Tag Archives: Nonfiction

Don’t Overthink It

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Author: Anne Bogel
Publisher: Baker Books
Genre: Nonfiction
Source:  Kristin of Kritters Ramblings

 

Goodreads:  We’ve all been there: stuck in a cycle of what-ifs, plagued by indecision, paralyzed by the fear of getting it wrong. Nobody wants to live a life of constant overthinking, but it doesn’t feel like something we can choose to stop doing. It feels like something we’re wired to do, something we just can’t escape. But is it?

Anne Bogel’s answer is no. Not only can you overcome negative thought patterns that are repetitive, unhealthy, and unhelpful, you can replace them with positive thought patterns that will bring more peace, joy, and love into your life. In Don’t Overthink It, you’ll find actionable strategies that can make an immediate and lasting difference in how you deal with questions both small–Should I buy these flowers?–and large–What am I doing with my life? More than a book about making good decisions, Don’t Overthink It offers you a framework for making choices you’ll be comfortable with, using an appropriate amount of energy, freeing you to focus on all the other stuff that matters in life.

Ope’s Opinion: I have the physical book on my shelf, but I ended up listening to this one.  Anne’s voice was great for this book.  She had examples and thoughts to go along with her ideas of making life easier.  Her examples helped plant the ideas in my head.

I will go back to this book again, I am sure.  I will ask myself the questions at the end of the chapters again and see how far I have come and what still needs to be worked on along the way.  It is a work in progress, so it will be fun to see what comes easy and what I will be going back to again and again.

Thank you, Kristin of Kritters Ramblings for buying this book for me.  We share  many different books, it is always fun to have my book world opened a little wider.

Home Work: A Memoir of My Hollywood Years

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Author: Julie Andrews
Publisher: Hachette Audio
Genre: Nonfiction
Source:  Library

Goodreads:   In this follow-up to her critically acclaimed memoir, Home, Julie Andrews shares reflections on her astonishing career, including such classics as Mary Poppins, The Sound of Music, and Victor/Victoria.

In Home, the number one New York Times international bestseller, Julie Andrews recounted her difficult childhood and her emergence as an acclaimed singer and performer on the stage.
With this second memoir, Home Work: A Memoir of My Hollywood Years, Andrews picks up the story with her arrival in Hollywood and her phenomenal rise to fame in her earliest films–Mary Poppins and The Sound of Music. Andrews describes her years in the film industry — from the incredible highs to the challenging lows. Not only does she discuss her work in now-classic films and her collaborations with giants of cinema and television, she also unveils her personal story of adjusting to a new and often daunting world, dealing with the demands of unimaginable success, being a new mother, the end of her first marriage, embracing two stepchildren, adopting two more children, and falling in love with the brilliant and mercurial Blake Edwards. The pair worked together in numerous films, including Victor/Victoria, the gender-bending comedy that garnered multiple Oscar nominations.

Cowritten with her daughter, Emma Walton Hamilton, and told with Andrews’s trademark charm and candor, Home Work takes us on a rare and intimate journey into an extraordinary life that is funny, heartrending, and inspiring.

Ope’s Opinion: Julie Andrews voice was such a pleasure to listen to.  She spoke of personal things that were happening and behind scenes of Mary Poppins, Sound of Music and other things that she did.  

I always feel a memoir is hard to review.  It is her perspective of her life – it can’t be negative or positive.  It is what ever she remembers.

I just enjoyed listening to this.  I am not a big fan of reading memoirs, but I do enjoy listening to them.

Jackie O: On the Couch

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Author: Alma H. Bond
Publisher: Bancroft Press
Genre: Nonfiction
Source:  Kristin at Kritters Ramblings

 

Goodreads:  Jackie O: On the Couch is the story of Jackie Kennedy Onassis as she might have written it.

This is not just another biography. For the first time, Jackie O: On the Couch highlights Jackie’s life from her own perspective, as imagined by author Dr. Alma Bond, a psychoanalyst and long-time student of Jackie lore.

The facts are all historically correct, as are the ideas, the Washington intrigue and politics, and the examination of the role of women in society and in the White House. Jackie speaks of her need to record her story truthfully-to replace the hodgepodge of lies published during her lifetime. Speaking as an older woman, she ponders how her points of view have changed from those she held when she was young.

