New Favorite Book

By Charlotte

Book Review: Jane Eyre by Charlotte Bronte

Official FC Rating:

I just returned this book to the library and now I'm sitting in a puddle of my own tears, totally pining for it. 

If you'll remember, Jane Eyre was one of Liz's favorite books she read in 2015. When we wrote down our reading goals for 2016, we also agreed to set challenges for each other. I challenged Liz to read the Harry Potter series (for the sake of her soul!) and she challenged me to read three books from her list of 2015's favorites. I chose Jane Eyre first because I didn't realize it was 680 pages long. The nerve. I'm glad I didn't realize just how heavy it was, because I might have shrunk away in fear. But! Things worked out, I read the book, and I am better for it. Damn, it was amazing. It is, I think, my new favorite (not counting Harry Potter). (Actually, I think it is going to be my forever favorite. You know how people are asked what their favorite book is and they can immediately answer, "Pride and Prejudice!" or whatever? This may sound odd, but I feel like I've never been able to do that, since no book has spoken to me quite like Harry Potter, and Harry Potter is, um, seven books. Charlotte Bronte has solved this problem for me. Thank you, Queen Bronte. And I guess thank you, Lizette, too. ;) 

Yes, anyway, back to Jane Eyre. The writing takes some getting used to. That's true of most classics, I think. But it's great writing, once you get the hang of it. It took me about 70 pages before I started to appreciate just how beautiful the actual writing was. I don't need to go on about the writing - it's a classic, everyone knows it's good. I'm just saying, if you're like me and usually struggle with classics for a hot minute, stick with it. You'll get used to it.

There's not a ton to say since it's a classic and people have been reading it, and writing about it, for literal generations. Here are my main thoughts:

I loved the independence and resilience of Jane.

I loved her ability to stay humble while still understanding her worth. (Though I was mad at/for her several times throughout the novel when she'd accept no compliment or treat.)

I was intrigued by Rochester. I adored him (not at first). 

I liked how many themes Bronte played with. She did so brilliantly.

It dealt with the ideas of atonement and redemption and forgiveness well. And I love when a novel does this well. (Unlike, to an extent, The Kite Runner. Ahem.)

I really liked some of the other characters, particularly Diana. I think it was Diana, anyway... 

"My pale little elf" is my newest favorite term of endearment. 

The dialogue between Jane and Rochester was enchanting. 

I liked that I felt as though I was reading a beautiful love story while reading about a woman overcoming abuse and neglect while reading about morality. Again, a nod to Charlotte Bronte. 

Basically I loved everything about this book. If you're new to classics, pick this one. If you're looking for strong female characters, pick this one. If you're looking for a bit of feminism, pick this one. If you're looking for a romance, pick this one. Just pick this one.

Liz said Jane Eyre, as a character and as a novel, will stick with her for years to come. I quite agree. 

__

Char      

If You Love Soup...

By Charlotte

Book Review: Broth and Stock from The Nourished Kitchen

Official FC Rating:

...then you need this book. 

This book was delivered to the house and approximately three hours later I'd finished reading it. And then passed it along to others to read. It's been a hit with everyone. It's organized terrifically, beginning with lessons on how to make broth (obviously) and then listing recipes by type (poultry, meat, fish, vegetable). So it's good if you happen to be one of those freaks who smile at all well-organized things (hand in the air) and if you're into any kind of soup. This book is just as useful for the carnivore as it is for the vegan. I'm a Ron Swanson kind of person when it comes to food and I tend to joke-mock people who don't eat meat (all in good fun...) but let me tell you, this book has got me reconsidering my priorities. 

Don't get me wrong, I'll make and love some of the meat recipes. But for the first time maybe ever I read some of the vegetable recipes and thought, "whoa, I need to make this!" Highly unusual, and, I think, a testament to the quality of this book. 

I'd recommend this book to anyone. I often lament my lack of basic kitchen knowledge, and this book may just put an end to that. I know how to cook well enough, but I'm excited to use broth I make myself instead of buy. You know. Also! Cuts down on food waste since it tells you how to use virtually every piece of meat, bone, etc. (There's even a "kitchen scrap broth" that includes using peels and skins you'd normally throw in a compost bin.) And we all know cutting down on waste is hot.

