With My Little Eye by Joshilyn Jackson

 

Reviewed by Kristin

How far would you go to escape a threat to your family? If a nefarious someone knew where you lived, where you went to the gym, even what you wore to a casual lunch with friends? If that same person—who might be called a stalker at this point—began sending you letters drawn with sickly sweet fruit scented markers? If things were oh-so-slightly rearranged in your house and your sheets suddenly smelled like unfamiliar cologne?

Actor Meribel Mills uprooted herself and her twelve-year-old daughter Honor from Los Angeles to move to Atlanta. She accepted a role filming in Georgia and left a budding romance and all her friends behind. Long gone are her younger years when she convincingly played 16-year-old Didi, a smaller breakout role on one of those iconic teenage shows. Now Meribel is pushing forty, or at least that is what IMDB and her fans believe.

Honor does not do well with surprises or change, but she is adapting to Atlanta. She might even be making a friend or two in their Midtown condo building. Honor is autistic, but usually well enough regulated due to Meribel’s strict enforcement of diet, exercise, and routines. Making new friends in a new place is hard enough for anyone on the cusp of adolescence, and sometimes harder for someone on the spectrum.

Even though Meribel and Honor have moved across the country to escape the stalker they call Marker Man, the letters and packages keep coming. Most significantly, not all of them are postmarked L.A. anymore. Marker Man is traveling eastward. Closer and closer to Atlanta and their newfound pocket of safety.

The story is told from several points of view—Meribel’s is primary, but other characters also have voices which reveal facts still unknown to Meribel. Honor’s voice is very important, so earnest and truthful, even as she conceals things from her mother since she is almost a teenager. New neighbor Cooper plays a part, as does Cam, Meribel’s recent romantic interest who she left behind in L.A. Even Marker Man tells the story from his point of view, and you can imagine how warped and obsessed it is.

As with every Joshilyn Jackson novel, not everything is as it first appears, and she does a lovely job of peeling back layers and revealing things in a way that builds tension as danger ensues. Jackson’s characters are well developed and usually give me strong feelings, whether that makes me identify with them or makes me want to shout “Bad person alert!” and protect the good people in the story.

Jackson has written several other books and I have loved (and probably reviewed) them all. Can I wait another year for her next one? I recommend books all day. Who else do you think I should be reading?

Failure Is An Option: An Attempted Memoir by H. Jon Benjamin

 

Reviewed by Kristin

H. Jon Benjamin set out to write about his many failures. This is perhaps the one thing at which he was successful. His chapter titles spell out how he failed in childhood and his teen years, then moved on to failing in adulthood. He writes about failing in tying knots in Cub Scouts. He writes about failing to be cool because he liked disco. He writes about his bar mitzvah, and how even the disco ball was a failure when the DJ hired by his parents began to play Tony Bennett and Nat King Cole.

In this review I think I have established that Benjamin is telling us about his failures. But then he gets into some of his more personal and intimate failures and it just got a little…weird. Moving beyond the wide open window he opened into his failed sexual escapades, he also failed at a college degree in Holocaust studies, and failed to sell a sit-com pilot, and failed in his use of a whole list of pickup lines as well.

Somewhere around this point, I decided to start skimming the rest of the book. I don’t think I missed much. Some of the first few bits were funny, but they became repetitive all too quickly.

Benjamin may be some people’s favorite actor, comedian, and writer. But I must say that he isn’t mine. He is known for his voice roles in several adult animated series, such as Sterling Archer in Archer, Bob Belcher in Bob’s Burgers, and Carl in Family Guy. However, I haven’t watched any of those shows. He may be a really funny guy, but this self-proclaimed “attempted memoir” fell a little flat for me.

