Connie: A Memoir by Connie Chung

When I was young, there were not many female role models in the world of television journalism. Only three who stand out to me: Barbara Walters, Jane Pauley and Connie Chung. In a field plagued by not only misogyny but also overt racism, Chung became a trailblazer by being the first Asian woman to host the evening news on CBS. "Connie: A Memoir" is a witty, intelligent, deep dive into one of the true icons of network news. She is the youngest of 10 children, and the only one born in the United States. The others were born in China, where the only three boys in the family died young. Her parents put incredible pressure on her not only to succeed, but to succeed financially to support their own lifestyle. She was a hard worker but also an ambitious one. Despite being passed over by various men including Dan Rather, she never gave up or doubted her own worth. She just moved on, determined to play in a field dominated by white anchormen. Along the way she helped and encouraged other women, and became the inspiration for hundreds of Asian women across the nation who were named Connie in her honor. Her life behind the camera is equally interesting and includes insight into her long-time marriage to television personality Maury Povich, as well as their two daughters and one son. This book is not only a well-written memoir but also a historical analysis of the broadcasting business over the last five decades. Well done, Connie Chung. To buy this book on Amazon click here.

Live Fast by Brigitte Giraud

“We tell ourselves stories in order to live,” said one of my favorite authors, Joan Didion. It is a quote that so often is associated with not only Didion but also grief and loss. I thought about this quote as I was listening to Brigitte Giraud’s beautifully crafted novel “Live Fast.” Now this novel is not a pure work of fiction, rather is it based on an event that happened to Brigitte in 1999 in France. Her partner Claude crashed in a motorcycle accident on his way to pick up their son from school. He was just 41 years old, and the motorcycle did not belong to him. It was left in their garage by Brigitte’s brother for safe keeping as he went on vacation. In “Live Fast,” Giraud combs over the series of events that lead to the unlikely accident. Like a detective examining a crime, she goes over Claude’s workday as a music librarian, from the moment she found out he died, and through the type of Honda Fireblade motorcycle and its history of accidents. Heart-breaking, analytical, poignant and precise, the novel is clearly a therapeutic way for Giraud to work on her own grief, still fresh some 26 years later. What I loved most about this book was how matter-of-fact it was. There is no sugar coating the details of Claude’s life. There is only a retelling of the details of his accident. People come and go, and some die tragically. Claude’s body died, however, within the pages of Giraud’s book he will never be forgotten. His story, his life, and her love for him live on every time someone reads her book. To buy this book on Amazon click here.

A Great Marriage by Frances Mayes

I am having a Frances Mayes renaissance. Best known for her book "Under the Tuscan Sun," I recently picked up her book, "A Great Marriage," which was published in 2024. With my beloved San Rafael library under construction, I had to hike into the temporary location on 4th Street to pick up this treasure. I had just finished this book when my friend, Nick, coincidentally gifted me a bottle of Mayes signature olive oil and then sent along her recipe collection, "The Tuscan Sun Cookbook." So, all signs are now pointing me toward Frances Mayes, and I'm loving her. The novel "A Great Marriage" was an excellent page turner. When Dara and Austin call off their wedding in North Carolina just days before the nuptials are to take place, everyone is confused. When Dara fleas to California and Austin returns to his family in London, everyone is disappointed. They were the perfect couple, who had a bright future together until a woman from Austin's past returns. Dara is sent reeling and Austin is heartbroken. They cannot bear to be in the same room together, and face what could have been. What I loved about this book was the characters and their ability to adjust to the situation. Life is messy, and it so often does not turn out how we planned it. But those that survive it, with grace and flexibility, are often those who can hang on to true love. Follow the author @francesmayes on Instagram To buy this book on Amazon click here.

