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Horror Stories
Horror Stories: A Memoir | Liz Phair
9 posts | 8 read | 22 to read
From the two-time Grammy-nominated singer-songwriter behind the groundbreaking album Exile in Guyville comes a haunting memoir in stories in the tradition of Patti Smith's M Train When Liz Phair was just starting out in the Wicker Park, Chicago, music scene in the early 1990s, she encountered some people--mostly men, who didn't respect her and were determined not to see her fail, exactly, because they didn't care enough about her to wish failure on her--they just wanted her to get out of their space, to disappear. "Girly Sound" was the name of the cassettes she used to pass around in those days, and in 1993 those songs became the landmark album Exile in Guyville, which turned Phair, at twenty-five, into a foul-mouthed feminist icon. Now, like a Gen X Patti Smith, Liz Phair tells the story of her life and career in a memoir about the moments that have haunted her most. Horror is in the eye of the beholder. For Phair, horror is what stays with you--the often unrecognized, universal experiences of daily pain, shame, and fear that make up our common humanity. In Phair's case it means the dangers of falling for "the perfect guy," and the disaster that awaits her; the memory of a stranger passed out on a bathroom floor amid a crowd of girls, forcing her to consider our responsibilities to one another, and the gnawing regret of being a bystander; and the profound sense of emptiness she experienced on the set of her first celebrity photoshoot. Horror Stories is a literary accomplishment, and reads like the confessions of a friend. It is a book that gathers up all of our isolated shames, bringing us together in our shared imperfection, our uncertainty and our cowardice, smashing the stigma of not being in control. But most importantly, Horror Stories is a memoir that asks questions of how we feel about the things that have happened to us, how we cope with regret and culpability, and how we break the spell of those things, leeching them of their power over us. This memoir is an immersive experience, taking readers inside the most intimate moments of Phair's life. Her fearless prose, wit, and uncompromising honesty transform those deeply personal moments into tales about each and every one of us--that will appeal to both the serious fan and the serious reader.
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Sweettartlaura
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And just like that, like I‘m listening to Guyville in my dorm room again, Liz Phair makes me gasp in pain, in fear, in horror, with a thought I didn‘t know how to express myself.

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SShiney
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Mehso-so

I was expecting more about her rock star life and it was mostly about her love life...There were some great reflections about beauty and being a woman in the industry. I am glad she narrated the audiobook.

26 likes3 stack adds
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merelybookish
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Two new memoirs by women I've been listening to since the 90s. And they still rock! Got to see them each in concert this past year with @sarahbarnes.
(Reviews are mixed but still would like to give them a read.)
@Cinfhen #movember #music

Cinfhen Nice!!!!! 4y
readordierachel Very cool! I would love to see Liz Phair. 4y
gradcat Wow—so many female musicians publishing memoirs now! How to fit them all in my short reading time? 🤷🏽‍♀️ 4y
See All 6 Comments
batsy Love Liz Phair but a tad nervous about reading Horror Stories because of the mixed reviews. 4y
merelybookish @readordierachel She was great! If you get the chance to see her life, go!
4y
merelybookish @batsy I know! I might pick up a library copy and skim for the juicy parts. 😁 4y
67 likes6 comments
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Tera66
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Pickpick

Honestly I only knew one Liz Phair songs. One of her pop songs, when I requested this from Netgalley. But growing up in the 90's she was an alt.rock feminist icon. Not sure why I never heard of her actual music? What I enjoyed was the non linear way she choose to tell her story, by telling stories about her life and sneaking in the other details of her family, relationships etc.

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Sweettartlaura
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My 19 year-old heart is so happy ♥️

Chrissyreadit I saw her in concert this Summer with my daughter. So good! My daughters favorite song since she was a toddler is Polyester Bride 🥰 4y
Sweettartlaura @chrissyreadit I didn‘t get to see her this summer, but I have seen her plenty of times - ♥️ her 🥰🥰🥰. And I‘m jealous your daughter has had Liz in her life for basically her whole life 😜 4y
40 likes2 comments
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britt_brooke
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Panpan

⭐️⭐️ I disliked this in the same way I disliked Maggie O‘Farrell‘s I AM, I AM, I AM. Those were not all brushes with death and these are not all horror stories. Literary gimmicks annoy the hell out of me, especially in memoir. Massive Liz Phair fans will probably like this, but even though the writing is decent, the stories are tedious.

PUB DATE: 10.8.19
#netgalley #ARC

Megabooks Love this review! I really loved I am, I am, I am, but I think it was O‘Farrell‘s writing that saved it. Something about her rhythm jives with me. Unless Phair got a really good ghost writer, I‘m going to be wary of this one. 5y
britt_brooke @Megabooks Thanks! 😄 I‘d be curious to hear what you think about this one. And I do agree that O‘Farrell writes beautifully. That book just didn‘t do it for me. 😉 5y
105 likes2 comments
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itsjustme40something
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Pickpick

Not what I expected, but enjoying it all the same

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Well-ReadNeck
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Mehso-so

A memoir that is a series of personal essays. This one started off very strong with vulnerable and poignant stories, but along the way lost that voice. #netgalley

Ruthiella Too bad! I love her music! Makes me nostalgic for the 90s! 5y
78 likes1 comment
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Liberty
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Evening reading: MY BODY IS READY. I have been waiting so long for this memoir! Exile in Guyville pulled me through my last year of high school by the tongue. Exile in Buyville (Sorry not sorry): It‘s out October 8th. 💖💖💖

Megabooks Agreed! We must be the same age! 5y
AutumnRLS Love her! 5y
79 likes7 stack adds2 comments