Drinking at the Movies By Julia Wertz

Drinking at the Movies by Julia Wertz
My rating: 5 of 5 stars

Loved Drinking at the Movies by Julia Wertz. Tales of apartment/job/personal woe delivered with high doses of self-deprecation/loathing/medication and a sense of humor. Really hard not to read the entire book in one sitting.

There's a very determined spirit within and throughout the book.

Also, a lot of drinking.

If you're contemplating moving to New York or have memories of your first years there, Drinking at the Movies is a must-read.

(Buy from her website and the upgrade package came autographed and with other intriguing items.)

Cover Distraction Rating: Loyal readers of comics will nod approvingly in your direction.

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Eve's Hollywood by Eve Babitz

Eve's Hollywood by Eve Babitz
My rating: 5 of 5 stars

How have I not heard of Eve Babitz before? One of the most original, creative, and entertaining voices I've come across. I was wowed by her unique take on/love letter to LA. (She also deftly describes New York.) Babitz's wit and attitude are second-to-none. If you wondered what it was like to grow up in Hollywood in the 50s and 60s and live through the 70s, Babitz is your author.

It's a very breezy--but not lightweight--read. Totally atmospheric. Here's a sample of a sentence you come across and come back to multiple times:

"Richard Greene, the bluegrass breakneck violin player sounds the way The Girl in the convertible looks when she runs her fingers underneath her honey tresses at a light to free her hair for a moment from its own weight."

Sex, fame, and taquitos. It's all there in Eve's Hollywood.

Cover Distraction Rating: Do you have a pulse? Off-the-charts.

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Station Eleven by Emily St. John Mandel

Station Eleven by Emily St. John Mandel
My rating: 5 of 5 stars

Another post-apocalyptic tale? Who needs it, right? Well, Station Eleven turned out to be the definition of a page-turner. One of those books where you finish a chapter, get ready to turn out the light, and end up reading at least one (or two) more. I loved how all the characters share a common thread and how it is explored pre and post-flu.

Cover Distraction Rating: Nil. Unless your train line has a Station Eleven.

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After a While You Just Get Used to It by Gwendolyn Knapp

After a While You Just Get Used to It: A Tale of Family Clutter by Gwendolyn Knapp
My rating: 5 of 5 stars

Humor combines with unvarnished personal and familial stories--delivered with non-mawkish affection--to produce these original, memoir-esque tales. Disparate topics such as IBS, cyber-cheating, and hoarding are delivered via Knapp's unique voice. It's not easy to speak about members of your family so deeply, honestly, and critically without losing any (or all) of a reader's sympathy There's underlying heart in not explaining away why people are they way they are. It's very genuine and refreshing. I'd want someone like Knapp writing my biography. Which I realize is an incredibly vain thing to say. How about this: She's someone I'd want to have a conversational, lengthy interview with for a blog post. One where she asks all the questions.

BTW, I came across Knapp's work via Eater, where she contributed a perfect story of what it's like to volunteer at Tales of the Cocktail. It's also included in this book.

Cover Distraction Rating: Very low, unless there are squirrel aficionados in your train car.

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The Way of All Flesh by Samuel Butler

The Way of All Flesh by Samuel Butler
My rating: 3 of 5 stars

The back cover blurb touting The Way of All Flesh as an novel that "sounded the death-knell of the Victorian age", intrigued me. This is a tale of Ernest Pontifex and his truly awful parents. His father beats him regularly and both mother and father engage in a psychological abuse that is particularly insidious. Cunning and malicious. Compounding this treatment is that Ernest's parents see themselves as paragons of virtue and sacrifice in regards to the treatment of their son.

Naturally, Ernest's development suffers mightily and he endures a series of setbacks both minor and major. (Well-rendered and often painful to read.) Will he ever break free, assert himself, and defy his parents?

The Way of All Flesh is at its best when Ernest is front and center. The novel, however, gets bogged down by pages of exposition. The narrator diverges from the story to engage in philosophical and religious discussions that range from the general to the vague. This is especially the case when discussing Ernest's work as an author. I was bored.

I would recommend this novel for a view into the dark side of the Victorian family, displaying an outward morality and propriety when actually a prim reign of terror. Ernest Pontifex is a memorable character. I'm wavering between three and four stars but the dull moments overshadow the brilliant ones.

Note: The edition I read has a different cover but the page count and publisher is the same.

Cover Distraction Rating: I'll say high. Not because of the what's on the cover but because of the condition of my paperback. It was brittle like Pringles and started falling apart the second I began reading it.

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Love Goes to Buildings on Fire by Will Hermes

Love Goes to Buildings on Fire: Five Years in New York That Changed Music Forever by Will Hermes
My rating: 4 of 5 stars

This is practically a reference book for those looking to explore the music scene in New York from the early to late 70s. I wish I would have jotted down notes of bands, musicians, and songs while reading. (Idiot.) It gives equal consideration to jazz, salsa, hip hop, and more in great detail. Love Goes to Buildings on Fire, of course delves into CBGB so there's plenty about Patti Smith and Talking Heads.

Would be a five-star rating but I didn't enjoy the format of the book where one page(ish) would focus on a musician or genre/scene then completely shift gears to a totally different area. Too manic and jumpy; would rather of had these vignettes strung together. It was interesting to note the author grew up in New York City at the time and had many first-person memories. They, however, seemed shoehorned in. I'd be interested in reading them as a separate treatment.

Cover Distraction Rating: Medium. The pen-and-ink drawing of the city with the major players represented is pretty standout-ish. Also, the flames in color. Talking Heads fans will want to swipe right on you.

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The White Album by Joan Didion

The White Album: Essays by Joan Didion
My rating: 5 of 5 stars

You have to like a book that starts with the author detailing and analyzing her own psychiatric report. Interesting essays about the California Governor's Residence, lifeguarding, Hawaii, Hollywood, the Hoover Dam. There's a quote that I think perfectly encapsulates my interest in, and fascination with, Didion:

"I want you to understand exactly what you are getting: you are getting a woman who for some time now has felt radically separated from most of the ideas that seem to interest other people."

Keenly observant of others and revealing of herself.

Interestingly, Martin Amis discusses this volume of essays in The Moronic Inferno.

Cover Distraction Rating: Low. Though the photo of Didion sitting in the driver's seat of a car with the t-tops off, cigarette perched in her right hand, is pretty cool. Beatles fans may wonder if it's about The White Album. Spoiler alert: it's not though the Manson family is discussed.

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