"Mostly Plants 101 Delicious Flexitarian Recipes from the Pollan Family" By Tracy, Dana, Lori & Corky Pollan

My husband Jeff is a natural cook and can create his own delicious meals out of thin air. When we are on our big family vacations in North Carolina, everyone at breakfast literally waits for Jeff to wake up and make breakfast so they can copy his creation.  I am cut from a different cloth. I am a visual learner when it comes to cooking. I need pictures as well as very detailed directions on how exactly to prepare a meal, and the precise timing of every step. I’m not a spontaneous fly-by-the-seat-of-my-pants kind of cook. So what a delightful read I found “Mostly Plants” by the Pollan Family. Author Tracy is, of course, the wife of actor Michael J. Fox, and her brother, Michael, a journalist and activist who coined the phrase: “Eat Food. Not too much. Mostly plants.” This time Tracy and her mother, Corky, along with sisters Dana and Lori, take to the page to share their favorite recipes through wonderful text and gorgeous pictures. Jeff and I recently had two friends over for a social distancing brunch and we made the Pollan’s recipe for Rainbow Frittata. With its sliced cremini mushrooms, single red bell pepper, zucchini and Gruyere cheese it was a real winner. I even made the mistake of buying smoked Gruyere instead of regular, and the recipe was very forgiving.  The 101 recipes included in the book are geared toward flexitarian eating, which is a diet of mostly vegetables, but occasionally meat or fish. I look forward to making more of the recipes including Crispy Kale and Potato Hash with Fried Eggs, Vegan Thai Red Curry with Tofu, and the Salmon Farro Bowl. With so many of us huddling close to our families, this is probably the perfect time to treat yourself to a new cookbook for inspiration. To purchase this book on Amazon click here.

"Becoming" by Michelle Obama

My friends Gordon and Bob told me about a show I had not heard of before called “My Next Guest Needs No Introduction” with David Letterman on Netflix. Jeff and I watched our first episode, an interview with Barak Obama. During the interview, the fact that first ladies do not get a salary came up. My jaw dropped. For all the work Michelle Obama did in the White House, she didn’t get paid?! What a crime. But the wonderful interview with the President reminded me how much I loved Michelle’s memoir “Becoming.” There is a realness that comes through during her television interviews that permeates nearly every page of this book. She grew up on the South side of Chicago with her older brother Craig, mother Marian, and dad Frank, who suffered from Multiple Sclerosis. Frank worked hard to support his family, despite his disability. She went to Princeton and later Harvard Law School, and then got a job as a lawyer in Chicago.  It was at her law firm that she met a new associate named Barak Obama. She describes how they fell in love, got married and then started to raiser their two daughters as working parents. We get to see during their early married life how different they are. Michelle is always on time and organized, while Barak is disorganized with his things, and often unapologetically late. There are so many great moments in this book including this one: When she was working she tried to cram all of her mom errands into her lunch break, while eating a Chipotle burrito bowl, in her car, in between stops. “I excelled at the lunchtime blitz – the replacing of lost socks, the purchasing of gifts for whatever five-year-old was having a birthday party on Saturday, the stocking and restocking of juice boxes and single serving apple sauce cups.” The honesty and richness of her story, before and after their time in the White House, are fascinating. The only problem with this book is that it had to end. I hope she will write more. In the meantime, after you read the book, follow it up with “Becoming” on Netflix, which chronicled her history-making book tour. She is riveting to read, and even more so to watch.  To purchase this book on Amazon click here.

"The Bluest Eye" by Toni Morrison

“The Bluest Eye” was Toni Morrison’s first novel which she published in 1970 when she was 39 years old. It is a haunting tale about racism, incest and child molestation set in Lorain, Ohio, where Morrison grew up. The year is 1941, following the great depression at the beginning of World War ll. At the center of the novel is Pecola Breedlove, an 11-year-old foster children sent to live with the MacTeer family. Pecola meets the family’s two daughters Claudia, age 9, and Frieda, age 10, with whom she will be living. Claudia narrates part of the novel, and the relationship that develops between the girls and their new roommate. Pecola has spent her childhood being told she is “ugly” by her parents and other because of her dark skin and eyes. Unable to process the abuse she has suffered, Pecola instead dreams of magically developing blue eyes so she can be told she is “beautiful” like Shirley Temple. Morrison’s writing is lyrical, full of sadness and sorrow, but also features moments of survival and strength – and eventually loss. The book turned 50 years old this year, and Hilton Als wrote in “The New Yorker Magazine” that the book “cut a new path through the American literary landscape by placing young black girls at the center of the story.” Morrison once said she wrote the book because she wanted to read it. Novels like “The Blue Eye” are not easy to read, but they are necessary to read, to witness the injustice of racism and sexual abuse and to forge new paths and roads to stop them.  Click here to purchase this book on Amazon.

