10. Take Your Shirt Off and Cry

Take Your Shirt Off and Cry, by Nancy Balbirer (2009).

Memoirs aren't always my thing, though I do go through phases where I read them.This one didn't work for me. Some of the stories, particularly those about David Mamet, were kind of amusing, but the author's life is just not that compelling. A good memoir makes the reader care about the author, but this one just irritated me. Balbirer is pretty candid about some of her own mistakes, but she comes off as bitter and jealous to me. I found myself unsympathetic to her struggles because I didn't particularly like her.

5. The Perfect Scent

The Perfect Scent, by Chandler Burr (2007)

I don't read a lot of non-fiction for pleasure, mostly because I read so much of it for work. Maybe I should change that, because I thoroughly enjoyed this book. Burr, who also wrote a book I have sitting in my unread stack from Midwinter, is a really engaging writer. The book tells the stories of the creation of two different perfumes: one is Sarah Jessica Parker's Lovely, the other is a commission for Hermes. It was interesting to see the similarities and differences between a celebrity perfume that would be mass marketed and one for a luxury brand that would be sold in much more exclusive markets. He explains the intricacies of both the way perfume is created and the way the industry works without getting so detailed as to be technical and boring.

The personalities of the people he met really come through in the story. Little details like what they wear and how they speak help flesh them out as real people, rather than caricatures. SJP seems like really smart and opinionated busineswoman, which isn't necessarily surprising, but it was a different side of her than we get to see when she acts. I also liked learning about peculularities of communication among the different groups of people--the French, PR people, perfumers, executives. Very human and funny stuff.

15. The Know-it-all

The Know-it-all: One Man's Quest to Become the Smartest Person in the World, by A.J. Jacobs (2005)

I've had this book on my shelf since it came out in paperback a few years ago, but never got around to reading it. By the time I picked it up and started reading, the only think I could remember about it was that it had gotten some good reviews, including some time on NPR, and that the author had written for magazines.

Jacobs, who I learned was an editor at Esquire, is a funny and engaging writer. He manages to make a really silly endeavor, reading the entire Encyclopedia Brittanica in a year, into a very personal narrative of his family, his wife, and his impending fatherhood. I particularly liked his wife, Julie--or, more accurately, the character of Julie--because she tempers Jacobs' tendency to run off in tangents. Very cool device.

I think this book really worked for me because I read it in fairly short chunks over a couple of weeks. Usually, I gobble up books really quickly. This can be like spending too much time with a good friend; the little things start to annoy me. The format of the book helped me divide it out nicely. Because Jacobs inserts sections that mimic encyclopedia entries, it's easy to say, "hey, I'm going to stop after finishing the 'H' section." Portion control is my friend, I've found. So, yeah, I liked this a lot.

2. The Break-up Diet

The Break-up Diet, by Annette Fix (August, 2008)

I finally got my first Early Reviewers book a few days ago, and decided to read a few chapters last night. Well, just over two hours passed by and I was finished with the whole thing.

I don't really think of my posts here as reviews, but that's what I signed up to do on LibraryThing. My reviews are pretty brief, but probably a little more meaty than the two sentences you often get from Publisher's Weekly.

This memoir reads like chick lit, the good kind. I kept forgetting it wasn't a novel as I read it. Every "character" feels real and Annette's voice is really authentic. It's a quick read and fun, even when working through some really tough, emotional stuff. It's not the kind of thing I usually read, but enjoyed it. If you like Jennifer Weiner's work (and I definitely do), you'll probably like this.

50. The Discomfort Zone

The Discomfort Zone: A Personal History (Jonathan Franzen, 2007)

First off, I must confess I still haven't read The Corrections. I bought it when it first came out in trade paper because it was on ridiculous sale at the bookstore in Wallingford Center when I was buying my glasses, but have been resistant to starting it, probably because it was so hyped and can't possibly live up to expectations. Also it's fat and therefore sits unread on the shelf with its fellow weighty and intimidating tome, DeLillo's Underworld. I'm not too proud to admit this.

I ordered this for the library, and when it came in, something made me grab it up off the new books shelf. I was in a bit of a memoir phase at the time. Anyway, I really, really loved it. Franzen mostly sticks to his adolescence, which is of course a period rife with embarrassments and torments. This ground has been covered exhaustively by too many writers to list, but this is a pretty fresh take on a familiar subject. Also, I liked the way Franzen tells his stories in pieces, as interconnected essays. The deviation from a strict, linear narrative made so much sense. The point of memoir isn't to lay out a strict chronology, after all. I care about the feelings and experiences and how they fit together. Now that I've finished this, I think I might be ready for The Corrections in the next few months.

34. Fun Home

Fun Home (Alison Bechdel, 2006)

This book will definitely make my best-list this year. I'm a little annoyed with myself for not getting to it sooner. I picked it up for free at Midwinter on the last day, when the Houghton-Mifflin rep was trying to get rid of stuff (other scores included The Worst Hard Time and the latest Best American Short Stories, Essays, and Graphic Novels--worth hauling home). So it's been sitting in my massive, unwieldy pile for months. Damn.

What can I say that hasn't already been said much more eloquently than I'm capable of? I loved this book. The drawings are clever and funny and really descriptive. The dialogue is perfect and heartbreaking. I tend to shy away from stories of family drama, but I'm so glad I read this. It's wonderful.

32. Flower Children

Flower Children (Maxine Swann, 2007)

I read about Flower Children in the NYT recently, which prompted me to get it from the library. I like Swann's style and the dreamy quality of her prose, but I got kind of tired of the stories by the end of the book. A few of the stronger stories stand out and I'm betting those were the original material she published in lit journals. I'd like to read Swann's first novel, Serious Girls. From what I've read, I gather that Flower Children is almost a memoir, and I'd like to see what Swann does with different characters.

Several memoirs and memoir-style novels are in my vast bookpile, and for some reason I'm digging them right now. I keep starting and not finishing them, though. Maybe my next task will be to go finish all my half-read books or abandon them for good.

30. Easter Everywhere

Easter Everywhere (Darcey Steinke, 2007)

I'm not sure how I feel about Easter Everywhere. The first two thirds of the book were really interesting, but the end seemed to drag for me. It feels weird to criticize a book when it's somebody's life story. Steinke is a lovely writer and she tells her story without explaining the backstory or interpreting its meaning. Very unusual. Her relationship with religion is central to the book, but I thought it got a bit tiresome in the end. I'm sure that's my own bias creeping in. I read part one during lunch, then finished it off when I got home this evening, so it definitely held my attention for the most part.

I haven't read any of Steinke's novels and know of her only from her magazine work, which I've always enjoyed. Perhaps I'd have a better understanding or appreciation for her memoir if I had checked out her longer fiction first. I'm definitely intrigued enough to try.