BOOK REVIEW: The Woman in Me by Britney Spears

March 10, 2024January 25, 2024 / E.A. Hoffmann / Leave a comment

Audiobook Length: 5 hours and 31 minutes

Rating: 3 out of 5 stars

Genre: Nonfiction, Memoir, Autobiography

Read Start Date: January 22, 2024

Read Finish Date: January 23, 2024

Goodreads’ Synopsis: The Woman in Me is a brave and astonishingly moving story about freedom, fame, motherhood, survival, faith, and hope.

In June 2021, the whole world was listening as Britney Spears spoke in open court. The impact of sharing her voice—her truth—was undeniable, and it changed the course of her life and the lives of countless others. The Woman in Me reveals for the first time her incredible journey—and the strength at the core of one of the greatest performers in pop music history.

Written with remarkable candor and humor, Spears’s groundbreaking book illuminates the enduring power of music and love—and the importance of a woman telling her own story, on her own terms, at last.

My Review: Let me start out by saying that Britney Spears is an astonishing woman who has lived an amazing yet tragic life. I am not here to make any comments on Spears as a person or artist. I am simply reviewing a book. I know what might come next is not the popular view, but I have to be honest. I am only giving this book 3 stars because while I found it interesting, it felt like something was missing. With only 5 hours and 31 minutes of listening time, there was not enough time to tell Spears’ story beyond the facts. For example, she barely touched on her time at the Mickey Mouse Club. What was it like to be a child star? What was it like to perform at such a young age? I think back to the book I read a few months ago, I’m Glad My Mom Died by iCarly star Jennette McCurdy (see my review here), and I can’t help but compare the two books.

McCurdy’s book was highly emotional, introspective, raw, and satirical. Spears’ book pales in comparison and feels more like an outline than a fully fleshed-out book. Don’t get me wrong. I think that what happened to Spears is atrocious, and the people in her life should be ashamed of themselves. Spears seems like a very sweet and sensitive person who was taken advantage of by the people around her. That being said, and because of that, Spears’ book feels like we are seeing only the surface of a very deep ocean.

Additionally, the book was published on October 24, 2023, and ends with the fact that Britney Spears was very much in love with her husband Hesam and was looking forward to her future with him. However, in July 2023, the couple separated and were getting divorced. Poor Britney. I feel so bad for her. Couldn’t the publishers have allowed a rewrite at the end of the book to get rid of that part? Or were they just another group of people taking advantage of Britney? In fact, I couldn’t help but think that throughout my reading of this book. The publishers wanted to strike while the iron was hot — Spears has been in the news recently due to the ending of her conservatorship — and she was in the spotlight again. I feel like they rushed the book to the presses to make money off her name. This book was good, but it could have been much better if there had been more time to flesh out the stories and give more time to explore Spears’ emotions and provide for her introspection.

All the above being said Britney’s journey to reclaim her agency and fight for her freedom is incredibly inspiring, and her book provides a behind-the-scenes look at the often exploitative nature of the music industry, particularly for young women. It sheds light on the pressures, manipulation, and control exerted on artists. I just wish there was more.

I hope Britney Spears comes out with a longer and deeper memoir in the future. If she does, I will definitely read it.

NETGALLEY BOOK REVIEW: Chaos in Color: A Memoir of Childhood Trauma and Forgiveness by R. Layla Salek, PhD

February 9, 2024 / E.A. Hoffmann / 1 Comment

Audiobook Length: 11 hours and 5 minutes

Rating: 4 out of 5 stars

Genre: Nonfiction, Memoir

Publisher: River Grove Books

Published Date: September 19, 2023

Goodreads’ Synopsis: From a young age, Layla Salek has experienced some people as colors—her mother brown, her father green, her husband rainbow. As she notes, sometimes, when words fail, colors speak.

Chaos in Color is the captivating story of Layla’s journey from childhood to adulthood with a mother who suffered from untreated bipolar disorder. Each chapter paints a vivid, heartbreaking picture of the abuse, neglect, and trauma that she experienced as she grew up at the mercy of her mother’s bipolar swings, an incompetent mental health system, and the strangers with whom she was often left. But dissipating those times of darkness were moments of love, joy, and happiness that she felt while being cared for by others in her life. These moments inspired her to start her own family, complete a doctorate in psychology, and work with children with mental illness and severe behavior disorders.

