Memoir Armoire

I’d been looking forward to reading My Fair Lazy since Jen Lancaster first announced it about 18 months ago. Her attempt to become more cultured and less reality TV-obsessed, it involves her “eating the world”, learning about wine, trying smelly cheese (and liking it!), falling in love with Edith Wharton and in hate with Eudora Welty, and learning to make polite conversation rather than getting drunk and talking about The Real Housewives of Wherever.

I have to admit to being a little disappointed that so much of Lancaster’s “Jenaissance” is reported to us after the fact, in conversations with her friends rather than a play-by-play of events themselves, and I would have loved it if she’d taken etiquette classes rather than just had lunch with a posh blogger, but she moved house, had pet problems, and was on a book tour during much of her research time, which all clearly put a crimp in her style.

Still, any book of Lancaster’s is always full of her trademark humour, and having read most of her previous memoirs, a glimpse into her world is like a visit from a very funny old friend (the Twitter transcript — the result of an Ambien + wine induced intoxication — is worth the cover price alone). Plus, it totally made me want to try some weird new food. What more do you want from a memoir?

*Thank you to Penguin/NAL for the review copy.

I first heard of Julie Klam in Jancee Dunn’s book. Any writer friend of Jancee’s is someone I want to read, I thought, and Klam’s own memoir, Please Excuse My Daughter, didn’t disappoint. A memoir-in-essays which explores her childhood as a pampered only daughter (her mom would get her out of school to go shopping, hence the title) and her reluctance to grow up and take charge of her life, Klam is funny, self-deprecating and easy to relate to. Although the true story of her Mafia-linked ex-boyfriend is a little less so… (But still completely compelling.) Her next book, You Had Me At Woof, is out on October 28, and I can’t wait.

Here it is on Amazon.

I could hate Jancee Dunn for being lucky enough to shoot the breeze with Dolly Parton (not to mention many other legends of music) but I can’t, because I loved her diary of a music journalist so damn much (and because she seems like such a nice person) Just gossipy enough and really entertaining, her memoir provides an insight into what it’s like writing for Rolling Stone, as well as a personal look at Jancee’s life. Curtis Sittenfeld has called it “smart, poignant and incredibly funny”, and I think that about covers it. Read it or be sad.

Pick up a copy of your own here (and lament that awful new cover…).

As the title would suggest, Ayun Holliday’s Job Hopper is about her inability to hold down employment for long, a history of her time flitting from one low-paid job to another in the time before she became a writer and mother. I always enjoy Ayun’s books. She comes across as fun, likeable and quirky and her love of life is obvious. The fact that she finds joy in, and even misses, this low-paid work is testament to her ability to make the most of every experience. Which isn’t to say I understand why anyone would miss waitressing… My one criticism is that the stories here were clearly written separately and then made into a book later, making it a little disconnected, with no real narrative tension. Still, it’s a good read, and I’d especially recommend it to anyone in low-paid work in need of tips to make life more interesting.

It looks like it’s out out print but there are still secondhand copies to be found.

The material of this book could have been made for a “misery memoir”: Walls’ parents were neglectful bordering on abusive and she grew up in extreme poverty, eventually triumphing as a journalist and author despite her background. But when she writes about all of this, she never succumbs to self pity (even though she’d have every right to do so). In fact, her bravely-written, life-affirming story is a joy to read, even during the rough bits. 

Get it, if you know what’s good for you.

This graphic novel memoir is the book that opened my eyes to how brilliant comics can be. A lot of people have written about having cancer - but very few have created a graphic novel memoir about it, let alone a book that is so sweet, funny, poignant, hopeful, and easy to relate to. Truly moving, entertaining, and brilliant, if you haven’t read it, you’re really missing out.

Kick ass, take names, and get your own copy, why dontcha?

“I wrote this for Alice. Actually, I wrote everything for Alice.” That’s the poignant dedication at the front of Tepper Isn’t Going Out, the last book Calvin Trillin wrote before the death of his wife Alice in 2001. Alice was the star of many of Trillin’s autobiographical stories and articles, his muse and mentor, as well as the mother of his two children and a brilliant writer and teacher in her own right. About Alice is his tribute to her, and it’s poignant and heartbreaking. Which isn’t to say that it’s sentimental. Everything about this book is understated, from the plain cover to the emotional tone to the length (just 78 pages). Trillin chooses not to dwell on the details of Alice’s death; instead, he writes with great humour and love about their life together. This book made me laugh, but it also made me cry.

Read it yourself — you won’t be sorry.

I love David Sedaris, and this is one of his best books. The autobiographical essays in this collection span his childhood — taking in his weird neighbours, rich old relatives and childhood bullies — to the modern day, including how to get rid of mice in your French farmhouse (badly). As you might expect from this writer, there’s some very unusual characters featured but most entertaining are David and his hilariously offbeat family, including his chain-smoking mother, perma-swearing brother, and his sister Tiffany, who likes to call people up while she’s on the toilet… If you like a book to make you laugh and reassure you about your own eccentricities, this is the read for you.

Buy, buy like the wind.

Hello and welcome to MEN’S WEEK on Memoir Armoire. So far my reviews and news have been a little woman-centric, so this week I’m reddressing the balance with only reviews and news re: men and memoirs. First up: a review of The Smoking Diaries…

The first memoir from playwright Simon Gray (RIP), I bought this book a few years ago for my Dad, thinking he would relate. As an ex-nicotine addict himself and self-confessed ‘grumpy old man’ who loves going to the theatre, how could he not enjoy the memoir of a grumpy male playwright who smokes a lot? But although my Dad enjoyed it, I think I liked it even more. I’m not sure why: maybe because Gray’s writing is so good, or because despite his curmudgeonly persona, he’s completely charming. This book is surprising, funny and (when he reflects on his younger brother’s fate) also heartbreakingly poignant. In short, it’s a great read, no matter what your personal relationship with nicotine may be.

Buy it here (or somewhere else).

At twenty-nine, Bridget Harrison had a great boyfriend everyone expected her to marry, her own home, a job as assistant features editor at The Times [UK] and a fabulous circle of friends. But if she was truly contented, then why was the opportunity to go on a work exchange to New York for four months so incredibly tempting? After a few sleepless nights, Bridget rented out her house and left for NYC and a job at super-tabloid The New York Post. But just when she felt she was getting the hang of things, it was time to leave. That’s when Bridget broke the news to her loved ones: she wasn’t coming back anytime soon. And that’s when things started to get really interesting… This is an evocative book that gives a fascinating insight into New York life and the difficulties of keeping your head above water in a hugely competitive industry. Sometimes I was completely jealous of Bridget (she scooped her own dating column), other times I was mortified on her behalf (the difficulties of making friends in the big apple). What I most admired about her story is that she took a risk in order to expand her horizon — and realised than being happy is about more important than ticking off career and relationship goals.

Get yours.