Biography, Autobiography, Memoir discussion
Biography, Autobiography, and Memoir read in 2020
My neighbours next door are Mormons but I think they are the mainstream kind. I don't see them stockpiling anything...there are a heap of books about the fundamentalist kinds of Mormons. But I don't think Tara's parents were as her dad only had one wife.I think he was just crazy.
I am planning on reading Educated sometime this year.
I found Educated informative on many levels. Not just about Mormons, it was about survivalists. Family. Relationships. Resiliency. Wanting to be heard. Abuse both intellectual, physical and emotional. The universal lessons were profound. While a young author, her voice was strong and clear. Definitely on the same plane as Glass Castle.
Talking as Fast as I Can: From Gilmore Girls to Gilmore Girls by Lauren Graham3+ stars
Like many others, I first became familiar with Lauren Graham when The Gilmore Girls came out. I watched the first season or two or three until I started not liking some of the story lines, but the show was fresh, the ensemble well cast, etc. It's not for naught that there are even Rory Gilmore reading lists and groups, etc.
This set of memoir essays was interesting. I enjoyed many of them and found her funny. I didn't even mind the exclamation points! At least not until the last third of the book! One of the things I enjoyed was reading about her life leading up to Hollywood, including her education, etc. It was both interesting and humorous. There is nothing gritty about this book, which was fine with me, which is not to say that everything in her life was always rosy, but she was able to laugh at some of the things that happened.
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Talking as Fast as I Can: From Gilmore Girls to Gilmore Girls by Lauren Graham3+..."
I know her best from the TV show Parenthood. She is the significant other of one of my favorite actors Peter Krause.
Diane in Australia wrote: "
Long Way Round: Chasing Shadows Across the World
Authors: Ewan McGregor and [author:Charley Boorman|..."
I'm a fan of fluff. In fact, I think of myself as a somewhat fluffy writer. Thanks for bringing McGregor and Boorman to our attention.
Selina wrote: "I Don't Want To Fight By LuluMemoir of Lulu, the sixties pop singer and star of To Sir With Love. Its a bit of a whirlwind of name dropping, she knew everyone from the Beatles to th..."
Saw the movie when I was 13 or 14, saw it with my girlfriend. Something about the way Lulu sang loooovvvve I still remember thinking, Yeah, love, I think I'd like that.
Koren wrote: "Karin wrote: " Talking as Fast as I Can: From Gilmore Girls to Gilmore Girls by [author:Lauren Grah..."I read about that. I am not that familiar with Peter Krause, but liked reading about how they finally came together.
Mod
4 stars
The author is a writer and cast member of Saturday Night Live so you know this is going to be a funny book. I liked it best when he went behind the scenes of Saturday Night Live. I think this would be better as an audio book. I read it as an e-book and I would not recommend it as almost every chapter has footnotes at the end and unless you scroll up or down they dont make much sense. So if that doesnt bother you than go ahead and get the e-book.
Koren wrote: "A Very Punchable Face by Colin Jost4 stars
The author is a writer and cast member of Saturday Night Live so you know this is going to be..."
Long footnotes really annoy me.
My last book I read the author had the habit of doing that, some of the footnotes took up nearly the ENTIRE PAGE. Bookworm: A Memoir of Childhood Reading
I think one can be over-witty and laugh or comment too much at one's own foibles. One should let the reader have the chance to do that instead.
Dead Presidents: An American Adventure into the Strange Deaths and Surprising Afterlives of Our Nation's Leaders
Brady Carlson
4/5 stars
Brady Carlson, reporter and NPR Radio Host traveled around the country with his son tracking down a number of dead presidents' graves, looking into the manner of their deaths and how they were remembered. I thoroughly enjoyed this book and loved all the trivia. I definitely recommend this book.
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[book:Dead Presidents: An American Adventure into the Strange D..."
I read this 3 years ago and gave it 5 stars.
Koren wrote: "Julie wrote: "[book:Dead Presidents: An American Adventure into..."
For my reading challenge I had to pick two books that are binary opposites so I picked this one on the presidents and am now reading a book on the presidents' wives.
