strange and random happenstance

Mummy Darlings by Emily Hourican
Published by: Grand Central Publishing
Publication Date: April 18th, 2023
Format: Paperback, 512 Pages
To Buy

The official patter:
"This stunning novel the from author of The Glorious Guinness Girls follows the three enigmatic Guinness sisters as they take on married life and motherhood at the beginning of the 1930s.

It's the dawn of the 1930s and the three privileged Guinness sisters, Aileen, Maureen and Oonagh, settle into becoming wives and mothers: Aileen in Luttrellstown Castle outside Dublin, Maureen in Clandeboye in Northern Ireland, and Oonagh in Rutland Place in London.

But while Britain becomes increasingly politically polarized, Aileen, Maureen and Oonagh discover conflict within their own marriages.

Oonagh's dream of romantic love is countered by her husband's lies; the intense nature of Maureen's marriage means passion, but also rows; while Aileen begins to discover that, for her, being married offers far less than she had expected.

Meanwhile, Kathleen, a housemaid from their childhood home in Glenmaroon, travels between the three sisters, helping, listening, watching - even as her own life brings her into conflict with the clash between fascism and communism.

As affairs are uncovered and secrets exposed, the three women begin to realize that their gilded upbringing could not have prepared them for the realities of married life, nor for the scandals that seem to follow them around."

If you've read all there is about the Mitfords, might I suggest the Guinnesses?

The Audrey Hepburn Estate by Brenda Janowitz
Published by: Graydon House,
Publication Date: April 18th, 2023
Format: Paperback, 368 Pages
To Buy

The official patter:
"One woman. Two childhood loves. The dazzling place where it all began.

When Emma Jansen discovers that the grand Long Island estate where she grew up is set to be demolished, she can't help but return for one last visit. After all, it was a place filled with firsts: learning to ride a bike, sneaking a glass of champagne, falling in love.

But once Emma arrives at the storied mansion, she can't ignore the more complicated memories. Because that's not exactly where Emma grew up. Her mother and father worked for the family that owned the estate, and they lived over the garage like Audrey Hepburn's character in the film Sabrina. Emma never felt fully accepted, except by the family's grandson, Henry - a former love - and by the driver's son, Leo - her best friend.

As plans for the property are put into motion and the three are together for the first time in over a decade, Emma finds herself caught between two worlds and two loves. And when the house reveals a shattering secret about her own family, she'll have to decide what kind of life she really wants for herself now and who she wants to be in it."

Here for the Sabrina of it all!

The Secret Service of Tea and Treason by India Holton
Published by: Berkley
Publication Date: April 18th, 2023
Format: Paperback, 368 Pages
To Buy

The official patter:
"One of Buzzfeed's Romance Books To Look Out For In 2023!

Two rival spies must brave pirates, witches, and fake matrimony to save the Queen.

Known as Agent A, Alice is the top operative within the Agency of Undercover Note Takers, a secret government intelligence group that is fortunately better at espionage than at naming itself. From managing deceptive witches to bored aristocratic ladies, nothing is beyond Alice's capabilities. She has a steely composure and a plan always up her sleeve (alongside a dagger and an embroidered handkerchief). So when rumors of an assassination plot begin to circulate, she's immediately assigned to the case.

But she's not working alone. Daniel Bixby, otherwise known as Agent B and Alice's greatest rival, is given the most challenging undercover assignment of his life - pretending to be Alice's husband. Together they will assume the identity of a married couple, infiltrate a pirate house party, and foil their unpatriotic plans.

Determined to remain consummate professionals, Alice and Daniel must ignore the growing attraction between them, especially since acting on it might prove more dangerous than their target."

A pirate house party!?! 

The Cherished by Patricia Ward
Published by: HarperTeen
Publication Date: April 18th, 2023
Format: Hardcover, 336 Pages
To Buy

The official patter:
"For fans of White Smoke, The Hazel Wood, and Wilder Girls comes an original, hypnotizing horror thriller in the vein of Midsommar, as one girl inherits a mysterious house from her estranged grandmother - and a letter with sinister instructions.

