Is Everyone Hanging Out Without Me (And Other Concerns)

Title: Is Everyone Hanging Out Without Me (And Other Concerns)
Author: Mindy Kaling
Published: November 2011
Pages: 222 (hardcover)

Summary: Mindy Kaling has lived many lives: the obedient child of immigrant professionals, a timid chubster afraid of her own bike, a Ben Affleck–impersonating Off-Broadway performer and playwright, and, finally, a comedy writer and actress prone to starting fights with her friends and coworkers with the sentence “Can I just say one last thing about this, and then I swear I’ll shut up about it?”

Perhaps you want to know what Mindy thinks makes a great best friend (someone who will fill your prescription in the middle of the night), or what makes a great guy (one who is aware of all elderly people in any room at any time and acts accordingly), or what is the perfect amount of fame (so famous you can never get convicted of murder in a court of law), or how to maintain a trim figure (you will not find that information in these pages). If so, you’ve come to the right book, mostly!

In Is Everyone Hanging Out Without Me?, Mindy invites readers on a tour of her life and her unscientific observations on romance, friendship, and Hollywood, with several conveniently placed stopping points for you to run errands and make phone calls. Mindy Kaling really is just a Girl Next Door—not so much literally anywhere in the continental United States, but definitely if you live in India or Sri Lanka.

My Thoughts: Can I just go ahead and say that Mindy Kaling has officially make it onto my "People I wish I was best friends with" list?  She writes with the confidence and flair that I can only wish I could have in my writing.  Very intelligent and self-aware, not to mention hilarious, Kaling's book is a must-read for comedy lovers, The Office fans, and pretty much anyone who enjoys light-hearted, fun books.

However this book does not quite hit the Bossypants a la Tina Fey level of riotously funny, I still think Kaling is one top notch comedy writer.  She's so relatable it hurts, her stories are palatable, and although she's confident in her humor-prowess, it never reads as arrogant. So yeah, add humble to the list of awesomeness that is Mindy Kaling.

Speaking of lists, I think I enjoyed that part of this book the most: her organization and her lists.  Whether it be her favorite moments in comedy, alternate titles for her book, or best friend right and responsibilities, I found that this little tidbits all had an air of honesty and hilarity to them.  Those along with the very specific topics (I love specificity), her opinions, and let's not forget the relevant photos, it made for a quick, fun, and easy read.

I loved Kaling and her writing on The Office as well as The Mindy Project and I honestly cannot wait to see what other laugh-out-loud bits of hilarious genius or observational comedy that are spawned from her career and creativity as a great writer and actor. I thoroughly enjoyed this book and will definitely be recommending it to all my friends and family who want a summer read they can wholeheartedly laugh along with.
My Rating: 4 out of 5 stars

Off to the Outer Banks!

If you couldn't tell from the title of this post, I'm going to North Carolina's Outer Banks next week for our family vacation! While there is plenty to do there like kayaking and visiting historical Wright Brothers places, I will definitely be taking some time to myself to read on the beach. Which begs the question, what am I going to read? I've been pouring over my to-be-read list trying to pick out the best compilation of vacation books for myself, and since I've been reading a lot of fluffy books recently I thought I'd pick a wider variety to take with me to the coast. After all, variety is the spice of life! Here are the books that made the list:
(All links lead to the books' respective summary page on Goodreads).

Confessions of a Shopaholic - by Sophie Kinsella
I've just started reading this novel a few days ago. I'm not even 25% of the way through and I can already say it's positively a delight.  As someone who has just graduated college and is dealing with the stress of money, loans, affording the basics, etc. etc. I feel like I can relate. Not only that, but the witty writing, humorous dialogue, and relatable awkward situations that Rebecca gets herself into are what make this book a must for my getaway. Not only that, but I loved the movie adaptation of this novel with Hugh Dancy (can you say swoon?) and Isla Fisher, and I'm quickly finding out that while the movie was great, the book has the potential to be even better and more delightful.

Is Everyone Hanging Out Without Me (and Other Concerns) - by Mindy Kaling
About three years ago I read Tina Fey's Bossypants and fell in love with humor memoirs. It's a small genre, but a very enjoyable one, I assure you.  My old roommate recommended this book to me after having borrowed Fey's book from her, and at the time I was a little hesitant. I only knew Mindy Kaling from The Office and nothing else. I thought she was pretty funny then, but didn't know if a whole book written by her would be worth it. Now this book is everywhere in the best possible way and I can confirm that Kaling is in fact funny. Words cannot do her TV show justice. So I will finally cave into the hilarity and give this book a go.

