Finding Me - Book Review

Book: Finding Me: A Decade of Darkness, a Life Reclaimed: A Memoir of the Cleveland Kidnappings

Author: Michelle Knight, Michelle Burford

Genre: Memoir 

Publisher/Publish Date: Weinstein Books / May 6, 2014

Source: Public Library

Pages: 252

Rating: 3/5

GoodReads  •  Amazon

Wow, this is a hard book to read.

Michelle Knight was one of the three woman who were kidnapped by Ariel Castro in Cleveland, and escaped in May, 2013. Their story made headlines, and though we were all fascinated by it, I'm sure it was shocking for them to escape and then be center of national news.

She bravely retells her horrific story of daily abuse, imprisonment.  Kidnapped in 2002, at the age of 21, she was the first of the three to be abducted and imprisoned. Coming from a tough childhood, she had her first child in high school, who was later put in to foster care. As she was walking miles to downtown Cleveland for a custody hearing, she stopped to ask for directions and was offered a ride by Castro. He tricked her into coming into his house, where he then chained her in the basement.

She shares what happened to her during the early years, including infrequent showers, filthy conditions, starvation, beatings, and multiple forced miscarriages. He went on to kidnap and imprison two more girls, Amanda Berry at age 16, and Gina DeJesus at age 14. Amanda was blond and Castro's preferred girl, and he treated her better and eventually had a daughter with her. Michelle and Gina were chained together, forced to stay together on the same filthy mattress, but found strength in each other to make it through this awful ordeal.

Shockingly he had people over to his house, even introduced people to his and Amanda's daughter, and though his other children found his secrecy and locks on the doors strange, no one ever was concerned enough to contact police. This man was insane, and luckily eventually convicted and imprisoned. One day Amanda's daughter went downstairs, as she often did since she was free to move around the house, and found that Castro hadn't locked the inner front door as he normally did. Along with her mom Amanda, they were able to call for help through a slit in the door and were rescued by neighbors. The house where this all took place was demolished in August 2013.

A challenging and sad book to read, especially knowing that there are more people that are out there in situations like this that we don't know about. Hopefully by sharing her story, Michelle can help bring awareness to the situation, and we can all do a better job of looking out for our neighbors and those less fortunate. 

Love Does - Book Review

Book: Love Does: Discover a Secretly Incredible Life in an Ordinary World

Author: Bob Goff

Genre: Christian, Non-Fiction 

Publisher/Publish Date: Thomas Nelson / January, 2012

Source: Public Library

Pages: 240

Rating: 4.5/5

GoodReads  •  Amazon

I've put this book on the back burner for awhile, and I'm glad I finally got around to reading it. It's inspiring and full of stories that made me smile.

It's a quick read, with lots of good content and I think most people would really enjoy this book. I liked that the chapters are short, most with a personal story and then what Bob learned from his experience.

While Bob is a Christian, and he does speak about spirituality, I think there is inspiration in this book for all people. He reminds us invest in other people, tell a good story with your life, and fight hard for things that are important to you.

Paddle Your Own Canoe - Book Review

Book: Paddle Your Own Canoe: One Man's Fundamentals for Delicious Living

Author: Nick Offerman

Genre: Non-Fiction 

Publisher/Publish Date: Dutton Adult / October 1, 2013

Source: Public Library

Pages: 337

Rating: 3.5/5

GoodReads  •  Amazon

I'm a huge fan of Nick Offerman's character on Parks & Rec, Ron Swanson, and knew enough about his personal life and woodworking background that I was pretty sure I was going to enjoy this books. I was right, though also pleasantly surprised by the depth and variety of this book.

A mix a narrative chapters about his life and instructional/topical essays, Offerman not only gives you a look into his life, and everything that lead him to his success in Hollywood, but also give great advice for aspiring actors and people in general.

The book is a bit racy in sections, just to warn you in case you plan to listen to this in audiobook form with your parents. Overall one of my favorite memoirs I've read in awhile.

Loved: the fun illustrations
Enjoyed: his tales of auditioning and working in Hollywood

what I've been reading....

Hi. It's nice to be back from my little break. Life got in the way of blogging and reading. It was all good stuff, but I have missed sharing here what I've been up to.