We'll Prescribe You a Cat by Syou Ishida, translated by E. Madison Shimoda

I love anything Japanese. From clothing and food, to stationery and fashion, I just gravitate to anything that even has the hint of Asian flair. I love the country's organization, tradition, spirituality, and pageantry. So, when I saw this book, "We'll Prescribe You a Cat," I could not wait to dive, because it reminded me of a cat I once had named Tousle. When I met her, I was very reluctant, but the more I got to know her the more she changed my life. My suspicion of her was soon replaced by a very close relationship. In this book, the cat story starts in Japan. Tucked away on the fifth floor of an old building in Kyoto, is the Nakagyo Kokoro Clinic for the Soul. It is a place that draws people struggling with their jobs, their families, or their lives in general. Each patient, from a child to a geisha, is prescribed a cat to help cure what ails them. The cat then showers medicinal properties upon its owner, and turns the person's life around. The power of the human-animal bond is celebrated and provides a transformative experience for all who are willing to take a chance on hope. A bestselling book in Japan, this book is just what the doctor ordered. To buy this book on Amazon click here.

Mr Penumbra's 24-Hour Bookstore: A Novel by Robin Sloan

When Jeff and I were in Buenos Aires in December, we went to a bookstore called El Ateneo Grand Splendid. Set inside an old theatre, the array of books is stunning, and on multiple levels with floor to ceiling books everywhere. I loved this store so much it almost made me cry. I didn’t want to leave, and I wish I had something like it in San Francisco. It was like my beloved Green Apple Books on steroids. In 2019, El Ateneo Grand Splendid was named the “world’s most beautiful bookstore” by National Geographic. I fall hard for a good bookstore, and even more for a novel set in a bookstore. “Mr. Penumbra’s 24-hour Bookstore” was written by one of my favorite authors, Robin Sloan. He wrote the book “Sourdough,” set in San Francisco, but before that he wrote this book also set in our city. His hero Clay gets a job at a hole-in-the-wall bookstore, where he sees customers enter, but leave without buying anything. He notices some of them check out books from mysterious corners of the store. Clay begins to track the patterns of the customers, and the mysterious happenings within Mr. Penumbra’s shop. Part mystery and part fantasy, this is a wonderful read. My only wish is that Robin Sloan would write more frequently. I love his books and cannot wait to read more of them. To buy this book on Amazon click here.

The Story of a Heart by Rachel Clarke

I remember the day a few years ago when I got my new driver’s license. There was a small blue sticker included in the envelope, and if you put this stick on your driver’s license it identifies you as an organ donor. Without hesitation, I put the sticker on my license and proudly put it in my wallet. If my organs can no longer serve my body, I would consider it an honor and a privilege to donate them to another, or better yet a few different people. This is the territory of “The Story of a Heart” by Dr. Rachel Clarke, which my friend Page, who lives in London told me about. Clarke chronicles a real-life heart donation between two nine-year olds, Keira and Max, at the Royal Papworth Hospital NHS Foundation Trust in Cambridge, England. The story starts when Keira is in a horrific car accident with her mother and brother. All three are taken to different hospitals, and the prognosis for all three is grim. Keira sustained the most serious injuries. Keira’s dad and three sisters, not involved in the accident, rush to the hospital to Keira’s bedside. Her sisters cheerfully hug her, comb her hair and call her by her nickname “Bob.” However, despite showering Keira with love, it is clear she is not going to survive. She is placed on life support, with no hope of recovery. The hospital’s team approaches her dad with the idea of organ donation, and without much hesitation he and her sisters agree this is something Keira would want. All three showed such clarity, ultimate charity, and such awareness and maturity. It is beautiful. Immediately the transplant team go to their list of patients needing Keira’s heart and other organs. A boy named Max is then moved to the top of the list because of his age and chronically fragile heart. We meet the transplant team, see the parents of both children, and follow along with the ultimately successful organ transplant of Keira’s heart into Max’s body. Along the way the author also conveys fascinating information on the history of organ donation, which has come a long way. “The Story of a Heart” is a beautiful book and an important book. It demonstrates how tragedy can be transformed into hope and promise, even in the middle of great loss. To buy this book on Amazon click here.

