Booking Through Thursday: It's All About Me

This week's BTT question is . . .

Which do you prefer - Biographies written about someone? Or autobiographies written by the actual person (and/or ghost-writer)?

This is an easy one for me. Autobiographies. Here's why: When I read about a real person's life, I want accuracy, not speculation. Although I'm not discrediting them, biographies are not first-hand accounts. In fact, some biographers don't even have the subjects permission to write their story. That is a big deciding factor for me when considering to read a biography. This may sound a bit harsh, but some biographies, especially the celebrity or even political type are a step above tabloid gossip in my opinion.

That said, historical biographies are a different matter. Obviously, if the person is deceased and the book is written after their death, it is impossible to have an autobiography. In that case, I simply keep in mind that not everything written may be factual.

As a rule, if I choose to read about a person's life, I always opt for the autobiography. If one is not available, I look to see if the person gave permission or contributed in some way to the biography.

Visit Booking Through Thursday for more responses on this subject or to participate.

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Recent Reviews:

• TIME OF MY LIFE by Patrick Swayze & Lisa Niemi
• THE SUMMER KITCHEN by Karen Weinreb

The Time of My Life by Patrick Swayze & Lisa Niemi (Audiobook)

In 1984 I watched a movie called Red Dawn starring Patrick Swayze and I developed an instant crush. Three years later came Dirty Dancing and my crush turned to full on LUST! Patrick Swayze was the sexiest man alive as far as I was concerned. I've lost count as to how many times I've seen that movie, not to mention how many times I wished I could be Jennifer Grey for five minutes! When I heard about his pancreatic cancer diagnosis, I was heartbroken. Having lost a friend to this brutal form of cancer very quickly, I understood immediately how bad this was.

I knew he and wife, Lisa Niemi were in the process of writing a book about his life and I decided when I discovered Patrick himself would be narrating the audio version, that's what I wanted. I'm not a big audiobook user, but in this case, for me, it was the only way to experience this book. And I'm so glad I did. Having Patrick narrate this book makes it a more intimate and personal experience because you feel like he's talking directly to you. Obviously, you lose the benefit of any photos in the book, but that isn't a big deal for me. Even during some really bad days while recording this book, his voice is even, strong and sexy as ever.

The start of The Time of My Life is Patrick explaining how he came to realize something was not right with his health and how it changed his life. Then, it's Lisa's turn to explain how that realization effected her. I believe, in the printed version, that is the prologue.

Patrick then starts telling his story from 1970 when he was a high school athlete, dancer and gymnast. He chronicles his career and personal accomplishments he and Lisa shared along with some really tough times in his personal life. It becomes obvious pretty early on how fierce his competitive nature was and how much he loved striving to be the best at whatever he put his mind to. But it was also clear that dancing was his first love. With a mother like Patsy Swayze, a very respected dancer, choreographer and teacher, it was inevitable he become an accomplished dancer in his own rite.

Although I've read a few reviews that felt the book is more of a rundown of his movie career than the story of his life, I feel differently. It's quite clear that for Patrick and Lisa, their movies and dancing were their life. They worked hard as a team on every endeavor they attempted and they gave each project 110 percent. This book shows that Patrick lived an extremely full life doing exactly the things he loved to do. He did have passions other than acting and dancing as well. He also loved horses and flying airplanes and therefore became an accomplished rider and pilot.

If there is one message that I will take away from this book, it is to live life to the fullest each and every day. That's what Patrick did. He wasn't afraid to tackle anything. He had incredible drive and it's that drive that enabled him to fight pancreatic cancer as hard as he did.

This book was very inspirational and interesting and I recommend it for fans of Patrick Swayze. In fact, if you get the chance to listen to the audio book, it will be even better, hearing Patrick in his own words and voice.