I was over on GoodReads.com the other day, listing some books I'd finished reading, and decided to check out how I was doing on my goal of reading 75 books this year. Well, the news was bad. While I've read 13 books, I'm 17 books behind... yikes! Not sure if I can catch up, or if I even care to try, but I want to get back on the horse and read more the second half of the year. I also have piles of books in my room to read:)

Books I've read since I last posted...

Still: Notes on a Mid-Faith Crisis, by Lauren F. Winner
I picked this up since I loved her first book Girl Meets God and this didn't disappoint. Winner honestly shares her struggles with God and Christianity, and where she sees her self in the Christian story.

Here I Go Again, by Jen Lancaster
A hard book to explain without giving too much away, Lissy Ryder returns to her high school for her 20th reunion to discover that her memories were a little rose-tinted, and she may not be as successful and beloved as she once thought.

The Bling Ring: How a Gang of Fame-Obsessed Teens Ripped Off Hollywood and Shocked the World, by Nancy Jo Sales
While not the most well written book, it's an interesting look at the headline catching story of six LA teens who burglarized celebrity homes including Paris Hilton, Lindsay Lohan and Orlando Bloom. This book attempts to discover the motivation behind the break-ins and what lead to their obsession with celebrity.

One More Thing: Stories and Other Stories, by B.J. Novak
Random, odd, funny, heart-touching. A mix of short stories, Novak does an amazing job of fabricating unique stories, characters and places.

Eleanor & Park, by Rainbow Rowell
I've heard about how great this book is, and I'm glad I finally got around to reading it. It is definitely a young adult book, but is a beautiful story of two high school misfits finding love and seeing if they have what it takes to make it last.

Help Thanks Wow: Three Essential Prayers, by Anne Lamott
One of my favorite authors, Lamott shares the three prayers that get her through tough times, and shares personal stories that lead her to these three prayers.

The Knowledge of the Holy, by A.W. Tozer
I read this book with my church's small group. Tozer does an amazing job at identifying and expounding on God's attributes, such as wisdom, grace, mercy and justice. There was a lot of content that was new to me, and it's a dense book, elegantly written, and I probably re-read in a year or two.

Getting Rooted in New Zealand - Author Interview

At 26 Jamie decides to move from California to New Zealand to escape men (there are 100,000 fewer men than women there), and to discover something new. There she befriends a famous model, works a series of odd temp jobs and learns a lot about herself.

A pleasant, easy and heart warming travel/life/dating/work memoir. Honest and real, no part of her story seems contrived or forced. Jamie welcomes you to experience it all along side her. Reading the book felt like chatting with a hilarious and emotionally honest best friend.

The author Jamie Baywood was kind enough to ask a few of my questions. Getting Rooted in New Zealand is available in paperback and ebook on Amazon.

In one sentence how would you describe your book? 

The best way I can describe Getting Rooted in New Zealand is a funny travel memoir or an accidental true love story in a comedy of errors. 

You mention that during some of your temp jobs, you spent your time writing about your coworkers and experience on the job. Was that content the beginning of this memoir? 

Yes, absolutely. I consider myself an accidental author. I didn’t go to New Zealand with the intentions of writing a book about my experiences there. I didn’t start keeping a diary or writing until I moved to New Zealand. I wrote to keep in touch with friends and family. I had funny experiences that I had trouble believing were true. I wrote the stories down to stay sane. I wrote situations down that were happening around me and shared them with friends. I saved the emails that eventually became my book. The stories made people laugh so I decided to organize the stories into a book and publish in the hopes to make others laugh too. 

What challenges did you face when writing this book? Was it hard to remember some of the details? Is it all based on journals? 

Most of the book was written as the events happened; it just took me a few years to work up the nerve to publish. To write my book Getting Rooted In New Zealand, I relied upon my personal journals, e-mails, and memories. Some of the names of the characters and organizations, but not all have been changed to preserve privacy. In February 2013, I organized my stories into a cohesive narrative. It went through several rounds of editing and then I published in April. 

I self-published through CreateSpace an Amazon company. Getting Rooted in New Zealand is available on the Amazon US and Amazon Europe sites. I would like to have the book translated into different languages. 

