When I look at my monthly lists, I’m seeing that most of what I’ve been doing this year is reading books (and I have to admit that right now, I’m struggling to sit down with one for long periods of time. But I have read quite a few already and I thought that I’d do quick capsule reviews to catch myself up (because they’ve been scribbled in my notebook for weeks).

As You Wish by Cary Elwes. A memoirof the making of The Princess Bride (Elwes, of course, played Westley), this is more comprehensive than I thought it would be, mainly because Elwes doesn’t stick to just telling his story, he has interviews and comments from some of the other cast members as well as director Rob Reiner and writer William Goldman. I’ve been a fan of this movie since I was a kid and while I knew a number of the “behind the scenes” stories he tells (especially some of the ones about Andre the Giant), it was a treat of a book. Read, especially if you are a fan of the film. I’ll be returning this to my sister.

Horror Movie by Paul Tremblay. The remaining cast member of a legendary “lost” independent horror film whose production had a grisly end recollects what led to the film never seeing the light of day while he’s cast in a big-budget “remake” of the movie. I had read Paul Tremblay’s The Cabin at the End of the World a number of years ago and thought it was a solid book and the premise of this one sounded promising, so when I saw it on Libby, I checked it out. It’s got some genuinely spooky moments, mostly during the main character’s flashbacks to the filming from years before and a few funny sendups of the Hollywood machine; ultimately, though, it left me unsatisfied because the ending bugged me. Read. Still worth it and you can decide for yourself.

Nuclear War: A Scenario by Annie Jacobsen. Another book I checked out via Libby, this is a speculative “nonfiction” account of what would happen if nuclear missiles were launched in an attack on the United States and how it could escalate quickly to all-out war that would decimate the population as well as the planet. Jacobsen is thorough in her research and does her best to make the scenario as close to reality as she can. There are some fightening moments, but I found myself oddly detached or wanting more from the book. I think, though, that’s because I’ve seen a number of nuclear disaster films, such as The Day After and Threads. Read if you’re into this sort of history/politics.

Then We Came to the End by Joshua Ferris. This had been on my to-read list for at least a good decade. Maybe even longer. It’s an early 2000s novel that lampoons corporate culture that is written like office gossip told from an unnamed narrator who’s just another person working on the floor of an office building for a Chicago ad agency. I liked the storytelling technique and some of the satire definitely holds up, but it’s so far removed from its era (it takes place in summer/fall 2001) that it feels more like a time capsule and I wonder how much it suffers from “you had to be there.” Skip. I’m going to donate.

The Daydreams by Laura Hankin. I saved the best for last. The Daydreams is about a Disney Channel/Nickelodeon-type show and singing group whose live finale several years prior went horribly wrong. Told from the point of view of Katherine (“Kat”) who left show business behind to become a lawyer, the group has been convinced to get back together for a reunion show, and as they meet again and start to prep, they relive the relationships and traumas from those years and a number of long-buried secrets come out. I wasn’t of the generation that watched those shows (although I remember seeing a few episodes of The Fresh Beat Band at times), but knowing what I do about the perils of child stardom through watching 1980s child stars go through all sorts of hell (especially the cast of Diffr’nt Strokes) and reading I’m Glad My Mom Died, this sounded like it was going to be great fun. It wasn’t just great fun, it was very heartfelt in places and the characters seemed very real. Read and Keep.