Friends, Lovers, and the Big Terrible Thing by Matthew Perry

This memoir made me incredibly sad. The timing of this read also affected me. I had just started the book when I heard that five people were charged in the death of Matthew Perry. So, as I was reading the book, I was also reading the updates on who and why people were charged.

It is pretty remarkable that Matthew lived as long as he did, despite his tragic death at such a young age (54). It's astounding to me that people who take really good care of their bodies by exercising regularly, eating healthy, not smoking or drinking alcohol, can immediately die when out on a run at age 27, and yet people who abuse their bodies to an extreme can rebound again and again. What Matthew did to his body for decades is positively shocking. How do you star in a #1 rated TV series for 10 years, being so immersed in drugs and alcohol? It's truly unbelievable. Not too many other people could pull that off, if any. And how remarkable that five other actors could protect a colleague that was so messed up for those 10 years. There are not too many casts of any TV show or movie that would do that. 

So many things made me sad: Matthew's perpetual sense of not being "enough"; his feeling of abandonment; his fear of ultimate rejection; his fear of not being loved; his relentless ambition for fame. So many people made me angry: The studio doctor who gave him Vicodin after his jet ski accident; the doctors and nurses who sold him thousands of opiates "under the table"; the countless healthcare providers that supplied Matthew with so many different drugs to keep him high, simply for profit. It's disgusting. Those people all deserve to be in prison. Anything for profit. 

It's ironic that Matthew died from Ketamine. He talks about Ketamine in the book and states very clearly that, "Taking K is like being hit in the head with a giant happy shovel. But the hangover was rough and outweighed the shovel. Ketamine was not for me". He avoids Ketamine because of its effect on him, and yet he dies from it. Addiction is a powerful disease.

Matthew's story has stayed with me for days after finishing it. To be honest, the only reason I'm not giving it 5 stars is simply because he jumps around in his timeline of events, and repeats things in different parts of the book, which was confusing at times.

Wendy's Rating: ****

West from the Fallen Wall by Ryan Lucas Henderson

This is a book of nine short stories. Each story reveals a different viewpoint of the American military continuing to have a presence in Europe long after the Cold War has ended. Some Europeans resent America's involvement in their country while others seem to value America's contribution. I've often felt that America continually finds itself in a lose-lose situation. Countries worldwide want America to stay out of their country. Yet, when they are in trouble and need our support, if we don't help immediately, we get blasted for not caring. It must be terribly difficult for our leaders to make these decisions. As they say, hindsight is 20/20.

These stories are very well-written. We get a glimpse of Americans stationed in different countries and training with/co-existing with Croatians, Germans, Ukrainians, Greeks, Romans, Slovenians, Italians, Bavarians and the French. Some of our military personnel are in Europe to support NATO, showing the world that these countries can work together for the greater good. They train with mixed leadership. These stories are open-ended, meaning we really don't know what happens after the story ends. These soldiers/photographers/military personnel are all deeply affected by their stay in Europe. The author describes each character in a way that we understand how they are feeling and why they often feel conflicted about their purpose in Europe.

Each story is very different from the others. I was deeply affected by The Schnitzel and the Shark, which underscores how strong one has to be when in any branch of the military. You can't let your fellow soldiers, or certainly your superior, see any type of weakness or you will pay dearly for that weakness/mistake. Another powerful story was Forest of Dry Bones, set in France, which demonstrates how difficult it was for private citizens during wartime. So much loss that is completely out of one's control - and the aftermath of living with those traumatic experiences.

Wendy's Rating: *****

Remarkably Bright Creatures by Shelby Van Pelt

I heard this book was about a relationship between an octopus and a woman. Needless to say, I wasn't crazy about reading it. I am so glad I did! It's so much more than that. Marcellus, the giant Pacific octopus, lives in the Sowell Bay Aquarium. He was severely injured when he was young and was rescued and brought to the aquarium to heal and live. The lifespan of a giant Pacific octopus is 4 years, which Marcellus is getting close to. He is sad and lonely and bored. He is also very intelligent. Tova is the woman who cleans the aquarium after it closes each night. Tova is also sad and lonely and bored. Tova's only child, Erik, died many years ago by drowning when he was 18 years old.  Tova's husband died a couple of years earlier. Tova's only sibling, Lars, who she was estranged from, dies near the beginning of this book. So she has no family.

