"I Must Say: My Life as a Humble Comedy Legend"

Martin Short

I adore Martin Short. Whatever he does makes me laugh, whether he's slipping into the high-waisted pants of Ed Grimley or the fat suit of Jiminy Glick. Reading his memoir made me just as happy. It provides rich insight into his life, all framed by his characteristic humor and optimism. We see what it was like working on "Saturday Night Live," with peeks into the stresses as well as into the creation of, say, the classic synchronized-swimming sketch. We follow Short through hits (the "Father of the Bride" movies) and misses ("Innerspace"). We hear about his famed Christmas parties, where his pals - Tom and Rita, Goldie and Kurt (you don't need last names for luminaries like this, do you?) - get up and perform. But the heartfelt throughline of the book is Short's relationship with his wife of 30 years, Nancy, who died in 2010 at age 58 of ovarian cancer. He writes movingly about her illness and death but also about their love.

- KRISTINA DORSEY