Untamed by Glennon Doyle

There is a bright light in all of this, and her name is Glennon Doyle. Where do I begin to explain why I love Glennon and why she is an important author to read right now. Let’s start with her own words. “Untamed is about how we got caged by the world’s expectations of us, and how we break free. It is about how to reclaim yourself, love yourself, trust yourself and abandon other’s expectations so you can stop abandoning yourself.” That is only the beginning. The backstory about Glennon is this: She was married to Craig Melton for 12 years, they had three children and he cheated on her. She tried to stay together with him for the children’s sake, because she is a Christian, but that became harder for her each day. Then, while on a book tour, she meets soccer icon, two-time, Olympic gold medalist Abby Wambach, and the two women fall in love before even kissing. Now Glennon, Abby, her three children and Craig are all quarantining together. If you wrote this as fiction it would appear too far-fetched, but the simple fact is these people have all done a lot of work on themselves, and they are not only making it work, they are thriving. “Untamed” is part memoir, and part call-to-action for women and men. There is a passage in the book when the front door rings, and Glennon and her three kids are afraid to open it. Why they are afraid to open the door, and how they became too afraid is at the root of their problems, and a lot of people’s problems. In the end, they open the door! Learn to live your life without being afraid or ashamed. Glennon is an activist, speaker, mother, wife and author. She has done the hard work on herself and it shows. This book is a great read, and a wonderful gift to give to a friend. To buy this book on Amazon please click here.

"Over The Top: A Raw Journey to Self-Love" by Jonathan Van Ness

Like many people, I have experienced some lows and occasional highs during our quarantine, but my heart truly skipped a beat last week when Netflix dropped the new season of “Queer Eye.” I laugh and cry thru every single episode, and one of the shining reasons is this man: Jonathan Van Ness. For those don’t watch the show, he is the grooming expert and self-care guru. The way he transforms each participant’s hair and skin care routine is nothing short of stand-up-and-cheer amazing. He gives light and love to every story the fab five tackle, and his playful attitude is infectious. “Over The Top” is his time to shine and share his own story. He grew up in Quincy, Illinois, where his mother’s family owned the local broadcast company and newspaper. Despite having a loving mother and step-father, Jonathan was picked on, and bullied at school for being different, and sexually abused by an older boy at church. However, this didn’t stop him from becoming the first male cheerleader at his high school, and pursing his passion for skating. He dropped out of college to become a hairdresser, and took a detour into drugs and addiction. Despite the blow of being diagnosed HIV-positive, he was able to recover from his drug addiction and build a successful career as a stylist. His seven-season web series, “Gay of Thrones,” is a parody of the popular TV series, that brought him to the attention of the producers of “Queer Eye.” When he bonded with the other cast members at the audition, he was cast in the show and became an integral part of the team. His story is one of pain and suffering but also triumph and pure joy. His is a wizard with scissors, a master of transformation and a man whose story is inspiring to the core. To buy this book on Amazon click here.

