Laughing IS Conceivable: One Woman's Extremely Funny Peek into the Extremely Unfunny World of Infertility: Lori Shandle-Fox

"This little ebook was written by a humor writer and former stand-up comic while she was in the shoes of her one fertility treatments -- uncertain of the outcome.  It has been downloaded by 1000s of fertility patients and professionals who believe that, even in this overwhelming, emotionally, mentally, financially, & physically draining time in a person's life, laughter really is the best medicine."


***I FINALLY get to post this review!  I originally wrote it on 12/18/17 and now, on 6/7/2019, I am finally allowed to post it!  When I read this book about a year-and-a-half ago, I had no idea I'd have to postpone this review for such a long time.  I picked it up right after we were told that the next step in our fertility process was IVF...and I was devastated.  I felt so broken, so useless, and so lost.  Why was conceiving no problem for so many and yet I was "unworthy"?  I was desperate (as was my husband) to find some way to cope with this all while maintaining the level of privacy I/we wanted to maintain throughout this infertility process.  This book is marketed to women in my situation.  Re-reading my review below, I didn't seem all that impressed.  I think, perhaps, I wasn't in a very receptive place (I was just downright angry and miserable), or maybe it was because I hadn't actually begun my own IVF process yet.  We didn't start prepping until early 2018 for what would turn into 2 IVF egg retrieval cycles.  Recalling what I do about this book, I think I would have appreciated some of it a lot more had I been going through IVF -- I don't know if I would have cracked up like some of the other readers did, but maybe I would have connected on a different level.  The book did do one thing:  it helped me not feel so alone.  I wasn't the only woman suffering through this and I won't be the last.  If you're more of a private person (like myself) and/or you don't have anyone close to you with whom you can share this experience or who can connect with you, then this is a good place to start.  It may help you feel just a little less lost and a little less hopeless.  Here is what I wrote back in 2017:

I’m planning on keeping this review private for the foreseeable future, mostly because reviewing this short book is a very personal revelation.  I picked up a little postcard advertising this book while in the waiting room at my fertility doctor’s office.  My husband and I have been trying to conceive since our wedding 1.5 years ago, but no luck.  I had a surprise PCOS diagnosis 1 year ago and, after countless tests, a surgery, monitoring, and numerous procedures, still no luck.  The last couple of months have been particularly stressful and painful for me and it seems only to be getting worse.  My poor, distraught husband has asked me to speak to someone about our difficulties in the hopes that it would make me feel better – for many reasons, I/we have decided to keep these issues private, if only to save ourselves from having to discuss every individual failure each and every time.  I feel it’s a very private matter and it’s no one else’s business.  Anyway, this book is supposed to be geared toward women in my situation; it’s marketed as having a sense of humor about the whole issue of infertility and all the crap we have to go through just to try to accomplish something our female bodies are supposed to do naturally.  Speaking first-hand, I can say this is a very personal, very raw, very difficult topic.  I was hoping that this book would do exactly what it was intended to do:  add some levity to the very serious and often heartbreaking situation of infertility.

This was a very quick read – much quicker than I thought it would be…I read it in less than 24 hours.  It was easy to read and well-organized.  While I found my mouth twitching at some of the scenarios and I highlighted several very relatable passages, it was not the crack-me-up, laugh-out-loud book I was hoping for.  Reading reviews on Amazon, it seems like the reviews are, for the most part, on very opposite sides of this spectrum.  People either cried from laughing so much, or they found it boring and filled with complaints rather than anything helpful or uplifting.  I am one of the rare middle-gounders.  I can sincerely appreciate what the author was trying to do.  It was reassuring to know I wasn’t alone in this (though I knew I never actually was, it was a way of seeing into someone else’s journey without feeling nosey or having to explain my own issues to put us on equal ground).  I didn’t crack up.  I think the closest I got was a small chuckle.  I think this could have been a much longer book; especially because it seemed like the author underwent a lot of treatment.  I get that it’s her choice to include as many or as few of her experiences as she wants, but I was given the impression that the book, itself, would have been longer.  I think it would have been more “helpful” had it been longer because she could have included more of her trials.  Maybe that’s just me.

Would I recommend this book?  I suppose.  I can see how it might help some women/people going through similar situations.  It does remind you that you're not alone, you're not the only one experiencing these feelings and this pain, but I did not experience the same solace other readers felt.  I say give it a go if you want!  Who knows?  Maybe it'll help you more than it helped me.  Happy reading (and good luck to all)!

Sagan: My World: Peter Sagan

“If there are a hundred riders at the start of a race, there will be a hundred stories told at the end.  Mine is a story about wearing the UCI Rainbow Jersey three years in a row.  That’s something you can only hear from me.

“From 2015 to 2017, Peter Sagan achieved the seemingly impossible:  He won three UCI World Championships in a row, ensuring his entry into the history books as one of the greatest riders of all time.

“But Peter doesn’t just win.  He entertains.  Every moment in the saddle is an opportunity to express his personality, from no-hands wheelies on the slopes of Mont Ventoux to press-conference mischief with clamoring journalists.  Peter exudes a passion for the sport and a lovable desire to bring smiles to the faces of his fans.

“What motivates the man they call the Tourminator?  How does he approach a sprint?  What’s his take on the other guys in the peloton?  With unwavering honesty and characteristic humor, My World reveals the man who has lit up the world of professional cycling.”

I’ve been woefully behind in my reviewing…  This book was actually a February read!  Life is starting to calm down in some ways, but it’s picking up in others – we’ll see how that bodes for my reading/reviewing schedule.  For now:  The long-delayed review.

