Summer Book Report

Hello, page slaves!

I've been a busy reader since I last checked in, so let's get right to it:

Polished off seven more books that have been gathering dust forever.

I was more than a bit surprised that of them, the one I enjoyed most was "Living History" by Hillary Rodham Clinton, which was a 36th(!) birthday present from my late friend Larry Brickman. 

As you've probably gathered, I've completely shut down on the political front, which has left an enormous but completely necessary void in my life. But revisiting the subject -- even at a time that was fraught with partisan bullshit at the highest levels (poor Vince Foster) -- somehow felt good, knowing its worst moments still predated the arrival of neo-fascism via an elevator. And of course, the woman herself. It was like a 600-page reminder that we did not deserve her. (Oh, what could have been!) 

Some quick thoughts on the others:

"Truman Capote: In Which Various Friends, Enemies, Acquaintances and Detractors Recall His Turbulent Career" (1997) edited by George Plimpton, a birthday present from my friend Nina

Lacked anything revealing or juicy.

"The Berlin Stories" (1945) by Christopher Isherwood, which I bought in Paris

Maybe I expected too much, but I was underwhelmed. 

"The First Man-Made Man: The Story of Two Sex Changes, One Love Affair, and a Twentieth-Century Medical Revolution" (2007) by Pagan Kennedy, a gift from a New York Times colleague

The beginning was fascinating, but then the subject turned into a religious hermit and I lost all interest, proving that trans people can be just as boring as anyone else.

"I Look Divine" (1987) by Christopher Coe, a gift in the 1980s from my brother Bill

A clever idea that largely misses the mark.

 "Wonder Bread and Ecstasy: The Life and Death of Joey Stefano" (1996) by Charles Isherwood, which I believe I received as a review copy

Drugs are boring and so is this. P.S. Did learn that we have Chi Chi La Rue to blame for many of the worst things about porn today.

and

"Tasteful Nudes ... and Other Misguided Attempts at Personal Growth and Validation" (2012) by Dave Hill, which was recommended to me by Kathy Valentine when she and I were both working on our own books

Had some truly hilarious moments, but probably best for existing fans. Having never heard of this person -- and never since -- I didn't have enough built-in good will to appreciate the 95% that wasn't hilarious -- and the funny parts weren't enough to make a convert out of me.

What's new?

"Earth to Moon" (2024) by Moon Unit Zappa

Being the "Valley Girl" that I am, I expected to lap this one up. But for reasons that are unclear to me, something about this entire story rubbed me the wrong way. If accurately portrayed, her mother does sound like a piece of work. But I'm always skeptical of stories where the narrator always seems to come across wrongly victimized -- have you heard Saint Joyce DeWitt talk about her time on "Three's Company"? -- so not sure what else to say except: It's a good book but I don't know what my fucking problem is.

"High on Arrival" (2009) by Mackenzie Phillips

Like most fans, I was mortified when this was released. But a co-worker suggested I finally rip off the band-aid and I'm glad I did. (I keep saying people don't live lives like this anymore, and Mack is definitely in the last batch!) Damian and I are watching "One Day at a Time" in its entirety now, so will be interesting to see some of it play out on-screen.

"Happiness Included" (2026) by Eve Plumb

I've long realized that 99% of the time, actors are cast to basically play themselves. What this book reveals is that Eve Plumb is Jan Brady, and all the "I've learned to embrace that that's what I'm known for" platitudes can't hide that she's a total pill.

"Out Came the Sun" (2015) by Mariel Hemingway

I'd already seen the harrowing documentary about the "Hemingway curse" Mariel produced a number of years ago, yet was surprised how much more I learned and enjoyed her written take. Left me wanting to give her a hug.

"A Star Is Bored" (2020) by Byron Lane

This is one of the first novels I have read in ages -- it was a recommendation from my pal Chip -- and I thoroughly enjoyed it. The author is a former personal assistant to Carrie Fisher and swears this isn't a roman a clef, but readers may still wonder.

"A Moveable Feast" (1964) by Ernest Hemingway

Read this because Mariel said it was her favorite book by her grandfather. On paper it sounded great -- a memoir about his early years as a struggling writer in Paris among the Lost Generation -- but it felt disjointed and unfinished, despite many posthumous attempts to make it feel otherwise.

"One Gay American" (2013) by Dennis Milam Bensie 

Dennis contacted me when this came out looking for a little blog love. A mere 13 years later I am here to tell the world that this should be required reading for "queer" youth today, who have no fucking clue what it was like to grow up gay in the late 20th century. I've since learned there was a precursor to this, "Shorn: Toys to Men," which chronicles two pivotal parts of the author's life (childhood sexual abuse and paraphilia in extremis), which I wish he'd at least mentioned for those of us new to him. If you're reading this, Dennis, would love a copy of the out-of-print "Shorn," which I will gladly write up in 2039.

"Notes to John" (2025) by Joan Didion

Another recommendation from my competitive reading colleague. As a Didion memoir fan, this was a great complement to "The Year of Magical Thinking" and especially "Blue Nights." It was by no means required reading, but a quick one for those who would like to know a little bit more. 

Listen Up!

A friend alerted me to Elisabeth Egan's NYT piece called "Stellar Celebrity Memoirs Read by Their Authors," and I would like to suggest three additions:

"Inside Out" (2019) by Demi Moore 

"Stories I Only Tell My Friends" (2011) by Rob Lowe

"Karma" (2024) by Boy George

Having grown up with Demi, Rob and Boy, each of their memoirs felt like reflections on events that had also happened to me. And while Boy's got a little bogged down with some later-in-life reality TV stuff, I found myself completely mesmerized listening to Demi (the older sister I always wanted), Rob (a surrogate for my older brothers who never shared much) and Boy, the obvious homo you watched through your fingers as a teen, half admiring and half fearing exposure by association. 

Note: I could have done without learning that Dayton-born Lowe pronounces height as if were spelled like width -- the dreaded "heighth" -- I thought only Michiganders were that dumb! Fortunately he never references any of his cousints. 

I was stunned by Demi's childhood -- and how off the rails her relationship with Ashton Kutcher left her. And Rob's "Zelig" existence through life would almost be hard to believe, if I didn't firmly believe that doors "miraculously" open for ridiculously beautiful people. It's called pretty privilege for a reason! Boy George comes across exactly as you would expect -- sassy and combative but ultimately harmless -- and thank God this was recorded before his new smile led to the severe lisp that's heard on the new documentary about Culture Club. Yithkes! 

Right now I'm revisiting Michael Ausiello's "Spoiler Alert: The Hero Dies," which I got to page 190 upon its release in 2017 before having to stop in the months after my brother's cancer-related death. 

Needless to say, I had to restart, but was tickled to find this photo of my now-husband taken when I first started the book on a weekend visit to our friend Christopher and Augusten's house in Connecticut.

And here is the "bookmark" I found in the Hillary Clinton book, a sweet photo-booth excursion with my ex (Bernard/Michael) back in 2003.