The biggest obstacle I am finding is book distribution, I would like to have the book available to purchase in New Zealand and Australia. I’m in the process of trying to get it printed and distributed in New Zealand and Australia through Booktopia.com.au, Bookworm.com.au and Whitcoulls. It’s been a struggle to find a way to properly distribute the book to New Zealand and Australia. 

While in NZ, you perform a monologue about an experience at your temp job. Have you done any more performance or live story telling since then? 

I had the opportunity to write and perform for Thomas Sainsbury the most prolific playwright in New Zealand. I performed a monologue about my jobs in the Basement Theatre in Auckland. I had never done anything like that before. The funny thing about that experience was Tom kept me separated from the other performers until it was time to perform. I was under the impression that all the performers were foreigners giving their experiences in New Zealand. All of the other performers were professional actors telling stories that weren’t their own. At first I was mortified, but the audience seemed to enjoy my “performance,” laughing their way through my monologue. After the shows we would go out and mingle with the audience. People would ask me how long I had been acting. I would tell them, “I wasn’t acting; I have to go to work tomorrow and sit next to the girl wearing her dead dog’s collar around her neck.” 

Besides the lack of men in NZ, moving from California what was the one biggest cultural impact?

Whenever I go back to California, I am always shocked by how busy, crowded and loud it is. Everyone is rushing around, there is so much traffic, and it just feels chaotic all the time. I was amazed with how quiet and unpopulated Auckland felt. People in Auckland would complain about traffic and I would laugh. 

California and New Zealand are roughly the same size. It wasn’t until I went to New Zealand that I understood how enormous America is.

New Zealand feels so safe. In California, I would carry pepper spray with me everywhere I went. I was always on edge living in California. It was amazing to me that in New Zealand the police didn’t have guns. I felt much safer as a single female traveling alone in New Zealand than living in California. 

The flip side of the feeling of being sheltered from the world in New Zealand was I felt isolated. There was a palpable feeling of being at the end of the world in New Zealand that at times I found overwhelming. 

I read you are working on a second book. Will this also be a memoir or a novel? (PS: I'm looking forward to reading it whatever it is) 

I’ve been living abroad for over three years. I lived in five countries; America, American Samoa, New Zealand, Scotland and now England. I plan to move again internationally in 2014, I’m not sure where yet. I plan to divide my books by the countries I've lived in. My next book will be about attempting to settle in Scotland. 

Any advice you would give you an aspiring writing wanting to write a memoir about their own life?

Be yourself. Some people are going to love you; some people will hate you no matter how good your book is. Believe in yourself, no one else is going to do it for you. 

_________________________________________________________

About the author Jamie Baywood: Jamie Baywood grew up in Petaluma, California. In 2010, she made the most impulsive decision of her life by moving to New Zealand. Getting Rooted in New Zealand is her first book about her experiences living there. Jamie is now married and living happily ever after in the United Kingdom. She is working on her second book. 

Jamie Baywood can be followed on the following sites: Facebook.com/jamiebaywood
Twitter.com/jamiebaywood
Pinterest.com/jamiebaywood
http://www.goodreads.com/author/show/7069448.Jamie_Baywood
amazon.com/author/jamiebaywood

July - What I Read

After a really slow reading month in June (only 3 books), I kicked it up a notch in July. Though it helped that one is a photo book, another I only read part of, and yet another was short stories.

Coyote Lost at Sea, by Julia Plant 

I really enjoy adventure books and this was no exception. It's a look at the life of Mike Plant, seen through the eyes of his younger sister Julia. He's a solo sailer, willing to risk his life for the sport he loved. [my review]

Kneading to Die, by Liz Mugavero
A good beach read with a bit of heart. Luckily the pet parts didn't over power the other good qualities of the book. [my review]

Vanishing Portland, by Ray Bottenberg
A photography book, showing historical architecture in Portland Oregon, along side a bit of info. Fun way to see and read about the history of this city.

Portland in Three Centuries, by Carl Abbott
Another history book about Portland Oregon, but with a lot more words. I only made it through half of it. It found it interesting, but it had a lot of details and I felt ready to move onto another book.

