Ryan North (Ottawa boy) provides a wealth of knowledge for the aspiring supervillain. Where should you build your secret base? IThis was a lot of fun.
Ryan North (Ottawa boy) provides a wealth of knowledge for the aspiring supervillain. Where should you build your secret base? Is inside an active volcano really the best spot? Should you start your own nation? What is the easiest way to bypass democracy and steal elections? How can solving the climate crisis clear a path to world domination?
I listened to this one and Ryan sounded a bit like Jeff Goldblum, so that was a nice touch. My attention waned a bit near the end when discussing the idea of shooting your dead corpse into space for any other life forms to discover after the eventual heat death of the universe. A good idea, sure, but seemed to be overexplained. Otherwise, I had a great time pocketing schemes....more
I love Alan Davies. He is one of my absolute favorites when he appears on Qi or any other British panel show, including his own (As Yet Untitled).
AlanI love Alan Davies. He is one of my absolute favorites when he appears on Qi or any other British panel show, including his own (As Yet Untitled).
Alan's story is a painful one. It is heart wrenching and I take absolutely nothing away from his experience. To go through what he did and to come out the other side is an absolute triumph.
But I can't recommend this book. To say it was a difficult listen would be an understatement (as evidenced by the fact it took me five months to get through it). It is filled with tales of psychological and sexual abuse from his absolute bastard of a father. If you can handle 5 plus hours of that, you're a stronger person than I. It was a real drudge to get through....more
A number of years ago I stumbled across Brian Earl's podcast CHRISTMAS PAST during my seemingly never-ending search for additional Christmas content. A number of years ago I stumbled across Brian Earl's podcast CHRISTMAS PAST during my seemingly never-ending search for additional Christmas content. Brian's podcast explores the long-standing traditions which make up the holiday seasons while also trying to uncover their often elusive origins. The episodes are pretty short, usually under fifteen minutes each, but pack in a wealth of information. Somewhere along the way, Brian had the idea to compile some of his research into a book. Thus, CHRISTMAS PAST: THE FASCINATING STORIES BEHIND OUR FAVORITE HOLIDAY'S TRADITIONS was born.
Like the podcast, Brian doesn't overstay his welcome. Contained within are twenty-five short chapters exploring the backstories of everything from wassail to classic Christmas movies to poinsettias and so much more. Brian does a great job in laying out each topic and through interviews with specialists, provides a broad look at each topic. Given that he has six years of work under his belt with the podcast, the book only scratches the surface of what Brian has uncovered over the years. That's not a knock on the book's depth; there is much here to learn.
For my experience, I opted for the audiobook as it seemed like the best way to experience Brian's work. It's a brief listen clocking in under five hours and one you can enjoy in bite sized sessions while doing your holiday shopping, baking or gift wrapping.
I've struggled over the years to find something like this book, one that explored the history behind my favorite time of year. Brian Earl has definitely knocked it out of the park with his book. I can only hope that given the breadth of Brian's knowledge, he opts to put out a second volume at some point in the future....more
I’m Glad My Mom Died is the memoir of child-actor-turned-author Jennette McCurdy.
It would be an understatement to say that this book is one of the hotI’m Glad My Mom Died is the memoir of child-actor-turned-author Jennette McCurdy.
It would be an understatement to say that this book is one of the hottest memoirs of 2022; and with good reason. Not only does McCurdy’s memoir tackle the curse of a brutal and unrelenting “Momager” on a child actor, but it also puts a spotlight on the immense importance of protecting one’s mental health and how, if it is left to spiral out of control, could have life-long consequences.
Throughout the book, Jennette takes the reader through her early life as a part of a dysfunctional family that was headed by a Mother who pushed Jeanette into a career she didn’t want. With a seemingly tenuous connection to the Mormon church as well as a home life that had fallen victim to her mother’s hoarding tendencies, Jennette had few opportunities to escape or feel like a child without feeling constantly overwhelmed.
Despite the very heavy subject matter, Jennette somehow managed to maintain a great sense of humor about it all. I guess at some points, all you can do is laugh. There are moments that while absolutely traumatic, are completely absurd with one in particular forcing me to pick my jaw up off the floor.
Before I picked this up, I can’t say I knew a lot about Jennette. Her 2007 breakout role on Disney Channel’s iCarly happened to be a sitcom geared toward a younger generation, therefore it was not on my radar. That said, it’s not like Hollywood ever seems to change regardless of the age we’re focusing on given the mental abuse she sustained during her career.
I listened to this one rather than read it. After several positive experiences with celebrities reading their own stories, I think that may be my preferred method for memoirs moving forward. Given that this was a one-woman show before becoming a book, Jennette’s performance was raw and unflinching. I applaud her ability to tell her own story – warts and all – when most may shy away from such dreadful experiences.