I received this book as a holiday gift from my husband’s aunt out in California.  She and I have a similar passion for professional road cycling (and I’ve been trying to make it out to visit her for the Tour of California for several years now…alas…it has never quite worked out).  I fell in love with the sport in 2010 when I moved to Charlotte, NC.  My uncle has loved it for years and is an avid amateur cyclist, himself.  He showed me my first stage of Le Tour de France and took me to my first spin class.  A couple of years ago I finally purchased my first real road bike and boy did I put it to good use.  I’ve yet to ride a race or with a group, but I love the thrill of it.  In order to truly appreciate the sport, you have to fully comprehend just how much cyclists put their bodies through.  My husband (lover of American football and hockey) will disagree with me, but I fully believe that cyclists are some of the world’s most elite athletes.  They constantly push their bodies past breaking points; they test physical, mental, technological, and emotional limits; they hurt themselves on agonizing race days and pick themselves up to do it all over again the next morning; they ride with broken limbs and shoulders and even backs.  This is not just a sport or a passion:  this is their life.  There’s no true lengthy off-season for them unless they decide to remove themselves from the sport entirely because there’s almost always a race somewhere around the world or some sort of different training or conditioning to be done.  This leads me to one of my favorite riders:  Peter Sagan of Slovakia.  He’s a three-time UCI World Champion.  He’s won stage after stage of Le Tour de France, taken home the Green Jersey for sprint points on several occasions, and won a significant number of other races and accolades.  He’s a jokester, one of the most entertaining (and exciting!) riders to watch in this sport, and he’s also one of the most decorated.  Not to mention he’s my age – it blows my mind that he’s accomplished all of this before the age of thirty.  When I heard Sagan was putting out a book detailing his unprecedented sequence of years in the revered Rainbow Jersey, I couldn’t wait to read it.  I was even more excited when I realized that there was no co-author.  When I began reading, I could hear Sagan’s sense of humor and passion – notes of which I’ve witnessed in various interviews and the like over the years.

I knew what I thought was a fair amount about Sagan from my years of watching him ride the Grand Tours.  What I didn’t know was just how he’d struggled in his early years and how much he and his brother (also a professional cyclist worth his own salt) owed to their dedicated father.  They grew up in a country with little to no support for a youth cycling circuit.  When faced against other European countries, theirs looked like a ragtag bunch.  Still, Sagan persevered and knew that he loved the sport and he could be damn good at it.

We get to witness a side of professional racing that isn’t often covered in media:  the behind the scenes with the politics of owning, forming, and running a team, coupled with attempting to decide just who would be the “leader.”  (For those of you who aren’t big cycling fans it may be strange to know that cycling is BOTH an individual and a team sport AT THE SAME TIME.  Teammates will sacrifice themselves to get their leader or sprinter into a good position for points or a stage win, but there are instances where the plans may change if someone else has a clearly better shot.  Sagan details all of this in a much better way than I ever could.  If you’re ever curious, I highly recommend watching a few stages of Le Tour this year – the commentary is usually excellent and very beginner-friendly.)  For the most part, teams are comprised of riders from all over the world.  There are language barriers, culture differences, and clashing egos.  The same goes for the support staff (the sometimes dozens of people who train, manage, transport, support, etc. the riders).  This can lead to some volatile situations and difficult decisions.  I found this insight to be particularly interesting coming from Sagan’s point of view.  He manages to delve deeply into this hidden side of the professional cycling world while still maintaining his happy persona.  Not once does he attack anyone and, in fact, he seems to like (or at least respect) just about every single person he discusses.  I was especially impressed with his views on other riders.  He remained very diplomatic and had something complimentary about every single rider he mentioned – even Cavendish.  Those of you who do watch the sport will know all about Sagan’s controversial expulsion from Le Tour de France a few years ago after a sprint collision between Sagan and another well-known sprinter from the Isle of Man, Cavendish.  I encourage you to look up the footage (it shouldn’t be too hard to find).  I had my own personal opinions on the incident, but I was extremely excited to read Sagan’s point of view.  His take was straightforward and, to my surprise, he wasn’t bitter toward Cavendish at all (I’ll leave my personal opinions about this out).  I found it extremely admirable – especially when the media and frustrated cycling teams/fans definitely made an enormous deal out of the situation (and they’re not wrong).

I feel like this review has strayed a bit from a review of a book and more into an account of my love for cycling and how impressed I am with Sagan.  What this really boils down to are the facts that I enjoyed reading this book, I loved all the insight and personal jokes, and I had a lot of fun seeing a more personal side of a very, very popular cyclist.  This book humanized him and made me even more impressed with the man and athlete that he is.  There really are a hundred stories in a hundred-man road race and Sagan makes it very clear that these are just his own experiences, his own time in the saddle.

Parts of the book do jump around a bit, though they do, for the most part, circle back fairly well.  It reads less like a structured nonfiction book and more like a stream of consciousness in which there’s somehow an underlying tie-in to it all in each chapter, you just may not see it yet.  I feel the included pictures were a great touch for a book written by a man with as much vivacity, humor, and tenacity as Sagan.

If you’re a lover of cycling, then this is a must-read.  You get some very interesting personal stories and glimpses into the ins and outs of the sport.  It’s fairly quick and easy to read because it rings of Sagan’s easygoing attitude.  It definitely doesn’t take itself too seriously (read the book and you’ll get the inside joke there).  If you know nothing about cycling or have some vague notions, then there are probably some terms or races you’ll have to research and the structure of the sport may be a bit beyond you; however, I have faith that Sagan’s personality will help draw you in and, perhaps, even make you a fan of cycling, too.  This book is clearly not written by a professional author, but I think that makes it pretty charming.

