Lessons from the Mountain: What I Learned From Erin Walton

Author: Mary McDonough
ISBN: 978-0758263667
Publisher: Kensington Books
Purchase Link: Lessons from the Mountain
Source: Author for Review
Reviewer: Laurel

In this book, Mary McDonough takes the reader through her years of portraying Erin Walton.  Growing up is difficult enough, but doing it in front of millions of viewers adds to that difficulty.  She begins her book with a view into her home life – a very sheltered and naïve rearing.  Her insecurities are heightened by assumptions and misinterpretations.  However, with the help of various cast members, Mary begins to realize and conquer with time some of her deep seated issues.

With the end of the series, Mary found transiting into an actor from child actor challenging. She was always seen as Erin Walton. During this time, Mary continued to evolve personally, found love and had a daughter. Unlike Hollywood stories, there wasn’t a happy ending. Mary became quite ill – the illness was a direct result of leaking silicone breast implants. Unfortunately, the damage was already done to her body by the time the implants were removed; she was diagnosed with Lupus.  

The throws of the disease, Mary encounters more challenges - her daughter has been affected by the silicone and her marriage has collapsed.  As she has done in the past, Mary picks up the pieces of the life and continues on. She becomes an advocate of the FDAs removal this type of implant.  The journey takes to Washington DC putting her in the public eye again.

In review, I understand the purpose of Mary McDonough’s book is to relate her growth, it became to predicable. Each story was told followed by what she learned. It would have been much more enjoyable to describe some tales without an educational purpose and merely for the pleasure of sharing an interesting story.   

Having lived for nearly twenty-five years in the immediate area of Schulyer, Virginia, and a fan of the show, I was interested in the “inside scoop” from one of the actors.  But I found Mary’s book a bit disappointing.  I understand her avid work with breast implants and Lupus; it is to be commended.  However, this portion needs some work.  

House of Prayer No. 2: A Writer’s Journey Home

Author: Mark Richard
ISBN: 978-0-3985-51302-9
Publisher: Nan A. Talese
Purchase Link: House of Prayer No. 2: A Writer's Journey Home
Source: DoubleDay for Review

Synopsis:
Called a “special child,” Southern social code for mentally—and physically—challenged children, Richard was crippled by deformed hips and was told he would spend his adult life in a wheelchair. During his early years in charity hospitals, Richard observed the drama of other broken boys’ lives, children from impoverished Appalachia, tobacco country lowlands, and Richmond’s poorest neighborhoods. The son of a solitary alcoholic father whose hair-trigger temper terrorized his family, and of a mother who sought inner peace through fasting, prayer, and scripture, Richard spent his bedridden childhood withdrawn into the company of books.

As a young man, Richard, defying both his doctors and parents, set out to experience as much of the world as he could—as a disc jockey, fishing trawler deckhand, house painter, naval correspondent, aerial photographer, private investigator, foreign journalist, bartender and unsuccessful seminarian—before his hips failed him. While digging irrigation ditches in east Texas, he discovered that a teacher had sent a story of his to the Atlantic, where it was named a winner in the magazine’s national fiction contest launching a career much in the mold of Jack London and Mark Twain.

A superbly written and irresistible blend of history, travelogue, and personal reflection, House of Prayer No. 2 is a remarkable portrait of a writer’s struggle with his faith, the evolution of his art, and of recognizing one’s singularity in the face of painful disability. Written with humor and a poetic force, this memoir is destined to become a modern classic.

Review:
Writing Style - Most Memoirs are told in first person. This story is told in second person. For example, Instead of I fell down the stairs, the text says “you fell down the stairs”. The lack of this first person writing made for an awkward read. I quickly tired of reading your constantly because I was not in the story, nor was I trying to envision myself in the memoir. It was hard to for me to read this book because I would lose concentration.

