Tag: Memoirs Page 1 of 3

Catch-Up Quick Takes: Some Recent Non-Fiction Listens

On June 4, 2024

In (Auto)Biography, Audiobook, Non-Fiction

It’s (beyond) time for another batch of Quick Takes—this time focusing on non-fiction audiobooks that I’ve enjoyed so far this year. As always, the point of these quick takes posts is to catch up on my “To Write About” stack—emphasizing pithiness, not thoroughness.

The Other Family Doctor:
A Veterinarian Explores What Animals Can Teach Us About Love, Life, and Mortality

by Karen Fine

DETAILS:
Publisher: Random House Audio 
Publication Date: March 14, 2023
Format: Unabridged Audiobook
Length: 9 hrs., 2 min. 
Read Date: February 5-9, 2024
Buy from Bookshop.org!

(the official blurb)
In my experience, your typical Veterinarian memoir focuses on their patients and weaves in a little about the Vet themselves—their education/training (for sure) and then some other material from their lives. This goes the other way—it’s primarily about Fine and her life—her training, her family (going back to her grandfather), her background, her pets, her spouse, her health, and so on—and how that impacts/shapes how she treats her patients and deals with their families. It’s just a matter of emphasis. The subtitle would be better “A Veterinarian Explores What Animals Have Taught Her…” Still interesting, just a different emphasis to the book than you’d think from the title/subject.

Fine does a good job on the narration front, you really wouldn’t know her day job isn’t as a performer/narrator.
3 Stars

Raw Dog:
The Naked Truth About Hot Dogs

by Jamie Loftus

DETAILS:
Publisher: Macmillan Audio 
Publication Date: May 23, 2023
Format: Unabridged Audiobook
Length:  9 hrs., 38 min. 
Read Date: April 12-15, 2024
Buy from Bookshop.org!

(the official blurb)
The description of a COVID-era road trip taken by a writer and her significant other (until they broke up toward the end) touring through as many states as they could, tasting and experiencing the most notable Hot Dogs for each state along the way. Interspersed with the description of her/their trip and the hot dogs they encounter along the way are looks at the history of the hot dog, its culinary and cultural predecessors, the way they’re made (both pre and post-Upton Sinclair), how the companies behind them treat their employees, the myth and truth of the Costco Dog pricing, competitive eating (with a focus, obviously on hot dog eating competitions) and more.

Informative, entertaining—frequently funny, also frequently a little more “blue” than you’d expect (but perhaps shouldn’t based on the title)—eye-opening, and will make you crave a handful of that most American of foods. This is a blast. Loftus nails the narration.
3 Stars

Supercommunicators:
How to Unlock the Secret Language of Connection

by Charles Duhigg

DETAILS:
Publisher: Random House Audio 
Publication Date: February 20, 2024
Format: Unabridged Audiobook
Length: 7 hrs., 28 min. 
Read Date: March 21-26, 2024
Buy from Bookshop.org!

(the official blurb)
On the one hand, this is the least interesting book that Duhigg has written, unusually for him, the anecdotes along the way didn’t capture me like they usually do. Maybe that says more about me and my headspace in late March of 2024 than it does Duhigg (it likely does).

That said, it’s the most easily applicable of all his work. I really felt like I should be taking notes (my coworkers, family, and friends would quickly agree that I should’ve)—and I probably need to go back and listen a few more times, and maybe work through a hard copy.

When I say least interesting of his—it should be stressed that his topics and stories are usually very thought-provoking, so “less interesting” is still more than worth your time. It’s an engaging listen (Duhigg knows what he’s doing behind a microphone), full of practical information and strong advice and it’s a rewarding book.
3.5 Stars

Making It So

by Patrick Stewart

DETAILS:
Publisher: Simon & Schuster Audio 
Publication Date: October 3, 2023
Format: Unabridged Audiobook
Length: 18 hrs., 50 min. 
Read Date: April 19-24, 2024
Buy from Bookshop.org!

(the official blurb)
It’s almost 19 hours of Patrick Stewart telling you stories about his life—how do you think this is? Need I say more?

He seems very open about his flaws and mistakes. Moreover, he seems to enjoy laughing at himself. So we get plenty of stories where he doesn’t come out looking too good. In fact, he comes across like the bad guy in some of his personal stories.

This is a great mix of personal stories and behind-the-scenes material about the projects we know and love him for.

And again, It’s almost 19 hours of Patrick Stewart telling you stories about his life. What else do you need to convince you? (the paper version is probably pretty good, too—but you’d miss that voice)
4 Stars

This post contains affiliate links. If you purchase from any of them, I will get a small commission at no additional cost to you. As always, opinions are my own.

Have I Told You This Already?: Stories I Don’t Want to Forget to Remember by Lauren Graham: The Actress-Essayist Does It Again

By HCNewton

On December 13, 2022

In (Auto)Biography, Humor, Non-Fiction

Have I Told You This Already?:
Stories I Don’t Want to
Forget to Remember

by Lauren Graham

DETAILS: 
Publisher: Ballantine Books
Publication Date: November 15, 2022
Format: Hardcover
Length: 186 pg.
Read Date: December 12, 2022

It’s almost as if I’m sending mixed messages, like valuing privacy whilst also being the author of a second book of personal essays.

What’s Have I Told You This Already? About?

