Laura Lamont's Life in Pictures (2012)

Laura Lamont's Life in Pictures by Emma Straub
My rating: 2 of 5 stars

My relationship to this book may be different from other readers. Having grown up performing in summer stock with theatrical aspirations, I was excited to read about those wonderful days. What I took away instead was the role of women in an earlier time and how that affected the arc of their lives.

Elsa Emerson got to Hollywood by marrying a fellow actor. Once there, the Studio contracted with both of them but she soared as Laura Lamont. The Studio not only changed her name but also her hair color. She did what she was told and did it well. But times change and marriages fade. To survive, Laura turned her life over each time to someone else, usually a man. Her second husband was the love of her life but even he guided and protected her.

When good times left her behind, Laura allowed herself to float along wherever life's currents took her all the while wondering how she had gotten there.

Emma Straub is a lovely writer. To me Laura's story is a cautionary tale about not being an authentic person. But somehow the story does not feel fleshed out. It feels unsatisfactory. Laura holds us at arms length the same way she interacts with those she professes to love.

FTC Disclosure: I borrowed this book from my local library.

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Stuff and Nonsense Has Posted My Review of TRUST YOUR EYES!!!!

Please visit Stuff and Nonsense, the book blog of my friend Marlyn Beebe, who asked me to write my very first 'guest' blog after reading Linwood Barclay's TRUST YOUR EYES. It would be wonderful if you would comment (as long as you are kind).

Saskatoon Library Recommendations Just for ME!

I like to hang out on Twitter and see what's going on and this past week some excitement was generated by the Saskatoon Public Library offering to make recommendations based on the last three books you'd read.

Goodreads informs me that I have 79 titles in my 'to read' list and that's BEFORE I add these!

The three books I sent them were: Louise Penny's The Beautiful Mystery; Lisa Scottoline's Look Again; and Linwood Barclay's Trust Your Eyes. That's two for Canada and one for the U.S.

Here're the impressive suggestions that were made.

Like Scottoline's strong female protagonist: 

• Guilt by Degrees by Marcia Clark
• Night Watch by Linda Fairstein

Like Barclay's suspense:

• Until the Night by Giles Blunt
• Love You More by Lisa Gardner

For Canadian settings with interesting characters:

• Kaleidoscope by Gail Bowen
• Follow Me Down by Marc Strange

I've read Gardner and Fairstein and heard of Blunt. Otherwise these are new new names to me. I give the Saskatoon Public Library staff an A+ and that's before I even start reading!

DISCLAIMER: I live in the U.S. and have never been to the Saskatoon Public Library. I LOVE libraries!

New Titles from Linwood Barclay!

Reading here and there I have picked up the following information: Linwood Barclay has two new books coming out! When I searched for Never Saw it Coming on Amazon, I discovered that although it is due out in February 2013, it's available as an ebook right now for $2.99! I will definitely be checking that out later.

The other title is A Tap on the Window due out in the fall of next year. You can read more about them HERE.

Laura Lamont's Life in Pictures (2012)

"Hildy was given to the dramatic, despite having forsaken the theater."

"No one in the theater liked to be around people who were better-looking than they were."

"The theater was made for holding your breath, and for forgetting what was real and what was fake."

I just seriously started reading Emma Straub's Laura Lamont's Life in Pictures this morning and already am finding wonderful quotes to share.

NEW BOOKS IN THE MAIL!

Surprisingly there is another family named Holt (no relation we know of) on our road and today they dropped by to re-deliver my books from Amazon, which were correctly addressed.

After discovering and reading the Images of America book about Roxborough, the community in Philadelphia where I grew up, I spotted another on Germantown, Mount Airy, and Chestnut Hill that I had to have. That came today as well as Nate Berkus's The Things That Matter.

I try to use the library, but my one in Michigan would not be inclined to buy a book about neighborhoods in Philadelphia. When they get around to ordering the Berkus book, there WILL be a waiting list. Those are my excuses for purchasing from Amazon and I'm sticking to them!

HUNGER GAMES (Movie)

I stopped to drop off some donations at the library and was able to score the DVD of  The Hunger Games. I watched it instead of the debate between Biden and Ryan. I don't know about the debate, but the movie was excellent. It seemed to be true to the book, as I remember it, and didn't linger over the deaths, which had concerned me.

Katniss's humanity trumped the banality of evil.

Now I need to read the rest of the trilogy! Jennifer Lawrence, Donald Sutherland, Stanley Tucci, and especially Lenny Kravitz were perfect. What a relief!

TRUST YOUR EYES (2012)

Trust Your Eyes by Linwood Barclay
My rating: 4 of 5 stars

Writing a guest review. I'll post the link when I'm finished.

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LOOK AGAIN (2012)

Look Again by Lisa Scottoline
My rating: 3 of 5 stars

It's a mystery how it happens; but no matter what is next on my reading list, other titles sneak in. Right now there are a ton of books awaiting my serious attention, but I mindlessly picked up Lisa Scottoline's LOOK AGAIN (2009) at the library recently. When I went to pick up my planned read, there it was. So once again I indulged my randomness.

Scanning the list of other titles, I realized I have read most, if not all, of Scottoline's work since I first discovered EVERYWHERE THAT MARY WENT, the start of her Benny Rosato series.

LOOK AGAIN is a free-standing novel about a newspaper reporter who has adopted a young boy after writing a series of articles on seriously ill children. Everything is fine until a mass mailed postcard arrives saying 'Have you seen this child?' Unable to ignore her doubts, she begins on a journey that may lead to every Mother's worst nightmare.

Scottoline is a good storyteller and this book is an absolute roller coaster for the reader. DEFINITELY RECOMMENDED.

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THE BEAUTIFUL MYSTERY (2012)

The Beautiful Mystery by Louise Penny
My rating: 5 of 5 stars

Louise Penny is an amazing writer and story teller. With Chief Inspector Gamache, she has found a worthy successor to P.D. James' Adam Dalgliesh and others. Since most readers seem to fall in love with the stories, I recommend starting at the beginning of the series. There is a richness that comes from living with and getting to know these characters, their place in the world and how it has changed over time.

Most of the books are set in the charming village of Three Pines, but The Beautiful Mystery takes us to an isolated monastery, where monks have maintained a tradition of Gregorian Chanting that brings the unwelcomed world to their door when they release a recording that may have influenced the death of one of the brothers.

No matter where Penny sets her mysteries, her descriptions of place create a longing to visit and stay awhile. Check out this article that investigates the real world locations that have influenced the author.

The Beautiful Mystery is a haunting work and perhaps her best offering in the series to date.



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