Yes Please

Yes Please by Amy Poehler

My rating: 5 of 5 stars


Amy Poehler is my soul mate.

I don't mean that in a "I need to find her and hug her and never let her go (until the police arrive and I go to jail and continue writing letters telling her she will love me)" kind of way. I mean it in a "How does she know what I'm thinking/feeling?" way.

This book made me appreciate Amy as more than just a funny lady. She is smart. She is kind. She is, well, everything. And I can say that. She's my soul mate.

We are both bossy. You know the thing about bossy broads?

-We can say, "NO" without any explanation
-We can see your bullshit coming and avoid stepping in it
-We are OK if you don't like us
-We love big (so you better appreciate it when you're one of the lucky ones)
-We can say "please" and "thank you" and mean it

But here's the thing about this book: while Amy's stories are funny - except for the divorce and post-partum stuff, but that's life and it's not always giggles unless you're highly medicated/insane - I found myself panicking a bit as I turned each page. This book would end. I would have to pick up something else to hold. Even the reminder that "Parks & Recreation" would be back on my TV soon made me sad. IT'S THE FINAL EPISODES!!! WHO WILL MAKE ME LAUGH AT GOVERNMENT NOW??? (I know the real answer - it's REAL government and that also makes me sad)

I just wish Amy would call me. But unless she has Google alerts set up to let her know any time someone writes about her online, she'll never see this. And if she does and wants to chat, I'll do it but only through Facetime so we can make weird faces and wonder why the hell people do dumb things like agree to write when there are easier things to do.



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You Should Have Known

You Should Have Known by Jean Hanff Korelitz

My rating: 4 of 5 stars


FULL DISCLOSURE: I am writing this under the influence of cold/allergy medication so I might be a bit fuzzy.

Who hasn't said, "You should have known..." to someone (or even silently yourself) at some point? Hindsight is quite a thing, but when it's something as explosive as learning your husband might be a killer who has lied about his past and present more than he has been truthful, it's gut-busting - and not in a good way.

Grace Sachs is a therapist who has written a book called "You Should Have Known" and is about to begin what appears to be a whirlwind of a book tour. It all comes to a screeching halt when her husband vanishes, leaving her to wonder what she knows that is true and what isn't. I don't think I'm being too spoilery by what I've written. You have to see how Grace comes to terms with all that she thought she knew and how she picks up the pieces and puts together a whole new puzzle.

This book never seemed unreasonable. If I had one complaint, it's that there are a lot of descriptive details that I skimmed over because they didn't seem important. I don't feel like I missed anything by doing that.

I loved getting closure at the end of the book. I even felt a little hopeful for Grace - like she might now be in a place where she knows the truth and can live a peaceful life (without that jerk of a husband).



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Frog Music

Frog Music by Emma Donoghue

My rating: 1 of 5 stars


I really wanted to like this. Really. I think Donoghue has such an amazing way with words, but I just could not get into this book.

I tried. Over. And over. And over.

But there was something about this that made it hard for me to keep reading. Maybe it was the overwhelming number of characters introduced so soon in this book. Maybe it was the great variety of accents that had me re-reading paragraphs to see if I understood it.

This book felt like a chore, not a pleasure. I absolutely hate giving this a one star review, but it's my truth. I just did not enjoy this. Maybe I'll pick it up some other time to see if it just wasn't the right book for me now. See? That's my guilt about not like this book.



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Anything That Moves

Anything That Moves: Renegade Chefs, Fearless Eaters, and the Making of a New American Food Culture by Dana Goodyear

My rating: 3 of 5 stars


I like food.

I'm curious about non-traditional food - the things that usually make me cringe when cooking. I'm not exactly curious enough to fry them up and take a bite.

This book did that (and then some).

I admire those who don't have a gag reflex that kicks in before opening wide for a sample of innards or organs or things that slink and slither in their natural environment. I wish I could be more adventurous when dining out. When I go into a restaurant, I treat it like any other trip: I survey the surroundings to determine how dangerous it may be. I think of adventurous dining like skydiving in that there's a chance something could go terribly wrong. Eat blowfish and maybe die? Um, no. Really, thank you, but it's a firm no. With a smile.

I am so finicky, I will take a good look at the menu before I get there. I will send others to sample before me. And I might take a bite if I get in the door. I don't want a plate of something that looks like it came from a crime scene. I might not even want to smell it (seriously, I will dry heave at the table).