The Bell Jar - by Sylvia Plath
I've been trying to beef up my list of classics I've read, and after having read Sylvia Plath's poems this past Fall, I had to get my hands on her Plath's only novel, The Bell Jar. A semi-autobiographical account of her life, this coming of age novel has touch millions of lives and is usually a required reading amongst high schoolers. I, however, was not so lucky to get to discover this novel at an early age, but I'm glad to have discovered it along with Plath's poetry.  Side note: if you have not read Sylvia Plath's poetry, I highly recommend it. Her sharp, unashamed, brash words will leave your mouth watering for more. And I'm hoping for some of that kind of prose in this world famous novel.

Asylum - by Madeleine Roux
I have a strange fascination with mental illness and mental institutions. Is this a controversial and macabre subject? Yes. But I can't stop reading about it.  And this is a novel that goes along those same lines of macabre yet fascinating. A bone-chilling photo-novel, much like the amazing Miss Peregrine's Home for Peculiar Children, this book is about sixteen-year-old Dan Crawford who while spending a summer in an old asylum (hence the title) decides to go exploring with his classmates one night only to realize that he and his friends didn't end up at this asylum by coincidence. There isn't much else in the summary of this book, but honestly that just makes me even more excited to read it.

Burned - by Ellen Hopkins
Last year, I was hooked by a number of Ellen Hopkins' other books of verse. I mean I was enraptured. Like so many others, I can read a Hopkins book in less than two days and still be wanting more of the drama that comes with them. And after looking at the reviews of this book, it looks even better than the others! I'm so pumped to delve deep into what looks to be another promising, dark, twisted read from Hopkins. I'm not too sure what it's about, but I think that makes it even more exciting to read. I love to be surprised at the twists and turns of dramatic novels, especially Hopkins' works. 

Girl at Sea - by Maureen Johnson
Ah yes. Another perfect YA beachy read for me to devour.  Not many people know this, but I get my life force, my essence if you will, from books like this one. It's got everything! A boy meets girl story, romance, beachy/oceanic fun times, and underwater treasure. Yes I just said underwater treasure, aka the best kind of treasure next to buried. What does this treasure do? Oh you know, it could unlock the secrets of civilization itself, no biggie. Written by Maureen Johnson, one of the baronesses of chick-lit and young adult literature, this novel hasn't made as much of a splash in the YA book review world as her other books, have but it looks just as promising for an entertaining read.

If you can't tell, I'm extremely pumped for my vacation and for my vacation reading.  I can't wait to marathon read all of these wonderful books from my beach chair for a whole week. And if you're going on vacation soon with a pile of books like me or if you're just daycationing (real word? it is now!) and reading from the comfort of your own back yard, let me know what is on your vacation TBR list! Happy reading!

Me and Earl and the Dying Girl

Title: Me and Earl and the Dying Girl
Author: Jesse Andrews
Pages: 295
Publication: March 2012

Summary: Greg Gaines is the last master of high school espionage, able to disappear at will into any social environment. He has only one friend, Earl, and together they spend their time making movies, their own incomprehensible versions of Coppola and Herzog cult classics.

Until Greg’s mother forces him to rekindle his childhood friendship with Rachel. Rachel has been diagnosed with leukemia—-cue extreme adolescent awkwardness—-but a parental mandate has been issued and must be obeyed. When Rachel stops treatment, Greg and Earl decide the thing to do is to make a film for her, which turns into the Worst Film Ever Made and becomes a turning point in each of their lives.

And all at once Greg must abandon invisibility and stand in the spotlight.

My Thoughts: Greg Gaines is a boy of many flaws.  He's overly self-deprecating, not self-aware, can't take a compliment to save his life, and not to mention a tad selfish.  And you know how whenever a character does something stupid and you get secondhand embarrassment from just reading about that stupid something? Yeah, that's very prevalent in this novel when it comes to Greg Gaines.  That's not to say he doesn't eventually win you over, though, because that does happen. Eventually.

For the first third of the book, I found myself either laughing at the witty writing or skipping over the massive info-dumps of background about Greg, Earl, and even sometimes Rachel (aka the dying girl). With these info-dumps came stories of how Greg did something stupid or was at a loss for a socially acceptable response to a question and sometimes it was funny, however other times it got a little annoying when these ridiculous responses would take pages to end and you're just cringing because of it.

