Marie Curie and Hertha Ayrton are forces of nature of nature who were aptly portrayed in this lovely reading. Scientists and suffragettes, they were wMarie Curie and Hertha Ayrton are forces of nature of nature who were aptly portrayed in this lovely reading. Scientists and suffragettes, they were women trying to make their mark in a man's world. As much as I know about their scientific advances, I'll be looking to read more books about their personal lives....more
Perfect little essay for listening to while city driving and running errands. Really enjoying Mindy's narration of her own life.Perfect little essay for listening to while city driving and running errands. Really enjoying Mindy's narration of her own life....more
A nice ending to this series of essays. Not unlike her work in general, some his me as more entertaining as others. I promise if she ever picks up my A nice ending to this series of essays. Not unlike her work in general, some his me as more entertaining as others. I promise if she ever picks up my tab in a restaurant, I will thank her promptly!...more
Fun but not as successful as the 1st of the series... somewhere about 3/4 of the way in the humor and the poignancy fell off for me. I wonder if that'Fun but not as successful as the 1st of the series... somewhere about 3/4 of the way in the humor and the poignancy fell off for me. I wonder if that's because I'm the next generation older or if my daughter would have the same reaction. - It is great these series of essays are free to read and listen to for Amazon Prime members. ...more
Just a quick essay written in Mindy Kaling's inimitable style. Delightful with a thought provoking ending. The audio is narrated by the author, the KiJust a quick essay written in Mindy Kaling's inimitable style. Delightful with a thought provoking ending. The audio is narrated by the author, the Kindle version has a few photos. Lovely....more
Dr. Ernst Gräfenberg, currently best known for his work on researching what we now call "The G-Spot", was the most welWell written and well researched
Dr. Ernst Gräfenberg, currently best known for his work on researching what we now call "The G-Spot", was the most well regarded gynecologist in Germany between the wars. In most of Europe, unlike in the U.S., human sexuality was not a verboten topic. Doctors all over Europe specialized in helping women with family planning and disease prevention. This well written and well narrated lengthy essay tells the story of one of the preeminent physicians working in this field. The essay also touches on the 1920s Berliner views toward sex positive culture, eugenics, and a host of other topics related to human sexuality and women's reproductive health and sexuality satisfaction. Fascinating and highly recommended....more
Allie Rowbottom is of an age to be my daughter and I of her mother. This book is a beautifully written account of what it means to be a member of GeneAllie Rowbottom is of an age to be my daughter and I of her mother. This book is a beautifully written account of what it means to be a member of Generation Y raised by a Baby Boomer. This is the story of three generations of women who struggle with finding their identity in a culture that undervalues women's intellect and overvalues their appearances and what they can do for the men in their orbits. I see my friends in this story, their relationships with both their mothers and their daughters, and their own struggles with identity in a world where feminism was taking flight.
Along the way we get a glimpse into the world of eating disorders, mass psychogenic illness, conversion disorder, and the culture of the Jell-O legacy and how it is intertwined with all of the above....more
Wow! Mary Trump has done a masterful job of narrating the story of the family dynamics she lived and witnessed. She accurately and with much sensitiviWow! Mary Trump has done a masterful job of narrating the story of the family dynamics she lived and witnessed. She accurately and with much sensitivity tells the story of how Donald Trump became the Emperor with No Clothes who hates everyone, but most especially, hates himself. This is not a hatchet job, rather a tale told with frankness and insight of the tragic results of a life lived with Too Much, and Not Enough......more
She was supposed to go to college but ended up pregnant too young by a man who had no use for her once she had the child; a man who used his paternityShe was supposed to go to college but ended up pregnant too young by a man who had no use for her once she had the child; a man who used his paternity of their child to control and manipulate her. With a dysfunctional birth family who either couldn't or wouldn't help her, the author finds herself caught in the shoes of the working poor as she leaves one bad relationship for another and finds work in a job that will merely succeed in keeping her stuck in a cycle of not enough time, not enough money, not enough bandwidth to be more than a cog, and living yellow under the fear of always one moment of bad luck away from being destitute. She'd already been there, and was clawing and clinging with her fingernails to not fall backwards into that abyss again.