Jennette McCurdy’s story is an important one. The long-term effects brought about by unwanted fame and years of abuse require excruciating work to unravel and sort through on her part and McCurdy’s ability to come out on the other side is nothing short of inspiring....more
I’ve always been somewhat indifferent to Martin Short. Sure, he’s popped up in a few movies I’ve enjoyed (Three Amigos is a classic) as well as the abI’ve always been somewhat indifferent to Martin Short. Sure, he’s popped up in a few movies I’ve enjoyed (Three Amigos is a classic) as well as the absolutely hilarious SCTV, but it wasn’t until his new show, Only Murders In The Building, that I realized how much I enjoyed seeing him on screen. I was looking for a new audiobook and his 2014 memoir, I MUST SAY, popped up in my recommendations page on Audible. It came with a lot of great reviews, so I figured, why not?
I’m glad I took a chance on this one as it is excellent. The audiobook performance is so good, I can’t imagine recommending any one read the physical book over listening to it. If there is a passage or a chapter detailing the creation of one of his popular SCTV or SNL character, Short performs as the character and gets into the little nuances of how he came to craft their odd voices and expressions. Many of Short’s characters happen to also be singers, so you get to hear him perform full songs that were just printed lyrics in the book (this is especially great when Short talks of his annual Christmas party).
Martin has led an interesting life and his love of performing began at a young age. Growing up, his favorite artist was Frank Sinatra, which he admits is a very odd choice for a kid in the 50s. Years later, when he was able to actually meet Frank, the story made me laugh out loud in the middle of the grocery store. As the book moves on, Short goes through his years performing in live theatre before getting his break with Second City. His tumultuous relationship with former girlfriend Gilda Radner is explored before he would ultimately meet the love of his life, Nancy Dolman.
I loved reading about his relationships with Steve Martin, Eugene Levy, and Tom Hanks, among others. There were so many great anecdotes that either had me full out laughing or carrying a wide grin on my face. His hit-and-miss relationship with Hollywood brought about many great stories about success and a few hilarious ones about failures (1994s Clifford is a baffling one).
The heart and soul of the book however surrounds Martin and Nancy’s thirty year marriage. She was by his side during some of the most frantic years of his life and he often leaned on her for advice when he struggled to keep his thoughts straight. Short recounts, in emotionally devastating detail, Nancy’s courageous battle with cancer – one she would ultimately lose in 2010. Martin writes so beautifully of his departed wife and there were more than a few moments where my eyes watered up as she fought hard against such overwhelming odds.
I MUST SAY is one of the better celebrity memoirs I’ve read in quite some time. It’s full of wonderful personal triumphs, and professional highs and lows met with humility and self-deprecating humor. Martin Short has lived a fascinating life in the public space and with his success on Only Murders In The Building only continuing to grow, it shows he isn’t about to stop....more
In 2016, former Office writer and Parks and Rec co-creator Michael Schur launched his newest television show, The Good Place. The Good Place follows aIn 2016, former Office writer and Parks and Rec co-creator Michael Schur launched his newest television show, The Good Place. The Good Place follows a group of people who due to a clerical error, after dying, end up in “the good place”. Rather than be shipped off to “the bad place”, the four characters attempt to become better people in hopes to earn their spots in paradise.
During the development of the show and over the course of fifty episodes, Schur and The Good Place writing staff would examine the endlessly contradictory scope of moral and ethical philosophy. Through this journey, Schur found the time to write a book about his research. With HOW TO BE PERFECT, he attempts to provide the correct answer to every moral question.
How do I even review this one? There is a lot of information here detailing various philosophers throughout history and their own unique viewpoint on how to live a moral and ethical life. To be honest, much of it just kind of washed over me. That’s not to say it wasn’t valuable information or that it didn’t entertain me from beginning to end, it’s just.. a lot. Schur knows this and tries his best to condense everything into concise chapters with questions like:
Should I punch my friend in the face for no reason? Should I tell my friend their shirt is ugly before their big job interview? Should I take three pieces of cheese from this cheese tray that Is clearly marked one per customer? Can I still enjoy art if it is made by terrible people?
These questions are then broken down and viewed through the lens of philosophers like Aristotle, Immanuel Kant, Albert Camus and many others. Schur notes that attempting to work through all the correct ways to react to every question and situation would most likely lead to a phrase he’s coined as “moral exhaustion.” It is difficult enough to try and do what is right most times, especially when the other option is usually much easier and far lazier. If you try and do the right thing 100% of the time, it is likely that you’ll end up like the TV show’s titular character Chidi Anagonye, hopelessly paralyzed and unable to make even the simplest decision. What this book does is allows you to make not only moral decisions but those that you can live with.
I am a big, big fan of The Good Place and consider it in terms of consistency one of the best TV shows from start to finish. It is hilarious, heartwarming, heartbreaking and hopeful. So even though I was already excited to read it, my interest increased tenfold when I saw that Schur brought in the show’s cast to help him narrate the audiobook. Interspersed between chapters and subjects is The Good Place’s delightful score which in turn adds another enjoyable layer to an already engaging listen.
Micheal Schur isn’t pretending to be an expert on the subject of moral philosophy (he shudders to think of the reactions of true philosophical scholars), but what he produced here I believe is good enough for the average person. Although the subject matter does get bogged down at times, it isn’t long until Schur comes up for air with a joke or hilarious anecdote. Definitely pick this one up and please consider the audiobook. I can’t imagine reading the book alone will provide as rich an experience....more
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