The book delves into her childhood and explores how and why Jackie became the person she was. It also explores the Kennedys, and how John F. Kennedy’s background affected his marriage. Jackie’s deep love for Jack, his early inattentiveness, their difficulties together, his outrageous womanizing, happy times at the White House, and the tragedy of his assassination-all are viewed through Jackie’s eyes.

Jackie writes of her need for Aristotle Onassis, debunking the notion that she married him purely for his money, and traces the joyful early years of the marriage through to its dramatic collapse and Ari’s difficult death.

A different Jackie emerges into the world of publishing. Her new persona allows her to establish her very best relationship with the stout and adoring Maurice Tempelsman, until non-Hodgkins lymphoma takes her life in 1994, at age 64.

Jackie O: On the Couch is a unique exploration of the life and loves of a great historical figure. Jackie Kennedy Onassis deeply prized her privacy and, as a result, she was both revered and mysterious. In this book, much of the mystery is shed as Jackie finally emerges as a fully fleshed-out, three-dimensional person-a true human being, with enormous strengths and shortcomings, who all of us can now understand and appreciate, perhaps for the first time.

Ope’s Opinion:  Along with a lot of other people, I have always been fascinated by Jackie O.  This book gave me a new look at her life.  It was a little depressing – she had a hard life.  The way it was written, I didn’t feel too much for her – not sorry or sad.  It felt like the book was written from a very negative perspective.  It took any shine off of my thoughts of what she might really be like.  I don’t think I will seek out any other books about her.  My daughter read this book and had a completely different reaction to it, so read it for yourself and see what you think.

 

 

 

Coming Soon…

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…. On a Bookshelf near you!

In September I hope to read….

 

Publication Date: Spetember 15, 2020
Publisher: Clarkson Potter Publishers

Goodreads: The New York Times bestselling authors and stars of the upcoming Netflix series The Home Edit teach you how to apply their genius, holistic approach to your work life, on-the-go necessities, and technology.

When at home or on the go, you don’t have to live like a minimalist to feel happy and calm. The Home Edit mentality is all about embracing your life–whether you’re a busy mom, a roommate living with three, or someone who’s always traveling for work. You just need to know how to set up a system that works for you.

In the next phase of the home organizing craze, Clea Shearer and Joanna Teplin go beyond the pantry and bookshelf to show you how to contain the chaos in all aspects of your life from office space to traveling bags to pet supplies and holiday storage. Take quizzes and get to know your organizing style, tailor it to your family’s lifestyle, and lead the low-guilt life as you apply more genius ideas to every aspect of your life.

Clea and Joanna are here to remind you that “it’s okay to own things” (we all do!) in the quest for pretty and smart spaces. With The Home Edit Life, you’ll be corralling phone cords, archiving old photos, packing your suitcase like a pro, and arranging your phone apps by color in no time.

 

What is coming soon …. to a bookshelf near you?

Let me know – I am always looking for a good read!

In Pieces

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Author: Sally Field
Publisher: Hachette Audio
Genre: Nonfiction
Source:  Library

 

Goodreads:  In this intimate, haunting literary memoir, an American icon tells her story for the first time, and in her own gorgeous words-about a challenging and lonely childhood, the craft that helped her find her voice, and a powerful emotional legacy that shaped her journey as a daughter and a mother.

One of the most celebrated, beloved, and enduring actors of our time, Sally Field has an infectious charm that has captivated the nation for more than five decades, beginning with her first TV role at the age of seventeen. From Gidget‘s sweet-faced “girl next door” to the dazzling complexity of Sybil to the Academy Award-worthy ferocity and depth of Norma Rae and Mary Todd Lincoln, Field has stunned audiences time and time again with her artistic range and emotional acuity. Yet there is one character who always remained hidden: the shy and anxious little girl within.

With raw honesty and the fresh, pitch-perfect prose of a natural-born writer, and with all the humility and authenticity her fans have come to expect, Field brings readers behind-the-scenes for not only the highs and lows of her star-studded early career in Hollywood, but deep into the truth of her lifelong relationships-including, most importantly, her complicated love for her own mother. Powerful and unforgettable, In Pieces is an inspiring and important account of life as a woman in the second half of the twentieth century.

Ope’s Opinion:  Parts of this were hard to listen to.  Sally Field did not have it as easy as it looked like from the outside.  Her voice was easy to listen to and she was a fast talker.

