What's Going On Here?

There are SO MANY wonderful book review blogs out there and I can't compete with them, that is for sure. So this is not a book review blog. This is just a way for me to organize what I have read so that I can be better at matching the right book to the right person. The blog title comes from the brilliant mind of the most talented woman who ever lived, Ms. Judy Garland. The full quote is, "Always be a first-rate version of yourself, instead of a second-rate version of someone else." That is what I hope to do here and in ever aspect of my life.

Wednesday, August 24, 2016

Recommendations from my brother

My brother is an adult services librarian.  He is a nonfiction kinda guy.  Mostly memoirs and biographies and he recommended Too Fat to Fish by Artie Lange.  And I am very glad that I listened to it.  It was just a coincidence that I have been on a stand-up comic book streak lately, with Michael Ian Black, Joan Rivers and Jim Gaffigan.  Artie Lange is offensive and funny.  Not as funny as Joan or Gaffigan.  And not as offensive as Michael Ian Black, but still offensive and funny.  This book was very touching in places and very funny in places and very sad in places.  The story about Artie's parents and Frankie Valli was especially dear.  Well, all of the stories about Artie's parents are touching.  Lange had to stop the audio reading of the book after the sixth chapter because of drug problems and he had Bob Levy, Gary Dell'Abate and Jim Florentine  take turns finishing it.  I found the book a great listen, but I feel bad about enjoying it so much, because Lange was in such bad shape, even while writing and reading it.  He is to be commended for his honesty and bravery, to be so open about his struggles.  It wasn't a "I was mess and now I am fine!" story of triumph, it was just real and honest.  I know him only from the Howard Stern show and I had heard of MAD tv, but never saw it.  Artie, many prayers to you, man.

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