Friends, Lovers, and the Big Terrible Thing by Matthew Perry
Happy reading,
Dorothea 💜
Tuesday, December 5, 2023
Monday, December 4, 2023
REVIEW - Stories I Only Tell My friends audiobook
OVERVIEW
This was another good celebrity memoir/autobiography this time by Rob Lowe. It was good, but not great.
There were some very interesting parts such as when Rob grew up in Dayton, Ohio, and then moved to Malibu. His childhood was very normal until he became an actor.
The toughest part was what I felt was a bit of a pity party about his time on the West Wing - it just really dragged the book down. Also, his time in rehab was very riveting.
This book was published in 2011 - it seemed a bit dated so I wish that I had read it twelve years ago. The age of the autobiography/memoir will be something that I will need to consider going forward.
OVERALL REVIEW: 4.0 stars
Writing: 4.0 stars
It was very strong writing. Rob came across as very intelligent and well-read. But, at times, I felt like SAT words were just thrown in - it disrupted the flow of the reading. Also, he really is a good Midwestern boy at heart!
Narration: 5.0 stars
Rob is a very good impressionist and reads beautifully. I find that memoirs narrated by the author are so much better than narration by professional readers.
Character Arc: 4.0 stars
The majority of the memoir was in chronological order which is my preferred timeframe. Of course, there are little tangents to other times, but it was pretty straightforward in the timeline. It was a bit uneven in the amount of time spent on the different parts of his life.
His childhood was interesting and his time on The Outsiders was fascinating. He also spent a chapter on his time in rehab which I didn't know about. But, he had a bit of "poor me" when talking about the West Wing. There could have been much more - not salacious or tell-all - about the REAL Rob Lowe.
Memorable: 4.0 stars
Yes and no. This isn't a memoir that I am immediately going to think of when I get asked about a memoir recommendation. It was good, but not great.
Entertaining: 4.0 stars
Rob is a good storyteller and impressionist. It could have been so much more!
Book cover: 4.0 stars
I liked it!
Book title: 3.5 stars
It really was a bit untrue. I didn't feel that the book was this at all.
DEFINITE recommend
STATISTICS
Stories I Only Tell My Friends by Rob Lowe
9 hours, 10 minutes
Listened to as an audiobook from the Los Angeles Public Library (LAPL)
Release date of 04/26/2011
INFORMATIONAL LINKS
Happy reading,
Dorothea 💜
Saturday, December 2, 2023
Five Books That Most Impacted My Life
Hi, everyone!
So, I saw a post on an author's Instagram page about the "Five Books That Most Impacted My Life". Unfortunately, I cannot find the original post or remember which author, and will update you if I find out! But, I followed suit and picked only five books which was a difficult task.
Since not everyone has read all of these amazing books, I will elaborate below about each book and why it is significant and meaningful to me, personally.
Little Women by Louisa May Alcott
I am not certain when I read this book for the first time, but I would say probably in third grade. Also, I am positive that I ordered this book from the Scholastic Book monthly order form and that it was a paperback. I wish that I still had it!
Once I started this book, I could not finish it fast enough. It opened up a whole new world that I didn't know much about including the Civil War, Massachusetts, friends, family, and love.
I always thought that I was like Jo growing up, but I now realize that I really was like Meg. All of the March sisters were beautifully written characters and made me realize that books for children (me included at the time) could be well-written, absorbing, and about four GIRLS!!
Interestingly, one of my recent author discoveries, Natalie Jenner, is currently writing a book with Louisa May Alcott as a character. I am so excited to read this book when it comes out!
The Diary of a Young Girl by Anne Frank
Wow! This was a book that I read in 8th grade in Mrs. Chavdarian's English class (she was also my homeroom teacher). FUN FACT: I am Facebook friends with Mrs. Chavdarian! I will tag her in this post on Facebook so she knows how much she means to me!!
Okay, this was the first book I read about WWII and The Holocaust. I did not have family members living in Europe during this time or family members in the military in the European theater. The biggest takeaway for me was stark horror and terror! I could not believe that human beings attempted to remove a whole group of people from the Earth because of their ethnicity and/or their religion.
