What self-respecting Disney fanatic could NOT read a book by Marty Sklaar, which details his 54 (yes 54) years as a Disney Imagineer? I was so excited to read this book, but so very sad that I wasn't able to be at WDW in September 12 and 13 when he was there signing copies. Now, that would've been way cool!
For my readers out there, if you have any interest in Disney at all, you should read Marty's book. It details some of the coolest stories in Disney history and made me love the company even more. It also made me sad that Walt is gone. If you are not a Disney fan, but you have an interest in developing leadership skills or want to read about an organization that is skilled in creating an amazing work ethic amongst its employees, you could read this book and learn a lot.
I will be honest and admit that I skipped the chapters on Euro-Disney and Disneyland Tokyo. I was just not interested in reading about the parks I had not been to. I also skipped a lot of Marty's lists of people who did this and that and were written about as though they were interviewing for a new job. But, the stories were super cool, as were his pictures.
I am a huge Disney fan. That's no big secret. But, after reading this book, I am a Disney supporter. They've got a good thing going inside their industry. Now...how do I become a part of it?
Happy reading, everyone!
:)Dodie
Monday, September 30, 2013
Sunday, September 22, 2013
#40: What Alice Forgot by Liane Moriarty
What would you do if you went to the gym one morning, fell off of a bike, hit your head, woke up in a hospital, and had forgotten the last ten years of your life? You did not remember the birth and life of your three kids, and wouldn't know them if they walked right up to you, you did not remember separating from your husband or the name of your new boyfriend, nor did you remember the death of your best friend. It was all wiped away. What would you do? Well...this is exactly what happened to Alice Love in What Alice Forgot, a book that has touched my heart and my mind and has really caused me to think long and hard about life. Again.
I don't want to summarize the book for you, because I think it would spoil the plot and I don't like to do that. But I do feel compelled to comment on how horrible I felt as I read about Alice waking up at the hospital. She was scared to death that she has lost her baby, as the last memory she had was of being pregnant. She desperately wanted to speak to her husband because she knew he, the love of her life, could make it all better. Imagine, then, when he was mean to her, using short, curt, bitter words because they did not love each other anymore. She just didn't remember. She didn't remember being distanced from her sister, either. Her life, in 10 short years, had changed dramatically. With a bump on the head, she was actually given an amazing gift. She could re-write her life...provided that her memories did not return. She could turn things around, just by being who she used to be. Because she did not know how to be anything else.
My heart ached for her as she tried to remember what made her husband hate her, and she him. My heart ached as she realized that her sister was hurting and she couldn't remember why. I couldn't turn the pages fast enough as I longed to learn why her life had turned out the way it had and I prayed that her memory would stay gone forever. Alice Love was a kind and gentle person without her memories. From what I can tell, I don't think I would've like the Alice who remembered.
As I read this book, I felt so very grateful. I felt grateful for my family and my husband and for my life. And yet, I found myself disliking parts of Alice's life that I find myself, at 41, now wanting desperately--to be thin with the help of a personal trainer, to quit working so I can focus more on me, to buy a bigger house. And it made me stop and think. Why do I want these things? What about taking time to enjoy life and your family and your friends? Maybe those are the priorities I should focus on.
The sad thing is, I had decided to do just that. After my trips to London and Bermuda this summer, I had change my mind about life. There's more to life than Short Pump and I wanted my children to discover just that. I realized after these trips that a great big house would be lovely, but I really didn't want to be tied down by a large mortgage. And, I just hoped and prayed that I'd develop an aversion to all food and miraculously lose a ton of weight. :) But, then we all went back to school and those external forces that tend to bring me down (people) came flooding right back--the stay at home moms, the friends building new houses, the neighbors that run and are so toned and fit--and have muddled my thinking again, because I have let them. UGH.
So, I think that instead of loaning out What Alice Forgot as I typically do when I am done with a book, I will place this book in a spot where I can see it daily. Where it can remind me that my family is number one and the rest of it is just fluff. I need to focus on them and our lives together. Just as Alice did as she tried to remember why everything was so mixed up.
So, if you want to read this book, which I would highly recommend, you are going to need to get your own copy.
Hope you find one!