Mod
[book:Dead Presidents: An American ..."
I think I enjoy reading about the wives more than the presidents.
The Autobiography of an Ex-Colored Man, James Weldon Johnson4 stars!
Review:
https://www.goodreads.com/review/show...
My Lucky Life in and Out of Show Business by Dick Van Dyke3 stars
Dick Van Dyke is an entertainer for various generations--my kids have watched him in movies that came out when they were the right ages to enjoy them (The Night at the Museum films) and of course I grew up watching him in a few things that came out in my generation, and he had stuff coming out when my mother was growing up (but some of that was on radio and local TV so she never saw any of it). He's 95--older than my parents (born only 8 years after one of my grandmothers) and the same age as my mother in law (I am sure you were dying to know that, so saved you the trouble of asking)--and according to wikipedia still active, but that's not necessarily the world's best academic source.
For the most part this was fairly interesting. There were a few times I got a bit glassy eyed reading about things I didn't care to read, but it was another story of someone who got into television early on in the game, although he has done so many other things over the years. For a man who loves doing nothing (he says so) he also loves performing, and loves it more than retiring (or did when he wrote the book. It came out in 2011, so he must have been writing it 10 years ago or thereabouts.
I like the fact that he didn't get into vitriol or tell everyone's dark secrets. Yes, he discussed his battles with alcoholism and cigarettes and what led to the end of his marriage.
I don't think I have ever seen even one rerun of The Dick Van Dyke Show, but perhaps I'll dig around for some episodes.
Losing My Virginity: How I've Survived, Had Fun, and Made a Fortune Doing Business My Way By Richard BransonDo businessmen write good memoirs? Well if being assaulted with the ins and outs of running a business empire, name dropping, bragging, failures and triumphs is your thing, this memoir is riveting.
I suppose the thing is nothing ventured, nothing gained, but I am sure that a certain amount of white privelige and dumb luck in equal measures are what makes this maverick, who has a finger in every pie, so successful. It was a mercy that early on, Richard had served his time in prison after illegally exporting records, but I don't know if today he pays any taxes, as he seems like the type of person who with charm would try his hand and get away with anything...you can be certain if opportunity knocks, this entrepreneur will run to answer the door.
From the heady drug-filled 60s to the late 90s, this book covers the rise of the Virgin brand empire. You will learn all about the power of leveraging (and sneaking around to accrue capital) anyway. Raising 11 million pounds in just 48 hours to sign Janet Jackson to his record label springs to mind. After he sells Virgin Records for a tidy sum, he's financially free, but that's another book.
His idea of fun though is to pilot a hot air balloon across the Pacific Ocean..just because. Anyone else would have probably been labelled bipolar, but if you're wealthy and priveliged you can break all the rules you want it seems.
Mod
2 stars
I went into this book thinking it was a True Crime book. I kept waiting for something terrible to happen but that didnt happen either. As a matter of fact, nothing really unusual happens in this book. It is about a man that decides he wants to leave his old life, including a wife but no children, and take up a new identity half way across the country. Maybe the unusual aspect is that he was a well-known person in his old life. I didnt find him or his wife particularly likeable, even though the back cover tells us he was a likeable person and the front cover tells us we wont be able to put the book down, I found neither of these observations to be true.
Born Standing Up: A Comic's Life by Steve Martin3 stars
This is a memoir of Steve Martin's years as a stand up comic, which are before I ever heard of him. Like his humour, some it was hit and miss for me at times, but overall I liked this memoir. It chronicles his efforts into performing from the time he was a child (before my time!). I first heard of him through a video of his first movie, The Jerk, but my favourite was Roxanne.
Some parts were interesting, some a bit tedious but, once again as I've seen a number of times, it ended up that at least one person from his remote past was pivotal to his career when that older brother of a friend was becoming a manager. I think I liked this better listening to him on audio than I would have had I read it in print.