Mrs. Sherlock Holmes: The True Story of New York City's Greatest Female Detective and the 1917 Missing Girl Case That Captivated a Nation: Brad Ricca

“IN 1917, ON THE DAY BEFORE VALENTINE’S DAY, EIGHTEEN-YEAR-OLD RUTH CRUGER DISAPPEARED. WHEN THE POLICE GAVE UP, A MYSTERIOUS WOMAN IN BLACK VOWED TO FIND HER…

“Mrs. Sherlock Holmestells the true story of Grace Humiston, the detective and lawyer who turned her back on New York society life to become one of the nation’s greatest crime fighters during an era when women were rarely involved with investigations.  After agreeing to take the sensational Cruger case, Grace and her partner, the hardboiled detective Julius J. Kron, navigated a dangerous web of secret boyfriends, twofaced cops, underground tunnels, rumors of white slavery, and a mysterious pale man, in a desperate race against time.

“Grace’s motto ‘Justice for those of limited means’ led her to strange cases all over the world. From defending an innocent giant on death row to investigating an island in Arkansas with a terrible secret, from warring halls of Congress to a crumbling medieval tower in Italy, Grace solved crimes in between shopping at Bergdorf Goodman and being marked for death by the sinister Black Hand.  Grace was appointed the first female U.S. district attorney in history and the first female consulting detective to the New York Police Department.  Despite her many successes in social justice, at the height of her powers Grace began to see chilling connections in the cases she solved, leading to a final showdown with her most fearsome adversary of all.

“Mrs. Sherlock Holmesis the first-ever narrative biography of this singular woman the press nicknamed after fiction’s greatest detective.  Her poignant story reveals important clues about the relationship between missing girls, the media, and the real truth of crime stories.  The great mystery of Grace’s life—and the haunting twist ending of the book—is how one woman could become so famous only to disappear from history completely.”

As the year draws to a close I realize there has gradually become a sad gap in my reading materials.  There was a loss in my family that hit very, very close to home and I fear that put a rather large dampener on my desire and will to immerse myself in reading -- no matter how escapist I normally find this activity to be.  It's been a little over three weeks now and I'm just beginning to get back into some of my normal habits (less the interruptions of the holidays) in time to try to finish a few more books before the year ends.  I still want to try to keep my tally up (even if I don't think I'll achieve my goal to complete the 2018 reading challenge I began a little bit late into the year)!

This book was yet another Pinterest find; however, I didn't realize it was nonfiction until I went to go pick it up at my local library and the catalog sent me to the nonfiction section (thank you all those years working as a nonfiction page at my local library for helping make my search through the Dewey Decimal System painless).  I've been on a bit of a "Sherlock Holmes" kick in my reading and television watching, so this book naturally caught my eye as I was scrolling through my feed.  A female Sherlock?  Set in early Twentieth Century New York?  I was intrigued.  When I discovered this was actually a work of nonfiction, I was still interested, if a little bit unsure.  I must admit that my occasional fascination with true crime shows were what made me end up borrowing this book.  The few reviews I did skim indicated that, while this book was a work of nonfiction, it read more like fiction.  This was spot-on.  Ricca's writing is vivid with details and he crafts settings like one would expect from a work of fiction.  This serves to transport the reader rather than talk "at" the reader, which is sometimes the greatest pitfall of nonfiction.  Instead of feeling like I was reading a transcribed lecture, the book was filled with captivating details.

I found the tenacity, ingenuity, and creativity of Mrs. Grace Humiston to be remarkable and truly underscored the assertion that she is America’s female Sherlock Holmes.  I was impressed with the way in which she approached her cases and refused to accept the obvious simply because it was the easiest explanation.

I do have some criticism for this work.  The introduction with the bit about Sir Arthur Conan Doyle’s visit to America with his wife, while interesting, added little-to-nothing to the actual plot and story (other than to try to create a stronger connection between Grace and Sir Arthur Conan Doyle’s most infamous literary creation).  I expected it to come back into play in some fashion, but it really did not.  The readers were then introduced to the mystery of the missing girl, Ruth Cruger.  Even the title of the book indicates that this is going to be the focus of the book…however, Ruth’s story is quickly shoved into the background in favor of accounts of Grace’s investigations into the white slave trade in America.  While interesting – and while I eventually saw the possible connections to Ruth’s disappearance – I felt like it really took over the book.  This wasn’t what I was expecting.  The sheer amount of research and cases and investigations probably could have amounted to their own separate book.  It felt like there was a long span of time before Ruth’s case came back into play and this slowed down my reading.  I was expecting to read about a fascinating “gone girl” case, but it steered more toward the white slavery angle and then abruptly turned back to Ruth.  I can see why this information was included, but felt it could have been abbreviated for the sake of sticking true to the book’s subtitle.  Honestly, I don’t think I would have minded this as much had the subtitle not led me to believe that we’d be focusing on Ruth’s case.  It was all interesting information and, had I gone into this book believing this was a biography about Mrs. Humiston, then I would have felt differently.

The research that went into this book was superb.  All of the details and cases, the investigations and hearings, the interviews and tactics were recounted spectacularly.  I mentioned earlier that this book reads more like a work of fiction than nonfiction and that is why I feel it was successful.  It could have so easily turned into a flat biography or read like some sort of dry account of a case (or several), but it didn’t.  The anecdotes and dialogue along with the meticulous research brought Mrs. Humiston’s story to life.  I truly believe she’s a hero for all that she did for investigative work and law in early Twentieth Century America, but I’m ashamed that she’s been almost entirely forgotten, relegated to obscure knowledge and history.  She deserves to be known for all that she uncovered and accomplished—as well as for her seemingly limitless bravery and dogged determination to truly do what was right, even at a personal cost.

