Tim

Even though I may not like Hip Hop as much as other genres, this is the most comprehensive book that I ever read on a particular subject. No matter if you like Hip Hop or not, you will love this book because it's the most interesting read in a culture that is so popular among all ages.

Reading about how the legends got started in the scene was the best, like Run DMC, Beastie Boys, House of Payne, Dr. Dre, and the business, like Def Jam Records. The most interesting part is how they got into the mainstream so quickly, by changing the tunes on the radio overnight, by turning into a rap and pop station the next day.

In stead of reading thugs, pimps, and hoes, you will read the business side of this pop culture and how they become the 800 pound gorilla in music, fashion, Hollywood, and whatever else that they label as dope.

If you want to understand how Hip Hop got started, this is a infinite title that you have to pick up either in print or audio.

I gave it 4 out of 5 stars just because toward the end, the book became a bit too political with President Obama. It seems like that the President will bust a rhyme as he tries to get reelected for a second term, but that would be tight. It could happen, as the nation saw President Clinton played his saxophone on stage.

It's always a treat when you get to listen to more than one narrator to perform different characters in a book. It always helps the listener to identify their favorite characters in the story.

I'm not too familiar with Jodi Picoult's work. "The Storyteller" is only my second book from this author, but from what I've read so far, I really enjoy Picoult's writing, even though I belong to the male species. Her story telling is very engaging, but not gear to a specific gender unlike other romance authors.

I really enjoyed the fictional history with the grandma and her tale about the Holocaust. Part 2 in The Storyteller was excellent and I wanted to hear more, even though it was fiction.

Once I latch to an author, I have to read most of their novels. I will be purchasing more of Jodi Picoult's novels to expand my library.

The narration is one of the best that I've listened to this year because of the cast of readers.

The Bartender's Tale by Ivan Doig is not for everyone beyond a certain age. If I had a son or daughter that wanted to read something for the summer before they start sixth grade in the fall, I would let them read this one just because it is so innocent. Other than that, I wouldn't touch this book with a 10 foot pole because I already passed 6th grade long time ago. The story reminds me something from the Hardy Boys' series. It's very simple and age appropriate for tween demographic.

I was seeking for a different read from Audible. I should had known better when most of the reviewers still has their wisdom teeth when they wrote their awesome reviews.

I will avoid this author in the future for sure just because I'm too old at reading these kinds of stuff and I'm still having a hard time at understanding the title. There is no stories from the bartender at all.

It's PG-12 at best, about a 12 year old coming to age and his adventures involving his dad that runs a bar, his "friend" who is a girl and a much older sister from another mother. The story is very much like My Girl with Macaulay Culkin.

Just innocent.

When I was growing up, we didn't get paid TV until the early 90's, so MTV wasn't so much apart of my childhood, but each week, I turned into MV3 with Richard Blade on channel 9 and watched my favorite videos. I can still remember watching Legs by ZZ Top for the very first time during my peak of my puberty. I still get semi erect when I watch that video to this day because you are only 13 once.

When my parents finally got paid TV, I would come home everyday and be glued to the idiot box and watch TRL. I absolutely loved that show. At the time, my favorite video was Are You That Somebody by the late artist, Aaliyah. She was so hot!!!

"I Want My MTV" is an awesome book. When I first started the audiobook, I was getting a bit annoyed because there must be a thousand names commenting their experience on the network. I was ready to rate the book poor, but as I kept listening, my internal jukebox started going off and soon I was humming the songs that they were referring to, like Duran Duran, Girls On Film.

I haven't watched MTV for well over a decade because they never show music videos anymore. Just because I'm a lot older now, it doesn't mean that I don't like new music. MTV and music videos was great because that is how I discovered new bands to rock out to. Now, there is no TV network for music videos.

Read this book and you will reignite your internal jukebox.

It seems like there is an new book each week for parents on how to raised their children. "How Children Succeed" is a bit different than self-help books for moms and dads. I'm not a parent nor plan on having kids in the near future, so these kinds of books are irrelevant, but I also want to be inform on how our future generation are being brought up.

When I read these kinds of books, I like facts and figures at backing up the examples. The information that is presented in this book is very fragmented with very little data backing up his theories.

There are a lot of analogies with no backing. For example, the chapter of playing chess made no sense at all, but I did enjoyed the previous chapter on private schools vs. public schools, and how teachers are trying to please the parents at a private institution than an instructor teaching in the public sector, trying to better our society.