This is a collection of essays—mostly personal—about Graham’s career (or things surrounding it) during various stages, some thoughts on filming a TV show and directing, and there’s one essay that’s devoted to just being funny.

She reflects on aging, friendship, making marmalade, and the ridiculous things that women in Hollywood have to do to maintain certain standards of appearance. She opens the book talking about memory and story-telling—where accuracy is necessary and where details can fudged because it makes a story better, and ends up with a tribute to New York City.

Whoops

I should’ve been patient and waited for the audiobook to become available. There’s nothing wrong with reading the paper version of this book—it’s perfectly charming and Graham’s voice shone through.

But.

Hearing it in her actual voice (not just what I assume it would sound like)—a few passages in particular—would be so much better. I listened to her previous book of essays (and the graduation speech) and I think this would’ve been more entertaining in audio format.

So, what did I think about Have I Told You This Already??

He said this as if his memory of the matter was not at all disturbed by something as inconsequential as fact. For years, my father told the same story about how a momentous occasion felt to him; the facts had faded over time, maybe because they weren’t the most relevant part of the day. Sometimes we polish an experience to make facts line up more closely with feelings or exaggerate moments to make a better dinner party tale. And sometimes, mercifully, details become blurry over time, maybe because the sharp reality is too painful to carry.

This was a fast and breezy read. Graham’s really skilled as a writer and her prose sings. She’s funny as you want her to be. The closing paragraph of the second essay is a work of comedic art, a string of puns that I couldn’t believe she was able to keep going as long as she is. I’m never going to quote any part of it—but I’m telling you, it was great.

There were a couple of chapters that didn’t do much for me—the chapter on various health retreats or the chapter on NYC as a friend (although I thought it was some of her strongest writing). And a couple that I was surprised I enjoyed as much as I did—like the chapter about her relationship with the department store, Barney’s. The chapter where she uses Nora Ephron’s essay, “I Feel Bad About My Neck,” to talk about aging in the Entertainment industry, was particularly effective.

Even the essays that underwhelmed me were well written, and I could see what she was trying to do—they just didn’t connect with me–but I found something to grin about or chuckle at in them. The essays that did click with me made me laugh (sometimes a lot). The rest fell somewhere between—but they were all funny (when intended to be), and I’m glad I read them all.

At the same time, I need to stress that this is not all comedy. There are some real emotions and some thinking behind some of these essays—and it’ll provoke some, too. I think in the end you get more comedy than anything else, but it wouldn’t take much for the balance to go the other way.

She has a real gift for a killer last line, too. Openings are important, but with essays of this length (especially if you’re going for comedic), a great last line is essential, and Graham knows what she’s doing there.

In the end, this was a very pleasant and engaging read that makes me really want to see more from her (which goes for pretty much everything she’s written). When her novel was published, I picked it up because I was curious about what this actress could do—I’ve picked up the 3 works since because I like the way she writes. This collection works as evidence that we should maybe think of Graham as a writer who can act.

This post contains an affiliate link. If you purchase from it, I will get a small commission at no additional cost to you. As always, the opinions expressed are my own.

Directed by James Burrows (Audiobook) by James Burrows et al: Behind the Scenes of the Best Sit Coms

By HCNewton

On September 29, 2022

In (Auto)Biography, Audiobook, Non-Fiction

Directed by James Burrows
Five Decades of Stories
from the Legendary
Director of Taxi,
Cheers, Frasier, Friends,
Will & Grace, and More

by James Burrows, with Eddy Friedfeld; Narrated by James Burrows and Danny Campbell

DETAILS:
Publisher: Random House Audio
Publication Date: June 6, 2022
Format: Unabridged Audiobook
Length: 12 hrs., 18 min.
Read Date: September 23-26, 2022

What’s Directed by James Burrows About?

This is largely a professional memoir about the long and storied career of TV director/producer James Burrows.

The book starts with a chapter and a half (or so) describing his childhood, early family life, and so on—talking about his father’s Broadway writing and directing a bit and how that did/didn’t influence his career choices. Then we get about a half-chapter talking about his education/theater work. Which is all a lead-up to his TV career. We get a little more of his personal life sprinkled in throughout the following chapters, but not much—Burrows knows the interest in his own story is in the stories he told—and more importantly—helped others to tell. That’s where the focus of the book is—he’s giving the people what they want.

And it feels like a pretty a fairly exhaustive tale of the various shows he worked on and his involvement in them, with an occasional interlude to talk about something like screwball comedy and why one would use it, with some examples from his own career. There’s no way it can be exhaustive—and it sure isn’t detailed by any means*—he’s got too much under his belt, but he comes close.

* That’s a description, not a criticism. Burrows gives plenty of details, but not blow-by-blow kind of stuff too often.

He starts with a discussion of his time on The Mary Tyler Moore Show where he learned from some of the best around how to do what he does—and a lot about comedy. Then he moves on to where he becomes a driving influence on the show—and that’s the majority of the book. Which is what’s named in the subtitle: Taxi, Cheers, Frasier, Friends, Will & Grace. There’s plenty covered in the “and More” for sure—including many things I hadn’t realized he’d worked on (but make a lot of sense knowing that he did). The book does cover what he did in 2020 and 2021, so it’s about as up-to-date as you could want.