I'm glad I read this book because it made me think maybe I can face my foodie fears. I just need time. Booze will probably help, too.



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The Intern's Handbook

The Intern's Handbook: A Thriller by Shane Kuhn

My rating: 4 of 5 stars


I have never been afraid of interns.

Until now.

John Lago is an intern. Not really. He's an assassin. And, judging him only by the handbook he has written, he's quite good at it.

This book is told from his perspective. It is violent. It has foul language. It has everything I want in a book that won't make me think too hard.

My one complaint about the book is the ending. It felt a bit rushed, but was otherwise right in line with the story.



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And the Mountains Echoed

And the Mountains Echoed by Khaled Hosseini

My rating: 4 of 5 stars


Aside from the random introduction of characters that at first appear to be key to the story but never appear again, this story was pretty great. I did think it would have been nice to know what the siblings had been up to while they were apart throughout the book instead of later. If I wasn't waiting a week to write this I'd be more specific about my likes and dislikes, but I've already finished one book and started another.



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Hyperbole and a Half

Hyperbole and a Half: Unfortunate Situations, Flawed Coping Mechanisms, Mayhem, and Other Things That Happened by Allie Brosh

My rating: 4 of 5 stars


I've read Allie's blog and love her drawings that help tell the story. I loved this book a little more because it gave me a chance to read it on an airplane and have strangers peeking over my shoulder to see what was making me smile. It almost makes me want to doodle (because that is the extent of my drawing ability) instead of writing with words.



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Double Down

Double Down: Game Change 2012 by Mark Halperin

My rating: 4 of 5 stars


I like a political book based on facts. This was full of them - so full, it reaffirmed my belief that I am absolutely NOT cut out for a life of politics.

There's something about the 2012 campaign that was just awful. Not the name calling. Not the ads. Not the obscene amounts of money thrown into the parties trying to persuade voters to come their way. That's become expected. It might have been the duration of the campaign. The ridiculous amount of candidates didn't help. I had forgotten a few of the "contenders!"

The frantic pace at which Romney and Obama finally settled in to face each other was probably the fastest I buzzed through this book. And I stayed with it to the very end - right up to the talk of the 2016 campaign. Because that's happening, America. It. Is. Happening.



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Welcome to Paradise, Now Go To Hell

Welcome to Paradise, Now Go to Hell: A True Story of Violence, Corruption, and the Soul of Surfing by Chas Smith

My rating: 3 of 5 stars


"Yes, danger is sexy and I am cursed to forever chase it."

I should have known when I read that line that this book is the adventure I could never take in any form but this.

First of all, I don't go in the ocean. It's a huge place and I have such an appreciation for the life there that I don't want it to take a nibble just to see if I'm edible (for the record: I am but I am probably not as tasty as something with scales or the ability to live under water).

Second, I definitely do not surf. I grew up on the coast and knew plenty of surfers, but they were nice. Clearly NOT pro material.

There are many things in this book that are unlikable. The surfers. Chas's description of himself. The near-scientific descriptions of beaches and waves.

But there are many things that are perfectly likable. The fact that these people get paid to go to a beach and do something they like. The picturesque scenery. Even, in his own special way, Eddie.

This book did not make me want to take up surfing. It did not make me want to make eye contact with anyone who surfs. It did give me a greater respect for the people who get up on that board and risk it all for a ride on a wave. And anytime I think my job is hard, I'll just think of how challenging it is to be a part of the surfing world. I'd say they deserve a medal but it seems not getting eaten by a shark, drowned by a massive wave or beaten to death by a Hawaiian native is honorable enough. OH, PLEASE LET THAT KEEP EDDIE OFF MY TAIL!!!



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Turn Around Bright Eyes

Turn Around Bright Eyes: The Rituals of Love & Karaoke by Rob Sheffield

My rating: 5 of 5 stars


As a 30-something person who grew up with MTV (back when they played music videos and hadn't even started to dabble in reality TV), I am drawn to Rob Sheffield's books every single time. The titles that instantly get an 80s song stuck in my head are like magnets! And this one got me from the very beginning: "Once upon a time I was falling apart. Now I'm always falling in love." Can a book start any better than that?

