Book Review - Hollywood vs. The Author edited by Stephen Jay Schwartz

I really enjoy hearing people's stories and behind-the-scenes stories of books, movies, and other entertainment. While I hadn't heard of most of these authors, and those I have heard and read their works I didn't like, I still thought this could be an enjoyable read.

Hollywood vs. The Author edited by Stephen Jay Schwartz is a collection of essays by authors and screenwriters about working with Hollywood. It is available as an eBook, Audiobook, and those paper things your grandparents used to read.

The Good

Variety of Experiences.While everyone who contributes and essay is a writer, some are writers of novels, some writers of comics, some writers of short stories, some writers of screenplays, and some have written a combination of the above. Some have had good experiences, and some have had bad experiences. While there are similarities in the stories, no one's story is the same as another. Each gives you new information.

Scope. Some of the stories are about a short period of time involving one project, and some take place over a lot of time and cover several projects. Yet almost each author does a good job of including only the parts of their experience that are important to the story with only a few exceptions.

Information. This book presents a lot of good information and helps explain so much of why we see what we see on the screen and why we don't see other things on the screen.

The Bad

Wining. Most authors have accepted their experiences and moved on. There are a few that use their essay as a "Oh Woe Is Me" moment. Those are obnoxious, but are fortunately few and mostly towards the end.

Author Selection. Most of the contributors to this collection I've never heard of. The few authors that are familiar to me are authors I do not like and I don't think are good writers. Fortunately their essay work is better than their fiction.

What I Would Like to Have Seen

I would have enjoyed hearing from a few good writers and known writers, not just lesser knowns and lesser talents.

Overall

Hollywood vs. The Author edited by Stephen Jay Schwartz is a collection of essays by authors and screenwriters about working with Hollywood. While everyone who contributes and essay is a writer, some are writers of novels, some writers of comics, some writers of short stories, some writers of screenplays, and some have written a combination of the above. Some have had good experiences, and some have had bad experiences. While there are similarities in the stories, no one's story is the same as another and most are very interesting. A few writers unfortunately chose to use their essay as a "Oh Woe Is Me" moment trying to elicit sympathy and justify their failure. Most of the contributors to this collection I've never heard of. The few authors that are familiar to me are authors I do not like and I don't think are good writers. Fortunately their essay work is better than their fiction. I highly recommend this book and give it 4.5 out of 5 eReaders.

  

 

Book Review - The Ride of a Lifetime: Lessons Learned from 15 Years as CEO of the Walt Disney Company by Robert Iger

I've been impressed with how Bob Iger has run Disney since becoming CEO of the company. I worry what will happen when he retires. I was curious to hear his insights and behind-the-scenes stories about his time guiding Disney thru so many acquisitions (Marvel, Pixar, LucasFilm) and the launch of Disney+ as well as so many new animated hits.

The Ride of a Lifetime: Lessons Learned from 15 Years as CEO of the Walt Disney Company by Robert Iger is an autobiography of Bob Iger and his career. It is available as an eBook, Audiobook, and those paper things your grandparents used to read.

The Good

Organization. This book is really well organized. He tells his story both chronologically, but also by lessons he learned from those he worked with. It's easy to follow, one section naturally leads to another, and it holds your interest the whole time.

Perspective. I really enjoyed Bob Iger's perspectives on so many of the major events I've heard about from the news and other people involved, but never an insider. He revealed details I was unaware of that slightly alter the narrative I've been told. I also appreciate how honest and respectful Bob Iger was of all parties he included.

Depth. This book isn't an exhaustive, detailed history of everything that happened in Bob Iger's career, but he went into enough detail to clearly tell the story and give you a good understanding of what went on.

The Bad

Name Dropping. I do not like a name dropper, and Bob Iger likes to drop certain celebrity names that have nothing to do with the story simply to include them in his book, especially the name of a former president.

What I Would Like to Have Seen

...

