Biography, Autobiography, Memoir discussion
What Are You Reading Now (anything goes) 2022
Simon the Fiddler
Paulette Jiles
4/5 stars
Set in the 1860’s, we find Simon Bouldin who has been able to remain out of the Civil War. Simon has spent most of his time traveling with his band. Unfortunately, Simon has finally been caught and ends up in a regimental band with his fellow bandmates and at a performance spies a beautiful young woman, Doris. The only problem is she is an indentured slave and they go their separate ways. However, Bouldlin is still attracted to her and vows to find her, while saving up his money to buy land for a homestead and hopes to make a home with her. I enjoyed this book, not as much as her book News Of The World but look forward to reading more of her stories.
Mod
Simon the Fiddler
Paulette Jiles
4/5 stars
Set in the 1860’s, we find Simon Bouldin who has been able to remain out of the Civi..."
I agree. I liked News Of The World better also. Did you see the movie?
Koren wrote: "Julie wrote: "Simon the Fiddler
Paulette Jiles
4/5 stars
Set in the 1860’s, we find Simon Bouldin who has been able to remain o..."
Yes, I saw the film and enjoyed it!
Been reading some local history...Shifting Grounds: Deep Histories of Tāmaki Makaurau Auckland by Lucy Mackintosh
Fire on the Clay: the Pakeha Comes to West Auckland by Dick Scott
Illustrated History of the South Pacific by Marcia Stenson
Kauri in My Blood: The Diary of Laura Ann Findlay, the Coromandel, 1921-24 by Joanna Orwin
Koren wrote: "Julie wrote: "Simon the Fiddler
Paulette Jiles
4/5 stars
Set in the 1860’s, we find Simon Bouldin who has been able to remain o..."
I really liked the movie.
I'm reading another Danielle Steel. This ones called The Dating GameAgain it's light fluff reading, I don't have to think too hard. All her heroines always seem to have plenty of money and we're always told how attractive they are. lol
Mod
Again it's light fluff reading, I don't have to think too hard. All her heroines always seem to have plenty of mo..."
Sometimes fluff reading is just what we need.
Koren wrote: "Selina wrote: "I'm reading another Danielle Steel. This ones called The Dating GameAgain it's light fluff reading, I don't have to think too hard. All her heroines always seem to ha..."
The book was bright pink with a broken heart on the cover, and on the back was a picture of Ms Steel in red lounging on a sofa underneath a big painting of a heart.
Just picked up Boys Enter the House: The Victims of John Wayne Gacy and the Lives They Left Behind at the library and started reading it. It is sooooo good.
The Dollhouse By Fiona DavisStory set in the Barbizon hotel, NYC with dual timelines of 1953 and 2016.
Sort of like The Lions of Fifth Avenue just different place. I can see Fiona Davis just pretty much repeated her formula from this one, her first novel.
I think it was ok but I liked the real life history much better. The Barbizon: The New York Hotel That Set Women Free is the better read. This novel had too much melodrama and I wasn't really into the characters, plus it really didn't describe the hotel that well, I wanted more concrete details like - the furniture! The dining room! Where exactly did the maids live - did they live IN the building? What happend to the doorman? What was the secretary school actually like. Where did they shop for clothes? Rather than a litany of romantic failures and questionable journalism.
Sex and the City and Us: How Four Single Women Changed the Way We Think, Live, and Love by Jennifer Keishin ArmstrongIf you ever watched the tv show this book is a bit of a behind the scenes and interviews the writers, producers, some of the actresses and actors and commentary on the phenomenon it became (still going, now there is a reboot called 'And Just Like That') . If you looking for Carrie Bradshaw's fashions though, it's not in this book. But there is a picture of Carrie Dragshow - I suppose not surprising with the female orientated show written by two gay men. (They had to get some straight guys in to consult on the script).
Yes 9/11 happened it was the late 90s early 2000's but it did much to put NYC on the map as a cool, glamorous and happening place, which at the time, it wasn't. It also did a lot for cupcakes, cosmpolitans, and Manolo Blahnik.
I'm reading more My New Zealand Story series. In the US I think they are known as Dear America. Published by Scholastic. Some are more for tweens though as I'm reading a bit more of them I must admit I'm getting a bit tired of all the family dramas lol. But the historical aspect of it makes up for it.
Sabotage: The Diary of Rowan Webb, Auckland, 1985 by Sharon Holt is about the sinking of the Rainbow Warrior
Earthquake: The Diary Of Katie Bourke, Napier, 1930 31 by Janine McVeagh
About the Napier Earthquake
I'm reading Cup Magic by Susan Battye about the 1995 America's Cup challenge. I do remember it..vaguely. Peter Blake was a bit of a hero.
