Fascinating biographies

I find people’s lives fascinating.  I love to read biographies, autobiographies and memoirs.  

What is the difference between the three you may be wondering?

It can be confusing but in very simple terms, a biography is an account of someone’s life (deceased or living, a portion of or their entire life) written by another person (biographer).   An autobiography on the other hand is an accounting of that person’s life up to that point, either written by the subject or sometimes with a collaborator.  A memoir (written by the author) involves a portion of the author’s life as it relates to specific events such as the people they know, experiences they’d had or the places they’ve been.  

Steve Jobs by Walter Isaacson is an example of a biography (an authorized biography in this case).  Jobs, who died on October 5, 2011, cooperated with the book (which was published less than three weeks after his death) & is based on more than forty interviews with Jobs conducted over two years, as well as interviews with more than a hundred family members, friends, adversaries, competitors, and colleagues.  Jobs supported the book because he knew people would be writing about him and his legacy at Apple, and he wanted to make sure his version of events was on record.  Another concern was his hope that his children would know him better.  Jobs was a volatile leader whose passion for excellence could turn quickly into abusiveness towards anything he saw as less than excellent.  He speaks honestly about the people he worked with and competed against. Those interviewed provide a candid view of the passions, perfectionism, obsessions, and craving for control that shaped his approach to business and the innovative products that resulted.  Some of the most interesting passages in the book are those in which Isaacson directly engages Jobs with personal questions unrelated to his career.  I especially enjoyed those sections and others pertaining to his family life particularly insightful

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Another biography that readers might enjoy is Unbroken by Laura Hillenbrand.  Hillenbrand tells the story of Louis Zamperini, a World War II prisoner of war survivor, whose wild youth seemed to predict a future life of crime.  His talents as a runner, however, changed all that, leading him to the 1936 Olympics and to the University of Southern California, where he was a track team star.  Hoping to return to the 1940 Olympics, his dream ended when he became a B-24 crewman in the U.S. Army Air Force.  When his plane went down in the Pacific in 1943, he spent 47 days in a life raft, then was picked up by a Japanese ship and survived starvation and torture for two years in labor camps.  Upon his return to the States, he was a physical and mental wreck and his life spiraled out of control, drinking heavily to forget and obsessed with vengeance.  With encouragement from his wife, however, he was saved by the influence of Billy Graham and was able to turn his life around, devoting himself to inspirational speeches and founding boys’ camps.  In telling Zamperini’s story, Hillenbrand tells the story of thousands whose suffering has mostly been forgotten.  It is a story of tremendous heroism and courage amidst tremendous suffering.   It is a story that leaves you questioning man’s inhumanity to man.

Please join us for the Monday, November 19, Book Chat to continue the discussion on Unbroken.

I love history through the eyes of those who lived it. Studying history is made so much more interesting by reading about a person’s life and I especially enjoy reading about women’s lives in history.  A Being So Gentle: The Frontier Love Story of Rachel and Andrew Jackson and Abigail and John: Portrait of a Marriage are two examples.  Although both titles definitely give some history and insights of each First Lady’s life including their marriage, for the most part both books center around the political lives of their husbands. However, it’s enlightening to see the part that they played in history.  Yes, Rachel was still technically married to her first husband when she married Jackson and Abigail did indeed ask John “to remember the ladies.”  

If you prefer contemporary biographies, some that I can recommend are Cronkite, Mike Wallace, a Life and Elizabeth, the Queen: Life of a ModernMonarch.

In future blogs, I will recommend some autobiographies and memoirs.   In the meantime, I challenge you to take a break from fiction and discover why truth can be stranger (and yes, more interesting) than fiction.

Sometimes all it takes is a new perspective…

The library is filled with a variety of biographies, autobiographies and true stories. Reading the stories of others’ lives helps us to learn new things, gain a new perspective, understand a time period or just lose ourselves in someone else’s life for a few minutes. There’s a whole world open to you through the magic of reading!

In Andy Andrews’ book, The Noticer, Mr. Jones asks him if he reads. Andy replies that he reads mostly magazines and stuff. Mr. Jones hands him a book on Winston Churchill, on Will Rogers, and on George Washington Carver. When Andy asks why he would want to read history books, Mr. Jones assures him that they are not history books but adventure stories. Biographies represent stories of success, failure, romance, intrigue, tragedy and triumph, and it is all true! Getting away from a situation and looking at it with fresh eyes can often help you get your life straight, help you learn new things and improve your situation, according to Mr. Jones. The author tells other stories of people who encountered Mr. Jones and changed their perspective and then their lives. Biographies give you a chance to see the world through another pair of eyes.

