Let's Pretend This Never Happened: A Mostly True Memoir by Jenny Lawson

Format: Hardcover

Pages: 318

Source: Own (Book Outlet)

Genres: NonFiction, Memoir, Humor

Publisher: Amy Einhorn: Putnam

Publication date: April 17th, 2012

Thoughts: First a confession, I bought this book based solely on my memory of everyone singing praises to it, but I had completely forgotten what it was about, let alone that it was a nonfiction book. But even then, I was not disappointed one single bit.

This book was just amazing. Maybe because I didn't know what to expect I was entertained all the way. I was laughing out loud in the metro...which got me very awkward looks from other commuters, but you know what? I didn't care, not one bit. It has been so long since a book makes me loose myself so deep in it that I don't really care about giggling and shaking my head in the bus, while others look at me as if I had issues.

The book, as the title mentions is a memoir of Jenny Lawson, also known as The Bloggess and here is the main thing about her: she is hilarious in that way that you just say stuff and they are inherent funny. Her voice (her book voice, JIC) is extremely vivid; half of the book I felt like she was right there and that just makes it even funnier, when you can feel the sarcasm, wit, etc. in her writing. That's my type of humor. 

On bloggers. #letspretendthisneverhappened #amreading

A photo posted by CaroGomez (@carolikesbooks) on Jun 9, 2015 at 3:50am PDT

From her childhood dealing with quite disturbing puppets, to finding the love of her life, becoming a mom, getting friends and starting her own taxidermy collection, Lawson manages to bring humor to all of this, even when having panic attacks or darker stuff. There are heavy subjects here and I will agree with the author that if you are easily offended you should probably stay away from this book. Otherwise, go ahead and enjoy it. She is so earnest about how she feels and sees things going around her, and she has probably nailed the best definition to everyone who has blogged even for a little while. Definitely one of the best books I've read this year. 

Black Milk: On the Conflicting Demands of Writing, Creativity, and Motherhood by Elif Shafak

A photo posted by CaroGomez (@carolikesbooks) on May 22, 2015 at 2:30pm PDT

Format: Paperback

Pages: 288

Source: Own (Book Outlet)

Genres: NonFiction, Memoir, Motherhood

Publisher: Penguin Books

Publication date: July 31st, 2012

Thoughts: I am not a mother, and for the longest time I thought I would never be. However, recently this thought has changed and I as start to think about the possibility of maybe, some day, having a child, I've started to be more and more curious of other women's experiences. When I heard Elif Shafak's talk in TED, I knew I wanted to read something of her and so I bought Honor but as I was checking out I saw that she also had this nonfiction book, Black Milk and decided to also go for it. I am very happy I did.

From the begging the book grabbed me, so much that for the first time in years I wrote, underlined and dog-eared a book. So many things she was saying that I wanted to mark down, for future me. Shafak's shares with the reader her own debating with settling down, getting married and then with being both a writer and a mother. All the parts of herself, represented in "Thumbelinas" or little women inside of herself, fighting to take prevalence, all the extremes that she put herself through thinking that all this sides of her where incompatible. Then, after her daughter is born, the depression that afflicted her. At the same time, she alternates with other writer's experiences with motherhood.

I took this book with me on a short flight, with a long wait, which allowed me to dive in it and read it almost in one sitting. Her writing is incredibly fluid and the way she describes her surroundings as well as the turmoil that was taking place in her heart embraces the reader easily. While I am still not ready to be a mother, seeing and reading about all possible outcomes, both joyous and sad helps me be a bit less afraid of whatever is to come. 

Popular: Vintage Wisdom for a Modern Geek by Maya van Wagenen

Format: Hardcover

Pages: 272

Series: NA

Source: Library

Genres: Nonfiction, Advice, Memoir

Publisher: Dutton Books for Young Readers (Penguin Random House)

Publication date: April 15, 2014

First impression

I got this book last Christmas as a gift from very dear friends. With a line found in the jacket I was hooked:

Can curlers, girdles, Vaseline and a strand of pearls help a shy girl become popular?  

You see, I love pearls.

 

This was a very sweet read, and it felt like it was indeed written by a 14 year old girl, and I mean that in a good way. Sure, she had editors, but her voice is obviously there, she reminded me of my little cousin (she is 15 now) and her way to see the world. It reminded me of 15yo me and how all I wanted at a certain point is to be one of the “it” girls. I thought I was going to be rolling my eyes often when looks and appearance would be discussed, and I did roll them a couple of times, but not as much as I expected. Maya finishes with a very sweet, endearing tone that made me want to hug her.

Final thoughts

Maya van Wagenen considers herself to be in the lowest rank of popularity in her school, but when she founds Betty Cornell’s teenage popularity guide she decides to try a little experiment: she will follow the books advice (keep in mind this is a book written in the 1950s) and see if that takes her from top to bottom. Going from hair, to posture, to diet, to attitude, Maya sticks to her plan, without telling anyone out if her family. This book is her memoir of that year.

I had my first problem with the book when the first chapter was dedicated to figure problems… remember she was a 14yo at the time she was writing this and thinking of someone that young dieting was not easy to swallow, even if her doctor said she was “borderline obese” (for the record, in the pictures she does NOT look borderline obese). But my anxiety went down knowing that 1. She wasn’t obsessing about the diet 2. The diet, while reducing on fat foods, still kept a fair amount of protein, vegetables and fruits, and most importantly 3. She was doing it with her parent’s supervision and not taking it to extremes. Other problems are probably related with the fact that I am no longer a teenager, so let’s not mull over that for too long.

