Trejo: My Life of Crime, Redemption, and Hollywood by Danny Trejo

Trejo: My Life of Crime, Redemption, and Hollywood by Danny Trejo

The by products of an abusive household are the heroin addiction and crime sprees a young Danny Trejo finds himself dealing with. These lead to time in some of the United States’ most notorious prisons, including Folsom and San Quentin. After a gut-wrenching reality check, Danny begins to rebuild himself, finding sobriety and spirituality along the way.

 

His checkered past comes in handy, though. Danny uses it as inspiration for acting roles in everything from The Muppets to Machete, which make him a household name across the globe. His personal life remains far from rosy, however. While Danny speaks at prisons and rehabilitation centers, helping others to know they’re not alone in their struggles, he can’t seem to break through to his children, who have inherited his battles.

  

288 pages

"Noah" by Cara Dee

I read Cara Dee's story "Aftermath" a few years ago and really liked it, so I wanted to read another of her books.  Noah is having a very bad two days.  First, he catches his girlfriend of four years cheating on him, and the next day, the plane carrying his parents, sister, brother-in-law, niece, and nephew crashes killing all on board.  He's never been so depressed or felt so alone.  However, his 23-year-old step-nephew is left, and when the young man moves in with Noah, things start to look up.

This book was very different from "Aftermath" but was still a compelling read.  Julian and Noah don't really know each other but they bond while trying to get through the tragedy.  My only complaints are that big chunks of time were glossed over (one chapter started with "Nine months later"), and there was too much cussing for my taste.  I'm no prude but I found it distracting and too crude for the characters.  259 pages (Kindle edition).

The Cinderella Murder by Mary Higgins Clark and Alafair Burke

(Posted for Paul Mathews)

A cold case murder is brought back as a television crime program after 20 years to find the murderer.

Audio:  9 hours, 10 minutes
Print:  352 pages

On Location: Secrets of my Hollywood Life by Jen Calonita

Summary: "Life is good for Hollywood princess Kaitlin Burke, ready to star in a movie by her favorite director, but an old love and a scheming new publicist complicate her already hectic existence."

Kaitlin's story continues to be as hectic and dramatic in this second installment of the Secrets of my Hollywood Life series. These books are short and sweet, and while Kaitlin is a little naive, she really is a strong voice and a good role model. It was fun to see the behind-the-scenes of a movie set! 

229 pages

Secrets of my Hollywood Life by Jen Calonita

Summary: "Longing to experience the life of a "normal" teenager, sixteen-year-old actress Kaitlin Burke assumes a false identity to attend a local high school." 

Secrets of My Hollywood Life is the first book in the Kaitlin Burke series, and it was a quick and fun read. I enjoyed Kaitlin's voice. Kaitlin gives an inside glimpse into a young celeb's life in Hollywood: all the gossip, pressure, and tabloid stuff that you normally don't get to see. Her attempt to go undercover as a high school student was really enjoyable. I wish I could have read this series as a teenager, but I'll continue reading it anyway! 

242 pages

"Wishful Drinking" by Carrie Fisher

In this memoir by actress and writer Carrie Fisher, she says that she is a product of "Hollywood inbreeding."  With icons Debbie Reynolds and Eddie Fisher as parents, she has first hand knowledge of the old saying that "truth is stranger than fiction."  Fisher claims that she decided to write this memoir after undergoing electroshock therapy for bipolar disorder.  She lost some of her memory because of it but what she has left is enough to keep listeners entertained.  Her father left the family for Elizabeth Taylor when she was two, so Fisher has much more to say about her mother . . . and does a darned good imitation of her voice.  She covers how, when, and why she got hooked on drugs (the undiagnosed bipolar disorder played a large part), telephone interventions by Cary Grant, her long roller coaster romance with Paul Simon, her pregnancy by a man who ultimately left her and their daughter for another man, and more.  One of the best stories is about George Lucas' explanation of why she was not allowed to wear a bra during the filming of "Star Wars."  All this is interesting to a point, but she doesn't really delve very deeply into her own psyche to account for her choices or how much of an impact her folks' parenting (or lack of) made her into who she is.  I listened to the audio version, read by Fisher, and the quality wasn't very good.  Many times I had to adjust the volume, especially when she yelled, which was often.  This was written in 2008, before the death of her father and before filming of the newest "Star Wars" movie, in which she will appear.

Audio:  3 hours
Print:  176 pages

Private L.A. by James Patterson & Mark Sullivan

(Posted for Paul Mathews)

Famous Hollywood movie couple disappear. They are great parents and philanthropists, with plenty of secrets.

Audio:  6 hrs. 10 min.

Print:  448 pages

"Does This Baby Make Me Look Straight? Confessions of a Gay Dad" by Dan Bucatinsky

Bucatinsky and his partner, now his husband, had been together over 10 years before deciding to have children.  This book consists of short vignettes of their journey to adopt and their evolution as dads once they do.  Perhaps best known for his role as James Novak on TV's Scandal, Bucatinsky writes with a lot of candor and humor about raising a girl and boy in Los Angeles along with his personal doubts of being a good parent.  He relays cute dialog with his kids, his insecurities when they seem to favor his husband, and his worries about how they will deal with being adopted by two men as they get older.  Luckily, they have lots of friends and families who accept and love them unconditionally.  I found one of the most insight parts to be when Bucatinsky worries that his four-year-old son's "tough guy swagger" may indicate that he'll be a bully and terrorize kids as he was terrorized himself.  There are other serious issues, but the author writes with lovable humor and tons of self-deprecation.  Recommended.  245 pages.