Audiobook Review: Total Recall: My Unbelievably True Life Story by Arnold Schwarzenegger

Title:  Total Recall: My Unbelievably True Life Story

Author:  Arnold Schwarzenegger

Narrators:  Arnold Schwarzenegger and Stephen Lang

Abridged Length:  aprox. 8 hrs, 52 mn.

Here is a summary of the book from the publisher's website:

His story is unique, and uniquely entertaining, and he tells it brilliantly in these pages.

He was born in a year of famine, in a small Austrian town, the son of an austere police chief. He dreamed of moving to America to become a bodybuilding champion and a movie star.

By the age of twenty-one, he was living in Los Angeles and had been crowned Mr. Universe.

Within five years, he had learned English and become the greatest bodybuilder in the world.

Within ten years, he had earned his college degree and was a millionaire from his business enterprises in real estate, landscaping, and bodybuilding. He was also the winner of a Golden Globe Award for his debut as a dramatic actor in Stay Hungry.

Within twenty years, he was the world’s biggest movie star, the husband of Maria Shriver, and an emerging Republican leader who was part of the Kennedy family.

Thirty-six years after coming to America, the man once known by fellow bodybuilders as the Austrian Oak was elected governor of California, the seventh largest economy in the world.

He led the state through a budget crisis, natural disasters, and political turmoil, working across party lines for a better environment, election reforms, and bipartisan solutions.

With Maria Shriver, he raised four fantastic children. In the wake of a scandal he brought upon himself, he tried to keep his family together.

Until now, he has never told the full story of his life, in his own voice.

Here is Arnold, with total recall.

My Review:
I don't know what it is, but something about Arnold Schwarzenegger has intrigued me for as long as I can remember.  Since I've never been attracted to the muscular bodybuilder types, I knew it wasn't a physical attraction, but maybe more of an appreciation of the person he is.  He has been through a lot since he arrived at the United States and claimed the title of Mr. Universe.

I usually try to stay away from abridged audiobooks, but I think for those that are not avid bodybuilders, this is the way to go with this one. Arnold shares many of his life stories, starting with his childhood in Austria and even divulging the huge mistake he made when he cheated on Maria.

Arnold grew up with a very strong work ethic and I was impressed to learn what a goal setter he truly is.  It made me reflect on my own goals and realizing although I strive for personal goals, it has been a long time since I sat down and physically wrote my goals on a piece of paper.  This has been a regular habit for Arnold since he became a serious bodybuilder.  Every New Year he would try to set new goals for himself  that would make him a stronger and better person.  I am definitely not unfamiliar with goal-setting, but it was just a great reminder.

I enjoyed the narration of this book.  Arnold started the first couple of chapters and ended the book by reading the last couple of chapters.  Stephen Lang read everything in between and did a great job.  As I mentioned, I really am not a fan of bodybuilding, but I found myself wanting to hear what he had to say about the subject.  Arnold is obviously a man who had to overcome many obstacles to make it where he is today, and I think that can only be called success.

Those that are bodybuilders will probably enjoy this book more than I did, and would benefit from listening to the unabridged version.  With themes of goals, dreams, fitness, and politics, this turned out to be a memoir that I enjoyed more than I expected.  I think this book would be a great selection for either personal leisure or a book club selection and I don't hesitate in recommending it.

My Rating:  4/5

Disclosure:  This audiobook was provided to me by the publisher through Audiobook Jukebox in exchange for an honest review.

2012 Audiobook Challenge Wrap Up

I know this is a little late in posting, but I figured...why not?  Theresa's Reading Corner hosted the 2012 Audio Book Challenge last year and this happens to be one of the challenges where I exceeded my expectations.

I signed up for this challenge at the Going Steady level, which was to listen to 12 audiobooks.  They are all listed below and you should be able to click on the title if you missed my review.

