When I bought this I thought this would be more nature writing/travelogue than a loose memoir oriented around the north sea coast. I found this extremWhen I bought this I thought this would be more nature writing/travelogue than a loose memoir oriented around the north sea coast. I found this extremely overwritten, my eyes started glazing over so much, but there were some really wonderful segments in between that, surprisingly, touched me. Overall, I really have to learn that when books win or are nominated for nature writing awards this mostly means I should stay away from them, because they will be very poetic and too opaque for my liking. ...more
A delightful and charming romp. Jarvis Cocker goes through the "trash" he's been keeping in his loft and tells his personal memories about them. The cA delightful and charming romp. Jarvis Cocker goes through the "trash" he's been keeping in his loft and tells his personal memories about them. The concept, in all honesty, sounded potentially a little boring to me. Especially because I'd only call myself a casual Pulp fan, even though I've always admired Cocker's lyrics. I shouldn't have worried: He's a very entertaining story teller in book form, too, and in the end you feel you know him quite well, even though this is anything close to an actual biography....more
He's not a great writer, but it's an entertaining and informative look on Densmore's life with the Doors. He came across as pretty honest and his compHe's not a great writer, but it's an entertaining and informative look on Densmore's life with the Doors. He came across as pretty honest and his complicated feelings towards Morrison made a lot of sense. I'd recommend this to the casual fan (like me), too. ...more
Re-reading this after having read it as a teenager. I liked this more than baby-pink-floyd-fan-me did (probably because I was a Syd Barrett fanatic wiRe-reading this after having read it as a teenager. I liked this more than baby-pink-floyd-fan-me did (probably because I was a Syd Barrett fanatic with a deep hatred for anything post-Meddle).
This time, I spent a lot time guessing at the parts that were crossed out by the other band members, because what this book is not, is gossipy or revealing. But it's charming and entertaining. What's very evident is that Nick Mason was mostly friends with Roger Waters in the band, and everyone else comes across as mere background figures to a large degree, which only surprised me in regards to David Gilmour. In general the book could have done with a little less detachment and more feeling, but definitely worth the read for fans (but what fan hasn't read this already...?)....more
As a Harry Potter fan, I found this only mildly interesting, but if you're a particular Felton fan, you might feel differently. As a general memoir thAs a Harry Potter fan, I found this only mildly interesting, but if you're a particular Felton fan, you might feel differently. As a general memoir this was pretty mid-field, never goes deeper than the surface and feels disjointed. The most interesting thing, really, is the weird Emma Watson chapter and her cringy intro, and their whole "we love each other much too much to ever date, we're two ducks in a world of chickens!" thing. I never had any strongs feelings about Tom Felton before the book, now I still don't, but maybe I do think a little less of him....more
Ich hab vorher noch nie ein Buch von Arno Geiger gelesen, aber da ich ein Faible für Erfahrungesberichte von Schriftstellern habe, macht das nichts. IIch hab vorher noch nie ein Buch von Arno Geiger gelesen, aber da ich ein Faible für Erfahrungesberichte von Schriftstellern habe, macht das nichts. Ich mochte sowohl seine Gedanken zum Schreiben, die recht nüchterne Beschreibung des Beziehungschaos, als auch die Beschreibungen des "glücklichen Geheimnis" - Altpapiermüll nach Schätzen zu durchwühlen. Es liest sich gut weg. ...more
I enjoyed this a lot more than I thought I would. Having watched & enjoyed the Supersonic documentary, I figured a lot of it would feel repetitive - bI enjoyed this a lot more than I thought I would. Having watched & enjoyed the Supersonic documentary, I figured a lot of it would feel repetitive - but it really didn't. There were a few bits and comments I remember from the documentary, but it mostly felt fresh and there were definitely a few things completely new to me - and I've read tons of interviews and a bunch of books about Oasis over the years. Some of the quotes made me laugh out loud, Noel and Liam would have made a grand stand up duo.
Since this is interviews done for the documentary, it only covers the the period up until their second album and ends in 1996 with their Knebsworth gig. I really wish there was something like this - both documentary & book - for the later Oasis years, even when there's less magic. The later formation is the one I saw live several times and that means a lot to me personally. I also think, somewhat controversly, that Oasis didn't have one bad album, and it would be fun to cover their creation.
Anyway, this is a delight for fans and it made me put on "Familiar to Millions" and remember being squashed to hell in the front row of my first Oasis gig....more
I'd never heard of Rausing before I picked this book up in a sort of yard sale. Sigrid Rausing is the owner of Granta and a Tetra Pak heiress. In 2012I'd never heard of Rausing before I picked this book up in a sort of yard sale. Sigrid Rausing is the owner of Granta and a Tetra Pak heiress. In 2012 her sister-in-law was found dead in her house, the husband, Sigird Rausing's brother, hadn't reported her death for two whole months.
