Review: Mob Daughter by Karen Gravano

First off, please don't forget to check out The Great Gatsby Read Along I'm hosting, starting on Wednesday the 10th.  Even if you can't start on the 10th, I think the easy 40 pages a week shouldn't be too hard to jump in when you can. I'll be posting some initial information on Wednesday to get us started, and then have some questions to consider.  Please come join in! 

Now, let me take a pretty odd segue here with a review on an autobiography about the mob.  Yes. Odd.  You can't tell me you don't have strange interests that intermingle from time to time.  :)

Synopsis:  From Goodreads, "Karen Gravano is the daughter of Sammy “the Bull” Gravano, once one of the mafia's most feared hit men. With nineteen confessed murders, the former Gambino Crime Family underboss—and John Gotti’s right-hand man—is the highest ranking gangster ever to turn State’s evidence and testify against members of his high-profile crime family.

But to Karen, Sammy Gravano was a sometimes elusive but always loving father figure.  He was ever-present at the head of the dinner table.  He made a living running a construction firm and several nightclubs.  He stayed out late, and sometimes he didn’t come home at all.  He hosted “secret” meetings at their house, and had countless whispered conversations with “business associates.” By the age of twelve, Karen knew he was a gangster.  And as she grew up, while her peers worried about clothes and schoolwork, she was coming face-to-face with crime and murder.  Gravano was nineteen years old when her father turned his back on the mob and cooperated with the Feds.  The fabric of her family was ripped apart, and they were instantly rejected by the communities they grew up in.

This is the story of a daughter’s struggle to reconcile the image of her loving father with that of a murdering Mafioso, and how, in healing the rift between the two, she was able to forge a new life."

Review:  I'll readily admit that I've watched Mob Wives on VH1 since it first came out, thanks to a curiosity about the wives and children of former mobsters.  I've read a lot of books about the mob and am interested in the affects it has on the communities and families that it plays out among.  In Mob Daughter, Karen Gravano outlines the life she grew up in, not completely realizing that her father was a major hit man for the mafia.  Gravano recognizes little things that maybe didn't make sense about her childhood, things that other kids might not have had to worry about or live through.  As part of the Gambino Crime Family, Gravano's father was neck deep with what seemed like no way out, and from his daughter's perspective, he was just a man trying to provide for his family.

I am always intrigued by the mob.  After a few other books I've read about the mafia, I don't really have the sense that there is much honor in it at all, as we've been told.  What is meant to protect neighborhoods and families really just terrorized them and destroyed those in its way.  The real desire--money--was all they really cared about. I think that Gravano's story is pretty interesting, since she got into a life of crime herself and has struggled to come to terms with her father's role in the mob and his role in coming out against the mob (oddly feeling sorry or connected to both sides).  Her bias is obviously toward her father as a misunderstood and honorable guy at heart, but as readers we can't help but realize that he has committed some pretty serious crimes.  

As far as mob stories go, I do think this adds another perspective to it all.  It is definitely told with bias and sympathy for the criminal, but I think we get that and can entertain why she might feel that way.  This wasn't my favorite piece of non-fiction on this subject, nor the most comprehensive, but it does have a bit of that human interest element to it that makes it really compelling.  

*FTC Disclosure:  This review was based on a library copy of the book.

Monday Mini-Reviews

What a great week we had last week.  I worked two days and then had the rest of the week off.  It was a nice chunk of time off and I really did spend the majority of it relaxing.  Having said that, I'm so behind on reviews that I want to toss my hands in the air and give up!  I've decided to just own up to the fact that I've entered one of the busiest times in my life.  Between teaching school and online classes, taking an online course for professional development, and various other organizations I'm involved with, I'm always feeling like I'm spread pretty thin.  (Okay.  I'm not "thin"--geesh, I wish!) My time and energy is spread thin, but life is really good.  Honest.  I'm just especially thankful for any and all time off that I get!

With all that's going on, I've made reading my greatest escape.  Because of that, I need to get a bunch of reviews published!  Here are some of what I've read in the last several months:

Review for Nanny Returns by Emma McLaughlin:  As a sequel to The Nanny Diaries, I was eager to revisit Nan and see what she was up to.  Fast forward twelve years from the last time we met Nan.  Now married and remodeling a home in New York City, Nan meets back up with her former young charge Grayer X.  Today, he's an incorrigible teenager who is seemingly messed up by his distant parents, who also has a younger brother being raised in the same way.  Nan gets herself mixed back up with the X-clan and in charge of these two young boys.  Now what should she do, when they are in an even worse situation than when Nan met them before?

Although an interesting read to pick back up with Nan and Grayer's lives, I will admit to being pretty frustrated this time.  Before, we laughed at some of what happened to Nan because it felt like a horror story of a young woman.  Now, the story is of tragedy and loss, and the responsibility of these two kids feels way too daunting.  More than anything, I loved Nan's relationship with her husband, so dragging this past craziness into her marriage made me sad and overwhelmed.  The story was definitely engaging, but really weighty, considering how the past read felt.  I would have liked to have more of Nan's husband in this, and a bit more resolution.  Overall, not a bad read, but just different from the first book and one that felt more serious than I expected.

Review for Born to Be Brad by Brad Goreski:  Brad Goreski is the endearing, quirky-chic dresser that appeared first on The Rachel Zoe Project show on Bravo and later in his own show with the same network.  Who doesn't love a story of someone coming up the ranks from nothing to great wealth and success?  Brad's story is just that.  Having started off as a troubled teenager and adult, dealing with issues of his sexual identity as a gay man, Brad struggled to come out to his family.  His story of drug abuse and failed relationships feels like a real triumph when we fast forward to his successful, current relationship and amazing red-carpet-ready styling in Hollywood, but there is an in between story that his book delves into.  I loved reading about how he became confident and secure in who he was as a person, how he worked and took on opportunities for styling experience wherever possible (hello, Vogue?!?), and how he took risks in branching out and trusting in his own talents to become the stylist he is today. 

Some have critiqued the writing and layout/styling of the book as "frothy" or nothing new.  I didn't find any of that to really take away from the foundation, which was his story.  Honestly, I thought that his personal voice came through very well, which made the story candid and true to who he is as a person.  I also thought the styling fit him, with its bright colors and funny pictures, and matched what he had experienced.  For me, it was an interesting life story and one that I thought was inspiring and made me like and understand Brad a bit better.

Review for Stranger in My Arms by Lisa Kleypas:  Thanks to my good friend Tasha over at Truth, Beauty, Freedom, and Books, I was pushed in the direction of this romance.  I don't always have good luck with a decent romance that doesn't make me roll my eyes from annoyance, so I'm happy to say that Tasha led me in a good direction.  This was one of those romances that tore my heart out and kept me turning pages as fast as I could!

Lady Hawskworth's husband has supposedly been lost at sea.  That's what she believes until her husband, that she had no love lost with before he left, has returned.  With the return of her supposed husband, everyone is left scrambling to figure out if he really is Earl Hawksworth or just some convincing swindler? 

This was a really romantic mystery at the heart of it.  Is he her husband or is he not?  Was Lady Hawksworth so starved for real love that she just overlooked the real identity of this man now that he appears to value her more than before?  All of these questions are a constant throughout the story, so between these unknowns and the growing love between the characters, I couldn't stop reading this book.  Yes, it's a romance, so be prepared for some sex scenes, but it's not the crux of the story--thankfully.  Overall, I really got into this romance and was on an emotional roller coaster through a huge portion of the novel. 

