Not Dead Yet by Phil Collins

Not Dead Yet: The Memoir 
by 

Phil Collins

 

Oct 23, 2018  ·  edit

really liked it

Interesting look into an amazing life. I have always been a huge fan of Collins' and learning about his life, his musical collaborations, his famous friends, and yes, his messed up marriages was a lot of fun. Some softening of those details are to be expected, and some funny anecdotes about the making of his music had me laughing aloud. Lots of name dropping and brushes with the rich and famous from the music business and beyond. A bit dry at first, but I think Phil warmed up as he began talking about his years on tour and the affect that had on his career (fabulously successful) and his families (tremendously damaging). At what price, fame???

And, he does answer the question of What does Sussudio mean....but it's a letdown! Many other tidbits make up for that though. And now, I get to go see my favorite drummer this weekend on his Not Dead Yet tour in Las Vegas!!! He is not the drummer on this tour, his son Nic is, so that is pretty cool.  Definitely worth a read for anyone into 80's music!!  And 70's....and British royalty.....and drama....and, well, Phil.

Update - the show was AMAZING!!!  Nic is an incredible drummer - his solo was total proof.  Phil has aged tremendously and walks with a cane now - he even sat during the show.  But he still rocks, he still rolls (his eyes hilariously), and he still has that spark of humor, timing, and storytelling, even if he cannot really hit the high notes anymore.  What a life.  Well done, Phil, I promise I won't remember you only as the guy who wrote Sussudio.  

The Great Alone by Kristin Hannah

Another book club book - I have only read one other Hannah book, and NO, it was not THAT one.  I read Firefly Lane years ago, also for book club, so I guess it was high time to read another!!

Alaska. That is who I thought the main character would be here.  Set in the tundra, in a tiny community of tough, rough, dig down deep characters, this is the story of wilderness and cold.  Of survival where humans probably should not survive.  Of bears and salmon and canning your vegetables for the winter because you ain't leaving your house/cabin for 4 months - not to mention, there's only a few hours of daylight - grey daylight.

Sounds fun, right?

Add in an abusive husband with paranoid tendencies and undiagnosed PTSD from the war, a young girl trapped and in love, and a wife torn between her deep love for the man her husband used to be and her desire to help her daughter live a better life, and now you see my dilemma - there are several main characters here, and they are all trying to survive the best way they know how.  They've moved several times at Dad's whim, but this time really seems like it might be The One.  They take to Alaska and it's toughness, and 13 year old Leni falls in love - with Alaska and with Matthew, the only other teenager around.   But as her father's paranoia builds, and as his hate for Matthew's successful father increases, Leni realizes she is a prisoner in her own house.  While the neighbors, including Large Marge from the local store where Leni works (loved her!!!!), try to help out, Leni realizes it is up to her to make a change.  And when change comes, everyone and everything is affected way more than she bargained for.

A few holes in the second half of the story, but I was hooked and invested and really enjoyed the writing.  So much so that I found myself accidentally promising my book club that I will finally read THAT Kristin Hannah book.  Sigh.  Stay tuned......

The Marsh King's Daughter by Karen Dionne

For fans of Room and The Great Alone.....

A fairy tale about a frog and a princess is turned into a modern day story of survival and warped relationships.  Helena is brought up with her parents in the woods of the Michigan Upper Peninsula.  She adores her father, who teaches her to hunt and shoot, and can't understand why her mother is so unemotional, or why there are no other kids to play with.  When she turns 11, a stranger stops by their house, and all hell breaks loose.

Fast forward 20 years and Helena is married with two adorable daughters, but no one knows. No one knows about who her parents really are, or that her father is in jail, or that her mother was a victim of a kidnapping.  Until the day her father breaks out of prison, and Helena is the only one who knows how to find him.  What will she do??

Lots of good questions here -  about family, love, forgiveness (or not), mental illness, appearances, and secrets.  Interesting how the author wove the fairy tale in, and I liked the references to how Helena still struggles with modern society's rules.  The majority of the novel is flashback, and her father is violent.  But it is a quick read, and worthwhile.  Recommended by Sally from my local!!!