1.  The Descendants by Kaui Hart Hemmings--Completed 1/26/12
2.  Burnt Mountain by Anne Rivers Siddons--Completed 2/11/12
3.  The Hunger Games by Suzanne Collins--Completed 3/8/12
4.  Come a Little Closer by Dorothy Garlock--Completed 4/2/12
5.  The House I Loved by Tatiana de Rosnay--Completed 4/17/12
6.  Catching Fire by Suzanne Collins--Completed 5/11/12
7.  Come Home by Lisa Scottoline--Completed 5/24/12
8.  Bring Up the Bodies by Hilary Mantel--Completed 7/6/12
9.  More Than You Know by Penny Vincenzi--Completed 8/18/12
10.The Kingmaker's Daughter by Philippa Gregory--Completed 9/11/12
11.Surviving Hitler by Andrea Warren--Completed 9/13/12
12.Beautiful Disaster by Jamie McGuire--Completed 9/26/12
13.Deliver Us From Evil by David Baldacci--Completed 10/13/12
14.Love Anthony by Lisa Genova--Completed 10/19/12
15.Summer Island by Kristin Hannah--Completed 10/26/12
16.Mockingjay by Suzanne Collins--Completed 11/12/12
17.Stories I Only Tell My Friends by Rob Lowe--Completed 11/27/12

My favorite audiobooks were:
The Hunger Games
Catching Fire
Love Anthony
Stories I Only Tell My Friends

As much as I love listening to audiobooks and plan to continue listening for 2013, I have decided to not join this challenge for 2013.  I'm only signing up for the Goodreads Challenge this year, and that is mainly to keep a running list of the books I read during the year.   I just have so many things taking time up in my life that I have to start streamlining some things.

So did you listen to any of these audios?  What happened to be your favorite audiobook this year?

What Are You Reading?

Sheila over at Book Journey hosts this meme that gives you the opportunity to share the books that you have been losing yourself in lately and also the ones that you are looking forward to picking up next.

Here is what I finished:

I can't tell you how eager I am to share my thoughts of The Sandcastle Girls by Chris Bohjalian!  It is the first book I finished this year and it was amazing!  What a great way to start a year of reading!

What I'm reading now:

Home Front by Kristin Hannah is our current book club selection, so that's what I'm reading now.  Hannah has a way of tugging at the heart strings, and I don't expect this book to be any different.

What's next:

I am participating in a blog tour next month for The Secret of the Nightingale Palace by Dana Sachs, so this will be the next one on my list.  I can't wait to see what this book has to offer!

So how about you?  Have you been reading or listening to any great books lately?

Audiobook Review: In Sunlight and in Shadow by Mark Helprin

Title:  In Sunlight and in Shadow

Author:  Mark Helprin

Narrator:  Sean Runnette 

Unabridged Length:  Aprox. 29 hrs 

Here is a summary of the audiobook from the Blackstone Audio website:

Mark Helprin’s enchanting and sweeping novel asks a simple question: can love and honor conquer all? 

New York in 1947 glows with postwar energy. Harry Copeland, an elite paratrooper who fought behind enemy lines in Europe, returns home to run the family business. In a single, magical encounter on the Staten Island ferry, the young singer and heiress Catherine Thomas Hale falls for him instantly, but too late to prevent her engagement to a much older man. Harry and Catherine pursue one another in a romance played out in postwar America’s Broadway theaters, Long Island mansions, the offices of financiers, and the haunts of gangsters. Catherine’s choice of Harry over her longtime fiancé endangers Harry’s livelihood—and eventually threatens his life. 

Entrancing in its lyricism, In Sunlight and in Shadow so powerfully draws you into New York at the dawn of the modern age that, as in a vivid dream, you will not want to leave. 

My Review:
Well this is by far the longest audiobook I have listened to yet.  And although I found it difficult at times to want to pay attention, I found it easy to pick up on things later when it got interesting again.  I think Runnette did a great job of narrating, because even when the story didn't have my attention, I still found I wanted to listen to the narrator.  I wouldn't have listened for 29 hours otherwise!

When Harry first sees Catherine, it is love at first sight.  He knows they are meant to be together, but since she is engaged he knows it will be a battle to win her heart.  Harry is up for the challenge as he fights for the woman he loves, and earns her friendship, love and respect.  We have a front row seat to Harry and Catherine's courtship, marriage, and regular life together.  Shortly after their relationship becomes serious, Harry's personal business venture is compromised and he must figure out a way to correct the situation before he loses everything his parents built and passed on to him.

There were so many lines within this novel that made me think, "Wow, that was just beautiful."  Often when I read books I find myself going back and reading parts over again, just to have the chance to pour over those lovely words again.  So there were many times during this audiobook that I wished I had a physical book to do that.

I think my favorite part of the book is when Harry looked up an army friend, Johnson, who happened to live in Bayfield, Wisconsin.  Bayfield is just a little town, probably has a population of about 500 people, located about 30 miles north of me.  So it was fun to listen to him describing the ice cold winters and how difficult it was for Johnson to meet him in Chicago since there isn't much public transportation in Bayfield.  It is still that way up here in Northern Wisconsin.