The stories of these shows include a lot of how they came about in terms of writers and networks and what kind of story they were going to tell before moving into casting, shooting the early episodes, audience reception, and success. The bulk of the material is behind-the-scenes, but there are a lot of descriptions of what ends up on-screen (including short-to-lengthy portions of the script), and how it landed. Most of his work is done with a live studio audience, so the immediate audience reception is almost more important than the TV audience’s.

There are stories of failure, things not working out quite right—and how he/the show recovered—either immediately or long-term. But almost all of the book is about the successes (why give more than a few sentences, for example, to a pilot episode that less than 100 people have seen/will see?)

The Narration

Burrows has some performing in his background, but not a lot. And that’s pretty evident in the narration here. He’s just not that good—there’s very little feeling in it—even when he’s telling a story he clearly (and correctly ) thinks is funny, you don’t hear it. When it’s an emotional moment for him, you don’t hear it. His affect is pretty much the same no matter what he’s talking about, and that really hurts the book.

Also, when he’s reading dialogue from a scene? You wonder how an actor will listen to him and come up with a good way to deliver a line. That feels harsh to say, but that’s the way it struck me. I think here it’s a deliberate choice—my gut tells me it’s a desire not to try to do an impression of an actor (especially one that would come across as unflattering) or he could be avoiding trying to give a different/competing take on the line. I don’t know—it comes across as flat, and these lines shouldn’t.*

* See We Had a Little Real Estate Problem for where a similar approach to narration worked better.

I know Burrows can tell a good story—I’ve heard and seen him interviewed. But here, he just comes across as wooden.

So, what did I think about Directed by James Burrows?

It’s clear to readers of this blog that I read a lot, but I could’ve easily done a TV-watching blog—and started one about the same time as this (but that’s another story). James Burrows is one of the first non-actors whose name I recognized as creating the TV I watched back in elementary school, and his involvement in a show will definitely get me to watch at least an episode or two if I’m at all interested in the premise. I’m the target audience for this book, no doubt.

The material overcame the narration—the first chapter and a half were really rough, I couldn’t connect with it at all, and was thinking about giving up. But once he moved into TV, I got over the fact that I didn’t care for the narration and had a blast with the book. The man has many insights, anecdotes, and memories that TV fans will eat up, and shares many of them.

Directed by James Burrows is full of trivia, insights, and just great stories. If not hampered by the narration, I’d be gushing about this. Instead, I’m just giving a hearty recommendation. TV junkies? You’re going to want to get your hands on this one.

3.5 Stars

This post contains an affiliate link. If you purchase from it, I will get a small commission at no additional cost to you. As always, the opinions expressed are my own.

This is Going to Hurt (Audiobook) by Adam Kay: It’s Funny Because It’s True. Also, Dispiriting Because It’s True

By HCNewton

On May 19, 2022

In (Auto)Biography, Audiobook, Humor, Non-Fiction

This is Going to Hurt:
Secret Diaries of
a Junior Doctor

by Adam Kay

DETAILS:
Publisher: HarperAudio
Publication Date: March 7, 2022
Format: Unabridged Audiobook
Length: 5 hr., 47 min.
Read Date: May 17-18, 2022

Doctors must be psychologically fit for the job — able to make decisions under a terrifying amount of pressure, able to break bad news to us anguished relatives, able to deal with death on a daily basis. They must have something that cannot be memorized and graded; a great doctor must have a huge heart and a distended aorta which pumps a vast lake of compassion and human kindness.

What’s This is Going to Hurt About?

This book covers the years that doctor-turned-comedy writer Adam Kay spent as a junior obstetrics doctor in the NHS. I’m going to gloss over the various titles he had because it’s a different system than I’m used to, and I’d botch it—but basically, it’s the first few years post-medical school.

Essentially these are excerpts (details tweaked to everyone’s privacy) from his diaries from that time showing the day-to-day realities he faced. Told with a comedic bent, sure, but it’s just real life—a version of real-life that’s more exhausted, more stressed, and covered in more and various bodily fluids than most of us have, sure. It’s told very anecdotally, he’s not trying to construct a narrative here, just “here’s Day X, here’s Day X +2,” and so on.

He talks about preposterous situations he’s put in because of his low-ranking status and/or NHS regulations, he talks about funny situations with patients, ridiculous colleagues, unsympathetic friends, harrowing experiences, and just strange ones. Given his specialty, he deals with expectant mothers, newborns, clueless fathers-to-be, and heartbreak. We get the gamut here.

Bonus Material

The audiobook I listened to was released with the paperback release and contained some bonus material—a few more diary entries and an afterword. The afterword was essentially a rallying cry for people to support the NHS’s existence.

I don’t have a dog in this fight—but I found his arguments compelling, and I thought his support of the NHS throughout the book (while freely critiquing aspects of it) added some good and necessary grounding to the humor. The life and death aspect of the book did, too—obviously—but that’s common with medical memoirs, this is distinctive (at least in my limited experience)

So, what did I think about This is Going to Hurt?

Called to the Early Pregnancy Unit by one of the SHOs to confirm a miscarriage at eight weeks—he’s new to scanning and wants a second pair of eyes. I remember that feeling only too well and scamper over. He’s managed the couple’s expectations very well, and clearly made them aware it doesn’t look good—they’re sad and silent as I walk in. What he hasn’t done very well is the ultrasound. He may as well have been scanning the back of his hand or a packet of Quavers. Not only is the baby fine, but so is the other baby that he hadn’t spotted.

