I had some issues with this book. Namely being it was recommended to me by someone who told me it was an amazing book. It was not. Not even close. Diablo Cody spent a lot of time blaming the industry for things that happened to her, instead of being accountable for the decisions that SHE made herself. It was interesting and entertaining, sort of, but she had such negative things to say about the sex industry and the women that work in it, even though she was one herself. I appreciate that these were her personal experiences, but I do not like the broad generalization that everyone working in the sex industry is some uneducated slime ball, while she is an amazing person. It's self serving and rude. I do not recommend this book at all. 

 I was very interested in this book when I was looking into the Nxivm cult after reading about Allison Mack on the news. I was less excited when I actually got the book. The writing quality left a lot to be desired. I was intriged by how a seemingly intelligent woman could get herself and her family caught up in this kind of mess. Nxivum really reminds me a lot of the Church of Scientology. You pay for self improvement classes and everyone has levels they seek to obtain. I found myself wanting to yell at Catherine Oxenberg so many times throughout the book for being so completely naïve. I am glad that she was able to get herself out of this, and that her daughter eventually got herself out as well. I cannot imagine how people got taken in by Keith. He looked like a little weasel. It is so amazing to me how people get sucked into things like this. That was about the only entertaining part of the book, but it wasn't as terrible as some of the other reviews would lead one to believe. 

The longest story in this book was great, and I wish that this book would have focused solely on that case. There could have been a lot more said about the court case, the forensics, and the back stories. I really prefer single case books, but at least she picks interesting ones for these crime files that she does.

This book is centered around the 1930s, the era of The Great Depression. While the Depression affected everyone in various ways, one of the things that was extremely impactful was the Dust Bowl. The Dust Bowl was a period where severe dust storms that hit the western United States (and Canada). I always thought that the dust storms were attributed to only drought, until I read this book. Of course, there was a significant period of drought, coming in three waves. I learned a great deal about dryland farming, and the ways in which you can prevent erosion...which were not implemented during this time period as they should have been. I also learned about the impact on the soil and region from settlers that had relocated to the area to begin farming operations. This combination of factors intensified the effects of the financial problems and lack of work that is characterized by the Depression. I cannot imagine how hard life was for people experiencing this, but this book does a great job of opening up insight into that.  

This book is on The Last Podcast On The Left reading list, for those of you who follow that. The description of the trials and tribulations of people living and trying to survive in these conditions is wonderfully painted. The author put a lot of time and effort into researching this event, and the detail that is provided about the life experiences of the families and communities of those mentioned in the book is above par. I've had this book for a while, but since I am trying to get through all of my unread items and downsize for moving, I thought this would be a great time to pick it up. I'm trying to read a lot of the shorter books first, and I am so glad that I picked this one up finally. It was really informative, and I have a new appreciation for farming methods that I never had before. 

I can hardly think of anything constructive to say about this. Anita and company attend a friend's wedding. Of course, she somehow manages to take the focus off the actual wedding and turn it onto her and her sexual partners. Everything always has to revolve around her and her harem. I am just...over this. Stuff like this makes it hard for me to be a die hard reader. 

In 2001, Kathleen Peterson was found at the bottom of the stairs in her home in a pool of blood. Her husband claimed they were hanging out by the pool, she went inside to do something on the computer, and when he came in about an hour later, he found her like that. The evidence in this book seems particularly biased towards the prosecution. While I do not believe that his account of the events are entirely accurate, I do not believe the book should have been absolutely biased towards one side or another. The research was great, and presented a lot of evidence that I was not aware of from the things I had watched about this case previously. I think that the author did a decent job in that respect, I was just annoyed with the bias. I think that it is very suspicious that someone else he was close with died in a very similar manner and he wound up with guardianship of those children. This is a very bizarre story.

A few notes: He published several novels prior to her death, and has subsequently published one with his account of what happened regarding her death. There is also a documentary on Netflix (I think) about this that I watched not long ago. It seemed to lean toward his innocence than this book did. This case was also featured on Forensic Files, where this book title was mentioned. You can check those out if you are interested in this case as well. Also, I would suggest running far away from anyone named Peterson because they are always trying to murder wives. 

I hate saying that I love books like this, but I loved this. It was such a personal book with the handwritten print and photographs. I can't remember how much I paid for this book, as I got it from the second hand store. Whatever it was, it was certainly worth it. 

I would have given this four stars if the focus was on one story. The research and character development that this author puts into her work are indisputable. I just like these anthologies less than the books that focus on one particular case. This featured one longer story and then other shorter ones. I supposed not all crimes are sensational enough to need their own book. It does serve as a reminder that there are police out there who do not have the best interest of the public at heart, and that you must always be vigilant no matter who you are in contact with or what you are doing.

This is another installment from Augusten Burroughs for the holiday season. I love Augusten. He is my absolute favorite memoirist. He has had a whirlwind life, with many outrageous experiences. I enjoy his brand of sarcasm and humor that he intertwines in the stories he tells. Christmas is my least favorite season, but I certainly enjoyed reading about all of his Christmas experiences. 

This book covered several issues at once, and was quite the ride. The personal experience of racism in the police department and community was so prevalent in this book. Additionally, there was a string of murders perpetrated against white members of the community. These people were targeted randomly over a six month period. The need for black police officers to help solve these murders was interesting. I read this book because it was on The Last Podcast on the Left reading list, and it was not disappointing at all. I would recommend this book for anyone interested in racial issues or true crime.