On the other hand, Mr. Richard is a skilled writer. He is easily able to get a point across with as few sentences as possible. He does not try to embellish and elaborate in unneeded details, but simply tells it like it is. This brought about a sense of honesty to the story.

Storyline - The story is amazing. It has a little something for everyone. The author’s life is a roller coaster ride full of emotion. The challenges he has faced make his accomplishments more impressive and his story more poignant and bittersweet.

Pace – I have mixed feelings with the pace of this story. It begins solid enough, picks up and then drops off. My interest level varied and the book seemed unable to stay entirely consistent.

Overall – This is indeed an unconventional memoir, remarkable story and challenging read. It is a thought provoking read. I had a hard time with the term “special” in this book; it never seems to be defined as a compliment or an insult. It seemed to be used more as word of avoidance rather than the honesty of reality all for the sake of social pleasantry. Thought the memoir has a few obstacles to overcome it also has a wonderful story to tell. It seems to have a little something for everyone within its pages.

About the Author:
MARK RICHARD is the author of two award-winning short story collections, The Ice at the Bottom of the World and Charity, and the novel Fishboy. His short stories and journalism have appeared in the New York Times, The New Yorker, Harper’s, Esquire, Vogue, and GQ. He is the recipient of the PEN/Hemingway Award, a National Endowment for the Arts fellowship, and a Whiting Foundation Writer’s Award. He lives in Los Angeles with his wife and their three sons.

Memoirs of a Widowed Mistress

Author: Megan van Eyck
ISBN: 978-1456454371
Publisher: CreateSpace
Source: Pump Up Your Book Promotions
Purchase Link: Memoirs of a Widowed Mistress: A Love Story


About the Book:
Memoirs of a Widowed Mistress is a cautionary tale about the causal relationship between marital emotional neglect and questionable choices. It is a warning for the spouse who wants to dismiss an affair as just sex or for any woman who thinks love is enough to keep a man that isn't really hers.

"You never know what happens between two people when they are alone" is a common sentiment reserved for married couples who appear to have relationships that defy the odds. The same can also be said for couples involved in long-term adulterous affairs.

Many people believe that infidelity is only about sex: two people, one hotel room, and a few hours to spare. And Megan van Eyck's extramarital affair began just like that, with lusty hours spent between hotel sheets. But within a few months van Eyck realized she had found what she and her lover did not know they were both looking for: true love.

Memoirs of a Widowed Mistress offers an honest look behind closed doors. It is a forthcoming, sometimes steamy, account of both the passion and the heartbreak associated with being a mistress; about the futility of sharing a love while not sharing a life. Van Eyck is reflective as she addresses her compelling and unusual personal history, which made being the other woman an acceptable option. She makes no excuses for herself, her mistakes, or her betrayal of her husband as she recklessly pursues love. She wants everything, unabashedly.

But her priorities shift when Carlos, her lover, is diagnosed with Amyloidosis, a rare blood disorder. Her concerns shift for hoping for a life with him to hoping that he'll be able to live through treatment for this rare and incurable disease. In the end, van Eyck must not only come to terms with her loss, mistakes and regrets, she must come to terms with herself.

Memoirs of a Widowed Mistress is must read for anyone that has struggled with love, intimacy or self-acceptance. Memoirs of a Widowed Mistress will captivate supporters, surprise critics and change the perspective of those that have ever considered having an affair.
 
About the Author:
Megan van Eyck lives near Seattle, Washington with her husband and children. Memoirs of a Widowed Mistress is her debut effort as a memoirist.