The Short, Strange Life of Herschel Grynszpan, by Jonathan Kirsch
While I really liked this book and learned a lot from it, it wasn't the most fun book to read. I powered through it and was glad I did. [my review]

Seaside Harmony, by Evangeline Kelley
Another good beach read or summer read. Lighthearted and made me wish I could take a trip to where the book was set.

Accidental Time Traveller, by Janis Mackay
A pretty decent Middle Grade book about a young girl who travels and gets stuck in time.

A Dangerous Fiction, by Barbara Rogan
A really great mystery novel. Well written with a plot that is layer though not too complicated to get confusing. Expect a review for this soon.

The Winds of Marble Arch and Other Stories, by Connie Willis
A collection of short stories. I read four of them, and really enjoyed them. Mostly I am not a huge fan of short stories though, would rather have something around 300-400 pages with a good story I can get lost in.

Coyote Lost at Sea by Julia Plant - Book Review

Book: Coyote Lost at Sea: The Story of Mike Plant, America's Daring Solo Circumnavigator

Author: Julia Plant

Genre: Non-Fiction, Memoir 

Publisher/Publish Date: International Marine Publishing / February 27, 2013

Source: Publisher, NewGalley

Pages: 256

Rating: 4/5

GoodReads  •  Amazon

Coyote Lost at Sea tells the story of Mike Plants rocky life and successful sailing career told by the person who probably knew him best, his sister Julia Plant.  Along with journals and memoirs that Mike had started writing, she pieces together the life of someone who was a risk-taker, charismatic, intense, and liked to hide from the limelight. This is not just a book about adventure, but a look into who he really was, and what lead up to his disastrous final trip across the Atlantic.

What drew me to this book was the adventure of singlehanded ocean sailing, but what I really enjoyed is how much Julia shared about her life growing up with her brother. She using the writing of the book to process what his life and death meant to her, and tries to uncover what lead him on his unending travels and dangerous endeavors.

About half of the book covers his childhood, growing up on a lake, travels through South America in his early twenties, and trying to balance his life against the expectations of his father. At 35, while living in Rhode Island, he decides to build a sail boat and enter a singlehanded, around-the-world yacht race. I won't give away the result of the race, though it's easy to find with a quick internet search. He was so in love with singlehanded sailing, by the time he died at age 42 he was one of only five people to have completed three solo circumnavigations.

I recommend this book to anyone who really loves memoirs or adventure books.

*Please note that we receive affiliate income from any books purchased at Amazon.

If you have reviewed this book, please leave a link to the review in the comments and I will add your review to the main post. All I ask is for you to do the same to mine — thanks! 

Off Balance: A Memoir - Book Review

Book: Off Balance: A Memoir
Author: Dominique Moceanu (with Paul & Teri Williams)
Genre: Memoir
Publisher/Publish Date: Touchstone / June 2012
Source: SF Public Library
Pages: 256
Rating: 2/5
Other books from author: She's written a series of children's novels that revolve around gymnastics
GoodReads  •  Amazon

This was a book I added to my library request list around the time of the London Olympics. I wasn't sure what to expect and was actually pleasantly surprised. It was nice having a shorter book I could finish in 2 days.

Dominique Moceanu shot to fame at a 14 years old as the youngest gymnast on the US Olympic team, and brought home a gold medal. Behind the smile was a young girl who had tough coaches, parents who pushed her hard, but even then, she loved the sport. The following years lead to emancipation from her family, experimenting with drugs, and the discover of a sister who was put up for adoption.

I appreciated that the book didn't wind up becoming a pity party for her, but she writes of her ups and downs in a straight forward way, focusing on the positive. She still loves gymnastics, coaches and writes children's books about gymnasts.

Legacy of Rescue - Book Review

Book: Legacy of Rescue: A Daughter's Tribute

Author: Marta Fuchs

Genre: Memoir

Publisher/Publish Date: December 2011

Source: NetGalley, ebook courtesy of author

Pages: 208

Rating: 3.5/5

GoodReads

Marta Fuchs' Legacy of Rescue: A Daughter's Tribute tells the story of her father Morton (Miksa) Fuchs and Zoltán Kubinyi, the man who saved him and over 100 other Hungarian Jewish men during the Holocaust as the Commanding Officer of their forced labor battalion.