Overall

The Ride of a Lifetime: Lessons Learned from 15 Years as CEO of the Walt Disney Company by Robert Iger is one of the best biographies/autobiographies I've read in a long time. It tells the story of Bob Iger's career from his first job at a local TV station to his move to and rise at ABC to the merger with The Walt Disney Company and his eventual time as CEO. It is organized both chronologically and by lessons he learned along the way. He's very honest about what happened and very respectful of all parties involved. Being an insider personally involved in so many recent big stories, he has an interesting insider's perspective I hadn't heard before and appreciated. I highly recommend this book and give it 5 out of 5 eReaders.

    

 

Book Review - One Doctor: Close Calls, Cold Cases, and the Mysteries of Medicine by Brendan Reilly, MD

Medical reform is a very heated political topic currently, and I was a little nervous about reading this book afraid the author would use it to push his political agenda. Happily it is a fairly honest autobiography with the doctor expressing how he truly feels from years of experience.

One Doctor: Close Calls, Cold Cases, and the Mysteries of Medicine by Brendan Reilly, MD is a nonfiction autobiography and history of medicine during the latter 20th Century with commentary about problems with and short comings of the medical system. It is available as an eBook, Audiobook, and one of those paper things your grandparents used to read.

The Good

Writing. The book is well written. It's clear the author is a doctor and not a writer, but it doesn't detract form the enjoyment or the understanding of the stories and messages.

Stories. The author shares a lot of interesting stories from a variety of situations. There is a wide variety, and any similar stories are shared to contrast and compare with others to help the reader understand the challenge of practicing medicine.

Honesty. I appreciate how honest the author is about both successes and failures. He recognizes the good modern medicine can do, but also recognizes the limits and the dark areas of the unknown. He cites examples of patients being helped and hurt by the medical profession. He doesn't try to push any political agenda or manipulate the reader into taking a particular stance.

The Bad

Uncertainty. The author repeatedly discusses how a lot of questions in medicine aren't questions for science or medicine but philosophy and religion, and he never seems to have any answers or insights. I'm not sure if he has no strong personal convictions, no religious beliefs, or he's trying to stay neutral in the moral area, but it makes him come off as weak and ill equipped to answer essential questions.

What I Would Like to Have Seen

I wish the doctor had shared more of his moral convictions and how they influenced the decisions he made and the actions he took. It would have made the book less wishy washy and unsure.

Overall

One Doctor: Close Calls, Cold Cases, and the Mysteries of Medicine by Brendan Reilly, MD tells the story of a doctor during the latter 20th Century and early 21st Century at various types of medical institutions and in various roles. He shares the good and bad medical professionals do and discusses problems and limitations with the medical system as he sees them. It is a very honest and introspective look with his opinions of areas in need of improvement and why. I give this book 4.5 out of 5 eReaders.

    

Book Review - Bluefishing: The Art of Making Things Happen by Steve Sims

I enjoy reading what I call "business books", because they are usually filled with several case studies I've never heard of an interesting takes and approaches to looking at the world.

Bluefishing: The Art of Making Things Happen by Steve Sims is a nonfiction book filled with stories and advice from master concierge Steve Sims. It is available as an eBook, Audiobook, and those paper things your grandparents used to read..

The Good

Stories. The first half of this book is filled with great stories of how the author got to where he is and how he's made amazing things happen. Some are almost unbelievable.

Advice. Steve Sims has some excellent advice on how to make things happen and how to improve ones communication that applies to all people in many different situations. He presents it in a very straightforward, simple way to understand and apply.

The Bad

Repetition. The author repeats himself word for word many, many times, and it just wasn't necessary. If you want to re-emphasize the points or make sure the reader catches the important ideas, repeat them with some variation.

What I Would Like to Have Seen

I wish the author had included more stories of what he's done and how. The beginning are filled with them, but then he stops and just gives advice with few illustrations. I also wish he'd go into more details with his stories and not just say he made it happen but show us how.

Overall

Bluefishing: The Art of Making Things Happen by Steve Sims is an interesting and informative look at how to get things done, improve your relationships, make your dreams come true, and improve your communication dashed with interesting and almost unbelievable true stories of how the author did those very things. I give this book a solid 4.5 out of 5 eReaders.

