Coreyography by Corey Feldman

 

Book Synopsis(via Goodreads):

 

Lovable child star by age ten, international teen idol by fifteen, and to this day a perennial pop-culture staple, Corey Feldman has not only spent the entirety of his life in the spotlight, he's become just as famous for his off-screen exploits as for his roles in such classic films as Gremlins, The Goonies, and Stand by Me. He's been linked to a slew of Hollywood starlets (including Drew Barrymore, Vanessa Marcil, and adult entertainer Ginger Lynn), shared a highly publicized friendship with Michael Jackson, and with his frequent costar Corey Haim enjoyed immeasurable success as one half of the wildly popular duo "The Two Coreys," spawning seven films, a 1-900 number, and "Coreymania" in the process. What child of the eighties didn't have a Corey Feldman poster hanging in her bedroom, or a pile of Tiger Beats stashed in his closet?

Now, in this brave and moving memoir, Corey is revealing the truth about what his life was like behind the scenes: His is a past that included physical, drug, and sexual abuse, a dysfunctional family from which he was emancipated at age fifteen, three high-profile arrests for drug possession, a nine-month stint in rehab, and a long, slow crawl back to the top of the box office.

While Corey has managed to overcome the traps that ensnared so many other entertainers of his generation—he's still acting, is a touring musician, and is a proud father to his son, Zen—many of those closest to him haven't been so lucky. In the span of one year, he mourned the passing of seven friends and family members, including Corey Haim and Michael Jackson. In the wake of those tragedies, he's spoken publicly about the dark side of fame, lobbied for legislation affording greater protections for children in the entertainment industry, and lifted the lid off of what he calls Hollywood's biggest secret.

 

 

This insomniac's review:

 

I have a couple of confessions for you, my favorite bookish buds..

 

1. I read full-on beach trash in the summer to give my weary brain a break.

 

2. In the 80's I had pictures of BOTH Coreys on my wall...and....I may or may not have kissed them each night before going to bed(shhhhhh....don't tell!). Also, I spent quite a bit of time fantasizing about being Kerri Green- a perky little cheerleader wonder.

 

Soooo- now that's that's over- to the review!

 

I expected this book to be a bit(or a lot)douchey.(Yes, douchey is a word-don't mind your spell check.)

 

However, it was surprisingly down to earth and easy to read. For an 80s child, it was a wondrous romp through a deliciously  screwed up celebrityville. I relished every page. I read this book in, like, 4 hours flat. Oh, wondrous beach trash! How lovely thy dishy pages are!

 

Worth staying up all night to read?

 

Yep! Dishy goodness!

 

Rating: 3 stars of trashy loveliness

 

 

 

 

Candy Girl by Diablo Cody

Book Summary(via Goodreads):


Decreed by David Letterman (tongue in cheek) on CBS TV’s The Late Show to be the pick of “Dave’s Book Club 2006,” Candy Girl is the story of a young writer who dared to bare it all as a stripper. At the age of twenty-four, Diablo Cody decided there had to be more to life than typing copy at an ad agency. She soon managed to find inspiration from a most unlikely source— amateur night at the seedy Skyway Lounge. While she doesn’t take home the prize that night, Diablo discovers to her surprise the act of stripping is an absolute thrill. This is Diablo’s captivating fish-out-of-water story of her yearlong walk on the wild side, from quiet gentlemen’s clubs to multilevel sex palaces and glassed-in peep shows. In witty prose she gives readers a behind-the-scenes look at this industry through a writer’s keen eye, chronicling her descent into the skin trade and the effect it had on her self-image and her relationship with her now husband.


This insomniac's review:

I could do a 2 word review for this book.(language warning)

HOLY FUCK!

Buuuuuuut......you probably want more.

I am a nurse and mother of three, bookish buddies. So I am really, really hard to gross out.

I was trucking through this book thinking to myself that it wasnt' quite as racy as the critics have said(remember that I am hard to shock, folks). Then I got to the scene in Sex World that describes a certain male client. If you've read it- you know who I'm talking about. At this point my brain shut down. Really. All I could think was clean thoughts so that I didn't vomit. Ugh.

But, truly- it made me thankful for my quasi boring life that is sans body fluid loving people(that I know of). It was very honest and entertaining.

Just try not to vomit. Mmmmkay?


Worth staying up all night to read?

If your bed partner doesn't mind an occasional gag as you read.

Rating:

3 stars. Fascinating, gregarious romp through the underworld.

