Yup, I Read.

I'm a cyclical reader. Summertime is when I tend to catch up on books I've been meaning to read (namely those on my own bookshelves). So here's a quick synopsis of a few of my literary adventures:

Moose by Stephanie Klein
Were you fat as a child? Do you have mom-issues? If not, you may really find it difficult to relate to this memoir. It's about a woman's journey at fat camp. She takes some poetic license and condenses several summer's trips into one. She covers everything from attending diet meetings at a very young age to romance at fat camp to a brush with bulimia to having her obstetrician tell her to gain 50 pounds or lose her in-utero twins. She delves into issues with her mother's lack of love and affection. I'm so used to reading novels where most issues like this are wrapped up in a neat little bow and resolved at the end, and found I had to remind myself that that's not the case with memoirs. This was an interesting read. I entered into it thinking, "I've been fat all my life, I should be able to relate to this," but found I really didn't. I've never been bulimic, I have a great relationship with my mom, and food's not my enemy (though I may benefit from believing it is...). If anything, it reminded me that I often find I feel like the great outlier.

Are You There, Vodka? It's Me, Chelsea by Chelsea Handler
There's nothing quite like a camping trip with a Chelsea Handler book. Like when I read Wanda Sykes' book, since I watch Chelsea, as I was reading the book, I could hear her voice in my head. Not in a schizophrenic way, but more like she was telling me the stories herself. The book is a collection of essays, ranging in experiences in childhood (lying about starring in a movie with Goldie Hawn) to adulthood (smoking pot in Costa Rica to be able to deal with her father, who she took there on a two-week vacation). It's a light, easy read - easy to pick up and put down and pick back up again. It's not earth-shattering, and it's not a classic by any stretch, but it was enjoyable. I found myself laughing out loud more than once, and will probably make time to read it again.

A Dirty Job by Christopher Moore
This was recommended to me by one of my friends who doesn't read very much. I attribute that to Bucky working on her Master's, which she finished last year. I think when you work full-time and go to school at least part-time, it's hard to want to read much outside of that. But one of her friends turned her onto Christopher Moore, and I dare say I wouldn't want to stand between her and one of his books - I've never seen her read so voraciously! She finished this book before the end of our first camping trip, and she passed it along to me. I took it to England with me, and finished it while I was there. I don't want to reveal much about the book, because you really should just read it - it was good enough that I've already purchased as a gift for my sister-in-law. It's dark, disturbing, and plays with the supernatural, including Death, quite a bit. It's snarky. It's hilarious. And it would make a great movie.

But Enough About Me: How a Small-Town Girl Went from Shag Carpet to the Red Carpet by Jancee Dunn
Jancee writes for, among other things, Rolling Stone. This book is a memoir (anyone see a theme here!?) about how she got there, and her experiences once she did. Jancee stumbles upon her dream job while at a crazy party in New Jersey. She talks about how to interview celebrities successfully (never at a restaurant, and go to movies being filmed on location if possible), some of her favorite interviews (no shock - Dolly Parton!), and introduces readers to her not-so-dysfunctional-but-still-interesting family. There is the often-included quest-for-love story, as well. After reading it, I felt the urge to look at some back issues of Rolling Stone to read her articles...but I haven't quite gotten there yet!

Love is a Mixed Tape: Life and Loss, One Song at a Time by Rob Sheffield
This is another memoir by another Rolling Stone writer, and frequent personality on E! and VH-1; I couldn't resist this book. I so related to a lot of the music Rob references in the book, and appreciate the idea of personal soundtracks at different points in your life. The book chronicles Rob finding his true love, settling into marriage, only to have his wife die very suddenly, in his arms. He walks the readers through his grief process, and his pain is almost palpable. It's short and quick, but not so light.

In progress:
1984 by George Orwell
I first read this in 8th grade English with Mrs. So-and-so...I think her last name started with an A, but I'm not about to go digging through a box in a closet to find my old yearbook. So Sara, when you read this, let me know what the heck her name was! I remember vividly reading this book the first time around, and though I didn't finish this in time for book club, I've resolved to finish it by the end of the year. It's not going to take me the 6 or 7 years I've been reading Solzhenitsyn's Cancer Ward (does it count if you haven't picked the book up in at least 3 or 4 of those years?). I've been enjoying rediscovering this one...

Reading Lolita in Tehran: A Memoir in Books by Azar Nafisi
I've been reading this on and off since the beginning of summer. It's deep to the point of being subterranean, and I can only handle so much at a time. So far, I find the author a bit repetitive and disjointed. I'm probably about 2/3 done, so we'll see what the rest has to offer...