    

    

Book Review - Capital Gaines The Smart Things I've Learned by Doing Stupid Stuff by Chip Gaines

Half the books I read I buy because they are on sale at Audible and look good. Most of the time they are titles I've never heard of by authors I know nothing about. This is one such book.
Capital Gaines The Smart Things I've Learned by Doing Stupid Stuff is an autobiography of Chip Gaines, one of the hosts of Fixer Upper and co-owner of Magnolia. It is available as an eBook, Audiobook, and as one of those paper things your grandparents used to read.

The Good

Story. Chip has a really interesting story, and he's honest about the good and the bad.

Message. Chip has a lot of good advice and shares a lot of important life lessons he learned. I also appreciated how he wasn't afraid to share his faith but didn't force it down the reader's throat.

Positive Attitude. Chip faces a lot of ups and downs, and through it all he somehow maintains a pretty positive attitude that is reassuring and inspiring.

The Bad

Writing. This book feels like Chip came over to your house to talk as a friend. It feels very unpolished and rambles quite a bit repeating the same thing over and over using different words. That's probably the authentic tone he was going for, but it took away a bit from the pleasure of reading.

What I Would Like to Have Seen

I wish the author had been more succinct and trusting of his reader to get what he meant the first time he said it instead of repeating it four or five times using different words.

Overall

Capital Gaines The Smart Things I've Learned by Doing Stupid Stuff by Chip Gaines tells the story of his life from his earliest ventures into running his own business and meeting his wife to his current hit TV show and rapidly growing retail business. The author is very honest about the good, the bad, the smart, and the dumb and has no qualms about sharing any of it. His positive attitude is very inspiring, but his writing feels rough and unpolished with a lot of rambling and redundancy. I give this book a solid 4 out of 5 eReaders.

    

    

Book Review - Make Your Bed: Little Things That Can Change Your Life...And Maybe the World by Admiral William H. McRaven

I've heard you should never judge a book by its cover, but I've made many reading and purchasing choices based solely on the cover, and I rarely regret it. I wonder if a corollary would be: you shouldn't judge a book by its title. I also have based many a reading and purchasing decision on the titles. Make your bed and change the world. Who wouldn't have their curiosity piqued?

Make Your Bed: Little Things That Can Change Your Life...And Maybe the World by Admiral William H. McRaven is an expanded version of a motivational speech given at a university commencement and is appropriate for all ages and all audiences.

The Good

Advice. This book was written by a retired Admiral about his experiences in SEAL training and 10 things he learned that can be applied to any life. All 10 things have a lot of merit and application.

Experiences. I really enjoyed hearing about the specifics of SEAL training. The author did such a good job describing the trials that, at times, I felt like I was in the mud with him.

The Bad

Narration. I'm glad the author chose to narrate the book himself, and he has a decent voice, but his delivery is very flat and even and monotoned.

What I Would Like to Have Seen

This book is an elaboration on a speech the admiral delivered at a commencement. He gives the elaboration first--which is fascinating--and then he gives the speech with is very repetitive and unnecessary.

Overall

Make Your Bed: Little Things That Can Change Your Life...And Maybe the World by Admiral William H. McRaven is a retelling of his experience in Navy SEAL training and 10 things he learned that can be applied to every life. The experiences are fascinating; the advice sagacious. I give this book a solid 4.5 out of 5 eReaders.

    

    

Book Review - The Ghost in My Brain: How a Concussion Stole My Life and How the New Science of Brain Plasticity Helped Me Get It Back by Clark Elliott

I love learning about the human body, the amazing things it can do, and the surprising discoveries researchers make about its abilities. It never ceases to amaze me what a marvelous creation it is. I especially love reading about new abilities and aspects. That's what caught my attention with this book.

The Ghost in My Brain: How a Concussion Stole My Life and How the New Science of Brain Plasticity Helped Me Get It Back is a nonfiction autobiographical story written by Clark Elliott. It's available as an eBook, audiobook, and those paper things your grandparents used to read.

