2024 book 151

 Sarah Pinsker's Haunt Sweet Home

This is about a young woman who takes a job as a PA on a reality show hosted by her cousin—a reality show that involves renovating haunted houses. Lolllllllll. But eventually it become clear that there is at least one actual ghost in the mix. Now, I am a GIANT wuss and I was fine with this book—it’s occasionally creepy but mostly just about a young woman trying to figure out her life (and also some fun behind the scenes reality tv stuff). I liked this a lot! A-.

2022 book 223

 Alan Sepinwall's Welcome to the OC: The Oral History

If there are three things I love, it’s oral histories, behind the scenes gossip, and DRAMA, and this has all three out the wazoo. It’s also very funny and surprisingly candid about the OC, a tv show I stopped watching during season two (but even after I stopped watching, I still read the recaps on Television Without Pity, which also comes up in here!) but enjoyed reading a whole book about anyway. Lots of cool nitty gritty on how a tv show gets made (I was especially into the chapter on the music), lots of interesting comments from people looking back twenty years later. Perfect read if you’re into pop culture. A.

Jeopardy!

 We interrupt this book blog to say: WATCH ME ON JEOPARDY ON THURSDAY JUNE 29th!

2018 book 118

Busy Philipps' This Will Only Hurt a Little
I have read a lot of memoir/essay books by funny ladies, and often they do have very funny parts, but others fall flat on the page (I imagine the audiobooks are better). This one, however, was GREAT. I am a long-time fan of Philipps (and have been rewatching Cougar Town lately to boot) and her narrative voice here comes across as a very honest conversation (and is also very funny). It gets super real at times—I cried at least twice when she was talking about her very relatable and awful teen years. And all her showbiz stories are great and hilarious. Unsurprisingly, James Franco IS an asshole, and Michelle Williams is a sweetheart. I still have never seen Dawson's Creek but I loved hearing her talk about North Carolina! AND did you know she co-wrote Blades of Glory? Anyway. All those stories were great, but her writing style draws you in so much that you are viscerally angry when she is angry, and devastated when things don’t work out for her, and cheering when they do, even the smaller things. It’s really well done and I can’t wait to see her upcoming talk show. A/A-.

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A review copy was provided by the publisher. This book will be released in October.

2015 book 189

Nicola Yoon's Everything, Everything
Normally, I DON'T read YA romances OR YA books about sick girls, but this was getting so much buzz that I figured I'd give it a shot. It centers on a teenage girl with "bubble boy syndrome"--she can't ever leave her house b/c her immune system is so compromised--and what happens when a cute boy moves in next door. At first, I was like, I'm too old to be reading YA romances, because I just kept thinking "Jesus Christ, her poor mother." I'm not really interested in teens being reckless because of TRUE LOVE with the first boy you've ever interacted with in my entire life. And then the plot twist toward the end! The writing here is really great, the main character is relatable and interesting, and I loved that she was half Japanese and half black, but man, this book annoyed me. BUT, that is because I am definitely not its target audience. Should have trusted my instincts and skipped this one. Recommended for ppl who actually like YA romances! B.


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An advance copy was provided by the publisher. This book will be released on September 1st.

2012 book 367

Alan Sepinwall's The Revolution was Televised: The Cops, Crooks, Slingers and Slayers who Changed TV Drama Forever
I love Sepinwall's writing--I read his commentaries on all the shows I watch, some shows I don't watch, and when I marathon something new (like today's viewing of season 1 of Girls), I go back and read his stuff too. So it was inevitable that I'd read, and enjoy, his book on the changing TV landscape, with each chapter focusing on a different relevant show, like The Sopranos and Mad Men and Lost (for this reason, the book is unfortunately very dude-heavy, though there are a couple of women network executives featured). I loved the chapters on the shows I watch, and even some of the ones on shows I didn't watch were fascinating. In fact, I'm actually starting Deadwood season 1 as a direct result of reading this. A-/B+.

2012 book 93

J.K. Rowling's Harry Potter and the Prisoner of Azkaban
Sorry for the radio silence all weekend, I MAY have spent part of the weekend having a Cougartown marathon, and the rest of the weekend hanging out, eating crepes, and seeing Hunger Games again (still cried for most of it). But I did manage to finish another Harry Potter e-book, so yay!

links and stuff

OMG, the Forever YA blog takes on one of my very favorite 80s books. I feel just the same way that blogger does.

io9 interviews Mike Carey, who writes Unwritten, one of my favorite current comic book series. And here's one with Chris Roberson, who wrote the Fables Cinderella miniseries and who writes my other favorite Vertigo book, iZombie.

I tweeted this a couple weeks ago, but it bears repeating: Ron Weasley, Romantic Hero.

Love this Downton Abbey parody (with Kim Cattrall and both ladies from AbFab) which helps kill the time while we wait for season two of the show to start!

I love creme eggs but this scares me a little.

links

Sorry for the lack of posting. I've been trying to make my way through Scruples as well as the Walking Dead books and haven't managed to finish a book in days! So here, have some links:

A new, Joss Whedon-less Buffy movie? Huh.

I can't wait for the Community Christmas episode!

How to dress like a Mad Man.

You can give Kindle books as gifts now! Hint hint!

The NYT graphic novel gift guide has some really good books (Scott Pilgrim, the Outfit) and some terrible ones (The Night Bookmobile, Superman: Earth One).

