Siddhartha by Hermann Hess

December 3, 2020 By Leave a Comment


Siddhartha by Hermann Hess
Publisher: New Directions
Genre: Non-fiction, inspirational
Rating: 4.5 stars
Reviewed by Lavender

This classic novel of self-discovery has inspired generations of seekers. With parallels to the enlightenment of the Buddha, Hesse’s Siddhartha is the story of a young Brahmn’s quest for the ultimate reality. His quest takes him from the extremes of indulgent sensuality to the rigors of ascetism and self-denial. At last he learns that wisdom cannot be taught–it must come from one’s own experience and inner struggle. Steeped in the tenets of both psychoanalysis and Eastern mysticism, Siddhartha presents a strikingly original view of man and culture, and the arduous process of self-discovery that leads to reconciliation, harmony and peace. Considered to be a classic of 20th-century fiction, Hesse’s most celebrated work reflects his lifelong studies of Oriental myth and religion.

This philosophical book deals with a man’s journey of finding himself, written in novel form. It was written in the early 1920s, published in the U.S. in the 1950s and became a story with influence in the sixties.

Siddhartha wants to know the meaning of life, of his (everyone’s) existence, and he goes out there experimenting with different ways of life. Early on, he joins a group of those who turn away from society and abstain from all the things that make life comfortable. He learns some things and makes a stop toward his spiritual progress, but something is still missing.

Interestingly, he goes out into the real world with nothing but the clothes on his back. He’s intelligent and works his way up in the world, finally becoming a man of means. He even has a beautiful lover. By the time his hair turns gray, he decides he has more to learn and gives it all up. He goes to lead a simple life with a man, the ferryman of the very important river.

The ferryman is spiritually advanced, and Siddhartha learns a thing or two from him. This story is rich in literary figures of speech such as metaphors, similes and the like. It is beautifully written, and its symbolism gives readers much to ponder. The river is itself a character, and as Siddhartha finds himself, the river comes into play.

It is a short book that allows readers to get inside the story. Entertaining, it is also filled with profound meaning. Even though Buddhism is the faith of choice here, the book has much to say to anyone.

Filed Under: Non-Fiction, Reviews Tagged With: , , , ,

Let’s Spend the Night Together by Pamela Des Barres

December 1, 2020 By Leave a Comment


Let’s Spend the Night Together by Pamela Des Barres
Publisher: Chicago Review Press
Genre: Memoir, Non-Fiction
Rating: 4 stars
Reviewed by Nymphaea

This intimate account of 24 legendary groupies reveals what went on behind the closed doors of rock stars from Elvis to Marilyn Manson. Consisting of Pamela Des Barres’s revealing interviews with and profiles of other supergroupies, this book offers firsthand glimpses into the backstage world of rock stars and the women who loved them. The groupies—such as Tura Satana, Miss Japan Beautiful, who taught Elvis how to dance; Cassandra Peterson (Mistress of the Dark), who tangled with Tom Jones in Sin City; Cynthia Plaster Caster, who redefined the art of Jimi Hendrix; and Miss B., who revealed Kurt Cobain’s penchant for lip gloss and panty hose—tell tales that go well beyond an account of a one-night stand to become a part of music history.

There are those who attend to see the band and those who want to see the music. These girls and a guy want to feel it.

Okay, I can see how the title of this book and the general theme might seem naughty. I’m sure there are more than a few naughty moments. They’re described in the book! But this book isn’t all scandal and naughty. I promise. This is the collection of stories of people who didn’t just follow the band because they liked the music or they wanted to bed a star. These are the ones who wanted to help make the band who they ended up being.

I can see where this might be seen as a smoothed-over way to describe these people. They’re groupies, so they must want to do everything with the star. I’m sure they do, but each story proves there is more to the story than just getting down with it. There are people who genuinely love the music and want the band to be their best. They want the band at ease.

And there might have been plaster involved.

Shrugs.

It’s still a fun read and good for an afternoon when it’s chilly outside. Give this one a shot. I recommend it.

Filed Under: Non-Fiction, Other, Reviews Tagged With: , , , , ,

Shrill by Lindy West

November 26, 2020 By Leave a Comment


Shrill by Lindy West
Publisher: Hachette Books
Genre: Non-Fiction, Memoir, Contemporary
Rating: 4 stars
Reviewed by Nymphaea

Shrill is an uproarious memoir, a feminist rallying cry in a world that thinks gender politics are tedious and that women, especially feminists, can’t be funny.