The Penguin Lessons
Tom Michell
4/5 stars
Tom Michell recalls his time in South America as a traveler, a teacher and an owner of a penguin. Tom is traveling in Uruguay when an oil spill occurs. He witnesses thousands of birds entrenched in oil, mostly dead except for one penguin who is still alive but coated with oil. He makes a decision to rescue him and clean him up. He christens him Juan Salvador and Michell takes him to his new assignment in Argentina, teaching at a boy’s school where all the students adore Juan. What a delightful story of survival and friendship!
Samantha Power's autobiography
The Education of an Idealist: A Memoir
I was a bit disappointed, and this contributed to a month of reading urban fantasy instead of nonfiction.
my review - www.Goodreads.com/review/show/3394535000
Purple Heart by Ta'afuli Andrew FuliTa'a (renamed Andrew by his Catholic Nun teachers) was born in Samoa and grew up in Auckland, and this memoir is mainly about growing up Samoan in New Zealand, with the exception that he spent about 3 years in hospital and had 5 open heart surgeries, after first being diagnosed with rheumatic fever at the age of 14. So actually the memoir is more about his time spent in hospital contemplating mortality from such a young age. There are funny stories about hospital incidents and extended family praying up a storm in the corridors while sneaking in Kentucky Fried Chicken. What he's not prepared for is how racist some of the older patients are who share a ward with him!
In the end though he does bond somewhat with his fellow heart patients and he gets an apologetic letter from the racist guy before he dies. He survives so many surgeries (he gets replacement valves put in) has an NDE, plus he starts a family at age 17, but then after 4 children for some reason not made that clear, he ditches family life and ends up creating a media company with another partner to broaden job opportunities and futures for young Pacific Islanders in New Zealand.
A different kind of memoir but interesting in light of reading about the Dawn Raids that happened in the 70s - a time when NZ Police racially targeted Pacific Islands for over staying and were in general attitudes towards anyone of colour were so bigoted that it could have been like living in the US today.
For those medically inclined and interested in open heart surgery, the appendix has his medical records about his operations, but it was all a bit over my head for me to read those.
Theft by Finding: Diaries 1977-2002
David Sedaris
4/5 stars
David Sedaris opens his life to his readers with his diary entries from 1977-2002. The entries relay the often bizarre world of David’s and his thoughts about life, his family, his work and the strange people and events he encounters. This is definitely for Sedaris fans. If you haven’t read any of his other books - you might want to read some of those before you open this book.
A Song for You: My Life with Whitney Houston by Robyn CrawfordI had a long wait for this book... very curious to find out what Robyn had to say about her relationship with Whitney Houston, after all the rumours about sexuality and drug use etc.
Robyn met Whitney in her teens and immediately latched on to her. While they had a physical relationship, it ended after two years and Whitney, realising it was wrong, gave Robyn a Bible but kept her on as an employee/confidante.
Both Whitney and Robyn were into drugs..marijuana and later cocaine. They got high together, although Robyn did not become addicted as Whitney did. It seems to me Robyn was the one that had the problem being infatuated with Whitney and became the 'groupie' hanger on while Whitney gave her and everyone else around her 'the high life'. It was not, as supposed, that Robyn had any power to make Whitney quit the drugs as she was using WITH Whitney. It seems in this book, Robyn's drug was Whitney herself, and there are numerous instances that show her complete co-dependency.
After Robyn left Whitney's employ (she was pretty much a gofer/maid/secretary) she found another woman. Whitney dated a succession of men and then married Bobby. It doesn't seem that Robyn and Whitney, while intensely close as teens, had the kind of 'love' that was healthy as some people try and made out.
Sylvia wrote: "not one to read then?"Read it to find out more about Robyn's side of the story but you won't necessarily get much insight into how Whitney felt about her situation.
I think Whitney and Amy Winehouse shared similar traits comparing the two, not being able to handle fame, defiant and caught between warring parents. Difference being Whitney had faith, Amy never did. Both very gifted though.
Robyn acknowledges that Whitney had a very personal relationship with Jesus which Robyn didn't share.