Layla’s story traces how personal and familial trauma is carried into adulthood and how it can be released through forgiveness. This honest, provocative memoir offers a relatable account for others who have experienced similar trauma, as well as hope for healing and a future full of light.

Read Start Date: January 30, 2024

Read Finish Date: February 5, 2024

My Review: I received this book from Netgalley in exchange for an honest review. The book chronicles Salek’s journey from childhood to adulthood, growing up with a mother who suffered from untreated bipolar disorder. Through vivid and emotional prose, Salek paints a picture of the abuse, neglect, and trauma she endured, but also her resilience and, ultimately, her path toward forgiveness.

I really liked this book. It was honest and raw, and it did not sugarcoat anything. The author was unapologetic in telling her trauma story, which is really brave. I could not help thinking of my young daughter as I read this book. I cannot imagine EVER treating my daughter like Salek’s mother treated Salek. It just plain broke my heart.

The one aspect of the story that I was not so enamored with was the relationship to the colors. Salek possesses the unique ability to see people in colors, each representing their aura and experiences. However, I found that this ability was not fleshed out well in the book. Salek refers to each person by their color on multiple occasions, but she doesn’t really explain what each color means to the reader. For example, her mother was either “brown” or “black.” While intuitively, I can assume that “black” is negative, I have no idea what a brown aura means. A friend of hers is “purple.” You can pull from the story that purple is good, but the exact meaning is never explained. This is true of all the main players in the book given colors.

Chaos in Color is not an easy read. As I mentioned above, it dives headfirst into the harrowing reality of childhood trauma, weaving a narrative that confronts abuse, neglect, and resilience with unflinching honesty. This is a crucial strength – the book doesn’t shy away from uncomfortable truths, making it a powerful testament to the author’s journey.

However, this raw portrayal comes with triggers. Descriptions of emotional and physical abuse may stir difficult emotions, and the overall weight of the story can be emotionally draining. Despite the heavy subject matter, the book portrays hope and the human spirit’s ability to persevere. Salek’s courage in sharing her story and ultimately finding forgiveness is truly inspiring. I would definitely recommend it for readers who can handle the emotional toll.

Disclosure of Material Connection: I received this book free from Netgalley. I was not required to write a positive review. The opinions I have expressed are my own. I am disclosing this in accordance with the Federal Trade Commission’s 16 CFR, Part 255: “Guides Concerning the Use of Endorsements and Testimonials in Advertising.

BOOK REVIEW: I’m Glad My Mom Died by Jennette McCurdy

December 24, 2023December 11, 2023 / E.A. Hoffmann / 1 Comment

Audiobook Length: 6 hours and 26 minutes

Rating: 5 out of 5 stars

Genre: Nonfiction, Memoir, Autobiography

Read Start Date: November 16, 2023

Read Finish Date: November 19, 2023

Brief Summary of the Plot from Goodreads: A heartbreaking and hilarious memoir by iCarly and Sam & Cat star Jennette McCurdy about her struggles as a former child actor—including eating disorders, addiction, and a complicated relationship with her overbearing mother—and how she retook control of her life.

Jennette McCurdy was six years old when she had her first acting audition. Her mother’s dream was for her only daughter to become a star, and Jennette would do anything to make her mother happy. So she went along with what Mom called “calorie restriction,” eating little and weighing herself five times a day. She endured extensive at-home makeovers while Mom chided, “Your eyelashes are invisible, okay? You think Dakota Fanning doesn’t tint hers?” She was even showered by Mom until age sixteen while sharing her diaries, email, and all her income.

In I’m Glad My Mom Died, Jennette recounts all this in unflinching detail—just as she chronicles what happens when the dream finally comes true. Cast in a new Nickelodeon series called iCarly, she is thrust into fame. Though Mom is ecstatic, emailing fan club moderators and getting on a first-name basis with the paparazzi (“Hi Gale!”), Jennette is riddled with anxiety, shame, and self-loathing, which manifest into eating disorders, addiction, and a series of unhealthy relationships. These issues only get worse when, soon after taking the lead in the iCarly spinoff Sam & Cat alongside Ariana Grande, her mother dies of cancer. Finally, after discovering therapy and quitting acting, Jennette embarks on recovery and decides for the first time in her life what she really wants.

