Book ~ "Cher: The Memoir, Part 1" (2024) Cher

From Goodreads ~ THERE IS ONLY ONE CHER …

… and for seven decades she has been showing us why. Cher holds the attention of the world with her voice, her acting, her style, her wit and her unstoppable spirit. Now, for the first time, she tells her story in her own voice - as honest as it is hilarious, as powerful as it is perceptive.

Cher’s childhood was anything but normal. As her mother Georgia -  blessed with movie-star looks and a knockout voice – moved them around the country over and again in the hope of finding fame, her school life wasn’t straightforward. But she always knew she was going to be somebody when she grew up.

Cher’s powerful instinct to keep moving eventually landed her in the arms of Sonny Bono. The duo became famous beyond their wildest dreams, from humble beginnings singing backup in Phil Spector’s studio through to pop stardom as Sonny and Cher, and then on to the television show that made them household names. But as time passed, fame changed the dynamic of their relationship and Cher evolved from a wide-eyed teenager into a woman. She started fighting for herself, breaking away from Sonny’s control - and realising that things were not as they seemed.

Taking risks, making headlines, falling in love, Cher struggled and stumbled while trying to become her own woman. "The Memoir, Part One" brings us to the brink of her next chapter, as she begins to chart her own path, finally claiming her rightful place in the world and becoming CHER.

While I'm not a huge fan of Cher's, I like reading bios/memoirs and thought her story would probably be an interesting one ... and it was.

The book starts long before Cher was born with her maternal grandparents' story, Lynda and Roy, two young poor kids who got together, split up and kept getting back together. Lynda was 13 when Georgia (then Jackie Jean), Cher's mother, was born and not mature enough to be a mother, and Roy was 20 with alcohol and violence issues. Tossed from home to home, Georgia didn't have a stable childhood and that affected her life choices and men. 

When Cher met Sonny when she was 16, she found some stability in having an older and mature best friend, that eventually became more. He saw talent in her and she was a ticket to fame and fortune for him. Without her realizing it, he became controlling until, according to her, she wasn't allowed to do anything with anyone but him. She eventually untangled herself from him and despite how badly he had treated her over the years, she still counted on him when she needed someone ... I wouldn't have been as kind of generous.

I didn't like Georgia and found her selfish. When you have a messed up upbringing, I would hope that you do all you can to ensure your children have a more stable one and she didn't do that. She was married and divorced seven times before she was 50 ... even twice to Cher's father who had deserted them when Cher was a baby and then 20 years later when he came back into their lives after Cher became famous. So it's not a surprise that Cher's childhood wasn't stable either.

I liked the writing style (I'm assuming there was a ghost writer). It's written at a high level with just enough detail for me. It was interesting reading about the people she met and the experiences she had. The book ends just as she's thinking seriously about become an actress ... so after her relationships with David Geffen, Gregg Allman and Gene Simmons (I'd forgotten they'd been an item).  I liked that there were lots of photographs at the end. As a head's up, there is swearing.

Book ~ "The Haters" (2024) Robyn Harding

From Goodreads ~ Camryn Lane is living her dream. After years of struggle and rejection, her first novel has finally been published. Her editor is happy, her teenage daughter is proud and her boyfriend and friends are all excited for her. She’s on top of the world - until she receives a disturbing message from an unknown sender.

Rattled by the accusations she finds there, Camryn swallows the sick feeling in her stomach and resolves to put the missive out of her mind. But when she checks her ratings on a popular book site, she finds a scathing one-star review. The reviewer is so articulate and convincing that soon, Camryn’s book is flooded with bad reviews. Could the reviewer be the same person who sent the ugly email? And why do they want to ruin her?

As the online harassment creeps into Camryn’s personal life, she vows to find out who’s behind it. Is it really a disgruntled reader? Or could it be someone she knows? The troll’s actions are escalating, and when the abuse turns deadly, it will take everything Camryn has to unmask the enemy so intent on destroying her - and finally learn why she's being targeted.

