#grandcentralpublishing

Pub date - 5/19/26

I adored this Dr. Dolittle-esque debut and all it’s characters. I knew immediately that I wanted to read this and was so gratified by this wonderful world that Robert Isaacs created. Henry, Molly, Yaryk, Gracie, the betta fish, everything.

This was one of the most unique and enjoyable stories I’ve read.

Recommended!

Thank you to Grand Central Publishing and NetGalley for the DRC

(Narrated by Tom Bergeron; Dick Van Dyke)

Pub date - 11/18/25

At 52, I’ve grown up watching Dick Van Dyke in reruns of The Dick Van Dyke Show and then having babies around the time Night at the Museum came out, Dick Van Dyke has been a distant presence of my life, from childhood on to the days of mothering little ones, and now into middle age.

This was truly delightful and it’s a recommendation frome me. I loved listening to this in snippets usually and really feel that life and career snippets, life lessons and bits on aging with happiness and gratitude from a national treasure are not to be missed.

**though I grew up in a home that prioritized classic films, we somehow never managed to watch Mary Poppins or The Sound of Music along with some others.

***Which I feel somewhat obligated to rectify.

Thank you to Hachette Audio / Grand Central Publishing and NetGalley for the ALC

Vagabond: A Memoir by Tim Curry

Pub date - 10/14/25

Tim Curry is notoriously publicity shy and private, so I was thrilled to learn that he had written a memoir, and even more happy to be able to read an advance copy.

I finished my reading of Vagabond feeling like I knew much more about Tim Curry then I did going in, I also ended the book feeling like I’d love to have a cup of tea with him.

This is a wonderful book for any Tim Curry fan, or fledgling renaissance person. Recommended!

Thank you to Grand Central Publishing and NetGalley for the DRC

Softly, As I Leave You: Life After Elvis by Priscilla Presley

Pub date - 9/23/25

Please allow me to preface my review by saying this - as a reader, I’ve often vacillated between wanting to read memoirs, and feeling like many parts of a life aren’t for public consumption, nor should they be. As a reader, it makes me feel a bit icky But I read memoirs, not tabloids, and after reading Elvis and Me after it came out in 1985 (I had just turned 12), when I saw the title on NetGalley forty years later, I knew that I wanted to read Priscilla’s new memoir in 2025 at the age of 52; Grand Central Publishing and then Hachette Audio were both kind enough to oblige me and I, at turns, read and listened to this which was narrated by the author.

Priscilla repeats herself, she contradicts herself, because who wouldn’t when describing a life lived, decades past, or parts where memory is pieced together by intrusive media photos and the words of friends. Her story is an interesting one and I have a lot of respect and sympathy for Priscilla; like all women, and many mothers, she did the best she knew how to while trying to remain true to herself which can be a next to impossible line to toe at times. The journey hasn’t been an easy one, but she shares the triumphs along with the unfortunate and offers her story authentically and plainly.

It can’t have been easy to go through this again for the sake of a new memoir, but I hope it was cathartic for Ms Presley and I imagine that fans will enjoy this, as I did, while also feeling for the author for her misfortunes and cheering her for choosing her own happiness. Recommended.

**As in the more recent past, I no longer rate memoirs because it feels wrong to me.

Thank you to Hachette Audio and NetGalley for the ALC; thank you to Grand Central Publishing and NetGalley for the DRC

Night People: How to Be a DJ in 90’s New York by Mark Ronson

Pub date - 9/16/25

I grew up across the river from Manhattan in the nineties, and though I often ventured into the city for fun, the club scene wasn’t to my preference so reading this was enjoyable for someone who well remembered the time if not the vibe. This and the fact that Mark Ronson produced one of my favorite QOTSA albums cemented my interest in reading this.

Written in a witty and often self deprecating voice, I really enjoyed reading Ronson’s journey to becoming a DJ in the nineties which served as his launching pad. I also appreciated that Ronson never shies away from acknowledging the immense privilege he grew up with and I loved the look back.

I think this one would be great in audiobook, hearing the author share his story, in his own voice.

Thank you to Grand Central Publishing and NetGalley for the DRC

Glitz, Glam, and a Damn Good Time: How Mamie Fish, Queen of the Gilded Age, Partied Her Way to Power by Jennifer Wright

pub date - was 8/5/25

Engagingly written, but I found this had a very difficult time keeping my attention as I really didn’t like Mamie Fish at all.

Other readers may enjoy this more, but if you’re also tired of the uber wealthy and their massive tax breaks while the hoi polloi barely earn enough to survive, never mind thrive, I’d skip this one for the time being.

Thank you to Grand Central Publishing and NetGalley for the DRC

Strangers in Time: A World War II Novel by David Baldacci 

Pub date - 4/15/25

When I read the synopsis for Strangers in Time it sounded so interesting that I took a chance and requested it, not having read the author before. Therefore, I went into this without any expectations and wasn’t at all disappointed.

I found the writing beautiful and immersive, the characters practically leapt off the page in their realism, and the friendships they formed all pulled me in right away, kept me fully invested, and kept me turning the pages. I didn’t want to put this down. 

Recommended! 

Thank you to Grand Central Publishing and NetGalley for the DRC