What Waits in the Woods

What Waits in the Woods by Terri Parlato, 342 pages

Esme Foster left her hometown 11 years ago to follow her dreams to become a professional ballerina, and when she left, she also abandoned the relationships with her family and friends. But after an injury ends her dancing career, Esme decides to return home. However, as she pulls up at the home her dad and brother share, she learns that her high school friend Kara has been found murdered in the woods behind her house. Detective Rita Myers is in charge of the case, and doesn't seem to be making much headway, grasping at various theories, each of which is increasingly unlikely. There has to be a break in the case soon...

This is an odd mix of a mystery and a thriller, though I think in the end it lands on the thriller side of the line. It definitely has the hallmarks of secrecy, subterfuge, and smalltown gossip, as well as a sense of foreboding brought on by past and present crimes. All in all, however, I feel like it's just OK, though I'm not sure how much of that is based on the fact that the victim has my same name.

Dancing on the Edge

Dancing on the Edge: A Journey of Living, Loving, and Tumbling through Hollywood by Russ Tamblyn  354 pp.

Beginning with his appearance in the 1948 film "The Boy with Green Hair," Russ Tamblyn has been part of Hollywood well into his 80s. He grew up in the studio system with other young actors like Elizabeth Taylor and Dean Stockwell, who would become his close friend. Tamblyn is most remembered for his acrobatic dancing roles as Gideon in "Seven Brides for Seven Brothers" and Riff the leader of the Jets in "West Side Story" (1961). He also featured in many westerns and other movies with an Oscar nomination for his role in "Peyton Place." In the 1960s, Tamblyn moved away from acting to try his hand at art which include collage, experimental short films, and other endeavors while living in an artsy stretch of Topanga canyon. When the money would run short, Tamblyn would get a role in another movie. He has an eclectic group of friends including poets, Avant Garde artists, actors, and musicians like Neil Young. Tamblyn also had a successful run as the Dr. Jacoby on "Twin Peaks" which he greatly enjoyed. His long life included three marriages and two daughters, one of whom is actor/director/producer Amber Tamblyn. This is a no nonsense memoir with all the difficulties, bumps, and bruises along with the successes. The audiobook is read by Tamblyn which is a bit of a mixed blessing as he has a slight lisp/speech impediment. 

Shrines of Gaiety

Shrines of Gaiety by Kate Atkinson, 394 pages

It's 1926 and notorious nightclub queen Nellie Coker has just been released from prison. Her brood of adult children has managed her collection of nightclubs in her absence, though only her daughter Edith seems to have any real skill or interest in the family business — eldest son Niven is too busy being aloof, youngest son Ramsey is determined write a great novel between bouts of gambling and dope, daughters Shirley and Betty just don't seem to care, and Kitty, the baby of the family, is too young and, well, annoying. The situation makes Nellie's empire a prime target for takeover from her enemies, who include a mysterious mobster and a crooked cop. Meanwhile, Chief Inspector John Frobisher and erstwhile librarian Gwendolen have teamed up to both spy on Nellie and track down a pair of runaway girls.

The catalog description of this book uses the word "Dickensian," and I think that's apt for this bit of historical fiction. The book is light on plot, but rich with detailed observations, three-dimensional characters, and plots that are just believable enough. Atkinson is one of my favorite authors, and while this isn't my favorite of hers, it's still excellent. (Also, let's go ahead and judge this book by its gorgeous cover.)

Swing Time

Swing Time by Zadie Smith 453 pages.

I think that I have read two of Smith's other novels; her debut, White Teeth and her third novel, On Beauty. I remember being quite taken by, and enormously impressed with her first book, and then being scarred forever by the Library's book discussion of her third. I was leading the discussion, nominally, but lost control of the group when an elderly woman wanted to focus on one scene wherein two of the characters engaged in a sex act in which the commenter did not believe people would willingly pursue (despite a wide variety of photographic and video evidence freely available on the internet).

But Swing Time was on the 2016 Andrew Carnegie Medal Shortlist for fiction, and I wanted to get through all of them. So I worked my way through my book club induced trauma and read* the book. I am very glad that I did.
The narrator of this story and her friend Tracey meet at dance class in 1982, and bond because, among other things "Our shade of brown was exactly the same. . .and our freckles gathered in the same area, we were of the same height."  They both love dance, the narrator loves watching dance, movies like the Fred Astaire and Ginger Rogers' film that gives the novel it's title, and Tracey loves to dance. She becomes a professional dancer before her life and her choices interfere with her career. The families of the two girls are opposites though. Tracey's parents are somewhat crazed and chaotic, where the narrator's mother (especially) and father (when he is in his wife's orbit) are more focused and driven. While the later part of the book focuses on the narrator (always unnamed) and her relationship with the American pop star for whom she works, her childhood and Tracey's reverberate throughout the book.
A well-constructed, and absorbing book!

*I actually listened to this while travelling. I downloaded it from our Overdrive collection; it is narrated in an excellent manner by Pippa Barnett-Warner.

Dancers among us

Dancers among us: a celebration of joy in the everyday/ Jordan Matter 231 pgs.

This is a photo project that captures dancers "doing their thing" in everyday situations. The photos are staged, of course but they are not manipulated.  Everything you see was there and every situation was the result of the dancer themselves, no special equipment, no trampolines, etc.  The results are amazing.  The notes at the end about the photographs were really fun to read. I enjoyed hearing how many time "security" was called or the photographer and his subjects were threatened with police, etc. Inspiring book.

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