Other than that, I did think this was a funny book. It was witty and enjoyable from beginning to end. But don't go into this book thinking, "Hey! I'm going to read this because someone is going to fall in love with the dying girl! Right?" Wrong. It's not a romantic book at all. It's a book about friendships, figuring out what it's like to start thinking about others, making better life decisions. At least, I think that's what it's about.

I say that because you can get all kinds of morals from this story and you can learn a lot from Greg's mistakes, like he eventually does himself.  Also, if you like a fair amount of cussing, bad movie remakes, and 12 year old boy level kind of humor, then this book is made for you. It's your soul mate. Pick it up, give it a nice ceremony it's been dreaming of since it was just a picture book, and marry it. You are no doubt bound to love it.
My Rating: 3.5 out of 5 stars

Mid-April Book Haul

So I says to myself earlier this year I says, "Meredith, quit buying so many books when you's on a readin' slump! How bout this, you're on a book-buyin' ban until you get outta ya slump and finish readin' some books for once." And for once I listened to my inner voice who is a grumpy New York City taxi driver apparently, and didn't buy books for a while. However, I have gotten out of my slump and have reaped the rewards by buying many, many awesome books and oh my goodness I cannot wait until to read all of these amazing finds!

And in my last book blurb (I have no idea what to call these things so blurb it is!) of this list, Fire with Fire, I also talk a little about my book signing experience with Jenny Han! I got there a little late, which is why I did not do a full post on the experience, but it was so much fun nonetheless and loved every minute of it. Well, I can barely contain myself so without further ado, let's get on to the haul! (all links lead to the books summary and their respective goodreads pages).

Across the Universe by Beth Revis
Shopping at a used bookstore can be either hit or miss, but oh goodness did I get a hit this time.  Not only did I find this raved about spaceship dystopian, but I found the first edition that isn't sold anymore and it comes with a map of the spaceship on the reverse side of the book sleeve. I know. I know. I can't believe it either. I mean I can't tell you how much this makes me so incredibly happy. Not only is the cover gorgeous (look at that beautiful nebular thing), but I have heard nothing, and I mean nothing, but good things about this book series. This book is about a girl has woken from cryo-sleep when in transit to another planet and has to find out why essentially. It's such an original idea that completely blows my rocketship socks off. I'm not very familiar with space dystopia, but I'm looking to change that with this awesome looking novel.

Rebel Angels and A Sweet Far Thing by Libba Bray
Also a part of my used bookstore buying experience, I was so glad when I stumbled upon these books. I had read the first book of this series, the Gemma Doyle trilogy, titled A Great and Terrible Beauty, back in high school and fell in love with the Victorian feeling that the setting offered and the paranormal occurrences the surround Gemma Doyle at Spence Academy.  I can't wait to jump head first back into this beautifully written series. And let's get a round of applause for these beautiful book covers, too.  Can you tell I'm a sucker for a good book cover?

The Adventures of Tom Sawyer by Mark Twain
I am one of the very few people who never had to read this classic growing up.  I did, however, get to read The Adventures of Huckleberry Finn back in high school and found it highly entertaining. I am also a fan of Walt Disney World's Tom Sawyer island and now I'll finally understand the whimsy and adventure that Disney found in this book that drove him to build an entire island at my all time favorite theme park. Let's not forget that this is one of those heavily referenced cultural classics and at this point in my life I feel so behind because, like I said, I have yet to experience this darling read.

To All the Boys I've Loved Before by Jenny Han
This book has been out for a grand total of two days, and I have already heard so much hype about this novel.  And right when I was getting into a contemporary genre kick, this book could not have been released at a better time. It's pretty much about a girl who has written all her past crushes love letters, but never sent them. The thing is, someone sends them and she has to deal with the consequences. The back also describes the letters she writes as a sort of exorcism of love. She writes them when she gets over a love or crush, which makes the situation even more upsetting and dramatic, especially for the audience.  I'm so excited to read this book and I can already tell that it will probably end up as one of my favorites.