Miracles Now by Gabrielle Bernstein

Book Summary(via Goodreads):

Miracles Now by New York Times best-selling author Gabrielle Bernstein will help readers eliminate stress and find peace—even if they only have a minute to spare. Bernstein knows that most of us don’t have time for an hour of yoga or 30 minutes of meditation, so she has hand-picked 108 techniques to combat our most common problems—from addiction and anxiety to burnout and resentment. Inspired by some of the greatest spiritual teachings, Bernstein offers up spirit-based principles, meditations, and practical, do-them-in-the-moment tools to help readers bust through blocks to live with more ease. She breaks down each technique Spirit Junkie style—with meditations, assessment questions, and step-by-step guidance—while incorporating lessons from A Course in Miracles and Kundalini yoga.
As readers benefit from the techniques they’ll be able to share them. Each practice has been boiled down to a 140-character description—or Miracle Message—which can be tweeted, pinned on Pinterest, posted on Facebook, or shared on Instagram. Each Miracle Message will end with the hashtag #MiraclesNow. Ebook readers can share right from their device.
Readers familiar with Bernstein’s fun and innovative take on spirituality will scoop up her latest work. And those who are discovering her will appreciate her easy-access approach to spirituality and transformation.


*Many thanks to Net Galley and Hay House Publishing for the advanced reader's copy of this book in exchange for an honest review.*

This insomniac's opinion:

I have a confession to make.

Sigh.

I'm an unabashed fan of Gabrielle Bernstein. Her book May Cause Miracles was life changing for me. It introduced me to daily meditation and made affirmations an accessible way for me to change my negative inner voice.

Life changing, folks.

So, I was THRILLED to receive this ARC. And, she did not disappoint.

I realize that Gabrielle is a bit new agey and that is not for everyone. However, this book gives the reader a great "tool box" of life tools to take your life to the next level. I really love having a copy to keep.

Worth staying up all night to read?

This isn't that kind of book to me. I think a few tips per day is the way to go.

Rating:

4 stars.


                                                                      

ARC review: Tune in by Sonia Choquette

 

 Book summary(via Goodreads):

 

Join New York Times best-selling author and internationally renowned teacher and intuitive guide Sonia Choquette as she reveals a simple four-step plan for achieving lifelong inner transformation. In this revised and expanded edition of her book The Power of Your Spirit—and distilled from more than 35 years of helping others get in touch with their true selves and discover their souls’ purpose—Sonia provides profound yet accessible wisdom to those seeking to transcend the strictures of an ego-driven existence and experience the joy and fulfillment of an intuitively guided, Spirit-driven life.
Illuminated with even more engaging and powerful stories of personal transformation from her life and practice than in the original version, this invaluable book instructs seekers at all stages of their spiritual journeys how to directly tune in to their intuition. Sonia also provides additional practical exercises and rituals—including breathing techniques, visualizations, journaling questions, and a step-by-step guide to setting up and using a personal altar—to help us place our intuition at the helm of our spiritual quests and in the heart of our daily lives.
Whether you’re just beginning to tap into your intuition or are already living in the flow, Tune In offers a wealth of inspiration that will enable you to engage more deeply with your inner Spirit, your authentic Self, and live a more rewarding, fearless, and compassionate life.

 

**Many thanks to Net Galley and Hay House publishing for giving me an advanced reader's copy of this book in exchange for an honest review. This book is currently available. **

 

 

This insomniac's opinion:

 

This book isn't for everyone. It's a bit new age-y and not everyone will be open to all of the suggestions that the author gives. However, I have been feeling that I have let rational thought take over my life and have been wanting to get back to more intuitive thinking and decision making so this book was perfect for me.

 

The questions in this book were spot-on for me and my own answers(via journaling) surprised me occasionally. I truly feel that this book helped me to find my path again. A very useful tool for anyone struggling to figure out where they need to go with their life.

 

Rating: 4 stars.

 

 

I am Malala by Malala Yousafzai and Christina Lamb

 Book Synopsis(via Goodreads):

When the Taliban took control of the Swat Valley in Pakistan, one girl spoke out. Malala Yousafzai refused to be silenced and fought for her right to an education.

On Tuesday, October 9, 2012, when she was fifteen, she almost paid the ultimate price. She was shot in the head at point-blank range while riding the bus home from school, and few expected her to survive.

Instead, Malala's miraculous recovery has taken her on an extraordinary journey from a remote valley in northern Pakistan to the halls of the United Nations in New York. At sixteen, she has become a global symbol of peaceful protest and the youngest nominee ever for the Nobel Peace Prize.

I Am Malala is the remarkable tale of a family uprooted by global terrorism, of the fight for girls' education, of a father who, himself a school owner, championed and encouraged his daughter to write and attend school, and of brave parents who have a fierce love for their daughter in a society that prizes sons.

I Am Malala will make you believe in the power of one person's voice to inspire change in the world.

This insomniac's opinion:

There are not words to tell you how I feel about Malala- her bravery, kindness, compassion and intelligence are astonishing. Anything even in the slightest way negative that I have to say in no way reflects the way I feel about this AMAZING young lady.