Camryn is a guidance counsellor at a private school. She is in her late 30s, divorced with a daughter who is graduating from high school, and has a younger boyfriend who she has nothing in common with. She recently fulfilled her dream of writing and publishing her first novel. 

When she receives a nasty email about how it's disgusting she used the stories of her students as material for her, she initially brushes it off. But when she starts getting hundreds one star reviews on a review site, she starts to get concerned, especially when the harassment gets personal. There are lots who might want to sabotage her writing career and she needs to figure out who it is before she loses everything including her friends, her job and her possible publishing opportunities.

This is the second book I've read by this author and I liked it.  I liked the writing style and it moved at a quick pace. It is written in first person perspective in Camryn's voice. Interspersed in the story are chapters from Camryn's book. The ending came quickly and for the most part I was buying it. As a head's up, there is swearing.

Happy Boxing Day!

Merry Christmas!

Bar Poet, Toronto, ON

Gord and I had supper this evening at Bar Poet (on Queen Street W at Dovercourt Road) … it’s a former Slavic Pentecostal Church. It's been a while since we've been there ... we've tried to get in a few times but it's always jammed.

We both had a Three Little Pigs pizza (Tomato Sauce, Mozzarella, Crispy Bacon, ‘Ndu ja Sausage, Pepperoni, Basil, Parmigiano) … mine without parm. We both took home half for lunch tomorrow. They were good pizzas, though the 'Ndu ja Sausage was really salty.

Book ~ "Is She Really Going Out With Him?" (2024) Sophie Cousens

From Goodreads ~ Columnist Anna Appleby has left her love life behind after a painful divorce. Who needs a man when she has two kids, a cat and uncontested control of the TV remote? Besides, she’d rather be single than subject herself to the hell of online dating. But her office rival is vying for her column and no column means no stable source of income. In a desperate attempt to keep her job, Anna finds herself pitching a unique angle: seven dates, all found offline, chosen by her children.

From awkward encounters to unexpected connections, Anna gamely begins to put herself out there, asking out waiters, the mailman and even her celebrity crush. But when a romantic connection appears where she least expected it, will she be brave enough to take another chance on love?

Anna is 38, divorced with two kids. She works as a columnist at an online publication which is struggling. In an effort to keep it alive, the owner brings in an investor who wants it rejuvenated. Though a good writer, Anna needs to kick it up a notch if she wants to keep her column (and her income) especially since Will, another columnist, seems to have his eye on her space.

So Anna embarks on a journey to date men who her children choose for her and this will be the content for her columns ... she goes out with a younger waiter, her mailman and even tries speed dating. It's decided that Will will write a similar column but about his online dating experiences. When the book starts, Anna doesn't like Will and finds him arrogant but as they start working together, she gets to know him better and finds that he's not the jerk she thought he was.

I thought this story was okay ... it was light and predictable. It's written in first person perspective in Anna's voice. Not a big surprise that Anna does fall for someone ... it happens very quickly, though, and there's a happy ending for all. As a head's up, there is swearing and adult activity.

Book ~ "Obsession, Deceit and Really Dark Chocolate" (2007) Kyra Davis

From Goodreads ~ Sophie Katz's relationship with the irresistible and occasionally insufferable P.I. Anatoly Darinsky is on the fritz when a friend recruits Sophie's investigation skills to decode her possibly two-timing husband's strange behavior. When Sophie shows up in a short red cocktail dress and her friend's hubby winds up dead, the loveable would-be sleuth can't help but take on the job.

Suddenly plunged into a crazy world of campaign mudslinging, dirt-digging and cover-ups, Sophie begins to uncover some pretty dirty secrets involving a conservative congressional hopeful's involvement in the Furry community, a group of people who dress up in mascot-size stuffed animal costumes. Sex and politics, wouldn't you know?

Way in over her head as usual, Sophie reluctantly or not-so-reluctantly enlists the help of her two-time sidekick and ex-Anatoly. Together they set out to determine who killed Eugene and why, and in the process can't resist falling for each other again?