I am behind in posting here, but am popping in for the latest biography I read.Anchored in Love: An Intimate Portrait of June Carter Cash by John Carter Cash
Of course I have heard of the Carter Family and Johnny Cash, but I didn't grow up listening to their music and have never seen the movie "Walk the Line." Naturally I have heard some of Johnny Cash's songs, but my main memory of any of his songs is a really funny bit a fellow homeschooler's daughter did to "Ring of Fire", so that hardly does justice to it. What I hadn't known until I read this, is that the song was co-written by June Carter and another woman whose name now escapes me (there are many names in the book, of course). This is another family with a lot of substance abuse issues (primarily Johnny and some of the kids, including June's daughters from her previous two marriages).
This story is different than most of the other country music biographies I've read in that June was born into a very country music family, although as a child she didn't show much talent for singing on key but she did show her comedic chops early. Evidently she eventually learned to sing well and on key, because she did well on her own before the invention of auto-tune and she was quite the song writer, so it's not true that only naturals can have talent in music.
This isn't brilliant reading, but the author actually can write, so if you are a fan of this music and/or this family, I am guessing you would enjoy this book.
Mod
Anchored in Love: An Intimate Portrait of June Carter Cash by John Carter Cash
Of cou..."
Correct me if I'm wrong, but I believe the author is June and Johnny's only child together, even though they both have several children from previous marriages.
Mod
5 stars
A timely release, as the subject of this book, John Lewis, died in July. I didn't know a lot about John Lewis, except that he was a United States Representative from Georgia and that he fought for civil rights with Martin Luther King, Jr in the 60's. This book deals mostly with that time that he fought in the civil rights movement. There were parts of this book that brought tears to my eyes to learn of the horrible things Lewis went through just to be able to eat in a restaurant or use the same bathroom as the white people. As a matter of fact, Lewis was arrested while using a urinal because he had used the white bathroom. He was arrested more than 60 times, beaten, had high-powered water hoses turned on him, but he persevered and the world because a much better place because of him and others. It's hard to believe that we still have a ways to go in regards to human rights and sometimes it seems like we are going backwards instead of forwards, but this book is worth reading just to get a feel for what these people went through , not just for themselves but for others. I think there must be a special place in heaven for people like John Lewis and the people that so cruelly opposed equal rights must be in a place that is very warm.
Mod
3 stars
The author is best known for her role in the television show Family Ties. The book takes you through a series of bad choices she makes, television shows she has worked on and movies she has made. She was married 3 times and all three men were jerks. At the end she finds happiness with a woman. Except for the ending, I found the rest of the book to be one big whine. Except for her co-workers. They were all wonderful and if you choose this book to find out more about her more well-known works, there arent really any secrets to tell.
I admire her for her athletic prowess but for her memoir - not as much. My review for Simone Biles'
Courage to Soar: A Body in Motion, a Life in Balancewww.Goodreads.com/review/show/3546860387
Lost Child: The True Story of a Girl who Couldn't Ask for Help by Torey HaydenThe latest Torey Hayden after 15 years, this time no it's not about an elective mute or in a classroom setting. Jessie is a child Torey sees as a volunteer therapist working with her to uncover the roots of her disorder - named 'reactive attachment disorder' which accounts for Jessie being a compulsive liar, so when she accuses one of the caregivers in her group home of sexual abuse Torey tries to uncover what really happened.
I had not really understood what RED was but its explained her as parental neglect - the mother suffered post natal depression so did not really bond with her daughter, which makes her act out in other ways. It turns out Jessie is not really wanted by her family and so a foster home or therapeutic program is found for her, though resources for this are scarce.
Whats worth reading is the way Torey relates to her charge with patience and gives her love despite her acting out. Some of the therapist speak can be annoying at times (eg Jessie acts out, and Torey just says 'its seems like you have strong feelings) but its all part of the therapy process (they are even videoed at times).
Am glad at the end that Jessie seems to have found herself and acknowledges Torey's part in letting her be free. I am very much reminded that sexual abuse can happen in families more so between siblings (of either sex) than it does amongst non-relations, but so often it's kept a secret and others get blamed.
Mod
4 stars
The author was able to meet with Olivia de Havilland several times and wrote this book about her life. I felt like most of the information was not taken from the actual interviews and was more from research and from the author watching her movie and then discussing it. I think Olivia fans will love this book but others might find it a little tedious.
