Category: Book review

“The First 21: How I Became Nikki Sixx” By Nikki Sixx Review

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Nikki Sixx is one of the most respected, recognizable, and entrepreneurial icons in the music industry. As the founder of Mötley Crüe, who is now in his twenty-first year of sobriety, Sixx is incredibly passionate about his craft and wonderfully open about his life in rock and roll, and as a person of the world. Born Franklin Carlton Feranna on December 11, 1958, young Frankie was abandoned by his father and partly raised by his mother, a woman who was ahead of her time but deeply troubled. Frankie ended up living with his grandparents, bouncing from farm to farm and state to state. He was an all-American kid—hunting, fishing, chasing girls, and playing football—but underneath it all, there was a burning desire for more, and that more was music. He eventually took a Greyhound bound for Hollywood.

I gotta admit that this year I’ve been getting into rock star biographies which I find to be very interesting, heartbreaking but also very enjoyable to read. And this book is probably one of the best biographies I’ve read so far in my life. But without naming this into longer than it already is, lets get into the review of this book.

The first thing I need to say about this book is the fact that it is very honest. Nikki Sixx really talks about all the shit he went through as a kid which really is very depressing and sad. But at the same time it made me like him so much more after reading this book than I already did.

This book talks about the first 21 years of Nikkis life from when he was born until the point he officially changed his name from Frank Feranna Jr to Nikki Sixx.

The only downside of this book in my opinion is that it doesn’t go into a lot of details of his upbringing. In this book Nikki Sixx only talks briefly about all the shit he went through in his early life and late teens. But even thou we only get fried details of his upbringing it is still very sad and depressing to read about.

This book also talks about how Nikki Sixx meet Mick Mars for the first time, while working at a liquor store and where he got the name “Nikki Sixx” from. Which was very interesting more me to read about because I didn’t know that fact about him even thou I think of myself as a huge Motley Crue fan.

The writing style in this book is very good. Because it was like Nikki Sixx knew exactly what words to use in this book to completely grab my attention and not let it go until the very end of this book which really made me give this book extra points for doing. 

This biography is one of the rare biographies I would recommend to anyone to read, because it shows that even the biggest musicians can have a fucked up life no matter how famous they are or how much money they have today.

I Give This Book 5 / 5

“Assassin’s Creed Valhalla: Sword of the White Horse” By Elsa Sjunneson Review

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Mercia, 878. Witch-warrior Niamh discovers a new order called the Hidden Ones is seeking to establish a foothold in Lunden. Her land is already scarred by Viking raiders, bloody wars, and clashing cultures. Determined to protect what remains of her homeland, she infiltrates this new group to discover whether they stand with her… or against her. Yet when Niamh learns the Hidden Ones have stolen an artifact sacred to her people, her own loyalties are challenged. Casting aside newfound alliances and friendships, Niamh soon discovers that betrayal comes with a heavy price and it will take everything in her power – her gods willing – to survive.

I gotta admit that the only reason why I bought and read this book is because I wanted to get back to the Assassin’s creed book series which I started 5 years ago and put it on hold. But lets not make this intro longer than it already is and lets jump into the review.

I need to say that this book isn’t exactly bad, but its still a very long way from being good. 

The plot in this book is pretty fun. Because it is interesting and enjoyable. But I would say that the plot in this book is meant more for young adults and teenagers who are only getting into Assassin’s creed franchised and not for people like me who grow up playing assassin’s creed.

The plot is very simple and easy going in this book. And it doesn’t involve brain power on the reader’s side to actually enjoy this book. 

The action in this book keeps building towards the big ending in this book which doesn’t happen. Which really annoyed me because the author uses 90% of this book to build towards the huge ending which in reality is very lacking and it seems like the author didn’t really think the ending through because of how weak it is.

The characters in this book are pretty okay for the most part. But they lack any distinct form for personalities. The characters in this book have some kind of personalities to them, but those personalities are very weak and shallow.

At the same time there aren’t a lot of characters in this book, which makes it easy to remember the shallow characters we actually do get in this book. 

I personally felt like there was something missing when it comes to the characters in this book. It could be the fact that the characters miss something that would make them unique and standout for themselves which of course didn’t happen in this book.

The writing style in this book felt like its was aiming towards the YA readers and the teenager as I’ve said above. 