Fire with Fire by Jenny Han and Siobhan Vivian
I was enthralled by the first book of this trilogy, Burn for Burn, and immediately bought the next installment. Burn for Burn kind of blew my mind, so of course I recommended it to everyone who would listen and got my best friend hooked on it. She ended up reading both books in the span of three days, and I've been avoiding spoilers from her ever since. Which is why this book is either next or second on my to-be-read list because I need more of the revenge-iverse that is this wonderful series.  Oh, and I got to meet the amazing Jenny Han this week at a book discussion/signing she did with Sarah Dessen! She was so nice and we nerded out over booktubers, her book series, and what it was like co-authoring a book series with your best friend (the answer: lots of notes on chapters and lots of trust).  And I love the fact that it's authors that are as humble, kind, charming, and nice as Jenny Han or even Sarah Dessen that make me and everyone else so happy to read their books and excited for the future of young adult literature, too. Sappy, I know, but I'm honestly so proud of where the YA genre is going.

I hope y'all enjoyed my mid-April book haul, because that's a thing now, and I can't wait to talk about these books in later posts once I read them! Happy reading!

The Summer I Turned Pretty

Title: The Summer I Turned Pretty
Author: Jenny Han
Pages: 276
Publication: May 2009
Series: The Summer I Turned Pretty series

Summary: Belly measures her life in summers. Everything good, everything magical happens between the months of June and August. Winters are simply a time to count the weeks until the next summer, a place away from the beach house, away from Susannah, and most importantly, away from Jeremiah and Conrad. They are the boys that Belly has known since her very first summer--they have been her brother figures, her crushes, and everything in between. But one summer, one terrible and wonderful summer, the more everything changes, the more it all ends up just the way it should have been all along.

My Thoughts: I was a little wishy-washy about this book, but I was nonetheless taken in by this perfect-for-summer YA read.  Now, let's start with the main premise: Belly (slightly strange name but very memorable, I must say) has been in love with Conrad her entire adolescence, but the thing is he hasn't really reciprocated her love.  But this summer is different, apparently. She's over Conrad and is determined to have a fresh start.

There's a new boy in town, Cam, who is kind of less of a character and more of a plot filler. He had so much potential when Belly and Cam first meet, but pretty much fizzles as the book goes on.  Not only was he a little dull when it came to plot development, but he also slowed down Belly's character development when it came to her relationships within the novel in general.

However, Conrad and Jeremiah, the brothers in this story, were by far my favorite characters.  They were complete opposites. The yin to the others' yang.  Conrad played the broody older brother type to a T but left room for real depth while Jeremiah was the sensitive jester with nothing but the best intentions for those he loves.  These are not my favorite qualities about them, though. No, that award would have to go to the fact that they call Belly out for being too self-involved when she needs it because oh my goodness does she get self-involved near the end. They're pretty much her best friends in that regard, which I loved by the way.

And that is probably why I did not rate this book higher than a 3.5 out of 5 stars.  After reading one of Jenny Han's other novels, Burn for Burn, I had slightly higher expectations for this light-hearted summer read.  Belly ended up getting on my nerves in one way or another about 50% of the time I was reading this novel, but it was the other 50% that completely sucked me in.

Even though Belly and a few of the other characters got on my nerves, it sort of made the book all the more a better read. These characters had flaws which is what made them believable and human.  No one wants a protagonist who's annoyingly perfect.  It was just a little frustrating being in the head of a self-involved sixteen year old when you're not one yourself. Other than that, I did overall enjoy this book. It was a nice getaway to a lovely summerscape from an otherwise mundane week and I definitely need the second installment of this series in my life before this summer begins.
My Rating: 3.5 out of 5 stars

Burn for Burn

Title: Burn for Burn
Authors: Jenny Han and Siobhan Vivian
Pages: 358
Publication: September 2012
Series: Burn for Burn series

Summary: Postcard-perfect Jar Island is the kind of place where nobody locks their doors at night, where parents can sleep easy, knowing their daughters are tucked away safe and sound in their beds. But bad things can happen, even to good girls . . . and sometimes, the only way to make things right is to do something wrong.

Lillia used to trust boys, but not anymore. Not after what happened this summer. And she’ll do whatever it takes to protect her little sister from the same fate.

Kat is over the rumors, the insults, the cruel jokes made at her expense. It all goes back to one person--her ex-best friend. Someone needs to teach her a lesson, and, with Lillia and Mary behind her, Kat feels up to the task.

Four years ago, Mary left Jar Island because of a boy. But she’s not the same girl anymore. Now that she’s got friends who have her back, he's going to be in big trouble.

Three very different girls who come together to make things right. Will they go too far?

