A lot of humor and a lotta heart. 326 pages of pure entertainment.
Like a lot of reviews I've read, Semple didn't quite stick the landing for me -- I A lot of humor and a lotta heart. 326 pages of pure entertainment.
Like a lot of reviews I've read, Semple didn't quite stick the landing for me -- I didn't enjoy the longer first person narratives quite as much as the documents. To be fair though, I *loved* the docs, so that's not much of a complaint. Part of me feels Semple tied everything together too tidily, and part of me wonders what's wrong with tidy? I got the ending I wanted, afterall (though I do wonder what's to become of Soo-Lin...) and I was happy quickly flipping pages until I got there.
Something I'd gladly read again and already plan to share the crap out of....more
GENIUS. As usual. When I saw this on the shelf at the store I made my husband come stand by me while I read it aloud to him. There were no children wiGENIUS. As usual. When I saw this on the shelf at the store I made my husband come stand by me while I read it aloud to him. There were no children with us. We were both chuckling by the TITLE PAGE, people.
This series just keeps getting better, if you ask me. Can't get enough of those hot dog party references....more
I love Marcel. I LOVE him, Internet. But I do not totally love this book. Here's why: as nicely painted as its pages are, I don't understand why it's I love Marcel. I LOVE him, Internet. But I do not totally love this book. Here's why: as nicely painted as its pages are, I don't understand why it's painted at all. Especially since the paintings are clearly based on photographs that could have been used to greater effect. Marcel is absurd looking. That's what's so great about seeing him inhabit real spaces. Painted images decrease that sense of reality that is so key to Marcel's humor. Still funny, of course, but real spaces, and of course Jenny Slate's voice and timing are what make Marcel Marcel.
I would love to see this done photographically as more of a coffee table book full of LOTS of quotes. That would make it more of an item for people who are already fans, whereas the picture book format aims to meet a different, newer audience, I think. But that's what I'd like, please....more
Short review: Super-duper feel-good funny book. Loved it and can't wait to share it with... every gal I know. Pretty much.
And in a few more words: If Short review: Super-duper feel-good funny book. Loved it and can't wait to share it with... every gal I know. Pretty much.
And in a few more words: If you don’t know anything about Mindy Kaling, or you don’t like her character Kelly Kapoor on The Office, or think she is her character Kelly Kapoor on The Office and are therefore expecting this to be a bunch of TMZ gossip/Hollywood garbage, or (like me, tbh) you just don’t watch The Office anymore.. WHO CARES READ THIS ANYWAY! In Kaling’s own words, Is Everyone Hanging Out Without Me? is about “romance, female friendships, unfair situations that now seem funny in retrospect, unfair situations that I still don’t think are funny, Hollywood, heartache, and my childhood. Just that really hard-core, masculine stuff men love to read about.” And in my words: this is an absolute feel-good read that I want to hand out to literally every woman I know. It’s funny for sure, but it’s also wonderfully sweet and refreshingly normal. She’s this perfectly friendly combination of chic, clever, successful and grounded and it’s a pleasure to feel like you’re buddying up next to her reading this.
Stand out essays include Kaling’s thoughts on friendship (Best Friend Rights and Responsibilities), marriage (Married People Need to Step it Up), and body image (Chubby for Life).
I remember being in first grade, in Mrs. Gilmore’s class at Fiske Elementary School, and seeing that Ashley Kemp, the most popular girl in our class, weighed only thirty-seven pounds. We knew this because we weighted her on the industrial postal scale they kept in the teacher’s supply closet. I was so envious. I snuck into the supply closet later that same day to weight myself. I was a whopping sixty-eight pounds.
Some of the first math I understood was that i was closer to twice Ashley’s weight than to her weight.
“Don’t be closer to TWICE a friend’s weight than to her actual weight,” I told myself. This little mantra has helped me stave off obesity for more than two decades.
For fans of Bossypants and Bridget Jones’ Diary alike. Even some dudes. And if none of that has got you sold on this book, check out the childhood photo of Kaling on the back cover. Then tell me you don't want to own it....more
Starts out with a ton of hilarious promise. LOL, LOL, LOL until about 160 pages in. That's when Bray's style takes a sharp turn and some unfortunate eStarts out with a ton of hilarious promise. LOL, LOL, LOL until about 160 pages in. That's when Bray's style takes a sharp turn and some unfortunate experimentation with magical realism begins. I can understand taking a note from the excellent Karen Russell when writing from the perspective of the character of Mary Lou, a self-described "wild girl" meant to teach us all that there is nothing dirty, sinister, or at all wrong with female sexuality, however overt it may be. But you can't change your style for one wolfish,witchy character if every other character, regardless of how diverse (and they're all meant to be extremely diverse -- every shade of girl power in the rainbow) they are, is going to be written in another singular tone. It didn't work for me and the whole time I was reading those MaryLou moments I was moaning and groaning when I just wanted to be LOLing some more. "More Taylor Crystal Rene Hawkins! Please, Libba!" I thought. "Where has Miss Texas got to??"
There's nothing subtle about Beauty Queen's feminist agenda and I gotta, gotta, gotta be grateful to Libba Bray for writing what so many would not, even if I would have appreciated a little less megaphone myself. This book is straight-up zany, but if Entertainment Weekly wants to recommend it, then that's as good a way as any to sneak messages of female empowerment into the mainstream. And truly I found the scene where Adina refuses to have sex without a condom and verbalizes her anger at her partner for trying to talk her into something she has already said no to, to be extremely welcome -- nay -- needed. Thank you not just for showing safe sex, but for making a girl speak up about how bad the pressure to go against your guts feels in a very raw and real way.
A silly, action-packed summer read that aims in no uncertain terms to teach us that sexuality is beautiful, that girldom is great, and that everybody ought to just go ahead an be their own damn selves. When that's your premise, can you help but be a bit hokey? I don't know. Bray attempted a whole lot here, and trying to be all-encompassing may have been her only real shortcoming. Too much for 400 pages, but still worth the read. I LOL just picturing Miss Texas......more
Choppy and sort of all over the place but, really, I don't care because this woman is brilliant. If you aren't laughing, you ain't readin' right. The Choppy and sort of all over the place but, really, I don't care because this woman is brilliant. If you aren't laughing, you ain't readin' right. The most borrowed book on my shelf....more
I'm not sure why I waited so long to read these. I guess, like Bean being told to hang out with Ivy, I just wasn't interested. The books looked... cutI'm not sure why I waited so long to read these. I guess, like Bean being told to hang out with Ivy, I just wasn't interested. The books looked... cute. Not particularly interesting. And they sell themselves, as most chapter books do. But man, was I wrong. I was gafawing out loud while reading these, surprised by how "inappropriate" (by which I mean true to actual child behavior and play) it was. These aren't just great because they're funny, but because they're so accurate. And weird and random and a little gross. Real little girls paint themselves to look like witches (blood tears and all) and fill buckets with worms, and get mad at their bossy older sisters. As a grown person, this was a pleasure to read because it reminded me of what it felt like to play with my own best friend in second grade. And the illustration, though sometimes the expressions strike me as garish, at other points really pleased me; I'm a sucker, as most kids are (or at least as I was as a kid) for any sort of mapping. Blackall maps their route through the court backyards (stinky piles of dog poo included) and she dissects Ivy's bedroom as described in the book. I loved it. The only thing keeping this from being a 5 star rating is the fact that, while I appreciate how well Barrows captures childhood experience, this is still a story. It's not real life. I don't need to be taught a lesson, per se, but our heroine Bean seems to be bad just to be bad, without repercussion.
One another note, the boxed sets for these books are fantastic little packages. Set 1, including books 1-3, contains a fourth bonus "book" -- a hollowed out novel to house a "top secret" notebook. Totally awesome....more
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