Sunday Stealing

Wikipedia Birthday Meme

First, what is your birthday (month/day)? November 22

Now, go to Wikipedia and list:

Four historic events: Okay, the first one I don't have to look up. When a national tragedy occurs on your birthday, you never forget.

•  JFK Assassination (1963)

•  The first commercial transpacific flight (1935) 

•  FDR, Churchill and Chiang Kai-shek meet to discuss defeating Japan (1943)

•  NASA launches the Space Shuttle Discovery (1989)

Three births

•  First Lady, and Presidential Mom, Abigail Adams (1744) 

•  French President Charles deGaulle (1890)

•  Singer/songwriter Hoagy Carmichael (1899)

Two deaths

•  Cosmetics mogul Mary Kay (2001) 

•  Officer JD Tippit (1963). He's the Dallas cop who stopped Lee Harvey Oswald within an hour of the assassination and was shot himself. Tippit was a war veteran with more than a decade on the force. He left a wife and three children. I'm spotlighting him because conspiracy theorists have recklessly ruined his reputation. Here's the commemorative badge Dallas police have worn in his honor.

One holiday or observance 

Good Spouses Day in Japan

 

WWW.WEDNESDAY

WWW. WEDNESDAY asks three questions to prompt you to speak bookishly. To participate, and to see how other book lovers responded, click here. 

PS I no longer participate in WWW.WEDNESDAY via that link because her blog won't accept Blogger comments. I mention this only to save you the frustration I experienced trying to link up.

1. What are you currently reading? Margin of Error by Edna Buchanan. Miami in the 1990s was hot, and not just by National Weather Service standards. For a time, Hollywood came calling and it was a popular location for films and made-for-TV movies. That's how glamorous actor Lance Westfall plausibly can be in the life of hardworking Miami reporter Britt Montero. Her newspaper has assigned her to him as he researches his role for an action movie. He's going to get an eyeful, because Britt works hard and is dogged in getting the story, no matter how ugly or how dangerous the story is. The last big story was awful in every way, and at the beginning of this book, she's still haunted by it.

 

This is a series and I like the recurring characters, but be warned: these books are not remotely "cozy." Edna Buchanan was a Miami crime reporter in real life and she is unsparing in what she shares. But the violence is believably, frighteningly rooted in real life. (That's the complaint I've had with Rosenfelt and the Andy Carpenter books. Most crimes are do not involve in international intrigue. The stories Britt covers and uncovers feel real.)

 

2. What did you recently finish reading? Touched by the Sun by Carly Simon. Carly Simon was galpals with Jacqueline Kennedy Onassis for the last decade of Jackie's life. This is the story of that relationship, and the ongoing impact it had on Carly's life.

 

The first time I read this book it was for Jackie and yes, she continues to fascinate. This time through I concentrated on Carly. At one point she was dealing with the death of her mother and Jackie's last illness. I wanted to revisit Carly's attitudes and observations because now, at age 83, she is simultaneously battling Parkinson's and skin cancer. 

 

The Carly on these pages is fragile, complicated and indulgent. I liked her, related to her, yet was frequently annoyed by her. Maybe the things that annoyed me are the same things I see in myself. It's an involving memoir. A slim book, I may reread it again in the future, and maybe I'll get something different from it.

3. What will you read next? Zelda Fitzgerald: Her Voice in Paradise by Sally Cline.

 

  

 

Saturday 9

Saturday 9: Blueberry Hill (1956)

Unfamiliar with this week's tune? Hear it here.

This month Saturday 9 will be tasty, featuring songs with food in the title.

1) Fats Domino sings about a hill named for blueberries. According to the Old Farmers Almanac, blueberries can grow just about anywhere in North America, as long as they have plenty of direct sunlight. Do you have a garden? No. I don't have my own yard. Though I suppose if I cared to, I could tend to the little plot in front of our building. We pay a landscaper to come a couple times each season to do minimal maintenance. We all agree it looks crappy, but we aren't willing to spend any more money on it.

