Tag Archives: Memoirs

We Bought a Zoo by Benjamin Mee

Book Review, , , ,
Overview

Title: We Bought a Zoo
Author: Benjamin Mee
Rating Out of 5: 4.5 (Amazing, but not quite perfect)
My Bookshelves: BBC, Book to Film, Memoirs, Nature
Pace: Medium
Format: eBook, Novel
Year: 2008

Thoughts

I bought this because I genuinely loved the movie, and I was intrigued when I found out that the true story movie was actually based on a book. It was good to see that, although starkly different from the movie, this was just as enjoyable. I actually found that once I dug into it, I really couldn’t put it down. Seriously fun and most definitely an enjoyable, thought-provoking journey that Benjamin Mee takes you on.

If you’ve seen the movie, there are some pretty stark differences to the movie (and I’d now be interested in seeing the BBC mini-series). For starters, buying the zoo and getting it up and running wasn’t just some hair-brained scheme from Benjamin, in fact it was the whole family. He is just featured so heavily because he was the journalist with a gift for writing. I love that it’s Benjamin, his sister and two of his three brothers who act in support of their mother in running this as a team. They all had their own roles and responsibilities, working as a seriously wonderful team.

I was also surprised that the children didn’t feature in this so strongly, rather they are kind of peripheral. You can tell from Benjamin’s writing that they feature heavily in his own thoughts and life. Particularly when he talks about the difficulties of having his wife pass, but they don’t feature in this memoir. I kind of respected and liked that. After all, it made it feel like his family life was actually quite private and separate from his publicity. And sharing this in a book removes that privacy.

Although this whole book is overall a chronological tale, each chapter does have it’s own theme. There’s some overlap between the timelines, but I really loved how it was separated. Each chapter gave you closure and acted as it’s own story in and of itself. It gave a story that I would have loved anyway a whole new level of cohesiveness. And I’ll definitely be reading this again, I just enjoyed it that much.

I loved this novel and look forward to reading it again. Not only was it a fascinating journey, but it was also well written. I also thoroughly enjoyed the insight it gave into the machinations of running a zoo. Whilst I knew that there was a lot to it, there were so many more intricacies that I was really surprised by.

<- Black SaturdayThe Beekeeper of Sinjar ->

Image source: Publishers Weekly

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Madly, Deeply by Alan Rickman

Book Review, , , , ,
Overview

Title: Madly, Deeply: The Alan Rickman Diaries
Author: Alan Rickman
Rating Out of 5: 3.5 (Liked this)
My Bookshelves: Actors, Biographies, Celebrity, Diary, Memoirs
Pace: Slow
Format: eBook, Novel
Year: 2022

Thoughts

I was really looking forward to reading this, so was a little bit disappointed when I found that it wasn’t as easy and enjoyable as I had anticipated. Definitely one of those books that I’ll go back to because it was difficult going and I felt like I missed a whole lot of details as I turned the pages.

One of the things that I only realised about halfway through reading this was the fact that you really need to read the footnotes. Or understand the social and political layout of Rickman’s world at the time. I finally managed to understand a whole lot more of what was going on once I started to actually click on the footnotes and connect the different people that Rickman was actually talking to.

For all that this was a difficult biography / diary to read, it was an enjoyable one too. Particularly late at night. Because I had to concentrate quite hard on the words, I found that I actually was able to fall asleep pretty comfortably at the close of each section. The perfect tale to read as a wind down at the end of a long day.

The thing that I got the most out of reading this though? That Rickman was a kind, giving man with a brilliant English wit. One that I know the world sorely misses.

<- Mrs. Sherlock HolmesThe Five ->

Image source: Kobo

Friends, Lovers and the Big Terrible Thing by Matthew Perry

Book Review, , , , ,
Overview

Title: Friends, Lovers and the Big Terrible Thing
Author: Matthew Perry
Rating Out of 5: 3 (On the fence about this one)
My Bookshelves: Actors, Addiction, Biographies, Celebrity, Memoirs
Pace: Slow
Format: eBook, Novel
Year: 2022

Thoughts

I’m not going to lie, I’d been warned before reading this that it was fairly self-indulgent and narcissistic. And I’m really glad that I was warned. As much as I enjoyed reading this, I did not enjoy the author. I mean, good lord man, you’d think that this was written by a petulant teenager, not a grown-ass man who has had a phenomenal career.

