Title: Adulting: How to Become a Grown-Up in 468 Easy(ish) Steps
Author: Kelly Williams Brown
Publisher: Grand Central Publishing
Release Date: May 7, 2013
Format: eGalley
If you graduated from college but still feel like a student . . . if you wear a business suit to job interviews but pajamas to the grocery store . . . if you have your own apartment but no idea how to cook or clean . . . it’s OK. But it doesn’t have to be this way.
Just because you don’t feel like an adult doesn’t mean you can’t act like one. And it all begins with this funny, wise, and useful book. Based on Kelly Williams Brown’s popular blog, ADULTING makes the scary, confusing “real world” approachable, manageable-and even conquerable. This guide will help you to navigate the stormy Sea of Adulthood so that you may find safe harbor in Not Running Out of Toilet Paper Bay, and along the way you will learn:
What to check for when renting a new apartment-Not just the nearby bars, but the faucets and stove, among other things.
When a busy person can find time to learn more about the world- It involves the intersection of NPR and hair-straightening.
How to avoid hooking up with anyone in your office — Imagine your coworkers having plastic, featureless doll crotches. It helps.
The secret to finding a mechanic you love-Or, more realistically, one that will not rob you blind.
From breaking up with frenemies to fixing your toilet, this way fun comprehensive handbook is the answer for aspiring grown-ups of all ages.—via Goodreads
I really wish this book had been around when I graduated from college and that someone had bought it for me and said, “Here. This will help.”
Because, seriously, Adulting would have been a god-send to 22-year-old me.
Hell, it was helpful for 26-year-old me.
And more than just being helpful, this book is funny. Though it shouldn’t necessarily be treated as a survival guide or a Bible or a the one-and-only book you consult when you need advice, Adulting is a great reference to have for everything from simple recipes to networking to being taken seriously at work to maintaining meaningful adult relationships.
Hint: a lot of it comes down to being thoughtful and conscientious and writing thank you cards.
Even though this book isn’t revolutionary and the advice inside isn’t anything new, it’s a really great starting place for young women (and men! Men could like this!) who have questions on how to operate as “adults.” The voice is young, fresh, understanding, and—I can’t stress this enough—funny.
For real, Kelly Williams Brown is hilarious. If nothing else, read it because it will make you laugh. And! There are amusing illustrations!
Now I’m going to buy lots of copies of this so I can hand them out to people when they come to my apartment. Parting gifts = advanced adulting, right?
That Particular Feeling of Inadequacy.
If I were asked to describe myself, I would probably say I’m a smart/witty/slightly awkward type of lady.
For example, if I had to compare my personality to a celebrity’s, I’d say that I fancy myself an Anna Kendrick-type, except not quite as witty on the Twitter. (Twitty?)
This is great, since smart/witty/slightly awkward ladies are having a cultural moment. I feel today’s pop culture is swarming with amazing women who are being appreciated and celebrated and, at the very least, talked about for being smart/witty/slightly awkward and comfortable with that.
I love this. I relish it. I roll around in the fact that girls just like me are making millions of dollars by proudly being their weird, no-pants-wearing selves.
And then I look at my bank account and I think, WHAT WENT WRONG?!*
I always considered myself a smart girl. Not off-the-charts, MENSA card carrying smart, but I could call someone’s bullshit, hold my own at trivia, and make the academic decathlon team. I was in the top 5% of my high school graduating class, I was in the honors college, I graduated with a “cum” in my degree.
But now, at 26, I read and watch and listen to and generally ingest books and TV shows and podcasts and blogs and articles and think, “How did I ever believe I was smarter than average?”
I recognize that this is a self-defeating attitude. That if I give into it, I’ll sink into a depression that will probably require medication, or at least some sort of situation where an attractive stranger compliments my hair on a humid day, to get me out of it.
I know that I should think positive thoughts and list out all the things I’m good at. But when I do that, all I actually think about is that there are probably at least 2 million people on this planet alone who are as good at or better at the things I think I’m good at.
They can probably figure out how to end sentences without a preposition in a way that doesn’t make them sound totally pretentious, at least. (…who are as good at or better at the things at which I think I’m good. BLERGH. That’s a stupid-ass rule anyway.)
And so I slowly sink into that glorious feeling of mediocrity where you arrive at the point where you think, “Fuck it.” and then giggle for far longer than is acceptable while watching that corgi-flop gif.
You know the one.
*I really need font makers (typographers? graphic designers? clever artistic types? What the frak do you call people who make fonts?) to embrace the interrobang. Really.
Review: The Summer I Became a Nerd
Title: The Summer I Became a Nerd
Author: Leah Rae Miller
Publisher: Entangled Teen
Release Date: May 7, 2013
Format: Purchased eBook
On the outside, seventeen-year-old Madelyne Summers looks like your typical blond cheerleader—perky, popular, and dating the star quarterback. But inside, Maddie spends more time agonizing over what will happen in the next issue of her favorite comic book than planning pep rallies with her squad. That she’s a nerd hiding in a popular girl’s body isn’t just unknown, it’s anti-known. And she needs to keep it that way.
