Currently Reading

Now, I was going to start off this post with 'Killing Willis' by Todd Bridges... but I didn't want it look bad with the first word being 'Killing' on Google. So, I thought to make it a 'Currently Reading' post instead.

Here in Australia, on one of the free-to-air cable channels, we have 'Diff'rent Strokes' tv show from the 1980's. It was a standard show to watch in my family as it was a rag-to-riches kind of thing and my folks insisted my brother and I watched something of a broad range of shows when they were on offer. And when 'Diff'rent Strokes' came out, it was new, interesting and - well - different. It was about two African-American brothers - Arnold and Willis Jackson - from Harlem in New York City who had lost their parents in an accident who were adopted by a rich, white family uptown. Now, the white family weren't without their own problems. It was just a father and daughter and they wanted to have more to their family than just those two; and chose Arnold and Willis. This half-hour show turned into something of a weekly ritual for us to sit down and watch. I don't remember how many seasons there were or how long we watched into those seasons, but I do remember loving that show and having a huge crush on Todd Bridges - hey, I was young. And I still think he's not bad-looking.

Anyway, I was perusing a bookstore over the last year and found a book written by Todd Bridges called 'Killing Willis'. It was all about his life after 'Diff'rent Strokes' and what happened to him, how he felt when he was seen out in public and how fame affected not only him, but Dana Plato and Gary Coleman. Being child-stars affected each one of them in a different way. Gary had a major medical condition that caused him to stay pretty much the same size he was in the show for his whole life; and caused him to become a very bitter and angry person. Dana Plato turned to drugs and never came out of that downward spiral in the same way Todd did. He knew there was a way out of that and worked hard to be the person he is now. And this caused him to write this book about his life. 

But it wasn't until I picked up the book recently that I found it was a new edition with an afterward that Todd penned about Gary Coleman - about how misunderstood he was; and how the media turned Gary's life into something it really wasn't. I haven't read the whole book (I'm only two chapters into it) but from how far I'm into it now, I can say it's a very revealing, candid and honest story about somebody's life. I don't know if I've read anything like this before where the hurt, depression and need to be heard is so evident that I don't want to put this autobiography down. I haven't read a book like this since Danny Sugarman's book 'Wonderland Avenue'. I look forward to reading the rest of it.

Fifty-Two

Yep, Fifty-two... this is how many biographies and autobiographies I have now in my collection since I last wrote about how much I love them.  And yet, I don't read that many.  
It's a strange irony that I enjoy buying books on and about people and bands and yet, I don't read them.  I think it's a curiosity of having them in my bookcase to show I'm interested in them that keeps me buying books about them; that keeps me interested.  
However, I'm sure that even though I don't open the covers of the books, one day, I'll find the time to sit down and read a few of these books... I don't know when, but I will.  I have read a couple of them, though.  However it's not enough seeing that the collection of this particular section seems to keep on growing on me, and I'm quickly running out room on the shelf.  
Anyway, what books have you collected and yet to read?  And do you have plans to read them at some point - like I do?  Until my next post, happy reading!  

Me & Her by Karen Tyrrell

Being a school teacher isn't easy; especially when so much is expected of you from the parents of some of the students.  Karen's life at school is hard, however when the parents of a couple of students begin to make her life so stressful she can't cope anymore, she finds that it begins to affect her personal life as well.  While on their way to a school reunion, her husband has to take her to a hospital because he finds she isn't making any sense to him.

However, by the time they return, things seem fine; but they're not.  Nightmares haunt her while she sleeps and working at school with children who try to provoke her is really taking its toll.  So, Karen does the one thing she knows:  she runs away.  She packs a bag, pulls out all her money from an ATM and stays at a cheap hotel for a week where she thinks she's okay.  This is until the police find her and take her to a hospital for her own good.

This book is an amazing journey through a serious medical and personal hell one of my friends went through.  It's hard to talk about mental illness and even harder to write about it.  However, Karen Tyrell has done it in this brilliant book.  I found it a tough read and haven't been able to finish it as it's something I can't really handle.  I will keep the book and try to read it at a later date,though.  This is well worth a read; and is available on Amazon as well as in e-book form too.

'Christian Slater Back From the Edge' by Nigel Goodall

Born into a stage and movie family, Christian Slater had acting in his blood from the very beginning of his life.  His parents met at an acting school in New York City and - after a quick courtship - married and had Christian in 1969.  His life growing up wasn't like most kids, as he was often in the wings of theatres and in dressing rooms watching his father get ready for performances.  His mother - Mary Jo Slater - became a casting agent and she helped him with his roles in some of his movies; however she didn't like most of his choices.  

