Acid for the Children: A Memoir, by Flea

I really enjoyed this memoir by Flea, one of the founding members of the Red Hot Chili Peppers. It covers his childhood through the founding of RHCP, leaving the possibility that he will cover the RHCP in another project. Having recently completed Anthony Kiedis' memoir, Scar Tissue, published in 2004, I would welcome a memoir by either (or both) of them that brought their story up to date.

The Thousandth Floor, by Katharine McGee

The Thousandth Floor is set n 2118, in a Manhattan that has been built up into one enormous structure: a building that is 1,000 floors high and which covers most of the island. The novel follows five young adults as they struggle with relationships, family crises, and drug and alcohol abuse. It delves a bit into the inequities that exist between classes, with the more wealthy living on the upper floors, and one's social status being reflected by your level. This is a fun YA drama that also includes its share of tragedy and sadness, but it focuses a little too much on wealth, privilege, and appearances (why are all the main characters breathtakingly beautiful?). Nevertheless, it's an entertaining and fast read, and it was followed by two sequels, so there must be a fan base for it.

Feminist Fight Club, by Jessica Bennett

This is a fun look at the sexism that women often encounter on the job and how they might fight that sexism through a variety of strategies. Encouraging women to find a group of like-minded supporters, author Jessica Bennett uses many of her own experiences to help women recognize sexism, fight their ingrained acceptance and acquiescence, and succeed in spite of those challenges. It's very amusing and includes clever illustrations. This is a quick read that would be beneficial particularly for early career women.

Homegoing, by Yaa Gyasi

Homegoing was my book club's March pick. Unfortunately, the book club hasn't been able to meet since the COVID-19 crisis began and we were all asked to begin physical distancing, and without a deadline, I ended up not finishing the book until May! (In my defense, I spent a lot of time with Mr. Putin over the last few months.)

Homegoing tells the story of two families over the course of four centuries; the families are descended from two half-sisters. The sisters never met, and their lives diverged dramatically, as one was abducted and sold into slavery, while the other made an advantageous marriage and remained in Africa. The chapters alternate between the families, and follow the generations of descendants, so the book reads more like a collection of short stories. The writing is wonderful, and the characters are realistic. I enjoyed reading about the different historical time periods, both in the U.S., and in Africa. Some of the chapters are tragic and heartbreaking, but not all, giving the book an overall sense of optimism. Highly recommended.

Mr. Putin: Operative in the Kremlin, by Fiona Hill and Clifford G. Gaddy

I've wanted to read this book ever since I saw Fiona Hill testify before Congress during the impeachment trial. I was impressed with her testimony, her poise, and her deep knowledge and expertise about Russia. When I went to buy her book, it was out of stock (I guess a lot of people had the same idea that I did), and our library copy was already checked out, so I put this on the back burner. But I was surprised to find this among my Christmas presents; I couldn't believe that my husband had remembered my wish to read it.

I loved this book. Not a conventional biography; instead, it analyzes the influences on Vladimir Putin and how they made him who he is. Describing Putin as a statist, a history man, a survivalist, an outsider, a free marketeer, and a case officer, authors Hill and Clifford G. Gaddy show how each of these identities play out in Putin's actions within Russia and in foreign affairs. This is a dense book, but it is so well-written that it just flows as you read it. I would highly recommend it to anyone interested in world affairs. My only complaint is that it was published in 2013; I would really like to see Hill and Gaddy bring this up to the present.

The Ghost Factory, by Jenny McCartney

The Ghost Factory is one of the best novels I've read in a while. Set in Northern Ireland in the 1990s through the present day, it follows the story of Jacky, a boy whose trying to avoid the ever-present violence in Belfast. When Jacky's friend is attacked, and Jacky retaliates, he realizes that he has to leave to save his own life. He makes his way to London and builds a life there, but Belfast draws him back to revisit the ghosts that still haunt him. The writing in this book is so good that I couldn't put it down. It deals with serious topics, but still has a sense of humor about it. It will give any reader a feel for the time and place of Northern Ireland while it was still experiencing the violence and strife of "the troubles."

March 2019 Books

Other than the first book below, the rest of my reading this month was a stack of review copies of books that I got by attending either Book Expo America or American Library Association Conferences


This was my book club's February pick. I enjoyed this story, told from two viewpoints, alternating between a young girl who was kidnapped and offered up for adoption in 1939, and a 30-year-old lawyer who is learning about this practice for the first time, and realizing that her grandmother may have also been adopted. My fellow book clubbers also liked the book, but they seemed to prefer the sections set in 1939 much more than the present ones, although I liked both equally.

A bio-engineered virus has been released in the U.S.; it causes people who are infected to become ravenous monsters (called ticks) who cannibalize humans and animals. It especially likes teenagers, so they've been rounded up and kept on former college campuses. Our heroine, Lily, lives on such a farm with her autistic sister Mel, and they've planned an escape. Joined by a former friend from "before," they learn that even though the bio-engineered monsters are called "vampires," they really aren't; we know that because vampires really do exist, and one of them is going to help Lily and Mel escape because they can help in the revolution to beat the ticks. This dystopian, science fiction, paranormal adventure mixed with teen angst and drama is completely ridiculous. Waiting for the movie...