The Forget-Me-Not Bakery by Caroline Flynn.
The Guide
Peter Heller
4/5 stars
Jack, who was also the main character in Heller’s book The River, gets a job at a retreat as a guide to visitors to help them find the best spots to fish. However, nearby is Kingfisher Lodge, cordoned off by a huge fence and frequented by the visitors’ that go there for treatment. When he hears screams coming from the Lodge, he questions why is it so barricaded and guarded and what treatment are these people receiving. Heller is one of my favorite writers and I think this is the first fiction book I read that has the Covid epidemic as part of the story. Fascinating!
I just started reading "The Story of Scotland Yard" by Sir Basil Thomson. It is on the history of Scotland Yard written by someone who worked for Scotland Yard.
Mod
2 stars
***possible spoilers***
Not sure why I stuck with this as the first half of the book was so annoying. The main character sees her ex-husband on the anniversary of their daughter's death and all they do is argue. He tells her he has a fatal disease and she can't even be nice. I found her a totally unlikeable person. Then they decide to travel cross country to spread her ashes and it's more arguing until they make up right before he dies. Oh brother!
What counts as autobiography or memoir in this group? Does autofiction? Do true short stories?I realise everything is ok in this thread but just wondering generally.
In case they don't fit elsewhere in this group I have recently read the below:
Stone Butch Blues - highly recommended. Empathy increasing wherever you're at.
Apple, Tree: Writers on Their Parents
The List - short, included with Audible Plus
Oh, Never Mind - short, included with Audible Plus
Love & Estrogen - short, included with Audible Plus. This was good. About a romantic relationship.
M to (WT)F: Twenty-Six of the Funniest Moments from My Transgender Journey - short, included with Audible Plus. This is a light and funny run through the author's transitioning.
Neighbors - short, included with Audible Plus
Kit wrote: "What counts as autobiography or memoir in this group? Does autofiction? Do true short stories?I realise everything is ok in this thread but just wondering generally.
In case they don't fit elsewhe..."
I never heard of autofiction but I found this online.
In literary criticism, autofiction is a form of fictionalized autobiography .
"Serge Doubrovsky coined the term in 1977 with reference to his novel Fils. Philippe Vilain distinguishes autofiction from autobiographical novels in that autofiction requires a first-person narrative by a protagonist who has the same name as the author." from Wikipedia.
I am still confused about autofiction- I am assuming that the author is the main character in a fictional story??
Mod
I realise everything is ok in this thread but just wondering generally.
In case they don't fit elsewhe..."
Hi Kit! I'm the administrator of this group and I'm not picky about genre. We are a pretty laid back group here and pretty much anything nonfiction is ok with me. This particular thread is mostly intended for fiction or anything that doesn't fit in the bio, autobio, or memoir category but sometimes other genres get posted and I'm fine with that.
More My Story booksA Long Way from Home: The Diary of Lillian Glenmore, Warkworth, 1943
When the US marines landed in NZ during war-time
Escape From Sarau: The Diary Of Emilie Ritter, Nelson District, 1882 83
I had no idea Sarau exisited or that we had a German colony in Nelson
Finding Father: The Journal of Mary Brogan, Otago, 1862
Goldfields of Otago..girl disguises herself as a boy and goes gold digging to find her long lost dad
Fire in the Sky: The Diary of James Collier, Tarawera, 1886
When the pink and white terraces blew up
Be Counted! The Diary Of Amy Phelps, Dunedin, 1893
About the suffragettes and obtaining the woman's vote
Land of Promise: The Diary of William Donahue, Gravesend to Wellington, 1839-40
Emigrants to NZ land in what is to be Wellington but find nothing there..
re categories - good to know there are no category police.I think I might be hazy on what exactly auto fiction is too.
Mod
I think I might be hazy on what exactly auto fiction is too."
I have never heard of autofiction.
Never heard of it...!Bildungsroman, yes, but not autofiction.
Lincoln in the Bardo
George Saunders
3/5 stars
This is the interesting and unusual story that takes place during the Civil War in 1862 and involves the death of Lincoln’s son Willie who has just died and the struggle over his soul. I don’t think ever read a book like this. There are multiple characters (living and the dead) discussing his death.
