Zev’s Comments (group member since Feb 26, 2019)

Zev’s comments from the What's the Name of That Book??? group.

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"Say Goodbye to Hollywood" by Jenny Trout is about a screenwriter adapting a bestselling book into a movie.

The Trespasser by Tana French has a narrator who's six feet tall. She's the sidekick in The Secret Place, also by Tana French.

Oh sorry, i just scrolled through the other comments and saw that it wasn't. Oops.

This might be a long shot, but could it be "Valley of the Dolls" by Jacqueline Susan?

Could it be "Wintergirls" by Laurie Halse Anderson?

This sounds like "The Shore of Women" by Pamela Sargent.

I read it cover to cover to see if it was. While there's many similar themes, "The Slap" is not it.

This might be a long shot, but could it be Kizuna?

I read half of this to see if it was. Thank you for suggesting it, but it isn't. The book I remember was first person pov and none of the men as adults were cops, and there was somewhat less time spent on the daughter. I edited the subject line.

The killer wore leather, by Laura Antoniou, has a lesbian detective.

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This might be a long shot, but could it be "172 Hours on the Moon" by John Harstad?

Yes! Thank you.

It was a collection of short stories, at least ten. The book was a slim paperback with a beige cover. I read it in the early 90s but it may have been written before that. The author's first name might have started with R?

The first story in the anthology was about a girl whose mother couldn't bake except for pies. The mom loved trying, though, especially cakes. The girl begged her mom, "Please make a pie! You make such good pies." "I can bake a pie any day. Your birthday is special," the mom responded cheerily. She tried to bake a chocolate cake and discovered it was undercooked after she'd already frosted it. She stuck it back in the oven and the frosting was ruined and the cake might have been burned. At the party, the mom almost makes the same mistake, but removes the frosting before putting it back in the oven. The texture is a bit weird but the cake is great: she covered it with whipped cream, sprinkles, and lots of sweet stuff they had around the house. The girl and her friends love it, and the mom is so proud. She says she'll bake a cake again, and the girl thinks, "I drop my fork. I have to go warn Dad. His birthday is only four months away."

Another story in the middle of the anthology is about a teen model who, on the day of a big photo shoot, gets gum stuck in her hair due to a bratty kid. She frantically tries different removal tactics like ice, and worries she might have to trim her hair, but there is no time. She reads about peanut butter, and her best friend comes over to put it on the gum. It works, and she showers quickly before running off to her shoot. Her mom comes home and asks how her day was, and does she want any ice cream from the store. "She gives a laugh only she can hear and calls to her mom, 'No peanut butter, please."

A third story, near the end of the book I think, is about a boy (Randy?) who shops for makeup to give to his mom. His older sister, Cindy (?) had the idea to give her a makeover for her birthday, and asks him to buy the makeup. She writes out a list and sends him to a mall. He slides the list across the counter, but the cashier says he can't read it since he doesn't have his glasses. The boy reads out every makeup item and his friends tease him, joking that the makeup is for him. He starts to argue and gives up, and walks out with the makeup. His mom loves the makeover and says, "I feel like a new woman." She treats the kids to lots of pizza in the mall later that evening. "I feel like a new man," the teenager thinks happily to himself. "Talk about a makeover."

The stories took place in the USA, maybe in the Midwest. I'll comment if I remember anything else.

"Say Goodbye to Hollywood" by Jenny Trout is a standalone adult novel with a happy-ish ending.

This might be a long shot, but could it be "Black and Blue" by Anna Quindlen?

This may have been written by Harlan Coban, Jonathan Kellerman or Faye Kellerman, or a similar writing style.