Clanlands in New Zealand - Sam Heughan and Graham McTavish

 

Clanlands in New Zealand - Sam Heughan and Graham McTavish - 3 Stars

My husband and I have really enjoyed the Men In Kilts show with Sam and Graham - we laugh and laugh with all of their crazy adventures. They have traveled in Scotland and New Zealand - two of our dream vacation spots - so we loved seeing their travels along the way in the show format. 

I also personally really enjoyed the Scotland Clanlands books and always have a good time listening to the audiobooks as Sam and Graham are again, hilarious to listen to just as they are to watch. I think the audiobooks are the only way to read these Clanlands books. However, this book for their New Zealand journey was not my favorite. It does a pretty good job celebrating New Zealand but honestly, most of this is Sam and Graham fussing back and forth that I found tiring. I would have liked more travel-related content personally. Instead of reading this, you might just check out the show and enjoy the laughs along the way. I also didn't care for some of the language in this book (several F words).

3/5 Stars

Goodreads Review: https://www.goodreads.com/review/show/6094435653
Amazon: https://amzn.to/41Lx96Y
YouTube Review to come.

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Friends, Lovers and the Big Terrible Thing by Matthew Perry

 

Friends, Lovers and the Big Terrible Thing - Matthew Perry 

I've decided not to rate memoirs anymore but I hearing about his life and story was so thought provoking. I truly hope people will continue to become free from addiction after reading his struggles. I never knew how much he went through with his addictions, especially when he was on the show Friends. Friends was show my family and I would watch all the time growing up. It was a staple in the household, as I am sure it was for many of you. But Matthew Perry didn't want to first be remembered as Chandler Bing - he wanted to be remembered for helping others living in their addictions to get clean. I have read many have checked into rehab after reading his book and I am so glad to hear that.

His discussions about how God saved him from his addictions were very interesting to hear about. Some of what he stated with the use of language in regards to God were not exactly what I felt was appropriate but I hope and pray he truly had a relationship with the Lord and is with Him today.

I think many will be inspired by his story regarding addiction. It was sad to hear about all the trauma he went through and even after so many tries in rehab, hospitals etc., he still struggled with the addiction - it had a hold on him and he spent so much time and money trying to get clean. Your heart breaks for him as you read through it. Some of the reviews mention he blames many others for what happened to him - I can see some of that - as ultimately we are responsible for our own actions but I admire how he was so open and honest about his struggles with alcohol and drugs. I did not personally care for the "lovers" part of this book where we learn all about his sexual partners, sex life and how he treated other women. BUT in a lot of celebrity memoirs, that is something very common we see so it is what it is. I was more interested in learning about his recovery than those things personally.

Trigger warnings for content: As I mentioned, He does discuss a lot of his sexual relationships. He also uses a ton of language - lots of F and S words - so be warned. I don't really discredit his story for the use of language because this memoir did feel very real, raw and just truly who Matthew Perry was, what he went through and how he overcame addiction in the end in recent years. Other content: He does also discuss the hospital experiences in detail and severe alcohol/drug addiction/trauma but that was part of his true story and what he went through.

Overall, I am glad I listened to the audiobook (as he narrates it) and got to know more about who he was and what he went through.

Goodreads Review:  https://www.goodreads.com/review/show/5951839147

Amazon: https://amzn.to/3SyQSV0

YouTube Review: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Gw_MGwskxR4&t=

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Beyond the Wand by Tom Felton

 

Beyond the Wand - Tom Felton - 4 Stars - A fun life story of the one we all know as Draco Malfoy!

What a fun life story of Tom Felton, the one we all know as Draco Malfoy from Harry Potter. I listened to the audiobook and read the physical copy - as Tom narrates this himself. I enjoyed learning about his experience as a child actor on set, his family, values, shenanigans, relationships with his co-stars and so much more. This does have some heavy language throughout but overall I had so much fun reading this and hearing his story. It was wild to hear about his life as a real life teenager and being bullied for being Draco in the movies! I did not expect that. The ending really touched me as he talked about troubles in his life and what it means to be "truly rich" in life. If you are a Harry Potter fan, I highly recommend this because he talks mostly about his Harry Potter acting life throughout the story. *Also added bonus because we get a forward from Emma Watson and a chapter on Dramione :)

Goodreads Review: https://www.goodreads.com/review/show/5287040144
Amazon: https://amzn.to/43oFahw
YouTube Review Video: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=EmUXgZGhqm4&t=64s