Malala's life story(she is just a young woman and already has lived so much!) = 5 stars.

Unfortunately, this book was not terribly well written and was convoluted at times. I wish it had been better edited so that it was more representative of Malala's story. I do understand that Malala is a young woman who has a brain injury and English is not her first language, so this criticism is not for her as a writer but for the other writer and the editors on the team.

Still, this is a story worth reading. An important story for all in the world to read, not just the middle east.

Malala included a poem in her book, written by Martin Niemoller who lived in Nazi Germany:

First they came for the communists,
and I didn't speak out because I wasn't a communist.
Then they came for the socialists,
and I didn't speak out because I wasn't a socialist.
Then they came for the trade unionists,
and I didn't speak out because I wasn't a trade unionist.
Then they came for the Jews,
and I didn't speak out because I was not a Jew.
Then they came for the Catholics,
and I didn't speak out  because I was not a Catholic.
Then they came for me,
and there was no one left to speak for me.

This poem, for me, is why it is important for all of us to read Malala's story and similar stories all across the world and not turn a blind eye to the injustices all around us.

May God bless Malala with a long life so that she can continue to speak out in such an important way.

Rating:

4 stars. Read it!

ARC review: Life Interrupted by Denise Brennan

 

 

Book Synopsis(via Goodreads):

 

Life Interrupted introduces us to survivors of human trafficking who are struggling to get by and make homes for themselves in the United States. Having spent nearly a decade following the lives of formerly trafficked men and women, Denise Brennan recounts in close detail their flight from their abusers and their courageous efforts to rebuild their lives. At once scholarly and accessible, her book links these firsthand accounts to global economic inequities and under-regulated and unprotected workplaces that routinely exploit migrant laborers in the United States. Brennan contends that today's punitive immigration policies undermine efforts to fight trafficking. While many believe trafficking happens only in the sex trade, Brennan shows that across low-wage labor sectors—in fields, in factories, and on construction sites—widespread exploitation can lead to and conceal forced labor. Life Interrupted is a riveting account of life in and after trafficking and a forceful call for meaningful immigration and labor reform.

 

*Many thanks to Net Galley and Duke University publishing for an advanced reader's copy of this book in exchange for an honest review*

 

Publication date for this book is March 14, 2014

 

 

This insomniac's opinion:

 

This book is most assuredly well researched and the topic is very important in this country right now. However, the book is written like a textbook-all facts and I felt like I was just slogging through it. I would have liked to have heard more of the survivor stories. In order to stay with a reader, more than facts are needed and I simply won't remember this book weeks from now.

 

Worth staying up all night to read?

 

Again- very important topic. However, staying up all night with this book would be a challenge.

 

Rating:

 

2 stars

Unbroken by Laura Hillenbrand

Book Synopsis(via Goodreads):

On a May afternoon in 1943, an Army Air Forces bomber crashed into the Pacific Ocean and disappeared, leaving only a spray of debris and a slick of oil, gasoline, and blood.  Then, on the ocean surface, a face appeared.  It was that of a young lieutenant, the plane’s bombardier, who was struggling to a life raft and pulling himself aboard.  So began one of the most extraordinary odysseys of the Second World War.

The lieutenant’s name was Louis Zamperini.  In boyhood, he’d been a cunning and incorrigible delinquent, breaking into houses, brawling, and fleeing his home to ride the rails.  As a teenager, he had channeled his defiance into running, discovering a prodigious talent that had carried him to the Berlin Olympics and within sight of the four-minute mile.  But when war had come, the athlete had become an airman, embarking on a journey that led to his doomed flight, a tiny raft, and a drift into the unknown.

Ahead of Zamperini lay thousands of miles of open ocean, leaping sharks, a foundering raft, thirst and starvation, enemy aircraft, and, beyond, a trial even greater.  Driven to the limits of endurance, Zamperini would answer desperation with ingenuity; suffering with hope, resolve, and humor; brutality with rebellion.  His fate, whether triumph or tragedy, would be suspended on the fraying wire of his will.

In her long-awaited new book, Laura Hillenbrand writes with the same rich and vivid narrative voice she displayed in Seabiscuit.  Telling an unforgettable story of a man’s journey into extremity, Unbroken is a testament to the resilience of the human mind, body, and spirit.

This insomniac's opinion:

Holy buckets of bravery, Batman! What an amazing book!!!

I rarely read non-fiction, so I waited far too long to follow up on my bibliophile buddy's suggestion to read this book. What in the hell was I thinking?

If you have not read this amazing, inspirational book, for God's sake- get your ass to the bookstore!!

I loved Louis in a way that doesn't seem rational because I never met the amazing man. It was a honor just to read his story. But, it wasn't just Louis- I loved all of the men and women in this story. This is a brutal war-time story, so there are so many deaths and each and every one struck my heart and I would have to stop reading and catch my breath. I will never forget any of these men that so bravely gave of themselves to better our country. I am so very grateful that their story has been told.