From Under the Truck by Josh Brolin

Anyone who knows me well, knows that one of the things that made me anxious as a child was doing cameos in my dad’s TV shows and movies. I didn’t like being in front of the camera because then I was no longer his daughter, but rather one of his actors. Regardless, he insisted I appear in each one of his projects, because he wanted me to see what he did for a living. The complicated life of being the child of a Hollywood persona is the territory of Josh Brolin’s new memoir, “Under the Truck.” As the son of actor James Brolin, Josh spent his childhood not with his dad but rather with his mother. While his dad was making television shows like “Marcus Welby M.D,.” Josh was on a ranch in Paso Robles where he had little exposure to his famous father’s acting career. Through high school, Josh lived with this brother, James, and mother, Jane Agee Brolin. His mother was a drinker, and he explains she turned him into her drinking buddy when he was just 8 years old. His unconventional childhood came to a crashing end when his mother died young, and he opted out of the life on the ranch and pursued an acting career. An early stint in “Goonies” brought him into the limelight. He later became a familiar face in movies such as “No Country for Old Men,” “W.,” “Milk” “Wall Street,” “Labor Day,” and “Dune.” His memoir travels back and forth in time between his childhood, and present day, as he explores not only his mother’s hold on him, but also his complicated feelings about Hollywood, love, drug and alcohol addition, loyalty, and parenthood. Now the father of four children, Brolin credits becoming a dad with helping him comes to terms with his own tattered childhood. And he seems to be friends now with his own father, James and wife Barbra Steisand. To buy this book on Amazon click here.

“The Housemaid” by Freida McFadden

I loaded a few books on my tablet for Phish Mexico last month, but I could not help myself from bringing one paperback book. If my tablet runs out of power, and I am stuck with nothing to read, it would be one of my biggest fears. So, after picking up “The Housemaid” at my local library, it fit easily into my backpack. As many of you know, I don’t normally read scary books but this one interested me. Later this year it will be released as a movie starring Sydney Sweeney and Amanda Seyfried. The book is a page turner, to say the least. While other women on the beach in Cancun were trading copies of different Elin Hilderbrand books, I was shrieking out loud over “The Housemaid.” Set in Long Island, the book follows a young woman, recently released from prison, who goes to work as a maid/nanny at the home of a upwardly-mobile couple with one young daughter. When the maid, Millie Calloway, is hired to work for Nina and Andrew Winchester, she thinks her life is finally starting to turn around. She sees the position as a fresh start and way to rebuild her life. However, from the beginning something is off about the Winchester house, including Nina’s room upstairs that has a lock on the outside of the door. As handsome Andrew dashes off to work each morning. Millee is left to fend for herself against the erratic, Nina and her doll-like daughter, Cece. As this was my first McFadden book, I was beyond impressed how she took the reader down a well-crafted odyssey with unreliable narrators at seemingly every turn. Whether you are traveling soon to a desert island, or just want to read a good book under your weighted blanket, “The Housemaid” is one that will leave you saying, “What the heck is happening now?” And apparently, we can follow Millee again in McFadden’s next book “The Housemaid’s Secret.” To buy this book on Amazon click here.