Told with refreshing candor and dark humor, I’m Glad My Mom Died is an inspiring story of resilience, independence, and the joy of shampooing your own hair.

My Review: I borrowed this audiobook from the library as it was on the “popular” list. I have also seen this book several times at the bookstore. I was unaware that Jennette McCurdy was a child actor who starred on the iCarly show and co-starred with Ariana Grande on Sam & Cat. I’ve heard of these shows but have never seen them. There is a lot to unpack in this poignant, revealing memoir.

I’m Glad My Mom Died is a raw, honest, and deeply personal memoir about the challenges of growing up in the spotlight as a child star and the emotional turmoil caused by a complex and often abusive relationship with her mother. McCurdy, best known for her roles as Sam Puckett on Nickelodeon’s iCarly and Sam & Cat, opens up about her experiences with eating disorders, body image issues, and substance abuse, all of which were exacerbated by her mother’s controlling and demanding nature.

I was really surprised that the mother not only knew about McCurdy’s eating disorder (starting at the age of 12, she went on a “restrictive diet,” but essentially, the mother TAUGHT McCurdy how to be an anorexic. That is so totally sick and made my heart hurt for the author. Mothers are supposed to protect their children, not set them up for a lifetime of trauma and suffering.

The title of the book, which may seem jarring at first, is a reflection of McCurdy’s complex emotions following her mother’s death from cancer in 2013. While she grappled with grief and loss, she also recognized that her mother’s passing had freed her from the unhealthy dynamics and expectations that had dominated her life for so long.

McCurdy’s writing is both heartbreaking and insightful as she chronicles her struggles to find her own voice and identity amidst the pressures of fame (which the author never wanted to begin with–she was living her mother’s dream) and her mother’s relentless pursuit of stardom. She describes her mother’s controlling behavior, which included micromanaging her appearance, her career, and even her personal relationships. McCurdy felt trapped in a cycle of self-loathing and self-destruction, driven by her mother’s constant criticism and her own desire to please her.

Amidst the darkness, there are moments of humor and resilience. McCurdy’s self-deprecating humor and sharp wit provide a counterpoint to her pain, and her determination to break free from her mother’s control is inspiring. She eventually seeks therapy, which helps her to recognize unhealthy patterns and begin to heal from the trauma of her childhood.

I would recommend this book to adults of all ages, especially those who are interested in the entertainment industry.

Stats: As of writing this review (December 11, 2023) this book has a 4.48 rating on Goodreads.

BOOK REVIEW: Spare by Prince Harry

August 21, 2023 / E.A. Hoffmann / Leave a comment

Title: Spare

Author: Prince Harry

Audiobook Length: 15 hours and 39 minutes

Rating: 3 out of 5 stars

Genre: Nonfiction, Memoir, Autobiography

Read Start Date: June 20, 2023

Read Finish Date: July 3, 2023

Brief Summary of the Plot from Goodreads: It was one of the most searing images of the twentieth century: two young boys, two princes, walking behind their mother’s coffin as the world watched in sorrow—and horror. As Princess Diana was laid to rest, billions wondered what Prince William and Prince Harry must be thinking and feeling—and how their lives would play out from that point on.

For Harry, this is that story at last.

Before losing his mother, twelve-year-old Prince Harry was known as the carefree one, the happy-go-lucky Spare to the more serious Heir. Grief changed everything. He struggled at school, struggled with anger, with loneliness—and, because he blamed the press for his mother’s death, he struggled to accept life in the spotlight.

At twenty-one, he joined the British Army. The discipline gave him structure, and two combat tours made him a hero at home. But he soon felt more lost than ever, suffering from post-traumatic stress and prone to crippling panic attacks. Above all, he couldn’t find true love.

Then he met Meghan. The world was swept away by the couple’s cinematic romance and rejoiced in their fairy-tale wedding. But from the beginning, Harry and Meghan were preyed upon by the press, subjected to waves of abuse, racism, and lies. Watching his wife suffer, their safety and mental health at risk, Harry saw no other way to prevent the tragedy of history repeating itself but to flee his mother country. Over the centuries, leaving the Royal Family was an act few had dared. The last to try, in fact, had been his mother. . . .