Zoltán Kubinyi was taken as a POW by the Russian Army, died a year later from typhus in a Siberian labor camp, and was buried in an unmarked grave, leaving behind a young wife and infant son. Due to Marta's father's testimony, Zoltán Kubinyi, a devout Seventh Day Adventist, was posthumously honored as a Righteous Among the Nations by Yad Vashem, the Holocaust Memorial Museum in Jerusalem. 

The story of rescue came full circle in the Summer of 2011 when Marta and her brother took their children (all in their '20s) back to Hungary to meet the rescuer's family. The rescuer's son, now in his late '60s, never knew his father, and with his wife and granddaughters – the great grandchildren of Zoltán Kubinyi -- Marta's family talked about the heroic actions of his father and how this courageous man none of them knew has made such an indelible impact on all their lives. (Summery via GoodReads)

After having the opportunity to visit the Dachau Concentration Camp Memorial Site in Germany a few years ago, I read many books on the Nazi Holocaust, and took a fascinating college class on the history of that catastrophe. So though I have broad knowledge of the events, this was new to me.

Told from the POV of Fuchs' father, a Hungarian Jew, this book covers life in Germany and the concentration camps only briefly. It follows her father life, who was forced to work in labor camps, and also includes stories from her mother and other family members. Most of it narrated word-for-word by her father.

Later when she has first hand stories to share of visiting the places from her father stories, it helps bring it full circle. I can appreciate the emotional impact of retracing her father's steps.

Though the writing stye threw me off at the beginning, as I continued to read I liked that it put me in the story. The book could have been improved with my supporting text by Fuchs to expand on and tie the stories together, though I enjoyed experiencing it alongside him.

You can find out more about the book on it's website: Legacy of Rescue

A Huffington Post article by the author: Why I Could Write a Positive Holocaust Book

Red Carpet Burns - Book Review

Book: Red Carpet Burns
Author: Georgia Cassimatis
Genre: Memoir
Publisher/Publish Date: Harlequin Enterprises Australia / February 1, 2013
Source: ARC ebook review copy from Publisher
Pages: 289
Rating: 2/5 (but fun!)
Other books from author: While she has written for Australian Cosmopolitan, US Cosmopolitan, Marie Claire & Harper's Bazaar, this is her first book.
GoodReads  •  Amazon

What if "The One"...Isn't? 

After meeting the gorgeous and charismatic Simon, Georgia Cassimatis swaps her fabulous life in Sydney for Los Angeles, risking it all for a chance at love. Georgia soon finds out, however, that Simon is not the man he seemed to be, and she has left her entire world behind for a loveless marriage with a man who is intent on making her miserable. 

LA is a tough town — especially for a girl with no friends, no money and no job — but Georgia finds her way through the liars, fakes and cheats to become a successful celebrity journalist and soon realises she’s fallen in love again — this time with her new home town…LA.

Description from Publisher's site

A story of love gained, and lost, and psychics and celebrities. This memoirist bravely opens her heart to share with us the ups and downs of her time in LA.

Reading this book felt a lot like reading US Weekly. Some juicy gossip, short chapters, not much depth, but... a lot of fun. One thing is author was successful at, which lots of authors aren't, is being likable. Especially important in memoirs. Even though she was talking about her adventures in dating in LA, and trip and great dinners, she still came across as down to earth and with a good head on her shoulders. This was like reading a friend's journal.

Pick this up on the way to the beach.

February - What I Read

Boy did March sneak up on me, but I think I did a pretty good job this month considering it's a short month.

At the beginning of the year I made a goal to read 50 books this year, which I though was a conservative goal. I may have underestimated myself. So far I've read 13, and according to GoodReads I am six books, 11% ahead of schedule. Maybe I can get that percentage up for next month.

More Or Less: Choosing a Lifestyle of Excessive Generosity, by Jeff Shinabarger
A recently published boom and my first ARC review. My review (FYI: I really loved it!)

Disco Bloodbath, by James St. James
I blogged about it last week.

Prodigy, by Marie Lu
I have a review of this coming out later this month.