This memoir woven with karaoke tales is about Rob's life as a widower and falling in love with his current wife. While I have not exactly been known to rock a microphone, I do want to rock - right now and always! When I wasn't thinking about song lyrics, there were statements like this that made me go, "Ohhhh yeeeeeaaaaaah!" (a la Yello)

"I am not an and suddenly person. I am a gradually, reluctantly and begrudgingly person...I distrust flashes of light or moments of clarity. Stealth is my jam and guile is my butter."

I get that. I don't always want to be chipper and nice (and I can be nice, dammit). This book isn't just about music. There is some advice in here that we can all use.

"You better watch what you sing, if you don't want to sing it for the rest of your life."

And this might be the most important tip anyone needs. "No man ever plans to turn into Rod Stewart. It just happens. <--- been="" br="" fellas="" warned="" you="">
Sometimes I forget how much a part of our pop culture karaoke has become. Can you imagine some of the best non-musical movie scenes that had a dash of silly/dramatic singing/lip-synching? Rob did.

"If 'Pretty in Pink' had been made a few years later, when he would have enjoyed access to karaoke equipment, Duckie wouldn't have to settle for lip-synching 'Try a Little Tenderness' in the record store for Molly Ringwald. He could have sung his own version." THE HORROR!!!

It's towards the end of the book when Rob writes that he has problems. I DO, TOO! I don't want to live in a world with people who don't respond to me saying a song lyric with singing or completing the song! It is such a simple thing that makes me happy (unless it's that stupid Proclaimers song which makes me punchy - DON'T EVEN START, PEOPLE)!

I'm so happy there are so many great and terrible songs from the 80s and 90s to give Rob inspiration. I hope the next book (and don't even tell me there isn't another one because I can't deal with that) includes more of my favorite songs disguising a few life lessons.



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Help For The Haunted

Help for the Haunted by John Searles

My rating: 4 of 5 stars


I'm the kind of person who watches a scary movie with one hand covering my eyes and just enough of a crack between my fingers that I can see what happens - IF I DARE. Reading about ghosts and things that go bump in the night is REALLY hard to do like that!

I tried my hardest to be brave, but starting with the chapter titles, I was creeped out. Then, when I had come to terms with the beginning of the chapter, it was ending. WHAT HAPPENS NEXT? I had to look at the clock to determine if I could keep reading (whatever I read/watch before bed often turns up in my dreams).

You don't get to pick your parents, but when they communicate with spirits you can't help but be at least a little odd. Sylvie is the kind of young person I feel sorry for, then cheer for, then scream, "GET THE HELL OUTTA THERE!" when things get more than a little uncomfortable. And her life in this book is almost always uncomfortable. It seems she's not only the kind of kid who doesn't watch TV, she probably hasn't seen a scary movie. How else do you explain the fearlessness of wanting to solve the murder of her parents?

Because this is a mystery novel, I won't spoil anything here. I was reminded of a few things:
1) Dolls are still creepy.
2) I can never live in a home with a basement.
3) I will never hang out with people who can connect with ghosts.

If there was one more chapter, I'd like to think Sylvie was enjoying life with people who were a little more normal. And that the SHHHHH has stopped. For good. A little peace is always nice. She earned it.



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Mo' Meta Blues: The World According to Questlove

Mo' Meta Blues: The World According to Questlove by Questlove

My rating: 5 of 5 stars


When one of the blurbs on the back of a book starts with "Attention White Girls: Stop reading about vampires and read what Questlove has to say instead," I know I need to a) listen to Amy Poehler and b) read this book!

I'm glad I did!

I had heard a few stories from this book on podcasts, which was enough to hook me. Reading about little Questlove and his musical history (from his love of the Bee Gees and 'dock rock' to all things The Roots) made me look at what's on my iPod differently.

I also learned a few things that made me think Questlove & I could be great friends. When he writes about Stevie Wonder on The Cosby Show, I squealed! That is my FAVORITE episode of the show! When he writes about his dad tossing out Prince's album every time he found it, I thought, "If only you'd grown up in my house..." TRUE STORY: My mom let me rent Purple Rain for a sleepover (that's what kids did in the 80s). I think she thought it was a musical. Imagine what happened when a group of 6 5th grade girls saw that movie. Yeah. Also, either my mom never listened to me in the car or she thought I had no idea what I was singing when Prince came on the radio. Questlove, I still don't think my mom has a clue about Prince! So can I go to his next rollerskating party? PLEEEEEAAAAASSSSSEEEEEE???

