NEWS
In My Library: Betty Buckley
By Barbara Hoffman
May 23, 2015
How many times has she sung “Memory”? Betty Buckley, the original Grizabella of “Cats,” forgets to count.
“People say it’s my signature song,” she says. “I feel blessed to even HAVE a signature song! It’s funny — some people who remember me for one thing don’t realize I did the other. It’s been an eclectic career.”
So it has. Since the Tony-winning actress and singer made her Broadway debut in “1776” in ’69, she’s done TV (“Eight Is Enough”), film (“Carrie,” “Tender Mercies”) and more Broadway (“Sunset Boulevard,” “Pippin” and “Carrie — the Musical”).
From May 28-31, she’ll be at Joe’s Pub doing her “Dark Blue-Eyed Blues” — a mix of torch songs, standards and blues, with a little comedy mixed in. Here are some books she loves.
I’ll Drink to That: A Life in Style, with a Twist by Betty Halbreich
Betty dresses some of the most glamorous girls in town, and people like me. She works with major designers in theater, film and TV and helped a lot on “Sex and the City.” Lena Dunham optioned this memoir about her fascinating life: coming from privilege, seeing her marriage fall apart and running a personal shopping service at Bergdorf. She’s a genius!
Adultery by Paulo Coelho
I love all his books. This is about a successful journalist and mother of two, with a loving husband and beautiful wardrobe, who feels unfulfilled, so she has an affair. Coehlo writes from a spiritual perspective: Appreciate what you have! This made me confront my own dissatisfactions.
Saint Odd by Dean Koontz
This is the last in his series about Odd Thomas, a really wholesome all-American kid who calls himself “a simple fry cook,” but he’s also a warrior who’s constantly overcoming evil. In Koontz, the good guys are really good and the bad really bad — there are no shades of gray. His books are a fast read, and there’s always a dog in them.
Prince Lestat by Anne Rice
I think Anne Rice is great. For a while, she wrote a witch series and a wolf series and then about Jesus’ life, but now she’s back with her vampire chronicles. The world is in crisis, the vampires are out of control and the old vampires come together to confront a spirit who can destroy them all. I like the world she creates.