*My reveiw copy did not arrive in time for the tour.  Stay tuned for my review of this book!*

Reading Lips: A Memoir of Kisses

Author: Claudia Sternback
ISBN: 978-1-60953-307-2
Publisher: Unbridled Books
Source: Publisher for review
Link for purchase: Reading Lips


About the book:
Kisses, even the ones that don t happen, can be the trace of what s constant when life changes. In childhood, when what seems to define everything is competition for style, for knowing, for experience a kiss is the first first. When a girl s father moves out and chooses a new family, a kiss on the head from him may be the trace of constancy that she wants most. Later, such things take on a different flavor. Sometimes the kiss she wants doesn t come. Sometimes the one she wouldn t have is forced upon her. From time to time, the one she has kissed before is lost to her. Some kisses are final. When things are most hectic a kiss can be a celebration. And when circumstances grow threatening to a woman, her family, her sister a kiss becomes the reassertion of the most vital connections. The rich story in these essays rings with good humor and with moving wistfulness. Throughout, Sternbach maintains a perfect balance between them as her story moves from the bittersweet desires of childhood on through loss and love. Reading Lips is the tale of one woman who is just trying to get life right.

Review:
When I first received this book for review, I wasn’t sure what to expect. It is obviously a “memoir of kisses” but what was I going to reading within the pages? It turns out this title is far more than entry after entry of the authors kissing history. The title, which pays homage to the authors memorable kisses, also ties together experiences, lessons and the story of her life. With each new entry Claudia gives you a glimpse of her life and her personality. It’s a memoir written in a unique way as the author delves into her past, making the story bittersweet.

Claudia’s writing style is very easy to follow. As the reader I felt at ease with the story, as if I were a good friend sitting for coffee and re-living the moments with Claudia. There are all types of kisses and emotions in this memoir that give the reader a touching view of kisses. Claudia’s family is included in the book as she links each memory with the memories tied into her story, weaving them as one and making it whole.

I enjoyed this title. I especially enjoyed the chapter titles as I found them creative. Memoirs are not every readers cup of tea, but this memoir is one that can be related to by all because who hasn’t had a first kiss? A practiced kiss or bad kiss? How about an amazing, life changing kiss or even a goodbye kiss? It is a novel that is short, sweet and sure to have you thinking back on all your kisses!

Enticing New Release

Author: Conor Grennan

ISBN: 9780061930058

Publisher: William Morrow

Source: Shelf Awareness

About the Memoir

 [taken from the back cover of my ARC]

It was well after nightfall when I realized we had gone the wrong way.

The village I had been looking for was somewhere up the mountain,...if we could even find the trail in the pitch-dark.  My two porters and i had been walking for almost thirteen hours straight.  Winter at night in the mountains of northwestern Nepal is bitterly cold, and we had no shelter.  Two of our three flashlights had burned out.  Worse, we were deep in a Maoist rebel stronghold, not far from where a colleague had been kidnapped almost exactly one year before....I wondered how things would have been different if I hadn't gotten hurt.  Or if I hadn't split from my team, or if I hadn't decided to wait on that mountain for a helicopter that never came.  It didn't matter now.  What did matter was figuring out how we would get through the night.

Mini-Review

Wow, what a memoir!  Little Princes is a compelling read.  The book is an eye-opening experience of the world around us.  Nepal for me is an intriguing place.  I find myself reading about it often.  The memoir is one of courage, selflessness and hope as Connor endures many different situations in a corrupt and dangerous land.  As a mother, it was difficult to read about the child trafficking and everything the children endure and suffer through, yet rewarding and uplifting to know that children have been reunited with their parents.  While the book has many serious aspects it also had moments of laughter to help ease some of the more serious situations.  Overall, it is a optimistic book full of love, faith and hope as one man vows to help change the lives of others.  It challenges you to put yourself aside and think of others.  The world around us is bigger than our home, our city, our state and our country.  We can make a difference in all of these places, we can at least be thankful for what we have and what we are for the most part protected from. I would recommend this book.  It is quite compelling and thought provoking.

Helpful Information

The purchase of this book helps the children of Nepal through charities that have been set up and are already working to make the lives of children in nepal better.  You can visit  http://www.nextgenerationnepal.org/ to find out more.  I urge you to check out this site in addition to reading Little Princes.