Thanks Tasha!  This was a great read and I need to ask for more suggestions!  :)

Well, thanks for sticking with me through a slew of reviews.  I'm still awfully wordy and could have made these individual posts, but it's nice to get them all out of the way!  Now, off to a crazy week ahead.

Review: Most Talkative by Andy Cohen

Synopsis:  If you watch Bravo Television at all, you have to know Andy Cohen.  As the man behind the reality shows on Bravo and the host of Watch What Happens Live, Andy is that hilarious, reality super fan that we all somehow relate to.  Before becoming the man behind the Real Housewives franchise, Andy Cohen was a young pop culture fan from St. Louis, Missouri, who began to realize that he was something different from those around him.  Eventually, Andy came to terms with what made him different, which was that he was gay, and gained the strength to let it be known. 

After college, he came out to his friends and family, and proceeded to follow his dreams in television.  This led to his current, lucrative and exciting career with Bravo.  The stories he goes on to tell in this book are both poignantly personal and pop-culture, both memoir and tell-all. 

Review:  I have been a Bravo fan for a very long time.  In fact, I started watching the Real Housewive's franchise from day one of the Orange County ladies.  Andy Cohen was kind of a known extra cast member of sorts, to those of us who have followed these shows.  I think everyone who knows him, loves him!  Honestly, Andy Cohen has a great sense of humor, and a way of saying what he thinks about these women's crazy antics without really saying it and showing his bias.  In short, most fans of the network love Andy.

The thing I loved about his book was the candid way he talked about his own life and his own experience growing up and coming out as a gay man.  I did find it interesting that Andy seems to write of his coming out as part of his life, but not the defining feature of his life.  In coming out, his family seemed to embrace him and move on with life, so the person he speaks of with greatest fear was his good friend and college roommate.  I was so moved by his expression of fear and concern over telling his friend and really could start to appreciate how that must have felt for him.  In the end, his roommate embraced his coming out and the two are still good friends today.

There seems to be an integral connection between Andy's pop-culture obsession and his current job, all fueled by healthy doses of all that is uniquely Andy.  His memoir talks about his early days on national, morning television--including stories about Oprah Winfrey, various CBS news anchors, and other celebrities that made this a real page turner.  Just the stories behind the Housewives franchise (which really is a pretty small portion of the book), make it a must read for fans. 

I really enjoyed Andy's story.  There is such a nice mix of happy and serious, to really echo what we see with the real Andy Cohen on his show.  His anecdotes and memories are funny, fast-paced, and engaging.  Now I will just hope that he writes another book, with more great "behind the scenes" stories for us in a few years down the road!

*FTC Disclosure:  This review was based on a personal copy of the book.

Review: The Wilder Life by Wendy McClure

What a great weekend for reading.  Why is that?  Well, I had a lot of work to do and I always seem to be able use reading as a good excuse to escape.  Let me be clear.  It's not work that I HAD to finish by Monday, so it's really not that big of a deal, but I have been procrastinating a bit.  That's okay though.  Life is good and I had a great, relaxing weekend. 

In the midst of all my reading, I purchased my tickets to head out to Michigan to see my bestie.  I'm so excited to go visit with her and to see her place!  In all honesty, I've really missed her and can't wait to just hang out together.  We see eye to eye on so many things and are like sisters.  Not having her close by over the past year has been tough, and I'm secretly hoping and praying that she tries to move back here when her residency is finished.  *crossing fingers*

All right, since I've finished a couple of books this weekend, I figured I'd better get myself back in gear and get some reviews posted! 

Synopsis:  From Goodreads, "Wendy McClure is on a quest to find the world of beloved Little House on the Prairie author Laura Ingalls Wilder-a fantastic realm of fiction, history, and places she's never been to, yet somehow knows by heart. She retraces the pioneer journey of the Ingalls family- looking for the Big Woods among the medium trees in Wisconsin, wading in Plum Creek, and enduring a prairie hailstorm in South Dakota. She immerses herself in all things Little House, and explores the story from fact to fiction, and from the TV shows to the annual summer pageants in Laura's hometowns. Whether she's churning butter in her apartment or sitting in a replica log cabin, McClure is always in pursuit of "the Laura experience." Along the way she comes to understand how Wilder's life and work have shaped our ideas about girlhood and the American West.

The Wilder Life is a loving, irreverent, spirited tribute to a series of books that have inspired generations of American women. It is also an incredibly funny first-person account of obsessive reading, and a story about what happens when we reconnect with our childhood touchstones-and find that our old love has only deepened."

Review:  How much do I love the Little House of the Prairie series?  Enough so that I wrote a paper on my fascination with them and how they influenced my life for a grad school class.  When I first heard about this book, I ran to check it out and definitely was not disappointed.  Author, Wendy McClure, goes on a road trip and personal journey to see home sites featured in the series, as well as to recreate some of the foods they made.  Honestly, as a fan of the series who has read these books at least twelve times (if not more), I could totally understand the compulsion to dive into that world.  There is something magical about those books, especially if they first captured you as a child.

The journey that McClure takes us on as readers is really enjoyable.  Rather than a laundry list of sites and facts about the real people and places behind the novels, she weaves it into her own tale.  This makes it all more enjoyable and made me want to do the same!  McClure definitely seemed like a person I could sit down and have a chat with about these books and feel like we were on the same page.  The only discrepancy would be her feelings about the 3rd book in the series on Almonzo's childhood.  She admits to not connecting with his story, which felt shocking and a bit flabbergasting to me!  Who wouldn't love Almonzo's life, with the big fair, the gigantic breakfasts, and his parents big trip out of town?  

What can I say?  If you are a fan of these beloved children's novels, then you really have to get McClure's piece.  I loved the journey back into my favorite books so much that I started reading them all over again and then went and checked out Season 6 of the television series!  Yes, I am a fan.  And if you're not a fan and don't know what I'm talking about, then I shed a tear for you and urge you to read them--they're really sweet and fun.  (Besides, I'd be interested to see what a "grown-up" thinks of the books?  Maybe the magic came from a childhood journey to the West?) 

When did you read this series and do you think that being a child when you first read them is an important factor to loving this series?

*FTC Disclosure:  This review was based on a library copy of the novel.

Review: The Pioneer Woman--Black Heels to Tractor Wheels by Ree Drummond

When I was an undergrad, my roommates and I had a long conversation (one of many) about what we liked in a man.  I could say, pretty emphatically, that I was attracted to the Marlboro Man--minus the smokes.  Seriously.  Maybe it's the whole growing up in Idaho, around farmers and ranchers, that has me super attracted to a hyper-masculine, Wrangler-wearing man?  Or, it might be that darn scene from Man from Snowy River.  You know the scene I'm talking about!  Remember when he saves the girl and rides through this breathtaking panorama of mountains with her on the back of his horse, ending the scene with a kiss on said horse.  Be still my beating heart! (By the way, if you haven't seen this movie before, go NOW and find it.  You will thank me.)

