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Writing, Reading, and Rural Life With a Border Collie

Category Archives: Memoir/Biography


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Hiking Memoir Hard to Peg

Force of Nature

Three Women Tackle the John Muir Trail

By Joan M. Griffin

Black Rose Writing, 2023

Pages: 378

Genre: Nonfiction – Memoir/Travel/Outdoors

Via: Blog Tour

Note: We received a complimentary copy of this book in exchange for an honest review.

So Her Momness and I came back from chugging all over hill and dale the other day and checked the mail. We found Joan Griffin’s hiking memoir, Force of Nature, waiting for us. Cool, we thought. Besides. Who can resist that luscious cover?

Well. Mom and I agreed to join a blog tour for this book for three main reasons: 1) One of us has been hiking since she was knee-high to a bean-sprout (back when dinosaurs roamed the earth); 2) One of us is a native Californian and knows the John Muir Trail (JMT); 3) Mom’s private chocolate stash was running low and I, Kimber, promised her a refill if she finished this book lickety-split-ish. (Yea, verily. It’s amazing what some peeps will do for free chocolate. Selah.)

Okay. Where was I. Oh yeah. Force of Nature. I’ll let Mom give ya some deets:

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Looking for Peter J.

One of the most inspirational “travel” books I’ve ever read is Peter Jenkins’ A Walk Across America (Harper Collins, 1979).

Do you remember?

Remember?

Disillusioned and cynical about society, newly minted college graduate Jenkins decides to hit the road with his faithful half Alaskan Malamute and “fur-ever friend,” Cooper. (The book is even dedicated to Peter’s “forever friends”: Cooper the Half Malamute and Barbara Jo.”)

Together, Peter and Coop discover America. The resulting tome, A Walk Across America, is the compelling, uplifting account of the reawakening of Jenkins’ faith in himself and his country. It topped the New York Times Bestseller list for months and remains a beloved classic.

A Return

Weary of plowing through a mountain of mawkish drivel posing as “hiking memoir,” I recently decided to return to the Real Deal. The “Grand Daddy” of the genre and its trail-blazing author: Peter Jenkins.

It seemed like a good idea at the time.

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‘Emerging’ Offers Hope, Authenticity

Emerging: Stories from the Other Side of a Cancer Diagnosis, Loss, and a Pandemic by Nancy ...EMERGING: Stories from the Other Side of a Cancer Diagnosis, Loss, and a Pandemic

By Nancy Stordahl

Independently Published, 2023

Genre: Memoir/Breast Cancer/Grief & Bereavement

Pages: 120

 

Note: We received a complimentary copy of this book in exchange for an honest review.

Some books are meant to be sipped and savored slowly, like fine wine. NancyStordahl’s EMERGING: Stories from the Other Side of a Cancer Diagnosis, Loss, and a Pandemic is one of them. Profound and powerful, Emerging takes readers on a deep dive into the lifelong process of healing and self-acceptance as learned by a self-described “average sort of worrier.” It’s a terrific read!

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‘Keeping the Watch’ (We Couldn’t Think of Something Catchier. Sorry. Sort of.)

Keeping the Watch: Caretaking The Hidden Value of a Family Heirloom

By Patrick Blau

Indie author, 2022

Genre: Non-Fiction/Memoir

Pages:  345 + Photo Gallery

Via: Author Request

Books are amazing. Sometimes they’re exactly what you expect. Sometimes they surprise you. You can’t always tell what’s inside by looking at the cover. Perusing the book blurb. Or even reading other reviews.

Memoirs can be especially tricky in this regard. Cuz let’s face it, Cupcake. Unless you’re famous, a celebrity, a Big Name or have an uber compelling life story with a transcendent theme that’s gonna resonate with lotsa folks, most people who don’t know you and have never heard of you aren’t gonna care. Sorry, Toots. That’s just the way it is.

Keeping the Watch is one of those. To be clear, Watch isn’t a “bad” book. It’s pretty well written and is a history of the Blau family. It’s based on true historical figures in the author’s ancestry. But we just could not get into it. We tried and tried and tried. Gave it so many second, third, fourth and more chances, we got whiplash.

We put off  reviewing this book for so long, our cerebral hard drive sprouted cobwebs. On the cobwebs. But we finally got down to brass tacks today. So here ya go:

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‘Heart-y’ New Memoir Doesn’t Waste a Second

Let’s get one thing straight right off the kibble, shall we? spake I, Kimber the Magnificent. Today’s book is From the Sidelines to the Finish Line by Emily Falcon. It’s a memoir about Emily’s lifelong journey with a congenital cardiac condition. 

