Selena Coppock

A natural blonde who is (now) more faithful to her colorist than she has ever been to any boyfriend, Selena Coppock is a standup comedian, storyteller, and writer based in New York City. When not pushing her pro-blonde agenda, Coppock can usually be found in a dive bar lamenting the breakup of Guns N' Roses and putting Bob Seger's "Night Moves" on the jukebox.

Her new book is The New Rules for Blondes: Highlights from a Fair-Haired Life.

A few weeks ago I asked the author about what she was reading. Coppock's reply:

My Appetite for Destruction: Sex & Drugs & Guns 'N Roses by Steven Adler with Lawrence J. Spagnola

From my life, you'll quickly learn that I'm a bit of a pop culture junkie, plus a nonfiction lover. And I'm a lifelong Guns 'N Roses fan, so when I heard that Steven Adler (the original drummer of GnR) was writing a memoir, I was thrilled. I find artist/performer memoirs so interesting--knowing how long and hard they were grinding it out at crummy clubs or back rooms. It's very inspiring to me, as a standup comedian.

While Adler shares crazy stories of touring, performing, and hard partying, he also comes off as such a kind-hearted, likeable guy in this book. His drumming on "Appetite for Destruction" is so brilliant and unique that I was eager to learn more about him. A fun read for sure.

Nasty by Simon Doonan

Another fun read and one I'm in the middle of reading. Simon takes us back to his hilarious childhood and coming-of-age, when he and his best friend Biddie left their depressing hometown of Reading, England in search of the Beautiful People. My favorite part so far is Doonan's discussion of his mother Betty's hair (of course). As a gal who loves good height at the crown and volume, I cracked up at the part about how Doonan's mother left home and changed the direction of her hair--from a dowdy bob to a pompadour updo that added inches to her frame. Hilarious and a fun warm weather read.

We Killed: The Rise of Women in American Comedy by Yael Kohen

I had my eye on this book for a while and I'm working my way through it right now. I had the pleasure of meeting the author and sitting on a writer's panel with her at the Women in Comedy Festival in Boston back in March and she's fantastic. The debate over whether or not women can be funny (ridiculously enough, yes, it's a subject for debate) has been recycled many times in recent years and this collection of thoughts, experiences, and opinions by comedians, industry execs, club owners, and more is enthralling. Kohen has done her homework, interviewing female comedy pioneers such as Joan Rivers, Mary Tyler Moore, Carol Burnett and current, rising stars such as Whitney Cummings, Anjelah Johnson, Aubrey Plaza and more. Wildly interesting

Visit Selena Coppock's website and blog.

--Marshal Zeringue