Jo never expected to be placed in her absent grandmother's will - let alone be left her house, her land, and a letter with mysterious demands.

Upon arriving at the inherited property, things are even more strange.

The tenants mentioned in the letter are odd, just slightly…off. Jo feels something dark and decrepit in the old shack behind the house. And the things that her father used to talk about, his delusions… Why is Jo starting to believe they might be real?

But what Jo fears most is the letter from her grandmother. Because if it's true, then Jo belongs here, in this strange place. And she has no choice but to stay."

I love menacing inheritances, I hate Midsommar.

Stranger Things: Heroes and Monsters by Rana Tahir
Published by: Random House Books for Young Readers
Publication Date: April 18th, 2023
Format: Paperback, 304 Pages
To Buy

The official patter:
"A thrilling Choose Your Own Adventure® book based on Netflix's Stranger Things!

Are YOU ready to journey to the dark side of Hawkins, Indiana? Join Eleven, Dustin, Max, Lucas, and their friends as they explore Pennhurst Asylum, the creepy old Creel house, and possibly even the Upside Down. The decisions YOU make will decide the fates of the characters and lead to unexpected, thrilling, and even deadly outcomes. Fans of Netflix's hit show Stranger Things will love this exciting addition to the Choose Your Own Adventure® series.

In Netflix's Stranger Things, a group of young friends explore supernatural forces and secret government exploits in Hawkins, Indiana, in the 1980s. As they search for answers, the children embark on incredible adventures and unravel extraordinary mysteries."

OK, I couldn't think of a better partnership if I tried.

Games for Dead Girls by Jen Williams
Published by: Crooked Lane Books
Publication Date: April 18th, 2023
Format: Hardcover, 320 Pages
To Buy

The official patter:
"Exploring the fine line where supernatural ends and real human monstrosity begins, Games for Dead Girls is a haunting, dark read from award-winning author Jen Williams.

In the vein of Jennifer Hillier and Alex North, and told in alternating timelines, a ritualistic game turns deadly for two young girls, but it will be years before they must face the true horrors of their past.

When Charlie was eleven, she created a monster...

For Charlie and her niece Katie, it's supposed to be a quiet holiday in the peaceful, out-of-the-way seaside town of Hithechurch, England. Charlie is researching a book on the folklore of the area, and the gloomy sea and dangerous caves seem to offer up plenty of material, while Katie is just there to run wild and get some fresh air.

But Charlie's research reveals a deeper, darker secret, one that uncovers her own, carefully hidden past. Because young women are going missing again: a teenage girl snatched from the beach in broad daylight, and before that, other girls through the decades have vanished from the area, their families left with no answers and no bodies to bury.

Charlie's creation was a thing of felt, straw, fury, and a rusty pair of scissors in the dark. It couldn't be her monster. Could it? Charlie is set on discovering the truth about the girls' disappearances, but she's about to encounter a force of pure, obsessive malevolence that threatens to destroy anything in its path."

Folklore and monsters made real, YES!

Sisters of the Lost Nation by Nick Medina
Published by: Berkley
Publication Date: April 18th, 2023
Format: Hardcover, 352 Pages
To Buy

The official patter:
"A young Native girl's hunt for answers about the women mysteriously disappearing from her tribe's reservation leads her to delve into the myths and stories of her people, all while being haunted herself, in this atmospheric and stunningly poignant debut.

Anna Horn is always looking over her shoulder. For the bullies who torment her, for the entitled visitors at the reservation's casino…and for the nameless, disembodied entity that stalks her every step - an ancient tribal myth come-to-life, one that's intent on devouring her whole.

With strange and sinister happenings occurring around the casino, Anna starts to suspect that not all the horrors on the reservation are old. As girls begin to go missing and the tribe scrambles to find answers, Anna struggles with her place on the rez, desperately searching for the key she’s sure lies in the legends of her tribe's past.

