Night Film by Marisha Pessi

The death of a famous, reclusive director's daughter prompts a disgraced journalist to reopen his notebook and investigate. Was Ashley Cordova cursed, or merely tragic?

Scott McGrath is driven by revenge and shame into reopening old sores - Stanislav Cordova was the man and the story that destroyed his reputation as an investigative reporter. Looking into Ashley's short life is a side door that leads Scott into a dark place he never really left, years ago.

NOTE: a lot's been said in other reviews about the "enhanced content" that accompanies this book. The included PDF had articles, webpage screenshots, etc.  I listened to the audiobook and didn't realize my narrator was also describing that additional material until I was almost finished with the book - it had been seamlessly integrated for audiobook listeners.

There Goes Gravity: A Life in Rock and Roll by Lisa Robinson

Lisa Robinson has been everywhere and knows everyone ... or at least, most of the cool music people you wish you knew. That's what this book is about: a behind-the-scenes look at rock stars from the 1970s through today. It's not Robinson's memoir or autobiography; you only learn bits and pieces about her through the other stories. Instead, the book is about the people who make music, who tour to entertain us, and what they're like outside the spotlight.

Robinson toured with Led Zeppelin and the Rolling Stones, but she's not a relic of rock days gone by. Did you catch the book title is an Eminem lyric? Robinson's stories run the gamut from New York Dolls to Kanye West, Jay-Z, Michael Jackson, David Bowie, John Lennon and Yoko Ono.

There's no real cohesive timeline or thematic evolution in the order the stories are told. For the most part they work from oldest to newest, but that's not strictly enforced. It's more like a casual sit-down with a great storyteller who's had some awesome experiences.

I enjoyed the book, but if you're not already a music fan you won't be convinced; you really need a little knowledge going into this book to get the most out of it. And she's not terribly concerned with helping you place these icons into any perspective - the deep thoughts and philosophy will be strictly your own. She may have been the only sober one at the party, but she was more concerned with having fun than gaining any real insights.

Brain on fire

by Susannah Cahalan

Cahalan writes an autobiographical account of her experience with an auto-immune disease that nearly caused her to spend a lifetime under constant psychiatric supervision.  At times the story is a eerie look into the vastly unknown world of neuroscience.  Cahalan recounts her weeks of catatonia and psychosis through family diaries and hospital videos.  Much of that time is completely lost to her own memory.  The discovery of her disease, and subsequent writings by her doctors and herself have allowed many more people to be diagnosed than ever before.  She admits that, most likely, she would not have gotten this diagnosis of salvation had the disease struck her just a few years earlier.

Cahalan was lucky to have a background in journalism before she was struck by her illness.  This allowed her a foothold into the dedication needed to research her own lost days.  Provocatively written, this saga will capture your heart as you champion Susannah towards health.  

The audio version is hauntingly read by Heather Henderson.

Just one of the guys

by Kristan Higgins

It is a well known fact that whatever I might say to trash a certain holiday surrounded by hearts and flowers, I am an avid reader of romance novels. My latest guilty pleasure is Just one of the Guys by Kristan Higgins.

Chastity is the youngest child, and only girl, in a family of firefighters. To top it off, she's just a little squeamish around blood. In her quest to be a "true O'Neill" she decides it is high time to take the training course to be an EMT. That, along with her life as a talented journalist on the receiving end of a stalker's attention creates some balance to the concept of finding one's true love.

She has spent the majority of her life in love with Trevor, family friend, and another of the multitude of firefighters in her life. To start the book, she gets dumped, and hit on by a woman in the same night. Lucky for her the only person to witness both is Trevor, and later in the book, you'll find out just how good he is at keeping secrets. On the heels of her embarrassment, Chastity decides it is high time to get over the man who'll always love her family more than he cares for her. Quickly, she finds herself in a serious relationship with a man who fits all the criteria little girls and parents dream about. Ryan is a surgeon. Chastity is content, but which one will she choose?