This book is a very informative, detailed account of Christian Slater's life.  It's the good, the bad and the ugly sides of his personal and movie lives which nobody else had written; and I'm glad it was written by Nigel Goodall.  There's some great photos of Christian in the book and it's so easy to read you can get through over thirty pages in one sitting easily. 

However, this book is also out of print and can only be found in the UK in the hard cover format.  I had to order my copy through The American Bookstore here in Brisbane and wait for it to arrive three weeks later.  Otherwise, if you can get your hands on a copy of this book, it is well worth a read. 

My Love of Biographies and Autobiographies

I love biographies and autobiographies.  These books cover a person's life in such a way - and at such an angle - that we are invited to see more than we would if we were to meet them in person.

I don't remember the time I began collecting these particular types of books, but I have enjoyed reading them from time to time.  The first one I loved reading was in 2001 'Most People I Know (Think That I'm Crazy)' by Billy Thorpe.  It's a hilarious book about the singer's life and times of being in the music industry; the first of two books he wrote before his untimely death.  It was a few years before I got my nose into another book similar to that one; 2003 in fact.  It was 'Sean Connery: A Biography' by Micheal Freedland; and what a book that was!  I loved it and couldn't get my nose out of it!  In 2004, I read Stephen King's 'On Writing: A Memoir' and have found the more times I read it, the funnier it gets.

However, I had a gap of four years before I picked up another biography; however I did get into collecting them by this stage, but not reading them.  This is a strange thing I do.  I love to collect a certain type of book, but not read them; I just think I might read them one day.  But with these, their one day is coming soon; as in 2008, I got my nose into 'Things I Overheard While Talking to Myself' by Alan Alda.  Now this man is hilarious in MASH and I have loved him in movies and other shows.  He's just one of those people where I could hear his voice whispering to me in my ear while I read this book.  And you know, I'd love to read anything else he's written.  

It's been a few years since I've read a good biography.  However, I did get my nose into David Tennant's one by Nigel Goodall... and found it was brilliantly written, easily read and I wanted to read more about the man; even though there wasn't anything else to know about him.

But I have been collecting biographies and autobiographies about all kinds of people from poets, writers and actors to bands and singers and explorers.  I want to know more about famous people and what makes them who they are and how they got where they are in this world.  It may seem silly to want to know this information; but it's just a curiosity I have (and have always had) about the famous.  

So, do you collect any biographies and autobiographies?  If so, which ones?  Below is a list of mine.

'The Autobiography of Santa Claus' as told to Jeff Guinn

'John Steinbeck: a Biography' by Jay Parini

'Wonderland Avenue' by Danny Sugerman

'Wild Swans' by Jung Chang

'Hide-and-seek with Angels: A Life of J.M Barry' by Lisa Chaney

'My Blue Notebooks' Liane De Pougy

'A Beautiful Mind' by Sylvia Nasar

'Wrestling with the Angel: A Life of Janet Frame' by Michael King

'Letters of JRR Tolkien' selected & Edited by Humphrey Carpenter with Christopher Tolkien (hardcover edition)

'The Stephen King Companion' edited by George Beahm

'The Stephen King Story' by George Beahm

'Jim Morrison' by Jon E Lewis

'Disraeli: A Biography' by Stanley Weintraub

'Nostradamus: The Evidence' by Ian wilson

'By the Light of my Father's Smile' by Alice Walker

'Mozart: A Cultural Biography' by Robert W Gutman

'Mozart: His Character and his Work' by Alfred Einstein

'Billy' by Pamela Stephenson

'Bono on Bono' Conversations with Michka Assayas

'Home: A Memoir of my Early Years' by Julie Andrews

'The Erotic Life of Anais Nin' by Noel Riley Fitch

'On Writing: A Memoir' by Stephen King

'Things I Overheard While Talking to Myself' by Alan Alda

'INXS: Story to Story: The Official Autobiography' INXS and Anthony Bozza

'The Open Road' by Pico Iver

'Captain James Cook: A Biography' by Richard Hough

'Paperweight' by Stephen Fry

'Sage-ing While Age-ing' by Shirley MacLaine

'Don't Fall Off the Mountain' by Shirley Maclaine

'Mary Poppins She Wrote: The Life of P.L. Travers' by Valerie Lawson

'Flute' James Galway

'Send Yourself Roses' by Kathleen Turner and Gloria Feldt

'Never Have Your Dog Stuffed' by Alan Alda

'No One Here Gets Out Alive' by Jerry Hopkins and Danny Sugerman

'Agatha Christie: An Autobiography'

'Einstei: The Life and Times' by Ronald W. Clark

'A Life in Time and Space: The Biography of David Tennant' by Nigel Goodall

'The Story of My Father' by Sue Miller

'Selected Letters of Robert Louis Stevenson' edited by Ernest Mehew

'A Life of Mark Twain' by Ron Powers

So, there you have it, my list of biographies and autobiographies!  And what a list!  I didn't know I had so many. 