Actually, I enjoyed watching Benjamin in the Star Trek: Short Treks episode “The Trouble with Edward”. This is how I became aware of him and decided to seek out this book. He is so good at playing an inept starship scientist that I thought a self-deprecating memoir might be funny. (As stated above, I was wrong.) But if you have access to Paramount Plus or some other way to watch this short episode, please do. Benjamin plays a scientist on a Star Trek research ship where his experiment gets a little out of control. The Tribbles backstory is expanded here, and fits perfectly into the Star Trek canon regarding Klingons hating the constantly reproducing little fur balls. As Edward’s captain sits before a governing board trying to explain how her first mission resulted in such chaos and how it was all the fault of one crew member, she simply says, “He was an idiot.”

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

Reviewed by Kristin

In this new memoir, Matthew Perry does not hold back. He talks openly about his family, friends, and lovers. He also talks a lot about his love of a good view and the millions of dollars he has spent fighting his addictions. His honesty comes through as he talks about a whole lot of bad choices, and a few good ones, that he has made.

While being shuttled back and forth between his divorced parents, young Matthew was often sent on an airplane bearing a sign “Unaccompanied Minor”. The theme runs through the book, a kid’s loneliness and uncertainty at being put into the care of flight attendants and airport personnel at a young age. Matthew grew up, but the feeling of being unaccompanied continued. The feeling of not being good enough followed him through every relationship. Near the end he does throw out a comment like “Hey, I’m not going to do that in my next relationship, and by the way ladies, I’m still single!”

A major health problem—or you might say a disaster—helped Matthew to the realization that he had to quit smoking, drinking, and taking drugs. No spoilers here: in the very beginning he talks about his colon exploding as a result of opioid use, and the indignity of living with a colostomy bag for a year. Many surgeries later, he is still hoping that everything holds together and he won’t end up with his bodily waste collected outside of his body once again.

The book is certainly a tell-all, mostly about himself but also about those around him. While a few friends and family are always held up as blameless and supportive, Matthew also writes about those relationships that he wishes had gone another way. He’s not above name dropping either, both for celebrity exposure or for shock value. Reviews have lambasted him for mourning the death of River Phoenix and immediately lamenting that yet “Keanu Reeves still walks among us.” Matthew also repeats the line later upon hearing of Chris Farley’s death. He claims to have just picked a name out of the air, but two mentions of Keanu Reeves seems a little harsh.

For those reading just to hear about the ten-year run of the television show Friends, Matthew drops many little details about his time on the set. Mostly, he talks about how he somehow managed to work while his addictions clawed at him, and how his co-actors and producers worked with him through various stints in rehab centers. The cast truly became an ensemble as they supported each other through many highs and lows. (Cue the theme song: “I’ll be there for you, when the rain starts to pour. I’ll be there for you, like I’ve been there before. I’ll be there for you, ‘cause you’re there for me too…”

Yes, I watched Friends like many others around the world. I started rooting for Monica and Chandler to get together way before it actually happened. The show was a comfort watch in the days when you had to turn on the TV at the right time to catch your favorite characters lounging on a big orange couch in Central Perk. This memoir took me back to the places where I was in life while watching the show. It is an unflinching look at the struggles of one man, and I appreciate that Matthew is sharing this with us.

After all his health issues and rehab stays, Matthew says there is just one thing he knows he can do—he can help others trying to get clean and sober. He says that he has worked with hundreds of people in various groups. I hope that someone with their own struggles can also read this and find a bit of hope.

Neil Patrick Harris: Choose Your Own Autobiography by Neil Patrick Harris

Reviewed by Kristin

How many chances do you get to make your way through someone’s life (other than your own) by making a series of choices?  If you choose to audition for a television show which will showcase you as a teen star, turn to page 14.  If you would rather try your hand at magic, turn to page 68.  If you had a happy childhood, turn to page 26.  Otherwise, turn to page 287 where you will find yourself unemployed, sitting on the couch eating Cheetos and getting orange gunk all over the remote.

Okay, okay, none of these are actual bits from Neil Patrick Harris’ autobiography.  But that is the flavor of the wry look the author takes at his own life.  From being a teen heartthrob as Doogie Howser, M.D., to having twins by surrogate with husband David Burtka, Harris talks about his life with the knowledge that he has been fortunate in his home life and career.

