Subtitle: From Synopsis to Subplots: The Secrets of Screenwriting Revealed
I received an advance reader copy of this book in exchange for an honest revSubtitle: From Synopsis to Subplots: The Secrets of Screenwriting Revealed
I received an advance reader copy of this book in exchange for an honest review.
As a writer who has considered writing a screenplay, I had been curious for quite a while to read about the screenwriting process. I placed a request for this book as soon as I saw it available for review.
If you’re looking for a deep dive on screenwriting, this isn’t it. It’s a very quick overview designed to introduce readers to the topic rather than teach them everything they need to know. It gave me enough information to make me want to tinker with writing a screenplay for one of my earlier novels.
I gave The Guide for Every Screenwriter five stars on Goodreads. It provided the type of quick guide to the process that I was looking for and pointed me to other resources to use when I’m ready to learn more.
Merged review:
Subtitle: From Synopsis to Subplots: The Secrets of Screenwriting Revealed
I received an advance reader copy of this book in exchange for an honest review.
As a writer who has considered writing a screenplay, I had been curious for quite a while to read about the screenwriting process. I placed a request for this book as soon as I saw it available for review.
If you’re looking for a deep dive on screenwriting, this isn’t it. It’s a very quick overview designed to introduce readers to the topic rather than teach them everything they need to know. It gave me enough information to make me want to tinker with writing a screenplay for one of my earlier novels.
I gave The Guide for Every Screenwriter five stars on Goodreads. It provided the type of quick guide to the process that I was looking for and pointed me to other resources to use when I’m ready to learn more....more
Josiah Thompson was a philosophy professor at Haverford College when he wrote Six Seconds in Dallas, his 1967 book that took a scientific approach to Josiah Thompson was a philosophy professor at Haverford College when he wrote Six Seconds in Dallas, his 1967 book that took a scientific approach to analyzing the physical evidence from the JFK assassination while also examining materials from the National Archives and statements from witnesses who were overlooked by the Warren Commission. In the mid-1970s he abandoned his life in academia for a career as a private investigator. Last Second in Dallas is the story of his early involvement in researching the assassination, and the story of his investigation of new evidence that has emerged in the last few decades.
Thompson concluded in his first book that Kennedy died as a result of a crossfire from two different directions, but was disillusioned by infighting within the assassination research community and conflicting versions of evidence. Some of the new evidence he provides in this book are the result of his "micro-analysis" and measurements of movements in the Zapruder film, and his attempts at confirming the audio evidence that resulted in the HCSA declaring that JFK died as the result of a conspiracy.
I gave Last Second In Dallas five stars on Goodreads. I won't spoil Thompson's conclusions, but will tell you that the scenario he presents not only fits the revised evidence he has uncovered but also rings true in a logical sense....more
The recently released movie version of Bullet Train was the #1 movie in the U.S. during the week of its release. At about the time the movie came out,The recently released movie version of Bullet Train was the #1 movie in the U.S. during the week of its release. At about the time the movie came out, I went through some of my writing notebooks and found the book version on a list of interesting sounding books that I saw on a publisher’s list way back in 2020. I haven’t seen the movie yet (but soon will), but decided to read the book first.
As the title implies, the story involves several passengers on board a Japanese bullet train. The most prominent are Nanao – nicknamed Ladybug – the world’s unluckiest hitman and the Prince, a manipulative 14-year-old schoolboy who apparently was named after the title of Niccolo Machiavelli’s most famous book. Several other professional killers and organized crime figures come and go as the story progresses. There is plenty of action and suspense throughout the book, but a surprisingly large amount of the story takes place inside the character’s heads.
I gave Bullet Train four stars on Goodreads. While I enjoyed the story and its many twists and turns, when I finished reading it I couldn’t help feeling that it could have been better. I don’t expect that I will feel the same after watching the movie, as I feel that the removal of internal dialogue will result in a much faster paced film experience....more
Subtitled: Nothing But the Truth - A Baseball Life
Don Baylor was a winner at nearly every stop in his major league career, highlighted by appearing inSubtitled: Nothing But the Truth - A Baseball Life
Don Baylor was a winner at nearly every stop in his major league career, highlighted by appearing in 3 straight World Series - winning 1 - with 3 different teams (Boston in 1986, Minnesota in 1987, and Oakland in 1988). This is the story of his playing career as told to Claire Smith, the first woman beat-writer for an MLB team when she covered the New York Yankees in the 1980s.