About the Author

Conor Grennan volunteered in Nepal at the Little Princes Children’s Home in the village of Godawari in 2004. He eventually returned to Nepal to launch Next Generation Nepal (NGN), a nonprofit organization dedicated to reconnecting trafficked children with their families in postwar Nepal. [http://www.nextgenerationnepal.org/] Conor graduated from the University of Virginia and the NYU Stern School of Business. He currently resides in the NYC area with his wife and son.

Quick Buy Links:

Amazon

Amzon Kindle

BN

BN Nook

Author Links:

Conor's Video

Conor on Facebook

Goodreads Buzz

4.5

Life in the Slow Lane

Author: Thomas M Sullivan
ISBN: 978-1-60174-085-4
Publisher: Unical Press
Source: From author for review

“Life in the Slow Lane” is the humorous account of Thomas Sullivan’s short career in Drivers education. Thomas, who has worked in various industries due to obtaining a Bachelors' in History with a minor in Business, a Masters in Agricultural Economics and Associates in cartography, landed a part time job as a driver’s Ed instructor through an announcement of job openings on craigslist. To sum it up in his words, the book is “My wisdom gleaned from my time behind the wheel. So, buckle up, check the warranty date on the airbag, and enjoy the ride.”

This memoir of sorts was an engaging and humorous account of the perils and headaches of a driver’s Ed instructor. Mixed within the stories are the heartwarming accounts of students who make their instructors proud along with the fearful stories of students that will probably never learn to drive safely, but somehow have a license. Sullivan has a light hearted and comical approach to his writing though the stories, thoughts and feelings shared are not always light hearted in nature. The book has some deeper issues if you care to partake in the thoughts and analysis of them, but I preferred to sit back, laugh and enjoy the ride!

The book takes the reader through the hiring and interview process, training, corporate policies and greed and into the driver’s seat. All aspects are covered including unruly parents, no show appointments, car failure, over worked instructors, an out of touch boss and driving mishaps. Overall it has many laugh out loud moments that keep you firmly rooted in your current job, with one eye looking out for perilous road warriors. It is sure to bring some smiles amidst the stories, as well as frustration with workplace policies, procedures and lack of care.

I found the book to be satisfying for what it is. Mr. Sullivan writes with ease, brings laughter and has some interesting stories to tell. It’s a good one time read. The book is available on Amazon in electronic format and is inexpensive to purchase. If you like this book you can check out his other titles at http://www.thomassullivanhumor.com/.

What I Thought I Knew

Alice Eve Cohen
ISBN: 978-0-14-311765-0
Publisher: Penguin
Source: BookSparks PR

“A personal and medical odyssey beyond anything most women would believe possible”

 [taken from Amazon.com]

At age forty-four, after a difficult divorce, Alice Eve Cohen is engaged to an inspiring man whom she loves, happily raising her adopted daughter, and enjoying her growing career opportunities. Alice admits she’s never been happier and that’s when the stomach pains begin and her mother’s Jewish superstitions flood to her memory. The story is the journey of a woman who has come to terms with her infertility to one who struggles to love a heartbeat found in her womb - six months into a high-risk pregnancy.

This memoir was deeply moving. Alice’s story is one of deep inner struggle and turmoil as she battles her will and guilt over her shocking surprise pregnancy. It is quite easily tagged as a gripping and dark novel. While I agree with that, Alice’s memoir brings a whole other level to the plate. Her story is filled with humor that relieves the “tension”. I quickly identified with this method of coping. There is a point where everyone will hit their max, a breaking point, and it is then that you laugh or cry. Personally my emotions usually the uncomfortable or deeply sad emotions will come out in some form of laughter mixed with tears. I felt this same sort of coping in the novel. While Alice’s story is not funny and is quite shocking and tragic in ways, it delivers comic relief for her reader which lets them know, I’m okay, it will be okay.

