Better Read Than Never

 

Hello, page slaves!

It's been a few weeks since I updated you on what I've been reading, so I decided now's the time.

First off, I should probably mention that part of this exercise is being driven by my desire to have finally read all of the titles on my bookshelves, including numerous titles that were gifts -- you may recall that I got "Dreams That Money Can Buy: The Tragic Life of Libby Holman" for my birthday in 1985!

I can now also check off Peter Bodo's "The Courts of Babylon," which my brother Bill got me for Christmas back in godknowswhen. Once again, I was left asking myself what the hell was wrong with me for waiting this long -- I loved every second of it.

In addition to all the fascinating insights -- I had no idea how corrupt the tour once was even since I started following it in 1977 (read the Italian Open chapter!) -- the book brought back a memory of meeting Bodo with my friend Greg at a Davis Cup tie in Birmingham, Alabama, where I managed to stump him with a question about the unsolved 1982 murder of a black female player, a case he knew nothing about. (I was heartened to discover that a recent podcast was devoted to Andrea Buchanan's homicide; god knows her family deserves some answers.) 

In keeping with the theme, I then tackled Michael Mewshaw's "Ladies of the Court: Grace and Disgrace on the Women's Tennis Tour," which provided an at times disturbing inside look at the 1991 season. 

I also polished off "I, Tina," which I mostly read when it came out in 1986 but felt entirely new; and Mindy Kaling's "Is Everyone Hanging Out Without Me? (and Other Concerns)," which had some good parts but way too much filler (and I can't imagine those "jokes" about black and Jewish people, "trannies," etc., would be welcomed these days).

Right now I'm knee-deep in "Live From New York: An Uncensored History of Saturday Night Live" (2002) by James Andrew Miller and the late Washington Post TV critic Tom Shales. This too was a gift from Bill ages ago, but I kind of forgot about it. 

I wasn't sure what to expect reading it now -- I've wasn't born with the "fascinated by Lorne Michaels" gene that everyone else seems to possess -- but I'd forgotten how huge the show was for my brothers and me when we were kids. A lot of that was because of Bill, who filled me in on the early seasons so I could act like I'd been allowed to stay up and watch them. 

As a result, I'm really enjoying the book. (I've made no secret of how I felt about Gilda!) Plus, Jane was the only sane one, so it's fun to hear her perspective, and they talk to absolutely everyone associated with the show. (It also inspired me to watch the Chevy Chase documentary -- so good -- and now I need to see that "Saturday Night" movie about the first episode.)

Once I finish that, here's a sampling of some other titles collecting dust on my bookshelves -- that meme about buying books and reading books being two entirely different hobbies definitely strikes a chord! -- which can be broken into three categories: 

Books I Bought:

"The Berlin Stories" by Christopher Isherwood

"Tasteful Nudes: ... and Other Misguided Attempts at Personal Growth and Validation" by Dave Hill

Books That Were Gifts:

"Wonder Bread and Ecstasy: The Life and Death of Joey Stefano" also by Charles Isherwood

"Truman Capote: In Which Various Friends, Enemies, Acquaintances and Detractors Recall His Turbulent Career," which is right up my alley given that it's an oral biography edited by George Plimpton (a la "Edie")

"Fool's Errand" by my actual friend Lou Bayard; I have read "Endangered Species," both of which were gifts from Bill, who was tennis pals with Lou in Washington

"Serious Pleasures: The Life of Stephen Tennant" by Philip Hoare

"Story of My Life" by Jay McInerney

"I Look Divine" by Christopher Coe

"The First Man-Made Man: The Story of Two Sex Changes, One Love Affair, and a Twentieth-Century Medical Revolution" by Pagan Kennedy 

Books That Were Review Copies:

"Dreadful: The Short Life and Gay Times of John Horne Burns" by David Margolick

"Dangerous When Wet" by Jamie Brickhouse (whom I just met at a memorial and is hilarious!)

"Eating My Feelings: Tales of Overeating, Underperforming and Coping With My Crazy Family" by Mark Rosenberg, with whom I'm Facebook friends and now seems to be a personal trainer

Eyeballing this list I would probably put the Truman Capote at the top.

Point me in the right direction in the comments -- and also tell me what you're reading!