Books I "Read" in 2023, Vol. XV

 

I MUST SAY: My Life as a Humble Comedy Legend
Martin Short

In this engagingly witty, wise, and heartfelt memoir, Martin Short tells the tale of how a showbiz-obsessed kid from Canada transformed himself into one of Hollywood’s favorite funnymen. He takes you on a rich, hilarious, and occasionally heartbreaking ride through his life and times, from his early years in Toronto as a member of the fabled improvisational troupe Second City to the all-American comic big time of Saturday Night Live and memorable roles in movies such as ¡Three Amigos! and Father of the Bride. He reveals how he created his most indelible comedic characters, among them the manic man-child Ed Grimley, the slimy corporate lawyer Nathan Thurm, and the bizarrely insensitive interviewer Jiminy Glick. Throughout, Short freely shares the spotlight with friends, colleagues, and collaborators, including Steve Martin, Tom Hanks, Gilda Radner, Eugene Levy, Catherine O’Hara, and Paul Shaffer.

But there is another side to Short's life that he has long kept private. He lost his eldest brother and both of his parents by the time he turned 20, and, more recently, he lost his wife of 30 years to cancer. In I Must Say, Short talks for the first time about the pain that these losses inflicted and the upbeat life philosophy that has kept him resilient and carried him through. In the grand tradition of comedy legends, Martin Short offers a show-business memoir densely populated with boldface names and rife with re-tellable tales: a hugely entertaining yet surprisingly moving self-portrait that will keep you laughing - and crying - from the first page to the last.

I can't say that I'm necessarily a big fan of Martin Short's, but the audio version of this book was newly available for Spotify Premium members so I gave it a try and quickly became engrossed as Short read...no...performed his own memoir. I certainly can't imagine enjoying this book half as much if I were reading it as opposed to hearing it. Most heart-lifting discovery: When Mr. Short was in Toronto's original cast of Godspell, he had the same solo ("We Beseech Thee") that I had when Debbie and I were in Fort Wayne's premier production of the show at First Presbyterian Theater. Fair Warning: There are a few...several?...uses of The F Word, so if that bothers you, steer clear.

First line: It's May 1977 and I'm having an argument with the woman who will become my wife.

Somewhere approximating page 56/line 5: "Of all the people I have a fake show-business friendship with," I said in my remarks, "Steve is the star I'm fake closest to." 

Final line: As for the grander questions, their answers will surely reveal themselves, someday, in a fleeting moment.

Books I Read in 2023, Vol. XIV

 

ANY OTHER NAME: A Longmire Mystery
Craig Johnson

Walt Longmire is sinking into a high-plains winter discontent when his former boss, Lucian Conally, asks him to take on a mercy case in an adjacent county. Detective Gerald Holman is dead and Lucian wants to know what drove his old friend to take his own life. With the clock ticking on the birth of his first grandchild, Walt learns that the by-the-book detective might have suppressed evidence concerning three missing women. Digging deeper, Walt uncovers an incriminating secret so dark that it threatens to claim other lives even before the sheriff can serve justice—Wyoming style.

Johnson seems to have an affinity for putting his fictional sheriff into jeopardy during blizzard winds and bitter cold. Maybe that's why I tend to heat up a nice cup of Dr Pepper before sitting down with him. This being the umpteenth Longmire novel I've read, it's like hearing a story from an old friend...and the name of the place is I like it like that.

First line: Joseph Conrad said that if you wanted to know the age of the earth, look upon the sea in a storm; if you want to know the age of the Powder River country, just be on the wrong side of a coal train.

Page 56 / Line 5: I cut off from the parking lot and waded my way toward the trailers and was about to reach the first one when a voice called out from the back of the brown steel building.

Last line: I slipped my hat over my face and smiled, looking forward to seeing all my old friends  -  and a new one.

The Good Doctor: A Good Show

 

Beloved and I are currently watching The Good Doctor on Hulu. We just started Season 4 and are enjoying it enough that I want to write a prescription for my friends to give it a try.

IMDB describes the show as follows: "Shaun Murphy, a young surgeon with autism and savant syndrome, relocates from a quiet country life to join a prestigious hospital surgical unit. Alone in the world and unable to personally connect with those around him, Shaun uses his extraordinary medical gifts to save lives and challenge the skepticism of his colleagues."

That's an accurate enough description of the starting point of this series, but it didn't take long for us to get just as interested in the lives of the other doctors and administrators at the hospital as we were initially in Dr. Murphy. (Our initial interest in the show was fueled by Debbie's 24 years as a paraprofessional in the school system, working with young adults on the autism spectrum.)

Freddie Highmore stars as Dr. Murphy and also produces the show. You may remember him as Charlie in the Johnny Depp version of Charlie and the Chocolate Factory or as the guitar-playing title character in August Rush. He completely disappears into this role.

The show really has it all:

• Diagnostic mystery
• Medical emergency
• Romantic awakening
• Interpersonal respect AND snark
• Deep truth disguised as both humor and pathos

I have forgotten whether I rate things on a 4- or 5-star system, but just to be sure you understand how much we like this show, let's give it a 6.

Books I Read in 2023, Vol. XIII

 

SHE'S MY DAD: A Father's Transition and a Son's Redemption
Jonathan S. Williams with Paula Stone Williams

Jonathan S. Williams was three months into pastoring an evangelical church plant when his father confessed a secret: he was transgender. His father, Paul, a prominent evangelical pastor, soon became Paula, and Jonathan's life and ministry went into a tailspin. Feeling betrayed by his mentor and confidante and scared that his church would lose funding and support if Paula's secret was exposed, Jonathan sunk into depression and alcoholism. [This book] explores Jonathan's long and winding journey toward reconciliation, forgiveness, and acceptance of his father as well as his church's journey to become one of the few fully LGBTQ-inclusive, evangelical churches in America.