Sophie Katz is a mystery writer. Melanie, her friend and former mentor, suspects her husband, Eugene, is having an affair so asks Sophie to put the moves on him at a bar to see if he bites. He doesn't and they end up having a nice chat. Minutes after they leave the bar, he is shot and killed. Melanie knows that Sophie's ex-boyfriend, Anatoly, is a PI and wants to hire him to investigate. Sophie is feeling bitter about their recent break-up so tells Melanie he is too busy and offers to check things out. Eventually Melanie hires Anatoly and Sophie is forced to work with him to stay involved. 

I wasn't crazy about this one. I'm not into politics and because Eugene worked for a congressional candidate, there was a lot of talk of American politics, which was boring. It was a convoluted story that ended up involving furries and fluffies. When the whodunnit was revealed, my thought was "HUH?!" ... I wasn't buying it. Sophie's obsession with Anatoly was annoying and she stayed on investigating Eugene's death primarily so Anatoly couldn't which was selfish and juvenile of her considering it's what he does for a living. 

This is the third in the Sophie Katz Murder Mystery Series (there are seven books in the series and I read the first two in the last week). It is written in first person perspective in Sophie's voice. It was published in 2007 so is a bit dated ... for example, Kanye West was still relevant and Susan Sarandon and Tim Robbins are still together. As a head's up, there is swearing and adult activity.

Book ~ "Passion, Betrayal And Killer Highlights" (2006) Kyra Davis

From Goodreads ~ Sophie Katz has just offered a man $12,000 for his services ... is she desperate or just meshugeneh?

Considering the kind of disasters that usually befall the half-black, half-Jewish mystery writer, probably both. Because the last time Sophie saw sexy P.I. Anatoly Darinsky, he practically danced a jig when she waved goodbye ... a normal reaction for a man who'd nearly bought the farm trying to protect her from her own foolishness. What are the chances he'd agree to take incriminating pictures of her sister's philandering husband? Or that he'd let her tag along ... you know… for research?

But when her brother-in-law turns up dead and her sister becomes the prime suspect, Sophie's priority is finding the real killer. With or without Anatoly's help. Her brother-in-law's secret life yields plenty of suspects but the San Francisco police aren't taking any of them seriously. So Sophie does what comes naturally to her: she stirs up trouble (to lure the killer out, of course).

But if her crazy plan works, will Anatoly be there to protect her this  time?

Sophie Katz is a mystery writer who lives with Mr. Katz, her cat with lot of personality. Leah is her sister and Bob, Leah's husband, told her he was leaving her for a younger woman. Leah enjoys her role as a wife and a mother and is determined to fight for him. When Leah arrives home later that day, she finds Bob murdered and their house trashed a bit. 

Leah immediately turns to Sophie ... Sophie, in turn, hires PI Anatoly to investigate and find out who murdered Bob since Leah is the number one suspect. Sophie and Anatoly have a history ... because of her, he'd gotten shot and arrested (in the first book) ... but he takes the job. As Sophie and Anatoly start digging, they discover that Bob not only had one girlfriend on the side but a few more. Did one of them get jealous enough to kill him?

This is the second in the Sophie Katz Murder Mystery Series (there are seven books in the series and I read the first one earlier this week). It is written in first person perspective in Sophie's voice. It was published in 2006 so is a bit dated with references to floppy disks and an address book that you actually write names, address and phone numbers (and cross them out when they move!). As a head's up, there is a lot of swearing and adult activity.

I liked it enough to move on to the next book in the series. 

Book ~ "Sex, Murder and a Double Latte" (2005) Kyra Davis

From Goodreads ~ Thriller scribe Sophie Katz is as hard-boiled as a woman who drinks Grande Caramel Brownie Frappuccinos can be. So Sophie knows it’s not paranoia or post-divorce, living-alone-again jitters, when she becomes convinced that a crazed reader is sneaking into her apartment to reenact scenes from her books. The police, however, can’t tell a good plot from an unmarked grave.

