Dark Places

Dark Places  by Gillian Flynn   542 pages

Libby Day was seven when her mother and two sisters were murdered in “The Satan Sacrifice" of Kinnakee, Kansas. She survived - and famously testified that her fifteen-year-old brother, Ben, was the killer. Twenty-five years later, the Kill Club - a secret society obsessed with notorious crimes - locates Libby and pumps her for details. They hope to discover proof that may free Ben, while Libby hopes to turn a profit off her tragic history. She’ll reconnect with the players from that night and report her findings to the club—for a fee. As Libby’s search takes her from shabby Missouri strip clubs to abandoned Oklahoma tourist towns, the unimaginable truth emerges, and Libby finds herself right back where she started - on the run from a killer. 

I did not enjoy this book as much as Gone Girl, perhaps because I had a hard time empathizing with, or even liking, any of the very flawed characters. Actually, that’s not true. The characters, and the situations which defined them, were described in such agonizing detail that feelings were raw and uncomfortable, and as events unfolded, it was almost like watching a train wreck…no good was going to come from any of it. The story moves from present to past, as told from the perspective of different characters, so that the reader understands the circumstances and thoughts of each character as the events unfold. What is amazing is that up until the very end, nobody involved in the situation-run-amok knows the totality of what happened on that night 25 years ago.

Posted By:   Regina C.   (submitted to Jen 5/21/18)

The Taster

 The Taster  by V. S. Alexander   320 pages

Amid the turbulence of World War II, a young German woman finds a precarious haven closer to the source of danger than she ever imagined - one that will propel her through the extremes of privilege and terror under Hitler's dictatorship . . . 

In early 1943, Magda Ritter's parents send her to family in Bavaria, hoping to keep her safe from the Allied bombs strafing Berlin. After an interview with the civil service, Magda is assigned to the Berghof, Hitler's mountain retreat, and only after weeks of training does she learn that she will be one of several young women tasting the Fuhrer's food, offering herself in sacrifice to keep him from being poisoned.

Perched high in the Bavarian Alps, the Berghof seems worlds away from the realities of battle. Every bite is nerve wracking, but Magda gradually becomes used to her dangerous occupation. Equally dangerous is voicing her misgivings about the war, but her love for a conspirator within the SS, and her growing awareness of the Reich's atrocities, draw Magda into a plot that will test her wits and loyalty in a quest for safety, freedom, and ultimately, vengeance.

I love historical fiction, especially differing perspectives of the same event, proving time and again that reality is never black and white, but many, many shades of grey.  The Taster delights in the promise of young love, exposes aspects of Hitler on a personal level, depicts the dangers of living with paranoid personalities, and most importantly, examines the moral dilemmas and desperate decisions required by those living through war.

Posted By:   Regina C.   (submitted to Jen 5/21/18)

The Sandman

The Sandman  by Lars Kepler   443 pages

Late one night, outside Stockholm, Mikael Kohler-Frost is found wandering. Thirteen years earlier, he and his younger sister were reported missing, thought to have been victims of Sweden's most notorious serial killer, Jurek Walter, now serving a life sentence in a maximum security psychiatric hospital. Mikael insists that his sister is still alive and being held by the Sandman. Detective Inspector Joona Linna, the officer responsible for Jurek's capture years earlier, knows that any chance of rescuing Mikael's sister depends on getting Jurek to talk, and recommends Inspector Saga Bauer, a young prodigy wrestling her own demons. She will have to go under deep cover in the psychiatric ward where Jurek is imprisoned, and she will have to find a way to get to the psychopath before it's too late - and before he gets inside her head.

At first I thought this was going to be a Clarice Starling / Hannibal Lecter type of confrontation, relationship, and ensuing plot; although equally unnerving, the stories and protagonists do differ. The denouement feels chaotic and illogical, and it is only after the action ceases that the reader is privy to the knowledge the characters were acting upon; the final chapters felt so rushed and convoluted that I felt had to go back and re-read several pages to fully understand the who-what-where-why-when.   

