Trey's Reviews

A beautiful French novel exploring the difficult subject of mental illness. Written to the soundtrack of Nina Simone singing Mr. Bojangles, this is a magical love story. A young boy tells the story of watching his parents dance their way through life even as his mother descends into madness. This is a book that will make you laugh and cry. An international bestseller. - Trey

This daring debut novel by actress, poet, and activist Amber Tamblyn is a powerful gut-wrenching indictment of sexual violence. A gender role reversal has the effect of immersing the reader into the dark emotional and physical aftermath of sexual assault. Tamblyn's brilliant mix of prose and poetry had me captured from the first page. - Trey

This eye-opening book explores the impact of ageism on individuals and society. It's a clarion call for action that changed many of my attitudes and assumptions about aging. Applewhite details how unchallenged ageism negatively impacts health, sex, money, the workplace, and all areas of society. Guaranteed to lead to lively discussions, this is a great book club selection. - Trey

Meet K, a heroin-addicted high-end prostitute who loves drugstore sushi. Staccato-like vignettes take us through a year in her life. The writing is sparse and brutal, sexy and repellent. The story is riveting and hypnotic, making it impossible to look away. This novel is not for everyone but I think it's remarkable. The conclusion left me speechless and lingered in my thoughts for days. - Trey

Burgundy France is the setting for this tale of fine wine, mystery, and romance. Ann Mah has crafted a dual timeline story that pairs present day Kate with 1940's Helen-Marie. A long lost diary found at the family's ancestral vineyard reveals secrets buried in the past. Compelling characters and descriptive language make this an enjoyable and enlightening read. - Trey

A great introduction to Artificial Intelligence, deep learning, neural networks and machine learning. Hussain is a well-known AI technologist and entrepreneur. He presents a comprehensive view of the potential benefits and dangers of AI in a well written and easy to understand format. Recommended for anyone interested in what is coming in this field a few years down the road. - Trey

Eve Babitz was the bold, wild and unapologetic party girl of the '60's and '70's L.A. scene. Her involvement with a stream of famous actors and musicians set the stage for her work as an artist and writer. This enthusiastic biography is a fun informative read for fans of Eve and those new to her. - Trey

A fun, fast-paced action thriller featuring a snarky math superhero who has some serious character flaws. Cas Russell is good at math, so good that she intuitively performs vector calculus at lightning speed, allowing her to dodge both incoming fists and bullets. She’s a mercenary “retrieval expert” with ambiguous morals, available for hire in Los Angeles, and her latest job is proving to be much more challenging and dangerous than she anticipated. - Trey

If you like espionage thrillers, you won’t want to miss this one! Firefly is a fast-paced, thought-provoking tale about Naji, a 13-year-old undocumented Syrian refugee who has critical information concerning an unfolding terrorist plot. An intense chase quickly develops when both MI6 and the terrorists pursue Naji as he makes his way across Europe to create a better life for his family. Warning: This page-turner could easily keep you up all night. - Trey

The feelings evoked by the life story of Kya, the Marsh Girl, lingered with me long after I finished reading this beautifully crafted novel. Abandoned first by her mother, and then by the rest of her family, by age ten Kya was living on her own in the marsh of coastal North Carolina. This is a coming of age story, a romance, a murder mystery, and a remarkable love story about the living breathing marsh itself. - Trey