Book Review: A Night to Remember by Walter Lord

On April 15th, 1912, Titanic, the world's largest passenger ship, sank after colliding with an iceberg, claiming more than 1,500 lives. Walter Lord's classic bestselling history of the voyage, the wreck and the aftermath is a tour de force of detailed investigation and the upstairs/downstairs divide. A Night to Remember provides a vivid, gripping and deeply personal account of the 'unsinkable' Titanic's descent.

I read A Night to Remember as part of the Nonfiction Reading Challenge. From as far back as I can recall, I've had a fascination with the Titanic and her tragic sinking. And having just recently been to Belfast just to go to the Titanic Museum there, I felt a renewed interest in the story.

A Night to Remember was originally published in 1955 and it was the first definitive resource about the Titanic disaster. Lord interviewed a number of survivors and painstakingly researched the investigations into the sinking to provide a thorough account of that tragic night. Over the years I have read many books and articles about the Titanic, but for some reason I'd never picked up Lord's book. Having read it now, I can clearly see why it is so successful. Lord writes with brevity and his book is full of information about that night, but what sets this book apart from others is the extent to which he wove survivors' interviews into a narrative.

Hearing what individual passengers did during the hours it took for the Titanic to sink brings this story to life, and reminds us that these people were real, this awful event did indeed take place, and 1500 lives were lost. Titanic's sinking is not just fodder for romantic movies; it is a maritime disaster like no other. Lord's account is overwhelmingly sad in parts, but that's why it's such a well-written book. It gets to the heart of the event; how people react in a life and death situation.

The thing that always strikes me about Titanic's sinking is the part that fate played in the tragedy. Lord talks about this in the book and lists all the things that could have gone another way on that fateful night, things that certainly would have changed events dramatically. For example - what if ice warnings had been heeded? What if wireless operator Phillips hadn't been flustered with overwork and didn't cut off the Californian's message about icebergs? What if the Californian had gone to Titanic's aid? The list goes on. There are a heap of 'what ifs', as there always is when tragedy occurs. Unfortunately for Titanic and her passengers, fate wasn't working in her favour that evening.

One particular event in the book stood out to me. Lord talks about the men who clung to the upturned collapsible lifeboat B for hours after the sinking. The boat was partially submerged, and to counteract the motion of the boat (for fear of capsize) the men stood in lines on the upturned boat and swayed from side to side to maintain balance. They did this for hours. A remarkable feat of perseverance. It just goes to show what we'll put ourselves through to survive.

Overall, A Night to Remember is a gripping and heartbreaking account of the Titanic and her passengers. Lord is an excellent writer who manages to provide every detail, significant or small, to create an ultimate record of Titanic's maiden voyage and sinking. I thoroughly enjoyed his book.

Book Review: Love Life by Rob Lowe

When Rob Lowe's first book was published in 2011, he received the kind of rapturous reviews that writers dream of and rocketed to the top of the bestseller list. Now, in Love Life, he expands his scope, using stories and observations from his life in a poignant and humorous series of true tales about men and women, art and commerce, fathers and sons, addiction and recovery, and sex and love.

I read Love Life as part of the Nonfiction Reading Challenge. I've always liked Rob Lowe and having read some of his earlier writing I knew this book would be an entertaining read. I was not disappointed.

Rob tells stories from his time in Hollywood, as well as personal stories. He's a great writer and his sense of humour leaps off the page throughout the book. I've seen Rob interviewed many times and he's a very funny man. It's great to see this side of him coming out in his writing too. Having read this book I believe one of the best things about Rob is his ability to laugh at himself. He doesn't take life, or himself, too seriously. That makes his writing a joy to read.

Rob seems to be a thoughtful celebrity. Sure, he has his ego and definitely wants to succeed as an actor, but it's also clear that he loves the craft of acting and intentionally takes on roles because of the challenge he will face. He isn't a snob about roles - he doesn't just play leading men. He's in it for the artistry of acting. I admire him for that. 

I also loved the way Rob spoke of his family. He recognises that family is more important than his famous job. He knows acting is a means to an end. Yes it's a passion of his, but so is his family. I found the sections about his eldest son leaving home for college to be very well-written. It's obvious an emotional time for Rob, and I admire his candor in speaking about such a personal struggle. 

Love Life is an easy read. There is nothing astounding in the book, but it's an entertaining look at Rob Lowe's professional and personal life. I enjoyed it. 

2016 Reading Challenges

It's been a couple of years since I took part in a reading challenge. This year I've decided to get back into a reading/reviewing routine by signing up to two challenges. Not only will this get me reading a variety of genres and subjects I might not otherwise, it will also ease me back into my blogging. Healing Scribe has suffered from my silence the last two years. Reviewing books will ensure my blog sees at least some action in 2016! :-)

My two challenges are -

 

I did the Eclectic Reader Challenge in 2013 and thoroughly enjoyed it, so I'm back for another go! Shelleyrae at Book'd Out says - "the aim of The Eclectic Reader Challenge is to push you outside your comfort zone by reading up to 12 books during the year from 12 different categories."

This year the categories are -

1. A book about books (fiction or non-fiction)
2. Serial killer Thriller
3. Paranormal romance
4. A novel set on an island
5. Investigative journalism (non-fiction)
6. Disaster fiction
7. Steampunk sci-fi
8. Any book shortlisted for the Man Booker Prize
9. Psychology (non-fiction)
10. Immigrant Experience fiction
11. YA historical fiction
12. A debut author in 2016

I will choose my books as I go along.