Posted By:   Regina C.   (submitted to Jen 5/21/18)

Friendship

The Friendship: Wordsworth and Coleridge by Adam Sisman, 429 pages

In 1798, the first edition of Lyrical Ballads was published anonymously.  Although it excited little interest at the time, it was to prove a turning point in the history of English literature.  A treasure-house containing works of genius including "The Nightingale", "Lines written a few miles above Tintern Abbey", and "The Rime of the Ancient Mariner", Lyrical Ballads was the product of an intense collaboration between William Wordsworth and Samuel Taylor Coleridge, during the course of which the two were continually in each other's (and Wordsworth's sister Dorothy's) company, so that the book is less a collection than a "poetic dialogue".  At that time, Coleridge was married with children, regularly preaching to Unitarian congregations, and had several poetic and journalistic achievements already behind him, while Wordsworth was a virtual unknown living a Bohemian lifestyle with his sister, separated by war from the illegitimate child he had fathered in France.  Two years later a second edition was published in two volumes, this time ascribed entirely to Wordsworth, who rounded out the collection with additional poems.  Wordsworth was now a stable, respectable family man, while Coleridge was in the midst of a personal, financial, and creative crisis, soon to abandon his family in pursuit of an unrequited love while progressively collapsing into the unromantic realities of opiate addiction.  When criticism and resentment met, the friendship fell apart, and neither writer was ever the same.

Adam Sisman tells the story of this remarkable literary partnership and personal friendship with an admirable sensitivity for the many layers of an extremely complex relationship.  Particularly, he does an excellent job of identifying the sympathies that united the irrepressible, undependable visionary Coleridge and the more reserved, more careful, and ultimately more talented Wordsworth.  At the same time, he largely refrains from imposing his own interpretation on events beyond what the evidence warrants.

Luckiest Girl Alive

Luckiest Girl Alive by Jessica Knoll   352 pages 

"As a teenager at the prestigious Bradley School, Ani FaNelli endured a shocking, public humiliation that left her desperate to reinvent herself. Now, with a glamorous job, expensive wardrobe, and handsome blue blood fiancé, she’s this close to living the perfect life she’s worked so hard to achieve.

But Ani has a secret.

There’s something else buried in her past that still haunts her, something private and painful that threatens to bubble to the surface and destroy everything."

You'd think with a description like that, I'd remember if I had read this book or not. I had read a blurb about the book and picked it up from the library . . . only to start reading it and get a nagging sense that I had read it before. However, it wasn't a clear memory -- there was no part where I was "yes, I definitely read this!"  Instead, it felt vaguely familiar but not to the point where I could predict the story.  I actually didn't like the book that much, but kept reading because I kept thinking my memory would kick in a little bit more.  I guess I was hoping for something with more of a Chelsea Cain or Gillian Flynn-like edge, and instead kept feeling like I wasn't invested in the main character.  There isn't much character growth here and because the story is really based on Ani and what happened to her and how that is affecting her adult life, the book fell a little flat for me.

Landwhale

Landwhale: On Turning Insults Into Nicknames, Why Body Image Is Hard, and How Diets Can Kiss My Ass by Jes Baker    272 pages

When Jes Baker started creating her own ads mocking Abercrombie & Fitch and showing body positivity, people started paying attention. Building on this, Baker became known as an outspoken advocate for body positivity and acceptance. In this memoir, she writes about growing up as a fat girl, dating as a fat girl, and more.  Baker is completely honest about herself and her opinions, and sometimes has some pretty funny observations. 

I liked this book, although I found it was easier to read a chapter or two, put the book down, and come back to it.  It's not a straight timeline-memoir, and jumps around a little, so reading it like a series of essays made it more digestable. The book has a very conversational tone, and maybe it would be better if I had listened to the audiobook? 