For the first time, Prince Harry tells his own story, chronicling his journey with raw, unflinching honesty. A landmark publication, Spare is full of insight, revelation, self-examination, and hard-won wisdom about the eternal power of love over grief.

My Review: I think most people know who Prince Harry is. He is a public figure, and has been one since birth. Spare, a title taken from the English saying “the heir and the spare,” is a revealing memoir about Harry’s life from childhood to the present. It is hard to write this review without acknowledging that I had read a fair bit about the book in the media prior to actually reading it. I was expecting something very dramatic and damning of the Royal Family. In this aspect, the book did not really meet my expectations.

The brothers fought? Of course, they did. They are brothers. Is William supposed to be someone above reproach because he’s the next in line to the throne? Why is it so scandalous to portray the Princes as human beings with emotions? Maybe because I’m American I don’t get it, but I didn’t find any “oh my God” moment in the book.

While I liked reading about how the “other half lives,” I feel the memoir missed the opportunity to show more of what it is actually like to be a Prince beyond the “pap” harassment. I thought the story spent too much time explaining how Harry took drugs, how his penis got frostbite this one time, and complaining about being the spare. The whole time, I kept thinking that Harry has some enormous chip on his shoulder because he’s not the heir and yet has to deal with all the unwanted attention that comes with that title.

I think on this note, the best book review to read is from Orangutan Librarian. One of my favorite paragraphs from the review is below.

“Irritatingly, a lot of Harry’s narrative comes down to infantile whining. Forgive me for not feeling sorry for him that he had the smaller bedroom in a castle- I can’t exactly relate. Then again, this prince is delusional about class, privilege and money- seemingly completely unaware that you can’t get into Eton without a shed load of all of the above (even if they let a few plebs in every year to maintain charitable status, it’s undoubtedly a club for the rich and powerful). Yet here he is, lamenting his lot in life and feeling sorry for himself. Not that I don’t sympathise- I guess I am just too far removed from the line of succession (probably about 357,405,837^th in line to be precise) to understand the point when #TIARAGATE matters in the grand scheme of things.”

Did this book make me feel bad slightly that they were harrassed by the media? Yes, actually. I did think it was terrible, but at the same time, he seems to confirm that a lot of what the media said about him was true.

Mybookworld24 had a different opinion.

“I think he might have everything material-wise but not what he really needs, which is family support and perhaps therapy to help him deal with the loss of his mother. It’s sad to see him carry that trauma into his adulthood, and I find that the palace and the media seem to forget that celebrities and royals are people too. After his second and final tour fighting for his country, he suffered from bad PTSD episodes, and when he told his family, they weren’t the most supportive until he hit rock bottom. This memoir felt raw and honest, which is why I gave it four stars.”

Stats: As of writing this blog post on August 21, 2023, this book has a 3.91 rating on Goodreads. My review is less than the average by nearly 1 star. So, I would recommend to read these other fabulous reviews for some comparison: Sprayed Edges and George L. Thomas.

Recommended? This book was good but not phenomenal. If one were to manage expectations, this book would be a good read, especially for people interested in the Royals.

BOOK REVIEW: The Light We Carry by Michelle Obama

July 4, 2023 / E.A. Hoffmann / Leave a comment

Title: The Light We Carry: Overcoming in Uncertain Times

Author: Michelle Obama

Audiobook Length: 9 hours and 59 minutes

Rating: 4 out of 5 stars

Genre: Nonfiction, Memoir, Self-Help, Autobiography, Politics

Read Start Date: May 11, 2023

Read Finish Date: May 23, 2023

Brief Summary of the Plot from Goodreads: There may be no tidy solutions or pithy answers to life’s big challenges, but Michelle Obama believes that we can all locate and lean on a set of tools to help us better navigate change and remain steady within flux. In The Light We Carry, she opens a frank and honest dialogue with readers, considering the questions many of us wrestle with: How do we build enduring and honest relationships? How can we discover strength and community inside our differences? What tools do we use to address feelings of self-doubt or helplessness? What do we do when it all starts to feel like too much?

