Daisy Jones & the Six by Taylor Jenkins Reid

It's the typical rock and roll story arc: youngsters form a band, tour and party, find fame, then eventually self-destruct. Always captivating, and somehow I never get tired of reading it!

This time it's fictional, but that's sooo easy to forget while reading this one. The book's written in the typical music bio style of quotes drawn from interviews with those involved. The players don't agree about what happened exactly, and we get multiple perspectives on the drama.

The Six is a 1970s group led by Billy Dunne. He recruits his brother, another pair of brothers, and a couple other musicians (including a female keyboard player), and they eventually get some notice as a straight-forward rock band. They get along, they fight, somebody has a crush on the girl.

Daisy Jones is a wild child with a killer voice and the face of an angel. She wants to be a star, but she doesn't want to sing somebody else's words. Plus, she's got major rock star "habits," even before the fame. Eventually, somebody decides The Six and Daisy should work together.

You think you know what will happen, but you can't be sure - no Wikipedia to check the stories, and there's no YouTube clips to watch because THIS IS FICTION! (Continually, I wanted to actually hear these songs!) And there are surprises along the way.

I loved this one a whole lot. It's like "A Star Is Born" mixed with the juiciest rock bios. Love, ego, drugs, and flashes of genius. Divine.

Let's Go (So We Can Get Back): A Memoir of Recording with Wilco, Etc. by Jeff Tweedy

In an honest, funny look at his life, indy musician Jeff Tweedy opens up about his family, his career, and how his brain works. It's fascinating!

It's no secret I love a good music bio, and what separates the good from bad is honesty and introspection. Tweedy owns it here, with a self-deprecating humor that certainly entertains. He's thoughtful about his creative process without being precious about it, and he reminisces about former friendships, band breakups and makeups, and even how his marriage works.

Confession: I will read this book again, on audiobook, because Tweedy narrates it himself! (I couldn't wait, so I read it on paper first.)

Hillbilly Elegy: A Memoir of a Family and Culture in Crisis by J.D. Vance

Growing up mostly at his grandmother's house, J.D. Vance had a life similar to many others around him. It was only upon leaving (and in having the desire to leave) that he found out just how different his life in a poor Appalachian family was different from the rest of the United States.

This is certainly the kind of book that makes you think, and it's a great one to discuss (whether you agree or not) - we chose this for the library's book discussion group. There were plenty of copies available because this book was previously a "Go Big Read" title, where the University of Wisconsin gets everybody reading and talking about the same book. 

While there's a lot of sociology here, it's at heart a memoir and a family history. You know from the first page how J.D. has done, but you also spend the book's length cheering for his successes and perseverance.

It's a quick read, and more than once I paused to ponder things like the effects of childhood trauma on adult behavior, and the role of religion (aside from belief) in a community. I recommend it, at least as exposure to a different life.

Love May Fail by Matthew Quick

In a mid-life crisis meltdown mode (after not quite shooting her philandering husband), Portia Kane returns to her childhood home to figure out her next step - little knowing it will lead her on an epic journey of discovery and disappointment.

Author Matthew Quick has become famous for his fair, honest depiction of human frailties and mental disorder, and this novel is well within that wheelhouse. Every character in the book has his or her issues, but they're not presented as a problem to be solved, just a thing to be experienced.

Portia's quest to "save" her beloved high school English teacher leads her down nostalgia's path in many ways, and the book is full of 1980s-vintage metal and hard rock lyrics, puns, and references. It's also full of strange coincidences, chance meetings, and what may be divine inspiration.

My only quibble is that I found the character Danielle Bass flat. She's a means to move the story along, but I don't feel that we really get her perspective or struggles in any real way like we do every other character in the novel.

Tunnel Vision by Aric Davis

Under the ruse of a research paper, two high school girls investigate a 15-year-old murder case after they discover the victim was one girl's drug-addicted aunt. They get help when their paths intersect with kid-detective (now teen detective) Nickel.

Sorry - that's a lame plot summary, but I don't want to give too much away. I adored the first Nickel book (Nickle Plated) and one of the best parts about that character is that he's unique; he's a kid who can do what few adults would. That plays out in various ways throughout the story arc. This book's less gory than the first - but we still see bits and pieces of Nickle's tragic, horrific past in flashbacks. Plus, there's a bit of a time-gap between the books and apparently Nickle hasn't been on vacation.

Honestly, this is mostly the girls' story and they carry the bulk of the narrative. Unfortunately, that also makes the book feel a lot more commonplace and less fresh that the first, truly dynamic book.

I enjoyed this one, but I'm still hoping to see more of Nickle's story in the future.

Law man

by Kristen Ashley

This book's so hot, my fingers should be scorched from flipping pages.  Sweet Mara has spent a lifetime believing she's low girl on the totem pole when it comes to what makes someone attractive.  That said, she's great at friendships, but any encounter with her sizzling neighbor, Detective Mitch Lawson, sends her running for cover. Quite literally, this gal will trip over her own to feet to avoid the man of her dreams.

Mitch has spent years waiting for Mara to give him just one opening.  It'll take everything he's got to show her how completely whacked Mara world is. 

Following her desperate escape, their worlds collide in order to provide stability for Mara's two young cousins.  Luckily, Mitch has all the skills to get those kids and Mara through the maze of protective services while protecting them from the Russian mob, drug dealers, and the genetic cesspool out of which this adorable trio has risen.