Rating:

5 gigantic stars!

Worth staying up all night to read?

Yes, Yes, Yes!!!

ARC review: Ham: Slices of Life by Sam Harris

 Many thanks to Net Galley and Gallery books for the advanced reader's copy of this book in exchange for an honest review. This book will be published on January 14, 2014.

Book Synopsis(via Goodreads):


For fans of David Sedaris and Chelsea Handler, these stories and essays about friendship, celebrity, growing up and getting sober will have you laughing and crying in equal measure.With a wry style that evokes comparisons to Carrie Fisher, David Rakoff, and Steve Martin, Sam Harris proves that he is a natural humorist. Even The New York Times, in a review of one of his musical performances, called his stories “New Yorker-worthy.”


Brilliantly written, these sixteen stories span Harris’s life from growing up gay in the buckle of America’s Bible belt to performing on Oprah’s first show after 9/11. In “I Feel, You Feel” he opens for Aretha Franklin during a blizzard. “Promises” is a front-row account of Liza Minnelli’s infamous wedding to “the man whose name shall go unmentioned.” In the title story, “Ham,” he describes how he was upstaged by a young child actor, unknowingly addicted to the spotlight.


Taking on issues as diverse as addiction, fame, and parenting with his hilarious and deeply human voice, Harris’s entertaining tales trace an arc of personal triumph that is universally accessible and inspiring

This insomniac's opinion:

See the glowing review above comparing this compilation of stories to seasoned authors and comedians? Makes you want to read the book, doesn't it. How unfortunate that none of the above comparisons were even in the smallest bit accurate. Sigh.

I tried to like this book. We always want to love a book, don't we? I had no idea who Sam Harris was before reading this book, but he seems like a lovely fellow. Admirable, even. However, this book was just not well-written and seemed to be mostly a bunch stories about nothing, held together with abrasive celebrity spottings here and there. This book may read well to those who are fascinated with 70s and 80s celebrities and want to hear stories about how awful they were(with a few exceptions- he really seems to like Oprah, Liza and Bette).

I truly wish the author well in his life and with his family and am very sorry for the discrimination he had to overcome as a gay man in a society that wasn't kind to him. However, this book was not my cup of tea.

Worth staying up all night to read?

No.

Rating. 2.5 stars, rounded up to 3 for Goodreads.

ARC review: Money A Love Story by Kate Northrup

 

 

Many thanks to Net Galley and Hay House publishing for providing me with the advanced reader's copy of this book in exchange for an honest review.

 

Book Synapsis(via Goodreads):

 

   Having a good relationship with money is tough—whether you have millions in the bank or just a few bucks to your name. Why? Because just like any other relationship, your life with money has its ups and downs, its twists and turns, its breakups and makeups. And just like other relationships, living happily with money really comes down to love. In fact, love is such an essential part of getting and keeping your financial house in order that money maven Kate Northrup made it the basis of her book.     After taking the Money Love Quiz to see where on the spectrum your relationship with money stands—somewhere between “on the outs” and “it’s true love!”—Northrup takes you on a rollicking ride to a better understanding of yourself and your money. Step-by-step exercises that address both the emotional and practical aspects of your financial life help you figure out your personal perceptions of money and wealth and how to change them for the better. You’ll learn about thought patterns that may be holding you back from earning what you’re worth or saving what you can. You’ll learn how to chart your current financial life and create a plan to get you to where you want to be—whether that’s earning enough to live in a penthouse in Manhattan or a cabin in the Rockies.     Using client stories and her own saga of moving from $20,000 in debt to complete financial freedom by the age of 28, Northrup acts as a guide in your quest for personal financial freedom. She’ll teach you how to shift your beliefs about money, create a budget, spend in line with your values, get out of debt, and so much more. In short, she’ll teach you to love your money, so you can love your life.

 

This insomniac's opinion:

 

I read this book because I've realized lately how negative my thoughts and feelings are toward money. Even though I live very comfortably, money is a constant source of stress for me. I am always worried about not having enough and it is not a comfortable place to be.

 

 

I am conflicted on this book. On the one hand, Kate's story is not relatable to the average Joe. She has always been wealthy and went into debt by living way above her means. However, she is down-to-Earth and honest. On the other hand, there are some great suggestions and thoughts in this book.

 

Worth staying up all night to read?

 

Much like any non-fiction book, it's not really a page-turner!

 

Rating: 3 stars- good information at times, but not relatable to most.



A Girl and Five Brave Horses

Synopsis(via Goodreads):

This autobiography is the true story of Sonora Webster Carver who dove with horses from 40' towers in the 1920's. Dr. W.F. Carver, who ran the show, had previously started "The Wild West" shows with his friends, Buffalo Bill Cody and Wild Bill Hickok. (The movie 'Wild Hearts Can't Be Broken' is loosely based on her life.)

