Pages & Paws

Writing, Reading, and Rural Life With a Border Collie

Category Archives: Memoir/Biography


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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 Culinary Memoir That’ll Make You Hungry for More

 

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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Why ‘Anna’s Story’ Will Wring Hearts

Anna’s Story

A true story of a young girl’s will to survive in the arftermath of World War II

By: Steven Kautner

Date Published: July 2022

Genre: Non-Fiction – Biography/Memoir/WWII

Via: Reedsy/Discovery

Pages: 148

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

“How could I not write this story?” asks author Steven Kautner in this gripping and harrowing account about what happened to his mother, Anna Friedrich, and her family of ethnic Germans after World War II. The follow-on is, “How can anyone not read this story?” Because Anna’s Story is absolutely astonishing. Eye-opening. And jaw-dropping. It’ll blow you away.

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The Challenge of “Spare”

“When is someone in this family going to break free and live?” – Prince Harry, Duke of Sussex

 

We finished Spare yesterday. It’s Prince Harry’s memoir/autobiography about his relationship with “the Firm.” (For purposes of this review, we will refer to the author as “Harry.”)

The Challenge: We Don’t

Writing a review of Spare is a challenge. Total objectivity is almost unattainable.

Because the Royal Family is one of the most widely recognized in the world, with near-constant media attention, spin doctors, comm directors and Fleet Street vultures, it’s almost impossible to approach a book about The Royals without at least some pre-conceived ideas. Prejudice. Bias. Because of the media microscope under which the Royals live and work, we think we “know” them, especially with the advent of smartphones and social media.

We don’t. Not even close. Repeat for those in the back: We don’t. Not even close.

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‘Christmas Across Africa’ Charms & Captivates

Peace, Joy and Love:
Christmas Across Africa

By Terry Lister

Genre: Non-Fiction/Travel, 2022

Via: Author Request

Pages: 120

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

“Want to keep Christ in Christmas? Feed the hungry, clothe the naked, forgive the guilty, welcome the unwanted, care for the ill, love your enemies, and do unto others as you would have done unto you.”

– Steve Maraboli, winner of the United Nations Award for Philanthropy (as quoted in Peace, Joy and Love: Christmas Across Africa.)

One of our favorite travel writers in back. This time Terry Lister offers a collection of experiences and observations just in time for the Christmas season.

Titled Peace, Joy and Love: Christmas Across Africa, Lister’s newest collection covers Christmas traditions and celebrations in over a dozen African countries. These include both predominantly Muslim countries like Morocco and Tunisia to predominantly Christian countries like Ethiopia and Kenya. And all points in between, including Uganda, Tanzania, Rwanda, Ghana, the Gambia, Senegal, Zimbabwe and Cameroon.

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‘Echoes in the Stars’ Shines Bright

Echoes in the Stars

By Gordon Frisbie

Published by: TFL Stories, 2022

Pages 191

Genre: Non-Fiction/Memoir/Essays

Via: Author Request

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

We were going to reserve December for Christmas-ish books. No. Really. We were. But one of us is a big sucker for just about any “dog story” that comes down the pike. (Hi, Mom.) Then author Gordon Frisbie contacted us about reviewing a collection of stories and essays starring his amazing Australian shepherd, Boo, and his other canine companions. Well. Who can resist that?!

But Echoes in the Stars isn’t just another “dog story.” Yes, it’s a tribute to the author’s Aussie shepherd, Boo. It’s also much more. Here’s the 4-1-1:

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