If nothing I'm saying sounds surprising to you because you're some kind of kitchen wiz, buy the book for the recipes. If the things I'm saying are new to you - I've never heard of using onion peels for broth - then buy the book for the nice basics and for the recipes. Basically if you're a human person and you need to eat food to stay nourished and alive, buy the book. 

The pictures are nice, too. ;)  

__

Char

Disclaimer: I received a complimentary copy of this book from the Blogging For Books program in exchange for this review. All opinions are my own.

The Book of Esther: A Novel

By Charlotte
Book Review: The Book of Esther: A Novel by Emily Barton
Official FC Rating:

Badass, feminist, imaginative, historical.  

I devoured this book. Or maybe it devoured me. 

Let me start by saying that this book is a lot. Barton's writing is awesome, but dense. The vast majority of the reviews I've read for this book mention "info-dumping" and the use of other languages without translation. They're not wrong, but... I almost feel as though these reviewers can't have actually finished the book. The first chapter is the hardest. I put the book down twice (to pick up Harry Potter, of course) because I just couldn't get into the first chapter. But I finally pushed through it, and hot damn I'm glad I did. I went on to finish it in two days because I could not put it down. 

THAT SAID, I don't necessarily recommend you immediately drop everything and buy the book. Rent it from your library. Or finish this review and read other reviews before dropping $25 on it. 

Because the people who didn't love this book bring up good points. I've seen folks complain that there are too many mystical elements. There are animated clay figures called Golems. There are mechanical horses in the 20th century. There's a man who was born a woman but transformed into a man when he prayed for it while bathing. There's a werewolf. There's also the fact that hundreds rally behind a teenage girl, willfully following her into war. Naturally, people complain that it's a lot to believe. To which I say: just get past it! In the beginning of the book I also struggled to believe everything that was put in front of me. But once I just stopped thinking so hard about it (it's historical fiction, after all), I was able to just relax and thoroughly enjoy the book.

The other major complaints I've seen, and which I feel I need to address before telling anyone to go buy it, are the complaints of language and too much info. Barton uses language throughout the novel that most of us won't understand (Hebrew? Yiddish? Combo? I don't know.) She often translates it, but not always. It was occasionally frustrating, but mostly I thought it was easy enough to understand through context. When I couldn't guess the meaning, I just... got over it. It really doesn't happen enough to distract from the story. Despite not always understanding the occasional blurbs of other-language, I understood and followed the plot. It didn't interfere with character development or rising action or, or, or. And yet, many, many people seemed to really dislike this feature of the book. So I figure it's worth mentioning. If you think this would bother you, it might not be worth reading. And then there's the issue of "info-dumping." There were some parts of the book that were just crazy laden with info - I don't mind it. I thought it was necessary to the story. But if you are more a dialogue and action guy or gal, it's something to consider. For all the info-dumping, though, I thought it was paced just fine. I never got bored.  

And yet, I really, really want to urge everyone to try this book out. It's one of the best books I've read in the last year (up there with The Tsar of Love and Techno by Anthony Marra and The Mapmaker's Children by Sarah McCoy). The writing was perfection - the kind that makes you think of silk and caramel and hot chocolate and tea and blankets and that attic from A Little Princess. I know you know what I mean. 

~Break to go watch A Little Princess. My dear, dear Sara.~ 

So other than the writing, what did I love about this book? First of all, it's historical fiction. It's one of my favorite genres, and I find it interesting. That said, it really stretches the genre since it flat out alters the world. There's a massive Jewish state between Germany and Russia during WWII. So we're not just reading a fictional story that feels real - we're reading something of fantasy. Also, the characters. Ah, the characters. We have Esther, of course. A young woman living in a society that has strict rules and expectations for women. She's high-born. She's set to marry (joyfully, it's to someone she loves). And yet she feels strongly that there's more to be done to defend her homeland when the Germanii begin to attack. ......So she does something. This book is feminist, and it's badass. We get a lot of other great characters as well, and they span young to old, religious to heretical to atheists to soulless. It was all at once exciting and nerve-wracking to watch how these characters would interact, how the story would unfold with so many different kinds of people needing to live among each other. 

I loved that I was never bored, despite how long it took to get to the climax of the book. I love that there were so many moments throughout the book that forced readers to hold their breath in suspense. There was plenty of action. I also happen to love war stories, don't know why, so I appreciated the latter half of the book just as much as the former. (It read historical fiction --> military fiction.)

And though I think it's a bold endeavor that could have been disastrous, I really loved that Barton mashed so many different genres together. At times this book felt religious. At times it felt like fantasy. It was fiction that felt real. I can't say enough good things about this book. 

Of course, I wasn't entirely pleased. Esther isn't perfect by any means. I found her lovable, but she was disappointing from time to time (nothing like Amir though, thank God). I also didn't love the ending - I thought it left too much unanswered. But it wasn't a bad ending, so I'm alright with that. 

Over all, I thought it was an amazing book. I love when we're given strong heroines. I love when my imagination has to stretch. I love reading really good writing. If you love these things too, I'd suggest getting your hands on this book. 

__

Char

p.s. If any of you read this book and also happen to be Jewish, let me know what you think of it! I'm Catholic and have only a basic understanding of Judaism, and throughout the book I wondered if being Jewish might change the perception of the book. 

Disclaimer: I received a complimentary copy of this book from the Blogging For Books program in exchange for this review. All opinions are my own.

Norwegian Wood

By Liz

Book Review: Norwegian Wood by Haruki Murakami

Official FC Rating:

When I was having a particularly rough day, my partner offered to get me a book while he was visiting one of my favorite bookstores that evening. I was in a negative place at the time- I had just had my terrible experience with The Bookshop, work was particularly stressful- I needed something I knew would be a comfort. At the time I had already read three of Haruki Murakami’s books (this is now my fourth) and loved them each, so I felt safe asking for Norwegian Wood.

Despite already feeling confident I’d enjoy this novel, somehow it still managed to surpass my expectations. It’s been years since a book has touched me like Norwegian Wood. When I finished reading, like I usually do, I skimmed some reviews on Goodreads. This review explains how I felt about this novel well:

“There are some books you read, which leave you with stories-bitter, exciting, adrenaline-driven, romantic, depressing or grisly. And then there are books which leave you with feelings. Norwegian Wood, most definitely, belongs to the second category.”

Norwegian Wood has sometimes been described simply as a love story, and other times as a coming-of-age story, but leaving the description to those terms is far too narrow for the scope of this work. Norwegian Wood is about our protagonist, Toru, as he learns to navigate the complicated worlds of death, love, life, and how each of these worlds intersect.

My dad died when I was 17. My mom got a call at 3 AM on April 29th, 2009, and I woke up to her crying- my dad had a sudden heart attack. In Norwegian Wood, Toru’s best friend, Kizuki, commits suicide on his 17th birthday. As Toru learns to cope with, and understand, death, I related greatly to his insights and feelings, especially since we both experienced loss during the same age period. When I read the below excerpt, I got chills- these words truly resonated with me:

"Death exists...and we go on living and breathing it into our lungs like fine dust."

Like Toru, after my dad died life and death became much more complicated concepts. Once you lose someone, so much of your very being changes. What touched me the most about this novel is how well it captures the impacts of death on your mental health, how you view the world, and how important it is to hold your loved ones close.

From the very first page of this novel, I noticed that stylistically it was very different from the other Murakami novels I’ve read. At first I thought that maybe it was because this novel was written by a different translator than the other Murakami novels I’ve read, but I don’t think this is the case because there were points in the novel where I thought “ah, here’s the kind of Murakami writing I am used to.” All of that being said, this novel is beautifully written in every way, from the story itself to the style of writing. I thought this particular excerpt was remarkably poetic and visual:

The more Murakami I read, the more I feel I am getting a grasp on his writing and what he is about. Like Kafka on the Shore (which I reviewed on GoodReads), Norwegian Wood was one more Murakami novel that helped me understand his various themes and philosophies. In this novel, and in his other novels, music, the importance of exercise, and the necessity of love, especially through trying times, are all themes throughout the text. Additionally, in my review of Kafka on the Shore, I mention how Murkami consistently resolves any possible monetary issues his lead characters could encounter and how I felt that he did this purposely so his characters would be free to develop themselves without restrictions. My suspicion of this was confirmed in Norwegian Wood.

Norwegian Wood is much more contemporary than Murakami’s other novels- it has less fantastical elements and is more grounded in reality. So, class issues were brought up in a very different way than his other novels. I feel the best example is through Midori’s struggle. Midori, one of Toru’s love interests, grew up in a working class neighborhood and worked her whole life in her family’s small shop. She was sent to private school and constantly felt ostracized because she couldn’t invite friends over to her small home, or couldn’t always go to a friend’s home. Midori frequently discusses how her family’s financial struggles greatly dictated how she could develop in life. On the opposite side of Midori is Toru’s friend, Nagasawa, who is exceptionally wealthy and, consequently, aloof, uncaring, and selfish. Both these characters emphasize how money can impact one’s development.

Class is also alluded to in other ways in the novel. For example, Toru often discusses how his favorite novel is The Great Gatsby. It’s no secret that The Great Gatsby is about how the American dream is unattainable- that it is impossible to both prosper under capitalism and maintain healthy and loving relationships. Without spoiling too much, the story of Nagasawa and his girlfriend, Hatsumi, very much mirrors the story of The Great Gatsby.

Norwegian Wood is frequently compared to The Catcher in the Rye, which makes sense given the themes they have in common. The main characters of both novels deal with internal struggles following the death of a loved one, both novels have themes regarding mental health, frustrations with society, and class issues.  The frustration of hypocrisy in society is an area where I felt the two novels were most strongly connected. At one point Midori shares with Toru a story about her experience joining a revolutionary student group on campus. She discusses how despite the students being highly educated about the theories of Marx and various other political theorists, none of the students had the patience to actually teach or discuss those theories. What angered Midori the most was undoubtedly how women in the group were treated in comparison to the men. This supposedly radical and progressive group still would make the women prepare meals for the meetings and would silence the women from actively taking part in discussions.

Finally, you can’t discuss a Murakami novel without discussing the importance of love. While figuring out how to cope with the death of Kizuki, Toru falls in love with Kizuki’s high school girlfriend, Naoko. Both Naoko and Toru truly get close after Kizuki’s death, however, the way both of them are able to handle his death is very different. Naoko and Kizuki knew each other since they were children. Having grown up together, she never felt they would be apart. After Kizuki dies, Naoko battles severe anxiety and depression that render her incapable of being in the “normal” world. Naoko checks herself into a sanitorium in a rural, mountainous region of Japan, where Toru keeps in touch with her via letters and occasional visits. While Naoko and Toru are apart, Toru eventually meets Midori, who in many regards is the total opposite of Naoko. WARNING: SPOILERS AHEAD!! I feel that Toru’s relationships with Naoko and Midori represent the different phases he enters following Kizuki’s death. Towards the end of the novel, while Toru still very much loves Naoko, he realizes that he is very much in love with Midori and wants to find happiness in life with her. By deciding to commit to Midori, this moment symbolizes that Toru is finally beginning to heal from Kizuki’s death.

Each paragraph I’ve written could easily be their own essays, and I could even go into more, but allow me to wrap this up (if I haven’t already bored you to death). This novel can get nothing less than five stars from me. It has everything you could want in  a book- an excellent plot and characters, complex and interesting themes, and beautifully written language. I laughed, I cried, and I related- this novel goes down as my favorite of the year.

Delightful Dickens

By Charlotte

Book Review: A Christmas Carol by Charles Dickens

Official FC Rating:

Every Christmas season I tell myself I'm going to read A Christmas Carol. And every Christmas season I fail to read A Christmas Carol. Bah humbug, indeed. 

Until now! I finally committed to reading it. I loved it. I've read some of Oliver Twist (If I remember correctly, I put it down to read Harry Potter instead. I truly have a problem.) so I knew I liked Dickens. His writing is a bit much to get through since we just don't write or speak like that anymore, but I enjoy it. A Christmas Carol didn't disappoint. 

I'll keep this short and sweet, just like the story. First of all, his characters are awesome. In my mind, he and Agatha Christie are similar in the way their main characters stick out. I can perfectly picture Poirot right down to his mannerisms, and it's because of the physical descriptions Christie offers just as much as the personality. The same is true of Dickens. Scrooge is such a vivid character. There's a reason this story has been adapted approximately 42,000 times and it's not just the message it sends. It's Scrooge. 

Also, also. Remember in school, when we were taught that three adjectives is the perfect number? I think Dickens would roll his eyes at that rule. There were several instances where he used a ton of adjectives, and instead of it feeling overdone or clunky, it added a sense of fun to the reading. I almost got a feeling of nonchalant urgency while reading it, if that's possible. It wasn't important to hurry and read a sentence, but you did anyway because of how it was structured; I pictured a really excellent storyteller reading the story aloud, and those sentences chock-full of adjectives turned into crescendos. Does that make sense? At all? It made it a really delightful read. If I try to sum A Christmas Carol up in one word, delightful is absolutely the word. 

Not that I really have to mention this since it's known across the world, but the moral of the story is a beautiful one. I anticipate reading this at least every other year. 

My point: Yes! Go read it! 

And of course, Merry Christmas! 

xoxo

Char 

The Tsar of Love and Techno

By Charlotte

Book Review: The Tsar of Love and Techno by Anthony Marra

Official FC Rating: 

A few weeks ago I asked my friends for book suggestions. I was really craving a good, good book. Specifically, I wanted something that could rival Ayana Mathis' The Twelve Tribes of Hattie. That book stuck with me like no other (okay, not as much as Harry Potter). Mathis' writing was just terrific. My friends gave some suggestions, but nothing I've read in a while has compared. 

Until Anthony Marra. Oh gosh. The Tsar of Love and Techno is a collection of stories, but they're so well done that it feels as though you're reading just one story. I loved The Twelve Tribes of Hattie - it left an indelible mark. But I think The Tsar of Love and Techno might be even better. The two are similar in that the writing is unbelievably good. It's not often that I have to put a book down just to let the writing sink in. Marra, like Mathis, is an exception. I found myself re-reading lines frequently, basking in the mastery of the English language. Really, the writing alone is enough to make this book a top-notch choice. 

Luckily for us, the writing is but the tip of the iceberg. Marra weaves together stories that span decades in a beautiful (and often unexpected) way. I was wary when I first picked up the book; I've read collections of stories before and too often they're choppy and lack cohesion. Not the case this time! No, sir! The stories were distinct, each with their own voice, but came together to form a larger story. Love that! Nothing is worse than reading stories and trying to figure out the point, the connections, the themes and finding only that the author was unsuccessful in providing us with those things. I was so glad that wasn't a problem with Tsar. Each story was riveting, and while I was eager to finish (How else are they connected?! Are we going to find out ___? etc), each had its own rising action and climax. The whole book was so wonderful to read. With the benefit of different narratives but the feel of a novel, I really can't recommend a better book.

Marra gives us tales of love, politics, family, and war. We start out by meeting a censor for the Soviets and end in outer space. The first story gave me chills, and the stories only get better, though there's no shortage of heartbreak. I'm scared of giving anything away by revealing how I felt and the end of the book (I couldn't figure out if I'd be happy or not as I approached the end!), but I will say this is one of those books you really, really ought to read. I have literally NO complaints. I liked everything about this book, from the meaty stories right to the font, the page thickness, and the cover. I kid you not. AND Marra even mentions Harry Potter a few times, and you all know that's a ticket straight to my heart. 

Conclusion: Get thyself to a bookstore or a library and retrieve this book! You won't regret it. 

____

Char

Disclaimer: I received a complimentary copy of this book from the Blogging For Books program in exchange for this review. All opinions are my own. 

I Know Why the Caged Bird Sings

By Charlotte
Book Review: I Know Why the Caged Bird Sings by Maya Angelou
Official FC Rating: 

This book was very well written (I mean obviously, it's Maya Angelou) and so very enjoyable... but it also took me longer to read than most books do. My reading level probably isn't what it ought to be. Remedy: Read! More! Books!

Even if they're harder to read, extremely well written books are my favorite. Not only do we get to delight in a beautiful story, but we also get to sit and marvel at the English language. Reading it gave me the same sort of feeling I experienced after reading The Twelve Tribes of Hattie by Ayana Mathis (though, and I feel like this is nearly blasphemy, but I think I enjoy Mathis' writing more than Angelou's). It's autobiography, but she does such a wonderful job writing it that it feels like a beloved piece of literature.  

Angelou's story is beautiful, if haunting. There are very, very sad parts. But she writes us her life from childhood on, and despite all of the hard circumstances or violent actions, she makes us smile often. She writes with total authenticity, giving us glimpses of childhood in such a way that transports the reader to Stamps, Arkansas. I've read many memoirs, biographies, and autobiographies, and none have made me feel quite as present as Angelou's. Her writing is vivid and honest, and it feels like a privilege and a treat to be able to read her story of self discovery and confidence. 

Bottom line: I'd recommend this book to anyone. Especially in our current political climate. Many of the things Maya Angelou experienced are things people still experience today. Read this book for the writing but also for the story of a black woman in America.

__

Char

Pie in the Sky

By Charlotte 

Book Review: The Four & Twenty Blackbirds Pie Book - Uncommon Recipes From the Celebrated Brooklyn Pie Shop by Emily Elsen and Melissa Elsen

Official FC Rating: 

This book was given to me as a Christmas gift and I love it. There are so many great things about it.  The authors are sisters who run a pie shop and the way they write about their family, their history, and their work is really endearing. It’s also well organized, which is great for me. I’m easily distracted and I tend to feel a little overwhelmed if I don’t have clear cut ways of doing things.  IT’S SO HARD TO LIVE. But yeah, the book. The recipes are organized by season! It’s so terrific to not have to go real nutsy looking for a recipe and just turning to that season’s page instead. Boom: right there, right now.

Another terrific thing? It’s aesthetically pleasing. I know that’s not the single most important thing, but for me it adds to the overall quality of a book, especially a book of this nature. ~eat with your eyes~ This book is really beautiful. I won’t lie, I’m known to just randomly pluck it off the shelf to look at it for no reason. It’s just so lovely.

I should win an award for this stellar photography.

I use recipes for meals from the internet fairly often, but I enjoy using recipes from books more. That’s true for all kinds of food, but definitely for desserts. I don’t know, it’s a quirk. This book includes over 60 recipes (around 50-ish for pies and some more for different kinds of crusts) and so is a great resource to have on hand at any moment.

And lucky thing, because I love pie. LOVE PIE. So there is really no better thing than a big fat book filled with all the info I need. BECAUSE I LOVE PIE.

See? I love it.

(Also, do you love Gilmore Girls? You SHOULD love Gilmore Girls. And if you're a true fan, you know pie is a beloved dessert of the GG. Lorelai would buy this book. She'd never use it, but she'd have it. Sookie would use it. If you love Gilmore Girls, you should probably own this book.)

If you want a general dessert book, I don’t know if this is the book for you because it’s just pie. No cake or muffins or anything. But if you know where it’s at and have recognized that pie is THE prime dessert anyway, then good gravy, go buy this book! There are pies for EVERY season. It’s perfect for any kind of party you might be hosting.

This book was so good, you might say.... it's to pie for.* 

xoxo

Char 

*sorry

Why Not Me? or, Mindy Kaling's New Book

By Charlotte

Book Review: Why Not Me? By Mindy Kaling

Official FC Rating:

Oh, gosh. I am such a huge fan of Mindy Kaling. (As we know.) I loved her last book, but this one was even better. I'm more than ten years younger than Kaling, so this might sound stupid, but this book seemed more mature than the last one (less superficiality, although a little bit of that is great) and it was hilarious. I laughed out loud several times, I nodded along, and I uttered the word "preach" more times than I did when I watched Sister Act 2, so... This book gets five out of five stars from me.