This insomniac's opinion:

The movie 'Wild Horses Can't Be Broken' was one of my favorite movies as a teenager. I had a raging crush on Matthew Schoeffling, the actor that played Al Carver's character. I watched the VHS of this movie until it broke. That was a sad, sad day, my friends.

Anyhow, the other week this movie came on the television and I excitedly sat down to watch it with my two daughters. At the end of the movie I noticed that the movie was based on the autobiography of Sonora Webster Carver and immediately decided that I must read this book!

I admit that the book is not well written, but its not terrible, either. Sonora lived an absolutely extraordinary life and had a wonderful, positive spirit. Her strength and perseverance to continue horse diving after being blinded in an accident was inspiring to say the least. The story of Dr. W.F. Carver is also interwoven in the book, and his story was so astonishing it almost seemed like fiction! This book was a fascinating read and a peek back into simpler times.

Worth staying up all night to read?

It is a little slow-moving, but very interesting. So, yes!

Rating:

4 stars for magnificent inspiration!

Wave by Sonali Deraniyagala

Book Summary(via Goodreads):

On the morning of December 26, 2004, on the southern coast of Sri Lanka, Sonali Deraniyagala lost her parents, her husband, and her two young sons in the tsunami she miraculously survived. In this brave and searingly frank memoir, she describes those first horrifying moments and her long journey since. She has written an engrossing, unsentimental, beautifully poised account: as she struggles through the first months following the tragedy, furiously clenched against a reality that she cannot face and cannot deny; and then, over the ensuing years, as she emerges reluctantly, slowly allowing her memory to take her back through the rich and joyous life she’s mourning, from her family’s home in London, to the birth of her children, to the year she met her English husband at Cambridge, to her childhood in Colombo; all the while learning the difficult balance between the almost unbearable reminders of her loss and the need to keep her family, somehow, still alive within her.

This insomniac's opinion:

This is, by far, the most intense memoir that I have ever read. The reader barely has a chance to acclimate himself to the people in the book when the wave comes and destroys everything in its path, including Sonali's family. This memoir was gripping, searingly honest and brings the reader along on Sonali's desperate, despairing journey of grief.

This memoir made me face my deepest fear-losing my children. I almost gave up on the book several times because it was simply too painful. The writing is achingly beautiful in its honesty. Sonali and her story will stay with me forever.

Worth staying up all night to read?

Yes, but stock up on tissues first and bring your family to your bed because you are gonna want to check on the health and safety of your children every minute.

Rating: 

4.5 stars

Monkey Mind by Daniel Smith

 

Book Summary(via Goodreads):

 

Anxiety once paralyzed Daniel Smith over a roast beef sandwich, convincing him that a choice between ketchup and barbeque sauce was as dire as that between life and death. It has caused him to chew his cuticles until they bled, wear sweat pads in his armpits, and confess his sexual problems to his psychotherapist mother. It has dogged his days, threatened his sanity, and ruined his relationships. In Monkey Mind, Smith articulates what it is like to live with anxiety, defanging the disease with humor, traveling through its demonic layers, and evocatively expressing its self-destructive absurdities and painful internal coherence. With honesty and wit, he exposes anxiety as a pudgy, weak-willed wizard behind a curtain of dread and tames what has always seemed to him, and to the tens of millions of others who suffer from anxiety, a terrible affliction.

Aaron Beck, the most influential doctor in modern psychotherapy, says that “Monkey Mind does for anxiety what William Styron’s Darkness Visible did for depression.” Neurologist and bestselling writer Oliver Sacks says, “I read Monkey Mind with admiration for its bravery and clarity. . . . I broke out into explosive laughter again and again.” Here, finally, comes relief and recognition to all those who want someone to put what they feel, or what their loved ones feel, into words.

 

This insomniac's opinion:

 

This was a really, really uncomfortable read for me. As you may know, I am a registered nurse. As this book unfolded, I found myself realizing that the writing of this book did not at all seem therapeutic or healing for the author(this is my perception as a reader only). In fact, Mr. Smith talks about celebrities that have dealt with anxiety and other such facts in such a way that you begin to wonder if he wants to be applauded for his illness. It was desperately sad. I had hoped that near the end of the book, the author would have conquered his anxiety or at least come to some sort of resolution where he was coping better. That simply did not happen and it deeply saddened me. I felt as though reading was akin to watching bad reality television- at first it is terribly interesting but soon becomes deeply sad and leaves you with a 'reality hangover'.

 

As someone who suffers from intense anxiety at times and anxiety attacks, I applaud the author for his honesty. After all, mental illness is still deeply stigmatized in this country. However, the book was a wild mesh of clinical facts and dramatized sections and had no resolution, whatsoever. I do wish the author the best in his continuing struggles.