2) Blueberries are low in calories and rich in fiber. Are they a regular part of your diet? Sporadically. Sometimes I want them, most of the time I don't.

3) They also have a high moisture content. Staying hydrated is important to human health. Do you drink the standard recommended 8 glasses of water every day? No. I try, but I seldom get beyond 5 glasses.

4) Fats originally had a big hit with "Blueberry Hill" in 1956, and then enjoyed the record's renewed popularity in the mid-70s, when "Blueberry Hill" was often referenced as Richie Cunningham's favorite song. Without looking it up, do you remember what show Richie Cunningham was on? (Extra non-existent Saturday 9 points if you can also name the actor who played Richie.) Happy Days, Ron Howard.

5) Born Antoine Domino, he took the name "Fats" not just because of his physique. Growing up, jazz pianist Fats Waller was one of his heroes. If you were to adopt the first name of someone you admire, what would we call you? Jacqueline.

 

6) Despite his warm and friendly stage persona, Fats was shy around strangers and hated giving interviews. Tell us about something you did only because it was part of your job, not because you enjoyed it. At my current job, I hate handling customer returns because I believe the cash register is my enemy. I always end the transaction by saying, "Thank you for your patience," because I know I suck.

7) In 1956, when this record was topping the charts, the Olympics were held in Melbourne. Have you ever been to the land down under? Nope.

8)  The star of the 1956 Olympics was Austrian Toni Sailer, who won all three gold medals in Alpine skiing. Do you prefer snow skiing, water skiing, or just watching other people ski? I enjoyed snow skiing, even though I am no good at it. I've never been on water skis.

9) Random question: Do you believe everyone has a jealous streak? Yes.

WWW.WEDNESDAY

 

WWW. WEDNESDAY asks three questions to prompt you to speak bookishly. To participate, and to see how other book lovers responded, click here. 

PS I no longer participate in WWW.WEDNESDAY via that link because her blog won't accept Blogger comments. I mention this only to save you the frustration I experienced trying to link up.

1. What are you currently reading? Touched by the Sun by Carly Simon. Carly Simon was galpals with Jacqueline Kennedy Onassis for the last decade of Jackie's life. This is the story of that relationship, and the ongoing impact it had on Carly's life.

 

This is a reread for me. I reached for it when I heard Carly is ill. I grew up on her, and of course on Jackie. These are two very complicated, high-profile women who grew up with wealth and achieved fame (though through very different routes). Yet there is universality in this memoir – they both experienced heartbreak, they both loved their children, they both felt at times inadequate. 

 

2. What did you recently finish reading?  Dear Debbie by Freida McFadden. Suburban housewife Debbie Mullen is having a really bad day. Her oldest daughter is all hormones and bad attitude and just can't stay away from the class bad boy. Her younger daughter is having trouble on the soccer team but refuses to talk to Debbie about it. Her husband is under appreciated and underpaid at work and they need more money – for the mortgage, for home improvement, for the girls' college – but he's reluctant to ask for it. Her neighbor works from home and plays his music too damn loud all damn day. The bitches in her book club are condescending. It's too much. She's starting to hear a hum in her head. 

 

She's going to have to start doing something about everything that bothers her. 

 

This is a twisted little thriller. There are plot holes, but they are really beside the point. It's the zigs and zags that will propel you from chapter to chapter. This book is about boredom and isolation and rage and revenge. 

3. What will you read next? I don't know.

 

  

 

 

Sunday Stealing

4th of July Questions

 
1) If you could attend a 4th of July fireworks display anywhere in the United States, where would you choose? I hate to sound poopy, but I have no interest in watching the fireworks at a major event. I did that once, years and years ago. My friend Kathy and I went to Navy Pier to see the fireworks over Lake Michigan and they were pretty and all. But we had to get there really early – hours early – to be able to sit. On the cement. We were stuck there because if we got up we'd lose our place. On the cement. The show itself lasted 15 minutes. It was cool to see the colors reflected on the Lake. But it wasn't worth it. Where I live now, I can see the fireworks display from the suburb 3 miles southwest. All I have to do is look out my living room window. I know it's a mundane answer, but I'm good with this.

