Friends, Lovers, and the Big Terrible Thing: A Memoir

 

Friends, Lovers, and the Big Terrible Thing by Matthew Perry  272 pages

In an extraordinary story that only he could tell—and in the heartfelt, hilarious, and warmly familiar way only he could tell it—Matthew Perry lays bare the fractured family that raised him (and also left him to his own devices), the desire for recognition that drove him to fame, and the void inside him that could not be filled even by his greatest dreams coming true. But he also details the peace he’s found in sobriety and how he feels about the ubiquity of Friends, sharing stories about his castmates and other stars he met along the way. Frank, self-aware, and with his trademark humor, Perry vividly depicts his lifelong battle with addiction and what fueled it despite seemingly having it all.

I did not know how much this man suffered. It was a depressing read and eery because we know the end.

Must Love Flowers by Debbie Macomber

 

Must Love Flowers by Debbie Macomber-321 pages

Joan is not living the life she expected. Now a widow and an empty-nester, she has become by her own admission something of a recluse. But after another birthday spent alone, she is finally inclined to listen to her sister, who has been begging Joan to reengage with the world. With her support, Joan gathers the courage to take some long-awaited steps: hiring someone to tame her overgrown garden, joining a grief support group, and even renting out a room to a local college student. Before long Joan is starting to feel a little like herself again.

Across town, Maggie works mornings as a barista, tending to impatient customers before rushing to afternoon nursing classes. She's been living with her alcoholic father, ducking his temperamental outbursts and struggling to pay the household bills. But her circumstances brighten when she finds a room for rent in Joan's home. In the unexpected warmth of her new situation, Maggie finds a glimmer of hope for a better life. 

This book was light and refreshing. Especially watching Joan emerge from her grief and opening her heart to new adventures.  I enjoyed the book.

Beyond the Bright Lights by Settle Myer

Beyond the Bright Lights by Settle Myer, 417 p.

"My name is Lana Young and I’m not okay. I’m 40 years old and still grieving the death of my fiancé, 18 years later. Tyler Taylor died of cancer and he spent his final days helping others. He was an inspiration, enough that his sister wrote a book about his life. Now that book is becoming a movie, and the actor portraying Tyler on the big screen just walked into the bar I own. He's begging me for help. "Help me become Tyler Taylor." There’s one problem: Mylan Andrews is battling his demons, and I’m worried he can’t win.

My name is Mylan Andrews and I’m not okay. I’m a 25-year-old alcoholic and addict. I just got out of rehab and this movie is my last chance to save my career. Lana agrees to work with me on becoming Tyler Taylor and every day we're together, my attraction to her grows stronger. Could she be the one to help me win back control of my life? For her to consider me for her future, she must first move on from her past."--Goodreads blurb

This was a fun and steamy romance. A quick read that was a good palette cleanser after some long series.  

 

The Girl on the Train by Paula Hawkins

 

THE GIRL ON THE TRAIN  by Paula Hawkins ---325 pages

Rachel rides the train to work everyday. She seems a bit obsessed with the pretty couple at a particular house she passes daily. She imagines how their lives must be--until one day she sees something askew. 

I felt sympathy for Rachel, a lonely, depressed alcoholic--prone to questionable behavior and blackouts. But in this book, all the characters are full of surprises. Honestly, it's a sad book; but I was anxious to find out--whodunnit. 

Wishful Drinking by Carrie Fisher

176 pp. One of several candid memoirs written by Carrie Fisher, she details her childhood growing up the child of Hollywood stars, her addiction to alcohol and prescription drugs, and her bipolar diagnosis and subsequent electroshock therapy treatments. Tongue-in-cheek, self-deprecating, and witty.

The Spectacular Now by Jim Tharp

The Spectacular Now by Jim Tharp- 294 pgs.

Sutter Keely is in the last few months of his senior year of high school.  He is effortlessly charming, popular and the life of any party.  He is always happy and this is probably due to the fact that he always has his handy 7-Up and whiskey available.  His motto for life is "embrace the weird", but behind this happy facade is a kid who has a father that disappeared and a mother and sister who both married in to money and are focused on appearance.  One night, after getting blackout drunk, Sutter meets Aimee.  While they go to the same high school, they have never met.  Sutter takes it upon himself to "save" Aimee from, what he considers, her broken down life.  The book follows Sutter and Aimee's relationship, as well as, his relationship with an ex-girlfriend and best friend.  The end may not satisfy everyone, but, as a whole, The Spectacular Now is a decent book.  It has just been made into a movie.

Persuade Me by Juliet Archer

Persuade Me by Juliet Archer, 368 pages
(Series - Darcy & Friends)

A modern retelling of Persuasion by Jane Austen, this story fills in the blanks where Austen left off ... if her book was set in modern times. The characters remain, for the most part, untouched - at least in personality if not occupation. Mary Musgrove is still her annoying self except that instead of being a hypochondriac she is an alcoholic who views Ann as the woman Mary's husband wants. (That whole Ann & Charles affair goes one step further than Austen's Persuasion did). Mrs. Clay becomes the fake French accent Masseuse named Cleo instead of the widowed daughter of the Elliot's lawyer ... a character I really enjoyed because she was so comical. Admiral and Mrs. Croft are just Mr. & Mrs. Croft - two retirees who decided to open up a nursery. Benwick is still a lover of poetry, but instead of his fiance dying before they could become married, she has run off with another man. That irritated me just a little, but again, the author was trying to modernize the story. The Musgrove family remains intact albeit a little more annoying.  As long as you read this book with an open mind and understand that a lot had to change to make it a modern retelling, you will enjoy this read.

The Best of Me by Nicholas Sparks

The Best of Me by Nicholas Sparks, 292 pages

It has been so long since I had read a Nicholas Spark book that I had forgotten his style.  His books always start out as a predictable love story that has some shocking twist that sucks the reader in and makes you not want to put the book down.  In this, his most recent book, Amanda and Dawson, high school sweethearts, return to Oriental, North Carolina for the funeral of their lifelong friend, Tuck Hostetler.  A spark is reignited in their relationship although they had broken up 20 years earlier when Amanda left to go to college.  Although, Amanda is married, she has had a tragic life, losing a child.  What follows is a twist involving Dawson's cousins and a great shock that reminded me why I have read all but two of Nicholas Sparks books.

We All Fall Down - Nic Sheff

We All Fall Down by Nic Sheff - 297 pages

As I read Tweak: Growing up on Methamphetamines I laughed, I cried, I fell in live with Nic Sheff. I became absorbed in his journey, and the same was true for We All Fall Down. While Nic's relapses aren't nearly as severe this time around the story still rises and falls with his struggle with addiction. Reading his books feel like talking with an old friend and as I read We All Fall Down I couldn't help but feel proud of Sheff by the end (even if the beginning made me want to wring his neck).