Troublemaker by Leah Remini

Troublemaker: Surviving Hollywood and Scientology by Leah Remini

Publisher: Ballantine Books, November 2015

Genre: Non-Fiction, Memoir

Pages: Paperback, 228 pages

Rating: 2.5/5 stars

Summary (from goodreads.com):

Leah Remini has never been the type to hold her tongue. That willingness to speak her mind, stand her ground, and rattle the occasional cage has enabled this tough-talking girl from Brooklyn to forge an enduring and successful career in Hollywood. But being a troublemaker has come at a cost.

That was never more evident than in 2013, when Remini loudly and publicly broke with the Church of Scientology. Now, in this frank, funny, poignant memoir, the former star opens up about that experience for the first time, revealing the in-depth details of her painful split with the church and its controversial practices.

Indoctrinated into the church as a child while living with her mother and sister in New York, Remini eventually moved to Los Angeles, where her dreams of becoming an actress and advancing Scientology’s causes grew increasingly intertwined. As an adult, she found the success she’d worked so hard for, and with it a prominent place in the hierarchy of celebrity Scientologists alongside people such as Tom Cruise, Scientology’s most high-profile adherent. Remini spent time directly with Cruise and was included among the guests at his 2006 wedding to Katie Holmes.

But when she began to raise questions about some of the church’s actions, she found herself a target. In the end, she was declared by the church to be a threat to their organization and therefore a “Suppressive Person,” and as a result, all of her fellow parishioners—including members of her own family—were told to disconnect from her. Forever.

Review:

Let me first start off by saying that this book was a BITCH when it came to getting my hands on it... being in Canada, where no one seems to have the rights to it, I had to order it from the US and I swear, they stopped it at the border twice before I finally got it in my mitts. By the time it was finally mine, the desire to read it had waned a little, mainly because the A&E series had finished a couple weeks before and I had moved on.

When it comes to Leah Remini, I absolutely love her. I watched her in Saved By The Bell (ummm, I am a child of the 90's), Who's The Boss and, of course, The King of Queens. My husband and I joked that we were the real life Carrie and Doug so I definitely knew that I loved Leah and would appreciate her 'story-telling' ability. Glad to say that I was not wrong! Leah's ability to tell her story is exactly as I imagined and, in fact, feels like you are right at the kitchen table with her, enjoying a cup of tea (glass of wine) while she's telling you all of the details.

Now, the details is where I found the story to fall kinda flat. After seeing the A&E series, I knew most of the facts behind her leaving Scientology but felt like the backstory was missing... Troublemaker was able to fill in those gaps but after reading it, I feel like I am no better off than I was before. The details are that interesting... they didn't add any feelings about the church one way or another and really, they were kinda boring. Yes, she was able to pull me in with her ability to tell me about them but, overall, it was just not my cup of tea.

Sadly, had the book arrived to me quicker or I had read it before the series aired on TV, I think I would have been able to take more out of this book... it just didn't feel worth the time and effort it took to get it.

Love Warrior by Glennon Doyle Melton

Love Warrior by Glennon Doyle Melton

Publisher: St. Martin's Press, September 2016

Genre: Non-Fiction, Memoir

Pages: Hardcover, 272 pages

Rating: 4/5 pages

Summary (from goodreads.com):

Just when Glennon Doyle Melton was beginning to feel she had it all figured out—three happy children, a doting spouse, and a writing career so successful that her first book catapulted to the top of the New York Times bestseller list—her husband revealed his infidelity and she was forced to realize that nothing was as it seemed. A recovering alcoholic and bulimic, Glennon found that rock bottom was a familiar place. In the midst of crisis, she knew to hold on to what she discovered in recovery: that her deepest pain has always held within it an invitation to a richer life.

Love Warrior is the story of one marriage, but it is also the story of the healing that is possible for any of us when we refuse to settle for good enough and begin to face pain and love head-on. This astonishing memoir reveals how our ideals of masculinity and femininity can make it impossible for a man and a woman to truly know one another - and it captures the beauty that unfolds when one couple commits to unlearning everything they’ve been taught so that they can finally, after thirteen years of marriage, fall in love.

Review:

Before I begin, I have to tell you that I don't read the book synopsis of any book before diving in. I like the surprise element so before I began Love Warrior, all I knew was that it was a memoir (non-fiction) and because that is my least favourite genre, I was not anticipating enjoying it... not only that, but I may have even harboured thoughts about skipping it entirely and if it wasn't the Paper & Glam Book Club book for February, I would have likely done that. However, by the second or third page of the book, I was HOOKED and it turned out to be an amazing story of a woman who went through so much before she was able to love herself.

While most of what Glennon goes through from her adolescence through to her adulthood are things that I have never personally dealt with (bulimia, alcoholism, drug abuse, infidelity), I have suffered many similar things to different degrees so I felt very vulnerable reading her story and relating to so much of it. I loved how candid she was while telling her story and that there really was no hiding from her issues. She laid everything out on the table and basically said, "Take me as I am" because that was, indeed, who she was.

Again, because I don't read the synopsis before diving in, I didn't realize that there was a spiritual aspect to this book and I was so grateful as I read about Glennon's love for God. I was moved to (near) tears as she realized just how much God loved her and that no matter what she does in her life, she will always be loved... she will find her eternal home with unending love. It was so heartwarming.

Overall, if you have, or even if you haven't, felt the pressure that society puts on us to be perfect but realized that perfection is unattainable so felt like you were failing at life, this is a book that you must read. I feel that so many people would benefit from Glennon's story about becoming a Love Warrior. You don't have to be religious or spiritual to enjoy this story... you just have to love yourself or have a deep desire to learn to love yourself!

Paper & Glam Book Club | Year of Yes by Shonda Rhimes

Year of Yes by Shonda Rhimes

Publisher: Simon & Schuster, September 2016

Genre: Non-Fiction, Lifestyle

Pages: Paperback, 352 pages

Rating: 3.5/5 stars

Summary (chapters.indigo.ca):

She’s the creator and producer of some of the most groundbreaking and audacious shows on television today. Her iconic characters live boldly and speak their minds. So who would suspect that Shonda Rhimes is an introvert? That she hired a publicist so she could public appearances? That she suffered panic attacks before media interviews?

With three children at home and three hit television shows, it was easy for Shonda to say she was simply too busy. But in truth, she was also afraid. And then, over Thanksgiving dinner, her sister muttered something that was both a wake up and a call to arms Shonda knew she had to embrace the challenge: for one year, she would say YES to everything that scared her.

Review:

Let me start this review by saying that I am a die-hard 'Grey's Anatomy' fan and have seen every show at least twice so when I saw that Shonda Rhimes book was up first for my book club, I was excited to pick it up.

At first, this book was everything I was hoping it would be... funny, interesting and very easy to read. Turns out that pre- "Year of Yes" Shonda is very similar to myself and I was able to easily identify with many of the situations she found herself in, and dreading. I loved reading along as she worked her way around her fears and tackled many of them head-on and proved that, even when it seems hard and/or scary, putting yourself out there is worth it in the long run.

Where I feel the book fell short and, for me, moved from 5-star territory down to 3.5-star, was after that year was up. Whether it was that the book was too long or the chapters feeling like they belonged in another book, I can't for sure say why my feelings started to change. The voice of Shonda just seemed to go from a relatable person to someone that I found myself not really liking... she came across a little obnoxious and a little to entitled (yes, I know she's the Queen of Tv, but you know what I mean). I'm overjoyed that she found her happy but... I just had a bitter taste in my mouth as I finished reading.

Overall, it was definitely a worthwhile read but just fell a little flat at the end and I honestly feel like it could have been so much more.