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Hey there. You. Yes you. I don't know how you got here, but it's more than likely that we're already acquainted, but if not, I'm glad you're here. I'm starting what I hope will be a collaborative blog about books. I did not study literature or English or earn a degree relevant in the field and absolutely nothing qualifies me to write about books apart from the fact that I read constantly. I'm something of a John Green's Hazel Grace Lancaster in that I read "everything, from, like hideous romance to pretentious fiction to poetry." Also I'm something of a reverse-book hipster. If I hear of a trendy book, I have to read it. I read Twilight, didn't I? If there's something traversing the tumblr/literature pop culture universe, I have to read it. Like, I have to. Except Game of Thrones. Ain't nobody got time for that.
I like to read what I want to read, as well as what everyone else is reading, and I like to form opinions. As my dad always says, everybody who writes something has an agenda. That is probably the case (he's kind of a smart guy), but I don't want this blog to take a strong political stance. I know I have my strongly held beliefs, and that will be reflected in my choice of books and in my opinions of them. However, I have friends of all different political opinions and religious stances, and I would love for them to contribute. I want this to be a diverse discussion, so you have my word that I will never censor any contributors (hopefully there will be contributors to not censor) unless the the entries are intentionally sexist or racist or otherwise discriminatory.
Now! Enough of that. I think a good way to get started here is to give you a quick run down of some of the books I read last year, sound good?
First, I'll give you some context: Hello. I'm Sherri. I'm a 22 year old who likes to think she has a fabulous vocabulary, but the fear of misusing big words often holds me back from using them at all. I like to read books, and I like to have opinions on books, and friends who have opinions on books. Every year, my New Year's resolution is to read more books this year than I did last year. This means that ideally, I'll keep reading more and more books every year (but I do expect to fail at some point). This was completely unintentional, but somehow every year's books seem to have a theme. Last year it was non-fiction.
I'm a Stranger Here Myself, Bill Bryson
This is not so much a book but a collection of essays written for, if I remember correctly, a local newspaper. Bill Bryson moved to England as a young man and settled there for two decades or so, getting married, having kids, building a life. At a certain point, he decided to move back to New England and bring his family with him. These essays are the observations of an ex-pat returning home and seeing his home country through new eyes.
After reading this book, Bill Bryson quickly became my new favorite author. He's smart and frank, which is a crowd pleasing combination. He writes a lot about traveling, and I really hope to get through all of his books. I'm a Stranger Here Myself is relentlessly funny and touching, pointing out all the quirk and charm and absurdness that comes along with being American. I will say that it will be more enjoyable if you've spent an extended amount of time outside of the US, and it will ring even more relevant if that time was spent in the UK (or if you're from the UK and have some experience in the US or with Americans). If you haven't, check out some of Bill Bryson's other books. There are many.
A Walk in the Woods, Bill Bryson
So I didn't lie to you when I said I was a quick Bill Bryson fan. A Walk in the Woods is about Bryson's journey to "rediscover America" by walking the Appalachian trail, something that (literally) hits close to home. He brings along his dysfunctional, physically unfit, and slightly alcoholic friend Stephen Katz. Bryson really did his homework on the topic, peppering his story with historical anecdotes and relevant facts. I finished I'm a Stranger Here Myself in just a few days, but A Walk in the Woods is not as much a page turner (I mean what can you expect from a book about the Appalachian Trail? Side note: Do you capitalize the "t" in trail?), but that's not to say that it was a difficult or uninteresting read. In fact, after reading it, I was really inspired to hike some of the Appalachian trail, as much of it runs through the western part of my home state. Perhaps this summer. Anyway, A Walk in the Woods is recommended.
The Blunder Years, Adam Ellis
I stumbled up on Adam Ellis' blog a while back. He's a cartoonist with a talent for story telling, and many of his posts read very slice-of-lifey. That is to say, they don't often wrap up nicely into neat little packages. That's just an observation, and I don't present that as good or bad. He's a smart 20 something that has found a way to capitalize on his relatableness (shut up I know it's not a word). Every millennial can relate to eating an entire pizza by him/herself, pretending to being more politically up to date than we are, and deciding to stay home and watch Netflix in your stretchy pants while your friends go out to party. Ellis just found a way to tell these stories in an interesting and quirky fashion. Now, like most bloggers who write their first book, Ellis borrowed a lot from his blog. His book does feature new content, but a lot of it-maybe half-is taken directly, cartoons and all, from his blog. If I'm not mistaken, he now works for Buzzfeed. I bought his book because he's one of those up-and-coming types and I wanted to support him. Reading his blog would be a good start if you want to do the same, and if you don't want to spend the $15 for The Blunder Years, you can always borrow my copy. But definitely check out his blog.
This is a Book, Demetri Martin
This is Demetri Martin's first book, and I don't know if I'd call it "non-fiction" so much as a mish-mash of his stand up on paper. I read Chelsea Handler's book My Horizontal Life a few years back, and as funny as it was, I was a little disappointed that a lot of the material for the book came from her stand up material (some of it word-for-word), but it turns out a lot of comedians do this. I'm not saying Demetri Martin's book is taken directly from his stand up routine. I just mean to say that, more stylistically, if you took his stand up and put it on paper, you'd have his book.