 

Worth staying up all night to read?

 

Not in my opinion.

 

Rating: 2 stars

'Tis by Frank McCourt

 

Summary(via Goodreads):

 

The sequel to Frank McCourt's memoir of his Irish Catholic boyhood, Angela's Ashes, picks up the story in October 1949, upon his arrival in America. Though he was born in New York, the family had returned to Ireland due to poor prospects in the United States. Now back on American soil, this awkward 19-year-old, with his "pimply face, sore eyes, and bad teeth," has little in common with the healthy, self-assured college students he sees on the subway and dreams of joining in the classroom. Initially, his American experience is as harrowing as his impoverished youth in Ireland, including two of the grimmest Christmases ever described in literature. McCourt views the U.S. through the same sharp eye and with the same dark humor that distinguished his first memoir: race prejudice, casual cruelty, and dead-end jobs weigh on his spirits as he searches for a way out. A glimpse of hope comes from the army, where he acquires some white-collar skills, and from New York University, which admits him without a high school diploma. But the journey toward his position teaching creative writing at Stuyvesant High School is neither quick nor easy. Fortunately, McCourt's openness to every variety of human emotion and longing remains exceptional; even the most damaged, difficult people he encounters are richly rendered individuals with whom the reader can't help but feel uncomfortable kinship. The magical prose, with its singing Irish cadences, brings grandeur and beauty to the most sorrowful events, including the final scene, set in a Limerick graveyard.

 

This insomniac's opinion:

 

I will preface this review by telling you that Angela's Ashes had a dramatic impact on my life and, even though I have not read it in years, I can vividly recall much of the book. I have had this, the sequel, on my too-read list for years.

 

Frank McCourt lived an enthralling life and I am so very glad that he blessed us with these memoirs. His struggles make my life's struggles seem rather ridiculously small(for that I am grateful). This memoir did have many slow sections and was written more as a series of small stories than a linear memoir., which did make it jumpy at times. No matter the telling,  I was amazed by his perseverance and inspired by his journey.

 

Worth staying up all night to read?

 

Yes.

 

Rating: 4 stars.

 

 

The Reading Promise by Alice Ozma

 

Synopsis(via Goodreads):

 

When Alice Ozma was in 4th grade, she and her father decided to see if he could read aloud to her for 100 consecutive nights. On the hundreth night, they shared pancakes to celebrate, but it soon became evident that neither wanted to let go of their storytelling ritual. So they decided to continue what they called "The Streak." Alice's father read aloud to her every night without fail until the day she left for college.

Alice approaches her book as a series of vignettes about her relationship with her father and the life lessons learned from the books he read to her.

 

This insomniac's opinion:

 

*contented sigh*

 

Oh, how I adored this book. As a raging bibliophile, I delight in finding others that share my passion for books. This book is the most delightful read about a father(a school librarian with an extraordinary and quirky love for reading out loud) and his daughter, Alice and their "streak". The streak began as a pact to read for 100 nights that stretched into a streak that went on for years.

This book was beautiful in so many ways. The relationship between Alice and her father, their shared love of books and the impact that their reading had on others around them. If you are a fellow bibliophile, this is a must read!

I feel that I must mention another book in this review as it is another must read for fellow bibliophiles. If you have not read The End of Your Life Book Club by Will Schwalbe, you must add it to your TBR stack immediately! More details here.

Worth staying up all night to read?

Yes! Then pass it on, my bookish buddies!

Rating:

5 stars. Big ole' stars bright enough to read by.



An Education by Lynn Barber

 

Synopsis(via Goodreads):

 

When Lynn Barber was sixteen, a stranger in a maroon sports car pulled up beside her as she was on her way home from school and offered her a ride. It was the beginning of a long journey from innocence to precocious experience—an affair with an older man that would change her life. Barber’s seducer left her with a taste for luxury hotels and posh restaurants and trips abroad, expensive habits that she managed to support in later life as a successful London journalist whose barbed interviews at once terrorized and fascinated her smart-set subjects.

A poignant, shockingly candid account of the stages in a literary life—from promiscuity at Oxford to a stint at Penthouse to a complex marriage that endured—An Education is a classic of English memoir. 

This insomniac's opinion:

I "read" this book via audio book. I find that non-fiction, memoirs particularly, lend themselves to this format as it feels as though the author is personally speaking with you and telling you his/her story. I became immediately sucked into to Mrs. Barber's life story and finished this audio book in just a few days. All of her life is truly fascinating, but the section titled 'An Education'(it is this section only that the movie is based on) was by far the most fascination. Now that I've finished this book, I can't wait to see the movie!

I have to say that I adore Lynn Barber's spunk and feel that she has had a lot of fun, a lot of life in her years. It was very inspiring. She writes with energy and unique turns of phrase that makes reading this book truly fun.