When a filmmaker friend is brutally murdered in the manner of a death scene in one of his movies, Sophie becomes convinced that a copycat killer is on the loose - and that she’s the next target. If she doesn’t solve the mystery, her own bestseller will spell out her doom. Cursing her grisly imagination (why, oh, why did she have to pick the ax?), Sophie engages in some real-life gumshoe tactics. The man who swoops in to save her in dark alleys is mysterious new love interest Anatoly Darinsky. Of course, if this were fiction, Anatoly would be her prime suspect.

Sophie Katz is a mystery writer. She is excited that a filmmaker is interested in turning her book into a movie ... until he is found dead in his bathtub of an apparent suicide. His death is very similar to a death in one of his movies but that was a murder not a suicide, which leads Sophie to suspect that he has been murdered. When strange things start happening that mirror her book, Sex, Murder and a Double Latte, Sophie suspects she may be the next victim so starts investigating.

Around this time, Sophie meets and starts dating Anatoly, who has recently moved to town, and her friend, Dena, has recently started dating Jason, who is a vampire wannabe. Sophie starts to wonder if they have come into her life just make her the next victim.

This is the first in the Sophie Katz Murder Mystery Series (there are seven books in the series). I like reading series so I thought I'd check it out. I liked the writing style ... it was amusing at times. It is written in first person perspective in Sophie's voice. It was published in 2005 so is a bit dated with references to things that were relevant 20 years ago. I liked that she had a cat named Mr. Katz, who was full of personality. Sophie has three good but diverse friends who she leans on ... outspoken and sometimes mean Dena, dumb Mary Ann and Marcus, an overly stereotypical gay hairdresser. The whodunnit was a bit of a stretch. As a head's up, there is a lot of swearing and some violence.

I liked it enough to move on to the next book in the series. 

Turtle Jack's Muskoka Grill, Mississauga, ON

I had supper this evening at Turtle Jack’s at Erin Mills Town Centre with friends.

Me, Franca, Linda and Ann

I had Chicken Parmesan (Pomodoro sauce, mozzarella, pappardelle, tomato pesto cream sauce), which was good. The garlic toast was $3 extra and not worth the cost as it was cold and hard (I wouldn't get it again).

“Elvis: Wonderful World of Christmas”, Meadowvale Theatre, Mississauga, ON

This afternoon I attended Elvis: Wonderful World of Christmas at the Meadowvale Theatre with Linda, Ann and Franca. It was a fun and festive way to spend the afternoon. 

Join us Sunday December 15 for a magical experience filled with the iconic songs of Elvis Presley, performed by the talented internationally acclaimed Steve Michaels.

His performance brings to life the classic hits of Elvis Presley, including his beloved holiday tunes. Enter a realm of joy and enchantment, celebrating the most wonderful time of the year!

Start your holiday season in style with this spectacular show that will surely bring joy and wonder to your heart.

Me, Linda, Ann and Franca

Island Foods, Toronto, ON (Gladstone Avenue)

Trish and I had lunch today at Island Foods at Gladstone Avenue/Queen Street W.

Trish ordered a potato and channa roti.

Float Toronto, Toronto, ON

My pal, Trish, and I went for hour floats today at Float Toronto (on Queen Street W at Gladstone). It was Trish's first time. I find floats very relaxing ... today I fell asleep! They are having their annual sale this month so it's a great time to stock up.

Book ~ "The Paris Widow" (2024) Kimberly Belle

From Goodreads ~ When Stella met Adam, she thought she had finally found a nice normal guy - a welcome change from her previous boyfriend and her precarious jetsetter lifestyle with him. But her secure world comes crashing down when Adam goes missing after an explosion in the city square. Unable to reach him, she panics. 

As the French police investigate, it’s revealed that Adam was on their radar as a dealer of rare and stolen antiquities with a long roster of criminal clients. Reeling from this news, Stella is determined not to leave Paris until she has the full story. Was Adam a random victim or the target of the explosion? And why is someone following her through the streets of Paris?

