Biographies, Memoirs and Autobiographies in 2024
Talk Biographies, Memoirs and Autobiographies
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2LynnB
I'm starting the year with Alexander Hamilton by Ron Chernow.
3JulieLill
I have started Learning to Live Out Loud by Piper Laurie.
4JulieLill
Learning to Live Out Loud
Piper Laurie
4/5 stars
I knew about Piper Laurie, the actress but I don't think I ever saw her in many films but I going to check out some of her older films. She was the mother in the horror film Carrie (which I did see). She also lived quite an interesting life. I really enjoyed her autobiography. She just recently died in 2023 at the age of 91.
Piper Laurie
4/5 stars
I knew about Piper Laurie, the actress but I don't think I ever saw her in many films but I going to check out some of her older films. She was the mother in the horror film Carrie (which I did see). She also lived quite an interesting life. I really enjoyed her autobiography. She just recently died in 2023 at the age of 91.
5LynnB
I'm reading Know My Name: A Memoir by Chanel Miller
8JulieLill
A Girl from Yamhill
Beverly Cleary
4/5 stars
This is one of two biographies written by Beverly Cleary. This is the first one and it details her life growing up in Yamhill, Oregon. This is a juvenile biography but I really enjoyed it and I think adults will really enjoy this book too. I am going to read her second book My Own Two Feet and am looking forward to that one also!
Beverly Cleary
4/5 stars
This is one of two biographies written by Beverly Cleary. This is the first one and it details her life growing up in Yamhill, Oregon. This is a juvenile biography but I really enjoyed it and I think adults will really enjoy this book too. I am going to read her second book My Own Two Feet and am looking forward to that one also!
9LynnB
I'm starting Elon Musk by Walter Isaacson
10JulieLill
My Own Two Feet: A Memoir
Beverly Cleary
4/5 stars
This is the second memoir from Beverly Cleary, writer. The book starts with her college years during the depression including WWII, working at a library and ends with the publication of her first book. I really enjoyed this book too! I am surprised this is a Juvenile book but it is definitely a book adults will enjoy!
Beverly Cleary
4/5 stars
This is the second memoir from Beverly Cleary, writer. The book starts with her college years during the depression including WWII, working at a library and ends with the publication of her first book. I really enjoyed this book too! I am surprised this is a Juvenile book but it is definitely a book adults will enjoy!
11JulieLill
Gracie: A Love Story
George Burns
4/5 stars
Written by the actor George Burns, he talks about his life and his love for his wife and partner Gracie Burns. He talks about his adopted children since Gracie couldn't have children and he also goes over their roles in entertainment including films, radio and television. Very entertaining!
George Burns
4/5 stars
Written by the actor George Burns, he talks about his life and his love for his wife and partner Gracie Burns. He talks about his adopted children since Gracie couldn't have children and he also goes over their roles in entertainment including films, radio and television. Very entertaining!
12JulieLill
Giant: Elizabeth Taylor, Rock Hudson, James Dean, Edna Ferber, and the Making of a Legendary American Film
Don Graham
4/5 stars
I have seen this film years ago and highly enjoyed it. The author did a nice job of relating the history of the making of this film and the events around the actors lives in that time period. I am definitely going to re-watch it.
Don Graham
4/5 stars
I have seen this film years ago and highly enjoyed it. The author did a nice job of relating the history of the making of this film and the events around the actors lives in that time period. I am definitely going to re-watch it.
14JulieLill
Good Boy: My Life in Seven Dogs
Jennifer Finney Boylan
4/5 stars
This is the autobiography of Jennifer Finney Boylan who talks about her life when she becomes a transgender. She also writes about her love of her dogs and what she learned from each of them. Nicely written.
Jennifer Finney Boylan
4/5 stars
This is the autobiography of Jennifer Finney Boylan who talks about her life when she becomes a transgender. She also writes about her love of her dogs and what she learned from each of them. Nicely written.
15cindydavid4
>12 JulieLill: discovered Edna Ferber last year on the author challenge and fell in love. Will have to read this book!
