Don’t Get Me Started by Kate Clinton

Kate Clinton, stand-up comic,  grew up in upstate New York going to Catholic school and living in a closet so big and protected in had multiple alarm systems and a nice foyer.  This loose biography chronicles her life in chapters that revolve around different stories that give the reader an overview of her life up to the mid-1990’s.

I enjoyed reading this book. I found it on shelf while doing a weeding project and decided it would be good for me to connect more with other lesbians-even if it is just in book form.  Publication date is 1998 so the “current” references aren’t so current anymore but anxious readers will be happy to know a second book What the L was out in 2005 and I Told You Sois out in 2009.  The book is intimate in its brevity-readers will laugh at Clinton’s humor, wit and fierce devotion to everything woman. The pacing is quick and the frame is very laid back.  1998, 199 pages.

Are you There, Vodka? It’s Me, Chelsea by Chelsea Handler

It is not hard for me to appreciate a book simply by its title but this one takes the coolest title award. Chelsea Handler is a stand-up comedian and actress that also takes her stories and turns them into books of short stories. What I can’t figure out is if I like Chelsea or not as an entertainer. I’m not even sure if I thought the stories were mostly funny or mostly just weird. How is that for being objective?

Ok, let’s lay it out there. This collection of short stories is off-beat, wacky and weird.  The reader may have a hard time reconciling the author with the stories and wondering if she is really that quirky or just likes making shit up. My guess is a combination of the two. Being short stories, the pacing is quick and there is little character development.  2008, 264 pages.

Start Living, Start Losing: Inspirational Stories That Will Motivate You

I had this book in my book bag for a really long time. I knew I needed to read it, I just didn’t have any desire to actually open the pages and read stories that resemble me. There was also the possibility that none of these stories about personal weight loss journeys would be anything like me-more like folks who just need to lose 10-30 pounds.  However, once I started reading, I was hooked. Page after page was full of folks who I recognized, related to and cried over. Yes, I cried. There were a few that hit so close to who I am and helped me to learn more about myself, I couldn’t help but cry.

Before this becomes more of a ramble than a review, let me say that this book is produced by Weight Watchers-a mighty business out to make money, yes. But, they also change lives and this book is a testament to that. The book is broken down into chapters that link the stories together-New brides, new moms; embracing challenge; A guy thing; seeking good health; family matters; changing my relationship with food, etc… This allows the reader to hop around to stories that can best inspire at that moment. The stories range from 3-5 pages long and move along at a fast pace.  This is not an informational book on how to lose weight-it is an inspirational book that asks the reader to engage with each character’s story to help make your own story a success. 2008, 239 pages.

Marley Legend: An Illustrated Life of Bob Marley by James Henke

Being only 64 pages long, this new biography of Bob Marley’s life provides a basic overview from childhood up until his death from Cancer in 1981. What makes the book interesting and unique is the many pictures and different reproductions of memorabilia that you can pull out and study at length. This makes you feel like you are looking at someone’s scrapbook that was lovingly crafted just for you. While the reviews say the memorabilia will not stand up to regular library use, I disagree. I believe that Marley fans will treat it well. In fact, the copy I just looked at had nothing missing and has been circulating for 6 months. 2006, 64 pages.

The 9/11 Report: A Graphic Adaptation by Sid Jacobson and Ernie Colon

The library isn’t always on the ball when it comes to materials that are receiving media attention. However, the same morning that I saw a review of the 9/11 report: a graphic adaptation on the Today Show-it came in for us to process. I grabbed it to only flip through it and understand the controversy. Instead, I read it cover to cover and started babbling incessantly to anyone who would listen about it.

Have you red the 9/11 report? Neither had I and frankly, I probably never will. A graphic novel adaptation to the report is an interesting curiosity that I believe is becoming a trend. Since I’ve read the adaptation, I’ve seen several biographies and other serious works being made into high quality graphic novels. Why not? The adaptation provides an overview of the key points discussed in the 9/11 report and focuses on what lead up to the terrorist attacks on that day. The graphics are tasteful but can still evoke an emotional reaction for most. 2006, 131 pages.

Marley & Me: Life and Love with the World’s Worst Dog by John Grogan

The experience is familiar to many people. You are just married and ready to start out on this journey call life. You want the basics-a nice house, children and a pet or two. Sometimes the pet we choose is perhaps not the best choice in our lives and too often the shelters are full of dogs that did nothing wrong but be who they were meant to be.

In this case, John and Jenny Grogan find themselves with a wild and most powerful Labrador puppy that has a hard time learning the simplest of commands but loves you to death. Through a lifetime of trials and tribulations, kids and relocating we come to learn that despite his faults Marley is a part of the family and when it comes down to it, you don’t desert your family. 2005, 291 pages.

Quit Digging Your Grave with a Knife and Fork by Mike Huckabee

The current governor of Arkansas seems like an unlikely candidate for writing a weight-loss book. However, Mike Huckabee is not your average governor. Starting his term as an obese middle-aged man, Huckabee began a lifestyle change that resulted in the loss of over 100 pounds. In this slim book, Huckabee outlines 12 “STOPS” that he hopes will help anyone get started in the journey to better health. What is unique about the book is that there are no miracles here, only common sense from someone that has been there. 2005, 162 pages.

The Commitment: Love, Sex, Marriage and my Family by Dan Savage

There is no hotter issue than gay marriage in the culture-war debate, and Dan Savage, one of America’s most outspoken and beloved columnists, takes it on and makes it personal in this rollicking memoir of coming to terms with the very public act of marriage. What he discovers will make readers—gay or straight, right or left, single or married—howl with laughter as well as rethink their notions of marriage and all that it entails. (book jacket).

Dan Savage has written a memoir about a very traditional two parent, 1 child, 1 dog family. The only hitch is that there are two dads trying to decide if marriage, as it is for gay parents, is worth all the hassle. The Commitment is a quick paced novel that expands your knowledge of Savage and his family from his other memoirs. You also get an in-depth commentary on the issues facing gays and lesbians in the United States. 2005, 291 pages.

Desiring Paradise by Karen Schlesinger

Many people toy with the idea of packing up their lives and moving to a remote island in the tropics. This book relates the hilarious tale of two middle-class New Englanders who succumbed to that dream. The Paradise they desired is the beautiful and sometimes whacky island of St. John in the U.S. Virgin Islands. Life’s misadventures caused havoc, but these folks persevered. How they got to Paradise will inspire the most jaded reader to believe that any dream is possible.

A quick read that will be enjoyable to anyone who loves St. John or any tropical island that seems like the perfect place to live. A lot of detail is given to the process of moving and the couple’s life upheaval. Do not expect a lot of detailed information about the island itself. 1999, 288 pages.

Live at Carnegie Hall by David Sedaris

This live recording on October 22, 2002, reading at Manhattan’s Carnegie Hall finds Sedaris performing seven new pieces and taking questions from the audience. Very quick paces as this is a live performance. Alll 7 stories are contemporary but varied and have the same dry wit and satire we expect from Sedaris. Audiobook only, 2003