Book: How To American

 Book: How To American

Author: Jimmy O Yang

Pages: 240

This is my 25th read for the year

What Amazon says:

"I turned down  job in finance to pursue a career in stand-up comedy.  My dad thought I was crazy.  But I figured it was better to disappoint my parents for a few years than to disappoint myself for the rest of my life.  I had to disappoint them in order to pursue what I loved.  That was the only way to have my Chinese turnip cake and eat an American apple pie too".  Jimmy Yang is a standup comedian, film and TV actor and fan favorite as the character Jian Yang from Silicon Valley.  In How to American, he shares his story of growing up as a Chinese immigrant who pursued a Hollywood career against the wishes of his parents:  Yang arrived in Los Angeles from Hong Kong at age 13, learned English by watching BET Rap City for three hours a day, and worked as a strip club DJ while pursuing his comedy career.  He chronicles a near deportation episode during a college trip to Tijuana to finally becoming a proud US citizen 10 years later.  

This was a pretty good book.  I listened to it and the author reads it which made the book I believe.  His story begins in Hong Kong to his immigration to the US at age 13, to 2018 when the book was written.  He does a deep dive into what made his decisions, the poor and good choices he has made, and how his parents view his choices.  It has laugh out loud moments that were probably made better with the audio verison.  Good book - glad I listened to it.

Stars: 4

Book: The Illiad Graphic Novel

 Book: The illiad Graphic Novel

Author: Gareth Hinds

Pages: 272

This is my 24th read for the year

What Amazon Says:

More than three thousand years ago, two armies faced each other in an epic battle that rewrote history and came to be knkown as the Trojan War.  The Illiad, Homer's legendary account of this 9 year ordeal, is considered the greatest war story of all time and one of the most important works of Western literature.  In this stunning graphic novel adaptation - a thoroughly researched and artfully rendered masterowkr - renowned illustrator Gareth Hinds captures all the grim glory of Homer's epic.  Dynami illustrations take readers directly to the plains of Troy, into the battle itself, and lay bare the complex emotions of the men, women, and gods whose struggles fueled the war and determined its outcome.

After reading Clytemnestra earlier this month, I wanted to read the Illiad and Odessy in hopes that she might be mentioned in the story.  I did decide to start with the graphic novel for this daunting novel series, just to get a taste until I have more time.  Sadly in the graphic novel, she is not mentioned, but I did enjoy the story.  Artwork was okay. 

Stars: 4

Book: Death on the Nile

 Book: Death on the Nile

Author: Agatha Christie

Pages: 320

This is my 23rd read for the year

What Amazon says:

The tranquility of a luxury cruise along the Nile was shattered by the discovery that Linnet Ridgeway had been shot through the head. She was young, stylish, and beautiful.  A girl who had everything - until she lost her life.  Hercule Poirot recalled an earlier outburst by a fellow passenger: "I'd like to put my dear little pistol against her head and just press the trigger."  Yet under the searing heat of the Egyptian sun, nothing is ever quite what it seems.  A sweeping mystery of love, jealousy, and betrayal, Death on the Nile is one of Christie's most legendary and timeless works.

This was a pretty good book.  I have only read one other Agatha Christie book.  (I know I know).  I have seen the most recent Death on the Nile movie, and enjoyed it, and the book follows it pretty close.  I like Hercule Poirot as a detective.  Story flowed nicely and it was a quick and easy read.  I have another on my list to read this year, and I am looking foward to it.

Stars: 4

Book: Onyx Storm

 Book: Onyx Storm

Author: Rebecca Yarros

Pages: 544

This is my 22nd read for the year

What Amazon Says:

After nearly 18 months at Basgiath War College, Violet Sorrengail knows there's no more time for lessons.  No more time for uncertainty.  Because the battle has truly begun, and with enemies closing in from outside their walls and within their ranks, it's impossible to know who to trust.  Now Violet must journey beyond the failing Areian wards to seek allies from unfamiliar lands to stand with NAvarre.  The trip will test every bit of her wit, luck, and strength, but she will do anything to save what she loves - her dragons, her family, her home, and him.  Even if it means keeping a secret so big, it could destory everything.  They need an army.  They need power.  They need magic.  And they need the one thing only Violet can find - the truth.  But a storm is coming - and not everyone can survive its wrath.

