This biography of Queen Elizabeth II was done by Sally Bedell Smith in 2012. It is 663 pages long to mirror the long life of Queen Elizabeth II who is currently 92 years old. This work takes her through her girlhood all the way through the wedding of her grandson William highlighting many of the events along the way.
Elizabeth The Queen
My Thoughts
While I was interested in the life story of Queen Elizabeth and I was keen on understanding more about the monarchy in general, I was pretty bored by the story. It was very long and felt formal and stuffy. I guess that was appropriate given the subject matter. It was a chore to get through it…
I did learn a lot and found I have more respect for the Queen as a whole.
Recommendations
I won’t be reading it again any time soon but I do have other royals to read up on. I can’t say I would recommend it.
12 Rules for Life started when Dr. Jordan Peterson (a clinical psychologist and a professor of psychology at the University of Toronto) answered this question on Quora, “What are the most valuable things everyone should know?” His first answer spanned 40 lines. He had since distilled it to 12 and described each in this book. His answers are below.
Stand up straight with your shoulders back
Treat yourself like someone you are responsible for helping
Make friends with people who want the best for you
Compare yourself to who you were yesterday, not to who someone else is today
Do not let your children do anything that makes you dislike them
Set your house in perfect order before you criticize the world
Pursue what is meaningful (not what is expedient)
Tell the truth – or, at least, don’t lie
Assume that the person you are listening to might know something you don’t
Be precise in your speech
Do not bother children when they are skateboarding
Pet a cat when you encounter one on the street
12 Rules for Life
My Thoughts
I follow Dr. Peterson’s podcast and have been watching his work over the last 6 months. I can see why some folks bristle at his advice and why he rubs some the wrong way. However, I am deeply sympathetic to the ideas he puts forth. I like the list he put together and I like the rationalization behind it even better. It’s not a bad place to start and I wish I could keep the tenets of the list everyday of my life.
My Recommendation
Very dense subject matter and the content requires a lot of supporting information. I really enjoyed it and I believe anyone will as well.
This is a story of Bryan Cranston. To quote Google Books “With BREAKING BAD, Bryan Cranston created moments that had the world on the edge of their seats and coined catchphrases that became famous all over the globe. Now, at last, we can learn of the man behind one of TV’s most successful programs ever. Bryan Cranston’s profile has skyrocketed, due to his portrayal of chemistry teacher turned drug manufacturer Walter White, for five seasons in the award-winning BREAKING BAD… Told with honesty and intrigue this will be Bryan’s first – and – definitive autobiography. “
A Life in Parts
My Comments
Reading an autobiography of someone is always a risk. You can lose some of the character you enjoyed if you know more about the actor creating them. You can lose respect for them and it taints the image you have of them from that time onward. Sting is one of those people. I loved the music and thought he must be much more than what his words made him out to be. Then there is the opposite. You can enjoy the performance that much more if you have grow to respect the actor. Bryan Cranston is one of the latter.
I was glad to have heard of his exploits and honest dealing with the world. I was happy to hear he didn’t get sucked into the world of drugs and alcohol like so many of his peers. I was pleased to hear of his solid relationships despite his rough beginnings. I liked his; honesty, humility, and overall depth of character. A very interesting person and a very interesting read.
My hat is off to you, sir!
Recommendations
A great read from a great person. I wish him all the best.
“Keep Moving and Other Tips About Aging” is a non-fiction book by journalist and author Dick Van Dyke, which offers practical advice on how to maintain a healthy and fulfilling life as one ages. The book covers a range of topics including physical fitness, mental health, diet, and social connections. Van Dyke draws from his own experiences as a performer and his personal journey with aging, as well as from the expertise of medical professionals and other experts in the field. The book offers a message of hope and optimism, emphasizing that aging is not a time to give up on life, but rather an opportunity to embrace new experiences and perspectives. “Keep Moving and Other Tips About Aging” has been praised for its practical and engaging approach, as well as for its positive outlook on aging.
Keep Moving
My thoughts
Dick Van Dyke is simply delightful. That hasn’t changed in his 90s. So was this book. Delightful! I felt better just listening to him. He has the air of an older gentleman and makes you want to be a better person. You can’t really beat that.
It was interesting to hear about his struggles with smoking and alcohol but not really much of a surprise as an actor. That seems to be something they are known for and the only surprise is if they managed to stay out of it.
His love life also was pretty refreshing. He was married for more than 30 years until she died of cancer. He then met and married someone 40 years junior to him. He made a pretty good case as to why this shouldn’t be anything really to remark on. You’ll have to read the book to understand I guess. I can’t really explain it as my wife would tell you.
Recommendation
Surprisingly, I wouldn’t rate this suitable for anyone under 14. There is some blue humor in it and I don’t know anyone younger would understand much of it. But for those 14 and older, I would consider this a must read.
