A Life in Parts by Bryan Cranston

Title: A Life in Parts

Author: Bryan Cranston

Genre: Autobiography

Though occasionally repetitive in his advice, Bryan Cranston's autobiography, A Life in Parts, is an interesting read spanning his life so far - from childhood through his success with Breaking Bad. He shares the path of his journey mostly organized by the various gigs he's landed (hence the title). It is told candidly with some wry humor and a steady enough stream of drama to keep the reader interested. If you select the audiobook format, you have the added benefit of hearing the book read by the actor himself. 

- Sarah R.

Check out A Life in Parts @ the library.

My Mother Was Nuts by Penny Marshall

Celebrity memoirs fall into two categories for this reader: those who you feel you could be best friends with, and those who live lives so differently from you, it's best to admire them from afar. Penny Marshall spans both of these categories in her memoir My Mother Was Nuts. From her childhood in the Bronx to her days starring on Laverne and Shirley to her directing days Penny Marshall gives snippets of many parts of her life.

Famous friends pop up in just about every chapter, and she is frank about her family, past marriages and health issues.Whether you are a fan of Laverne and Shirley or a League of Her Own, behind the scenes stories will have you turning the pages. Reading the book was like having a long conversation about life with Penny Marshall, and it is easy to assume the the audio book read by the author would be an amazing listen.

Check out My Mother Was Nuts @ the library!

A Thousand Pardons by Jonathan Dee

Ben and Helen’s marriage is falling apart. A weekly visit to a marriage counselor only makes things worse.  When Ben, filled with despair, makes a series of reckless decisions, he disgraces himself and destroys his family’s comfortable upper middle class life. Ben disappears into rehab and jail, leaving Helen to deal with the resulting shame and financial problems. She puts their house on the market and moves with her pre-teen daughter to New York City. Despite little work experience, she lands a job with a small public relations firm and proves to be gifted at crisis management.  Her advice, no matter who the client is or what offense has been committed or even if the accusation is true or false, is to make a sincere apology. This strategy always works and the reputation of the restaurant, politician, or grocery store is salvaged. Helen parlays this success into a job with a larger, more prestigious firm. Her job becomes a career but, as the job becomes more demanding, her relationship with her daughter deteriorates. Ben meanwhile returns to the home he had rejected. He secretly reconnects with his daughter through text messaging and hopes to build a semblance of the life he had once so thoroughly rejected. However, the sincere apology does not work as well on Helen as an insincere one does on the general public. She is too angry, the hurt is too personal. Unless she can overcome her resentment, the family will remain torn. A Thousand Pardons demonstrates that it can be harder to accept an apology than make one. 

Those following the Ryan Braun case/ situation may find this to be an interesting spin on apologies and public relations. Check out A Thousand Pardons at the library!