As a petite woman about Sally Fields age, I looked up to her when I was young – thinking if she can do something, so can I.  She wasn’t the typical long legged blonde that we usually saw in Hollywood.  I enjoyed watching her on tv and in the movies.

The epilogue was especially touching.

Becoming

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Author: Michelle Obama
Publisher: Random House Audio
Genre: Nonfiction
Source: Library

Goodreads:  An intimate, powerful, and inspiring memoir by the former First Lady of the United States.

In a life filled with meaning and accomplishment, Michelle Obama has emerged as one of the most iconic and compelling women of our era. As First Lady of the United States of America—the first African-American to serve in that role—she helped create the most welcoming and inclusive White House in history, while also establishing herself as a powerful advocate for women and girls in the U.S. and around the world, dramatically changing the ways that families pursue healthier and more active lives, and standing with her husband as he led America through some of its most harrowing moments. Along the way, she showed us a few dance moves, crushed Carpool Karaoke, and raised two down-to-earth daughters under an unforgiving media glare.

In her memoir, a work of deep reflection and mesmerizing storytelling, Michelle Obama invites readers into her world, chronicling the experiences that have shaped her—from her childhood on the South Side of Chicago to her years as an executive balancing the demands of motherhood and work, to her time spent at the world’s most famous address. With unerring honesty and lively wit, she describes her triumphs and her disappointments, both public and private, telling her full story as she has lived it—in her own words and on her own terms. Warm, wise, and revelatory, Becoming is the deeply personal reckoning of a woman of soul and substance who has steadily defied expectations—and whose story inspires us to do the same.

Ope’s Opinion:  Listening to this book was the best way to read this one.  Michelle Obama’s voice was perfect – there was a good cadence and she had wonderful inflection. 

It was interesting to learn about her childhood, meeting Barack, their relationship and their children.  The politics was not of much interest for me, but that was a small part of the book. 

I think this book is also about the message that Michelle wants to get out – you matter, females are important and that you can become anything.  I also think she wanted it known that everyone is becoming and she still is becoming… 

 

Thanks for Sharing

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Thank you Kristin of Kritters Ramblings!
When she shares a book,
I know it will be a good read.

Goodreads:  In this intimate, haunting literary memoir, an American icon tells her story for the first time, and in her own gorgeous words–about a challenging and lonely childhood, the craft that helped her find her voice, and a powerful emotional legacy that shaped her journey as a daughter and a mother.

One of the most celebrated, beloved, and enduring actors of our time, Sally Field has an infectious charm that has captivated the nation for more than five decades, beginning with her first TV role at the age of seventeen. From Gidget‘s sweet-faced “girl next door” to the dazzling complexity of Sybil to the Academy Award-worthy ferocity and depth of Norma Rae and Mary Todd Lincoln, Field has stunned audiences time and time again with her artistic range and emotional acuity. Yet there is one character who always remained hidden: the shy and anxious little girl within.

With raw honesty and the fresh, pitch-perfect prose of a natural-born writer, and with all the humility and authenticity her fans have come to expect, Field brings readers behind-the-scenes for not only the highs and lows of her star-studded early career in Hollywood, but deep into the truth of her lifelong relationships–including her complicated love for her own mother. Powerful and unforgettable, In Pieces is an inspiring and important account of life as a woman in the second half of the twentieth century.

First Degree From Med School to Murder

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Author: Kayla Hounsell
Publisher: Nimbus Publishing
Genre: Nonfiction, Crime
Source: Book Expo 2019

 

Goodreads:  A murder, a missing body, and a sensational trial that shocked the community.

Will Sandeson seemed like a model son. A member of the Dalhousie University track and field team, he was about to start classes at Dalhousie’s medical school. He had attended a medical school in the Caribbean; he worked at a group home for adults with disabilities. “There’s times for whatever reason that things don’t go quite as planned,” a Halifax police officer told Sandeson shortly after he was arrested for the first-degree murder of Taylor Samson, who also, on the surface, seemed like a model son. Samson lived in a fraternity house near Dalhousie, and when the six-foot-five physics student disappeared without a trace, the focus eventually turned to Sandeson.