I have read more than a few memoirs. I am putting this up there with some of my favorites. If your only brush with The Roots comes late at night when Jimmy Fallon is making jokey jokes, pick up this book! If you think you know everything about music, you don't know anything until you read this book!

In the words of Amy Poehler, "Read it or rot on your vine."



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The Interestings

The Interestings by Meg Wolitzer

My rating: 3 of 5 stars


With a title like "The Interestings," I was hoping for a group of characters who were all, well, INTERESTING. These characters were like people I know - not usually a bad thing in a book. It's just that I thought they'd be better than average or just shy of superheroes or something.

What I was reminded of while reading this book was that the people you meet when you're young aren't always meant to be in your life forever. These friends seemed like they felt they had no choice but to stay in each other's lives even though they didn't really have much in common. Forced. Not fun.

Was this interesting? Yes. Was it the MOST interesting book ever? Far from it.



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We Need New Names

We Need New Names: A Novel by NoViolet Bulawayo

My rating: 4 of 5 stars


I have always wondered what happens to children removed from harsh lands to America, still seen as the land of dreams and opportunities. Darling's story, while fictional, gives some insight into that dramatic change.

Fleeing Africa with visions of the America she'd seen on TV, Darling winds up in significantly unglamorous Michigan. She is a young girl in need of guidance who never gets it, instead making her way mostly on her own. She lives a life that will be limited because she's not in America legally. Her childhood dreams don't seem that much different as she ages in America. Her family and friends back home don't have the real view of America that Darling lives. Her reality is harsh - she's destined to spend her life working jobs that keep her off the radar of the government. The worst thing that could happen is she could be found out and then sent home to a place and people she wouldn't recognize.

Her life is probably safer in American than it would be in her homeland. Her personal safety is not as threatened as it would be in Africa, but she seems lonely. No matter how "American" Darling becomes, she seems to still miss the things she loved about her African childhood.

This is the kind of story that reminds me how lucky I am to have been born in America. My life has never been run by fear or even the kind of abandonment so many children in this world see as normal. It is a raw story that may make some uncomfortable. It made me grateful.

I could never walk a mile in an immigrant's shoes. This book gives me a chance to walk just a few steps. Darling's dreams aren't all that different from mine or anyone else's - a chance for a good, safe, happy life. If there was one more chapter in this book, I'd like to think Darling gets all of that and more.



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Coolidge

Coolidge by Amity Shlaes

My rating: 2 of 5 stars


This book promised to give me more insight into this President. Instead, it told me all the things I already knew - all learned from history books that got to the point faster.

Coolidge liked numbers more than he liked people. It's why he enjoyed the budget process and finding ways to cut taxes without actually having to see people face-to-face. When the country was in crisis, he hunkered down with numbers instead of consoling people. He hated big government, but that was his comfort zone.

The best part of his story is his struggle to make something of himself - even if it was something he didn't really seem to want. Why doesn't Coolidge get respect for the things he accomplished in office? Probably because he didn't allow the people who voted him into office to get to know him. Career suicide for a politician.



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Give Me Everything You Have: On Being Stalked

Give Me Everything You Have: On Being Stalked by James Lasdun

My rating: 2 of 5 stars


I expected so much more from this book. A writer who is stalked and harassed by a woman with mental illness should have a great story to tell. Instead, this was an unorganized account of the events. I wouldn't wish this on anyone (the stalking and, to a certain extent, the book). I didn't hate this, but I wish this had been easier to read. It had potential. It just didn't deliver.



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Vampires In The Lemon Grove

Vampires in the Lemon Grove: Stories by Karen Russell

My rating: 2 of 5 stars


This is the second book of short stories I read this year. Like the first one, I forgot this book was a series of short stories and not just one (super confusing when I started the second chapter/story). I really loved the first story about the vampires in the lemon grove. I could have read a whole book on that. I liked it so much, that I was disappointed with the other stories. This reminded me of a trip to the amusement park where I tackle the biggest, scariest ride first and am disappointed by all the other rides. This wasn't terrible. I wanted to love it. I liked it. Mostly.



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Pigeon In A Crosswalk

Pigeon in a Crosswalk: Tales of Anxiety and Accidental Glamour by Jack Gray

My rating: 4 of 5 stars


Jack Gray is my favorite kind of crazy. Harmless (well, to others - mostly). Funny. In need of a good glass of wine.

