By Amanda Ramo on April 22, 2011
In a world where one decision can alter the course of a lifetime, Elliot Tiber spins a tale of change more glittering and twisty than the Yellow Brick road. Palm Trees on the Hudson (A true story of the mob, Judy Garland & interior decorating.) showcases the narrative of Tiber’s life pre-Woodstock. Our narrator clicks his ruby heels and escorts readers through a world filled with scowling Jewish mothers, Bohemian neighbors, and outlandish Mafia clientele. Past all the trials and turbulence, Tiber’s audience is afforded sensual immersion in Judy Garland’s music, inspired styles of self-expression, and night life so dazzling my wanderlust began to ache for old New York, New York.
Posted in Amanda Ramo, Biography/Memoir | Tagged elliot tiber, judy garland, mob, palm trees on the hudson, pre-woodstock, square one publishers |
By Sunni Morris on March 23, 2011
Wow! What a story! This is a true account about a family during the Vietnam War and the rise of Communism. This powerful story is told by one of the daughters of the family. The writing in this memoir is excellent and contains many bits of history as well as family stories.
Posted in Biography/Memoir, Sunni Morris | Tagged quynh dao, sunni morris, tales from a mountain city, vietnam war biography |
By Peter Hassebroek on February 2, 2011
All his life Charlie Winger has been climbing. He rose up out of his recidivistic destiny to a successful white collar career, ascended some fascinating and daunting peaks around the world, and overcame prostate cancer. Now, past seventy, he’s taking on the bureaucratic mountain of gaining an official pardon for his earlier crimes, to rid himself of that shadow. Two Shadows is his mountaineering-focused memoir.
Posted in Biography/Memoir, Non-Fiction, Peter Hassebroek, Reviews | Tagged book review, climbing, memoir, mountaineering |
By Sunni Morris on January 25, 2011
This book is a memoir about growing up working on the cotton plantations in Mississippi. Not only did this family struggle because they lived in poverty, but they were also black and living in the south when African Americans were discriminated against and looked down on just because of their color.
Posted in Biography/Memoir, Sunni Morris | Tagged african american memoir, bertha m. davis, civil rights memoir, growing up in mississippi |
By Shannon Yarbrough on January 23, 2011
I applaud anyone who keeps a journal -whether its handwritten or typed. I’m pretty good at blogging every day, and have tried keeping a handwritten journal but I always fail. I think we tend to be more truthful when it’s pen to paper, so I expect that Ashly Lorenzana handwrote much of her true confessions – scattered journal entries she’s now published on Kindle as Sex, Drugs, & Being an Escort.
Posted in Biography/Memoir, Real Life Drama/Action, Shannon Yarbrough | Tagged and being an escort, ashly lorenzana, confessions of an escort, drugs, escort journal, sex |
By Shannon Yarbrough on November 24, 2010
I’m a huge animal lover and have reviewed animal books here before, so I couldn’t resist taking a look at Through the Eyes of Snowball by April Terhaar. It’s another great book told from the point-of-view of the animal itself, in this case, Snowball the Maltese puppy.
Posted in Art/Photo, Biography/Memoir, Childrens, Shannon Yarbrough | Tagged april terhaar, dog book, dog picture book, maltese book, maltese puppy, puppy book, puppy picture book, through the eyes of snowball |
By Shannon Yarbrough on July 10, 2010
I’d been following the journey of Judith Schwartz’s book for several months now, mainly because she used the Espresso Book Machine to publish it. The first Espresso Book Machine in the U.S. belongs to the Northshire Bookstore in Vermont where copies of Judith’s book can be born in a matter of minutes. The word therapist in the title pretty much kept me away from reading it, but after Mrs. Schwartz’s approached me with her book, I decided to give it a try. And I’m glad I did.
Posted in Biography/Memoir, Educational, Self-help/Motivational, Shannon Yarbrough | Tagged espresso book machine, judith schwartz, the therapist's new clothes |
By Shannon Yarbrough on May 15, 2010
The subtitle of Marc Zirogiannis’s book is A Guide to Life Outside the Asylum. I admit it was this subtitle that immediately caught my interest. After reading the preview, I decided to to commit to reading the full book. The manuscript is packed into only 78 pages, which is a bit unfortunate because there is a lot of good material here which I believe the author could build upon in order to give us a more full bodied story.
Posted in Biography/Memoir, Educational, Self-help/Motivational, Shannon Yarbrough | Tagged lessons from 1 north, marc zirogiannis, motivational book, psychiatric book, suicide help book |
By Shannon Yarbrough on February 21, 2010
Joseph Pfeiffer’s book has been on my reading list since he queried us last December. After reading it, I’d love to save it for a Father’s Day review because the book would be very appropriate for that time, but I didn’t want to make the author wait another four months to read my review. That being said, take note of this book because it would actually make a great Father’s Day gift.
Posted in Biography/Memoir, Home/Family/Food | Tagged dad's wisdom, eyes in the rearview mirror, father book, father quotes, joseph pfeiffer |
By Shannon Yarbrough on November 14, 2009
I have to admit I haven’t always been a fan of history. And even today I find myself more intrigued by the events our history books left out, or the people of our pasts who are just as important but less celebrated. The fabulous fifties were my parent’s era, not mine. But what attracted me to Jim Chambers’ book was actually two things: the cover and the fact that it’s a personal memoir (although Jim says it’s not!) and not just a historical account.
Posted in Biography/Memoir, History, Non-Fiction, Shannon Yarbrough | Tagged 50s and 60s, 50s recollections, baby boomer book, fabulous fifties, jim chambers, recollections a baby boomer's memories of the fabulous fifties |
