1. Fairy Tale Interrrupted by Rose Marie Terenzio. My grade: B-. An insider's memoir of working with John F. Kennedy, Jr. at George. A little fawning, but it's Ms. Terenzio's story to tell her own way.
2. If Death Ever Slept by Rex Stout. My grade: B+. A typical Nero Wolfe mystery, which means I enjoyed every moment.
3. Siracusa by Delia Ephron. My grade: B. A memorable but very, very dark look at two couples on an ill-fated trip to Italy. Made me glad I'm a barren spinster.
4. Kick: The True Story of JFK's Sister and the Heir to Chatsworth by Paula Byrne. B+. A biography of President Kennedy's favorite sister, who led a short but incredibly glamorous life. The author is a Brit, which is unusual and important, since so much of Kick's adulthood took place among the British aristocracy and there are nuances this Yankee just never understood before.
5. Living the Beatles Legend by Kenneth Womack. C. A unique but ultimately disappointing look at The Lads from Liverpool. The story is told through the life of Mal Evans, their roadie, who was with them from the Cavern Club to the "Let It Be" rooftop concert and beyond. The thing is: Mal was a weak and at times very unlikable man.
6. Looking for Jane by Heather Marshall. C. A tale of the fight for reproductive rights. It tries to humanize the issue with a series of interconnected, multi-generational stories. The result, for me, was more soapy than enlightening.
7. The Hollywood Daughter by Kate Alcott. C. Historical fiction about McCarthyism and its effect on Hollywood as told by a teenage girl whose dad works for a major studio. An interesting premise, but I admit I didn't much care about the characters.
8. Agatha Raisin and the Wellspring of Death by MC Beaton.
C. The 7th in the series, it has everything I look to Aggie for: a decent mystery in a bucolic setting with lots of eccentric characters. But do I think I'll remember this book six months from now? No.
9. Once Upon a Time: The Captivating Life of Carolyn Bessette-Kennedy by Elizabeth Beller. B+. So often CBK is treated tangentially. "Another Kennedy wife." But she was ambitious and accomplished in her own right, and was from a family of ambitious and accomplished women. This book made me wish I'd known her.
10. One Dog Night by David Rosenfelt. B-. An Andy Carpenter mystery. I enjoyed this one because it gave us the backstory for Andy's much-loved golden retriever, Tara. The murder mystery was a bit too convoluted for my taste, but maybe that's because I didn't figure out whodunnit.
11. The Boys by Ron Howard and Clint Howard. A-. This book was such fun! Opie/Richie Cunningham and his kid brother, the boy with the bear from Gentle Ben, have lots of stories to tell. They tell them well, and each in his own unique voice. It's as much about family as it is about Hollywood.
12. Gone with the Wind by Margaret Mitchell. B+. Oh, this book is maddening! The story telling is captivating in both its scope and its characters. More than 85 years old, yet it's filled with fascinating, self-determined women. But dear God, it is so fucking racist. It glorifies not only the Confederacy but slavery and the Ku Klux Klan. Yet I was sorry when it was over.
13. We Are Too Many by Hannah Pittard. C.
An intimate look at the end of the author's marriage. The style is frank and innovative. I'm just not sure what the point was.
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