The novel takes quite a turn when Harry makes the decision to protect what belongs to him.  He spends time formulating a plan in an effort to protect his business.  He is not in a hurry to put his plan into action, as he knows it could even take years for completion.  I did find myself enjoying this story and got rather wrapped up in the ending.  With themes of love, war, and honor this book had much to offer for a variety of readers.  Although I did enjoy the audioversion, I believe I may have enjoyed the physical book more.  I also think book clubs would have a great discussion from this novel.

My Rating:  3/5

Disclosure:  This audiobook was provided to me by the publisher through Audiobook Jukebox in exchange for an honest review.

2013 Goodreads Reading Challenge

Ok.  So I set my sights a bit high for 2012 and did not reach my reading goal of 70 books.  This year I decided to strive for 40 books, which may be pushing it again since I only read 40 last year.  Life has been so busy for me with all the projects that I get myself involved in that I decided this is going to be the only challenge I sign up for this year.  So as I read books for this challenge I will add them to the list below.

1.  In Sunlight and in Shadow by Mark Helprin--Completed 1/10/13
2.  The Sandcastle Girls by Chris Bohjalian--Completed 1/20/13
3.  Total Recall: My Unbelievably True Life Story by Arnold Schwarzenegger--Completed 1/23/13
4.  A Winter Dream by Richard Paul Evans--Completed 1/31/13
5.  Home Front by Kristin Hannah--Completed 2/3/13
6.  The Girl With the Dragon Tattoo by Stieg Larsson--Completed 2/20/13
7.  The Secret of the Nightingale Palace by Dana Sachs--Completed 2/24/13
8.  Tea Time for the Traditionally Built by Alexander McCall Smith--Completed 3/2/13
9.  What We Saw at Night by Jacquelyn Mitchard--Completed 3/6/13
10.The Queen's Vow by C.W. Gortner--Completed 3/24/13
11.Daddy Love by Joyce Carol Oates--Completed 3/26/13
12.Another Piece of My Heart by Jane Green--Completed 4/2/13
13.A Prisoner of Birth by Jeffrey Archer--Completed 4/18/13
14.The White Queen by Philippa Gregory--Completed 4/26/13
15.Between Shades of Gray by Ruta Sepetys--Completed 4/27/13
16.The Fever Tree by Jennifer McVeigh--Completed 5/16/13
17.Happy, Happy, Happy by Phil Robertson--Completed 5/19/13
18.The Painted Girls by Cathy Marie Buchanan--Completed 5/22/13
19.The Dinner by Herman Koch--Completed 6/5/13
20.The Sisters by Nancy Jensen--Completed 6/5/13
21.The Edge of the Earth by Christina Schwarz--Completed 6/20/13
22.A Thousand Pardons by Jonathan Dee--Completed 6/23/13
23.Is This Tomorrow by Caroline Leavitt--Completed 7/10/13
24.The Great Gatsby by F. Scott Fitzgerald--Completed 7/14/13
25.The Red Queen by Philippa Gregory--Completed 7/28/13
26.The Story of Edgar Sawtelle by David Wroblewski--Completed 9/1/13
27.The Third Son by Julie Wu--Completed 9/6/13
28.Rescue by Anita Shreve--Completed 9/24/13
29.The Silver Star by Jeannette Walls--Completed 10/07//13
30.A Place at the Table by Susan Rebecca White--Completed 10/10/13
31.The Sea of Tranquility by Katja Millay--Completed 10/26/13
32.In the Land of Blue Burqas by Kate McCord--Completed 11/7/13
33.The Snow Child by Eowyn Ivey--Completed 12/4/13
34.The Girl Who Played With Fire by Steig Larsson--Completed 10/26/13

35.Lookaway, Lookaway by Wilton Barnhardt--Completed 12/22/13

2012 Goodreads Reading Challenge Wrap Up

So I signed up for the Goodreads Challenge last year that allowed me to choose how many books I was going to read.  Well, I set a goal of 70 books....and.  I.  Failed.  I have had a lot of things go on in my life in 2012 so I'm not going to beat myself up over this, but I did decide that I am not signing up for that many challenges this year.  I really don't want to spend my time tracking books for each of the challenges I am in, but just reading them and keeping an annual list.  So that's what I will use the Goodreads Challenge for during 2013.