Cameron is a 30 year old loser. He can't keep a job. He can't keep a girlfriend. He has no money. He is just drifting through life. His mother abandoned him when he was 9 years old, leaving him with her sister, his aunt Jeanne. His mother, Daphne, was an addict. Cameron never knew his father - and neither did his aunt Jeanne. Cameron looks in a box that was left by his mother, hoping to find something valuable that he can pawn for money. He sees a picture of his mother with a guy from when they were in High School. He also finds a class ring. He decides he is going to find this guy who he believes is his father. His mother's friend is now a wealthy Real Estate Developer. His plan is to track him down and demand back payment: 18 years of child support his mother never received. Cameron's "father" lives in Sowell Bay.

These two stories unfold throughout the book and eventually interweave into each other. There are lots of hints about who Cameron really is, but the only living being that actually KNOWS is Marcellus. When Marcellus lived in the sea, he discovered Erik's possessions from the night Erik drown. As his connection with Tova deepens, and his time on earth shortens, he desperately tries to figure out a way to give Tova the information she needs to bring closure to Erik's death.

This is a heartwarming story about family, friendship, love, strength, commitment and perseverance. It was engaging from beginning to end. I really loved it.

Wendy's Rating: *****

Judgment in Death by JD Robb

Book #11. This installment finds Eve investigating the murder of a cop in an establishment owned by Roarke (surprise, surprise). It's an after-hours murder.  Eve finds out that this cop, Taj Kohli, is moonlighting as a bartender at Purgatory. Is he working undercover? Is he a dirty cop? Why does he have a drink with someone after hours at his place of work? Obviously it was someone he knew and trusted. So why did the person brutally murder him and leave his police badge covered in blood?

Soon more cops are murdered in equally brutal ways. Their badges were also left at the scene covered in blood. Eve is waylaid after hours - and usually outside of her private home - a couple of times by Webster, who is a member of IAB and someone she briefly dated awhile back. (Webster is still hung up on her, which Roarke isn't happy about.) Webster won't tell Eve any details about the cops that were killed, but she figures out that IAB was investigating the department that these cops worked out of. The murdered cops were on a task force together, trying to take down a criminal, Max Ricker, who specialized in "illegals" (drugs). Eve thinks the murders are connected to Ricker, and that the cops were dirty cops paid off by Ricker. Fortunately for Roarke's fancy (and undetectable) electronic equipment, he is able to discover the money trails that existed.

Roarke was once connected to Ricker (in his less-legal business deal days) - and Eve finds out that Roarke actually purchased Purgatory from Ricker five years previously. Eve also discovers a connection between herself and Ricker. So she has a lot to sort through when trying to figure out what's going on. Her relationship with Roarke has some rough moments, but at the same time, they seem to be digging deeper into their relationship which shows growth.

Wendy's Rating: ****

Witness in Death by JD Robb

This is the 10th book in the Eve Dallas series. The key murder in this book happens in a theater on stage. What's interesting is that since this series is set in the late 2050s, theatrical performances are apparently a thing of the past. Which I hope doesn't actually happen since I absolutely love attending live performances at the theater! Anyway, Roarke restored an old theater and then hired some of the most talented actors and actresses to star in the Grand Opening performance at the New Globe Theater. Roarke chose a murder mystery to be performed. Eve had never been to a theater and she was intrigued by the live performance, as well as trying to figure out which of the characters had murderous intent. The murder within the play ends up being a murder in real life, and that's when Eve and company step in. So, Eve herself is the "Witness in Death".