When Anna's own little sister also disappears, she'll do anything to bring Grace home. But the demons plaguing the reservation - both ancient and new - are strong, and sometimes, it's the stories that never get told that are the most important.

Part gripping thriller and part mythological horror, author Nick Medina spins an incisive and timely novel of life as an outcast, the cost of forgetting tradition, and the courage it takes to become who you were always meant to be."

Oh, I love the phrase mythological horror! I have to use that more often because that is my jam.

Trejo's Cantina by Danny Trejo
Published by: Clarkson Potter
Publication Date: April 18th, 2023
Format: Hardcover, 224 Pages
To Buy

The official patter:
"A cantina-style celebration of Mexican food and drink, entertaining, and Hollywood culture in 100 recipes for nachos, tacos, and Danger Dogs plus cocktails and non-alcoholic drinks from the legendary actor, restaurateur, and author of the acclaimed Trejo's Tacos.

The cantina is the place where families, friends, and colleagues gather to celebrate. In Trejo's Cantina, beloved actor and restaurateur Danny Trejo shares recipes for snacks and drinks that celebrate his traditions and spirit. Along with mouthwatering recipes that make all people feel welcome, from plant-based (Vegan Tamales) and vegetarian (Fight Night Nachos; Mexican Grilled Caesar) to meaty faves (Chorizo Smash Burgers; Tijuana-Style Birria), there are also dozens of inventive takes on classic cocktails including spicy Margaritas and Oaxacan "Moscow" Mules as well as dozens of thirst-quenching non-alcoholic drinks such as Agua Frescas (Pineapple, Guava Lime, Mango), a Tamarind Fizz, and a Cacao Chile Smoothie.

Danny includes helpful tips like how to build a booze-free bar, how to master the tamale, how to mix-and-match salsas, and much more. He also reminisces about his upbringing in Los Angeles, from barhopping with uncles on Olvera Street to his memories of sneaking into movie theaters to cool off and watching films wide-eyed and inspired.

Danny's approach to entertaining is accessible, celebratory, and empowering to cooks of all skill levels. Trejo's Cantina, at its heart, is about living to the fullest, and about how no matter what happens, you need to eat well, drink with gratitude, and celebrate life."

I love Danny Trejo and I love that he has non-alcoholic drinks in this book as a non-drinker.

Posted by Miss Eliza at 12:00 AM 0 comments  

Labels: Brenda Janowitz, Choose Your Own Adventure, Danny Trejo, Emily Hourican, Guinesses, India Holton, Jen Williams, Mitfords, Mythological Horror, Nick Medina, Non-Alcholoic, Patricia Ward, Sabrina, Stranger Things

Any Way the Wind Blows by Rainbow Rowell
Published by: Wednesday Books
Publication Date: July 6th, 2021
Format: Hardcover, 592 Pages
To Buy

The official patter:
"New York Times bestselling author Rainbow Rowell's epic fantasy, the Simon Snow trilogy, concludes with Any Way the Wind Blows.

In Carry On, Simon Snow and his friends realized that everything they thought they understood about the world might be wrong. And in Wayward Son, they wondered whether everything they understood about themselves might be wrong.

In Any Way the Wind Blows, Simon and Baz and Penelope and Agatha have to decide how to move forward.

For Simon, that means deciding whether he still wants to be part of the World of Mages - and if he doesn't, what does that mean for his relationship with Baz? Meanwhile Baz is bouncing between two family crises and not finding any time to talk to anyone about his newfound vampire knowledge. Penelope would love to help, but she's smuggled an American Normal into London, and now she isn't sure what to do with him. And Agatha? Well, Agatha Wellbelove has had enough.

Any Way the Wind Blows takes the gang back to England, back to Watford, and back to their families for their longest and most emotionally wrenching adventure yet.