So here is what I read during 2012 and you should be able to click on the title to see my review:
1. The Descendants by Kaui Hart Hemmings--Completed 1/26/12
2. Night Road by Kristin Hannah--Completed 1/31/12
3. The Night Circus by Erin Morgenstern--Completed 2/5/12
4. Burnt Mountain by Anne Rivers Siddons--Completed 2/11/12
5. Falling Together by Marisa de los Santos--Completed 2/27/12
6. The Miracle at Speedy Motors by Alexander McCall Smith--Completed 3/4/12
7. The Hunger Games by Suzanne Collins--Completed 3/8/12
8. Clair de Lune by Jaretta Carleton--Completed 3/21/12
9. Come a Little Closer by Dorothy Garlock--Completed 4/2/12
10. The Heretic Queen by Michelle Moran--Completed 4/2/12
11. Cross Currents by John Shors--Completed 4/16/12
12. The House I Loved by Tatiana de Rosnay--Completed 4/17/12
13. The Scarlet Letter by Nathaniel Hawthorne--Completed 5/1/12
14. Catching Fire by Suzanne Collins--Completed 5/11/12
15. State of Wonder by Ann Patchett--Completed 5/15/12
16. Come Home by Lisa Scottoline--Completed 5/24/12
17. Heart of the Matter by Emily Giffin--Completed 5/28/12
18. The Winters in Bloom by Lisa Tucker--Completed 6/6/12
19. An American Family by Peter Lefcourt--Completed 6/29/12
20. Bring Up the Bodies by Hilary Mantel--Completed 7/6/12
21. The World Without You by Joshua Henkin--Completed 7/22/12
22. The World We Found by Thrity Umrigar--Completed 8/4/12
23. More Than You Know by Penny Vincenzi--Completed 8/18/12
24. Cutting for Stone by Abraham Verghese--Completed 9/5/12
25. The Kingmaker's Daughter by Phillipa Gregory--Completed 9/11/12
26. Surviving Hitler by Andrea Warren--Completed 9/13/12
27. The Language of Flowers by Vanessa Diffenaugh--Completed 9/23/12
28. Beautiful Disaster by Jamie McGuire--Completed 9/26/12
29. Half Broke Horses by Jeannette Walls--Completed 9/30/12
30. Deliver Us From Evil by David Baldacci--Completed 10/13/12
31. Love Anthony by Lisa Genova--Completed 10/19/12
32. A Hundred Flowers by Gail Tsukiyama--Completed 10/24/12
33. Summer Island by Kristin Hannah--Completed 10/26/12
34. Peace Like a River by Leif Enger--Completed 11/06/12
35. Mockingjay by Suzanne Collins--Completed 11/12/12
36. Stories I Only Tell My Friends by Rob Lowe--Completed 11/27/12
37. Looking for Salvation at the Dairy Queen by Susan Gregg Gilmore--Completed 12/4/12
38. The Linen Queen by Patricia Falvey--Completed 12/16/12
39. The Christmas Wedding by James Patterson--Completed 12/23/12

My favorites that I read last year were:
The Heretic Queen by Michelle Moran
The World Without You by Joshua Henkin
Half Broke Horses by Jeannette Walls
Looking for Salvation at the Dairy Queen by Susan Gregg Gilmore

My favorite audiobooks were:
The Hunger Games by Suzanne Collins
Catching Fire by Suzanne Collins
Love Anthony by Lisa Genova
Stories I Only Tell My Friends by Rob Lowe

Review: The Christmas Wedding by James Patterson

Here is a summary of the book from the author's website:

The tree is decorated, the cookies are baked, and the packages are wrapped, but the biggest celebration this Christmas is Gaby Summerhill's wedding. Since her husband died three years ago, Gaby's four children have drifted apart, each consumed by the turbulence of their own lives. They haven't celebrated Christmas together since their father's death, but when Gaby announces that she's getting married—and that the groom will remain a secret until the wedding day—she may finally be able to bring them home for the holidays.

But the wedding isn't Gaby's only surprise—she has one more gift for her children, and it could change all their lives forever. With deeply affecting characters and the emotional twists of a James Patterson thriller, The Christmas Wedding is a fresh look at family and the magic of the season. 

