"Out of the Easy" by Ruta Sepetys

I really enjoyed "Salt to the Sea" by Ruta Sepetys so thought I'd give one of her books another try.

Summary:  "Out of the Easy" is the coming of age story of Josie, seventeen year old daughter of a French Quarter prostitute, employee of a local book store, mascot to a local whore house and someone desperate to change her lot in life.  As New Years Eve rolls around, Josie finds herself on the periphery of a local murder investigation that will challenge her loyalties and define her future.

My Thoughts:  Although "Out of the Easy" was written for a teenage audience, I really enjoyed the story.  The depth of the characters is extraordinary and their stories unfold in the perfect (for me) way---through showing, reacting and dialog instead of being told to the reader.

Josie is complex in the best of ways.  She's a child, only just 18 and has the innocence of someone young but with the street smarts and wisdom of someone who's been on her own for far too long.  Josie longs for her Mother's love while understanding that its a lost cause.  She loves and respects Willy but can't come to trust her completely because of the scars she carries from her Mother.  She has a place in the French Quarter but is desperate to leave and reinvent herself.  The choices she makes are absolutely believable but totally frustrating.

The setting is both exotic and compelling.  The underbelly of the French Quarter with its gangsters, prostitutes and gamblers is frightening making the bonds between characters both astonishing and raw.  Who would expect a Madam of a brothel to raise one of her girls' children as her own?  Or would expect information men to look out for the people they spy on?

Overall, I'd definitely recommend this story to anyone looking for something fast paced and engaging to ready.  Please note that it's probably not appropriate for tweens.

Rating:  I'll read this again some day when I want to be lost in the mystery of 1950s New Orleans.

Reviewed By:  Tami

Also Read By Author:  "Salt to the Sea"

"Clapton: The Autobiography" by Eric Clapton

After finishing "Miss O'Dell" I felt an overwhelming need to learn more about Eric Clapton.  Chris O'Dell painted the guitar legend as an abusive, chauvinistic asshole (sorry - there is no better word) and I wanted to hear his side of the story.  And who better to hear from than the man himself?

Summary:  Eric Clapton, guitar legend and drug addled playboy, penned his autobiography at the close of his 2007 world tour.  Spanning decades of fashion, music and copious substance abuse, Clapton holds very little back, although at times glossing over the people his addictions hurt most.

Starting from his days as a boy growing up in the working class neighborhood of Ripley, Clapton goes into great detail of his childhood - focusing on the root of his sexual fear of women and how he self-taught himself to play guitar by emulating the greats.  Clapton also spends considerable time on his early career and the start of his many addictions - some of the stories he tells are completely outrageous.  Clapton then skims over the retelling of his lost years (I assume because to him they really are lost).  The subsequent chapters speak to Clapton's rock bottom, his redemption through fatherhood, terrible losses and finally finding his place in the world.

My Thoughts:  I'm honestly a little confused regarding my feelings towards this book.  Like contemplating making a flowchart or spreadsheet confused.

I started off curious:  can the man who wrote Layla and Bell Bottom Blues really be such a self absorbed asshole to the ladies?  It's claimed her did massive amounts of heroine and booze...how was he even capable of basic adulting much less writing his own music?

Once I got into the story, I felt pity:  well shoot, he really had an uncle/brother, no wonder he's confused about his relationship with women!  His family was so poor they had an outhouse, no wonder he squandered 8K a week on drugs!

Followed closely by shock and disgust:  wait, you mean he squandered 8k/week on drugs?!    He actively pursued one of his closest friends' wives....after dating her sister?  Not one but TWO love children?  For the love of God, stop name dropping!

Then more pity:  his son died in a horrible and tragic accident and my heart aches for you.  He's lost just about everything, including his self respect, wife and a shit ton of money.  He fakes rehab....think of all this squandered potential.

And ending with bemusement:  well you old hooligan, you did it.  Got sober and ended up marrying a woman 25 years younger than you.  Now you're a bit of a homebody who goes on tour to pay the bills.  And to top it off you're still kicking even though you've taken enough drugs to fell an ox.

Rating:  While this book lacked humor and warmth (or was maybe just British), it's a fascinating read that I recommend to any music fan.

Also Read By:  N/A - but his discography is pretty stellar.

Reviewed By:  Tami

Note:  For those interested, Clapton notes Chris O'Dell once...as being one of Pattie Boyd's wedding attendants.  So now I'm off to read Pattie Boyd's tell all.

"Miss O'Dell" by Chris O'Dell and Katherine Ketcham

Have I mentioned how much I love the library?  I'd shout if from the roof tops if I could.  (Or if I had been drinking like a frat boy...and not scared of heights...)  My library puts together several different displays each month and if I have time I try to peek at them every so often.  I found "Miss O'Dell" on a Grammy Awards display and picked it up on a whim.  I'm glad I did.

Summary:  Chris O'Dell spent the golden era of rock and roll as a cross between a super groupie and an inside man for some of the biggest rock groups of the 60s, 70s and 80s.  After a chance meeting with a music bigwig at a party in LA, twenty something Chris O'Dell packed her bags, moved to London and finessed her way into a job working with the Beatles at their Apple label.

O'Dells's appetite for drugs and alcohol combined with her self-described inability to say no catapulted her into the inner circles of the Beatles, the Rolling Stones and other high profile bands of the 60's through the 80's.  "Miss O'Dell" is a collection of O'Dells more shocking memories of life at home and on the road with rock's greatest.

