Friday, January 21, 2011

Books, books, books!!

I've had more than few requests from friends for "good" books to read lately. Well, I am the girl to ask!!

Being cancer girl means that I've probably got more reading time on my hands than all the rest of my friends combined. I guess it's a good thing I'm such a book-fiend, although it always makes me feel guilty when I sit down and lose myself in a book for hours instead of finishing a knitting project or something else "productive." Ahh, "productivity," the eternal guilt-producing specter that hangs over my head.

I mean, right now, I'm feeling ridiculously tired, beat and battered in the manner of a massive chemo side-effect attack with a good dose of fibro-fun on top of it. My legs ache and are throbbing from hips to toes, which makes even standing up an unpleasant experience, but everyone else in the house is doing their normal Sunday chores, so I feel intense guilt for sitting here on my bed like a lump. ::sigh::

I passionately hate guilt.

But, considering that tomorrow I will have to take a little spotty dog to the vet to get his poor butt fixed (impacted anal gland), and then spend the entire afternoon doing the disgusting "prep" for my colonoscopy - aka getting MY butt fixed - I have got to force myself to take the rest while I can get it.

But ANYway, about books - I figure I might as well share some of what I've been reading for those who are looking for a good book. I haven't been very good at populating the " useless information" trivia column lately, so I'm thinking that book reviews may move into that space for posterity.

Recently, I've been on this "comedian" kick and have been reading autobiographies of some very funny people. I can recommend Sarah Silverman's "The Bedwetter: Stories of Courage, Redemption and Pee" and Kathy Griffin's "Official Book Club Selection" very highly. I've also read all three of Chelsea Handler's books recently, and I can't stress enough how different her books are from Silverman or Griffin. Chelsea's books are humor, written to be funny, and they are, most of the time. Silverman and Griffin are writing very real autobiographies in the warts-and-all tradition, showing themselves to be very intelligent women (much more than you realize at first) who have worked very hard to get where they are and also happen to be very, very funny.

I would highly recommend Griffin's book as a fascinating look at the reality of being a working actress and comedian, someone who was not an overnight sensation, but who worked her ass off to get where she is today. Sarah Silverman's book is different in that spends a little more time in her childhood, fighting the chronic bedwetting mentioned in the title, but it is no less engaging. Either of them is going to be a funny, very satisfying read. And Chelsea? If you can take the raunch, you'll laugh your ass off.

Ok, there are my first book recommendations. Hopefully someone out there will find them interesting!

2 comments:

Pabs said...

Read any good Elvis books lately? ;-)

Stephanie said...

Why, yes I have - how funny you should ask! ;-)

Great pictures & a very neat little story.