Worth staying up all night to read?

Definitely worth reading, but some parts of the book have a bit of a slow pace not really suited for night reading.

Rating: 3.5 stars

In the Body of the World by Eve Ensler

Playwright, author, and activist Eve Ensler has devoted her life to the female body—how to talk about it, how to protect and value it. Yet she spent much of her life disassociated from her own body—a disconnection brought on by her father’s sexual abuse and her mother’s remoteness. “Because I did not, could not inhabit my body or the Earth,” she writes, “I could not feel or know their pain.”

But Ensler is shocked out of her distance. While working in the Congo, she is shattered to encounter the horrific rape and violence inflicted on the women there. Soon after, she is diagnosed with uterine cancer, and through months of harrowing treatment, she is forced to become first and foremost a body—pricked, punctured, cut, scanned. It is then that all distance is erased. As she connects her own illness to the devastation of the earth, her life force to the resilience of humanity, she is finally, fully—and gratefully—joined to the body of the world.

Unflinching, generous, and inspiring, Ensler calls on us all to embody our connection to and responsibility for the world.

This insomniac's opinion:

This memoir was a stunning work of art. It is simultaneously brutally honest and beautifully eloquent. It should have been a short read, but I had to keep stopping to read and reread passages that stopped me in my tracks and made me think of the world in a completely different way. Eve Ensler is, without a doubt, a brave pioneer of a woman. She calls herself a "force of nature" in this memoir. Underneath that tough veneer is a vulnerable, emotional woman and she let that lesser known part of herself shine in this exquisite book.

As I mention quite a bit on this blog, I am a nurse. As I was reading this memoir my primary thought was that every medical professional should read this book. Ms. Ensler has a lot of very profound things to say about the way we treat our patients here in the United States. It is time to listen. Time to treat our patients for what they are- people, not diseases. Whether or not Ms. Ensler meant for her painfully honest account of her experiences to be a war call- I believe it is. May we all demand the care that is deserved by all of us- ourselves, our children, our parents and those who have no one to speak for them. Let us come together and demand better for the sick and ailing in this country and around the world.

Just a few of my favorite insights from the memoir:

"Doctors never believe how simple it is to give patients dignity. It takes a sentence. It takes a short walk around the table."

"What if our understanding of ourselves were based not on static labels or stages but on our actions and our ability and our willingness to transform ourselves?"

"We are the people of the second wind. We, who have been undermined, reduced, and minimized, we know who we are. Let us be taken. Let us turn our pain to power, our victimhood to fire, our self-hatred to action, our self-obsession to service, to fire, to wind."

And, here I am- crying again just typing that last passage out.

This memoir will be published on April 30, 2013. It is a do not miss memoir, my friends.

Worth staying up all night to read?

Yes. You must. Especially if you are a woman.

Rating: 

5 stars

Quiet: The Power of Introverts in a World That Can't Stop Talking by Susan Cain

 

 I don't think this book really needs a synopsis. The title says it all: Quiet: The Power of Introverts in a World That Can't Stop Talking.

This insomniac introvert's opinion:

I found the information in this book to be fascinating. I am an introvert. In fact, there is a quiz at the beginning of this book to see if you are an introvert and I answered 'yes' to every, single one. This came as no surprise to me. I also know that all three of my children are introverts, although they vary on the spectrum of how introverted they may be. So this book is very relevant to my life.

I do have to say that parts of the book are very dry and I found myself wanting to skim over those sections. You can tell that the author is extraordinarily passionate about this subject and did an incredible amount of research. She profiles different celebrities that were famously introverted and the amazing contributions they made to society. My favorite was Eleanor Roosevelt, because she is my idol and I had no idea before reading this book that she was an introvert. I love that she was able to overcome her introversion in order to focus on her passion for change in this country. That was the most inspiring this that I read in this book.

If you are an introvert, like me, you may learn something new about yourself in the reading of this book. I am a pediatric nurse and was speaking to a co-worker about this book while I was reading it. She seems shocked when I said that I was an introvert. We've worked together for three years, so I was very surprised that she didn't realize how uncomfortable I am in social situations. She made me realize how extroverted I seem during patient care. My passion for working with children overrides my introversion during my work hours.  I am what the book calls "an introvert masquerading as an extrovert", but this does come at a cost to me personally. I come home from work mentally exhausted and in desperate need of down time to calm down. However, with three children, down time rarely happens. So I have developed insomnia, among other negative side effects. I realize that I need to continue to balance my passion for my job with my innate need to have a lot of quiet, introspective time.

So, if you are an introvert or a parent to an introvert, this book may be for you. It has great suggestions to overcome your introversion in social, work and school situations. They discuss the overwhelming use of "groupthink" in our schools and how that affects our introverted children. I found this discussion to be very relevant to my children's school career.