Cheryl Strayed was in a bad place in her life. Her mother had died suddenly; her marriage had dissolved; her family scattered. She decided to regroup by hiking the Pacific Crest Trail- alone. In her book, Wild – from Lost to Foundon the Pacific Crest Trail, she describes the 1100-mile hike across some of the most treacherous landscape, both physically and mentally. For Cheryl, the hike helped her gain perspective, work through her grief and bad life choices, and allow her to heal. You will laugh; you will cry; your feet will cry out in sympathetic pain as she hikes hundreds of miles in shoes that are one size too small. The people she meets, the places she sees, and the adventure can be enjoyed from your armchair. There are also bears, rattlesnakes, and tiny black frogs she meets along the way. You will laugh when the bear runs - but in the same direction she is going. You will cry as she remembers the final days with her mother. The book has been chosen as the first book on Oprah’s Book Club 2.0 where you can find a reading guide and lots of other extras about the book.

Seal of God is a young man’s coming of age story but so much more. Chad Williams was that boy that had to be the best at everything- the ace at t-ball, the skateboarder in the Hollywood commercials. He had to excel at each new thing until he got bored and moved on to the next big thing. He decides he wants to be a Navy Seal. His parents contact Scott Helvenson, a former Seal. Chad details the grueling training Scott put him through to prepare him for boot camp. Scott returned to security duty in Iraq. Nineteen days before Chad entered Navy Boot Camp, Scott Helvenson was brutally killed in action in Iraq. For Chad, this made it personal; he wanted to train to be the best Seal he could be. And he did, but it all changed one night at a revival meeting at his parent’s church. Chad details the intense training to become a Seal, the hazing, the persecution among his peers, and the events that led him to the life he lives today.

Even closer to home, Jenny Smith of Adairsville shares her struggle to understand today’s hard times in conjunction with a life of faith in Seriously God?: I’m Doing Everything I Know to Do and It’s Not
Working,  Facing foreclosure, tightened budgets and family crisis; Jenny uses her story and biblical scripture to show how she met God in her daily life in this devotional study. It is an inspirational look at a family facing the challenges many of us are facing in today’s failing economy with courage and fortitude. It is about gaining a new perspective on life.

Some other recommended biographies and true stories:

Girl on the Rocks by Katie Brown
Eat, Pray, Love by Elizabeth Gilbert
A Captain’s Duty by Richard Phillips
Seal Target Geronimo by Chuck Pfarrer

Or the DVDs:
Act of Valor
Men of Honor
Eat, Pray, Love
Into the Wild
The Wildest Dream: Conquering Everest

Novels that Go Bump in the Night: Psychological Suspense

While most psychological suspense novels have a crime or a mystery as the plot, they also mix in an element of horror.  You’re not quite sure who is insane and who just has major psychological issues.  I have read some really good psychological suspense novels lately that really make you question not only the characters sanity but how reliable is the narrator.   So if you’re looking for mystery or crime novels that can give you a little scare or make you uneasy, try some of these.

What a rollercoaster ride!  If you like dark twisted stories that seem torn from the headlines then try the new novel Gone Girl by Gillian Flynn.  To the outside world, Nick and Amy seem like they have the perfect marriage until Amy disappears on their 5^th anniversary, and there are obvious signs of a struggle.  Like a Lifetime movie, Nick and Amy’s marriage is far from perfect with secrets and well-hidden obsessions.  Nick’s creepy smile, odd behavior, and lies make him the perfect suspect.  In he-said, she-said fashion, the novel alternates from Nick’s point of view to Amy’s disturbing diary.  Flynn’s writing will keep you hooked as the plot twists and turns into to an ever tightening spiral of heart-pounding suspense until the final creepy ending.  As the reader knows what happened halfway through the book, Flynn’s novel is less about solving the crime; it is about the dark paths that love, obsession, and marriage can take.

Another good book about a twisted relationship is HeartSick by Chelsea Cain. Five years ago, Detective Archie Sheridan was kidnapped, tortured, and then released by beautiful serial killer Gretchen Lowell.  Gretchen turns herself in and continues to psychologically torture Archie by slowly releasing names and burial places of her victims if only Archie visits her every week in prison.  Now addicted to painkillers, divorced, and haunted by his unwilling attraction to Gretchen, Archie is called upon once more when another monster starts killing young teenage girls.  A reporter, Susan Ward, is allowed to profile Archie as he tries to catch this new serial killer.  Gretchen, however, is never far from the story, and a deadly game begins with Gretchen pulling the strings.  A thrilling start to the Gretchen and Archie series with enough twists and turns to make this a really “sick” book.

