Manhood by Terry Crews - Book Review #290

How to be a better man - 

or just live with one

The first time I became aware of Terry Crews was from his role in Brooklyn Nine-Nine.

But it was his recent tour through Edmonton for the Alberta Council of Women's Shelters on Feb 20, 2018, that he really caught my attention as a person I want to learn more about.

I stumbled upon his book on-line and immediately took it out of the library.

The poor guy had a rough start as a kid and he really was a dummy, as most boys and young men are.  I was just as clueless at those ages so the book resonated with me.

What impressed me most was how his ability to learn from disappointments was hard-wired into his DNA.  A lot of people, maybe even most people, would have turned away from their dreams in the same circumstances.  But he pushed through always trying to improve himself.

If you're familiar with his movies and TV work then you know his voice.  It comes through in his writing and made for enjoyable reading.

It was inspiring to see his life-long struggle to become a better man, to improve himself and then to improve his relationships.

To me, the spirit of the book can be found in two lines;

"I realized that everything is not about good or bad.  It's about what you can learn from it."

Terry Crews is a very brave man for sharing his story complete with its warts, mistakes and embarrassments with the world.

Terry Crews' Wikipedia page - https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Terry_Crews

Terry Crews

Where I Belong by Alan Doyle - Book Report #204

I was given this book as a gift.

It was an interesting choice since I am not a huge fan of Great Big Sea, I like them but, you know, I'm not mad about them.  I think Gill was tapping into my recent love of all things Canada and so - Alan Doyle.

What struck me was how quickly I was captured by his childhood, the love of his home, his parents and his understanding of where he lived.  The simple joys of boyhood were everywhere and I laughed out loud quite a few times.

I probably stopped my wife a dozen times to read a passage from the book.  This is a very good sign that the man can write.

I knew nothing about Alan Doyle and now I have tickets to see him in March.

It was a terrific read and I am so glad to have had the experience.

Alan Doyle

To The Stars by George Takei - Book Report #175

Man I hate it when I listen to an abridged book.  I have no idea what I am missing.

Still, I enjoyed this version.  Who wouldn't?  I had the deep, rich voice of George himself in my ears for three hours.

Sublime.

This abridgment, not surprisingly, spent most of its time describing the Star Trek days in Takei's life.

What I personally found more compelling were his early days and the struggle he had to elevate his character, Hikaru Sulu.  It was frustrating to hear how many times Sulu came close to being promoted only to have it edited out due to on-set politics.

This was a terrific insight for any fan of the original series.  But if you are more interested in the man himself, I would suggest seeking out the dead-tree version of the book.

You can find his website here - http://georgetakei.com/

Born Standing Up by Steve Martin - Book Report #145

Is there anybody who hasn't been touched by Steve Martin's work?  Stand up comedy, movies, books and music; this guy has pretty much done it all by following his passions and his heart.

This memoir chronicles his early years, from childhood to the height of comedy stardom.  In it he talks about his personal life without ever getting creepy about it.  His style is straight forward and honest much like he was telling you stories after dinner, in the living room.  His intelligence, thoughtfulness and humour seep into every passage making this a wonderful experience.

Hearing how he felt and dealt with lack of fame then and abundance of it was refreshing.  I was very happy to get the pay off I wanted from this: why did he turn his back so completely from stand up?  His answer is honest, intelligent, understandable and respectful to his audience.  I have come away from this only wanting to know more about this unusual man and with the desire to embrace the other aspects of his entertainment career, namely his novels and music.

I experienced this as an audio book and I recommend anybody to do so as well.  There are many benefits from this format; firstly it is read by Mr. Martin with his rich, warm voice, plus he also replays some of his best bits on stage and some things that did not make the show.  With his ability to deliver lines, you don't want to leave it to yourself to get it right.  The added bonus of the audio book are the musical interludes between chapters and the short performance at the end, all performed by Martin.  The audio book is a very rich experience.

Better yet buy the paper book and the audio version, it would make a terrific set.

Book Report #98 - An Astronaut's Guide to Life on Earth by Chris Hadfield.

Book 22 of 52
Page count - 282

Sticking to space I decided some non-fiction would be a nice choice.  I've been a fan of Hadfield's for a while now.  There are only a handful of Canadian astronauts out there; he made the best of his career and simply glowed Candian-ness.

The book itself is just wonderful.  It was not what I expected - a simple memoir explaining his career.  More valuable, to the reader, he explained his attitude and work ethic.  It wasn't just about his accomplishments but how he did little things; how hard work, determination and a willingness to simply do what is needed were the keys to his success. 

His positive and simple message made me feel like I was not living up to my potential.  I decided to emulate his attitude and started to "sweat the small stuff" and to "aim to be a zero" which are the titles to two chapters that made strong impressions on me.

There is plenty of space stuff to keep anybody interested in space exploration happy but the personal ethics presented make this book special.

Below is a YouTube clip promoting the book.  It does a good job of showing the value of reading it.


Chris Hadfield's Wiki page is HERE

Book Report #67 - Bossypants by Tina Fey

You can count me as a fan of Tina Fey's.

She has managed to make, what can be a stodgy form, a lot of fun.  Fey is a very intelligent person who has a wonderful way to look at the small things in life.

I've only come to know her through her work on 30 Rock so it was great fun to read about her work on Saturday Night Live and her movies.

She treats the telling of her life much like you'd expect her to tell it at a party; by keeping it light and funny. 

My wife and two daughters loved the book and I could hear each one of them laugh out loud.

I liked it very much (although, being male, I may have missed some of it).