Darkest Hour

Darkest Hour by Meg Cabot             PlayAway 6 hours, 21 minutes   Paperback book: 336 pages                    Genre:   Adult Fiction Ghost Story,  Paranormal  Mediators

I liked this book so much!    Again, I found out this book is number four in the Mediator Series – I wish there was some way to note that on the covers or list it somehow so the reader knows before they jump in but I found that out at the very end.    However, this book totally stands on its own and anyone could read it and enjoy it for the story it tells without indulging in those prior.   GOOD BOOK.  If you are a fan of ghost stories, the paranormal in general this is right up your alley.    It has people who see ghosts, Suze in particular is the star mediator and main character.    She is one tough young lady fights toe to toe with ethereal beings and tells the reader that mediators (like herself) are hard to kill, but, they can be hurt apparently a lot.  Lots of action,  lots of ghosts, exorcisms – not sanctioned by the Catholic Church and one led by …well, I will let you read the story to find out – but it is awesome!     Suze has seen so many dead people by now she just takes it in her stride and when a young boy at the hotel she is working at starts having weird reactions, she knows he is a mediator, too.    The story soars from there.   The boy’s parents send him to psychotherapy thinking he is imagining all the horrors he tries to tell them about.   Suze knows better.   Suze sees them, too.    Such a great story.   I really liked it.   Now I must go back and catch up on all I have missed.   I highly recommend this one to anyone remotely interested in communication with the other plane.   Really well developed characters and really well told events.   Yes, I loved it.    Checking for the rest of the titles in this series right now.

Surprise Me

Surprise Me by Sophie Kinsella                 Audio Book:  11 hours, 28 mins    Paperback Book:  432 pages                  

I am a fan of Sophie Kinsella’s writing so I was pleased to see this one and read/listen to it.    Ms. Kinsella went for a more serious tone in this novel, still fun of course and if the main character had been called Becks instead of Sylvie, I would have felt it could have been another in the Shop-A-Holic series, but, again, this novel was while jovial and fun as all of her books have been so far, it truly had the deeper leanings of someone who maybe has the lightness of spirit, but, the tone just went a lot more serious so those looking for all the hilarity of her previous novels, be warned that this one touches on subjects in a different vein – more somber at times than we are used to.   There were many things at play in this one and jealousy goes a lot deeper this time and much darker.   Of course, these are different characters in different situations so the writer may have desired to show she can take things to the edge if she wants to.    Lots of uncomfortable themes come in here, betrayal by loved ones, those who should be looking out for a child’s well-being do awful things, mental illness is addressed here, infidelity, so many things at play and it starts out so innocent with Sylvie wanting to keep the Willoughby House museum that she works at open as she fights a hostile take over.   Lots of things happen in this novel and you may wonder if this really is a Sophie Kinsella story.   Miss Kinsella may be stretching her directions for her storylines.    Maybe as she continues writing she veers away from the norm to keep all of her fans guessing but it is always an enjoyable journey as she is an excellent writer.   What will she come up with next time?    I remain a faithful fan.     Love the way she can throw a plot twist with such ease and surprise the reader.   The book lived up to its title.    Well done, once again, Sophie Kinsella.   Can’t wait to read your next one!

When Likes Aren’t Enough

When Likes Aren’t Enough: A Crash Course in the Science of Happiness by Tim Bono, PhD.         Audio Book: 7 hours, 55 mins.      Hardback Book:  272 pages           