Heavy: An American Memoir by Kiese Laymon

If there was ever a time to read more, it is now. Michelle Obama offered on Instagram the other day, “It starts with self-examination and listening to those whose lives are different from our own. It ends with justice, compassion, and empathy that manifests in our lives and on our streets.” With this guidance in mind, I read “Heavy” by essayist Kiese Laymon this week. It took me just three days to read this book because I could not put it down. Laymon’s memoir is about the weight of race, the heaviness of abuse, the haunting stigma of body shaming and the family ties that hold us back, and push us forward at the same time. Laymon grew up in Jackson, Mississippi, the son of a single mother who was also a political science professor. She made him read, write and dream big — while also beating him when he was just a little boy. Later when he was sexually abused by a college student/babysitter, he sought comfort in food and overeating became his best friend. College would lead to a new life, but his eating issues became centered on depravation rather than binging. He would lose a lot of weight and then gain it back, by over exercising and starving himself. His food issues parlayed themselves into another kind of addiction: gambling, a vice his mother secretly shared as well. His story is dark and sad, and yet at the same time filled to the brim with light because he uses his writer’s eye to process and feel everything that he is experiencing. He brings us into his world, and shows us the door through which he was able to march out, triumphantly. Laymon is currently an Associate Professor of English, Creative Writing and co-director of Africana Studies at Vassar College. To purchase this book on Amazon click here

"In Five Years" by Rebecca Serle

I am finding that being an adult right now is losing its luster for me. As we enter our fourth month of quarantine, all I want to do it sit in the sun on my husband’s deck and read a book. Let me improve upon that picture: All I want to do it sit on his deck, read a good book while eating Wheat Thins and drinking cold white wine from a plastic cup. Gone are my earlier days of quarantine when I cleaned closets, rolled my socks and painted my apartment. As summer approaches, let’s start cueing up the good romantic reads. “In Five Years” by Rebecca Serle puts an interesting twist on familiar girl-meets-boy scenario. In this story, a girl starts out preparing to marry one man, but suddenly wakes up five years later in the arms of another one. The story of what transpired in those five years provides the arc of this novel. New York lawyer, Dannie Cohan is the lead in this romance, and she must unravel the mystery of her own love story from the inside out. Is she destined to end up with David, the traditional legal-eagle choice for a partner? Or will she end up with Aaron, the bohemian and perhaps more spontaneous choice? In the center of this novel, is Dannie’s relationship with Bella, her best friend, her forever friend. Their friendship is put to the test when they are faced with those grownup problems we all secretly fear the most. “In Five Years” is a well-crafter, intelligent read for this summer, when we all need a break from the pace of daily worrying, and what-not. To buy this book on Amazon click here.

"Waiting for Godot" by Samuel Beckett

This stay-at-home quarantine is starting to feel like a “Waiting for Godot” type of situation. We are given dates when things will change, these dates arrive and then we are told things will change later on. We look forward to the warmth of the summer, and then fear the brutal fall that could be even worse than now. So to give some perspective on the situation, I would like to recommend “Waiting for Godot” as good, quick read for the month of June, 2020.  Written originally in French in 1948 by the Irish writer Samuel Beckett, “Waiting for Godot” is billed as a tragicomedy in two acts. It was one of my dad’s favorite plays. The play features two characters Vladimir and Estragon who are waiting for a character named Godot who seemingly is destined never to arrive. While they wait for Godot, they meet three other characters and engage in conversations about life, religion and friendship. Classified historically as an example of the Theatre of the Absurd, the play seems less absurd and more metaphorical when you think about it today. I read online that the word “godillot” means military boot in French, and is perhaps the inspiration for the title. Beckett fought in World War II, and historians have written that what brought him joy during the war was waiting for letters to come in the mail. Waiting is difficult, and finding strength and patience is even harder. World War II came to an end, and one day our pandemic will, too. We just have to find ways to enjoy the time in between. Reading is an excellent way to spend that time, and so is sending snail mail letters. To purchase this book on Amazon click here.

"Karamo: My Story of Embracing Purpose, Healing and Hope" By Karamo Brown

LLP Week #221: “Karamo: My Story of Embracing Purpose, Healing and Hope” by Karamo Brown