Book Report #63 - Miles - the Autobiography by Mies Davis and Quincy Troupe

Part of the reason I've not posted in months is that I made a plunge back into music.

When I was in my teens and 20's my stereo was my pride and joy and it really was the best equipment I ever owned.  I made up my mind that I wanted to rebuild that stereo.  I won't go into the details of that quest but I've cobbled together a vintage stereo from eBay, friends and family.

What I really liked about the book was the journey from jazz being the popular music of the day to the birth of rock, funk and soul.

You see, I was born in 1965, just when the world was coming apart at the seams, with race riots, assassinations, an out of control Cold War and the birth of FM Radio.

It was in the 60's that music really exploded into the genres we know to day.  It was 1975 when I started listening music for my own enjoyment - Rock was the default music style that I grew up with.

I started buying music in 1978.  I was never a 'record guy' but I loved listening to them and would do so for hours.  In my later years I've moved from Rock into Jazz back to Rock back to Jazz to the Blues to Rock, again to Jazz and recently Blues plus a bit of 70's Soul.

Miles Davis has always been a touchstone for me when I've been in a Jazz phase.  One of the things that perplexed me was at just how varied his music was; I didn't really understand him.

I loved his old stuff from the 40's and 50's but his later stuff confused me.

What first struck me was how the narrative sounded like conversations were transcribed, verbatim, from taped interviews.  I also had to get over his continuous use of the word motherfucker, but it really didn't take long go get over it and to understand his tone.

Although I was most interested in reading about Miles Davis, who was both a musical genius and drug addicted fuck-up, I was also learning about the birth of the styles of music I've come to take for granted.

While reading I was also buying music; as Davis was explaining certain recording session, I'd buy the album and listen to it.  It's not often you get a sound track with a book, what fun it is when you do!

Book Report #43 - Shatner Rules by William Shatner

Shatner Rules

by

William Shatner

Following close behind his wonderful memoir, Up Till Now, Shatner Rules is a fun romp through the life and mind of William "call me Bill" Shatner.  There is quite a bit of overlap from his memoir but this books' tone is much more like sitting in on a conversation with the man.  

You'll hear a lot of the same anecdotes but with a sense of humor and the wisdom gained from the passing of time.  Mostly it's tongue in cheek but there are many moments of clarity.

In chapter 3, titled Busy is Measured in Units of Shatner,  he explains:

"How do I keep up on a two- to three Shatner day?  I keep mindfully aware that another day is around the corner, another day for me to play a part, another day for me to get things done, another day to make sure the dogs aren't setting their sights on the sofa.

That's how I do it.

The sweet spot of the book is how Shatner connects  his reaction to his 40th birthday compared to his 80th; which is at once touching, scary and hopeful.

He also goes on the tell the story of his lifetime achievement awards and concludes with:

"There's finality to this life achievement business that I want no part of.  As long as you're able to say "yes," the opportunities keep coming, and with them, the adventures.  Say "no" to fear and complacency.  Keep saying "yes." and the journey will continue.

In this, my eightieth year of my life, I should be settling down, taking it easy, resting on laurels.  Forget it."

My favorite rule?  (Use your best Shatneresque voice here)

Get. Out. Of. Bed.

So,

Buy. This. Book

It's Shatner's World. We Just live in it.

Book Report #26 of 26 - Up Till Now

Up Till Now

by

William Shatner with David Fisher

Every year I take the girls to the Calgary Comic and Entertainment Expo.  It's the annual geek nirvana that is held on the Stampede Grounds and has been getting steadily bigger each and ever year.

We've either met or heard speak, all kinds of celebrities. It's an opportunity to get to know our favorite actors a bit better and to be exposed to all kinds of ideas and products from the world of comics, science fiction, TV and movies.

This year William Shatner was the guest of honor.  Yes, THE William Shatner - Captain Kirk, T.J. Hooker and Denny Crane - THAT William Shatner.  He was wonderful.

To see Shatner you'd put him in his 60's, he's full of energy and enthusiasm, he's living life to the fullest with no plans on stopping.  The inspiring part of this man is that he's not in his 60's, no, he's in his 80's!!  Your read that right, born March 22nd 1931 - he's 80.

Knowing I'd get a chance to see the man himself, I dusted off his autobiography and gave it a read.  I've grown up watching this guy on TV and one of the things I've enjoyed about seeing him is he always reminded me of my dad.  Not that their characters are the same but I always saw a resemblance in his features that often made me think he could be a brother to my old man.

Through this book I learned that Shatner has lead a varied and interesting life.  He has enjoyed more highs and suffered more lows than most regular people.  Since childhood he wanted to be a working actor, he wanted to make a good enough living to support a family and pay a mortgage.  He managed to do that but, in order to make it happen, he had to throw himself into his work to the exclusion of everything else.

Chapter after chapter I saw how slowly Shatner came to realize that his obsession with becoming a star was destroying everything else.  And then I was able to see him grow through success and tragedy.  The best gift of the book is learning Shatner's philosophy on life and living.  Through everything, he suggests, to never lose your sense of wonder and adventure and to embrace saying "yes" to opportunities because it's those opportunities that sometimes pay off right away or pay you back years afterwards.

Plus the book is a hoot to read; each chapter is long but they are all laid out in the form of a conversation.  Shatner's humor springs through at the strangest of times, he actually interrupts his paragraphs with all kinds of asides.  At first it's a bit jarring but I quickly got into the rhythm of his writing and enjoyed his narration very much.

Like any autobiography the book is best read if you are a fan but there is a lot to get out of the book if you are.  Shatner is not Kirk but Shatner is very close to being Denny Crane.

Live life and have fun doing it.