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[katara]

Title: David Bowie: A Life
Author: Dylan Jones
Format: Epub
Rating: 2.5/5
Status: Finished
Reading Date:September 18, 2017 to September 20, 2017
Book Summary: Dylan Jones's engrossing, magisterial biography of David Bowie is unlike any Bowie story ever written. Drawn from over 180 interviews with friends, rivals, lovers, and collaborators, some of whom have never before spoken about their relationship with Bowie, this oral history weaves a hypnotic spell as it unfolds the story of a remarkable rise to stardom and an unparalleled artistic path. Tracing Bowie's life from the English suburbs to London to New York to Los Angeles, Berlin, and beyond, its collective voices describe a man profoundly shaped by his relationship with his schizophrenic half-brother Terry; an intuitive artist who could absorb influences through intense relationships and yet drop people cold when they were no longer of use; and a social creature equally comfortable partying with John Lennon and dining with Frank Sinatra. By turns insightful and deliciously gossipy, DAVID BOWIE is as intimate a portrait as may ever be drawn. It sparks with admiration and grievances, lust and envy, as the speakers bring you into studios and bedrooms they shared with Bowie, and onto stages and film sets, opening corners of his mind and experience that transform our understanding of both artist and art. Including illuminating, never-before-seen material from Bowie himself, drawn from a series of Jones's interviews with him across two decades, DAVID BOWIE is an epic, unforgettable cocktail-party conversation about a man whose enigmatic shapeshifting and irrepressible creativity produced one of the most sprawling, fascinating lives of our time.
Book Review: Real Rating: 2.5

I received this book in exchange for an honest review.

I remember my first taste of Bowie's music. It was the early 80s and MtV was still in the stages of infancy. Yet whenever "Let's Dance" came on I always found myself singing along. I really did not get into music until I saw him as the Goblin King in The Labyrinth. Since then his music always plays whenever I am in the car or I am in the mood to listen to music.

When I found this book, I was excited. This book offered a glimpse behind the scenes with friends, lovers, and family. However, I found myself disappointed. This book did not seem to be a biography in anyway but disguised more as a lazy interview. Although it offered some fascinating information about David, it felt like the author was a bit lazy when he wrote it. I had to put the book down several times before I came back to it early this afternoon to finish it.

Will I recommend this book? I may to friends who are, much like myself, enjoyed Bowie's music.

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[katara]

Title: Harley Quinn (2016-) #26
Author: Jimmy Palmiotti, Amanda Conner, John Timms (Illustrator), Chad Hardin (Illustrator)
Format: Epub
Rating: 4.5/5
Status: Finished
Reading Date: September 18, 2017 to September 20, 2017
Book Summary: “MEAN STREETS!” Harley’s been doing her best to hold her corner of New York City together, but the mayor’s been doing his best to tip the whole town into corruption! Harley’s gonna have to hammer some sense into this guy once and for all…and in “Harley Loves Joker” part ten, The Joker’s vendetta against the thief who’s been scalping all his prime jobs threatens to get everyone killed!
Book Review: Real Rating: 4.5

This comic book picks up where the last issue has left off.

In her desperate bid to rid the world of Harley Quinn, Madison Berkowitz has hired more than two dozen dirty assassins to do her bidding. Unfortunately for these guys, they don't know Harley and for one thing, she is definitely not going to be forgiving for having her birthday ruined by anyone.

These dirty assassins have come to realize that Harley is not anyone who is will roll over and play dead when she is surrounded and outnumbered. Nope, our gal turns the tables and takes them out in the goriest way only she could be known for. The rest seem to do the rolling over and playing dead.

Although we don't see many of Harley's squad out in front, we do get a taste of the Gotham Sirens and what these gals are capable of when standing out on their own. These girls do live up to their bad girl image when taking down their enemies, especially Ivy herself. Ivy lets loose her most wicked plants and let's them do the most damage bringing down helicopters and killing off the assassins one-by-one.

When the chaos finally clears, Harley is reunited with her Sirens.

This comic wraps up nicely. Unfortunately we know that Madison will not be pleased with the failure of the assassins she sent after Harley so I am sure we will be seeing more of her in the coming future. We are also introduced to some new characters and I am quite certain there will be reason for their brief appearance here in later comics to come.

Harley continues to bloom even under the heaviest stuff thrown her way and it shows that her character is growing in every way it can. I am enjoying these comics immensely and I have to love the storylines and the art that comes with every issue. I am looking forward to the next issue.

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[katara]

Title: Harley Quinn (2016-) #27
Author: Frank Tieri, Jill Thompson (Illustrator), Hi-Fi (Illustrator), Eleonora Carlini (Illustrator)
Format: Epub
Rating: 4.5/5
Status: Finished
Reading Date: September 20, 2017
Book Summary: Harley and the Penguin struck an uneasy truce the first time he started extending his criminal empire into New York City... but now he's plotting a massive real estate deal right in Harley's Coney Island -- including coming after her own building!
Book Review: Real Rating: 4.5

In this issue, we find Harley seemingly enjoying time off away from the normal round of chaos. Instead, here she is enjoying one of her favorite hobbies - roller stake fighting. Unfortunately one of the girls from the opposing team has been litterally knocked out. Harley is impatient about it and ends up being sent to the showers. With her game obviously over, she learns that the Penguin has put eminent domain on everyone's homes on Coney Island - including hers. How he has managed this is really not mentioned but we can only assume that since he is gangster, he has gained this by illegal means necessary.

However, he has messed with Harley's turf and she is not one to back down. She has every intention of making sure that Penguin negates on his desire to gain Coney Island for his casino and return the properties back to the rightful people. Unfortunately for Harley, Penguin isn't going to do what she wants so easily and sets his mutant-muscular-Penguins right after her (Sorry but what the hell are those!?)

Mix in the senior cyborg, Sy, using the holographic image of Joker to put fear in Penguin and you have a recipe for an interesting filler.

This was nice and fit in rather nicely inbetween the last issue of chaos and the next issue which, I am quite certain, will be a return to the normal broadcasting of Harley chaos.