I audibly laughed—twice—during the Introduction, so I was instantly on board with this book. The laughs really didn’t let up. At times, I wondered if it was a little too jokey, and wished we got more of the narrative about his experience—but then he’d say something else funny and then I decided I didn’t care because he’s a good comedy writer. Bring on the jokes!

Like the best medical comedies (e.g., MAS*H (in all its forms), Scrubs), Kay intersperses the laughs with drama and tragedy—stories of hard-fought success and heartbreaking—even devastating—loss. That augments both ends of the spectrum—while you’re chuckling, you’re more open to feeling the empathy to appreciate the dramatic. When you’re reeling from a hard experience, you need the laughter. If Kay’s TV scripts are anything like this, I wish I could see some of his episodes.

Kay handles his own narration here and is great at it, wry detachment mixed with a no-nonsense delivery. He knows it’s funny, so he’s not trying to push the humor, he just trusts the material and lets it do the heavy lifting.

When the library told me that my hold for this was ready, I didn’t remember requesting it—wasn’t sure at all why I did. But I gave it a chance, and am so glad I did—it made for a very entertaining 5+ hours. I think you’ll find the same if you give it a try.

3.5 Stars

This post contains an affiliate link. If you purchase from it, I will get a small commission at no additional cost to you. As always, opinions are my own.

A Dream About Lightning Bugs by Ben Folds: Pianos, Pop Music, and a Life in Progress

By HCNewton

On January 10, 2022

In (Auto)Biography, Non-Fiction

A Dream About
Lightning Bugs:
A Life of Music
and Cheap Lessons

by Ben Folds

Trade Paperback, 311 pg.
Ballantine Books, 2019

Read: December 17-27, 2021
Grab a copy from your local indie bookstore!

So what about the middle-aged making pop music? Sure, it’s allowed. But let’s be honest about what pop, or popular, music is. It’s music for the mating age. It’s a soundtrack for that yearning, that youthful anger, those ideals and inside jokes of the teenagers and young adults as they experience the rough ride together. It fills an an important need. It help us get through to adulthood. Pop music can be a life jacket, a sexy security blanket, a hipster Hallmark card. And it communicates very real things. It also requires serious craft and is a competitive business, worthy of great respect. Pop music saved my ass as a kid, paid the bills in my earlier career. And I love to make fun of it.

What’s A Dream About Lightning Bugs About?

Well, it’s a memoir by Ben Folds, covering childhood through the present (give or take a few years). He talks about the teachers that helped him along the way, his struggles in various schools, his early music career (including being a one-man polka band), how horrible he is at marriage, the formation of Ben Folds Five, the dissolution of it, his solo career, parenting and how (and why) his career is shifting, his thoughts on writing, music, comedy and all sorts of other things.

Basically, a little about everything.

Highlights

I don’t have time—and you don’t have the attention span—to write about all the things that are worth saying about this book. So, here’s a quick list of some of the highlights of the book:
bullet He has a section about humor records that he listened to as a kid, and muses on comedy in general. It was the first time in the book that things really clicked for me.
bullet There’s a section about life in the suburbs, the angry music associated with it in the 90s (and beyond) and I thought was really insightful.
bullet The story about the release day for his album Rockin’ the Suburbs and being live on the radio to promote it when the attacks for 9/11 happened. That chapter was just great.
bullet It’s hard to beat a section on writer’s block by someone who’s worked through it.
bullet I’m a big fan of the (little known) band Fleming and John—him talking about them for a paragraph or two made me really happy. Also, the part of the book about William Shatner? There’s nothing like a good Shatner story.
bullet Folds has done some truly horrible things on tour—throwing piano stools on a regular basis with the band (and breaking other things with those stools), lying like crazy about his personal life on tour with John Mayer and the fallout from it. It ain’t pretty, but it’s good to see him talking about it.

The Spotify Playlist

Random House has a Spotify playlist for the book, which is just a great idea. It’s a great soundtrack for the book or just fun to listen to on its own. There are many songs by Folds that he talks about or makes a passing reference to in the book. There are also many songs that he didn’t write/record but that he talks about. If you like Folds/the music that inspired him—you’re going to dig this.

So, what did I think about A Dream About Lightning Bugs?

I enjoyed getting to know Folds a bit better—warts and all. It took a long time for me to really get into it, though. Yes, the parts about his early life were interesting—and I enjoyed it, but it was really easy to put the book down.

But once we got to Ben Folds Five? I was hooked and I flew through the rest of the book. Maybe it’s because I was getting background information on the band and music I knew so well. But I think it’s because Folds shows a different kind of passion for things once his career started to take off and that passion translated into being more interesting reading. It’s likely a little of both and a few other things, too.

Some of the book that’s less about him and his career and more about his thoughts about creating, performing, music, etc.—that’s inspirational, motivational—and the kind of thing I’ll come back to re-read from time to time.

This probably isn’t a book for people who aren’t at least a casual fan of Folds as a solo artist or his band. But for those who are? It’s a lot of fun, and worth the time.

3.5 Stars

This post contains an affiliate link. If you purchase from it, I will get a small commission at no additional cost to you. As always, opinions are my own.

My Favorite Audiobooks of 2020

By HCNewton

On January 6, 2021

In Audiobook, News/Misc.

Given the large number of audiobooks I listened to in 2020, I sort of felt like I had to focus on them for one of these posts. But how to keep this from being just a rehash of the other best of lists? Well, I focused on the audiobook experience over the content. What was it like to listen to it? How engaging was it, how did the narrator do? Was it a good match in terms of tone, content, and performance?

Truth be told, this was a harder choice than I expected. Also, a couple of books that were in my mental rough draft didn’t make it to the final version when all was said and done (I’m still not sure I made the right call on a couple of these).

(in alphabetical order by author)

Dark Jenny

by Alex Bledsoe, Stefan Rudnicki (Narrator)

My original post
Stefan Rudnicki brilliantly captures the humor, the confusion, the determination of Eddle LaCrosse and the situation he finds himself in—and then the horror, revulsion, and anger he has when he discovers what’s really going on. Starting with one of Bledsoe’s best books, Rudnicki goes on to bring it to life.

4 Stars

Dash & Lily’s Book of Dares

by Rachel Cohn, David Levithan, Ryan Gesell (Narrator), Tara Sands (Narrator)

My original post
For me, this book came along at the right time—its particular brand of silly and escapist sweetness was exactly what it turned out that I needed. Add in a couple of stellar performances from Ryan Gesell Tara Sands and it’s just a delight. They can make you believe (even temporarily) in the magic of Christmas and young love.

3.5 Stars

Luck and Judgement

by Peter Grainger, Gildart Jackson (Narrator)

My original post
I’ve said it before, and I’ll keep on saying it: there’s a certain magic, an ineffable alchemy about Jackson narrating Grainger’s work. It’s just fantastic, I think I’d have liked these audiobooks with another narrator (or in print), but I don’t think I’d have liked them as much.

I could’ve listed each book in this series here, but I limited myself to this one because it’s an atypical crime for a novel, the solution (and how Smith and his team come to it) is offbeat, there’s some great humor and great emotional beats, too. It’s Grainger at his best and Jackson delivers it perfectly. There is a strong sense of humanity in these books, not just in the protagonists, but in the victim, the killer, the witnesses, the people who aren’t the killer but who aren’t up to anything legal/moral/ethical…everyone. There’s no one cartoon-y or over the top (in any direction).

4 Stars

The In Between

by Michael Landweber, Brittany Pressley (Narrator), Mark Boyett (Narrator)

My original post
This is the story of what happens to a family when a young child goes missing during a teleportation trip that his parents make successfully (to put it too succinctly) It’s a gripping listen and wonderfully performed. As you may have guessed Brittany Pressley narrates the chapters from the mother’s point of view, and Mark Boyett takes the father’s. I don’t think I’d heard anything by either of them before—but I’ll keep my eyes peeled for their names when I browse for audiobooks in the future. They truly did wonderful jobs. They got the emotion of the moment, the tension—and occasional moments of fun, joy, or relief—as well as giving a real sense of the characters. It didn’t happen often, but even when a character usually only seen in a Lillian chapter showed up in a Jackson, you could recognize them (and vice versa)—which was nice. Landweber wrote a great story but Boyett and Pressley brought it to life.

5 Stars

Greenlights

by Matthew McConaughey

My original post
When Chris Hardwick interviewed McConaughey recently he described the audiobook as McConaughey playing McConaughey, which is a great way to put it, and I wish he’d posted this before I wrote about the book so I could’ve borrowed it then. But that’s it exactly, Yes, it’s his stories, but yeah, he’s performing. It feels like you’re sitting around the campfire or a table in a bar, listening to a great storyteller at work.

3.5 Stars

Crossing in Time

by D. L. Orton, Noah Michael Levine (Narrator), Erin deWard (Narrator)

My original post
Typically, when I post about an Audiobook, I close with a discussion about the narrator(s). But I started with it when I posted about this novel because Levine and deWard did such a great job, they’re the highlight of the experience for me. Typically, when there is a male narrator and a female narrator—the female will read all the narration and dialogue in the female character POV chapters, and the male will read all the narration and dialogue in the male character POV chapters. But here, deWard reads all the female dialogue, no matter the narrator (and vice versa). That’s a nice touch, and once I got used to it, I really appreciated it. Particularly, it helped the conversations between characters feel like conversations—there was a little bit of talking over each other, and so on. And when the two laughed together? That was either fantastic work by the narrators or by the editor (or both).

I’m not that sure how much I’d have enjoyed this book in print, but the way these two embodied the book made it one of the highlights of the year.

4 Stars

Far from the Tree

by Rob Parker, Warren Brown (Narrator)

My original post
This was an Audible Original, so the Audiobook experience is a big part of it. Brown was a great choice of narrator—he’s the perfect voice for this material. He captured and shaped the tone as he needed to, and gave the right performances for each character.

I can’t help feeling like I need to say more, but I just don’t know what else to say. If I had problems with the performance, I’d probably be able to go on longer, but when a narrator gets it right, like Brown does here, what else is there to say? It was a brutal, brutal experience, with more twists than I can count, and a plot so complex I’m not able to talk about it in this small space.

4 Stars

Back to Reality

by Mark Stay & Mark Oliver, Kim Bretton (Narrator)

My original post
This is sort of a Fringe-inspired take on a Back to the Future/Freaky Friday mashup, and it’s as odd, and fun as that description makes it sound.

I’ll frequently (maybe too frequently?) talk about an audiobook narrator bringing the text to life. And Kim Bretton does that. But she does more than that—she fills it with life. Dynamic, energetic, vibrant…are just some of the adjectives that spring to mind. I was very happy when I just looked over her other audiobook credits and saw a couple of titles I was already thinking about—if she’s doing them, I’m giving them a try. (although, if I never hear her do another American male accent, I’d be more than okay).

Funny, sweet, amusing, heartfelt, laugh-inducing, touching, comic, imaginative—and did I mention humorous? This is 606 minutes of pure entertainment. I really encourage you to put this in your ear-holes. It’d probably work almost as well in print—Bretton’s great, but she has to have something to work with—but in audio? It’s close to a must-listen.

4 Stars

The Answer Is . . .: Reflections on My Life

by Alex Trebek, Narrated by: Ken Jennings, Alex Trebek

My original post
Jennings was a great choice of narrator, since his time on Jeopardy!, the two are linked in the collective consciousness, and they clearly have a good relationship. He sounds like a natural when it comes to narration. But his work is overshadowed by the few chapters he didn’t read.

Trebek read a few chapters himself—the one about why he swears so often (it surprised me, too), the one talking about notable Jeopardy! contestants (like Jennings), the one about his wife (Trebek didn’t like the idea of someone else talking about his wife that way), and the last chapter, where he discussed his cancer and coming to terms with his impending death. I understand why he couldn’t do the entire book himself, but I’d have preferred it (nothing against Jennings—I’d have been content with Jennings doing the whole thing). But I’m so glad he did those chapters, you could hear the sincerity in his praise for Jennings, Eddie Timanus, Cindy Stowell, and others; his love for his wife; and the resolution and contemplation he’d put into his final days

4 1/2 Stars

Dawn Patrol

by Don Winslow, Ray Porter (Narrator)

Wow. Despite this being my first and favorite Winslow novel, I wasn’t inclined to grab the audiobook. But then it was on sale and a fellow Winslow-fan recommended Porter’s take on the book. I didn’t know that Porter did audiobooks before this, but he’s on my list to watch for now.

I don’t know how to describe this—I was blown away. I’ve read the book two or three times, but Porter made it feel like it was all new. I was gripped. I was entertained. I was heartbroken. It’s as good as you can ask for an audiobook to be.

5 Stars

My Life as a Dog by L. A. Davenport: Man’s Best Friend, Indeed

By HCNewton

On November 5, 2020

In (Auto)Biography, Book Tour, Dogs, Non-Fiction

My Life as a Dog

by L. A. Davenport

Kindle Edition, 140 pg.
P-Wave Press, 2019

Read: October 28-29, 2020

He grasps that I’m not going to give him any, although he evidently has no idea why.

“If only you’d remember what makes you ill, you’d be a much happier dog.”

He returns to his forlorn expression and I wonder whether it was less perturbing when he was simply begging.

What’s My Life as a Dog About?

This is a short little book about the relationship between the author and his dog, Kevin, a black and tan, pure-bred dachshund. It focuses on what the two of them did over two days and then a weekend selected from the years they spent together. Through this we get a little bit of an idea about Davenport himself and a really good idea about the kind of dog that Kevin is.

The first day involves the two walking around London, just spending the day together. The second chapter focuses on Davenport at work and going for drinks with friends, with Kevin tagging along (which changes the dynamic for both activities). The final selection follows the pair taking the train to a seaside B&B for the weekend on a whim. Nothing flashy, nothing dramatic, just a few slices of life.

What about that Title?

Okay, so I didn’t read the blurb I shared in the Spotlight post, so this is on me, but I spent most of the book with one thought lingering in the back of my mind—”What was up with that title?” Near the end of the book, Davenport starts musing on the way Kevin sees the world, and the title is explained. Instead of a vaguely and mildly irksome point, the title transformed into a nice little idea, a very pleasant musing.

I’m not going say more because Davenport will do a better job, but I just wanted to say you should roll with the title.

(Just this Once) Everybody Lives

Is there an opposite of a trigger warning? This is whatever that would be. So often, especially when it comes to memoirs, in books about a dog, it ends with the dog dying. And I know more than a few people who refuse to read books like that. This is a safe one, though. Kevin makes it through to the end.

Yes, Kevin would probably be considered a “senior dog” and Davenport’s narration makes it clear he realizes that he doesn’t have much time left with the dog. But there’s a good chance he has a few more years from when the book ends, and that’s reassuring enough to spare sensitive readers.*

* There’s no judgment there, my fourteen-year-old Pug/Beagle mix is snoring a few feet from me as I type this (and will be again in a few hours when this posts) and I’d probably qualify as a sensitive reader if Kevin didn’t fare too well at the end of the book.

So, what did I think about My Life as a Dog?

I gave the ‘I’m over here’ whistle and he bolted towards me at full pelt. I crouched down and he leapt into my arms, licking my face and ears and wriggling with delight.

I do not know a purer love than that, and never will.

As I said earlier, these are just slices of life—with none of the inherent intensity or drama that you might see in other books. These episodes are steeped in ordinary-ness, which adds to the beauty of various moments that Davenport can make clear to the reader. It’s easy to impress a reader when the situation demands it, but to impress while the focus is on everyday kind of activities takes some skill.