This book is a finale. It tells secrets and answers questions and lays ghosts to rest.

Carry On was conceived as a book about Chosen One stories; Any Way the Wind Blows is an ending about endings. About catharsis and closure, and how we choose to move on from the traumas and triumphs that try to define us."

I'm so excited about this, but also, I need to ask, I'm not the only one who sings these book titles right!?!

Six Crimson Cranes by Elizabeth Lim
Published by: Knopf Books for Young Readers
Publication Date: July 6th, 2021
Format: Hardcover, 464 Pages
To Buy

The official patter:
"A princess in exile, a shapeshifting dragon, six enchanted cranes, and an unspeakable curse...Drawing from fairy tales and East Asian folklore, this original fantasy from the author of Spin the Dawn is perfect for fans of Shadow and Bone.

Shiori'anma, the only princess of Kiata, has a secret. Forbidden magic runs through her veins. Normally she conceals it well, but on the morning of her betrothal ceremony, Shiori loses control. At first, her mistake seems like a stroke of luck, forestalling the wedding she never wanted. But it also catches the attention of Raikama, her stepmother.

A sorceress in her own right, Raikama banishes the young princess, turning her brothers into cranes. She warns Shiori that she must speak of it to no one: for with every word that escapes her lips, one of her brothers will die.

Penniless, voiceless, and alone, Shiori searches for her brothers, and uncovers a dark conspiracy to seize the throne. Only Shiori can set the kingdom to rights, but to do so she must place her trust in a paper bird, a mercurial dragon, and the very boy she fought so hard not to marry. And she must embrace the magic she's been taught all her life to forswear - no matter what the cost.

Weaving together elements of The Wild Swans, Cinderella, the legend of Chang E, and the Tale of the Bamboo Cutter, Elizabeth Lim has crafted a fantasy like no other, and one that will stay with readers long after they've turned the last page."

I love the weaving together of stories, but more than that, I love dragons. Bring on the dragons.

Synchronized Sorcery by Juliet Blackwell
Published by: Berkley
Publication Date: July 6th, 2021
Format: Paperback, 352 Pages
To Buy

The official patter:
"As witch and vintage store owner Lily Ivory steps into her new role as leader of the Bay Area's magical community, she's faced with a mysterious death of magical proportions...

Strange things are happening in Lily Ivory's San Francisco. First, she finds a vintage mermaid costume which dates from the 1939 San Francisco's Treasure Island World's Fair - and which gives off distinctly peculiar vibrations. Next, she stumbles upon a dead man in the office of her predecessor, and as the community's new leader, she feels compelled to track down the culprit. Just when Lily thinks things can't get any stranger, a man appears claiming to be her half-brother, spouting ideas about the mystical prophecy involving San Francisco and their family...

When the dead man is linked to the mysterious mermaid costume, and then yet another victim is found on Treasure Island, Lily uncovers ties between the long-ago World’s fair and the current murders, and begins to wonder whether the killer might be hiding in plain sight. But unless Lily can figure everything out in time, there may be yet another body floating in San Francisco Bay."

Is it just me or does it feel like a loooooong time since we've had an new volume in this delightful series?

Kill All Your Darlings by David Bell
Published by: Berkley
Publication Date: July 6th, 2021
Format: Hardcover, 416 Pages
To Buy

The official patter:
"When a student disappears and is presumed dead, her professor passes off her manuscript as his own - only to find out it implicates him in an unsolved murder in this new thriller from the USA Today bestselling author of The Request.

After years of struggling to write following the deaths of his wife and son, English professor Connor Nye publishes his first novel, a thriller about the murder of a young woman.

There’s just one problem: Connor didn’t write the book. His missing student did. And then she appears on his doorstep, alive and well, threatening to expose him.

Connor’s problems escalate when the police insist details in the novel implicate him in an unsolved murder from two years ago. Soon Connor discovers the crime is part of a disturbing scandal on campus and faces an impossible dilemma - admit he didn’t write the book and lose his job or keep up the lie and risk everything. When another murder occurs, Connor must clear his name by unraveling the horrifying secrets buried in his student’s manuscript.