In a small village in Ireland, 3 children go missing; only 1 is found, gripping a tree in terror, covered in blood, and he has no memory of what happened to him.  This is how In the Woods by Tana French begins.  Now that found child, Rob Ryan, has grown up and is a detective on Dublin’s Murder Squad, still with no memory of the traumatic events of that long ago day.  Rob and his partner, Cassie Maddox, catch a case that hurls him right back to that small village as a 12 year old girl is found murdered and placed on a stone altar.  The case has strange and chilling ties to the older case, and Rob is hiding his connection to the older case from his bosses and the town.  Part psychological thriller and part police procedure, the books pacing and tone allow the reader to feel Rob’s and Cassie’s emotions as their lives come off the rails. 

Other recommended psychological suspense

The Talented Mr. Ripley by Patricia Highsmith  

The Likeness by Tana French

Sweetheart by Chelsea Cain

The Breaker by Minette Walters

Die for You by Lisa Unger

Dum-dum-da-dum...

Weddings are extremely important occasions in most people’s lives. Some little girls spend their childhoods dreaming of their prince charming, his proposal, and have planned out every detail of their dream wedding before they have even met Mr. Right. But for those of us who need a little more help, thankfully there are a number of books that can provide advice about every aspect of the big day!

Planning Your Wedding: Step-by-Step Guide to Creating Your Perfect Day by Blair deLaubenfels, Christy Weber, and Kim Bamberg is a good book to start with if you’re just beginning the planning process. Bamberg, deLaubenfels and Weber met in Photography School and are the creators of Junebugweddings.com. Their book is organized into chapters by topic and provides a wealth of information in an easily digestible format. You can read the book from cover to cover, or go directly to the chapter that focuses on the topic that addresses your current concern. For the visually-oriented, the text is punctuated with lots of photographs to illustrate the topics discussed and give the reader some specific ideas.

Sometimes a picture really is worth a thousand words! If you’re planning your wedding, helping with your child’s wedding, or are just a romantic who enjoys reading about weddings, The Knot Ultimate Wedding LookBook: More than 1,000 Cakes, Centerpieces, Bouquets, Dresses, Decorations, and Ideas for the Perfect Day by Carley Roney is the book for you! Carley Roney is the founder of The Knot.com and has compiled more than 1,000 color photographs into an inspirational idea book. The book starts with an introduction about “Finding Your Style” and is then organized into topical chapters. Of particular interest to brides who need help picking their color(s) are the chapters that suggest possible color combinations. In addition to the gorgeous photographs, every chapter is filled with detailed information on each topic as well as practical advice to help the reader navigate or avoid tricky situations and decisions.

For creative brides with time to spare, The DIY Bride: An Affair to Remember –40 Fantastic Projects to Celebrate Your Unique Wedding in Style by Khris Cochran provides design ideas and instructions for a variety of wedding styles and budgets. Whether you’re trying to save cash by doing it yourself, or just want to personalize your event, the projects in this book will inspire you. Organized into thematic chapters, a minimum of five projects are provided for each section. Before launching into any of the projects, however, Cochran includes chapters on recommended tools and troubleshooting techniques. Each project includes an estimate as to how long the project will take, whether or not the project can be done alone or if help will be required, the price breakdown, and detailed instructions complete with illustrations.

Choosing the flowers for your wedding can be very exciting, but once again, there are so many options that it can be hard to make a decision! Smart, budget-conscious brides may want to consider not only their favorite flowers, but should also take into account what flowers are in season at the time of the wedding.  Author Diane Wagner has tackled the topic of flowers in her book, Beautiful Wedding Flowers: More than 300 Corsages, Bouquets, and Centerpieces. Broken into five chapters, the book covers the basics, flowers for the wedding party, flowers for the ceremony, flowers for the reception, and includes a DIY section for the creative bride. Color photos adorn nearly every page of this book, and the accompanying text describes the ideas presented in each photograph. 

Although you may not want to read this in the midst of your wedding planning, author Rebecca Mead has written a fascinating book about the history of the American wedding titled, One Perfect Day: The Selling of the American Wedding. For example, it may interest readers to know that the multi-billion dollar wedding industry of today is recognized by social historians to have started sometime between the 1920s and 1950s. Although Mead admits that she enjoys weddings as much as anyone else, her premise is that American weddings are shaped as much by commerce and marketing as they are by other social, religious, or familial influences. To prove her point, she takes a close look at the wedding industry and how it has transformed the American wedding into an increasingly commercialized affair.

