Fall has arrived, We’re starting to have a few chilly mornings and rainy afternoons. Hurricane season will impact many of us until the end of November. Now is a great time to select a few good books to have on hand for the days ahead.
This month’s reading recommendations will be focused on several topics - stories about women dealing with health issues whether physical or emotional, one of my favorite times of year, fall, and, of course Halloween.
Some of these books are fiction, and other’s are memoir and non-fiction. I make the distinction because memoir is fact-based relative to a person’s specific recollections and impressions. If you’ve ever shared family stories you know everyone remembers events differently – sometimes these differences are dramatic.
Non-fiction should be strictly based on verifiable facts and not opinion or perception. Sometimes this distinction is like splitting hairs, but non-fiction biographies and autobiographies are held to a higher standard of accuracy than memoir. Many libel suits have hinged on the distinction between perception and provable fact.
We hope you enjoy these selections.
The Lady’s Handbook for Her Mysterious Illness by Sarah Ramey - Ramey spent a decade trying to find out what was affecting her health. During her senior year in college, Ramey went to the doctor for what she thought was a minor illness. They couldn’t find a specific illness or injury to match her symptoms. It became an illness that destroyed her health, but doctors failed to identify it. They began to suggest it was psychosomatic. Illnesses such as autoimmune disease, fibromyalgia, Lyme Disease, Long Covid, ME/CFS, Ehlers Danlos, and dysautonomia are often difficult to diagnose or rule out in women. Ramey recounts her journey to a diagnosis and wellness including the many invasive and painful tests she endured, and advises women how to navigate through the healthcare system to find answers to chronic medical conditions.
What Does it Feel Like? by Sophie Kinsella – In this fictional account, Eve, a successful novelist wakes up in a hospital with no memory of how she got there. Eve learns she has had surgery to remove a large malignant brain tumor. While learning to talk, read, write, and walk again, Eve connects with the memories she has left, the feel of her husband’s hand in hers during long walks, the fun of family game night, and the love of her family. These are real, even if she can’t remember all of the details. It’s a wonderful example of facing and surviving serious health challenges, and coming out stronger.
Shred Sisters by Betsy Lerner – Olivia is the beautiful, talented older sister destined to conquer the world, and Amy, secretly bullied by Olivia, is the studious younger sister no one seems to notice. When Olivia’s behavior becomes erratic and dangerous, it begins to affect the entire family. After Olivia is diagnosed with bi-polar disorder, their parents must confront the realities of their daughter’s mental health crisis, and the damage it has done to their other daughter Amy’s self-esteem. Amy has to learn to stand up for herself while finding a way to help Olivia deal with her mental health issues.
Out of the Corner by Jennifer Grey – Honestly, can there be a better title for this memoir? “Nobody puts Baby in the corner, “ is one of the most famous lines from the 1987 film, Dirty Dancing. Grey, the daughter of theater and film legend Joel Grey, was determined to be successful on her own merits without changing her name. As proud as she was to be introduced as Joel Grey’s daughter, Jennifer wanted to be known and respected for the quality of her own work. During her career, Grey has battled pain from a serious neck injury she received in a car accident in 1987. She also experienced “survivor’s guilt” following the accident. In the early 90s, Grey decided to have rhinoplasty because she was insecure about her looks. The difference in her appearance post-surgery was unsettling to Grey and did not help address her insecurities. In 2009, doctors removed a cancerous nodule on her thyroid, and she is now cancer free.
Dying of Politeness: A Memoir by Geena Davis – The two-time Academy Award winning actress talks about growing up wanting to be an actress- something she proudly announced to her parents at age three. Davis contrasts her polite up-bringing with the toughness she had to muster to be successful in Hollywood, and talks about some of the most memorable characters she has played. Davis recounts her struggles to politely advocate for herself and how she became involved in gender inclusivity in television programming for children after watching TV with her kids and noticing there were few female characters in many children’s television shows and movies made for children. Davis is also an advocate for women in sports. Developing a healthy sense of identity is an important part of mental health.
From Here to the Great Unknown by Lisa Marie Presley and Riley Keough – Lisa Marie Presley died before the memoir she was writing was completed. To honor her mom, Riley Keough completed the memoir from her mother’s notes, taped recollections/interviews, and her own recollections of events and conversations with her mom. Lisa was the only child of one of the most famous people in the world, Elvis Presley. His marriage to Priscilla Wagner Beaulieu, and the birth of their daughter made headlines around the world. Her parents divorced when she was very young, and her father died in 1977 when she was nine. His addiction to prescription pain medication had to be difficult for such a young child to understand. Lisa Marie had several unsuccessful relationships and also struggled with an addiction to prescription pain medication. She lost her son, Benjamin Keough (Riley’s brother) to suicide in 2020. Though immensely talented, her musical career never matched the success of her father’s career. In this memoir, Keough addresses her mother’s life in the public eye and how Lisa Marie survived these experiences with grace, humor, and compassion. This book will be out 10-8-2024.
Halloween Party Murder by Leslie Meier, Lee Hollis, and Barbara Ross – Three stories by three authors about Halloween murder and mayhem.
The Vampire’s Mail Order Bride by Kristen Painter – In Nocturne Falls, the residents celebrate Halloween 365 days a year. Tourists think it’s all for show, but the vampires, werewolves, ghosts, and witches living there like hiding in plain sight. When Delaney James witnesses her boss killing someone she decides to hide out in Nocturne Falls posing as a mail order bride to Nocturne Falls resident, Hugh Ellingham who turns out to be a 400-year-old vampire! Will it be love at first sight or first bite?
The Pumpkin Spice Café by Laurie Gilmore – Jeanie’s aunt gifts her the Pumpkin Spice Café in the quaint town of Dream Harbor allowing Jeanie to escape her boring desk job in the city. Logan is a farmer set in his ways and not impressed by the new girl from the city, or is he? Will her pumpkin spice lattes win him over?
Home Before Dark by Riley Sager – A haunted house story with a twist. When Maggie Holt was a little girl, her family moved into an old Victorian mansion in Vermont. Three weeks later, they fled in terror. Her dad wrote a best-seller about their experiences. As an adult Maggie rejects her father’s claims. After his death she returns to the house determined to prove it harbors no evil spirits. The townspeople weren’t happy with her father’s book, and they aren’t pleased to have a Holt return to Baneberry Hall. Can Maggie prove ghosts don’t exist or will she become a true believer if she survives?