Now reading wifedom about 60 pages in and I cant count how many passages Ive marked so far. Really an excellent read
Now reading wifedom about 60 pages in and I cant count how many passages Ive marked so far. Really an excellent read
16JulieLill
Crying in H Mart
Michelle Zauner
4/5 stars
This was a wonderfully written autobiography about the rock musician, Michelle Zauner. She writes about her life as a musician, and her Korean family but she also talks about her mother's cancer diagnosis and the effect it had on her family. Highly recommended! Biography
Michelle Zauner
4/5 stars
This was a wonderfully written autobiography about the rock musician, Michelle Zauner. She writes about her life as a musician, and her Korean family but she also talks about her mother's cancer diagnosis and the effect it had on her family. Highly recommended! Biography
17cindydavid4
review of wifedom is here https://www.librarything.com/topic/356174#n8443156 post #175
18rocketjk
A couple of days ago I finished The Teammates: A Portrait of a Friendship by David Halberstam. This one's really for baseball fans only. As the title lets on, The Teammates is a book about the friendship between Ted Williams, Bobby Doerr, Johnny Pesky and Dom DiMaggio, four members of the famed Boston Red Sox teams of the late 1930s through the end of the 1940s. All in all this is a well-written and affection portrait the the four players and their friendship over the decades. It's also a fun look back at a bygone era in baseball. You can find my longer review on my Club Read thread.
19LynnB
I'm reading Anastasia: The Life of Anna Anderson by Peter Kurth. I know that recent DNA evidence shows Anastasia is buried with her family, but I remain interested in the life and times of pretenders.
20rocketjk
I finished Homage to Catalonia which, as most here will know, is George Orwell's memoir of his time in Spain during the Spanish Civil War. Orwell came to Spain to fight against Franco's ultimately (and tragically) successful Fascist takeover attack against the Republican government of Spain. Orwell's own political sympathies were Socialist, and he quickly joined the POUM militia, POUM being an acronym for what translates to English as the Workers' Party of Marxist Unification. Orwell describes his time in the trenches in the Catalonian mountains, where in the event, cold, hunger, lice and rats were as big a drawback as Franco's forces. The POUM troops were also very short on weapons and ammunition.
I very much enjoyed and was interested in Homage to Catalonia. Orwell writes with clarity, a terrific eye for detail and description, and humor. You very much get the feel for what it was like to be in those mountain trenches, despite (or maybe because of) Orwell's understated, wry writing style. He describes the mood of optimism, togetherness and idealism of Barcelona when he first gets there, and observes with regret that when he returned from the front lines just a few months later, the whole mood of the revolution had dampened, and class divisions were already reasserting themselves. Orwell also tells us of his bewilderment and eventual irritation at Spanish politics, but his great and abiding affection for the Spanish people.
I very much enjoyed and was interested in Homage to Catalonia. Orwell writes with clarity, a terrific eye for detail and description, and humor. You very much get the feel for what it was like to be in those mountain trenches, despite (or maybe because of) Orwell's understated, wry writing style. He describes the mood of optimism, togetherness and idealism of Barcelona when he first gets there, and observes with regret that when he returned from the front lines just a few months later, the whole mood of the revolution had dampened, and class divisions were already reasserting themselves. Orwell also tells us of his bewilderment and eventual irritation at Spanish politics, but his great and abiding affection for the Spanish people.
21cindydavid4
thanks to dan, I decided to recheck out the brave escape of Edith Warton I had less tired eyes today than I did last night. Of the three bios Ive read this year this is the best. Well written, hits all the right spots and does not like the other two feel the need to bore us with every place they saw and every place they went to and who they were with. I loved reading about her life and how she did indeed make her escape. Loved her friendship with Henry James, Fitzgerald, Walter Berry and her true love, Walter (last name)?and so many other authors, I had liked the few books and stories I read, but this book has made me a fan of Edith Warton as the incredible person she was and as an author who left us the works of art she created,
Loved the mentions of her books and how they came to be. I was interested in three stories: Copy,the line of least resistanceand the book of the homeless
(one thing that amazes me about this time period was how peoplle at a drop of a hat can travel by ship back and forth sometimes several times a year. This esp in the case ofthe glimpses of the moon wow!