Baylor began his career in the Baltimore Oriole minor league system when the Orioles dynasty dominated the American League for three straight seasons. He arrived too late to take part in those three World Series (1969-1971), but played on the Oriole teams that won divisional titles in 1973-74. He as traded to the Oakland A's in a huge trade that also involved Reggie Jackson prior to the 1976 season before signing with the California Angels before the 1977 season, helping the Angels earn their first two divisional championships in 1979 and 1982. Baylor used his next shot at free agency to sign with the Yankees before going on his 3-year run of World Series appearances. If I could change one thing about this book, I would have liked for it to be written several years later so it could also included the details of Baylor's post-playing career, when he managed the Colorado Rockies for 6 years and the Chicago Cubs for 3 years.
I gave Don Baylor five stars on Goodreads. He was one of my favorite players of the 1970s and 80s, and it was fascinating to read the stories he told in this book about his relationships with his managers and teammates during that time....more
Subtitled: How the Making (and Remaking) of Star Trek Changed the World
For most of the last fifty years, Star Trek along with its television spinoffs Subtitled: How the Making (and Remaking) of Star Trek Changed the World
For most of the last fifty years, Star Trek along with its television spinoffs and cinematic film franchise has played a dominant role in pop culture. In Phasers On Stun!, Ryan Britt examines Star Trek in its many forms from the creation and casting of the original series up to the present day.
Britt focuses on three concepts in the course of the book. In the early years, Spock was a major driver of the popularity of the original series and the associated films. Leonard Nimoy received the lion’s share of fan mail, so much so that William Shattner was jealous of it. Spock’s struggle to balance his Vulcan and human heritage and instincts played out in nearly every episode. The book also tracked the diversity of the crew from each series in racial as well as sexual preference and gender identification terms. Star Trek creator Gene Roddenberry envisioned a distant future with no discrimination where all beings could exist together in peace.
I gave Phasers On Stun! five stars on Goodreads. I learned a lot about the history of the original series, and a lot about several of the spinoff series that I’d never watched. I’m not foolish enough to attempt to binge watch all of the various Star Trek offshoots available, but I am going to check out Star Trek: Discovery before deciding whether to watch the others....more
This is the latest book by YA author Kelly deVos. I enjoyed her previous Day Zero/Day One duology, so I decided to read this one following its publicaThis is the latest book by YA author Kelly deVos. I enjoyed her previous Day Zero/Day One duology, so I decided to read this one following its publication a few weeks ago.
The book focuses on a group of high school students trying to make a short horror film for one of them to use as material for admission to the film school at USC. They do a Go Fund Me fundraiser that nets them a lot more money than expected, so they accept an offer to shoot their film at the former castle of Vlad Tepes, the historical basis for Count Dracula. It doesn’t take long after their arrival for the dead bodies to begin piling up.
I gave Go Hunt Me three stars on Goodreads. I still have a high opinion of the author and liked the premise of the book from the first time I heard it, but the plot didn’t quite logically fit together for me, the characters made some frustratingly bad decisions, and the reveal at the end did not work for me....more
This is the latest volumn in James Rollins’s Sigma Force military thriller series. Written during the pandemic, it deals with an emerging viral threatThis is the latest volumn in James Rollins’s Sigma Force military thriller series. Written during the pandemic, it deals with an emerging viral threat in the Congo and covers Sigma Force’s battle to solve the puzzle that would allow them to formulate a cure and defeat forces wanting the virus to continue spreading.
Readers can count on several things when reading one of Rollins’ Sigma Force novels. Familiar characters and a science-driven plot are two of those things. Cutting edge weapons and vehicles are two others, as well as heavily-armed villains, last second rescues, and unexpected escapes. Kingdom of Bones delivers in all of these areas and more.