My Review:
Every year during the month of December our book club reads a holiday themed book, and this year we chose The Christmas Wedding by James Patterson.  I can tell you up front that overall our group did not enjoy this book, and not much of it really even had anything to do with Christmas.  I enjoy books that have a realistic theme, and considering the main plot was Gaby's wedding, her marriage to one of three men, whom only she would reveal until the actual wedding, was very unbelievable to me.

Gaby has had close friendships with three different men and each one proposed to her.  They were all wonderful men with endearing qualities, and I couldn't imagine them following along with her plan either.  So they are all going to stand at the altar until she walks down the aisle to let them know which one she chooses?  That is the silliest thing I've every heard.

 I did enjoy the stories of Gaby's children much more.  They all seemed to live realistic lives with problems I'm sure most of us could relate to.  Until they get invited to this silly wedding anyway, and support their mother whole-heartedly.  Maybe some more character development could have been done to help me understand Gaby and accept her decisions.

We have usually found Christmas books do not have a lot of depth and this one definitely fits right into that category.  With themes of family, love and Christmas you may find more enjoyment from this book than I did.  If you are a Patterson fan, you may want to pick this one up, keeping in mind that it isn't his usual action packed thriller, but a goofy romance.  As much as I didn't enjoy this book, I have to admit that I didn't hate it either, but I definitely would not suggest it as a book club selection.

My Rating:  3/5

Disclosure:  I borrowed this book from my local library and read it for my personal entertainment and as a book club selection.

Teaser Tuesday-Jan. 15

Check out Teaser Tuesdays from Should Be Reading. TEASER TUESDAYS asks you to:

Grab your current read.

Let the book fall open to a random page.

Share with us two “teaser” sentences from somewhere on that page.

You also need to share the title of the book that you’re getting your “teaser” from … that way people can have some great book recommendations if they like the teaser you’ve given!

This week my teaser is from The Sandcastle Girls by Chris Bohjalian:
"If you take off their clothes and line them up tits to back, you can shoot ten.  But you need a good rifle."

pg. 140

2012 ARC Reading Challenge Wrap-Up

Thanks again to Teddy from  So Many Precious Books, So Little Time for hosting this challenge again!  I signed up at the Bronze level for 2012, but as you can see, I surpassed that goal!  I know I didn't read nearly as much as some others taking the challenge, but that was pretty darn good for me!

Here is the list of ARC's that I read last year:
1. The Descendants by Kaui Hart Hemmings--Completed 1/26/12
2. Burnt Mountain by Anne Rivers Siddons--Completed 2/11/12
3. Falling Together by Marisa de los Santos--Completed 2/26/12
4. Clair de Lune by Jaretta Carleton--Completed 3/21/12
5. Come a Little Closer by Dorothy Garlock--Completed 4/2/12
6. Cross Currents by John Shors--Completed 4/16/12
7. The House I Loved by Tatiana de Rosnay--Completed 4/17/12
8. State of Wonder by Ann Patchett--Completed 5/15/12
9. Come Home by Lisa Scottoline--Completed 5/24/12
10.The Winters in Bloom by Lisa Tucker--Completed 6/6/12
11. An American Family by Peter Lefcourt--Completed 6/30/12
12. The World Without You by Joshua Henkin--Completed 7/22/12
13. The World We Found by Thrity Umrigar--Completed 8/4/12
14. More Than You Know by Penny Vincenzi--Completed 8/18/12
15. The Kingmaker's Daughter by Philippa Gregory--Completed 9/11/12
16. Surviving Hitler by Andrea Warren--Completed 9/13/12
17. The Language of Flowers by Vanessa Diffenbaugh--Completed 9/23/12
18. Beautiful Disaster by Jamie McGuire--Completed 9/26/12
19. Deliver Us From Evil by David Baldacci--Completed 10/13/12
20. Love Anthony by Lisa Genova--Completed 10/19/12
21. A Hundred Flowers by Gail Tsukiyama--Completed 10/26/12
22. The Linen Queen by Patricia Falvey--Completed 12/16/12

If you missed my review you should be able to click on the title to read it.

My favorite book from this list is The World Without You by Joshua Henkin.

My favorite audiobooks from this list were:
The Kingmaker's Daughter
Love Anthony

So were the ARC's you read in 2012 what you expected them to be?

