Behind Blue Eyes

I Know Better Now: My Life Before, During, and After the Ramones by Richie Ramone My rating: 4 of 5 stars I received an ARC audiobook of this title from the publisher through NetGalley... When I saw a memoir available from a member of the Ramones, I had two quick thoughts. One, that I had to request it. And two, that I thought the original members of the band had all died..... This was true, and as it turned out, this was written and narrated by a replacement drummer that came along a few years after the Ramones hit it big. Richie Ramone was actually only there for the recordings and tours of a couple of albums in the mid 80s, and while this was an era of the band that might be seen as past their prime, it was still an important turning point in the history of the Ramones. A last surge of popularity perhaps before the final years.... As most musical memoirs tell the story of an artist or band from early on, this one is different. It does tell how Ric...

Anji Kills a King by Evan Leikam My rating: 4 of 5 stars I was given an ARC audiobook of this title from the publisher through NetGalley. This was fun. Anji kills a king, then the rest happens. The bulk of this story is Anji's journey from capture to a promised sentencing that involves much torture and death, in that order. We meet the one who captured her, a notorious bounty hunter known as The Hawk. Along the way we, along with Anji, discover that there is more to the Hawk than the legends. And there are ramifications to Anji's deed that's stated in the book's title. It's well paced without being overly quick. Just the right amount to cover a journey and the things that happen along the way. A few surprises and twists, along with some good introspection. All in all, an enjoyable debut novel. View all my reviews

Rebel Without a Crew, or How a 23-Year-Old Filmmaker with $7,000 Became a Hollywood Player by Robert Rodríguez My rating: 4 of 5 stars I received an ARC audiobook of this title from the publisher through NetGalley. I've always enjoyed the films of Robert Rodriguez, so this was a great listen. Told as a diary of the events during filming El Mariachi and getting it out there, it was cool to hear it from the author's experiences. And as a bonus, Rodriguez narrates the edition. View all my reviews

Son of Southtown: My Life Between Two Worlds by Sonny Sandoval My rating: 5 of 5 stars I received a copy of this audiobook ARC from the publisher through NetGalley. This was a lot of fun. One of my favorite types of escapism relaxing reads is to get into a memoir from a musician that I listen to. Sonny Sandoval provides this here, with Son of Southtown. It's always a great bonus when the artist/author is the one doing the narration. I found Sonny's story to be fascinating and inspiring, from his early days pre-POD all the way to the present. Sonny covers what's been going on in his life as well as his professional career, which is a great formula for an entertaining memoir... View all my reviews

Entrances and Exits by Michael Richards My rating: 5 of 5 stars I received an audiobook ARC of this title from the publisher through NetGalley. This was a great escape. I always enjoy memoirs a little bit more when they're read by the author, as this was. It's especially important here, where Richards sometimes goes into character, and that wouldn't work as well with another reader.... Since I was a fan of Seinfeld, I got an extra benefit from this book, but Richards's life story was interesting before and after Seinfeld as well. 4 1/2 "Cookies!" View all my reviews

No One Can Know by Kate Alice Marshall My rating: 4 of 5 stars I received an audiobook ARC of this title from the publisher through NetGalley. Excellent narrator that also did Marshall's What Lies in the Woods last year, and once again the combination of author and narrator keeps the story moving, and the twists keep the reader guessing and reguessing... View all my reviews

Bookshops & Bonedust by Travis Baldree My rating: 3 of 5 stars I received an audio ARC and ebook ARC from the publisher through NetGalley. This was an entertaining followup to the breakout novel, Legends & Lattes . While not as solid a story as that told in the first book, this prequel adds quite a bit of backstory to the main character of both novels, Viv. Although as a prequel this novel is set some years before the first published book, I would recommend reading Legends & Lattes first. It serves as a better introduction to the characters and settings. Also, this book has an epilogue that is set after the events of both books. On a final note, Travis Baldree does the audio reading of this book himself, and he is excellent at capturing the characters and keeping the story moving.... View all my reviews

City of Dreams by Don Winslow My rating: 5 of 5 stars Don Winslow continues to blow me away. A trilogy bridge/middle book, but very much tells its own story as it sets up the finale. Which is high on my anticipated reads list..... View all my reviews

Sing Her Down by Ivy Pochoda My rating: 3 of 5 stars I received a free audio ARC of this book from the publisher through NetGalley. The narration was brilliant. The story, well this is different. I enjoyed the atmosphere and the mysterious quality of it. The southwest American setting added to the ambience of it. The characters, flawed but interesting. The story overall, I don't know. I'm not sure I get it. Still, not a bad listening experience... View all my reviews