If you like true crime murder mystery shows (think anything on the Investigation Discovery channel or some “Dateline” specials), then this book is right up your alley.  The writing style makes it a relatively smooth read and the subject matter is captivating.  While I had some critiques for some of the (what I felt to be) excess information, I don’t think it’s necessarily detrimental to the book.  It remains well-written and covers a very interesting topic.

Camp Austen: My Life as an Accidental Jane Austen Superfan: Ted Scheinman

“Ted Scheinman spent his childhood eating Yorkshire pudding, singing in an Anglican choir, and watching Laurence Olivier as Mr. Darcy.  As the son of a devoted Jane Austen scholar, this seemed normal.  Despite his attempts to leave his mother’s world behind, he found himself in grad school organizing the first ever University of North Carolina Jane Austen Summer Camp, a weekend-long event that falls somewhere between an academic conference and a superfan extravaganza.

 

“In Camp Austen, Scheinman tells the story of his indoctrination into this enthusiastic world, delivering a hilarious and poignant survey of one of the most enduring and passionate literary coteries in history.  Combining clandestine journalism with frank memoir, and academic savvy with insider knowledge, Camp Austen is perhaps the most comprehensive study of Austen that can be read in a single sitting.  Brimming with stockings, culinary etiquette, and scandalous dance partners, this is summer camp as you’ve never seen it before.”

 

(Darn it, I did it again.  I finished this book about a week ago and I’m only now getting around to writing this review the month following…I hate throwing off my reading tally.)  Many of you know that I only very recently picked up (and read in its entirety) my very first work of Jane Austen:  Pride & Prejudice.  I’d somehow made my way through my undergraduate and graduate studies without reading any of her writing, despite the fact that my studies contained a very heavy emphasis on British Literature (my thesis was even about the importance of teaching British literature in the American classroom).  It seemed very natural that I pick up this book when I saw it on the New Releases shelf at my local library.  This really is something one can read in a single sitting; it’s a very tiny book, but it is crammed with a lot of information.  I’m going into this review with a few words of “caution.”  This is not for the casual reader; one actually needs to know something about Jane Austen in order to recognize the references and even appreciate some of the humor.  I was thankful that most of the account centered around Pride & Prejudice (since it was the theme of the very first Jane Austen Summer Camp) because I doubt I would have understood/enjoyed it as much without this knowledge.  Additionally, parts of this book read like a very eloquent essay on Austen and her works – especially her very early ones, which I have not read as of yet.  I wasn’t “lost” because I hadn’t read these works, but I do feel that I would have appreciated the author’s assessments much more had I done so.

 

The structure of the book was interesting.  Scheinman has a unique style.  It feels academic, yet personal.  There’s a sense of humor in it that I can easily imagine he carries into his daily life.  The style alternated between literary analysis and personal experiences.  By far, the personal experiences were my favorite.  In fact, this was more of what I was expecting when I picked up this book.  About half of the book was devoted to analyzing Austen’s writing and life via the lens of the summer camp.  I found this to be eye-opening and interesting information, but there were moments when I just wanted to get back to Scheunman’s experiences as he donned the clothing and persona of Mr. Darcy.  I suppose this is a non-fiction read (and didn’t come from the biographical section of the library), so I should have supposed that it would contain a good amount of literary analysis.  Of course, this is definitely something I’m used to reading; however, it may not be for everyone.  I’m sure other readers out there have or will pick up this book with the belief that they’re about to read simply a humorous account of Scheinman’s time as an observer in the world of the Austenites.  There is much more to this little book than that.

 

This is an amusing, intelligent, witty, very quick read.  I recommend it to fans of British literature, especially American ones, and, even more so, fans of Jane Austen.  It was fascinating to get such a glimpse into the secret world and lives of American Austenites.

*After reading so much about the wonderful Mr. Darcy costume, I couldn't resist including a picture of the author (in the blue coat) all dressed up.  Thank you Google (image borrowed from the official Camp Austen site HERE)!

Princesses Behaving Badly: Real Stories from History -- Without the Fairy-Tale Endings: Linda Rodriguez McRobbie

"Once upon a time, there lived a beautiful princess who wasn't afraid to cheat, deceive, seduce, or murder anyone who got in her way...

"You think you know her story.

"You've read the Brothers Grimm, you've watched the Disney cartoons, and you cheered as these virtuous women lived happily ever after.  But real princesses didn't always get happy endings.  Sure, plenty were graceful and benevolent leaders, but just as many were ruthless in their quest for power--and all of them had skeletons rattling in their royal closets.  Princess Stephanie von Hohenlohe was a Nazi spy.  Empress Elisabeth of the Austro-Hungarian Empire slept wearing a mask of raw veal.  Princess Olga of Kiev slaughtered her way to sainthood while Princess Lakshmibai waged war on the battlefield, charging into combat with her toddler son strapped to her back.  Princesses Behaving Badly offers true tales of all these princesses and dozens more, in a fascinating read that's perfect for history buffs, feminists, and anyone seeking a different kind of bedtime story."

