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The Alley-Cat7

~ Reviews & Reveries

The Alley-Cat7

Tag Archives: non-fiction

Book Review: The Measure of My Powers: A Memoir of Food, Misery and Paris by: Jackie Kai Ellis

02 Monday Apr 2018

Posted by The Alley-Cat7 in Book Review, Review

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Tags

Beaucoup Bakery, Book, Book Review, Cookbook, Food, Jackie Kai Ellis, Memoir, non-fiction, Paris, review, The Measure of My Powers, The Measure of My Powers: A Memoir of Food Misery and Paris, The Paris Tours

Initial Thoughts: Recently, I have been trying to read books I wouldn’t normally read, especially non-fiction. It is easy, for me, to just read novels without even touching a non-fiction book. The Measure of My Powers: A Memoir of Food, Misery and Paris was my way of challenging myself to get out of my (reading) comfort zone. [I ended up winning a free advanced copy of this book from the Goodreads giveaway.]

 

Summary

A story about one woman’s search for self-love, experienced through food and travel.The Measure of My Powers: A Memoir of Food, Misery and Paris

On the surface, Jackie Kai Ellis’s life was the one that every woman–herself included–wanted: she was in her late twenties and married to a handsome man, she had a successful career as a designer, a home that she shared with her husband. But instead of feeling fulfilled, happy, and loved, each morning she’d wake up dreading the day ahead, searching for a way out. Depression clouded each moment, the feelings of inadequacy that had begun in childhood now consumed her, and her marriage was slowly transforming into one between two strangers: unfamiliar, childless, and empty. In this darkness, she could only find one source of light: the kitchen. Inspired by the great 20th century female food writer M.F.K. Fisher’s works, it was the place Jackie escaped into herself, finding life, peace, comfort, and acceptance.

This is the story of how, armed with nothing but a love of food and the words of M.F.K. Fisher, one woman begins a journey–from France to Italy, then the Congo and back again–to find herself. Along the way, she goes to pastry school in Paris, eats the most perfect apricots over the Tuscan hills, watches a family of gorillas grazing deep in the Congolese brush, has her heart broken one last time on a bridge in Lyon, and, ultimately, finds a path to joy. Told with insight and intimacy, and radiating with warmth and humour, The Measure of My Powers is an unforgettable experience of the senses.

The Review

The Measure of My Powers is a memoir of Jackie Kai Ellis, the founder of Beaucoup Bakery & Café in Vancouver, British Colombia in 2012.  Beaucoup Bakery features French style pastries, including croissants (their staple item), cinnamon scrolls, chausson aux pommes, and more. After reading this memoir, I took a virtual journey to Beaucoup Bakery’s website, and my mouth began to water. Suddenly, I became very hungry for croissants. I was surprised to learn that Jakie Kai Ellis, as of 2017, no longer owns Beaucoup Bakery. Instead, according to my research, she is focusing on The Paris Tours, a 3-4 hour walking tour of the culinary experience in Paris. Continue reading →

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Book Review: Marlon Brando: The Way It’s Never Been Done Before by: George Englund

12 Monday Feb 2018

Posted by The Alley-Cat7 in Book Review, Review

≈ 1 Comment

Tags

Actor, Biography, Book Review, Brando, Celebrity, Cinema, film, George Englund, Marlon, Marlon Brando, Marlon Brando: The Way It's Never Been Done Before, movies, non-fiction, review, The Way It's Never Been Done Before

Initial Thoughts: The first ever movie I had ever watched with Marlon Brando was Apocalypse Now. I was assigned to writing an essay on this movie by comparing it to Joseph Conrad’s Heart of Darkness. I remember that I spent most of the time with my hands covering my eyes (because I am that much of a wimp). Brando’s portrayal of Kurtz felt dead on to what I was imagining when I read Heart of Darkness. He was able to project an unwavering amount of charisma onto the screen. For once, I couldn’t look away.