It's school holidays, am on reading bingeA Short History of the New Zealand Wars by Gordon Mclaughan
Not too gory but sad nevertheless. I think it could have come with maps, but anyway. It had a timeline
A Different Sort of Normal by Abigail Balfe
Everyone now wants to be autistic...maybe we all are. I'd just say it was introvert if she didn't realise till she was in her late 30s and never actually had any medical issues
The Way I See It: A Personal Look at Autism & Asperger's by Temple Grandin
Probably the best book to read on the topic by one who overcame the stigma
Not Goats… Children! by John Galligan
A school teacher explains school. Yes I like to call children children rather than baby goats too
We Are the Baby-Sitters Club: Essays and Artwork from Grown-Up Readers
Finally an anthology for us fans - I never read ALL 300 of them, and wonder who were the dedicated ones who did?
Some moreI am compelled to list them here in case I forget them..
Ask That Mountain: The Story Of Parihaka by Dick Scott
History about the Maori Parihaka village in Taranaki that was non-violently resisting British invasion/takeover.
Two more My NZ stories
"The Mine’s Afire!": The Journal of Tommy Carter, Brunnerton, 1896
About the Brunner mining disaster, reminded me of Pike River Mine again, though in this one 65 miners died and they got all the bodies out
Below the Mountains: The Diary of Amy McDonald, Milford Road, 1935-36
About making the tunnel into Milford Sound.
The Cement Garden
Ian McEwan
4/5 stars
When their parents died, four children were left behind in their home. Though they were capable of informing the authorities, they stayed in the house doing whatever they wished. I do like McEwen and his dark stories.
Not a Penny More, Not a Penny Less
Jeffrey Archer
3/5 stars
Four men are swindled in an investment by Harvey Metcalfe, a wealthy man who has no remorse. The men get together to take him down and get their money back. Not my favorite of the Archer books but I enjoyed it.
Larry and Viv by Graeme LayIt's not on Goodreads, maybe because it's a NZ book. It's a fictional account of Laurence Olivier and Vivien Leigh's 1948 down under theatre tour for the Old Vic. But I think the real account by Garry O'Connor was more interesting Darlings of the Gods: One Year in the Lives of Laurence Olivier and Vivien Leigh.
In this one two other fictional characters are inserted into the narrative, and there's an encounter with a NZ author who in all probability did NOT meet them on tour, though the description of the famous 'six o'clock swill' is probably the highlight of the book, which shows what a backwater and cultural desert NZ (and Australia) was at the time.
some moreFrom Tamaki-Makaurau-Rau to Auckland: A History of Auckland by Russell Stone
I'm reading up on history, a bit dry, but I got through it and learned quite a bit about what was happening before the founding of Auckland city.
Quarantine by Philippa Werry
About the polio epidemic in NZ. It's also part of the my New Zealand Story Scholastic series, but this time not in diary format, though still from a 12 year old boy's viewpoint. His sister gets it, and children are banned from school, movies, and swimming pools. Gosh sounds familiar (except very scary for children, as you could go into an iron lung, which was an early form of respirator)
NeuroTribes: The Legacy of Autism and the Future of Neurodiversity by Steve Silverman
A history about the origins of the autism diagnosis. Quite a thick book, but it explores it from all angles, so I feel a bit more knowledgable about it. It's still somewhat inconclusive about what brings it about, and because it was in the DSM much like bipolar disorder, nobody could understand the etiology, but it was stigmatised as a mental disorder, as if people that suffered it were unintelligent. Which is far from the case.
The Great Train Robbery
Michael Crichton
4/5 stars
Set in Victorian London, Edward Pierce sets up a crime with his cohorts to steal a gold shipment that will be traveling by steam train. But will they succeed? Very clever and a fast read!
Reading Sex and the City by Kim AsassNot about the book but the tv series made of it, which now has a reboot. This was published before the sixth season was shown so, it only has references up to that point.
It's a collection of tv nerds I mean academics writing essays about the show. Mildly interesting if overwrought. Most casual fans/watchers can just sum up the show in a few sentences, not write entire essays on it.
My take on it is, the tv show is different from the book and it's become more about female friendships in NYC, which was part of its appeal. Also it does not reflect the reality of most peoples experiences of NYC, it kind of glamourised it, but it was tv people. It's meant to be entertainment.
Fame by Justine BatemanThe actress off Family Ties who played Mallory, writes a treatise about fame. I vaguely remember her but it was really Michael J Fox who was the 'star' of that 80's tv sitcom.
Anyway, Justine, who is emphatically NOT writing another celeb memoir, instead writes about what it's like to be famous, so everyone just knew who she was and then to lose that fame as she's not on tv anymore, and what a hijacking of reality fame can be.
