Robin Meloy Goldsby, author of Piano Girl: A Memoir
I’ve chosen these books from my shelf of favorites because each one of them has made an impression on me as an adult writer. I came to writing late in life—my first book was published shortly after my 47th birthday— and I like to think the cumulative effects of decades of reading have served me well.
Anything at all by DAVID SEDARIS because he’s the master of personal essay, he’s gay, he’s an American living in France, he hangs portraits of Donna Summer in his window to keep the birds from pecking at theglass, and he writes honest prose that makes me laugh and think all at once. He gets to me. And I subscribe to The New Yorker mainly so I can read his essays before they’re published in books. If you haven’t read any of his books yet, check out the following: Me Talk Pretty One Day, Naked, and Dress Your Family in Corduroy and Denim.
I Feel Bad About My Neck and Other Thoughts on Being a Woman by Nora Ephron
Ms. Ephron’s voice stands out as one of the clearest, wisest, and funniest in the world of personal essay. This insightful (does she ever write anything that’s NOT insightful?) collection of essays entertains while poking fun and chipping away at the process of growing older in a youth oriented world. Read this and weep, and laugh, and weep, and laugh.
Above Us Only Sky by Marion Winik
Marion Winik is one of those rare and brilliant non-fiction/personal essay writers who makes the brave leap from real life experience to the written page with grace, humor, and enough grit to make it all surprising. My favorite chapter is the title chapter, Above Us Only Sky, which has about a thousand layers and levels of emotion . . . just like people. Winik captures us at our best and worst, but also at all the in between places, those gray corners where most of us live, most of the time. This book throws a lot of bright hot light into those corners.
Never Have Your Dog Stuffed by Alan Alda
Alan Alda’s memoir of a life in show business probes the often-ignored emotional side of the classic rags to riches actor story. No stranger to unemployment checks and the occasional stint in a clown costume, Alda’s humanity comes shining through in his humorous and potent descriptions of professional and personal rejection. I connected to his stories, and by the end of the book, found myself cheering for him. A skilled writer, Mr. Alda has focused a bright spotlight on his triumphs and failures, and in doing so, has helped me understand my own bizarre artistic streak.
The Madonnas of Leningrad by Debra Dean
In 2006 I performed a reading and concert for the Kings English Bookstore in Salt Lake City. Before leaving the store, owner Betsy Burton asked me to select any book I’d like from her amazing inventory. Overwhelmed and pressed for time, I asked her to select one for me. Betsy chose Debra Dean’s book as one of her picks of the year, and with good reason. With simple elegance and some of the most gorgeous descriptions of art (many of the scenes take place in The Hermitage Museum during the siege of Leningrad) The Madonnas of Leningrad explores the beautiful strength and terrifying fragility of one woman’s mind as she falls victim to Alzheimers disease.
Robin Meloy Goldsby is the author of Piano Girl: A Memoir. Her next book, Rhythm: A Novel, will be published in October 2008.