The Non-Fiction Challenge hosted by The Introverted Reader is a new one for me. It's a simple challenge - just read non-fiction books. :-) Memoir, travel, history - whatever! If it's non-fiction, it counts.

I'm signing up for the Seeker level - read 11-15 non-fiction books this year. Again, I'll choose these books as I go along.


I'll start posting my reviews soon. Stay tuned...

Gratitude & puppy love

Today is National Dog Day. To celebrate I thought it was time for me to break my blog silence and finally write a post! Seeing as my life, at the moment, revolves almost exclusively around my beautiful fur baby Roxy, it makes sense that she's the one who inspired me to write.

I am overflowing with gratitude for my little pooch. When life gets me down she is always here to make me smile. Watching her chase a ball in the park, so carefree and full of joy, reminds me that things are not as bad as they might seem. Roxy has the ability to flood my heart with happiness and break me out of negative thought patterns. After all, who can stay cranky when you have this adorable face staring back at you...

Having Roxy in my life is good for my soul. Taking her for a daily walk gets me out of the house and into the fresh air. She is so cute that everyone is drawn to her, so I end up having fascinating conversations with people I may never have spoken to otherwise. And training Roxy gives me a focus and a purpose, something that helps me immensely. 

Roxy's puppy energy and her infinite reserves of love make my darling dog a treasured family member, one who enriches our lives in countless ways. Dog lovers the world over know exactly what I mean when I say that. 

So...Happy National Dog Day! 

Healing Scribe 2015

It's been a year since I wrote a post for this blog. Part of me is surprised I had nothing to say for that long. But the rest of me knows that I've been so focused on other things that it was inevitable my blogging would take a backseat.

For me, the second half of 2014 was spent creating a home. My hubby and I bought our first house last year, so instead of blogging I was doing DIY and interior decorating. It was fun for me to have such a huge creative project - I saw decorating my first home as a chance to use my creativity in new ways. And I came to find ripping down wallpaper, or painting, or choosing the right piece of furniture, to be incredibly satisfying. Now every time I walk into my house I feel pride at the home I've made and I can see that this house expresses a little about who I am.

And this year? Well...in February we got a puppy. Our 'fur baby' Roxy is a delight and brings a lot of joy into our home. But she also takes up a lot of my time! And I wouldn't have it any other way. :-) I adore my crazy puppy, and I'm easily getting lost in spending all day with Roxy - training her, walking her, playing fetch with her, cuddling up on the sofa together. In fact I've been so focused on Roxy that it's like I fell into a puppy-fog, of which I'm only now emerging. Everything has been about Roxy for weeks now. I've thought of little else. So you can see why blogging had become so low on my list of priorities! It was only in the last few days that I've felt my creative juices starting to flow again.

I'm still a little rusty, but at least I sat down and wrote something today. Maybe I'll be back here with more to say tomorrow, or next week, or next month. Or maybe in a year from now I'll find myself sitting down to write another rambling post like this one. Who knows?!

Bye for now readers. I'm off to take Roxy for a walk. :-)  

Healing Scribe 2014

My poor, neglected blog. It's already April and this is the first post I've written in 2014. Oh, the shame!

I have been pretty busy though...

After many years and many drafts I finally finished my second novel. It's called Missing Caitlin and it explores the aftermath of loss. But there's a twist! Of course I won't reveal it here, but I will say the book is set in an ordinary world where something extraordinary occurs.

I've also been working on a screenplay. It's a romantic comedy set in London. It's fun spending time imagining a Matthew McConaughey-type guy running around my city. (This is 00s rom-com Matthew I'm imagining, definitely not Killer Joe or True Detective Matthew! ;-)

So I've been preoccupied. And I've let my blog sit untouched. I feel sorry for Healing Scribe. She's always so good to me. She waits patiently for me to gather my thoughts and get my hands on the keyboard and type something. And she never judges what I deliver. She loves every word I write. :-)

Here's hoping I can get my act together and get back to my blogging. But if you don't see much of me, you'll know where I am. Picturing Matthew McConaughey with his shirt off... ;-)

2013 Australian Women Writers Challenge Completed

After discovering the AWW Challenge only halfway through last year, I was excited to have a whole year to participate in the 2013 challenge. As this was one of three reading challenges I signed up for this year, I decided to set myself an attainable goal - read one book a month.

I also decided to read across a range of genres and I certainly enjoyed immersing myself in the wonderful worlds created by authors who were new to me. I've definitely discovered some authors I will be sticking with in the future.

I read YA paranormal, speculative, romantic suspense, romance, short stories, urban fantasy, literary, memoir, contemporary, historical, and humour. A great list!   

The twelve books I read for the 2013 AWW Challenge were ...

Shadows by Paula Weston

And All the Stars by Andrea K. Host

As Darkness Falls by Bronwyn Parry

The Paler Shade of Autumn by Jacquie Underdown

Inherited by Amanda Curtin

Full Moon Rising by Keri Arthur

A New Map of the Universe by Annabel Smith

In My Skin by Kate Holden

The Husband's Secret by Liane Moriarty

The Heaven I Swallowed by Rachel Hennessey

What Women Want by Nelly Thomas

Haze by Paula Weston


You can find my reviews here.