I came across this book while scrolling through Pinterest.  I've been pinning book ideas for awhile now and I love the recommendations that pop up -- they're usually really interesting things capable of dragging me out of my comfort zone.  This book did just that, but in a very fun, educational, and oft-entertaining way.  This is a work of non-fiction, but it reads so much like fiction that it's easy to forget that I had to dig out my dusty knowledge of the Dewey Decimal System to locate it on my local library's non-fiction shelves.  Rodriguez McRobbie's writing style is light and extremely readable.  This is excellent for anyone interested in weird (macabre, strange, wacky, eccentric, etc.) history, but is unsure about picking up just any non-fiction book.  There's a sense of humor woven throughout and I really enjoyed this; it didn't, however, diminish the message and I was impressed at how much information the author was able to cram into the little mini stories about each princess.  Overall, it felt very well-researched and extremely well-organized in such a way that kept making me want to read (and learn) more.  I'd encountered some of these princesses in my own studies, but this book really managed to bring them to life (a great feat considering each princess had about 2-4 rather small pages dedicated to her).  What stuck out to me the most was probably the fact that the author made sure to remind us to take some of the information with a grain of salt.  She'd clearly sifted through centuries of records and contemporary accounts to bring as much truth as possible (when it was possible), but she reminds her readers that women of the times in which many of these women lived were viewed very differently than any man would have been had he taken the same courses of action.  These women were labeled sluts, bitches, schemers, and witches when, quite possibly, they were none of these (and, if they were, it was very likely not to the degree that some of the sources claim).  I liked this about this book; I find merit in non-fiction works that remind their audience to not take every written word as gospel and to remember that these historical figures lived in very different times from our own.  Some of my favorite stories included the (crazy) princesses from England and Europe.  All those inbred genetics made for some real gems!

I absolutely recommend this book.  I flew through it!  I began reading it as a "break" from another book (which happens to also be out of my "comfort zone" and is taking me an extremely long time to conquer...), but I ended up really not wanting to put it down.  I thoroughly enjoyed the author's style and voice; the history was rich and exciting without feeling like a lecture.  This was a great non-fiction read and I am looking forward to seeing if the author has any other works out there.

Lady Catherine, the Earl, and the Real Downton Abbey: Fiona, The Countess of Carnarvon

"Lady Catherine, the Earl, and the Real Downton Abbey, a transporting companion piece to the New York Times bestseller Lady Almina and the Real Downton Abbey, tells the story of Catherine Wendell, the beautiful and spirited American who married Lady Almina's son, the man who would become the 6th Earl of Carnarvon.  The couple presided over Highclere Castle, the grand estate that serves as the setting for the hit PBS show Downton Abbey.  Following the First World War, many of the great houses of England faded as their owners' fortunes declined in the new political and social world of the 1920s and 1930s.  As war loomed, Highclere's survival as the family home of the Carnarvons was again in the balance--as was peace between the nations of Europe.

"Using copious materials--including diaries and scrapbooks--from the castle's archives, the current Countess of Carnarvon brings alive a very modern story in a beautiful and fabled setting, paying particular attention to the staff who provide Highclere Castle with continuity between generations."

This book is a semi-sequel to Lady Almina and the Real Downton Abbey, which I did enjoy -- especially for a work of non-fiction.  When I found out that there was another book revolving around the lives of the very interesting Highclere and the ever-fascinating Carnarvons, I began looking forward to picking it up.  This book was written with a similar ease and wealth of knowledge to the first, and I found this rather impressive.  I can only imagine the countless hours of research, interviews, and combing through records that it took to write this book.  My biggest feedback on this is that it moved in reverse flow from the first one:  While the other book was slow to start, it began picking up its pace and I ended up finishing it quite quickly; this book began very quickly and interestingly (perhaps because it essentially began right where the other finished), but was dramatically and noticeably slowed down when the Second World War began in earnest.  Personally, I feel like this happened for me because I am not a huge fan of war accounts.  I can manage snippets of personal histories and battles, but as soon as an author begins talking of strategy, battalion movements, and tactics...I have been lost.  My eyes begin to glaze over and I feel as if I've been thrust back into high school history class all over again.  The World Wars have always been the points at which I fumble in my passion for European (especially British) history (and I believe this is due in large part to the WAY in which it has been taught in American institutions over the decades -- very dry, date- and name-oriented, rather than broader-picture).  I feel like the second half of the book -- while it did in a very broad sense pertain to the Carnarvons -- certainly strayed from the aim of the rest of the book.  Lady Catherine and her family were mentioned more sporadically rather than as the main subjects.  I think the latter sections of the book would have benefitted from some more tying-in of various events directly to their lives.  While this happened now and then, I don't think it was enough for someone (like myself) who reads a book like this for the biographical aspect, and not as a history of a war.

Overall, however, I quite liked it.  I loved the pictures that were thrown in; they really helped breathe life into the names and personalities contained in the accounts.  The stories were told with a certain amount of finesse that I almost felt at times as if I were reading fiction instead of biographical information.  As a sequel to the other book by the current Countess of Carnarvon -- the wife of Lady Catherine's grandson -- I think this is a great companion work and will surely be fascinating to anyone who loves Downton Abbey.  It's wonderful to see echoes of stories and characters in the lives of the people who really lived at Highclere.

The Secret Life of Oscar Wilde: Neil McKenna

"'I have put my genius into my life, but only my talent into my work.'  So said Oscar Wilde of his remarkable life -- a life more complex, more troubled, and more triumphant than any of his contemporaries ever knew or suspected.  In The Secret Life of Oscar Wilde, Neil McKenna focuses on the tormented genius of Wilde's personal life, reproducing remarkable love letters and details Wilde's previously unknown relationships with men from various walks of life.

"McKenna has spent years researching Wilde's life, drawing on extensive new material, including never-before published poems, letters, and other writings.  He also quotes, for the first time, from recently discovered trial statements made my male prostitutes and blackmailers about Wilde.  McKenna provides explosive evidence of political machinations behind Wilde's trials for sodomy, as well as his central role in the burgeoning gay world of Victorian London.

