Nopety nope nope. I wasn't planning to read this, but then I found that JR Moehringer wrote this, and since I liked Tender Bar and the Agassi memoir hNopety nope nope. I wasn't planning to read this, but then I found that JR Moehringer wrote this, and since I liked Tender Bar and the Agassi memoir he wrote so much, I thought I'd give this a try. I read part of the beginning, got bored and at the advice of others, jumped forward. Even then, I couldn't really get into the book.
If I suspended my belief and pretended I was reading a novel, it went more easily, but because I was listening to the audiobook and Harry himself was narrating it, I could only suspend my disbelief so much. The writing was fine, and the personal anecdotes were okay, but I just couldn't get over the general icky feeling I got when reading it. While he does a lot to point out some of the privilege he had, it just doesn't cover all the things wrong with the royal family.
Even Meghan Markle couldn't entice me to finish reading this....more
I loved the long, winding descriptions of music pieces in here. The writing walks the line between being too technical and being too full of flowery iI loved the long, winding descriptions of music pieces in here. The writing walks the line between being too technical and being too full of flowery images. There were some passages that were the most accurate representations of how listening to music makes a person feel.
What I didn't love were the more autobiographical parts. Maybe this is just a thing I have against a lot of memoirs, but all people and names mentioned mostly blended together for me, especially when characters from the past reappeared in later chapters.
The first half of the book was interesting because the family dynamics and juggling all the lessons and costs associated with Serious Music in a regular family was full of drama. But as the Denk moved forward in time, I became less invested in his story maybe because his young adult self annoyed me. To his credit, he does write about how lucky he was in the opportunities he had, but the way he reacted in some of the later passages was cringe-worthy.
The length of this memoir went a bit too long for me, especially the later half. I thought it could have benefitted from more strict editing to compress some of competitions because they all melted together by the time I got to them.
Despite all my complaints, I was glad to have picked it up. I wouldn't have read it on my own, but my spouse seemed to really enjoy it, definitely more than I did, but I did like *some* parts of it. I sometimes just have a lower threshold for male whining and navel gazing than some people....more
Wow, that was intense. I'm not here to diminish the ordeals that McCurdy went through and is still going through. Not only did her mother do a number Wow, that was intense. I'm not here to diminish the ordeals that McCurdy went through and is still going through. Not only did her mother do a number on her, but so many adults failed her when they should have been helping her. The book is an honest, brutal recollection of what she went through as a child actor.
I just don't understand the hype for this book. Maybe because it's a celebrity memoir, so there's definitely a market for that. I guess maybe I'm just not the right audience because I only have a passing familiarity with iCarly. Despite that, the book was worth finishing. It helped that I listened to this on audiobook and McCurdy read it....more
You know I love a celebrity memoir, but this one was unfortunately a miss for me. I listened to the audiobook and even with Constance Wu narrating herYou know I love a celebrity memoir, but this one was unfortunately a miss for me. I listened to the audiobook and even with Constance Wu narrating her own words, I just kept getting bored. I stopped about a quarter of the way in, once I realized I was fast-forwarding more than I was actually reading....more
This is a hilarious and heartwarming memoir about friendship and growing up outside of gender norms. As a girl who was taller than all the boys, had aThis is a hilarious and heartwarming memoir about friendship and growing up outside of gender norms. As a girl who was taller than all the boys, had a rice bowl hair cut, and almost never wore dresses from 4-10 years old, I could relate so much to this. I could have written some of the panels!
Depending on your comfort level of kids reading profanity, some of this book would be fine for younger children too. I let my 7 year old read this up to chapter 8 since most of the high-school stuff might be too much for her. She really liked what she read so far....more
I wouldn't call this a light read considering some of the difficult things that Lakshmi writes about, but it was a good co-read to have around while rI wouldn't call this a light read considering some of the difficult things that Lakshmi writes about, but it was a good co-read to have around while reading some drier non-fiction. She's a great story teller and she's definitely lived a life. My favorite passages are the ones where she talks about her life in India and those family dynamics because it's something that I can relate to.