Forgotten God, by Francis Chan
A book I've been wanting to read for awhile, and I got my hands on the audio book at the library. While I don't love listening to audio books that often, it's great how quick it is to get through a book. This book focuses on the neglect of the Holy Spirit in today's church. How it's the true true source of the church's power and calls for us to refocus on the forgotten God.

Cinder, by Marissa Meyer
Loosely based on the story of Cinderella, though in this story she's a cyborg. As crazy as that may sound, this was actually a really great book. And unlike most other dystopian novels, this wasn't based in North America, but in New Beijing. Scarlet, the second book in this series (Lunar Chronicles) was published February 5th and I am looking forward to reading that soon.

Escape from Camp 14: One Man's Remarkable Odyssey from North Korea to Freedom in the West, by Blaine Harden
I have a review of this coming out later this month. I highly recommend reading this.

This Book is Not Good For You, by Pseudonymous Bosch
How can you not love a title like that. This is the third book (out of five) in the New York Times bestselling Secret Series. Two adventurous 11-year olds, Cass and Max-Ernest head off to track the Midnight Sun organization, after they kidnap Cass' mother. While I enjoy this series, the plot tends to be pretty shallow and repetitive, but I really enjoy the characters. And they are easy and fun to read, so I think I'll stick with the series. Recommended for 3rd - 5th graders (or thirty-somthing adults).

In process...
Infinite Jest: going to work on this book a little at a time. Only 51 pages in so far, but I am really enjoying it.
Red Carpet Burns: a memoir about moving to LA for love.
The Extraordinary Education of Nicholas Benedict: one of my favorite contemporary series which I consider a cross between J.K. Rowling and Roald Dahl.

Wild: From Lost to Found on the PCT: Book Review

This may be the first book I have read that is on the Oprah Book Club list. While that's not why I read it, it definitely deserves the attention. I've read other books by females who have hikes either the Pacific Crest Trail (PCT) or the Appalachian Trail alone and there is just something fascinating about the journey to knowing yourself by hiking eleven-hundred plus miles. Competing with nature (including lack of water, animals, rain and snow), as well as your own thoughts and dealing with the people you meet along the trail, makes it impressive how people thrive on the trail.

Cheryl Strayed's story goes back to her youth, as well as her mother's death while in her early 20's, showing how these challenges brought her to hiking the trail. I enjoyed the stories of the fellow hikes she spends some of the time with, the beauty she experiences and funny (only after the fact) stories, such as losing a shoe down a mountain.

I'm in awe of what she accomplished, and while probably not wanting to ever hike the whole trail, on my own, enjoy living vicariously through her. Maybe someday I'll get a chance to hike some of the trail, and feel a little of the "trail magic."

Good for people who like travel/hiking novels as well as those who like feel-good, female novels.

Rating: 4 out of 5

Book Review: Disco Bloodbath (aka: Party Monster)

**spoilers ahead**

A few months ago a rabbit hole of internet searching lead me to look into the movie Party Monster, which lead me to this book, that the movie was based on. Not sure exactly what I was getting myself into, but I enjoy true crime stories so I thought I'd give it a try.

The author, James St. James, a NYC celebutante in the mid 80's, was a cofounder of the Club Kids, a group of young clubgoers, with his friend Michael Alig, and is still in the news sometimes and was on a few seasons of America's Next Top Model. Though I gave a spoiler alert, the main plot point is spilled in the first few pages of the book. One day, Michael tells James that, under the influence of drugs, he, along with his friend, Freeze, murdered Angel Melendez. It supposedly happened during an arguments over a long-standing drug debt.

The story, told often in stream of consciousness, then goes back in time to tell of the arrival of Michael to the NYC party scene. James gives us a window into the inner workings of the club scene, how to get yourself known, and how to best work room. He introduces us to the who's who of NYC in the late 80's to mid 90's and presents the key players of the crime that unfolds.

What's really fascinating is what happens between the time of the murder and when Michael and Freeze actually get arrested. Slowly gossip columns and news articles start leaking the story of a missing drug dealer and hinting at who may be involved. Angel's brother comes to town looking for him, and eventually, eight months later, the body is found. The police, who have been accused of not caring about the death of a drug dealer, eventually arrest Michael Alig and Freeze, leading to their convictions.