Stella and Adam have been married for four years and she tags along with him on a business trip around Europe. A couple hours before they are due to fly home to the States, they check out a cute spot for a snack. As they are heading back to the hotel in Paris to pick up their luggage before they leave for the airport, Adam forgets his sunglasses on their table and goes back for them as Stella carries on to the hotel. Moments later there is an explosion at the restaurant where they just were and Adam is missing. Not giving up hope, Stella stays on in Paris until she can find out if Adam is alive or not. 

During the investigation of the explosion, the police inform Stella that Adam wasn't just a regular dealer in antiques ... he had a secret life and was actually selling stolen antiquities to the rich around the world who could afford them. Was Adam in the wrong place at the wrong time or was her a target of the explosion and why.

I've read many books by this author but I thought this one was okay. It's written from two perspectives which bounce back and forth (the chapters are labeled) in Stella and Adam's voices during their travels. After the explosion, I thought it was farfetched with Stella investigating what happened to him (she works for a caterer back home) and I found the details a bit draggy and confusing at times. It was lucky that Stella had someone from her past who was coincidentally connected to the stolen antiquities market she was able to tap into for info (!!). I wasn't buying the ending. As a head's up, there is swearing and violence.

Casa Loma, Toronto, ON

Casa Loma has their Christmas at the Castle event happening until January 8 and I headed there this morning. I'm glad I did as there was so much to see and it was done very well.

The Great Hall

Fresca Pizza & Pasta, Toronto, ON

I had a slice of pepperoni pizza for lunch today at Fresca Pizza & Pasta on College Street (just west of Spadina). It was a busy spot! 

I got here just as the pepperoni pizza came out of the oven so my slice was fresh and hot. And it was a tasty slice! Yum!

Garter Stitch Scarf

I finished knitting a scarf. I cast on 25 stitches on a 6.5mm needles and the pattern is garter stitch. I used 3/4 of a skein of Loops & Threads Sweet Snuggles Lite super bulky (#6) and the colour is coral dot. It’s almost feet long and warm and snuggly. 

Book ~ "The Personal Assistant" (2022) Kimberly Belle

From Goodreads ~ When Alex first began posting unscripted family moments and motivational messages online, she had no intention of becoming an influencer. Overnight it seemed she’d amassed a huge following, and her hobby became a full-time job - one that was impossible to manage without her sharp-as-a-tack personal assistant, AC.

But all the good-will of her followers turns toxic when one controversial post goes viral in the worst possible way. Alex reaches out to AC for damage control but her assistant has gone silent. This young woman Alex trusted with all her secrets, who had access to her personal information and front row seats to the pressure points in her marriage and family life, is now missing and the police are looking to Alex and her husband for answers. As Alex digs into AC’s identity - and a woman is found murdered – she’ll find the greatest threat isn’t online but in her own living room.

Alex is a successful social media influencer, married to Patrick and has 12-year-old twins. She wakes up after a night of too much tequila to discover she had thrown shade on a 16-year-old actress in a post the night before. After years of her posting about encouraging positivity, Alex's fan base turns against her and her social media blows up with comments about her being a hypocrite. She turns to her assistant, AC, for help but AC had disappeared. When the comments get more dangerous with threats of violence and AC is reported missing by her roommate, the police look at Alex and Patrick with suspicion.

I've read many books by this author but I thought this one was okay. It's written from two perspectives which bounce back and forth (the chapters are labeled) in Alex and Patrick's voices. In the end, we find out what happened to AC and it was an interesting twist but not a big surprise. I found it odd that with all the threats (online and physical) they received, though Alex and Patrick eventually had changed the locks and upgraded their security cameras, they didn't seem overly concerned about any danger. to themselves or Alex's children. I thought it was irresponsible of Alex as a mother to expose so much of her life (she posted pictures of her daughters, Patrick, their house, etc.) in her quest to become a successful influencer.  As a head's up, there is swearing and violence.