The writing style is pretty simple and easygoing just like the plot in this book, which really makes this book lacking of something which would make this book unique and stand out in the Assassin’s creed franchise.

I Give This Book 3 / 5

“Star Wars: Red Harvest” By Joe Schreiber Review

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The era of the Old Republic is a dark and dangerous time, as Jedi Knights valiantly battle the Sith Lords and their ruthless armies. But the Sith have disturbing plans—and none more so than the fulfillment of Darth Scabrous’s fanatical dream, which is about to become nightmarish reality.

I gotta admit here that I didn’t have a lot of hopes for this book, but after reading it I gotta admit that I liked this book a lot because of how fun and interesting it was. But lets get into this review without making this into any longer than it already is. 

The storyline in this book is very interesting and fun. I gotta admit that this book feels like a continuation of Death Troopers because of the things the storyline involves but which I cant say much about without giving away spoilers for people who haven’t read this book yet. 

The event of this book take place at Sith Academy on the planet named Odacer-Faustin. And if you been around this website for a while you will know I am a sucker for star wars books which are written from Sith perspective. So this automatically was a big hit for me. 

As Ive mentioned above the storyline is very interesting and fun. So much so that I read this book in one sitting because of how hooked I got into the plot. Which really made me give this book some extra points for doing.

The writing style in this book is amazing, because it feels like the author knew exactly what words to use to complete grab my attention and to not let it go until the very end of this book. 

The writing style was very simple and easygoing. Which really made reading this book into a pleasure because it uses the every day language which means that everyone can read this book no matter if they are 10 years old, 25 years old or 60 years old.

At the same time this book adds a lot to the star wars universe because it talks about the Sith academy, how it functions, and where everything from the canteen is located, where the sleeping areas for the students are, where the teachers rooms are at and so on. Which really made me like this book even more because of all the info about the Sith academy we get in this book. 

There is a lot of action in this book which really makes this book to a very fun and eventful read because of all the things which happen in this book which keeps you interested from start to finish. 

I Give This Book 4 / 5

“The Canterville Ghost” By Oscar Wilde Review

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This is Oscar Wilde’s tale of the American family moved into a British mansion, Canterville Chase, much to the annoyance of its tired ghost. The family — which refuses to believe in him — is in Wilde’s way a commentary on the British nobility of the day — and on the Americans, too. The tale, like many of Wilde’s, is rich with allusion, but ends as sentimental romance.

I need to admit here that I’ve heard a lot of good about this book, and this book has been on my TBR list for a few years now. And I finally read it. If you are curious about my thoughts when it comes to this book then keep reading.

I need to admit here that this book is very inserting and very fun to read because of how good the plot line in this book is. Which really made me love Oscar Wilde even more than I already did before reading this book. Is it just me or is there someone else who also love Oscar Wilde more and more with each book they read ?

The storyline in this book is very good and interesting which I already mentioned above. There is something about the storyline in this book which makes it feel very eerie but at the same time very funny. Which I really liked and which made me give this book some extra points for doing.

The storyline in this book is more or less a victorian ghost story which I loved a lot. Because I personally love a lot any victorian story because every story set in the victorian era seems so fun and interesting to me. 

This book involves a lot of mystery, suspense, horror and romance which I found to love in this book because of how well Oscar Wilde made this book and story. 

The writing style in this book is very good, because it was like the author knew exactly what words to use to completely grab my attention and to not let it go until the very end of this book.

The characters in this book are very good and very likable. All of the characters in this book have a lot of personalities to them and something which makes them unique and standout from the rest of the characters in this book. 

I Give This Book 4 / 5

“Confidence Man: The Making of Donald Trump and the Breaking of America” By Maggie Haberman Review

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Few journalists working today have covered Donald Trump more extensively than Maggie Haberman. And few understand him and his motivations better. Now, demonstrating her majestic command of this story, Haberman reveals in full the depth of her understanding of the 45th president himself, and of what the Trump phenomenon means.

I need to admit here that I was very skeptical about this book because I thought it would be another woke propaganda book about Donald Trump. But after reading this book I gotta admit it wasn’t that bad as I thought it would be. But of course I’m gonna explain everything in this review.

First of all I want to mention that this book is pretty well written. This book has a easy and simple writing style which makes this book quick read. Most of the nonfiction and politics books I’ve read then do sound like university text books, but this book is one of the rare nonfiction books which is actually fun to read. 

