During the summer months, writing about books is usually a lot easier for us because so many of the ones we feature here are great “beach reads.”
But you know what, we’ve realized that a beach read can be enjoyed any time of the year—and with climate change, the chances of a mid-December lounging act under a palm tree increase exponentially.
Charles Busch’s recently released Leading Lady: A Memoir of a Most Unusual Boy satisfies all of our requirements for a vacation page-turner: Short chapters, hilarious anecdotes, and a point-of-view that’s immediately relatable to gay men. Especially those of us of a certain generation.
If you’re not already familiar with Busch, creator of the Off-Broadway smash, Vampire Lesbians of Sodom, get to streaming while you wait for your hardcover to arrive on your doorstep from Amazon.
Some of our all-time favorites include Psycho Beach Party and Die Mommie Die (currently only available to watch via that old-fashioned medium known as a “DVD.”). This summer, we were flying during Pride Month and stumbled upon his latest, The Sixth Reel, which will be available on Video On Demand platforms October 20. It’s definitely a fun one to add to your watch list.
After watching at least one of his hilarious comedies, you’ll be ready to read all about his famous (and famously crazy) Hollywood interactions, with everyone from Rosie O’Donnell and Bea Arthur to Debbie Reynolds and Elaine Stritch (we always imagined her being terrifying in person).
More importantly, Busch’s memoir tells a motivational story about letting our true selves shine in order to discover our ultimate destiny, no matter what naysayers may throw our way. Stories like Busch’s always resonate because so many of us often push our dreams aside instead of following them through to their glorious conclusion.
Fortunately, Busch followed his dreams and we have the laugh lines on our faces to prove it.
Leading Lady: A Memoir of a Most Unusual Boy
$25.16 (Hardcover); $13.99 (Kindle)
amazon.com
charlesbusch.com