Coming of age in a culture that demands women be as small, quiet, and compliant as possible — like a porcelain dove that will also have sex with you — writer and humorist Lindy West quickly discovered that she was anything but.

From a painfully shy childhood in which she tried, unsuccessfully, to hide her big body and even bigger opinions; to her public war with stand-up comedians over rape jokes; to her struggle to convince herself, and then the world, that fat people have value; to her accidental activism and never-ending battle royale with Internet trolls, Lindy narrates her life with a blend of humor and pathos that manages to make a trip to the abortion clinic funny and wring tears out of a story about diarrhea.

With inimitable good humor, vulnerability, and boundless charm, Lindy boldly shares how to survive in a world where not all stories are created equal and not all bodies are treated with equal respect, and how to weather hatred, loneliness, harassment, and loss, and walk away laughing. Shrill provocatively dissects what it means to become self-aware the hard way, to go from wanting to be silent and invisible to earning a living defending the silenced in all caps.

There is beauty in pain and healing. There is beauty in blunt honesty. This book has all three and so much more.

Lindy West is a big girl. She makes no bones about the fact she’s not small and will never will be. I liked her blunt honesty. It was nice to read a book where the heroine isn’t apologizing for being big. She’s just herself. The writing flowed well and kept my interest. I wanted to keep reading even when I had other things that needed to be done.

Now be warned, there is a section on rape and rape jokes. This won’t be for everyone. It won’t be. But she’s explaining her view and her thoughts. Comedy and jokes are in the eye of the beholder. She simply holds up the mirror to what some of us think is normal and whatever and to what other of us think are just wrong. I liked that she was willing to discuss the difference.

This book had funny moments, too–like when she’s talking about trying to fit in the airplane seats–not that she can’t fit, but the struggle being real and how she deals with it. There are moments that are just gut-wrenching–like when she defends herself against those who feel rape jokes are funny and should be told. She tries to get those finding the humor to see another side of the argument. Unfortunately, she ends up being the victim of internet trolls. I like how it empowered her. Many of us have been trolled and some want to hide. She doesn’t. She doesn’t take each one head-on, but she doesn’t let them win, either. It was refreshing, while being sad, too.

If you’re looking for a very meta book, then this might be the one for you.

Filed Under: Non-Fiction, Other, Reviews Tagged With: , , , , ,

I’m With the Band by Pamela Des Barres

November 25, 2020 By Leave a Comment


I’m With the Band by Pamela Des Barres
Publisher: Chicago Review Press
Genre: Non-Fiction, Memoir
Rating: 4 stars
Reviewed by Nymphaea

The stylish, exuberant, and remarkably sweet confession of one of the most famous groupies of the 1960s and 70s is back in print in this new edition that includes an afterword on the author’s last 15 years of adventures. As soon as she graduated from high school, Pamela Des Barres headed for the Sunset Strip, where she knocked on rock stars’ backstage doors and immersed herself in the drugs, danger, and ecstasy of the freewheeling 1960s. Over the next 10 years she had affairs with Mick Jagger, Jimmy Page, Keith Moon, Waylon Jennings, Chris Hillman, Noel Redding, and Jim Morrison, among others. She traveled with Led Zeppelin; lived in sin with Don Johnson; turned down a date with Elvis Presley; and was close friends with Robert Plant, Gram Parsons, Ray Davies, and Frank Zappa. As a member of the GTO’s, a girl group masterminded by Frank Zappa, she was in the thick of the most revolutionary renaissance in the history of modern popular music. Warm, witty, and sexy, this kiss-and-tell–all stands out as the perfect chronicle of one of rock ‘n’ roll’s most thrilling eras.

She’s been with the band…and then some.

With a flower name like Nymphaea, it’s just kismet that I would find this book. That, and I love rock and roll history. I picked this book up because it was recommended to me as a rock story to read. It’s certainly something.

The writing is unique in that it’s not a writer’s book. It’s written in a very friend-to-friend style. Like you’re talking to a friend and getting the juicy gossip. There are little bits about a lot of people in the music business, but this isn’t a nasty tell-all. It’s honestly not. Are all the stories real? I don’t know. But at least the author doesn’t trash anyone while she’s writing about them. It’s like she’s telling me about her friends and her life. I guess that’s what I liked about this book the most. It feels real.

If you’re looking for something salacious, then this might not be what you want, but if you’re interested in a book about rock and roll with a person who is a survivor, then this might be the one for you. Check it out!

