LJ Reviews

  To Live and Write in LA: A Street-Level Guide to Surviving as a Screenwriter by Jim Agnew My rating: 5 of 5 stars A fast paced and exciting read! I didn’t want to put this book down once I started reading it, as the author wrote about his life as a screenwriter so engagingly that it felt like a movie itself. While this book is definitely a must-read for inspiring scriptwriters, the author’s enthralling writing style makes it a fascinating and quick read for anyone who is interested in the world and business of filmmaking, such as movie buffs and nonfiction lovers. View all my reviews

  St. Francis Society for Wayward Pets by Annie England Noblin My rating: 5 of 5 stars I thought this was a precious gem of a book! While the animal focus comes into play later in the book than expected, I found the themes of complex family relationships and hidden family secrets to be even more enjoyable than the animal storyline I was expecting. The switch between modern-day events and flashbacks to the past kept me reading, as did the entertaining and light writing style. A must-read for animal lovers and those who love a good family drama! There's also a little romance if that's your thing! View all my reviews

  I ’m unique to some die-hard Maroon 5 fans in that my original introduction to the band was not their original masterpiece Songs About Jane , but rather one of the group’s more widely criticized albums, 2013’s Overexposed, which I personally have always considered to be a pretty great collection of pop music. Nonetheless, I quickly memorized all of the band’s songs and realized how special the group’s freshman album was and how important it was to pop rock music in the 2000s. I’ve been curious about Maroon 5’s founding drummer, Ryan Dusick , ever since I learned that he was with the band since its Kara’s Flowers days and had to leave the group due to injuries sustained during one of the band’s most legendary—and grueling—tours. I used to wonder how the disappointment of having to leave a group at the height of its fame and success would affect someone’s life. Due to my past interest, I was quite intrigued when I learned that Dusick had written a memoir about his experience...

  Something Happened Today: A Collection of the Unexpected by Paul E. Kotz My rating: 5 of 5 stars Inspiring, Thoughtful Read Paul E. Kotz offers readers a simple yet very important read with this hopeful collection. Whether you are looking for the overall good in humanity or just some inspiration for your life, this is a book you need in your collection. I especially appreciated the small one-to-three minute chapters in each section that made it easy to re-read a favorite section a few times or pick up the e-book for a quick, motivating read between tasks on a busy day. This is such an intriguing and all-around enjoyable book that I would honestly recommend it to anyone. You won't be sorry. View all my reviews

(5/5 Stars) Readers looking for a book that is both thought-provoking and different from the rest will be pleasantly surprised by Mike Posner’s recent book of poetry, titled “Teardrops and Balloons.” Posner lets readers become a part of his most intimate as well as some of his most painful moments to highlight exactly how difficult the life of a celebrity or any emotional human being can be. Mike Posner,  photo by Lindsey J. Flagg “Teardrops and Balloons” is a quick read for the average book lover, and might take a fast reader less than a half hour to finish from cover to cover. Sprinkled throughout are poems written by Posner, some of which are enjoyably clever and some of which are uncomfortably painful and real. His original drawings are also featured, adding a whimsical and personal touch to a rather serious collection. Many poems tend to focus on Posner’s own experiences as what some may call a “One-Hit Wonder,” while others focus on struggles of the human condition that every...

Graceling is a book that fans of fantasy, realistic fiction, adventure tales, and romance will enjoy! Katsa is a girl with a very dangerous Grace: the Grace of Killing. Her uncle, King Randa, exploits her power for his personal benefit, using her as his personal political thug. But when she befriends (and eventually falls in love with) Po, a prince from another kingdom who happens to be Graced himself, she ultimately starts out on a journey to save Po's family- and learns a few things about Po, her world, and her own power along the way. I want to start by saying that I usually despise fantasy books; I find them altogether too unbelievable to enjoy. But Graceling was different: Katsa seems real and relatable to a modern female, and Po is quite endearing. Fans of the Hunger Games will enjoy Katsa's struggle for survival in a dystopian universe, rocky romance, and headstrong personality; in fact, considering one book is set in the past and the other in the future, the two...