The Let Them Theory by Mel Robbins

Recently my husband and I went to see Phish in Cancun, Mexico. On the third night, I agreed to make Jeff very happy by going in very close to stage. To get one of these coveted spots, we had to get to the venue and grab our small plot of sand 90 minutes before the show. What I love about this plan, was that you get to meet interesting people while waiting, and you have plenty of time to talk. We met this couple from Alabama and the wife asked me to take a picture with her husband, as it was her 40th birthday. She was a little tipsy and as I was handing her back her phone she said, “Let Them.” I said, “Excuse me?” She said, “The Let Them Theory” by Mel Robbins. It is life changing! My mom and I both thought so.” I guess in the middle of a Phish show, I stuck out as a 61-year-old book lover, and I’m proud of it. She was not offering me a hit from a joint, or shot of tequila. She was offering me a book title! The irony is that I had already downloaded the book on my tablet to read by my favorite infinity pool across from Joe’s Deck restaurant at Moon Palace. I’m here to say the book is life-changing just as my Phish friend from Alabama suggested. Smart, innovative and really wise, this book is like no other self-help book I have ever read. The reason it stands out is that Robbins gives messy, uncomfortable and even cringe-worthy examples from her own life, and the lives of her friends and family, to make her points. And that is why this material is resonating with so many people. This book is honest because in a world of successful, slender, wealthy beautiful people, life is messy and out of our control. Robbins herself was once out of work and $800,000 in debt, while her husband’s career was tanking, too. But she found a way to make her plight serve her. She has written other books promoting her brand, but this book is perhaps a winner because it taps into the heart of people who are both winning and losing. Are you happy? Let them envy you and help them. Are you unhappy? Fine a way to make them let you back in. Do you want to be more driven? Let them be your source of inspiration. Are you down on your luck and need a lift up? Fine a way to let them lift you up. Stop worrying about what other people think, and forge your own path triumphantly. So many podcasters, authors and self-help mentors start out interesting at first, and dim over time. But I am here to tell you that Mel Robbin’s star is rising, and if you want to read a book that will shake up your life, read “The Let Them Theory.” To buy this book on Amazon click here

Cher: A Memoir Part One

If you are reading this, I am sitting on a chaise lounge in Cancun, getting ready to see a Phish show at Moon Palace. This is my umpteenth Phish show with Jeff. I stopped counting after I could recite the lyrics to “Bath Tub Gin,” “Farmhouse,” and “Simple.” We never intended to follow Phish to Mexico every year, but it has become a tradition because we like seeing live music together, especially at the beach. One of my first exposures to live music was watching the “Sonny & Cher Comedy Hour” which ran from 1971-1974. I loved that show so much. It was not just the music, guest stars and costumes, but the banter between Sonny and Cher that made the show so magical. They were sassy and irreverent, and just looked so cool together. Last week I finished all 16 hours of “Cher: The Memoir Part One” on audiobook. It was as exciting as Barbra Steisand’s memoir of 2024. Cher met Sonny when she was just a teenager. But the time she was 21 years old, she had had three miscarriages. Sonny was part husband and protector, but also part manipulator and psychological abuser. The book chronicles their early days making music that riveled the Beatles on the record charts, through their television series, and into their messy divorce. The fact she achieved her freedom from Sonny only to run into the arms of heroin addict Gregg Allman, is another sad misstep on the road to becoming Cher. But the one thing about Cher that holds true throughout the book is that she does not give up. When bad things happen, she does not wallow in them. She picks herself up, puts on her best Bob Mackie dress with sequins, and gets back on stage, as she should. Cher is a legend, and this book gives a wonderful insight into what it was like to be her during her years in television and married to Sonny. The book ends on the eve of her movie career, when she runs across old friend Francis Ford Coppola. Acting was a dream Cher had been keeping secret for a long time, and no doubt Part Two will follow her shining star onto the big screen. I can’t wait for Part Two. To buy this book on Amazon click here.

The Space That Keeps You by Jeremiah Brent

I have been reading posts, and feeling heart-sick about friends, family and even strangers who have lost their homes in the Los Angeles wildfires. The daunting task of rebuilding, and turning a plot of land into a home again reminded me of this book “The Space That Keeps You” by interior designer/TV personality Jeremiah Brent. So full disclosure, my friend Fran and I predicted the fame of Jeremiah back in 2020 when he starred in a Netflix series called “Say I Do: Surprise Weddings.” You probably have not seen it, but the content is excellent. In that series, Jeremiah stole every single scene, and made everyone cry, including me and Fran. Flash forward to 2025, Jeremiah has joined the cast of the new season of “Queer Eye,” and again is stealing every scene and making everyone cry. He is a smart, kind, shining-light-of-a-man. I have never met him, but I just know he is a gem. He has been married to designer Nate Berkus for more than 10 years, and the two share children, Poppy and Oskar, who also are in this book. “The Space that Keeps You” features Jeremiah’s own homes in New York City and Portugal, as well as those homes of Oprah Winfrey, Michael Hainey & Brooke Cundiff, James & Alexandra Brown, Tracy & Brian Robbins, and more. The book includes personal memories, family photos and moving stories about the influences on ancestors who shape the current residents of each home in the U.S. and abroad. The big takeaway from the book is this: a house has four walls, but a home is created by the people who live inside and make memories together. Jeremiah has created a gorgeous book, and I can only imagine it is an extension of his open and generous heart. To buy this book on Amazon click here.