Summary

Marlon Brando: The Way It's Never Been Done BeforeMarlon Brando: The Way It’s Never Been Done Before by George Englund
My rating: 3 of 5 stars

This is an intimate and exceptionally candid memoir of the reclusive superstar Marlon Brando and a portrait of his decades-long friendship with the author, George Englund. Since bellowing and blustering his way into the spotlight with A Streetcar Named Desire, Marlon Brando has been one of the most revered performers in the world. He was also incredibly reclusive, having shied away from the spotlight for decades. Marlon Brando, written by Brando’s close friend George Englund, offers an intimate glimpse into the life and death of the amazing theatrical legend and a portrait of the friendship the two men shared. This book is one of the most compelling inside views of an epic friendship between two dynamic, eloquent men that has ever been written. It is as unique as Brando was. The author wanted to write the book that Brando deserved — one that would do him justice and portray him as he really was. Marlon Brando honors Brando’s memory and paints a portrait of the true man behind the legend.

The Review

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After watching Apocalypse Now, I ended up forgetting about Marlon Brando completely in spite of his performance. For me, he was just another brilliant actor. My interest in Brando was piqued when I watched Brando as Sky Masterson in Guys and Dolls.  This ended up triggering a phase where I have been reading and watching countless interviews about Marlon Brando, or by Marlon Brando himself. Marlon Brando was an enigma with a personality larger than life. The moment I think that I have been able to uncover what sort of person he was, I end up realizing that I was farther away Continue reading →

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Book Review: The Princess Diarist by: Carrie Fisher

15 Friday Dec 2017

Posted by The Alley-Cat7 in Book Review, Review

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Tags

Autobiography, Biography, Book, Book Review, Carrie Fisher, Celebrity, non-fiction, review, The Princess Diarist

What expression did Madame Tussauds choose to embalm on my face? Impassive Leia/ me. Staring stoically into the future with Jabba the Hutt giggling peacefully behind me. Why shouldn’t he giggle? What’s he got to worry about? Surely not his weight. He’s big boned or no boned. He could do with some toning, but why bother? With impassive, sweaty-looking me as his slave and that annoying little rat in drag to amuse him, he’s got a great life. One that Leia and I hope/plan to put an end to very shortly” – The Princess Diarist, Carrie Fisher

Initial thoughts: When I was about four years old, my parents decided that it was a great time to expose me to Star Wars. I became a fanatic during my childhood. I even made my own Princess Leia costume (minus all the sewing). I even began wearing my hair in the Princess Leia style with the two cinnamon rolls attached to my head a month before Halloween… Oh, what was I thinking… But, I did not know the person behind Princess Leia. Carrie Fisher, to me, was just another actress. It was only, unfortunately, when she passed away that I became interested in finding out who Carrie Fisher was.

Summary 

26025989. sy475 When Carrie Fisher recently discovered the journals she kept during the filming of the first Star Wars movie, she was astonished to see what they had preserved—plaintive love poems, unbridled musings with youthful naiveté, and a vulnerability that she barely recognized. Today, her fame as an author, actress, and pop-culture icon is indisputable, but in 1977, Carrie Fisher was just a (sort-of) regular teenager.

With these excerpts from her handwritten notebooks, The Princess Diarist is Fisher’s intimate and revealing recollection of what happened on one of the most famous film sets of all time—and what developed behind the scenes. And today, as she reprises her most iconic role for the latest Star Wars trilogy, Fisher also ponders the joys and insanity of celebrity, and the absurdity of a life spawned by Hollywood royalty, only to be surpassed by her own outer-space royalty. Laugh-out-loud hilarious and endlessly quotable, The Princess Diarist brims with the candor and introspection of a diary while offering shrewd insight into the type of stardom that few will ever experience.” – Goodreads

The Review

So, as I had mentioned, I grew up as a Star Wars fan. I watched the movies so many (too many) times. Today, the latest Star Wars movie will be out in theatres, Star Wars VIII: The Last Jedi. When I had seen The Force Awakens nearly two years ago. I remember at the end of the movie, I found myself gazing longingly at the ending credits. What! I will have to wait another two years! Noooooooo! Somehow, two years has flown by rather fast.

