Category Archives: Memoir or Biography

Midnight in the Garden of Good and Evil (novel), by John Berendt (1994)

Posted on June 22, 2014 by tom

There’s something unique about the South. My mom and her ancestors grew up in the shadow of Lookout Mountain, where Georgia, Tennessee, and Alabama intersect, where one of the bloodiest campaigns of the Civil War was fought. I remember feeling … Continue reading →

Posted in Books, Books Read in 2014, History, Memoir or Biography, Mysteries/Thrillers, Non Fiction and/or Commentary | Leave a comment

The Tycoon’s Daughter (Treadwell Academy Novels), by Caitlyn Duffy (2014)

Posted on April 12, 2014 by tom

Before the first word of this story, there are voluminous resources as to how and when and where to get help for eating disorders. There’s encouragement. There’s potentially life-saving information. This is one thing that I love about Caitlyn Duffy’s … Continue reading →

Posted in Books, Books Read in 2014, General Fiction, Memoir or Biography, Short Stories/Novella, Young Adult | Leave a comment

Mortality, by Christopher Hitchens (2012)

Posted on October 30, 2013 by tom

Somehow, this is just the book I needed to read today. It’s like God made me buy it for my Kindle, which is ironic, since Christopher Hitchens was one of the more vocal of the latest guard of Atheists—his “God … Continue reading →

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Sixteen, Sixty-One, by Natalie Lucas (Kindle vers. 2013)

Posted on October 26, 2013 by tom

(nb: I received an Advance Review Copy of this book from the publisher via NetGalley) It’s an interesting coincidence that I was IM-ing with a friend earlier. This young woman is a sweet soul, and I love her to pieces, … Continue reading →

Posted in Best Books of the Year, Books, Memoir or Biography, Non Fiction and/or Commentary | Leave a comment

Beatles vs. Stones, by John McMillian (2013)

Posted on October 24, 2013 by tom

(nb: I received an advance review copy of this book from the publisher via Edelweiss) Beatles or Stones? I can’t even ponder how many of those once-popular Internet memes have asked that question. Sure enough, though, there it is among … Continue reading →

Posted in Books, Memoir or Biography, Music, Non Fiction and/or Commentary | Leave a comment

My Life with Deth: Discovering Meaning in a Life of Rock & Roll, by David Ellefson, w. Joel McIver, fwd by Alice Cooper

Posted on October 24, 2013 by tom

David Ellefson has had an incredible ride. He started as a pre-teen musical wannabe, practiced like crazy growing up on his parents’s farm, then moved to L.A. to try his luck. He’d studied jazz bass, and he’d practiced hard, so … Continue reading →

Posted in Books, Memoir or Biography, Religion/Spirituality | Leave a comment

Skyway: The True Story of Tampa Bay’s Signature Bridge and the Man Who Brought It Down, by Bill DeYoung (2013)

Posted on October 3, 2013 by tom

On Friday morning, May 9th, 1980, I was a student at Pine View School in Sarasota, Florida. School started at 8:15, and I think it was second period that I worked as a student aide in the school office. One … Continue reading →

Posted in Books, History, Memoir or Biography, Non Fiction and/or Commentary | Leave a comment

Paul Robeson: A Watched Man, by Jordan Goodman (2013)

Posted on October 1, 2013 by tom

(nb: I received a review copy of this title from the publisher via Edelweiss) Imagine you have a huge talent. You’re a famous actor and singer, and arguably the best-known member of your race on Earth. You have wealth and … Continue reading →

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If Only I Could Sleep, by Stephanie Henry (2013)

Posted on October 1, 2013 by tom

Through Hell and Back (nb: I received an advance review copy from the publisher via NetGalley) Stephanie Henry’s childhood truly sucked. A lot of kids have issues growing up, and maybe everything isn’t sunshine and ponies, but what she endured … Continue reading →

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Robert Plant: A Life, by Paul Rees (2013)

Posted on September 19, 2013 by tom

(nb: I received an Advance Review Copy of this book from the publisher via Edelweiss) If there’s one artist ever to have epitomized The Rock God, it has to be Robert Plant. His bared chest and waving mane of long … Continue reading →