March #LibraryLoveChallenge - American Heiress by Jeffrey Toobin

The March edition of the #LibraryLoveChallenge is another non-fiction, this time about the Patty Hearst kidnapping; her "alleged" crimes and trial. It's not my favorite type of non-fiction as it doesn't read as a story but a journaled detail heavy account of a tumultuous time in our country's history. I did enjoy it and I know that tonight's discussion will be a lively one.
Enjoy! 

ISBN-13: 978-0345803153
Publisher: Knopf Doubleday Publishing Group
Release Date: 08-02-2016
Length: 480pp
Source: Library - Book Club Read
Buy It: Amazon/B&N/IndieBound

ADD TO: GOODREADS

Overview:

American Heiress: The Wild Saga of the Kidnapping, Crimes and Trial of Patty Hearst by Jeffrey Toobin

A National Bestseller

From New Yorker staff writer and bestselling author of The Nine and The Run of His Life: The People v. O. J. Simpson, the definitive account of the kidnapping and trial that defined an insane era in American history

On February 4, 1974, Patty Hearst, a sophomore in college and heiress to the Hearst Family fortune, was kidnapped by a ragtag group of self-styled revolutionaries calling itself the Symbonese Liberation Army. The weird turns that followed in this already sensational take are truly astonishing—the Hearst family tried to secure Patty's release by feeding the people of Oakland and San Francisco for free; bank security cameras captured "Tania" wielding a machine gun during a roberry; the LAPD engaged in the largest police shoot-out in American history; the first breaking news event was broadcast live on telelvision stations across the country; and then there was Patty's circuslike trial, filled with theatrical courtroom confrontations and a dramatic last-minute reversal, after which the term "Stockholm syndrome" entered the lexicon.

Ultimately, the saga highlighted a decade in which America seemed to be suffering a collective nervous breakdown. American Heiress portrays the electrifying lunacy of the time and the toxic mic of sex, politics, and violence that swept up Patty Hearst and captivated the nation.

February Library Love Challenge - Be Frank With Me by Julia Claiborne Johnson

Welcome to February's Library Love Challenge hosted by Angel's Guilty Pleasure and Brook Blogs
Be Frank With Me was an unexpected joy and a hidden gem and I'm so glad it was chosen for this month's in person library book club read. I hope you read my review and if you haven't read it yet pick it up and I bet you'll want to chose it for your pleasure reading or your next book club read.
Enjoy!

ISBN-13: 9780062413727
Publisher: Harper Collins
Release Date: 9-6-2016
Length: 320pp
Source: Library-Book Club read
Buy It: Amazon/B&N/Kobo/IndieBound/Audible

ADD TO: GOODREADS

Overview:

A sparkling talent makes her fiction debut with this infectious novel that combines the charming pluck of Eloise, the poignant psychological quirks of The Curious Incident of the Dog in the Night-Time and the page-turning spirit of Where’d You Go, Bernadette.

Reclusive literary legend M. M. “Mimi” Banning has been holed up in her Bel Air mansion for years. But after falling prey to a Bernie Madoff-style ponzi scheme, she’s flat broke. Now Mimi must write a new book for the first time in decades, and to ensure the timely delivery of her manuscript, her New York publisher sends an assistant to monitor her progress. The prickly Mimi reluctantly complies—with a few stipulations: No Ivy-Leaguers or English majors. Must drive, cook, tidy. Computer whiz. Good with kids. Quiet, discreet, sane.

When Alice Whitley arrives at the Banning mansion, she’s put to work right away—as a full-time companion to Frank, the writer’s eccentric nine-year-old, a boy with the wit of Noel Coward, the wardrobe of a 1930s movie star, and very little in common with his fellow fourth-graders.

As she slowly gets to know Frank, Alice becomes consumed with finding out who Frank’s father is, how his gorgeous “piano teacher and itinerant male role model” Xander fits into the Banning family equation—and whether Mimi will ever finish that book.

Full of heart and countless “only-in-Hollywood” moments, Be Frank with Me is a captivating and unconventional story of an unusual mother and son, and the intrepid young woman who finds herself irresistibly pulled into their unforgettable world.