It is rare that I will become interested in an actor outside of their movie. I may enjoy an actor’s work, but I am not one to learn all about them and fill my head with the names of their favorite pets. When Carrie Fisher passed away, I remember reading a quote she had said in response to how much she had changed since she was in the initial Star Wars movies….

Please stop debating about whether or not I’ve aged well.  Unfortunately, it hurts all 3 of my feelings. Youth and beauty are not accomplishments. They are temporary, happy by-products of time and/or DNA. Don’t hold your breath for either. A long time ago, in a galaxy far far away, someone else might have given a ****” – Carrie Fisher, NBC Today Show, December 2015

After reading this, I was extremely happy to hear a celebrity addressing the masses that beauty doesn’t last. What drew me to Carrie Fisher was her honesty, which is found in abundance in her last book The Princess Diarist. 

The Princess Diarist is not about what it was like to be on the set of Star Wars. Instead, it is a coming-of-age autobiography with some journal excerpts about Carrie Fisher’s relationship with Harrison Ford. Believe it or not, Harrison Ford Continue reading →

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Book Review: If You Ask Me (And of Course You Won’t) by: Betty White

27 Monday Nov 2017

Posted by The Alley-Cat7 in Book Review, Review

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Tags

Autobiography, Betty White, Book, Book Review, Celebrity, Memoir, non-fiction, review

That’s when you have to remember that image in the mirror and not let success get to you. It is important that you not believe your own publicity. Be grateful for whatever praise you receive, but take it with a grain of salt” If You Ask Me (And of Course You Won’t) by: Betty White

Initial thoughts: Who doesn’t love Betty White? Honestly, whenever I see her appear in a movie or television series, I find myself grinning from ear to ear. For decades she has been sharing her acting talents with the world. Even now, at her age, she is still going strong. I ended up listening to the audiobook version of Betty White’s autobiography If You Ask Me (And of Course You Won’t).

Summary

9972053Drawing from a lifetime of lessons learned, seven-time Emmy winner Betty White’s wit and wisdom take center stage as she tackles topics like friendship, romantic love, aging, television, fans, love for animals, and the brave new world of celebrity. If You Ask Me mixes her thoughtful observations with humorous stories from a seven- decade career in Hollywood” Goodreads

 

The Review

This book was an absolute delight to read. I adored every minute of it. Unlike most celebrities who have an ego higher than the Empire State Building, Betty White is a down-to-earth lovable woman who I wish could be immortal. Wouldn’t this be awesome to have an immortal Betty White to grace the silver screen forever and ever and Continue reading →

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Book Review: I am Nujood, Age 10 and Divorced by: Nujood Ali & Delphine Minoui

02 Monday Oct 2017

Posted by The Alley-Cat7 in Book Review, Books, Review

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Tags

Autobiography, Biography, Book Review, Delphine Minoui, I am Nujood Age 10 and Divorced, non-fiction, Nujood Ali, review, Yemen

We were living rather happily, to the rhythm of the sun. It was a simple life, but peaceful, without electricity or running water” I am Nujood, Age 10 and Divorced, Nujood Ali & Delphine Minoui

Initial Thoughts: Now that I am a young adult, I have begun to feel a self-imposed responsibility to learn about how the world works. It is not that I have been turning a blind eye to the world around me. Rather, I found myself shuddering at the events in the news without really trying to understand WHY these things occur. And so, I ended up challenging myself to read more non-fiction books. A year ago, I would have said “non-fiction books are so boring.” Some of them are. But… many aren’t, and they can make you appreciate the life you have. This is one of such books.