Whatever my attraction to Mr. Marlboro Man, I got teased about it endlessly.  Because of that, my best friend from college told me I HAD to read Ree Drummond's autobiography about how she met her husband.  So, while on vacation in Costa Rica last October, she hauled a copy of the book down there and gave it to me as a late birthday present.  It took me until February to then get to it, and I'm still kicking myself that I waited so long!  Now it's be still my beating heart, but because of a super romantic story.

Synopsis:  Ree Drummond is the queen of food blogging--in a big way.  Her blog, "The Pioneer Woman," is a real show of her strengths:  food, family, and photography.  Having drawn million of readers with her stories of the hunky Marlboro Man (her husband Ladd) and their ranch, raising four kids and a thousands of animals, it all sounds so quaint.  In Pioneer Woman: Black Heels to Tractor Wheels, we learn about how that story came to be by hearing her story of how she and her husband met and started their family. 

Review:  I can't say that I was a frequent visitor to the Pioneer Woman's blog before reading her book, but I had visited it a couple of times and felt a type of camaraderie with her.  Growing up in "meat and potato" land in southeast Idaho, her recipes from her ranch in Oklahoma certainly resonated with me.  Her food is hearty, "down home," and very geared toward the comfort foods that many of us grew up eating.  Little did I know, however, that she really grew up in the city and had lived in Los Angeles for a number of years--not necessarily in the same vein, food wise, as an isolated Oklahoma ranch.

Ree's story about how she met her "Marlboro Man" (as she calls him) in a smoky bar in Oklahoma is super intense and super sweet.  Ree only meant to meet up with a group of old friends for a drink, on a short stop-over at home before moving on to Chicago to head to grad school.  Little did she know that she would meet the man of her dreams in that bar and start up a whirlwind romance that would change her entire life.

I absolutely loved and adored this book!  Although it's autobiographical, it reads like a super-romantic, super-clean romance.  Ree is very good at capturing the ups and downs in her emotions, including everything from the giddy elation to absolute fear.  In a lot of ways, their story is most amazing because of the depths of honesty between the two.  I fell in love with her husband too when she showed how forthcoming he was about his feelings and thoughts.  He didn't come across as a man who was overbearing or aloof.  In fact, he sounded patient, smart, and head over heels in love with Ree.  What woman wouldn't want that?

Whether you're familiar with Ree Drummond, the Pioneer Woman, or not, you really should check out her book.  She has an honesty in her writing that is both captivating and funny, and that really captures who we imagine her to be.  From what I hear, she is writing another book to follow her first, and I assure you that I will be quick to grab a copy!

By the way, I'm now a much bigger fan and adore her Food Network show, "The Pioneer Woman."  It airs here on Saturday mornings, but check local listings for the day and time.

*FTC Disclosure:  This review was based on a personal copy of the book.

Review: Stories I Only Tell My Friends by Rob Lowe

After seeing Rob Lowe on Oprah and the way he was with his kids, I knew I had to read his autobiography.  (Check out this link "Rob Lowe's Family" at Oprah.com.)  Although I've always thought he was handsome in a pretty obvious way, I can't say that I'd ever really followed his career that closely.  After his interview on Oprah, talking about his autobiography, I was pretty intrigued and put his audio book on hold at my local library.  Believe it or not, I took me until the middle of September to finally get my hands on it, but it was well worth the wait.

Synopsis:  From Goodreads, "A teen idol at fifteen, an international icon and founder of the Brat Pack at twenty, and one of Hollywood's top stars to this day, Rob Lowe chronicles his experiences as a painfully misunderstood child actor in Ohio uprooted to the wild counterculture of mid-seventies Malibu, where he embarked on his unrelenting pursuit of a career in Hollywood.  

The Outsiders placed Lowe at the birth of the modern youth movement in the entertainment industry. During his time on The West Wing, he witnessed the surreal nexus of show business and politics both on the set and in the actual White House. And in between are deft and humorous stories of the wild excesses that marked the eighties, leading to his quest for family and sobriety.

Never mean-spirited or salacious, Lowe delivers unexpected glimpses into his successes, disappointments, relationships, and one-of-a-kind encounters with people who shaped our world over the last twenty-five years. These stories are as entertaining as they are unforgettable."

Review:  This was probably one of my favorite autobiographies to date.  Having Rob Lowe read his own life story, you get a feel for the emotion behind certain chapters in his life, which was such a bonus.  The experiences he shared from his childhood, of his parent's divorce, being uprooted from Ohio, and his mother's mental ups and downs really do correlate to the addictions and issues he struggled through later in life.  Interestingly enough, he had a constant, internal dream of the stable family with a wife and children he loved.  Despite his good looks, his easy women, and his foray into addiction, Hollywood seems to be something that he has figured out and given a spot in his life, but not given the spotlight.  That journey was really interesting to sit back and experience with him.

One of the things I found most interesting about this autobiography was Lowe's constant identification with his passions.  Acting is obviously something that he is incredibly passionate about.  He loves acting, and it shows in the way he talks about the movies and television shows he has been in.  Rather than always playing the lead role, he learned that he had an aptitude for playing the supporting role in comedies.  Now he is engaged in searching out great films that he can direct and be involved in producing.  It's nice to see how passionate he is about acting and to hear about the craftsmen side of things.  

Lowe with his sons Matthew and John Owen.

Stories I Only Tell My Friends is a juicy read, filled with Hollywood tales and insider stories.  Rob Lowe has seemed to rub shoulders with presidents, stars, and royalty alike and has the stories to back them.   However, his end goal seemed to be more about finding happiness, which he has done with a wife that is his match in friendship and love, and with the jewels of his life, his sons.  The passion he feels for his family and acting make his life story even more interesting.  I enjoyed listening to this audio book and would definitely recommend giving it a try. The biography feels true to Lowe as a person and allows us a nice insider view.

*FTC Disclosure:  Review was based on a library copy of the audio book.

Review: Me by Ricky Martin

I meant to get a couple of reviews written up earlier on Monday, but my sudden lack of schedule played with my ability to get anything written today!  It's not that I didn't get things done, since I was running around to appointments and various errands, but I just didn't settle down today to do anything online.  At least, not anything that was fun!

Before I get sidetracked, I wanted to post a quick review of Me, by Ricky Martin.

Review:  I don't think that anyone needs to explain what Me is about.  Both the title and cover clearly spell out that this is a look into the life of Ricky Martin, the man behind the artist.  Honestly, I've always had a bit of a crush on Ricky Martin, from his days in Menudo when I watched him dance and sing between Saturday morning cartoons, to crooning sultry serenades on Vuelve, or gyrating to "Livin' La Vida Loca."  Whatever he's done, I've been a fan.

In a stripped down sense, this autobiography is the essentials.  There isn't a single picture, very little outside information about anyone else, and mainly takes us through Martin's feelings and thoughts about different periods in his life.  The core of his exploration seems to center on his own self-identity, which returns over and over again to his acceptance of himself as a gay man.  I wouldn't say that he solely looks for areas of his life that should have guided him in his personal truth, but it was a definite theme, and rightfully so.  It is easy to see how Martin's upbringing in a Catholic, Latino culture that both demand strong ideals of masculinity and heterosexuality, shaped his own search to understand who he was at the core.  In the book he looks at what he thought at different times in his life and considers his response in each case.  For instance, Martin had a string of successful relationships with women, who he felt passionately in love with, only to be offset by equally satisfying relationships behind the scenes with several men that came into his life.  He doesn't express any confusion about these relationships, but explains what drew him to each of these loves and what he learned.

