Rhythm

Posted on February 12, 2009 by malenalott

Rhythm by Robin Meloy Goldsby

First line: “You have to be a helluva good drummer to be better than no drummer at all.”

Goldby’s first novel, following a well-written memoir Piano Girl, takes us into the heart and mind of a sad teenage drummer, Jane Bowman. Jane struggles with grief along with the normal struggles of the teen years. Being a musician makes her journey all the more tense, and interesting for the reader. Goldsby’s first person narrative is perfect for the story because it reads like a melodic journal as we get to know Jane better and deeper throughout the novel. She also adds a nice touch of humor in dialogue and characterization, but overall the story is somber as it searches for the answer to why bad things happen and how we can find our way through to a better tomorrow. Rhythm strikes just the right chord.

For: A beautiful story about music, grief and hope. - Malena Lott

Buy it at Amazon

Piano Girl on NPR, Laura Bush

Posted on January 22, 2009 by malenalott

Piano Girl, a wonderful memoir by Robin Meloy Goldsby gets a full hour on NPR next week! Be sure and visit NPR’s web site for more info. In Robin’s own words:

“Just wanted to let you know that I’ll be on NPR’s Piano Jazz with
Marian McPartland the week of January 27th. It’s a one hour PIANO GIRL
show?she interviews me, then we play some duets, and it’s a lot of
fun. Anyway, maybe the info is something you’d like to post on your
site?the show aires nation-wide (different times in different markets)
but can also be heard (starting January 27th) on the NPR internet site.”

Really, how fabulous is that? Most authors would die for a few minutes on NPR, let alone a whole hour. Of course she DOES have a great talent outside of writing. I’m not sure my mad martini mixing skills would get me an NPR gig. Yea, Robin!

Laura Bush’s memoir, promising “an intimate account of Mrs. Bush’s life experiences, including eight years in the White House,” providing her “recollections of both the personal and historic moments that have defined her life,” to Susan Moldow at Scribner, with Nan Graham editing, at auction, for publication in 2010, by attorney Robert Barnett at Williams & Connolly (world).

Rhythm & It's Not Your Mother's Bridge Club

Posted on December 11, 2008 by malenalott

Our Books in Bloom this week features Rhythm and It’s Not Your Mother’s Bridge Club, two great picks for gifts for self and friends this holiday season. I’ve started Rhythm and can tell you that Goldsby’s writing packs a powerful punch, or in this case, beat.

From the publishers:

Rhythm by Robyn Meloy Goldby

“Meet teenage drummer Jane Bowman. She’s fifteen, funny, and wounded byt he loss of her famous percussionist mother. Robin Meloy Goldsby’s touching and humorous coming-of-age musical odyssey invites us to tap our toes in time to Jane’s powerful music – cheering her on as she mends her shattered heart, finds her groove, and discovers the tragic beauty of human resilience.”

Buy it here.

It’s Not Your Mother’s Bridge Club by Michele VanOrt Cozzens

“A character-driven story of eight women who are middle-aged, middle to upper-middle class, and in the middleof each other’s lives. Each month they gather, forming the Snake Eyes Dice Club, playing Bunko. The American women who belong to bunko groups, bridge clubs, book clubs and dice clubs will find this both funny and tragic, and highly relatable.”

Buy it here.

Piano Girl: A Memoir

Posted on September 10, 2008 by malenalott

Piano Girl by Robin Meloy Goldsby

First line: “It’s not always a Steinway.”

Robin Meloy Goldsby has played the piano everywhere from a Holiday Inn in suburbia to a private island full of drugged up trophy wives. Her memoir is more of a series of vignettes from her long career playing piano in lounges around the world than a cohesive, linear story, making the collection something you read in bits and pieces than in one sitting, but Piano Girl is fascinating. She writes about the famous people she has worked with along the way – Fred Rogers’ crew, “Sesame Street” cast members – with the same respect that she writes about the waitstaff and fellow musicians that populate her life. Her writing style is direct and funny and she gives the reader a true peek into the world of a musician.

For: Anyone who’s ever played an instrument, or at least has an appreciation for one. – Jenny Coon Peterson

Buy it at Amazon.

Author Robin Meloy Goldsby's Book Roots

Posted on August 13, 2008 by malenalott

Robin Meloy Goldsby, author of Piano Girl: A Memoir

I’ve chosen these books from my shelf of favorites because each one of them has made an impression on me as an adult writer. I came to writing late in life—my first book was published shortly after my 47^th birthday— and I like to think the cumulative effects of decades of reading have served me well.

Anything at all by DAVID SEDARIS because he’s the master of personal essay, he’s gay, he’s an American living in France, he hangs portraits of Donna Summer in his window to keep the birds from pecking at theglass, and he writes honest prose that makes me laugh and think all at once. He gets to me. And I subscribe to The New Yorker mainly so I can read his essays before they’re published in books. If you haven’t read any of his books yet, check out the following: Me Talk Pretty One Day, Naked, and Dress Your Family in Corduroy and Denim.

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