All This and a Bookshop Too by Dorothy ButlerI hadn't read the first autobiography of the author's childhood, There Was a Timethis one starts at her university days. Dorothy Butler was a bookseller who owned a children's bookshop in Auckland, initially run out of her own home when she organised books for a playcentre for growing families on the North Shore of Auckland (in what we nicknamed 'nappy valley') She had eight children overall! I am in awe of this...was it just so much easier back then? It was just because it was after the war, and it was the baby boom years. I might have to read her first book to find out. Certainly she never seemed to experience much material hardship in her life, and she had a loving husband called Roy.
She trained as a high school teacher but after having a family found bookselling was her calling, and her educational theses, a study on how books comforted her growing handicapped granddaughter became the basis for Cushla And Her Books. She then became a sought after author and was called many times to speak at library and bookselling conferences, conventions and lectures around the world.
It's quite a thick autobiography and for book lovers like me I got a vicarious thrill that she met so many famous childrens authors and publishers in the book world, even having tea with Roald Dahl (who declaimed, rather than discussed) . Although her books are now out of print I'm going to borrow Five to Eight: Vital Years for Reading. Her bookshop was sold when she retired but still operates under her name. I have been there once, but since its a bit far away I prefer my local (now I work there too).
Sadly Dorothy is no longer with us, passing away in 2015, but I'm sure her many children and grandchildren are still around. Recommended for bookworms or those interested in what it's like to run a children's bookshop.
My Father, the Captain: My Life With Jacques Cousteau by Jean-Michel CousteauVery curious to read this after seeing the film made of Jacques Costeau's life Odyssey, this memoir was written by his eldest son. So I knew a bit about what I was in for.
An amazing life to be sure but one in which his son, still I can imagine is scratching his head about when his dad embarked on an affair and another family and marriage to another woman, which undoubtedly was a source of much pain not only to him but his mother. When his brother Phillipe died in a plane accident, that was also a tragedy. The fame and reknown undoubtedly had quite an impact on the Cousteaus, which in one instance is rather likened to todays reality tv shows except those featuring families that stayed on dry land.
As a non-swimmer myself though I am very glad they explored and shared the mysteries and delights of the deep, and heartened that the Costeau society was instrumental in the protection of Antarctica, and other marine areas to be conserved for future generations.
The Line Becomes A River: Dispatches from the Borderby Francisco CantuIt's about a writer's former life as a border patrol cop. After about four years he starts to have nightmares about it and gives it up to study, but also finds himself involved with an immigrant fellow worker at a cafe called Jose who leaves the US to visit his dying mother, but can't cross back to see his family, (3 sons and a wife) as he gets deported and doesn't have the required papers. Jose applies, but doesn't get accepted, so the family ends being split up.
It's all quite complicated and thought provoking. After reading this I am not sure why or where the US has changed its migration or work visa scheme, or why cartels seems to have taken over the border and using it as a means of ferrying drugs and extorting people. But whats shocking is the large numbers of people who risk their very lives attempting to cross, but many just want to see their families, or find seasonal work and earn enough to provide for their families and like the Israeli/Palestine border, it seems inhuman the way it's controlled now.
The Distance Between Us by Reyna GrandeI hadn't read much about immigrants from Mexico to the US up to this point, though I'm familiar with plenty of stories about Chinese immigrants - documented and undocumented.
This memoir is about Reyna's life between two worlds - born in Mexico, her parents left her and her siblings in the care of grandparents when she was a child to chase the American dream - the peso being undervalued so of course many migrated to the US to find work and send money back home to buy a house. The impact of their leaving, and subsequent broken promises and family dysfunction was heart wrenching to read. Eventually the dad came and took the family to America (illegally, they had to pay a smuggler) but by then had split up with their mother and they had to adjust to life in America, not easy with no language and family support, and violence from their dad who drank.
Reyna's story is not unusual about families split apart by borders and across oceans in search of a better life, but there is always an emotional cost involved. Those that leave, and are determined, stick with their education can pull through, but it's very touch and go with many, poverty in the US can be just as dire as poverty in Mexico.
