[Review]: Dear Mr. Potter Edited by Lily Zalon

Title: Dear Mr. Potter: Letters of Love, Loss & Magic
Compiled & Edited: Lily Zalon
Genre: Non-Fiction
Release Date: June 2011

Summary:  “Dear Mr. Potter: Letters of Love, Loss, and Magic” features hundreds of letters and pictures from Harry Potter fans. Individually, these letters and pictures tell stories of how fans have been impacted and inspired by Harry Potter. Together they serve as proof of what all Potter fans know so well: the Harry Potter series changes lives.

Along with fans from around the world, “Dear Mr. Potter” also features letters from Harry Potter actress Evanna Lynch (Luna Lovegood), New York Times-bestselling author John Green, Leaky Cauldron webmistress and author of New York Times-bestseller “Harry, A History” Melissa Anelli, Andrew Slack of the Harry Potter Alliance, Paul DeGeorge of Harry and the Potters, Andrew Sims and Eric Scull of MuggleNet, and Esther Earl’s mom, Lori.

Thoughts: Like many, Harry Potter changed my life. The books came to my attention when I was dealing with depression. It felt amazing to fall into Harry's world and escape. If it weren't for the books I would have no TBR List a mile long or be running a book blog.  So, Thank you Mr. Potter!

Dear Mr. Potter is heartwarming and heartbreaking. This is a book every Potter fan should read. If you do get the chance, make sure to have some tissues handy. Each letter is quite moving. I loved reading all these letters and stories, it's such a good feeling, knowing that there are others out there that have been moved by these books.  A wonderful sense of community.

Score: 5 Stars

Author Website:
http://thehpalliance.org/dearmrpotter/
http://dearmrpotter.tumblr.com/
https://www.facebook.com/dearmrpotter
https://www.goodreads.com/book/show/11534309-dear-mr-potter

[Review] - Cat Daddy by Jackson Galaxy

Title: Cat Daddy: How One Very Special Cat Fixed One Very Broken Man
Author: Jackson Galaxy with Joel Derfner
Genre: Memoir/Non-Fiction
Release Date: May 10, 2012

Summary:  Cat behaviorist and star of Animal Planet’s hit television show My Cat from Hell, Jackson Galaxy , a.k.a. “Cat Daddy,” isn’t what you might expect for a cat expert (as The New York Times noted, with his goatee and tattoos he “looks like a Hells Angel”). Yet Galaxy’s ability to connect with even the most troubled felines—not to mention the stressed-out humans living in their wake—is awe-inspiring. In this book, Galaxy tells the poignant story of his thirteen-year relationship with a petite gray-and-white short-haired cat named Benny, and gives singular advice for living with, caring for, and loving the feline in your home.

When Benny arrived in his life, Galaxy was a down-and-out rock musician with not too much more going on than a part-time job at an animal shelter and a drug problem. Benny’s previous owner brought the cat to the shelter in a cardboard box to give him up. Benny had seen better days—his pelvis had just been shattered by the wheels of a car—and his owner insisted he’d been “unbondable” from day one. Nothing could have been further from the truth.

An inspiring account of two broken beings who fixed each other, Cat Daddy is laced throughout with Galaxy’s amazing “Cat Mojo” advice for understanding what cats need most from us humans in order to live happier, healthier lives.

Thoughts: Jackson Galaxy is a cat behaviorist and host of Animal Planet's My Cat From Hell. Cat Daddy is both Jackson and Benny's story. It's about how one stubborn cat saved a man's life.

I started watching My Cat From Hell last year. Being a cat person I was instantly enthralled with the show and the host. Both are very interesting - so I knew this book was gonna be a must read. Jackson's story is beautiful, shocking, heartbreaking and inspiring. Along with Jackson's life experiences in the book there are cat tips that are very helpful.  This should be a must read for all cat lovers.