2) What book are you currently reading? Trail of the Spellmans by Lisa Lutz. It's 5th in this series of entertaining cozy mysteries about a quirky family of private investigators. I'm enjoying it immensely.

3) What have you been listening to? Lots o' podcasts, Cubs-Cardinals.

 4) What shows or movies have you been watching? This weekend I'm going Presidential. I've found documentaries about FDR and JFK on Hulu. Then I'll watch Daniel Day Lewis as Lincoln. All these programs have two things in common: the participation of historian Doris Kearns Goodwin, who is my imaginary BFF, and they reassure me we can do better than the orange-hued convicted felon who tore down the East Wing and made a shit-ton on bitcoin.

 

Thursday Thirteen #463

 The "I blame J. Edgar Hoover" Edition. According to Goodreads, I am not quite on track to complete 38 books this year. This is in large part due to G-Man, the 900 page biography of J. Edgar Hoover. It took me nearly two months to plow through that 896 page book.

I realize I'm making myself feel bad for not meeting a completely voluntary and ultimately meaningless metric I set for myself, but hey, that's how I roll.

So it's taken me to mid-May, but here are the first 13 books I've read this year. 

1. The Family Holiday by Elizabeth Noble. Fiction

2. Just the Nicest Couple by Mary Kubica. Thriller

 

3. G-Man: J. Edgar Hoover and the Making of the American Century by Beverly Gage. Biography

 

4. Nobody Heard a Thing by Angela Henry. Thriller

 

5. Silver Spire by Robert Goldsborough. Mystery

 

6. The Last Coincidence by Robert Goldsborough. Mystery

 

7. Kids, Wait Til You Hear This by Liza Minnelli. Autobiography

 

8. Twilight of Camelot: The Short Life and Long Legacy of Patrick Bouvier Kennedy by Steven Levingston. Non-fiction

 

9. The Spellmans Strike Again by Lisa Lutz. Mystery

 

10. Suitable for Framing by Edna Buchanan. Mystery

 

11. Agatha Raisin and the Love from Hell by MC Beaton. Mystery

 

12. A Good Life: Newspapering and Other Adventures by Ben Bradlee. Autobiography

 

13. Conversations with Kennedy by Ben Bradlee. Memoir

How about you? Have you set any reading goals for 2026? If yes, are you on your way to meeting them?

Please join us for THURSDAY THIRTEEN. Click here to play along, and to see other interesting compilations of 13 things.

WWW.WEDNESDAY

WWW. WEDNESDAY asks three questions to prompt you to speak bookishly. To participate, and to see how other book lovers responded, click here. 

PS I no longer participate in WWW.WEDNESDAY via that link because her blog won't accept Blogger comments. I mention this only to save you the frustration I experienced trying to link up.

1. What are you currently reading? Nothing but the Night by Greg King and Penny Wilson. Leopold and Loeb, two rich Chicago college students kidnapped and murdered a 14 year old boy, just to see if they could pull off "the perfect crime." Though it happened more than a century ago, this 1924 crime still comes up. My friend Nancy laughingly told me about how she heard Broadway composers Lerner and Loewe (Camelot, My Fair Lady) referred to as Leopold and Loeb by a confused coworker. When I saw Hitchcock's Rope at this year's TCM Film Festival, Professor Jacqueline Stewart introduced the film about a pair of thrill killers and couldn't resist adding that she, Leopold and Loeb all have ties to the University of Chicago.