This is a suspenseful, provocative novel about the sexual harassment that still runs rampant in academia - and the lengths those in power will go to cover it up."

Naughty Connor. This book has two things I love, people getting their just desserts and a Sir Arthur Quiller-Couch "Kill Your Darlings" reference.

The Bone Code by Kathy Reichs
Published by: Scribner
Publication Date: July 6th, 2021
Format: Hardcover, 368 Pages
To Buy

The official patter:
"#1 New York Times bestselling author Kathy Reichs returns with her twentieth gripping novel featuring forensic anthropologist Temperance Brennan, whose examinations, fifteen years apart, of unidentified bodies ignite a terrifying series of events.

On the way to hurricane-ravaged Isle of Palms, a barrier island off the South Carolina coast, Tempe receives a call from the Charleston coroner. The storm has tossed ashore a medical waste container. Inside are two decomposed bodies wrapped in plastic sheeting and bound with electrical wire. Tempe recognizes many of the details as identical to those of an unsolved case she handled in Quebec years earlier. With a growing sense of foreboding, she travels to Montreal to gather evidence.

Meanwhile, health authorities in South Carolina become increasingly alarmed as a human flesh-eating contagion spreads. So focused is Tempe on identifying the container victims that, initially, she doesn’t register how their murders and the pestilence may be related. But she does recognize one unsettling fact. Someone is protecting a dark secret - and willing to do anything to keep it hidden.

An absorbing look at the sinister uses to which genetics can be put, and featuring a cascade of ever-more-shocking revelations, The Bone Code is Temperance Brennan’s most astonishing case yet - one that gives new meaning to today’s headlines."

I'm glad we live in a world where there is always more Bones. 

Manfrone or, The One-Handed Monk by Mary Anne Radcliffe
Published by: Valancourt Books
Publication Date: July 6th, 2021
Format: Hardcover, 324 Pages
To Buy

The official patter:
"Manfrone; or, The One-Handed Monk (1809) opens with an unforgettable Gothic scene: a lascivious monk enters the lovely Rosalina's bedroom at midnight through a secret panel, planning to rape her-but suffers the gruesome loss of his hand when he is caught in the act.

But the one-handed monk is not the only danger facing Rosalina. Her father, the haughty Duca di Rodolpho, is determined to marry her to the cruel Prince di Manfron and has imprisoned her true love, Montalto, in the castle dungeon. And then there is the mysterious Grimaldi. What are his inscrutable plans, and is he trying to help Rosalina or destroy her?

This new edition of one of the most popular of 19th-century Gothic novels includes the unabridged text of the original four-volume novel and features a new introduction by Lisa Kroger."

A reissue of a classic novel my Mrs. Radcliffe that Jane Austen surely read!

Incense and Sensibility by Sonali Dev
Published by: William Morrow Paperbacks
Publication Date: July 6th, 2021
Format: Paperback, 400 Pages
To Buy

The official patter:
"The author of Recipe for Persuasion - "not only one of the best but one of the bravest romance novelists working today" (Shelf Awareness) - adds an Indian American twist to Jane Austen's classic Sense and Sensibility in this delightful retelling that is a feast for the senses.

Yash Raje, California’s first serious Indian gubernatorial candidate, has always known exactly what he wants - and how to use his privileged background to get it. He attributes his success to a simple mantra: control your feelings and you can control the world.

But when a hate-fueled incident at a rally critically injures his friend, Yash’s easy life suddenly feels like a lie, his control an illusion. When he tries to get back on the campaign trail, he blacks out with panic.