Let's start off with the truly important aspects of the book: Its looks. The font is so pretty, which is something normal people might not notice, but yeah, that shipped sailed, I notice it. The cover is light and airy, I like the pops of gold, the back cover is hilarious, and the inside has the coolest design. I know the old adage, but I almost always judge books based on their covers, and this one is sublime. I know you're probably not reading this for a summary of the design, so I'm going to talk about the book itself... but first let me post a few pictures: 

You mean you don't take pics of books on old chairs with a denim jacket casually hanging in the background?

A diagram of her heart: Stephen Colbert, Light Personal Drama, Heavy Celebrity Drama, Rebels, Authority, among others.

There are cheeseburgers in this design. Made me hungry, but I've forgiven her. 

Alright, alright. On to the important stuff.

Mindy's book is a steady stream of funny. People can knock essays or humor, but they don't get it. Being consistently funny isn't the easiest thing to do when you're writing to an invisible audience. I try it when I write blog posts, and if you've ever read any of my blog posts, you know I usually fail. A sense of humor might come naturally - I think I'm funny in situations and conversations. But writing 220 pages without faltering in the humor department? That's talent. Straight up talent. If you're a funny person, love a funny person, or wish you were a funny person, I'd recommend this book.

If you're into autobiographies and you're in Mindy's target audience (women and gay men, I imagine she'd say), you might love this book. I love autobiographies, but there's something great about a collection of personal essays instead. I felt as though I were reading Her Life Story, but in reality we're reading just some of her life's stories. This is better because it means she can write twenty more books of life stories and we won't get bored. 

Kaling writes about her career, her romantic relationships, her friendships, and more. What I most admired while reading this book was that it's so chill and funny, but never once did I think that Mindy wasn't a serious or dedicated person. Her work ethic and love for her friends and family shine through, even though it's a funny book.

And my God, it's a funny book. And super easy to relate to! Some examples: 

When discussing how she sometimes gets overwhelmed by her work and cries, she says she just has to remember, "Mindy, you have literally the best life in the world besides that hot lawyer who married George Clooney." I feel that I can say, with completely certainty, that all of humankind agrees with Mindy; Amal Clooney is the most badass woman with a badass life and we envy her.

"People who say breakfast should be the biggest meal are insane. You can't have dessert at breakfast."

When she and her friend went to a White House State Dinner they were introduced thusly: "Miss Mindy Kaling and her best friend from Dartmouth College, Miss Jocelyn Leavitt." Excuse me for five minutes as I crack up. Okay, so maybe most of us can't relate to that (though I've shaken hands with the president...), but it's funny as hell.

After she tells us she is capable of completely detaching from someone emotionally: "That's why I'm always saying I would be a great serial murderer." 

There is so much more where these came from. You really must read her book! 

I'm kind of mad I even like Mindy Kaling. Usually I'm far behind - I'm just now watching Friends, by the time I started watching Gilmore Girls it was already airing as reruns on ABC Family - you get the idea. I've accepted that it's an indication that I'm a bit of a lame-o, but I sort of like it because I never have to wait with anticipation. Do you know what I mean? I was able to skip school and read the entire Hunger Games trilogy because it was so old, all the books were published. I don't have to wait a week to watch Parenthood, I just binge on Netflix. This is how I wish it were with Mindy Kaling's stuff. Assuming she writes another book - I don't want to wait! I just want to read it now! Because that's how fabulous her books are. I loved everything about Why Not Me? 

Also, also, Mindy mentions that since she's become more famous, a lot of women say they'd like to be her best friend. She lists a few pros of being her best friend, and two of them are that she can deal with ex-boyfriend situations and that she's always up for dessert. Yes, please, I'd like to be your friend! (The ex boyfriend thing isn't relevant because I can't even land a bf in the first place, but dessert is one of my favorite things. Ever.)

So yes. Read this book. It was wonderful, entertaining, and well-written. And it was laugh out loud funny - always a good thing. 

xoxo

Char      

Disclaimer: I received a complimentary copy of this book from the Blogging For Books program in exchange for this review. All opinions are my own.