 

So now I want to learn more about the truth behind the legend. This book, published in 2022, promises to give me a more nuanced look at the first murder to be dubbed "Crime of the Century." I know the original press coverage leaned heavily into the wealth, Jewishness and homosexuality of these two, obviously trying to "other" them. I hope this book examines whether that was a fair depiction.

 

One impression I have thus far is "too much, too soon." They both skipped grades and found themselves at U of C at age 14. They were not emotionally ready for the social and philosophical milieu they were thrust into. I'm not saying this explains what happened, but it didn't help.

 

2. What did you recently finish reading? Conversations with Kennedy by Ben Bradlee. The last two words of this book are "warm and kind." I'd say that about sums it up. Ben Bradlee and his wife became the couple that most often joined John and Jacqueline Kennedy for  dinner for four at the White House. The Bradlees also spent weekends with the Kennedys in Palm Beach, Virginia and Camp David. 

 

This gave them a view of the couple, and of life as First Couple, others didn't see. I enjoyed those glimpses. The President liked being teased by his wife, who called him "Bunny." He made bets but didn't honor them. He swore like the sailor he once was (saying "bastard" the way some of us say "shit"). He liked Noel Coward and Gertrude Lawrence records. It was the dawn of the space program and he loved hanging with the astronauts, just like any other red-blooded American boy. Except for sailing and the occasional game of golf, he was not at all outdoorsy and hated being dirty. His idea of "roughing it" was Bloody Marys on the veranda. Jackie, with her horseback riding, tennis and skiing was the jock of the duo. As I was reading, I found myself hoping that someone could give me a similar view of Abe and Mary Lincoln or Barack and Michelle Obama when they were at home and off the clock.  

 

My favorite part of the book was when the President insisted on including the Bradlees in an on-going argument he and Jackie were having. Apparently, in 1961, Jackie spent $40,000 on "department stores." That would be $400,000 in today's dollars. The President asked her to explain this, and she could not. She was embarrassed and baffled, but unable to make her own case. So her husband brought in Carmine Bellino, the FBI accountant who specialized in organized crime and money laundering, to help his wife budget. It's good to be king.

 

The couples were so close that immediately after the assassination, the Bradlees waited with Jackie at Bethesda Naval Hospital as the President's autopsy was being done. Yet by the time this book was published, Jacqueline Onassis no longer wanted anything to do with Ben Bradlee and cut him dead whenever their paths crossed. At first her behavior confused me, because this book is so affectionate and funny. But it's also very intimate. There's a lot about how they related to their young children and how they were with one another and family members. My guess is that it didn't bother Jackie that this memoir put them in a bad light, because it doesn't, but that as a private person she didn't want these anecdotes published at all. 

3. What will you read next?  Something light!

 

  

 

WWW.WEDNESDAY

 

WWW. WEDNESDAY asks three questions to prompt you to speak bookishly. To participate, and to see how other book lovers responded, click here. 

PS I no longer participate in WWW.WEDNESDAY via that link because her blog won't accept Blogger comments. I mention this only to save you the frustration I experienced trying to link up.

1. What are you currently reading? Conversations with Kennedy by Ben Bradlee. Ben Bradlee and his wife Toni were pushing a baby carriage down the street near their home on N Street in Georgetown. They ran into their new neighbors, Jack and Jackie Kennedy, who were also pushing a carriage. They ended up having drinks in the Kennedy's backyard and a friendship was born. The men – a Senator and an editor at Newsweek – had a lot in common. Their wives liked one another. Their kids were the same age. This foursome hung out from that day in 1959 until the President's death in 1963. They vacationed together in Palm Beach, Virginia and Camp David. They dined together upstairs at the White House. Bradlee was a pallbearer at the President's funeral. 

 

JFK and Jackie obviously knew Ben Bradlee was a newsman. He told them he was taking notes. He promised Kennedy he would not publish anything about their personal relationship until 5 years after JFK left the White House. He waited more than a decade until after the President's death, writing this while on sabbatical from his job as editor of The Washington Post after The Post broke the historic Watergate scandal. 

