The 13-Story Treehouse by Andy Griffiths and illustrated by Terry Denton

I was browsing at Barnes & Noble and taking my time. This series looked like a good bet for either John or Henry. I decided I needed to read it before foisting it one of them...and I'm glad I did. It's not negative and nasty like so much that I see in the children's section. It delights in mischief and imagination. And there's just enough mayhem and silliness to delight them. I bought a brain games book also, and I think that's a better fit for Henry. I think this one will go to John. He has a vibrant imagination and the pictures will help him feel like he's making progress. This is part of a series and if he loves it, I can give him more. John will love the burping and wild monkeys and maybe I can convince him to share it with Henry!

Fare Thee Well by Joel Selvin with Pamela Turley

Leonard ordered this book because he has a long history with the Grateful Dead and wanted to read about the years after Jerry Garcia's death. The subtitle is: "The Final Chapter of the Grateful Dead's Long, Strange Trip." I picked it up after he was done with it, and enjoyed it very much.

While I'm not and never was a Deadhead, I am familiar with their music and have enjoyed it over the decades. So this book's detailed accounts of what songs were played where and why was something I could connect with, even though it got much more detailed than I cared about... What was fascinating to me was the description of how the surviving band members interacted with each other and how each of them pursued their own individual passions, and how difficult it was to ever get them to cooperate together again.

As the story unfolds, the author meaningfully chronicles much of the culture around the Dead that made them what they were. These parts were the most interesting to me, having seen them in Colorado, and having been to the Fillmore (West). That the Dead themselves were unaware of the Deadhead culture was almost beyond belief, but as they learned to appreciate it, especially at the final concerts, it was gratifying to see. The chapter about all of this coming together was almost poetic and very lyrical. It took me back to the time of Peace, Love, and Rock n Roll, and that was fun to think about. And it's great to see that some vestiges of that are growing in succeeding generations...whether fueled by drugs or no, still there's some value there, I believe.

I didn't have much familiarity with individual band members, but I got to know them through this book. Phil and Jill Lesh come off by far as the villains and the most destructive of any of them, although their persistence did result in some final concerts. Their apparent selfishness is almost unbelievable, and I had to keep reminding myself that this is just one point of view.

Bobby Weir has always been an attractive person to me, and it was kind of disappointing to learn of his chronic problems with alcohol. I love his looks, his singing, his ways from the early days. Too bad he's not weathering well! Micky Hart is just a genius who is so far out there--good for him! Billy Kruetzmann wrote a book and hung out in Hawaii...it might be worth reading to get another perspective...

One part I especially enjoyed was the description of the final concert in the Bay Area. I read this through Eli's eyes, since he was there! It's always been kind of cool to me that he picked up Leonard's love of the Dead and is part of the next generation who is appreciating the creativity and culture that the Dead personified. Yes, it has its dark side, but the technological advances are pretty impressive. I also appreciated hearing that the mystical connections that that music spawned was able, occasionally, when it soared, to override the reunited group's problems and clashes. Very cool...

Boys in the Trees - A Memoir by Carly Simon

I read reviews about this book that encouraged me to give it a try. I'm very interested in the time period of when Carly got big, and I've always enjoyed her music. I thought it would be interesting to read about her life. And it was. But being the daughter of a publisher does not mean that she is either a good writer or someone who can process and see deeper meaning in her life.

So, I enjoyed the peek into celebrity life, especially the stories about Mick Jagger, James Taylor and Warren Beatty. Her stories about her childhood and growing up years in privileged New York and Martha's Vineyard were also interesting because her life was so different from anything I ever experienced growing up. The dinner parties her parents gave, her performances with her siblings as a youngster, her mother's infidelity, and her lack of interest or success at school were all foreign territory and therefore intriguing to me. Her struggle with stuttering and her coping methods were also interesting to read about.

What surprised me as the book went on was how she couldn't move on or recover from her marriage and relationship with James Taylor. She seems to be emotionally immature, even though she has lived passionately. It's a cautionary tale about too much self-indulgence, perhaps. Or too little desire to be a force for good in the world. I wonder about the mental health of her children or her own peace as she lives into old age. I still enjoy her music, but her voice and songs made me think she was someone who had something valuable to give. After reading her story, I don't think there's much to admire here. Too bad! Her next book, about her friendship with Jackie Kennedy, promises good stories, but I don't plan to read it because she's not introspective enough to draw any learning or lessons from her life. Or at least any of the kind that would be valuable to me. Sorry if that sounds judgmental--it's just that we life in different worlds. And hers is not one I care to inhabit again, even in a book.