I have a lot to say about how much I love the “Queer Eye” show on Netflix. But let’s start here: Karamo Brown. In the series, he is billed as the “culture expert” but that does not even begin to describe the heart and soul of this wonderful man. He is more like the show’s social worker and psychotherapist, which is what he actually was trained to be. During the series, he spends his moments with participants not just seeing them, but seeing deeply within them into the person they were meant to be. His words in the show are both hypnotic and mesmerizing. His scenes are so riveting that I was excited to tackle his memoir and find out more about the man himself. Raised in the south, he grew up in a blended Jamaican-Cuban family. In high school and college he struggled not only with the person he wanted to be on the outside, but also on the inside. Early on in his life, he was faced with physical and emotional abuse, which later dovetailed into personal battles with drugs and alcohol. The revelations about his past seem almost startling when you see the calm-cool-and-collected way he is on television today. But then again, that is what is at the core of his creative memoir – finding your inner strength, confidence and self-love. He is now the single, gay father of two sons, one biological and one adopted. He is a tall, composed man who seems to almost radiate energy while he is helping others. “Karamo” is an inspiring read for those who are fans of the show, or even those who have never seen it. Anyone who has done the hard work on themselves, and survived, is a success story to me. To purchase this book on Amazon click here.

"Buddenbrooks: The Decline of a Family" by Thomas Mann

The other night my step-daughter Violet was sitting at the far end of our couch knitting , while I sat at the other end working on my latest needlepoint project, with a big magnifying glass around my neck. I glanced over at my husband, Jeff, who sat between us with a long look on his face that read, “We are all going to be on this couch together forever, and there is no end in sight.” Across the world, families are spending more time together than ever before, and with that togetherness comes some highs and some lows. As we all struggle with uncertain logistical and financial times ahead, I thought of Thomas Mann’s book “Buddenbrooks,” which he published in 1901, when he was only 26 years old.  The novel chronicles four decades in the life of a wealthy, bourgeois family of grain merchants in northern German from 1835 to 1877. Much like a modern-day soap opera, “Buddenbrooks” follows the threads of marriages, birthdays, divorces, deaths and re-marriages. For this particular family, the years bring  loss of  money, values and happiness. The book, which was highlighted during Mann’s Nobel Prize win, is said to be based on his own Mann family, and set in a town much like his own birthplace of Lubeck, Germany. The fact that he wrote such a rich novel at only 26 is impressive, considering it would be another 23 years until he wrote his legendary romance, “Magic Mountain.” In “Buddenbrooks,” Mann uses the structure of the family to exemplify the theme of artistic sensibility and creativity vs. financial success and wealth. If you are done streaming “Downton Abbey,” and are looking for a great 19th century family saga, look no further than Thomas Mann’s incredible “Buddenbrooks.”

To purchase this book on Amazon click here.

"Normal People" by Sally Rooney

LLP Week #219: “Normal People” by Sally Rooney

I have been thinking about it for a long time, and each time it crossed my mind I pushed it out of my head like a bad or dangerous thought. Did I need it? Was it necessary? Don’t I have enough things already with out adding another? I am a practical, extremely fragile person, but the thought would not go away. So today I broke down, and I did it. I signed up for Hulu. If not during a pandemic, then when? I was resisting it for so long because although it is only $5.99 a month, I have Netflix, Comcast and Amazon Prime filled with things to watch. But those portals do not have what I wanted this week: The 12-episode series of Sally Rooney’s “Normal People.” I signed up, watched the first episode and instead of regretting my decision, I stood up and said, “Hallelujah Hulu!” For those who have read “Normal People,” this television series is a must. But I want everyone to read the book first, to begin the journey the right way, to meet Marianne and Connell on the written page. The story begins simply enough in Ireland where a popular, high school soccer player falls for bookish, edgy, rich girl. His mother is the housekeeper at Marianne’s home, which presents a physical reason for them to sometimes see each other. They begin a relationship in secret, behind the eyes of their friends and family. When they wind up both attending Trinity College in Dublin, she grows more confident while he becomes more reserved and uneasy. During college they stay on each other’s radar, waiting more but not yet having the maturity or skills to craft an honest relationship. Again, their friends, family and circumstances seem to destroy their partnership, and even friendship, time after time. However, the chemistry when they are alone in the room never dims. Looking to read and then watch something to take your mind off Covid-19? Look no further than “Normal People.” Sexy. Romantic. Heartbreaking. Just dreamy and perfect for right now. To purchase this book on Amazon click here.