Desperate to keep Yash’s condition from leaking to the media, his family turns to the one person they trust - his sister’s best friend, India Dashwood, California’s foremost stress management coach. Raised by a family of yoga teachers, India has helped San Francisco’s high strung overachievers for a decade without so much as altering her breath. But this man - with his boundless ambition, simmering intensity, and absolute faith in his political beliefs - is like no other. Yash has spent a lifetime repressing everything to succeed.

Including their one magical night ten years ago - a too brief, too bright passion that if rekindled threatens the life he’s crafted for himself. Exposing the secrets might be the only way to save him but it’s also guaranteed to destroy the dream he’s willingly shouldered for his family and community...until now."

And speaking of Jane Austen, if you're not reading Sonali Dev right now you are seriously missing out. 

Island Queen by Vanessa Riley
Published by: William Morrow
Publication Date: July 6th, 2021
Format: Hardcover, 592 Pages
To Buy

The official patter:
"A remarkable, sweeping historical novel based on the incredible true life story of Dorothy Kirwan Thomas, a free woman of color who rose from slavery to become one of the wealthiest and most powerful landowners in the colonial West Indies.

Born into slavery on the tiny Caribbean island of Montserrat, Doll bought her freedom - and that of her sister and her mother - from her Irish planter father and built a legacy of wealth and power as an entrepreneur, merchant, hotelier, and planter that extended from the marketplaces and sugar plantations of Dominica and Barbados to a glittering luxury hotel in Demerara on the South American continent.

Vanessa Riley’s novel brings Doll to vivid life as she rises above the harsh realities of slavery and colonialism by working the system and leveraging the competing attentions of the men in her life: a restless shipping merchant, Joseph Thomas; a wealthy planter hiding a secret, John Coseveldt Cells; and a roguish naval captain who will later become King William IV of England.

From the bustling port cities of the West Indies to the forbidding drawing rooms of London’s elite, Island Queen is a sweeping epic of an adventurer and a survivor who answered to no one but herself as she rose to power and autonomy against all odds, defying rigid eighteenth-century morality and the oppression of women as well as people of color. It is an unforgettable portrait of a true larger-than-life woman who made her mark on history."

When Lauren Willig tells you you MUST read a book you do it. If you happen to be a blogger like me, you hunt down an ARC of it so you don't have to wait for the "must read book of summer!"

The Hollywood Spy by Susan Elia MacNeal
Published by: Bantam
Publication Date: July 6th, 2021
Format: Hardcover, 368 Pages
To Buy

The official patter:
"Maggie Hope is off to California to solve a crime that hits too close to home - and confront the very evil she thought she had left behind in Europe - as the acclaimed World War II mystery series from New York Times bestselling author Susan Elia MacNeal continues.

Los Angeles, 1943. As the Allies beat back the Nazis in the Mediterranean and the United States military slowly closes in on Tokyo, Walt Disney cranks out wartime propaganda and the Cocoanut Grove is alive with jazz and swing every night. But behind this sunny facade lies a darker reality. Somewhere in the lush foothills of Hollywood, a woman floats lifeless in the pool of one of California's trendiest hotels.

When American-born secret agent and British spy Maggie Hope learns that this woman was engaged to her former fiancee, John Sterling, and that he suspects her death was no accident, intuition tells her he's right. Leaving London under siege is a lot to ask. But John was once the love of Maggie's life...and she won't say no.

Maggie struggles with seeing her lost love again, but what's more shocking is that her own country is as divided and convulsed with hatred as Europe. The Zoot Suit Riots loom large in Los Angeles, and the Ku Klux Klan casts a long shadow everywhere. But there is little time to dwell on memories once she starts digging into the case. As she traces a web of deception from the infamous Garden of Allah to the iconic Carthay Circle Theater, she discovers things aren't always the way things appear in the movies - and the political situation in America is more complicated, and dangerous, than the newsreels would have them all believe."

I love this new trend for WWII novels to be set in Hollywood. Because, truthfully, there was A LOT going on out west the contributed to the war!

