News & Reviews

WORD: Sexy memoir, gay Hollywood, politics among late summer reads
by BPM Smith

Summer is almost over, so now’s your last chance to grab a novel and hit the beach for some breezy reading in the sun. Among our top picks are a sexy memoir from blogger Stephanie Klein that has Manhattan in a bit of a literary frenzy, Andy Zeffer’s "ultra-explicit" novel about a struggling actor who turns to gay porn, a political thriller by San Francisco’s own U.S Senator Barbara Boxer, and Bay Area rocker Les Claypool’s debut novel that had our book reviewer laughing out loud.

Stephanie Klein’s Straight Up and Dirty: The Life of a Young New York Divorcee (ReganBooks) has garnered considerable hype for her frank descriptions of returning to single life as a twenty-something. We hear that Klein’s book signings were some of the most buzzed literary events in Manhattan since its late-July release.

In Straight Up, Klein notes, "I did have my own friends, my own salary, my health, and TiVo: all the important things we're likely to take for granted. Still, when it hit that I’d now have to date again, I panicked. Dating meant nightclubs, heels, and black. It meant, ‘No, thank you. Really, I'm full.’ It meant matching bras and underwear."

Judging by the attendees of her book readings, it seems Klein’s core audience is much like her: twenty-something women seeking a bit of comfort. But we have a feeling the frank sexual descriptions could bring in some male rubber neckers, if mainly their boyfriends who happen to flip through a passage and get hooked.

Haworth Press imprint Southern Tier Editions published the intriguing Going Down in La-La Land, a candid, humorous look at what an actor can-and will-do to survive in Hollywood from Andy Zeffer. Is this novel a thin disguise for another memoir?

The publisher describes Zeffer’s narrator with the following: "Young, ambitious, and gay, Adam Zeller arrives from New York with the looks and talent to become a star but soon finds himself lost in a seamy underworld of gay porn and male prostitution, dealing with down-and-out directors, washed up starlets, crystal meth addicts, and the pretty boy Hollywood "A" list."

When you throw meth-heads and starlets into the mix our choice as a book trolling consumer becomes easy: bag it with the SPF 15! Also look for a surprise appearance by Leonardo DiCaprio as a minor character.

Akashic Books recently sent us a review copy of Les Claypool’s novel South of the Pumphouse and it is hilarious. Any book that includes drugs and murder is bound to appeal to our um, edgy tastes, and Claypool shows a keen sense of humor in this impressive debut. Our favorite moment: a "fisherman" frying on magic mushrooms and engaging his bucket of live bait in an animated chat. Thumbs up to talking shrimp! Look for a full review at the WORD'N'BASS.com homepage soon.

Late in 2005, a Chronicle Books editor was kind enough to "leak" us an uncorrected proof copy of U.S. Senator Barbara Boxer’s debut A Time To Run. Since launching in July, Boxer’s novel - she says it isn’t biographical yet her protagonist is a petite 5’-2" politician like herself - has become a national best seller. While this novel won’t drop any jaws for its literary stylings, co-author Mary-Rose Hayes helps drive the pacing that will please most any political suspense fan.

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