THE TIME OF MY LIFE (Audiobook)

Author: Patrick Swayze and Lisa Niemi

Publisher: Simon and Schuster

Published: September 29, 2009

Discs: 5

Rating: 4 out of 5 Stars

Musing Mondays: Take Note

Today's Musing Mondays post is about note taking.

Do you take notes while reading - either for reviews or for yourself? Howe/wehre do you make these notes (on the page, post-its, scrap paper, notebooks, etc.)?

Although I don't take notes with every single book I read, I do when there is a subject that I want to learn more about. For instance, I am a huge coffee and tea fan, so when reading NO ONE YOU KNOW by Michelle Richmond, (the protagonist was a coffee buyer), I jotted down terms and bean types mentioned in the book so that I could learn more about them.

Other times I take notes for reviews if the book has a complicated plot or storyline, if it's a long book and I don't want to forget certain points when writing my review or if there's something that jumps out at me and makes a big impression. I usually always make notes when reading audiobooks. This may be partly because I'm still new to that format and I don't entirely trust my memory. Paper formats allow you to flip around and re-read, while audios rely on your memory.

I keep a notebook that originally started as a reading journal and that is where I keep my notes for books I read. I would never write on the page! If there are certain passages I want to remember, I'll fold the tip of the page down - but I feel weird doing that! I think Post-It's area a great idea too.

Do you keep notes while reading? For more musings or to participate in this weekly meme, visit Just One More Page.

It's Monday! What Are You Reading?

The past few weeks have not provided me much reading time, but this week is going to be different! Here are my plans for the week . . .

I plan to finish LOOT THE MOON by Mark Arsenault in the next day or two with a review following shortly thereafter. This book has really captured my attention and I am enjoying it very much. The plot is interesting as well as the characters. I love a good crime novel with twists and turns and this definitely fits the bill!

I'm also looking forward to starting an audiobook this week. It is THE TIME OF MY LIFE by Patrick Swayze. I've always been a fan of his and was so saddened by his passing. This book is also narrated by Patrick, which will make it even better, I presume. I'm thinking I may need the Kleenex box close by for that one.

So, that is what I have planned for the week. Not a whole lot, but an enjoyable one for sure. To see what other bloggers are reading this week or to participate, visit J. Kaye's Book Blog.

Teaser Tuesday: Loot The Moon

Today is one of my favorite days of the week because it's time for Teaser Tuesday! This is where we. . .

• Grab our current read
• Let it fall open to a random page
• Choose two sentences to share, without including any spoilers
• Be sure to include the name of the book and the page number your teasers are taken from.

This is such a great way to get a taste of all the different books out there - as if my TBR pile wasn't bad enough! Oh well, I can think of much worse things!

My teasers this week are from a book that I just started reading today, so I have little insight as to what is going on really. The book is LOOT THE MOON, a new mystery by Mark Arsenault and I'd like to thank St. Martin's Press for sending it to me for review. This book will be released October 13. Here goes . . .

He took measure of his situation. After binding his feet with rope, taping his wrists together with duct tape - and choking what little fight had remained in Billy - they had bandaged the scrape on his palm with tape and an old T-shirt. That was probably so he wouldn't bleed in the car, Billy figured. ~ page 131

This is Mark Arsenault's second novel featuring the character of Billy Povich, a former journalist and 'beaten down gambler', who is trying to find the truth about a case involving a murdered superior court judge and the dead car-jacker who has been labeled the killer. As a favor to a friend, Billy noses around and he finds that things just don't add up. The closer Billy gets to the truth, the more his own life is in danger.

As I mentioned, I've just started reading this book today, but it feels like a book I'm going to enjoy. Just in glancing at the writing, I believe it's going to be a smart, swiftly paced mystery.

For more teasers and to participate in this weekly meme, visit MizB at Should Be Reading.

