Life in the Hollywood Lane by Ann Crawford

Life in the Hollywood Lane by Ann Crawford is a novel in the form of a memoir. It is entirely from the point of view of Trish, a fictional woman looking back on her life as an aspiring actress trying to make it in films. It includes many reflections the woman makes about the events of her life. There is some distance between the reader and the other characters in the novel, but every struggle and every emotion Trish feels is expressed in depth and written in an informal and funny style, which makes it easy to get caught up in this book. Here's an example of how casual her writing can be:

As an aside, I'm sure Norma Jean wasn't ditzy at all and had a ton of substance. She'd have to have had (wow, is that a clunky sentence or what?) a lot of substance to carry the persona of Marilyn.

And an example of insider information about how the industry works:

People can't be a SAG (Screen Actors Guild) actor until they've been in some SAG movies, and they can't get into SAG movies until they've become a SAG actor. For the non-SAG to land a part in a SAG movie, actors have to know someone who can open doors. And I do.

Both examples are from early in the book to avoid spoilers.

There are three main parts of Trish's emotional life. They are her aspirations to be a successful film actress, her love life, and her friends, especially Cyndi, her roommate and best friend, who kills herself early in the story. Much of the novel is focused on Cyndi. I felt Ann Crawford handled Trish's emotions concerning that loss in a remarkable way. The novel can be sad at times, but it is never depressing.

I recommend this book to anyone who has ever dreamed of a life in films, but also to anyone with any huge aspiration.

The Reinvention of Lottie Potts by Karen Crear

When I began reading The Reinvention of Lottie Potts I was expecting a light rom-com and it started out that way, but in the end there were some twists and turns that made it more about Lottie dealing with her self-esteem problems due to a psychologically abusive relationship and personal body issues. But this well-written story never lost its fun side. Definitely a five star read.

My Friend Richard : A True Ghost Story by William Hart

My Friend Richard : A True Ghost Story is a well-written, short memoir. It includes, but is not limited to, William Hart's relationship with the spirit of Richard, his best friend from high school.

Richard died when he was 25 because he ran back into a burning building to try to save his guitar. This action is an indication of how wild and hyperfocused he could be and it's not the only irrational impulse Richard acted on during his short life. Those actions give us a picture of someone impossible to forget but also someone whose spirit would be determined enough to reach out to the friend he left behind.

My favorite chapter in Hart's book is the last one. In the previous chapters he told us of Richard's attempts to communicate and the effect this ghost had on his life. In the last chapter he discusses the reality of spirits among us. Here is an excerpt from this section:

“Western science, focused entirely on the material, denies or ignores the existence of a spiritual reality in the universe, making our physics terribly incomplete.”

Love on the Brain by Ali Hazelwood

Love on the brain is silly at times but if you're looking for a light, fun read, it will do. The main character, Bee Königswasser, is a neuroscientist who also seems to be a space case. That term is appropriate, I suppose, since she is assigned to co-lead a NASA project with Levi Ward, an engineer. Levi is someone she believes hated her when they knew each other in college. She is always getting into situations requiring help from Levi and regrets each time he saves her.

"Lust" on the brain would be a more accurate title for the book since the story is about two people who find each other very attractive but have a difficult time communicating. The book has some graphic sex scenes but lacks the small things that lead to love. Still, the mishaps the characters get into are fun.

Normal People by Sally Rooney

Calling this book Normal People is like calling Picasso's Guernica a painting about people not getting along. Sally Rooney follows the relationship between Connell and Marianne, two young people living in Ireland who are attracted to each other but can't seem to commit. There are issues, Connell's mother is single and makes her living cleaning homes, one of which is Marianne's and Connell's mother is a kind and loving parent while Marianne's parents are not. But the main issue is their lack of ability to communicate. They are both constantly hiding their feelings and misinterpreting what the other says.

Although their relationship is too extreme for what I would call normal, I loved Rooney's writing and the depth of the character study. This is a book worth reading.

Horse by Geraldine Brooks

Geraldine Brooks' novel, Horse, is an amazing work. I felt the emotions of all the characters in both the 19th century and modern sections. The topics the novel covers include art, horse racing, Osteology (the scientific study of bones), and racism in both antebellum America and current times.

In her afterward, Brooks mentions how she started to write the book about Lexington, the greatest stud horse in American history, but soon found she could not ignore the racism in the horse breeding and racing industries before emancipation. Many of the greatest horse trainers of the time were enslaved people. I knew indoor slaves were treated better than those in the fields but I had never thought of the treatment of slaves who had skills in high demand. Those people were respected at the tracks and sometimes put in positions of authority at the breeding farms but they were still owned and still had to navigate in a world where they were considered little more than livestock.

Although, I did find some of the interpretations of modern-day racism as seen through the eyes of Jess, one of the main characters, seemed simplistic, overall, Horse is a great read!

Let Me Die by Virginia Babcock

The best Sci-Fi novels are based on fascinating ideas. Let Me Die certainly fits that criteria. The novel's “what if” question is: What if a scientist figured out how to digitize a person's entire being, not only his memories but also his emotions and his capacity to create new emotions? Virginia Babcock's book has been compared to Mary Shelley's Frankenstein but this novel is more about relationships than the creation of a monster, especially the role of sex in relationships.

Nicoleta, the story's main character, experiences a relationship where sex is impossible, then moves on to other relationships where sex is tied to everything from love to sacrifice to rape. I could envision this book opening the door to some important questions in a book club. There are, however, some fairly graphic scenes. The book-club members should be aware of that before taking it on.

The title doesn't seem to fit the way the book plays out. It's as if the author chose a working title then, as novels often do, the story took off in an unexpected direction. However that happened, I'm glad it did. Let Me Die is better for its unexpected turns.