Perfect for a Pandemic

I think it has been wonderful that Stuart Woods (along with Parnell Hall in this case) has released two books in pandemic time.  The world is in an awful place.  The United States is in chaos, "led" by a hateful man.  I feel helpless.  What better way to take a break from the hell that is reality right now than to read about Stone Barrington and his rich and charmed friends and family.  This is the fourth Teddy Fay book, Bombshell.  At was a great escape.

Not that we can escape all the time.  In fact, now more than ever we need to raise our voices and raise our hands and do all we can to protest the murder of African Americans, most recently George Floyd.  For the first time I preached what some might call a political sermon. I was very afraid.  The church at which I serve does not really address current circumstances in the world and country but I am trying to change that.  And it was Pentecost.  And if the Holy Spirit is with us well, we CANNOT be silent.  We MUST speak up.  Tomorrow I am going to my first protest vigil at my old church.  I am embarrassed and ashamed that it is just my first one.  But I can't be silent anymore.

I know I went off on a tangent.  But an important one.
I just wanted to make sure that it didn't seem as though it was okay to just escape into a book.  There is time for relaxing and reading, but there is also time (and the time is now) to stand up for what is right.  

Golden Age

The Golden Age of Hollywood wasn't so golden for it's stars.  It was rough.  But it was an age of great movies and actors.  Rock Hudson is someone I didn't know much about until news of his contracting AIDS came around when I was 14.  All the Heaven Allows:  a Biography of Rock Hudson was a fascinating read from start to finish.  I like this man.  Highly recommended for anyone interested in Hollywood's great stars, Hudson or just a great biography. 

One Day

LBGTQIA relationships will be written about like this.  You know, where the LBGTQIA part of it is not THE part of it.  Where it is just part of who the characters are.  Where all will realize that love is love is love is love.
Everything a Leads to You was just a really, really, really good story and love story.  Really liked this a lot.

Robin and Fred

Once I heard a wise woman say that she imagines God to be a combination of Robin Williams and Fred Rogers.  I hope that she will read Robin and realize that her imagination is blessedly wonderful!  Dave Itzkoff has done an incredible, respectful, entertaining, informative job of bringing to life this complicated and talented and loving man. 

One of the Best I've Read in a Long Time!

Unbound was really, really good!  I mean, typical Stone, of course!  But I found it to move really quickly.  Dino and Herbie (or Herbert as we call him now that he is all grown up and has a real job) aren't in it, but Peter and Ben are a wee bit and Teddy Fay and Ed Eagle.  Which makes me think that I should start to read those!

Tom Petty

I bet I am not the only one (of a certain age) who hears Tom Petty singing when he or she thinks of this book.  American Girls is on some Printz buzz lists.
I did like this book.  I gave it four stars which probably isn't fair.  I mean, if it wasn't getting Printz buzz, I probably would have given it five, it was just that I am not that completely excited about it.
I did learn a lot about the Manson family, though.  And it was very different to actually think of the people who committed those crimes as people themselves.  And I think it is very thoughtful and thought-provoking.  I also liked that Anna's new stepmom is married to Anna's mom!  All kinds of love, all kinds of families!
I did love the very real relationship between Anna and her sister.  And I also thought the characters were very, very real and deep.  Good, good book.  Very good and well worth the read and I will recommend it.  But I don't know if it is THE Printz.

Good Ghost Story, Great Hollywood Connection

I like everything about Famous Last Words.  The setting, the look back into the Golden Age of Hollywood, the mystery, the step-father issues, the ghost stuff.  It was just really, really well done. Kate Alendar is a really good teen horror writer.  Just a really good horror writer in general, just a really good writer!  She wrote the Bad Girls Don't Die series, which I just ripped right through.