This all sounds like a Debbie Downer nightmare, but Ms Land manages to tell the story with humor, honesty and grace as she seeks a better life for her and her daughter. The make or break moments come fairly late in the narrative and, as one might expect from the fact that she ends up writing the book, do have an eventual positive outcome.
What is important about this book is the window into a world that people of privilege rarely get. Those who hire the "maid service" or "cleaning lady" , who are comfortable and think everyone is "like them". Who have never seen inside the lives where most of this book lives. It's for lawmakers and church ladies and men of the Rotary club, it's for people who cluck their tongues and say, "I can't imagine why THOSE PEOPLE can't be on time", while they truly could not manage to get themselves, a sick toddler, a diaper bag, a stroller, and their paperwork across town on the bus in the rain and then walk the 8 blocks to the office where they have an 8:30am hearing that will determine whether or not they made too much money last month to qualify for WIC or SNAP. This book should be read by anyone who has ever asked why "THEY would live like that", who doesn't understand the term "clinic scheduling" or "call day"; who think government assistance is a hand-out, but then make laws and rules that make it impossible to rise out of poverty or progress from working poor to middle class. ... If you have read my review this far, read the book....more
if you grew up in the era of All in The Family and Laverne and Shirley you might have thought you knew Penny Marshall. if you knew she directed A Leagif you grew up in the era of All in The Family and Laverne and Shirley you might have thought you knew Penny Marshall. if you knew she directed A League of Their Own. you might have thought you knew her.... wrong on both counts. Here is her own story told in her own deadpan delivery, her Bronx accent, and her unvarnished honesty. Listening to it will make you wish you had "just five minutes more" with Penny Marshall....more
If you love Billy Crystal, baseball, boxing, OR Jewish culture, you'll love this book. Audio version read by Billy Crystal means it's like having yourIf you love Billy Crystal, baseball, boxing, OR Jewish culture, you'll love this book. Audio version read by Billy Crystal means it's like having your own private performance in your house....more
We visited Oak Ridge and the American Museum of Science and Energy and were lucky enough to take the "behind the gates" bus tour offered a couple timeWe visited Oak Ridge and the American Museum of Science and Energy and were lucky enough to take the "behind the gates" bus tour offered a couple times a week. This book was recommended on the tour and I am so glad I took the advice of the docent. Well researched from personal interviews and original source material, this book filled out the stories of everything we saw (and some we didn't see) on our tour. Very well written (and well read in the audio version), this is a must read if you want to understand the complexities of the lives led while producing the WWII ending atomic bombs; the build up, the process, and the after-math. Oak Ridge, TN exists today because of the concerted government effort to isolate enough plutonium to make "The Bomb". Find out how the "Secret City" come in to being and how it has become the town it is today....more
Rounding out my summer of WWII reading - this was the perfect book to round off the end to WWII. Truman was the most unlikely of President's, but he wRounding out my summer of WWII reading - this was the perfect book to round off the end to WWII. Truman was the most unlikely of President's, but he was one of the most honest and ethical we've ever enjoyed. Plain spoken with a military gait to his walk, he was all business and no politics. Bess may have finally forgiven him by the end of his life, but she was not a fan of Washington, the White House, or the attention. He was in the dark about The Manhattan Project until a short while after FDR's death.
The decision to USE The Bomb seems to have actually been made before Truman took office. The question was merely could they deploy it/them BEFORE Russia officially entered the war on August 8, 1945. Truman wanted the unconditional surrender BEFORE he had to deal with an ever increasingly aggressive and churlish Stalin on two fronts. Never the less, Stalin declared war on Japan between the dropping of the bomb on Hiroshima (Aug 6) and the 2nd bomb on Nagasaki (Aug 9). Japan immediately surrendered.