Additional Reading:

• e-Plan Your Wedding: How to Save Time and Money with Today’s Best Online Resources by Crystal and Jason Melendez
• The Modern Bride Survival Guide by Antonia Van Der Meer
• Wedding Flowers: A Complete Illustrated Guide to Ideas for Bouquets, Ceremony Décor, and Reception Centerpieces by Sharon Naylor
• Do I Have to Wear White? Emily Post Answers America’s Top Wedding Questions by Anna Post
• The Everything Wedding Etiquette Book: From Invites to Thank-You Notes -- AllYou Need to Handle Even the Stickiest Situations with Ease by Holly Lefevre
• The DIY bride Crafty Countdown: 40 Fabulous Projects to Make in the Months,Weeks & Hours Before Your Special Day by Khris Cochran

Sizzling Historical Romances from my Never-Get-Rid-Of List

This week, I was going through my romance paperbacks in anticipation of the Sizzling Romance Swap at the Cartersville Public Library on June 7th, and it brought back so many memories of some great books that I loved.  I have read romances for over 30 years so I have quite a collection in my closet, on bookshelves, and in boxes.  I have read all the sub-genres--historical, contemporary, romantic suspense, paranormal, etc..., but the ones that I have trouble letting go of and have reread many times are historical.   These books go on my Never-Get-Rid-Of List.

If you ask romance readers of my generation what book got them started reading romances, chances are you will hear a title by Kathleen E. Woodiwiss.  Considered the mother of the modern historical romance novel, her first book was The Flame and The Flower. I have been hooked on romances after I read it in high school.  Set in Georgian England and in the Carolinas, it is the story of Heather Simmons and ship captain Brandon Birmingham.  Less politically correct than today’s historical, Brandon mistakes Heather as a wharf prostitute on his trip to England; her weak protests seem like part of her act to him.  When she later turns up pregnant, the two are forced to marry.  The story is about two very different people trying to make a marriage work and finding love in the process.  Woodiwiss’ writing captivates the reader and transports you to a time and place different from our own.  Romance novelist Teresa Mederios wrote, “Whether you love The Flame and the Flower or hate it, we're still talking about it almost 40 years later.  How many other romances will be able to make that claim?”

Another favorite on the historical scene is author Johanna Lindsey.  Her 50th novel, Let Love Find You, comes out this month.  My favorite of hers is the 2nd in the Mallory series, Tender Rebel.  Set in England in 1818, Scottish heiress Lady Roslyn Chadwick needs to find a husband quick to save her fortune from a greedy cousin.  At a ball she meets Sir Anthony Mallory, London’s most notorious rake.  He’s everything she has been warned against but everything she can’t resist.  Anthony will do anything, tell any lie, to seduce her but has sworn never to marry—what he does not count on is falling in love.  When the greedy cousin finds her, she is forced to make a choice that may ruin her life or turn it into an enchanting dream if she can only trust Anthony.  The book sizzles with the chemistry between the two and is great escapism reading.

Next on my Never-Get-Rid-Of List is Mary Jo Putney’s Fallen Angel series.  This series takes place in England during and shortly after the Napoleonic Wars and features men who were friends in school and in war.  It is hard to pick my favorite but I’ll go with River of Fire.  Bearing both physical and mental scars, Kenneth Wilding returns from the war to an impoverished family estate.  A stranger offers him an unusual proposition: prove Anthony Seaton (England’s most famous artist) killed his wife and all debts will be forgiven.  Kenneth has no choice but to go undercover as Seaton’s secretary to investigate.  While there he meets Rebecca Seaton.  Rebecca is Anthony’s socially ruined spinster daughter and a talented artist.   Kenneth must choose between love, honor, and saving his family estate.  Putney brings an added element of the art world into this historical novel.  Her novels are well-researched, historically accurate, and just great reading.

I could go on with many more that are on my Never-Get-Rid-Of list, but I’ll stop with just one more, For the Roses by Julie Garwood.  Four orphaned street boys in New York City, just prior to the Civil War, find a baby girl in the trash heap.  They name her Mary Rose Clayborne and decide to raise her.  They head out West eventually settling in Blue Belle, Montana.  Mary Rose grows up being a well-loved, soft-hearted, but stubborn young lady.  One day Lord Harrison MacDonald comes to town, sticking out like a tenderfoot.  Mary Rose convinces her brothers to help him survive in the American West.  As Mary Rose and Harrison fall in love, he has a secret that could destroy them; he is searching for a woman who was kidnapped as a baby and never found.  What makes this novel first-class is the letters inserted between chapters that the boys wrote as Mary Rose was growing up; imagine four young street urchins learning how to raise a child, and the trials they must overcome.

