Review of "I Feel Bad About My Neck and Other Thoughts on Being a Woman" by Nora Ephron

Multi-talented Nora Ephron was a journalist, director, and author. In her heyday Ephron wrote the screenplays for some very popular movies including 'Julie and Julia', 'You've Got Mail', 'Sleepless in Seattle', 'When Harry Met Sally', and 'Silkwood.' 


Nora Ephron

This audiobook - read by the author - contains a collection of humorous essays written when Ephron was 60 years old...and stopped having birthdays. In fact Ephron notes that, upon publication of this book, she'll have been 60 for five years (ha ha ha 😊).



As might be expected, many of the essays touch on the subject of aging. The book's title, for instance, refers to the fact that 'older ladies' in Ephron's circle always wear turtlenecks or scarves to hide those crepey necks. (I think this is an exaggeration but I get the idea.)



Ephron's semi tongue-in-cheek description of her maintainance regime includes regular coloring sessions at the hairdresser followed by bi-weekly blowouts, frequent manicures and pedicures, a rigorous exercise schedule, constant dieting, botox injections, bath oils, and endless containers of expensive lotions for specific parts of the body (hands, face, feet, etc.) - which must NEVER cross over. All this is costly and time-consuming...but a girl's gotta do what a girl's gotta do to keep from looking like the bag lady on the corner.






Ephron lovingly describes her large rent-controlled apartment in Manhattan's Apthorp building, which was close to every kind of store, hairdresser, nail salon, restaurant, etc. that a person could want - as well as a playground for the kids. Ephron lived in this heavenly residence for many years until - with the end of rent control - the rent was set to rise to $12,000 a month. Wow!




Apthorp Building

In another entertaining story Ephron speaks about her dismay when cabbage strudel disappeared from Manhattan restaurants and bakeries. Ephron was an excellent cook who - like the character in 'Julie and Julia' - worked her way through much of Julia Child's cookbook. However, hard as she tried, Ephron couldn't reproduce the strudel. The writer goes to great lengths, and even consults friends in high places, to try to find this savory delight. Does she succeed? You'll have to read the book to know.


Cabbage Strudel

Ephron was an intern in President John F. Kennedy's White House and - inspired by one of Kennedy's blabby flings - tells the 'true story' of her relationship with the handsome politician. She also talks about her 'love affair' with Bill Clinton. Nothing scandalous...I don't want to start any rumors. LOL. 😊


John F. Kennedy


Bill Clinton

Other essays mention Ephron's discomfort with aging, her numerous marriages, her kids, her career, her celebrity neighbors, and her sadness when her best friend became ill and died.

Complete honesty: The book lags in places and the author's narrating style - slow with odd emphases - is a little distracting.

The essays are aimed at metropolitan 'women of a certain age', but many people would probably enjoy the book. I'd recommend it to readers who want an entertaining light read.



Rating: 3 stars

Review of "The Heavens May Fall: A Detective Max Rupert Mystery" by Allen Eskens

In this 3rd book in the 'Detective Max Rupert' series, the detective and his good friend - defense lawyer Boady Sanden - are on opposite sides of a case. The book can be read as a standalone.

*****

When the body of Jennavieve Pruitt is found in a Minnesota alley, wrapped in a child's quilt, Detective Max Rupert catches the case. The spouse of a murder victim is always a person of interest, so Rupert immediately focuses on Jennavieve's husband - criminal defense lawyer Ben Pruitt. Moreover, the detective would especially like to pin the murder on Ben because of a personal grudge.



When interviewed, Ben says he flew to a lawyers' conference in Chicago on the day of the murder. However Rupert thinks Ben got a car in Chicago, drove to Minnesota (a 6-hour-trip), killed Jennavieve, dumped the body, and drove back to Chicago. Rupert also believes CCTV tapes from toll booths will show this.....but the tapes will take weeks to check out.



