"The Rainbow Comes and Goes: A Mother and Son on Life, Love, and Loss" by Anderson Cooper and Gloria Vanderbilt

The Rainbow Comes and Goes: A Mother and Son on Life, Love, and Loss, by Anderson Cooper and Gloria Vanderbilt is a wonderful book. I highly recommend it. I find myself leaning more towards Gloria Vanderbilt's views on life, but I almost always agree to the views of both of them. At times I found myself moved to tears. I was especially moved by the parts where spoke of the deaths of Wyatt Cooper, her husband and his father, and the suicide of Carter Cooper, her son and his brother. She is an amazing woman, and he is a great journalist. I can identify with the low self esteem of her younger days. There are many things in the book with which I can identify. I found it hard to set aside as I do with her other books. I think everybody can gain something from reading this book.

"Obsession: An Erotic Tale" by Gloria Vanderbilt

Gloria Vanderbilt is another author whose books are among the books I am reading or rereading. I started reading her books with her books of memoirs. She has always written exquisitely. I find her books hard to set aside even for a short time. Obsession: An Erotic Tale  is a wonderfully written book. I could have easily read it in one sitting if could stay in place long enough to do so. I found it difficult to put it down and go to sleep. When I woke up this morning I was happy to continue reading it. If I were heterosexual I probably would have started pleasuring myself as I read some passages, I have one other of her novels waiting for me to reread. I hope to continuing to read or reread others.

"Delusions of Grandma" by Carrie Fisher

I like Carrie Fisher's acting, but it is her writing that I love. I just finished reading Delusions of Granny. It is uncanny that there have been many times when something in the book that I am reading reflects something that I had just thought about myself or my life. I related to her books before, but I relate more to them now since I can relate more to addiction. She was able to write funny and thoughtful books. I have almost finished reading all of her books, and I am sure that I will read all of them again some day. It has been a long time since I saw the original Star Wars movies, and I don't remember how I felt about her performance in them. Books have always made more of impression on me than films, and her books have made a very strong impression. I am still saddened that she is no longer with us.

Shit Cannot Be Turned Into Gold

Bullshit does not stop being bullshit just because it is expressed with confidence and at a high volume. People who are full of shit do not wise just because they act cocky. Wearing a tie does not make one better who is temporarily in a difficult situation. Lately I have not felt safe at the homeless shelter where I am staying, because people there have been able to get away with bullying me. Someone there threatened to "make me disappear." I was told to relax. The person who communicated that threat has continued his bullying. He sometimes wears a tie, and he speaks loudly and with confidence. The staff at the shelter and in other places connected with the shelter are too easily impressed by people who spout bullshit as if it were wisdom even when these are people who threaten others with violence. I sometimes feel like I am back in elementary school. I am quiet, and I am often ignored by the staff or treated like I am less important than those who are loud. I am not going to sit back and tolerate. I will not let others tell me to just sit back and relax while those who threaten me are allowed to continue to threaten others. Confidence does not make idiots wise.

Never Put Off Telling Friends How Much They Mean to You

Recently I let my own timidity keep me from stopping to say hi to a new friend and let her know how much I enjoyed her company. I would not have interrupted work. She worked at a restaurant. Now it is too late. I don't know if I will be able to completely forgive myself for this failure on my own part. I broke my rule of saying positive things to loved ones when I have the chance. I did not consider the possibility that I would lose the chance to see her again. She died from an overdose.

"Wishful Drinking" by Carrie Fisher

There is only one problem with Wishful Drinking by Carrie Fisher: I wish the book were longer. That's not a serious problem. There are still more of her books that I can read or reread. This book was adapted from a one-woman show. I wish that I had been able to see the show. I find myself laughing out loud frequently when I read her writing. When writing about the father of her daughter she said, "When I met him, he had hair. Actually, I do that, too - I make them bald, I turn them gay, my work is done!" Too bad I couldn't have got her to use that magic on some men I know. Oh well, there would have been no guarantee that they would have been interested in me sexually. I have enjoyed her films that I have seen, but I love her writing. She had a wonderful sense of humor.

About some recently read books

I finished rereading The Autobiography of Alice B. Toklas by Gertrude Stein yesterday. The timing was right, because February 3 is Gertrude Stein's birthday. This was her first book to be a bestseller. It is entertaining book, and it is interesting to read about her role in the early days of artists like Picasso and Matisse. She was very good at discerning which artists would make a lasting impression in the art world.

I read Collected Stories of Djuna Barnes recently. I had read some of herstories previously. It is easy to see her influence on the fiction of Anais Nin. It is sad that her writing is not better known today. She wrote in a very original style. The characters in her stories often had unusual names, but that adds to the unique character of her writing. The writing in her stories and other writings were written in a wide range of styles. I would recommend reading at least a few of her books.

I also read collections of lyrics of Lou Reed and Patti Smith: Collected Lyrics 1970-2015 by Patti Smith and Between Thought and Expression: Selected Lyric of Lou Reed. The fact that both of these singer/songwriters have backgrounds in poetry is easy to see. I have been a fan of both of them for quite a few years. I prefer hearing their recordings of their songs, but I also enjoy reading their lyrics.