Ali in Wonderland : and other tall tales

 by Alexandra Wentworth.  There is a moment in every woman's life in which she becomes completely unzipped, demented, whacked, non compos mentis begins actress and comedienne Wentworth's lively, laugh-out-loud memoir. Wentworth, perhaps best known for her role as Schmoopie in Seinfeld's infamous Soup Nazi episode, has spent her life surrounded by characters so over-the-top she couldn't possibly have made them up. Headlining the eccentric entourage is her drop-dead hilarious WASP mother, Muffie, who once served as President Reagan's White House social secretary. (No-nonsense and seemingly free of neuroses, Muffie deals with any stressful situation by booking a room at the Four Seasons.) Wentworth, who is married to esteemed journalist George Stephanopoulos, may have been born inside the Beltway, but there's no spinning in her candid commentary on psychotic roommates, persnickety bosses, and the well-fed family that hosted her during a summer in Spain. The clan's patriarch, she writes, looked like Javier Bardem if Javier Bardem had swallowed Penelope Cruz. Fans of Amy Sedaris and Merrill Markoe will enjoy Wentworth's warped weltanschauung and wicked wit. --Booklist (Check Catalog)