Opinion

In my library: Brian Boitano

Ask Brian Boitano over the phone what he thinks of TV’s “Skating with the Stars” and you can practically hear him shudder. “Oh my God,” he sighs. “It’s impossible to learn how to skate in five weeks. It just doesn’t happen!”

The Olympic gold winner has nothing to do with that show, but he’s completely blades on for his “Brian Boitano Skating Spectacular.” Airing Dec. 26 on NBC, it features the rock group Heart. Just don’t expect them to sing the “South Park” ditty, “What Would Brian Boitano Do?”

“Matt [Stone] called and asked me to write the forward to the book, ‘South Park Guide to Life,’ ” Boitano says. “I said, ‘Cool! Do I get to be nasty?’ ‘No,’ he said, ‘Just be yourself.’ ” And he was.

Here’s what Brian Boitano reads.

— Barbara Hoffman

A Thousand Splendid Suns

by Khaled Hosseini

I loved “The Kite Runner,” but “Suns” just hit me at a deeper level. You hear the stories of how women are treated differently in different parts of the world, but for some reason, the way Hosseini wrote it, it really resonated with me. His descriptions made you feel as if you were actually in the room with this woman, and on the streets where the destruction was happening.

Emperor: The Gates of Rome

by Conn Iggulden

I absolutely adore historical fiction and for some reason, this time period really resonates with me — it’s set in Rome during Caesar’s time. At the end, there’s a twist: We’ve been hearing about these two boys growing up, and the last page tells you who they were — and you can’t believe it!

A Confederacy of Dunces

by John Kennedy Toole

Somebody suggested I read it, about 15 years ago. What struck me was how mischievous the lead character, Ignatius, was — he’s described as a quirky, dumpy person, but he’s so condescending, it’s hilarious. Hearing that it wasn’t published until after Toole’s death definitely intrigued me. His mother made somebody read it, and they were like, “Wow, this is good!”

The Heart is a Lonely Hunter

by Carson McCullers

It was ahead of its time, really. It readdressed the definitions of family. There are so many stories here wrapped into one about friendship, tolerance, grieving and family — and it’s not just from the girl Mick’s perspective, but everyone’s. I think it broke a lot of stereotypes, too.