Wonderland Avenue by Danny Sugerman

When Danny Sugerman was thirteen years old, he attended his first Doors concert. He loved the music scene of L.A and was from a very privileged and wealthy family in Beverley Hills. However, behind closed doors, his family life sucked. After his father leaves because of his collection of frogs, snakes and lizards, his mother got a new boyfriend who hit Danny and made his life a living hell each time he came home. It got to a point when he just couldn't tolerate it and left; staying the night at the studios of The Doors where he worked as their fan mail handler. It was then Jim Morrison and the rest of the band found out what kind of hell he was going through. This is a funny and interesting look at how Danny's life comes a full circle only to end up right where he started; not knowing how he got there.

The last time I read this book was in 2004. I remember buying and just flying through the book at a record speed. It took me along for the ride and I loved it. By the end, I wanted to read the other books; and fortunately, I had one of them ('The Doors: Illustrated History') which I received for my 19th birthday from my brother.

Daniel Stephen Sugerman (aka Danny; October 11, 1954 – January 5, 2005) was the second manager of the Los Angeles based rock band The Doors, and wrote several books about Jim Morrison and The Doors, including No One Here Gets Out Alive co-authored with Jerry Hopkins, and the autobiography Wonderland Avenue. Sugerman replaced the original Doors manager, Bill Siddons, shortly after Morrison`s death in 1971. He helped film director Oliver Stone with the production of the 1991 movie The Doors.
Sugerman began working with The Doors when he was 12 years old, starting with answering their fan mail. As stated by The Doors` drummer John Densmore, Danny was "the manager and driving force behind The Doors" who "guided our career for over 30 years". He lived his life keeping the legacy of The Doors alive.
Sugerman was interested in working out a distribution deal with MP3.com for a number of live Doors recordings that were yet unreleased. No deal was forthcoming, and Sugerman later determined that it would be practical to offer the recordings on CD to fans via the Doors` own official website. Sugerman was a recovering heroin addict who found solace in Buddhism. He died on 5th, January, 2005 after a prolonged struggle with lung cancer due to years of smoking, and was interred in the Westwood Village Memorial Park Cemetery in Los Angeles.

Fred Astaire by Roy Pickard

Now, I'll let you all in on a little secret. I absolutely adore Fred Astaire... honestly I do. He could dance like nobody's business! And I just loved it. I own some of his films and when I want to watch a film where there's little to no violence, fantastic music by the best Big Band composers and people wearing glorious ball gowns, I pull out one of his dvds from my collection and put it on; and I'm back in the 1950's lost in the world of dance, song and tap.

Mum and I picked up this glorious hard cover edition at Bangalow in a place called 'Heath's' on the day we visited. It was miserable, sultry day and finding this book in amongst others on the shelves in a old tin shed was like finding a diamond in a coal mine. As I pulled it from the shelf, my eyes widened at the beautiful condition it was in; I was astounded at how wonderful the pages were too! Just look at those photos! The pages are white and clean - not a yellowed one amongst them! - and aren't the pictures pristine? Well, Mum knew I wouldn't leave without it and said she'd buy it for me; and I thanked her over and over for it.

I'm afraid to say that there's not a lot on Roy Pickard on the net. However, he did write a lot about Hollywood stars and what made them famous. If anyone knows of a site that can point us in the direction of where we can find out more about this man, please do leave a comment here and I'll add it on to the sidebar for all of us to use. Thanks guys.

