One Of These Things First

Steven Gaines

Gaines is a bestselling author with many titles to his name. He’s written about The Beatles, Halston, Alice Cooper, Calvin Klein, the list goes on.  Over 50 years in the making, he decides it’s time to tell his own story. One that takes the reader to Brooklyn in the 1960’s where Steven grows up as a gay Jewish boy who spends a great deal of time in his grandmother’s bra and girdle store. From there we watch as he is committed to the famed Payne Whitney, his psychiatric clinic of choice.  A fifteen-year-old boy living amongst an amazing cast of characters begins to hone his skills as an entertaining and perceptive storyteller. I cold barely put this book down. 

Listen to Robin's interview with Steve by clicking here. 

An Abbreviated Life

Ariel Leve

This is another book I barely put down, An Abbreviated Life, is the story of Ariel Leve, the daughter of a famous author and poet whose identity we never learn. For the purposes of the story and its larger message it doesn’t matter, yet I found my curiosity getting the better of me. Leve grew up in with an unstable and creative mother who had no boundaries. With her father living in Southeast Asia, she was pretty much left on her own to make sense of the world. She describes the parties in her mother’s Upper East Side penthouse, parties that went late into the (school) night. Where the guest list included Andy Warhol, Norman Mailer and others of the elite intellectual crowd. This book is quite a ride; a poetic and hypnotic journey, which does land her on the other side.  

Listen to Robin's interview with Ariel by clicking here. 

Girl Walks Out Of A Bar

 Lisa F. Smith

This book reads like a thriller; an amazing account of Smith’s addiction to drugs and alcohol and subsequent recovery is a page-turner. Lisa read from Girl Walks Out Of A Bar at Point Street Reading Series last month and I could hardly believe that the poised, elegant woman reading was the same as the one in the story. Smith shares it all and as a sober, practicing attorney today her story will resonate with many, whatever the addiction. It is truly one of the best addiction memoirs I’ve ever read. 

Listen to Robin's interview with Lisa by clicking here. 

Bukowski In A Sundress : Confessions From A Writing Life

 Kim Addonizio

Reading and writing go hand in hand. A memoir about the writing life is something I am immediately drawn to. I have a shelf dedicated to this sub-genre including: Dani Shapiro’s Still Writing, Anne Lamott’s Bird By Bird and  Steven King’s On Writing. 

Addonizio’s Bukowski In A Sundresss is the perfect addition to my shelf. The title alone hints at the “badass” persona that comes shining through in the collection of essays about the writing life. From “Best Words, Best Order” which talks about the power of words, how they call to the writer; to “Not Dancing” which includes various ways to distract yourself from the task at hand. Writing. I soaked up all of these stories and hope Addonizio is working on another collection. Or dancing. 

Listen to Robin's interview with Kim by clicking here.

From Mom To Me Again : How I Survived My First Empty-Nest Year And Reinvented The Rest Of My Life

Melissa Shultz

Especially poignant this time of year as Facebook posts turn to photos of children leaving for the first time, the last time, the last first time and everything in between. What’s a mother to do? According to Melissa Shultz, this just might be the best time of your life, so embrace it!  From Mom To Me Again is the story of Melissa’s reinvention after her youngest went off to college. It is about her reconnecting to the things that brought her joy and a sense of community. Sharing personal stories, many of them hilarious, Shultz has succeeded in providing a roadmap for your next act. 

Listen to Robin's interview with Melissa by clicking here.