8.
Title: Feynman
Author: Ottaviani and Myrick
Pages: 266
Genre: Graphic Biography
Medium: Hardback
Acquisition:
Date Completed: January 9, 2012
Rating: *****

Feynman is a cultural icon; known as much for his practical jokes and lock-picking as his Nobel Prize-winning work in physics, he is a scientist seemingly driven by the sheer joy of knowing. Not scientifically educated, I can follow very little of his work, but having read some of his writing before I know him to be an approachable, friendly, and humorous narrator: he's just plain likeable.

In their graphic novel Feynman, Ottaviani and Myrick present a brief biography of one of the greatest minds in recent history, and their work is just as lively and enthralling as the man himself. Presenting a collection of stories from his college days through his death, the authors allow readers to gain at least a general understanding of the man and his work, without losing a general audience in science that may be impenetrable for some (such as I - but there is physics involved).

I wasn't always pleased with the artwork (which is probably an odd thing to say for a five-star rating of a graphic novel), but the work as a whole is completely charming.

95.
Author: Melissa Febos
Title: Whip Smart
publication: paperback
Pages:
Genre: Memoir
Acquisition: Couldn't resist
Date: December 11, 2011
Rating: ****

When Melissa Febos worked as a dominatrix in a dungeon in New York City she enjoyed casually naming her job for the shock factor of such a revelation; just naming her occupation in unsuspecting company gave her the sense of power that draws her to the job in the first place. The title of her memoir - Whip Smart - seems to serve much the same purpose: it's more for shock value than a true advertisement of the details of the memoir.

Yes, Febos worked as a dominatrix for several years, and her memoir details her interactions with some clients, her relationships with her coworkers, and the way her business influenced her personal life. But more poignant than her occupation - and of greater concern to the memoir - is Febos's drug abuse during her rather tumultuous undergraduate years and her subsequent recovery.

In a way, the "shock value" of the title worked - I, for one, am more likely to purchase a memoir detailing the experiences of a counter-culture figure than that of another drug-addicted college student. However, Febos easily pieces together the details of this time in her life with what appears to be blunt honesty, and it is her narrative voice that ultimately renders this memoir effective.

I would recommend this book to those who enjoy memoirs in general, to those who wish to read an interestingly candid discussion of recovery from heroine addiction (without the gospel), and, yes, to those interested in an anthropological discussion of subversive sexual culture.

94.
Author: Carrie Fisher
Title: Wishful Drinking
publication: paperback
Pages:
Genre: Autobiography
Acquisition: Couldn't resist
Date: December 6, 2011
Rating: **1/2

Carrie Fisher is a woman born for the spotlight; with two famous parents she didn't even need to become a cultural icon to find her way into cultural history. However, thanks to a minor film series she's not only a cultural icon, but a shampoo bottle, PEZ dispenser, and even a sex doll (as she is quick to point out herself). And while I believe she is a great storyteller, that unfortunately does not make her a great author.

Wishful Drinking the stage show would be much stronger than Wishful Drinking the book. As a text, however, Fisher's story falls far short of the mark, lacking coherency and development. Full of excessive exclamation points and lacking in organization, the book did not live up to its promise. There's a reason why one of the cover-reviews suggests finding someone to "read this book out loud" - it must be better than reading it to yourself.

20.
Author(s): Roald Dahl
Title: Boy: Tales of Childhood
Publication: Paperback
Pages: 176
Genre: Autobiography (despite what Dahl says)
Acquisition: Purchased previously, reused as a work text, 5th grade
Date Completed: February 28, 2011
Rating:

I thoroughly enjoyed Boy when I first read it last year, and I looked forward to the opportunity of discussing it with a student. When my fifth-grade pupil reacted rather negatively to the beginning of Phineas Gage] we switched gears, and moved to Dahl's brief autobiography instead. After reading a few of his Revolting Rhymes, my student was very interested to learn more about the poet and children's author, and was both amazed and a little terrified of some of his experiences. Overall, I think it made for a good learning experience, and certainly seemed to be at the right level for this 4th/5th grader

21.
Author(s): Kresley Cole
Title:No Rest for the Wicked
Publication: Kindle
Pages:
Genre: Supernatural Romance
Acquisition:
Date Completed: March 2, 2011
Rating: 3.5 stars out of 5

More supernatural fluff with Valkyries and vampires, and just what I needed.