Also surprised by her work during WWI to help refugees, children and others, and wrote articles in Schibners letting people know first hand what was happening there, hich may have helped America to get involved.
a few quotes I enjoyed:
Attached to a packet of papers "to my biographer, make the gist of me"
When her sister in law writes about the woes and privitations of old age, she writes: "the farthest I have penetrated this ill-famed Valley, the more full of interest and beauty too have I found. It is full of its own quiet radience, and in the light I discover many enchantments which the midday dazzel obscured"
Loved the mentions of her books and how they came to be. I was interested in three stories: Copy,the line of least resistanceand the book of the homeless
(one thing that amazes me about this time period was how peoplle at a drop of a hat can travel by ship back and forth sometimes several times a year. This esp in the case ofthe glimpses of the moon wow!
Also surprised by her work during WWI to help refugees, children and others, and wrote articles in Schibners letting people know first hand what was happening there, hich may have helped America to get involved.
a few quotes I enjoyed:
Attached to a packet of papers "to my biographer, make the gist of me"
When her sister in law writes about the woes and privitations of old age, she writes: "the farthest I have penetrated this ill-famed Valley, the more full of interest and beauty too have I found. It is full of its own quiet radience, and in the light I discover many enchantments which the midday dazzel obscured"
22LynnB
I'm reading Talking to Canadians by Rick Mercer
23rocketjk
I finished Robert Owen by Joseph McCabe
This is a short, clear biography of visionary English social reformer, Robert Owen, written by Joseph McCabe, who was himself, 70 years later, a prominent Rationalist writer and lecturer. (McCabe's wikepedia bio here: https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Joseph_McCabe)
Robert Owen was a British industrialist in the early 19th century who spent his life and a major bulk of his money attempting to improve the lot of the British working class in a multitude of ways, including promoting shorter work days (the standard at the time was 14 hours per day), raising the minimum age of factory employees from 7 years old to 10 or 12, creating schools for children and even day care at company and/or public expense and full equality for women.
Owen spent his long life trying to set up enlightened industrial town and factories and agitating for his ideas, first in the English Parliament and then, giving up on the politicians, among British society as a whole. He never gave up on trying to replicate his success in Scotland, and in trying to point out the ultimate justice and economic advantages of improving the lot of factory workers, including champion and financially supporting the early English labor union movement. Not surprisingly, his pleas fell on deaf ears among British industrialists and politicians.
This is a short, clear biography of visionary English social reformer, Robert Owen, written by Joseph McCabe, who was himself, 70 years later, a prominent Rationalist writer and lecturer. (McCabe's wikepedia bio here: https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Joseph_McCabe)
Robert Owen was a British industrialist in the early 19th century who spent his life and a major bulk of his money attempting to improve the lot of the British working class in a multitude of ways, including promoting shorter work days (the standard at the time was 14 hours per day), raising the minimum age of factory employees from 7 years old to 10 or 12, creating schools for children and even day care at company and/or public expense and full equality for women.
Owen spent his long life trying to set up enlightened industrial town and factories and agitating for his ideas, first in the English Parliament and then, giving up on the politicians, among British society as a whole. He never gave up on trying to replicate his success in Scotland, and in trying to point out the ultimate justice and economic advantages of improving the lot of factory workers, including champion and financially supporting the early English labor union movement. Not surprisingly, his pleas fell on deaf ears among British industrialists and politicians.
24JulieLill
Believe Me: A Memoir of Love, Death, and Jazz Chickens
Eddie Izzard
4/5 stars
This is the autobiography of Eddie Izzard, comedian and entertainer who was born in Yemen but also lived in Wales, Northern Ireland and England. Raised by his dad after his mother died which greatly affected him. He has come out as genderfluid. He is also involved in politics. Very interesting!
Eddie Izzard
4/5 stars
This is the autobiography of Eddie Izzard, comedian and entertainer who was born in Yemen but also lived in Wales, Northern Ireland and England. Raised by his dad after his mother died which greatly affected him. He has come out as genderfluid. He is also involved in politics. Very interesting!
25JulieLill
Not Your China Doll: The Wild and Shimmering Life of Anna May Wong
Katie Gee Salisbury
4/5 stars
This was a wonderfully interesting story about the American Asian actress Anna May Wong. She grew up in America, lived in Los Angeles and worked in her family's laundry business where she was discovered. She starred in the Douglas Fairbanks' film Thief of Bagdad and that started her career. Well written!