Since the majority of the suspects are actors, Eve has her work cut out for her. They are very, very good at lying and "telling their stories". With Roarke's help - which she certainly needs in order to do her job as quickly and efficiently as she does - she is able to track down personal histories and prior scrapes with the law. She also discovers all the decades-long connections this group of actors have with each other. The one thing they ALL have in common is that they detested the very talented and good looking star of the show, and victim: Richard Draco. Richard was a scumbag by all accounts and absolutely no one is sad that he is dead. Each of the suspects has a legitimate reason for wanting him dead as well.

I like how we get to see some of Eve's vulnerabilities as this series progresses. All of her relationships are developing as well. Peabody is starting to come into her own and pushing back a bit at Eve when it's warranted. Even Eve's interactions with Summerset are comfortably antagonistic. There is a mutual trust and respect between the two. It's just buried deep.

Wendy's Rating: ****

The Measure by Nikki Erlick

This is a great discussion book! I highly recommend it for book clubs. The premise is that everyone 22 years old or older, worldwide, gets a box delivered to them on the same night. Inside the box is a string, along with a message: The measure of your life lies within. So every adult gets a string, but the strings are all different lengths. At first people think it represents how long each person has left to live. Before too long though, they realize that the length of the string represents the length of their entire life. So, for obvious reasons, people who receive a short string are upset. Every day, as people turn 22 years old, they receive their box.

It's super interesting, and completely realistic, how different people react to the length of their strings. People are quickly referred to as "short-stringers" or "long-stringers". Short-stringers are abandoned by their significant others because of their short lifespan. Short-stringers decide not to have children, leave their jobs to travel, give up on their long-term goals/dreams. Short-String therapy groups are formed for support. It doesn't take long for society to be prejudiced against them. The military forces everyone in a military service to show their strings. The people with short strings are relegated to desk jobs. They only want long-stringers in active combat or in high positions.

There is a presidential election coming up, so the presidential candidates use string length to try to get elected. Counties like China force their citizens to register their string length with their government. Some long-stringers do crazy, dangerous things because they know they will live a long life. What some don't realize though, is that they could live a long life being paralyzed from the neck down because of some stupid stunt. Living a long life doesn't mean that it will be a good life!

There are some people that choose not to open their box. They want to just live their life not knowing how long they have. Some of these people are betrayed by their family members or significant others, who open their boxes without their knowledge of consent.

Again, this is a great discussion book! So many different opinions!

Wendy's Rating: *****

Loyalty in Death by JD Robb

Eve Dallas book #9. This installment in this futuristic New York Police Department's crime fighting series involves a bomber. The bomber leaves letters that explain the purpose of the bombs: destroy the corrupt, over-indulged, repressed society of New York. The letters end with the phrase "We are Cassandra". The letters refer to Cassandra causing destruction in the name of, or for the sake of, an unknown "Him". The letters always mention their loyalty to "Him".

In addition to this, Eve is called to the scene of the murder of a wealthy man, J. Clarence Branson. JC Branson, by all accounts a kind, honest man, is murdered by his mistress, Lisbeth Cooke. She stabs him with one of the tools that his company manufactures. She kills him because she finds out that he is cheating on her. The problem is, he is not the type of man to cheat - and no one has any evidence of this.

We are introduced to Peabody's brother, Zeke, who comes to town for a job. He stays with Peabody. Zeke is actually in love with his new client's wife, which is why he took the job. Also in the romance department, Peabody and McNab finally succumb to their attraction to each other.

Eve and crew (including Roarke, of course) try to track down the origin of Cassandra, who link themselves to Mt. Olympus (power and prophecy). Eve/Roarke eventually connect Cassandra to an earlier (30 years prior) group who went by the name of "Apollo". Most of Apollo's top leadership was killed at once, which is what stopped them.

All of these stories are interwoven. There are definitely a couple of surprises along the way, which is always nice. I love twists that I wasn't expecting. Eve and Roarke have been married for six months by now and they finally have a fight which causes Roarke to give Eve the silent treatment. Ha! It's about time. She would be difficult to be married to!

Wendy's Rating: ****