"Lucky Man" by Michael J. Fox

"Lucky Man" was a very interesting book to me because it was about Michael J. Fox, the star of "Family Ties," a show I liked a lot because of the part he played as Alex.  Michael had a tough start and did a lot of drinking, but married the girl who was Alex's girlfriend on "Family Ties."  She stayed with him through his drinking and his illness and was a good wife to him.  Book gave great insight into Parkinson's disease and ended on a positive note--he quit drinking, became an advocate for Parkinson's research.  He shared a lot about his family and his failures as well as his successes.  He was down but never quit.    He has quite a story to share!
(Karen's review 2/5/09)

Have you read this one? What did you think of it?

"Quiet Strength" by Tony Dungy

Quiet Strength is Tony Dungy’s autobiography (Colts head coach). I was very impressed with Tony Dungy's definition of success:

God gives each one of us unique gifts, abilities, and passions. How well we use those qualities to have an impact on the world around us determines how “successful” we really are.

I liked this book because it was about so much more than football, although he did include some coaching techniques and philosophy. 

Two of his teaching/coaching principles that stood out to me were:
1) Treat everyone fairly but not necessarily equal. What motivates one, doesn’t work for everyone.
2) Focus on those behind or who struggle and help them succeed.




Quiet Strength is an inspirational book that I highly recommend.  He shares how he relies on God in his daily life.  If you wonder where the role models are in sports, Tony is definitely one of them.  I enjoyed this book very much but couldn't get Gerard to read it because he just doesn't like the Colts.



(Karen's review 1/08)

Have you read this one? What did you think of it?

Where Men Win Glory by Jon Krakauer

Where Men Win Glory by Jon Krakauer tells the story of Pat Tillman, the NFL player who gave it all up to join the fight in Afghanistan.  The two best parts of this book to me were the early years of his life, which I knew nothing about, and when he got to Afghanistan.  The author really gives great insight into Pat.  His thoughts especially make for very fascinating reading.

(Gerard's review 11/7/09)

"It Was A Dark & Stormy Night, Snoopy"by Charles M. Schulz

It Was A Dark & Stormy Night, Snoopy by Charles M. Schulz is one of the Very best about
Charlie Brown, Snoopy and the Peanuts Gang.  This book will put a smile on your face and make you laugh and couldn’t we all use that?  I LOVED this book! (5+ stars)

(Gerard's review 2/4/10)

Please tell us: What categories of literature do you like? What are you reading now? Who are your top five favorite authors? Have you read this one? What did you think of it?

"Little Girl Blue--The Life Of Karen Carpenter" by Randy L. Schmidt

 A Sad Tale--An Outstanding Read!
This is the type of book I devour:  non-fiction that I am not fully up to speed on the subject.  Little Girl Blue--The Life of Karen Carpenter by Randy L. Schmidt is a sad story about her life.  I found myself rooting for Karen to get through her disorder even though I knew she didn’t.  The writing is superb and the last 100 pages or so I found it hard to put this book down.  I highly recommend you read this book.  What a gift God gave her--we miss you, Karen!
(Gerard's review)

Please tell us: What categories of literature do you like? What are you reading now? Who are your top five favorite authors? Have you read this one? What did you think of it?

"Going Rogue" by Sarah Palin

OK, I’ll admit I like Sarah Palin.  I like her a whole lot more after Going Rogue.  I enjoyed meeting her family and hearing about them.  The part about her campaign with John McCain was really fascinating stuff.  She pulled no punches!  If you can put your politics aside, I think you will find this book enjoyable too.

(Gerard's review 1/10/10)

Please tell us: What categories of literature do you like? What are you reading now? Who are your top five favorite authors? Have you read this one? What did you think of it?

"Confessions of a Prairie Bitch" by Alison Arngrim

 I enjoyed reading Confessions of a Prairie Bitch by Alison Arngrim because it was mostly about the TV show I liked called “Little House On The Prairie.”  Alison was the actress who played Nellie Oleson on the show, the mean, snobby girl.  In her book, she shares how people really hated her because of her character on TV when she made public appearances dressed as Nellie.  She shares about her childhood which was so heartbreaking that she thought of the cast as her family and loved the diversion.  I liked reading about her auditions for the show, all that she had to go through in shooting the scenes and how the character of Nellie helped her to be more confident and outgoing.  It was amusing to read about her friendship with Melissa Gilbert (Laura on “Little House”) and her relationships with other people on the set.  The fact that people knew her from playing Nellie on the show opened doors for her to make a difference in social causes.  I recommend this book to anyone who loved watching “Little House On The Prairie.” 
(Karen's Review)   

Confessions of A Prairie Bitch gives the reader a good behind-the-scenes look at "Little House on the Prairie." I thought this was a great book. I enjoyed getting to know Alison too. It is a quick read and funny!
(Gerard's review)

We also read Melissa Gilbert's autobiography, Prairie Tale.

Please tell us: What categories of literature do you like? What are you reading now? Who are your top five favorite authors? Have you read this one? What did you think of it?

"Still Standing: The Untold Story About My Fight Against Gossip, Hate and Political Attacks" by Carrie Prejean

Still Standing:  The Untold Story About My Fight Against Gossip, Hate and Political Attacks by Carrie Prejean is the revealing story of her participation in beauty pageants and how her simple answer that she believed "marriage is between a man and a woman" resulted in a national smear campaign against her, including her own pageant directors.  The judges were looking for a "politically correct" answer and the one who asked the question gave her a zero on that part of the competition.  She still came in second.   She tells the whole story of what really happened.

