The Invisible Ones

The Invisible Ones, by Stef Penney, 399 pages

Ray Lovell is a private investigator.  He is also half-Romany, which makes him the only option for investigating the disappearance of a young Gypsy woman who hasn't been seen in years.  The travelling community is a tight-lipped one that doesn't take to strangers of any kind, making Ray's investigation harder than it should be.  But as Ray gets closer to the truth, he realizes that young Rose Janko's disappearance is the least of the mysteries he must uncover.  This was an acceptable mystery, with an ending that wasn't obvious.  There are also some interesting insights into the British travelling community.

Stories I Only Tell My Friends

Stories I Only Tell My Friends by Rob Lowe, 308 pages

Rob Lowe has been acting for more than 30 years, since he was a teenager. In this memoir, Lowe discusses his life from those early years starting out to becoming one of the original members of the Brat Pack to the fame and excess of the 1980s to his trip to rehab and into sobriety. Through it all, he offers up some interesting insights on the machinations of Hollywood, as well some stories about the making of movies (and the meeting of actors) we've all seen.

Some of the stories can feel a bit name-droppy, especially when he spools out the entire yarn before giving us the name of the person he's interacting with in the story, in a "gotcha" way. (For example, "and 20 years later, at the Golden Globes, I was happy to see Sarah Jessica Parker receive an award for her role on Sex and the City. She did say she wanted to do this forever.") Lowe is able to break away from this grating habit in some of his tales, and when he does, the writing and stories become infinitely more interesting. I particularly liked his lengthy discussion of the audition process for and filming of The Outsiders, in which he played Sodapop Curtis (and, unbeknownst to him until he saw the finished film, had most of his scenes cut). In this story, we're introduced to Patrick Swayze, Tom Cruise, Ralph Macchio, and Francis Ford Coppola, and even though the temptation to drop names like breadcrumbs must have been tempting, but Lowe somehow refrains, and the story is all the better for it. Similarly, his discussion of his more recent career (starting in the 1990s with his hosting of Saturday Night Live and ending, for the book's purposes, with The West Wing) is engaging and filled with fun tidbits.

Does Lowe skate around the issues, glossing over his career scandals and awkward situations? Absolutely. This is a personal memoir after all, not an investigative biography written by a vindictive third party. Does that make it less enjoyable? Not a bit. This was a good, light read. Those with an interest in Hollywood and celebrity would probably like this.

A side note: I listened to the audiobook of this, which is read by Lowe. Generally speaking, I really enjoyed Lowe's narration, though his penchant for doing the voices of the people in his stories can be annoying. That said, the man nails Bill Clinton's voice.

Mad World: An Oral History of New Wave Artists and Songs That Defined the 1980s

Mad World: An Oral History of New Wave Artists and Songs that Defined the 1980s by Lori Majewski & Jonathan Bernstein, 319 pages.

Here's another book that I ordered for our collection. My first 10 years on this Earth were in the 80s, so you'd think that maybe my exposure to New Wave would be limited. But I had an older sister and brother, 10 and 9 years older respectively, so I heard all the good stuff through them. (Depeche Mode, Duran Duran, Tears for Fears, Psychedelic Furs, New Order, to name a few.)
This book is set up in interview form, with the two authors introducing each band's section, and then various members of the bands talking about their history and the history of the song they're best known for. I was not familiar with a few of the bands, but I knew all the songs. I YouTubed each song as I read, to hear it again, and especially if the video was referenced as something special.
Almost all of these bands have re-formed at some point for reunion tours, which I wasn't aware of. Most of them have, of course, departed from their big hair and pretty makeup (at least the boys) but they still have their 80s sound.
This book was fascinating and a must-read for any child of the 80s, or for a younger sibling of a child of the 80s. Also, if you're just into New Wave, check it out.
P.S. I was a little disappointed that for the section on Depeche Mode (to this day, one of my favorite bands), they did not interview Dave Gahan or Martin Gore, instead going to Vince Clarke, one of the founding members but no longer with them.

Maggie & Me

Maggie & Me by Damian Barr                     246 pages

I didn’t like this book as much as I thought I would.  It was a memoir of a gay man’s youth and teen years.  Because he grew up in Scotland, most of the adults in his life hated Margaret Thatcher for her policies.  She planned to close the factory where his father worked and also put a stop to the free school milk program.  However, there was something about Maggie that Damian admired, and in the midst of his realization of his sexuality and the horror (for him) of his parent’s divorce, Maggie gave him hope for a better future.  He was picked on in his school and his mother’s new boyfriend was abusive, so Damian needed some hope.  I thought that the writing was kind of stilted and the story didn’t flow very well, making some parts of it hard to understand.  I wouldn’t really recommend it to most people, although some older teens or young adults who have struggled with coming out may appreciate hearing about someone else’s struggles.

Talking to Girls About Duran Duran

Talking to Girls About Duran Duran: One Man's Quest for True Love and a Cooler Haircut by Rob Sheffield, 274 pages

Rolling Stone writer Rob Sheffield was 13 in 1980 and 23 when the 80s ended. During the intervening years, Sheffield fell in love with the ephemeral music of the 80s, and (for better or worse) looked to that music for inspiration as he attempted to navigate his teens and early 20s. The "girls" in the title refers to everyone from Sheffield's bossy sisters, with whom he had a steal-and-steal-alike relationship when it came to their music collections, to the Spanish girls he hung out with as an exchange student in Madrid. Through it all, we get a view of Sheffield's quiet, reserved, naive teenage life, quite the stark contrast to the model-filled rockstar lives of Simon LeBon and the rest of Duran Duran, who he both worshiped and wanted to emulate, despite not looking nearly as cool in the trendy clothes.

In between the personal memories, Sheffield also offers up some pop history, discussing the merits of one-hit wonders ("Come On, Eileen" wouldn't be nearly as good if Dexy's Midnight Runners had had a long, illustrious career); reminiscing about the cassingle (the cheap, cardboard-wrapped 80s answer to the 45 or the iTunes single); and arguing, quite convincingly, about the danger of becoming Paul McCartney.

I particularly enjoyed Sheffield's musings on The Smiths and the birth of MTV, but really, the whole thing was fun. Nothing super-serious, just like pop music in the 80s. Also, since I listened to the audiobook, I want to give a shout-out to Scott Shepard, who did a fantastic job reading the book, complete with non-cheesy accents and just the right amount of sarcasm.

Eleanor & Park

Eleanor & Park by Rainbow Rowell 328 pages

A story about 2 people who don’t really fit in, finding each other and then trying to stay together.  Eleanor is new to the school and has to take the only empty bus seat, next to Park.  Every day they ride next to each other, never speaking until one day Park notices Eleanor reading the comic book over his shoulder. 

It is very easy to become enamored with both characters and hope that, in the end, they will live happily ever after.  Although it’s a young adult novel, adult readers will find the story familiar and engrossing.  It is like every John Hughes movie from the 80's rolled into one novel.