The writer, Tim Bono is a professor at Washington University in St. Louis.   Shout out to Wash U.   After reading his book it makes me want to take a class with him.    Some might say he torments his students with some of the psychological experiments he does in class and in labs, but, it is all to prove that while we all may be searching for happiness in life,  the testing shows we are doing extremely well if we can achieve happier in life.   He began his study of how humans can achieve satisfying ergo happy lives after research showed findings internationally show that what test subjects, students, professionals are looking for is not more money (though some might argue that), nor fame (again, the pursuit is good even if the final outcome might be less than hoped for), not success (though it keeps being pursued even with all the data showing it doesn’t deliver the punch we thought it would) not even searching for that one great perfect love is just not in the running when it comes to what the majority of the world’s population desires, the deep unfulfilled longing is simply to be happy.   To achieve that ultimate one with the universe great extraordinary fountain of bliss that lets you feel total contentment and one with all that is – happiness.    It was too good to pass up so Tim Bono decided to go after it like a microbe under a microscope.    He relays a lot of information he has come across in his study and the psychological testing he discusses sounds so incredibly interesting I would like to participate.   Guess I will have to sign up for that class to do so, but, he brings a lot of good information to the table in this book.   Things that will have you nodding in agreement and thinking, Yeah, that IS so true!    He sees the digital world leading people into inauthentic relationships, they may have a thousand friends on social mediea but no one to go have a conversation with face to face.    Internet relationships will never override the power of actual contact with other people in the flesh.   Skype tries, but, like the Yellow Pages, it’s the next best thing to being there, it isn’t being there.    He gives so much to the reader in this book, instruction,  advice, fun exercises you can do.    His aim is to show the reader how to be happier, how to live life in ways that grab all the gusto and contain it.    I thoroughly enjoyed this book and having a St. Louis connection made it even more enjoyable.   I can see why his class is so popular.    Good book, I do recommend it to anyone seeking that elusive joy and those who may have had it, lost it and forgot how to it again.    This guy is good.   Give him and the book a try.

Bad Girls of Fashion

Bad Girls of Fashion: Style Rebels from Cleopatra to Lady Gaga by Jennifer Croll              Hardback Book: 206 pages                               

Really in your face kind of radical cool backgrounds told here on notable women who have promoted fashion, feminine empowerment, trend setting, leadership, you name it.   These gals are good.  Women with business savvy (Madonna is such a smart business woman she was one of my Economics professors’ favorite people along with Alan Greenspan, Warren Buffet…), women who know how to reinvent themselves, women who turn heads, women who shock (Bjork in her swan dress, Lady Gaga in her meat outfit complete with flank steak accessories hat, purse and shoes.    Really detailed bios on the famous, the infamous and the legendary.   St. Louisan Josephine Baker complete with the outfit she is still known today for, Maryland native Wallis Simpson who brought down an English Monarchy, gender bender Marlena Dietrich,   Anna Wintour who Meryl Streep’s character in the “Devil Wears Prada” was based on, Rihanna whose known for her beauty and fashion flare as well as her singing fame.   Why Lilith is even given a bow here.     Radical Punk Rockers Kathleen Hanna, Girl Groups Bikini Kill, citizens of and enemies of the Russian state known for their political protesting through their music and fashion – Pussy Riot, who served two years in prison but continue to rouse revolutionary spirit through their feminine power through their fans around the world.    You will learn so many things about having a voice in the world, standing up to haters and how to stop letting others vilify your differences by embracing the freak in you and letting that image shine as an example to others to embrace our differences and be proud of who we are whatever we may be it is the genuine us.     Very well written.   I highly recommend this for everyone who has felt unaccepted for who they are.   Darlings you are in delicious company!   Let that freak flag fly and embrace the you you are.   Good book.

The Tale Of Angelino Brown

The Tale Of Angelino Brown by Alex T. Smith, 258 pages

“When Bert discovers a tiny boy angel in his pocket, he takes the angel home to his wife and they happily raise him as their own son.” This was a sweet book that would probably only appeal to kids who really enjoy reading.  There is some adventure and fantasy about it, but not enough to truly satisfy kids who really like those genres.  This book has an old-fashioned feel, which some kids may like, but as I say, this book is more for kids who just truly love to read.

Sit

Sit by Deborah Ellis, 139 pages

"The seated child. With a single powerful image, Deborah Ellis draws our attention to nine children and the situations they find themselves in, often through no fault of their own. In each story, a child makes a decision and takes action, be that a tiny gesture or a life-altering choice." This collection of stories almost made me cry.  Most of them are sad but still hopeful.  This would work for reluctant readers because of the length and the fact that it would be easy to stop at any time or skip a story if they wished.  Kids who like realistic stories will also like it.

