Moon Over Sasova by Christopher Shaffer

 

Book Title: Moon Over Sasova: One American's Experience Teaching in Post-Cold War Slovakia
Author: Christopher Shaffer
My Rating: 4/5 Stars
Content Rating: PG-13 for a couple instances of strong language and more mature themes

This book was a happy surprise for me! I bought it for two reasons: 1. because the author is a former boss of mine, and I like to support the dreams of people I know (and people I don't know too), and 2. I've never read anything about Europe post-Cold War, and the more I read about history, the more interested I am to learn about new things. 

This memoir is a collection of brief stories of the author's experiences teaching English in Slovakia for 6 months in 1993. This was less than 5 years after the Iron Curtain came down, so there were a lot of interesting things happening, especially to the view of an American. Though the focus is on Mr. Shaffer's experiences, I appreciate how he weaved bits of history and Slovak culture into the narrative. I feel like I learned quite a few things about Slovakia during the time when the people there were trying to break free from the communism way of life they'd been living under for so long. The author notes that there have continued to be changes for good in Slovakia in the years since his teaching stint in 1993 (he returned in 2007 for a visit). 

Perhaps it is because I know the author personally and could picture the events, but I laughed quite a few times. 

Taste: My Life Through Food by Stanley Tucci

 

Book Title: Taste: My Life Through Food
Author:  Stanley Tucci
Audiobook Performer: Stanley Tucci
My Rating: 3.5/5 stars
Content Rating: PG-13, possibly R for multiple uses of strong language
Tidbit: Stanley Tucci shares the stories of his life as it revolved around food from before his birth to almost-present day.

In this memoir, Stanley Tucci tells the stories of his life as they pertained to his culinary experiences.  The memoir is written mostly in chronological order, starting with a brief introduction of his parents and how they met and married.  The stories go right up through the beginning of the Covid-19 pandemic of 2020.  

I listened on audiobook, and I liked that I recognized his voice from the movies in which I'd seen him in the past.  I did check out the hard copy for reference to the recipes he includes (which I think is a fun addition to his memoir).  

I started out really enjoying this book.  Some of his stories of his family, and the way he told the stories made me chuckle out loud.  About mid-way, though the strong language (particularly the F word) started being used quite a bit.  I may not have minded so much about that in the hard copy, since I can see it coming and skim over it.  But with an audiobook, I couldn't anticipate it, so I was stuck getting that full-force.  And he would often really emphasize and draw out the word, so that made it even less desirable for me.  And he also started coming across more snobbish and pompous as the book went on.  I wasn't expecting that, and I was kind of disappointed in it.  

So, while it was fun to hear about his life through food, it did lack some of the details I think would have been interesting, and there were a couple big things that didn't really work for me. 

If You Ask Me (And Of Course You Won't) -- Betty White

 

Book: If You Ask Me (And Of Course You Won't)
Author: Betty White
Audiobook performer: Betty White
My Rating: 3.25/5 Stars
Content Rating: PG
Tidbit: Ever optimistic, Betty White, at age 89, shares her thoughts on a variety of topics.

This was a fun, easy read/listen. Betty White shares her thoughts on a variety of topics from animals to death. But she does it with such optimism and humor! Betty White was a classy lady, and listening to this book made me want to read some of her earlier books to learn more about her life, since this one focused mostly on her later years to that point (she wrote this when she was 89). I loved that she seemed full of integrity and believed in hard work as well as treating everyone with respect and not getting a big head over her fame. While there was nothing earth-shattering or terribly new, I just enjoyed the light-hearted listen in the middle of some heavier reading I've been doing.

The Boys by Ron & Clint Howard

 

"I learned that success didn't need to be painful or punishing, though it did require hard work."

Book: The Boys: a memoir of Hollywood and Family
Authors: Ron & Clint Howard
Audibook performers: Ron & Clint Howard
My Rating: 4.5/5 stars
Content Rating: PG-13/R (for language, drug use, and some sexuality)
Tidbit: Nostalgic memoir about Ron and Clint Howard's life in Hollywood and show-business.

This was a fun book, and I do recommend it on audiobook, because you can hear Ron and Clint tell their story. There's just something added when you hear their own tones and inflections as they share the stories of their lives growing up in Hollywood.

I love that they started with the story of their own parents: Rance and Jean Howard. It was so fascinating to hear how they got started in acting, what kept them going, and what drove them to pursue different aspects of the Hollywood life. Ron's drive to become a director was really impressive, and really loved how he focused on the value and importance of hard work. I appreciate how Clint was honest about his own past with drugs and the choice he made to get sober.