This book coupled with Mrs. Chavdarian educating us about the Armenian genocide that started in 1915 changed me for the better. Unfortunately, it took until I was in college for it all to take hold. Everyone needs to read this book - it will change your life.
Fahrenheit 451 by Ray Bradbury
This is another book that I read in 8th grade in Mrs. Chavdarian's English class! Can you tell that she greatly impacted my reading choices and love of reading?
The way I viewed this book as an 8th grader is completely different as an adult - I recently reread it and loved it even more. But, first my 8th grade views. What bothered me was the book burning and destroying works of art (books) that are treasures to me. Add in that I recently read The Diary of a Young Girl by Anne Frank so my mind was boggled and horrified by the book burning in Nazi Germany.
Now as an adult, it wasn't the book burning that horrified me as much (yes, it was horrible), but rather the mind-control through the "parlor wall" televisions where the government told people what to do and think. This dystopian novel written in 1953 unfortunately predicted the future with the winner of the 2016 Presidential race telling people how to think, believe, and act in his cult of personality.
Practical Magic by Alice Hoffman
I cannot believe I did not read this amazing book until TWENTY years after it was published. It was published in 1995 and I read it in 2015! I am grateful that I did find Alice Hoffman's books because she is one of my absolute favorite authors. Her books are beautifully written, descriptive, and just plain WITCHY!
Yes, I said WITCHY. All women do have a little witch in them and that is a good thing. We have good intuition, premonitions, and strong instincts towards our friends and family. Interestingly, I have been researching my genealogy and tentatively believe I am related to one of the witches hanged in Salem, Massachusetts and I am also related to men who helped her hang. YIKES!! More work is needed to prove it all.
But, Alice Hoffman writes like no one else. She is beyond amazing to write FOUR books in the Practical Magic series. I hope and dream she will write a fifth book in this series.
Harry Potter and the Sorcerer's Stone by J.K. Rowling
Let me start by clarifying, "I do endorse or support any of the viewpoints or opinions that J.K. Rowling espouses".
With that being said, these books have helped a generation of children love to read. I cannot discount this and am grateful for this. My daughter believed she would never learn to read because it was too hard. Once she found the Harry Potter books, she read under the covers with a flashlight, in the car, and anytime and everywhere she could read. These books made her a life-long lover of books! The great thing was that we started the books together when she was in 2nd grade with the approval of her teacher.
For me, the biggest takeaway from these books was good triumphs over evil, friends can become your chosen family, and that fantasy can be amazingly realistic. The first book was written for fourth-graders, I believe, but the books get more difficult and onto more adult topics as they proceed. Listening to these seven books as audiobooks is a joy.
So that is my "Five Books That Most Impacted My Life"! I hope that you play along too! I would love to know what books matter to YOU!!
Happy reading,
Dorothea 💜
P.S. My graphic was created using PicCollage on my cell phone if you are wondering how I did it!!
Friday, December 1, 2023
November 2023 - Monthly Wrap-up
Hi, everyone!
Wow, November was a busy and fun month. December will be even busier, but what a wonderful problem to have!
November was another great
month for books with some outstanding books! It was a unique month with only
ARCs (Advance Reader Copies) and audiobooks from the Los Angeles Public
Library!
BEST BOOK OF 2023
There are now THIRTEEN books
vying for MY Best Book of 2023.
- The Wind Knows My Name by Isabel Allende (May)
- Lady Tan’s Circle of Women by Lisa See (June)
- How to Say Babylon by Safiya Sinclair (July)
- A Council of Dolls by Mona Susan Power (August)
- The Invisible Hour by Alice Hoffman (August)
- Evergreen (Japantown Mystery #2) by Naomi Hirahara (August)
- The Women by Kristin Hannah (September)
- After Annie by Anna Quindlen (September)
- Finding Margaret Fuller by Allison Pataki (October)
- The Leftover Woman by Jean Kwok (October)
- Making It So by Patrick Stewart (October) audiobook
- Every Time We Say Goodbye by Natalie Jenner (November)
- Being Henry by Henry Winkler (November) audiobook
It will be so fascinating to determine which book I decide on as MY Best Book of 2023! Of
these thirteen books, FOUR are vying in the final round for Goodreads Best
Books of 2023. It will be exciting to see how the end-of-the-year decision plays out!