"Dear Girls: Intimate Tales, Untold Secrets & Advice for Living Your Best Life” By Ali Wong

Last Friday I had a laughing fit at the hospice where I work. Nobody believes me when I tell them how much fun I have at my hospice.  The fact that I get paid to work with some of the best people I have ever met, makes me want to hang onto this job for a long time. So back to the laughing fit. I was re-enacting something amusing I had seen for my colleague Lillian, and the more I laughed, the more she laughed. We were so loud that a nurse came in and said, “It sounds so nice to hear people laughing again.” That’s what we need, people – more laughing in the face of the pandemic. “Dear Girls” by Ali Wong is a refreshing, laugh-out-loud read crafted as letters to her two young pre-school age daughters. By refreshing I mean this is not the kind of book you are going to read every day. Some reviews described it as “unfiltered” which is a code word for “raunchy.” But sometimes hard-core honesty can be hilarious when it comes to sex, dating, childbirth, marriage and life on the road as a comic. Wong is best known for her Netflix specials “Baby Cobra” and “Always Be My Maybe.” She grew up in San Francisco, the youngest of four girls, and the daughter of a Kaiser anesthesiologist. After attending the Katherine Delmar Burke School and University High School, she went to UCLA and then studied in Vietnam on a Fulbright scholarship. She found her way back to San Francisco where she launched a career as a stand-up comedian. Her routines are clever, modern, insightful and sometimes even disgusting. But even a disgusting story in the hands of Ali Wong has a little charm, too. Her husband, Justin Hakuta, has the last word by writing the final chapter. This thoughtful man seems to not only appreciate his talented wife, but also has developed the self-assurance to let his wife take center stage, while he proudly mans the merch table after the show. To purchase this book on Amazon click here.

Fleishman is in Trouble by Taffy Brodesser-Akner

Someone close to me is getting a divorced. I thought my own divorce was challenging, but I can’t imagine trying to get separated or divorced during a world-wide pandemic. That being said, I know she will get through this and be stronger for it. That is the good news about divorce, and probably surviving a pandemic too: If you can survive, you will go on to thrive in a new and different way. “Fleishman is in Trouble” is the story of Toby Fleishman, a Manhattan liver specialist, who is has recently gotten divorced from his talent agent wife, Rachel. Toby is enjoying his new life full of all the dating apps he can handle, while also juggling his job and part-time custody of two teenagers. Divorce-life seems off to a good start, until suddenly Rachel heads off to a yoga retreat, and does not come back as planned. Rachel’s disappearance not only makes Toby uneasy, it also makes him somewhat reflective and introspective. He reaches out to his single friend Seth, as well as married friend Libby, a girl he once met on a summer trip to Israel. For Toby, Seth and Libby, their pasts and their future relationships come into question. Is it better to be married, or single, or perhaps just alone?  “Fleishman is in Trouble” is a modern story much like “Where’d You Go, Bernadette” by Maria Semple. Life can get very messy, and sometimes just getting through the day without going crazy is the goal. To purchase this book on Amazon click here

The Alice Network by Kate Quinn

Everybody is using the analogy that we are in the middle of a war against this Covid-19 virus. So, I thought I would recommend a book about World War I (1914-1918) and World War II (1939-1945) to give us some perspective. Looking back at the battles fought in world wars can help remind us that life can get back to normal again. “The Alice Network” by Kate Quinn features the pregnant and unmarried Charlie St. Clair, who is on the verge of being thrown out by her socialite parents, a few years after the end of World War II.  Instead of stewing in her trouble, Charlie embarks on a quest to find her beloved cousin Rose, who disappeared in Nazi-occupied France during World War II. Charlie’s search leads her to London to meet Eve, a woman drinking her sorrows away, along with her side-kick Quinn. Eve, it turns out, was involved in a network of female spies working in France during World War I right under the enemies’ noses. How Charlie’s story (WWII) and Eve’s past (WWI) become intermingled is at the  core of this riveting book. Together Charlie and Eve must band together to find and confront their common enemy. For fans of historical fiction, or fans of a good plot, this offers a rich journey back to a time in our world’s history when life felt different than normal, just like now. People survived WWI and WWII, and we will survive Covid-19. Thank you Denise Young for suggesting this book, and Jay Elliot please read this immediately. To purchase this book on Amazon click here.