Like a lot of other memoirs, I found some parts disjointed or repetitive, like the author wrote this whole thing over a long period of time and only in the end did it get collected into book form. I liked the inclusion of recipes in the book, although I wouldn't call this a recipe book. The entire book could have used more editing because some sections were just overwrought, but mainly I was reading this for the story and not the prose, so I didn't take it too seriously....more
This was a quick, entertaining read. Loved the cringe-worthy pictures included in here. The book delivered exactly what was promised. I do wonder *whoThis was a quick, entertaining read. Loved the cringe-worthy pictures included in here. The book delivered exactly what was promised. I do wonder *who* this book is for. It's poised as a how-to guide for disappointing your parents, but if you're an immigrant, you probably already have a phd on that subject....more
A really emotional memoir about the author's family and their path to the US. It was hard to read this and not go off into pretend-land and think of tA really emotional memoir about the author's family and their path to the US. It was hard to read this and not go off into pretend-land and think of this as fiction because the reality is just so awful in some of the stories of the past. Although this is mostly about the Vietnam war and what happens to refugees, it's also apt for what's happening today....more
I read this in Ripert's voice in my head, along with his French accent. I think you should too. The anecdotes in this book sometimes jump around in tiI read this in Ripert's voice in my head, along with his French accent. I think you should too. The anecdotes in this book sometimes jump around in time and get a bit repetitive because of this, but overall, I found Ripert's early life in the kitchen entertaining. I even laughed out loud in some bits, especially about his Ghost Sauce. I was incredulous about some of the stories, especially how they ended up, but I could see Ripert's love of food and dining clearly in his descriptions. His co/ghost writer captured that well....more
If I hadn't picked up this book for free at work, I wouldn't have read it, but now that I have, I'm glad I did, but also disappointed that it2.5 stars
If I hadn't picked up this book for free at work, I wouldn't have read it, but now that I have, I'm glad I did, but also disappointed that it wasn't better. This could have been a much better book after some better editing. There are flashes of brilliant writing that are unfortunately drowned in lots of loosely-connected anecdotes. The author had a point, but it was hard to tell what it was because she seemed to focus on different things at different parts of the story.
Was this about her family's history with the courtyard-style houses of Old Beijing? Was this about her struggle to find a subject to make a documentary on? Was this about her indecision about where to call 'home'?
I could relate to many of the things Wang went through, which was ultimately what compelled me to complete the book: seeing her family home, navigating relationships in China when you look Chinese but are more American, misunderstandings thanks to cultural barriers, absurd sightings on the streets, parental obligations. Reading this made me nostalgic for Shanghai, but like Wang, I'm nostalgic for a romanticized version of Shanghai and not the modern, real, thing. ...more
I'm not one to read sports memoirs, but wow, did this one blow me away. My fellow Goodreaders really spoke highly of this book, and it's ghostwritten I'm not one to read sports memoirs, but wow, did this one blow me away. My fellow Goodreaders really spoke highly of this book, and it's ghostwritten by J.R. Moehringer, who wrote another book that I loved, so I thought it was about time I give this a whirl. Because I don't watch a lot of tennis, the actual parts of the matches, which is probably about 50% of the book, was mostly boring to me. Some of the matches were more tense than others and I did feel that edge-of-your-seat tension that only a good writer can pull off, but I mostly read this for the other parts.
There's not much to say about the life of Andre Agassi that can't be said already, but Moehringer uses his talents once again to bring readers directly into the head of the person he's writing about -- this time it's Agassi instead of himself. It always amazes me how well he conveys the inner turmoils and thoughts of a character without making the book seem annoyingly navel-gazey.
The only thing that didn't make this a 5-star book was the way the ending dragged out. The ending-ending was great, but the part that led up to it seemed like a slog. Maybe I was just channeling Agassi's mindset and was ready to feel the snap of the tape at the finish line, but still had to force myself to actually get to the finish line....more
This short volume contains a couple of separate but related pieces. There are the stories about hot air ballooning and then there's the last part, whiThis short volume contains a couple of separate but related pieces. There are the stories about hot air ballooning and then there's the last part, which is a memoir Barnes wrote of himself figuring out how to deal with the grief of his wife's death. I'm not smart enough to understand how the ballooning stories relate to the story of his grief, but it seems to make sense in a hand-wavy, if I don't stare directly at it, kind of way.
What Barnes writes about grief is poignant, absolutely accurate, and shatteringly honest. I recommend it to anyone who has had a loved one die....more
This is about a woman who took a year off her cushy writing job to become an oyster farmer. If that sounds boring, then this book probably isn't for yThis is about a woman who took a year off her cushy writing job to become an oyster farmer. If that sounds boring, then this book probably isn't for you. But if you're curious like me about the oyster industry, then this book delivers. I was a little apprehensive that reading about the gritty details of oyster farming would turn me off from oysters, but this gives a sometimes glamorous look at the life of the oyster farmers at Island Creek Oyster farms. I know it made me crave the briny little bivalves even more.