I enjoyed the deep dive exploration of what fame can do to people. There are also references to fame being 'sprayed on', which made me think it can rub off people, and lobster traps, red carpets, fan mail, entourages, having your name open doors, photo shoots, paparazzi, tabloids and all the rest of it. I think she was just a teen when she became famous, which is probably the worst age as you are so self-conscious then.
It's more of an angry rant though and has plenty of f-bombs, so it might put off some people, but I was kind of really wanting to know about what it was like to be famous (after reading harrowing Marilyn Monroe bios about the price of fame, AND Anthony Bourdains' unhappy ending) and this book fit the bill.
Where Are the Children?
Mary Higgins Clark
4/5 stars
Years ago, Nancy Harmon was accused of killing her children. However, her sentence was overturned, allowing her to start her life over again. Married with two new children, she feels her life is more settled. But once again, her life is in turmoil when her new children are missing and she is suspected in their disappearance. I enjoyed this book and it kept me reading to see how it was going to end.
Lighthouse Family by Phillipa WerryAnother My New Zealand Story diary.
I've got two more to go, I'm trying to read them all! This one is about a family who is stationed to look after one of the many lighthouses in NZ in the 1940s.
At that time, there was fear of Japanese invasion, Australia was threatened, and there were submarine sightings.
As the diarist's mother went off to have a baby in town and left her (all of 12 years old) behind to look after the household on on island where the lighthouse is, most of the diary is full complaining about household chores because she is the only girl. The dads busy watching the lighthouse of course.
Later on all those lighthouses got controlled by computer and nobody needed to stay and look after them anymore.
Apple Crush By Lucy KnisleySequel to middle grade/tween graphic Stepping Stones in which Jen and step-sister hang out more on Peabody farm, and make a Halloween festival hayride thing...though her step sister is into boys now and Jen is a tomboy.
Possibly most of it is based on Lucy's real life growing up. Divorced parents are now getting a lot of press now the tweens have grown up and remembering how traumatic it is caught in the middle of a parental cold war. Personally I think Jen's step dad here is portrayed as a kind of creep and her dad extremely self-absorbed. I'm guessing her mum hadn't made up her mind...pile that on top of tween angst of whether Jen ought to like boys or just keep them as friends.
The Plague Dogs
Richard Adams
3/5 stars
Written by the author of Watership Down, this is the story of two dogs, Rowf and Snitter, who live in a research testing facility in England where they have been experimented on and handled cruelly by the men who work there. One day, a handler did not lock them in properly and they escape from the facility causing great consternation that they may be carrying the plague and a huge man hunt for the animals ensues. I loved Adam’s Watership Down but I found that this book dragged on too long.
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Koren wrote: "How lucky am I to get the new James Pattersen autobio, James Patterson by James Patterson: The Stories of My Life, from the library. I just can't put this down. Review to follow."I read my first James Patterson for the Great NZ Bookathon. It was Going Bush
part of the Middle School series. I can't say I'm really a fan, but then I think you need to read the series from the beginning to *get* it.
In this one the middle schooler Rafe goes on an art 'culture camp' to Australia. Personally I think Diary of a Wimpy Kid has the better middle school stories.
Mod
I was not aware that James Patterson wrote kids books but it does look like him in the picture. He has written some nonfiction but is mostly known for his mysteries. You might like those better.
Koren wrote: "Selina wrote: "Koren wrote: "How lucky am I to get the new James Pattersen autobio, James Patterson by James Patterson: The Stories of My Life, from the library. I just can't put th..."I heard one of his latest he wrote with Dolly Parton...so might be worth a read. Run Rose Run. Although I'm not much of a mystery fan, sometimes mysteries infuriate me and I skip to the back because I can't stand the suspense!
The Leonard Girls by Deborah ChallinorAnother in the Restless Years saga, this time it's set around the Vietnam War about two sisters, one a nurse and the other a student protestor, both go to Vietnam and encounter life and death there. Some of the characters in previous books recur in this novel, but I don't know if there will be any more in this series as the epilogue pretty much foretold everything in store for most of the characters.
I did learn about NZ's involvement in Vietnam which was not very considerable, piggy backing on the Australians...but soldiers had their reasons at the time. In NZ it was not compulsory, there was no draft, but general historical view is that the US involvement was rather pointless and unnecessary and exacerbated the conflict, making the political situation even worse whilst resulting in many casualties on all sides.