I Could Live Here Forever by Hanna Halperin

Many years ago, a friend called me and told me our mutual friend had died. He went on to say this friend died of a heroin overdose. I showed empathy, and sympathy for the friend’s passing. But when I hung up the phone, I thought, “WTF?! We have a friend who was a heroin addict? And now he has died?” I did not know about his secret, and I was truly baffled. “I Could Live Here Forever” by Hannah Halperin is the story of how a Madison, Wisconsin, writing student falls in love with a heroin addict. The tricky part is that she knew about his addiction almost upon their first meeting, yet she did nothing to shy away from their relationship. I wanted to jump inside this book, rescue the young lady, and talk some sense into her. However, she had to live and learn. When Leah meets Charlie in line at the grocery story, sparks fly immediately. When he soon admits he is in recovery, she lets her guard down even more, thinking his struggles are behind him. He promises her he will never use heroin again, and she believes him. He lies again, and she believes him again. Thus begins the roller coast of his erratic behavior, and her isolation from her own family and friends. Leah is a believer in love, yet her co-dependent relationship with Charlie becomes a maze. She needs to find the strength and conviction to find a way out, before it brings them both down. Painfully realistic, this well-written book is a deep dive into the horrors of love and addiction. To buy this book on Amazon click here.

All The Beauty In The World by Patrick Bringley

The scenes of the fire ravaged streets of Pacific Palisades and Altadena are apocalyptic. Having grown up in Los Angeles, I cannot even recognize the city of my youth. The mountains, palm streets and beaches are now covered in ash and destruction, with wildfires still raging everywhere. The posts by people on Instagram who have lost their homes is nothing short of heartbreaking. There is loss, sadness and most of all grieving to be done. How does one deal with a loss so painful it hurts? This is a book about grieving. "All the Beauty in the World" by Patrick Bringley is the story of how the author lost his older brother to cancer in his 20s. The loss was unthinkable. How could his successful, healthy older brother die, and leave behind a young wife? Bringley was working at the New Yorker Magazine at the time, but he soon gave up that job to grieve. He decided to take a job as an official guard at the Metropolitan Museum of Art. This job quite literally saved him. Going to the museum for his shift, standing in his assigned location and putting his uniform on, gave him structure, purpose and the chance to calmly, peacefully mourn the loss of his brother. The book almost reads like a play, as we meet his fellow guards, hear about the exhibits, and befriend the visitors to the museum, some frequent times. The longer he works at the job, the more Bringley comes back to life again, and then he marries and has two children. After the grief becomes easier to hold, hope emerges. My prayers are with Bringley and his family, and the people of Los Angeles as they all try to find hope in the middle of pain, suffering and loss. Bringley found beauty in the museum. May the residents of Los Angeles find beauty in each other, as they face the task of rebuilding the city of angels. To buy this book on Amazon click here.

It Starts With Us by Colleen Hoover

I watch Tik Tok for 10 minutes each day from 6:20 am to 6:30 am. I love the content, don’t get me wrong. However, left to my own devices I might be on it all day long trying to decide what recipe to make or what Koren sunscreen to buy. So it's best to put limits on myself. Right now, my feed is dominated by influencers commenting on Blake Lively’s sexual harassment suit against Justin Baldoni over the film “It Ends With Us.” Along with a smear campaign, a porn addiction, as well as leaked text messages, the story has a lot of moving parts. Colleagues who worked on the movie have come out in support of Lively and against Baldon's inappropriate behavior. The issue I do not see people talking about is the book’s sequel. What will become of “It Starts With Us,” Hoover’s book that picks up after “It Ends With Us” concludes. This book follows the story of Lily and Atlas, as well as the end of the marriage of Lily to Ryle. Switching back and forth between Lily and Atlas’ perspective, the story provides insight into what it is like to date a woman with a child, who also has an extremely aggressive and angry ex-husband. This is sadly not fictional as I know a lot of women who went through a situation like this.  The more I read Hoover’s books the more I like the way she tells such a different and unique story in each one of them. The issue of course is that it is unlikely Lively and Baldoni will ever be in another movie together.  So, if “It Starts With Us” is ever made into a movie, it will need a whole new cast. But stories that depict people looking for love, despite the obstacles, are stories I want to read and see on the big screen. So I hope Hollywood can figure out how to make this one into a film, too. To buy this book on Amazon click here.