The man is remarkably prolific. (If only ridiculously so-check out his hour long special If I, it's a uniquely good analysis of why "busy" isn't always "productive".) His stand up is what some might call gimmicky: full of guitar/harmonica/and piano riffs, often used simply to punctuate his funny bits and not even part of a song. He also brings along his famous gigantic notepad and incorporates funny drawings. He's made a career off of droll observational humor. If you weren't familiar with his stuff, you might not really get his book. I'm a big Martin fan, so if you wanna give his book a try (you could get through it really easily in just a couple sittings) I would suggest familiarizing yourself with his stand up first. A good place to start might be his first album release, "These are Jokes." It's good, I promise. I mean, if you like dry humor.
If I'm being honest, This is a Book, along with Handler's and just about any other comedian's book who thinks it's a good idea to write one, was a bit disappointing. You really have to be familiar with his work and his sense of humor to really enjoy it, and there is a whole chapter dedicated to his signature chart/picture humor (which take up about 40 pages). You'd just as well take it off the shelf and reading it in one of those big chairs at the back of Barnes and Noble instead of paying for it.
Anyway, after all that rambling, what I guess I'm saying is that comedians and bloggers should up their book-writing game. And stop borrowing so much from their previous materials. They need to recognize that most of their readers are going to be their existing fans that are already familiar with their work.
Bossy Pants, Tina Fey
Bossy Pants is Tina Fey's memoir about her life-childhood, work, television career, and family included. I suppose if you're not a big Tina Fey fan to begin with, you might not enjoy this book all that much, but I thought it was pretty good. Well written and not too in your face with some of her more political points (pro-marriage equality, for example). Was it a laugh riot? No. Was it funny and clever? Yes. Did she touch on potentially weighty subjects like feminism and marriage equality in a light, casual yet valid and thought provoking way? Absolutely! Read Tina Fey's book; it's funny and enjoyable and you don't feel like you're being lectured on the importance of feminism (I promise!). Or better yet, listen to it on audiobook. Fey recorded it herself, and I hear it's even funnier than reading it.
Dork Whore, Iris Bahr
Iris Bahr is an Israli Jew and comedy writer, what a combination, right? She worked on shows like Friends and Curb Your Enthusiasm, but after her two obligatory years in the Israli military, she decided to travel throughout south-east Asia on a quest to lose her virginity. The book is utterly relatable, more than you'd like to admit. It's messy and awkward and at times cringe-worthy, just like you'd expect a story about one of your friends' attempt at losing his/her virginity to be. To be honest, I got a little annoyed with the author toward the end of the book (she gets a bit whiny), but it's a quick read. So if you're into travel books and trashy stories, give this one a go.
God Is Not Great, Christopher Hitchens
This book took me a while to get through. It's really quite heavy, not something I wanted to pick up and read right before bed, or during my free periods at work. The author, though he comes off ever so slightly cocky in his writing, really does know his stuff. He does not, however, explain anything in simple terms. However interesting and thought provoking, it's arduous, long, and poignant. If you've got lots of free time and are interested in the subject (full title is God Is Not Great: How Religion Poisons Everything), give it a try.
I do want to add that it does not read as though it was written with the intention of changing minds. This book does not argue from a stance that wants to convince people that religion poisons everything, it is written for people who already think that religion poisons everything. If a religious person were to read it, they would not change the way they think. Instead they would be insulted and very put-off from the idea that god might not be great. If you're looking for a more delicate approach to this argument, something more directed at people who are on the fence (or even on the other side of it), I would definitely instead recommend The God Delusion by Richard Dawkins as a lighter option.
Full Frontal Feminism, Jessica Valenti
Jessica Valenti is one of my heroes. She's a cofounder of Feministing and The Real Hot 100 (a kick ass response to Maxim's Hot 100 that instead of featuring "hot" celebrities, celebrates 100 women and girls for their artistic or intellectual pursuits and achievements). Full Frontal Feminism was her first book (and if I'm being frank, you can kinda tell).
Here's the thing: I really enjoyed the book, and Valenti knows her stuff. But reading it felt like having an empowering chat over a bottle of wine on a girls' night in rather than a non-fiction book. You might say that's a good thing, as it felt more like a talk with a friend and less like a stiff and impersonal book. But it has to be said that, in the same vein as Hitchens' God Is Not Great, this book does not read like it is going to convince anyone of anything. That could be fine-I have no problem with feminist literature written by feminists for feminists, but it has to be something that excites you and really gets you going, something you already feel passionately about to enjoy this book. If you're someone who is new to feminism, interested in it, or just want to learn more, you will find this book really off putting. The worst part about this is how the book is presented toward the beginning. In the introductory portion of the book, Valenti prefaces it as though she's writing to someone who doesn't know much about feminism, saying she hopes "you'll call yourself a feminist when you're done [reading]." It's kinda like when the Westboro Baptist Church yells at passers by to obey God and not to worship false idols. As much as you may agree with some of their less damaging messages, you can't help but cringe and think that if they were to go about "spreading the gospel" in different ways other than picketing people's funerals, they might get more traction. Hopefully I'll find a more suitable book for people new to feminism, and once I do, I'll let you know.
Alright, y'all, I think that's enough for now. Thanks in advance for your support; I'm really excited to get this going. If you'd like to contribute, please contact me on Facebook. Keep reading!
Go anywhere; Be anything.
(Honorable mention to anyone who can tell me where my ending tagline comes from)