Mod
5 stars
I really hate knowing that the food I buy is grown with cancer-causing chemicals, picked basically by slave labor, gassed to give it the perfect color and grown by big corporations that pretty much shut out the small farmer. That said, I think it is important to know these things so we can make changes. I know that a lot of the food we eat today is grown in such a way that the flavor has been bred out of the food. As a gardener myself, I know that most homegrown fruits and vegetables just don't compare to the supermarket food. But there are some positive things happening and, as consumers, we can tell corporations what we want with our pocketbooks. The last portion of the book talks about positive things that are happening. The book is over 10 years old so it would be interesting to find out if things are getting better.
Koren wrote: "Tomatoland: How Modern Industrial Agriculture Destroyed Our Most Alluring Fruit by Barry Estabrook5 stars
[bookcover:Tomatoland: How Modern Industrial Agriculture Destroyed Our Mos..."
I bet that was good! This is why when I plant tomatoes I always go for heirlooms. While I have always loathed tomatoes, the rest of my family likes them. I buy from seed companies that help preserve true heirloom seeds. (it can be cross bred but NOT GMO since they are completely different things.)
Blood of Elves
Andrzej Sapkowski
4/5 stars
Queen Calanthe commits suicide during an attack on the capital city and her granddaughter, Ciri manages to flee from the burning capital. Emhyr var Emreis, Imperator of Nilfgaard, has sent his people to find her. Young Ciri is wanted because of her royal blood, but she also has elven blood and possibly will be able to perform magic. Geralt of Rivia, a witcher vows to find and protect her. Exciting!
A Stir of Echoes
Richard Matheson
4/5 stars
Tom Wallace was an easy going man with a wife and a son. At a party, he was hypnotized and now he is having headaches but he can also hear people’s thoughts and he starts seeing aberrations. Why is this happening to him and is he and his family in danger because of this. Compelling!
I always enjoy reading the work of Barry Lopez, and I just finished his 1998 collection of essays, About This Life. Enjoyable stuff. And if you think that Lopez only writes about nature and the outdoors, you'll be interested in his extended treatment of the Boeing 747 jetliner.My review:
https://mypointbeing.com/2022/07/07/a...
Mod
Sundown at Sunrise: A Story of Love and Murder, Based on One of the Most Notorious Ax Murders in American History
3 stars
I guess I'm too much of a true crime fan to really enjoy a book that is based on a true crime. I can see that this crime would not have had enough information to make a nonfiction book. There would be no way to know what the victims and murderer were thinking. There was no investigation or trial. The book is more of a romance novel until you are almost to the end. The book left a lot of unanswered questions about the young teacher the husband got pregnant. It doesn't talk much about her after the deaths and doesn't give us a clue about what happened to her baby or why she died just a year or so after the deaths. It would be interesting to talk to the author to see why he picked this crime to make up a story about, but it seems he chose it because it was close to where he lived.
Robinson Crusoe by Daniel DefoePublished back in 1719...but set earlier in the 1630s...I did not know this shipwrecked on a deserted island survival tale would drag on for 28 YEARS before he finally gets off the island. But not before *spoiler* a killing spree of 21 men. Robinson Crusoe was an armed Englishman and liked being King of his castle. He had plenty of gunpowder. So, not much surprises there. He takes a 'savage' prisoner and make his him his slave - man 'Friday'.
When he does manage to return to England after fighting off wolves and bears, he comes into this estate (he'd run off for a life of adventures to avoid becoming a middle-class lawyer and set up a slave plantation in Brazil instead earlier) it seems he hasn't become off too badly because someone else had been managing it the entire time. Absentee landlord much?
Anyway, if you like goats and want to figure out how to make cheese from them, to last you nearly 3 decades alone on an island...here's your book.
Biography, Autobiography, Memoir
Books mentioned in this topic
Zaidy's War: Four Armies, Three Continents, Two Brothers. One Man's Impossible Story of Endurance (other topics)The Tattooist of Auschwitz (other topics)
The Highly Sensitive Person: How to Thrive When the World Overwhelms You (other topics)
Born to Kill (other topics)
Kinetic House-Tree-Person Drawings: K-H-T-P: An Interpretative Manual (other topics)
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Authors mentioned in this topic
Paulette Jiles (other topics)Paulette Jiles (other topics)
Paulette Jiles (other topics)
Paulette Jiles (other topics)
Diana Raab (other topics)
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Something to Hide
Elizabeth George
4/5 stars
Detective Inspector Thomas Lynley and his partner Detective Sergeant Havers are on a new case which involves the death of a Nigerian colleague, as she was investigating the illegal practice of FGM - Female Genital Mutilation in the Nigerian community in London. Heartbreaking!