Why Not Me?

Why Not Me? by Mindy Kaling

Published September 27, 2016 by Three Rivers Press

Rating: ★★★★

If there were such a thing as celebrity soul mates, I'd like to think mine would be Mindy Kaling. Because that's the kind of person Kaling is: graduate of an Ivy League college, writer/actor for two successful tv shows, author of two books... and so down-to-earth that a yokel like me can think, "yeah, sure, we could totally be friends." Because Kaling for sure has nothing better to do than call me up and vent over why no one has thought to make a hair iron with auto shutoff (Kaling's number one fear is accidentally having left hers on-- hear, hear).*

I read Kaling's first book, Is Everyone Hanging Out Without Me?, and I think her second effort is better. One thing she didn't devote much page space to is body image-- or rather the media obsession with her shockingly average figure and the expectation that Kaling be an ambassador of body positivity just for daring to appear on television while a size 10.

"If I were your doctor or your congresswoman or your sandwich artist, you wouldn't be shocked to see me, and yet, because I'm an actress, a grown man was amazed that I put jam on my toast."

A lot of Kaling's writing is irreverent, random, but entertaining and relatable. She worries that her Uber driver is a serial murderer, and wonders if all the hair she pulls out of her shower drain means she's on the fast tract to wigsville. She can't sleep because she's fretting over the early-stage cancers that could be living inside her, undetected. She takes a theater-hating friend to the theater and expects the evening to end with a thank you gift. She imagines what her life would be like if she had become a Latin teacher and writes romantic comedies starring her alter ego.

I could live without the dating escapades that seem required of these types of memoirs. Kaling's outlook on romance and dating is cringe worthy. While Kaling aspires to write the next great romantic comedy, I think what this book proves is that her real genius is in brilliant one liners and self-aware satire.

"My sense of humor is loud and wet and risque, like topless day at the water park."

Kaling also wants you to know that she works hard. Really hard. And she has a message for America-- even mothers. It's ok to work really hard. And if you want to inspire confidence in your daughter, you should focus on her work ethic. 

"It's just that, the truth is, I have never, ever, ever met a highly confident and successful person who is not what a movie would call a 'workaholic.'"

This isn't exactly a life changing book, but it's fun, and heads and tails above its many competitors in the suddenly crowded female-comedy-writer-who-struggles-to-find-husband memoir genre.

* I have made my husband turn around the car more times than I can count because I'm worried I've left on the hair iron. Seriously, people, auto shutoff. Someone get on this.

I received a copy of this book courtesy of Blogging for Books. It did not effect my review in any way.

Britt-Marie Was Here

Britt-Marie Was Here by Fredrick Backman
Published May 3, 2016 by Atria
Rating: ★★★★

You see, Britt-Marie does not judge people. No, certainly not. That would be uncivilized.

"Britt-Marie would obviously never consider the woman to be "fat," because Britt-Marie is absolutely not the kind of person who pigeonholes people like that, but it does strike her how wonderful it must be for the woman to go through life so untroubled by her cholesterol levels." 

Again, you see, it's just a matter of their being a wrong way to do things and a correct way. A clean, hygienic way. Unfortunately, and quite baffling to Britt-Marie, no one seems to care for, appreciate, or even notice the correct and clean and hygienic way of doing things. For years, Britt-Marie had dinner ready at six o'clock, as any person not raised by wolves would, and her husband Kent never said a word in thanks. He never commented on her carefully crafted hairstyle or paid attention to her superior use of baking soda. Never complimented her cooking without having to be asked first.

"Britt-Marie doesn't know when their marriage slipped out of her hands. When it became worn and scratched up no matter how many coasters were used." 

Britt-Marie spent so much her life worrying about what other people thought of her, of how scandalous it would be to have someone see an unmade bed or muddy shoes tracking on the floor, only to realize at age 63 that no one's thought about her much at all. And Kent's been having an affair. For the first time in decades, she's on her own and looking for work.

Borg is the type of town the world forgot. It sits along the side of a highway, gutted and turned into ghost town by the financial crisis (a reasoning Britt-Marie doesn't trust because, after all, Kent said the financial crisis was over, and Kent was an entrepreneur). Britt-Marie is sent there to work a temporary position at the recreation center. Soon she finds herself the coach of a rag tag team of soccer youths, despite having no interest in the sport whatsoever. For the first time in her life, Britt-Marie needs to figure out just who Britt-Marie is when she's not living for someone else.

I'm a fan of Fredrik Backman's particular brand of emotional manipulation, and I very much enjoyed this book. It definitely has similarities to A Man Called Ove although it's not as well-done. I think Ove fans will be very much at home with Britt-Marie.

Curious Minds

I'm not a huge fan of the cover art for this book. It just doesn't say "fun!" to me. This book is coming out in both the UK and US in a couple of weeks. I reviewed the British version.

Authors: Janet Evanovich and Phoef Sutton
Publisher: Headline Review
Release Date: August 16th 2016
Version Reviewed: digital ARC via NetGalley
Rating: ★★★★

I haven't enjoyed reading a Janet Evanovich novel this much since the earliest books in the Stephanie Plum series.

"He was a bootlegger?"
"Not in the least. He merely wanted to maintain his supply. And to have an avenue of escape when the lizard people took over." 

Riley Moon has two professional degrees, but not a lot of real world experience. She's only been on the job at the investment banking firm Blane-Grunwald for two weeks when she's assigned to babysit a VIP client who is concerned about the state of his gold holdings. Emerson Knight is a rich and eccentric conspiracy nut who lacks social grace. He convinces Riley to help him find his gold, and in the process they get sucked into a maniacal plot for world domination that they're determined to stop.

This book has the type of plot that's best not to think about too much. Or at all, really. This isn't great literature, but the ride is fun. I was disappointed to see Evanovich fall back on her old crutch of destroying cars. My favorite bits were the interaction between Riley and Emerson. To be fair, I developed a bit of a crush on Mr. Knight, because emotionally-stunted, clueless men are kind of my thing:

"Would I get paid?"
"Is that important to you?"
"Yes."
"Would you like a zebra?" Emerson asked her.
"No. I'd like money."

Coming Soon: You'll Grow Out of It

Title: You'll Grow Out of It
Author: Jessi Klein
Publisher: Grand Central
Release Date: 7/12/16
Version Reviewed: digital ARC courtesy of NetGalley
Rating: ★★★

I didn't who Jessi Klein was before picking up this book. Still don't, really. What attracted me to this memoir was book blurb-- a woman who feels like she's on the outside of femininity, looking in. Even though I was hardly a tom boy (or tom man, to use the author's phrase), I also had/have no interested in typical girly things-- and my mother has been in the fits of anxiety about it for the last three decades. I thought I would find Klein's writing relatable and funny. And sometimes I did. But other times I wasn't sure I could stand one more page about the author's depressing sex life and relationships. 

I had sort of a love-hate relationship with this book, chuckling out loud at some parts and left cold by others. Much to my disappointment, only a small portion is about the aforementioned phenomenon of the grown up tom boy. Most of the book is about her failed relationships. All these comedienne memoirs are starting to run together for me. It feels like they've all dated (and complained about) the same exact men. I think I might have enjoyed this book more had I not read Bossypants only a month earlier. There's nothing in here that Tina Fey can't, and didn't, do better.

You'll Grow Out of It is basically a funny rerun of other books.