Book Review | Is Everyone Hanging Out Without Me?

First let me say, I am a huge fan of the show “The Office.” I’ve been a viewer for years, and one of my favorite characters is Kelly Kapoor, played by actress and writer Mindy Kaling. After all, we all know a Kelly — a twenty-something woman who is shopping-addicted and Kardashian-obessed — and Kaling’s delivery is pretty spot-on. You can’t help but laugh at her ludicrous statements, especially since you’ve likely heard a young woman say something along the same lines in real life. It’s therapeutic — one of those, “Oh good, you think they’re crazy too, right? Phew.” This is not to say that I don’t love fashion or shopping…this is means only that I DO NOT UNDERSTAND THE KARDASHIAN CRAZE. Yeah, I said it.

But back to the topic at hand…somehow, when it came to reading Mindy Kaling’s “Is Everyone Hanging Out Without Me?” — I was a little slow on the uptake, despite reading good reviews. I had been catching up on “The Mindy Project,” a show that’s funny, but perhaps a little slow in the character development department — and I finally decided to check out her book. Let me tell you, this book is funny. I mean it. I read it while taking the train from Chicago to Evanston and laughed out loud so regularly, people consistently asked me what I was reading. I appreciate her honestly, whimsy and Kaling’s willingness to lay it all out on the line…and then poke fun at herself.

For example, Kaling shares pictures from her childhood “awkward stage.” Most people would hide these in the back of an album, or if you’re anything like me, separate them from the family collection and hide them under a bed — only to find that your mother has since discovered them and framed them for display. (My mistake, of course, was that I didn’t burn the evidence to begin with, but that’s a different story altogether. It would also be helpful if I had ever successfully exited the “awkward stage,” …fingers crossed…any…day…now.)

Here’s the deal — if you ever went through a time in your life in which you felt slightly out of place, slightly awkward, or, I suppose, if you have made it through middle school and high school — then you’ll relate to at least one of the personal stories in this book. Here’s to the awkward kids that go on to write witty comedy shows and memoirs!

While I normally write a long and (somewhat) thought out review, I simply don’t want to spoil this memoir. I encourage you to pick it up, it’s a quick read, and I’m sure you’ll get at least one good chuckle.

Book Review | Tolstoy and the Purple Chair

Photo courtesy of Harper Collins

I recently finished reading a really moving book by Nina Sankovitch titled “Tolstoy and the Purple Chair: My Year of Magical Reading.” For a book lover like myself, the premise hits pretty deep. To spend a year simply enjoying a new book each day is a dream. But for Sankovitch, the mission to read with such frequency — and to share her experience via her blog — was more about recovery and restoration, than pure enjoyment.

After the death of her eldest sister, Sankovitch found that she wasn’t truly able to move past the earliest stages of grief. Because Sankovitch always shared a love of books with her family, and because she understood what so many of you do — that reading a good book allows us to escape our lives long enough to sort through the tough decisions and wade through the hardest moments — she took on the challenge as though it were a form of therapy itself. 

Book Review | The Moment: Wild, Poignant, Life-Changing Stories

 

Edited by Larry Smith, creator of Smith Magazine, and published by Harper Perennial, this collection of short stories contains everything from heart-warming tales of familial struggle and reconciliation, to lightbulb moments of self-revelation.

The contributing authors include the likes of Melissa Ethridge, Gregory Maguire, Elizabeth Gilbert, Dave Eggers and James Franco. I would argue, however, that some of the best stories were submitted by lesser-known artists (unless of course you’re an NPR junkie like myself, then some  names may resonate with you). 

The Failings of a Digital Memory | Reflections on I Remember Nothing by Nora Ephron

Recently I have had the opportunity to search through, (and chuck out) quite a few items that were somehow saved from my childhood. It’s interesting to see what makes it into our present existence. It’s also strange to come to terms with the fact that we hang on to a lot of, well – let’s be honest – crap, simply because it reminds us of a bygone era.

I’m not necessarily referring to photographs or family videos. I’m referring instead to the trinkets and scraps of your life. I’m referring to the letters written to us by best friends during biology classes about whether or not your crush – a boy you can barely recall at this point – is in fact lovesick and swooning for you. I’m referring to the concert tickets for bands you have long since become annoyed with, because the singer is far too nasally to your grown-up ears.