Partita by Barbara Kingsolver

September 13, 2026

Partita by Barbara Kingsolver

Livia Cable was on track to become a concert pianist until an accident side-tracked her plans. Now a piano teacher married to a farmer, after not hearing from him for 30 years, the man who broke her heart while she was in college contacts her, wanting to see her.

I am never sure how I am going to feel about Barbara Kingsolver's books. Some I have really loved (The Poisonwood Bible), others not so much. This one is somewhere in the middle, and I don't feel it's one of her better books. The main character is a bundle of cliches, starting with coming from a small town, having a mother who tries to keep her in her place, going to a big university where she doesn't fit in socially or academically, falling for a really hot older guy and having really hot sex for a couple of months, getting dumped by said hot guy when he leaves town, finding out she's pregnant, and then letting her whole life fall apart after Mr. Hot Guy splits. Lots of musical terms and descriptions of musical compositions, which are metaphors for the story. Livia and her brother Cy are victims of their mother's disappointments. Their father doesn't fare much better but he doesn't protect them from her abuse, either. The ending was disappointing - it felt rushed and the story felt unfinished, like the author didn't know how to end the story (I am one of those people who likes all the various story threads drawn together, so that I know what happened to the characters). The dogs (Dolly, Ondine and Gaz) were by far my favorite characters. Possible triggers include child abuse, suicide, mental illness, hoarding, child loss, grief.

Many thanks to Edelweiss and the publisher for providing an eARC for review.

The Chateau on Sunset by Natasha Lester

July 13, 2026

The Chateau on Sunset by Natasha Lester

After her parents are killed in a freak accident, 13 year old Aria is sent to California to live with her aunt, a former Golden Age actress who lives at the historic Chateau Marmont hotel in Los Angeles. Aria soon discovers the seedy side of the hotel and Hollywood, and is determined to help the young starlets being abused by producers and studio executives.

A retelling of the Jane Eyre story set in Hollywood. But the real story here is the Hollywood studio system, where powerful men expected aspiring actresses to trade sexual favors for movie roles. Although the story here is set in the 1950s and 1960s, unfortunately these abuses continue to the present day as demonstrated by the Me Too movement. The ending was a little too saccharine and unbelievable for me.

Many thanks to NetGalley and the publisher for providing an eARC for review. 

Hotel Marmont, Los Angeles, CA

Fabulous Bodies by Chuck Tingle

July 5, 2026

Fabulous Bodies by Chuck Tingle

Social media influencer and single mother Poppy Stringer has over 200,000 followers and posts constantly to her social media sites. To support her lavish lifestyle, Poppy has a secret side hustle as a modern day grave robber, stealing bodies by contract, mostly from funeral homes. But on the day her music idol is killed in a freak accident, Poppy receives a commission to steal his body from the city morgue. It seems straightforward enough, not to mention wildly lucrative, but things quickly take a bad turn.

Imagine that you finally get the chance to meet the guy who has been your musical idol all your life, but it turns out that he is nothing like you expect? For one thing, he's dead, and for another, he's on a killing spree. I worry about Chuck Tingle, I really do. What is going on in his head? What kind of childhood trauma did he experience to come up with the kind of stuff he writes about? This is a road trip of a very different kind, full of gore and horror set against the glittering backdrop of Palm Springs. At the same time, there is a a dark humor as Eddie shares unexpected bits of wisdom, like telling Poppy it's always a bad idea to meet your idols. Poppy realizes that she and Eddie are both influencers and have a deeper connection than she could ever expect. Real horror fans will get into this fast-paced novel.

Many thanks to Edelweiss and the publisher for providing an eARC for review.

Palm Springs, CA

From Here to the Great Unknown by Lisa Marie Presley and Riley Keough

January 24, 2025

From Here to the Great Unknown by Lisa Marie Presley and Riley Keogh

A memoir of growing up Presley by the daughter and granddaughter of Elvis Presley. Like the children of many celebrities, Lisa Marie led a troubled life, expected to follow in her famous father's footsteps. The story shifts back and forth from Lisa Marie to her daughter Riley. At times, it was hard to remember who was talking, because both Lisa Marie and Riley refer to their mothers as "my mom" - it would have been clearer if Lisa Marie would have referred to her mother as Priscilla and Riley would have referred to her mother as Lisa Marie. 

Even though she was four when her parents divorced, and then nine when Elvis died, for all of her life, Lisa Marie worshipped the memory of Elvis. The media was frequently cruel to her, criticizing her singing career and also her problems with her weight. There are some really weird things too, like after her son committed suicide, Lisa Marie kept his body in a room at her home on ice for months. She died way too young, from a variety of causes including drug abuse and an unstable life. A look at a sad life that should have been so much more. If you are looking for a biography of Elvis, this isn't it.

Lisa Marie near the end of her life

Me by Elton John

January 15, 2025

Me by Elton John

From his boyhood in a London suburb to being knighted by Queen Elizabeth II, Elton John (nee Reginald Dwight) has led a drama-filled life. His recent memoir talks about his meteoric rise to fame, his addiction problems, and his celebrity friends (and losing many of those friends to addiction, suicide and AIDS). 

He also talks about his personal life, finding lasting love, becoming a father, his philanthropic work, and the trauma of losing his hair. Recommended for music fans, especially 1970s/1980s rock.

Elton John in his 1970s glory

My Love Story by Tina Turner

June 12, 2024

My Love Story by Tina Turner

The late Tina Turner's second memoir, which focuses on Tina's life and career after Ike. She notes early on that she lived without Ike twice as long as she was with him. In her second husband, Erwin Bach, Tina met the love of her life and became an international superstar.

A sweet heartfelt memoir about the second half of Tina's life. She is candid about her joys and tragedies, including her oldest son's suicide and her increasingly serious health issues in later life. Recommended for anyone who enjoys memoirs or the lives of musicians.

Tina Turner still shaking it in her 60s

A Baffling Murder at the Midsummer Ball by T. E. Kinsey

September 5, 2021

A Baffling Murder at the Midsummer Ball by T. E. Kinsey

London's best jazz band, the Dizzy Heights, have been booked to play at the Midsummer Ball at a ritzy country house. They expect a weekend filled with rich people, flappers, and champagne. The gig is a success, but just as they are packing up to go home, a driving rainstorm cuts off the roads, the telephone, and the power lines, stranding the group and the family. When one of the family is found dead in a locked room, the Dizzy Heights and their entourage realize that this is going to be a tougher job than they thought.

The second outing for the Dizzy Heights gang, set in the 1920's, with crossover from the Lady Hardcastle series. A locked room cozy mystery, light and fun. Great historical details. I love mysteries set at English country houses.

The Deadly Mystery of the Missing Diamonds by T. E. Kinsey

February 17, 2021

The Deadly Mystery of the Missing Diamonds by T. E. Kinsey

In post-World War I London, the Dizzy Heights jazz band has a permanent gig at the prestigious Aristippus Club. The owner plans a dance contest to attract new customers. But the musicians learn that a jewel thief is planning to steal a cache of diamonds hidden somewhere in the club on the same night as the dance contest, when there will be a lot of people around. The musicians are perfectly placed to do some light snooping, but the stakes are unexpectedly raised when a murder occurs at the club.

This was an Amazon Kindle First Read in 2021. T. E. Kinsey also writes the Lady Hardcastle series, and some characters from that series appear here. You don't need to have read any of the Lady Hardcastle books to enjoy this series, but that is a fun series too.