This was fun and really interesting. How does one person meet so many important people from such a young age. It was written in the style of his books and so it was a quick but fun read.

I was given a free copy by netgalley and the publishers but the review is entirely my own.

Recent Reads: James Patterson: The Stories of My Life by James Patterson is exactly what it says it is. Stories from James Patterson's life, but not an autobiography.  It also gives an insight into James Patterson's writing process.

It's a very readable book, written in a very conversational way.  You get stories sprinkled throughout his life, from when he was young, when he was in marketing (I feel this explains some of his huge success), and with lots of stories about his famous friends and collaborators, like Bill Clinton!

It's very interesting and you go along at a fair clip when reading it!

I was given this book in exchange for an unbiased review, so my thanks to NetGalley and to Random House.

As a MASSIVE James Patterson fan who has now been reading his books for the past 29 years (now that makes me feel old!) This was a must read for me!

Whilst being a biography/memoir of JP's hugely interesting life it is set out as more short stories which aren't really in any particular order, it felt like I was sat having a conversation with him while he was remembering stories at random and telling me what happened as and when.

JP has lead a truly fascinating life and met some inspiring and interesting people along the way, all told in his usual punchy style.

I would say that it's more a narrative of his life story than an actual story, purely because the lack of real structure and it's more anecdotal than story telling.

I won't go into detail as like with any memoir even a small spoiler can ruin the whole book.

Huge thanks to netgalley and Random House UK Cornerstone for the ARC.

James Patterson: The Stories of My Life is an interesting glimpse in to the life of one the best writers of current times. His inspiration, how he came to be a writer. It's a humorous and riveting read.

I requested to read The Stories of My Life the week before James's cancel culture fiasco so I shoved it aside and eventually went in with massive trepidation. I had been a huge James Patterson fan in my early twenties but had moved on and after his grotesquely white cis male privileged comments surfaced I really didn't want to give him further airtime but curiosity get the better of me.

It's a tricky one to review because I think it's quite obvious from Patterson's recent comments and from many stories within the book that he isn't the most pleasant of people. He's quite derogatory about many people and subjects, name drops at every given opportunity and has an ego as big as his collection of books, but what I found quite interesting is that he doesn't hide this in any way and seems quite aware of it. In some ways he comes across as that old fashioned narrow minded relative that we all have, whose opinions leave a lot to be desired, and don't mean any actual harm. That old Uncle whose beliefs were formed in a time that we have all long since moved on from.

In saying all that, it is impossible to get away from the fact that Patterson is a natural born storyteller and like many of his novels I was eagerly listening to every bit of his tales. The book is broken into little snippets of his life in which he gives us glimpses into his early life, his relationships and indeed his epic career.

An interesting read about a fascinating man with a true talent for storytelling, maybe just not a man I would want in my friendship circle. I would definitely encourage people to pick up a copy (maybe in the library 🤣) and to make up their own mind!

A bugbear of mine is when people say something, then say, its just my opinion, it irritates me, and its said several times in this book.
I typically love autobiographies, I love hearing the stories of famous people and their celebrity friends, but James Patterson takes this to another level. The name dropping in this book is absolutely something else. Any excuse to drop another name, even when talking about a surgery, he mentioned the surgeon was the surgeon for Ruth Bader Ginsberg.
That being said, I was interested enough to keep going to the end, I alternated between reading and listening. James narrates the book himself, and personally I preferred reading it.

If you are a mega fan, then you might enjoy this.

I first came into contact with James Patterson in 1997 when I watched "Kiss the girls" in the cinema and soon afterwards also read the book. I was immediatly hooked, and have read several James Patterson books since then. Although not nearly all, and after seeing how many he has published over the years this seems impossible. I knew he writes and co-authors a lot of books, but I wasn't aware that there are sooo many books out with his name on the cover, and in many different genres nonetheless.

In this book James Patterson does what the titel says - he tells stories of his life. Many of them. As usual presented in short chapters or sometimes they are even only a nugget of information in a short pararaph before he skips to a different anecdote. And he really has a lot to tell. From his days as a long-haired hippie at Woodstock (!!) to his career as a mad men in 'advertising hell' (his words) to becoming on of the most bestselling authors of the last 30 years.

There are some interesting stories in there, for example how Donald Trump and Bill Clinton enjoyed playing golf and got along just fine - before Trump ran for president himself.
Or some funny ones, how he went to a book-signing, and the people from the bookstore were very excited and happy that he was there and prepared a big table with 200 books ready to sign - all of them by author Richard North Patterson. But he signed the books anyway.
But also some sad ones, for example how he lost his first life-partner to cancer.
He also explains why he always writes very short chapters, how he manages it to publish so many books year after year (one reason is because he writes about 350-360 days a year) and how his co-writing with other authors actually works.

If you're a fan of James Patterson books, then this is definitely a book for you.

Honestly, I've only read a few of his books but I have enjoyed them. It was very interesting to read his path of life considering I didn't have an idea of what he looked like never mind his life.

It was shorter than I expected but I think that's good considering most memoirs go on for far too long.

Thank you to NetGalley and the publisher for this ARC.