The book is pretty much an exploration of experiences and how they shaped Martin into who he is today, a man of an open heart and life of complete honesty.  My one disappointment was that there wasn't a single picture outside of the cover!  I don't care if I'm reading about a famous author or a superstar, I look forward to seeing the personal pictures that are included.  There's something about autobiographies that beg for a picture or two to help us think about the person at each age.  I was just sad that Martin chose not to include any pictures.  The stories and personal journey were interesting, but I'll admit that I was sad that he left out the pictures.

In short, I would say that this is less of an autobiography in the classical sense (linear and straight-forward), and more about Martin's thoughts about different times in his life.  This was an interesting life story, with lots of self-reflection that helps us to relate to Martin's life and to see ourselves in him. 

Yep, I still found I had a bit of a crush and am glad to see how happy he is today.

*FTC Disclosure:  This review was based on a library copy of the book.

Review: I Loved, I Lost, I Made Spaghetti by Giulia Melucci

From time to time, I like a good "foodie" book.  There is this comfort factor that goes along with reading about someone who not only makes lovely food, but has TIME to make lovely food.  I like to cook on the weekends and often put up food for the week, but rarely cook more than simple throw-it-together meals midweek, or grab something on my way home.  Listen, I think I've given up on trying to keep salad fixings from going bad.  When you're single and cooking for one, salad goes bad too fast.  I've decided that I'll splurge on the weekly Cafe Zupas salad rather than keep throwing out the stuff I bought at the store!  Having said that, I ran across Giulia Melucci's book, I Loved, I Lost, I Made Spaghetti.

Synopsis:  From Goodreads, "In the early '90s, Giulia Melucci moved out of the Brooklyn home where she was raised full of romantic hopes and her mother’s excellent Italian cooking. She dreamed of finding the perfect guy, but fresh ingredients were scarce. After nearly twenty years of New York City dating she had nothing more than a slew of broken relationships under her belt. Well, that and a heap of delicious recipes, which she shares along with stories of her doomed amorous adventures.
 
An affectionate alcoholic, a classic New York City commitment-phobe, a hipster aged well past his sell date, and not one but two novelists with Peter Pan complexes no matter what their fatal flaw, Giulia has cooked for them. She suffers each disappointment with resolute cheer (after a good cry) and a bowl of pasta (recipe included), and has lived to tell the tale so that other women may find a better recipe for love or at least go to bed with something good to eat.

You will laugh along with Giulia as she manages to find the lighter side of each disappointment as you swoon over her irresistible culinary creations. Mix one part humor, a dash of sarcasm, and lots of heart then devour this story of a woman looking everywhere for love . . . and finding it on the stove."

Review:  With a witty way of telling a life story and a book full of great recipes, Melucci's story was not only fun to read, but also yummy to devour! Yes, this is very much a single gals journey through relationships and good food, mainly at the same time.  Not one of the men that she dated ever seemed to complain about the fact that she could cook.  Really, what human being would ever complain about a really good cook? With her Italian heritage and her appreciation for good products, the meals she created didn't just please her men, but will easily please her readers as well.

One recipe I jumped on was her angel hair with asparagus.  With a quick saute in olive oil and garlic, the asparagus takes only minutes to cook.  Toss in a bit of angel hair, and top with Parmesan, and what could be better?  What's not to love?  Other recipes in the book included a variety of pasta dishes, breakfast foods, and roasted meats.  Intermingled with Melucci's stories of the men she dated, loved, and lost, you come to believe there will be a giant epiphany at the end of the book, but it's not there, and that feels all right.  In a surprising sense, there isn't really a great arrival point in the book, but more a series of experiences that came into her life.  On the whole, this was a great "journey" story, filled with great food, recipes, and characters who all work together to create an engaging recipe for a book.  Now, if only I could find the energy to cook like she does!

Check out this fun YouTube video with the author where she describes her own book:

Response: Eat, Pray, Love by Elizabeth Gilbert

Yes, I finally finished reading Eat, Pray, Love.  Please note that this is a response and not a review.  I just couldn't keep myself out of this one!  Although a Reader-Response critique is not the best approach to any book, one can't help but draw on what one feels and thinks.  In the case of Eat, Pray, Love, I could NOT separate my own life from Gilbert's, which is why this reading took me so very long.  Did I like it?  No--and yes.  It's all very complicated.

Synopsis:  Elizabeth Gilbert found herself in a complicated, unfulfilled marriage, questioning why she settled for relationships that didn't fully meet her needs.  After continuing to cry out to God, the universe, or to whatever higher power that might be listening, Gilbert let go of her crazy life and marriage to travel to Italy, India, and Indonesia for one year.  In each location, Gilbert spent four months.  Italy served as the basis for "Eat" as she devoured gorgeously prepared Italian foods like pizza without thought of her waistline.  India was her locale for "Pray" as she studied at an ashram, learning to quiet her mind and be at peace.  Finally, Indonesia became her place of "Love" in that she accepted and loved herself, but also found the unexpected love of another man near the conclusion of her journey.

Review:  Unsettled would be a good word to use with my reading of Eat, Pray, Love.  In the beginning I found myself so annoyed by Gilbert's constant whining about her marriage and non-stop relationships with men, that I wanted to shake her.  It quickly became apparent to me that I was NOT going be able to separate my own mid-30's, single viewpoint from the text.  Having suffered from one gut-wrenching break up that has challenged my adulthood, to smaller possible relationships that went the wayside, I just couldn't sympathize with Gilbert's view.  Basically, she seemed to feel that *gasp* she had always had a man in her life and always viewed the glass half full, only to be disappointed by their eventual failings.  Okay, so that would be frustrating, but altering to the point of stopping in your tracks to go live overseas for a year?  Who gets to ever do that in real life?  Who gets to be so self-indulgent that they can put a time out on the world to just center and align themselves to God and the universe?  Well, not me.  I have bills to pay and students to teach.  Yes, I will admit to being jealous that someone could justify themselves into such a journey. 

As mentioned, I really was jealous of the journey Gilbert went on.  I was so jealous that I could feel myself turning green around the edges!  Here's the thing.  How could I ever justify or afford such a journey of the soul?  When you've been raised to "put one foot in front of the other," to face challenges head on, it's often hard to swallow a more freewheeling view of self-discovery.  Maybe my own Western ideology about facing challenges prevented me from connecting to Gilbert and I should just own it.  Could it be that I could use some decompressing and self-centered discovery?  Why yes.  I'm sure I could.  I just know that there is no time or place for me to really take that kind of time out.  Besides, in the process of trying to acknowledge all the good in my life, a journey like this would seem to be insulting for all the people I know who face far great adversity than she or I ever could.

All right.  So she went on a journey to find herself, literally, and did just that.  Good on her.  I appreciated the self-reflection, the insights on quieting the mind, the reflections of our culture that showed me that we really do allow life to suck us along at a dizzying pace.  The message of truth in self, regardless of possessions or relationships is one that is universal and good to return to often.  I recognize that we get caught up in things that are small and lose sight of things greater than ourselves.  In the end, I suppose my resentment came from the fact that I felt looked down on for being "Western" and not having the time or means to take off to travel the world.  I'm not sure that was really her message, so I have to applaud her for laying her own pain out there for all of us to examine.  In her case, she had to take this journey to find herself.  It was the adventure of a lifetime that taught her many wonderful things about the purpose of life.  I think I'm going to have to stay put and find myself in more amenable ways.