In the meantime, a neighbor of the Pruitts claims she saw Ben enter the family home on the night of Jennavieve's death. That, plus the fact that Jennavieve was a wealthy heiress, is enough to convince Rupert that Ben is guilty - and he advises the District Attorney to get an indictment even before he has any CCTV evidence.

(Note: Don't these mystery writers watch television? EVERYONE who's watched lawyer/cop shows knows eyewitness testimony is unreliable. This plot point strikes a false note. 😏)

The prosecutor, who's angling for a judgeship - and being pressured by Jennavieve's influential sister - gets Ben indicted, and the trial starts shortly afterward.

Ben convinces his former law partner Boady Sanden - now a law professor - to take his case. Boady is an excellent defense attorney, so game on. Out of necessity, Ben grants temporary custody of his eight-year-old daughter, Emma, to Boady and his wife - who do their best for the little girl.

The rub in all this is that Boady Sanden is also a close friend of Detective Max Rupert, who's angry at Boady's 'betrayal.' Rupert gets even more furious during the trial, when Boady suggests that the Rupert did a poor job investigating Jennavieve's murder because he'd acquired new evidence about his wife's hit-and-run death four years ago. Boady insinuates that Rupert was looking into his wife's case (which is against police department regulations) instead of looking for Jennavieve's 'real killer.' There's some truth to this allegation, since Rupert is consumed with finding the driver that hit his wife.



In any case, the trial proceeds, and that's all I can say.....except that there are several twists after this, some of which aren't credible (to me). Still, this is an interesting mystery, suitable for whiling away an afternoon. 

Rating: 3 stars

Review of "Homeward Hound: A 'Sister Jane' Mystery" by Rita Mae Brown

In this 11th book in the 'Sister Jane' series, a threatened assault to the lovely Virginia landscape results in murder. The book can be read as a standalone.

*****

Jane Arnold, called "Sister", has been Master of Foxhounds (MFH) of The Jefferson Hunt - a foxhunting club in Jefferson County, Virginia - for over forty years. As MFH Sister hires and fires personnel; makes arrangements with landowners; develops the pack of hounds; organizes the hunts; and so on. The foxhunts are very popular, and Sister is aided by an array of personnel who command the hounds and make sure things run smoothly.

The yearly Christmas Hunt is especially popular, and - despite warnings of snow - Sister decides to go ahead with it. One of the hunt members has invited a guest this year, a man called Gregory Luckham, who heads the huge energy company Soliden - based in Richmond, Virginia.

Soliden plans to build an oil pipeline through Jefferson County, a project that will destroy land and despoil the environment. This infuriates some local residents, especially estate owners whose property values will plummet and conservationists concerned about the flora and fauna.

Luckham's host, a lawyer called Ronnie Howard, hopes that a ride through beautiful, historic Jefferson County will convince Luckham to alter the pipeline's route. The majority of club members - though angry at Luckham - are polite to him during the hunt, but one man is openly hostile and makes threats.



The Christmas Hunt is proceeding splendidly when a sudden snowstorm hits, obscuring everyone's vision and making it impossible to continue. The participants slowly make their way back to their vehicles and horse trailers.....everyone except for Luckham.....whose horse returns without him.

The sheriff is called, but it's impossible to search for Luckham during the blizzard, and the next day - when the storm abates - Luckham can't be found anywhere....dead or alive. The continuing search does turn up a body, but it isn't the oil company magnate. It's a popular local who works for a wealthy landowner.

As the days pass, clues indicate that Luckham is dead. Sister and her friends - who comprise an interesting array of characters - realize that the killer is intimately familiar with the area and must belong to The Jefferson Hunt. Worse yet, other hunt members may be in danger if a psychopath is on the loose.

The sheriff continues to investigate the two deaths, and Sister and her friends help by nosing around and visiting sites where clues were found.

That's the mystery/detective part of the novel, which comprises roughly 20 percent of the narrative. The remainder of the book describes foxhunt after foxhunt, with detailed descriptions of the equipment, attire, landscape, jumps, people, foxes, hounds, horses, refreshments, etc. This is too much foxhunting for a mystery novel in my opinion.

