent film. As with most bio pics, the real story of these two men spanned more years than presented in the film. This was largely based on Lionel Logue's correspondence and notes, which really gave a nice sense of the man. The actual audio clips of the King's speeches were a nice touch for the audiobook. An interesting, worthwhile read.

I listened to this audiobook because I've always really liked Alan Alda. This was his second book, a follow up to his memoir. Going in, I knew it was going to be him rambling about life, etc., and I was totally fine with that. He has the type of voice that can ramble about anything and I'll be entertained.

I didn't expect half the book to be him reading commencement speeches and talks he's given. So this one turned out to be a mixed bag for me.

As you can probably tell, I've been on a David Sedaris kick lately. I hadn't read this one before, though I think at one point I had started reading a physical copy, and ended up abandoning it.

The audio helped. The readers were great, especially Elaine Stritch. In the end though, the stories are just a bit too grim for my taste. I get the messages in them -- they're like little morality tales or fables. Just not my preferred Sedaris cup of tea.