 

I know from Bradlee's memoir (see below) that he gave Jacqueline Onassis an advance copy of the book and she was so offended she never spoke to him again. I read this book decades ago and didn't understand why she was pissed. I'm almost 50 years older. Perhaps I'll get it now.

 

Even if I don't, this is a view of JFK you seldom see in biographies. Bradlee was not a member of the Kennedy Administration or family. He was never a relative, coworker or an employee. Also, he was a friend of the couple. Kennedy was known for his ability to compartmentalize, and few of the people who knew and then wrote about him saw him socially as Jackie's husband. Maybe this will give me an idea of what they were like when they lived in The White House. 

2. What did you recently finish reading? A Good Life: Newspapering and Other Adventures by Ben Bradlee. It strikes me funny that Bradlee, who edited Woodward and Bernstein at The Washington Post during the Watergate scandal, could write a memoir that so clearly cried out for the steady hand of a good editor. The middle of the book – Bradlee's years in Washington with the Kennedys (see above) and then Watergate and the Janet Cooke scandal – was exciting and fascinating. But the beginning, about his childhood and Navy years, was boring and the end, after his retirement from The Washington Post was embarrassingly self aggrandizing. 

 

I was ruefully amused by how relevant this book, originally published in 1996, is today, when it's fashionable for MAGA to bemoan "what the media has become."  Oh, for fuck's sake! Bradlee mentions that FDR didn't understand why the press criticized him so, that JFK was so angry at one of the New York papers that he cancelled the White House's subscription, that Nixon resented  The Washington Post after Watergate and The Pentagon Papers, that Jimmy Carter thought it was reckless, that Reagan hid behind "national security" to try to get them kill stories ... when exactly did the media "become" bad? If you visit the Lincoln Presidential Library in Springfield, there's an exhibit devoted to unflattering political cartoons published during the Civil War. Grow up and grow a thicker (orange) skin. That friction between a free press and a president is one of our greatest assets. Don't bemoan it – appreciate it. (Or just watch Fox News. Don't get me started about the Dominion Voting Systems scandal.)

3. What will you read next?  I don't know

 

  

WWW.WEDNESDAY

WWW. WEDNESDAY asks three questions to prompt you to speak bookishly. To participate, and to see how other book lovers responded, click here. 

PS I no longer participate in WWW.WEDNESDAY via that link because her blog won't accept Blogger comments. I mention this only to save you the frustration I experienced trying to link up.

1. What are you currently reading? The Spellmans Strike Again by Lisa Lutz. Isabel Spellman, the eldest daughter of the San Francisco clan of private investigators, is on the case again, digging up dirt on a competitive PI. Thirtysomething Izzy is immature and passionate about grudges, so this ought to be good.

 

This is a reread for me. I know because I found it in my den. But I remember little about the case at the center. No matter. I enjoy time spent with this wacky clan. They are witty and idiosyncratic but they also love one another and they make me laugh. I could use some laughs!

2. What did you recently finish reading? Twilight of Camelot: The Short Life and Long Legacy of Patrick Bouvier Kennedy by Steven Levingston. In August 1963, Jacqueline Kennedy became the only First Lady of the 20th century to give birth while living in the White House. Her baby only lived two days. It was a trauma she and the President had to endure under the public's gaze, however it was nothing compared to the trauma and scrutiny she would withstand alone, three months later, when her husband was assassinated in Dallas.

 

This sensitive and well-meaning book covers Patrick's short life in detail and puts it in the context of their family and the nation. I learned some interesting things: Jackie only saw her son for minutes and may never have held him, since she was recovering from an emergency c-section in one hospital while her baby was rushed to another for neonatal care; while she was in the hospital, she actually had a cancer scare on top of everything else (!), her doctor removed/biopsied a suspicious mole on her foot; the President was with Patrick when he died, but was unable to hold him because the baby was in a hyberbaric chamber; these chambers were considered experimental at the time; Jackie was too ill to attend her baby's funeral, but the President was there. He even designed the headstone.

