October 2012

Book Review: Comediennes

Katie October 31, 2012 0Comment

Comediennes is a book about female comedians. The cover shows charactures of many, and the next page in is a guide for who is who incase thre are any that you can’t figre out! (For me there was many.)

It has not always been accepted that women are funny. But I think the comediennes mentioned in this book show that statement could not be less true.  The book biographies many, many comidiennes and it is broken down sort of by the era in which they made it big.

Some biographies are bigger than others – I think Mary Tyler Moore’s came in as the longest.  Each bio also points out if they were the “first woman to..” which I liked.  I am always all for women excelling in fields that are deemed to be “just for men”!

The end of the book also has a Q&A with some of the women mentioned which was pretty humorous (though we’d have a problem if it wasn’t!)

I received a free e-copy of this book from the publisher through NetGalley in order to write this review. All opinions are mine and I was not otherwise compensated.

About the Book

It wasn’t until the 10th century that women were allowed to perform, and then only rarely. Like many art forms, female comedy got its start in the church and expanded to stage, radio, film, and television. For the longest time, it has been believed that women aren’t funny. The stories within these pages will not only debunk that myth but will make you wonder how it ever got started in the first place. Women of all races have not only taken center stage in comedy, but in many cases, have dominated it.

This book thoroughly explores the genre. Comediennes: Laugh Be a Lady chronicles the evolution of the humor through the research of Darryl and Tuezdae Littleton and the scores of interviews they conducted with veteran female performers from all mediums, as well as Tuezdae’s own experiences as a comedienne. Startling facts are revealed and tributes are paid to the icons of yesteryear by the titans of today in their own words and sentiments.

Women have always made us laugh, from their outrageous characters, pratfall humor, cutting barbs, clever wit and unforgettable side-splitting moments. Their “herstory” has only just begun.

It wasn’t until the 10th century that women were allowed to perform, and then only rarely. Like many art forms, female comedy got its start in the church and expanded to stage, radio, film, and television. For the longest time, it has been believed that women aren’t funny. The stories within these pages will not only debunk that myth but will make you wonder how it ever got started in the first place. Women of all races have not only taken center stage in comedy, but in many cases, have dominated it.

This book thoroughly explores the genre. Comediennes: Laugh Be a Lady chronicles the evolution of the humor through the research of Darryl and Tuezdae Littleton and the scores of interviews they conducted with veteran female performers from all mediums, as well as Tuezdae’s own experiences as a comedienne. Startling facts are revealed and tributes are paid to the icons of yesteryear by the titans of today in their own words and sentiments.

Women have always made us laugh, from their outrageous characters, pratfall humor, cutting barbs, clever wit and unforgettable side-splitting moments. Their “herstory” has only just begun.

Book Review: The Biographical Dictionary of Popular Music

Katie October 30, 2012 0Comment

The Biographical Dictionary of Popular Music is jam packed with information on tons and tons of artists, songs, etc.  It is just over 900 pages and I guess now I can brag that I’ve read the dictionary 😉  While there is a variety of topics mentioned, these are all ones that have inspired the author. It makes me think that maybe I should start my own dictionary – a lot of the bands that I love (ok, I think all) were not mentioned in this book.  Even with those omissions, the book is incredibly thorough with decent chunks of text about everything that is included in the book. It covers many genres and decades even if it just skims the surface of the number of performers there really are out there!

The book is great to be used either as a reference – to look up specific things when you are interested in finding out more of them – like a true dictionary – or you can just read through it all.  I opted to read through it all, a letter a day for a few weeks.  There was no storyline that I needed to follow so I could easily pick the book up whenever I wanted, even if I was in the middle of reading something else at the time.

I received a free e-copy of this book from the publisher in order to write this review.

About the Book

The Biographical Dictionary of Popular Music is an incredible and opinionated collection of celebrated cultural critic Dylan Jones’s thoughts on more than 350 of the most important artists around the world—alive and dead, big and small, at length and in brief. This A to Z reference is the true musical heir to David Thomson’s seminal The New Biographical Dictionary of Popular Film. Jones writes entertainingly about bands that have inspired, bedeviled, and fascinated him over the years.