My Thoughts: Well I totally devoured this book.  I'd been craving a light, fast, contemporary read and this book satiated that thirst.  Kat, Mary, and Lillia are three girls from very different worlds and walks of life, yet come together with a common goal, or should I say a common enemy, in mind.

Okay make that enemies. A bully, an ex-friend, and an almost boyfriend are in the cross-hairs of our three protagonists, and as the saying goes: "Hell hath no fury like a woman scorned" (Okay this seriously needs to be this series official motto, let's be honest).

Reading from each of the girls' point of views proved to be very interesting. I had some reservations when I first started it, thinking that it would be too confusing or leave too many plot holes, but it actually made sense in this instance.  Each girl ends up playing a part in the revenge against those who wronged them, and seeing how deeds go down from their eyes and how it affects them made it a better and more well-rounded story in general, which is why two authors writing one story works out so well for this novel.

Some parts, like some of the dialogue, were a little cheesy and a bit unbelievable, but not so unbelievable that it took away from the plot in any way.  Also, some of the more outrageous actions from the spitfire of the trio, Kat, were hard to imagine someone ever doing in the real world, or maybe I'm just sheltered. But those are about the only complaints I have about this novel. The antics these girl pull are not so ridiculous that they're impossible to believe, but they are crazy enough to warrant a "Don't try this at home, kids."

Otherwise, I really enjoyed this riveting read and I cannot wait to get my hands on the sequel to this book, Fire with Fire. With such a dramatic, and twist end that I in no way saw coming (very OMG-worthy, in my opinion), I capital-N Need the next installment ASAP.
My Rating: 4 out of 5 stars

Spring is in the Air!

Spring has finally sprung here in North Carolina, which means I am finally in the mood for what I refer to as "warmer reads." Warmer reads are exactly what they sound like. They are books I've been saving to read for warmer weather and now that it's been a week without temperatures dipping below freezing, I'm officially in the Spring mood. The bees are buzzing, the birds are chirping, and I'm itching to take a vacation and bask in the heat and the sun, and I couldn't be happier. I'm welcoming the heat with open, sunscreen drenched arms after this all-too-cold winter. Bring on the warmth! Anyways, here are some of those warmer reads I've been saving just for this type of weather (all links will take you to each book's respective goodreads page):

The Summer I Turned Pretty - by Jenny Han
I love a good, make-your-heart-gooey YA book, and this novel looks like it fits the description. Belly is a lover of summer and every year she counts down to when she can spend it with her friends Susannah, Jeremiah, and Conrad. But this is the summer that something terrible and wonderful happens, and everything changes.  It sounds a little mellow-dramatic, but intriguing nonetheless. I'm not very excited about the name "Belly" (main characters with names that are body parts are a little off-putting), but I am ready for the warmer weather, and a summer-at-the-beach book is just the kind of beachy read I need.

Wake - by Amanda Hocking
Okay, so I have a confession: I'm a sucker for a good mermaid story. What they say is true, The Little Mermaid really is the gateway drug to all things merpeople.  One of my best friends recommended me this book, which is essentially about a girl named Gemma who is picked to be a part of a popular group of girls and then one night she goes out for a late night swim with them when everything in her world changes aka mermaidism (it's totally a real word don't worry about it). As a childhood fan of H2O Just Add Water, one of the cheesiest, worst, and most amazing mermaid shows out there, I have a feeling that I will be sucked into the power of this novel's siren song.

Burn for Burn - by Jenny Han and Siobhan Vivian
This is one of those books that I bought because of the pretty cover, but stayed for the premise.  The blurb on the back is reminiscent of the movie John Tucker Must Die (a cinematic masterpiece in my opinion) where three very different girls come together to "make things right" but will they go too far?  What makes this book a warmer read is primarily that it takes place on an island (how exotic!) and that it's a light YA read.  I've just started it, and so far I'm really enjoying the quick paced plot and islandy setting (islandy is also a word).

The Truth About Forever - by Sarah Dessen
There is no denying my undying love for all things Sarah Dessen. After my sister raving about this book and having been to a couple of Dessen's book signings, I noticed that when asked which book seemed the most popular, she usually replies with this novel. The summary of this book on the back is a bit vague, but I'm okay with that.  I don't like for a book summary to tell too much and when it's vague enough to entice you to read it but not give much away, I'm hooked.  Not to mention it takes place during the summer and involves a Dessen written teen romance, which are almost always completely swoon-worthy. This book has long been in my "read it soon" pile, and I'm so excited to finally getting around to reading it.