This is a 3rd book in the Fourth Wing series and I swore to myself I was going to stop after book 2.  But Yarros is a master of cliff hanger endings so here we are. I have a personal struggle problem with stopping series even when they are not my favorite and that is what this really is.  While this is KIND of one of my favorite genres (fantasy) this truly is romantasy and that one is not my cup of tea.  Yarros is a okay world builder (she is no Rowling or Martin).  I felt like this was more like book 2 1/2.  Like she was setting up what is coming in the next book more than moving the story along very much.  This book is SPICY.  But I found it less so this time than the other two books - felt she focused more on battles and character and world building which was a plus.  Another cliff hanger ending? You bet - this is a FIVE book series, so she had to right?  And it was a doozy.  She is great an those cliff hangers and keeps people buying her books because of them.  Darn you Yarros.  

I did like one part of the book very much, and that was her dedication in the front.  It said "to the ones who don't run with the popular crowd, the ones who get caught reading under their desks, the ones who feel like they never get invited, included, or represented.  Get your leathers.  We have dragons to ride."

Stars: 3.5

Book: Finders Keepers

 Book: Finders Keepers

Author: Stephen King

Pages: 544

This is my 21st read for the year

What Amazon says:

"Wake up genius".  So announces deranged fan Morris Bellamy to iconic author John Rothstein, who once created the famous character Jimmy Gold and hasn't released anything since.  Morris is livid, not just because his favorite writer has stopped publishing, but because Jimmy Gold ended up as a sellout.  Morris kills his idol and empties his safe of cash, but the real haul is a collection of notebooks containing John Rothstein's unpublished work - including at least one more Jimmy Gold novel.  Morris hides everything away - the money and the manuscripts no one but Gold ever saw - before being locked up for another horrific crime.  But upon Morris's release thirty-five years later, he's about to discover that teenager Pete Saubers has already found the stolen treasure - and no one but former police detective Bill Hodges, along with his trusted associates Holly Gibney and Jerome Robinson, stands in the way of his vengeance.

This was a great book.  I listened to it and was entralled with the story from beginning to end.  It is very well written with good character development and good story flow.  It is the second in the Mr. Mercedes series, and I always like a book with Bill Hodges and Holly Gibney in it.  It is a good book to listen to as well - great narrator.  I am looking forward to the third book.

Stars: 5

Book: The Hedge Knight Graphic Novel I and II

 Book: The Hedge Knight Graphic Novel I and II

Author: George RR Martin

Pages: 400 between the two

This is the 19th and 20th read for the year

What Amazon Says:

Set 100 years before the events in George RR MArtin's epic fantasy series, A Song of Ice and Fire, The Hedge Knight chronicles a young squire as he travels the cruel and complex path to knighthood in the Seven Kingdoms.  Shouldering his fallen master's sword and hielf, Duncan (or Dunk) is determined to reinvent hismelf as a knight in a nearby tournament.  But first Dunk needs a sponsor, and that requirement sends him down a road studded with friends, foes, adventure, and hidden agendas.  One such friend is Egg, who becomes Dunk's squire, yet even he may hold secret motivations of his own.  In the second graphic novel, Dunk and Egg continue their journey in search of the fair puppeteer Tanselle.  Along the way, the elderly knight Ser Eustace takes both men under his charge, alongside another knight - and this one promises trouble.  Peace is ever elusive for Dunk and Egg, as they are soon embroiled in the schemes of local nobility, while a darker, greater thread threatens to unravel long-held truths of the Battle of Redgrass Field.

These were pretty good.  I love seeing other glimpses into Martin's world of my favorite series, and I am determined to read all of them.  They are quick reads and I finished both of them in an afternoon.  I enjoyed the story and the art.  Glad I read them.

Stars: 4 (for both)

Book: Inherit the Wind

 Book: Inherit the Win

Author: Jerome Lawerence

Pages: 126

This is my 18th read for the year

What Amazon says:

The accued was a slight, frightened man who had deliberately broken the law.  His trial was a Roman circus.  The chief gladiators were two great legal giants of he century.  Like two bull elephants locked in mortal combat, they bellowed and roared imprecations and abuse.  The spectators sat uneasily in the sweltering heat with murder in their hearts, barely able to restrain themselves.  At stake was the freedom of every American.  One of the most moving and meaningful plays of our generation.

This was an interesting book.  It is written in play form so it is a quick read - I read it in an afternoon.  The story was interesting and the trial was quick.  It is a case between evolution and creation with a teacher's job on the line.  I am interested in seeing the movie.

Stars: 4