I gave this book 5 stars on Goodreads. I’ll continue keeping up with new volumes in the series as they come out, still hope someday to have enough time to go back and read more of the older books....more
I received a complimentary copy of this book from the publisher through Net Galley in exchange for an honest review.
The Ultimate Book of Movie MonsterI received a complimentary copy of this book from the publisher through Net Galley in exchange for an honest review.
The Ultimate Book of Movie Monsters examines and categories monsters from horror, fantasy, and science fiction films. The categories include: vampires, zombies, giant creatures, ghouls, monsters from the sea and from the air, supernatural monsters, and a few more.
One of the things I liked about this book is that it stuck to the topic of monsters very closely. This means that while you’ll find King Kong, the shark from Jaws, and the flock of birds from The Birds here, you won’t find Jason Vorhees, Michael Myers, or Leatherface. This was a rather quick read, which is a definite plus for me given the state of my TBR pile.
I gave The Ultimate Book of Movie Monsters four stars. Although I appreciated that it wasn’t too lengthy, it also left me wishing there were more to it. It did bring up a few older movies from the 1980s such as Legend and Labyrinth that I’ve never seen that I might just make an effort to track down now based on the author’s recommendations....more
Subtitled: The Life and Legend of an American Original
I received an advance reader copy of this book from the publisher through Net Galley in exchangeSubtitled: The Life and Legend of an American Original
I received an advance reader copy of this book from the publisher through Net Galley in exchange for an honest review.
Rickey Henderson is the all-time major league leader in stolen bases (ahead of Lou Brock) and runs scored (ahead of Ty Cobb); he was also the all-time leader in walks (ahead of Babe Ruth) until Barry Bonds passed him after his retirement. Rickey is the story of his life from his childhood to the end of his baseball career and beyond.
Born in Chicago on Christmas Day 1958, his family migrated west to Oakland CA, where he quickly became a standout in football at an early age. One of his teachers bribed him to play baseball and eventually Henderson decided he could have a more durable and lengthy career on the baseball diamond than on the football field. A major sub-theme of the book is the long and rich history of athletes coming out of Oakland and the surrounding area to achieve professional fame. That legacy includes the NBA’s Bill Russell, and baseball players such as Frank Robinson, Joe Morgan, Henderson and many others. During the height of Henderson’s career, the 1980s, there were several other of his contemporaries from the Bay area who experienced major league success.
I gave Rickey five stars on Goodreads. It is one of the most thorough baseball biographies in recent memory, covering the Henderson’s tenures with 9 different major league teams (including 4 stints with his hometown Oakland A’s). I wasn’t paying as much to baseball in the latter part of the 1990s, so I appreciated the review of the final years of his career....more
Subtitled: How Steve Carlton and Tim McCarver Became Baseball’s Best Battery
Steve Carlton and Tim McCarver both started their baseball careers playingSubtitled: How Steve Carlton and Tim McCarver Became Baseball’s Best Battery
Steve Carlton and Tim McCarver both started their baseball careers playing for the St. Louis Cardinals during into 60s and early 70s before being traded to the Philadelphia Phillies because of union activism (McCarver) and salary demands (Carlton). Carlton became a Hall of Fame pitcher largely because of his achievements for the Phillies, although never earning the job of starting catcher, McCarver served for much of the 70s as Carlton’s ‘personal catcher,’ helping his old friend from St. Louis become better than he’d ever been before.
Lefty & Tim provides biographies of both men and a season-by-season rundown of each man’s baseball career, particularly for seasons where the two were teammates. After being an all-star and World Series hero at catcher in the 1960s and then reaching the post-season several more times with the Phillies in the 70s, McCarver went on to become a standout sportscaster, eventually entering the Hall of Fame himself for his on air work. Carlton pitched into the later half of the 1980s before retiring and then earning election to the Hall of Fame in his first year of eligibility.
I gave Lefty & Tim five stars on Goodreads. This book will appeal to baseball fans in general, and specifically to fans of the sport during the 60s and on through the 80s....more
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