One of the reasons that I picked this up was because I was really interested in the pathway and experiences of Hollywood. I’ve read a few memoirs and biographies of different actors lately. And they all have vastly different experiences, but all have that one thing in common – they have a really, really lucky break. Again, I enjoyed other memoirs a whole lot more because they weren’t so damn whiney and negative.

I’ve also read a lot of memoirs written by those who have to deal with addiction as an aspect of their daily lives. Again, it is ridiculous how self-indulgent Perry is. I mean, yes, it’s a horrible disease. But, as an adult and someone who is serious about recovery, you really need to concentrate on what you can change and do. He just focuses on the fact that he’s been dealt a shitty hand (haven’t we all?). As a family member with someone who is self-indulgent and has issues with addiction, I can attest that having that kind of attitude really doesn’t help.

Look, this was an interesting read, and one that I don’t regret. But, it is also not one that I would suggest for anyone who looks upon Matthew Perry with rose-coloured glasses. Or wants to know heaps about his Friends days. Neither of these things happen. Worth reading, but not one that I would read again with any kind of excitement.

<- Dreams from My FatherTruganini ->

Image source: Amazon

Beyond the Wand by Tom Felton

Book Review, , ,
Overview

Title: Beyond the Wand: The Magic and Mayhem of Growing Up a Wizard
Author: Tom Felton
Rating Out of 5: 5 (I will read this again and again and again)
My Bookshelves: Biographies, Celebrity, Memoirs
Pace: Medium
Format: eBook, Novel
Year: 2022

Thoughts

I, like I’m sure many others, just bought this because I’m a huge fan of Harry Potter. And, as we are all bombarded with the cast’s growth over the years, I’m actually pretty impressed with how they’ve all grown up in the spotlight. Plus, Tom Felton is one of those rare actors who managed to make a truly detestable character really sympathetic. And quotable, but that’s a whole other story. All in all, it meant that when I realised that this was a novel that existed, I was over the moon and very quickly added it to my bookshelf.

This novel starts with a truly beautiful forward by Emma Watson. It highlights the bond that they’ve built as they’ve grown and the truly meaningful friendship that they share. Straight up, you realise that there is an honesty and sweetness to their bond, and whilst Emma doesn’t feature heavily in Tom’s memoir, when he talks about her, you can see that that respect goes both ways. The kind of friendship that people dream of.

Felton is irrevocably honest, grateful and after reading this, I kind of want to be his friend. He doesn’t flinch from his mistakes and the challenges he’s faced in his past. There is no shying away from some of his dumber mistakes, and a kind of silent pride in his finer moments. Felton is able to look at the past through a lens of humour and acceptance that is seriously hard to come by as an adult.

Rather than being written in chronological order, Beyond the Wand jumps around the timeline, with each chapter having an underlying theme. Or a central story that then feeds into other, smaller tales. I love that I had no idea of what to expect with each chapter. I mean, the witty titles give you a bit of a hint, but then I mostly just got distracted by how witty the titles are. And then I’d get distracted by the wit in Felton’s retellings.

Although I couldn’t stop thinking about this, I also took quite a while to read this. Mostly because I really didn’t want this experience to be over. It’s an amazing journey that gave me a whole lot more insight into the filming of Harry Potter and what it was like growing up on screen. But, it was also about family and friends and the people you need to get through the most difficult moments of your life.

<- Island of the LostZlata’s Diary ->

Image source: Amazon

Up All Day by Rebecca Weller

Book Review, , ,
Overview

Title: Up All Day
Author: Rebecca Weller
Rating Out of 5: 4 (Really good read!)
My Bookshelves: Alcohol, Australian authors, Memoirs
Pace: Slow
Format: eBook, Novel
Year: 2019

Thoughts

I realised about three chapters into this that I probably should have read A Happier Hour before Up All Day. Since I was missing a pretty big chunk of Weller’s life experiences. In fact, I was completely missing the entire context of what her first book was like and about. But, even with that I still found this to be a brilliant novel and memoir. In fact, it makes me feel even more driven to read A Happier Hour and find out about Weller’s journey to sobriety.

Although some of this was about Weller’s experience dealing with her new sober life, some of the other aspects of this story were a little bit too familiar. Particularly those procrastination moments that she kept on practicing. All of the planning, but none of the doing. Coming up with exciting things to add to the finished project when it’s not even been started… all things that I have a really bad tendency to do myself. It kind of felt a little bit like a slap up the head to stop pulling some of that nonsense when I really want to get something done…

Weller is wonderfully sassy and fun in her writing. I loved the tone of this whole memoir and the self-deprecating sense of humour. She is able to laugh at all of her less than stellar moments, and talk of pride with all of her accomplishments. I really enjoyed this style of writing. The fact that she’s an Aussie made it all that much better – a lot of the social, cultural and physical things which she talks about are incredibly familiar and felt a little like a taste of home. Something I love when I’m reading a good book.