"Dazzlingly written and meticulously researched, The Secret Life of Oscar Wilde is the first book to fully chart Wilde's astonishing odyssey through London's sexual underworld and to reconstruct his emotional and sexual life and paints an astonishingly vivid psychological portrait of a troubled genius who chose to martyr himself for the cause of love between men."

I picked up this book about a month ago.  Having finished graduate school, I (surprisingly) found myself missing more "serious" reading material.  I hadn't read too much Wilde above and beyond "The Importance of Being Ernest" and The Picture of Dorian Grey in high school, but Wilde had always seemed like a very interesting British literary figure.  I knew he was scandalous and I was interested to gain a better grasp of why.  To be sure, this book certainly went the extra mile to ensure of just how and why Wilde was famous, as well as infamous.

I must start off by saying I learned an astonishing amount about Wilde, and to a depth I certainly was not expecting.  I had an idea that Wilde was a complex man, but I had no clue just how complex.  I am impressed by the sheer amount of primary sources, personal accounts and letter, and diary entries McKenna was able to obtain, let alone work into this biographical work.  I will provide a word of caution, however:  This angle focuses a great deal on Wilde's personal sphere and sexual life -- often using pretty explicit language and descriptions.  I wasn't offended by any means, I was just not expecting it (though, I suppose I should have, given the book's title and description).  I didn't find it gratuitous or included with the sole intent to shock.  I don't feel this should be a deterrent from reading this book -- just don't say that no one warned you!

The book was, overall, very interesting.  I learned so much about the complex man who wrote provocative, highly-controversial, and memorable works, as well as helped promote and support love amongst men in Britain.  I was moved by the obvious depth of his love for Bosie and shocked by the breadth of Wilde's passions and affairs.  There was fascinating information about Wilde's marriage and family life.  I was truly moved by how tragic his marriage to poor Constance was.  The fact that a part of her continued to love and care for Oscar -- even after all his infidelity, overspending, indiscretions, lawsuits, scandals, and imprisonment -- was profoundly moving.  Despite all of Wilde's faults, I found him captivating.  What an interesting man he must have been!  What it must have been like to converse with a mind of his ilk!

I was extremely impressed with this biography.  Though this genre is not normally my cup of tea, I loved how much I learned.  I will admit that it took me much longer to read than I am used to.  The writing was eloquent and filled to the brim with excellent information, so I'm unsure why this was the case.  There were times I would think, "Well this bit was interesting, but I think this could've been shortened by a few paragraphs."  Then, I would consider the fact that those paragraphs contained some interesting source material and it may have been a loss to Wilde's legacy to omit them.  This book ended up being as much a biography if Wilde as it was the history of homosexuality and love between men in Britain.  I recommend this book to anyone with an interest in Wilde or this fascinating history.  I will reiterate my caution that the reader cannot be sensitive or easily offended by the material -- more's the pity because you're missing out on some rich, fascinating history!

I want to conclude by including some of my favorite quotes from the book.  Both come from early on in the work and, I think, they really helped to suck me in.  The following quote is from a letter Wilde wrote to a woman to whom he'd proposed when he was younger.  His friend, her brother, died and Wilde wrote this in a letter to her:  "I am so glad you are coming to town.  I want to see you though the memories you will bring with you will be most bitter.  Yet often I think when a friend dies those who are left become very close to one another, just as when an oak falls in the forest the other trees reach our and join branches over the vacant place" (21).  The next quote comes from comments Wilde made about his extended visit and tour of the United States:  "America is a land of unmatched vitality and vulgarity...a people who care not at all about values other than their own and, who, when they make up their minds, love you and hate you with a passionate zeal" (35).  I found the first one profoundly beautiful, and the second quote to be extremely poignant...and familiar.  Is it just me or does this ring true about a hundred years or so after Wilde penned it?

Lady Almina and the Real Downton Abbey: Lady Fiona Carnarvon, The Countess of Carnarvon

"Lady Almina and the Real Downton Abbey tells the story behind Highclere Castle, the real-life inspiration and setting for Julian Fellowes's Emmy Award-winning PBS show, Downton Abbey, and the life of one of its most famous inhabitants, Lady Almina, the 5th Countess of Carnarvon.  Drawing on a rich store of materials from the archives of Highclere Castle, including diaries, letters, and photographs, the current Lady Carnarvon has written a transporting story of this fabled home on the brink of war.

"Much like her Masterpiece Classic counterpart, Lady Cora Crawley, Lady Almina was the daughter of a wealthy industrialist Alfred de Rothschild, who married his daughter off at a young age, her dowry serving as the crucial link in the effort to preserve the Earl of Carnarvon's ancestral home  Throwing open the doors of Highclere Castle to tend to the wounded of World War I, Lady Almina distinguished herself as a brave and remarkable woman.

"The rich tale contrasts the splendor of Edwardian life in a great house against the backdrop of the First World War and offers an inspiring and revealing picture of the woman at the center of the history of Highclere Castle."

I originally picked up this book some time ago because it was on a list to read "if you enjoy Downton Abbey."  Unfortunately, I have yet to watch the show (I've been interested in it for a long time, but my schedule hasn't permitted it - I may definitely have to watch it now that I've read this book!), but I thought this non-fiction work might be an interesting read.  I was a touch skeptical because it was penned by the current Countess of Carnarvon, Lady Fiona Carnarvon.  Without sounding too harsh, I wasn't sure that this lady's aristocratic credentials necessarily meant she should be the one to write such a book - her status as a Countess doesn't make her an expert on the topic of her husband's ancestry, nor does it mean she can produce quality writing.  I will follow this up with a statement that I was impressed.  The writing was extremely well done and thoughtful.  The details were beautiful and there was a great deal of care and love put into it.  Any misgivings about the suitability of the current Countess of Carnarvon as an author have been laid to rest.  The history was rich and she really brought Lady Almina and her family to life.  I will say, however, that part of the reason this book took me so long to read was that the beginning dragged a little bit.  A great deal of time was spent on Almina's background (which, having finished the book, I can now see is integral), and this slowed the pace a bit.  It picked back up once Almina and her new husband -- the famous Earl of Carnarvon who, with Howard Carter, discovered the intact tomb of Tutankhamun in Egypt -- moved to Highclere after their wedding.  Lady Carnarvon truly makes the house come alive.  She clearly appreciates the beauty and history of the house.


