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By Laurie, February 3, 2013

Chanel Bonfire
by Wendy Lawless

It has not been that long ago that some children grew up in some households with unstable, un-medicated mothers. Historically, this situation has provided the fertile soil that cultivated many a memorable upbringing, rich fodder for family reunions and subsequent stage adaptations.

Today thanks to modern pharmaceuticals known as serotonin reuptake inhibitors (Paxil, Zoloft, Lexapro…) and the modern belief in better living through chemistry, everyone is medicated. We may someday miss the madness in millennial memoirs.

Wendy Lawless chronicles her mother’s un-medicated mental instability in Chanel Bonfire.  The memoir leads readers through the 1970′s around the mine/mind fields left by the author’s mother. Wendy and her younger sister are dragged cross country, across the Atlantic and back again as their mother ping pongs from husband to husband (some hers, some belonging to others).

Take one beautiful, mentally unstable mother, add alcohol, money and the opportunities beauty brings and you have the makings of a romantic memoir. Take away a  grasp on reality, the money and the willing men and you have a roller coaster ride of Hollywood/Hazelden proportions.

If you grew up with the “dark bedroom, curtains drawn” type of mom, buckle your seatbelts, take a few deep breaths and hang on for dear life. You are about to take a drive down the gravel road of memory lane.  If you grew up with a “sunny porch, ice tea in hand” kind of mom, be brave take a peek through the curtains and thank your lucky stars.

laurie

“Mothers are all slightly insane.” – J.D. Salinger, The Catcher in the Rye

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By Laurie, June 17, 2012

Wild: from lost to found on the Pacific Crest Trail, by Cheryl Strayed

In the heart of the Canyon, by Elizabeth Hyde.

On this side of the Mississippi it is not unusual to know of someone who has trekked the Appalachian Trail. If you haven’t had the chance to enjoy a day hike on the trail, you’ve probably seen plenty of badges of honor – AT stickers – on the back of SUVs. While stuck in city traffic waiting for the light to turn green you may have daydreamed of walking sticks and cool streams and an AT escape yourself.

Across the Mississippi folks are drawn to hike the Pacific Crest Trail. This 2,650 mile trail takes most thru-hikers 5 to 6 months to complete. That means hiking about 20 plus miles daily…for months on end….ascending, descending, across gravely paths, under the shade of ponderosa pines, navigating snow slides, enduring 100+ degree temperatures, sharing the trail with rattlesnakes, elk, lizards, bears and the occasional llama.

Not many folks would attempt an eleven hundred mile solo hike on the Pacific Crest Trail. Fewer still would admit to not preparing physically for the hike. The author Cheryl Strayed did just that. She made plenty of trips to her local REI to prepare her backpack, “Monster,” but she neglected to prepare for the physical endurance needed to meet the trail. In her words, she was “profoundly unprepared.” Her feet paid a heavy price for this lack of preparation and suffered mightly before she was named Queen of the Pacific Trail by fellow hikers.

In Wild: from lost to found on the Pacific Coast Trail, Strayed recounts the physical toll off hiking the trail and how the journey reset the course of her life. Find a shady hammock, cue up Uncle Tupelo, Wilco, Jerry and Joni, open a bottle of chilled Snapple Lemonade and enjoy the adventure of her lifetime.

Also check out the author’s fiction title, Torch. For a contemporary whitewater trail adventure, try the 2009 fiction title, In the heart of the Canyon, by Elizabeth Hyde.

- Laurie

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By Beth, March 21, 2012

The Tender Hour of Twilight: Paris in the ’50s, New York in the ‘60s: A Memoir of Publishing’s Golden Age
by Richard Seaver

I am mystified that this memoir is not a major spring hit.  If you’re interested in book publishing, French literature, expat life, or censorship issues, please give this a shot. It’s like a fantastic time machine to mid-century Paris and New York.  I’d even go so far as to recommend it to literary fans of Mad Men—it’s set in the same time period, but focused on the world of publishing rather than advertising.

-Beth

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By Beth, December 21, 2011

I was a bit obsessed with memoirs this year.  Here are my top six:

Chinaberry Sidewalks
by Rodney Crowell

Try this if you like Rick Bragg‘s work–no prior knowledge of Rodney Crowell required.

Poser: My Life in Twenty-Three Yoga Poses
by Claire Dederer

I could not resist this book’s charm. I thought it was funny and insightful and touching and smart.

Townie: A Memoir
by Andre Dubus III

This phenomenal memoir is like a potent mixture of Tobias Wolff’s autobiography This Boy’s Life with the movie The Fighter.

Cocktail Hour Under the Tree of Forgetfulness
by Alexandra Fuller

Another evocative account of life in Africa from the author of Don’t Let’s Go to the Dogs Tonight.

The Dirty Life: On Farming, Food, and Love
by Kristin Kimball

Try this if you liked Barbara Kingsolver’s Animal, Vegetable, Miracle.

Fiction Ruined My Family
by Jeanne Darst

Darst’s memoir describes how alcoholism and her father’s tortured pursuit of “the writer’s life” impacted her family.  The result is honest, surprisingly funny, and never bitter.  For fans of Dead End Gene Pool.

-Beth

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By Beth, May 4, 2011

In Zanesville
by Jo Ann Beard

This is a pitch-perfect addition to one of my favorite genres: growing up in the 1970′s. Read this, Jill McCorkle’s Ferris Beach, and Margaret Sartor’s Miss American Pie, and you’ll feel like you’re fourteen again (in a good way). The author’s autobiography The Boys of My Youth, which came out in 1998, is also fantastic.

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By Beth, March 30, 2011

Although these are all a little tragic, they’ve gotten rave reviews and should be some of the most sought-after titles of the spring.  Get on the hold list now before the word gets out!

In the Garden of Beasts: Love, Terror, and an American Family in Hitler’s Berlin
by Erik Larson

This is the latest from the author who brought you The Devil in the White City.  And mark your calendars: he’ll be appearing at the downtown library on Tuesday, May 10 at 6:15 p.m. as part of our new Salon @ 615 series.

Say Her Name
by Francisco Goldman

With starred reviews in Booklist, Publisher’s Weekly, Library Journal, and Kirkus Reviews, this looks like one you won’t want to miss.

The Long Goodbye: A Memoir
by Meghan O’Rourke

This is a memoir about the death of the author’s mother; I expect it to be this year’s The Year of Magical Thinking.

-Beth

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By Beth, March 16, 2011

This phenomenal memoir is like a potent mixture of Tobias Wolff’s autobiography This Boy’s Life with the movie The Fighter.  Dubus is the son of the acclaimed short story writer of the same name, and here he describes his harrowing 1970’s coming-of-age after his father left the family.  Growing up in Massachusetts mill towns, Dubus learned quickly that earning a reputation as a brawler was the best way to keep himself and his siblings safe.  It received starred reviews in both Publisher’s Weekly and Booklist, and James Lee Burke called it “the best first-person account of an author’s life I have ever read.”  I have to agree.

Townie: A Memoir
by Andre Dubus III