Outliers by Malcolm Gladwell and Class Warfare by Steven Brill are far better books on these kinds of subjects. They are more engaging and factual.

As Stephen King age, you can tell the different styles of writing. His recent book, "Joyland" is far different than past classic like "Firestarter." Through his decades of horror, mysteries, and total mind bleeping madness, the constant reader always sees a different side of SK.

Joyland is on another level of his progression of his mind and his imagination of what he can come up with and how his writing is changing as he gets older. I cannot blame him for changing his storytelling style, because as we get into our golden years, we look at the world differently.

This new book is not so much of a horror or a thriller. It is somewhere in the middle from an aging writer.

For the constant reader, Stephen King is like an old friend that you can't wait to hear from.

I'm not a huge fan of this series and Dan Brown, but I have read all three books thus far and I thought that I would get "Inferno." I'm kinda amazed on how much I liked the story. Unlike his previous books, the female characters are not postmarks for Langdon. I always thought that the female characters in the other books, such as "The Lost Symbol" were very weak. That is the main reason why I wasn't too sure about this one, but the characters are a lot stronger and most noticeable.

I was talking to my friends about Dan Brown's writings and they mention that his books are something that you pickup at the airport to kill time on a flight. It's interesting with the biblical references and entertaining at the same time, but it is something that you can forget after the last page.

Not too long ago I've read about Thomas Jefferson by Jon Meacham and that was an excellent biography. I was looking forward to reading "John Adams" because David McCullough has to be the best archivist in American History. The HBO miniseries about the second president of the United States is something to watch. Purchasing this book was an natural instinct for any history buff.

Here is my recommendation if you are thinking about getting this book, but recently read about Jefferson by the other author. Please do yourself a favor and wait to read about Adams. It is not because the story is not good and it is everything that you expect from McCullough, but the two biography mingles into one story, where you keep asking yourself that you already heard Jefferson's story before.

Don't read about John Adams if Thomas Jefferson is still fresh in your mind because it becomes a very long rerun on facts that you already knew from Jefferson's biography.

You should read one and then wait before starting the other.

I just gave this one 4 stars just because I kept asking myself, "Where I heard this information before?"

I haven't read American fiction in the horror genre in a while, so I thought that I would give "NOS4A2" by Joe Hill a try. I have to agree with all of the negative reviews that the book is long and so irritating. I just don't see why this book is getting raving reviews.

The book is about a pedifile, kidnapping kids in a Rolls Royce and taking them some screw up place called Christmasland. Maybe I've been reading too many foreign authors or just been desensitized by reading too much Stephen King, but Joe Hill is just vulgar in his writing skills.

Also everyone is going "RA RA" over Kate Mulgrew performance. She might be a good screen actor, but her voice for almost 20 hours is too overwhelming to listen to. There is too much acting in her voice where it just gets distracting.

I hardly ever buy a title from the New York Best Sellers List just because I'm not that type of reader, but NOS4A2 was a regretful purchase.

Railsea by China Mieville reads almost like a sci-fi western. It's like Moby Dick on a train on land. Almost reminds me of that classic 70's movie, Mad Max, on the railroad tracks traveling to some broken universal.

I am addictive to this author, but Railsea is a bit different from what I'm used to. It feels like that he wrote this one for a younger audience. but it is still very good. I just enjoyed the entire concept of the trains and mole. Trying to conquer some kind of land creature using harpoons is crazy idea, but it really works.

Whenever I visit Las Vegas, I almost always take a detour to visit the Hoover Dam. It's something that you have to see for yourself. After reading The Great Bridge by David McCullough, I was seeking out other great massive infrastructures such as the Hoover Dam.

Colossus by Michael Hiltzik was disappointing and I had a rough time at finishing the book. Maybe I've been reading too much from David McCullough, but Michael Hiltzik fails at explaining the actual building of the dam. Instead, 90% of the book is about politics and very little engineering of dam building.

I would had learned more at reading the encyclopedia than from the information of this book. Do yourself a favor, go visit the Hoover Dam and take the tour because there is not enough dam building in Colossus.

I wanted to know more about how the concrete cures, blowing up the side of the mountain and so on, but instead I heard about politics . I can't remembered if the author explained the height and the width on the Hoover Dam.

If you are going to write national monuments, write on the subject. Don't tell me the side stories that doesn't relate. If you had a grandfather that helped built the Hoover Dam, I highly doubt that he will tell his grandchildren what went on behind closed doors.