This book makes a pretty good case to debunk the cries of the 2nd bomb being "unnecessary". It seemed pretty clear that the Japanese would stop at nothing and fight to the last person standing before they would consider capitulating. Only something as stunning and awe inspiring as atomic weapons would seem to get their attention. In the end, it certainly did; saving tens of thousands of allied soldiers, sailors, airmen, and marines, from slaughter on land and sea....more
Continued from book 1 - more stories of the Inner Hebrides and how the author eventually left the island. Nice to listen to with my crochet in the eveContinued from book 1 - more stories of the Inner Hebrides and how the author eventually left the island. Nice to listen to with my crochet in the evening before bed....more
We all know the trope "Typhoid Mary" and all that implies, but as a fellow cook, Bourdain tells us the long version of her story as he tries to get inWe all know the trope "Typhoid Mary" and all that implies, but as a fellow cook, Bourdain tells us the long version of her story as he tries to get inside her head in an effort to separate fact from myth. Was she guilty of spreading death and disease or was she a misunderstood Irish immigrant who just wanted to keep her job? Bourdain eventually concludes "she had to have known" -- I think that could be some projection on his part and maybe a little touch of gender bias from a man who, try as he might, just possibly can't put himself in the shoes of an immigrant woman in 1907 New York City. - Read it and decide for yourself. Definitely interesting....more
I had heard William Cohan interviewed on MSNBC one evening. His explanation about why he wrote this book was fascinating, so I pulled it down to add tI had heard William Cohan interviewed on MSNBC one evening. His explanation about why he wrote this book was fascinating, so I pulled it down to add to the "stack" of summer reading for 3 weeks away. I was not sorry.
Cohan brings together the stories of four friends all of whom attended the elite Andover Boarding School in Massachusetts and each of whom left us too soon; each in his own in odd and tragic way. If you think you know the stories behind the lives and deaths of Jack Berman, Will Daniel, Harry Bull, and JFK Jr. you are probably only partly correct. Cohan has interviewed every source he could think of to bring us the stories of these men in a non-judgemental, journalistic style. We hear, see, and feel the tragedy in each story, but we do not experience the teller of the tale to be over-involved, maudlin, or an ambulance chaser. These were just his friends, boys from school, and it is almost as if Cohan is writing to answer his own unanswerable question, "With such amazing promise and hope each man could have brought to the table, why were they cut down so dramatically just as they were cresting the hill of success?" --- In the end, as with all deaths, there is no "why", there is only for the living to sort out how they accommodate their nearly unbelievable losses and go on....more
Kate Mulgrew (maybe best know to my generation as our heroine, Captain Janeway) narrates her own memoir in this wonderful audiobook. The large and chaKate Mulgrew (maybe best know to my generation as our heroine, Captain Janeway) narrates her own memoir in this wonderful audiobook. The large and chaotic family that bore her into the world, her confusing "who's the mother/ who's the daughter" relationship with her own mother, the early loss of (and her fervent belief that she had actually killed) her baby sister, and her self-claimed Irish-Catholic tenacity all form the crucible from which this wonderful, brave, gritty, feminist actress is launched into NYC and The Stella Adler Conservatory, the small screen, and our living rooms.
The general public first met Kate as Mary Ryan on Ryan's Hope, little did we know Mary and Kate had so much in common. It is no secret that in these early years of her career, she birthed and gave up for adoption a little girl. "I had fears about telling my story, fears about the judgment of it. I felt shame, and I had a huge degree of inexpressible regret. Specifically, I would have tried harder to keep my daughter. I was young and so wanted my life as an actress," reveals Kate Mulgrew. With wit and wisdom, Kate actually reveals way more of herself with all her flaws, scars, and tragedies, to share with us her life that was also touched by some good old Irish luck like a kiss from a leprechaun.