Another Chuck

Sir Charlie,:  Chaplin, the Funniest Man in the World was written by the elder Fleischman, Sid.  And it is written just like all of Papa Fleischman's books: wonderfully.
I had know knowledge at all about Charlie Chaplin other than the basics.
This was one of those books that really made me want to learn more about the man because I wasn't sure if, because it was a kids' book, Chaplin's harsher side was air-brushed.  I mean it was straight-forward enough, there were quotes from other actors who knew him that said how mean he could be, but I wonder if Chaplin was even worse that Fleischman detailed.
It was good to read this while I was reading Charles and Emma, because Chaplin grew up in the Victorian Era and the poor houses and the wretchedness of the lives of the working class that upset Darwin and his contemporaries, was the world of Charlie's childhood.  It was sad to read of the mental illness that his mother suffered and hardships that Charlie and his brother had to endure as young children.
I was really surprised to learn that some of Chaplin's movies weren't all total comedy.  There were a few that I want to see.
Here is Judy singing Smile, from Modern Times.  This is one of those songs that really mean a lot to me.
A really good book.

Ancient Chinese Secret

I'm definitely not a cook. In fact I come from a long line of non-cooks. We are a microwave kinda family. I do love food, but I don't know much about it. Still, The Secret Ingredient, while it focuses a lot on food, held my interest from page one and was one of the most enjoyable books I've read in awhile.
Olivia lives in Silver Lake, with her two dads, one of whom own and runs an restaurant called FOOD, where Olivia makes the Saturday special. Times are tough for the family right now. Lots of economic woes and troubles with Olivia's brother. Olivia is on a quest to make things okay again at home and also find her birth mother. A lot of heavy stuff.
The character of Olivia is extremely real and likable. Her dreams about who she is and who she wants to be ring true.
The book also had hints of real life in Hollywood- not just the glamorous stuff of the stars.
Likable characters, good storyline. I liked it a big bunch!

Stuck on You

I couldn't wait for the second Fame Game book by Lauren Conrad, Starstruck, and it was awesome, just as I had hoped! I loved the LA Candy Series and I love this one, especially the main character, Madison. She finds some happiness in this book and so that made me super happy! Of course she finds drama, too and the ending makes me wish the new book was coming out sooner! Love it! Love the series!

Sweet Book

After falling in love with LA after 5 minutes there, I am always eager to read books set there. I am always eager to dream about going back. I checked out Epic Fail on the Kindle app from the library just because it was set there. Elise is a junior in high school and has lived in Massachusetts all of her life but her parents have decided to move to LA and now Elise, her older sister Juliana, and her two younger sisters will be attending an elite private school attended by children of the Hollywood rich and famous. Elise is attracted to this hot dude because he's hot, but then she discovers that he is the son of two of Hollywood's biggest stars. Is he a jerk? Does she like him because he's rich and the son of movie stars? Does he not like him for those same reasons?
The book is a quick, cute read that I can easily recommend to folks looking for an upbeat ending.

Hooray for Hollywood

Since I'm going to California in a few days and hope to spend a bit of time in Hollywood, at least stop at Grauman's Chinese Theater I was searching for books set in California and came across The Loud Silence of Francine Green on cd.  
A truly serendipitous find!
TLSFG takes place just outside of Hollywood from 1949-1950.  This was a time of great change in the US, well and in the world.  WW2 was over and Soviet Russia and the US were no longer friends, infact, they were rivals.  Both countries had the bomb and the Second Red Scare was starting in the United States. 
Francine Green is an eighth grader at All Saints School where Sister Basil the Great rules as the mighty tough principal.  Francine is a regular kinda girl, "going along to get along", not questioning much, just living her life.  She's a very likable character.  Along comes Sophie Bowman who was kicked out of public school for promoting free speech by painting words on the gym floor.  Sophie's dad is a writer for the movies and encourages Sophie to be the opposite of a "go along to get along" girl.  She is outspoken and, as a result, frequently getting into trouble.  I think that Cushman does an excellent job showing the importance of balance.  This was an excellent look into the time period and a great coming of age story as well.  Different and interesting and very good!