Well known for his recent nine year stint on the television comedy “How I Met Your Mother” (HIMYM,) Harris has played a variety of roles on the small screen, big screen, and in the theater. From womanizing Barney Stinson in HIMYM to an East German transgender rock artist in the stage production Hedwig and the Angry Inch, Harris is not afraid to push limits and take risks.

I began the book by actually following instructions and turning to the prescribed pages in order to follow my chosen thread through Harris’ life.  As I was laughing my way through the pages, I was afraid I would miss things, so ended up jumping around and going back to choose various scenarios that ended in all sorts of ways.  On one hand the characters may end up on a Disney theme park ride, or on the other hand they may end up dying in the desert in a pool of quicksand.  Then there is the page that no other section actually leads to—did I find it by cheating or by accident?  I’ll never tell.

A selection of color pictures in the middle of the book definitely adds to the charm.  The Burtka-Harris twins Harper and Gideon are blond and smiling and a treat to see.  Various celebrities/writers/directors have written bits and pieces to give another view of Harris.  Throw in Harris’ propensity for magic tricks and there is something for everyone.  Covering a wide range of experiences, I found the writing to be honest and raw, but ultimately touching.

When this book was released, people were tweeting pictures of themselves apparently levitating while reading it.  After reading the book, I still have no idea why.  (Maybe I missed that page.)  If this has piqued your interest and you are up for a witty autobiography of a popular actor, check out Neil Patrick Harris: Choose Your Own Biography today.

Dawn to Decadence, Josephine Earp, Richard Burton & Barnaby

Jud opened Nevermore with From Dawn to Decadence:  500 Years of Western Life by Jacques Barzun.  The book examines the way that various revolutions—political, religious, artistic—affected European culture, leading to the world as we know it today. The book begins right after the Protestant Reformation, and examines many of the pivotal figures in the history of ideas, leading to what the author sees as a post-decadent society in which humanity seems to have lost its way.   Barzun is very good at bringing the arts into his discussions, which may be why Jud enjoys his writing so much, referring to it as his favorite sleep-inducing literature. Light reading it is not, but it is a well done and insightful tome from a respected scholar.

Another sort of Western history—the American West, that is—was brought up with Lady at the O.K. Corral:  The True Story of Josephine Marcus Earp by Ann Kirschner.  Josephine was Earp’s fourth common-law wife and had quite a colorful history of her own, albeit one that she mostly wanted to be kept quiet.  She was the daughter of a Prussian Jewish couple and spent her early years in New York where she acquired her distinctive accent.  The family moved to San Francisco in 1870 when Josephine was ten.  She later ran away from home and became (among other things), an actress and dancer before she met Wyatt.  Our reviewer is finding it to be a very interesting account of a woman and an era.  He also is intrigued by a different view of Wyatt Earp than is usually encountered.

The Richard Burton Diaries is a compilation of the private diaries of the British actor starting from his teenage years up until 1983. Burton wrote of his daily life, including his encounters with other celebrated folk but our reviewer says there aren’t a lot of juicy details.  There are, however, many accounts of bodily functions.  All in all, it’s an unvarnished look at an acclaimed actor who struggled with insecurity and jealousy while remaining a sharp observer of the world. Editor Chris Williams supplies annotations to flesh out some entries.

Finally, Jud brought in Barnaby by Crockett Johnson. Today Johnson is best known as the author of the Harold and the Purple Crayon books, but a decade earlier he had a small but avid following for his strip Barnaby whose fans included Dorothy Parker and Louis Untermeyer.  Barnaby is a little boy who has a fairy godfather—a short, stubby, somewhat inept, cigar-chomping, Irish fairy godfather named Jackeen J. O’Malley who is given to exclaiming “Cushlamochree!”   Barnaby’s parents believe he’s making this all up, of course, even after Mr. O’Malley decides to run for Congress.  The campaign is still believable today, even though the strips ran in 1942.