Biography
Offers
Reviews
 |
The End of Your Life Book Club - Will Schwalbe
by catsholiday The End of Your Life Book Club by Will Schwalbe ISBN 9781444706369 Publisher: Two Roads 16.99 Having read an excellent review of this book on here from Koshka I was tempted to read it. The title would normally have put me off big time as it sounds quite depressing to me. DON'T JUDGE A BOOK BY ITS ... COVER So the title is not exactly a welcoming one but the cover has been sensitively designed with an olive colour and autumn leaves around the edges. It is not the sort that will jump out and say 'read me' if browsing in a book shop but it is attractive. MY ACQUISITION Even though I did quite like the sound of the book when reading the review I am not sure I would ever have gone out and bought it but I joined the 'Curiousbookfans ' site and they were offering a chance to win a copy and I was lucky enough to be chosen to receive one that was signed by the author too so that is how I came to read this book. THE AUTHOR I have not heard of Will Schwalbe before nor indeed had I heard of his mother which considering wat she achieved in her life is quite stunning. Will was an editor and publisher but left his job as editor in chief of Hyperion Books while his mother was ill and started his own website Cookstr.com which is basically a recipe site with all kinds of recipes on line. He still writes as a journalist and is on a couple of boards and Foundations too. WILL'S MOTHER Will's Mum was diagnosed with terminal pancreatic cancer and this book was written about the books Will and his mother shared during her treatment . Mary Anne Schwalbe was an amazing woman with it seems, boundless energy and. She did so much for different charities, particularly refugees and travelled to many places that would be a long way down the list of places you might want to visit such as Darfur, Afghanistan and others in similar states of unrest. She also sponsored and assisted several young refugees who came to the USA withr her help who regarded her as their American Mother. One story that I thought was especially selfless was how she paid for the medication for one woman whose daughter was in tears in the hospital while Mary Anne was having her treatment. She didn't make a fuss she just did it and I suspect as it was cancer treatment in the USA that we are not talking about a small amount of money. She constantly argued that she was not brave when going through her treatment and suffering from a pretty awful cancer. She recalled people she considered brave such as a family who insisted on walking in front of her and her other refugee charity workers through a minefield as they didn't want people who had come to help them to die while so doing. THE BOOK As I said this book discusses books that Will and his mother shared during the time she was dying of cancer and the parts I enjoyed most were when they discussed a book that I had also read as I felt like I was able to take part in the discussion too in a sort of way in my head. I would find myself nodding in agreement or thinking 'yes that's right' and so on. It helped that a lot of the books were ones I was interested in and I have added a few of those they read to my list of ones I would like to read. Those I would like to read include Jhumpa Lahiri "Interpreter of Maladies' even though I had found her short stories in 'Unaccustomed Earth ' a bit frustrating I had enjoyed the way she wrote. I also fancy ' The bite of the Mango' by Mariatu Kamara and in fact about four other s in their book club reading list. I found that I had read a lot of those they mentioned well over 60% so I was able to share in quite a lot of their thoughts but I did find that the religious discussions became a bit much to take and the poetry elements left me cold but I am not into poetry at all. It suppose it isn't surprising that someone close to death becomes even more religious and so the religious discussions were not unexpected but even so I di find them a bit tedious but again others might find them a comfort. I am not religious at all and find religion totally unbelievable and often people who are religious are rather hypercritical and the least generous in our society so not for me. I realize that is a personal opinion and that others may actually find the religious bits inspirational so I leave that for others to decide for themselves. I found the way the author wrote was an easy to read style and almost as though he was telling me about his mother and the books personally. His deep love and respect for his mother comes through loud and clear without being over sentimentalized at all. He talks about how hard it was to actually say to his mother how much he loved her. He also talked about the way to handle discussions about illness and how people were feeling. According to one book they read on the subject you should say, " Do you want to talk about how you are feeling?' rather than the more obvious one 'How are you feeling?' A GREAT TRIBUTE TO A VERY STRONG WOMAN Mary Anne continued to work throughout her treatment and went to meetings and spoke at different conferences. She continued to work and raise money for a library in Afghanistan. Her treatment was fairly grueling and required spending days enduring chemo in hospital and it was during these long days that Will and Mary Anne discussed the books in their two person book clubs. I cannot emphasize the respect and admiration I feel for this woman who is one of life true heroes and one of many unsung heroes in our world. I would say don't be put off reading this by the subject matter as it really is far more inspirational that I would have thought possible. I say well done to Will Schwalbe for writing such a fitting tribute to his much loved and admired mother. Thanks for reading. This review may be posted on other sites under my same username. ©Catsholiday Read the complete review |
