George Jacobs (1) (1927–2013)

Naughty, naughty Frankie. Bad boy. Sooooo bad. And thankfully, the foibles of His Badness are documented by his former valet/cook, who also lets loose with tales of Ava Gardner, the Kennedy boys, and Marilyn Monroe. One must always take tales of the dead with a grain of salt, but I thoroughly enjoyed this tome, as it not only brings us a behind-the-scenes Sinatra, but also a bio of the author himself, Frank's longtime assistant.

The style of writing may have been helped by co-writer William Stadiem, as it's slick, sardonic...and so much fun. When Jacobs describes the consistent racism he encounters during his worldwide travels with Francis Albert, he is hilarious, showing that he can take the higher road. Never a fan of the Kennedy family (seriously, how could they elect a son of Joe Kennnedy), I loved the stories of their betrayal of Sinatra and JFK's obsession with Monroe.

Jacobs appeared to be very close with music's greatest singer and writes of what made Frank great, namely his torch for Gardner which was not reciprocated. Overall, it's very tough to put down, and it's definitely the type of book to make a great poolside companion during the summer.

Book Season = Summer ("the summer wind came blowing in")… (meer)