Another audiobook got a 5.0-star
review from me. It was well written, beautifully narrated, and just lovely – Being
Henry by Henry Winkler.
I hope the quality of
books in December continues to be good for me with at least ONE 5.0-star
in December to keep my streak of outstanding books running.
GOODREADS READING GOAL:
My Goodreads reading goal
kept increasing in 2023! In May, it increased from 50 to 60 books; in
September, it increased from 60 to 80 books; and in October, it was finally increased from
80 to 100 books! This may be a bit of a stretch goal, but I will try my best to meet it!
Currently, 90 books
out of 100 books GOAL. 10 books to go by
December 31, 2023.
For next year, I think I will just set 100 as my goal and avoid the goal updates!!
STATISTICS:
9 total books
5 e-books; 4 audiobooks
5 books were an ARC
(Advance Reader Copy)
4 books were library books
(0 ebooks; 4 audiobooks)
0 books were purchased ebooks
0 books were an Amazon
First Reads
0 books were a gifted
physical book
Audio listening time in November:
31 hours, 6 minutes
Pages read in November: 1,752 pages
BOOK RATINGS with BOOK
COVERS:
5.0-star books (2)
Being Henry by Henry Winkler (REVIEW LINK)
Every Time We Say Goodbye by Natalie Jenner (REVIEW LINK)
4.5-star books
Paris, The Memoir by Paris Hilton (REVIEW LINK)
The Underground Library by Jennifer Ryan (REVIEW LINK)
4.0-star books (1)
Dolly Parton, Songteller by Dolly Parton, Robert K. Oermann (REVIEW LINK)
3.5-star book (3)
Good Taste by Caroline Scott (REVIEW LINK)
The Philadelphia Heiress by Anita Abriel (REVIEW LINK)
If You Had Told Me by John Stamos (REVIEW LINK)
3.0-star books (0)
If you want to read my
full review of any of these books, there are individual review links for each
ebook or audiobook below the picture of the book. You click on REVIEW LINK to get to that specific book review!!
Happy reading,
Dorothea 💜
P.S. For more information about my book ratings, you can find out more here: BOOK RATINGS LINK.
Also, for a glossary of the common book blog terminology, check out: GLOSSARY LINK.
Tuesday, November 28, 2023
REVIEW - Dolly Parton, Songteller audiobook
OVERVIEW
OH, MY! This was not a classic memoir, but rather told in Dolly's life as a "songteller" (songwriter meets storyteller). She is a fabulous storyteller and songwriter so it was fun to learn more about her famous and non-as-famous songs.
It was done in an interview style which was fabulous. She answered in her own words and the emotions came across for so many songs and stories! She is someone who I would love to meet because I admire and appreciate her.
Dolly's song recordings and Dolly singing a cappella were sprinkled throughout the book.
OVERALL REVIEW: 4.0 stars
Writing: 4.0 stars
This was writing per se, but it really was "interviewing" Dolly which was fabulous!
Narration: 4.0 stars
The narration was fun. I am not sure who asked Dolly the questions in this excellent memoir. But, Dolly is real, uninhibited, and amazing in her answers in this memoir.
Character Arc: 4.0 stars
The memoir covers the time from Dolly's birth to 2020 (pre-pandemic). It was in somewhat chronological order but sorted more by themes. It was fun to understand more about "behind the song"!
Memorable: 4.5 stars
I want to be Dolly when I grow up! Not the songwriter or storyteller as I don't have those talents, but just an AMAZING human being filled with love and generosity! I want to live like Dolly!
Entertaining: 4.5 stars
So fascinating and fun. I wanted MORE!
Book cover: 4.0 stars
Authentic Dolly!
Book title: 5.0 stars
A very appropriate title!
DEFINITE RECOMMENDATION
STATISTICS
Dolly Parton, Songteller by Dolly Parton and Robert K. Oermann
5 hours, 18 minutes
Listened to as an audiobook from the Los Angeles Public Library (LAPL)
Release date of 11/17/2020
INFORMATIONAL LINKS
Happy reading,
Dorothea 💜
Goodreads Best Books of 2023 - FINAL round
So it is time for the FINAL round. So I have TEN books (1 book nominated in TWO categories) that I have read! These ten books are all very good books and definitely worth reading or giving as Christmas gifts!!!!