Overall, and amazingly (considering my earlier frustration), I did end up liking the book.  Yes, I was terribly annoyed by the weakness and self-indulgence I saw coming from the pages of her story, but by the end I appreciated the lessons she had learned.

Side note on the film:  Surprisingly, I didn't have a moment's thought about Julia Robert's character going on this journey around the world.  In fact, I felt great camaraderie with the screen version of Gilbert, feeling greater sympathy for her situation than I ever had in the book.  I've decided that we've come to expect self-indulgence from a movie character, or at least a more glamorous life than many of us lead.  In that sense, I felt for the seemingly pained and lost character, and was eager to see her happy again.  Besides, it was sunny, bright Julia Roberts.  I think I might have her to thank for pulling me into the movie and maybe getting some of Gilbert's message.

*FTC Disclosure:  This review was based on a personal copy of the novel.

What was your response to the book and the film? 

Review: Sliding Into Home by Kendra Wilkinson

Can I be honest and say that I'm not 100% sure what compelled me to read this autobiography?  I like interesting stories about people's lives, and I have watched some of the reality shows Kendra has played in, but I really can't say what urged me to push all the other books aside to read this one.  Curiosity?  Yes, I guess that would be it?

Synopsis:  In this honest autobiography, Kendra Wilkinson shares her life from her single-parent upbringing after her father walked out on the family to her time at the Playboy mansion.  Throughout her young life, Kendra has experienced running away, learning disabilities, acting out, sexual activity, and drugs & alcohol all within her teens.  Having gotten into drugs at an early age, Kendra found herself more interested in partying than in going to school or even playing her favorite sport, soccer.  Eventually, Kendra found herself in a relationship, stripping for its easy money, when she was asked to go to the Playboy Mansion to serve drinks at a party for Hef's birthday.  That one event led to her invitation into Hef's life as a girlfriend and "The Girls Next Door," which showed a seemingly staged version of her reality that launched her into the limelight of today.  From her new stardom, Kendra met and married her now husband, Hank Baskett who plays with the NFL.

Review:  This was a pretty fast-paced read as far as autobiographies go.  Once you start reading, it's pretty easy to speed right through to the end.  The style and voice are reminiscent of Kendra, and a pretty easy read.  Kendra's life was really out of control with all of the acting out and drug use.  I couldn't help but feel for her family, who really kept hoping for her to change over and over and over again.  Strangely, it does seem that Playboy slowed her down and helped give her a new focus in her life.

For me, I think that this book grabbed me because I saw the life of a close friend of mine mirrored in the young Kendra.  One of my closest best friends growing up went down very similar paths, choosing to shoplift, drink, and party on a really grand scale.  Eventually, we grew apart, especially after she put me in a really awkward position one afternoon when she stole an expensive bottle of perfume at a department store where we were shopping.  She ended up getting held by mall security and I had to call for a ride home.  Strangely, I don't remember what happened to her in that case, but I do know that we went our separate ways and have not stayed in touch. 

Whether it was the direct correlation I could make between the young Kendra in the pages and my own best friend, or the ways that Kendra has identified as helping her change that grabbed me, the book is easy to get sucked into.  Despite her wild and crazy background, Kendra feels like a genuine person that is easy to like.  It's strange that I felt that way from what little I have read or seen of her!  Having said that, with her new loving marriage and young son, you can't help but sincerely hope for her success in the future.  Regardless, her life has been one crazy ride, and one that I would honestly never want for myself! 

*FTC Disclosure:  This review is based on a library copy of the book.

Review: I Am Ozzy by Ozzy Osbourne

Pardon my reminiscing this morning, but this post has a lot of meaning for me, and needs a little explaining.  Twelve years ago today my dad passed away from breast cancer.  I'm shocked it has been that long, yet still feel like it was just yesterday. 

When my father passed away, I was still in college, and life was moving at Mach 20.  After I graduated, I moved home to be with my mother, and although that was three years after his death, we had both hit a strange depression.  I was home though, and hoped that we could both pull out of this funk we found ourselves.  That fall the Osbournes reality series "The Osbournes" aired on MTV and my mother and I found a hearty laugh and a safe haven in their show. 

Who would think that a foul-mouthed, crazy Rock & Roll first family would help pull us out of a serious funk, but they did.  Now, if you know my mother at all, you know she is seriously straight-laced.  Yet somehow, this crazy family's heart, love, and humor was enough to reach out through the screen to my mother and I.  I know it sounds strange, but I have a real soft spot for the Osbournes and how their crazy antics could bring a smile back to our faces.  They had this "I will stick by you because I love you, no matter what" kind of attitude that reminded us how powerful love is in a family.  That regardless of our imperfections, our families can be our safety net.

Synopsis:  From Goodreads, "Has there ever been a more extraordinary rock-star story than Ozzy Osbourne's? Born into a life so poor that the whole family slept in one room, Ozzy endured a tough upbringing. Music was his salvation and his band Black Sabbath went on to change the music scene forever. But along with the rock and roll came the inevitable sex and drugs and Ozzy fell into a long relationship with addictive substances. The stories of Ozzy's days on the road are legendary - biting the head off a live bat, losing his best friend and writing partner Randy Rhoades in a tragic plane crash - but few know of the real heartbreak he suffered during those days of excess. In the end it was love that saved him: the love of his wife Sharon and kids Kelly, Jack and Aimee. In his highly anticipated autobiography, Ozzy comes clean: in all senses."

Review:  The show, "The Osbournes" was one of the shows that I credit for pulling me out of a serious depression after my father passed away from cancer.  The thing that really struck me about that show was how much they genuinely loved each other.  Yes, their lives were crazy, but the love they had for one another came pouring out of them.  It made me smile.

Ozzy Osbourne's life was filled with crazy ups and downs; some he created and some came from left field.  Ozzy worked in slaughterhouses, sang for Black Sabbath, and starred in his own reality show.  Regardless of what he was doing, it was easy to see from his autobiography that Ozzy was always honest about where he came from and who he was.  

I think the thing that struck me the most about Ozzy Osbourne's life was that although he admits to and acknowledges his many weaknesses, that his drug and alcohol abuse also helped to serve as a cover for his weaknesses.  I realize that addiction is a disease, but no matter how honest one claims to be, addiction overrides that honesty and allows one to hide behind its gruesome coat tails.  From all the drugs and alcohol that Ozzy took in his lifetime, it's hard to say why he's still alive.  Beyond that, his escapades with other women and larger than life rocker lifestyle should have driven any semblance of family far from the picture, but he has managed to hold on to his family.  This success at home has to be due to his wife Sharon, who put up with her fair share of abuse over the years.

As a fan of Ozzy's, I am hard pressed to really fault his own life story too much.  The one thing I do wish he would have included more was his relationships with his children.  Very little is mentioned about his kids, and I found myself curious about how he has maintained a strong, loving relationship with his children, regardless of his drug and alcohol abuse. 