***It took me so long to complete this review that I actually finished watching the entire Downton Abbey  series a couple of months ago!  I hope my reviewing gets back on track now that I'm finally done with grad school (yay!!!).  My biggest takeaway was how much more I feel I appreciated the television series after having read this account of Highclere.  The setting was spectacular and it felt so much more alive.  I have to believe the creators and writers of the series read the current Lady Carnarvon's accounts, worked very closely with her and her family, or did an astounding amount of research.  I saw threads of real people from Lady Carnarvon's book woven into the series and I found myself thrilled each time I caught a reference or tidbit.  I think it's an excellent idea to read this book and then watch the television series; it makes for a much richer experience.


Back to the book review:  Overall, I found the writing easy to read (even if the first few chapters slowed down a little bit - I do encourage you to persevere because it really is a very interesting nonfiction read) and the anecdotes were very interesting.  It breathed life into one of the most stunning houses England has to offer.  It made history come alive, which is one of my absolute favorite things about literature (it's the reason my undergraduate degrees are in English and history).  I highly recommend this book to anyone interested in England, history, WWI, British aristocracy, or the Downton Abbey television series.  I loved the photographs, the stories, and the enthralling history of this stunning house and its fascinating family.  This was a great non-fiction read and I recommend it to fans of history, England, wartime stories, and, of course, Downton Abbey.

Yes, Chef: A Memoir: Marcus Samuelsson

"It begins with a simple ritual:  Every Saturday afternoon, a boy who loves to cook walks to his grandmother's house and helps her prepare a roast chicken for dinner.  The grandmother is Swedish, a retired domestic.  The boy is Ethiopian and adopted, and he will grow up to become the world-renowned chef Marcus Samuelsson.  The book is his love letter to food and family in all its manifestations.

"Marcus Samuelsson was only three years old when he, his mother, and his sister--all battling tuberculosis--walked seventy-five miles to a hospital in the Ethiopian capital city of Addis Adaba.  Tragically, his mother succumbed to the disease shortly after she arrived, but Marcus and his sister recovered, and one year later they were welcomed into a loving middle-class white family in Goteborg, Sweden.  It was there that Marcus's new grandmother, Helga, sparked in him a lifelong passion for food and cooking with her pan-fried Herring, her freshly baked bread, and her signature roast chicken.  from a very early age, there was little question what Marcus was going to be when he grew up.

"Yes, Chef chronicles Marcus Samuelsson's remarkable journey from Helga's humble kitchen to some of the most demanding and cutthroat restaurants in Switzerland and France, from his grueling stints on cruise ships to his arrival in New York City, where his outsize talent and ambition finally came together at Aquavit, earning him a coveted New York Times three-star rating at the age of twenty-four.  But Samuelsson's career of 'chasing flavors,' as he calls it, had only just begun--in the intervening years, there have been White House state dinners, career crises, reality show triumphs and, most important, the opening of the beloved Red Rooster in Harlem.  At Red Rooster, Samuelsson has fulfilled his dream of creating a truly diverse, multiracial dining room--a place where presidents and prime ministers rub elbows with jazz musicians, aspiring artists, bus drivers, and nurses.  It is a place where an orphan from Ethiopia, raised in Sweden, living in America, can feel at home.

"With disarming honesty and intimacy, Samuelsson also opens up about his failures--the price of ambition, in human terms--and recounts his emotional journey, as a grown man, to meet the father he never knew.  Yes, Chef is a tale of personal discovery, unshakable determination, and the passionate, playful pursuit of flavors--one man's struggle to find a place for himself in the kitchen, and in the world."

Here's another one we read for my "Topics in Literature:  Food" course this past semester; however, this was one that I really enjoyed.  I cannot say enough about how Marcus Samuelsson's love for food absolutely permeated every letter in this book.  His passion was exciting and his story was supremely interesting.  We spent a few weeks discussing this story and I think I touched on some really good points so -- in lieu of a simple review -- I'd like to share some of my comments with you.

It seems like -- even when he did not realize it when he was younger -- food was at the heart of pretty much everything he did.  Even from very early on one of his favorite places to be was in the kitchen with Mormor, his mother's mother.  He demonstrated a drive and passion for it even when he was a boy.  On a fishing trip with his father, Marcus took great pride in being handed the task of preparing the meal:  "'Marcus, if you don't cook, we don't eat,' my father joked.  It was a joke, of course, because my father knew I needed no prompting to cook, which is probably why he let me take over the meal.  This was my first time cooking on my own, as opposed to helping my grandmother or mother.  Just as I had with the boats, I was eager to show I was a big man, that I didn't need anyone's help" (Samuelsson 33).  This was when Marcus was only twelve-years-old; he was already showing the desire to prove himself that would carry him throughout his career.  A few years after this fishing trip, he enrolled in cooking school.  He grew bored with the classes, but, instead of giving up, he found ways to challenge himself.  "To keep myself sharp," writes Samuelsson, "I turned each exercise into a little contest.  Could I fill the pastry shell faster than any of my classmates?  Could I wash and chop that dill faster than the teacher?  Could I finish each squirt of whipped cream with the exact same curl?" (59).  His whole world turned into this sort of competition revolving around food, which, I feel, is the biggest reason that he has had so much success in his career.  He never gave up, never got discourage, approached every task with everything he had, and did not settle for simply being talented -- he strove to be innovative and unique.