Katie Gee Salisbury
4/5 stars
This was a wonderfully interesting story about the American Asian actress Anna May Wong. She grew up in America, lived in Los Angeles and worked in her family's laundry business where she was discovered. She starred in the Douglas Fairbanks' film Thief of Bagdad and that started her career. Well written!
27rocketjk
I've just finished The Mountains Wait, a memoir by Theodor Broch. Broch was the mayor of the far northern Norwegian town of Narvik when the Nazis invaded in 1940. The book begins with Broch getting away over the mountains into neutral Sweden, having escaped arrest for his resistance activities several months after the Nazi's arrival. But then, quickly, we go 10 years back in time to Broch's arrival in the town with his wife. He is a young lawyer intent on starting a practice away from the bustle (and competition) of Oslo. Pretty soon, Broch finds himself on the city council, and then the town's mayor. In the meantime, war clouds are gathering over Europe, though the folks of this sleepy town somehow assume they'll be spared.
But, of course, they aren't. In April 1940, German destroyers show up in the fjord. The Norwegian Navy ships on hand refuse to surrender, but are almost immediately sunk. Broch describes the Nazi's arrival and occupation of the town, their temporary departure when the English attack, and then their return. He describes well the town's day-to-day life during this time, as well as the dangers and tragedies of the various bombings and naval bombardments that take place.
But, finally, Broch's activities in getting information out to the British and other minor acts of resistance are discovered, and he has to flee. Broch eventually made his way to the U.S., where he became active in trying to raise money for the training and supplying of the Norwegian military and government in exile. He travels the country, especially the midwest, where Norwegian immigrants have been settling for decades. when Broch talks to American college students, he is frequently asked how Norway could have let itself be caught by surprise. That's until the Pearl Harbor attack, when those questions naturally cease. Finally we visit an airfield in Canada where Norwegian airmen are being trained. The Mountains Wait was published in 1943, while the war, obviously, was still ongoing. Broch couldn't know that Norway would still be in German hands when the Nazis surrendered to the Allies.
This book has been on my shelves since before my LT "Big Bang" in 2008.
But, of course, they aren't. In April 1940, German destroyers show up in the fjord. The Norwegian Navy ships on hand refuse to surrender, but are almost immediately sunk. Broch describes the Nazi's arrival and occupation of the town, their temporary departure when the English attack, and then their return. He describes well the town's day-to-day life during this time, as well as the dangers and tragedies of the various bombings and naval bombardments that take place.
But, finally, Broch's activities in getting information out to the British and other minor acts of resistance are discovered, and he has to flee. Broch eventually made his way to the U.S., where he became active in trying to raise money for the training and supplying of the Norwegian military and government in exile. He travels the country, especially the midwest, where Norwegian immigrants have been settling for decades. when Broch talks to American college students, he is frequently asked how Norway could have let itself be caught by surprise. That's until the Pearl Harbor attack, when those questions naturally cease. Finally we visit an airfield in Canada where Norwegian airmen are being trained. The Mountains Wait was published in 1943, while the war, obviously, was still ongoing. Broch couldn't know that Norway would still be in German hands when the Nazis surrendered to the Allies.
This book has been on my shelves since before my LT "Big Bang" in 2008.
28JulieLill
Astor: The Rise and Fall of an American Fortune
Anderson Cooper
4/5 stars
This is the wonderfully written book on the Astor Family including John Jacob Astor, the founder of the family who settled in New York in 1783, then came the story of John Jacob Aster IV, who perished on the Titanic and their reign finally ended in 2009. A great read!
One Last Ruth Reichl Book and Eight Other Biographies
Anderson Cooper
4/5 stars
This is the wonderfully written book on the Astor Family including John Jacob Astor, the founder of the family who settled in New York in 1783, then came the story of John Jacob Aster IV, who perished on the Titanic and their reign finally ended in 2009. A great read!
