nicolejoy

Inherently Sparkly

Revisado: 11-08-18

Ms Philips writes with all her sparkly heart, and it shows! Even when her heart is breaking, and what leaks out is pain - the type of pain many women can relate to... Adolescence. Arizona. Hollywood. Parenthood. Marriage. Even some mental illness (depression).

Beyond her relatable honesty, Ms Philips writes believably well. She reads with her heart in her throat - her voice breaking as she recites the hard parts, and then can change to become uplifting and hopeful in the same breath. Aware of the emotional darkness we all visit at some time or another, some for longer or less than others; but with every word, I hear her fighting it, trying to fill the void with her bright and sparkling light. Telling her story but trying so hard to let us know that she may not always be alright, but she is trying - and it is enough.

I bought this book because I liked Ms Philips' character on Cougartown; I was expecting a flight of fancy, some light autobiographical reading that would be funny and endearing like Tina Fey's Bossypants or Amy Schumer's "The Girl with the Lower Back Tattoo" - which both also had some heartbreaking parts... But don't we all? Ms Philips tells her own story with the same beauty and strength as many authors before, and gives it that extra personal touch, narrating for herself to relive a history that at times was clearly difficult.

This book wasnt light-hearted or very funny; but it didnt need to be. Her gave me so much more hope than the lightly distracting novel I was expecting.

Thank you for sharing, Ms Philips. I will likely never meet or talk to the actor in person to thank her. I hope this was enough to convey just a fraction of the inspiration and strength her story gave me.

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Enjoy biology class? Me neither. This changed that

Revisado: 01-26-17

Would you listen to I Contain Multitudes again? Why?

I've listened to this book five times in two months, despite it being one of hundreds in my Audible library. I come back to this book again and again. The narrator's voice is a big part of it; his tone and actual voice itself is soothing but inspiring, keeping me interested despite how my attention wants to wander. The writing is symbiotic with the vocal narration (it's a pun you'll get once you've heard it). The writing is, simply, amazing. I listen to memoirs all the time among a lot of fiction, and downloaded this after seeing it on a booklist for "Best Science Books to Actually Learn Something" - and couldn't agree more. There is only one other book I recommend listening to if you enjoy this and that's "Lab Girl" by Hope... I love memoirs, but what I love more is learning invaluable facts that technically I learned in high school and as early as middle grades, but had forgotten or not learned well enough at those times until these books came along. I understand so much more than I ever did back then.

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Amazing.

Revisado: 01-26-17

If you could sum up On the Move in three words, what would they be?

Finding an identity.

What other book might you compare On the Move to and why?

There are a few biographies I could compare On the Move to, but it stands alone in blatant (often embarrassing) honesty. There are hints of David Sedaris, but more than anything it recalls to me biographies on old presidents and their family, like the Kennedy's... While he isn't presidential material himself as represented in the book, I think the way he describes himself and the events are sometimes very or equally regal.

What about Dan Woren’s performance did you like?

The voice was right for the reading. Emotional where needed.

Did you have an extreme reaction to this book? Did it make you laugh or cry?

There were parts that made me laugh and brought me close to tears simultaneously, because I could strongly identify with a lot of his memories... Not anywhere near alike in situation or circumstance, but his descriptions that brought humor to fairly negative reviews, and his struggle with social anxiety and normalcy, and was successful almost as if inspite of himself... I loved it.

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Meh...

Revisado: 01-26-17

Would you listen to West of Hell Omnibus Edition again? Why?

Parts felt like a TWD fan fiction but other parts were original and well-written and well-read. I'm only 8 of 9.so many hours in but finally felt confident that I know where the story is going to end to write a review. May update if I'm surprised.
*I like how it all tied in.
*This author pays attention to plot holes and giving a couple subtle variations to fill such without outright giving it away - he believes his target audience is intelligent enough to get it, and that's flattering after reading many novelists whose writing would suggest otherwise
*As a fan of many Wyatt Earp fictions, and modern mystery and suspense, I appreciate how likeable the main characters are. Slightly flawed but end up being their strengths (interpret how you will but that isn't a spoiler)
*As a fan of similar genres and, I suspect, certain comics, a lot of the plot became evident/predictable very quickly, which is the ONLY reason this isn't 5 stars - but that's a personal rating and think most readers would/will rate it 5* or higher :)
*Actually the 4-star rating is also greatly due to the narrator, who was good... but I wanted a deep Southern accent (in my head) or at least a nasal old Chicago tone, so was disappointed at his monotony; which leant itself agreeably to certain turns of phrases, but was overall a disappointment. Pleasing voice, but wouldn't suggest for this genre again. For comparison, I'd suggest a celebrity like ... that guy in 2013's True Grit (just blanked on his name) ... That one actor, you know. He's in a lot of old Westerns, but not like John Wayne-old....
This is a long review, is anyone still reading this?

Who was your favorite character and why?

Karen. I pictured her as "Karen" from Will and Grace, and it made the whole thing really great for me. Also Karen is my favorite character from Will and Grace....

Have you listened to any of Robert Martinez’s other performances before? How does this one compare?

Not sure but he has a great "Discovery Channel" voice. Don't recommend for narrating Westerns, but in the right genre would do well.

If you could take any character from West of Hell Omnibus Edition out to dinner, who would it be and why?

That kid they forgot about fighting for at some point. RIP Steven (Stephen?) maybe...

Any additional comments?

Covered in first question.

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Loved it

Revisado: 06-05-16

My husband is born-in-America, half-Irish, half-Chinese, adopted. I didn't buy this for him or to learn about his ancestors' culture but it did play a little influence on why it caught my attention. I've always wanted to travel but have 3 kids - so I listen to a lot of travel books.
I loved how he easily slipped between English and mandarin, how he described some of the layout and his interactions with locals. He didn't get too political and yet he still gave me an idea of what part communism plays in China. There were super educational bits like the Hakas slipped in there, in a way that it doesn't feel like learning yet you do. Listening to Eddie was like listening to a really cool teacher from back in my high school days - the type that gets how not everyone learns in the same way, and sometimes if you just slip facts in there they'll stick better. It was amazing.

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esto le resultó útil a 5 personas