Rebellion Of Thieves

Rebellion Of Thieves by Kekla Magoon, 246 pages

“Robyn Loxley plans to seize the opportunity to rescue her parents from the governor's mansion by competing in the Iron Teen contest, although success could bring unwanted attention from Crown.” This series is my favorite by Magoon.  I’ve liked her other books but these have a sense of adventure that is missing some of the hopelessness that I feel when reading her historical fiction.  This follows the Robin Hood stories well and it’s really enjoyable.  Kids who like adventure or just Robin Hood will want to read it.

Theodore Boone: The Fugitive

Theodore Boone: The Fugitive by John Grisham, 250 pages

“On a field trip to Washington, DC, Theo spots a familiar face on the Metro: Duffy, who jumped bail and was never seen again. Theo's quick thinking helps bring Duffy back to Strattenburg to stand trial. But now that Duffy knows who he is, Theo is in greater danger than he's ever been in before. Even when everything is on the line, Theodore Boone will stop at nothing to make sure a killer is brought to justice.”  I really like this series.  I love Theo’s character and I enjoy reading about his cases.  Grisham does a great job of making the law information accessible to kids.  The only problem I have with the series is that Theo is a little too adult for me sometimes.  He just doesn’t come across as a kid once in a while.  Other than that, I highly recommend this to kids who like adventure stories.

The Resident Witch

The Resident Witch by Marian T. Place 119 pages

Witcheena is almost ready to fly up from witchling to junior witch.  She can’t wait for this important move and when her aunt assigns her to haunt a carnival, she thinks that this could be her big chance to prove that she’s ready to fly up.  Although Witcheena eventually succeeds in shutting down the carnival early, during the night she meets an earthling, Nancy, and finds out that she likes her and wants to see her again.  Witches are not usually allowed to be friends with earthlings but Witcheena is determined to honor her witch ways while she looks to changes that could be made in the future, and, hopefully, be friends with Nancy.  I loved this book as a kid and was thrilled to get a copy of it recently.  The library doesn’t own a copy, but it’s a fun, although old-fashioned, read for kids who like adventurous or witch stories.

Manners & Mutiny

Manners & Mutiny by Gail Carriger, 326 pages

“If one must flirt...flirt with danger.  Lessons in the art of espionage aboard Mademoiselle Geraldine's floating dirigible have become tedious without Sophronia's sweet sootie Soap nearby. She would much rather be using her skills to thwart the dastardly Picklemen, yet her concerns about their wicked intentions are ignored, and now she's not sure whom to trust. What does the brusque werewolf dewan know? On whose side is the ever-stylish vampire Lord Akeldama? Only one thing is certain: a large-scale plot is under way, and when it comes to fruition, Sophronia must be ready to save her friends, her school, and all of London from disaster--in decidedly dramatic fashion, of course. What will become of our proper young heroine when she puts her years of training to the test? Find out in this highly anticipated and thrilling conclusion to the New York Times bestselling Finishing School series!” I love this entire series and anyone who likes adventure stories, especially steampunk needs to read it.  This was a very satisfying conclusion to the series, although I’m sorry to see it end.  However, Carriger is good at ending a series before it gets tiresome, so she’s probably right to stop where she did.

The Stepchild

The Stepchild by Joanne Fluke, 352 pages

“Kathi Ellison is an English literature major at the University of California in Berkeley, living with her boyfriend off-campus. She is also the daughter of a candidate for the U.S. Senate and his wife, a role that could affect her life should her father win the election. But before she can consider her future, Kathi must first come to terms with her past. A car accident when she was four-years-old killed her mother and left her in a coma for several days. The migraines and nightmares that plagued her as a child have recently returned with a vengeance, leaving her mind full of visions that feel more like memories. Memories that are not her own. Memories of a frightened and traumatized child named Sheri Walker. Memories linked to her mother's death that her stepmother doesn't want her to remember . . .” This book was completely creepy, even if it was somewhat predictable.  The end felt almost inevitable.  Still, it was a good story and people who like thrillers and mysteries will enjoy it.