What I Ate in One Year by Stanley Tucci

The Christmas holidays have a lot of strange food rituals associated with it. I have no interested in peppermint bark, eggnog smoothies, or any coffee drink with a holiday theme. What I do like to eat during the holiday season is Italian food. Think of a rich marinera sauce, ribbons of pasta in a homemade pesto or a light-as-a feather stracciatella soup. This is the domain of Stanley Tucci’s new book “What I Ate in One Year.” The award-winning actor and best-selling author has chronicled all the food he consumed in one year in London, where he lives, and abroad on various business trips. Many of the meals feature his wife Felicity and their young children Millie and Mateo. He also has three children from his first marriage to his late wife, Kate. He learned to love food from his parents, so it makes sense that one of the things he loves to do is make food for his family, as well as the handful of celebrity friends who parade through his kitchen. Judging from what he eats, you would think Tucci was a much larger man than he is. But daily workouts as well as steering clear of fast and junk food keep him trim. For the most part, he prepares his meals himself, even on his movie sets where he often makes his own soup for the week. The book is charming, witty and exactly like the man himself. I listened to it on audio and couldn’t wait to get in my car each day to spend time with Stanley. Whether he was dishing on a terrific restaurant in Rome, or critiquing the food in an airport lounge, his recipes about family and food are entertainment from the appetizer to the dessert. To buy this book on Amazon click here.

"What Does It Feel Like?" By Sophie Kinsella

Give me a good novella! A book you can read in one day,and feel enriched and changed for the better. "What Does It Feel Like?" is the story of a fictional novelist named Eve who wakes up in a hospital bed, confused. Her husband explains she has just had brain surgery, to remove a malignant tumor. Eve then struggles with how to deal with the diagnosis and tell her children. Thus begins this novella by best-selling and very prolific author Sophie Kinsella. While the story stands on its own as a thoughtful meditation on being diagnosed with cancer, there is a twist. In 2022, Kinsella was diagnosed with glioblastoma. She kept the diagnosis secret for a while from her fans and readers, in order to let her children adjust to the "new normal" of having a sick mom. Kinsell, whose real name is Madeleine Sophie Wickham, has 5 children with her husband, Henry. So, the thread of this book lives very close to home for the author. She said she wrote the book to help make sense of the diagnosis and how it changed, and altered, her outlook on life and death. She began to appreciate life with new eyes and a more sensitive heart. The author is currently getting treatment in London. You can follow her here @sophiekinsellawriter  To buy this book on Amazon click here.

How Not To Die Alone by Logan Ury

I recently binged the new Netflix series “The Later Daters.” Produced by Michelle Obama, the series chronicles six baby boomers in their 60s as they try to fine love again. The show is quite honest, and sometimes so awkward, that is shines of realness from beginning to end. One of the best parts of the show is the advice from author and dating coach Logan Ury. She doesn’t sugar coat her advice, rather she insists the participants listen to her in order to find success, and many of them do. “How Not To Die Alone” is Ury’s scientific, self-help book for finding love, getting married, and even breaking up if necessary. She uses her background as a behavioral scientist to bring new awareness to the pitfalls of dating. She tackles how to find success on the dating apps, as well as how to find your match in real life. Just like in the show “The Later Daters,” Ury does not tell couples to look for sparks or romantic bells and whistles when looking for love. Rather she wants daters to plan, prepare and strategize in order to find the relationship they always dreamed of. This is a book for people looking for a partner, and also a book for those people who feel stuck and frustrated. In Ury’s eyes, there is always hope and potential waiting around the corner. To buy this book on Amazon click here.