The book doesn't dwell much on those sensational parts of the story, instead it's more calm and tells the story of her brother's addiction in broad strokes and with distance. Emotionally, I can fully understand that decision, and even with that distance, there were parts of the book that are difficult to read for anyone with a family member suffering from addiction. Other parts of the book are suprisingly mellow and almost a little too slow. Still, Rausing's writing talent and her family's fame make this an usual book about addiction and its impact on families. ...more
Very readable and breezy memoir about the loss of a mother, with a bit of cultural indentity and food descriptions mixed in. I enjoyed the food parts Very readable and breezy memoir about the loss of a mother, with a bit of cultural indentity and food descriptions mixed in. I enjoyed the food parts but the treatment of animals made me wince. As for the writing style, I found it mostly fine but sometimes quite saccharine and, ironically, extremely American. I like Zauner's band Japanese Breakfast, so I was happy to hear about the importance of music in her life.
I'm not sure if I'd recommend this book for someone looking for something about Asian-American identity. There's not really that much wisdom to be found. But as a general story of loss and family dynamics, it was fine. ...more
This is a good celebrity memoir that made me think of Jessica Simpson's memoir "Open Book", since they both deal with fame, trauma and addiction. WhatThis is a good celebrity memoir that made me think of Jessica Simpson's memoir "Open Book", since they both deal with fame, trauma and addiction. What McCurdy's book is not, however, is some groundbreaking game changer. It is very conventional both in the way it's set up, and in the topics dealt with. I thought I'd like this more because I used to have a little crush on Jennette McCurdy back in the day (although I never watched Icarly) and I definitely still like her after the book, but I'm a little puzzled by people who walk away from this thinking she's a great writer.
There's so much trauma in the book, but a lot from it is written about very superficially, especially in the second part of the book. It's strongest in her childhood days when she describes growing up with her abusive mother trying to make her into a star actress against her will. It's less strong when she's trying to be reflective but doesn't really get there. The parts about her eating disorder, mainly her bulimia, were quite triggering (in the literal use of the word) but not very interesting at the same time. Maybe it's different if you've never read about eating disorders, addictions and trauma before.
She's talented and funny and intelligent, and I wish her all the best. If she continues to write, I hope she'll work on her prose. I hope this book was carthatic for her....more
I expected this "biography" about coming of age near the end of socialism in Albania to be more critical of socialism than it was. Ypi doesn't really I expected this "biography" about coming of age near the end of socialism in Albania to be more critical of socialism than it was. Ypi doesn't really share her (current) thoughts on communism, Marx and capitalism, or agues for theoretical frameworks. Instead she shows us how she lived through the history of it. As a reader, both her childhood under socialism and her youth under capitalism and civil unrest feel unhappy, both don't feel "free" at all.
I wish the second part of the book, post-socialism, could have been a little longer and a bit more detailled. It read a little rushed and some connections seemed unclear - the way her family situationed seemed to change so suddenly. Apart from that, I found this an entertaining and thought-provoking book that taught me some history about Albania and made me think about my own political stances. ...more
An exploration of Alan Davies' abusive childhood and the mental toll it took on him. It is mostly good and sometimes superb - a few times I wished thiAn exploration of Alan Davies' abusive childhood and the mental toll it took on him. It is mostly good and sometimes superb - a few times I wished this would have been told more linear but that's a small criticism. My "low" rating is mostly because I, at the moment, wish I hadn't read it. ...more
Having read quite a few autobiographical accounts of people leaving sects, it's really fascinating to see how many of them only leave their cults whenHaving read quite a few autobiographical accounts of people leaving sects, it's really fascinating to see how many of them only leave their cults when they personally start getting treated in an unfair way. Only then do they slowly start to see the inconsistencies. I'm not saying this goes for all of them, but it seems to be the case a lot of the time. It's this way for Leah Remini too. I appreciate that she joined Scientology as a child and never got past the 8th grade in school, but I did find myself wishing for a little bit more explanation and introspection as to how she/anyone could believe any of the weird Scienctology stuff. I guess this is more a problem of mine personally, because I'm often left with this weird feeling after these kind of books: I'm still baffled how anyone would join and stay, and it seems the people who leave do so, more or less, by accident.
That aside, it was a mostly entertaining if very low-brow read. If you want an in-depth look at Scientology, this isn't the right book, but as a weird and unusual celebrity memoir it works. I loved how it exposed Tom Cruise in such a direct way. I knew he was a part of Scientology, of course, but I wasn't completely aware just how central a figure he was for the sect itself. Also, it's always good to be reminded how much Scientology is only about money and nothing else. That's why, as far as cults go, it always sounds a little boring, because everyone's interests are all so obviously capitalistic. People want fame, success and money (sure, and "going clear"). That's it.
