MEMOIR – Page 6 – Looking For a Good Book

September 22, 2016

CROWDED IN THE MIDDLE OF NOWHERE – Dr. Bo Brock

It definitely takes a special sort of person to go in to the business of helping and caring for animals. Maintaining a sense of humor definitely helps as animals can often be even more unpredictable than humans as patients. Veterinarian Dr. Bo Brock not only maintains his sense of humor, but shares it through a Continue reading

MEMOIR, NON-FICTION, Uncategorized

3 Stars, Book Reviews, Books, Memoir, non-fiction, Reviews

September 13, 2016

THE MUNCHKIN BOOK – James Lowder, editor

If you are any kind of geek at all, you already know about the card game Munchkin and many of its variants. But what do you really know about the game, the creators and many of its bizarre rules? This collection of (mostly) humorous essays gives the reader and game player a peek of the Munchkin Continue reading

MEMOIR, NON-FICTION, SF/FANTASY, Uncategorized

4 stars, Book Reviews, Books, Entertainment, Games, Humor, Memoir, non-fiction, Reviews

July 18, 2016

BEHIND THE MIC – Robert Dustman

Why do we read memoirs? We read biographies and autobiographies to learn more about a person. But why do we read memoirs? The answer, I suspect, is different for everyone, but mostly I think it’s for insight. Either into a person; human nature; or a profession. Behind the Mic, by Robert Dustman, is an autobiography Continue reading

ENTERTAINMENT, MEMOIR, NON-FICTION, Uncategorized

2 Stars, Biography, Book Reviews, Books, Entertainment, Memoir, non-fiction, Reviews

June 21, 2016

DARK NIGHT: A TRUE BATMAN STORY – Paul Dini

Sometimes, after a catastrophic event, especially a very personal one, the victim needs to find a release – a cathartic means of expression. Paul Dini is looking for his relief through a medium that he is very familiar with. The graphic novel. Paul Dini’s name is likely familiar to comic book and animation nerds as Continue reading

GRAPHIC NOVEL, MEMOIR, NON-FICTION, Uncategorized

4 stars, Biography, Book Reviews, Books, Graphic Novels, Memoir, Reviews

June 9, 2016

WHAT ELEPHANTS KNOW – Eric Dinerstein

I read/review approximately 200 books a year but very few of them are as simply beautiful as What Elephants Know, by Eric Dinerstein. Nandu is a child, abandoned in the jungle of the Borderlands of Nepal and watched over by a pack of wild dogs. He is found and raised by Subba-sahib, the head of Continue reading

CHILDREN’S, MEMOIR, Uncategorized, YA

5 Stars, Book Reviews, Books, Children’s Books, Reviews, Young Adult

April 12, 2016

NO ONE’S PET – Sheila Kennedy

First, let’s point out that this isn’t a biography (or autobiography) so much as it is a memoir. What’s the difference? A memoir (typically) doesn’t follow the timeline of one’s life but selects moments that were meaningful and expounds on them, often jumping around. No One’s Pet by Sheila Kennedy definitely fits the memoir mold. Continue reading

MEMOIR, NON-FICTION, Uncategorized

4 stars, Biography, Book Reviews, Books, Memoir, non-fiction, Reviews

January 13, 2016

RINGO – Michael Seth Starr

I’m glad to see that books about the Beatles, as a group, or as solo artists, are still popular enough to be published. Ringo, as the tile suggests, is a biography of one of the world’s most famous drummers. As an amateur percussionist myself, I’ve long had a special interest in this gentleman, though know/knew Continue reading

ENTERTAINMENT, MEMOIR, NON-FICTION, Uncategorized

3 Stars, Biography, Book Reviews, Books, Entertainment, non-fiction, Reviews

December 29, 2015

SLAVE NARRATIVES OF THE UNDERGROUND RAILROAD – Christine Rudisel and Bob Blaisdell, eds.

I have to admit that I don’t know nearly as much as I should about the struggle of slaves in America and their flight to freedom and emancipation, despite the fact that there’s a slavery underground house just a few blocks from my home. Certainly I’ve read about it in history classes, but it was Continue reading

MEMOIR, NON-FICTION, Uncategorized

4 stars, Biography, Book Reviews, Books, History, history book, Memoir, non-fiction, Reviews

November 20, 2015

THE MANDOLIN LESSON – Frances Taylor

I was shocked to see that this book, published a year and a half ago, has so few ratings/reviews on Goodreads and Amazon. This book deserves to be read. I can’t say that I’m a huge fan of memoirs, usually because I find that you need to be familiar with the writer to appreciate what Continue reading

MEMOIR, NON-FICTION, Uncategorized

Art, Book Reviews, Books, Memoir, non-fiction, Reviews

October 19, 2015

AIRPLANE RIDES – Jake Alexander

What has the potential to be an interesting, soul-observing study of humanity, instead becomes a self-centered, hedonistic exploration by one man. Jake Alexander (a pseudonym for a finance executive) does a lot of flying (first class … maybe business class) and of course has thus met many people – his seat mates. Jake Alexander also Continue reading

MEMOIR, NON-FICTION

Book Reviews, Books, Memoir, non-fiction, Reviews, Sex

September 21, 2015

THE SOUL OF AN OCTOPUS – Sy Montgomery

This book took me completely by surprise, and in a fantastically good way. First, author Sy Montgomery manages to capture the reader’s attention with the subject matter (octopuses [which is the correct way to write the plural of octopus, and Montgomery explains why]), but she holds the reader with her gentle narrative, which strokes our Continue reading

MEMOIR, NON-FICTION, Uncategorized

Book Reviews, Books, Memoir, Nature, non-fiction, Reviews

August 25, 2015

PRESERVING FAMILY RECIPES – Valerie J. Frey

Who would have thought you could write a 300 page book on preserving old recipes? Clearly this book packs in a lot of information on a subject that might not normally demand quite so much material. I initially requested this book because, as the chief cook in my family, I’ve gathered a number of recipes Continue reading

MEMOIR, NON-FICTION, Uncategorized

Book Reviews, Books, Memoir, non-fiction, Reviews