Grief is for People by Sloane Crosley

The flip side of all of this family time full of fluffy mashed potatoes and gravy, of course, is grief. The grief for this people we have lost, who are no longer at the dining room table. We have not forgotten them, and yet we cannot hug them and see them as we once did. I think about grief every day, and I never seem to make much sense of it. Recently I shared a hotel room with my sister in Evanston, and this book "Grief is for People" by Sloane Crosley was on her bedside table. When I asked her what it was about, Kathleen said, "A burglar breaks into this woman's New York apartment, and steals all her jewelry. Shortly after that, her gay best friend commits suicide." Hmm. Ok then. I had to find out more. This memoir is kind of the anti-memoir in that Crosley doesn't really want to be writing this story, but she has to in order to make sense of what happened. I find the reluctant memoir fascinating. Even more interesting is that Crosley and her friend Russell worked in the glitz and glam or Manhattan publishing during the early 2000s, including on the controversial memoir "A Million Little Pieces" by James Frey. This is not a book that is tied up neatly in a bow at the end. Rather it is a raw and honest tale about a young woman trying the make sense of the fact that bad things happen to good people. The ending poses the questions, "How do we continue to live and to grieve?" And that is a question that is still to be determined. To buy this book on Amazon click here.

Be Ready When the Luck Happens: A Memoir by Ina Garten

The holidays are about family and food, so I would like to recommend a memoir written by one of America’s most famous chefs, Ina Garten.  In “Be Ready When the Luck Happens,” the famous cookbook author takes us beyond the walls of her kitchen, into her personal life. The jovial Barefoot Contessa had a childhood far from happy, because of a mother who was cold and dismissive. Searching for love and support, she married husband Jeffrey while still in college. She said in many ways he raised her better than her parents did, because he told her to do what makes you happy. After a stint in Washington, D.C. working for the government, she answered an ad to work at a specialty good store in the Hamptons. It was there she dove into catering, and continued to refine the recipes based on what people bought and didn’t buy. Cooking was a hobby, until Jeffrey encouraged her to make it a career. Her memoir is as direct, no nonsense and charming as her books. When people muse who would you like to sit next to at a dinner party, I would say Ina Garten because I know I would laugh and learn some cooking skills. She set out to make cooking look easier and less complicated, but in doing so she has inspired millions of amateur chefs to be bold in their own kitchens. Also, her marriage to Jeffrey is an example of how you bend, and not break during a long-term marriage. Is there anything this woman cannot do? I think not. To buy this book on Amazon click here.

From Here to the Great Unknown by Lisa Marie Presley and Riley Keough

Continuing my deep dive into the life and times of Elvis Presley, I just finished "From Here to the Great Unknown" a memoir started by his daughter and then completed by his granddaughter after her mother's death. Riley Keough, some might remember starred in "Daisy Jones and the Six" as the lead singer. In the series, Keough wears Elvis' guitar strap in one performance. The fact that Keough had the faith and strength to finish her mother's book is quite amazing, considering both of their childhoods were far from stable. In 2022, Lisa Marie appeared to be struggling with completing the memoir, so she asked her daughter to help her finish it. A month later Lisa Marie was dead. Riley was left with dozens of audio tapes of her mother who described what it was like to grow up at Graceland with her father, Elvis. Riley was left with the daunting task of flushing out her mother's life, from her marriages to Danny Keough and Michael Jackson, to the death of her son, and her own struggle with addiction. This book provides us with an insider-look into the Presley family, and brings to life Priscilla, Lisa Marie, Riley and the King himself. The book culminates with the arrival of the next generation: Riley's daughter Tupelo named after the city in Mississippi where her great grandfather was born. The holidays are a time for family, and this book certainly profiles one of America's most famous. To buy this book on Amazon click here.