My favorite form of nonfiction is the memoir and if we were to narrow it down further, I'd say my favorites involve dysfunctional families (such as The Glass Castle by Jeanette Walls) and cults (Escape by Carolyn Jessop, for example). However, I do enjoy reading celebrity memoirs. Some have been rather mediocre (Stories I Only Tell My Friends by Rob Lowe) and some I couldn't even finish (Greenlights by Matthew McConaughey). But let's talk about the better ones . . .
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| If you are a fan of Saturday Night Live, then this is the memoir for you. I had read a good review about in The Plain Dealer (Shannon is a Cleveland native), so I decided to give it a try and it did not disappoint. Molly's family was completely dysfunctional (and the story begins with tragedy) but like many who grow up in those circumstances, she found salvation in making others laugh. It's well written and an easy read. Ironically, I mentioned that I was reading it to one of my husband's friends and he told me that he had gone to parochial school with Molly. His memory of her was sadly about her family tragedy. Surprisingly, the book is NOT a downer. |
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| I read this book 11 months ago and intended to do an entire post about it, but that's not happening. I have been a huge U2 fan for 40 years and I had high hopes for this book, but it was not what I thought it would be. I actually thought that the 40 songs/chapters would be about each song, but it wasn't. For me, the highlights were Bono's memories of fellow artists and how he's also a fan. Like when his wife asks Prince, "Why is the word 'slave' written on your face?" when they run into him at a nightclub in Dublin. "I'm a slave," he replies in a kind of deadpan voice, "because I do not own my own music." He is dead serious, but also licking a lollipop while talking. I liked how Bono describes America as an idea (a fresh start, a new beginning) rather than a country; how it's operational, but also mythical. He talks about David Bowie spending the night at his house and being a sleepwalker. He recounts a story about driving around England with Paul McCartney, who pointed out The Beatles' 'landmarks.' He tells us about his late friend, Michael Hutchence. If you are a music lover, you will enjoy those parts of the book. I recommend skimming the long-winded sections on his charitable contributions to society, however humble he tries to come off. |
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| Never being a true fan of Nirvana and only a so-so fan of The Foofighters, I didn't think I would love this book as much as I did. It was fabulous! However, if you are a huge Nirvana fan, do not expect this book to delve into the band too much. It's more about Dave's journey through life, and after reading it, I have a lot of respect for him. Despite having a very difficult relationship with his father, he reunites with his dad before his death. He doesn't speak ill of his former wife and he has a very sweet relationship with each of his three daughters, along with his current wife. Another plus was the lack of drug use! Overall, he is just a very interesting and cool person that I think anyone would enjoy getting to know. |
God, it's been ages since I read a book. I used to have such an appetite for reading (back in the 80's and 90s), but alas, I just don't read anymore.
ReplyDeleteThat book by Molly Shannon sounds so interesting. I adore her. She was one of my favorite SNL cast members. Comedic genius. And I loved her on Will and Grace. Hilarious!
The last memoir, which is my favorite type of literature (as are documentary films), was "I Remember Nothing: And Other Reflections" by Nora Ephron (I was a huge fan of hers). And that was back in 2012?!? That's how long ago I read a book. LOL!
Thanks for sharing this today, my friend. You've inspired me to read again.
Have a terrific Tuesday and week! X
Hi Ron! I read about two books per week! It’s my form of relaxation and I usually read while eating my meals. I think you’d really enjoy the Molly Shannon book. Since I read it, I’ve watched her on two HBO series and she is both a comic genius and a wonderful actress.
DeleteI remember reading Ephron’s book, ‘I Feel Bad About My Neck and Other Thoughts On Being a Woman,’ but I didn’t like it. I think I thought it was going to be funny, but for me, I found it depressing. It’s weird because I love David Sedaris and I’ve heard they are similar writers.
Hope you are having a colorful Fall week and thanks for stopping by at the crack of dawn!
I love David Sedaris too! I also like his sister, Amy. And come to think of it, Nora and David do have a similar sense of humor. I've seen all her movies. I really miss her. Her son made a documentary about her titled, 'Everything Is Copy'. It revealed both the light and dark in his mother. It was very good. And honest.
