best kept secret by Amy Hatvany

With alcoholism at its axis this wonderfully written book takes its reader into the deapths of despair and the freedom of knowledge.
The story of Cadence Sutter, her ex-husband Martin and their little boy Charlie,it shows in heartbreakingly real detail what the cost and pain of family secrets really can be and how a simple suggestion to relax can lead to disaster undreamed of. The author who is a recovering alcoholic herself paints an amazingly descriptive picture of how one by one all the little pieces of the picture shatter and pull away to leave a wreck of family, friends, success, love, hopes, dreams and ambitions in a heap, that slowly need to be built up so that a whole picture however altered eventually stands.
One of Hatvany`s real strengths is her ability to draw such real and believable characters and to leave you sympathetic to all of them even though their is a good chance you may not particularly like them, the book also paints a most empathetic and recognisable picture of day to day life, especially that of a mother and the little intricacies that link all of us mothers. It is a gritty book , the journey is not easy on either the characters or the reader but there is a bundle of humour and a realism that keeps you reading, the chapters and the back stories flow into the narrative particularly well and this book hums along. The love and warmth and humanity of the characters  and their stories, different as they may be are heart wrenching and yet redemptive, a hopeful book.
For me this was a page turner, I couldn't put it down.

Not Dead and Not For Sale by Scott Weiland and David Ritz..A memoir...

I read this in a day and that speaks to the books ability to captivate and hold you which it does. With well chosen words and well healed phrases Weiland and his co-author David Ritz take you on a heroin and booze plagued journey that leaves you gasping and wondering How the Hell is He still Standing let alone writing, recording and performing.
The lead singer of The Stone Temple Pilots (never heard them in my life) is a very talented man word wise and his book is dotted throughout with snippets, snatches, drawings and poetry that would make you cry (and I hate poetry!) great photos,wonderful drawings, heartfelt, honest, lyrical, magical in places and yet the double side of his reality is so very clearly shown, gritty, stark, hopeless, wasted, in and out of rehab like a yoyo,relationships that simply can't work, love that is defeated at every turn, a dead brother, dysfunctional relationships with his family, situations that simply can`t be mended and Bands that find functioning other than for the dollar very hard work indeed.
Weiland is a very creative man and as long as he continues to fight his demons and win,his creativity will enhance the lives of those who come in contact with it.
I had already read Mary Forsberg Weiland's book but I've done a little dipping to try and get a complete picture of a situation that I`ve read from both points and I`ve come to realise that both are writing their truth, we may not agree with it but it belongs to them and how they choose to interpret and tell it is their business, every reader would take away different things from their narratives, so really why shouldn't the authors.
A big thank you to Claire Hammon for lending me this book.

A Widows Story by Joyce Carol Oates

Many people don`t like Joyce Carol Oates, too dark, too Gothic they would say and they are right, she is dark and she is Gothic but I love her.
Her last major book My Sister, My Love which is apparently not about a really famous child murder case is one of my all time greatest reads, from the disclaimer on the first page to the very last page, it was terrific!
The unexpected death of her husband on whom she was much dependent was not terrific and her sense of loss, bewilderment and grief is heart-breaking yet I would imagine it would resonate with anyone who has experienced a sudden death in the family. What appeared to be a simple illness had killed her husband Raymond Smith within a week.
To say that Joyce Carol floundered would be understating things greatly and yet she works through it all and unconsciously sees the humour in the death industry while struggling with the complexities of a life, where the partner had taken care of all those everyday things so as the wife was freed to write. The hand of friendship and everyday kindness was extended to Joyce Carol in a way that gave her a strength that enabled her to forge a path ahead, even if she often found peoples attempts at comfort rather absurd. She writes so honestly and beautifully about the situation she found herself in, she paints such a vivid picture in your mind with the beautiful words she uses that you can feel her feelings, you can feel the pain, confusion and bewilderment, you feel as if you have almost stepped into her life,the cold of the hospital was chilling,her unawareness of what was actually going on was stunning...I was touched by her sharing of letters she received and by how fragile she seems in everyday life and yet the strength of her writing is amazing and solid as.
A remarkable book, from a remarkable writer. She mentions Joan Didion`s book The Year of Magical Thinking another remarkable memoir of loss, people might find reading about it dark but it happens everyday and books can and do give you great comfort.

A Reliable Wife by Robert Goolrick

This book fairly well dazzles the living bippy out of you,so much so that you can't put it down.

Set in a small Wisconsin town circa 1907, it charms you, it seduces you and it lures you into the lives of its 3 main characters, Ralph Truitt, Catherine Land and Antonio Moretti.

Each has their own agenda, their own pain, their own need for redemption in what ever form that may take and each can be incredibly cunning and manipulative, devious, violent and in the case of one a poisoner, it is very hard to like them, in fact they quite probably will leave you feeling repulsed and yet little by little due to great character plotting and atmospheric setting you want to know where the next turn will take them and lead you, there is enough sex to make Granny blush but even Granny would have to say that this author uses words in such a magical way that the picture he paints for you will remain with you with a along time after you put this novel down, with all its awfulness it still manages to stand as a testimony to love, understanding and compassion with a sprinkling of forgiveness that breaks through the harshness that the Wisconsin winter brings to its pages and the surprises that greet you and at times leave you breathless.