I enjoyed the little bits of her life thrown in with the experiment, this is what made it feel like a real teen diary. I loved how she took a bit of knowledge of each chapter, of each “challenge” and particularly how, when she started talking to a lot of the different clicks, you can see that she is growing more and more comfortable in her skin. And that is why I would recommend this book to my little cousin…and for everyone looking for a short, endearing book that would make you feel better at the end of it…and walk with a better posture ;)

Yes, Please by Amy Poehler

Format: Audiobook

Pages: NA

Series: NA

Source: Own (Audible)

Genres: Non fiction, Memoir

Publisher: Harper Audio

Publication date: October 28, 2014

First impression

I've like Amy Poehler for a while now; I first saw her on SNL and enjoyed most of her characters, but mostly her and Tina Fey on Weekend Update. I read Bossypants and enjoyed it, so when I first heard about Poehler getting her own book out I knew I was going to read it. That said, I am very happy I went for the audio, since it is read, not only by her, but she has several guest narrators, that made the experience even more delightful. The book is funny without being solely that, it has very honest moments and a lot of heartfelt messages, about her career but also her personal life.

If you are lucky, there is a moment in your life when you have some say as to what your currency is going to be.

Final thoughts

I liked this book better than Bossypants , and I truly believe is because it didn't go just to be funny. Bossypants has parts that are thoughtful, but always with the hint of funny with it. And this is a good thing, but when you get a bit of both spectrums, funny and serious, I feel like it's more of a complete package and hence you receive more from the book.

I've noticed a lot of other reviewers in GR that were surprised with the fact that the book touched them so personally. I had the same feeling. I was a couple of minutes in the book and I knew I was in for an emotional ride, almost like what I felt with Tiny Beautiful Things, except less tears on the horizon.

With guests like Patrick Stewart (reading an amazing haiku), Kathleen Turner and Amy's parents; the book takes extra tones that make it even more fun to listen to. She talks about her childhood, about her career path, from humble beginnings to where she is now. She talks about regrets, and admitting to errors (the whole situation about her Hurricane Mary sketch in SNL showed me a whole different side of her) and trying to repair them.

If you are looking for juicy bits of gossip...this is not the book for you. I loved how she mentions and talks about Will Arnett; and the fact that, very matter-of-fact she establishes that she will not be discussing her divorce except from the fact that they are being there for their kids. Her kids! The way she talks about them is very sweet and endearing, and listening about their traditions is absolutely endearing. I think most of the people that disliked the book were either hoping for more funny stuff or more of the nitty-gritty of her personal stuff. But for me, it was a good balance of entertaining stories and personal thoughts (don't want to call it necessarily wisdom) about going through life and taking what it gives you. I've already recommended it for people who enjoyed Bossypants or to people who I feel would appreciate the bits of insight she offers.

Spinster: Making a Life of One's Own by Kate Bolick

Format: eGalley

Pages: 246

Series: NA

Source: NetGalley

Genres: NonFiction

Publisher: Crown Publishing

Publication date: April 21, 2015

I asked and received this book through NetGalley for free. This review is not sponsored nor influenced in anyway. Thanks to Thomas Nelson Fiction for the book.

 First impression

It’s hard to say which is more exhausting: the sheer arbitrariness of knowing that her one true love could appear out of anywhere, anytime, and change hr fate in an instant (you never know who is around the corner), or the effortful maintenance (manicures, blowouts, bikini waxes, facials) that ensures she’ll be ripe for the picking when it happens

These words, set in the very beginning of the book caught my attention and with it set the tone for a book that I thoroughly enjoyed. I was afraid that the book might be a book dedicated to throwing marriage out of the window as just “bad” and how glorious it is to be single, and nothing else. I was very happy to see that Bolick, does not make it sound like being single is the only way, or that women deciding to marry have it wrong or viceversa. Rather it is the telling on how she came to find what worked for her, her inspirations, her questioning on why the connotation of single hood on a woman is immediately associated with “something missing” or why the term spinster has such bad association. Based on her own life experience, Bolick gives a very interesting view on being single for the long term.

Final thoughts

Why is it that there is so much pushing to get married? The whole industry behind weddings, engagements and at the end, marriage sometimes feels overwhelming. Instead, in her book, Kate Bolick talks about wonderful women who were amazing on their own, and at the same time tells the reader how she got to a point on her life where she is perfectly comfortable in her skin, as an unmarried woman, and why, shall it be your decision to do so, you should be perfectly fine with it too.

While women have come a long way in a lot of accounts, it would seem that the idea of you always needing someone else is almost inevitable. Not so much if you area man, although I have seen the pressure on both sides. The idea that you can be happy without being in a couple still feel foreign and somehow, unrealistic. This book make me think so much about single hood, which sometimes felt weird, considering I’ve been in a relationship for more than 5 years now and we are presently engaged. But, the question that kept coming as I read this book, was: Would I be fine if for some reason we break up? Well, off course I would be sad, but I would be ok. Even more telling was realizing how many of my friends might not be, if they would become a “spinster”.

Bolick doesn’t spend the book talking about the evilness of marriage, or even being in a couple. She has been part of a couple and has been happy in it, but she mostly shows how it is perfectly possible to be equally happy being single. With splashes of the rest of her life such as the death of her mother, the big move to New York, and a huge break up, she tells her journey as it is: the journey that took her to love her single hood.

As with any big part of one’s identity, the idea of being single and what it represents changes through her life, and that was probably one of the things I enjoyed the most in the book: how her perspective changed and grew as different moments in her life were taking place and as she met her inspirations. I learned of women I had never heard of, women who were comfortable with themselves and loved their single selves.

I would recommend this book to almost anybody. The only reason I didn’t give it 5 stars is because it can get very academic some times, and hence a bit heavy in certain passages.