One Last Ruth Reichl Book and Eight Other Biographies
29JulieLill
Unbecoming a Lady: The Forgotten Sluts and Shrews Who Shaped America
Therese Oneill
4/5 stars
This is quite an interesting look at women who have influenced the nation. The book covers several women, including Carrie Nation, Hetty Green (the first self-made lady billionaire) and Aimee Semple McPherson, a preacher who also faked her kidnapping. It was a short read but so fascinating. Non-Fiction
Therese Oneill
4/5 stars
This is quite an interesting look at women who have influenced the nation. The book covers several women, including Carrie Nation, Hetty Green (the first self-made lady billionaire) and Aimee Semple McPherson, a preacher who also faked her kidnapping. It was a short read but so fascinating. Non-Fiction
30LynnB
I've enjoyed One Bone at at Time: Tales of an Adventurous Animal Chiropractor by Alison Seely, and How Canada Works: The People Who Make Our Nation Thrive by Peter Mansbridge.
31JulieLill
Hail Mary: The Rise and Fall of the National Women's Football League
Lyndsey D'Arcangelo
3/5 stars
Interesting book about the National Women's Football League and the ups and downs of women playing professional football.
Lyndsey D'Arcangelo
3/5 stars
Interesting book about the National Women's Football League and the ups and downs of women playing professional football.
32JulieLill
Still Here: The Madcap, Nervy, Singular Life of Elaine Stritch
Alexandra Jacobs
4/5 stars
What an interesting life and story the author weaves around Elaine Stritch, an actress who performed on TV, stage and in the movies for years!
Alexandra Jacobs
4/5 stars
What an interesting life and story the author weaves around Elaine Stritch, an actress who performed on TV, stage and in the movies for years!
33JulieLill
This Time Together: Laughter and Reflection
Carol Burnett
4/5 stars
Not a complete autobiography but Burnett relates tales of her life on her show, the celebrities she encountered on her show and audiences she who motivated her. If you are a Carol Burnett fan, you would enjoy this book.
Carol Burnett
4/5 stars
Not a complete autobiography but Burnett relates tales of her life on her show, the celebrities she encountered on her show and audiences she who motivated her. If you are a Carol Burnett fan, you would enjoy this book.
34LynnB
I'm reading Killjoy: Taking on a Macho Media Empire and Winning by Jo Cheetham, which the author describes as a memoir of her role in the campaign.
35LynnB
I'm reading Pierre Poilievre: A Political Life by Andrew Lawton
36LynnB
I'm reading I'm Glad My Mom Died by Jennette McCurdy for a book club.
37JulieLill
James Herriot's Dog Stories
James Herriot
4/5 stars
I think I have read most of Herriot's books and this one is still as good as all of his other books. He is one of my favorite authors!
James Herriot
4/5 stars
I think I have read most of Herriot's books and this one is still as good as all of his other books. He is one of my favorite authors!
39JulieLill
Woe: A Housecat's Story of Despair
Lucy Knisley
3/5 stars
Lucy Knisley writes and draws about her beloved cat Linney. Very short but very sweet!
Books Off My Neverending Reading List
Lucy Knisley
3/5 stars
Lucy Knisley writes and draws about her beloved cat Linney. Very short but very sweet!
Books Off My Neverending Reading List
40LynnB
I'm reading Permanent Astonishment by Thomson Highway
41rocketjk
I finished Balls by Graig Nettles and Peter Golenbock. Baseball fans will know that 1) Graig Nettles was a star third baseman for the New York Yankees from 1973 through 1983, and 2) these years coincide with the period that George Steinbrenner owned the team. Steinbrenner was an egotistical blowhard who made his fortune via his shipbuilding company and knew a lot less about building and running a baseball team than he thought he did. Balls is Nettles’ memoir of the 1983 season, which turned out to be his final year as a Yankee. Nettles and co-writer Peter Golenbock intersperse chapters which follow the ’83 season chronologically with chapters that provide an overview of Nettles’ career up to that point.
This is not a standard baseball memoir, though. For one thing, such books normally chronicle seasons of players on teams that at least make the post-season, but in 1983, the Yankees finished third, though they did win a respectable 91 games and were in the pennant race until late in the season. For another, Nettles’ book is more about what it is like to be a player on the Yankees during the Steinbrenner era than it is a real narrative of the ups and downs of a pennant race. There’s relatively little discussion of individual games. The famous Yankees comeback of the 1978 season, where they overcame a 12-game deficit to beat the Red Sox for the pennant in a winner-take-all playoff game is handled in about two paragraphs. There are, however, some good descriptions of Nettles' teammates, including what it was like to be teammates with Reggie Jackson.