Book Review: The Aftermath of Rock N Roll

Katie October 27, 2012 0Comment

Obviously the title of “The Aftermath of Rock N Roll” was what grabbed my attention, but this is not your typical book about Rock N Roll.  This is a nonfiction biography/autobiography, except that the names are changed.

The author, Noelle, married a “Rock Star”, Adrian, shortly after they met.  (Through a millionaire matchmaker site) He had her deceived and he was very, very good at twisting the truth.  He quickly began using her money to buy things, sometimes promising to pay her back, but never coming through with it.

After 16 months, Noelle finally came to her senses and realized that she had married a psychopath and had to get the heck away from him asap.  Unfortunately, Adrian seemed to even have his lawyers fooled for a while and the divorce settlement and proceedings took a really long time.  I liked that the lawyers mentioned in the book were “Dewey” “Cheatham” and “Howe”, which I think is from an old Stooges sketch. (Though my memory might be a bit foggy on that – but either way it gave me a laugh.)

The fact  that this is a true story is all the more startling – this poor woman was losing money in spousal support and lawyer fees hand over fist and her health was fading as well.

Noelle also offers support for other women who may have been in similar situations and hopes that her story will help other women find the strength they need to get out of these situations.

I received a free e-copy of this book fro the publisher in order to write this review. I was not otherwise compensated.

Book Review: Don’t Know Much About® the American Presidents

Katie October 24, 2012 0Comment

I had to smile when I saw the title “Don’t Know Much About The American Presidents” because I really don’t.  History and Geography have always been my weaknesses in school and since graduating I’ve tried to avoid them both at all costs. (Though I have to say I am hands on and actually traveling is making Geography make a bit more sense to me. Not sure what I can do to help out with my lack of knowledge on History though.)

This book is quite long, clocking in at over 700 pages.  But considering that we have had 44 Presidents and each one has a profile in this book, it makes sense!  Part I is “The Making of the President – 1787″, Part II is the Presidential Profiles “The Life and Times of America’s Chief Executives from George Washington to Barack Obama”, Part III is “What Should We Do with the President” and then of course the book ends with a bunch of appendices.

Each profile varies in length, some are 30 pages, others are only 9 pages.  I like books like this because I can easily read just one profile or a handful of profiles depending on how much time I have.  I also can read it in between reading other books (provided the other books aren’t presidential!) without getting confused.  I don’t think I would ever try to tackle such a large book in one setting.  (Maybe if I was a history buff!)

I received a free e-copy of this book from the publisher through NetGalley in order to write this review. I was not otherwise compensated.

About the Book

In his New York Times bestselling Don’t Know Much About® series, Kenneth C. Davis has made subjects from history to geography to the Bible accessible and entertaining to buffs and amateurs alike.

Now, he’s taking on the American presidents. From the brutes to the intellectuals, from Washington Obama, Davis uses his same entertaining question-and-answer style to debunk the myths about of America’s leaders and tell the real story, which—when told by Davis—is far more fascinating than the version you learned in school.

Book Review: Zuto

Katie October 23, 2012 0Comment

Zuto: The Adventures of a Computer Virus is a really interesting book.  It takes place in a computer over one minute and describes what happens inside a computer in a more “cutesy” way geared so kids can understand it.  There are several technical terms used throughout the book with a dictionary of all the terms in the end of the book to help you learn once you have read everything.

The book is under 100 pages and seems to be a bit long considering the action really only takes place over one minute.  But it also shows you just how quickly things can happen inside of your computer when you get a virus.

I received a free e-copy of this book in order to write this review.

About the Book

Zuto: The Adventures of a Computer Virus takes place inside a strange, little-known world: a personal computer, the perfect setting for a fast-paced, funny, one-minute-long story. Zuto, a smart, sneaky computer virus, leads a happy life in his secret hiding place: the Recycle Bin. There, among heaps of junk full of surprising treasures, he plans his tricks. Everything changes when a far more malicious program invades the computer . . . and threatens to end all life in it. Together with his Recycle Bin friends—outdated, buggy programs—Zuto sets off to save his world. Readers curious about the truth behind this rollicking adventure story will find it in the Zutopedia appendix, which explains concepts such as computer viruses, IP addresses, and binary numbers. Zuto was first published in Israel, where it was recommended by the Israeli Ministry of Education and voted in the top ten favorite books by children in grades 4-6 nationwide.