We Could Be...Bowie and his Heroes

We Could Be...Bowie and his Heroes, by Tom Hagler, consultant edited by Tony Visconti, 2021, 400 pgs. 

To kick-off our new, music-centered book discussion group, Rhythm and Books, we're starting with this fairly recent book about the thin white duke himself, David Bowie. But this isn't a traditional biography--it's kind of hard to pigeon-hole exactly what kind of book this is. The author worked with legendary producer Tony Visconti to collect stories from celebrities, rock starts, and artists about their interaction with the famous glam star. Chrissie Hyde, Slash, Dave Grohl, and so many more--all describe meeting the star as their "Bowie moment"--the moment they realized they were talking to a living legend. Each encounter is dedicated only a few pages at most, with brief, hilarious and sometimes illuminating vignettes about how Bowie got his start, how he maneuvered drugs and shifting music trends, all the way up to his final days, as he knew he was dying but was able to keep it a secret from virtually everyone. One of my favorites was Bowie inadvertently giving Grace Jones the idea for her Christmas song during the Pee-Wee Herman Christmas Special (we just watched that for the holiday so it was fresh in my mind). Seriously fun, quick ready, recommended for adults and music enthusiasts. 

City Spies

 

City Spies by James Ponti  378 pp.

Sara Martinez gets caught hacking the New York foster care system to prove her foster parents were cheating the system for the money. When she gets caught, she faces juvenile detention until she is rescued by a mysterious man who convinces the court to release her into his custody. The man, known as "Mother" (reminiscent of the 1960s tv show "The Avengers"), is an agent with MI6, the British Secret Service. He introduces her to a group of adolescents from all over the world who form an elite spy unit. Each one has a special talent and the group needed a computer whiz as it's last member. The kids, each named for their hometowns - Sara is now Brooklyn, are trained for their mission to attend an international youth summit in Paris and thwart the disaster planned by a villain known only as "The Purple Thumb". This was a selection for my Treehouse Book Club. This is the first book in a series that is now up to four books. 

The Break-up Book Club

 

The Break-up Book Club by Wendy Wax (2021) 364 pages

Four main characters deal with relationship troubles: Judith feels that she has always been in the supporting role as wife and mother and wants to star in her own life. Jazmine is a former athlete who lost her sweetheart and her ability to go pro in tennis in an accident years ago. Sara finds out that her husband is living a double life as he works in another city while she lives with his mother while the mother—never close to Sara—has been recovering from surgery. Erin's fiancé broke up with her a week before their wedding, upending the life story she had imagined for them since they were children.

What do these women have in common? Their friendship through a monthly book club at the local bookstore, Between the Covers. A host of colorful secondary characters—some friends, some family—helped round out the story. This book was a joy, making me care about everyone (except the baddies, of course). I loved watching the women work through their pain and distrust. There were a few surprises which made me exclaim out loud!