Interesting insight into the life of a child star. Her mum was clearly a piece of work, and it is easy to tell that this book is the result of a lot of therapy. I enjoyed the narrative, learning about the world of child actors, and growing up as a mormon in a dysfunctional family. However, something doesn't quite sit right with me. What is the purpose of this book? Is she trying to set the record straight? Looking to start her career in writing? Or just seeking pity? Ironically, the latter is exactly what she accuses her mother of doing on multiple occasions. She is certainly deserving of pity, but treads the line of sounding woe-is-me. Overall, it's still worth a read.

Phrases I enjoyed:
Multi-hyphenate
e.g. actor-writer-director. Arguably also applicable to AI

Thrug
A hug with three people

Umless (adj)
"a person who speaks and acts with total precision, using no filler words like 'um' or 'uh'"

How do I rate this? I did of course consume this book through the hilarious podcast ‘My Dad Wrote A Porno’. It had me laughing out loud in airports, supermarkets, and on my commute. For that reason, I highly recommend it.
However, I certainly can’t recommend that anyone ingest it raw, or for its intented purpose.

Comedic devices I will be stealing:

• Adding ‘for which they did not apologise’ to phrases that do not warrant it.

  • e.g. "She was wearing black stockings, for which she did not apologise"

• Implying the existence of an alternative entity by being overly specific.

  • e.g. "Breast nipples"

Honestly, a bit too long. Wouldn’t have finished it if I hadn't consumed it as an audiobook, and even then it didn’t receive my full attention. But now that I’ve finished it, I’m somehow more interested than when I started.
Key takeaway: Marketing is everything.

This is my jam - nerdy Hunger Games. Although I didn’t quite LOL, there’s some funny concepts in this book. Perfectly entertaining holiday read. Towards the end I experienced a bit of battle-fatigue, even though the author does a good job of keeping things varied.

Abandoned at ~70%. I enjoyed it, but wouldn't recommend reading this. The poems were written for a TV program, and many cover people and events that are no longer relevant.

The introduction was potentially the highlight of the book, and I actually don't mean that as an insult. He talks about the positives of writing for a living, and how he wouldn't have written half as much if it weren't his source of income. Interesting contrast to the warnings you normally hear about making your hobby your job. It was also interesting to read about the thinking he put into the structure of the poems -- he invented a metre and rhyme scheme, and stuck to it throughout. Constraint breeds creativity.

Reads like a collection of unfinished thoughts. Better than doomscrolling, worse than Glory Days. Good to know such things can be published. Would read again.