PS: I got the German translation from the library, and it's so bad! If you happen to be German and can read this review fine, and are interested in the book, then do yourself the favour and read the original.
I'm not a tennis fan at all. My knowledge extends to being able to name about 10 players and having watched both a documentary on Borg vs McEnroe as wI'm not a tennis fan at all. My knowledge extends to being able to name about 10 players and having watched both a documentary on Borg vs McEnroe as well as the fictional account of their feud. So Agassi to me, really, was Steffi Graf's husband. That's all I knew. When I was looking for an easy non-depressing read and my partner put this into my hands, I didn't expect much and I was positively suprised. Sure, this isn't always top-notch writing, but it's really engaging! You find yourself caring from the first page on. It starts with Agassi hating tennis and being in chronic pain, which is a great mood setter. There's a lot of tennis in this book (naturally), but even when you have no idea about the game, it's still interesting, because his love-hate relationship with the sport could be about anything a person can excel at. I'd recommend this to anyone who's into (auto)biographies. ...more
I wanted this book to be as emotional as the first two chapters were, but it got a lot more superficial - still, an entertaining and easy read. I probI wanted this book to be as emotional as the first two chapters were, but it got a lot more superficial - still, an entertaining and easy read. I probably would have liked this more if I hadn't had the fact that she's a Trump supporter in the back of my head. She doesn't come across as very smart and she does come across as very evangelical and hypocritical about her beliefs, but also as rather honest about her failings. Which is what you want in an autobiography.
Other stuff I got from this book: Willie Nelson seems like a great guy. John Mayor is the biggest sleeze ever. Such a manipulative, mentally abusive piece of crap. Jessica Simpsons's parents are horrible parents.
As with a lot of biographies, I prefer the before parts. And I also wish she'd talked more about her addictions and mental health problems. They were there, but they weren't really explained all that well. It felt a little too soon, maybe, she was barely sober when the book was written....more
Although some parts of her childhood were very moving, this book was so overwritten, it made it difficult to really care. All the food metaphors were Although some parts of her childhood were very moving, this book was so overwritten, it made it difficult to really care. All the food metaphors were irksome, too. I didn't really expect much from the book, but I did expect more about her eating disorder and less just "This is how I met Leonardo DiCaprio". I got to admit, I skipped the ending. ...more
Probably not half as interesting if you're not as obsessed with religion and cults as I am, and don't already know a lot about Westboro Baptist ChurchProbably not half as interesting if you're not as obsessed with religion and cults as I am, and don't already know a lot about Westboro Baptist Church. What Phelps-Roper does in her chronology of her escape is humanize the people in it. It's a very personal account, which is both good and disappointing - because we don't actually learn a lot about the ins and outs of the church's working. For a "cult memoir" this is unusually well-written, and at the end you really feel like you know Megan and understand how her mind works. ...more
I'm so happy a lot of people find this book so helpful. I see it's charms, but it didn't fully "work" for me. Maybe it was the mixture of biographicalI'm so happy a lot of people find this book so helpful. I see it's charms, but it didn't fully "work" for me. Maybe it was the mixture of biographical style and self help, or because I couldn't recognize myself (or my depressed self) in a lot of things. Or maybe it was just that I'd hoped to find actual "reasons to stay alive" in this book and there were none. I closed this book feeling quite hollow and sad, and I'm just in a light depression phase, so... eh... ...more
I'm not a fan of Elton John; I love "Rocket Man" and "Amoreena" and I think he wrote a few other good songs and is clearly a talented musician, but I I'm not a fan of Elton John; I love "Rocket Man" and "Amoreena" and I think he wrote a few other good songs and is clearly a talented musician, but I was surprised by how much I enjoyed his biopic. I was, again, surprised by how entertaining this autobiography is. My boyfriend gave it to me for Christmas and had been urging me this week to put down Thomas Mann and pick up this instead, since I clearly needed something light and absorbing.
Well, he was right. This is a well-written, easy to read autobiography that has a lot of going on - from emotional stuff to laugh out loud moments, there's Yoko Ono's "so much moo-ing" and Bob Dylan the gardener as funny anecdotes, but also just really witty and amusing musings.
I enjoyed the first part of the book the most, because I like reading about the beginning of music careers. I also prefer hearing about forgotten and under-appreciated musical influences more than name-dropping the Queen and every other famous person in the world. The recounting of his drug addiction was interesting, but the lavish lifestyle and the way he talks about his consumerist mindset (can be summed up as "I deserve it!") just left a really bad taste in my mouth. And while he makes fun of himself for his tantrums and emotional outbursts, I'm not sure if he's as self-aware as he thinks he is.
If you're a fan, you need to read this book. If you're not and just enjoy autobiographies, this is a pretty good one. I'm gonna go and listen to his output from the 70s a little more closely now....more
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