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.

The Lion in the Living Room

The Lion in the Living Room by Abigail Tucker

On Sale October 18, 2016 from Simon & Schuster
Rating: ★★★★

Don't be fooled. Your precious Fuzzykins is a barely-domesticated hypercarnivore who is probably hypnotizing you with its parasite tainted urine-- when not busy hunting endangered species into extinction.

Hmmm. I might need a bit more convincing.

"Many cat lovers, pondering their blind devotion to a savage little archcarnivore, privately wonder if they might be just a little touched in the head."

Well, as a life-long cat lover, I can honestly say I have never wondered this. But author Abigail Tucker did and set out to discover just why people-- including herself-- are so crazy for cats. What caused her to stay awake at night worrying that someone might kidnap her ginger tomcat Cheetoh and what she might be willing to pay as ransom? Why are we so fascinated with internet cat videos? Why do we desire to surround ourselves with this creature-- both in animal and consumer product form (cat pillows, cat mugs, ect.)?

Why am I about to fill this review with cat gifs?

Tucker's research takes her to places that might unnerve cat enthusiasts. In a sense, cat lovers talking about cats is supposed to be a "safe space." A place where being a cat lady is a badge of honor. A place free from that co-worker who stops by your desk each week to smugly remind you how much she hates cats-- while looking at a picture of your cat. So I think there's an expectation that a book about cats will take a feline friendly tone tell us all the things we want to hear about our fluffy friends. And this expectation only grows stronger as cats have become "cool," and cat people have come out from the shadows.

So, in contrast, this book just seems so negative. According to the wildlife preservationists Tucker interviews, cats are an "ecological axis of evil," who are single-handedly wiping species off the earth. Yet, at the same time they are horrible mousers, and thus don't provide any true benefit to humans like dogs do (I'll remember this next time I see my neighbor dragging his fat pug down the block). Cats spread toxoplasmosis, a parasite that causes birth defects and basically eats your brain. It also might hypnotize you into irrationally liking them. And cause schizophrenia. Cats are tricky devils who figured out what no other species did-- that hitching their wagons to humans would improve their outcome. Which means cats are in our homes and our lives on their terms. They could leave at any time and be just fine without us.

Pretty much all my reading is done with Hot Fudge Sundae, my dim-witted but infinitely snugly tuxedo cat, curled up beside me. And while I was reading this book, I looked down, meeting her deep amber colored eyes and thought: "why are you trying to kill me?"

It's best to take Tucker's writing with a grain of salt. After all, it seems illogical to blame cats for hunting endangered species, when said species became endangered in the first place due to human habitation, deforestation, ect. The claim that the rise of insanity corresponds with keeping cats as pets ignores that the same time period corresponds with emerging concepts about mental illness.

My favorite chapter had to be "Pandora's Litterbox," where I learned that I am "cat-shaming" my feline by not having a cat friendly living room layout. Poor Hot Fudge Sundae! I pretty much died reading about Doug, the cat owner who moved out of his 400 sqf master bedroom and onto the couch so his pet could have "personal space." No worries though-- he's allowed to sleep over in the cat's room a couple nights each week.

This book was a bit of a mixed bag for me, but over all I enjoyed it. Because, you know, cats. And with that, I'd like to close out with my favorite cat gif. Because that's what the internet is for.

Note: OMG, how cute is that first gif? That little scottish fold kitten is like "nom nom tail" and then "heyyyyyy, why no more tail?" I just can't. I'm about to explode from cuteness.

Crosstalk

Crosstalk by Connie Willis
On Sale October 4, 2016 by Del Rey
Rating: ★★★★

Briddey Flannigan knows she's lucky to have a boyfriend like Trent Worth. He sends her flowers, takes her to the hottest restaurants, and texts her first thing every morning. Far from being allergic to commitment, Trent has already said the big ILY, and now he's proposing they have an EED to become even closer. It all has the rumor mill at their workplace churning with barely concealed envy. Who wouldn't want their boyfriend or girlfriend to suggest something so romantic? And after only six weeks of dating, no less.

EED is a futuristic surgical procedure that allows couples to communicate emotions instead of just words and helps them connect on a deeper level. Or at least that's what's supposed to happen. Sometimes the procedure fails because a couple isn't emotionally bonded enough, although Briddey certainly doesn't think that'll be a problem for her and Trent.

What Briddey doesn't anticipate is just how well the EED would help her connect... with someone else. Someone who is definitely not Trent.

Maybe she should have listened to C. B., the oddball lab tech who rarely leaves the basement at Commspan, the telecoms company where they work. C. B. spends days warning her about the dangers of EEDs and surgery in general. He warns her the procedure might come with unintended consequences, but she never imagined connecting to the wrong person could be one of them. And try as she might, she can't get the wrong voice out of her head to let Trent's in. She and Trent have never been further apart. Maybe C. B. was right when he claimed more communication would be bad for her relationship.

If only Briddey knew how much more communication was in store for her. Unintended consequences, indeed. And now it seems C. B. might be the only person who can save her from this mess.