The flip side of that is that the book is a quiet book, there’s not a lot of flash, slapstick comedy, or anything. It’s about the small moments, the looks that Kevin gives him, the reaction Kevin has to various stimuli, and the relationship between the two. Davenport writes in such a way that you can see Kevin in the moments he’s described.

And the book is sweet. He’s a doting dog owner and the way he cares about Kevin is the clearest impression you will walk away from the book with. It’s a quick read, it’s a sweet read, it’s exactly the kind of thing to buoy your spirits after a long week (or 2020). I do recommend this for you or the dog lover in your life.

3 Stars

My thanks to Overview Media for the invitation to participate in this tour and the materials (including a copy of the novel) they provided.

BOOK SPOTLIGHT: My Life as a Dog by L. A. Davenport

By HCNewton

On November 5, 2020

In (Auto)Biography, Book Tour, Dogs, Fiction, Non-Fiction

Today I’m pleased to welcome the Book Tour for the charming and sweet My Life as a Dog by L. A. Davenport. Following this spotlight post, I’ll be giving my take on the novel here in a bit. But let’s start by learning a little about this here book, okay?

Book Details:

Book Title: My Life as a Dog by L. A. Davenport
Release date: December 19, 2019
Format: Ebook/Paperback
Publisher: P-Wave Press
Length: 140 Pages

Book Blurb:

Perhaps with him I am a dog.

What was Kevin? He was earnest yet playful, boisterous yet lazy, a little rough sometimes, extremely direct and always sure of what he wanted. He was also sensitive, kind, supportive and caring, not to mention highly communicative and supremely understanding towards children.

My Life as a Dog is the funny, heartwarming and moving story of a life shared between a black and tan dachshund and his owner.

Told over two days and a weekend drawn from their many years together, it explores how Kevin overcame his cruel upbringing to flower into a self-confident dog that left everyone he met spellbound. And as they grew together, his owner learned to live in the present and navigate the difficult times they faced together.

But with Kevin rejected by the canine world and their connection ever-more profound and symbiotic, the question was: What does he think I am?

About the Author:

L. A. Davenport is an Anglo-Irish author and journalist.

Sometimes he lives in the countryside, far away from urban distraction, but mostly he lives in the city. He enjoys long walks, typewriters and strong black coffee.

L. A. Davenport (Andrew) first met Kevin in 2001, when someone put an advert in a listing newspaper in London saying they wanted get rid of their black and tan, pure-bred dachshund. They explained that he had become a burden on the household and he didn’t get on with their two other dogs. But it was obvious that Kevin, who was the runt of a show-dog litter, had been badly treated and they simply wanted to discard him.

Kevin was traumatised by his experiences and was difficult to handle at the beginning, but it was clear that he was an unusually sensitive and intelligent dog. As time went on, Kevin overcame his traumas and he and Andrew become closer. Over the fourteen years they spent together, they went through many ups and downs, navigating failed relationships, house moves, the vagaries of the freelancer life and the 2008 financial crash, as well as a string of health issues for Kevin. Yet every challenge seemed to bring them closer together, and they developed an instinctive understanding for each other.

My Life as a Dog is the story of their relationship. Told over two days and a weekend drawn from their many years together, it explores how Kevin overcame his cruel upbringing to flower into a self-confident dog that left everyone he met spellbound. And as they grew together, Andrew learned to live in the present and navigate the difficult times they faced together.

L. A. Davenport is author of the novel Escape and the short story collections No Way Home and Dear Lucifer and Other Stories, as well as the upcoming novel The Nucleus of Reality, or The Recollections of Thomas P—.

Purchase Links:

~ https://geni.us/mylifeasadog-choice ~

My thanks to Overview Media for the invitation to participate in this tour and the materials (including a copy of the novel) they provided.

The Answer Is . . . (Audiobook) by Alex Trebek, Ken Jennings: The Living Legend Reminisces

By HCNewton

On August 13, 2020

In (Auto)Biography, Audiobook, Non-Fiction

The Answer Is . . .: Reflections on My Life

by Alex Trebek, Narrated by: Ken Jennings, Alex Trebek

Unabridged Audiobook, 4 hrs., 35 mins
Simon & Schuster Audio, 2020

Read: August 3-4, 2020
Grab a copy from your local indie bookstore!

What’s The Answer Is . . .: Reflections on My Life About?

Trebek starts off talking about why he wrote the book at this time, how it’s not an exhaustive autobiography, and really too brief to be a memoir, instead, it’s some sort of French term that I didn’t catch—little vignettes about his life, some brief stories or impressions of a time/place, some are longer reflections about something.

He talks about his childhood, his parents, his education (including feuds with particular teachers—including a petty-sounding beef with a priest he in prep school that he hasn’t totally gotten past), his early days in TV in Canada, moving to the US, and starting on Jeopardy!. He even talks a bit about the impressions that Eugene Levy and Will Ferrell did of him. Beyond that, Trebek discusses the charity works he does, his family, and, of course, his cancer.

He talks a little about American culture and the state of the nation right now (exacerbated by COVID-19), and gets a little more political than we’re used to him being (more political than I think he’s used to being). While I think if he got more detailed and in-depth with his analysis, I’d probably differ with him on the details—but he didn’t, so I could only nod along with him. We need a few million more people saying what he said (and living the way he seems to).

You get a little bit of everything—some is lighthearted, some is heavier, a lot just comes across as a humble and grateful older man reminiscing. Which is exactly what this is.

