Another Bullshit Night in Suck City

The first Saturday after Memorial Day rings in the Cemetery Screening Summer Season at the Hollywood Forever Cemetery! It's pretty much one of the highlights of being in the city during the summer. Who can resist watching classic movies/cult favourites come sunset? Luckily (and unfortunately due to the influx of parked cars taking over our streets) I love around the corner from here. This past weekend's screening was for The Hunger.

I didn't go but I was biking by and decided to chill in line with some people beforehand People line up HOURS before they let people in, armed with their blankets, picnic baskets, books, boardgames and booze, vigilantly guarding your post. You gotta be tough about it at these things! The crowds at last summer 's screening for Harold and Maude became lawless!

Met Susan. She was laying on her stomach on the grass as the official spot saver in her group, and passing the time with Nick Flynn's Another Bullshit Night in Suck City. It's a memoir recommended to her by a friend or a site, she can't remember. At first she was hesitant to read it. That title alone gave her second thoughts! "Yeah, I read that title and thought, 'Oh god, this guy is definitely trying too hard. It sounded pretentious...forced.' " But she gave it a shot and has taken a shine to it!

The book follows Nick Flynn and his time working in homeless shelters in Boston. His father was homeless and Nick ends up crossing paths with his father when father comes into the shelter Nick worked at. This hit him hard so he turns to alcohol and the rest just becomes a downward spiral to the point where HE ends up living at homeless shelters! Ironic...

Susan says that the book is a quick read with it's short and punchy chapters. And although it's simple she also finds that it has its complicated nuances. She also finds it hard, personally, to find time to read, so she hasn't gotten through the book quicker than expected. She just gets so busy during the week and tries to get in some reading before bed, on the weekends, or while waiting in line during Cemetery Screenings! (She comes to these every weekend in the summer).

Susan usually reads books based on recommendations from friends or websites and enjoys fiction but prefers memoirs and biographies. Why? She loves reading about human experiences, learning about people's faults and mistakes, and wanting to learn from them herself.



Whose biography have you enjoyed reading?

Ever been turned on or off by a random book title? What was the title?