On the upside, the story is accompanied by comments from - and conversations among - the hounds, foxes, horses, and even the barn owls.....all of whom are remarkably intelligent and well-informed. This adds a fun element to the tale.

Unfortunately, there's not much investigative work, and the case is solved in an incidental fashion -when the killer is observed with a suspicious object. If you're looking for a typical mystery, this isn't the book for you. But readers who enjoy foxhunting and other horse related activities would probably like the story.

In case you're squeamish, the Virginia foxhunts don't kill the foxes. The dogs and riders just chase the wily creatures until they 'go to ground' in a den. In fact the foxes are coddled, since local residents provide comfortable shelters as well as food like kibble, scraps, Milk Bone biscuits, Jolly Ranchers, and wrapped grape candies. (Foxes have a sweet tooth. Who knew? 😊)





The author provides an index of characters (human and animal) at the front of the book as well as a dictionary of terms related to foxhunting, all of which I found very helpful.

Thanks to Netgalley, the author (Rita Mae Brown), and the publisher (Ballantine Books) for a copy of the book.

Rating: 3 stars

Review of "The Martian: A Novel" by Andy Weir

Mark Watney is part of a manned exploration team that's scheduled to study Mars for thirty days.



A sudden dust storm forces the team to abandon the planet on Day 6 but - due to a freak accident - Mark is believed to be dead and left behind. The book is composed largely of a series of log entries in which Mark records his day to day activities, his goal being to survive on the planet until the next exploration team arrives in four years. Of course Mark needs food, shelter, oxygen, water, power, and so on.





Mark does have access to a habitable module, a couple of rovers, and various other equipment - and being a botanist, engineer, and extremely clever guy - is able to jury rig a lot of stuff to help himself. There's a ton of technical jargon in the book and numerous scientific explanations of how things work (the author has clearly done his research).




Eventually, after great effort and a daring journey, Mark is even able to rig up a communication system to talk to Earth. The book includes what's going on at Mission Control in Houston as well as a peek at Mark's crewmates that are returning to Earth.



If I was in Mark's situation I'd probably sit down and cry, but Mark is an optimist with a great sense of humor - and even though everything that can go wrong does go wrong - he's never down for long. Luckily Mark has some entertainment (music, TV shows, books) brought along by his former crewmates and his comments about some of this stuff (Disco, 1970s television series) adds humor to the book.

The story is suspenseful and engaging, and the characters are relatable and interesting. I liked the book and recommend it - especially to people who enjoy science and like to know how things work.

This book was adapted into the 2015 movie, 'The Martian.'

Rating: 3.5 stars

Review of "Nine Perfect Strangers: A Novel" by Liane Moriarty

After a near fatal heart attack, Masha - a strikingly attractive businesswoman who emigrated to Australia from Russia - got herself into shape and opened a health spa. The facility, called 'Tranquillium House', is a pricey resort dedicated to changing people's lives through good nutrition, exercise, counseling, and meditation. 

Nine guests have signed up for the spa's next 10-day retreat.

- Francis Welty: A romance writer whose popularity is declining and whose heart was broken by an online scammer with a 'sick son.' Disillusioned by the con artist, reeling from a scathing book review, and suffering from an aching back, Francis is looking for rest, relaxation, and spiritual enlightenment.

- Jessica and Ben Chandler - nouveau riche twenty-somethings whose marriage suffered when Ben became obsessed with his yellow Lamborghini and Jessica became addicted to plastic surgery and social media. The pair signed up for couples counseling.

- Heather and Napoleon Marconi and their 20-year-old daughter Zoe - all of whom are reeling from the death of Zoe's twin brother Zach a few years ago. The Marconis need to get away for the anniversary of Zach's passing and deal with their guilt.

- Carmel Schneider - a divorced mother of four whose ex-husband has a new girlfriend. Carmel wants to shed a few kilos and feel better about herself.

