The Three R's and the Lost Years

I've been on a bit of a sabbatical and haven't written in several weeks.  That's not to say I haven't been reading.  So far this year, 38 books in the bank including 11 since my last post on May 2.

May was filled with work ( funny how that gets in the way) and a lost weekend in Memphis and another lost weekend in New Orleans, the second week of June,  which is reserved for another post.  Speaking of lost, have you read The Lost Years by Mary Higgins Clark? well, more on that later.

Lost can also describe the period of time after a electro  therapy sessions of Carrie Fisher's. She speaks to that in her 2nd memoir, Shockaholic.

 
Surprisingly based on the title she speaks less of that therapy and more on the three R's.

The three R's being, Reflection, Regret and Reconciliation.  She does state that electro therapy was a survival tactic,  lost of hope and yearned for some sort of healing vs. the ultimate escape.

She regrets her estranged relationship with her father, Eddie Fisher, only to reconcile with him and Elizabeth Taylor, the women who "stole" Eddie from Carrie.

Reflects on her love interests and throws a bit of spice into the mix as she describes her sexually charged innuendo  dinner with Ted Kennedy, while her companion at the time, Senator Christopher Dodd sat coyly by.

Then there's her relationship with Michael Jackson. Having spent his last Christmas with him, Fisher opens up on Michael, his relationship with his children and his odd questionable behavior. 

Serendipitously speaking during the time of reading Shockaholic, I decided to catch up on my monthly magazine reading, including, Vanity Fair.  And wouldn't you know it, an article on Michael Jackson's dermatologist appeared in the magazine, a doctor that Fischer wrote about, Dr. Arnie Klein.

There's so much lost here, loss of years not retrievable, relationships no longer mend able and loss of innocence.

Now to Lost Years by Mary Higgins Clark.  I'm lost here, lost as to why I've read so many of her books, 17 including 6 with her daughter Carol. Granted they're good but in a soft fluffy thriller sort of way.  Why do I read her, well, the reason escapes me but I remember a time ( 2003 or 2004 ?) when a great friend said, "Have you ever read Mary Higgins Clark?" Whenever someone suggests a book or author I have to read. Read to understand what captured a person's interest in reading the books.

But alas, I reflect back on the last 8 or 9 years and wonder if the time spent reading Clark is just that, lost.