Anne Boleyn: A King’s Obsession

Anne Boleyn: A King’s Obsession by Alison Weir, 541 pages

“In this second novel of Alison Weir's epic Six Tudor Queens series, the acclaimed author and historian weaves exciting new research into the story of Anne Boleyn, Henry VIII's most infamous wife, a woman ahead of her time whose very life--and death--forever changed a nation.  Born into a noble English family, Anne is barely a teenager when she is sent from her family's Hever Castle to serve at the royal court of the Netherlands. This strategic move on the part of her opportunistic father also becomes a chance for the girl to grow and discover herself. There, and later in France, Anne thrives, preferring to absorb the works of progressive writers rather than participate in courtly flirtations. She also begins to understand the inequalities and indignities suffered by her gender. Anne isn't completely inured to the longings of the heart, but her powerful family has ambitious plans for her future that override any wishes of her own. When the King of England himself, Henry VIII, asks Anne to be his mistress, she spurns his advances--reminding him that he is a married man who has already conducted an affair with her sister, Mary. Anne's rejection only intensifies Henry's pursuit, but in the absence of a male heir--and given an aging Queen Katherine--the opportunity to elevate and protect the Boleyn family, and to exact vengeance on her envious detractors, is too tempting for Anne to resist, even as it proves to be her undoing. While history tells of how Anne Boleyn died, this compelling new novel reveals how fully she lived.” I’ve always loved both fiction and nonfiction about this time period in history.  Weir is a fantastic writer and researches her books thoroughly, such that even her fiction is historically as accurate as possible.  This is a great choice for people who like historical fiction, especially about the Tudor era.

Love in the Western World

Love in the Western World by Denis de Rougemont, translated by Montgomery Belgion, 323 pages

In Love and the Western World begins with an analysis of the genre of chivalric romance as typified by the story of Tristan and Isolde.  For de Rougemont, the protagonists are not in love with each other, but are rather in love with Love itself, in such a way that the fulfillment of their desires would be the end of the romance.  Their love, then, is real only insofar as it is frustrated - it is a passionate love, which is to say a suffering love, ultimately consummated only in the final negation of death.  He connects these themes to a stream of mysticism with its sources in the Greek, Celtic, Hindu, and Arab worlds, a stream which in the High Middle Ages fed the pool of Catharism.  In de Rougemont's view, this heretical mysticism, which seeks the total absorption of the individual into the Godhead, has fundamentally perverted the Western view of love, transforming the Christian ideal of a communion of persons into a paradoxically selfish quest for self-destruction.  The former is a humble religion of incarnation, the latter a prideful spirituality of disincarnation.

De Rougemont's historical claims have been strongly criticized, and doubtless the author somewhat exaggerates the influence of the Cathars.  Yet it is part of his argument that Catharism was itself part of a much larger, largely underground heterodox tradition.  Such criticism cannot touch his startling contention that, contrary to the reductive belief that all mysticism has its origins in repressed eroticism, much of our romantic language - and dysfunction - is the product of sublimated mysticism.

Remembrances and Celebrations

Remembrances and Celebrations: A Book of Eulogies, Elegies, Letters and Epitaphs edited by Jill Werman Harris                   Paperback Book: 319 pages            Genre:  Historical remembrances and odes to famous people and sometimes their pets who were laid to rest alongside the family and letters, eulogies, words of sympathy offered in the passing of family and friends