Two Books on Mozart by Two Very Different Authors

Last year, around this time of year, I bought two books in Mullumbimby at the Book Barn. This shop is actually an old bank; which still has its vault (but they took the door off for safety reasons). Every time I'm in Mullum, I find that shop and wander through its shelves to see if there's a book or two there that's begging for a home with me. And last year, I found two books that were from two different eras, yet were on the same subject. I'll begin with the oldest and most interesting one: 'Mozart: His Character, His Work' by Alfred Einstein was the one that I found first. Its red cover doesn't look much, but I look beyond that every time. On opening it, I found this book was written by Alfred Einstein (which has had people talking about whether or not both Alfred or Albert are related; and still we're not sure). I had in my hands a 1946, first edition of this book. Its red cover is faded but the spine is still in good condition with the wording still legible; with only a little wear on the top and bottom of the spine from being teased on and off a previous owner's bookshelf numerous times. I began to read it and found it wasn't too heavy in content; however, I haven't completed reading it yet once I returned home.

The next book I bought from the same place was by Robert W. Gutman titled: 'Mozart: A Cultural Biography'. It's much thicker and was published in 1999. It's been covered in plastic and has been cared for differently than the other book. However, the difference with this book to the other is that this one covers Mozart's family and friends as with the other book, the author covers his work and character. So, I have the good fortune to own two books about the same person that cover two totally different parts of Mozart's life. I do look forward to reading about him soon and letting you know if they are worth tracking down. I'll keep you all posted.

Bookcrossing Meet-up in Brisbane.

Today, I was in Brisbane City to meet-up with some Bookcrossers and to have a talk about books. We met up outside the Treasury Casino and - after escorting one their husbands into the place so he could play Keno - we were off to have coffee and to control release books to each other. These are the books I received.

'Angel's Pain' and 'Bloodline' by Maggie Shayne were in the books that were given to me. However, I haven't heard of the author; but I will give her a try. By the look of the blurbs on the back, they sound brilliant. Then, there were other paranormal romances/thrillers that were given to me as well, such as 'Dark Seduction' by Brenda Joyce, 'Witch Fury' by Anya Bast and 'Nekropolis' by Tim Waggoner; however, I've only heard of the latter author and I will give these others a try.

Other books I received today were 'Fatal Flaw' by Roger Maynard; which is about the 2002 murder on Norfolk Island. 'Jericho Falls' by Christopher Hyde, 'Fear Itself' by Jonathan Nasaw and 'Sovereign' by Simon Brown (this last one is a book 3 of a trilogy; so I'll be looking around for the first two before reading it). A P.D James 3-In-One book was given to me as well as 'Don't Fall Off The Mountain' by Shirley MacClaine and a short story collection called 'Seaserpants' by various authors. What a meet-up and what a great lot of books to get my nose into!

Things I Overheard While Talking to Myself by Alan Alda

In this book, Alan Alda talks and listens in on what he's heard himself say over his life at critical points from the ever-changing 1960's through to his first Broadway show to the present day America of September 11. He notes that 'doorways are where the truth is told' and wonders which particular things help lead a life of meaning; be it art, activism, family, money or fame. This is a candid book as questioning as it is incisive as Alda amuses and moves us with his uniquely witty meditations on questions great and small.

I found this book at a book sale and wanted to know more about the man who is Alan Alda. This brilliant actor made me laugh and giggle in MASH when I was young; and the re-runs are just as funny years later. And in this book, when I sat down and read it, I could hear his strong, quick-witted voice in my mind as I read along. As the years passed, I saw him in 'What Women Want' and found that he hasn't lost his appeal as he's a very charismatic man and will always be able to make anyone laugh through his acting or words.

Alan Alda has led a fantastic career in the leading role of Hawkeye in the famed sit-com MASH throughout the late 1970's to early 1980's when it finished. He has been acting from a young age, however never went to acting school (with the exception of playing Theatre Games) as he believed he was a natural performer and to go would ruin his gift for being a natural. Previous to this book is his other one titled: 'Never Have Your Dog Stuffed: And Other Things I've Learned'

On The Road by Jack Kerouac

Sal Paradise and his hero Dean Moriarty travel across the USA more than three times during the 1950's by boosting cars, drinking their lives away and getting together with women and picking up their fair share of hitch-hikers. All the while, Sal has around $10 in his pocket and not much else between his ears; but he's out there to have fun. Part adventure and tour novel, part autobiographical, Jack Kerouac could have done better than to offer such a luke-warm book to the public about his tour with his mate around his home country. I found it was torture to get through and the only time it picked up and got anywhere near interesting was in Part 5 when they went to Mexico. Why he didn't write it in the Mexico style all the way through it beyond me. However it took me 8 months to get through this horribly slow and dreadfully written book of drivel.