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Recent Reviews:

• THE SUMMER KITCHEN by Karen Weinreb
• DIRTY LITTLE ANGELS by Chris Tusa

The Summer Kitchen by Karen Weinreb

The Banks family has a very comfortable life with few worries. They live in the ultra affluent neighborhood of Bedford, New York, one hamlet over from where Martha Stewart lives. Nora and Evan Banks have three young children that attend private school, a nanny, fancy cars, and a large, beautiful estate with all of the luxuries that entails. It's very easy to get caught up in the lifestyle her husband's Wall Street job provides. Nora never questions Evan about finances and such, she simply allows him to have total control over that aspect of their life.

Nora seems to have the perfect life until one November morning when the Feds show up at their door before dawn to arrest Evan for various white collar crimes. Nora is caught completely off guard, having put all of her trust in Evan without question. Now, with Evan facing serious jail time and their finances frozen, Nora is left to not only come to terms with having a husband who broke the law, but she also has to find a way to provide for her boys and try to keep them in the lifestyle they are accustomed to. She decides to fall back on her love of baking and with the help of Beatriz, her nanny, and a few friends, she is soon baking her way out of her problems. But Nora soon learns what it's like to be on 'the outside' of Bedford society. She begins a journey that will teach her what is truly important in life and she learns some things about herself along the way.

My thoughts:

When I started reading THE SUMMER KITCHEN, Karen Weinreb's debut novel, I immediately felt I was going to like Nora. She seemed different than the other Bedford wives in that she didn't seem to be as . . . snobby, for lack of a better word. And though I kept that feeling for her throughout the book, I can't say that I related to her at all. Obviously, I don't live in that kind of lifestyle and I don't know any women who do, for that matter, so it was hard to put myself in her shoes. I liked the premise of the story about a woman trying to put her life back together after her husband's arrest, and the inner strength she discovers, however, I was expecting something with a little more depth. The story just didn't move me like I thought it would. I don't want to say too much for those who have yet to read it, but for me, the plot fell a little flat. I found parts of the story just weren't realistic for me. For instance, after her husband is arrested, Nora suffers another devastating loss and I was disappointed that this event was hardly addressed at all. I felt such an incident should've had more of an impact on Nora, which might have given me a more emotional connection to her. However, there was more focus on her sexual fantasies with one of the other husbands, than of the losses she endured. I also felt the story was forced at times -like the author was trying to make certain points before the end of the book. Speaking of the ending, although it was satisfying for the most part, it all just seemed a bit unbelievable to me.

THE SUMMER KITCHEN is light women's fiction, that unfortunately, didn't leave any lasting impression on me. I'd like to thank Nicole at Authors On The Web for sending me this book to review. If you've read this book please post a link in the comment section and I'll add it to this review. I'd be very interested in hearing your thoughts.

Visit Karen Weinreb's website here.

THE SUMMER KITCHEN

Author: Karen Weinreb

Publisher: St. Martins Press

Published: July 2009

Pages: 336

Rating: 3 Stars out of 5 (It was just OK)

Booking Through Thursday: Liar, Liar!

Suggested by Monibo -

Saw this article (from March) and thought it would make a good BTT confessional question:

Two-thirds of Brits have lied about reading books they haven't. Have you? Why? What book(s)?

In a word, NO. Although I have started some books that I never finished, I don't count those as books I've read. The main reason is that I'm a terrible liar and what if someone asks you something specific about a book that you've lied about reading? I'd rather focus on books I've actually read. I enjoy discussions with people who've read the same book as I have and lying about it wouldn't serve any purpose and in the end, it would become obvious that I hadn't actually read the book. There are many 'popular' books that the masses are reading that I do not, but I wouldn't lie just to fit in. Besides, the conversation could take a more interesting turn if asked why I'm not reading such a popular book (i.e. Harry Potter series or the Twilight series).

I find it interesting that the article lists George Orwell's 1984 as the most lied about book! I've never read that book and now I'm curious as to why so many have lied about it!

Have you ever lied about what books you've read? For more answers to this BTT question or to participate click here.