There's a lot I could say. It was so fun to hear some background stories about The Andy Griffith Show as well as Happy Days. The Howards really do come across as a family that love and support each other, and I thought that was beautiful.

A bit of strong language and references to drugs and male puberty-related things are present. While the sexuality isn't particularly explicit, there are enough instances and topics covered that I think readers should be aware, particularly when listening to the audiobook with younger ears present.

Though I didn't grow up watching Ron on TV (aside from the random episode of Happy Days on Nick at Night or something), I have watched several of the movies and shows he was involved in: Apollo 13! Arrested Development!) The book just had a nostalgic feel. And you know I'm all about some nostalgia! I really enjoyed this one!

 

The Invisible Wall -- Harry Bernstein

In a small mill town in England before World War I began, an invisible wall divided the Jewish families from the Christian families who lived on the same street. They were neighbors, and yet they were far removed from one another as a result of their differences in religion. Nothing was feared more than possible fraternization between their young people, particularly the young women and young men. There were severe repercussions for those who ignored the unofficial status quo and began relationships with the "other" half.

Harry Bernstein was a young boy then. He saw the invisible wall, but he didn't always understand it. He also saw his mother struggle to make ends meet for their family in spite of an abusive and neglectful husband. And, in time, he saw his oldest sister Lily fall in love with one of "them" -- the Christians. Though he knew what his religion required and what his mother believed, he didn't know if he could feel the same. After all, what if true love could crumble the invisible wall?


***I really enjoyed this memoir. I learned some interesting things about the Jewish faith. My heart was touched by many of the stories shared by Harry.

The Midwife: A Memoir of Birth, Joy, and Hard Times

The East End of London in Post-World War II years was a rough place to be. So Jennifer Worth found out when she went to work at Nonnatus house as a midwife. Respected for her profession, she was never in fear of her surroundings; but she recognized the challenges and hardships around her. The East Enders were a tough lot, because their lives were hard. And as she served them and worked among them, she grew to love many of them. She witnessed miracles as she helped bring new life into the world. She witnessed heartache and sacrifice, forgiveness and joy.


***I LOVED the book. But that didn't surprise me, since I'd already loved the TV show. Some of the stories were/are heart-breaking, particularly for anyone who has ever been a mother (in any way). And some of the stories just warm the heart as well. A lovely memoir well-written and even laugh-out-loud funny at times, this was well worth the read.

Wild -- Cheryl Strayed

Cheryl Strayed (the last name one she chose for herself after her divorce) is a woman with many troubles. Her past is riddled with violence and instability with one exception: her loving mother. But when Cheryl is 22, cancer takes her mother from her as well, and Cheryl spirals into a self-destructive spin of drugs and immorality.

Finally forced to face who she has become when she realizes she has made a mess of her life, Cheryl can conceive of only one solution to mend herself: hike the Pacific Coast Trail. Alone. With little to no knowledge about long-distance hiking, and even less experience. But Cheryl is determined. And so she sets out on a life-altering journey through California and Oregon to find herself. And who she finds surprises her.


***It is hard for me to rate this book, honestly. I read it for book club and am anxious/nervous to see how discussion goes. Strayed has a gift for words. She weaves her past into the story of the trail so seamlessly, and I constantly wanted to keep reading. At the same time, though, I was appalled by much of it. The language was rough. And I cannot identify with this woman at all. So much so that I have a hard time feeling bad for some of what she went through in life. Not sure I would recommend this to others and don't plan to see the movie.

Heart in the Right Place -- Carolyn Jourdan

Carolyn Jourdan is used to a life of lavishness. She is used to rubbing elbows with some of the Nation's dignitaries. She is accustomed to being "in" on the latest cause -- and she enjoys feeling like she is making a difference in Washington, D.C. But when her mother has a heart attack, and Carolyn returns to her backwoods Tennessee roots, Carolyn begins to realize that maybe, just maybe, making a difference back home is more important than making a difference in Washington.

Filled with stories of her father's patients in a rural doctor's clinic, this memoir follows a year of Carolyn Jourdan's life working as her father's receptionist. She discovers what life is about, and she learns that her father is a true hero to so many. And little by little she finds out what it feels like when her heart is in the right place.

**This was a cute memoir. I enjoyed the stories and laughed at a few. Others were touching and poignant.

I Love You Miss Huddleston: and other inappropriate longings of my Indiana childhood -- Philip Gulley

This autobiography is a hodge-podge of stories from author Philip Gulley's childhood and teenage years in Danville, Indiana. From the rumor (spread by his siblings) that he was adopted to days being overworked by the U.S. Government, and up to the time he left his parents' house in the interest of not living in a "prison," these stories are told in Gulley's witty voice as he reminisces over various aspects of his colorful past.