 |
No Ordinary Love Story - Sophie Morgan
by thehonesttruth **Please note, there is a small amount of content within this review that may be offensive to some readers - I felt it was necessary to include this content in order to accurately review this book, apologies if it offends anybody. This review, being of a sequel, also contains information that could be classed as spoilers for anyone ... planning to read Sophie Morgans first book, Diary of a Submissive. ** 'No Ordinary Love Story' is the sequal to Sophie Morgans 'Diary of a Submissive', which dealt with her discovery of the world of bdsm, and her submissive experiences in particular, from her earliest teen fantasies and casual college encounters, through non romantic long term play partners, and up until the end of her intense romantic / Ds relationship with James. The book begins just before Christmas, with Sophie metting up with her ex play-partner and still very good friend Tom, and his current submissive Charlotte for pre-Christmas drinks. Upon arriving, Sophie is surprised to see a stranger, Adam, sitting in the booth with them, and her surprise turns to anger as she realises she's been set on a blind date. It's not that Sophie has anything against adam, who after all has a pleasingly firm handshake and very nice hands (something she notices as a spanking fan!) it's just that, frankly, she's had enough of being hurt emotionally for a while, and just wants to enjoy some time being single, curled up on the sofa, and watching box sets. However, despite herself, she can't help but find herself warming to Adam, especially when she discovers that he's something of an experienced Dominant. Initially they both agree to keep things casual - a friends with kinky bdsm benefits scenario - but as they get to know each other more, both inside and out of the bedroom, it becomes clear that this is much more than just a casual relationship. But, as they agree to finally start calling themselves boyfriend and girlfriend, and to move in together, can their relationship survive? One of the things I very much liked about Sophie Morgans first book was the candid, unflowery tone she took with her writing. She didn't sugar coat anything, and was happy to call a spade a spade and an arse and arse. She also doesn't shy away from the embarrassing, more awkward moments, or the quieter, duller moments of life. We see the book veer from portrayals of some of the kinkiest scenes I've ever read one minutes, to a discussion about who is going to pay for a pizza the next. It was very interesting to me, having read the first book, to see how very different the dynamic of this relationship was from all of those covered in the first book, not only in terms of the levels of respect and affection between Sophie and Adam, and the real sense of equality between them outside of the bedroom, but also in Adams particular style of domination. Whereas I had found a lot of the scenes in the first book quite shockingly violent, and struggled an awful lot to wrap my head around them being erotic, in this book there was much less violence and a lot more psychological play, with mental rather than physical boundaries being pushed. One particular scene that stood out to me was when Adam helped a blindfolded and bound Sophie into the bath, and she began sobbing as he began peeing on her, which was one of her hard limits. We see her shock and horror at the thought that her trust had been broken, her debate over whether to use her safeword (she doesn't) and then her relief when Adam informs her it was only warm water he'd been dribbling on her from his mouth. This scene actually raises a fair few issues in the book about the importance of being able to trust yourself to stick to your own limits, just as much as trusting your dominant. I also liked that the book introduced other kinks as well as submission - TENS play, pet play, latex, and even figging all made an appearance in the book. The figging scene in particular was very interesting, as it'a a fetish I've heard of, but have never known anyone that has experienced! With the market so saturated at the moment with erotic fiction, its refreshing to have been able to find a non fiction account of a submissives experiences that is written in a straightforward and very readable style. Diary of a Submissive was a fantastic first installment, and I certainly thing that reading that before starting on 'No ordinary love story' is essential, as Sophie does on several occasions mention people and events from the first book. Whilst not having read the first book won't stop you getting the gist of whats going on, I do think it adds an important layer of depth, as well as an understanding of where Sophie is coming on and the reasons she may be more fragile now. Overall, I really enjoyed this sequel, and I have nothing bad to say about it. The relationship between Adam and Sophie is detailed so well, from the incredibly intimate and very kinky bedroom activities, to the every day little moments of bickering, eye rolling, and casual affection. With the first book, I felt I had grown to know and care about Sophie, and after closing the pages of the second, I feel as though I've got to know her even more, and that I'm sharing in her happiness. It's a wonderful feeling! 5 stars! Read the complete review |