Filed Under: Non-Fiction, Reviews Tagged With: , , , , ,

Grace Hopper: Queen of Computer Code by Laurie Wallmark

November 16, 2020 By Leave a Comment


Grace Hopper: Queen of Computer Code by Laurie Wallmark
Volume 1 – People Who Shaped Our World
Publisher: Sterling Children’s Books
Genre: Children’s (0 – 6 y.o.), Non-Fiction, Historical
Rating: 5 Stars
Reviewed by Astilbe

Who was Grace Hopper? A software tester, workplace jester, cherished mentor, ace inventor, avid reader, naval leader—AND rule breaker, chance taker, and troublemaker. Acclaimed picture book author Laurie Wallmark (Ada Byron Lovelace and the Thinking Machine) once again tells the riveting story of a trailblazing woman. Grace Hopper coined the term “computer bug” and taught computers to “speak English.” Throughout her life, Hopper succeeded in doing what no one had ever done before. Delighting in difficult ideas and in defying expectations, the insatiably curious Hopper truly was “Amazing Grace” . . . and a role model for science- and math-minded girls and boys. With a wealth of witty quotes, and richly detailed illustrations, this book brings Hopper’s incredible accomplishments to life.

Just about anything is possible if you work hard enough at it.

Grace lived in an era when prejudice against women prevented many of them from achieving their goals. This book acknowledged that while also showing how this specific woman never stopped trying to push the limits of what society thought were acceptable subjects for her to study and projects for her to work on once she graduated and began putting her schooling to use. She simply refused to accept the artificial limitations placed on her due to her gender no matter what anyone said. I found that admirable and thought it was exactly the right way to approach this topic for young readers.

Not everything Grace tried to do was successful at first, of course. Failures happen to everyone eventually, and even more often for folks who are trying something completely new. Seeing how she reacted to those many setbacks only made me like her even more. Her attitude in those difficult moments showed the audience who she really was as a human being, and it also made her a great role model for readers of all ages.

Some of my favorite portions of this picture book were the ones that told funny stories about Grace’s life. She defied people’s expectations of her from a very early age, and that sometimes lead to her saying or doing things that nobody could have predicted. One of them involved clocks of all things, and the rest will be even more amusing if new readers don’t know a thing about them in advance. She had a wonderful personality that shone through at its brightest during these moments.

Anyone who enjoys using a computer or accessing the Internet should check out Grace Hopper: Queen of Computer Code to see how these things became possible.

Filed Under: Non-Fiction, Reviews, YA/Middle Grade/Children's Tagged With: , , , , ,

Be My Baby by Ronnie Spector

November 10, 2020 By Leave a Comment


Be My Baby by Ronnie Spector
How I Survived Mascara Miniskirts and Madness, or My Life as a Fabulous Ronette
Publisher: Words in Edgewise
Genre: Contemporary, Non-Fiction, Memoir
Rating: 4.5 stars
Reviewed by Nymphaea

Pop legend Ronnie Spector reveals the story of her dreamlike rise from the streets of Harlem to the pinnacle of rock stardom as lead singer of the Ronettes, and her nightmare descent into madness as the wife of Phil Spector, the pop hitmaker who kept her a virtual prisoner behind the locked doors of his darkened Beverly Hills mansion. Ronnie’s escape from that ordeal, and her subsequent struggle to regain her voice, her career, and her sanity, provide an emotional climax to this smart, funny, and inspiring autobiography, named by Rolling Stone as one of “The Top 25 Rock Memoirs of All Time.”

Now available for the first time as an eBook, this new digital edition of Be My Baby is a fan’s dream come true. Featuring 75 stunning black and white and color photographs from Ronnie’s personal collection—many appearing in print for the first time—this fully indexed eBook also includes a thoroughly updated discography with the most complete survey of Ronnie’s recording career ever published.

Talk about going through the fire and coming out the other side.

Ronnie Spector is so much more than a Ronette, but until I read this book, I had no idea. First, this book is very much in Ronnie’s hand. It reads like talking to her personally. It’s unpretentious and honest. It feels like talking to a friend. Plus, it zips right along.

The author discusses her marriage to the famed Phil Spector, the way he treated her, his methods for keeping her in line and how he tried to manipulate her to stick around. I liked her honesty and her admittance that she was in over her head.

She also talks about her alcoholism and struggles with depression. Again, she’s blunt and honest about them. There were times when I thought, gee, this woman is lost. The baby situation comes to mind or her reliance on others is another, but the best part had to be how she managed to come back. She doesn’t totally let her issues get her down. She’s a survivor.

If you’re looking for a book that will make you gasp, cheer, tear up a bit and smile, then this might be the story for you.