There were great quotes about introversion in the book, as well. My favorite is from Anais Nin:
"Our culture made a virtue of living only as extroverts. We discouraged the inner journey, the quest for center. So we lost our center and have to find it again."

Worth staying up all night to read?

I read this over the course of a month and it was not a book that I would be able to read straight through. However, it was definitely an interesting and informative read.

Rating: 4 stars



Chanel Bonfire

Chanel Bonfire by Wendy Lawless was a challenging book to read. It is the true story of the childhood of Ms.Lawless, whose mother suffered from mental illness and took out the brunt of her anger and sadness on her two daughters, Wendy and Robbie. As a mother, I cringed as I read the horrors that this mother subjected her daughters to. Their mother, Georgann, cared only for herself and dragged the girls from home to home on only a moments notice. She cared only of appearances and kept the girls in fancy clothes, but always withheld love. There are so many horrifying stories in this novel. Georgann lying to them about their father not caring for them and not allowing them to see him for 10 years was possibly the worst. But, sleeping with their high school crushes, giving away their Christmas presents because they weren't appreciative enough and telling them that they would all be better off dead are just a few of her endless offenses.

The book was very well written. I read the book in a single sitting because I could not tear myself away and not know what would happen next. It was an unforgettable, searing novel about the high cost of mental illness, not only to the person suffering but also to those around them. I rate this book 4 out of 5 stars and, if you like roller coaster reads, this one is for you!

On a lighter note, I think I will purchase a copy of this book to keep. Then when I am having a bad Mommy day, I can take out the book and read a scene or two. Then I will know, without a doubt,that in comparison to Georgann Rea, I am the most wonderful mother that ever walked the Earth! And also, I will  never wear a blue nightgown again!

Let's Pretend This Never Happened

It is probably best if I preface this review with a warning. In fact, quite a few warnings. But, first and foremost- IF YOU ARE NOT COMFORTABLE WITH THE WORD "VAGINA" DO NOT READ THIS BOOK. And, it might be best not to read the rest of this review. Because you simply cannot review this book without saying the word vagina. See how may times I've already said it? To give you some perspective on how often Jenny Lawson uses the word in her book- I was an OB nurse for three years, and in those three years I am pretty sure that I did not hear the word vagina as often as she uses it in this book. Before reading this book it is best to also make sure that you are comfortable reading about all kinds of socially inappropriate humor, taxidermy, artificial cow insemination, the f-word(and every other swear word known to man),drug use,...ah, heck let's just say if you are easily or moderately offended, this may not be the book for you.

However, if you are still interested in reading this book and love a good laugh- you are in for a treat! Let's Pretend This Never Happened by Jenny Lawson(also known as The Bloggess) is a hilarious, laugh-out loud journey through the author's crazy life. Even though she is often telling socially inappropriate and just plain crazy stories, throughout the entire book I was thinking to myself how fantastic it would be to be friends with her. Life could never be boring with Jenny Lawson around. Sadly, I am not actually friends with the author. It's a good thing that reading this book is the next best thing.

I rate this book 4 out of 5 stars. Not because it is Steinbeck quality literature, but because it made me laugh: uproariously, stomach-grabbing, hope-my-bladder-isn't-full laughter. And that is worth a heck of a lot,my friends!

The End of Your Life Book Club

If you are any kind of reader, I have some advice for you. Stop whatever it is that you are doing for the rest of the day and run to the bookstore to pick up a copy of The End of Your Life Book Club by Will Schwalbe. Come home,put on your favorite jammy pants and fuzzy socks and snuggle in for a life-changing read. Well, what are you still doing here? Okay, okay- I suppose you can read this post first.

I read much,much more fiction than non-fiction. I always have and probably always will. I do not usually read a non-fiction book without a fervent recommendation from a friend. When I saw my Goodreads buddies all rating this with five stars, I knew that I must jump on the ole bandwagon and read this book. I am so glad that I did.

The author of this book and his mother, Mary Anne, begin a book club to pass the time as she is treated for terminal pancreatic cancer. Both the author and his mother were avid readers, but had never intentionally read the same books and discussed them. It is through their shared love of books and this book club that the two become incredibly close and learn things about the other that they never before knew. This was one of the most profoundly moving books that I have ever read and the author's love of his incredible mother and his great love of books is evident in every, single page. A bonus to this book is that they read so many amazing books that the reader can then read after this book(the author was kind enough to leave an appendix at the end of the book). In essence, you can become a member in the "End of Your Life Book Club" and compare your thoughts to theirs.

Absolute favorite quote of the book - "Mom taught me to make a difference in the world and that books really do matter:they're how we know what we need to do in life, and how we tell others."

And I will leave you with this(yet another) word of advice- Have a tissue handy for the end of the book. Happy reading, my friends!