Tag / Gary Dell’Abate

by jim

2016: The Year In Books

With another year coming to an end, it is time to take a look back at the 31 books I read over the past year, even with last year and tied for my highest total ever, surpassing the 27 books I read back in 1992.  Of those 31, 9 were non-fiction and, of the 22 novels, only 5 were TV show tie-ins.  Only 4 of the books came from the “to-read” drawer, and 8 were e-books.  I read over 11,000 pages, the most in 1 year since 1992 and my second straight year reaching the 9000 mark.

Once again, a majority of the books I read this year were by authors I’ve never read before. The 12 authors that I read for the first this year were:
Doug Wilson
Jennie Garth
Emily Heckman
J.K. Rowling
Jen Kirkman
Jack Ketchum
John Dean
Judy Greer
Jenny Lawson
Gary Dell’Abate
Anna Kendrick
Emily V. Gordon

There were 3 authors I read multiple titles from during 2016, the ghost writer for Richard Castle, Jeffery Deaver, and J.K. Rowling.

Only 2 of the books I read were released this year, while 5 of them were released last century.

Finally, the breakdown by month.  Vacations in March, November, and December certainly helped pad their totals a tad bit.

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by admin

Book 20 (of 52) – They Call Me Baba Booey

They Call Me Baba Booey - Gary Dell'Abate and Chad Millman

They Call Me Baba Booey – Gary Dell’Abate and Chad Millman

In 2010, Gary Dell’Abate, long time producer of the Howard Stern show and known to millions as Baba Booey, released a memoir about growing up with a mentally ill mother.  Thanks to a recent price reduction on the Kindle store, I was finally able to pick it up and reintroduce myself to a world I had abandoned a few years back.  Gary details growing up with his mother’s mental illness, the death of his brother due to HIV, and the beginnings of his tenure on what would become the biggest radio show in the world.

Mental illness seems to be a theme for me lately.  Thankfully, Gary doesn’t go too deep in to his mother’s illness, instead focusing on its effects on him growing up.  I had a much easier time getting through that then I did the story of his brother’s illness and subsequent death.  This happened well before I started listening to the Stern show, so, while I knew it had happened, the details were not something I was familiar with.

Of all the people on the show, Gary always seemed the most well-adjusted.  You’d almost have to be to put up with the abuse he does on a daily basis and still be able to come back for more.  This book gives a good insight into his background and how he became the Baba Booey we all know and love today.