When I was younger - in high school in fact - I was first told about this book by my teachers. They said that I had the intellect to be able to read this callibre of literature. However, once I got my hands on it, I found it not to my liking at all and extremely repetitive. I was waiting for Jack to take me somewhere new and interesting; show me some new colourful things and experiences. However, he didn't.

Born in 1922, Jack Kerouac was born Jean-Louis Kerouac; the youngest of three children in the French-Canadian in working class Lowell, Massachusetts. He was an intense and serious child and devoted to his mother and forming important, close friendships with other boys, which he continued to do throughout his life. Jack began writing stories at a very young age, inspired first by a mysterious radio show. As he grew older, he failed at getting into college football, the US Military and felt as though he disappointed his father and so ended up sailing with the Merchant Marine. When he wasn't sailing, he was hanging around New York with a crowd that his parents didn't approve of, including Neal Cassidy, William S Burroughs and Allen Ginsberg. Kerouac had already begun writing his first novel and found that his friends love it ('The Town and the City') however, it didn't make him famous. He would suffer seven years of rejection before his next book 'On The Road' was published and made him the money and fame he so badly wanted.
Jack spent the 1950's writing a number of books that never got published and so he carried them around in his rucksack. He excellent novel 'The Dharma Bums' describes a mountain climbing trip he went on at Yosemite with one of his friends.
When 'On The Road' was finally published in 1957, Jack Kerouac was much older and less wild than he was in the book. The fame the book brought after so many years of rejection and bitterness caused him to try and keep up the appearance of what he once was and he developed a severe drinking habit that dimmed his nature spirit and aged him prematurely.
As the years went on, Kerouac moved from California back to New York with his mother where he lived either with or very close to. However, his drinking slowly destroyed him. Even though he kept on writing and being published throughout the late 50's through the 1960's, he became a recluse, married twice; with the third one being successful. However, Kerouac's sudden fame had been the main thing that had destroyed him; along with alcohol. He finally moved back to Lowell with his third wife - Stella - and his mother where he died at home in 1969 at the age of 47.

A Life In Time And Space - The Biography of David Tennant by Nigel Goodall

Out of the all of The Doctors on the show of Dr Who, this one has to the best-looking around... and a good lot of the population of the globe would agree with me. However, I wanted to know more about him than just him being The Doctor. David Tennant - the man - interested me. And so, when my older brother gave me this book for Christmas, I devoured it completely.

This actor has got to be one of the hardest working people I have ever read about. When he wasn't working on Dr Who, he was working on something else. This didn't leave much room for romance unfortunately; even though he does wish to settle down and have a family, David doesn't know when he'll find time for it amongst his work. He does have a supportive family; and even his father starred in one of the shows as an extra and totally enjoyed the experience.
In this book is plenty of current information of his acting history, photographs from Dr Who and other television shows David Tennant has starred in right up until 2007, as well as movies, books and audio-books he's done voiceovers for. In the back, it covers the awards he's won and have been nominated for as well. David Tennant is a well-rounded actor who has been working his craft from a young age. Even though he's under forty, he's brilliant and eager to work more and work hard for what he wants in life.

If you're looking for a well-written book about David Tennant, I wouldn't look past this one; it's unbiased and well-rounded. Nigel Goodall has written biographies for other famous people such as Christian Slater, Johnny Depp, The Rolling Stones, Cliff Richard (co-authored with Peter Lewry) and Demi Moore.

On Writing by Stephen King

This book is a marvelous and funny book to read. I first read it at around the turn of the Century and I still love to read it. Strangely enough, SK thought that if he wrote his own autobiography, he wouldn't be able to write as well as he used to. However, he was wrong. After he wrote this wonderful book of his life, information and exercises, his writing and books improved. I found the books that were published after 'On Writing - A Memoir' were more brilliant and focused than that others before it.

The best thing everyone got out of this was that he had created a website for the die-hard fans to congregate to; to ask the questions they've been burning to ask. This was one of the best things he did for us. Stephen King made himself more accessable without having to leave his house. It was a brilliant way to market himself and his books and to give everyone a heads-up on his interviews and anything else that was going on in his life.

'On Writing - A Memoir' is one of the best things to come out of Stephen King about himself. He didn't get George Beahm to write about him as he did with the other two biographies ('The Stephen King Story' and 'The Stephen King Companion') which I found left me feeling a little cold. This particular book by the very author made me feel like he was taking me along for the journey; much like he always has in his other books. Stephen always makes me feel like we're sitting down at a campfire and he's telling us a story; making sure we're sitting nice and close so we can hear it. However this story is about his life and how we can make it ours too.