Michelle Obama offers readers a series of fresh stories and insightful reflections on change, challenge, and power, including her belief that when we light up for others, we can illuminate the richness and potential of the world around us, discovering deeper truths and new pathways for progress. Drawing from her experiences as a mother, daughter, spouse, friend, and First Lady, she shares the habits and principles she has developed to successfully adapt to change and overcome various obstacles–the earned wisdom that helps her continue to “become.” She details her most valuable practices, like “starting kind,” “going high,” and assembling a “kitchen table” of trusted friends and mentors. With trademark humor, candor, and compassion, she also explores issues connected to race, gender, and visibility, encouraging readers to work through fear, find strength in community, and live with boldness.

“When we are able to recognize our own light, we become empowered to use it,” writes Michelle Obama. A rewarding blend of powerful stories and profound advice that will ignite conversation, The Light We Carry inspires readers to examine their own lives, identify their sources of gladness, and connect meaningfully in a turbulent world.

My Review: I read Michelle Obama’s other book last year (you can see the review of Becoming by clicking on the link here). While I liked this book, I thought that it paled in comparison to the author’s first book (which is why I only gave it 4 stars). Don’t get me wrong, I think that says more about her first book than her second i.e., that her first book was so good, it is a hard act to follow.

The Light We Carry is less of a political memoir and more of a self-help book. The title encompasses the over arching theme of her book. “I believe that each of us carries a bit of inner brightness, something entirely unique and individual. A flame that’s worth protecting. When we are able to recognize our own light, we become empowered to use it. When we learn to foster what’s unique in the people around us, we become better able to build compassionate communities and make meaningful change.”

and: “One light feeds another. One strong family lends strength to more. One engaged community can ignite those around it. This is the power of the light we carry.”

Giving practical advice on overcoming adversity, Michelle Obama lets readers take a look into her “toolbox” for getting through the world we live in today. From parenting to anxiety, the author uses stories from her life and childhood to illustrate her points.

I listened to the audiobook, which is narrated by Michelle Obama herself. I always love it when the author can narrate their own novel. It’s like hearing it from them personally.

Stats: At the time of writing this review (July 4, 2023), this book had an average rating of 4.29 on Goodreads, so my review seems to be right on par with the general populace.

Recommended? Yes!

BOOK REVIEW: Happy-Go-Lucky by David Sedaris

September 26, 2022 / E.A. Hoffmann / Leave a comment

Title: Happy-Go-Lucky

Author: David Sedaris

Audiobook Length: 7 hours and 30 minutes

Rating: 5 out of 5 stars

Genre: Nonfiction, Humor, Essays, Memoir, Short Stories, LGBT

Read Start Date: August 27, 2022

Read Finish Date: August 30, 2022

Brief Summary of the Plot from Goodreads: Back when restaurant menus were still printed on paper, and wearing a mask—or not—was a decision made mostly on Halloween, David Sedaris spent his time doing normal things. As Happy-Go-Lucky opens, he is learning to shoot guns with his sister, visiting muddy flea markets in Serbia, buying gummy worms to feed to ants, and telling his nonagenarian father wheelchair jokes.

But then the pandemic hits, and like so many others, he’s stuck in lockdown, unable to tour and read for audiences, the part of his work he loves most. To cope, he walks for miles through a nearly deserted city, smelling only his own breath. He vacuums his apartment twice a day, fails to hoard anything, and contemplates how sex workers and acupuncturists might be getting by during quarantine.

As the world gradually settles into a new reality, Sedaris too finds himself changed. His offer to fix a stranger’s teeth rebuffed, he straightens his own, and ventures into the world with new confidence. Newly orphaned, he considers what it means, in his seventh decade, no longer to be someone’s son. And back on the road, he discovers a battle-scarred America: people weary, storefronts empty or festooned with Help Wanted signs, walls painted with graffiti reflecting the contradictory messages of our time: Eat the Rich. Trump 2024. Black Lives Matter.

In Happy-Go-Lucky, David Sedaris once again captures what is most unexpected, hilarious, and poignant about these recent upheavals, personal and public, and expresses in precise language both the misanthropy and desire for connection that drive us all. If we must live in interesting times, there is no one better to chronicle them than the incomparable David Sedaris.

My Review: This book is so hilarious I actually laughed out loud. The synopsis on Goodreads makes it sound like a lot of this book is surrounding the events of COVID, but that’s not actually the case. It’s really only a small part toward the end of the book.

