As far as reading goes, here is the list I’ve read since April.
I never did read that Steve Martin biography. Although I still really want to. Here’s what I chose instead, like it or not.
“Moonwalk” by Michael Jackson (read 4/18-4/20)
I picked this up because I had just seen ‘This Is It’, the video documentary of his rehearsals for his tour in July 2009. He passed away late June 2009. I did like the book, as far as biographies go, I think. This is really the first one I’d read. Which leads me into my next book:
(Read 4/21-5/21)
A friend of mine suggested this book as the best, non-sugar coated version of any of the biographies out there about MJ. The author actually was requested by Michael many times throughout his life to cover certain events. Whether or not the author worked for the publication doing the interview or coverage. So that speaks highly of the author’s account. In comparison, I found that Moonwalk was actually Michael’s personal, non-depricating view of situations he went through. And it only went as far as the middle to late 80′s I think. The 2nd book covers up until his death and was written with so many more facts and lots more outside opinions. I left the books with a feeling of sorrow for a man no one understood. He himself didn’t understand the world around him and therefore could not understand other’s perceptions of the things he did. If you are interested at all in MJ’s life, I would suggest reading the 2nd book. If you are not interested at all, you may ignore everything you have just read! 
*************
“Where She Went” by Gayle Forman (read 5/22-5/26)
OMG! LOVED IT! LOVED IT! Such a great follow-up to “If I Stay”. I should’ve posted back in February about “If I Stay”. I would suggest these two books to everyone who enjoys YA. They are not about werewolves/vampires/angels/supernatural stuff.
Mia is a regular, albeit gifted, teenager who happens to get into a car accident with her family and becomes a type of spirit. She can see everything but of course, no one can see/feel/hear her. She is going nuts trying to figure out why she can’t move on to the next life or why she can’t go back to her body. The entire book, If I Stay, is about her struggle being a spirit after the accident. Helpless in that she can not figure out how to move beyond where she now finds herself. The sequel, Where She Went, tells us what happened to Mia and those who surrounded her, her friends and family.
I cared so much about the characters of If I Stay, that when I finished the book, not knowing there would be a sequel, I was dying to know what happened to everyone. I didn’t care if Mia lived or died. I just wanted to know what happened. Well, you do find out at the end of the 1st book what happened. And the 2nd book continues on that path, a few years later.
SUCH a great read. And not very long. I finished both books very quickly because I was so drawn in. XLNT writing and charater development. Again… if you like YA… read these!!
* * * * *
“My Booky Wook” by Russell Brand (read 5/29-6/30)
Who knows what brings us to read the things we do?? I can’t remember why I picked this up. But it’s a good book. He is so very British and you can tell by the way he writes. It was a bit hard to get through in that respect but he’s a great story teller and the story just happens to be his life. He sure has went through a lot of crap to get where he is today. You may not like him but after some of the bad blows he’s been dealt, he kinda deserves to sit up on his sober throne and revel in this luxuries.
“Booky Wook 2″ by Russell Brand (started 7/5 and still reading)
With lots going on this summer, I haven’t read as much as I have before. We all stay up til we’re tired and I go right to sleep with no reading. Again, this one is very British in lingo so it’s hard to make it smoothly through. It’s been a month and I’m still not halfway through it yet. I do like it. Just not taking time to read every night.
I don’t even recall knowing much about him at all. I mean, even though he was becoming famous, I had no idea who he was or where he came from when he hosted the VMA’s on Mtv a few years ago. It’s so odd to know this guy was out there in front of my face but I never saw him. I guess because I am watching Nick Jr/Sprout TV/Hub/Disney. Not MTV and the like.
Anyway… interesting guy. He’s done some funny movies now. Married Katy Perry. Clean and Sober for at least 9 yrs now. He can even sing very well, as evidenced by the band Infant Sorrow and the CD “Get Him To The Greek”, a strictly promotional CD for the movie of the same name. It’s an excellent cd, if you like explicit, british, literal lyrics. It’s pure fun and I smile and laugh every time I listen to it.
My review of these books is basically… if you want to learn about him, you will be able to sit through the “brititsh-ness” of the writing. It’s not something I’d recommend for a casual read.