Summer is the only time Maddie lets her real self out to play, but when she slips up and the adorkable guy behind the local comic shop’s counter uncovers her secret, she’s busted. Before she can shake a pom-pom, Maddie’s whisked into Logan’s world of comic conventions, live-action role-playing, and first-person-shooter video games. And she loves it. But the more she denies who she really is, the deeper her lies become…and the more she risks losing Logan forever.—from Goodreads
I kicked off my Memorial Day weekend—which in my brain is the official start of summer—with this book.
(Now y’all know how long it takes me to get around to writing a review. Feel free to shame me in comments.)
I kind of chose this because it had “summer” in the title, but also, and more importantly, because it has “nerd” in the title.
I love nerds.
And the premise of this book very much reminded me of, well, me in high school. (Narcissism! Always a way to get me to read your book!) I was the closet nerd, who dressed up to go to school in my preppy attire with my perfect make-up and heels, then ran home to binge watch Buffy the Vampire Slayer on USA or whatever channel it was syndicated on in the afternoons. (The fact that I can’t remember that is really bothering me.) At the time, watching Buffy re-runs was not a cool thing to do.
Clearly I was right about that one, though.
Anyway, I loved the idea behind The Summer I Became a Nerd before I started it and it did not disappoint. Though I found the main character, Maddie, to be a little immature in her decision making process at times, I had to remind myself that, hello, she’s in high school. She is a little immature. Hell, I’m nearly ten years removed from high school and I’m still a little immature. And in the times I was like, “Screw your friends if they don’t accept you for who you are! Let your nerd flag fly!” I had to also remind myself of how important appearances are in high school, especially in a small town.
But don’t you worry, Maddie definitely eases into her summer of nerdification.
And ya’ll.
This book has LARPing.
(LARP = Live Action Role Play.)
I became fascinated with LARPing in college, when I could see the LARPers doing their LARP thing out of the window of my work study cubicle on Friday afternoons. I’ve never gotten my lady balls together to go and actually LARP, so I was really excited when Maddie decides to go for it. And is awesome.
I totally live vicariously through characters. Don’t act like you don’t.
Aside from Maddie’s arc of learning to become brave enough to be herself, I think my favorite aspect of this book was her relationship with Logan’s—the cute boy who works at the comic book shop—mom, who was fantastic. I love when books have cool, caring, really great moms in them. A whole bunch.
Overall, The Summer I Became a Nerd is a quick, satisfying read with a sweet love story and heroine’s journey at its center and the always-important message of being comfortable enough with who you are to be that person at all times. It’s a lesson that we all need to be reminded of from time to time, and when it’s in a book as fun as this one is, then it’s just that much better.
Now I’m going to go find a LARP group that will agree to deal with me.
Review: True
Title: True
Author: Erin McCarthy
Publisher: Penguin USA
Release Date: May 7, 2013
Format: eGalley
When Rory Macintosh’s roommates find out that their studious and shy friend has never been with a guy, they decide that, as an act of kindness they’ll help her lose her virginity by hiring confident, tattooed bad boy Tyler Mann to do the job…unbeknownst to Rory.
Tyler knows he’s not good enough for Rory. She’s smart, doctor smart, while he’s barely scraping by at his EMT program, hoping to pull his younger brothers out of the hell their druggy mother has left them in. But he can’t resist taking up her roommates on an opportunity to get to know her better. There’s something about her honesty that keeps him coming back when he knows he shouldn’t…
Torn between common sense and desire, the two find themselves caught up in a passionate relationship. But when Tyler’s broken family threatens to destroy his future, and hers, Rory will need to decide whether to cut her ties to his risky world or follow her heart, no matter what the cost…—via Goodreads
True is one of those books that I enjoyed reading, but also wanted to punch for time to time.
There are some great things going on here and a lot to enjoy.
But.
What I didn’t enjoy is that the main character, Rory’s, best friends/roommates decide that all she needs to break out of her introverted shell is to have sex. I mean, I understand thinking that or talking about it amongst yourselves, but these girls decide that the thing to do is to pay a guy to have sex with her.
THEY ESSENTIALLY BOUGHT HER A HOOKER.
As if that isn’t bad enough, what is far more egregious is that on the night that Rory is sexually assaulted (this isn’t a spoiler, promise) THEY DON’T GO BACK TO THE DORM WITH HER. At this point Rory should have been like YOU ARE THE WORST FRIENDS EVER, WE ARE NEVER EVER EVER GETTING BACK TOGETHER. Because JESUS.
Okay. Now that that is over with, let’s talk about the good stuff, shall we?
The strength of True is the author, Erin McCarthy’s, understanding of socio-economics and the role they play in romantic relationships. Rory is a smart, if sheltered, college student who wants to be a coroner. She comes from an upper-middle class family and lost her mom at an early age, so she was primarily raised by her introverted father. But, Rory is kind and open-minded, so she’s not really one to judge. Now, it turns out that the guy her awful friends hired to sex her up is Tyler, a tattooed and penis pierced (I don’t know why this is a thing. I just. Whatever.) bad boy from an impoverished and unstable family. His mother is addicted to pain medication and he and his brothers come from different fathers. While Tyler has a don’t-mess-with-me exterior, he cares deeply about his brothers and wants to take care of them.