I listened to this as an audiobook and it was read by David Sedaris himself. Some of the parts were “narrated” and some of the parts were recordings of Sedaris at a book reading event — you can hear the laughter of the audience in the background.

Although most of the book is funny, Sedaris includes some dark tales surrounding the abuse suffered by Sedaris and his siblings at the hands of their father. Once, when Sedaris was about 10 years old, he complained of a stomach ache in order to get out of going to school the next day. Later that night, when Sedaris was playing with his guinea pig, his father had Sedaris go to the bathroom for a visual “anal exam”. His father, who Sedaris described as some guy who always walked around in his underwear, would also do weird and creepy things to Sedaris’ sisters. For example: “He said of my sister, who was tottering on platform shoes, a straw hat on her head, looking, I’d later realize, a lot like Jody Foster in Taxi Driver: ‘God she’s got a great set of pins!’ I didn’t know what pins were and when I later learned that they were legs, I thought ‘well that’s a…nice…thing…to say about someone, in general, I mean, if that person isn’t, you know, your daughter.'”

A lot of the stories in the book were about Sedaris’ father, now deceased, but who at the time was old and infirm in a nursing home. The creepy man that Sedaris used to know was long gone and Sedaris had to reconcile the horrible man he used to know and dislike, with the affable, rather pleasant person he had become in his old age.

I think it takes a lot of courage to write such private things into a book that will be read by millions.

I highly recommend this book to anyone in need of a good laugh.

BOOK REVIEW: The Storyteller by Dave Grohl

August 28, 2022 / E.A. Hoffmann / 1 Comment

Title: The Storyteller: Tales of Life and Music

Author: Dave Grohl

Audiobook Length: 10 hours and 35 minutes

Rating: 4 out of 5 stars

Genre: Nonfiction, Memoir, Autobiography, Pop Culture, Music

Read Start Date: July 17, 2022

Read Finish Date: July 25, 2022

Brief Summary of the Plot from Goodreads: Having entertained the idea for years, and even offered a few questionable opportunities (“It’s a piece of cake! Just do 4 hours of interviews, find someone else to write it, put your face on the cover, and voila!”) I have decided to write these stories just as I have always done, in my own hand. The joy that I have felt from chronicling these tales is not unlike listening back to a song that I’ve recorded and can’t wait to share with the world, or reading a primitive journal entry from a stained notebook, or even hearing my voice bounce between the Kiss posters on my wall as a child.

This certainly doesn’t mean that I’m quitting my day job, but it does give me a place to shed a little light on what it’s like to be a kid from Springfield, Virginia, walking through life while living out the crazy dreams I had as young musician. From hitting the road with Scream at 18 years old, to my time in Nirvana and the Foo Fighters, jamming with Iggy Pop or playing at the Academy Awards or dancing with AC/DC and the Preservation Hall Jazz Band, drumming for Tom Petty or meeting Sir Paul McCartney at Royal Albert Hall, bedtime stories with Joan Jett or a chance meeting with Little Richard, to flying halfway around the world for one epic night with my daughters…the list goes on. I look forward to focusing the lens through which I see these memories a little sharper for you with much excitement.

My Review: Dave Grohl is a musician (drummer) who has been in some pretty big named bands e.g. Nirvana and the Foo Fighters. To be honest, although I have listened to both bands before, I had no clue what the name of the drummer was until now. I checked this audiobook out from the library as it was in the “popular global” category. Having no expectations whatsoever about the book, I was pleasantly surprised. I found that the stories were interesting / entertaining, and Grohl was even funny at times.

Describing his heartbreak over the breakup from his first girlfriend (after 1 week): “Forlorn, I returned home to my volumes of nauseatingly romantic scribblings, gathered them all and burned them in a ceremonious ritual at the alter that I had of course built for Sandi in the carport. Okay, maybe I just threw ’em in the fucking trashcan outside, but I did purge my pages of puppy love poetry so as to cut the proverbial cord and try to get on with my boring preteen life.” I laughed out loud at this one.

This was a fast and easy read and was really good to listen to in the background of doing chores around the house.