Those of us who are elders at Valley Christian Church are currently having a long-form discussion and study about marriage and homosexuality and gender fluidity. We know many people searching for a church home want to know "how we stand" on these issues and we want to be clear on what Scripture has to say and also have a clear understanding of the LGBTQ community. It was that search for understanding that led me to read this book...that, and the fact that I had enjoyed many a sermon by Paula Williams back when she was Paul.

I must say that I still don't understand how someone born "male" can reject that and just feel more like a "female", though the book DID include some mention of neural pathways and brain stuff. What the book helped me see more clearly is that when you start with an attitude of the Bible maybe not meaning what it clearly says, the path gets very slippery very fast. The author goes so far as to say "My friends and mentors were right about the fact that I no longer believed in sin and separation."

Having heard him say that, it should have come as no surprise to me that  -  even though Jesus said if we want to follow him we must deny ourselves  -  the author says he doesn't "believe in forsaking our one, wild life here for whatever was above."

First line: There was a moment I thought my father might be a woman.

Page 56, Line 5: I pursued a new narrative that let me keep my dad.

Last line: It was really, really good.

Books I Read in 2023, Vol. XII

 

MY 2ND CHAPTER: The Matthew Ward Story
Matthew Ward

Known for such classics as "Easter Song," the Second Chapter of Acts was one of the major music groups at the forefront of the Jesus movement. But what happened, in the wake of personal tragedy, to bring together a brother and his two sisters to sing so boldly for their Lord? And what was life really like for a major contemporary Christian band in those early days? In [this book], Matthew Ward tells his part of the story  -  full of intriguing and humorous behind-the-scenes anecdotes and observations: growing up in a large family, orphaned at age twelve, finding the Lord in the California Jesus movement, becoming a music star, traveling the world, battling cancer, and much more  -  all revealing God's faithfulness in every circumstance.

Having been part of the crowd of record purchasers and concertgoers that helped make 2nd Chapter of Acts the huge success they were, I was eager to hear Ward tell his inside story. His humility and humor come through loud and clear and there wasn't a single page that disappointed. Matthew's singing voice is one-of-a-kind and so is his life's story.

First line: Writing a definitive autobiography in seventy thousand words or less is impossible, unless perhaps you've only lived eight or nine years.

Page 56, Line 5: So when people had physical complaints, we asked God to heal, and He did.

Last line: The trick for me  -  for all of us  -  is to remain in that place where I'm willing to listen to God for guidance, to be obedient to what He asks of me, and to be prayerfully ready to carry out that mission.

Books I Read in 2023, Vol. XI

 

BETWEEN HEAVEN AND MIRTH: Why Joy, Humor, and Laughter Are at the Heart of the Spiritual Life
James Martin, SJ

Holy people are joyful people, says Father Martin, offering countless examples of healthy humor and purposeful levity in the stories of biblical heroes and heroines, and in the lives of the saints and the world's great spiritual masters. He shows us how the parables are often the stuff of comedy, and how the gospels reveal Jesus to be a man with a palpable sense of joy and even playfulness. In fact, Father Martin argues compellingly, thinking about Jesus without a sense of humor may be close to heretical.

I borrowed this from the library because it was referenced in a book about the creation of the musical Godspell. It's got some good jokes and stories in it, but overall takes its lighthearted subject matter fairly seriously. So much so that it became kind of a drag-myself-through-it experience to read. But it makes a good case for people to lighten up and actually enjoy their faith instead of shuffling through life as if they'd been baptized in pickle juice.

First line: Mike is one of the funniest people I know.

Page 56, 5th line: During the first few hundred years of the church, questions about the identity of Jesus occupied bishops, theologians, and laypersons, all of whom were struggling to understand just who this man  -  or who this God  -  was.

Last line: And laugh with the God who smiles when seeing you, rejoices over your very existence, and takes delight in you, all the days of your life.

Books I Read in 2023, Vol. X

 

SPIRIT OF STEAMBOAT: A Walt Longmire Story
Craig Johnson

Spirit of Steamboat is an odd little book, in that it was supposed to be a short story, but within four days had spread its wingspan to over eighty pages. After a brief conference with [my publishers], we decided to bring it out as a hardback novella, not exactly a novel. [It's] about half the length of one of my Walt Longmire mystery books. As usual with my shorter pieces, it's not a mystery per se, but rather an adventure/thriller with mysterious elements; sometimes it's not so much about the suspense of killing characters off in a book, but rather, of trying to keep them alive.

This was next in the chronology of Longmire books I've got on my to-be-borrowed list with the library and the author's description (above) is apt. It's full of narrow scrapes and really should be adapted into a screenplay. I also enjoyed how it explained the origin of the image on Wyoming's license plates, which holds the record for the longest-running license plate graphic in the U.S.

First Line: It was Tuesday, the day before Christmas, and I wasn't expecting visitors.

Page 56, 5th Line: Allen True captured the spirit of the animal for the princely sum of seventy-five dollars when Secretary of State Lester C. Hunt commissioned him to depict the horse and rider as the design for the 1936 Wyoming license plate.

Last Line: Slowly she opened it for my inspection, and there lay the tarnished beaded and belled trinket that had hung in the canopy of the B-25: Steamboat.