I don’t normally read autobiography’s but as an avid reader of James Patterson I was interested to know more about him and his life.
As with all his books it is written in a way to keep you captivated and interested.
A very good read to delve into this writers life.
Definitely worth a read if you like this author.

Riveting. We are no strangers to seeing the name James Patterson splashed across book covers of multi award winning novels for adults, teens and kids. He has teamed up with presidents and superstar singers like Dolly Parton, but how did a young New Yorker, who didn't like to read as a child become such a phenomenon? This autobiography takes us back along some amazing instances in Pattersons life on the road to being the writing giant he is now. We learn about the famous poets ge met whilst working in a mental health institution, about the celebrities bust ups witnessed at parties as he rubbed shoulders with fame, about golfing with 3 different American Presidents . Every page reveals honesty and the thrilling stories he imparts make for great reading. This is the perfect gift for Patterson fans.. I will be filling Christmas stocking with this book this year. #JamesPattersonTheStoriesOfMyLife #Netgalley

Thank you to Netgalley, the publisher & James for the ARC.

A beautifully written, opening insight into his life. James is an icon in the fiction world and this autobiography gives a glimpse into his world.

I don’t read a lot of autobiographies but I have to confess that I was more than a bit curious about the life that has led to Patterson writing over 200 novels in his illustrious career. If you are familiar with his bitesize chapter writing style you’ll be pleased to hear that this is still the case with his life story. Short succinct stories that illustrate key moments in his life that shaped the man that he has become. They do jump around a bit in the timeline but it makes it a bit more of a stream of consciousness than a fixed linear anthology.

His early writing career began when he became a prolific reader while working at McLean Hospital, the psychiatric affiliate of Harvard Medical School. The biggest surprise for me is that Patterson was a real life Don Draper in the 1970s working in New York for J Walter Thompson, the world’s largest advertising agency. His daytimes were spent mixing with the larger than life characters of the time and his nights spent writing the first of his books. And Alex Cross was originally Alexis!

Patterson is the master of name dropping in this memoir. To be honest if I’d led the kind of life he has I probably would do the same thing. How many people have played golf with three American Presidents and worked as an usher at Fillmore East in the days of Jimi Hendrix and Jim Morrison!

My only real complaint about this book is that because of its easy, short story sized, conversational style, the book just flies by and before you know it you have reached the end. For me there wasn’t really enough in there about his writing process. His unusual writing style and history of working with collaborators (from Bill Clinton through to Dolly Parton) would make for quite an interesting section but he doesn’t go into this with very much depth. Perhaps saving that for a book of its own in the future?

Supplied by Net Galley and Random House UK in exchange for an honest review.

UK Publication Date: Jun 6 2022. 357 pages.

A well written and entertaining autobiography from a highly talented story teller. The writing is warm and friendly, his anecdotes entertaining and often funny. His self discipline when it comes to writing is admirable and explains why he has such a high work output. I felt like I got to know him a little, liked his complexity and the way he brings the reader closer to himself as a person through his tales of his life experiences.

Thank Random House and NetGalley for this ARC.
Being a huge fan of James Patterson for many years I was thrilled to receive this.
This was a really interesting autobiography and was definitely eye opening.. Full of many interesting facts about his life and his books. There was even a tear shed.
A really great read which I highly recommend

An interesting informative read. Perfect for James Patterson fans. Thanks to Netgalley and the publishers for letting me review this book.

I've just finished reading James Patterson - The Stories of My Life, it's written in the same way as his other books with short easy to read chapters. It jumps around quite a lot but that keeps it interesting. I prefer his fiction books but this was still an enjoyable read.

How did a boy from small-town New York become one of the world's most successful writers?

· On the morning he was born, he nearly died.
· Growing up, he didn't love to read. That changed.
· He worked at a mental hospital in Massachusetts, where he met the singer James Taylor and the poet Robert Lowell.
· While he toiled in advertising hell, James wrote the ad jingle line "I'm a Toys 'R' Us Kid."
· He once watched James Baldwin and Norman Mailer square off to trade punches at a party.
· He's only been in love twice. Both times are amazing.
· Dolly Parton once sang "Happy Birthday" to James over the phone. She calls him J.J., for Jimmy James.
· Three American presidents have invited him to golf with them.

These are the stories of James Patterson's life: the most anticipated memoir of 202

James Patterson’s The Stories of My Life is an entertaining autobiography that gives the reader a fascinating insight into the man behind so many popular thrillers. It’s written in a warm, colloquial style much like his novels.

It’s an interesting read, which includes descriptions of his childhood, his time working at an advertising agency, a particularly sad point in his life as well as details on his writing process.

Highly recommended to readers wanting to learn more about the man behind the books.

Many thanks to the publisher and Netgalley for providing a copy of this book.

As ever, James Patterson talks to the reader in a writing style that makes his life story feel like a chat at the local pub. His often surprising anecdotes are entertaining and his character is revealed as an exceptionally nice guy. Interesting read, recommenced.

James Patterson has written a highly entertaining and incredibly insightful book about his spectacular life.
The book is heartfelt and honest, I was hooked from the first page.
This is one of his finest books and one I highly recommend.