 Right or wrong, the Osbournes are a family with heart.  They want to be honest about their actions and feelings, which is strangely why they seem endearing.  Ozzy's autobiography was interesting, and I enjoyed reading more about his life.  I do have to give a huge disclaimer that there is a lot of profanity throughout the book, reminiscent of Ozzy's way of speaking.  Honestly though, the book was trying to show this larger than life character for who he was, madness and all.  

*FTC Disclosure:  This review was based off of a library copy of the book.

Review: No Footprints in the Sand by Henry Kalalahilimoku Nalaielua

As I mentioned in my previous post, I tend to use books as a way of researching something I'm interested in.  Lately, that interest has been more centered on learning more about locations and their cultures.  As part of that, I did a little research on books about or set in Hawaii and found No Footprints in the Sand available in an ebook format, read a sample of the book, and became even more interested in reading Henry Nalaielua's life story.

Synopsis:  From Goodreads, "When Henry Nalaielua was diagnosed with Hansen's disease in 1936 and taken from his home and family, he began a journey of exile that led him to Kalaupapa--the remote settlement with the tragic history on the Hawaiian island of Moloka'i. This is Henry's story--an unforgettable memoir of the boy who grew to build a full and joyous life at Kalaupapa, and still calls it home today. No Footprints in the Sand is one of only a few memoirs ever shared with the public by a Kalaupapa patient. Its intimacy and candor make it, in the words of Pulitzer Prize-winning poet W.S. Merwin, "a rare and precious human document." Nalaielua's story is an inspiring one; despite exile, physical challenges and the severing of family ties, he has faced life -- as an artist, musician and historian -- with courage, honesty, hope and humor."

Review:  For anyone who has ever watched the classic movie Ben Hur, there is this gut-wrenching moment in the film where Ben Hur goes to this rocky canyon to visit his mother and sister, who have been afflicted with leprosy.  They have been cast out by society, with only basket deliveries of food being let down into their valley.  This scene has stuck with me for a very long time, and I've always thought in the back of my mind, "How did they get sick, and do people get sick like that today?"

The answer to this question is a definite yes, as people continue to be diagnosed with Hansen's disease, or leprosy, as it has been known for centuries.  As Henry mentions in his autobiography, leprosy is an inflammatory term that continues to be confusing and frightening to most people.  In fact, reading the autobiography caused me to do a bit of a search into the ways one would get "leprosy," and I have to say that even the World Health Organization doesn't seem to be exactly clear on how you actually get the disease.  They do seem to know that it's a virus, caught through a bacteria, but not the exact ways in which you actually would pick it up, so you can avoid them.  It seems then that the not knowing is the scariest part of the disease, since it can not only shorten one's life with painful disorders, but also marginalize them in any community.  The good news today is that there are medications that can dramatically improve the lives of those with Hansen's disease.


Henry Nalaielua's autobiography was a captivating read, and one that I could hardly put down at night.  In the partial pidgin voice of Henry, himself, the story develops in a straight-forward sort of way that showed his bright personality, and positive outlook.  You couldn't help but love Henry right away. As a young boy on the Big Island, Henry contracted Hansen's disease and was sent away from his family to Honolulu to the hospital, and later to the leper colony at Kalaupapa on Molokai.  This famous colony was established by the famous Catholic Father Damien, who also fell to the disease there.  Throughout his life, Henry seemed to not let his disease keep him from having a life of his own.  He held multiple jobs, married twice, had two daughters, and traveled to many places in the United States and around the world as he worked to improve his own health, and to forward the education of others on the disease that affected so many.  


This autobiography is full of heart, culture, and spirit.  The life that Henry led is amazing, and I found everything about him intriguing.  There is a good amount of Hawaiian culture and spirit in the entire story, and Henry really captured the spirit of the people in the islands.  His drive and endeavor to live his life and take it for what it was, without too much self-indulgent pity was inspiring to me.  From his early experience as a young boy paraded in front of doctors to show the stage of his disease, to his later life traveling to Father Damien's later beatification as a representative of Kalaupapa, all made for a most amazing and interesting life story.


This autobiography is short, less than 200 pages, but full of heart and substance.  The bulk of the text bounces from standard English to pidgin, reflecting Henry's voice and that of his writer.  Although casual and informal in its presentation, I found No Footprints in the Sand to be a captivating read that has me searching out additional books about Kalaupapa, Hansen's disease, and the amazing Hawaiian culture.


*FTC Disclosure:  This review was based off a personal electronic copy of the book.

Review: This Family of Mine by Victoria Gotti

Okay.  I have to own up to a bit of a fascination for me, called the mafia.  Yes, this school teacher, lover of all things Jane Austen, and genius of old-school musicals has a fascination for organized crime.  Not just any organized crime.  I'm talking the Gambinos, the Gottis, the Sopranos (ok, so I do know the Sopranos are a fictional family, but thank you A&E for showing those episodes).  Let me back this up with a little explanation. 

When I first started graduate school about seven years ago, it was in a scholarship program in northern Idaho that was literally nine hours from my home, which made it impossible for me to go home over weekends or holidays.  One LONG Fourth of July weekend, I hit the local video store, since I would be trapped in a school-provided dorm room for much of that time, and decided to finally check out the famous trio of films known as The Godfather I, II, & III.  I was frightened, and more than a little appalled, but also strangely intrigued by my seven hours of mafia movie mania.  I finally understood all the cultural references!  Slightly inappropriate for the extremely conservative, calm family I was raised in, but oh so fascinating.

Several years later, I found the ever delightful Growing Up Gotti, which was a reality show about Victoria Gotti and her three teen sons.  Victoria is the daughter of the famous New York mob boss, John Gotti, who was the famous boss of the Gambino family.  His daughter and three sons were so engaging to watch, and all I could do was think about what they knew, thought, or felt about organized crime.  Honestly though, I loved their sense of family, their snarky bantering, and the large Italian dinners; I really just wanted to stop by, sit down, and have a Diet Coke and a chat.  Now you understand why I shrieked with delight when I found out Victoria Gotti had an autobiography.

Synopsis:  In this complex autobiography, Victoria Gotti opens her own life story with that of her father and mother and the troubled homes they came from.   Placed in a unique situation, as the daughter to the infamous, late John Gotti, and sister to brother John A. "Junior" Gotti, who also served time in prison, Victoria finally took to paper to defend her family.  Showing the troubled beginnings of both her parents, as well as her own impoverished youth, Victoria tells a story of a father who was part of a group of men who defended their community and took care of things themselves, rather than ever involving the authorities.   On the one hand, her father was this man who was generous, courageous, and enduring in his fight for the culture he was raised in, while on the other he had a nasty temper, was disengaged, and slightly narcissistic.   Victoria then tells how she met, married, and had her own family, built on a lie that was her own husband's involvement in organized crime, and her father's dislike for her now ex-husband.  Her own family of three sons was hard won, with a lengthy list of serious health conditions that should have left her without any children of her own.  Not only did Victoria have her three children, but also endured the hardship of family members in prison, the constant threat of losing her home, and her own career to consider under the harsh scrutiny of her given name.  Through all of these unique circumstances, Victoria's story shows itself as one of a major tell all, ready to be frank with a world that thought they knew the whole story already.