Are we running out of chocolate???? NOOOOOOOOOO!!!

more stuff i've shared

I haven't posted a link round-up in forever, but here are a few noteworthy things I've shared on Google reader:

I love this bad review of Still Missing (scroll down a bit to see my comments).

Suzanne Collins talks about the books she loves. I am SO EXCITED for Mockingjay to come out. Less than two weeks! And Collins has great taste in books.

Here's an interview with Edgar Wright. I am also SO EXCITED for the Scott Pilgrim movie, which I get to see tomorrow! In the meantime, check out the interactive trailer, where factoids pop up when you click on stuff, and here's the trailer recreated with panels from the books!

Did you know that Brian from The Broken West (one of my favorite bands) guested on Mad Men this past week? Now you do.

Speaking of awesome tv shows--check out the trailer for the upcoming season of VENTURE BROS!!!

2010 book 124

Brady Udall's The Lonely Polygamist
This has been getting rave reviews calling it a great family epic of our time and whatnot, and even though I wasn't particularly interested in the subject matter and it's a hefty read, I figured I'd give it a go. Now it's definitely worth reading, but it suffers from a lot of the problems Big Love has, namely that the husband is the least interesting and weakest (in every way) of the characters. Seriously, wouldn't that show be way better if Bill died, and we got to watch the women struggle to maintain their family without him? Anyway, same deal here--patriarch Golden is weak and feels empty and gets tangled up in some non-holy messes; meanwhile, one of his sons is desperate for attention, as is one of his wives. But it's hard to really love a book with such a schmoe of a protagonist, even if the family dynamics are fascinating. B.

links and whatnot

Links to stuff I've shared on Google Reader (and now, Google Buzz):

Part 1 of an interview w/ Jim Rugg, who had an awesome signing Saturday at Chapel Hill Comics (and is from Pittsburgh!). He rules.

Sweet Valley High: The sequel??

I am eagerly awaiting the Powers tv show.

2010 book 34

J.K. Rowling's Harry Potter and the Order of the Phoenix
I know I've always said this is my least favorite of the HP books, but it's really grown on me the past few re-reads. Once you reconcile yourself to Harry's all-caps temper tantrums and Dumbledore's trickling tear, it's really a good story that expands the whole HP universe.

Well, I think day 4 of the snowpocalypse will be my last one--now to decide if I want to read the last two HP books or take a break and try something from my library pile. I still haven't decided if I want to read the new Joshua Ferris book--have any of you read it, and is it worth a go?

And yay, Lost comes back tonight!!

best use of a state alum ever?

I love you, Craig Ferguson.

reading is cool!

Sometimes Disney Channel shows have a healthy sense of humor about themselves:



In other news, I saw Inglourious Basterds today and loved it! Best Jewish wish fulfillment ever. I would have seen it earlier had I known about the Shoshanna subplot, which especially kicked ass.

oh, conan, i love you.

Since I've been rereading the Twilight books, this was especially hilarious:

links

Man, I've been reading the new AS Byatt book all week and am still only 2/3 of the way through. Until I manage to finish it and blog about it, here are some links and things to tide you over!

Victor might be leaving Young and the Restless! Nooooooo!!!! (But maybe now he can do more guest shots on HIMYM.) (I think everyone has one soap opera they started following as a kid home sick from school, and Y&R is mine.)

I'm totally going to read this Twilight parody.

I also want this book. Yum.

yom kippur

It must be Yom Kippur, as hits to this post are climbing!

What am I doing this year on Yom Kippur? Hopefully having an easy fast--my schedule made starting it complicated and annoying--and baking a challah, which probably will make me crazy with hunger. Good times!

I'll also read some library books and watch more Buffy--I'm deep into season 5.

good stuff

This Saturday is Museum Day! That means free admission to cool museums all over the country (including many in NC). I have work and can't take advantage of this awesomeness, but you all should.

Trapper Kindle!

Five reasons to love Castle. (My 6th reason: they wrote a tie-in mystery and sent me a copy! I haven't read it yet though. I love the show without freebies.)

Amos Oz is the bookies' frontrunner for the Nobel. I love a) that people gamble on this, and b) that Oz is the frontrunner! Elsewhere, Perhaps was one of my favorite books for a long time and clearly I should reread it.

Apparently I am not the only one who can't get AT&T reception at home. I'll probably cancel my contract when it's up and hope Verizon gets iPhones soon. Seriously, the sheer frustration I feel whenever I try to make a call (or when my conversation w/ my mom gets interrupted by three dropped calls, as happened last night) is not worth new toys.

Sneak peek at the new Lynda Barry book!

I am bemused at the idea of this automatic pancake maker. I make awesome pancakes but they are never perfectly round. What's the secret???

In other food news: turn a radish into a 1-up mushroom in seconds!

And finally, I cannot wait to roadtrip to the Harry Potter theme park.

Clearly I haven't written one of these link round-ups in a while.

2009 book 191

J.K. Rowling's Harry Potter and the Prisoner of Azkaban
This is still one of my favorite HP books. But now it's decision time--I have a stack of library books waiting for me--should I keep reading the HP books or take a break for something new? I mean, they only get more intense from here!

Anyway, back to ANTM: The Shorties and Glee. Oh ANTM, how will you top yourself in craziness this year? The shorties are very entertaining so far--I like the chick who models for Jesus.