Duchessina-A Novel of Catherine de Medici by Carolyn Meyer

Reading Level: Young Adult
Submitted by Gerti

When my daughter had to do a report on Catherine de Medici for her 8th grade class, I requested this book from the library.  The book arrived after the report, but I decided to read it anyway, since I like the approach Carolyn Meyer's takes with her series of Princess biographies, by focusing on the historical figures as children and teens.

I knew from Stephanie's report that Catherine de Medici's parents had died when she was still an infant, which already makes the Duchessina a sympathetic character.  What the Wikipedia articles on the Duchess of Urbino don't focus on is the next part of her life, which the young Catherine spent hiding in convents, as the city of Florence turned against her rich and famous family.  Meyer again makes Catherine an object of pity, as she shows how hard it was for her to have a famous name...giving me a little more sympathy for those rich kids who show up in TV news reports after having done something incredibly stupid, despite having advantages of wealth and fame that normal mortals don't have.  Meyer makes it sound more like a curse than a gift to shoulder a name and a reputation, even before you've grown up to earn one.  It's a fresh perspective, and I always welcome that while reading.

Meyer also gives de Medici a childhood romance, which of course the school of research on Catherine didn't turn up.  Whether or not it's accurate or wholly fictional, I don't know, but it does, I'm sure, make the book more appealing to teenaged readers, who may be harboring their own crushes!  The rest of de Medici's life follows the historical pattern we studied-she moves to France to marry a prince who doesn't love her, but survives it exactly because she had been brought up in such a cold, loveless environment.  Who knows what would have become of her if she had in fact been coddled and sensitive, like we expect our princesses to be!  And she triumphs in the end exactly because of her ability to endure and look at the big picture, which is a great message to send.

In short, I'm not sure about the amount of "fact" in this fictional account, but I do like Meyer's use of language, and her story-telling abilities are spot on in this novel for young adults.  She makes Catherine de Medici an accessible character, someone to whom teen girls can relate, and that's a pretty neat trick for a historical figure who died hundreds of years ago!  Meyer makes Renaissance Italy as real as downtown Hobart, and "Duchessina" a book worth reading for all audiences, from children to adults.

Slim : memories of a rich and imperfect life by Slim Keith

If you have a mental picture of Lauren Bacall, the sexy girl in those black and
white movies with Humphrey Bogart, then you come closest to visualizing the
subject of this book, a lady called Slim Keith. She was the wife of famed
Hollywood director Howard Hawks, and a good friend of Bacall's. In fact, Keith
claims that she "discovered" Bacall.

Born Nancy Gross, Slim was a rich child who grew up in the land around Salinas,
California. Her father owned some of those businesses made famous in John
Steinbeck's novel "Cannery Row," and her family knew his family. It was not the
only time Nancy would come in contact with a great writer. She was also good
girlfriends with Truman Capote, author of the true crime classic "In Cold Blood".
They had a falling out after he used her in a scathing short story. She was
lifelong friends with Ernest "Papa" Hemingway, and although he was eager to
become her lover, if her story is to be believed, she declined. He wasn't her type.
They remained friends, however, until he killed himself.

So Slim Keith was not what you'd think of as a good girl. She seemingly followed
the advice of Lois Griffin on "The Family Guy", which is "Make yourselves
available, ladies." And Slim was available. She lived with filmmaker Hawks
before his divorce from his mentally-ill wife was final. She slept with famed
Broadway producer Leland Hayward in New York City while his wife, a film
actress, was at their beach house taking care of their mentally disturbed children.
And while married to those rich and powerful men, she spent the night with other
people casually. But finally, husband Hayward dumped her for another famous
girl-about-town, Pamela Churchill, and author Slim retired to the British
Country side with Me~ third and final husband,--Sir Kenneth-Keith. And as the book­
reaches a close, she is quoted as saying to her third husband that she had no
idea how much money she had, just that she had enough to buy anything she
wanted. And to that I say, must be nice!

Still, in the process of partying around the world, Slim led a fascinating life. She
was able to meet and hang out with some of the sexiest men on celluloid at the
time, movie icons like Cary Grant, Montgomery Clift, William Powell and Gary
Cooper. She traveled all around the world as casually as I would take a trip to
Wiseway or Walmart. She paints a portrait here of herself as witty and desirable,
kind and intelligent, and perhaps hardest to believe, as a great mother and
stepmother to the children of her three husbands. And yet ultimately she is the
victim of these men who use and discard her as easily as they would toss away a
worn out script, and she herself calls her autobiography "memories of a rich and
imperfect life." But like Keith herself, her life story is always interesting, even
though it has its flaws.

Submitted by Gerti

Jane Boleyn by Julia Fox

Even though it has taken me any extra 10 days over my allotted time to read this biography of Jane Boleyn, I feel that it was totally worth it. Over the last 20 years or so, I have read many biographies of people at the court of Henry VIII, but this is the first I've seen about Jane Boleyn, who was certainly at the very heart of it. I could not stop reading till I had read every last word and end note. 

For those less familiar with English history, Jane Boleyn was the sister-in-law of Anne Boleyn, Henry VIII's doomed second queen, for whom he threw over 
Katherine of Aragon and the Catholic Church. Jane was married to Anne's brother George, for whom Anne had a particular, some would call it unnatural 
affection. Jane's fortunes rose with Anne's ascension to the throne as Henry's Queen, and fell again when Anne failed to produce the living male heir necessary to the Tudor succession. Although Anne and George Boleyn would meet their deaths at the hands of an executioner, Jane was spared the ax, that time. 

Exiled from court for a time, Jane reappeared at the side of Henry's 3rd wife, 
Jane Seymour, who was lucky enough to bear Henry a male child, but unlucky 
enough to catch puerperal fever and die about two weeks later. Fortunately for 
Jane, Henry quickly picked up wife #4, whom he just as quickly dropped, and 
then #5, a Boleyn cousin named Catherine Howard. Jane became a great confidante to Catherine Howard, and that would be her undoing, as Catherine was a bit loose in her morals, both before AND after her marriage to the king. And while profligacy in an unmarried girl is not wise, after marriage to Henry VIII, it was downright deadly. In this case, Henry had both former lovers of Catherine, 
the Queen herself, and her lady-in-waiting Jane Boleyn executed. 

What I find most interesting is that most biographies of Henry and his many 
wives vilify the Lady Rochford, as Jane Boleyn was called after her husband 
gained a title because of his social climbing sister. But this biography shows 
clearly how Jane's reputation shifted over time, from that of a woman who had 
little to do with the persecution and death of her husband in contemporary 
writings, to later historical accounts where she becomes a woman motivated by 
jealousy who was glad to see her perverted husband and his sister die. 

If that story makes this book sound interesting, well it really isn't. The history contained in this painfully researched book is only rarely titillating, but more often dry and exhaustive. Still, since I've read so much Tudor history, I very am impressed by the amount of research and thought Fox has put into this biography of a woman not even important enough in the court's eyes to have her portrait painted. While a slow, difficult, read, "Jane Boleyn" is worth it for the true student of Tudor history. 

Submitted by Gerti 

Prisoner of Trebekistan: A Decade in Jeopardy by Bob Harris

Bob Harris spent some time as a stand-up comedian. That background comes through clearly in his non-fiction account of his Jeopardy! days, "A Prisoner of Trebekistan," which is filled with his unique and off-kilter (although not off-color) 
brand of humor. I remembered the author's multiple appearances on the show from seeing his picture on the cover, as Harris is a man who definitely made an 
impression on the famous game show for both his quirky looks and unusual commentary. 

That personality is why he was chosen to come back on so many Jeopardy! Champions Tournaments, chosen even before those contestants who made more money, because he was just so much fun. 

Besides the show, Harris talks candidly about his failed relationships with various women, and his world travels, although I find that those final chapters of the book were the most tedious for me to read through, despite his humor and his frequent 
references to odd trivia that he learned while abroad. Where the book really sings, however, is where he recounts his time on the show, his study methods, and the other Jeopardy! contestants he met and befriended. Luckily, that's most of the book. 

Other reviewers have found the final bits interesting, where Harris philosophizes about how Trebekistan (a fictional land named after Jeopardy! host Alex Trebek) is the world, and how everything is tied together in a web of knowledge. But I knew that going in~ what I enjoyed about Harris most is his stories about Cleveland (having lived there) and its losing ways. Most helpful for other Jeopardy! hopefuls is his teaching how he memorized impossible facts by making mental pictures, and I found his advice in keeping with other books on 
memory tricks of the champions ("Moonwalking with Einstein", for example.) 

So what is this book? Autobiography? Memory guide? Advice for the world 
traveler? It's a little bit of all those, with a touch of humanistic philosophy thrown in for good measure. So my advice would be, for those like myself who only wanted to know about Bob's time on Jeopardy! and how he managed to win 
against some of the show's greatest champions, stick to reading the first % of the text. Like the Beatles in the late '60s, Harris takes a spiritual journey near the end of the book that would have been better if it had been more personal and less public. 

Reviewed by Gerti 

Nobody’s Fool: The Lives of Danny Kaye by Martin Gottfried

Now this is more like it. This is the second biography I have read of the great mid-century comedian Danny Kaye, and this book really gives me a terrific overview of his life and character. I won’t mention the author of the other book I read last month, but will only say that this book delivers on the promise implicit in all these star bios – the promise of giving the reader an inside look at a star’s life, putting some rumors to rest, and sparking others about Kaye’s sexuality, relationships, talents and deep-seated neuroses.

Unlike the other biography, Gottfried’s story doesn’t end when Kaye’s film career does. Gottfried goes from talking about Kaye’s origins and climb to fame, to talking about how Kaye did on his television show, as well as what he did when he was off screen for good. This allowed me as a reader to hear about the man not only at the peak of his fame, but to watch his behavior as his fame ebbed, and that is a truly instructional glimpse, especially as Kaye was troubled by depression which seemed only to deepen with age.

This book looks at the relationship between the great British stage actor Laurence Olivier, and the author makes a call about whether he feels the relationship between Kaye and Olivier was sexual in nature. Gottfried likewise addresses some of the female companionship Kaye enjoyed late in his life, leaving no doubt about the nature of those relationships either. This is quite a relief, as the previous biography promised dirt on the star, but was unable to deliver anything but unsubstantiated rumor. Gottfried appears to have spoken to enough people and analyzed the situations with a clear head, making what seems like the best, most sensible judgment regarding the truth of those rumors.

As a result, this biography does not treat Kaye as an unreachable star, but as a human being with great and amazing talents, who was also given over to very ugly, very human emotions like anger, pride and fear. Gottfried shows the co-dependent relationship Kaye had with his wife Sylvia, but makes no excuses about his treatment of her in later years, or about how he treated other women he loved. Gottfried also takes an unflinching look at how Kaye behaved toward his daughter, and his friends and co-workers, which was not always stellar, but at the same brings out shows his humanitarian leanings and the great personal sacrifices he made for causes like Unicef and the USO.

While it is impossible ever to know another human being completely, in this biography, Gottfried comes very close to examining every aspect of the actor Danny Kaye, and left me feeling that I knew him deeply and well.

Submitted by Gerti

The Secret Life of Danny Kaye by Michael Freedland

This is the 1 st book I have ever read about Danny Kaye, the old-timey entertainer
who starred in such musical classics of my youth as "Hans Christian Andersen"
and "White Christmas," so I'm not sure how accurate are the facts presented in
this biography. However, I can tell you that the title is misleading and the writing
is often annoying.

With a title like "The Secret Life of Danny Kaye," I was expecting to find out
something scandalous about the now-deceased comic star of stage and screen.
But it wasn't until I had read almost % of the book that I realized the title made
reference to a television show Kaye was in. There is therefore no motive for the
title (Freedland could just as easily have called the work "Wonder Man" - a Kaye
movie - and been more accurate) besides the author wanting to sell more books
with a salacious-sounding title. I found that quite annoying, like buying a book
called "Strip Tease" and finding out it's about something innocuous like stripping
furniture!

Also annoying in this Michael Freedland biography was the writing style. The
author frequently traps the reader in labyrinthine sentences which end up
meaning the opposite of the point he intends to convey. As a result, reading the
book is more like reading the first draft essay of a college student who thinks he
needs to use multi-syllabic words in order to impress his professor without
knowing what those words mean. I'm surprised this author has other books under
his biographical belt, and am curious whether they also contain such convoluted
language. However, not curious enough to pick up another book he has written!

Ultimately, however, this book is a biography about Danny Kaye, and I did learn
things I didn't know about Kaye'slife, which means the book does accomplish its
purpose. However, like the mouse who is forced to endure a maze before
getting a piece a cheese, I wonder if the infonnation gleaned is worth the hassle
of the journey. I think I'd have been happier just to rent a few Danny Kaye movies
and draw my own conclusions about the man starring in them.

Submitted by Gerti

Jeannie Out of the Bottle by Barbara Eden

This is a book by Barbara Eden and Wendy Leigh that cannot be put down. As a
kid growing up in the '60s, I saw Barbara Eden all the time in "I Dream of
Jeannie," but it was fascinating to hear about how her strong work ethic (and of
course stunning beauty!) led to her success in that series, and in other ventures
on stage and screen. Startling revelations included that Larry Hagman was
difficult to work with, which was a huge surprise, since it is rare to hear of stars
being so manipulative. But since he was the child of someone famous (Mary
Martin), it seems he felt very entitled to get his way, and certainly knew various
methods to accomplish that, much to the chagrin of other actors and visitors to
the set. Still, Barbara tells her tales in a matter-of-fact way, not bitter or seeking
retribution, and that makes the stories all the more believable.

Since this is a biography, there are those juicy details every fan looks for, like
who propositioned, dated and married Barbara, which other actresses she knew,
and her relationship with them. The book is entertaining because Barbara hands
out both curses and compliments to icons like Marilyn Monroe and Elvisfresl~y.
It's fun as a fan to see that side of celebrity, since it is rarely the backstage side
that comes out with a star's publicity.

The most amazing part of the book for me was the story of Barbara's son, who
had a drug problem, and ended up dying as a result. She mentions several other
personal tragedies like that in the book, which humanizes her. The only "clever"
part of the book which got annoying was her tendency to repeat the phrase
"Jeannie-blink," which smacks of the ghost-writer trying to inject personality into
transitions rather than the way Barbara would normally write or speak. The trick
worked at first, but on constant repetition became annoying, but that is fairly
minor.

In summary, the biography is worth reading because it is highly entertaining, as
well as enlightening about the person Barbara Eden is, and unlike other bio's I
have read, it portrays her as a very likeable, approachable person, which makes
it a joy to read and I highly recommend it if you have any interest in the actress at
all.

Submitted by Gerti

Uncle Tungsten: memories of a chemical boyhood by Oliver Sacks

This is the second book I've read this spring on the subject of chemistry, and although it isn't as easy to read as Sam Kean's accessible history of the periodic table, "Disappearing Spoon," Oliver Sack's endearing autobiographical stories make the whole book worth the effort.

Although like Kean's book, it also took me all of 6 weeks to read, I can say that now that I've finished reading it, "Uncle Tungsten" was brilliant and exhausting all at once! It was fascinating to hear the stories behind all the elements, and even more fascinating to hear the story of how the brilliant neurologist first discovered each element, and his subsequent experiments with them. Although these childhood stories make me feel like a bad parent, since he was already up to his neck in chemical experiments before he even became a teenager, the book does show how his passion for chemistry was fostered by his parents and various aunts and uncles, which is a great lesson for all parents on how to raise a brilliant child.

Besides being a story of a child enamored of science, the book also details the heartbreak Oliver Sacks felt when he was removed from his family home during the blitz in London, and his difficulties in returning to "normal" life and relationships after the war. Like Dickens, he details some of the horrors experienced by British schoolboys, and while this is only a subplot to the story of the elements, it provides the emotional punch to keep the reader interested in the life of this boy. What I find more fascinating, however, is Sacks ability to recall his experiences and experiments, while those of us with lesser minds have a hard enough time recalling where we've left our car keys.

In summary, a book that should be read by everyone interested in science, whatever age, by a brilliant author. I can't wait to read some of his other books.

Submitted by Gerti

Claude and Camille by Stephanie Cowell

CLAUDE & CAMILLE, A NOVEL OF MONET

By Stephanie Cowell

Rated 4

If you are curious about the 19^th century life of famous artists of Impressionism, you will enjoy this book about Claude Monet and his friendships with Renoir and Manet. This historical fiction book begins with Claude Monet and his early life in the seaport town of LeHavre, France. Against his father’s will, and with nothing but a dream and passion to create a new style of art, he set off for Paris. When he met Camille (who was from an upper-class Paris family) she became his inspiration and his future wife who stood by him as they lived in horrible conditions and moved frequently from place to place due to financial problems of artists. Monet’s love of Camille, gardens, and water lilies are evident in his paintings. In the latter part of his life, Monet lived at the now famous Giverny Gardens outside of Paris. I enjoyed the journey of Monet’s life and hope you will too.

“What can be said about a man who is interested in nothing but his painting?”

Claude Monet

Submitted by Helen

The Politician by Andrew Young

Reading Level: Adult
(4 out of 5)

Even though this book may be a “tell all” by Andrew Young, John Edwards’ aid of 10 years, it is a very eye-opening comment on the personal relationships between aspiring presidential candidates, their aids, family members and entourage. In the Politician Andrew Young has exposed the egotism and unacceptable behavior of a man who wanted to be the leader of the free world. Although he was an accomplice in John Edwards’ extramarital affair and abuse of power, you may understand Andrew Young’s motivations even if you do not agree. Look for the illusions and delusions that are inherent in people whose lives revolve around power and money. After you read this book you may become more skeptical and cynical about the political process … which is after all a good thing for a free country.

Submitted by Helen

Floor Sample: A Creative Memoir by Julia Cameron

Reading Level: Adult Non-Fiction

Julia Cameron’s autobiography, “Floor Sample: A Creative Memoir” was published in 2005. Cameron, born March 4, 1948, is an award-winning poet, playwright, and filmmaker. She has also written many non-fiction titles, is a journalist, novelist, screenplay writer, songwriter and composer, and a strong advocate for and teacher of creativity. She has written thirty books. Among them is “The Artist’s Way”, “The Vein of Gold”, “Walking in this World”, “The Right To Write”, and “The Sound of Paper”. Cameron is most known for The Artist’s Way: A Spiritual Path to Higher Creativity, c1992, a twelve-week program she created for artists and others to unblock their creativity. She believes in everyone becoming unblocked creatively whether you are an artist, a writer, or a business person. She based her program upon the twelve-step Alcoholics Anonymous programs.“Floor Sample: A Creative Memoir” is a fascinating book that I read quickly. Cameron’s writing is amazingly honest and I love her depictions of her daily life as an artist. They were quite inspiring. She speaks about her first marriage to the famous film director, Martin Scorcese, her struggle with overcoming alcoholism, and in later years, dealing with a mental imbalance which had to be treated with medication, her upper-class upbringing in Libertyville, Illinois, complete with horses, her daughter by Martin Scorcese, Domenica Cameron-Scorcese who is an actress, writer, and director, her second marriage to author Mark Bryan whom she met in Chicago and who collaborated with her on “The Artist’s Way”. She also talks about her writing life, her beloved parents and siblings, the creative artists and metaphysical people she has met in the places she has lived and worked – Los Angeles and Venice Beach, California, Chicago, New York City, London, and Taos, New Mexico, how she went from writing for “The Rolling Stones” Magazine in New York City when she met Scorcese to screenplay writing in Hollywood, to being a film critic in Chicago, etc. She has mastered a number of forms of creative writing and journalism as well as in her later years, successfully working with music. Julia emphasizes that she had always desired to be a writer. This has been her life’s dream. In “Floor Sample” she speaks about the difficulty of being accepted by the “in” people, surviving financially, finding people who believe in you, “hearing” the work, becoming creatively unblocked, and persevering as an artist. She also speaks of the disappointments when she finished her Hollywood screenplays but they were not made into films. She says it felt like they had been “aborted”. A lot of the book also speaks about her work travelling the country with Mark Bryan and other teachers, teaching “The Artist’s Way”. I have known about “The Artist’s Way” since somewhere in the 1990’s when I lived on Maui and took “freewriting classes” from my writing teacher, Lollie Groth. She used freewriting and “The Artist’s Way” to unblock writers. A decade earlier, in my twenties, I had lived in Chicago and been a member of an organization called “Women in Film”. I was lucky enough to hear Cameron speak as part of a panel discussion about filmmaking. At that time, she left an impact on me and I never forgot about her. Little did I know that years later, I would be using the tools of her yet-to-be written book “The Artist’s Way”. Cameron recommends three basic tools for getting creatively unblocked. The first tool is what she has termed “the morning pages” which are three one-sided 8 ½ x 11” pages of straight writing, getting the junk of your life down, and writing whatever comes to mind. The second artist’s way tool is holding a weekly artist’s date with oneself, where you take yourself somewhere that will inspire you. It could be a bookstore, a café, or a boutique. It is a way of honoring yourself as an artist. The last creative tool she talks about is taking walks. Longer walks are better but shorter walks will do. She says that walking unblocks your creativity, giving you ideas. I have heard other writers also speak of that.

Upon reading “Floor Sample”, I decided to look at the books by Cameron that I had not previously looked at. I checked a bunch out at the library. They are excellent - truly well-written. She says that “The Vein of Gold” may be hard to get through but the people that worked through it ended up having good results with it. I also ended up reading a novel she wrote that was published in 2008. It is called “Mozart’s Ghost”. I really enjoyed it. Sometimes people who speak and write about writing are not good at fiction writing. Fortunately, this is not the case with Cameron. I would highly recommend “Floor Sample: A Creative Memoir”, particularly if you are interested in the creative life. It totally left a strong impression on me. I would also recommend “The Artist’s Way” and Cameron’s other books. They literally have the power to change your life.

Review written by Karin Olsen