Sandeson’s trial, with surprising testimony and the unanswered question of what happened to Samson’s body, gripped the university city for months. Through interviews with friends and relatives, as well as transcripts of the trial and Sandeson’s police interrogation, award-winning journalist Kayla Hounsell paints a complex portrait of both the victim and killer, two young men who seemed destined for bright futures. First Degree includes previously unpublished photos and details never made public until now.

Ope’s Opinion: First you need to know, this is not my usual read.  I am a fiction reader most of the time.  This book caught my attention when we were getting ready to go to Book Expo this year.  I couldn’t imagine how a med student got caught up in a murder, so I wanted to read about it.

For me, there were too many details that didn’t seem important to the case or helping me understand what happened and why it happened.  I got lost a few times in the legal system – I do think this book should be a required read for a law student.

The epilogue had more to do with how the university was going to change their way of selecting students, then where everyone was at the present time. I wanted to know how the families were of both Will and Taylor, I wanted to know where their girlfriends are now and how Will’s brothers are doing.

Coming Soon….

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…. On a Bookshelf near you!

In September I hope to read….

I'd Rather Be Reading: The Delights and Dilemmas of the Reading Life

Publication Date: September 4, 2018
Publisher: Baker Books

Goodreads: For so many people, reading isn’t just a hobby or a way to pass the time–it’s a lifestyle. Our books shape us, define us, enchant us, and even sometimes infuriate us. Our books are a part of who we are as people, and we can’t imagine life without them.

I’d Rather Be Reading is the perfect literary companion for everyone who feels that way. In this collection of charming and relatable reflections on the reading life, beloved blogger and author Anne Bogel leads readers to remember the book that first hooked them, the place where they first fell in love with reading, and all of the moments afterward that helped make them the reader they are today. Known as a reading tastemaker through her popular podcast What Should I Read Next?, Bogel invites book lovers into a community of like-minded people to discover new ways to approach literature, learn fascinating new things about books and publishing, and reflect on the role reading plays in their lives.

The perfect gift for the bibliophile in everyone’s life, I’d Rather Be Reading will command an honored place on the overstuffed bookshelves of any book lover.

 

What is coming soon …. to a bookshelf near you?

Let me know – I am always looking for a good read!

Inconceivable

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Author: Carolyn & Sean Savage
Publisher: HarperOne
Genre: Nonfiction, Autobiography
Source:  Library

 

 

Goodreads:  A medical mistake during an IVF procedure. An unthinkable situation . . . you’re pregnant with the wrong baby. You can terminate, but you can’t keep him. What choice would you make?

Carolyn and Sean Savage had been trying to expand their family for years. When they underwent an IVF transfer in February 2009, they knew it would be their last chance. If they became pregnant, they would celebrate the baby as an answer to their prayers. If not, they would be grateful for the family they had and leave their fertility struggles behind forever.

They never imagined a third option. The pregnancy test was positive, but the clinic had transferred the wrong embryos. Carolyn was pregnant with someone else’s baby.

The Savages faced a series of heartbreaking decisions: terminate the pregnancy, sue for custody, or hand over the infant to his genetic parents upon delivery. Knowing that Carolyn was carrying another couple’s hope for a baby, the Savages wanted to do what they prayed the other family would do for them if the situation was reversed. Sean and Carolyn Savage decided to give the ultimate gift, the gift of life, to a family they didn’t know, no strings attached.

Inconceivable provides an inside look at how modern medicine, which creates miracles daily, could allow such a tragic mistake, and the many legal ramifications that ensued with both the genetic family and the clinic. Chronicling their tumultuous pregnancy and its aftermath, which tested the Savage’s faith, their relationship to their church, and their marriage, Inconceivable is ultimately a testament to love. Carolyn and Sean loved this baby, making it impossible for them to imagine how they could give him life and then give him away.

In the end, Inconceivable is a story of what it is to be a parent, someone who nurtures a life, protects a soul, only to release that child into the world long before you’re ready to let him go.

Ope’s Opinion:  I rarely read nonfiction, but I was very interested in reading this story.  It was well written – some parts were repetitive.  The Savages were very honest with their emotions and how they saw things.  I do wish I had the Morell’s perspective at the same time.  I felt the Savages were a bit critical at times of the Morells, but not being in that position I may have been too. 

It was a gift that Carolyn chose to give the Morells.  I am not sure how many people could do that.  There is really no ending – I just hope both families can heal and enjoy their children.