Hiding in Plain Sight: The Secret Life of Raymond Burr by Michael Seth Starr

This is the biography of actor Raymond Burr, best known for his roles in Perry Mason and Ironside, and how being gay in 1950's Hollywood affected his life and relationships.
I grew up watching the Perry Mason movies as a kid during the 1980's. My grandmother loved Raymond Burr. My grandfather, who passed away when my mom was 10, was his twin, especially in Ironside. They looked exactly alike. As I grew older my mom told me Burr was gay. I would not believe her. I just couldn't believe Perry Mason was gay. My grandmother flat out wouldn't accept it at all. I even taped a Biography done on him where they talked to his partner of over 30 years, and she refused to watch it and told me to "keep it up" lol
It's amazing to me how much Burr had to lie about so many aspects of his life. Three wives, a deceased son, a false military record, all to hide the fact that he was gay, even though it was Hollywood's best kept secret; everyone knew, but no one talked about it.
The book is very good in giving you insight into Burr's movie roles, including his famous turn in Rear Window, although the author's recollection of the movie is very different from mine. Also a behind the scenes look at the making of his most famous roles, Perry Mason and Ironside. Delves into his close friendships, his relationship with his partner, Robert Benivedes, his love of orchids, food, and his numerous trips overseas to meet and entertain the troops during the wars (more trips than Bob Hope, but he never wanted the fame for it).
The only thing keeping me from making this a 5 star book is the author's non-stop insistence over Burr's weight. I know he was a big man. But to call him enormous, huge, and other adjectives I just ignored when reading it is ridiculous. He was not that big of a man, and wasn't truly heavy until the later years of the Perry Mason movies, when I was introduced to him.
Interesting facts throughout, Quincy Jones wrote the Ironside theme song, but it left me wondering about quite a few things. What did Burr's partner think of his trysts with other men? Why lie about a military record? Who really was Frank Vitti?
I guess some questions will just stay unanswered. What I was left with was knowing that Burr was truly a generous, generous man who loved his friends, and fiercely protected his private life.

4 stars

Yellow Medicine by Anthony Neil Smith

Sheriff Billy Lafitte has always gotten through his days in law enforcement by following his own rules. Taking "payment" in the form of sex or money to turn his head the other way won't cause him to bat an eye as he works for his former brother-in-law in Minnesota. When a friend comes to him asking for help with a problem her boyfriend is having he decides to look into it. The problem involves meth rings and lost merchandise. What Billy thinks is pretty cut and dry ends up involving terrorists, drug dealers, former friends selling him out, his secrets coming out, an FBI agent on his tail who is hell bent on catching him, and a head rolling around in his trunk. And that's just the beginning.


The description doesn't even give the book justice or begin to scratch the surface. Billy is such a slime ball you are just waiting for him to get his, but he ends up being the antihero of the book. Very exciting, fast paced, and will keep you up many nights flipping pages to see what happens like I did. Excellent book, cannot recommend it enough.

5 stars

Indognito by Karen Ngo

Since everything I have read this month sucked, I really enjoyed this. Just pictures of cute dogs wearing costumes, along with some quotes regarding man's best friend. Think Ann Geddes, but with dogs. The beagle is adorable. I may have to go out and buy it just so I have it to look at when I am having a bad day.

5 stars

American Wife by Curtis Sittenfield

My month of books that suck continues! Tells the story of a woman growing up in a small Wisconsin town who ends up marrying the future President of the United States. I still can't put my finger on what I didn't like about it. There just wasn't anything that had me grabbing it every spare second I had. I really didn't care about any of the characters at all. Let's hope the next one is better!! Or maybe I should just give up for June all together?

2 stars

Still Alice by Lisa Genova

50 year old Alice has a great life; loving husband, 3 grown kids and a tenured job in the psychology department at Harvard. All of that starts coming down around her when she finds out that she has early onset Alzheimer’s disease which she inherited through a gene that is passed down from parents to their children.

I did not like this book at all. I had to force myself to finish it. Her children and husband were intolerable, and I was confused as to what was going on most of the time, but it may have been written that way so the reader knows what the disease feels like. Wish I wouldn't have bought it.

2 stars

The Book of Lost Things by John Connolly

Twelve year old David, while mourning the loss of his mother in a house with his dad's new wife and their newborn son together, finds solace in the books he reads. When David starts experiencing black outs, he can hear books speaking among themselves. He sees a hole in the garden wall of the house and goes through it one night after a fight with his father over his new step-mother. He finds himself in a new world, where his favorite fairy tales have come to life, but with a twist. Where a King is loosing control of his kingdom as he dies. David is heading to the castle to find The Book of Lost Things that belongs to the King and is said to tell him how to get back to his own world. He encounters many people along the way, is being stalked by a herd of half human wolves who want to take over the kingdom and his every step is followed by the Crooked Man who has plans of his own.
I loved this book. Even if you don't read it, pick it up in the store or library and just read the two chapters about Snow White and the 7 Dwarfs, it is absolutely hysterical. I wish more fairy tales had been incorporated into the story, but the way it is written I felt like I was right there along side David, and it was a great adventure. Beautiful ending that gave me chills and made me smile. A must read.

4 stars

Threshold by Caitlin R. Kiernan

Incredibly boring. Written in a way that you keep reading hoping it will pick up and get better and maybe at least make a little sense but it doesn't. Lots of paleontologist and geologist information and terms. The story just seemed kind of half cocked. I loved Murder of Angels, and will read more by her, but I didn't really like this one at all. I gave it 3 stars because like Angels, her gift with words is amazing.

3 stars