Biography, Autobiography, Memoir discussion
Biography, Autobiography, and Memoir read in 2022
date
newest »
newest »
message 251:
by
Deity World
(new)
Dec 10, 2022 09:18AM
Halfway though Elizabeth Taylor: The Grit & Glamour of an Icon anyone else read this
reply
|
flag
Deity World wrote: "Halfway though Elizabeth Taylor: The Grit & Glamour of an Icon anyone else read this"I haven't read this but added to my reading list - how are you liking it?
Julie wrote: "Deity World wrote: "Halfway though Elizabeth Taylor: The Grit & Glamour of an Icon anyone else read this"I haven't read this but added to my reading list - how are you liking it?"
She’s been through a lot I think you would enjoy it
Mod
I haven't read this but added to my reading list - how are y..."
I'm reading Furious Love: Elizabeth Taylor, Richard Burton, and the Marriage of the Century but I'm not very far into it. It's a thick book, so I'm assuming it will get into their younger lives, but it starts with Richard and Liz meeting while making a movie.
Koren wrote: "Deity World wrote: "Julie wrote: "Deity World wrote: "Halfway though Elizabeth Taylor: The Grit & Glamour of an Icon anyone else read this"I haven't read this but added to my read..."
Took me a couple of days there’s a big image section at the end so it’s about 400 ish pages
Mod
5 stars
I thought this would be a sad book and at times it was. But it was so much more than a story about a woman who had two sisters die from a genetic illness. The author explores how her sister's illnesses effected the family and herself and as much as possible, how it effected the sisters that were sick. It is also a coming of age story about herself and how it effected her relationships with her parents, friends, and spouse. I thought it was a really interesting story.
The Stories We Carry: A memoir about finding your voice and re-writing trauma into triumph by Jas Rawlinson
5/5 stars.
Sometimes it was unbearable to read because the author went through hell as a child and teenager. Still, she wanted her story to be one of healing and encouragement for those still seeking for their calling. The author ended up being a book coach and advocating against human trafficking and domestic violence in Brisbane, Australia
Mod
3 stars
Another book about The Monkees. This one was a little sad because most of the blame for the short life of the Monkees can be blamed onto Mike Nesmith. They were so big, bigger than the Beatles at one time, but they weren't happy with the direction the band was taking. Mike was probably the most unhappy. His life after the Monkees had its ups and downs. He was instrumental in starting the music video craze. He didn't really have to worry about money because his mother invented Liquid Paper. There's not a lot here about his personal life and it didn't seem like the author did any interviews with the people in his life, so if you want just the facts, and if you're a huge Monkee fan, like me, you will probably like this book, but there probably isn't much here you didn't already know.
In her book Constructing a Nervous System: A Memoir Pulitzer Prize winner Margo Jefferson reflects on her own life and writes about entertainers, the novelist Willa Cather, and former Secretary of State Condoleezza Rice.My review:
https://mypointbeing.com/2022/12/12/c...
I’m reading two memoirs concurrently at opposite ends of the scale and it’s added such depth to both stories. Laila is the story of young motherhood, while Queen Menopause is the empty nester story. Fascinating to see both sides at the same time.
Mod
4 stars
I have read most of Pat Conroy's books, so enjoyed this short book about the books and people that have influenced him and his writing. Sad that we will not be reading any more of his wonderful books as he passed away a few years ago.
Mod
by Katy Tur4 stars
Katy Tur is a journalist at MSNBC. This book deals a lot with her relationship with her father, who was abusive to her and her mother and later went on to change his sexual identity to female. She touches lightly on covering politics but I believe she went into more detail about that in her last book. At the end of the book she talks about becoming a working mother, which I found at times to be a little dramatic, but otherwise an interesting book.
Mod
2 stars
This is mostly a 'look who I know' book and not any interesting stories. As the title says, it is a coming of age story so the book is just her growing up years. I would look for a different book if you want to know more about her.
In her travel memoir A Line in the World: A Year on the North Sea Coast author Dorthe Nors writes about life on the North Sea coast of Denmark (and throws in some history as well).My review:
https://mypointbeing.com/2022/12/21/a...
The Impossible City: A Hong Kong Memoir by Karen CheungAn interesting memoir as I hadn't actually really read any by native born Hong Konger before. Karen is a millenial and grew up in Hong Kong - and stayed after the 1997 handover to China. Many Hong Kongers fled before then, if they could afford to do so. The memoir is a paean to a dying city - a way of life that had promised to continue for at least 50 years under the one city two systems ideal, but in reality, China is just too big for little Hong Kong.
Karen documents living in an endless series of too-small flats and crowded neighbourhoods all subject to capitalist market forces, an international education that favours the British ex-pat elites, the indie music scene and burgeoning protest movement. How do you love a city that is never certain of itself? When your parents abandon you for being one too many and leave you to your own devices? There's all this to deal with, and the sheer trauma of growing up not having any roots in a city of skyscrapers.
