Mom & Pop Culture

but enough about me

Looking for some good and easy summer reading? Then pick up Jancee Dunn's quick-paced, humorous memoir, But Enough About Me...

I devoured the book in about a day and a half. And yes, when I got to the last page I wanted MORE. But better than that -- I wanted Jancee to be my BFF. What's not to like? She's a Jersey Girl (like me), who came of age in the 1980s (like me) who writes (like me) and who meets all these incredible celebrities (okay, not like me).

But that's what's most fun about Jancee's recollections as a writer for Rolling Stone magazine. She invites all us regular folks in as she shares her firsthand accounts of what it's like to interview surly, hungover rockstars (and avoid taking drugs offered) and how not to flip out when interviewing icons such as Madonna or Brad Pitt.

mothers and daughters

A couple of weeks ago, I received two review copies of two different memoirs about a mother and a daughter.   I'm happy to say that I dove right into both books and was pleasantly surprised and entertained by both, although they are quite different from one another.

The two books are It Hit Me Like A Ton of Bricks and Come Back: A Mother and Daughter's Journey Through Hell and Back.

what do you do all day?

The most dreaded question that every stay-at-home mom abhors is "What do you do all day?" 

I was home full-time for five years dedicated to raising my children, without little outside work, and I can tell you that rarely was I bored. Rarely did I eat bon-bons (although chocolate oreos are lethally addictive) and rarely did I have a free moment to even contemplate things outside my home. Having a four-year-old and a two-year-old will do that. Those suckers demand almost constant attention and stimulation. 

the passion of the clinton

I've begun reading Hillary Rodham Clinton's memoir, Living History, and I'm about 200 pages into it.  I wanted to tackle this book before I go ahead and tackle Bill's 900 page-epic memoir.  For the past couple of years I've sort of been ambivalent about Hillary, not sure whether I like her or not. 

So far, her memoirs are interesting, but not overly intriguing.  Although, I have to say that the woman is definitely a politician and will most likely be a politician for the rest of her days.

the bitch in the house and the bastard on the couch

I finally got around to reading the anthology The Bitch in The House.  Some pretty good reading within the pages about the topics of sex, marriage, motherhood, etc.  I liked the varied viewpoints that were given.  And I am always impressed by the honesty expressed by the writers in such anthologies.

I went to the website, hoping to see that the editor, Cathi Hanauer, would be planning a follow-up -- as I am sure there are many more "bitches" who could share their stories.  I was surprised to learn that Cathi's husband, Daniel Jones, is planning his own follow-up to her book, called The Bastard on the Couch. 

This one is from the guy's point of view, and I must tell you that I can't wait to read it.  I'm sure some of the essays will make me angry (I'm not sure I want to hear what men really think).  But I'd still like to hear some real guys talk about modern life, work, marriage, and parenthood.