This story is an amazing journey and filled with brutal honesty. It’s wonderful how Weller is able to tell her tale and not flinch away from some of the moments in her life that she’s not exactly proud of. I thoroughly enjoyed this and look forward to reading more about Weller’s journey.

<- The Southern Education of a Jersey GirlThe Salt Path ->

Image source: Booktopia

The Prison Doctor: Women Inside by Dr. Amanda Brown

Book Review, , , ,
Overview

Title: The Prison Doctor: Women Inside
Author: Dr. Amanda Brown
Series: The Prison Doctor #2
Rating Out of 5: 4 (Really good read!)
My Bookshelves: Medical, Memoirs, True crime
Pace: Slow
Format: eBook, Novel
Year: 2020

Thoughts

This was one of those memoirs that I did have to stop and start a little. Mostly because the topic was pretty emotionally dense. But, on the flipside, I also couldn’t wait to pick this up all the time because Brown does such an amazing job of writing about this. She deals with some incredibly complex and intense issues in a frank and open matter. And she does so with an amazing amount of respect.

I must admit, some of the stories told in this book made me seriously think about my own preconceptions and biases. I’m pretty open minded, but there were a few moments that made me sit back and rethink my approach to criminality and jail. Particularly when Brown very simply states the facts and highlights the damn injustices and inequalities in the world. There was a lot of this novel that made me pause and think.

Each chapter of this story is filled with experiences and anecdotes. And unlike many of the other medical memoirs that I’ve read, there isn’t always a satisfactory conclusion to the story. After all, there are hundreds, if not thousands, of women that Brown sees once. And never again. It’s somehow a lot more realistic and got my right in the feels.

I love that there is a key theme throughout all of the stories that Brown picks to create this memoir. I didn’t actually see it until I got to the final chapter, and Brown completely laid it bare. But once she explains that underlying theme, there is a huge penny drop moment. It brings all of the individual tales together and made me stop and think about the same issues that we face down here in Australia.

<- The Prison DoctorThe Prison Doctor: Foreign Bodies ->

Image source: Amazon

A Woman in the Polar Night by Christiane Ritter

Book Review, , ,
Overview

Title: A Woman in the Polar Night
Author: Christiane Ritter
Rating Out of 5: 4.5 (Amazing, but not quite perfect)
My Bookshelves: Biographies, Memoirs, Nature
Pace: Slow
Format: eBook, Novel
Year: 1938

Thoughts

A Woman in the Polar Night is a stunning and incredibly emotive memoir. I can see how it is a popular classic. Ritter’s writing is just filled with emotive imagery that I doubt I’ll ever get out of my head. You can feel her love for the landscape and journey with every passing paragraph. You can also feel the different challenges she faces to her mental health as she undergoes a night that lasts for over 100 days.

Living at the north pole like this would be a phenomenal journey all on its own. But to do this almost 100 years ago? I can’t even imagine the intensity and difficulties of such a journey. I love how as you go on this journey with Ritter, you can slowly begin to process the difficulties of this life right alongside her. As Ritter realises that there are unforeseeable and dangerous challenges, you grow to appreciate them too. As Ritter falls in love with the landscape, so do you.

There is something incredibly soothing about the whole tale. I’m not sure if it’s the idea of the endless night and solitude, or the beauty of the landscape. But there is most definitely something about the dark Polar nights that leave you with a sense of serenity and peace. Again, I think that’s just the incredibly powerful and emotive way with which Ritter writes about her journey.

I loved this memoir and will definitely look forward to picking it up again in the future. It is a wonderful tale of triumph and hardship. But also, the majestic beauty of the far-flung corners of the earth.

<- Anna: A Teenager on the RunGogo Mama ->

Image source: Kobo

Know My Name by Chanel Miller

Book Review, , ,
Overview

Title: Know My Name: The Survivor of the Stanford Sexual Assault Case Tells Her Story
Author: Chanel Miller
Rating Out of 5: 5 (I will read this again and again and again)
My Bookshelves: Feminism, Memoirs, True crime
Pace: Slow
Format: eBook, Novel
Year: 2019

Thoughts

I knew that this was going to be one of the most emotional and confronting reads of my life. And I was completely right. But holy crap, this was amazing. I actually remember when this case went viral and Miller’s victim statement. It was a moment that made me (like many others) realise that we’re all fed up with this crap. But this review is about the book, not my soap box… so yes, holy crap, amazing book.