This book came close to being a five star read for me, but one thing held me back. This book is at least 100 pages too long. And all the other problems with it stem from that flaw.Briddey has the most over involved, nosy family and coworkers-- ever. To a certain point, it's ok. Amusing, even. But because the book is so long, this dynamic keeps getting shoehorned into the story, and it loses its luster. If the book had been shorter, reoccurring themes like her pushy, over-the-top Irish brood would have seemed fresher and less gimmicky. A lot of scenes were drawn out and repetitive. There's one part where Briddey and C.B. are trying to get from one part of a library to another part of the same library, and it takes them like 20 pages. It didn't turn me off enough to abandon the book, but I could see how it might with other readers. Then there's the name Briddey. Yes, maybe this is petty, but that's a horrible name, even explained as being "short" for Bridget, and I cringed every time I read it.

The good parts of this book outweighed the negatives. It's a romantic comedy with a sci-fi twist, and I happen to really enjoy romantic comedies when done well. Which this one is. I like the whole "couple who spar together stay together" trope. Mark Darcy and Bridget Jones (who no one ever called Briddey, but I digress). George Knightly and Emma Woodhouse. I liked most of the characters in this book, but I did feel Trent was a bit transparent. When you discover the truth about him you won't be surprised. I loved Maeve, Briddey's niece who spends every waking minute trying to outmaneuver her crazy warden of a mother, but I do think the author made a mistake with her age-- she's supposed to be 9 but acts more like 12. And of course this book has a HEA ending that's expected but satisfying at the same time.

Overall impressions: if you've ever thought sci-fi books should be more like romantic comedies, this is the one for you. This is my first Connie Willis book, but I'm excited to read more from her.

Gotta Have It!: YA Edition

Does anyone remember the "Chinpokemon" episode of South Park? Well, it had a very catchy commerical tune about seeing something and then feeling "I gotta buy it... really want it... gotta have it."

So with that stuck in my head, I decided to make a list of the YA releases coming up in the next few months that I gotta have. Now, this isn't a complete list, because I have a couple of YA ARCs on my Kindle that I'm pretty excited about. These are upcoming titles I won't be able to review before they come out on Amazon. *Sigh* The struggle of the no-name blogger.

1. Always and Forever, Lara Jean by Jennie Han (April 7, 2017)

I was a bit surprised to see this pre-order come up in my Amazon recommendations list. Jennie Han has always insisted this series was completed with the second book. But I'm not disappointed to see the return of Lara Jean. I am interested in this line from the book blurb: She is head over heels in love with her boyfriend, Peter. I have to admit I'd like to know how that will pan out because, let's face it, Peter's a dick. And if book #3 is anything like #2, John Ambrose Whatever will go the way of Josh, and we'll never hear from him again. To roughly quote Gilmore Girls: "She's 17. I think she's right on schedule for a Peter." Ok, that has more implications than I intended.

Cover impressions: I see they're sticking with a 25-year-old model. They know we know, don't they? But as always, fake Lara Jean's surroundings are vintage and beautiful.

Purchase verdict: I don't own the other two books, so I'll be stalking my library's overdrive system for this one. As much as I enjoy this series, it's a little lightweight to be purchase worthy.

2. The Sun is Also a Star by Nicola Yoon (November 1, 2016)

Not a long wait for this one! I loved Yoon's first novel: Everything, Everything. I gave it 5 stars on Goodreads. This looks to be another YA romance with great characters. The reviews for this so far on Amazon and GR are promising.

Cover impressions: I see string art all over Pinterest these days, so this feels very on-trend to me. And of course it's pretty. And makes me want to figure out how to do string art.

Purchase verdict: Chances are good I'll buy this in hardback. And I hate hardbacks.

3. The Upside of Unrequited by Becky Albertalli (April 11, 2017)

Albertalli's debut novel, Simon vs. the Homo Sapiens Agenda, was one of the best books I've read in 2016. This was due in large part to Simon himself, who is one of the best YA characters I've come across. So I have a lot of trust in this author and high hopes for this book. As far as I can tell, this isn't up on Amazon yet, and the following information from the blurb comes from Goodreads: What does a sixteen-year-old girl have to do to kiss a boy? Molly Peskin-Suso wishes she knew. She’s crushed on twenty-six guys…but has kissed exactly none. Ok, so that summary doesn't get me tingly. But if Albertalli retains her sense of humor and heart for this book, I have no doubt it can be Simon worthy.

Cover impressions: Ugh. But the cover for Simon was also horrible.

Purchase verdict: Yes, gimme. I'll probably pre-order.

4. The Inexplicable Logic of My Life by Benjamin Alire Saenz (March 7, 2017)

Saenz's first book, Aristotle and Dante Discover the Secrets of the Universe, is near the top of my to-read pile, and I'm excited by this new release. The blurb on Amazon is short: 

Sal used to know his place with his adoptive gay father, their loving Mexican American family, and his best friend, Samantha. But it’s senior year, and suddenly Sal is throwing punches, questioning everything, and realizing he no longer knows himself. If Sal’s not who he thought he was, who is he? This humor-infused, warmly humane look at universal questions of belonging is a triumph. 

