Editor’s note: I chose this book while looking for fiction, a crime story in the bestseller section. What I found was so much more. It takes a few chapters to get used to Whitehead’s writing style (perhaps why he’s won two Pulitzer Prizes) but applying such literary skill to a quirky 1960s crime saga is delightful. Lead character Ray Carney is a bit like Walter White in Breaking Bad (good guy going bad) and following his life in three parts is fun.
Editor’s note: I did not see this scene when the show was running but ran into it the other day. Having been through mock sales training many times, I could not stop laughing.
Editor’s Note: I walked into a mom-and-pop bookshop in California recently. The owner asked about titles I liked, then handed me this book after some thought. It’s historical fiction drama about two young Russians caught in the siege of Leningrad (1941). (I found out later that Benioff is best known as screenwriter of “Game of Thrones”.) The story’s details can be rough at times, reflecting the true history of the siege but if you’re looking for a well-written page turner, this is it.
Editor’s note: Thanks to Mikey Utesch for this one, a song that has it all: rhythm, energy, nice voice and meaning.
Favorite lyric: “You’d better believe I’m living for the moment because the moment is the whole damn thing”