|
|
Mud, Sweat and Tears - Bear Grylls
by Bullydc1 Mud sweat and tears is Bear Gryliss` autobiography (so far - as a young man of around 40 it can hardly be called his lifes work) - It is neatly broken down as you would expect, by chronology. His years as a child growing up on the Isle of Wight, his time at boarding school and then Eton, his initial years at University and then his ... years in the SAS reserve and his Everest expedition. It then moves onto his family life with his wife and then two children and (very shortly) his success as a television presentor, adventure brand and lead cub scout. Bear is a very good writer, although naturally the subject matter is very exciting, he seems able to hold your attention well with interesting anecdotes, good humour and dramatic events, of which for a man his age , he has had many. His Physical qualities cannot be denied, the SAS and Everest achievements alone should be enough for anyone reading them not to dare question his endurance and mental determination. He is too a man of faith, constantly through the book, as in 'Facing up' you find yourself reading about the lord or the church and this can get a bit annoying, but you have to understand that it is this faith that has gotten him through so many hard times, like when he borke his back on a parachute jump at 23. Ive done allot of things that Bear has done, im from a military background, I skydived for years, I now climb some of the highest mountains in the world and I have to say he`s descriptions are very well put, especially his description of SAS selection and the Everest climb - amongst some of the most detailed and accurate I can think of, in fact friends of mine gave me his two books and a Bear Gryliss survival kit for my birthday as they think I try to model myself on him, I dont obviously. He does come accross as a very unassuming, polite and modest man. His faith is important to him and so are his family obviously. His friendship are with all sorts of people, not just rich boys or old soldiering / etonion folk, but mostly those from an adventurous background. My one critisism is that he says very early on that he is open about his failures (there have not been many) and he doesnt shy away from them, indeed this is true of what I would style 'trivial' failures, failures at minor friendships, failures with girls, failures at certain jobs which considering his nature is not unsurprising- but his biggest failure which is massively eluded too is his academic background. He states that all young people should excell outdoors and go for the adventure, but most kids cant do that, that wont pay the bills, their families cant afford it and his family oh so obviously could along with his own meagre need of valuable posessions, with the exception of the Everest expedition where he got his own sponsorship through selling the dream to corporations. He is not an aademic person, never has been really, judging by the quality of his schooling you would have thought that he could have done allot better, but some people arent made for the classroon, he obviosuly failed in achieving very good A-levels, and gave up on his degree, but all of this is eluded to, although it is obvious because it seems strange it isnt mentioned in someones life story...at this time he had just got into the SAS reserve and you cant do that and study its as simple as that. So I thought this a contradiction. All in all thought I think those fans of Bear will like this read, it will keep you nail biting through some of it and is very adventurous. Read the complete review |
Biography |
||
|---|---|---|
|
Author: Darcey Bussell / Biography / Hardcover / 244 Pages / Book is published 2012-09-01 by Hardie Grant Books |
|
|
Author: Bradley Wiggins / Biography / Hardcover / 320 Pages / Book is published 2012-11-08 by Yellow Jersey |
|
|
Author: Mollie Moran / Biography / Paperback / 384 Pages / Book is published 2013-03-14 by Penguin |
|
|
Hardcover: 352 pages / Biography / Publisher: HarperOne / Published: 13 Oct 2009 |
|
|
Genre: Biography / Author: Grace Coddington / Hardcover / 416 Pages / Book is published 2012-11-22 by Chatto & Windus |
|
|
Author: Nick Faldo / Biography / Hardcover / 224 Pages / Book is published 2012-11-08 by Simon & Schuster UK |
|
|
Paperback: 196 pages / Biography / Publisher: Forces & Corporate / Published: 21 Nov 2012 |
|
|
Paperback: 304 pages / Biography / Publisher: Yellow Jersey / Published: 25 Oct 2012 |
|
|
Paperback: 264 pages / Biography / Publisher: Orion / Published: 7 July 2011 |
|
|
Paperback: 224 pages / Biography / Publisher: Thorsons / Published: 28 Jun 1993 |
|
| Biography recommendations 1 2 3 4 5 6 7 8 ... back next | ||
| dooyoo Results 41 - 50 of 1766 | ||