This is not a standard baseball memoir, though. For one thing, such books normally chronicle seasons of players on teams that at least make the post-season, but in 1983, the Yankees finished third, though they did win a respectable 91 games and were in the pennant race until late in the season. For another, Nettles’ book is more about what it is like to be a player on the Yankees during the Steinbrenner era than it is a real narrative of the ups and downs of a pennant race. There’s relatively little discussion of individual games. The famous Yankees comeback of the 1978 season, where they overcame a 12-game deficit to beat the Red Sox for the pennant in a winner-take-all playoff game is handled in about two paragraphs. There are, however, some good descriptions of Nettles' teammates, including what it was like to be teammates with Reggie Jackson.
42JulieLill
Who Cooked the Last Supper: The Women's History of the World
Rosalind Miles
4/5 stars
Fascinating true stories of women's history! A great read!
Non-Fiction
Rosalind Miles
4/5 stars
Fascinating true stories of women's history! A great read!
Non-Fiction
43rocketjk
I've just finished Tell My Horse: Voodoo and Life in Haiti and Jamaica by Zora Neale Hurston. The book is her anthropological memoir of her time in the two countries of the title in the late 1930s, traveling those countries and learning about the people and their lifestyles, customs and religious beliefs. As per the title, there is a lot of effort spent on describing Voodoo practices in great detail. Much of the book is very interesting indeed.
44LynnB
I've just received and started my LTER book, Daddy's Little Stranger, a memoir by Acamea Deadwiler
45JulieLill
My Mama, Cass: A Memoir
Owen Elliot-Kugell
4/5 stars
Wonderful biography of Cass Eliot by her daughter. Definitely for fans of The Mamas and the Papas! One Last Ruth Reichl Book and 8 Biographies
Owen Elliot-Kugell
4/5 stars
Wonderful biography of Cass Eliot by her daughter. Definitely for fans of The Mamas and the Papas! One Last Ruth Reichl Book and 8 Biographies
46JulieLill
White House Wild Child: How Alice Roosevelt Broke All the Rules and Won the Heart of America
by Shelley Fraser Mickle
4/5 star
Interesting biography of Alice Roosevelt, daughter of Theodore Roosevelt!
by Shelley Fraser Mickle
4/5 star
Interesting biography of Alice Roosevelt, daughter of Theodore Roosevelt!
47LynnB
I'm reading Emma: The True Story of Canada's Unlikely Spy by June Callwood
48JulieLill
56: Joe DiMaggio and the Last Magic Number in Sports
Kostya Kennedy
3/5 stars
Interesting sports book on Joe DiMaggio and his winning streak in the summer of 1941. Sports
Kostya Kennedy
3/5 stars
Interesting sports book on Joe DiMaggio and his winning streak in the summer of 1941. Sports
49JulieLill
The Mosquito Bowl: A Game of Life and Death in World War II
Buzz Bissinger
4/5 stars
This is the story of a group of the All American football players who entered WWII and served in the Marine Corp. This is the story of those players and who survived and who died. I enjoyed this book. Non-Fiction
Buzz Bissinger
4/5 stars
This is the story of a group of the All American football players who entered WWII and served in the Marine Corp. This is the story of those players and who survived and who died. I enjoyed this book. Non-Fiction
50JulieLill
The Madwoman and the Roomba: My Year of Domestic Mayhem
Sandra Tsing Loh|
4/5 stars
This was a very delightful book about her family experiences and of her domestic mayhems. I have never heard of her before but she has written several books and I am looking forward to reading more of her. Biography
Sandra Tsing Loh|
4/5 stars
This was a very delightful book about her family experiences and of her domestic mayhems. I have never heard of her before but she has written several books and I am looking forward to reading more of her. Biography
51JulieLill
My Beloved Monster: Masha, the Half-wild Rescue Cat Who Rescued Me
Caleb Carr
4/5 stars
Caleb Carr is a bestselling author, and he has written a wonderful story about his life and his pet cat Masha who he rescued from an animal shelter.
