December Reading Roundup
Apologies in advance for how hard I go in on the Cher memoir
Come Hang Out With Me!
I’m hosting Office Hours at The Porch in Nashville on Sat., Jan. 25. This is your chance to get your burning questions answered about all things digital - from social media to newsletters to why everyone is so mean in comment sections. Register here.
Before I get into what I read last month, I want to mention L.A. and the recent fires there. My oldest friend in the world lives in L.A., as do many, many friends and colleagues of John’s. We’re there about twice a year and I love the city. If you’re looking for ways to help, here are some newsletters I found useful.
Now, let’s get into the books!
This post contains affiliate links to Bookshop.org and Libro.fm. If you make a purchase through these links, I earn a small commission at no additional cost to you.
A Merry Little Meet Cute by Sierra Simone, Julie Murphy
I loved this book. Shout-out to Virginia Sole-Smith for the recommendation. It’s about a plus-size adult film star who kinda accidentally gets cast in a Hallmark-esque Christmas movie. Her co-star is a washed up boy band singer, who she had a huge crush on growing up, and turns out, he has a huge crush on her via her adult film work. It’s fat positive, sex positive, bisexual positive and sex work positive. Also, a great read on audio.
Slouching Towards Bethlehem by Joan Didion
I was out of town when Joan Didion died. I was at a cabin in the woods in Makanda, IL. We drove into town and found a used bookstore in Carbondale and I bought Didion’s entire back catalogue. I’ve been slowly making my way through it.
This collection of essays was a slow burn for me. The first section of essays didn’t grab me. I also didn’t love the (very long) title essay. But the essays about California and her life are some of the best essays I’ve ever read, especially the one about moving to, and subsequently leaving, New York.
Cher: The Memoir, Part One by Cher
When this book came out, I went balls to the wall talking about it, and I think people were surprised to learn that I had this much enthusiasm for Cher. Well, I do. One, we share the same birthday (May 20). Two, Moonstruck is one of my favorite movies. Three, I grew up watching Will & Grace and references to Cher, along with impersonations and one bizarre doll (please note that Kevyn Aucoin [RIP] is in the booth with Cher), were a big part of that show. Also, she’s Cher! Hello!
Ok, you do need to listen to this on audio, although … she only reads a small percentage of it, which honestly is a five-star Cher move. Oh, you bought the audiobook so you could hear me read it? Surprise, I have dyslexia and only read the first minute of every chapter. Luckily, they got the actress who played Cher on Broadway to read it, and honestly, you can hardly tell the difference.
I devoured this book. I loved it so much. This is so stupid, but my favorite part of the book is her refusal to call Phil Spector “Phil.” She calls him “Phillip” throughout the entire book and it feels like such a burn. I laughed every time.
This is part one of two, and it’s mostly about her time in the ‘60s, L.A. music scene. It also obviously covers her time with Sonny and their tv show. The book ends as she moves to New York in the early ‘80s to begin her acting and film career.
The Heart Goes Last by Margaret Atwood
I picked this up after Trump won the election in Nov., which my husband thought was a terrible idea (both Trump being president and me reading this book). But sometimes things get so dark, only Margaret Atwood can lift you up by reminding you how much worse things can get.
This is a heartwarming tale about a couple living out of their car on the cusp of societal collapse when a new gated community opens up and they jump at the chance to have a home and job again. But because this is Atwood, the “community” is owned by a prison and everyone is required to live and work in the prison for three months on, three months off. It’s like if Margaret Atwood wrote Orange Is the New Black, but with AI sex robots. Honestly, I loved it.
ICYMI: Here’s what I read last month:
