The Art of Asking, by Amanda PalmerAutobiography, Essays, Self-Help (also maybe Psychology and Philosophy?)
READ, if you are a human being!
I picked this one up at the recommendation of Holly over at Ramblings of a Fake Redhead, and it is a fantastic read! However, same as I thought of Katy Bowman's Whole Body Barefoot -- I think it is misnamed. This book is about the Art of HUMAN CONNECTION, of which the "art of asking" is a small but integral component... all tied up in vulnerability, honesty, authenticity, and being willing to risk rejection. It is a wonderful exploration of emotion and relationship, and is filled with fascinating and often startling stories from Amanda Palmer's own life as a musician and performance artist. Insightful, compassionate, and not a bit preachy, this book is well-worth reading. (PS It's interesting to read the negative reviews of this book, because it really seems as though those folks read a different book then I did. So interesting how individual perspectives and biases can influence the experience of reading!)
Autobiography, Essays, Humor
Read, if you have a funnybone and enjoy an insider making fun of pop culture!
Tina Fey is hilarious. This book is hilarious. Tina (I can call you Tina, right, Tina?) is warm, human, and authentic, and the chapter where she declares Kim Kardashian to be robot is priceless. Also is the one about photoshoots... And her prayer for her baby daughter. And her stories about Amy Poehler and Saturday Night Live. And... okay, making myself stop. Trust me, it's very funny.
Minimalism, Organization, Simplicity Living
Read, if you are looking to simplify life and enjoy your surroundings more!
Because minimalism is one of my "things" (and has been for a while now!) I posted a full review of the book here. Suffice to say, whether you're already set in your minimalist ways or a boarder line hoarder, or somewhere in between, this book probably includes ideas you can benefit from. The most helpful takeaway for me was the idea of picking what to KEEP rather than picking what to get rid of... it might seem like a fine distinction, but it actually is a pretty big shift in mindset. A must-read if you're looking to move to a simpler, less possessions-focused way of life!
Cinder, by Marissa MeyersDystopian fiction, fairy tale, science fiction
Read, if you enjoy robots, plague, and mind-control, all bundled up with fairy tale overtones!
I picked this one up at the recommendation of Vanessa over at Little Gold Pixel, and boy! it was not what I was expecting at all! (in a totally good way...) I was expecting a fairly straightforward Cinderella retelling with a steampunk twist -- no idea where I got that impression -- but in reality it is an awesome dystopian story of future humans battling a terrible plague in the wake of WW IV, cyborgs (*coughCindercough*), formerly human inhabitants of the moon who have developed the ability to manipulate bioelectrical currents (read: brainwaves), and oh yea, a smattering of Cinderella references. Really, I have nothing to compare this to... I Robot, maybe? Or Do Androids Dream of Electric Sheep? Anyway, I will definitely be picking up the sequel asap!
Classic, British Literature, Coming-of-Age
Don't read, unless you're a VERY stalwart classics reader or have found an abridged version!
This is the story of a thoughtful and compassionate young man (who comes off as more angelic than human most of the time) who was raised by an English gentleman, but is himself of questionable birth. I watched the BBC movie adaptation with a friend over the summer, and enjoyed it enough to want to read the book... friends, it took me THREE MONTHS to get through it. One of those downsides of an ebook, you don't realize when it is 800 pages long!! Also, for a while I was using it as "put me to sleep" reading because it was sooooo slow. In fact, the author occasionally seems to forget that she's writing a novel and launches instead into essays on Judaism and the need for a political Jewish homeland, in a way that reminded me how Victor Hugo thought it would be fun in Les Mis to elaborate for pages on end about the Parisian sewage system (it wasn't fun, Vic, it really wasn't). This would be a great book to read for a multicultural studies class, as it examines Jewish culture and ideas with what I interpreted as a very "British" lens.
Zombies, Classical Spoof
DON'T READ, unless you love zombies, or are really, really, ridiculously bored.
This book is the prequel to Pride and Prejudice and Zombies, though I'm pretty sure it was written after the success of that book... which retained so much of the original text of Pride and Prejudice, that Jane Austen is still listed as the author on Amazon... I'm guessing that's why it did so well. This book... was weak. Stop rolling your eyes and thinking "well duh..." -- it isn't nice! ;P I almost stopped reading it, the writing made me so twitchy. And then the eye rolls just kept piling up... it was revealed that Mr. Bennet's first name was Oscar. And then they start training to fight zombies in a dojo. And then there is an awkward attempt at a love story between Elizabeth and her fighting teacher, who turns out to be a total weirdo / coward. I will say that the sisters all stay in character pretty well, and that the events of the story could make sense for why Elizabeth and Jane later react to Darcy and Bingley the way they do. There are also several quite funny one-liners. Unfortunately, I still can't say that makes it worth reading. Out of idle curiosity I will probably read Pride And Prejudice and Zombies too (it's being made into a movie soon... of COURSE it is... *rolls eyes*) but I don't recommend either of them unless you just have way too much time on your hands or are really into zombies.
October's READ / DON'T READ verdicts - Art of Asking, Bossypants, Cinder, Daniel Deronda, more! Mini book reviews: https://t.co/L7c9WlcOO9
— Sarah Eliza (@REALsaraheliza) November 6, 2015
If you have recommendations for me for next month, let me know! I'm participating in National Novel Writing Month (Yay NaNoWriMo! If you are too, join this facebook group!!), so I'm definitely planning on rereading Bird by Bird, and have a couple of other books about writing fiction on the docket too... otherwise I'll probably be keeping it light and fluffy because I anticipate being pretty brain-dead. 50,000 words in a month is a lot, yo! ;)
Here are some of the places you might see this post partying!
Here are some of the places you might see this post partying!
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I've had Bossypants on my kindle for over a year! I really need to actually get around to reading it.
ReplyDeleteAhhhh I have sooo many books on my kindle... out of sight out of mind... oops!! But definitely pull out Bossypants and give it a whirl, its a lot of fun!
DeleteWhat a great concept for a monthly series! And how funny, because I JUST READ Bossypants myself a week and a half ago and I also read The Life Changing Magic of Tidying Up the week before that! See, I knew I liked you! :)
ReplyDeleteOh em gee, Lisa, are we long-lost sisters, or are we telepathic, or what?? What book am I think of reading now... ? *clutches forehead and sends brainwaves in your direction* ;P
DeleteI wish we could get coffee and chat up the books now... what did you think of them?? Did you make any huge life changes based on tidying up?
I think we definitely are long-lost sisters! Hmmm...not sure I can guess what book you're thinking of right now, but I'm just about to finish "Around the World in 50 Years," which has led me to realize that although I've said I wanted to visit "everywhere," there are, indeed, places that I have no desire to travel to.
DeleteBossypants cracked me up over and over again, which is always a good thing, in my mind. I did make some changes based on tidying up (although, like I said before, I'm like you and DO think hanging my clothes is a good thing) - the book finally allowed me to get rid of a bunch of "perfectly good clothes" that I'd been holding onto for years because they all still fit and I'd still wear them, but I'd just wear them because I didn't want to hurt their feelings by not wearing them for a while. This book helped me realize that I should only keep those things that really make me happy and that the other clothes weren't a waste, because they served an important role at the time (which was allowing me to avoid the wash for weeks and not iron anything while I was a working gal). How about you?
Ahhh it was a trick question, I wasn't thinking of one... we really do have ESP!! ;P I haven't heard of that book! It sounds intriguing - what's on your list of "um, yea, definitely not going there..."?
DeleteI had the same shift about having "permission" to get rid of things... hehehehe about hurting your clothes feelings, but I totally relate. I loved when she was like, "this thing you bought on sale and were excited about has served its purpose by bringing you joy in that moment" - same about gifts being meant to communicate caring, and once they're given that job is done. Such a freeing little shift in mindset!
Whoa, we really DO have ESP, then! Frea-ky! The book was very intriguing, for sure. The author visited every single "official" country, so there were all these really volatile places in Africa that had nothing to see, but he still almost died getting to. I don't remember which places in particular they were, because he made two pretty big trips through areas like these over the years and some places he'd gone were no longer countries when he went again and then there were new countries from when he'd gone before, so that was a lot of country names changing pretty often. I do remember that Angola was pretty much the last place he ticked off the list, because it's pretty much impossible to get a visa for that one. Anyway, it's a good thing the guy was loaded, because in some of those countries, he'd end up pay THOUSANDS of dollars in bribes, just to be allowed past some random guerilla checkpoint where they were fully prepared to kill him if he didn't sufficiently grease their palms.
DeleteNo, thank you.
On another note, yes, yes, YES on the stuff serving its purpose when you bought it on sale or were given it as a gift! That was SO freeing for me, because I definitely have all sorts of guilt attached to any situation where I want to get rid of something that's a gift from someone; feeling like I HAVE to hold onto it just because.
I can't wait until you post more about the book - I'm sure it will remind me of other things I noted, as well!
Oh yikes, that seems like a pretty dangerous premise for a book then, lol! I agree, I'll pass on that as well. I like my vacations gorgeous, with a side of relaxation... definitely no guerrilla checkpoints or bribery required.
DeleteI'm going to try to get my review of Life Changing Magic ready for Monday since I've been talking about it as "upcoming" for basically weeks now, oops... I "highlighted" a bunch of stuff while I read it on my kindle, so basically I'm just going to go back to all those parts and talk about them. ;P Hopefully it'll be worth reading!
I've been trying to get Bossypants from my library. Long list. So it must be a good read to have to wait so long. I adore Tina Fey so it is worth the wait. From Bookworm link up.
ReplyDeleteOoooh a long list is always a good sign. Currently I am on a VERY long list for Mindy Kaling's second book... and I JUMPED on that list too... oh well, we will enjoy our long-awaited books when we finally get our hands on them! ;P
DeleteThanks so much for the mention, girl! I am so with you on the 'misnamed' dilemma! Human connection is definitely the theme there.
ReplyDeleteBossypants is on my list to read! Hopefully I'll get to it in the next few weeks. I love Tina Fey!
Also, the Life Changing Magic of Tidying Up sounds amazing and like a book I NEED to read!
Awesome suggestions! XX
Hi Holly! :D Thanks for coming to visit! I'd love to see you recreate the cover to Bossypants, man-arms and all muahahahaha so fingers crossed for that one soon! ;P
DeleteLove Tina Fey!! Must read Bossy Pants!! (I've been told I wear them too. Humphf!)
ReplyDeleteHehehehe purple ones, right?? ;P Definitely check it out, it's just a fun and lighthearted read.
DeleteGosh I keep hearing about Tina Feys book everywhere and it's all good things. Guess I'll have to add it to my list...thanks for linking up!
ReplyDeleteI enjoyed the party! I haven't heard anybody hate on good ol' Tina, so yeah its probably one of the safest reads out there. :P
DeleteTina Fey is so funny! Thanks for sharing with #SocialButterflySunday! Hope to see you link up again this week :)
ReplyDeleteTina Fey's Bossypants has been on my list of to-reads for too long! And the life-changing magic of tidying up is on my 2016 reading list :) I'm super excited! Yay, organization! ;)
ReplyDeleteThanks for the heads up about the zombie book. I will pass, but the others sound interesting. Thanks for linking up at Literacy Musing Mondays.
ReplyDeleteWell you certainly are not bored reading all these great books. Except the one you use to put you to sleep. Sharing on SU
ReplyDeleteKathleen
Fridays Blog Booster Party #32
lovely roundup! I'll have to read bossypants then! thanks for this :)
ReplyDeleteThanks for putting the Pin to this post in the Pinterest Game. All the best
ReplyDeleteWouldn't mind reading Dawn of the Dreadfuls! Thanks for sharing with us at Funtastic Friday.
ReplyDelete