Lars Lee - a drop-dead handsome divorce lawyer who takes only women clients, and makes sure they get their fair share of the assets. Lars likes to vacation at spas, while his loving (but intense) husband stays home and practices cycling.

- Tony Hogburn - a former professional football player who let himself go. Tony wants to get into better shape.

Masha organizes all the activities at Tranquillium House with the help of her two assistants: Yao - a former paramedic who has a crush on his charismatic boss, and Delilah - who's worked for the Russian since she was a workaholic with a corner office.

Yao and Delilah greet the guests when they arrive and guide them through their stay, while Masha leads the counseling and meditation sessions. Other employees at the spa prepare food; do laundry; give massages; and so on.





The story is told through the rotating points of view of all the main characters, with Frances and Masha being the primary narrators.

Frances's experience at Tranquillium House starts off badly when she drives up and the entrance code doesn't work and no one answers the phone. When Frances finally gets to her room, she discovers that her suitcase has been searched and her contraband (wine and chocolate) taken. Still, Frances decides to be a good sport and follow the program.

Thus - like the other participants - Frances attends Masha's individual counseling, group counseling, and group meditation sessions; drinks custom made smoothies; eats personalized meals; and participates in the 'noble silence.' This exercise - which spans the first five days of the retreat - requires that the guests remain silent and avoid eye contact (except during counseling sessions).





As the days pass, the characters get to know each other, and even have breakthroughs about themselves. A few reveal deep dark secrets that help us understand their choices and behavior.

Masha is pleased with her guests' spiritual and physical progress and grows increasingly determined to 'heal and enlighten' them. In fact, Masha seems to view herself almost as a goddess-mother taking care of her 'children.'

Then things take a REALLY odd turn. Nuff said. 🤐

The story includes drama and humor (butt cheeks with smiley face tattoos anyone? 🙂🙂) but moves too slowly and doesn't have enough 'wow' moments. To be fair, the book contains interesting and diverse character studies, which might be enough for some readers, but I wanted more pizzazz. 

Rating: 3 stars

Review of "Running Scared: A Novel of Suspense" by Lisa Jackson

In this book 15 year-old Jon Summers, unknown to himself, was adopted at birth in unusual circumstances. Jon has visions of the past and future and talks about them, so of course he's bullied at school.



The crux of the story revolves around Jon's birth grandfather trying to track him down and get him back so the family fortune can pass to him. Other familiy members - wanting the fortune themselves - aren't so keen on the idea. The story involves some not so savory family interactions ( a little incest anyone?). An average suspense thriller.

Rating: 3 stars

Review of "Firewall: A Kurt Wallender Mystery" by Henning Mankell

In this 8th book in the 'Kurt Wallander' series, the Swedish detective is dealing with personal problems while investigating two suspicious deaths. The book can be read as a standalone.



*****

Inspector Kurt Wallender and his detectives are looking into two incidents: the brutal murder of a cab driver by two teenage girls, Sonya Hokberg and Eva Persson; 



and the death, seemingly from a heart attack, of computer expert Tynnes Falk near an ATM machine. 



Events escalate when Sonya escapes police custody and is found dead in the works of a power station during a power blackout. Coincidentally, the blueprints of the power station are found on Falk's desk. Clearly, these cases are connected somehow.



Further police investigations reveal seriously encrypted files on Falk's computer that require the illicit skills of a young hacker.



As it turns out the police and the hacker have to race against time to try to avert a worldwide catastrophe. There's a lot going on in this story, including spies watching the cops, more deaths, a bullet aimed at Wallender, and an underhanded detective.



During all this Wallender is dealing with personal issues: he's charged with police brutality toward the teen suspect Eva Persson and he's lonesome and longing for female companionship. Unfortunately this clouds Wallender's judgement and he makes some serious mistakes.



I thought the terrorist conspiracy at the center of the story was a little far-fetched but I enjoyed the book and would recommend it.

Rating: 4 stars