 

I found it very interesting that she liked sports and was an athlete before entering a beauty pageant and supported the Special Olympics.  As she won and moved up to the next levels, the "handlers" became more determined to change her to increase her chances of winning, such as dying her hair and paying for a boob job.  It is a great look at behind-the-scenes and she goes into detail about all the ramifications she faced from the media and liberals.  She just wanted to be true to herself and give an honest answer.  I could identify with her throughout the book and applaud her for taking a stand for what she believed, even if it meant losing. 

 

I liked this book because I only heard bits and pieces about her experience from what I read on some blogs and found it very interesting to get the whole story.  If you don't like her, you probably won't like her book either.  I thought the advice she gives to girls in the last chapter based on lessons she learned along the way was good. 

 

Following are the main points:

1.  Be true to yourself.  Don't let anyone bully you or trick you into doing something that you feel uncomfortable doing.

2.  Never fear that God's standard is the right standard.

3.  Grace turns losses into gains and accidents into your best opportunities.

4.  Seek advice from a "multitude of counsel."

5.  Forgiveness heals.

6.  Don't leave yourself outside of the circle of forgiveness.

7.  Don't let the culture convince you that trying to hold to a high standard is being "too judgmental."

8.  Stand up with courage.

(Karen's review 1/27/10)

Please tell us: What categories of literature do you like? What are you reading now? Who are your top five favorite authors? Have you read this one? What did you think of it?

"Prairie Tale" by Melissa Gilbert

Prairie Tale by Melissa Gilbert is a real eye opener.  The adopted child actress who was in the hit show, "Little House On the Prairie," shares her personal moments, feelings, struggles and triumphs in her own search for identity.  I learned so much about her as a real person and was shocked at some of the things she did.  Her life had lots of ups and downs, all of which contributed to who she is today.  This book gives the reader a look at the acting profession and Hollywood from the inside.  Melissa Gilbert is a great actress who got sucked into the wild life of drugs, alcohol and sex but was able to finally get the help she needed to overcome it.  I enjoyed learning who she really is.
(Karen's Review 7/26/09)
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What an amazing story!  When I found out Melissa had written a book, I knew one thing--I had to read that book!  It took awhile for me to finally get it from the library but it sure was worth the wait.  Whatever you think you know about Melissa, trust me, you don't.  But the good news is you will after you read this book.  What a story Melissa has to tell!  To say I was surprised would be an understatement.  You will laugh and cry; all emotions are in play in PRAIRIE TALE.  One thing you won't be is bored!  My two favorite parts of the book are her Little House years and her relationship with Rob Lowe.  The ending is just outstanding too.  Super job, Melissa!  My expectations were met and then some!   

Gerard's Review 7/18/09)

"Open" by Andre Agassi

I found Open, the autobiography of Andre Agassi, very interesting.  The relationship with his father is good stuff in the beginning of the book.  That he quit school after 8th grade was something that I did not know.  I enjoyed the part of what he was thinking while playing the matches.  I could have done without the match to match detail.  The best part of this book was finding out that I really didn’t know what made Agassi tick at all!  It’s a bit long but overall it’s a book worth reading. (4 stars)
(Gerard's review 12/19/09)

Please tell us: What categories of literature do you like? What are you reading now? Who are your top five favorite authors? Have you read this one? What did you think of it?

"Big Little Life" by Dean Koontz

First off, this is a MUST READ for all dog lovers.  Big Little Life is a true story of the author, Dean Koontz, who gets a C.C.I. dog by the name of Trixie.  You will know what kind of special dog these are when you read the book.  you will fall in love with Trixie and also learn things about Dean Koontz that you did not know.  The book moves pretty fast and I found it very entertaining.  Enjoy!

(Gerard's review 9/21/09)

"Still Growing" by Kirk Cameron

I liked reading Still Growing by Kirk Cameron because I liked him on the sit com, "Growing Pains," and also know he is a Christian.  I was curious to find out more about his personal life. I was surprised to find out he had an atheist belief through is teens until he became a believer at age 19.  

In his autobiography he shares how he got into acting, how he was used to having anything he wanted, how he began to ask the questions about life, how his beliefs changed and how they affected his career and decisions. 

I found it interesting that he is one of few actors who has only been married once to an actress and has six children and has been married 17 years as of when the book was written.  It was so refreshing to read about his love for his wife and family. 

Another thing that I found very interesting was the fact that after he married, he vowed he would not kiss any other woman, even if acting.  This has been something I've wondered about myself, how actors and actresses who are married can take those parts where they kiss in the shows.  Kirk shared that when he agreed to do a movie produced by the creators of "Facing the Giants" that these producers respected this and for the big kiss at the end, let Kirk's real wife step in and did a silhouette shot. 

An Appendix is included as well sharing some about his religious beliefs and books he highly recommends to the reader.  I liked Kirk Cameron before reading his autobiography and after reading it, I even have more respect for him.  His websites are:  www.kirkcameron.com and the Way of the Master ministry:  www.wayofthemaster.com.

For a review of the movie, see my other blog:  Fireproof and the Love Dare.