I am in Cambridge, MA this week, hanging out with my cousin and soaking up a bit of Boston sunshine. (The weather has been amazing.) The highlight of the trip was the Eddie Izzard show last night down in the Back Bay. Drinks at Back Bay Harry’s before, tapas at Tico afterward, and a great show with Eddie. I love Eddie!… Read more
Strange fact: as a kid, I had goldfish named Kris and Rita. I knew who Kris Kristofferson was, and I had some vague idea who Rita Coolidge was – mostly I knew there was an epic romance there. That more than anything prompted me to read Delta Lady: A Memoir by Rita Coolidge with Michael Walker. What I liked about the way Coolidge… Read more
As soon as I heard the story behind My Grandfather Would Have Shot Me: A Black Woman Discovers Her Family’s Nazi Past by Jennifer Teege and Nikola Sellmair, I knew I wanted to read the book: When Jennifer Teege, a German-Nigerian woman, happened to pluck a library book from the shelf, she had no idea that her life would be irrevocably… Read more
I have heard a lot of great things about Flash Boys by Michael Lewis, so I picked it up at the airport in New York (a little insurance policy, since Id already finished one book on the flight). Surprised one of my coworkers (he never did explain why he thought I wouldn’t be reading it), but I am looking forward to… Read more
I was a Kiss fan as a teenager, so I was really looking forward to reading Nothin’ to Lose: The Making of KISS (1972-1975). Author Ken Sharpe has pulled together an amazing series of interviews with former band members, roadies, industry and media people. In addition, there are a host of more recognizable names: Joe Perry (Aerosmith), Iggy Pop, Ted… Read more
I hope you tweeted your special travel photo in the Paris Letters photo contest. If you haven’t, you’ve still got time and to inspire you, today we’ve got Christine’s review of Paris Letters: Ah, Paris. While memoirist Janice MacLeod is a seasoned traveler, she’s still enchanted by The City of Light. Paris Letters is her love affair documented through pen and… Read more
I’ve got so many thoughts running around in my head, after finishing Robert Plant: A Life by Paul Rees. Let me see if I can put them in some order: 1. It has brought back fond memories of the Robert Plant poster that I had on my bedroom wall as a teenager. I studied that poster in great detail. I had thoughts… Read more
Oh, I was thrilled to see this one in the mailbox! I love a good memoir and this one certainly has potential – Nothin’ to Lose: The Making of KISS (1972-1975) by Ken Sharp with Paul Stanley and Gene Simmons. This is the Kiss era that I’m interested in, when the band was starting out and still keeping their faces hidden.… Read more
Did you know that the gunfight at the O.K. Corral was really fought over a woman? That’s not entirely true, but it’s a big part of the story and one that I had never heard before. In Lady at the O.K. Corral: The True Story of Josephine Marcus Earp, Ann Kirschner tells a story of the Wild Wild West that was completely… Read more
This is a book that delivered exactly what I was hoping for! Serving Victoria: Life in the Royal Household is full of details about living at the palace with the Queen, her husband and children. I really learned a lot about life in the royal household – the sort of interesting little details that aren’t salacious enough for the Daily Mail. Did… Read more