DeleteI know, I got up very early to do my laundry this morning (5:00 AM) LOL!
Maybe I should give her another try. I just remember thinking the book was very negative about being a woman, which bothered me. I feel as though I don’t relate to a lot of women stereotypes, which is part of it.
DeleteGood for you for rising with the roosters!
I couldn't finish Green Lights either, thought he was arrogant and flip, and didn't enjoy his celebrations of his dysfunctional family. I was embarrassed for him. Felt the same way reading JD Vance's book. Not for me. I really liked her on Sat Night Live, might give that one a try.
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I was surprised, because I’d read good reviews about Greenlights. I found the book to be boring more than anything! I did read the Vance book long ago, but found that one to at least keep my attention. I appreciated Shannon’s candor about her family’s mental health issues.
DeleteI really loved Hello Molly, although I wasn't a big fan of hers (not a NON fan, just I didn't care much about her). After reading it I AM a fan because wow, what a wonderful and lovely person she is. It was such a good memoir! It was so uplifting. Also that story about Gary Coleman!!!
ReplyDeleteMy husband read the Dave Grohl book and it's on my shelf, I was thinking of reading it myself if I ever make it past the ever-growing stack of TBR. He really enjoyed it.
The Glass Castle made me so terribly sad, it's been years since I read it though.
Yes, wasn’t Shannon’s book uplifting? Her life really could have gone another way. Lol, I forgot about the Gary Coleman part. Too funny! I think you would enjoy Dave Grohl’s book, so I hope you read it and then post about it on your blog. I was just so impressed that he didn’t go down the path of drugs and sexual exploitation of women like so many other rock stars.
DeleteI never read The Glass Castle knowing it'd make me sad, so I couldn't face it. I'd like to read the Dave Growl memoir, he's intriguing and talented. I have quite a few memoirs on the bookshelves, but I rarely read the popular ones, or the ones by celebrities.
ReplyDeleteI did not find The Glass Castle to be that sad, probably because her life turned out well in the end. Books that make me sad are usually about cancer or other horrible diseases. And I’m not going to read anything about Alzheimer’s, as we are now going through it a third time. Maybe I could write a book!
DeleteI love Molly Shannon! She is such a funny, versatile actor and I always enjoy everything I see her in. I am going to definitely read her book! Have you read Half Broke Horses? It's the story of the grandmother in The Glass Castle. Really good! Maybe I need to get into reading memoirs again because I am truly bored with fiction!
ReplyDeleteI did read Half Broke Horses! I’ve read all her books, though I don’t think she’s written that many. She’s a fantastic author.
DeleteBijoux - SAME! Oh my gosh, memoir is my favorite thing to read. I listened to the Molly Shannon book when I drove Tank back to school in August. It was so, so good - heartbreaking, but hilarious. What a story. She is amazing.
ReplyDeleteI didn't know Bono wrote a memoir. U2 is my favorite group.
I read the memoir (wait, is it a memoir? well, I think it counts but it's written by Ron and his brother) written by the Howard brothers. It was a good book. It was interesting, but Ron would sometimes write, "And now I'm going to tell you about xyz" and I found that irritating. Like where was the editor? Really that's a small point that just sort of took me out of the story. I also read Sally Field's memoir. That one was incredibly sad. I read 'Wild' a few years ago. Good, but also shocking/sad. I believe it was made into a movie with Reece Witherspoon.
Another fan! Hello Molly was such a good memoir! Another U2 fan! If you read the book, let me know what you think. There were parts I really liked, but it’s a huge book and I had to skim over some boring stuff to get through it.
DeleteI can see where the Howard book would be annoying if it was written like that. OMG, I hated ‘Wild’ and could not finish it. I think it was the repeated swearing, plus drug use? I can’t remember now, but I just couldn’t deal! But I know it was quite popular.
This is a great post Bijoux! I think I read more memoirs than I do fiction. My father always read a lot of non fiction/memoirs and he got me started. I will have to read Hello Molly, she is such a talent and I don't know much about her.
