Review: How Star Wars Conquered the Universe: The Past, Present, and Future of a Multibillion Dollar Franchise

How Star Wars Conquered the Universe: The Past, Present, and Future of a Multibillion Dollar Franchise by Chris Taylor

My rating: 3 of 5 stars



This is an excellent book to read as a prelude to embarking on the Disney-produced Star Wars movies coming later this year. The autobiography of the franchise goes from Lucas' youthful fascinations with Flash Gordon and fast cars to the film inspirations of 28-17, Silent Running and more. Political motivations and technological disappointments color the success of the original film trio. The wilderness years of Lucas' personal life, multi-media empire, mixed animation and game success, and declining film popularity mark the long years to the multi-billion sale to Disney giving them the hat trick of Pixar, Marvel, and Star Wars.



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Review: Napoleon

Napoleon by Emil Ludwig

My rating: 0 of 5 stars



An interesting quote from Napoleon: "The infamous practice of flogging men to disclose secrets, must come to an end. The only result of torturing people in this way is that the poor wretches is that they say whatever they think will please their captors. I forbid the use of means that are equally repugnant to humanity and reason."



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Review: Joni Mitchell: In Her Own Words

Joni Mitchell: In Her Own Words by Malka Marom

My rating: 4 of 5 stars



This is a fascinating look at Joni's career over the decades in a series of interviews done by a Canadian musician-journalist who Joni knows and is very comfortable with. Her insights into the music business, the challenges she has encountered, and people she has worked are both entertaining and enlightening. She talks at some length about Tom Scott, Dylan, Leonard Cohen, and others. Much is covered about individual albums, their creation, and lyrics from this painter-cum-poet singer. Note this audiobook has no audio from Joni herself.

One thing that really struck me that Joni is quoted on about changing studio technology is how in the '70s the marketing expectation of 10 or so tracks on a vinyl LP and the fact that bass sounds widened LP grooves meant prominent rhythm sections and even some instrumentation had to be foregone in the studio. Engineering limitations intruding on art - very interesting.



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Review: Lafcadio's Adventures

Lafcadio's Adventures by André Gide

My rating: 4 of 5 stars



Wow, I really dug this Gide tale. Zany and witty, I think it would make a great screwball comedy movie, I hope someone makes it! Then there is this Avant-garde/Surrealist fascination with unmotivated murder, from the André Breton quip, [b:André Breton: Arbiter of Surrealism|17383628|André Breton Arbiter of Surrealism|Clifford Browder|https://s.gr-assets.com/assets/nophoto/book/50x75-a91bf249278a81aabab721ef782c4a74.png|24181640] ("“The simplest Surrealist act,” wrote André Breton, founder of Surrealism, “consists of dashing down into the street, pistol in hand and firing blindly, as fast as you can pull the trigger, into the crowd.”) to the Surrealist Anti-Novel innovator Camus and [b:The Stranger|49552|The Stranger|Albert Camus|https://d.gr-assets.com/books/1349927872s/49552.jpg|3324344] ... all these random acts of violence and the dwelling on the psyche that leads to a random killing. It all seems motivated by a modernistic ennui and chilling when artfully done so...



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Review: Lafcadio's Adventures

Lafcadio's Adventures by André Gide

My rating: 4 of 5 stars



Wow, I really dug this Gide tale. Zany and witty, I think it would make a great screwball comedy movie, I hope someone makes it! Then there is this Avant-garde/Surrealist fascination with unmotivated murder, from the André Breton quip, [b:André Breton: Arbiter of Surrealism|17383628|André Breton Arbiter of Surrealism|Clifford Browder|https://s.gr-assets.com/assets/nophoto/book/50x75-a91bf249278a81aabab721ef782c4a74.png|24181640] ("“The simplest Surrealist act,” wrote André Breton, founder of Surrealism, “consists of dashing down into the street, pistol in hand and firing blindly, as fast as you can pull the trigger, into the crowd.”) to the Surrealist Anti-Novel innovator Camus and [b:The Stranger|49552|The Stranger|Albert Camus|https://d.gr-assets.com/books/1349927872s/49552.jpg|3324344] ... all these random acts of violence and the dwelling on the psyche that leads to a random killing. It all seems motivated by a modernistic ennui and chilling when artfully done so...



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Review: Joni Mitchell: In Her Own Words

Joni Mitchell: In Her Own Words by Malka Marom

My rating: 4 of 5 stars



This is a fascinating look at Joni's career over the decades in a series of interviews done by a Canadian musician-journalist who Joni knows and is very comfortable with. Her insights into the music business, the challenges she has encountered, and people she has worked are both entertaining and enlightening. She talks at some length about Tom Scott, Dylan, Leonard Cohen, and others. Much is covered about individual albums, their creation, and lyrics from this painter-cum-poet singer. Note this audiobook has no audio from Joni herself.



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Review: Great Pearl Heist, The: London's Greatest Thief and Scotland Yard's Hunt for the World's Most Valuable Necklace

Great Pearl Heist, The: London's Greatest Thief and Scotland Yard's Hunt for the World's Most Valuable Necklace by Molly Caldwell Crosby

My rating: 3 of 5 stars



This is a tautly-paced fascinating investigation of an international jewel heist on the eve of WWI. Rather like Dr. Crippen's tale, for which there is some character overlap, form Erik Larson's 2006 book Thunderstruck, this is a crime in context, chronological and technological as well as a period pre-cultured pearls when those objects were rarer and more fascinating.



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