My Morning Routine: How Successful People Start Every Day Inspired By Benjamin Spall and Michael Xander

There is a silver lining to all of this. Families with children in California are riding their bicycles every single day, and it makes me feel like I’m in Studio City in the mid-1970s. I miss my white, three-speed Schwinn with the streamers on the handlebars. But if the world wanted to start riding bikes again in the neighborhood, I wish there was an easier way than hosting a pandemic. Our routines are seriously out of synch, most specifically the morning routine. Right before the virus hit our world, I read this book: “My Morning Routine” by Benjamin Spall and Michael Xander. This little book delves into the lives of more than 60 successful athletes, entrepreneurs, tech leaders and writers who describe in detail how they start their days. The authors maintain that how you start your morning is directly linked to how productive and ultimately successful your entire day will be. Not surprising, many people start with coffee, oatmeal and exercise. But from there the routines differ greatly. Some people read physical newspapers or books, while other hit the computer, tablet or phone for their information. Some early risers use an alarm clock, others wake up on their own, and some even place their alarm clocks in other rooms to beckon them from a distance. I loved seeing the special morning rituals of tidy goddess, Marie Kondo. I enjoyed stepping into the apartment of Food 52’s Amanda Hesser and seeing her interact with her writer-husband, Tad Friend. And, I was fascinated by all of the coffee making rituals, especially those of James Freeman, the founder of Blue Bottle Coffee. The plethora of fruit smoothie recipes abound. I learned new things I have now adopted into my own morning routine. For example, I drink a tall, cold glass of cold water upon waking up to give my body a signal that it is time to start the day. “My Morning Routine” is an excellent book to read any time of year, but most especially, now. This book will help remind you that this pandemic is only temporary, and we will one day be back to our once familiar routines. To purchase this book on Amazon click here.

New Cardiff by Charles Webb

When my mother was a little girl growing up in Cincinnati, she was diagnosed with Scarlet fever. This is an infection accompanied by a rash, sore throat and high fever. The health department came and quarantined my mother and her family in their house. And then they went a step further: they burned all of my mother’s books. The health officials believed that the bacteria would remain in the pages of her books, so her books were thrown into an incinerator. Barbara Marshall never forgot the sadness of losing her books and has been a book collector ever since. As most of us across the world are now spending more time in our homes because of the Covid-19 virus, I have been looking at my own book collection more often. This one book keeps waving at me, “Remember me?! I am the book that made you laugh the hardest.”  If there was ever a time that we as a world need to find a reason to laugh, it is now. For this, II would like to recommend “New Cardiff” by Charles Webb. Yes, Webb also wrote “The Graduate,” and yes, that is his most famous book upon which the Dustin Hoffman movie was based. However, I am here to tell you that “New Cardiff” is one gem of a book. My sister and I still laugh out loud when we talk about.  The novel centers around the life of Colin Ware, an English illustrator, who leaves Europe on the heels of a terrible break up with his fiancé, Vera. He takes refuge in the small town of New Cardiff, Vermont, which is inhabited by a quirky and odd group of people. Colin immediately is fascinated by the local residents and begins drawing their portraits. When he meets Mandy, a local woman who works at a nursing home, he thinks perhaps the town will hold not only a new life but a new love for him as well. Everything seems to be off to a good start until his former fiancé, Vera crosses the pond and makes her triumphant return into Colin’s life. Like Webb’s book “The Graduate,” the book “New Cardiff” was also made into a movie starring Colin Firth. I stop for anything Colin. So read the book. Then watch the movie. You’re welcome. To purchase this book on Amazon click here.