Some of it is harrowing, some chapters I would skip as have no idea what music scene she is on about, but in the end it's a kaleidoscope of opinions and emotions of what could be the most volatile city on earth.
Just finished reading The House of the Dead here’s my review below https://www.goodreads.com/review/show...
Selina wrote: "The Impossible City: A Hong Kong Memoir by Karen CheungAn interesting memoir as I hadn't actually really read any by native born Hong Konger before. Karen is a millenial and grew ..."
This is the opposite side of what I know. There were some significant changes to the Cantonese-Canadian population over the 1990s as people who could afford to buy property in Canada did so they could move there before the transition. Even Canadian born Cantonese people were upset by the new construction done that upset the Vancouver way of doing things (long story!) not that it was new to have Cantonese Chinese in Vancouver, of course.
Since I'm posting this somewhere where people just leave links and I don't have a lot of time, please excuse my using this format here!I read
Kon-Tiki by Thor Heyerdahlrounded up to 4 stars
https://www.goodreads.com/review/show...
Karin wrote: "Selina wrote: "The Impossible City: A Hong Kong Memoir by Karen CheungAn interesting memoir as I hadn't actually really read any by native born Hong Konger before. Karen is a mill..."
New immigrants always place pressure on existing housing and infrastructure no matter where people are from. I remember Chinese flooding in from Mainland China in the late 90s and they bought homes that were mansions on postage stamp size sections. There wasn't a really flood of Cantonese emigrees, prior to 1997 except for my family (aunties, uncles) where I was lol. However every town in NZ will have a Chinese takeaway. (And at least one Chinese restaurant)
Before that Chinese came in the goldrush and also to flee the Japanese occupation. The Chinese have always wanted to be self-determining, but how that plays out without corruption and tyranny I don't know! I guess thats what its like with most things, no matter what ethnic group you are from. Politics!!
Selina wrote: "Karin wrote: "Selina wrote: "The Impossible City: A Hong Kong Memoir by Karen CheungAn interesting memoir as I hadn't actually really read any by native born Hong Konger before. K..."
This was a case of building large, view blocking and lot filling Hong Kong style homes because it was primarily the wealthy who were able to afford to buy land in the GVRD (Greater Vancouver Regional District--BC has a very unusual system of districts and regional districts that is unique even in Canada). This was a huge culture clash and many people who had spent a LOT of money to buy homes/lots with great views were understandably upset.
This was not the normal influx of immigrants. You could (maybe still can) bypass the hit or miss normal immigrant application system if you can afford to buy land in Canada. Even in the 1990s that was not cheap in most of the GVRD.
In NZ there was a points system...but if you were wealthy you got the most points. NZ needed the money, one of our biggest exports is education, so we get a lot of foreign students. Also with foreign exchange rates, it was easier for a foreigner to buy land (and gain from it) than a native born NZer. You did not even have to live here.
I think home buying should be regulated to a certain extent, not just given to the highest bidder. In some countries you cannot just buy houses/homes. You need to have inherited them or been gifted them.
I think the whole views thing (having a house on the hill) is a bit precious. Yes we all want to be king of the castle but those views come at the expense of everyone else around you not having a home lol.
Selina wrote: "I think the whole views thing (having a house on the hill) is a bit precious. Yes we all want to be king of the castle but those views come at the expense of everyone else around you not having a h..."It was the architecture that cause the cultural challenge. In North and West Vancouver (separate cities--East and South Van are neighbourhoods) etc you can have an entire hillside where everyone on the sea side of a street has a good view because it is steep enough, and one of the main reasons people buy there is for that. But also it's easy to see mountains from most homes in Vancouver if someone doesn't build a behemoth next to a normal sized house on the same street. My aunt lives on a flattish street not on a hillside, but is going to lose the view she's had for over 30 years due to some renovation on a house behind hers that isn't related to this particular style of building, but of course there's nothing she can do about it. However, it wasn't only a problem of blocking views--it also was a different cultural expectation of personal space with homes, etc, so even people with now view were unhappy with the architecture. Even many Canadian Chinese weren't happy with this.
Bear in mind that it is a long-standing cultural thing in BC to have a good view if you can and you can often have this even on low ground due to all of the mountains although not everywhere in a city, obviously. Some, like my dad, bought land when it was cheap and up a hill to get it. Our first house with a view was an inexpensive house that was on the small side, but not tiny. He grew up on the prairies so this was a big deal for him. The only reason land is so costly where I grew up now is that rich people from the Vancouver area buy summer homes or make investments there and have ruined it to the point where the smalliest, junkiest little house costs $500,000!