Review:  Victoria Gotti's story of her family growing up, and later marriage and family of her own, had me enthralled from the opening chapters of the book.  Not only could I not put it down until I had read every last page, but I also found myself understanding elements of her upbringing that I thought I would never be able to wrap my head around.  John Gotti is not painted to be some Mike Brady who walked in the door every night, ready to teach and moralize to his children.  He definitely was a strong father figure in their lives, but one that was tough, wouldn't take excuses, and was judge and jury in many cases that no one was privy to.  I got the sense that he protected his family and their way of life, but was the definite head over them all.  Victoria's own life story was gut-wrenching and had me cheering her on.  Through all of her problems, health and otherwise, her one desire was to be a mother.  She got her wish, but watched as her father was sent off to prison and later died of throat cancer, her younger brother "Junior" was sent to prison, and her own husband was shockingly sent to prison for his own criminal activity, but not before her marriage became volatile and she had proceeded to divorce the man her father had warned her about.

I really loved reading Victoria's story.  There is something so strangely wrong, yet empathetic about the mafia, with their family ideals and fight against the stereotypes of Italian-Americans leveled at them for generations.  As wrong as organized crime is, with its selfish control of monies earned in dishonest endeavors, and judge and jury for behaviors deemed unacceptable, there is also something fiercely protective about the mafia that tries to protect its own at whatever cost.  I think that Victoria is an amazing woman, with a definite strength to carry herself out of her family's infamous past, to raise three sons on her own, and to continue to struggle to provide for the shambles of a life her ex-husband left her in.  I can't say that we know to what extent Victoria really knew about her family's criminal activity, but it is obvious that she was a part of the culture enough to know that her father would protect her, and that her family was her most important asset.

Told like all autobiographies, this life story is one I think was well-written and that gives a personal inside look at an infamous family.  Personally, and irregardless of my own fascination with the mafia, I would recommend this autobiography as one that will tell a story of a culture and family that won't soon be forgotten.

*FTC Disclosure:  Review based off of a library copy of the book.

Review: My Delicious Life With Paula Deen by Michael Groover

Aloha! I've arrived to my mom's place in the islands, and boy am I a happy camper. The mad rush that precedes a vacation or long trip can be maddening, but I have such nice friends, that I'm feeling really calm now (thanks Sarah & Doc, you both are the best).

Anyway, over Memorial Day Weekend, I did have a little time to lay low and not do much of anything...but anticipate the mad rush coming my way. I had checked out the autobiography of Paula Deen's husband, curious about this "late-in-life" romance between the famous celebrity TV chef and her boat captain husband. Autobiographies don't seem to take long for me to read, so I had this one put away in just a few short hours, and to be honest, I'm still not sure what I think.

Synopsis: The basic premise of the autobiography is to set up and introduce Michael Groover's marriage to famous Paula Deen. A strong man in his own rights, you get an early sense that this man is not one to enjoy the limelight, but loves the crazy life that he has built with Deen. Michael grew up on the Georgia coastline, in the city of Savannah. As a life-long resident, his love of Savannah, the south, and of the sea are ever prevalent in his upbringing and story. His own professional life started on the water, where he worked his way up to captain. On the personal side of his life, he married young and had a son and a daughter. That marriage eventually failed, leaving him seemingly eager to be a bachelor for the rest of his life. His desires to be a bachelor didn't curb some of the "hard living" that we might consider of a boat captain. Michael talked about drinking hard, being with women, and living alone...all until Paula chased an errant dog into his yard.

From the moment the two met, it wasn't necessarily love at first sight, but Michael did find Paula really beautiful. It also seems she was one flirtatious lady who worked her way into his life. Their relationship developed over a couple of years as her career started to take off, but both were afraid to commit to anything, and Michael's daughter was less than enthused to see them together. We all know how the rest went, since they did end up together (thus the autobiography). The remainder of the book discusses how they've dealt with her fame, the places they've traveled, and how they work through the tough times together.

Review: While an interesting read, because I love reading about people and their lives, the story and its delivery were a bit jarring. The writer who helped Michael put the autobiography together did a good job of helping us hear Michael, as it felt conversational in a lot of ways, but it was that conversational style that also made it feel awkward. I'm not sure if it was jarring because of the gap between what I knew and thought about the two of them, and what he presented as the truth, or if it was just that the two of them really were as rough around the edges as they said in the opening of the book. Either way, I found the stories of sexual encounters, licentious living, and passing gas to be less entertaining and more distracting from the underlying story of two people who had found one another later in life...and happened to be on television.

I really like Paula Deen, and have even seen many of the Food Network specials that have featured Paula and Michael on their wedding day, in Europe, and in the Caribbean. Together, they seemed like the perfect team. She was fiery and loud, he was calm and quiet. She joked around with awkward sexual innuendos, he smiled quietly and looked the other way. Then you read the book, and find that she is just like that in real life, to the point that she sometimes embarrasses Michael. He is also pretty fiery, getting into a couple of near altercations with rude people wanting to cash in on Paula's fame, and up front about his conservative opinions about "Yankees" and gays. He admits to having his eyes opened about good people, of all sorts, and his opinions changing, which is nice. It does seem though, that in a lot of ways that his way of addressing things is grabbing at straws. I got his flavor, and that he is his own man, excited about his bigger than life future with Paula Deen, but I have to say that the delivery was odd. I really wanted to embrace this down-home delivery and life story, but it really had me wanting to read sections out loud to someone to see if they scrunched up their face as often as I did.

If you like Paula Deen and Michael, by all means pick up his autobiography to learn more about this unique couple. I would just say that you might learn some things that you wished you hadn't. (You know, it's strangely like catching your mom and dad in bed together. Awkward.) I think that more about HOW they blended their lives together, how they overcame their fears, and less about their strange actions and behaviors that make them so outrageous and lovable to one another would have been much better. Still, read it if you love them, and if you like Michael's voice then you'll enjoy the book.

*FTC Disclosure: Review is based off of a library copy of the book.

Review: The Time of My Life by Patrick Swayze and Lisa Niemi

After an amazing weekend with friends, I had to refocus and turn in my 3rd term grades today. What a relief to have them all in though! Now that I've conquered them, I wanted to post my review of Patrick Swayze's autobiography The Time of My Life, because it has been weighing on my mind for a couple of weeks. Rather than a normal synopsis and review, you'll have to forgive me as I take this in a little bit of a different direction.

Back in junior high, I developed a huge crush on the great actor, Patrick Swayze. I remember becoming obsessed with him as Orry Main, the son of a plantation owner from South Carolina who becomes friends with a northerner during his West Point days, pre-Civil War. Let's not mince words, Patrick Swayze was electric in that role, and many to follow! Today I own that series, and still love it.


As a young girl, I had Patrick's "Sexiest Man Alive" cover from People magazine taped up in my locker at school, and followed his career like any good fan would do.
Of course we remember Patrick Swayze in Dirty Dancing, but he played in a wide range of other movies that included Ghost, Roadhouse, and many, many more. Before acting Patrick started off as this amazing dancer, that started as a ballet dancer in New York City, but ended up in acting after injuries prevented him from dancing professionally any longer. He also had an incredibly long-lasting relationship with the beautiful Lisa Niemi, who I had seen with him in interviews. The two met in Texas as young dancers, and later fell in love and married as aspiring dancers in New York. Together, they built a life together that comes through beautifully in Swayze's autobiography.


