3 memoirs and a movie

I want to tell you about three books and a movie. I love to read and want to do more of it, so thinking about my favorite books gets me inspired to carve out more time. Besides, this is a good time of year to snuggle up with a good book. I love memoirs best, especially ones by non-famous, quirky people. I've read hundreds of those. Here are three of my favorites in the hilarious category. Each of these is basically a collection of random stories: my favorite format. To me, that keeps things interesting, like unwrapping piece after treasured piece of candy and not knowing what you'll find till you bite into it.

1. Microthrills: True Stories from a Life of Small Highs by Wendy Spero. If you want a good laugh, buy this book. Hilarious. Hilarious, I tell you. Wendy was raised my her mom, a sex therapist and major character, in Manhattan. Some of the stories are from that time. Others are about random topics like her love of candy, which she consumes daily despite her steadily rotting teeth. She feels the candy is well worth it. (I can appreciate that kind of devotion to sweets.) And one is about her love of her stuffed animals and finger puppets. As I write this, I am looking at the box of finger puppets I keep on the shelf behind me. I like to know it's there, just in case I get bored. The way Wendy thinks is so entertaining.She eventually made her way to L.A. to do stand up. No surprise there.

2. Too Close to the Falls by Catherine Gildiner. Catherine grew up in the fifties in Lewiston, New York, near Niagara Falls. These stories are about her childhood through age thirteen. Catherine was an antsy child, so her parents sent her to work full time at her dad's pharmacy when she was four to keep her out of trouble. Yes, four. She loved it. Her family gives new meaning to the word quirky, but her stories are told with such gentle honesty. She grew up to be a psychologist and didn't decide to write the book till she was well into her forties and a friend pointed out that she'd had an unusual childhood, which would make a good book. I loved the people in this memoir. Especially Roy.

3. But Enough About Me by Jancee Dunn. This memoir is so entertaining and well written, I can't believe that everybody in America has not read it yet. It intersperses stories of Jancee's childhood and personal life with stories about her adventures as a writer for Rolling Stone magazine and the folks she has interviewed for that. I loved her insights into the rarefied world of the celebs she has to interview every bit as much of the stories of her family. Her dad worked for J.C. Penny his whole life, and it was practically a religion with him. Also, the tone of the book is low-key humility. I like that. By the end I felt like an actual friend of Jancee. In my mind, we're still close. 

One last recommendation. Last Friday, I saw the movie Silver Linings Playbook, starring Jennifer Lawrence, Bradley Cooper, and Robert De Niro. It is set in Philadelphia, PA. If you like movies that depict real life and real people, as opposed to picture-perfect Hollywood where everybody has fake boobs and a pearly white smile, then this is the film for you. The characters were all interesting, the story vivid and compelling. You will get emotionally involved. You'll laugh. You might cry. You'll probably do some pondering long after the movie ends. Enjoy!