ReplyDeleteThe last memoirs I've read were In Order to Live and While Time Remains which are huge eye openers. I read The Answer is by Alex Trebek that he wrote right before he passed away. He was such a fascinating man. I also love to read Memoirs by chefs or food lovers. I've read too many of them to even count.
I bet you will enjoy Hello Molly. I’ve read some chef memoirs like Marcus Samuelsson’s and Kitchen Confidential. It’s been awhile, but I do enjoy chef and foodie books.
DeletePat Birnie
ReplyDeleteI loved the Molly Shannon book. She is amazing - so kind and genuine. I was a fan but now it’s elevated to super fan. I also loved The Boys by Ron & Clint Howard - we listened to the audio book on a road trip. It’s so good. I love him even more now. And never noticed what Ernie mentioned, thank goodness.
Welcome! I’m glad you enjoyed Shannon’s book, too. That’s two votes for the Howard book, so I guess I need to read it.
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ReplyDeleteI enjoy a good memoir, and this post was a great overview of the books you read. You and Nicole are both excellent writers of book reviews. I, on the other hand, am not.
I've only heard good things about Dave Grohl, so this checks. He's also from Ohio, which you're probably already aware of.
I've just started reading a memoir, and so far it's looking promising. "While You Were Out" by Meg Kissinger. She isn't a celebrity, but it has received good reviews and is about a dysfunctional family, so I'm all in.
Adding these books to my TBR, thank you for the suggestions!
Yes, Dave is from Warren and there is an alley dedicated to him, which would be neat to see. Now I need to look up this Meg Kissinger memoir. I’m guessing not related to Henry?š¤£
DeleteI really don't read a lot of memoirs. I would if it was someone I was interested in though.
ReplyDeleteYeah, I think you have to be at least semi-interested in the person. That’s why I don’t read any by politicians!
DeleteI do like MM, but can see where a book of his could go either way. lol He's interesting, but probably slightly annoying too. I took a webinar of his Art of Livin'... long and not as interesting or cool as I thought it might be and then the emails just kept coming to sell stuff I guess. Eh, I'll just catch a movie every so often and can do without the rest.
ReplyDeleteI'd think the one by Bono would be amazing too. I thought Joe Perry's would be (he was always my fav member of Aerosmith) too, but I enjoyed S Tyler's wayyy more.
The last one I read was Spare by Prince Harry. It was ok. I don't remember quite finishing it. lol
I don't read much anymore. My concentration isn't as good as it was. There are a couple books I might still try though. Maybe this winter?
Eminem? I’m not 100% sure who you mean. The Bono book was too long and talked too much about charities that he supports. Is that awful of me for not caring?š¤£ I’ve not heard anything great about the Prince Harry book, so I’ll skip it.
DeleteSorry, that was Matthew McConaughy... just abbreviating. haha
DeleteOooooohhh! Now I get it!
DeleteOh yeah, I read Spare too out of curiosity. He came off as a whiney, entitled brat. I'm sure he was trying to endear the audience to his "horrible, ignored, second place upbringing behind his brother" but it just came off making him look like a total douche. Not a good read, so you didn't miss anything by skipping it.
DeleteWow, sounds really bad. You’d think an editor might have said something !
DeleteThat Molly Shannon book sounds intriguing. I tend to read more fiction than memoir, but this post is a reminder for me to expand my reading horizons.
ReplyDeleteWhile it's not a memoir, I found the Playboy interview with John Lennon fascinating. Playboy had published a condensed version of the interview in the magazine, but then put out a book length version with additional material.
He breaks down the story behind so many of the band's songs--it's amazing.
Shannon’s book is good and a quick read. I’ve not heard of the Lennon interview, but it would be very interesting to hear the stories behind the songs. That’s what I was hoping with Bono’s book, but nope.
DeleteNot surprised at all. It’s like we’re twins! I’ve been meaning to read Bossy Pants, but never got around to it. I’ve not read Andy’s book either. I think you’d like The Storyteller and Bono’s book.