Ellen is divorcing her husband, Sam, because he's irresponsible with money and, as an inventor, he's had a series of unsuccessful projects. She is the sole proprietor of a coffee shop/home furnishings store, but doesn't bring in enough to pay both mortgages on their house. She's so angry with him that instead of insisting that he get a job that provides a reliable income, she decides to sell the house and divorce him, even though she still loves him. All while they have two kids who are heartbroken about this, and their best friends live next door to them. That alone is completely unbelievable. The rest of the novel swings back and forth with her trying to buy the house back and the new owners splitting up over the decision, even though they also love each other and have children. What a stretch. Almost too dark for a Hallmark movie, but no more credible...

This children's book by musician Colin Meloy is about Charlie, a neglected boy who takes up with a band of child pickpockets in 1950s Marseilles. He learns the tricks of the trade, only to find that he's been used to get close to his diplomat father and steal a valuable document. He has to use all his new-found skills to make things right. Fun and clever.

February 2020 Films and Series

Once Upon a Time in Hollywood. I thought this movie was too long and too slow. Definitely over-hyped.

The Borgias (Seasons 1-3). I really enjoyed this not-very historically accurate telling of the Borgia family history; I just wish it hadn't been canceled before they filmed the 4th and final season; apparently, it was too expensive to continue.

Beirut. A compelling film about the kidnapping of an American diplomat in the early 1980s.

Parasite. As good as the reviews said, although I would have preferred that it didn't take such a dark turn at the end.

Wolf Hall (Season 1). Based on the Hillary Mantel book; it was fun watching this series, which takes place just 30 years after the action in The Borgias. It was a little slow, but I enjoyed seeing Damian Lewis and Claire Foy in these roles as well.

February 2020 Books

Well-written historical novel that imagines what might have inspired Andrew Carnegie to give his fortune away to build libraries and institutions of higher learning.

Another fast-paced detective story from Kathy Reichs.

I loved this story about a woman hired to be a nanny for two young children who catch on fire when they get upset.

Amelia is a 15-year old who dies in the first few pages of this book, falling (or jumping?) from the roof of her private school in Brooklyn. Her mother, Kate, is still grieving a month later when she gets a text that questions the police verdict of suicide, which sets Kate off on her own investigation that uncovers secret clubs, bullying, and much more. this was a fast-paced read that alternates between Kate's point of view as she searches for what led to Amelia's death, and Amelia's point of view during the final few weeks of her life. It's very well-written but heartbreaking.

January 2020 Films and Series

Downton Abbey (Season 6).

Downton Abbey (the film).

Gosford Park.

Shetland (Season 5)
















15:17 to Paris. Why, oh why, did director Clint Eastwood use the real people in this film? It made the film almost unbearable to watch.

January 2020 Books

 This was an excellent detective story.

 A modern twist on a female vampire.

A cross between The Da Vinci Code and Raiders of the Lost Arc. Fast-paced and entertaining, but totally ludicrous.

Highly entertaining tale about the friendship of three women, and how two were inspired by the early death of the third to change their lives.

Action-packed thriller set in a prep school, with clones.

December 2019 Films and Series

Downton Abbey (seasons 1-5)

Father Brown (seasons 5-6). Very entertaining to watch while on the treadmill.

Interstellar.

The Mambo Kings.

Miss Peregrine's Home for Peculiar Children.

The Crown (season 3).

December 2019 Books

This was a very good first novel about the long term consequences of decisions made when young.

This was my book club's December pick, and well-liked by most of us.

Two short mystery novellas. Entertaining, but not memorable.

This was a fast-moving thriller set in the Pacific Northwest.

This is an entirely convincing book, but I still can't seem to bring myself to delete facebook!

This is an entirely charming kids book, with great illustrations.

November 2019 Films and Series

Mary Shelley.

Motherless Brooklyn.

Father Brown (season 4)

Blackkklansman.

Downton Abbey (season 1)

November 2019 Books

This was an incredibly thought-provoking book that I would recommend to anyone interested in racial or social justice.

I really enjoyed this YA dystopian science fiction novel about a future where rising sea levels have completely changed the coastlines of the U.S., and children are employed in salvage work until they're too big to get into the small places on grounded ships in the gulf regions.

I was looking for Fiona Hill's biography of Vladimir Putin, but someone beat me to it: although the catalog said it was on the shelf, there was a gap where it was supposed to be. I decided to take a look at this book, which consists of interviews of Putin by several Russian journalists. While it was interesting and I learned a lot about Putin's early life, it's a clearly self-serving collection of anecdotes that mainly serves to paint a rosy picture of him and his political intentions. This came out in his first year as president, but you can see some of the same themes playing out in current events.

This is a very thought-provoking book by the author of Sapiens: A Brief History of Humankind, which I read a year or so ago. Author Harari is a history professor at Hebrew University of Jerusalem, but his writings explore issues much broader than history. This book is organized into five parts that include 21 chapters addressing important themes such as work, equality, terrorism, war, secularism, and much more. It's extremely well-written, making it a quick read even though it covers such weighty topics.

I bought this autobiography back when it came out in 2004, but neglected it until I saw that Kiedis' band-mate Flea has published his own memoir. I dug this out and I couldn't put it down. It's unfortunate that I waited so long to read this; now I'm eager to see whether Kiedis will write about the next chapter in his life given that so much has happened in the last 15 years. Much of this book is sad, as he recounts his many bouts with addiction from the early '80's to the year 2000, but I loved reading about the inspiration for many of his songs, many of which I loved but had no idea what inspired them. For example, a verse in "Give it Away" was about River Phoenix and his death; "Tearjerker" was about Kurt Cobain's suicide.