 

JFK grew up with a developmentally challenged sister, Rosemary. He understood that, due to lack of oxygen, Patrick may have faced the same fate. This was deeply personal to him and during the last months of his life, he authorized hundreds of millions of dollars (billions in today's spending) for improved neonatal research and care. 

 

Dr. Robert deLemos treated Patrick Kennedy and was inspired to devote his career to neonatology. Dr. deLemos played a critical role in developing more sophisticated ventilators for babies born with underdeveloped lungs. Today's CPAP machines were born of research done at this time. Patrick Kennedy, like his Aunt Rosemary, inspired John F. Kennedy to do good, and his rhetoric and example inspired American citizens. 

 

Wouldn't it be nice if we had a President who spoke to our better angels, encouraging us to add to mankind rather than subtract, to do something more humane with our energies than storm the Capitol, demonize immigrants and deny marriage rights to consenting adults? This book not only made me sad for the nuclear Kennedy family living in the White House, it made me sad for all us today.

3. What will you read next?  I don't know

 

  

 

Thursday Thirteen #457

Zzzzz ... When I started working from home during the covid lockdown, I discovered the joy of an afternoon nap. Instead of eating my lunch – which I could do during meetings with the camera off – I'd spend 45 minutes in bed, in my jammies, under the covers. It's a habit I've continued to this day.

Here are 13 things I've learned about napping from The Mayo Clinic, other sites, and personal experience.

1. Napping helps you relax. At first this seemed counter-intuitive. How can I nap when I'm keyed up? But I've found it helps to, in the words of John Lennon, "turn off my mind, relax and float downstream."

2. Naps can improve performance. As can any short break. When I was working, I found I was more productive after my little snooze, but also lunch.

3. Some people report greater manual dexterity, resulting in fewer workplace accidents, after a nap. 

4. Naps may help with pain. President Kennedy used to schedule short naps in the afternoon because staying seated in long meetings aggravated his bad back, and an afternoon snooze on a very firm mattress provided relief. (It surprised Jackie that he could both fall asleep and wake up so quickly, as she dozed off and rose slowly. She assumed his sleep habits were learned in the Navy.)

5. You may feel groggy immediately after waking from a nap. I personally haven't found this, but people who went to doctor school say it's so.

6. Look in the mirror after your nap. I've found a nap can ruin a good hair day and smear eye makeup.

7. A daytime snooze can make it harder for you to sleep at night. I found this was true back in the olden days, when I would close my eyes "for a minute" after work, wake up two hours later at around 9:00 PM, and find myself still wide awake at 1:00 AM.

8. Limit naps to half an hour. OOPS! That's not me. I'm 45 mins./hour. Maybe I should look at this.

9. Hey! Wait! NASA recommends 40 minute naps for military pilots! Oh well, this is certainly not the first time I've found competing experts disagree online. 

10. Set your alarm clock. "Sorry, I was napping," is not a well-accepted excuse for lateness.

11. Though #10 may be uniquely American. In China, for example, lunch breaks can last up to two hours to accommodate an afternoon nap.  

12. Nap in the early afternoon. I try to nap before 3:00 PM, which certainly isn't early but it works with my schedule. Napping later in the day can interfere with your sleep overnight. (See #7.)

13. Dogs and cats nap throughout the day. Dogs and cats seem pretty happy. Maybe we should be more like dogs and cats.

Where are you on the napping thing? 

 

Please join us for THURSDAY THIRTEEN. Click here to play along, and to see other interesting compilations of 13 things.

 

 

WWW.WEDNESDAY

WWW. WEDNESDAY asks three questions to prompt you to speak bookishly. To participate, and to see how other book lovers responded, click here. 