We don't use precious here the way you mean it, so I'm not exactly sure what you mean by it other than it's not positive.
I'm Glad My Mom Died by Jennette McCurdy3 stars
I wanted to like this more, and, no, I wasn't disappointed because of all the hype about this book. Three stars is a like. My rating doesn't have anything to do with McCurdy or her life, but just how this book is written.
What I found the most powerful and revealing was McCurdy's insights into her thoughts and emotions regarding her eating disorders. What kept me going was the light at the end of the tunnel since I know she is much healthier and happier overall now. I am impressed with the fact that she finally faced things, which had to have been extremely difficult. It was also the first time I heard about how bad things were at Nickelodeon, which gave my brother one of his early film roles before iCarly by some years, although he was an adult already.
However, there were two major things I disliked about this book. One was how catty she can be about people who do things she personally doesn't like that really aren't obnoxious, although I do agree with a need for personal space and reading a situation (one small eg--when to when a three way hug is okay and when it isn't--no need to be mean about everyone who does this). Another was her crass way of talking about sex. Not everyone in her generation talks about sex that way; what really put it over the top for me was when she did that even when she finally really enjoyed it with someone she cared about. Of course, if I hadn't been listening to the audiobook I could have must skipped over it. Plus, I don't want any details on people's sex lives although clearly many people are either fine with that or enjoy reading about it.
Most of all, and I might think differently if I had seen her read this in person or her show, I didn't find any of it funny. However, there is nothing about this subject that is funny to me.
Karin wrote: "Selina wrote: "I think the whole views thing (having a house on the hill) is a bit precious. Yes we all want to be king of the castle but those views come at the expense of everyone else around you..."Its not cultural its architectural and economic in that the people who design the buildings - the developers (probably not even Chinese) just want to make money. So I don't know why you are getting the thing that it's cultural. Nothing whatsoever to do with culture or personal space of the Chinese! If you believe that Chinese don't appreciate landscape then you might not be aware of centuries of Chinese traditional landscape brush painting! Or Feng shui.
Everyone actually likes having their own personal space no matter what culture they are from and if they can afford to do so they will of course want to have a nice view...but developers don't care about that, they like to cram in as many buildings and build as high as possible. Its the Monopoly/Trump tower effect.
The other side of the coin is when the rich ones with the view don't want a tree blocking their view of the sea or whatever even though it's been growing there for a century and home to birds. lol.
Selina wrote: "Karin wrote: "Selina wrote: "I think the whole views thing (having a house on the hill) is a bit precious. Yes we all want to be king of the castle but those views come at the expense of everyone e..."Okay, so we are talking apples and oranges here. In BC the culture an outlook is very much about scenery and view--it's one of the draws to living there. This has nothing to do with architects and their livelihood :) The GRVD is majority people from Asia (but of course Canadians don't do demographics by continent or race except for black people who are descended from slaves in the Americas and don't know their ethnicity,) but only the wealthy people from Hong Kong came in and caused such a turmoil with their houses that caused all of the kerfuffle in the 1990s and early 2000s. There are many other wealthy people who have bought land and moved into the area, although many immigrants aren't wealthy, such as when we had an influx of "boat" people, et al.
On the license plates the provincial slogan is Beautiful British Columbia. Architects make money regardless of home design if they are making a new design, but to be honest many people just use standard ones, although at times changes might have to be done to accommodate a hill (but not often there.)
As for trees, BC has no shortage of them and they grow back quickly in a healthy natural selection starting with nitrogen fixing alders, etc. Tall trees too close to homes are dangerous, and I have no problems with selective cutting or topping of trees if it's not overdone depending on the health of the tree. I do hate stripping all the trees off a lot, of course, but no logger (Americans say lumberjack) will live in a house with tall trees to close because they know what can happen in a storm--my dad could never understand that. My husband studied forest management in university, LOVES being in the woods but will be the first to tell you that maintained forests and smart harvesting can keep them much healthier. Plus in BC if you don't allow things like natural forest fires and good logging, the deer will die out etc and it's bad for the ecosystem of the province.
Here is a photo of a place that was strip logged about 100 years ago (not on a steep hill) that is now a provincial park:
The council, govt or whoever is in charge of zoning would have changed the rules to allow homes to be bought for the immigrating population, they had to have somewhere to live. I would not blame the immigrants themselves, who just need to have somewhere to live. It was probably all that was available to them to buy. A lot of countries do not allow just anyone to buy land. Most if they are clever would have just allowed the land to be leased, not bought outright.The govt can actually say whether they want immigrants or not. In Australia they did have a very racist White Australia policy and didn't allow many immigrants in - and made life tough for them if they were not white. Migration does need to be planned though. It doesn't just happen that you go somewhere and there's a home ready and waiting for you.
It's the same with internal migration, there was a huge influx coming from the rural areas into the city. The city did not have enough homes to accomodate people, hence, quickly built slums. But that is where the jobs were.
To understand migration, there are some memoirs that I found more people are writing to highlight the plight of being displaced. I don't think people leave their homeland lightly. Its a real life-changing decision. One I read that stays with me is The Distance Between Us by Reyna Grande.
Mod
That book looks interesting. Added to my wish list.
The advantage some Hong Kongers have over mainland Chinese when immigrating is they may have learned English in school. I do not blame the Hong Kongers for leaving for a better life. It is what my mum did. Because Hong Kong is a tiny island city there is not much land so they were used to living in apartments, but given the chance, of course they would want their own bit of land on the ground. It's the dream of every immigrant to have their own house on their own land...but each countries rules are different and you need to work ten times as hard to get that if you are an immigrant, it's not automatic.
Refugees have another plight, some don't even know where they will end up, or they are given a tarp in the middle of nowhere and expected to live under that, if there's no refugee camp or resettlement plan for them.
For Hong Kongers, it's not quite that they are political refugees but a lot left before 1997 because they knew life would not be very good under China's regime. It's not like they could ever return, most migrants do not.
I wouldn't expect a Hong Konger, who wants to leave for a better life, to out 'scenery and view' as high on their list of priorities for a new home. Basically they need somewhere they can make a living, and where they are not going to be penalised or shot down for existing. Most just want a roof over their heads that is their own. It is not like they can choose wherever they want. I think people don't really get that, like when you go buy a car, basically what it comes down to is you want a car that goes. The colour, make and model are secondary considerations if you really need one.
With immigrants its not like they have a home to go back to. They up and leave everything behind. It's not like their second holiday home they can just have to boast about the scenery and the views.
In her memoir Declassified: A Low-Key Guide to the High-Strung World of Classical Music author Arianna Warsaw-Fan Rauch reflects on her life as a professional musician, discusses the history of classical music, and offers tips on listening. The author reads the audiobook and it is an absolute delight to listen to.My review:
https://mypointbeing.com/2022/12/27/d...
Mod
4 stars
This is the third Monkee's bio I have read and I think maybe the most well-written. I always think it is a shame that due to internal conflict, the Monkees only lasted 3 short years and the 4 never again became as big as they were in the beginning. They hated the music they were making, even though it is some of the biggest selling music ever, ranked right up there with the Beatles. Peter went through some rough times, but came out ok. This book is as much a history of the music scene in the late 60's as it is a history of one group that made it big.
Selina wrote: "The council, govt or whoever is in charge of zoning would have changed the rules to allow homes to be bought for the immigrating population, they had to have somewhere to live. I would not blame th..."We are talking apples and oranges :) I was talking only about one set of rich people who were bypassing normal immigration laws and using their money to build a certain type of single family home that people in BC disliked. This type of non-immigration immigration is also very controversial to begin with and this has nothing to do with how Canadians feel about immigrants and refugees :).
Karin wrote: "Selina wrote: "The council, govt or whoever is in charge of zoning would have changed the rules to allow homes to be bought for the immigrating population, they had to have somewhere to live. I wou..."Well wealthy people always make their own laws. But it happens everywhere, rich people can have their homes anywhere they want. Doesn't matter what the locals want.
Unoccupied McMansions are quite common in some areas.
Selina wrote: "Karin wrote: "Selina wrote: "The council, govt or whoever is in charge of zoning would have changed the rules to allow homes to be bought for the immigrating population, they had to have somewhere ..."Yes, rich people do just that!
Read in 2022, but my review just went live today.In their book Metaphysical Animals: How Four Women Brought Philosophy Back to Life authors Clare Mac Cumhaill and Rachael Wiseman write about four women who studied and taught philosophy at Oxford in the first half of the twentieth century. They discuss the lives of Elizabeth Anscombe, Mary Midgley, Philippa Foot, and Iris Murdoch.
My review:
https://mypointbeing.com/2023/01/04/m...
I read this autobiography from a singer called: Jewel I can’t remember what it’s called though. It was in 2022
Biography, Autobiography, Memoir
Books mentioned in this topic
Metaphysical Animals: How Four Women Brought Philosophy Back to Life (other topics)Love Is Understanding: The Life and Times of Peter Tork and The Monkees (other topics)
Declassified: A Low-Key Guide to the High-Strung World of Classical Music (other topics)
The Distance Between Us (other topics)
I'm Glad My Mom Died (other topics)
More...
Authors mentioned in this topic
Jewel (other topics)Rachael Wiseman (other topics)
Clare Mac Cumhaill (other topics)
Arianna Warsaw-Fan Rauch (other topics)
Jennette McCurdy (other topics)
More...