However the biggest issue I had with this book was the fact that this book is more of a fun-fact list of everything about Donald Trump rather than a coherent book about Donald Trump. This book lists all the facts about Trump which you might not have heard before. 

If you have read other books about Donald Trump then you will know most of the things this book talks about. Because this book is more or less a summary of all the other books and articles about Donald Trump.

So if you are like me and read countless books about Donald Trump then this book will feel like all the books about Donald Trump into one book. But at the same time I need to give this book extra points for being more fun to read than the other books about Donald Trump. So if you want to get into books about Donald Trump and all the shady stuff he has done during the presidency, then this book is a very good choice because it talks about the same things as all the other Donald Trump books.

For the most part this book seems very well researched which made me give this book some extra points for doing. Which really shows how much time the author used to research and write this book, which really made me like this book more. 

I Give This Book 4 / 5

“Beyond the Body Farm: A Legendary Bone Detective Explores Murders, Mysteries, and the Revolution in Forensic Science” By William M. Bass Review

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There is no scientist in the world like Dr. Bill Bass. A pioneer in forensic anthropology, Bass created the world’s first laboratory dedicated to the study of human decomposition—three acres of land on a hillside in Tennessee where human bodies are left to the elements. His research at “the Body Farm” has revolutionized forensic science, helping police crack cold cases and pinpoint time of death. But during a forensics career that spans half a century, Bass and his work have ranged far beyond the gates of the Body Farm. In this riveting book, the bone sleuth explores the rise of modern forensic science, using fascinating cases from his career to take readers into the real world of C.S.I.

I need to admit that I wanted to read this book for a while now, because I was always interested in how forensic stuff is used to catch killers and how the forensic team can tell how long ago the person died. But in way this book didn’t live up to the hype I had for it. But I’m gonna discuss everything about this book in this review, so if you are interested then keep reading. 

First of all, this book talks a lot about the career of Bill Bass, which I found myself to not be interested in so much. Especially those parts which didn’t involve the creation and running of the body farm. Since I never was a fan of Bill Bass personally, I only was interested in his work at the body farm. 

At times this book feels like reading a medical textbook because of all the medical terms this book uses and those medical terms used in this book made me feel like an idiot because I had absolutely no idea what they meant so I needed to google them to get an idea of what those fancy medical words meant.

The writing style in this book feels very much like a textbook at times because of all the difficult medical terms this book uses. In my opinion this book would have been much better if it used like a simple everyday language for readers as myself who have absolutely no understanding of medical terminology and practices besides going to the GP every 2 or 3 years.

But I really liked the fact that this book talks about the rise of modern forensic science which I found to be very interesting and fun to read about. 

I also liked a lot the fact that this book talks about how the forensic teams are able to say the time of dead and what the person died from solely based from the dead body. I found it to be very interesting and it solved a lot of the questions I had about how the forensic science now on days work and how much we as humans have learned about bodies and death.

This book also talks about some cases which Bill Bass have worked on, where he needed to work on dead bodies to find out the cause of death. Which really helps us understand how the modern day forensic science works in practices and not only in theory. 

We get a lot of details and fun facts in this book about the forensic science, which at times feels like reading a medical textbook because of how this book tells us the details and those “fun facts”.

But if you are interested in true crime and how the forensic science works like I am, then I think you will learn a lot from reading this book even thou it tends to be pretty heavy at times. 

I Give This Book 3 / 5

“The Sun Also Rises” By Ernest Hemingway Review

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The quintessential novel of the Lost Generation, The Sun Also Rises (Fiesta) is one of Ernest Hemingway’s masterpieces and a classic example of his spare but powerful writing style. A poignant look at the disillusionment and angst of the post-World War I generation, the novel introduces two of Hemingway’s most unforgettable characters: Jake Barnes and Lady Brett Ashley. The story follows the flamboyant Brett and the hapless Jake as they journey from the wild nightlife of 1920s Paris to the brutal bullfighting rings of Spain with a motley group of expatriates. It is an age of moral bankruptcy, spiritual dissolution, unrealized love, and vanishing illusions. First published in 1926, The Sun Also Rises helped to establish Hemingway as one of the greatest writers of the twentieth century.

I wanted to to read this book for a very long time now, and now I read it. I gotta admit that this book is much better than I expected it to be which really surprised me a lot. But of course I will explain everything in this review so if you are interested than keep reading. 