I liked that the end of each chapter included a little recipe contributed by someone related to the oyster farm. The recipes range from a simple mignonette to more complex things like oyster casseroles....more
I'm not as excited by French cuisine (maybe I just haven't tasted THE dish yet) but loved this book nonetheless. Child's writing brought Paris and ProI'm not as excited by French cuisine (maybe I just haven't tasted THE dish yet) but loved this book nonetheless. Child's writing brought Paris and Provence to life and it's easy to see her love of French cooking. While some of the anecdotes paints a rather rosy picture of what it's like to be a foreigner in Paris, it does make me want to visit there one day if only to eat cheese, charcuterie, and drink wine....more
This was only okay. Shin's story was compelling and horrific, but Harden's writing wasn't a good medium for it. Maybe I hold him to a higher standard This was only okay. Shin's story was compelling and horrific, but Harden's writing wasn't a good medium for it. Maybe I hold him to a higher standard because of other journalist written books like Nothing to Envy, but Harden seemed so hand-wavy about certain things that should be thoroughly researched facts....more
Masterful and wonderful to read. Like a good scotch, The Tender Bar should not be rushed through and instead, savored slowly and thoroughly. Also likeMasterful and wonderful to read. Like a good scotch, The Tender Bar should not be rushed through and instead, savored slowly and thoroughly. Also like scotch, it took me a couple of exposures to The Tender Bar before I started liking it.
The first exposure was when my husband and I were researching bars we should visit while in Tokyo. During my googling, I found a few mentions of this book but read a blurb about it and thought it sounded boring, so I let it slip my mind. In Tokyo, we visited an eponymous bar on the fifth floor of an anonymous looking office building. (Coincidentally, the master bartender who works at this bar shares the same first-letter, lastname combination as a former colleague at Goodreads.) At this bar I had one of the most expertly shaken drinks of my life. All subsequent drinks would be compared to the ones I consumed at the Tender Bar.
My second exposure was after I had read The Great Gatsby for the first time since highschool. The book that I only thought of as a requirement during my first reading revealed its subtleties and sad themes during my second reading. After finishing the book, I wanted more books like it and consulted some reading lists online for comparable books. The Tender Bar was mentioned and I added it to my to-read list. It wasn’t till a year later, when someone on a gaming forum mentioned the book, that I finally got around to reading it.
Although I categorized the book as a bildungsroman, it’s less of a coming of age as it is a coming to terms book. Moehringer crafts a Dickensian (I hope you like that word because it comes up more than a handful of times in the book) tale about the men at a bar. Like life, it’s not any one story or experience or even one person at the bar that changes the boy, but a culmination of events and disappointments that pushes him into being the type of man that makes his mother proud.
The Tender Bar is the type of novel I’d want to read by the fire with a comforting glass of scotch. It’s heartbreaking at times, but there’s a certain hopeful undercurrent to the writing. Even in the sections where Moehringer is an adult, it was easy to see that he was still very much still a boy....more
Chances are, if you're Chinese American, or even Asian American, you've probably heard about the uproar Amy Chua's article in the Wall Street JournalChances are, if you're Chinese American, or even Asian American, you've probably heard about the uproar Amy Chua's article in the Wall Street Journal caused. With an incendiary title like "Why Chinese Mothers are Superior", it's hard not to get all riled up. Unlike most people who just read the article, or skim it, choosing to form their opinions on what an editor left out, I decided to read Chua's book, Battle Hymn of the Tiger Mother before commenting too much about it.
Although the newspaper article was written tongue in cheek (something a lot of people seemed to have gloss over), it left out some important elements that are present in the book. First, there's humor. The article was funny, especially to one who has been on the daughter's end of things, but the book is laugh-out-loud funny. Funny in the "oh god, this same thing happened to me" funny. Sure, it was frustrating and painful while my own mother did some of the things Chua writes about, but I have to laugh when I think back about how we pitted against each other back then.
Another thing missing in the article is her conclusion. If you've read the book, you'll know that Chua isn't saying that the Chinese way is superior. I don't want to get into spoilers, but there's a whole lot that the Wall Street Journal leaves unsaid and it's no use getting your panties in a rutt about it if you don't bother reading the entire book.
The book is a breeze to read through (or maybe it's because I have super-human reading speed thanks to my Chinese mother forcing me to read the dictionary 5x every night before going to bed?) and Chua captures the every day battles of raising two children in a warm, almost nostalgic way. While reading this book, I found myself rooting for every success the daughters earned through their hard work and practice. I also found myself laughing at some of the things Chua forced them to do. I only wish there was more about Jed, her husband, who seemed to be just on the sidelines but as she noted, that may be for another book.
Chua's story of setting an ideal of how to raise her children, the difficulties she faced from within her family as well as from living in a culturally different country made me think of my own mother and the fights that we had. Battle Hymn of the Tiger Mother should be necessary reading for anyone who has a Chinese mother....more
Loading...
