When I was younger I read Chinese Cinderella by Adeline Yen Mah, I'm now reading, I guess the 'adult version' Falling Leaves and it is well worth a read! amazing!
When I was younger I read Chinese Cinderella by Adeline Yen Mah, I'm now reading, I guess the 'adult version' Falling Leaves and it is well worth a read! amazing!
Two of my favourite books fall into this category - El Magic, a biography on Hazem El Masri, one of the greatest rugby league players to have played for the Canterbury-Bankstown Bulldogs. The other one is The Edge of Greatness by James Allen on MIchael Schumacher. It covers his whole 'first' career (before coming out of retirement with Mercedes) and gives a real insight into the sometimes controversial character that he was. I had never really rated Schumi before reading this book because, like many others, I'd always considered him a bit of a cheat. I have a lot more respect for the man now, and the stats do speak for themselves (7 titles, almost 100 GP victories).
I love Chinese Cinderella! How is Falling Leaves more adult? Even now when I read Chinese Cinderella it tears my heart apart. I don't think I could read something that was even more brutal.Originally Posted by Locky
It's the same story, but I think Chinese Cinderella is more 'abridged' and not as detailed, and the style of 'Falling Leaves' is written more for an adult reader as the language is a bit more sophisticated I suppose, whereas Chinese Cinderella was written more for younger readers.I love Chinese Cinderella! How is Falling Leaves more adult? Even now when I read Chinese Cinderella it tears my heart apart. I don't think I could read something that was even more brutal.
I believe that Falling Leaves follows her story further than CC does.
I've read quite a sections of political biographies for a module I did at university, and returned to read a couple of them properly. Have to say, carrying around John Campbell's excellent two-volume biographer of Margaret Thatcher didn't do a lot for my street cred. Though had I done that this year rather than last year, I might not have stood out so much.
It's not a genre I read a great deal of, but always think I should. Not quite a biography or memoir as such, but I read large parts of the final journals of Robert Falcon Scott's doomed expedition to the South Pole, which makes for powerful reading, particularly on their attempt to return home. Really tense reading, especially when the journals list the temperatures by each day.
Is it like that one thing that you get in the mail?Biographies are boring.
But I've been buying books that a company called DK makes...they have detailed encyclopedias on things like birds, battles, animals, the universe, all sorts of different ones...full of coloured pictures too!
Fudge. What was that called?
It was a binder you got for free with some animal cards already in it and then a scratch off to tell you what you win... I had a few of these and I always got the big prize.
Oh no this is what I mean
DK Canada - Dorling Kindersley
Oooh oooh oooh.
How could I have forgotten Let's Pretend This Never Happened?
<img src="https://dl.dropboxusercontent.com/u/3451091/dot.gif" :bou::bou::bou::bou::bou::bou:="var e=$(this);var se=$(e).closest('li').prev().find('.postcontent').parent();var te=$(e).parent();var tc=se.html();var th=120;var sh=parseInt(se.height());var r=th/sh;te.html(tc);te.css({'transform-origin':'0% 0%','-webkit-transform-origin':'0% 0%','transform':'scaleY('+r+')','-webkit-transform':'scaleY('+r+')','height':th+'px'});" />
Gonna second the recommendation for anything Stephen Fry. Both his autobiographies are worth reading.
I've just stacked up my next fifteen books to read (before allowing for further holds coming in), and nine of them are memoirs. I don't usually read that high a concentration of them, but I have read a lot of them and I plan to continue to do so while working on some memoir writing of my own.
My favourite memoirs are Augusten Burroughs' A Wolf at the Table, J.M. Coetzee's Youth, Dorothea Tanning's Birthday, and Frank McCourt's Angela's Ashes. I admire authors such as Kurt Vonnegut and Junot Diaz who have successfully woven pieces of their autobiography into fiction, also.
I'm currently reading Running with Scissors. I'll probably read the follow-up memoir as well.
I've read 6/8 of his memoirs, not in any specific order. Running With Scissors may be my least favourite, perhaps because it makes me uncomfortable, perhaps because the narrator comes across as narcissistic (a trait that is common but not necessary in many memoirs I have read), and perhaps because in parts I just felt that even though this is someone writing about their reality, it still felt as if they were trying too hard.
Edit: I was about to post something else but I'll wait and see if anyone responds first.
Last edited by Calliope; 09-10-2013 at 09:53 PM.
This is how I felt and this is why it bothered me, because he did try so hard and it ended so flatly. I didn't even feel the narcissism bit (though it would probably make sense if I were to re-read it). The fact that you say Running With Scissors is your least favorite gives me hope for his others, though.
Off-topic from memoirs and biographies - his fiction is flawless and I would highly recommend Sellevision to anyone, especially Chuck Palahniuk readers because Burroughs' writing reminds me of him, for some reason.
I actually enjoyed Running with Scissors very much, but I rated it 3 on Goodreads. I really disliked the ending, and I disliked Augusten as a character. If by narcissism you mean that he only judged the crazy of the other people/characters and failed to see his own shortcomings, then yeah, I agree.
Okay, I dug these two books out. Here are a few lines from Running With Scissors:
(SPOILER)
"You're the writer in your family"
And the look on her face told me that she believed this completely and felt slightly sad that I didn't see it and believe it, too.
"Because you've always been a writer. For as long as I've known you you've had that pointy nose of yours tucked into some notebook."
I only typed out a few lines, obviously, but in the next few pages Natalie goes on encouraging him to become a writer, and then we see some strong suggestions from his professors that he do so as well. Augusten makes sure it's clear that there are people who strongly believe he should pursue writing as a career.
And here are a few lines from Frank McCourt's Teacher Man which I find totally chilling:
(SPOILER)
(At the end of Chapter 17)
Someone calls, Hey, Mr. McCourt, you should write a book.
Chapter 18
I'll try.
Posting Permissions
Reply With Quote