Review: The Linen Queen by Patricia Falvey

Here is a summary of The Linen Queen from the Hachette website:

Abandoned by her father and neglected by her self-centered, unstable mother, Sheila McGee cannot wait to escape the drudgery of her mill village life in Northern Ireland. Her classic Irish beauty helps her win the 1941 Linen Queen competition, and the prize money that goes with it finally gives her the opportunity she's been dreaming of. But Sheila does not count on the impact of the Belfast blitz which brings World War II to her doorstep. Now even her good looks are useless in the face of travel restrictions, and her earlier resolve is eroded by her ma's fear of being left alone.

When American troops set up base in her village, some see them as occupiers but Sheila sees them as saviors--one of them may be her ticket out. Despite objections from her childhood friend, Gavin O'Rourke, she sets her sights on an attractive Jewish-American army officer named Joel Solomon, but her plans are interrupted by the arrival of a street-wise young evacuee from Belfast.
Frustrated, Sheila fights to hold on to her dream but slowly her priorities change as the people of Northern Ireland put old divisions aside and bond together in a common purpose to fight the Germans. Sheila's affection for Joel grows as she and Gavin are driven farther apart. As the war moves steadily closer to those she has grown to love, Sheila confronts more abandonment and loss, and finds true strength, compassion, and a meaning for life outside of herself.

My Review:
We are given young Sheila's story as World War II gets closer to her small village in Ireland.  Sheila has big dreams of leaving her little town as soon as she gets enough funds together, but she doesn't expect the complications that will arise when she tries to leave now that the war is at her back door.  I think I will start off by telling you that this book fell just a bit short for me.

Although Sheila finds it next to impossible to leave the village, once she wins the Linen Queen competition, certain things are a little easier for her and her family.  She finds herself being invited to special events that many girls couldn't get past the front door.  This allows her the opportunity to meet new people, including Joel, the young soldier from America who has taken a fancy towards her.  As much as I wanted to like Sheila as the main character, I found she annoyed me half of the time.  She did stand up for what she believed in and protected those that she loved, but her relationships with Gavin and Joel drove me nuts!  I couldn't help but think, pick a man already!

Sheila did have a rough family life since her father left her and her mother behind.  Her aunt and uncle were kind enough to take them in, and with the frustrations of the economy her mother was afraid to make any waves in the household in fear they would be on the streets.   So often I couldn't help but think how mean and selfish her mother was, but when she needed help, Sheila was there to support her. 

As much as I wanted to love this novel, I just found it dragging on and on for me.  Until I reached at least the half-way point of the book, I just was never excited to get back to reading it.  I also found some of the characters names confusing as a couple were quite similar.  With themes of war, family, and love, you may find more enjoyment from this book than I did.  Even though I didn't love it, I didn't hate it either.  So I do recommend this book for those that love stories about Ireland and I also think it would make an interesting book club discussion.

My Rating:  3/5

Disclosure:  This book was provided to me by the publisher in exchange for an honest review.

What Are You Reading?

Sheila over at Book Journey hosts this meme that gives you the opportunity to share the books that you have been losing yourself in lately and also the ones that you are looking forward to picking up next.

Here is what I finished:

I recently finished reading The Christmas Wedding by James Patterson.  This one was our book club Christmas selection.  Although parts of the book were enjoyable, it was not appreciated by most of the group.  Hopefully I will have my review up soon.

What I'm reading now:

I received a copy of The Sandcastle Girls by Chris Bohjalian from LibraryThing, so that's what I'm currently perusing.  What an awesome story this is!  I'm not even halfway through this novel and I love it!

What's next:

Home Front by Kristin Hannah is our next book club selection so that will be the next book I pick up.  We were lucky enough to win copies of this book for everyone in our group and this sounds like a good one!

So what's keeping you busy lately?

Books That Make Me Go....Ahhhh

So on Fridays I TRY to post a notable excerpt for the week.  These gems that catch my eye deserve much more notoriety besides being written down on a little sticky note in the front of the novel.

I loved this excerpt I found on page 58 of The Sandcastle Girls by Chris Bohjalian:
Some of the mothers and aunts have lied to their young ones, telling them that they will be spending but a night or a week at the orphanage, while the others have told their children they will remain there until the end of the war-which then has left the women stymied, at a loss to explain whetther the end of the war is months or years distant.  The bravest of the mothers do not cry; the same with the bravest of the children.  Many of the women are too weak to offer even a last embrace or so close to death that they are grateful that the soldiers and the nuns have come for their children.  It's all, in Nevart's opinion, one more degrading station on their path to the cross. 