My Thoughts:  Do you ever read Perez Hilton or watch an episode of TMZ, thoroughly enjoy it, then feel sort of greasy for enjoying it as much as you did once its over?  That's exactly how I felt about this book. "Miss O'Dell" is a rock and roll tell all on the big bands of the past, going into the lurid and absolutely entertaining history of who slept with the most groupies (the Rolling Stones), who did the most drugs ( the Rolling Stones) and who was a total asshat behind closed doors (see: every one, but mostly Eric Clapton.)

While I'm not convinced that the stories in the book were 100% accurate (O'Dell imbibed an amazing amount of coke and liquor during most of the story) I think that the author believes the stories are accurate and told them as she remembered them with only minor twisting to make herself look better than perhaps she was.  This made the book feel genuine to me, which in turn led me to see Chris O'Dell in a sympathetic light.  She may have been a ruthless social engineer who used any means necessary to get into the inner circle of rock's elite, but she was an endearing social engineer and I ended up rather liking her even when she did something awful (sleep with her BFF's Beatle husband), stupid (piss off her other BFF's alcoholic guitar legend husband over and over) or really stupid (allow her doped up husband to drive the car with her infant son in the back).  On second thought, maybe I didn't like her....maybe I pitied her so I tried not to judge her quite so harshly.

"Miss O'Dell" focused on the people behind the legends and was at some of musics most historic events.  The story telling method of writing was very cleverly done and let the reader feel as if they were experiencing the momentous events as Chris did.  Sing in the chorus of Hey Jude?  Sure!  Snort some blow with Freddie Mercury?  Ok!

I also enjoyed Chris' personal story woven in and out of the famous ones.  Chris didn't shy away from admitting to her problems with drugs and alcohol, nor did she shy away from detailing her multiple rock bottoms.  Her honesty about herself in these moments had me rooting for her to come clean and make something of herself at the end.

Overall I enjoyed this book.  It was easy to read, seriously entertaining, and kept the celebrities just mean enough that I wasn't bothered by their darkest moments being aired by someone they once trusted.

Rating:  If you're at all interested in celebrity gossip or rock and roll, check this book out.

Also Read By This Author:  N/A

Reviewed By:  Tami

Side Note:  After reading this book I'm curious to read "the other side" of the stories.  Look for a review on autobiographies by Eric Clapton and Patti Boyd coming soon.

"But Enough About Me..." by Jancee Dunn

I saw this book on my friend Julie's Goodreads wish list and thought I would give it a try.  I'm a sucker for a funny life story and this did not disappoint!

Summary:  Jancee Dunn grew up a typical 80's Jersey girl:  big hair, loud parties and lots of music.  Her early years pouring over liner notes led her to a job as a reporter at Rolling Stone magazine and lifetime of hobnobbing with celebrities from Dolly Parton to Bono.  Dunn paired her life story with hilarious anecdotes from her more memorable interviews, including tips on how to get the lead singer of a band's attention and how to glean interesting facts from even the most prosaic interview.

What I Liked:  Dunn didn't shy away from moments that painted her in an unflattering light.  She came across as (brutally) honest about her journey from a nerdy rock chick just starting out to an aging hipster trying to find her next path in an industry that glorifies youth.  Dunn's more hilarious moments include the story of her interview with Dolly Parton as well as her own thoughts on why sharing a beach house is a terrible idea.  I also really enjoyed Dunn's stories about her family; you could see the love on every page, even the ones where she scammed her sisters out of money as a pre-teen holding "sales" in her bedroom.

What Drove Me Nuts:  Not much.  There were times in the story that I wished someone had given Dunn a good reality shake, but those uncomfortable moments are human and I appreciated her candor in their telling.

Rating:  This would be a great book to take along when travelling, because each chapter was broken into its own vignette.  I was able to pick it up on plane flights without loosing any satisfaction from halting the story mid-book.

Other Books Read by This Author:  N/A

Reviewed By:  Tami

"Ravenor" by Dan Abnett

I have been a fan of the Warhammer 40k sci-fi universe for several years now. I am currently the Game Master of a weekly Dark Heresy game (think D&D in space) which takes place in this setting. So when I saw this book on the thrift store shelf I knew I had to read it.

Summary: This book follows Inquisitor Ravenor, a crippled psyker who uses his mind-bending powers to investigate serious crimes in the dreary Imperium of Man. He has a team of highly trained Acolytes who help him in his work and he commands them through telepathy. Ravenor discovers a drug-dealing cartel and believes it is more than simply a supply-chain for despairing addicts. He believes the 'flects' have a sinister origin, tainted by forbidden xenos. He directs his team through the dangerous criminal underworld and discovers a conspiracy beyond just the flects. There is a lot of gun-fighting and detective work on futuristic worlds and starships with epic environments that stretch the imagination. 

What I Liked: Abnett has a mind for adventure, knowing how to pace a story so that it is always interesting, but not overwhelming. He also has an attention to detail that lets the reader know he is not just improvising the plot to make it end up how he wants. I also like the feel of the Warhammer 40k universe, which Abnett is famous for portraying very well.

What I Didn't Like: Honestly, not much. I felt like an idiot when I realized some of the characters had already been introduced in the Eisenhorn series, which I have not read yet, but I don't think that detracted any.

Other Books Read by This Author: Gaunt's Ghosts (which I recommend)

Reviewed by: Nick