Had Tim Hagan been successful in his bid for the governorship of Ohio, Captain Janeway, in the guise of Kate Mulgrew, might have been the 1st lady of our state. Tim, as it turns out, was the first person to encourage and help her try to find her daughter. Her biggest regret in life, she reports, is having divorced him.
And then comes the journey back home to Iowa confront ailing and dying parents... and her story continues into her next book, "How to Forget: A Daughter’s Memoir", which I look forward to reading....more
Carole King's first 2 albums, Carly Simon's "You're So Vain", and Joni Mitchell's ethereal influence on the music world of the time in general combineCarole King's first 2 albums, Carly Simon's "You're So Vain", and Joni Mitchell's ethereal influence on the music world of the time in general combined to provide the soundtrack of of my teen and college years. This book tells the back story of their lives, the things in the social and political realms that influenced them, their commonalities and their differences and the places of intersection where their lives collide, merge, blend, and enrich us all. If you can sing the chorus to "Woodstock", you need to read this book..... "we are stardust, we are golden..."
Note: I listened to this as an audio book and if I have any small single criticism, it is that I wish, instead of "patter-droning" the lyrics to these familiar songs, the audio book would have just inserted the sample of the actual song. I found the narrator's droning the lyrics completely annoying. She also needs to learn to pronounce words that are common to people who are familiar with the areas or topics mentioned in the book: i.e. the street in L.A. is pronounced "Sep-PULL-veh-da", the actress' name "Shelley Fabares" is pronounced "Fab-BRAY", etc.
All in all a good book that felt well researched and honestly written from the interviews and other materials the author researched....more
Another good summer reading/listening experience. William Dameron narrates his own story and the subtitle of the book pretty much describes it in a nuAnother good summer reading/listening experience. William Dameron narrates his own story and the subtitle of the book pretty much describes it in a nutshell. You might have seen his face - the most purloined face of the 40-year-old white male on social media - which he speaks about in this article from salon: https://www.salon.com/2016/08/28/my-f...
But there is more -- his maleness, his gayness on the down-low, his love for the woman who married him, and his unconditional love for the children he had with her are all taken out of the box and turn over to see what the other side looks like. His writing style is a mix of literary and personal narrative blog which makes a pleasant and easy read.
As I was reading, I was struck how many female authors I tend toward and how few that are male intrigue me without some sort of a prompt. Nice this was on the "Great on Kindle" list when I had some free books to collect or I might not have seen it at all. Would make an interesting book club book, if that is your thing, or a good summer hammock read....more
Some days you just want to shake a narrator.... every day I listened to this book was one of them.... Who ever chose her needed to check her pronunciaSome days you just want to shake a narrator.... every day I listened to this book was one of them.... Who ever chose her needed to check her pronunciation, especially her Scottish dialect, but her Cornish is awful as well. "Hamish" is pronounced HAY-mish, not HAM-ish, and "Hogmany" is HOG-meny not hog-man-EY. Etc etc etc..... /rant off.
If you were smart enough to eschew the audiobook and just pick up the Kindle or paper versions you will find this a MOST delightful book that you can read in your own pleasing Scots accent in your head and not have some glaikit sounding dobber clutterin' up yer ears.
THE STORIES themselves are delightful and fascinating. Having been to the Hebrides recently, I can see and hear the sights and sounds of how it must have been 40 years, or so, ago. I am going to get the next book in the series. I just wish they were narrated by an actual Scotswoman....more
I like her! I really like her! -- and I liked listening to her story in her own voice. Again - the intention and the quality of the story are enhancedI like her! I really like her! -- and I liked listening to her story in her own voice. Again - the intention and the quality of the story are enhanced by using the author to narrate her own audiobook.