A Little About the Narration

Ken Jennings was a great choice for narrator—it’s hard to think of either of them without thinking of the other (well, since 2004, anyway). He sounds like a natural doing this and I’d enjoy listening to him narrate other audiobooks (he did the audiobook for his own, Planet Funny, and I bet it sounds pretty good).

But Trebek read a few chapters himself—the one about why he swears so often (it surprised me, too), the one talking about notable Jeopardy! contestants (like Jennings), the one about his wife (Trebek didn’t like the idea of someone else talking about his wife that way), and the last chapter, where he discussed his cancer and coming to terms with his impending death. I understand why he couldn’t do the entire book himself, but I’d have preferred it (nothing against Jennings—I’d have been content with Jennings doing the whole thing). But I’m so glad he did those chapters, you could hear the sincerity in his praise for Jennings, Eddie Timanus, Cindy Stowell, and others; his love for his wife; and the resolution and contemplation he’d put into his final days (hopefully there are many more of them).

I’m still tempted to grab a copy of the hardcover, just so I can see the pictures. But, I’m so glad I got to hear parts of this in Trebek’s own voice.

So, what did I think about The Answer Is . . .: Reflections on My Life?

You can argue that my evaluation of this book is all about sentiment, fanboy-ness, and is devoid of any sense of judging the skill of writing, the depth of insight, or anything like that. I won’t disagree. Trebek’s been a fixture in my life/consciousness for longer than I can really remember. Every time I’ve heard/seen an interview with him (which, admittedly, isn’t often), I’ve been more and more impressed with him. I won’t say he’s a hero/role model or anything, but I admire the guy, respect his work ethic and attitude. I’ve got his Funko Pop figure in my cubicle at work. He’s just…well, like a said, a fixture. So listening to stories about his life tapped into that sector of my subconscious that’s been labeled “Alex Trebek” since I was a pre-teen and he started on Jeopardy!.

This book would’ve had to have been really bad for me not to love it. Thankfully, it wasn’t.

And if you can hear him talk about his wife, his children, his cancer—and the effect that the cancer’s having on his wife and children as he prepares for death without being moved? There’s something wrong with ya. At that point, any thought I had about pretending to be objective and analytical went out the window.

My sole complaint is that it’s four-and-a-half hours long. It’s just not long enough. I get that he wasn’t trying to be exhaustive—and I don’t necessarily want that—but when you start to hear these quick stories about his growing up, his getting established in the business (either in Canada or the States), his friendships…and of course, Jeopardy!—you just want it to keep going for hours and hours. So I dinged it half a star (but it deserves all 5).

I loved this book, I laughed, I was surprised, I chuckled, I learned a little, I got choked up. Can’t ask for much more.

4 1/2 Stars

This post contains an affiliate link. If you purchase from it, I will get a small commission at no additional cost to you. As always, opinions are my own.

BOOK SPOTLIGHT: Adventure by Chicken Bus by Janet LoSole

By HCNewton

On August 5, 2020

In (Auto)Biography, Non-Fiction

I just don’t have time to read every book that comes my way, but I’d like to do my part to expose them to as many eyeballs as I can. So, from time to time, I’ll post a Spotlight to lend a hand. If this looks like it’s up your ally, you should jump on it.

Book Details:

Book Title: Adventure by Chicken Bus: An Unschooling Odyssey through Central America by Janet LoSole
Release date: December 11, 2019
Format: Paperback/Ebook
Length: 226 pages
Publisher: Resource Publications, an imprint of Wipf & Stock

Book Blurb:

Embarking on a homeschooling field trip to Central America is stressful enough, but add in perilous bridge crossings, trips to the hospital, and a lack of women’s underwear, and you have the makings of an Adventure by Chicken Bus…a tale of one family, buckling under a mountain of debt, who sells all worldly possessions and hits the road.

Adventure by Chicken Bus demonstrates how to travel sustainably, but more importantly, how to nurture the next generation of environmentalists and social justice activists by exposing them to the conditions faced by those in the developing world.

From a remote monkey sanctuary tucked into an enclave on the Panama-Costa Rica frontier to the overdeveloped beaches of the Mayan Riviera, we endure chaotic border crossings, infections and injuries, learn about the history of the civil war in Nicaragua, visit UNESCO heritage sites, and hike the ancient Mayan temples of Tikal in Guatemala.

For the sake of safety, we plan our route down to the kilometer, navigating the region by chicken bus, an eye-opening mode of public transportation ubiquitous in the developing world. Along the way we re-connect with each other, re-kindle our commitment to the environment, recognize the privilege into which we were born, and become compassionate global citizens.

About the Author:

Janet LoSole is a freelance writer living in Ontario, Canada. She holds a Bachelor of Arts Degree in French Linguistics from York University in Toronto and a Bachelor of Education Degree from Nipissing University. She is a certified TESOL instructor and has taught ESL internationally since 1994. She began homeschooling her daughters in 1997. She writes about traveling with children and homeschooling. Her work has been published in: Canada’s Education Magazine, Natural Parent Magazine, The Alliance for Self-Directed Education, Outdoor Families Online, Unravel, and elsewhere.

Social Media

Twitter ~ Instagram

Purchase Links

Amazon ~ Amazon.Ca ~ ~ Wipf and Stock ~ Barnes & Noble