So, really, this could go in a hundred different directions. I look forward to the ride.

Cover impressions: Yeah, ok, it's nice. But it's very similar to the cover of Aristotle and Dante. What's up with series-like covers for stand alone books now?

Purchase verdict: I put in a request for an ARC of this book, but I'm not hopeful. I think I will buy it, but I'll wait until it comes out in paperback.

The Graveyard Apartment

The Graveyard Apartment by Mariko Koike (translated by Deborah Boliver Boehm
On Sale October 11, 2016 by Thomas Dunne Books (originally published in 1986)
Rating: ★★★★

A large, modern apartment conveniently located in metro Tokyo. It's surrounded by a graveyard, a crematorium, and a Buddhist temple-- but the price to die for.

Misao and Teppei are married and have a young daughter, but in ways their happiness, and the very legitimacy of their relationship, is marred by a tragedy involving Teppei's first wife. They buy an apartment in a brand-new luxury building, proud to finally have a space that's truly "theirs." Their new home is spacious and affordable, but the graveyard view from the balcony is a bit unsettling. Almost from the start, strange things start to happen inside their new building, and most of it centers around the basement, which is only accessible by an elevator that stops working at the most inopportune times. This book definitely relies on the slow burn to create tension and horror. The pace doesn't really pick up until the end, when it's make or break the Kano family.

I do wonder if some elements of this book get lost in (cultural) translation. What happens to Teppei's first wife is mentioned so frequently, I became convinced it would tie into rest of the plot, but, no, nothing. And just the detail of what happened to her, on it's own, does not add an aura of eeriness or suspense to American audiences. There are suggestions that the freaky happenings inside the apartment building are connected to a city planning project from the 1960's, but I never fully understood why. I can't decide if the subtlety of this book is frustrating or refreshing. 3.5 stars.

The Hating Game

The Hating Game by Sally Thorne
Published August 9, 2016 by William Morrow
Rating: ★★★

"I type my password: IHATEJOSHUA4EV@. My previous passwords have all been variations on how much I hate Joshua. For ever."

Lucy Hutton hates Joshua Templeton with every fiber of her being. In fact, these days, hating him is about all she's doing with her life. Ever since the personable publishing house she works for merged with a heartless, number crunching competitor, Lucy spends countless hours at work. She lost her best friend in the merger, and her super supportive parents live hours away. Now, she and her nemesis are up for the same promotion, and the loser has to resign. Will she lose her job, too?

I liked this book well enough, but I was really expecting it to be more fun (and funny) than it was. The bit about the passwords is the only genuine laugh I had the entire book. It starts off with a misstep, going into the business merger instead of the meat of Lucy's war with Joshua. The two don't seem to antagonize each other all that much. If you're expecting Jim/Dwight levels of office shenanigans, you'll be disappointed. 

The characters didn't seem consistent to me. As the story progresses, Lucy starts having "freak outs" that didn't plague her earlier in the book. Joshua gets more socially awkward and closed off. The romance just didn't work for me. I didn't buy the characters together.

I'm seeing it more and more in chick-lit type books, but the dialogue tagging was at times incorrectly done and confusing. How does this keep getting past editors?

Overall impressions: Devoted chick-lit fans will find a lot to like in this book, but other audiences might want to think twice.

The Row

The Row by J. R. Johansson
On Sale October 11, 2016 by Farrar, Straus and Giroux
Rating: ★★★★

Having a father on death row has never been easy for Riley. Just six when her father was convicted of murdering three women, she's spent her life moving from place to place-- never too far from the prison, but hopefully far enough that no one will figure out who she is. But they always do. Neighbors leave threatening notes, kids at school make fun of her, and her mother has been let go of more jobs than she can remember. The one thing Riley has clung to, her life raft through the choppy waters of guilt by association and social isolation, is the fact that her father is an innocent man.

Then one day, his execution imminent, her father confesses to her, and it turns Riley's world inside out.

Her dad takes back his confession almost immediately, but it's too late to restore Riley's faith is him. Either way, he's lied to her, and it makes her wonder what else he's hiding. She's also distrustful of her mother, who has stopped visiting her father each week and is always at work. Riley is determined to discover the truth behind her parents, no matter what she discovers. Eager to help her is her new, and only, friend, Jordan. But he just happens to be the son of the cop who arrested Riley's father, and he believes the right man is already behind bars. 

I've always believed my parents-- always.

If that sounds naive, it's in part because Riley comes across as much younger than seventeen. I cringed the million times she calls her father "Daddy." I don't know if this down-aging is a problem with her characterization, or if the author has made a deliberate effort to make it seem as if Riley is suffering arrested development on account of her father's conviction.

The mystery part of this book surpassed my expectations. I was pretty sure I had it figured out, and I was so wrong. I loved the ending. The romance didn't impress me as much. I liked some aspects of Jordan, but he wasn't a very realistic character. Right after meeting Riley, he becomes oddly obsessed with helping her, and, honestly, she's a pill toward him the bulk of the time. I don't know what Jordan is getting out of their relationship.

Overall impressions: this is a solid YA mystery novel.