PS I no longer participate in WWW.WEDNESDAY via that link because her blog won't accept Blogger comments. I mention this only to save you the frustration I experienced trying to link up.

1. What are you currently reading? Twilight of Camelot: The Short Life and Long Legacy of Patrick Bouvier Kennedy by Steven Levingston. John F. Kennedy Jr. is having a moment, but most people don't know that, for two days, he had a baby brother. In August of 1963, Jacqueline Kennedy gave premature birth to a baby who died. It would have been the news story of the year, if her husband hadn't died in her lap just three months later.

 

This is a book I've been waiting for. For all that every moment of November 22-25, 1963, has been documented, the circumstances around Patrick's birth and death are harder to find. I can imagine how excited the nation must have been to have a pregnant First Lady. What was the press coverage like? How did we respond to the baby's death? On the personal side, how did JFK juggle the demands of the Presidency while watching his son fight for life, and then mourn him? I hope I'll get answers to these questions from Mr. Levingston. 

2. What did you recently finish reading? Kids, Wait Till You Hear This! by Liza Minnelli. Oy, this book! Much of it reads like science fiction. At one point, Liza is legally married to a gay man (Peter Allen) while engaged to a younger man (Desi Arnaz, Jr.) and then announces she's going to marry an older man (Peter Sellers). I know it happened. I remember the newspaper photo of Liza and Peter Sellers giving a press conference from a lawn somewhere. She goes on to cheat on her second husband and has a series of affairs (at least 3) with married men. I am not judging her morality. Far be it from me to do that. It's her wisdom. I don't know how she thought any of this would work out well. Her behavior would have been more comprehensible to me if, at some point, she took off on a flying saucer or chose to embark on a expedition to Middle Earth.

 

I wish I had more compassion for Liza. She had a genuinely horrific childhood with a mercurial, addicted, yet charismatic and loving mother. We've all heard about Judy Garland's demons, and living with her damaged Liza. While often clear-eyed about Mama, she insists on romanticizing her father. Director Vincente Minnelli never seems to be there for her when she needs him, even as she talks about her darling Papa in glowing terms. Example: Liza left home at 16 to go to New York and become a Broadway dancer. She was evicted from her residential hotel for non-payment of rent and ended up sleeping on a park bench for several nights. In Central Park! Then she began sofa surfing. She claims that if Papa had known any of this, he would have been beside himself. How did he not know? His 16-year-old daughter was on her own in NYC and he wasn't keeping constant tabs on her? Remember, this was before cell phones and Liza was without a phone number for weeks if not months. Later, when Garland dies and Liza finds herself in the center of a media circus at a young age, Papa refuses to come to New York for the funeral. He didn't want to be photographed with Judy's other ex-husbands. Fair enough, I suppose. But Liza recalls crying for a week straight while planning a high profile funeral and facing painful questions about Judy's drug use and possible suicide. Papa couldn't fly to New York but skip the funeral and hide out in her apartment, just to hold her hand? Frankly, he sounded like he didn't really give a shit about her. At least not until she became famous and burnished his legacy. I don't think it's an accident that in her two best movies, Sterile Cuckoo and Cabaret, she plays a girl who desperately insists she's her father's top priority, despite all evidence to the contrary.

 

Her denial about Papa. Her denial about her self-destructive behavior. She exasperated me. 

 

I respect her talent enormously. You can see her Emmy-winning special Liza with a Z for free on YouTube and it's a delight. I admire how she overcame addiction. I give her credit for revealing so much on these pages, warts and all. But she gave me a headache. 

 

I spent 900 pages with Streisand and found her far more relatable. Babs is a diva and a generational talent, but she's also a woman of bedrock sanity. She takes her faith seriously. She's grounded. Even at her most self-involved – and you have to be self-involved to write a 900-page book about yourself – I got her. I do not get Liza at all.

 

I still need to read Cher's memoir. I wonder if I'll find she's more Streisand or Minnelli.

 

3. What will you read next?  I don't know