Book Review: Wild by Cheryl Strayed
Cheryl Strayed writes about her life-changing solo backpacking journey in Wild: From Lost to Found on the Pacific Crest Trail. It’s not a new book. In fact, it’s been on my digital shelves since 2014. So, I figured, it’s about time I give it a try. Strayed’s story has...Book Review: In Pieces by Sally Field
I am so impressed by Sally Field. In Pieces is a poignant, charming, and absorbing tale. And she lived it all. Although she never glosses over the difficult parts of her life, she intersperses them with her triumphs. Through it all, we learn just how hard a Hollywood...Book Review: Know My Name by Chanel Miller
Chanel Miller went to a fraternity house party one evening, and woke up in the hospital the following morning. What happened in between is just one reason why she’s written a memoir. During the party, Miller got quite drunk and passed out. Her sister and friend...Book Review: The Argonauts by Maggie Nelson
Maggie Nelson and Harry Dodge have a non traditional family, while doing common things like struggling to get pregnant and raising two children together. In her memoir, The Argonauts, Nelson explores the unique aspects of their lives. At the same time, she discusses...Book Review: Flash Count Diary by Darcey Steinke
In Flash Count Diary, Darcey Steinke presents her perspective on various aspects of menopause. It’s one woman’s experience, and thus, a memoir. And yet, it’s so much more. There’s science, social commentary, and some thoughts on medical methods. But if you’re looking...Book Review: Good Boy: My Life in Seven Dogs by Jennifer Finney Boylan
Good Boy, the latest memoir from Jennifer Finney Boylan, makes me want to go adopt a dog. And it also makes me glad I don’t have one. She tells a plethora of funny and poignant stories about dog ownership. Alternately, she tells about dogs who despise their owners and...Book Review: Barbarian Days by William Finnegan
William Finnegan combines several genres in Barbarian Days, despite its subtitle of A Surfing Life. It’s part discussion of surfing theory, combined with travelogue, buddy road trip, and memoir. Finnegan covers a lot of his life, starting in his pre-teen years and...Book Review: Educated by Tara Westover
Tara Westover tells the story of her unique upbringing in Educated. And that might be the most understated sentence ever used in a book review. Westover’s parents are Mormon, but also combined that faith with more fundamentalist beliefs. They stockpile weapons and...Book Review: Folded Wisdom by Joanna Guest
Joanna Guest compiles and discusses the myriad notes she and her brother received from their dad, Bob. He created a note—with both writing and art—every day during most of their school years. Bob is an artist, a philosophic thinker, but most of all, he’s a dad. And...Book Review: My (Part-Time) Paris Life by Lisa Anselmo
Lisa Anselmo had a good life in New York City. A good job, with family nearby, and regular vacations in Paris. Then her mother passed away from cancer, and Lisa felt utterly unmoored. She reached out to Paris, beginning to spend more time there. The time there helped....Book Review: Heart Berries by Terese Marie Mailhot
Terese Marie Mailhot bares it all in her memoir, Heart Berries. Nothing’s off limits—abuse, mental illness, dysfunctional family and relationships. I often say that a good memoir lets me slide inside the author’s skin. This is a rough skin to spend time in, and I give...Book Review: Thanks, Obama by David Litt
Native New Yorker David Litt was politically aware enough in college to volunteer for Barack Obama’s first Presidential campaign. Then he moved to Washington, D.C. and tried to get a job after graduation. After an internship, he networked himself into Obama’s White...Book Review: The Electric Woman by Tessa Fontaine
Tessa Fontaine runs away to join a circus sideshow after graduate school. It’s dream fulfillment, and a chance to escape the reality of her dramatically ill mother. While many daughters would refuse to leave their mother’s side, Fontaine has a more complicated...Book Review: Becoming by Michelle Obama
It isn’t easy to be the 9 zillioneth reviewer of Becoming by Michelle Obama. But here I am, wondering how I’ll make this an original and meaningful review.Let’s get the basics out of the way. I loved this book, and am especially glad I listened to the audiobook. While...Book Review: River Queens by Alexander Watson
River Queens is the story of a voyage through America. But more than that, it’s the story of Alexander Watson, Dale Harris, their dog Doris Faye, and their boat the Betty Jane. It made me laugh, learn, and even shed a tear.Watson and Harris are landlubbers from Dallas...Currently reading
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