The Princess Diarist by Carrie Fisher - a little reminiscing about getting cast in Star Wars and working on set and a stark account of her very short affair with Harrison Ford. I wonder how she would have told the story this year in light of the #MeToo movement. He comes across as pretty much a jerk. The diary portion is really more of a journal with the ramblings and poems of a 19 year old.
1 star
*RHC - a celebrity memoir
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Lightfoot by Nicholas Jennings - an extremely detailed account of Gordon Lightfoot's musical career, with very little revealed about the singer himself. Despite the fact the author interviewed Lightfoot many times over the course of several years, little is revealed. His reticence is much discussed. The first half of the book reads like a list of went there, recorded that. The second half is a little better as it gets a tiny bit more personal. Lightfoot overcame alcoholism and survived an aortic aneurysm which seemed to lighten him up a little. I didn't realize he is so revered in Canada.
2 stars
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Alive in Shape and Color: 17 Paintings by Great Artists and the Stories They Inspired edited by Lawrence Block - unlike last year's book, In Sunlight or in Shadow based on Edward Hopper's paintings, these stories were based on each author's favorite pieces of art. IMO, this led to some rather odd stories. And why do so many short stories not really have an end? My favorite was about a WWII vet turned barber who has some baddies come through his door. Otherwise disappointing.
2 stars
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David Jason: The Autobiography by David Jason - I only know the author from his role as Frost in the detective series a Touch of Frost. I had no idea he had starred in several comedies prior to that. This is his story of growing up in London during the war years and his long effort to become an actor. He doesn't seem shy about telling all and I found his writing amusing. Most interesting to me - he had his first child in his 60's.
3.5 stars
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I'll Push You: A Journey of 500 Miles, Two Best Friends, and One Wheelchair by Patrick Gray and Justin Skeesuck - these two men have been best friends all their lives. As adults their families are close, with the families traveling and vacationing together. Even when Justin was struck with a debilitating neuromuscular disease that left him in a wheelchair. When Justin decided he would like to travel the Camino de Santiago, a 500 mile trail through France and Spain, Patrick decided he would be the one to push his wheelchair. This is the story of that journey, their friendship, and the help they learned to accept along the way.
3.5 stars
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Hallowe'en Party by Agatha Christie - Ariadne Oliver, one of Hercules Poirot's friends, is at a Halloween party where a young girl boasts that she witnessed a murder a few years ago. No one believes her, and yet, some one must have because she is found murdered at the end of the party. Ariadne asks Poirot to investigate. I always associate Christie's books with the 30's and 40's but this was written in 1969 and is not one of her best. Her attempts at being current are not her finest. And every single person blames everything on mental illness compounded by the mentally ill being forced out onto the streets because of overcrowding. The suspects are pretty easy to spot.
2 stars
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Night Moves by Jonathan Kellerman - Alex Delaware, a psychologist who consults for LAPD, is called by his friend Milo Sturgis to the scene of a crime in a well-to-neighborhood. A body missing identifiable features has been found in the family room of a family of four. They don't know the person and he obviously wasn't killed there. Suspicion immediately falls on the oddball neighbor but he's not the only thing odd. There are lots of turns and twists, more theories, and more suspects. This is the 33rd book in the series and padding the story seems to be creeping in but it still kept my attention.
3.5 stars
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