I know it's a long one today, but I didn't think I could leave anything out.  This is a wonderful novel about a piece of history that is totally new to me.  Watch for my review soon!

Audiobook Review: Stories I Only Tell My Friends by Rob Lowe

Title:  Stories I Only Tell My Friends

Author:  Rob Lowe

Narrator:  Rob Lowe

Unabridged Length:  9 hrs, 11 mn



Here is a summary of the book from the Macmillan website:

 
A teen idol at fifteen, an international icon and founder of the Brat Pack at twenty, and one of Hollywood's top stars to this day, Rob Lowe chronicles his experiences as a painfully misunderstood child actor in Ohio uprooted to the wild counterculture of mid-seventies Malibu, where he embarked on his unrelenting pursuit of a career in Hollywood. 

The Outsiders placed Lowe at the birth of the modern youth movement in the entertainment industry. During his time on The West Wing, he witnessed the surreal nexus of show business and politics both on the set and in the actual White House. And in between are deft and humorous stories of the wild excesses that marked the eighties, leading to his quest for family and sobriety. 

Never mean-spirited or salacious, Lowe delivers unexpected glimpses into his successes, disappointments, relationships, and one-of-a-kind encounters with people who shaped our world over the last twenty-five years. These stories are as entertaining as they are unforgettable.

My Review:
This is the first memoir I listened to as an audiobook, and let me tell you, I don't think I could have picked a better one.  I've always enjoyed watching Rob Lowe play the bad guy in movies and it was interesting to hear why he selected these kinds of roles, among many others.  I probably should also admit that I may have even had a Rob Lowe pull-out poster from Tiger Beat magazine on my bedroom wall years ago!

Listening to a memoir read by the author was an amazing experience.  He talks about both the good and bad moments of his life, accepting responsibility for all of it.  He even shares a bit, without going into great detail, of the videotape scandal that temporarily stalled his career in the late 80's.  He shares with us his passion for acting and the ongoing struggle to get a part since he was a young boy.  He got to a point in his career where he didn't necessarily want the "biggest" role, but the role that would challenge him, like the mute he played in the television series "The Stand".

This was such a fun book to listen to and Lowe made me smile, if not laugh almost every day I listened to it.  The second half of the book was more serious as he talks about how his life changed with his quest for sobriety, so if I wasn't laughing during this part of the book, I was impressed with the changes he made in his life. 

One part of this book that I really enjoyed was when Lowe talked about growing up in Malibu.  Wanting to be an actor, he wasn't exactly a part of the "in" crowd.  He had the good luck to cross paths with a couple of brothers whose father was a major film actor.  Charlie Sheen and Emilio Estevez turned out to be good friends to Lowe, and Estevez wanted to be an actor just as badly as Lowe so these two especially bonded.  Many celebrity names were mentioned throughout the book and they always represented a fond memory.

Lowe is one of my favorite actors, even when he is portraying the bad, evil man.  Unfortunately, I haven't had the opportunity to watch The West Wing yet, but now I think I should start that series.  His role on Brothers and Sisters is definitely one of my favorites, and I think he made my heart melt on a couple of those episodes.  This is yet another audiobook that sent chills up and down my spine, as Lowe shares with us his personal experience with 9/11.  I would have never guessed what happened to him.

I think you can tell how much I enjoyed this audiobook, but maybe if you are not a fan of Rob Lowe you wouldn't enjoy it quite as much.  I definitely would suggest this memoir for someone striving for an acting career.  With themes of youth, stardom, addictions, love, and life changes this book has something to offer for almost everyone.  So whether you are a fan of Lowe or not, I highly recommend this memoir, especially the audioversion.

My Rating:  5/5

Disclosure:  I borrowed this audiobook from the library and listened to it for my own entertainment.

Wondrous Words Wednesday-Jan. 2

Bermudaonion asks you to share new words that you have learned during your reading adventures in the last week. Feel free to join in the fun!

Here is a new word I learned while reading The Sandcastle Girls by Chris Bohjalian:

Bonhomie:  
frank and simple good-heartedness; a good-natured manner.

Here is how bonhomie was used on page 19:
Instead she sees soldiers only in moments like these, when with good-natured bonhomie they descend like tourists for their coffee or beer or-here-the aniseed-flavored arak.

Well Happy New Year everyone!  Life has been so busy for me this last year that I just noticed I didn't post a Wondrous Words since October!  Did you learn any new words this last week?