I love Nora Ephron movies...When Harry Met Sally...Sleepless in Seattle...You've Got Mail....Julie & Julia. In fact, 3 of these are on my list for my all time favorite movies. So, it's no big surprise that I would love her essays as well. Her books are collections of essays which ends up being a great way to write a book. If I were ever to write a book - that's the way I would do it. It is also great for the reader because you can read an essay or two, put the book down for a day or a week, pick it back up and start reading again without feeling that you have to start reading from the beginning again. Perfect for me.
I think Nora is the kind of person that would be a fun friend to have. In fact, I may have to include her in my list of Friends I've Never Met (FINM). FINM are people that I have absolutely no chance of ever meeting either because they have passed on OR they are artists or celebrities BUT they have meant a great deal to me at some point in my life. Here are a few examples: Theodor Geisel, Maurice Sendak, Jim Henson, Karen Carpenter, Dan Fogelberg, Tom Hanks and Oprah. The whole concept of FINM is definitely worthy of it's own blog entry - I will make a note of it and work on that sometime in the future. Anyway, part of what it takes to be one of Laura's FINM is that if I ever were to bump into one of these people, I would not be starstruck. I would just sit down on the sofa with them and have a nice chat. Nora Ephron seems like that kind of person to me.
This is the second collection of essays I've read by Nora. The first one is called I Feel Bad About My Neck: And Other Thoughts on Being a Woman. My cousin Kevin gave me this book for my 45th birthday. I remember that I enjoyed it when I read it, but I don't really remember what was in it. I think I should read it again. I borrowed this book from a co-worker, but I enjoyed it so much I think I might buy a copy. I Remember Nothing is funny, but also has some extremely personal essays in it. I learned a lot about Nora from this book. For instance, Nora was married to Carl Bernstein during the time of All the President's Men. Also, she had a bad divorce from Carl, then wrote about it in a book which was later made into a movie (Heartburn). I also learned that she was good friends with Lillian Hellman.
Funny, interesting stories, witty writing and a quick read. It's well worth your time - it was well worth mine!