Additional Sizzling Historical Romances from my Never-Get-Rid-Of List:
Rose by Leigh Greenwood
Deception by Amanda Quick
Nobody’s Angel by Karen Robards
To Taste Temptation by Elizabeth Hoyt
Devil’s Bride by Stephanie Laurens

Books That Grow On You

In addition to how-to books about gardening, there are a number of books out there that describe the fascinating history of particular plants, gardens, or gardeners. Whether or not you possess a green thumb, or just an admiration for the gardening talents of others, these books will be sure to inspire you to spend a little more time admiring the beauty found in the garden.

History lovers and anglophiles will be captivated by Queen Elizabeth in the Garden: A Story of Love, Rivalry, and Spectacular Gardens by Trea Martyn. In her book, Martyn explores the rivalry between the two most powerful men in the kingdom during the reign of Queen Elizabeth I: Robert Dudley, Earl of Leicester (her suspected lover) and William Cecil, Baron Burghley (her trusted advisor). Martyn’s account of the rivalry between these two men explores the queen’s love of the outdoors, and how Dudley and Cecil created spectacular gardens to curry the favor of their queen and encourage her to spend more time at their estates. Those not familiar with this exciting period of British history will find that Martyn provides enough detail about the characters and events to bring them up to speed. Gardeners will love the descriptions of the elaborate gardens at Dudley’s estate, Kenilworth, and Cecil’s gardens at Theobald’s Palace, as well as the details provided about gardening during this era.

In Wicked Plants: the Weed that Killed Lincoln’s Mother and Other Botanical Atrocities, author Amy Stewart introduces us to the dark side of the plant kingdom by exposing us to the scandalous history of some rather perilous plants. Her ultimate goal, she says in her introduction, is not to scare us away from the outdoors, but to remind us that plants can be dangerous, and they deserve to be treated with the same respect and caution with which we approach the rest of the world. Gardeners will recognize morning glory, monkshood, and hemlock, all of which can be as dangerous as their more exotic brethren, such as the Yopo (a South American tree whose seeds contain a psychoactive compound that causes hallucinations and seizures) and the Mokihana (the official flower of the Hawaiian island of Kauai whose oils are highly toxic and cause a painful rash). Plant enthusiast or not, readers will find the stories that Stewart tells about each botanical bandit both fascinating and enlightening.

While some plants have dangerous properties, others can lead to dangerous obsessions. In Tulipomania: The Story of the World's Most Coveted Flower & the Extraordinary Passions It Aroused, author Mike Dash gives a detailed account of this spectacular bulb. Starting with its origin in the Tien Shan Mountains of China (where it grew wild), Dash explains the tulip’s journey to the Ottoman Empire, (where it was revered for its beauty and perfection and first cultivated) and tells of its eventual arrival in Holland in the 1600s. Dash then goes on to describe the tulip mania that ensued until the market for tulips crashed spectacularly, causing economic ruin for the investors and speculators caught up in the frenzy for these beautiful flowers. While gardeners and economists will be most interested, readers who enjoy history will also be captivated by the story of the tulip and its rise and fall as the world’s most coveted flower.

The tulip is not the only flower that has inspired mania in its admirers. The Scent of Scandal: Greed, Betrayal, and the World’s Most Beautiful Orchid by Craig Pittman exposes a tale of intrigue and obsession in the world of orchids. Pittman begins by describing the history of the Marie Selby Botanical Garden in Sarasota Florida and identifying the principle players in the story. He tells about the discovery of a rare orchid in Peru in 2002 and the legal issues with its transportation to the United States for identification by the experts at Selby. Along the way, Pittman reveals quite a bit about the history of the cultivation of orchids and the issues that threaten these plants in the wild. Readers may be surprised to discover that the orchid industry generates $44 billion annually, and that rare varieties can sell for thousands of dollars. Gardeners and environmentalists will find the story informative and thought provoking, but will also have to face some rather sober realizations about the challenges associated with safeguarding nature’s treasures.

Additional recommended titles:

Founding Gardeners: The Revolutionary Generation, Nature, and the Shaping of the American Nation by Andrea Wulf

In the Garden with Billy: Lessons about Life, Love & Tomatoes by Renea Winchester

The Earth Moved: On the Remarkable Achievement of Earthworms by Amy Stewart

Women and TheirGardens: A History from the Elizabethan Era to Today by Catherine Horwood