The plot in this book is very comfy. Which really made it so fun for me. At the same time the plot in this book is very engaging, interesting and enjoyable. Because in a way the plot makes it seem like we as the readers are a part of the journey which the characters take in this book. 

I found the plot to be very compelling and fun to read. Because the plot gives us a vivid portrayal of the “Lost Generation” and their search for meaning in a rapidly changing world which I loved a lot in this book.

I got so hooked into the plot of this book that I read this book in one sitting which shows how engaged and interested in the plot I was as I was reading this book. 

The characters in this book are very good, because they felt like real human beings which I would be friends with in real life without any problems. The characters here are very good because they are very complex and memorable characters. 

The interactions between the characters is very realistic, the interactions is also pretty rich with unspoken tension and emotional depth. The characters’ flaws and desires are intricately woven into the narrative, providing a realistic and poignant exploration of human relationships

The only downside to this book is that it is very short, and I wish that it was longer than it is because I was so hooked in this book that a part of me didn’t want the book to end. 

The writing style in this book is very minimalistic. Which I don’t tend to like a lot, but this book offers us minimalistic writing style which gives the storyline in this book strength in a way. At the same time the writing style effectively captures the emotional undercurrents and sense of disillusionment which I loved a lot.

This book in my opinion is a must read, for everyone who loves to read books and wants to get into the classic books. This book is the perfect start into the classic books category because of how good it is.

This book gives us the themes of love, identity, and the search for purpose are central which is the main aspect of this book. The themes are very well explored in this book through the characters’ experiences and interactions,  which offers us a nuanced reflection on the human condition. Which I gave this book some extra points for doing.

I Give This Book 4 / 5

“Red, White & Royal Blue” By Casey McQuiston Review

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First Son Alex Claremont-Diaz is the closest thing to a prince this side of the Atlantic. With his intrepid sister and the Veep’s genius granddaughter, they’re the White House Trio, a beautiful millennial marketing strategy for his mother, President Ellen Claremont. International socialite duties do have downsides—namely, when photos of a confrontation with his longtime nemesis Prince Henry at a royal wedding leak to the tabloids and threaten American/British relations. The plan for damage control: staging a fake friendship between the First Son and the Prince.

The reason why I bought and read this book is because I watched the movie adaptions of this book and I liked the movie. And this book is very hyped up on the internet and I wanted to see if this book was worth the hype. And I gotta admit that this book doesn’t deserve the hype it but of course I’m gonna explain everything in this review so if you are interested then keep reading the review.

This book has a sweet and uplifting story in it, which I really enjoyed reading because when I read this book this year I was in a reading slump and this book helped to get out of it.

As I have seen above the story in this book is pretty good but it does have some moments which I found to be boring or uninteresting. Which means that I cant give this book a perfect rating. And I know that my opinion about this book might be very unpopular.

The first 40% of this book was really interesting for me personally but the deeper I got in this book the more and more I began to be very bored because for me personally the deeper I got into this book the more the story in this book started rolling down the hill faster and faster.

The romance part of this book is not that great in my opinion because it is the haters-to-lovers romance which I personally don’t like the most of all the romance sub topics because I find it to be very unrealistic and cheesy. And this book wasn’t as cheesy and cringe as I expected it to be but still there are quiet a few cheesy moments which got me rolling my eyes at. 

However I really enjoyed the political aspect of this book because I’m a political drama junky and “House of cards” is my all time favorite series. So because of the political aspect of this book, I gave this book some extra points for because the political aspect in this book was really good and enjoyable.

This book talks about self-discovery because Alex is confused about his sexuality and if he is straight, bi or gay. And I really like this aspect of this story because I really like the self-discovery aspect in books.

The writing style in this book complements the storyline of this book very well. Because the writing style is very simple and easy to read which really works well with he simple storyline of this book. 

The writing style is simple and easy yes, but it isn’t too simple like in some other YA books I’ve read in my time. The best way to describe the writing style in this book is that its like on the everyday conversion level. 

The characters in this book are very good, they are very relatable and likable. Both of the main characters are in their early 20s if I remember correctly. Both Henry and Alex are very good main characters because they feel like real human beings and thats what makes me like time a lot.