As a mother I felt for Alice, as a patient I was enraged with the incompetence of the doctors who treated her, as an anti-abortion advocate I had a hard time with the sections of this book that dealt with this topic. I really enjoyed the adoption aspects of this book as I feel many choose to abort when adoption is a very valid option and can give a family with no hope of having children, a child. Overall, this book was a wonderful read! It is an amazing and unbelievable story of triumph in so much adversity. It is motherhood at many stages and levels. It is a story of imperfection and beauty. I am amazed that Alice is strong enough to share her story. Just as she did, I don’t think I could have stopped writing for fear I would never finish, never get my story out. I recommend this memoir. It is a though provoking, poignant, humorous and life affirming book. It proves that what we think we know can change in an instant, our lives never being the same again.

Alice Eve Cohen is a solo theatre artist, playwright, and memoirist. Her memoir, What I Thought I Knew (Viking, 2009) won the Elle's Lettres 2009 Grand Prix for Nonfiction. She has written for Nickelodeon, PBS, and CBS. Her plays have been presented at theatres throughout the country, and she has toured her solo theatre works internationally. Her writing about arts in education has been published in nine languages. The recipient of fellowships and grants from the New York State Council on the Arts and the National Endowment for the Arts, she holds a BA from Princeton University and an MFA from The New School. She teaches at The New School in New York City.

Website: http://www.aliceevecohen.com/
Connect with Alice on Facebook

Connect with Alice on Twitter

Alice's book can be purchased at Barnes and Nobles as well as Amazon.

Perfection

Julie Metz Hyperion
978-1-4013-4135-0
Source: BookSparks PR Blog Tour

In the aftermath of her worst nightmare, her husband’s sudden and unexpected death, Julie Metz discovers the worst is yet to come and that her seemingly happy life was a fiction of her imagination, a defense of her mind in order to shield her heart from the truth. As Julie heals from the loss of her husband, her world is shattered once again when she discovers the secrets he kept from her and the lies he lived. Forced to recover for the sake of her daughters’ happiness as well as her own, Julie’s personal story unfolds and ultimately changes her life and outlook forever.

Perfection was the horrific story of one woman’s discovery that her marriage and life was not what it seemed. It is utterly suffocating to read, I cannot imagine personally going through this tragedy, discovery and rebuilding. The memoir is haunting. There are parts of the story [spoon & ashes] that I could have done without knowing as they didn’t change the impact of the story or give any deeper understanding to what the characters were going through. Perfection is like a bad dream that you cannot wake up from. It is harrowing, and unforgettable. The story itself is amazing and shocking dependent on the readers’ level of morale. The writing style did not agree with me, and I frequently felt bored and mortified all at the same time.

I am amazed that Julie was able to write this book and tell her dark story. Though her life is much more than the pages of this book, I’m not sure I would have been able to put the event into words for anyone to read. The memoir has a wonderful set of discussion questions for book groups and makes a great topic for discussion as I am sure many different thoughts, feelings and opinions derive from this pointed memoir. The book left me in an odd state. I definitely had to start reading something less devastating and more upbeat.

I would not choose to recommend or not recommend this book. I feel that it is a decision best kept to the individual reader. I do suggest you read the synopsis of this book along with a few reviews before purchasing it. The memoir has great potential for book clubs or other discussion groups. It is a story with potential to help many other women, who may have suffered some of the same traumatic details, to heal and find understanding. I wish the author great happiness in the future. She deserves a break from the painful tale that encompassed so much of her life and heart.

About Julie Metz:

Julie Metz is a graphic designer, artist and freelance writer whose essays have appeared in publications including The New York Times, The Huffington Post, Hemispheres, Glamour, and more. Julie received a MacDowell Fellowship in 2008 where she completed work on Perfection and began work on a novel. She lives in Brooklyn, N.Y.

Website: http://www.perfectionbook.com/
Facebook: http://www.facebook.com/pages/Julie-Metz/132749525472