Know My Name made me cry multiple times throughout. And for so many reasons. To start with it’s just horrifying what Miller experienced throughout her whole ordeal. The legal system failed her again and again. As did so many other systems that are supposed to be there to assist, but instead retraumatised Miller again and again.

But then there’s the amazing love and support she received throughout the battle. Where at the beginning of the book I cried because of pain, then I started crying because of the beauty and hope that surrounds Miller. The amount of support she is surrounded by is phenomenal and reminds us in this shit storm that not everyone is a piece of crap. There is beautiful hope and light in even the darkest hours.

This is a terrible and tragic story, but there is a great sense of triumph and hope. I think this is a book that everyone needs to read. Something that can help people gain insight and understanding into a survivor’s journey. Into the toll that sexual assault takes on everyone, not just the victim. A phenomenal, life changing book that I want to read again. Just maybe not for a while yet, I need to emotionally recover.

<- The Beekeeper of SinjarRadium Girls ->

Image source: Penguin Books Australia

The Gender Games by Juno Dawson

Book Review, , ,
Overview

Title: The Gender Games: The Problem with Men and Women, from Someone Who Has Been Both
Author: Juno Dawson
Rating Out of 5: 4.5 (Amazing, but not quite perfect)
My Bookshelves: Biographies, LGBTQI, Memoirs
Pace: Slow
Format: eBook, Novel
Year: 2017

Thoughts

This memoir is fantastic, intense, and seriously wonderful. It was also very thought provoking and sometimes confronting. Dawson has a great style of writing that makes you want to dive into her story page after page. Even in those moments that you might feel a little bit uncomfortable. There is just something about her writing that is enjoyable and emotional, even when the topic is sometimes difficult.

As one would expect, this memoir is a very intense look at gender and how it makes life difficult. Dawson is a lot more brutal with her analysis of that, but that’s the overall idea. I also love that Dawson is able to highlight the different challenges that come to each gender. Whilst she was identified to society as a male for the first twenty, thirty (I can’t remember exactly) years of her life, and then has started her transition, the expectations which are placed on us for an arbitrary classification are all encompassing. And Dawson has the unique experience of seeing this from both sides.

This was one of those slower reads for me. Not because it wasn’t brilliant, but because every single chapter was thought provoking. It took me a long time to absorb everything that Dawson had to say. And I honestly felt like Dawson’s words deserved that time to process. Gender and sexuality is something that has long fascinated me, and I really wanted to understand more of Dawson’s experiences. As much as someone who identifies as the gender, I was born ever can…

This memoir is brilliantly written, impossible to forget and just all round fantastic. I definitely fell completely in love with Dawson’s voice. And now that I know she is a YA author, I just want more of her work on my shelves!!!

<- An Appetite for WonderSurvival ->

Image source: Booktopia

50 Years at Gombe by Jane Goodall

Book Review, , ,
Overview

Title: 50 Years at Gombe
Author: Jane Goodall
Rating Out of 5: 4.5 (Amazing, but not quite perfect)
My Bookshelves: Biographies, Memoirs, Nature
Pace: Slow
Format: eBook, Novel
Year: 2010

Thoughts

Personally, I would recommend that you read In the Shadow of Man before reading 50 Years at Gombe. Mostly because it gives a much more in-depth insight into Goodall’s first experiences in Gombe. Which, then gives you so much more of a base from which to understand this wonderful 50th anniversary insight into Jane’s work.

This novel is a great overlook at all of the ground-breaking work that has occurred at Gombe over the years. It’s filled with images and snapshots into the many different aspects of not only life at Gombe, but Goodall’s life and her j fluency throughout the world.

I’ve always admired people like Jane and wished that I could accomplish what they have. But, for a long time, I didn’t actually understand the sacrifices that have to be made for this to happen. Goodall spends approximately 3 weeks a year at her home. She is amazing and so important to the survival of earth, but I can’t imagine the sacrifice that that would be.

I loved revisiting the world of Jane Goodall and Gombe, it’s reminded me that I want to dive into more of her books. And even watch the documentary about this phenomenal woman’s life and contributions not only to science, but the way we move through the world.

<- More Jane GoodallAfrica in My Blood ->

Image source: Amazon