I feel like Marcus would not have made it to where he is today without such dedication to the kitchen.  It seems that most of the good things (outside of his family) happen to him in relation to the kitchen or food.  The kitchen is and always has been his realm.  Even when he thought soccer would be his life, he had been there in the kitchen with his grandmother, learning from her and carrying that gift with him always.  The women in his life vary quite a bit in their roles in his life, but each, in her own way, helps support his determination and goals.  His mother never told him he could not do something.  His sisters, Anna and Linda, got him something very special for his seventeenth birthday.  "It was a brand-new cook's knife with an eight-inch-long carbon steel blade.  This was the multipurpose knife every chef needs, with a blade thin enough to chop herbs, but a wide flat surface for crushing or picking up food.  Better still, it was the Rolls-Royce of knives, brand-wise, made by the French company Sabatier" (64).  ***Slight spoiler alert***  Even Brigitta, the woman Marcus sleeps with while on an outting with friends, helps him by telling him she expected nothing even though she was pregnant with his child.  Marcus, under the guidance of his parents, ended up sending money to Brigitta and their child, but she never pressured him into marriage or claiming the child as his own, thus allowing him to pursue his career.  ***End spoiler***

The women in his life played a huge role on his path to becoming a master chef.  They each provided him with unwaivering support in their own ways.  I believe the person who did this the most was his grandmother.  This is clearly evidenced in chapter three, titled "Swedish Fish."  Samuelsson writes, "My love for food did not come from my mother," which begs the question of where, exactly, he got his passion (15).  Shortly after this, Samuelsson describes Saturday dinners at his grandmother's home, and the answer is clear.  "I loved Saturdays as a kid...Saturdays meant the best meal we would have all week because dinner was almost always at my grandparents' house...[Grandmother] would pull out a stool and set me to string rhubarb or shell peas or pluck a chicken.  I'm not sure why mu sisters never joined us in our Saturday cooking sessions; and, at the time, I didn't care.  I was only too happy to have Mormor to myself" (23).  This close bond was what helped spark and nurture the love for food and cooking that brought Marcus his later success.  Who knows how different his career might have been -- where he might have ended up -- if Mormor had not been there to do so.

In addition, how actively Samuelsson sought out inspiration was a pleasant surprise.  He made sure to go ashore every chance he got during his stint on the cruise ship.  He writes, "New flavors were what I was after, and in almost every port of call, I smelled or tasted something I'd never tasted before.  I'd have four hours to go ashore, and I'd go by myself unless Paul or Susan wanted to taf along...Under the protective layer of my skin, I went unnoticed, which allowed me to observe and relish the most beautiful aspect of port culture:  the street food" (158). 

There was a very interesting correlation between the military and a kitchen in my reading of this book and my experiences with "chef shows" that have become so popular, but I was still struck by the hierarchy of the kitchens in which Marcus Samuelsson worked in throughout Yes, Chef.  The strict schedule, precision, and respect for superiors was remarkable.  To me, it was also like life on a ship, with the head chef as the captain and various tiers below him each doing his own assigned task.  The common thread is the enforcement of a strict hierarchy in one way or another.  Another extreme in the kitchen is the passion.  Samuelsson never waivers in his dedication to his cooking.  He is always trying to experiment and better himself through his cooking.  He devotes his life to it.  "I was interested in chasing flavors," writes Samuelsson, "I wanted to shake things up and see what happened.  What if I took this piece of turbot, put Parmesan on top, put it in the salamander to speed-melt the cheese, then finished it with an orange chutney?  I didn't know if mixing French fish, Italian cheese, and Indian Caribbean flavors would be food, but I wanted to try it" (157).  And try he did.  These were the experiments he kept in his journal and helped him to become the chef he did.  It was all about his passion to try new things, and his dedication to the craft.

Hopefully that didn't come off too wordy (or disjointed, since I mashed together several of my responses here).  Overall, the story was wonderful and it really made me appreciate the life of a chef and admire Samuelsson for his own, individual struggles.  His life is certainly unique and interesting!

I knew I'd seen Samuelsson's face somewhere before, but it wasn't until I read the story (and subsequently mentioned his name to my mother) that I realized we'd seen him on Top Chef.  My mother was adamant that Samuelsson was a "know-it-all jerk," but I don't remember having that impression years ago when he'd competed.  I'm kind of glad that I don't have such a vivid memory of his time on the show because I was completely able to enjoy his story without any preconceived notions about who he was as a person.  I will admit that I feel like he gave up some things he should not have for his career, but I am not one to judge--I'm not someone who believes in criticizing when I have no idea what the situation was really like to live through.  A couple of the passages geared toward pretentious, but not to the point where I didn't enjoy the read.  As a huge Gordon Ramsay fan, I had a difficult time stomaching Samuelsson's comments about his fellow chef (though I am not disillusioned enough to think Ramsay is a teddy bear).  Samuelsson tried to claim he wasn't bashing Ramsay, but I felt like it was a weak attempt not to do so (and I say that from the most objective way possible).

Overall, I highly recommend this story for anyone who wants an interesting memoir to read; anyone who loves cooking or wants an insight into life inside a kitchen; or someone who's simply interesting in reading about the background of a celebrity chef.  This book has a bit of something for so many readers out there and I feel like so many people will enjoy it just as I did.

Samuelsson, Marcus. Yes, Chef: A Memoir. New York: Random House, 2012. Print.