The Light We Lost by Jill Santopolo

A shelter-in-place-order was issued this week for San Francisco as well as Marin counties, which I toggle between a few times a week. I operate at a general level of high anxiety all the time, so this Covid-19 virus is like throwing gasoline on my fire-filled brain. am still going to work at my hospice, because as a health service, it was deemed an essential job. This is the good news because work for me is a great distraction when it feels like the world is coming to an end. I love my job so much, and the amazing people I work with. Being of service feels not only right but also purposeful. While this pandemic’s feeling of hopelessness seems new it also reminds me of September 11, 2001, when many of us had a similar feeling about the world ending. The parallel reminded me of this book: “The Light We Lost” by Jill Santopolo. This novel is a love story that begins on September 11, 2001, when Lucy meets Gabe for the first time. The timing is pivotal because it shows that even in the middle of a tragic event, or a shelter-in-place order, good things can grow. After meeting at Columbia University, Lucy and Gabe do a dance that typical people in their 20s do: Are we friends? Or should we take the next step and become more than friends? Lucy becomes a producer of children’s TV shows, and Gabe pursues his passion for photography. Gabe decides that his future as a combat photographer is more important than developing a relationship, and he leaves America. Heartbroken, Lucy becomes involved with another man, Darren. But rather than that being the end of Lucy and Gabe’s love story, it is only the beginning. “The Light We Lost” would make an excellent read for those taking shelter from the Coronavirus, or those just wanting to read a good old-fashioned love story. To purchase this book on Amazon click here.

Anne Frank's Diary: A Graphic Adaptation by Ari Folman and David Polonsk

To view Siena’s review of this wonderful book please click here. And then to purchase this book on Amazon click here.

Long Walk Out of the Woods: A Physician’s Story of Addiction, Depression, Hope and Recovery” By Adam B. Hill, MD

I went to London for the weekend to support my sister, Kathleen, and my mother, Barbara who were part of the producing team for “Pretty Woman: The Musical,” for which my dad wrote the script with J.F. Lawton. Many people thought I was crazy to travel so far for such a short amount of time. I, however, do not find travel difficult because all you need is a good book. I took along “Long Walk Out of the Woods” by Adam B. Hill, MD, which is a memoir written by a palliative pediatric oncologist. I work three and a half days a week at a hospice in Marin County, and I have great admiration for the nurses and doctors who oversee the care of our patients – those who often have six months to a year to live. I am sure that even for doctors with no mental health or addiction problems it has to be a hard job. But imagine if you are a doctor who does suffer from depression, alcoholism and suicidal thoughts, what it must feel like to have chosen to practice in a field where you must deliver patients a terminal diagnosis. Dr. Hill has struggled with depression since childhood, and it only grew worse when he went to medical school and started self-medicating with alcohol. After the loss of each one of his patients, he would head straight to the liquor store. When he could no longer hide his addiction from his wife, he knew he had to get help. Unfortunately, his honestly almost cost him his job as a doctor. He had to fight to get himself back into the fold of being a doctor by working on an Indian reservation, which had less stringent rules about doctors suffering from mental illness. Dr. Hill wrote this book to share his story in order to encourage others to ask for help rather than suffer in silence with depression or suicidal thoughts. My daughter Charlotte, who graduates from Emory this spring with a master’s degree in public health, first brought this book to my attention. I’m grateful for her recommendation. It certainly made my twelve-hour flight home from London zoom by, and made me appreciate Dr. Hill and his wise words. Authors who share their pain and growth are my favorite kind of writers. If you would like to purchase this book on Amazon please click here.

"Inside Out" by Demi Moore

This book has everything I like to read about: romance, addiction, fame, divorce, and celebrity struggles with a little “General Hospital” thrown in for good measure. I have been a fan of Demi Moore’s since 1981 when she first appeared on “General Hospital” as journalist Jackie Templeton. In fact, I was such a fan, that I still know the name of her first husband, musician Freddy Moore. So, I was excited to read Moore’s memoir “Inside Out” which chronicles everything from her traumatic childhood in Roswell, New Mexico, to her rise to becoming one of Hollywood’s top paid actresses. The book follows her career as well as her marriages to Moore, then to actors Bruce Willis and Ashton Kutcher. We get to see her meet these men, have three daughters with Willis, and sadly see each marriage unravel for different reasons. Some celebrity memoirs suffer from rose-colored descriptions of friends and family, but Moore does not hold back nor faint from telling her truth about the people who have treated her well, and those who have not. Many reviewers use the word “resilience” about this memoir, and that is the perfect characterization. She had incredible highs in her career, and some heartbreaking lows, but she is still here, still standing, and still working in Hollywood. To an outsider looking in, show business seems like one of the hardest jobs to tackle because it is so fraught with rejection. But Moore somehow channels an inner strength to survive and thrive for more than 40 years. That’s an impressive number in any profession. After reading this book, I’m still a big fan and I think other readers will be too. To buy this book on Amazon click here.