Seriously, CRAP, I've found a new series.  Not only that, it appears the Chaos series has characters tied to some other series in Ms. Ashley's repertoire.  Hmm, maybe I should start to be grateful for this bitterly cold winter and the abundant opportunities to snuggle up with a good book.

Crashed by Timothy Hallinan

Junior Bender isn't your typical hero - for one, he's a master criminal. But when a burglary-for-hire goes wrong in a million ways (and turns out to be a setup), we discover Junior has a real conscience when it comes to things that matter.

A former child-prodigy actress who fell off the pop culture radar in adolescence is back in the spotlight making an adult film. Junior's "persuaded" to get involved in the film to protect the investors interests. And despite all the trouble, Junior starts to feel protective toward this messed-up young woman - enough to sabotage the plan a bit to get her out of this nasty, icky movie contract.

I really enjoyed this book - the pacing's great, and the characters are compelling. It's a trendy kind of theme (Hollywood's cannibalism of young stars), but doesn't settle into the well-worn grooves.

Midnight, Jesus & Me: Misfit Memoirs of a Full Gospel, Rock & Roll Late Night Suicide Crisis Psychotherapist by J.M. Blaine

Often it seems like the people who could most use a spiritual leg-up are the people evangelists most want to avoid. But those ne're-do-wells - the homeless, insane, unloved, unwashed, hard-rockin' and hard-livin' - are just J.M. Blaine's kind of people.

This is a phenomenal book about Blaine's personal journey into adulthood (although he'll always be 11 years old inside). He drifted a bit through young adulthood searching for his "place" through music, books, religion, work, and education - and ultimately found they all slot together. Blaine took a job in the psych ward to pay for college and wound up with a PhD, certified as a therapist. But he's not your mama's kind of doctor: he'll play punk rock hymns on rollerskates, takes Jesus with him everywhere (including the strip club), and would never pass up a game of pinball. You can see how he's got a unique talent to connect with people others can't (or won't) reach.

The book's written in short stories: anecdotes and vignettes that when taken as a whole give you a bigger picture. It's inspiring, and made me very glad there are people with skills and talents like Blaine's who do this kind of work.

Beneath a Meth Moon by Jacqueline Woodson

What does the "typical" drug addict look like? Why would you ever try meth the first time, knowing what it does to people? How dumb do you have to be?

Through Laurel's eyes, you'll get a different look at crystal meth addiction. A cheerleader and good girl, she catches the eye of the basketball star. But there's something broken inside Laurel, and there's something broken inside T-Boom. Together, they'll try to fix those breaks - and break much, much more.

This is a very good book, with a quick pace that shifts back and forth through time. Sometimes it's very eloquent and thoughtful, sometimes scattered and choppy - a real look at Laurel's state of mind and thoughts.

It's So Easy (And Other Lies) by Duff McKagan

This is one of the best rock memoirs I've read, seriously. Duff tells it like it was, he owns it (good and bad), and he's found a way to be funny and eloquent about his own debauched life.

There's no reason he shouldn't be dead: his pancreas exploded from alcohol abuse, and tons of his friends died from addictions and AIDS. But somehow Duff McKagan skirted the edge of the abyss and lived to tell.

If you like Guns n' Roses, you'll enjoy the story. But it's actually his writing about post-pancreatitis recovery and his family that make this story such a gem. Additionally, it's amazing how many now-famous people Duff grew up with in Seattle and became friends with in Los Angeles; but he doesn't resort to name-dropping - he really just tells his own story, but with this amazing cast of characters and cameos.

(I'm putting this one near the top of my favorite rock books list - just behind Nikki Sixx's "The Heroin Diaries" and "I Am Ozzy" by Ozzy Osbourne)

High on Arrival by Mackenzie Phillips

Surprisingly, this is a well-written, thoughtful and extremely interesting look at the ups, the downs, and all-around upside-down life of a famous family through the eyes of a actress/daughter/addict.

When this book was published, the media immediately latched on to Mackenzie's stories of incest with her famous father, Papa John Phillips. I was going to skip past that part, avoid the infamous drug stories ... and go directly to what I was searching for (I was interested in one particular ex-boyfriend). But I was surprised by how quickly I got wrapped up in the storytelling: I ended up going back to the start and reading the whole book, despite the fact I'd picked it up just to read a couple pages.

She's smarter than I thought - or had an excellent ghost writer. Either way, it's a great look at rock-and-roll excess and the trials of a junkie.

Ice

by Linda Howard

I enjoy Linda Howard's writing. Years ago, I got caught up in her tales for the romance aspect. As she has progressed toward the mystery genre, I've followed happily along. This time, the story wrapped me up and I enjoyed finishing a book in a day. Since I was studying for class, I can't remember the last time I had the time to do that.

Howard will captivate you with a story about a woman who lives on a mountain, and must be rescued before the big ice storm rolls in. When her rescuer arrives, he finds her held captive by two homicidal drug addicts. The woman shows more gumption than expected as the two battle to survive against the elements and addicts. Although, Howard includes romance in this story, it really doesn't add to the plot. Luckily, the romance is limited enough that the rest of the plot overrides it and makes the book rounded enough to satisfy both mystery and romance fans. A savvy reader might even pick up some survival tips.