Fans of Liz Phair, be warned: If you're expecting a wild rock n' roll memoir, you won't find it in this book. But, don't let that deter you from picking up this beautifully written book, a collection of Phair's memories and stories cobbled together in a quiet, pensive collection that seems antithetical to her riotgrrrl, "Fuck and Run" musical persona. She talks about a particularly emotional, cathartic photoshoot that became one of her most well-known spreads to-date; she reminisces on spending falls in her grandparents' house outside of Cincinnati and the discovery that the house was once an abolitionist safe house during the Underground Railroad. She remembers fleeting interactions with women from her adolescence who she still thinks about to this day, a young woman passed out in a nightclub bathroom who nobody bothered to help; a melancholy, beautiful young teenager about to get major surgery, who beseechingly asks, "Do you think I'm beautiful?"

If you love Liz Phair's music, you likely appreciate her sharp, beautiful lyrics; she shows that her prose is just as striking. This book is sometimes crass, sometimes funny, but always poignant. The stories in each chapter are pithy but effective. Each one stirred some new emotion in me and gave me a better sense of Phair as a whole person, not just a rockstar. Again, this isn't your typical music memoir - it's a much more powerful yet understated memoir style that more musicians and artists should consider.

I never listened to Liz Phair before getting this book, though I certainly knew who she was.

This memoir-by-essay collects vignettes from Phair's life, from her childhood to dropping her kid off at college. Things happen, Liz does things, Liz learns not to do other things but then does them anyway. "Horror Stories" is an apt title, in many respects. Growing up the daughter of a doctor, and living in tony Winnetka, IL did not make her life easy, nor her path smooth. I was pleasantly surprised there weren't more horror stories from the exploitative and misogynist cesspool that is the music industry.

Recommended for Phairies (I just made that up...you know, like Duranies), or fans of early 90s rock.

A fantastic and insightful story of hard-won success. A bio equal to her albums, and in the authentic voice only Liz possesses.

I expected this to be more of a memoir about the author's life, but found a collection of essays instead. They were okay, but some were tedious to get through. I'm just disappointed it wasn't more of a memoir.

I would like to thank Netgalley and the publisher for providing me with a copy free of charge. This is my honest and unbiased opinion of it.

This book was received as an ARC from Random House Publishing Group - Random House in exchange for an honest review. Opinions and thoughts expressed in this review are completely my own.

I am familiar with Liz Phair and the music that she writes including one of my favorite songs, Extraordinary but reading about her life and the struggle she went through raising her son, was so strikingly pleasant to read in relation of all the trials and tribulations we all experience in our everyday lives. It was so shocking that she revealed of how she was bullied and rejected of being who she was and it wasn't until she got older that she really discovered who she truly was and accepted herself for it. The one thing I loved the most about the book was that Liz took painful memories and added humor to it to brighten the situation for the reader. Similar to telling the truth in her own unique voice. Teens and Young Adults will appreciate this book a lot because of the struggle Liz expresses in the book and the humorous style she expresses throughout. An inspirational witty book that will leave you speechless when you are finished.

We will consider adding this title to our Biography collection at our library. That is why we give this book 5 stars.

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.

Thank you for the opportunity to read this in exchange for an honest review!

Thank you to the publisher, via NetGalley, for providing me with an arc for review. This has in no way influenced my opinion.

This is not your typical rock memoir, but it is enjoyable in its original take on the genre. This is a, non-linear, collection of essays of events of varying import in Phair's life that have shaped her life and worldview, often in unexpected ways.
This was a thought provoking read, best digested slowly - I would recommend.

I received a copy of this in exchange for an honest review.

I was thinking this would be a memoir and give me info on Liz’s upbringing and her music career. Instead it was a series of essays about different topic.

I got so bored with this! Some of the topics she just went on and on and I started skimming. It had some extremely long descriptions of boring every day things.

There were a few interesting tidbits in there, but a lot of filler.

Liz Phair's upcoming memoir Horror Stories is absolutely worth the read. While I was expecting quite a lot from this book that never happened I can't say that it's a bad thing or that I was disappointed. There was no memoiresque look back of the rockstar life. No celebration of one's former partying high flying life at the top of fame or finances. Instead, there were personal essays. Essays that were raw, honest, well written and at times relatable as their poignancy tugged at all the feels in all the right places. This book is much like her music. Well thought out , well executed and entertaining while providing the reader to interpret the work into their own perspective

Well written intimate honest open, Essays that are so well written so entertaining.A really interesting read highly recommend.#netgalley#randomhouse,

This was a really good memoir, it kept me invested in Liz's story and entertained. I really loved the anesthesiologist story, and felt bad during some parts of it. Overall this was a really good read.

Very raw and honest. Reading this makes one feel a little less alone in the world.

I received a free e-galley from netgalley.com.

I received this ARC vIa Netgalley.

This wasn’t quite what I was expecting- I was anticipating a straightforward memoir but it was instead it was series of essays. Not in chronological order, but arranged very nicely. Some essays were stronger than others but I found Phair to be a more self aware writer than her contemporaries (cough Ani DiFranco cough).

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.

Upon first seeing Horror Stories by Liz Phair, I thought of how this was going to be a roller-coaster of a book told in the fashion of an in-your-face, rip-snorting recounting of loud and audacious tales from a wild rock and roller. How wrong I was and what a pleasant surprise it was to read the pages of this memoir and to discover the book was not at all what I thought it would be.

This is not a rock and roll book that spills the beans on the career of a performer like Liz Phair. It also is not the writing or storytelling of an adult with the personality of an immature twenty-year-old while being stuck in the past. This memoir is not about the spilling of stories to shock and titillate the reader while the reader hopes to somehow live vicariously through the life of a celebrity.

It is instead a thoughtful recounting of events in a person's life, of whom just happens to be a rock and roll celebrity, and what the person has learned from these events and hopes to share with others in a meaningful way. Phair's writing is open, frank and sincere and is devoid of a reluctance to write of personal aspects of her life that others sometimes avoid. Along the way she deftly passes on to the reader what her experiences have taught her about life, both from the start and until the end. After reading Horror Stories, I am confident to predict that many will see Liz Phair differently than prior to reading the book.

She does not apologize for being successful and a celebrity, but aptly describes how celebrity and physical attractiveness can both impede and enhance a person's life and when doing so does not come off as being arrogant, superficial or insincere. Though she does not apologize for her celebrity, she does apologize for behaviors in her past that may have hurt others.

The chapters on her pregnancy and birth of her son and preparing for old age were especially poignant.

Liz Phair also writes an introduction to the memoir that successfully sets up what follows so the reader will establish appreciate her words even more.

This was fine. It was well written, but it did feel pretentious at times and there was definitely a lot of white feminism/American exceptionalism/"look what I learned from this person who was less privileged than I am" which all rubbed me the wrong way.