Ellen’s book number 3. “Seriously… I’m Kidding is a lively, hilarious, and often sweetly poignant look at the life of the much-loved entertainer as she opens up about her personal life, her talk show, and more.”
Seriously, I’m Kidding
My Thoughts
This was really a book about Ellen’s thoughts. Her thoughts were largely unfiltered and meandering in that off hand way she speaks. It really is her. Just her talking n’ stuff. How much you can take as gospel is anyone’s question. She riffs and then riffs on her riffs. I really enjoyed it but then again I find her very likeable.
Recommendation
If you like Ellen you will like this book. If you don’t like her, you really won’t get much out of it. It will seem like a waste of time… Which it may well have been.
The autobiography of Carrie Fisher who is best known for her role as Princess Leia in Star Wars. She was the daughter of famous people and became famous herself. This is the story of her life, largely trying to escape from it.
Wishful Drinking
My Thoughts
Ah, Princess Leia. As a boy growing up in the 80’s, she was pretty much the top of female desirability. (Well her; Belinda Carlisle, Kelly LeBrock, Michelle Pfeiffer, Daryl Hannah, Erin Gray, Elisabeth Shue, and a dozen others that made the 80s so fantastic.) Of course, I didn’t really care for the real names of these characters. I saw them as their on screen personas. After reading this, it is pretty hard to see Carrie Fisher in the same light.
I knew she had had her struggles with drugs and mental illness. However, I really didn’t know much about it. I wouldn’t do it justice by talking about the particulars here. Suffice it to say, she is very open. What a tragety that she passed just recently and her mother (who is very prominent in her life and her book) passed away as she was planning her daughter’s funeral.
Recommendations
This book is not for the weak in heart nor for children. If you want to keep Princess Leia pure in your mind then leave it alone.
Heinlein’s iconic book Starship Troopers is about a semi-dystopian future where aliens are not only real but we fight wars against them as well.
Starship Troopers
My Thoughts
Starship Troopers was something I saw in the movies a long time ago. I remember a few scenes from it but not much else. In my day job with the United States Marines, it gets referenced from time to time and is on the Commandant’s reading list. So… I thought I should read the book. The book is always better right?
In this case, yes. The book was pretty fantastic. I can understand why the Commandant would want Marines to read this as it has some pretty solid lessons as to why we fight, honor, and even where the swagger came from. If you want to get inside Marine’s mind. This is a good place to start.
Recommendations
I wouldn’t say this book is for kids based on the level of violence however I believe it is a solid read for pretty much everyone.
To steal from the Great Courses page “Augustine of Hippo’s magnum opus The City of God is one of the greatest works of the Western intellectual tradition—so powerful, in fact, that one could argue all of Christian theology has been a series of footnotes to Augustine. Written during the transition from antiquity to the rise of Christianity, it is one of the key texts in defining our ethical framework into the 21st century. Yet even serious readers can be intimidated by a book that spans over 1,000 pages.”
Books that Matter: The City of God
My Thoughts
This was a pretty time consuming listen though I feel it was worth it. Pretty much most of the “ah hah” moments I’d had were discussed by Augustine of Hippo or “Saint Augustine” as we’ve likely heard of him. This lecture points out that not much is “new under the sun”. The ancients were pretty bright and most of the drama that we take on a daily basis had all been done before.
Recommendations
This work left my mind reeling a few times. If you can understand it all then you should start your own church. (You won’t be alone out there…)
Wade is just a poor boy, he needs no sympathy… In the future, the earth is broken. Ravaged by climate change and by a shortage of natural resources, it is a bleak time to live. However, you can virtually live inside a video game known as “The Oasis”.
The man who created The Oasis died a very rich man and will give his vast fortune to the first player who finds his Easter Egg.
Ready Player One
My Comments
I haven’t been able to put this one down. I love all the 80’s comments and references. It’s like being brought back to my childhood. I’m excited for the movie and I’m glad I read the book first. I could do without the profanity and if you stop and think about the dystopian world in which they lived, it is pretty terrifying… Still, fun story.
My Recommendations
I’d wait till I was 14 or so to read it due to some of the scenes being a little off color and the general bad language. However, I have a hard time thinking most people (who didn’t grow up playing video games and role playing games in the 80s) won’t get most of the references. I enjoyed it thoroughly.
In Warriors #6: The Darkest Hour, Firestar is the leader of ThunderClan. Tigerstar has further schemes to take over the forest and it is up to Firestar to lead the clans back to their former glory.
The Darkest Hour
My Comments
I enjoyed the ending of the series. I felt I had accomplished something… I took my time reading it and really did enjoy this last book. There were some heavy handed moments, some serious foreshadowing, and one very anticlimactic part but on the whole it was really enjoyable.