We all know Gidget and Sister Bertrille and Norma Ray, but in this book we have revealed the tale of how those icons came into our living rooms or onto the big screen. Ms Fields' life was not an easy one from the beginning, and unless you knew you couldn't tell there were dark secrets held by a child with no one to tell. This was the crucible in which her craft was formed and her evolution into a fully formed human being seems to continue even into the writing of this book. Her sense of surprise as she discovers (uncovers) things she has always "known" but were pushed down or cast aside in the name of protecting everyone but herself.
A raw and honest book about the girl we fell in love with and the woman we have come to respect and admire....more
Anne Lister wrote a four-million-word diary beginning in 1806 on scraps of paper and eventually became 27 "Quarto" volumes by the time of her death inAnne Lister wrote a four-million-word diary beginning in 1806 on scraps of paper and eventually became 27 "Quarto" volumes by the time of her death in 1840. Much of the text of these pages is written in what Anne called "cypherhand" - a code she invented from numbers and Greek letters - the rest is written in "plainhand". Nicknamed "Gentleman Jack" (a "jack" was a dyke lesbian), Anne dressed all in black, explored her sexuality, observed and recorded her physical and emotional world in great detail. She eventually actually married her female partner Ann Walker after a long and winding relationship and in spite of the latter's mental health issues. I have known the name Anne Lister for many years, I had no idea what a complex, interesting, educated, smart, capable woman she actually was....more
What a delightful book! Get the audio version so you can hear Mrs Obama read it in her own voice. Not enough good words for her candor, her vision, heWhat a delightful book! Get the audio version so you can hear Mrs Obama read it in her own voice. Not enough good words for her candor, her vision, her ability to draw you in to the story of her life growing up on the "Southside". She takes no guff from anyone (including her husband), tells the truth, and takes care of her business - just like her mama taught her. What a wonderful role model and leader she truly is; unpretentious, strong, focused, and solid. We were blessed by her example as First Lady and I hope we continue to be blessed by her influence for many years to come....more
This is not easy content to experience. Lise aka Odette Sansom was a courier for the UK's SOE on secret mission in her native France when she was captThis is not easy content to experience. Lise aka Odette Sansom was a courier for the UK's SOE on secret mission in her native France when she was captured by the German Secret Police. She endured imprisonment in the worst of the Fresnes prison (Paris) before being sent to a concentration camp. In spite of physical torture, horrific deprivation, and emotional torment she survived to received the highest honors of both the British people and The Crown.
Not very often does a true story read like fiction. This gripping journey to the bowels of hell and back is not for the faint of heart, but well worth the effort. If she can survive it, you can read about it from the safety of your armchair and bless her and her compatriots that we in the western world enjoy the life she fought for us all to have....more
Since the first tube of spit was collected and analyzed for 23andMe, I have had grave misgivings about the "can of worms" delving into biologic lineagSince the first tube of spit was collected and analyzed for 23andMe, I have had grave misgivings about the "can of worms" delving into biologic lineage might create. As an "old person" of over 60, I am familiar with the days before pregnant teens walked the halls of schools and brought their infants to class. Pregnant teens - like the rules or not - were enrolled in "alternate" schools (sometimes including room and board) where they would be cared for and counseled and given the opportunity to place their babies for adoption. Many of these young women gave birth to and adopted out the results of their unintended pregnancies and many, many happy families were created through the symbiosis of families/couples who wanted children and the young, single women who did not. The idea was that unmarried 14-18 year olds were unprepared to give a child a good start in life as they were actually still children themselves. Other young women "in trouble" got married and sometimes things worked themselves out. Often they did not. Now I know it is not all that simple, so don't go all wacko on me, if you can read these words you can intimate my meaning and intent.
"Back in the day" adoptions were "closed" and the young mother could be assured she could "get on with her life". This arrangement made college and career possible for many where it would not have been possible otherwise. The fad in the 1980s and 90s of "open adoption", to one extent or the other, gave the birth mother and the adoptive family opportunities to be in touch and to be more honoring of the role each played in the life of the child. There are benefits and drawbacks to each scenario, and I am merely explaining, not advocating.
All of that is prelude to my purchasing and downloading "Inheritance" as an audiobook - I went into this adventure with misgivings about what turns out to be exactly the issue grappled with in the self-read tale of Dani Shapiro. Extremely well written and excellently told, Ms Shapiro spools out the story of her life with her half-sister (different mothers), the only family she has ever known, and the twists and turns that lead her to understand that "family" is as much a place in the heart as in the gene pool.
Although the book highlights there is no one-size-fits-all solution to the DNA testing craze and, in fact, highlights many of my initial concerns on the topic, I have been charmed by the story and the writing style, and by the author reading her own work. I wholeheartedly recommend the book and commend it to book clubs everywhere - there is plenty of grist for the discussion mill between the covers, even perhaps for around your own kitchen table over dinner for 3 days... ;-)...more
Follow our favorite New York Time food critic, Ruth Reichl, through her rise as the editor-in-chief at "Gourmet" magazine (1999) and the downward spirFollow our favorite New York Time food critic, Ruth Reichl, through her rise as the editor-in-chief at "Gourmet" magazine (1999) and the downward spiral of its unnecessary and untimely demise (2009). Audibook narrated by the author, which was a joy. I have read several of her books ("Tender at the Bone", "Comfort Me with Apples", "Garlic and Sapphires", "For You, Mom. Finally"), yet this one was fascinating as she traces her relationship with "Gourmet" from childhood to it's final issue. "Gourmet" was always the fancy "country club / jet-setters" publication that fascinated me with it's elaborate photo spreads and travel pieces. The recipes were always spot-on, though many way to complicated unless you had staff to do the rest of your chores. If you want to know how all that came to be, maintained for a time, and then flamed out, read (listen to) this book. --- Great summer reading choice!
Apparently, my next Reichl book is "Delicious!: A Novel" - even if it is reported to take a shot, near the end of the book, at my beloved hometown! Wonder if she interviewed Chrissie Hynde for the book?...more
As an Akron girl and a political junkie, although I was familiar with Connie's work at The Cleveland Plain Dealer, I was more familiar with her lovelyAs an Akron girl and a political junkie, although I was familiar with Connie's work at The Cleveland Plain Dealer, I was more familiar with her lovely husband and our Ohio Senator, Sherrod Brown (D), and all the work he has done on behalf of the working and middle class folks he has served over more than 30 years in government service. Since picking up this book I became more involved in Sherrod's 2012 and 2018 re-election campaigns and have had a chance to meet the sweet, strong, passionate woman who gave up her Pulitzer Prize winning column to help her lovey husband campaign for Senate.
This memoir covers Sherrod's 2006 U.S. Senate race and Connie shares liberally from her personal thoughts, their personal lives, and from the campaign itself. We laugh and cry with her, we cheer the successes and, even though we DO know how it comes out, Connie manages to make election night a bit of a nail-biter for her readers and we go right along with her.
Connie reveals her difficult adjustment under the harsh light of public life from divorced-mother of 2, career woman, award winning journalist, and a feminist since she knew what the word meant to the wife of a US Representative who is persuaded to run for Senate and what that means for her personally, professionally, and very, very, publicly.
Born in Ashtabula into a blue collar family, Connie, in addition to her other loves and duties, teaches at Kent State University....more
Sometimes it's hard to tell the players without a scorecard. In this book, Michael Wolff provides an easy map to follow the who's who of the end of thSometimes it's hard to tell the players without a scorecard. In this book, Michael Wolff provides an easy map to follow the who's who of the end of the Trump campaign and beginning of his days in the White House. Written in a fairly journalistic style and loaded with bits of insider descriptions, it's more a confirmation than an expose. One critique for the narrator of the Audible version, learn how to pronounce people's names the way THEY pronounce them....more
![Please Like Me [But Keep Away]](https://i.gr-assets.com/images/S/compressed.photo.goodreads.com/books/1602093007l/55591082._SX50_.jpg)
Loading...
