Dropping dimes on Nichols

Rabbit Rabbit. It's not the first of the month, but it is my first time blogging after an August hiatus, so why not? Here's to good luck this month (and beyond). First up for September, some late summer reads.

Mike Nichols: A Life
I know I've mentioned my love for biographies. This was a juicy one. Full of details on the upbringing, coming-of-age and career of actor and prolific director Mike Nichols, it was edifying and satisfying. Author Mark Harris spilled the beans on everything from Nichols's deepest insecurities to which actors did drugs and were a pain to work with. Being a romcom fan myself, I loved learning about Nichols's love life in particular. Because he was "before my time" I didn't know he had been with Diane Sawyer. I also didn't know about the pivotal role the director played in many successful actors' careers, including Dustin Hoffman and Meryl Streep. He even worked with Miranda when she was a kid! Nichols was also close with Nora Ephron; I loved hearing more about the iconic writer through the Nichols lens. I could go on and on name-dropping about his relationships both personal and professional. And then there's his work. Lots of successes (The Graduate, The Birdcage) and lots of flops. While reading the book I was inspired to watch some of his movies. I forced Hubs through viewings of Working Girl and Regarding Henry. I'd already seen Heartburn and Postcards from the Edge, both must-see movies by Nichols. Even if you think you already know about Mike Nichols or even if you have no clue who he is, I do recommend reading the biography. It's a long, full book (and life).

Malibu Rising
Pretty much the opposite of A Life, but certainly entertaining, Malibu Rising is a novel about a family, spanning the generations from the 1950's through the 80's. A famous father, a struggling mother, four scrappy siblings. The book centers on a party hosted by the (grown) kids in Malibu, but there are many flashbacks to their parents' dysfunctional marriage and the children's challenging upbringing. I was pretty hooked until the author brought in a superfluous character at the end... Or maybe I missed the point of that particular storyline? If you read Malibu Rising and see value in the C character (don't want to give anything away!) do hit me up. I'm curious to hear others' takes. Overall, a decent read.

AES