Really interesting book, not morbid like you would think, but, genuinely filled with emotion, sometimes remorse, sometimes celebration of the person’s life and effect on the deliverer of the kind and sometimes funny memories of lives of consequence.     Dear words for dearly loved ones.     Honestly, the bereaved parents of children who have passed will bring a tear to your eye with their loving words and despair, as will the grief poured out in poetic verse and prayer over martyred men and children but, as joy comes in the morning and the darkest hour means the dawn is in sight (see Psalm 30:5) there are witty and even laugh out loud funny quips, rhymes and brief enlightenments even one blatant salesmanship job engraved in tombstones from the middle ages on down to now.    I enjoyed reading the heartfelt letters sent to the bereaved and the eulogies delivered.   They give you a look into the actual person do the writing/speaking.   Some of the epitaphs here are akin to the salty limericks passed down from sailors over the years.    I can’t help but appreciate the humor or humour delivered in some of the punches actually put on someone’s tombstone for every one to read and laugh over.   One even invited the viewer of the grave to stop and urinate on it before they go, using the slang word for the action so that it rhymed with the sentiment delivered.   Names you will find here are the Kennedys, Jackie Onassis, Malcolm X, Medger Evers,  Abraham Lincoln, C. S. Lewis, Lady Diana former Princess of Wales, Wolfgang Amadeus Mozart,  Thomas Jefferson, John and Abigail Adams,  Benjamin Franklin, Mark Twain, Virginia Wolfe who wrote a goodbye letter to her husband and mother when she could no longer write because the voices in her head had gotten too loud so she simply put heavy rocks in her pockets and walked into the water and drowned herself.    There is much background information included in very short digestible bits on what was actually going on at the time and the relationship to the writer or orator involved.   The names will come to life when you learn of their love,  respect and deep compassion for the ones they eulogize, the letters bearing their own utter despair or fond memories of the departed soul to the ones left behind.    There is so much comfort here that is offered to those in mourning, Lord Byron, Lord Tennyson,  Herman Hesse, James Michener, Edgar Alan Poe, Langston Hughes, Ozzie Davis, Bishop Desmund TuTu, The Ghandis.   The poem, “Funeral Blues,” by W.H. Auden, resurfaced and gained much attention after being read in the film, “Four Weddings and a Funeral” is included here.  T.S. Elliot,  Dashiell Hammett, Julius and Ethel Rosenberg, Dame Agatha Christie, Mammy Caroline Barr who raised William Faulkner and his siblings  whom they loved as their mother and wrote on her tombstone, “Her white children bless her.”  Henry Miller praises Anais Nin,  Duke Ellington, Paul Robeson, Yitzhak Rabin eulogized by King Hussein.   Dr. Martin Luther King, Jr. is eulogized by both ReverendRalph D. Abernathy and David Dinkins, Ogden Nash, Daniel Webster, George Burns, who lived to be 100 years old, too bad he didn’t get to do that last stint in Vegas before he left this world.   Laurence Olivier, Karl Marx, Jerry Garcia, Jackie Robinson whose eulogy was delivered by the Reverend Jesse Jackson, so many wonderful and bittersweet stories told here.   Not so melancholy honestly, just wait till you get to those hilarious ditties in the epitaphs section, some so honest they talk about a lady who let’s just say had been a “working (the streets) gal” in her day whoever paid for her tombstone described how many times she had been “tapp’d” over the years – yikes!  Frank Oz delivered Jim Henson’s moving tribute.   Horace Greely, George Bernard Shaw, Leonard Bernsein..    This book is truly a who’s who of the dead set.    It is actually a good read, I come away from this book feeling I have a better understanding of many historical and contemporary figures inner character.   I did enjoy this book and I would highly recommend it to adults who do not  have qualms with the topic of death.   I would not recommend it to young people while it isn’t harsh, I think some of the emotions expressed and the deep despair poured out in places might be a bit overwhelming for the tender-hearted and those not touched, yet, by the sorrow of losing someone.   Those who have undergone the loss of loved ones will find kindred spirits here and understand their pain and their hope for tomorrow.    Excellent book.   Well done Jill Weman Harris.   I end with one of the ditties on Dr. Potter, Archbishop of Canterbury (1736) has on his tombstone/plaque,  “Alack and well a-day, Potter himself is turned to clay.”   You can’t make this stuff up.  J