Filed Under: Non-Fiction, Other, Reviews Tagged With: , , , , ,

Face It: A Memoir by Debbie Harry

November 9, 2020 By Leave a Comment


Face It: A Memoir by Debbie Harry
Publisher: Dey Street Books
Genre: Contemporary, Non-Fiction, Memoir
Rating: 4.5 stars
Reviewed by Nymphaea

BRAVE, BEAUTIFUL AND BORN TO BE PUNK

Musician, actor, activist, and the iconic face of New York City cool, Debbie Harry is the frontwoman of Blondie, a band that forged a new sound that brought together the worlds of rock, punk, disco, reggae and hip-hop to create some of the most beloved pop songs of all time. As a muse, she collaborated with some of the boldest artists of the past four decades. The scope of Debbie Harry’s impact on our culture has been matched only by her reticence to reveal her rich inner life—until now.

In an arresting mix of visceral, soulful storytelling and stunning visuals, Face It upends the standard music memoir while delivering a truly prismatic portrait. With all the grit, grime, and glory recounted in intimate detail, Face It re-creates the downtown scene of 1970s New York City, where Blondie played alongside the Ramones, Television, Talking Heads, Iggy Pop and David Bowie. Aesthetically dazzling, and including never-before-seen photographs, bespoke illustrations and fan art installations, Face It brings Debbie Harry’s world and artistic sensibilities to life.
Following her path from glorious commercial success to heroin addiction, the near-death of partner Chris Stein, a heart-wrenching bankruptcy, and Blondie’s breakup as a band to her multifaceted acting career in more than thirty films, a stunning solo career and the triumphant return of her band, and her tireless advocacy for the environment and LGBTQ rights, Face It is a cinematic story of a woman who made her own path, and set the standard for a generation of artists who followed in her footsteps—a memoir as dynamic as its subject.

Debbie Harry is blunt and this book showcases her at her best.

I have to admit I picked up this book because of the art in the middle. Yes, art. Debbie Harry showcases fan art in this book and it’s very cool to see how the fans interpreted her. Some are kid drawings and others are by adults. She’s a multifaceted person and this book shows it.
Once I poured through the art, I got down to reading. Debbie Harry is seen as one of the queens of punk and this book showcases that. She’s blunt and honest in her retellings of her life. This woman has been through a lot. She was adopted as a baby and always wondered about her parents. The story wasn’t pretty and rather depressing. At least she had a decent childhood. But still, she’s a rebel and seems like she always was. I liked how she managed to get herself through school, college and navigate the punk scene while being an independent and true to herself. She proves that you can do what you want and get what you want if you’re willing to do the work.

She talks about her relationships and her current state of affairs in plain and blunt terms that makes one feel like she’s talking to me. Like a conversation between friends. I liked it.

If you’re looking for a rock biography that’s out of the norm and breaks the rules, then this is the one to read.

Filed Under: Non-Fiction, Other, Reviews Tagged With: , , , , ,

Unsaid by Asmita Rajiv

November 9, 2020 By Leave a Comment


Unsaid by Asmita Rajiv
Publisher: Self-Published
Genre: Non-Fiction, Contemporary
Rating: 4 Stars
Reviewed by Astilbe

The fallen autumn leaf laid on the grass…

Quivering yet unafraid
completely devoid of any shame
It let the earth embrace its pain
‘cause in healing there is no shame.
When I turned the leaf over
I found my face smiling back at me
And just like that on that autumn day
I found a piece of my broken me.

‘Unsaid’ is a collection of heartfelt poetry and prose attempting to make sense of these broken pieces. It invites you to explore the subtleties of love, companionship, and self-discovery. In today’s world of never-ending chaos, the book presents a refreshing opportunity for us to pause and reflect. It is written in a way that allows us to pick up any random page on a given day, reflect upon a thought, make it our own, and then move on to the next one.

Just by listening to our hearts, we can finally let the unsaid be said.

Almost everyone has thoughts they never share with anyone.

I appreciated the way all of the poems and essays in this collection were loosely connected to each other. They certainly stood as independent works, too, but there was something special about reading all of them and looking for their similarities. Together they created a complex and thought-provoking portrait of some of the most private parts of the author’s mind. I’d never met her before, and yet I finished this with the feeling that I’d somehow made a new friend because of how much of herself Ms. Rajiv freely shared with her audience.

With that being said, there were times when the subject matter jumped around a little too much for my tastes. I’ll discuss the two main topics in a moment, but there were many other subjects the author included in her work. Some of them were mentioned once or twice while others came up over and over again. It would have been helpful for this reader to have the entries that talked about the same or similar subjects to be grouped together so that I could better know what to expect next.

