What's Joy reading?: May 2014

Tuesday, May 27, 2014

Let's Just Say It Wasn't Pretty

I just finished reading Diane Keaton's new book called Let's Just Say It Wasn't Pretty. I've been a big fan of Diane Keaton for as long as I can remember. I loved her early Woody Allen films (especially "Love and Death", "Manhattan" and "Annie Hall" which I own on DVD) and she continues to make movies I want to see. I haven't read her first memoir yet called Then Again but I really enjoyed this one.

The thing that is great about Diane is she is so true to herself, doesn't follow trends and is unique and funny. She writes well and I highly recommend this book.

Here are some of my favorite quotes -

She is a fan of Cary Grant and this is a quote of his that she likes - "I pretended to be somebody I wanted to be, and I finally became that person."

"And every day for the last few years I have a little chat with myself. 'Okay, Diane... your hands still wash your face. You can still feel hot water. See's Candies peanut brittle is still your favorite dessert. The wild parrots on the telephone wire outside your bathroom still sing to you every morning, and just like them, you're still a live animal. Be grateful for what you have, you big jerk.'"

"Maybe my smile could help me make it through the day. Maybe I could stop being so aggravated if I wore a smile." Later she quotes Charlie Chaplin and his "You'll find that life is still worthwhile if you just smile."

I enjoyed reading Diane's thoughts about some of the men in her life such as Woody Allen, Warren Beatty, Al Pacino and Jack Nicholson. She's had quite an interesting life.