BOOK REVIEW: No Lawyers in Heaven by Henry Milner

August 17, 2022August 17, 2022 / E.A. Hoffmann / 2 Comments

Title: No Lawyers in Heaven: A Life Defending Serious Crime

Author: Henry Milner

Audiobook Length: 6 hours and 43 minutes

Rating: 5 out of 5 stars

Genre: Nonfiction, True Crime, Autobiography, Memoir

Read Start Date: August 13, 2022

Read Finish Date: August 17, 2022

Brief Summary of the Plot from Netgally (link to Goodreads): The life of a criminal defence lawyer is shrouded in mystery. Outsiders might wonder about how to deal with potentially dangerous clients; what happens behind the scenes when building a defence; and, that age-old moral dilemma, how a lawyer can defend someone they think is guilty. But what is life really like for those tasked with representing the shadowy underbelly of society?

For over forty years, criminal defence solicitor Henry Milner has been the go-to lawyer for some of Britain’s most notorious criminals including Kenneth Noye and the Brink’s-Mat robbers, Freddie Foreman, John ‘Goldfinger’ Palmer and the gang behind the Millennium Dome raid.

Here, the lawyer referred to in the Sunday Times as ‘The Mr Big of Criminal Briefs’ offers a fascinating insight into life at the top of the profession, lifting the lid on the psychology of those who end up on the wrong side of the law and those who defend them. By turns shocking and hilarious, this remarkable memoir takes us deep into the enigmatic criminal underworld, delivering a wry personal commentary on the most extraordinary aspects of a life spent amongst the accused.

My Review: I received this audiobook from Netgalley in exchange for an honest review. I have to say, from the very beginning of this book I just loved it.

In 1967 the author, Henry Milner is in the College of Estate Management when he is essentially told by the school that he is not very good (as he had come at the bottom of his building construction class twice because he “can’t draw”), and that he should think instead of becoming a lawyer, as he had excelled in legal classes such as property law. And so he did.

Milner eventually becomes a defense attorney and he tells the stories of when he was practicing in the 70s and 80s. The stories are told with wit and humor and at times had me laughing out loud. His clients, some guilty, some acquitted are characters unto themselves. Even though they are criminals, many of their antics were funny (maybe not haha funny, but at least shake your head in astonishment funny).

I had never heard of these cases because they were before my time, and also this takes place in England and not America.

I also really liked the narrator. He told the stories in an animated way, like you were at a party, engaged in a conversation with him and he was regaling you of that one time when he represented this guy…

The crimes that are discussed are not heinous in nature, mostly robberies, and so I didn’t feel drained by reading this book like with some true crime books about murder.

All in all, I highly recommend this book.

BOOK REVIEW: The Ghost Marriage by Kirsten Mickelwait

July 18, 2022 / E.A. Hoffmann / Leave a comment

Title: The Ghost Marriage

Author: Kirsten Mickelwait

Audiobook Length: 10 hours and 10 minutes

Rating: 4 out of 5 stars

Genre: Nonfiction, Memoir

Read Start Date: April 23, 2022

Read Finish Date: April 26, 2022

Brief Summary of the Plot from Goodreads: At thirty-one, Kirsten has just returned to San Francisco from a bohemian year in Rome, ready to pursue a serious career as a writer and eventually, she hopes, marriage and family. When she meets Steve Beckwith, a handsome and successful attorney, she begins to see that future materialize more quickly than she’d dared to expect.

Twenty-two years later, Steve has turned into someone quite different. Unemployed and addicted to opioids, he uses money and their two children to emotionally blackmail Kirsten. What’s more, he’s been having an affair with their real estate agent, who is also her close friend. So she divorces him–but after their divorce is finalized, Steve is diagnosed with colon cancer and dies within a year, leaving Kirsten with $1.5 million in debts she knew nothing about. It’s then that she finally understands: The man she’d married was a needy, addictive person who came wrapped in a shiny package.

As she fights toward recovery, Kirsten begins to receive communications from Steve in the afterlife–which lead her on an unexpected path to forgiveness. The Ghost Marriage is her story of discovery — that life isn’t limited to the tangible reality we experience on this earth, and that our worst adversaries can become our greatest teachers.