45.
Author: Keri Arthur
Title: Embraced by Darkness
Publication: Kindle Edition
Pages: 384 pages
Genre: Horror/romance
Acquisition: Purchased June 4, 2010
Date Completed: June 8, 2010
Rating: 3 stars out of 5

It's about what you'd expect. I do have to say, it's kind of refreshing to read a "romance" that doesn't try to wrap the sex scenes in a fluffy padding of euphemisms. The plot may have been overly predictable, but the honesty alone makes Arthur's books worth reading.


46.
Author: Thomas Wright
Title: Built of Books
Publication: Hardback
Pages: 318 pages
Genre: Nonfiction/biography
Acquisition: Purchased February 18, 2010
Date Completed: June 10, 2010
Rating: 4.5 stars out of 5

There is no better way to get to know an author than by reading a biography of books. Thomas Wright's Built of Books presents Oscar Wilde's life in a series of reading lists that illuminate his personal and professional lives. Unlike other biographies, which focus on personal relationships (and, of course, Wilde's trial), Wright's treatment of the famous aesthete treats the author's internal life, and really brings to life the thoughts and ideas of the infamous poet/playwright. Thomas Wright's Oscar Wilde is a complete person, revealed in all his intellectual glory. I would highly recommend this biography to anyone with even a passing interest in Oscar Wilde.

47.
Author: Vicki Leon
Title: Working IX to V
Publication: Paperback
Pages: 301 pages
Genre: History
Acquisition: Purchased February 18, 2010
Date Completed: June 10, 2010
Rating: stars out of 5

I am not going to rate this book because I would be rating based on expectations as opposed to the actual content. I was disappointed that Leon favored quantity over quality; I was hoping to find more detailed information. However, that's not the book that Leon wanted to write.

37.
Author: Roald Dahl
Title: Boy: Tales of Childhood
Publication: Paperback, Penguin Books
Pages: 176 pages
Genre: Biography
Acquisition: Recommended by Whisper1 (I think)
Date Completed: May 7, 2010
Rating: 5 stars out of 5

On the first page Dahl proclaims, "This is not an autobiography. I would never write a history of myself." And, indeed, Boy does not fit the definition of an autobiography, as he describes it in his introduction. Free from "boring details," Boy is a collection of memories that remained significant to Dahl in his adulthood. From houses, to vacations, to dead mice and even canings, Dahl paints a vivid picture of his life at home and school, until his life lead him to be a pilot in WWII. Occasionally heartbreaking, often funny, and consistently charming, Boy is a wonderful exercise in non-autobiographical writing.

4.
Author: Daniel Hahn
Title: Poetic Lives: Coleridge
Publication: London: Hesperus Press, 2009..
Pages: 168 pages
Genre: Biography, poetry
Acquisition: December Library Thing Early Review
Date Completed: January 13, 2010
Rating: 4 stars out of 5

In a sentence, Poetic Lives is exactly what it claims to be - a "short, authoritative biograph{y} of {one of} the world's best known poets, illustrated by extracts from {his} work".

My initial reaction to Hahn's biography was not positive; the writing is terse and distant, and the juxtaposition of Hahn's biography and Coleridge's often amazing poetry did not seem flattering to the project as a whole. If asked to write a review based on the first thirty pages or so I would have said that it reads like a wikipedia article with none of the charm.

However, I took a step back from the work, read the back cover (from which I took the above quotation), and settled back in to read the book as it is intended. The "Poetic Lives" series does not claim to present in-depth and thoughtful biographies; rather, the goal seems to be to place a poet's work within the context of their lives so that an audience may better understand the work itself. And this is exactly what Poetic Lives: Coleridge accomplishes. Coleridge was inspired by life, and so looking at some of his work as part of his biography helps focus a reading of his poetry in the proper light. In this way this short volume is very interesting.

Poetic Lives: Coleridge is not an overly-scholarly publication, but I would imagine that it would be very helpful and enlightening for students, particularly undergraduates who are studying the Romantics for the first time. The lack of "scholarship" also opens the book to a wider audience, making it suitable for popular reading for anyone with a passing interest in Coleridge and his work.

Challenges
75-Book Challenge: Book 4
1010 Challenge: Poetry/Plays Book 1
Off-the-shelf: