Bookshelf

Vivien Leigh

While I’ve read quite a few books this year, it’s been a while since I’ve written about any of them so here’s a belated instalment of Bookshelf with a few of those titles.

The Golden Moments of Paris: A Guide to the Paris of the 1920s—John Baxter

John Baxter shows why the City of Light during the 1920s was the place to be with a series of engaging stories. There’s le jazz hot, les Apaches, café life, Picasso, Hemingway and Fitzgerald, and much more. Also included are loads of photos and four walking tours so readers can visit many of the places mentioned. My only complaint is about the actual edition of the book, which reads as if it weren’t copyedited. There are a number of mistakes including the misspelling of people’s names and a wrong photo caption.

The Algonquin Round Table New York: A Historical Guide—Kevin C. Fitzpatrick
If you like New York history, writers, and artists then you’ll love this guide by Kevin C. Fitzpatrick. Filled with photos and maps, the book looks at the members of the famed Algonquin Round Table and their haunts from their homes and places of work to their favourite drinking establishments and final resting places. In addition to familiar faces like Dorothy Parker, Robert Benchley, and Alexander Woollcott, Fitzpatrick draws attention to often overlooked members of the group like Jane Grant, co-founder of the New Yorker, and art critic Murdock Pemberton who first took Woollcott and John Peter Toohey to lunch at the Algonquin Hotel, which naturally gets its own chapter. 

A Study in Death—Anna Lee Huber
Things are starting to look up for Lady Kiera Darby with her engagement to investigator Sebastian Gage and a return to accepting painting commissions. But when the sitter for her latest portrait is found dead, Kiera suspects foul play and finds herself once again working with Gage to catch a murderer while confronting her own past. This continues to be one of my favourite historical mystery series with an appealing setting (1830s Scotland) and a likable couple with great chemistry. 

Tinseltown: Murder, Morphine, and Madness at the Dawn of Hollywood—William J. Mann
The murder of director William Desmond Taylor on February 2, 1922 sent shock waves through the Hollywood community and remains unsolved to this day. William J. Mann examines the details of the case and Taylor's mysterious background while also looking at the lives of three actresses close to the director—Mabel Normand, Mary Miles Minter, and Margaret “Gibby” Gibson—as well as that of one of the most powerful men in the movies, Adolph Zukor. While Mann includes a ton of research and a fresh take on some familiar faces—including a sympathetic view of Will Hays of the infamous Hays code—I didn't agree with his final conclusions.

Suspended Sentences: Three Novellas—Patrick Modiano
This slim collection contains three novellas that all deal with the theme of disappearance: A man tries to find traces of a photographer who has drifted into obscurity; another recounts how during the war his parents sent him and his brother to live with friends who had a collection of unusual guests; and what really happened to a couple who committed suicide (or was it murder) years ago? The German Occupation of France is ever present in these tales, leaving their mark on the characters. I absolutely loved this book and cannot wait to read more by the author. His writing is superb, and I found myself thinking about the stories long after I had read the last page.

Hollywood—Gore Vidal
The power of Washington, DC and the endless possibilities of Hollywood are intertwined in Gore Vidal’s novel, part of the American Chronicle series. A fictional Washington newspaper publisher who goes west to become a silent screen star and her former lover, a US Senator, mingle with the likes of William Randolph Hearst, Charlie Chaplin, and the Roosevelts. Beginning at the start of World War I and going through to the Roaring Twenties, the book touches on everything from war propaganda films to political scandals. While a bit lengthy at times, Vidal offers readers a look at how these towns' players spin the truth as only he can.

Bookshelf

The always delightful Alice White and friend.

I've managed to plow through a stack of books over the course of the last few months (one upside of insomnia) and am now looking at just four left on my nightstand (one of which is The Goldfinch so it will be a while before I need to get some new books). In writing up my recent reads, I realized that they're almost all British. Hmm. Will have to broaden my horizons. But for now, I bring you another instalment of Bookshelf.

Sweetness at the Bottom of the Pie—Alan Bradley

Flavia de Luce, an 11-year old with a passion for chemistry (especially poisons), lives with her two older sisters and widowed father in their old family estate in the English countryside. One day their rather dull 1950s life is interrupted by the discovery of a dead bird with a postage stamp on his beak outside their door followed by Flavia witnessing a strange man die in their garden. Unwilling to leave the mystery to the local authorities, Flavia sets out on her bike to solve it herself. Wise beyond her years and completely endearing, Flavia is a wonderful young sleuth. The first in a series, I’m looking forward to reading more of Flavia’s adventures.

Frog Music—Emma Donoghue

During a heat wave and smallpox epidemic in 1876 San Francisco, French dancer Blanche Beunon witnesses the murder of her cross-dressing friend, the frog catcher Jenny Bonnet. Convinced that her “fancy man,” Arthur Deneve, whom she has left, and his ever-present friend, Ernest, are responsible, Blanche sets out to prove who killed Jenny while also attempting to find her own baby son whom she gave away. Donoghue does a wonderful job of bringing San Francisco to life, from the teeming streets of Chinatown to the nearly deserted outskirts of the city. And while Blanche can try the patience of the reader, Jenny imbues the story with energy whenever she appears.

The Prime Minister’s Secret Agent—Susan Elia MacNeal

Maggie Hope is in Scotland, training new recruits while recovering from her undercover mission in Berlin. Suffering from what Churchill calls the Black Dog (depression), she adopts an abandoned tabby and decides to go to Glasgow to see her friend, Sarah, perform in La Sylphide. But when two members of the dance troupe suddenly die and Sarah falls gravely ill, Maggie becomes determined to find an answer and save her friend’s life. Inter cut with Maggie’s story is that of her mother, awaiting her execution for treason, and Japan’s planned attack on Pearl Harbor, which Churchill gets winds of early on. I really enjoy the Maggie Hope series but have to admit that this was my least favourite of the books. Let's hope the next one has more Maggie and fewer story lines (although a guest appearance by Ian Fleming was fun).

Down the Garden Path—Beverley Nichols

A noted author of everything from children’s books to newspaper columns, Beverley Nichols was an avid gardener who wrote a trilogy about his gardens at Allways, his cottage in Cambridgeshire. Down the Garden Path is the first and perhaps most loved of the books. Filled with the trials and tribulations of creating the gardens including having flowers in the winter, turning a field into a wood, and failing at a rock garden, it's a humorous and engaging account. Along the way Nichols makes witty observations about the people he encounters, often with his claws out, and makes confessions: “I would rather be made bankrupt by a bulb merchant than by a chorus girl.” A must read for gardening fans.

The Quick—Lauren Owen 
In Victorian England, introverted poet James Norbury moves to London where he finds lodgings with a member of the aristocracy. When his letters to his sister, Charlotte, in Oxford suddenly cease, she comes to the city to find out what happened to him. What she uncovers is an underworld of nefarious goings-on and creatures of the night with all trails leading to the Aegolius Club whose members have blood on their minds. After a wonderful opening chapter, the book slows down for a while before a sudden plot twist picks up the pace and leaves the reader on edge. I really liked the direction in which the story went and that the author presented main characters who were often unlikeable. I just wish it had been a wee bit smaller.

Love Nina: A Nanny Writes Home—Nina Stibbe 
In 1982, 20-year old Nina Stibbe moved to London from her small town near Leicestershire to work as a nanny to Sam and Will Frears whose mother was Kay Wilmers, deputy editor of the London Review of Books. Nina wrote regular letters back home to her sister, Vic, with observations about life in London and little, everyday details about the boys, her employer, and the guests who frequented the house including their neighbour and regular dinner companion, Alan Bennett. Included in her stories is the cat that no one really likes, her cooking that often gets criticized (turkey mince!), and the abuse experienced by the family car. After a while, Nina becomes a part of the family, continuing to live at the house even after she goes to university. A charming read that brought back some memories for this former au pair.

Bookshelf

Pola Negri in some interesting beach wear. Photo: Margaret Chute

Summer reading is in full throttle at chez Michele. I don’t know what it is exactly about the season (maybe the constant lying in front of the AC?) but my reading seems to double this time of the year. So here are a few of the tomes I’ve recently devoured.

Paris at the End of the World: The City of Light During the Great War, 1914-1918—John Baxter

While John Baxter does discuss Paris during the war—the initial enthusiasm felt by Parisians including the artists (Jean Cocteau and his friends had designer uniforms made) and how the Allies interacted with the locals—the book is really about his grandfather, Archie Baxter, who left Australia to fight in Europe. Upon his return, he abandoned his family and job (for a short time) and maintained an attachment to France for the rest of his life. Baxter attempts to confirm Archie's story and fill in the missing gaps. While the book was engaging at times if you really want to read about Paris during the war this is not the book.

The Mind’s Eye: Writings on Photography and Photographers—Henri Cartier-Bresson

This slim volume contains essays by one of the masters of photography, Henri Cartier-Bresson. Here he describes his start in photography, talks about friends and colleagues, and gives his observations on China, Cuba, and Russia. In “A Decisive Moment,” he details his thoughts on photography, looking at each stage of making a photo. He tells the reader that memory is key for “The photographer must make sure, while he is still in the presence of the unfolding scene, that he hasn’t left any gaps, that he has really given expression to the meaning of the scene in its entirety, for afterwards it is too late.” A must read for any photography lover.

Why Kings Confess—C.S. Harris

Sebastian St. Cyr, Viscount Devlin is back. It’s January 1813 and Devlin’s friend, surgeon Paul Gibson, discovers an injured French woman and a dead man whose heart has been removed. They are members of a secret French delegation sent by Napoleon to London to discuss possible peace. Devlin sets out to solve the murder, crossing paths with the French including the exiled Marie Thérèse, the only surviving child of Louis XVI and Marie Antoinette, and learns that rumours about what really happened to her brother, the Lost Dauphin, may just be true. Meanwhile Devlin’s wife, Hero, is nearing her delivery time and there’s a complication. A fine addition to the series.

The Unrest-Cure and Other Stories—Saki

I’m not sure why it took me so long to discover the work of Saki (real name H.H. Munro) but I love it. Set in Edwardian England, Saki’s stories are both smart and funny, taking an often-dark jab at British society and skewering its traditions and the types who cling to them. We meet vicars and dowagers and bored young men, many of whom spend weekends at country homes. There’s also a talking cat who causes great anxiety in his family when he starts voicing his opinion about others. This edition is accompanied with illustrations by Edward Gorey—a match that was surely made in macabre heaven. I'm looking forward to reading more Saki in the future.

Fatal Enquiry—Will Thomas

My first mystery of the summer, this long overdue volume in the Cyrus & Llewellyn series finds the indomitable private enquiry agent, Cyrus Barker, and his narrator/assistant, Thomas Llewellyn, on the run when a nemesis from Barker’s past arrives in London and frames Barker for the murder of a peer. Through back alleys and bolt rooms, they try to keep one step ahead of the authorities and to stay alive long enough to prove their innocence. While not as strong as previous books in the series, it was nice to see this duo back and hope that another volume is not too far off.

Mrs. Hemingway—Naomi Wood

As I’ve mentioned before, I’m not a big fan of fictionalized versions of famous people’s lives. So when a friend gave me an advance copy of this book to read I was hesitant especially as it was about Ernest Hemingway and his four wives but I wound up liking it. Naomi Wood takes an interesting approach to telling their story: she starts at the end of each relationship, when the wife of the moment realizes she's losing Hemingway to another woman (in the case of his last wife, Mary Walsh, she loses him to death), and moves backwards. It works. She also does a good job portraying each wife, especially wife number two, Pauline Pfeiffer, whom she manages to make sympathetic, not the easiest thing to do. If you’re interested in learning about Hemingway’s wives, I would recommend also reading Bernice Kert’s The Hemingway Women.

Bookshelf

Jacqueline Kennedy reading The Dharma Bums by Jack Kerouac.

It’s time for the latest edition of Bookshelf—a collection of short reviews of the books that I've recently read. You should be warned that my history crush, Robert Capa, pops up in more than one of these books (at some point I'm going to have to get serious and just write a book about him). Let me know your thoughts on any of these titles and what you've been reading.

Ingrid Bergman: My Story—Ingrid Bergman and Alan Burgess

With alternating passages by Bergman and Burgess, Ingrid Bergman: My Story tells how a shy young Swedish girl became one of the great stars of the silver screen. At times modest and often candid, Bergman writes about the importance of acting in her life, her famous co-stars, and of her great loves affairs with Robert Capa and Roberto Rossellini. Her relationship with Rossellini and the worldwide scandal it caused understandably takes up a good portion of the book. Reading this will make you want to go back and watch every Bergman film again.

Anna Held and the Birth of Ziegfeld’s Broadway—Eve Golden

At the turn of the 20th century, Polish-born performer Anna Held met Florenz Ziegfeld who persuaded her to leave the stages of Europe and come to New York. Held’s charming and slightly naughty personality combined with Ziegfeld’s promotional skills turned her into the toast of Broadway (she also became Ziegfeld’s common-law wife). While the passages about her early life seem rushed (I suspect it was from a lack of source material), Golden does a good job clearing up some of the rumours about Held and painting a picture of what New York theatre life was like at the time. 

Magnum: Fifty Years at the Front Line of History: The Story of the Legendary Photo Agency—Russell Miller

Founded by Robert Capa and a small group of photojournalists in 1947, Magnum Photos is a photographic cooperative that continues to be one of the preeminent photo agencies in the world with members who have contributed some of the most lasting images of the 20th century. The book discusses Magnum’s history in detail and includes stories about the famous bickering of the members and of the rivalry between the New York and Paris offices. Seemingly always on the brink of collapse, Magnum has managed to survive deaths, money woes, and a changing industry. A must read for people interested in photojournalism.

The Chaperone—Laura Moriarty

In 1922, 15-year old Louise Brooks left Kansas for New York to study with the Denishawn School of Dance in New York City. Accompanying her was an older woman who acted as her chaperone. In this engaging fictional account of that trip, Laura Moriarty renames the chaperone Cora Carlisle and makes her the story’s protagonist. While attempting to look out for her young charge, Cora discovers some answers about her past and finds a new road for her future. I normally do not like fictional accounts of people whom I admire but I was quite taken with this book save for the one very predictable plot line. I just wish I could have heard more from Louise but alas it isn’t really her story. 

Dimanche and Other Stories—Irène Némirovsky

Confession: I have not read Suite Francaise. My first introduction to Irène Némirovsky was a short story, Dimanche, in Persephone Books’ magazine. I loved that story so much that I went out and bought this collection (Dimanche is the first story). I was moved by the beauty of the language in these ten tales that deal with issues of love, relationships, and class differences. Knowing that she died in Auschwitz in 1942 only adds a bittersweet air to these excellent stories. Highly recommended.

A Russian Journal—John Steinbeck

In this amusing and informative account of a trip that John Steinbeck made to Russia in 1948 with Robert Capa, he writes about their many obstacles from transport issues to finding places to sleep to dealing with censors while trying to document their encounters with the Russian people. Steinbeck reports on the great hospitality they were shown and how the Russian people were not all that different from Americans. Capa, whose powerful photographs lend credence to Steinbeck’s account, provides a lot of the humour in the book (there’s even a passage he contributed defending himself). Very entertaining.

Bookshelf

The dramatic Alice White.

Over the last few months, I managed to finish a few good books between watching way too much television (House of Cards, I'm talking about you). While I still have quite a few left on my nightstand to get through, the stack is slowing dwindling. In the meantime, here's the latest edition of Bookshelf.

Washington Square—Henry James
Shy and plain Catherine Sloper is content to lurk in the shadows until a dashing young man, Morris Townsend, starts to shower her with attention. Her protective father believes her new suitor is only after her money, and when Catherine announces their engagement, he insists that she either break off the affair with Morris or lose her inheritance. Torn between duty and love, Catherine must make a decision and in doing so, learns just how little freedom she has. A wonderful portrait of 19th-century New York with a deceptively strong-willed heroine.

I Await the Devil’s Coming—Mary MacLane

This diary of a 19-year old girl growing up in Butte, Montana shocked readers upon its publication in 1902. Throughout the pages, the obviously intelligent young woman rages against her situation, writing about her beliefs (including the certainty of her genius), disdain for her family, her overwhelming boredom, an affinity for Napoleon, and her relationship with the devil. While it does get a bit repetitive, it is raw and honest; you can almost hear her screaming her frustration. And regarding this new edition, Melville House should be commended for the wonderful cover.

Christmas Pudding and Pigeon Pie—Nancy Mitford

These are two early works by one of my favourite writers. In Christmas Pudding, family and friends descend upon a country house to spend the holiday, including a depressed novelist, a young woman with multiple suitors, and the horse-obsessed lady of the manor. There are broken engagements, false identities, and bratty youths; in other words, normal fodder for Mitford. In Pigeon Pie, Lady Sophia Garfield tries her best to do her part when Britain is on the brink of war while unable to see that a German spy ring is within her midst. It's hard at first to be supportive of the silly Sophia but once her French bulldog is kidnapped, the readers are on her side. These may not be Mitford’s best efforts but like most books by a beloved author, I’d take these over most other novels any day.  

Chocolates for Breakfast—Pamela Moore

After precocious 15-year old Courtney Farrell leaves boarding school unexpectedly, she finds herself dividing her time between her fading actress mother in Hollywood and her publisher father in New York. Along the way she tries smoking, drinking martinis, and sex, and learns the hard way about growing up. The book created a stir when it was first published in 1956, becoming a best seller. While maybe not as shocking today, it’s a frank look at a young woman’s coming of age and well written, which is especially notable when you learn that the author was just 18 at the time.

The Spy Who Loved: The Secrets and Lives of Christine Granville—Clare Mulley

One of England’s most brilliant spies during World War II was a woman, Christine Granville. A Jewish Pole who thrived on danger, some of her exploits included skiing into occupied Poland, parachuting into France, and rescuing some colleagues from the Gestapo merely hours before their execution. Men everywhere fell in love with her and after the war one of them, a disturbed colleague, stabbed her to death. An interesting tale of a little known war hero who was reportedly Churchill’s favourite spy.

The Girl on the Cliff—Lucinda Riley

Recovering from a miscarriage, artist Grania Ryan returns to her family home in Ireland after living in America for years. There she encounters a strange but enchanting little girl whose family’s story, Grania discovers, is tragically intertwined with her own. The story moves back and forth in time between the present day and the early part of the 20th century. I found the passages set in the past to be the most interesting thing about the book, which otherwise is predictable at times and has some dialogue issues (authors take note: when you have characters from countries other than your own, someone will notice if you get the language wrong).

Bookshelf

Ava Gardner in The Killers (1946)It's time again for another edition of bookshelf, where I round-up the books that I've recently read (confession: one of these is a picture book but it is a book). I will confess to a bit too much television watching of late but I still managed to finish some good reads.

The Invention of Morel—Adolfo Bioy Casares

Louise Brooks was the inspiration for one of the characters in this strange and intriguing novella. A fugitive hiding out on a deserted island is soon joined by a group of vacationers who come and go, often repeating their actions and never acknowledging his presence. He finds himself falling in love with one of the women and decides that he will do anything to be with her. If you like magic realism, you’ll love this work.

The Madonna of the Sleeping Cars—Maurice DeKobra

Lady Diana Wynham, a great Scottish beauty, is almost destitute when she discovers some Russian holdings of her late husband’s that could save her. She enlists the help of her secretary, the French-born Prince Gerard Seliman, to secure her fortune and from there it’s a rollicking ride filled with spies and danger. One of the best-selling novels of the 1920s, it’s a wonderfully fun read with witty phrasing and great characters.

Clover Adams: A Gilded and Heartbreaking Life—Natalie Dykstra

After Marian "Clover" Hooper married historian Henry Adams in 1872, she became a popular confidant and hostess in Washington, DC. She also took up photography, taking portraits (including those of her dogs) and keeping meticulous notes about her art. Reproductions of some of her surviving images are included, which the author uses to analyse why Adams committed suicide by drinking potassium cyanide, which was used to develop film.

Mortal Arts—Anna Lee Huber

Talented artist Lady Kiera Darby is back and once again trouble follows in her path. When she discovers that her deceased childhood art tutor is actually alive and accused of murder, it’s up to her to prove his innocence. Joined by Sebastian Gage, the private inquiry agent with whom she shares a mutual attraction, Lady Kiera must delve into the effects of war on soldiers and the treatment of the mentally ill to save her friend. One of my favourite new historical mystery series.

Ginger: My Story—Ginger Rogers

Ginger Rogers tells the story of her rise from little Virginia Katherine McMath to movie star Ginger Rogers. She recalls her childhood (which involved a kidnapping by her estranged father), her films and co-stars (she is insistent that she and Fred Astaire liked each other), five husbands, beloved mother, and her political and religious beliefs. It’s a bit too long and Rogers can come off as preachy and naïve in certain passages but the parts about Hollywood are worth reading.

Flo & Wendell—William Wegman

This time round Wegman merges his famed photos with his paintings with delightful results. Featuring two of Wegman’s beloved Weimaraners, this is the tale of an older sister and little brother who don’t always get along but try to make an effort. I recently went to a book signing for Flo & Wendell and got to meet Wegman and Topper, the model for Wendell. Needless to say, Topper stole the show.

Bookshelf

Jean Harlow

The pile of books by my bed has grown smaller over the summer, helped along by a self-imposed ban on buying any new books until the pile is gone. Yet it would probably be even smaller without my frequent trips to the library. Oh, well. Here are the some of the books I've read this season. 

Z: A Novel of Zelda Fitzgerald—Therese Anne Fowler

A fictionalized retelling of Zelda Fitzgerald’s life from Zelda’s point of view. Often depicted by biographers as a crazy woman who was a burden to her husband, F. Scott Fitzgerald, this book paints a more sympathetic portrait of the famed flapper. Disclosure: I normally don’t read novels about famous people whom I like (main reason I still haven’t read The Paris Wife) but was given an advance copy of this book by a friend. As a work of fiction the novel was all right but if you want to know about the real Zelda then check out some of the many non-fiction accounts out there.

The Anatomist’s Wife—Anna Lee Huber

The first book of a new historical mystery series. In 1830 Scotland, Lady Darby (Keira) is a painter and a social outcast; the widow of an anatomist whom it is believed did experiments on the dead with Keira’s help. While living with her sister and brother-in-law a murder is committed during a house party, and Keira finds herself working alongside the arrogant enquiry agent Sebastian Gage to try and catch the murderer. I am a big fan of this genre and loved this book. Can’t wait to read the next instalment.

The Uninvited Guest—Sadie Jones

At a large manor house in the English countryside, a family’s birthday celebrations are interrupted by the arrival of a group of survivors from a nearby train wreck. Soon secrets from the past surface, class barriers are broken, and identities are revealed. If you're looking for a typical mystery novel with likable characters, this is not the book for you. Filled with a dash of surrealism, it's an excellent ghost story that I quite liked.

The Ladies of the Corridor—Dorothy Parker and Arnaud D’Usseau

In a residence hotel on the Upper East Side lives a group of lonely women, some single, some widowed, whose long days are broken up by reading the latest mystery novel or going to the movies. In the lobby they sit, gossipping about the residents and killing time. Surprisingly, this was the first time I had read this play (don’t know how that happened) and it being a work by Mrs. Parker, I of course liked it. Also kinda made me wish that these type of hotels still existed.

The Expats: A Novel—Chris Pavone

Kate Moore is a former CIA agent living in Luxembourg with her husband and children, attempting to start over as a stay-at-home mom. But when an American couple arrives in town whose story doesn’t add up, Kate finds herself being pulled back into her old life. I enjoyed the aspects about living abroad in Europe but often found myself wondering how Kate could have ever been a secret agent with the amount of mistakes she makes. Not a good sign for a spy when the reader knows something is up before she does.

My Berlin Kitchen: A Love Story (with Recipes)—Luisa Weiss

Born in Berlin to an American father and an Italian mother, Weiss spent her childhood shuffling between two continents, speaking multiple languages. Through it all the kitchen remained her one constant and this memoir explores her love of cooking and the particular foods and dishes that remind her of key moments in her life. The book made me want to try some of the recipes that are included but started to feel long about half way through.

For previous Bookshelf posts, go here, here, here, and here.

Bookshelf Roundup

A while back I started a Bookshelf section with the intention of every few months writing short reviews of the books I had read. Well apparently I’ve neglected to keep it up, so much so that it probably appears to regular readers that I don’t actually read any books. But the truth is I do, books of all types: lowbrow to high, fiction to non, even cookbooks. Normally the piles of books by my bed are such that I rarely read a book right when it’s published (there were a few years in grad school when my answer to the question “what are you reading” was “dead people”) so some of these books may seem like old news to you. Some of these I liked a lot, some not so much. Nonetheless, here is a roundup of some of the books I’ve read so far this year. 

Reply to a Letter from Helga—Bergsveinn Birgisson

This novella is written as letter from an elderly Icelandic farmer to the woman he loved decades ago, explaining why he made the choices he did. Part love letter, part confession, it’s at times beautiful in its stark lyricism and at others downright shocking. 

The Times We Had: Life with William Randolph Hearst—Marion Davies

The silent film actress’ autobiography (compiled from tapes she made) in which she reminisces about her days on the stage and screen. Modest about her own talents, Davies heaps praise on her lover Hearst for whom her devotion and loyalty appears to have never wavered, even after his death. 

Bury Me Standing: The Gypsies and Their Journey—Isabel Fonseca

Fonseca spent four years living with Roma families throughout Eastern Europe, learning how they live and about their trials and tribulations. Although bleak and slow going at times, it’s extremely informative and makes one wish for an update to see how the Roma are faring now.

Return of the Thin Man: Two never-before-published novellas featuring Nick & Nora Charles—Dashiell Hammett, Richard Layman and Julie M. Rivett, editors

Do not be fooled. This book does not contain novellas about everyone’s favourite married detectives but rather film treatments with notes that were the basis for the first two sequels to The Thin Man. Fans of the films will be interested to see what changes the studio made but others should just see the films. 

The Winter Sea—Susanna Kearsley

Carrie McClelland is a writer of historical fiction who rents a small cottage near the Scottish castle where her latest novel is to take place. As she begins to write, Carrie discovers that she is uncannily tuned in to the lives of her 18th-century characters and begins to question how much of her story is fact. Romantic and fun.

The Sweet Life in Paris: Delicious Adventures in the World’s Most Glorious-and Perplexing-City—David Lebovitz

The pastry chef and cookbook author’s humorous account about living in Paris and some of the lessons he learned like one gets dressed properly to take out the garbage (no wearing of sweatpants) and one does not eat ones baguette on the street. Includes a bevy of recipes.

Myrna Loy: The Only Good Girl in Hollywood—Emily W. Leider

A biography of one of my favourite actresses that includes a look at her childhood in Montana, her rise in Hollywood from bit player to leading lady in the 1930s and 40s, and her subsequent role as an activist later in life. Includes a warranted detailed discussion of her most important role—Nora Charles in the Thin Man series. Long but worth the read.

Kiki de Montparnasse: A Graphic Novel— Catel Muller and José-Louis Bocquet

Born to a single mother and raised in poverty, Alice Prin grew up to become Kiki, a favourite artists' model and the toast of café society in Montparnasse in the 1920s. I haven’t read a lot of graphic novels but quite enjoyed this new approach to Kiki's biography.

Everything That Rises Must Converge—Flannery O’Connor

This collection of short stories by the queen of Southern Gothic includes her usual eccentric characters, themes of race and religion, and actions that lead to tragedy. Many of the stories are disturbing, particularly “The Lame Shall Enter First,” but all are unforgettable.

The Summer of the Bear—Bella Pollen

When a British diplomat to Bonn dies suddenly, his widow decides to take their three children to a small island in the Scottish Outer Hebrides. There each of them mourn in their own way including the young boy, Jamie, who is convinced that an escaped bear on the island is a link his father. With hints of magic realism, a really well-written novel.

The Scrapbook of Frankie Pratt: A Novel in Pictures—Caroline Preston
It’s the 1920s and young Frankie Pratt dreams of becoming a writer. She manages to leave New Hampshire for New York where she graduates from Vassar and finds a job before moving to Paris. Filled with dozens of photographs, advertisements, and prints that serve to illustrate her adventures, this is a delightful take on the coming of age story.

The Imperfectionists—Tom Rachman 
This debut novel is about an English language newspaper in Rome and the lives of its staff and owners (and in one case, a reader). Each chapter is devoted to a different character but by the end their stories come together in an inevitable way. Very engaging.