Some things I’m trying to read, or am about to read depending when I get my attention span back to normal.
La Belle Otero: The Last Great Courtesan
The out-of-print English version is short and sweet and gets to the point — although I am curious about the Spanish volume that is thicker and with better pictures. This is a combination of what she said in memoirs but it also has many diary entries from her personal maid which are a fun. She was the Dita von Teese of her time, unfortunately she had a major gambling problem which was her undoing.
Enchantress: Marthe Bibesco and Her World
I knew nothing of Princess Marthe Bibesco beyond the Boldini portrait. Then I saw a reference Cecil Beaton made in his diaries about how she was a writer and friend of Proust; of course Cecil being Cecil, he did nothing but talk of how old and ugly she had gotten — but, she still had good taste in decor — which made up for the fact she was old in his eyes. Never mind her accomplishments or that she was a big ole smarty-pants.
Mae West: She Always Knew How
Most people don’t know that she was a playwright, and that every good line in any movie she made she wrote. There’s a photo of her with Alice Cooper and Keith Moon in one part of the book, so I have a feeling this will be a good one.
Court Lady and Country Wife
If the name Northumberland means anything to you, then meet the Percy sisters. Their daddy got locked up in The Tower for conspiracy in the Guy Fawkes gunpowder plot, but it seems he had no part from what we can tell. No matter, for daddy got treated better in prison than at home by the monster wife it seems and was given all the modern luxuries of the day by the king. So far from what I gather in the first 1/4, Court Lady has all the fun in Jacobean England, while Country Wife is busy being depressed and constantly preggo while her husband can’t seem to land a decent job.
The Duchess of Windsor: The Uncommon Life of Wallis Simpson
Alright, she isn’t hot, but if you like women who are well-dressed and look like an ostrich….I had read The Secret Life of Wallis Simpson and was a little “meh” about it since all it really did was go into what an annoying weirdo the duke was. It digressed way too much, and only liked to highlight the fact Wallis was a mega whore in China, a mega whore in the dressing rooms of Schiaparelli, as well as her and the duke being Hitler lovers and listing other dubious friends. This book seems to be a more even portrait of her. I know the subject is light in calories and she is kind of boring, but I like reading about weird ticks and such. Did you know she always had her money ironed and coins washed before going out for the day?
Diane: A Signature Life
Things have changed and developed since the publication of this book (like the divorce of Alex and Alex), but I wanted to know more about the lady behind my fabulous wrap dress that I got when she re-launched her line in the 90s. Everyone commented that it showed off my tits a little too much, which being I’m a B cup, I don’t see why that’s a problem! Anyways, she seems like a swell gal. My mom says Barry Diller is gay and isn’t really her man, though. Is that true?
Arty Farty 
They sounds like some really cool books