Building self worth and self esteem were among the most common themes of this book. The author had clearly spent a lot of time figuring out why she struggled with these things and trying all sorts of techniques to improve her opinion of herself and her abilities. This is a topic that isn’t given enough attention, especially in poetry. It was delightful to spend so much time reading about what did and didn’t work for her as well as seeing how she took pieces of her journey and created lovely poems about them. Here is just one of the beautiful tidbits I was lucky enough to read: “The more we accept each fallen piece, the less broken we are.”

If you love self-reflective poetry, Unsaid might be right up your alley. I know I certainly enjoyed it!

Filed Under: Non-Fiction, Reviews Tagged With: , , , , ,

Feelu: Explore Your Feelings by Niloufar Shafiei

November 3, 2020 By Leave a Comment


Feelu: Explore Your Feelings by Niloufar Shafiei
Publisher: Self-Published
Genre: Children’s (0 – 6 y.o.), Non-Fiction, Contemporary
Rating: 3.5 Stars
Reviewed by Astilbe

Feelu is a fun adventure that can improve children’s mental health.
It helps children to explore their feelings and handle them in a healthy manner.
Feelu also encourages children to be kind and mindful, and to relax their bodies and minds.
It also gives suggestions for how to react to bullying.
Feelu’s goal is to spread love, kindness and happiness by promoting the mental health of all children, including those with autism and special needs.

All feelings are valid.

This picture book went into a great deal of detail about what each emotion felt like. For feelings that could sometimes be difficult or overwhelming to deal with, it also gave practical suggestions of how to respond to them. I loved seeing how in depth all of this information was, especially considering the fact that this was written for toddlers and preschoolers.

As much as I appreciated the section on bullying, this was such a complex and important topic that I thought it should have been saved for a sequel. Understanding and accepting one’s own feelings as well as the feelings of others provided more than enough fodder for this tale. It would have been nice to have a comparable number of pages dedicated to explaining to young readers what bullying is, why it’s harmful, and how victims and bystanders should react if or when it happens to them in much more detail than what was presented here.

Our world needs more kindness, acceptance, and inclusion. It was refreshing to see so many examples of characters who were all of these things and more. The warm relationships between them all made me smile, especially in the section that talked about why humans come in so many different shapes, sizes,, and abilities. Once again, the narrator gave specific examples of ways to be kind to others and help make everyone feel like they belong. That was the perfect way to approach such abstract concepts with such a young audience.

Feelu: Explore Your Feelings was a heartwarming read that I’d recommend to kids of all ages.

Filed Under: Non-Fiction, Reviews, YA/Middle Grade/Children's Tagged With: , , , , ,

October Book of the Month Poll Winner ~ Broken Dawn by Dianne Duvall

November 2, 2020 By 4 Comments


Broken Dawn by Dianne Duvall
Publisher: Self-published
Genre: Paranormal, Romance, Contemporary
Rating: 4.5 Stars
Reviewed by Xeranthemum

Voted BoM by LASR Readers 2013 copy

Nick Belanger can’t stop thinking about the single mother who lives next door. She’s smart. She’s funny. She’s so beautiful he can’t stare at her too long for fear his eyes will start to glow. But Kayla thinks he’s just an ordinary guy who works in security. Finding out he instead is a powerful immortal warrior who hunts and slays psychotic vampires for a living may not go over well, particularly since she has a daughter she doesn’t want to endanger.

Kayla Dorman can keep neither her gaze nor her thoughts from straying to the man next door. Who can blame her really? He is the epitome of tall, dark, and handsome with smart, charming, and honorable thrown in. He’s also a few years younger than her and surely would not be interested in a single mom who hasn’t dated since her divorce. At least that’s what she thinks until an accident nearly takes her life and Nick risks all to save her.

The dynamics of their relationship swiftly change. The friendship they’ve developed over the years deepens into love as the two spend every minute they can together, laughing and teasing, never suspecting a threat may lurk in the shadows. But that threat soon strikes, making it clear that Nick is the target and his enemy doesn’t care if Kayla gets caught in the cross fire. Though Kayla bravely rises to the occasion and is determined to do whatever it takes to help Nick defeat his enemy, Nick is terrified of losing her. Can he identify and eliminate his new nemesis before the man takes everything from him?

READ THE FULL REVIEW HERE.

Filed Under: Erotic Romance, Horror, Mainstream Fiction, Miscellaneous Musings, Mystery/Suspense, Non-Fiction, Other, Romance, Science Fiction/Fantasy, Uncategorized Tagged With: ,
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