Summary

6818019Nujood Ali’s childhood came to an abrupt end in 2008 when her father arranged for her to be married to a man three times her age. With harrowing directness, Nujood tells of abuse at her husband’s hands and of her daring escape. With the help of local advocates and the press, Nujood obtained her freedom—an extraordinary achievement in Yemen, where almost half of all girls are married under the legal age. Nujood’s courageous defiance of both Yemeni customs and her own family has inspired other young girls in the Middle East to challenge their marriages. Hers is an unforgettable story of tragedy, triumph, and courage.

The Review

I am Nujood, Age 10, and Divorced is a true story about a little girl who had enough courage to say no. Nujood Ali was born in Yemen in the countryside. After a family tragedy, she and her family moved to the capital of Yemen where the family barely made ends meet. To save her family from poverty, Nujood’s father sold her to an older man of thirty years who promised not to touch her until a year after she reached puberty. Once Nujood was married, her husband repeatedly abused her both physically and sexually. Two months into her marriage, she returned home briefly for a visit. She ran away to plead her case to the courts, and eventually won a divorce at age 10.

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The Odyssey, translated by Emily Wilson (2018).
It’s been a long time since I posted anything... but I’m back! This weekend, I went to a thrift store to go shopping for some books. Shopping at a thrift store for books is an entirely different experience than going to a bookstore. When I go to a bookstore, I usually have a book in mind that I want to buy and I’ll maybe browse and see what else catches my eye. With a thrift store, you never know what you’ll find. Book 1: The Couple Next Door by Shari Lapena. I truly have no idea what it is about, but I think it’s a thriller. Have you read it? Book 2: Evermore by Alyson Noel. So, I read Evermore when I was fourteen and loved it. I thought it might be worth a reread so I could give it a review on my blog. Book 3: Half Broke Horses by Jeannette Walls. I absolutely loved The Glass Castle. I’m curious to see if Half Broke Horses is just as compelling. Finally, Book 4: Quiet by Susan Cain. So, I’m an introvert. Actually, I’m a huge introvert. Plus, I am super shy and constantly anxious. It’s a great combination to have for socializing and meeting new people 😜I’m super curious about this book and what Susan Cain has to say in defence of introverts everywhere. #bookstagram #book #books #quietsusancain #susancain #bookhaul #bookstagrammer #evermore #evermorealysonnoel #halfbrokehorses #jeannettewalls #thecouplenextdoor #sharilapena #booknerd #bookaddict
Currently obsessed with Bridgerton! Have you read The Duke & I or watched the Netflix series? #bookstagram #bookstagrammer #booklover #bookcommunity #book #booknerd #bookrecommendations #bridgerton #bridgertons #bridgertonsonnetflix #juliaquinn
I absolutely adored The Guernsey Literary and Potato Peel Pie Society 😍 It’s romantic with a dash of historical fiction. It is also a love letter to some of the greatest classics of all-time. I love how the book is told entirely through letters. I ended up feeling as if the characters were real. Question: have you read this book? Do you like books told through letters? #book #bookstagram #booklover #booknerd #books #bookaddict #bookrecommendations #theguernseyliteraryandpotatopeelpiesociety #maryannshaffer #annieborrows #bookworm
Out of all of Jane Austen’s novels, I cannot seem to remember the storyline of Emma very well. 😅It has been nearly ten years since I read Emma while I was in my first years of high school. The only thing I can remember is that Emma goes around trying to set-up romances. 💕💕 After recently finishing Pride and Prejudice, I would love to reread Emma someday. As always, so many books, so little time. Have you ever read Emma? Have you seen the newest film adaptation? I still haven’t seen it, but it looks amazing 😁 #Emma #Janeausten #emmajaneausten #bookstagram #booklover #book #bookstagrammer #booknerd #booklove #classicnovels
Ready for June ☀️☀️☀️☀️☀️ #bulletjournal #june2020 #june #bulletjournaling #bulletjournalideas #bulletjournalcommunity #bulletjournallove #montlyspread #journaling #journal

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