After many dramas one after the other I almost gave up on this memoir but one teacher really believed and took Reyna under her wing, and here she is today, an award winning author and speaker.
There's a sequel A Dream Called Home about her new life in America.
There Was a Time By Dorothy ButlerThe first memoir was about bookseller and book advocate for children's childhood growing up in Auckland during the second world war and after. Her dad was enlisted, came back but died 3 years later. I thought Dorothy might have mentioned how she met her husband but he's only mentioned in passing, and her next memoir doesn't really say anything about their courtship!
Nothing majorly dramatic happens in this memoir, it's all in the details though...Dorothy's rag curled hair look just like Shirley Temple's. She moved house about 12 times. The family of 3 children lived in various houses around Auckland until they got into their govt house. Pranks at school. A loving mother and a dad who was an alcoholic, though she didn't know that at the time! Dorothy sounds like a head strong girl to me, and seems to have sailed through life rather unconcerned - war was a bit of a farce for children, it just meant a couple of drills and time off lessons. Even though they weren't particularly well off, like most nzers they just got on with life...in NZ class distinctions are of less importance or maybe only of note if you have someone to look down on. They couldn't join the library as they weren't ratepayers, but she got her books just the same.
Remember this was in the days before tv, if you wanted to watch something you paid to see a movie. Mostly you just played outside, climbed trees, or mucked about on the beach. So that's probably why the memoir is called There was a Time.
Privileged Information by Tom Alibrandi and Frank Armani4 stars!
This showed me a side of the legal profession I never really suspected. Silly me, I thought that whole issue of attorney-client privilege was settled centuries ago, but it wasn't even really addressed until the hideous Garrow case, in the wake of the Watergate scandal. The attorneys involved did things I cannot really understand and boy, did they ever pay for it. A fascinating read. Also not to be missed is the biographical material on Robert Garrow himself, a solid family man with a respectable career, an atrocious childhood a la Albert DeSalvo, and a horrific criminal history.
A Gift of Hope: Helping the Homeless By Danielle SteelDanielle Steel spends 11 years helping the homeless by giving away warm clothing and food, bags and teddy bears, once a month with a team of people. I can't imagine how much that cost her, as there are so many homeless in San Francisco.
She did it to honor the memory of her son Nick, who died age 19. Or as she tells it God told her to. She underwrote everything.
It's a bit heartbreaking reading this, especially about the teddies.
There's no real answers to the problem of homelessness here, but one thing that's eye opening is why people don't want to go into shelters, because of violence and abuse, and another is that the DPW (department of public works) frequently just sweep the homeless away under the rug by removing all their possessions, so they have even less than what they have to survive, and many die or live in fear of them.
Out of Jordan: A Sabra in the Peace Corps Tells Her Story by Dayla Cohen-MorI couldn't really finish this one as it seemed to be in a bit of a rant of her difficult situation that she willingly signed up for. Dayla signed on to volunteer for the Peace Corp and was assigned to teach in Jordan but was told she had to hide her Jewish identity. She completed a pre-training with a homestay for about 3 months but got called back because of issues with her background check - for applying to the FBI in her past. The Peace Corp didn't really want anyone that could be accused of being a spy. But the entire time she was lying and saying she was a Christian when she wasn't, and using her middle name as her last name, but she willingly did this, so I'm not sure what her issue is! She was born in Israel, married a dutchman and divorced, then became a naturalised american citizen. She had a doctorate in Arabic and I suspect she signed up for this experience to further her career. Of course she was unhappy with her situation, and not pleased with her host family that could ill afford to keep her and feed her, but she never said anything till later to save face.
Some of the memoir comes across as extremely whiny, and it reminded me of the memoir about another Jewish woman who married a Chinese man and then complained about his culture.
Mod
Danielle Steel spends 11 years helping the homeless by giving away warm clothing and food, bags and teddy bears, once a month..."
Sounds interesting. It's nice to hear about someone using their fame and fortune to do good. I'll bet Danielle Steel has plenty of money to do good things. It seems like she's been around forever. I think at one time I heard that she puts out several books a year, all best sellers. Maybe she has slowed down a bit.
Koren wrote: "Selina wrote: "A Gift of Hope: Helping the Homeless By Danielle SteelDanielle Steel spends 11 years helping the homeless by giving away warm clothing and food, bags and teddy bear..."
She's still writing. Her latest is Royal. She's written over 150 novels.
My Life in Ruins by Adam FordArcheologist writes his memoir about his career highs and lows. I am not sure I really get the buzz about archaeology from him - lots of digging through ancient abandoned rubbish tips..but it's a living.
If you are interested in Ned Kelly, or speculation about ancient civilisations from a darwinist point of view, or who lived in your house before you did, I suppose you could call him up.
The memoir made me think hundreds of years in the future when those future archaelogists will be digging up our perfectly preserved plastic bags, bottles and tupperware.
Pardon My Hearse: A Colorful Portrait of Where the Funeral and Entertainment Industries Met in Hollywood by Allan AbbottI found this one a bit morbid and skimmed through it, mostly about building up a fleet of funeral cars and transporting dead bodies. They were pall bearers for the mysterious death of Marilyn Monroe, and he actually stole her false boobs out of the trash can, and a lock of hair that he gave to his wife to keep. Um yea.
The other sideline was renting out limos for celebs, a mortuary magazine, because being on call 24/7 and cheaper cremations meant their business had to diversify...how disappointing they could no longer count on baby boomers wanting expensive funeral caskets. Aside from all the name dropping, and pimping up of hearses talk, I'm a bit over this under-taking.
Something New: Tales from a Makeshift Bride by Lucy KnisleyFun graphic novel memoir about Lucy's big day. The stress and drama of it all get channelled into this DIY arty wedding to her groom, John. I expect to read the next graphic memoir about her firstborn...it's like Raina Telgemeier for adults.
Wish I was that arty (I'm not, if ever had a wedding I probably would be happy with whatever if I didn't need to pay for it).
Mod
4 stars
I have read other books by people that have worked at the White House. I found a lot of the information in this book was the same as other books. Aside from that it was interesting and kept my attention from beginning to end.
Mod
5 stars
I think this is probably the best book I have read so far this year. It moves along quickly and I couldnt put it down as I wanted to see what this kid was going to come up with next. The behavior of the children and the parents is so bizarre that you will wonder if this is actually a true story. It was hard to believe that the kids could keep getting in so much trouble and not get sent to juvenile hall and the parents locked up. I saw some of my own mother in the author's mother and myself in how the son kept trying to have an relationship with her even though she was so neglectful and mean. Maybe that's what made me love this book- seeing similarities in my own family.
Pilgrim: Risking the Life I Have to Find the Faith I Seek by Lee KravitzAbout a Jewish journalist and husband and father who's looking for more spirituality, he tries everything from Quakers, to Hinduism to Buddhism and then back again to his Jewish roots.
I think he might be having a bit of a mid-life crisis though he doesn't really want to admit it, and fears leaving his family behind who doesn't share his hunger for God.
So he does a bit of shopping around.
I'm glad he found something, a community of fellow believers a few blocks away from where he lives in NYC and didn't take off half way round the world like the Eat Pray Love lady.
Biography, Autobiography, Memoir
Books mentioned in this topic
Where Am I Now? (other topics)Where Am I Now? (other topics)
Girl A: My Story (other topics)
The Price of Fortune: The Untold Story of Being James Packer (other topics)
My Sister Milly (other topics)
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Authors mentioned in this topic
John Colapinto (other topics)Fred Kaplan (other topics)
Ólafur Egilsson (other topics)
Monica Dickens (other topics)
Sam Staggs (other topics)
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2 stars
The author's husband dies, leaving her with a ton of bills. Going into it I thought maybe there was more to it than that, that he had died with a bunch of deep dark secrets. The author lived a pretty fancy lifestyle and never questioned where her husband got the money and then was pretty clueless when he suddenly died and she was suddenly responsible for the debt. She just goes on and on talking about all the debt and when she isnt doing that she's talking about her 5 year old son. I guess I was expecting a more intricate story but this is basically it.