Interestingly, I read a book that was nominated during the opening round and it made it to the final round!
The Wishing Game by Meg Shaffer #1
(Best Fiction)
The Woman In Me by Britney Spears
(Best Memoir & Autobiography)
Being Henry by Henry Winkler
(Best Humor)
Spare by Prince Harry
(Best Memoir & Autobiography)
Paris The Memoir by Paris Hilton
(Best Memoir & Autobiography)
The Wishing Game by Meg Shaffer #2
(Best Debut Novel)
The Ferryman by Justin Cronin
(Best Science Fiction)
Lady Tan's Circle of Women by Lisa See
(Best Historical Fiction)
The Wind Knows My Name by Isabel Allende
(Best Historical Fiction)
The Invisible Hour by Alice Hoffman
(Best Fiction)
Unfortunately, three amazing books did not make the final round, but they are such good books! Please check them out and support these fantastic authors! These books are:
How to Say Babylon by Safiya Sinclair (Best Memoir & Autobiography)
The Leftover Woman by Jean Kwok (Best Mystery & Thriller)
The Connellys of County Down by Tracey Lange (Best Fiction)
If you are a Goodreads member, you can vote! This is the final round and it will be exciting to see which books win - although ALL of these books are winners!
Happy reading,
Dorothea 💜
Friday, November 24, 2023
Thursday, November 23, 2023
REVIEW Paris The Memoir audiobook
OVERVIEW
This was not what I expected at all from Paris Hilton AT ALL!!! I am shocked in a good way! I did not think that I would like this book, but I loved it.
Paris has a lot of life experiences to share which explain so much about her and her life choices. Some of it is very heartbreaking and as a mom, I just want to hug her tightly.
I really had no opinion of Paris other than knowing that she was a Hilton, seemed entitled and spoiled from familial wealth, and had the best life of a typical rich girl. Some of those preconceptions were true and some were totally wrong.
Paris is brutally honest about her traumas, issues with ADHD, and growing up with life expectations. She rose above it all beautifully. Plus, she narrated a good book!
OVERALL REVIEW: 4.5 stars
Writing: 4.5 stars
Such a perfectly written memoir by Paris Hilton. I listened to it as an audiobook which really made the writing pop in her unique "Paris speak". It was well-written, descriptive, and horrifying. Paris shares very personal experiences in congregate care so that others do not experience her traumas. It is gutsy, deep, and real writing. So powerful!
Narration: 5.0 stars
It was perfect. Paris narrates in her normal "Paris voice" with no baby talk unless it is appropriate. But in the horrific parts reading in her own voice made it so real, so raw, and so terrifying.
The narration was emotional at times. I honestly do not how Paris got through the narration with the trauma that she has endured plus ADHD. She is a fighter!!
Character Arc: 4.5 stars
The majority of the memoir was in chronological order which I greatly appreciated. There are times when Paris's ADHD takes over and she goes off on tangents but it was very appropriate, It explains so much about her in all its heartrending glory.
Memorable: 5.0 stars
Yes. There were many takeaways, but the biggest was that she was in multiple teenage congregate care facilities. Each was worse until the next, but she aged out and bravely shared her own personal experiences so that others were helped. Incredibly brave and moving.
Entertaining: 4.0 stars
Paris is funny and real. But at many times, she came off as braggy and entitled. Her constant discussion of how much money she makes and spends is off-putting and crass at times.
Book cover: 4.5 stars
It's a beautiful portrait of Paris showing her many sides in one picture.
Book title: 4.5 stars
On point and brand!
HIGHLY recommend
STATISTICS
Paris The Memoir by Paris Hilton
8 hours, 22 minutes
Listened to as an audiobook from the Los Angeles Public Library (LAPL)
Release date of 03/14/2023
INFORMATIONAL LINKS
Happy reading,
Dorothea 💜
Sunday, November 19, 2023
Saturday, November 18, 2023
UPDATE : My next ebook is...
All We Were Promised by Ashton Lattimore
I am going to push reading this book until the new year. It is a heavy topic and I don't want to read it during the holidays.
Happy reading,
Dorothea 💜
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