Overview

Clark Elliott was the victim of an auto accident resulting in a concussion which severely limited his abilities. After dozens of doctors told him he'd just have to live with it, he found two that could repair much of the damage using a series of puzzles and special glasses.

The Good

Story. While I feel terrible for the author and all the challenges he had to deal with, his story was fascinating and had a happy ending.

Eye/Brain/Body Connection. I had no idea the eyes were connected to so many systems of the body, and that by altering the light that entered and adjusting where it focuses on the retina affects brain paths and emotions.

The Bad

Repetition and Details of Difficulties. The author spends waaaaaay too much time describing his difficulties in waaaaaay too much detail. I actually skipped past a few chapters.

What I Would Like to Have Seen

I wish the author would have elaborated on Brain Plasticity and gone into more detail about the exercises he went thru. That was much more interesting than the 75% of the book where he describes his difficulties.

Overall

The Ghost in My Brain: How a Concussion Stole My Life and How the New Science of Brain Plasticity Helped Me Get It Back by Clark Elliott tells a fascinating story in a less than fascinating way. The author spends too much time on the problems and not enough time on the solutions, but it is a story still worth reading. I give it 3.5 out of 5 eReaders.

    

Book Review - Spaceman: An Astronaut's Unlikely Journey to Unlock the Secrets of the Universe by Mike Massimino

I've always been a huge fan of space and dream of going out and seeing it for myself someday (hopefully in a Star Trek-type ship and not the current shuttles or rockets we're sending up).

Spaceman: An Astronaut's Unlikely Journey to Unlock the Secrets of the Universe is an autobiography written and read by Mike Massimino. It's available in all formats: eBooks, Audiobooks, and those paper things your grandparents used to read.

Overview

Spaceman is an autobiography telling the story of Mike Massimino, how he became an astronaut, and details his two spacewalks to the Hubble Telescope.

The Good

Subject Matter. This book tells one boy's story of watching the moon landing and wanting to be an astronaut and then growing up to live that dream. It covers the steps he had to take to make that happen and the challenges he had to overcome. It's an interesting story that never seems to get told but is well worth telling.

Details. The most interesting parts of this book are when the author describes the experiences in detail from his first-person perspective, telling you things you never knew about or have heard before. For example, he describes getting into the space shuttle and launching into space. On TV that takes a couple of minutes and you're in space. In real life there is a lot of waiting and a lot of procedures and a chance of cancellation right up to lift off that the public is never aware of. And the trip itself is several hours.

The Bad

Weak Storytelling / Narration. It's clear the author is not a professional writer, storyteller, or speaker. In so many areas it reads more like a technical manual than a great adventure. A good storyteller can weave the technical details in while still keeping his audience on the edge of their seats. Unfortunately, no such writer was involved in the production of this writing.

Too Much Telling. The author has a bad habit of going off on rants about how important something is or how difficult or how amazing, etc. but doesn't always describe the incidents or challenges in sufficient detail for the reader to really see or experience the wonder, amazement, or difficulty. When he does it's wonderful and we really feel what he is feeling. But too often we have to simply take his word for it.

Pacing. This novel has a very even pace throughout. It never gets really exciting, even during times that should be really exciting, because of the way the story it told. 

What I Would Like to Have Seen

Normally I'm not one to say "show, not tell", but in this case it's the most apt. Mike spends way too much time telling us how wonderful and important and challenging and amazing things are when he should be giving more detail and helping us experience his experiences for ourselves so we can see for ourselves how wonderful and important and challenging and amazing all of his experiences are.

Overall

Spaceman tells an interesting story most people probably aren't familiar with--the journey to become an astronaut and what life is like once you've made it. Unfortunately, the way it's told doesn't do justice to the story. All too often is sounds like a bureaucrat delivering a report or a technician writing a manual than a great adventurer telling about his latest journey. I give it 3 out of 5 eReaders.