Non-Fiction
Caleb Carr
4/5 stars
Caleb Carr is a bestselling author, and he has written a wonderful story about his life and his pet cat Masha who he rescued from an animal shelter.
Non-Fiction
52JulieLill
Will
Will Smith
4/5 stars
This is the actor Will Smith's autobiography and published in 2021. I thought this was quite an interesting book and a good read. Biography
Will Smith
4/5 stars
This is the actor Will Smith's autobiography and published in 2021. I thought this was quite an interesting book and a good read. Biography
53JulieLill
The Spamalot Diaries
by Eric Idle
4/5 stars
This is the story of Eric Idle's creation of his play Spamalot. Our family had seen the play in Chicago years ago and it was very enjoyable and so was his book!
by Eric Idle
4/5 stars
This is the story of Eric Idle's creation of his play Spamalot. Our family had seen the play in Chicago years ago and it was very enjoyable and so was his book!
54JulieLill
The Demon of Unrest: A Saga of Hubris, Heartbreak, and Heroism at the Dawn of the Civil War
Erik Larson
3/5 stars
Erik Larsen's newest book looks into the beginning of the Civil War and the events surrounding it including the election of Lincoln. Not my favorite of his books but I still learned a lot about that time in history! Non-Fiction
Erik Larson
3/5 stars
Erik Larsen's newest book looks into the beginning of the Civil War and the events surrounding it including the election of Lincoln. Not my favorite of his books but I still learned a lot about that time in history! Non-Fiction
55LynnB
I'm reading k.d. lang: All You Get is Me by Victoria Starr
56JulieLill
The Real Lolita: The Kidnapping of Sally Horner and the Novel that Scandalized the World
Sarah Weinman
4/5 stars
What a very interesting true-life book about Sally Horner who was kidnapped and killed at the age of eleven. Lolita, the movie was based on Sally's life. Non-Fiction
Sarah Weinman
4/5 stars
What a very interesting true-life book about Sally Horner who was kidnapped and killed at the age of eleven. Lolita, the movie was based on Sally's life. Non-Fiction
57JulieLill
Lady in Waiting: My Extraordinary Life in the Shadow of the Crown
Anne Glenconner
4/5 stars
Interesting autobiography of Anne Glenconnor. She was friends of the royal family and acted as a Maid of Honor at Queen Elizabeth's Coronation along with being a Lady In Waiting to Princess Margaret. Well written! Books Off My Never Ending Reading List
Anne Glenconner
4/5 stars
Interesting autobiography of Anne Glenconnor. She was friends of the royal family and acted as a Maid of Honor at Queen Elizabeth's Coronation along with being a Lady In Waiting to Princess Margaret. Well written! Books Off My Never Ending Reading List
59rocketjk
I finished Into China, British author Eileen Bigland's memoir of her journey over the mountains via the famed Burma Road with an ammunitions convoy bringing weapons to Chiang Kai-Shek's army during the Japanese invasion of China of the late 1930s. It's fascinating and maddening in turns, the former due to Bigland's skill as a writer with a sharp eye and the latter due to her European condescension to Asian people, that fades as the narrative progresses but never disappears. Nevertheless, a mostly fascinating account.
60JulieLill
Good Night, Irene
by Luis Alberto Urrea
4/5 stars
Based loosely on a true story which revolves around World War II in which females from the United States came to help set up food depots to serve the men during the war. Very fascinating! Miscellaneous Books
by Luis Alberto Urrea
4/5 stars
Based loosely on a true story which revolves around World War II in which females from the United States came to help set up food depots to serve the men during the war. Very fascinating! Miscellaneous Books
61LynnB
I'm reading Sociopath: A Memoire by Patric Gagne. Her first name is pronounced "Patrick" and she writes about her own diagnosis as a sociopath. She has a PhD in the subject so it should be interesting.
62JulieLill
A Fatal Inheritance: How a Family Misfortune Revealed a Deadly Medical Mystery
by Lawrence Ingrassia
4/5 stars
This is an interesting non-fiction book about a family who discovered that many of their family members came down with cancer and how they lived and coped with the disease. Non-Fiction
by Lawrence Ingrassia
4/5 stars
This is an interesting non-fiction book about a family who discovered that many of their family members came down with cancer and how they lived and coped with the disease. Non-Fiction