ReplyDeleteSorry, duplicate comments came through. Anyhow, I read all genres of books. I like an occasional biography. I enjoyed Michelle Obamas book, though I am not a Democrat. I read Jessica Simpson's book last year and found it interesting. I loved Gilmore Girls and tried listening to the audio of Lauren Graham's first book and just couldn't finish it. It wasn't horrible, it just failed to capture my attention. I'm sure there are more, but they aren't fresh in my mind. Curiosity will probably have me reading Britney Spears upcoming book. Not that I was ever a huge fan of hers, but the dysfunction of her and her family life is a train wreck and sometimes I like a good soap opera.
ReplyDeleteI’m with you Theresa; I love a good soap operaš¤£ I wouldn’t mind reading Simpson’s or Spears’ books; both a different kind of crazy and I’m here for it! I was thinking of reading Michelle Obama’s book, if it isn’t about politics.
DeleteI don't recall Michelle Obama's book being too political. It was a lot about her upbringing and meeting her husband. She talked about her stay in the White House and how they are charged for their own meals there. Like they were counting out each nut or berry and calculating it into their food bill. I thought the tax payer always footed their food bill, so it was interesting to read that we did not.
DeleteWhat the heck? Well, that is interesting considering I always read that tax payers pay for Congresspeople’s haircuts!
DeleteI just did a quick Google search and they do indeed pay for their own food, toilet paper, household items, clothing, private dinner parties, etc. I'm sure it's all a drop in the bucket though compared to the other freebies and perks they get for holding office.
DeleteI’m surprised! Good info and I’m going to read her book now.
DeleteI reckon I ain't much of a reader when it comes to them memoirs. Nice post.
ReplyDeletePlease read and comment on my new retirement article: https://www.melodyjacob.com/2023/10/retirement-dilemma-selling-your-home-for-care-costs.html
Thanks for stopping by.
DeleteI also like reading memoirs, though they're very variable in quality. Tina Turner's autobiography was awful rubbish but I enjoyed Keith Richards' memoir Life - 640 pages but very gossipy and well worth reading.
ReplyDeleteYes, the quality is definitely variable. Wow, 640 pages is a lot to get through.
DeleteWaving hi as I make my blog rounds. Hope all is well with you.
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I can't even think of a memoir that I might have read. I am such a terrible reader. Always have been. I was thinking about it today and I might just have ADHD because I don't ever recall a time when I could sit still and read. It has only gotten worse with smart phones. Anyway, thanks for the reviews. I would be most interested in Dave Grohl because I was a big Nirvana fan but it sounds like I would be disappointed. Take care.
ReplyDeleteHi Mr.! I think a lot of people have trouble with reading. Personally, I can’t listen to audiobooks because my mind wanders and I hated being read to by teachers when I was a kid. I think I’m just a visual learner. Yeah, Grohl’s book does not do a deep dive into Nirvana, so it would disappoint those fans.
DeleteDave Grohl just strikes me as being incredibly down to earth. Obviously I was (still am) a huge Nirvana fan, but I've read plenty of books like "Heavier Than Heaven" chronicling Kurt and the band. I'll have to pick up Dave's memoir, I guess.
ReplyDeleteAlso, I love the story of Prince and the lollipop. Totally sounds like him!
I really gained a whole new respect for Grohl after reading his memoir. There was more to Bono's run-in with Prince, but the lollipop part cracked me up. I think you'd enjoy the various stories about all the musicians that Bono has known over the years. But man, the book was a tome.
DeleteYes, on The Storyteller! And, as a bonus, I did it in audiobook form, read by Dave himself. The voice inflections were terrific. Plus, there was a bonus story at the end of meeting Paul McCartney for the first time. The dude is so humble and real. Agree on that greater respect for him part. Just an interesting tale all around, though I couldn't listen to the audio with children around for obvious reasons! :) Betsy again!
ReplyDeleteOh, I’m glad to hear from someone else who enjoyed the book. So good! I bet he’s a really amazing person to hang out with, too.
DeleteYes, I bet he'd be cool to hang with. I wonder how he's doing with the coffee addiction these days. :P
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