Now, From the Sidelines to the Finish Line is a good book. You really oughtta read it. You know this is so cuz I’m telling ya it is. Got that, Cupcake? Cuz I wanna make another thing clear right off the football: There are some real stand-outs in this memoir-ish read. They have fur and four feet, if ya get my drift. And no, Toots, I’m not talking felines here. I’m talking Phoebe the therapy dog. Dual doggies Maxi and Blueberry. And Josie, chihuahua/Jack Russell terrier mix with the heart of a lion.

From the Sidelines to the Finish Line

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2 Woof-Worthy Reads (I’d Grab ‘Em Now ‘Fize You)

“Mom! Mom! I like THIS one!”

Kimber the Magnificent here. Telling you about how I nudged Her Momness in the direction of a book that looked really good the other day. “Oh, and this one , too!” I mean, hey. Who can resist these covers? We’re talking Serious Sweet Stuff here, right? Like, Canines R Us.

So I talked Mom into grabbing two woof-worthy titles. (It wasn’t hard, if ya know what I mean.) Here’s the 4-1-1:

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‘Go Find’ Gets Lost

Go Find

My Journey to Find the Lost – and Myself

By Sue Purvis

Genre: Nonfiction – Memoir/Outdoor Adventure/Dog

Blackstone Publishing, 2019

Pages: 344

Via: Library

Go Find is about being lost. The memoir tells the true story of how Sue and her avalanche dog, a black Lab named Tasha, search for missing people in the high country of Colorado and elsewhere from about 1995 to 2007. 

We had high hopes for this book. But it gets lost in Soap Opera Land, with too many side trips into Tedium, Tiresome and Blurrysville. Ditto the countless detours into life with the author’s allegedly petulant, controlling husband, Sir Pouts-a-Lot. 

“Decomp”

We eventually learn that the vast majority of Tasha’s deployments are “decomp” missions to locate human remains. A live find is rare. Sue and Tasha are often deployed as “last resorts” – long after any decent chance of locating a live missing person has flown the coop. Too often egos, petty politics and jealousies within the SAR community as well as weather, terrain, logistical details and a lot of other stuff mitigate against a live find. It’s depressing and frustrating.

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20+ Mesmerizing Memoirs/Biogs To Read Before You Die!

Kimber: “Memoirs? Biogs? Is that like when that Barbra lady sings about misty water-colored memories? Like in the movie with Robert Corvette?”

Mom: “The movie is The Way We Were, Kimster. And the actor is Robert Redford.”

Kimber: “You drive what you want and I’ll drive what I want… Wait. Where was I? Oh yeah. Memoirs and Biogs.  Guess we better start with some definitions:”

  • A memoir is usually a collection of memories written by the person themselves. It’s the story of a specific time, theme, or experience in a person’s life.
  • A biography presents chronological events from the life of a specific person. It’s the story of someone’s life told by someone else.
  • An autobiography is a person telling their own life story.

Got that? Great. Cuz we’re gonna color outside the lines a bit. Bring you some of All of the Above, under the general-ish category of Memoir/Biogs. (We’re using the terms a bit loosely. So don’t blow a gasket, okay?)

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Will You Remember ‘Sweethearts’?

Sweethearts:

The Timeless Love Affair – On-Screen and Off – Between Jeanette MacDonald and Nelson Eddy

By Sharon Rich

Published by; Donald I. Fine, Inc., 1994

Genre: Non-Fiction/Biography

Via: Library

Kimber: Let’s get one thing straight right out of the kennel, okay? Her Crankiness is a huge MacEddy fan. (For you young whipper-snappers, that’s a person who loves Jeanette MacDonald and Nelson Eddy films from Tinseltown’s Golden Era.)

So altho some MacEddy fans may rave about Sweethearts, ‘ole Stick in the Mud (Hi, Mom) disagrees. Somethin’ about ‘disappointing’ and ‘a one-way ticket to Snoozeville.’

We’ll get to why in a min. So kindly keep your hair on, okay? First, a little background:

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A Dream & A Dance: Memoir of the Garden Island Grille

 

The Last Dance: A Memoir of the Garden Island Grille

By Dave Trentlage

Genre: Nonfiction/Memoir, 2023

Pages: 260

Kimber: Someone say “burgers”?

Mom: No, Kimmi. I said “restaurant.” Now stop vulching.

Kimber: Vulching? I am not vulching. I am merely standing guard over the kitchen, ever-vigilant in case any stray top sirloin finds its way onto the floor. By the way, what’s a “restaurant”? It has burgers, right?

I am invisible. You Do Not see me. I am not vulching. Am not. Am Not. AM NOT!

Well. Let’s get one thing straight right out of the gate, okay? This isn’t a story about a restaurant. It’s not about what it takes to run a successful restaurant. It’s not even a behind-the scenes look at running a restaurant in the garden island of Kauai, although you’ll find all of the above and more within.

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