:) Dodie
I don't want to summarize the book for you, because I think it would spoil the plot and I don't like to do that. But I do feel compelled to comment on how horrible I felt as I read about Alice waking up at the hospital. She was scared to death that she has lost her baby, as the last memory she had was of being pregnant. She desperately wanted to speak to her husband because she knew he, the love of her life, could make it all better. Imagine, then, when he was mean to her, using short, curt, bitter words because they did not love each other anymore. She just didn't remember. She didn't remember being distanced from her sister, either. Her life, in 10 short years, had changed dramatically. With a bump on the head, she was actually given an amazing gift. She could re-write her life...provided that her memories did not return. She could turn things around, just by being who she used to be. Because she did not know how to be anything else.
My heart ached for her as she tried to remember what made her husband hate her, and she him. My heart ached as she realized that her sister was hurting and she couldn't remember why. I couldn't turn the pages fast enough as I longed to learn why her life had turned out the way it had and I prayed that her memory would stay gone forever. Alice Love was a kind and gentle person without her memories. From what I can tell, I don't think I would've like the Alice who remembered.
As I read this book, I felt so very grateful. I felt grateful for my family and my husband and for my life. And yet, I found myself disliking parts of Alice's life that I find myself, at 41, now wanting desperately--to be thin with the help of a personal trainer, to quit working so I can focus more on me, to buy a bigger house. And it made me stop and think. Why do I want these things? What about taking time to enjoy life and your family and your friends? Maybe those are the priorities I should focus on.
The sad thing is, I had decided to do just that. After my trips to London and Bermuda this summer, I had change my mind about life. There's more to life than Short Pump and I wanted my children to discover just that. I realized after these trips that a great big house would be lovely, but I really didn't want to be tied down by a large mortgage. And, I just hoped and prayed that I'd develop an aversion to all food and miraculously lose a ton of weight. :) But, then we all went back to school and those external forces that tend to bring me down (people) came flooding right back--the stay at home moms, the friends building new houses, the neighbors that run and are so toned and fit--and have muddled my thinking again, because I have let them. UGH.
So, I think that instead of loaning out What Alice Forgot as I typically do when I am done with a book, I will place this book in a spot where I can see it daily. Where it can remind me that my family is number one and the rest of it is just fluff. I need to focus on them and our lives together. Just as Alice did as she tried to remember why everything was so mixed up.
So, if you want to read this book, which I would highly recommend, you are going to need to get your own copy.
Hope you find one!
:) Dodie
Thursday, September 12, 2013
#39: War Brides by Lois Battle
I am not a history buff and I am not typically a fan of historical fiction. I have, however, read some very cool historical fiction recently and War Brides is one of those amazing books that makes me wish I knew more about WW2. It also makes me want to run out and buy more books by Lois Battle (which I plan to do shortly).
War Brides is set at the end of WW2 and it tells the stories of three Australian ladies who fall in love with Americans they met during the war and move to the States at the conclusion of the war. While fiction, their stories are compelling, heart-warming, and often heart-breaking, as you read their attempts to assimilate into American society and post-war culture. This was a true page turner and there was never, in 437 pages, a dull moment. I felt a bit like I was reading a WW2 soap-opera as I read alternating chapters, each told by one of the three main characters: Sheila, Gaynor, and Dawn. Each of these ladies is as different from the other as could possibly be. Their lifestyles, their love interests, their values, their desires...and this, in my opinion, largely contributes to the fresh story line and the page-turning quality of the novel as a whole.
For those of you who are book club members, I would strongly encourage you to read this with your book club. These ladies and their actions could spark some lively discussions--especially Gaynor.
I can't recommend this one highly enough. Read it. You will love it. I promise!
Happy reading,
:)Dodie
War Brides is set at the end of WW2 and it tells the stories of three Australian ladies who fall in love with Americans they met during the war and move to the States at the conclusion of the war. While fiction, their stories are compelling, heart-warming, and often heart-breaking, as you read their attempts to assimilate into American society and post-war culture. This was a true page turner and there was never, in 437 pages, a dull moment. I felt a bit like I was reading a WW2 soap-opera as I read alternating chapters, each told by one of the three main characters: Sheila, Gaynor, and Dawn. Each of these ladies is as different from the other as could possibly be. Their lifestyles, their love interests, their values, their desires...and this, in my opinion, largely contributes to the fresh story line and the page-turning quality of the novel as a whole.
For those of you who are book club members, I would strongly encourage you to read this with your book club. These ladies and their actions could spark some lively discussions--especially Gaynor.
I can't recommend this one highly enough. Read it. You will love it. I promise!
Happy reading,
:)Dodie
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