I Give This Book 3 / 5

“How the World Really Works: A Scientist’s Guide to Our Past, Present and Future” By Vaclav Smil Review

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We have never had so much information at our fingertips and yet most of us don’t know how the world really works. This book explains seven of the most fundamental realities governing our survival and prosperity. From energy and food production, through our material world and its globalization, to risks, our environment and its future, How the World Really Works offers a much-needed reality check – because before we can tackle problems effectively, we must understand the facts.

I need to admit here that the only reason why I read this book is because I’ve heard a lot of good things about the author, and this book was the first book from the author which I found in the bookstore I usually buy my books at. But without making the intro longer than it already is, lets get into this review. 

First of all I need to admit here that this book makes some very good points through out this book. Which really made like this book a fair share. And the author does give us some good fun facts through out this book

But at the same time this book is more of a statistics book rather than a normal nonfiction book. Because of how many numbers and constructs this book talks about and how much the author tries to connect those numbers into what the author is talking about in this book.

This book talks about climate change and that we cant decarbonize as fast as we imagine we can. Which is a very good point because most of the climate change books and articles I’ve read are always too optimistic about how fast we can decarbonize the planet and our lives.

The thing which I didn’t like the most about this book, was the fact that the author is very skeptical about humanity becoming multi-planetary species because the author claims it is far-fetched and too much like a Sci-Fi movie. 

The writing style in this book is very like a high school textbook, which really didn’t help me to be interested in it or find the book to be enjoyable. 

If you want to read a book about climate change and what we can do about it, then this book isnt a good choice because this book bombards us as readers with a lot of numbers, statics which really makes this book hard to understand. A better choice would be the climate change book Bill Gates have written rather than this one.

I Give This Book 3 / 5

“Snaponomi” By Lene Drange & Tore Løchstøer Hauge Review

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Hva gjør du når du står med din første lønnsslipp i hånden og lurer på hvorfor staten skal ha flere tusen kroner? Hva skjer hvis du lar være å betale regningene dine? Og hvordan kan du spare til det du virkelig ønsker deg når du alltid ender opp med minus på konto?

At the time of writing this review, this book is only available in Norwegian. So if you are Norwegian or understand Norwegian then this review will be just for you. 

I gotta admit that this book is sort of a Norwegian version of “Personal Finance for Dummies”. Because of how easy and simple this book is. 

I gotta admit here that this book is very fun to read because it has a lot of illustrations which makes it even easier to understand what the book is talking about. But at the same time the book offers us very good tricks and tips at how to improve our wealth and finances. Like one of the tips this book gives us is when you are renting an apartment / house or buying an apartment/ house with a friend, sibling or your boyfriend / girlfriend. No many how good your the other person relationship is, its always better to write a simple contract between the two of you. The contract should be about everything, who pays what, who paid more in deposit, who has a bigger apartment/ house loan etc. the contract really makes everything simple because if you and your friend or boyfriend / girlfriend if you two stop being friend or you or the other person wants to move out. 

This book has other very good tips which it talks about, but I’m not gonna reveal more of them, because this book is really worth reading if you are interested in improving your personal finances and become better at using your money. 

The thing which kept me from giving this book the perfect score of 5 out of 5, is the thing that this book is very narrow and specific. At the same time it keeps the topics it talks about very brief and avoid going into the details of those topics. Which for me personally wasn’t enough to give this book a higher rating than 3 stars which I gave this book.

At the same time this book feels like a very quick summary of much better personal finance and wealth books which I have read and talked about in the past. Because this book touches on the subjects most other personal finance and wealth books talks about, but this book makes it much more shallow and brief because it doesn’t go into the details of anything it talks about.

But if you are getting started with the personal finance and wealth books then this book is a good choice. Because as I’ve said above this book is very simple and easy which makes it very easy to understand and get the hang of. And a lot of the better personal finance and wealth books aren’t as easy and simple to understand as this one is. Which makes this book a good start if you are interested in books about how to improve your personal finance and how to get smarter using the money you earn from your job.

At the same time this book has a very good structure, because each chapter has its own theme. Like one chapter is about loans, the other is about what loans you should avoid, the next chapter is about how to save money and so on. Which really makes it easy for you to pick where you want to start reading the book. 

The writing style of this book is very good, because it really uses the day to day language most people use. And in a way this writing style makes this book to be a quick read, since the writing style makes it feel like you are having a coffee shop conversation with the author rather than reading a book.

I Give This Book 3 / 5