First 50 Words: MY MEMORIES OF A FUTURE LIFE by Roz Morris

Buy MY MEMORIES OF A FUTURE LIFE by Roz Morris

"Absolutely gripping...Visual and visceral, original and odd." ~ FOR BOOKS SAKE

#BookClubBesties Part Swan, Part Goose is out in paperback!

Swoosie Kurtz's memoir Part Swan, Part Goose is out in paperback this week, and I'm lobbying book clubs to read it. We Baby Boomers need to talk about how we relate to our aging parents, and Swoosie did that with huge heart, soul and wit in this book, candidly discussing things that have gone wrong and what she and her mom have gotten enormously right.

Swoosie has been a Broadway icon since the 1970s--a Tony, Emmy and Obie winner--and a lot of people love her from the family television drama Sisters in the early 1990s. These days Swoosie's slaying audiences weekly as Melissa McCarthy's mom on Mike & Molly, and she talks about all that in this book, but her main gig is caring for her 99 year old mom, author Margo Kurtz, and that's the heart of the story.

Margo is a stitch and a poet, still tenacious and vivacious, but living in a world of her own. Getting to know her was one of the great perks of working with Swoosie on this memoir. Swoosie was on a mission to breathe new life into Margo's memoir, My Rival, the Sky, published by Putnam in 1945 and rereleased as an ebook by Perigee last year.

Swoosie and I wove excerpts from Margo's book throughout Part Swan, Part Goose, so readers get to know Margo up close and experience some of her life with Swoosie's larger than life father, Col. Frank Kurtz, the most decorated fighter pilot of WWII. What emerges is the story of an extraordinary family and how they formed a fortress of love and support around each other in the best and worst of times.

I'm incredibly proud of what Swoosie accomplished here and thrilled that I got to help her. This book was a gift in my life as I cared for my mom, who was dying of Alzheimer's while Swoosie and I were working together. I think it'll be a gift to a lot of people. But (as they say on Reading Rainbow) you don't have to take my word for it!

“Part Swan, Part Goose is a brave and riveting book about family, fame, theater and life. It is witty, wise and irresistible. I loved it." —Tom Brokaw

"...spontaneous, irreverent but always kind, independent yet deeply rooted to her family. Swoosie has put her heart and her humor into these pages.” —Melissa McCarthy

“I laughed and cried (sometimes at the same time) reading this extraordinary story... Her observations about love and loss had me dog-earing several pages to re-read again and again.” —Carol Burnett

"...a remarkable journal about Kurtz’s extremely close relationship with her parents...a compelling saga about her recent journey as a loving caregiver for her mother as she’s slipped into depths of dementia." —Chicago Sun Times

“I thought I’d browse (Part Swan, Part Goose) and write a quick column. I couldn’t browse. Swoosie kept dragging me in with another anecdote, and she writes in a freewheeling style... yet it all makes perfect sense. The piece of her heart left on the pages is impossible not to love.” —Bob Fischbach, Omaha World-Herald

“Part Swan, Part Goose: An Uncommon Memoir of Womanhood, Work and Family is indeed uncommon. Unlike some show business memoirs, it’s neither a scandalous tell-all, nor an exercise in self-aggrandizement. Instead, it’s a candid, engaging look at Kurtz’s life and work, and especially her relationship with the two most important people in her life: her parents, Frank and Margo Kurtz.” —Trudy Ring, SheWired

“Filled with entertaining stories, gut-wrenching experiences, and touching memories, actress Swoosie Kurtz’ thoughtful memoir, Part Swan, Part Goose, celebrates her loving parents while documenting the formative events that shaped her stellar acting career.” —Tolucan Times

“Don't miss this book of collected praise for parents who had it all together. ...There is not a saccharine note in this delightful memoir.” —Liz Smith

60 Second Review: THE CENTAURESS by Kathleen Jones

 Bereaved biographer Alex Forbes goes to war-ravaged Croatia to research the life of a celebrity artist and finds herself at the centre of a family conflict after she uncovers a mutilated photograph, stolen letters and a story of indeterminate gender, passion and betrayal.

 "Utterly gripping. I didn't want it to end." ~ DEBBIE BENNETT

 "An engrossing read, hard to put down." ~ LINDA GILLARD

Kathleen Jones lives in Italy and is a Royal Literary Fund Fellow. In addition to many books, she's written extensively for the BBC.

 Visit Kathleen's website

60 Second Review: ONE NIGHT AT THE JACARANDA by Carol Cooper

 The trouble with speed dating is that three minutes can last a lifetime. Diagnosed with cancer, Sanjay doesn’t have a lifetime to waste. Laure is a successful lawyer, Harriet is a struggling freelance writer, and Karen is a single mother of four. All are looking for a soul-mate, but first they need to confront who they really are.

 "A blinder of a tale” ~ THE SUN

 "Contemporary fiction for intelligent grown-ups. The characters are real, the medical details are spot on... An absolute joy" ~ CHRISTINE WEBBER, author and psychotherapist

Carol Cooper is a London-based journalist and award-winning non-fiction author. Her debut novel was a finalist in the Indie Excellence Awards 2014. In her spare time she’s a doctor.

 Visit Carol's website

60 Second Review: AN UNCHOREOGRAPHED LIFE by Jane Davis

 An unflinching, gracefully written novel from the winner of Daily Mail's First Novel Award. Alison gave up the chance to be a prima ballerina when she became pregnant and turned to prostitution to provide for her child, but the tempting hope of a better life may come at a terrible price.

 "A brilliant and cleverly-written story about the relationship between a single mother and her daughter." ~ BOOK MUSE

 "An extraordinary level of emotion... superb storytelling." THE CULT DEN

Jane Davis is an award-winning author who isn't afraid to tackle the trickiest of subjects. She lives in Carshalton, Surrey with her star-gazing, beer-brewing partner, and a growing piles of books, CDs and general chaos.

 Visit Jane's website

60 Second Review: MY MEMORIES OF A FUTURE LIFE by Roz Morris

After ghostwriting a dozen books with 4 million copies in print, Morris makes her literary fiction debut with the tale of a brilliant pianist whose career is ended by injury. She turns to a mysterious healer and faces the possibility that her life is someone else's past incarnation.

"...dances between plausible reality and the shadowy realm of interpretation, underpinned by evident intelligence. A real corker." ~ WORDS WITH JAM

"Stylish, classy writing...profound ... page-turning." ~ FOR BOOKS' SAKE

Roz Morris teaches creative writing masterclasses for The Guardian in London, hosts a radio show, rides horses and was once hit by a train.

Visit Roz's website

Complicated mommy issues = beefy book club fodder in THE MIDWIFE

My review of Jolina Petersheim's THE MIDWIFE is almost as conflicted as the main character, a gestational surrogate who absconds with the unborn child she's carrying for a wealthy couple.

(Plus a few words about the importance of grammar.)

#2MinRevu Transcendent SEAL WOMAN by Solveig Eggerz creates rich emotional history

Highly recommending Seal Woman, a beautifully written novel of love, loss and self-discovery in the shadow of the Holocaust.

Jerusha was proofreading the manuscript for the publisher and said, "Mom, you have to read this book so we can discuss it!" An invitation I could not resist.

Book clubs: There is much to love and discuss in this powerful story (including a surprising storytelling choice toward the end over which Jerusha and I strongly disagreed.)