Of course, he and Rory get together in all their star-crossed lover glory. Rory loves Tyler’s commitment to his family and she genuinely cares about his brothers. When she learns that they most likely won’t have a Thanksgiving, she invites them to her house.
This is where True shines. Rory’s father’s reaction to Tyler and his brothers is incredibly realistic and believable, as is Rory’s reaction to her father’s reaction. It’s the moment of a father recognizing that he can’t dictate his daughter’s life anymore, but desperately wanting to, and a daughter standing up for herself and her decisions, but still trying to respect her father’s wishes. It’s a gorgeous moment that everyone, at some point, goes through growing up and McCarthy does an excellent job navigating those emotions.
Overall, True is a quick, emotional read that explores the ups and downs of a passionate, but difficult relationship in a way that is unflinchingly realistic. Though I didn’t love the reason why Rory and Tyler met, I did love getting to know these characters. If you’re looking for something that is romantic and passionate, but also true to life, definitely consider True.
Review: Someday, Someday Maybe
Title: Someday, Someday Maybe
Author: Lauren Graham
Publisher: Ballantine Books
Release Date: April 30, 2013
Format: eGalley
It’s January 1995, and Franny Banks has just six months left of the three-year deadline she set for herself when she came to New York, dreaming of Broadway and doing “important” work. But all she has to show for her efforts so far is a part in an ad for ugly Christmas sweaters, and a gig waiting tables at a comedy club. Her roommates―her best friend Jane, and Dan, an aspiring sci-fi writer―are supportive, yet Franny knows a two-person fan club doesn’t exactly count as success. Everyone tells her she needs a backup plan, and though she can almost picture moving back home and settling down with her perfectly nice ex-boyfriend, she’s not ready to give up on her goal of having a career like her idols Diane Keaton and Meryl Streep. Not just yet. But while she dreams of filling their shoes, in the meantime, she’d happily settle for a speaking part in almost anything—and finding a hair product combination that works.
Everything is riding on the upcoming showcase for her acting class, where she’ll finally have a chance to perform for people who could actually hire her. And she can’t let herself be distracted by James Franklin, a notorious flirt and the most successful actor in her class, even though he’s suddenly started paying attention. Meanwhile, her bank account is rapidly dwindling, her father wants her to come home, and her agent doesn’t return her calls. But for some reason, she keeps believing that she just might get what she came for.
Someday, Someday, Maybe is a story about hopes and dreams, being young in a city, and wanting something deeply, madly, desperately. It’s about finding love, finding yourself, and perhaps most difficult of all in New York City, finding an acting job.—via Goodreads
Y’all. Lauren Graham can write!
Clearly, this shocks no one. But it’s just so nice to know that she’s good at everything.
I say that with zero maliciousness. She’s one of those people who you want to be able to do everything so that you can like her that much more. (Other people in this category: Connie Britton, Emma Stone, Claire Danes, Jason Segel, Zachary Levi, Jennifer Lawrence.)
So, this book, Someday, Someday Maybe. What I liked most about is how damn relatable it is. Maybe it’s because I live in New York City currently and, though I’m not an actor, have friends who are. But in general, New York is one of those places that gets under your skin to the point that you want to throw in the towel and move back home and get a sensible job somewhere, but you know that you can’t. The city burrows itself into your very self somehow and you know better than to try to leave.
It’s a bit like an abusive boyfriend, actually.
But! Graham captures that sense of place and the desperate desire to stay and make your mark on it even though you know that perhaps you’d be healtheir, wealthier (ha!), and less stressed out if you moved elsewhere. Additionally, she’s able to communicate the angst and frustration and uncertainty that is so intrisic to being in your twenties—You’re an adult, but you don’t feel grown up. You like the idea of your serious boyfriend, but maybe don’t like your serious boyfriend. You love your friends, but somehow don’t have enough time for them. You want to be a proactive go-getter, but also want to lay around the house.—in a way that is perhaps the best I’ve seen it done other than in Girls. (I like that show. Get off my lawn.)
But what Graham is able to do that Girls doesn’t (at least, doesn’t yet), is communicate all of that without being cynical or cloying or, well, naked all the time. The book moves at a pace that feels real to life—the main character, Franny, has huge successes followed by droughts of feeling like a failure. These aren’t small droughts—they’re big, gaping, seemingly unending droughts. She loses hope and faith and battles depression, but, thanks to her friends and her spirit, is able to pull herself out of it and begin to see who she is as a person, instead of who she thinks she should be.
Overall, Someday, Someday Maybe is a compulsively readable, true-to-life story that is wickedly funny and full of personality. If you don’t already want to be friends with Ms. Graham, this book will definitely convince you that that’s exactly what you want.
Bethany Larson 