The View Was Exhausting by Mikaella Clements and Onjuli Datta
Published by: Grand Central Publishing
Publication Date: July 6th, 2021
Format: Hardcover, 336 Pages
To Buy

The official patter:
"Faking a love story is a whole lot easier than being in love...

The world can see that international A-list actress Whitman ("Win") Tagore and jet-setting playboy Leo Milanowski are made for each other. Their kisses start Twitter trends and their fights break the internet. From red carpet appearances to Met Gala mishaps, their on-again, off-again romance has titillated the public and the press for almost a decade. But it's all a lie.

As a woman of color, Win knows the Hollywood deck is stacked against her, so she's perfected the art of controlling her public persona. Whenever she nears scandal, she calls in Leo, with his endearingly reckless attitude, for a staged date. Each public display of affection shifts the headlines back in Win's favor, and Leo uses the good press to draw attention away from his dysfunctional family.

Pretending to be in a passionate romance is one thing, but Win knows that a real relationship would lead to nothing but trouble. So instead they settle for friendship, with a side of sky-rocketing chemistry. Except this time, on the French Riviera, something is off. A shocking secret in Leo's past sets Win's personal and professional lives on a catastrophic collision course. Behind the scenes of their yacht-trips and PDA, the world's favorite couple is at each other's throats. Now they must finally confront the many truths and lies of their relationship, and Win is forced to consider what is more important: a rising career, or a risky shot at real love?

The View Was Exhausting is a funny, wickedly observant modern love story set against the backdrop of exotic locales and the realities of being a woman of color in a world run by men."

If, like me, you've been pissed about the cancellation of The Arrangement for years now, this here is the book to help salve the wound. 

Trejo: My Life of Crime, Redemption, and Hollywood by Danny Trejo
Published by: Atria Books
Publication Date: July 6th, 2021
Format: Hardcover, 288 Pages
To Buy

The official patter:
"For the first time, the full, fascinating, and inspirational true story of Danny Trejo’s journey from crime, prison, addiction, and loss to unexpected fame as Hollywood’s favorite bad guy with a heart of gold.

On screen, Danny Trejo the actor is a baddie who has been killed at least a hundred times. He’s been shot, stabbed, hanged, chopped up, squished by an elevator, and once, was even melted into a bloody goo. Off screen, he’s a hero beloved by recovery communities and obsessed fans alike. But the real Danny Trejo is much more complicated than the legend.

Raised in an abusive home, Danny struggled with heroin addiction and stints in some of the country’s most notorious state prisons, including San Quentin and Folsom, from an early age, before starring in such modern classics as Heat, From Dusk till Dawn, and Machete. Now, in this funny, painful, and suspenseful memoir, Danny takes us through the incredible ups and downs of his life, including meeting one of the world’s most notorious serial killers in prison and working with legends like Charles Bronson and Robert De Niro.

In honest, unflinching detail, Danny recounts how he managed the horrors of prison, rebuilt himself after finding sobriety and spirituality in solitary confinement, and draws inspiration from the adrenaline-fueled robbing heists of his past for the film roles that made him a household name. He also shares the painful contradictions in his personal life. Although he speaks everywhere from prison yards to NPR about his past to inspire countless others on their own road to recovery and redemption, he struggles to help his children with their personal battles with addiction, and to build relationships that last.

Redemptive and painful, poignant and real, Trejo is a portrait of a magnificent life and an unforgettable and exceptional journey through tragedy, pain, and, finally, success that will transfix and inspire."

Have I mentioned lately how much I love Danny Trejo and in particular his cameo on last season of Dynasty? Because if not, here is your reminder. 

Posted by Miss Eliza at 12:00 AM 2 comments  

Labels: Danny Trejo, David Bell, Elizabeth Lim, Jane Austen, Juliet Blackwell, Kathy Reichs, Lauren Willig, Mrs. Radcliffe, Rainbow Rowell, Sonali Dev, Susan Elia MacNeal, The Arrangement, Tuesday Tomorrow, Vanessa Riley