**I don't normally review memoirs or non-fiction, but I enjoyed this one so much that it deserved being talked about. 

Score: 4 Stars

Author Website: http://jacksongalaxy.com/
Spirit Essences | My Cat From Hell

[Review] - Paris, My Sweet by Amy Thomas

Title: Paris, My Sweet: A Year in the City of Light (and Dark Chocolate)
Author: Amy Thomas
Genre: Memoir (travel/food)
Release Date: February 1, 2012

I received this book for review from Sourcebooks.

Summary: Forever a girl obsessed with all things French, sweet freak Amy Thomas landed a gig as rich as the purest dark chocolate: leave Manhattan for Paris to write ad copy for Louis Vuitton. Working on the Champs-Élysées, strolling the charming streets, and exploring the best patisseries and boulangeries, Amy marveled at the magnificence of the City of Light.

But does falling in love with one city mean turning your back on another? As much as Amy adored Paris, there was part of her that felt like a humble chocolate chip cookie in a sea of pristine macarons. PARIS, MY SWEET explores how the search for happiness can be as fleeting as a salted caramel souffle's rise, as intensely satisfying as molten chocolate cake, and about how the life you're meant to live doesn't always taste like the one you envisioned.


Thoughts: Amy Thomas is a writer who lives in New York and owner of the blog Sweet Freak©. Paris, My Sweet is her story about how she got to live her dream. Not only living in Paris for a year, but also working for one of the top designers. And along the way checking out some of the best chocolatiers in the world.

I don't speak French nor have I ever been to Paris, but I have always want to visit. Like Ms. Thomas I'm a bit of a sweet fanatic. So, while this book isn't my normal genre - it was the perfect read for me.

I loved this book! Paris & desserts - what more can you ask for. I pretty much drooled my way through Paris, My Sweet. It was delectably delicious. Ms. Thomas's writing is fresh and fun. I adored the details. The author writes in a way that makes you feel like you are in Paris too. Experiencing everything as she does. This is a must read for foodies and travel fans.

Score: 4 Stars

Author's Blogs:
Sweet Freak©- http://dessertfordinner.blogspot.com/
God, I Love Paris-  http://godiloveparis.blogspot.com/

[Review] - Neon Angel

Title: Neon Angel: A Memoir of A Runaway
Author: Cherie Currie with Tony O'Neill
Genre: Memoir
Release Date: March 29, 2011

Summary:  At the tender age of fifteen, groundbreaking lead singer Cherie Currie joined a group of talented girls—Joan Jett and Lita Ford on guitar, Jackie Fox on bass, and Sandy West on drums—who could rock like no one else.

Arriving on the Los Angeles music scene in 1975, The Runaways catapulted from playing small clubs to selling out major stadiums—headlining shows with opening acts like the Ramones, Van Halen, Cheap Trick, and Blondie while riding a wave of hit songs and platinum albums, and touring the world.

A shocking, funny, and touching re-creation of a bygone era of rock and roll that chronicles the Runaways' rise to fame and ultimate demise, Neon Angel is also an intensely personal account of Currie's struggles with drugs, sexual abuse, and violence in a decadent, high-pressure music scene—a world of uncontrolled excess where she and her unsupervised band mates had to grow up fast and experience things that no teenage girls should.

Thoughts: Several months ago I sat down to watch The Runaways (the movie) staring Kristen Stewart and Dakota Fanning.  I ended up really enjoying it.  Going in of course I knew about Joan Jett (I love her stuff) and I knew the song Cherry Bomb, but I didn't know much about the band itself or their history.  

I was intrigued enough to picked up Cherie Currie's Neon Angel, the book the movie was based on.  It's rare for me to read a memoir but I definitely wanted to learn more. I was absolutely enthralled with this book. Cherie's story is exciting, horrifying, inspirational and above all honest.  It was shocking to see how much this girl/woman went through, especially at such a young age. Really it's a miracle she's alive today. Although it wasn't easy and took a few tries, she was able to drag herself out of the black hole she was in and land in a better place.

Score: 5 Stars

Author Website: http://www.cheriecurrie.com
Band Website: http://www.therunaways.com
Movie Website: http://runawaysmovie.com/