One great thing about true stories is that you can actually watch the shows they reference in the book, so if you are interested in learning more, you can watch the Club Kids on the Donahue Show. Also, there is a Documentary, Party Monster: The Shockumentary, and the feature film Party Monster, based on this book.

While not a deep novel, it was facinating, and easy to read.

Have you read it? What did you think?

Review: 3 out of 5

Book Review: Bossypants

I had heard a lot of good reviews of this book, so was very excited when I finally got a copy to borrow from my public library (if I bought all the books I read it would take over my apartment, I'm very grateful to the library).

Honestly, while I didn't know what I expected, I felt the books started out a little too heavy on the satire, and a little light on reality. Yes, it was funny. And yes, I do enjoy Tina Fey's sense of humor. But I was interested in knowing more about her life, while enjoying a funny book.

Luckily, as the book continues, the writing does become more serious, specifically when she starts to talk about her comedy career and how she got on SNL and later how she created 30 Rock. The behind-the-scene parts, and the insights to how she got 30 Rock up and running, for example how they got Alec Baldwin on the show, were fascinating to read. In true form, Tina Fey has written an enjoyable, sassy, smart and humorous book, with a nice balance of life stories and lol's.

Rating: 4.75 out of 5

January - What I Read

I just started using GoodReads in december and not sure what I would do with out it. I love lists and keeping track of things, so it's a god-send to have a place to easily track my reading and books I want to read. I set a goal of reading 50 books this year, so having read 8 this month, I'm 16% ahead of schedule... maybe I set my goal too low.

So, thanks to GoodReads, I know everything I read this month...

Anatomy of an Epidemic: Magic Bullets, Psychiatric Drugs, and the Astonishing Rise of Mental Illness in America, by Robert Whitaker
While I didn't technically finish this (I skipped a couple chapters), I read it for my book club and discussed it so I feel I have a good understanding of that I skipped over. While this book is a bit alarming, he backs up everything with statistics, making a good case for doctors to think twice before prescribing medicine for psychiatric patients. I'm not a doctor, and not giving out advice, but I recommend this book to anyone who finds this topic fascinating. It can get a little repetitive, so if you do skip over any parts, be sure to at least skip ahead and read the last chapter.

Where'd You Go, Bernadette: A Novel, by Maria Semple
OMG, so good! A bit of satire, a bit of Gone Girl, a whole lot of fun. A quick read, great for a trip to the beach.

Some Assembly Required: A Journal of My Son's First Son, by Anne Lamott
In some ways a follow up to her book Operating Instructions, this book follows the first year of her son's first son. I love Anne Lamott, and enjoy her memoirs the mosts.

The Boy Next Door, by Meg Cabot
Quick, fun, chick-lit. Meg Cabot is one of my more favorite chick-lit authors, and I've read most of her book. What I didn't like about this was it was all told through emails. So it was all told in first person, which got old really fast.

Drop Dead Healthy: One Man's Humble Quest for Bodily Perfection Hardcover, by A. J. Jacobs
It took me a long time to read this, a few months, since I was just reading it at lunch time. I've enjoyed all of Jacobs' books, maybe I see a little but of me in him. While I sort of wish I had the guts to commit to the experiments he does, it's nice to be able to just sit on the couch as I read his struggles and successes and laugh with him about it. (I also reviewed his book The Know-It-All)

The Weed That Strings the Hangman's Bag: A Flavia de Luce Novel (Flavia de Luce Mysteries), by Alan Bradley
The second book in a series for young adults. I don't hear much about it (i.e. not as popular as Hunger Games, Harry Potter, etc....) but I have really enjoyed the series so far and will continue to read the rest of it. FYI: the German edition has a much cooler cover design.

Water for Elephants: A Novel, by Sara Gruen
I've been wanting to read this for awhile, and was glad I finally gotten around to it. Fascinating story, and much better than I expected. Haven't seen the movie yet. Is it any good?


In Process......
This Book is Not Good For You, by Pseudonymous Bosch: love this series!
The Casual Vacancy, by J. K. Rowling: I own this so library books usually get read before this.
Cloud Atlas, by David Mitchell: Had to return it to library, but was enjoying it so far.