My Review: I received this audiobook as an ARC from Netgalley in exchange for an honest review. I definitely connected with this woman, as I too was married to someone who, at the end of our marriage, I could barely recognize. Steve, the author’s husband, was a real jerk, who seemed to delight in antagonizing her. This book must have been cathartic to write for the author, as there were many stories of how Steve screwed the author over. By the end of the book I hated this guy’s guts. How the author could stand this man for decades is beyond me! Nevertheless, the book is thankfully not written in a whiny woe is me style — it is eloquent and narrative and kept me engaged and interested.

I was all set to give this book 5 stars, until I got to the last portion of the book. It really made me angry that the author (after seeing a psychic) came to believe that the ill treatment she endured at the hands of her husband was a “gift” from him because it taught her valuable life lessons which will help her in her next life after reincarnation. She believes now that they had a “soul contract” where the author agreed to be treated like a doormat. Give me a freaking break. Barf. I just don’t get it. It’s as though the act of dying makes this guy a saint all of a sudden.

I’m all for forgiving someone their transgressions in order to move on or whatever, but it just felt like she went beyond that to actually excusing and/or even JUSTIFYING his bad behavior. This was a real turnoff to me and is why I gave only 4 stars instead of 5. Emotional abuse is absolutely not ok, and never should be excused. But since this was only the very last portion of the book, I would say the book is worth the read anyway…just feel free to skip the ending!

BOOK REVIEW: Passports and Pacifiers—Traveling the World, One Tantrum at a Time by Kaitlyn Jain

June 15, 2022 / E.A. Hoffmann / Leave a comment

Title: Passports and Pacifiers–Traveling the World, One Tantrum at a Time

Author: Kaitlyn Jain

Audiobook Length: 8 hours and 37 minutes

Rating: 3 out of 5 stars

Genre: Nonfiction, Memoir, Parenting, Travel

Read Start Date: June 6, 2022

Read Finish Date: June 12, 2022

Brief Summary of the Plot from Goodreads: Starting with two bumbling parents taking their Never-Sleep infant to Italy and ending with an adventure across Scandinavia, Passports and Pacifiers follows a naïve, baby-wearing family on memorable, affordable, and nap-centered trips.

You’ll be regaled with honest, often hilarious, accounts of their misadventures, like losing the only pacifier of the trip, missing ferries, and soothing tantrums across the globe. The Jains find deals—traveling just a tad off the prime season, finding buy one get two flights, and using credit card miles and free grandparent babysitters—and save where they can.

In addition, you’ll receive hard-earned travel tips like:
• Entertaining kids during long flights
• Packing light (while bringing what you need!)
• Driving with a carsick-prone toddler
• Keeping your Ever-Hungry spouse happy

My Review: I received this audiobook as an ARC from Netgalley in exchange for an honest review. I was excited to read this book because I also love to travel, and now I have a 10 month old daughter. I really liked the lessons learned and the tips the author provided. The stories were also humorous and the substance of the book was, in general, a good read. Listening to it made me long to travel and gave me some inspiration as to which places to go to.

I would have rated the book 4 or even 5 stars had it not been for the poor quality of the audiobook. To be honest, while I was enjoying the substance of the book, it was hard to finish because of the audio. The book was read by the author, and the recording was very unprofessional. You could hear pages turning, mouth noises, and once the author even stumbled over a sentence. Why was this recording not better edited? Additionally, the author would sometimes pause in weird places in the sentence, which prompted me to listen at 1.25x speed, as this normalized the reading somehow.

While I would highly recommend this book, I would ONLY recommend the print or ebook version. Steer clear of the audiobook!

The Legal Alien

An American Lawyer Living Abroad

memoir

BOOK REVIEW: The Woman in Me by Britney Spears

NETGALLEY BOOK REVIEW: Chaos in Color: A Memoir of Childhood Trauma and Forgiveness by R. Layla Salek, PhD

BOOK REVIEW: I’m Glad My Mom Died by Jennette McCurdy

BOOK REVIEW: Spare by Prince Harry

BOOK REVIEW: The Light We Carry by Michelle Obama

BOOK REVIEW: Happy-Go-Lucky by David Sedaris

BOOK REVIEW: The Storyteller by Dave Grohl

BOOK REVIEW: No Lawyers in Heaven by Henry Milner

BOOK REVIEW: The Ghost Marriage by Kirsten Mickelwait

BOOK REVIEW: Passports and Pacifiers—Traveling the World, One Tantrum at a Time by Kaitlyn Jain