While that combination turns up in just about every newsroom I've worked in, none of my friendly coworkers are Jack Gray. And that's not just because they don't have Anderson Cooper's number in their phones.

Jack's book is a nice combination of family tales and office happenings - the kind that make people think the news business is SO glamorous and exciting even though it's rarely one of those and almost never both.

If you've never worked in a newsroom, this book will make you think one of two things: I wish I had that job OR so that's where all the crazy people go when they're not sent to a nice, padded room. If you've worked in a newsroom (or know someone who has), you won't be surprised by the stories about some of the really big names Jack drops. You will not be surprised by the loose security at CNN. I mean, I'm sure it's not THAT easy to get into the building, but once you're in, what's stopping you from wandering into a studio to see Wolf Blitzer's beard up close (I think it holds some kind of magical powers).

Jack is an excellent storyteller. It's no wonder Anderson has kept him around. Unless Jack is like that guy from Office Space who was fired and keeps showing up for work and no one tells him he's been fired. And Jack, if you're reading this, please tell Anderson I love him. I know he doesn't get that enough.



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And here's the part where I embarrass myself by posting a recent text exchange with a photographer.

 

See? Harmless adoration. Apparently my photographer disagreed. He didn't pass on my message. :(  

Detroit: An American Autopsy

Detroit: An American Autopsy by Charlie LeDuff

My rating: 4 of 5 stars


Charlie LeDuff wasn't a blip on my radar until recently. I saw some of his reporting and was mesmerized by his storytelling (if you haven't watched his work, check out this clip: http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=-9uzDe...). I figured anyone who could tell a story with such great detail for TV could work magic in a book.

I was right.

Detroit would not be my favorite American city to read about. It's in the news. It's almost never good news. But there was something about the idea of reading about the fall and potential of this once powerful city that appealed to me. If you read nothing else about this book, consider this quote.

"I guess when you get down to it, it's simple," Nevin says. "The man took his factory away, but he didn't take the people with him."

Detroit is losing people at a rapid rate - either to death or to relocation. Why? Is it the lack of jobs? Is it the rampant corruption? These are all things LeDuff explores in this book.

It's personal to him. It should be personal to us all. There's nothing great about one city failing when it could easily succeed. Detroit is worth saving. America needs to remember that. What happened and is still happening in Motor City could happen anywhere.



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Everything is Perfect When You're a Liar

Everything is Perfect When You're a Liar by Kelly Oxford

My rating: 4 of 5 stars


"GIRLS SUCK! THEY THINK THEY'RE SO GREAT!" Karen flung a single finger at her son, like a switchblade aimed at Damon's fat peanut-buttery face. "You keep saying things like that and one day you will wake up and YOU WILL BE A GIRL, Damon! YOU WILL WAKE UP WITH A VAGINA!" That was page 2. I was hooked.

When a book is loaded with pop culture references that would make 20-somethings ask, "WTF is 'The Wonder Years?'" I refuse to stop reading. (BTW, kids, it's a GREAT TV show about a boy, his family, his preteen/teen struggles in a time when the family TV was furniture and had no remote control - THE HORROR!)

This is definitely not a memoir for kids - unless you parents want someone else to blame for their potty mouths, knowledge of drugs, the truth about some after school activities ("That's what gymnastics prepares you for: stripping, not the Olympics.") and creepers at Disneyland. If you want an out, here it is.

Kelly is not perfect. If she was, this book would read like one of those super annoying holiday letters people send to make you lose what holiday spirit you have left by giving the finger to a piece of paper/website. What she is, though, is funny. The kind of funny that deserves the more than 140 characters allowed on Twitter. I didn't see Kelly as my friend. I saw her as the lady freaking out about the little things in public. And I'm totally OK with that.

Once I reached the home stretch of this book, I realized someone else understands one of my (many) fears. "I don't think I'm going to die soon, but I finally feel like I'm growing old. Like, I know there's a Lil Wayne and a T-Pain, but somehow I thought they were the same person. You can be sure you're getting older when your finger isn't in the pulse of pop culture but you're sure it is. Getting old is when your complaints are so genuine that a friend can't console you."

Ugh. I know that will happen. I just hope others who understand will keep writing about things like this so that I don't feel like that any time soon. Because it's fun and funny. Can't go wrong with that.

I registered a book at BookCrossing.com!
http://www.BookCrossing.com/journal/11711749



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