Tell Me Everything: A Memoir by Minka Kelly My rating: 5 of 5 stars I received an eARC of this title from the publisher through NetGalley. ...and then, I found it that it was available as an audiobook with my Scribt membership, so I quickly downloaded and listened. I do find memoirs much more enjoyable when in audio format, especially when read by the author, as in this case. This was a fascinating and often heartwrenching account of actress Minka Kelly's life from her own perspective. I always prefer a personal memoir to a third person biography because you get the personal experience and insight directly from the subject, which brings it to life. This was certainly the case here as well... View all my reviews

Biography of a Phantom: A Robert Johnson Blues Odyssey by Robert Mack McCormick My rating: 5 of 5 stars I received an ARC of this audiobook from the publisher through NetGalley. I didn't know what to expect here, thinking it would be interesting to read a biography of blues legend Robert Johnson. This was more than that, though. Less too, but mostly more... No, this was more of a memoir of the biographer of Robert Johnson, in his quest to track down and speak with people that knew Robert Johnson. Mack McCormick had an interesting journey himself, and it was the mystery of Johnson's barely documented past that made this so intriguing.. Memoir, biography, mystery, and cultural study. All of that and more... View all my reviews

The Angel Maker by Alex North My rating: 3 of 5 stars I received an ARC audiobook of this title from the publisher through NetGalley. An interesting mystery/thriller with excellent narration, this kept the listener guessing.. View all my reviews

What Lies in the Woods by Kate Alice Marshall My rating: 4 of 5 stars I received an audiobook ARC of this title from the publisher through NetGalley. All in all, this one did as promised: tension, high drama, twists and turns, and an excellent narrator. View all my reviews

A Blade Through Time: A Grimdark Progression Fantasy by Louis Kalman My rating: 3 of 5 stars I received an audio copy of this from the publisher through NetGalley. DNF @ 34% An intriguing beginning that soon got mired in a slog without seeming end. Not bad, just not interested enough to continue. View all my reviews

Every Cloak Rolled in Blood by James Lee Burke My rating: 3 of 5 stars I received an eARC of this title from the publisher through NetGalley. As with the previous novel, Another Kind of Eden , I was pulled in by the description. Honestly, had I managed to read the other book before this one became available, I probably wouldn't have requested this ARC. Well written once more as Burke's prose is brilliant, this story didn't connect with me even more than the previous book. It was still a decent reading experience and memorable. View all my reviews

Another Kind of Eden by James Lee Burke My rating: 3 of 5 stars I received an eARC of this title from the publisher through NetGalley. I kept seeing books by James Lee Burke and the description of this one really pulled me in. This was brilliantly written, as Burke's prose is breathtaking at times and always engaging. The story itself didn't really grab me though, and I felt it was more literary than I needed at the time. Still, the author's way with words makes the characters stick with you after finishing.. View all my reviews

City on Fire by Don Winslow My rating: 5 of 5 stars I received an eARC of this title from the publisher through NetGalley. That was brilliant, which I've come to expect from Don Winslow. I've read several of his novels and I've never been disappointed. City on Fire is apparently the first book of a planned trilogy dealing with Danny Ryan, a member of the Irish mob scene in the "Dogtown" section of Providence, Rhode Island. Things are going great for Danny and his young family until a mysterious beautiful woman appears on the scene and sparks a war between the Irish and Italian factions of the area. As always, Winslow's use of pacing and narrative as we follow his characters has a way of grabbing hold and never letting go. Tensions are high and the gut punches are delivered in just the right places to make his novels difficult to put down for even a moment. City on Fire is an excellent place for a new reader of Winslow to bec...

Master Assassins by Robert V.S. Redick My rating: 3 of 5 stars Received a copy from NetGalley. DNF at 18%. Just couldn't bring myself to continue. Not bad, just not what I'm wanting to read.. View all my reviews

A City Dreaming by Daniel Polansky My rating: 3 of 5 stars This was an odd duck. That is, it read more like a series of short stories, or episodes, than a novel. For that it worked as it lost me sometimes and when it did it would only be for the rest of the chapter rather than the whole work. Enjoyable enough and the writing was fantastic. The characters had potential. It just didn't grab me as much as I'd hoped it would. I can take a degree of weird, and the humor thrown in was a nice flavoring. View all my reviews

The Night and the Music by Lawrence Block My rating: 3 of 5 stars I received an ecopy of this book from the publisher through NetGalley. This was a satisfying read, as a collection of Matthew Scudder stories set at various stages of his career/life. While I feel this collection was best suited for longtime readers of Scudder's cases, this was a fine introduction for new readers, giving us a glimpse of this investigator/ex-cop and the style that Block uses with him. I was captivated enough in the overall character and writing style to be drawn into the novel series that these stories are based on, so with that it did its job. View all my reviews