I've always loved Patrick Swayze and his work, loved his passion for life, and loved his absolute dedication to the people closest to him. To me, he was a wonderful, surprising man of conviction in an industry that often lack such qualities.

Having said that, and knowing some of his background already, I was so touched to learn more about his life. In his autobiography, The Time of My Life, Patrick Swayze reveals many of what he felt were vulnerable aspect of his character, which included his need to master whatever skill he attempted (feeling that he always had to be good at whatever he did), his abiding love for his wife Lisa (which he revealed he always felt she wasn't as in to him as he was into her, which he later learned was totally wrong), and his deep pain over losing a much loved father and its effects on him. I was moved to hear about his vulnerable moments, to hear how he faced them, and even how he overcame the problems he developed with alcohol as he dealt with his pain. To me, Patrick Swayze's life is a real testament to the ups and downs of any person's life, and how we can approach them.

As I knew heading into his life story, I also knew that the book was completed shortly before his death in September of last year. Patrick Swayze's battle with pancreatic cancer was known from the beginning, and seems to float over the book as you read, making you think, "Just give it all you've got!" From this, I mean that I kept thinking that had he known, how would he have changed things? I think we all would just say to ourselves, to dig deep and give life all you have, which is what I kept thinking as I related his struggles to some of my own. Ten years ago I had a much too close brush with pancreatic cancer. At 23 I had a tumor removed from my pancreas, and for years since, have been haunted by all the "what ifs" of that paralyzing disease. I was fortunate to have caught it so young, and have had yearly check ups to ensure a clean bill of health ever since. Having shared that, I have to admit to always passing up any book, film, or interview that discussed pancreatic cancer, only because of my own fears over the disease. Patrick Swayze's life story and fight against cancer was the first time I really faced listening to someone else's story. Before that, I just couldn't listen. In fact, when The Last Lecture came out, I avoided it like the plague, and still have not read it, out of my own fear. However, with this strange obsession I had with Patrick Swayze as a young girl, I felt that I had this connection to what he was going through, and wanted to hear more.

It seemed to me, that in the end, Patrick Swayze honored his own life and what he had accomplished through the way he battled cancer. Cancer will never define him, but strangely shed a light on all the good he had done, and reminded us all of how important it is to reach for happiness each and every day.

In synopsis, I highly recommend The Time of My Life. Listen, I'm the first person to run from stories of cancer or dogs (you know...because they always die!), but this autobiography was really moving. Like any human story, it reminded me how precious life is, and even how precious we are as individuals. The walk-away message of this book is varied, and I can say that I have thought about many different aspects of my own life since reading his autobiography. All I can say is, that as a fan, but more as a fellow human being, his life touched mine for good.

For more information, see: The Time of My Life.

*Review based off of library copy of the book.

Much Ado...Part Deux

Sorry, but I know that reading long posts can be pretty tedious! I just have so much to post about all of a sudden that I need more room for it all. :)

So on to what I've been reading. First off, let me not give off the impression that I've had tons of time for reading, because that's not the case at all. Here's the issue I've had this past week or two. The pollen count has been "Very High" now for over a week, which has sent me in a veritable tail spin. I've been on every prescription allergy medication known to mankind because I'm the type that gets these hideous sinus infections that create pressure behind my eyes, cheeks, and forehead. It's been murder! Well, it seems like once I take my last round of meds at night, have showered, and even taken my nasal spray, that I finally feel some relief, but can't get to sleep at night. Having said that, how do I spend my restless nights? Well, I grade for an hour or two, and then force myself to try to get drowsy so that I can get a couple hours of sleep by reading. That's where the reading time has come from...my sleep!

I actually finished Tori Spelling's autobiography Stori Telling late last night, but barely picked it up from the library on Thursday. I have to say that I actually have a new-found respect for Tori Spelling. I know it will sound a little strange, but I started watching her Tori and Dean show after Meg Cabot, in her blog, kept making comments about how much she loved the show. I gave it a try, and yes, I was hooked. She's amazingly down to earth, and you can see her vulnerabilities spelled out in a very charming sort of way. Besides, she genuinely loves her family and spends a lot of time being an actual mother, not just a Hollywood star like I'd always thought. Her autobiography really just spelled out why she is the way she is, and I found it kind of fascinating.


Now let me say though that I've ALWAYS had a thing for biographies of any form. I went through a phase in the 4th grade where I couldn't get enough of them, and remember reading one about Abraham Lincoln, Bob Hope, and Jimmy Carter. Granted, they weren't written for adults, but I remember reading a ton of biographies when I was in gradeschool. What a nerd, right? :) Honestly, I think it plays into my "cultural studies" side that loves observing human nature and why we are the way we are. My fascination with human behavior has also kind of turned me into a much more liberal person than I ever was before, based on the fact that I've seen what freedoms do for a person. We can either CHOOSE to be horrifying and kitchy, or we can CHOOSE to follow paths of happiness, but it seems that built in that choice comes greater humanity and good on a global scale. (Okay, so that all sounds a little grandiose in a discussion about Tori Spelling, but you get my gist?) Anyway, I thoroughly enjoyed reading more about Tori Spelling's life, and will thank my lucky stars that I'm living a life out of the spotlight.

The second book I read this weekend was Loving Will Shakespeare by Carolyn Mackler. I actually read half of it Tuesday night when I ended up only getting an hour's sleep. Had I not been so sleep deprived, I might have finished it that night, but just couldn't stay up a second longer. I finished it this morning in one last swoop, and thoroughly enjoyed this one as well. Again, it's YA fiction, but interesting. Besides loving a novel that places me in a different time period, and one that is so foreign to me, I loved reading this author's take on Shakespeare's early years.


The novel was told from a Anne Hathaway's point of view, who lived in the same village/township as our young Shakespeare. I vaguely remember that his wife had been older than he was, but the book reallly highlights the way this played out as both grew up. It seems that Will was a whimsical fellow, full of creativity and a desire to do and be more from the very beginning. You really grow to care about Anne, and really want to see her with someone who will appreciate and love her, but is Will the one to do that? Yes and no. I was really caught up in the angst that was Anne's as she grew older and knew that she was becoming less of a "spring chicken" with each passing year, and at age 26 was told she might be sent off to a home so that she did not burden her family anymore. (Gasp...yet another reason to be glad for our modern day, and for living in the US, as I know some countries still feel this way. Okay, so we DO feel this way, but we socially ostracize in a way, but not physically...thank goodness!) Anyway, I really cared about Anne and wanted Will to be her hero in the story, but found the way the author dealt with his rise to fame and fortune to be interesting, and a little gut wrenching for Anne. You'll just have to read it to find out why, but I will say that it's a decent enough read. At least I liked it, which made it for a fun read.

Well, I'm off to keep grading Don Quixote essays. :( I have about 1/3 of them read from my time down yesterday, but REALLY need to get the other 2/3 finished today!!! Besides, I have parent-teacher conferences coming up this week (which I hate more than just about anything), and new units to start in both 11th and AP classes. Sigh...so much to do. We'll see if I fit in any more time to read, but pray it's not replacing my sleep like this last week, because I'll surely go mad if it does!