Book Review

This Week I Read…

Welcome to the September 14th Edition of This Week I Read…

Since I started working at the public library, I have discovered so many new and interesting books (like A LOT of books!). I’ve mastered the inter-library loan system that allows me to get books from anywhere in Michigan. The only problem is, when five of these requests show up at the same time, I only have three weeks to read them. Challenge accepted.

One of those books was Adulting: How to be a Grown-Up in 468 Easy(ish) Steps by Kelly Williams Brown. Love the title. Love the format (a book long list!). Some of it was funny, some serious, some obvious, and some new. Overall I’d say, according to this book, I am about 33% of the way to being a grown-up. Not bad. Not bad at all.

It feels like something I should have written. If I had, it would be less useful and far more ridiculous. Since I didn’t it, I commend Kelly Williams Brown for writing a book that had some very funny moments in it and a lot of practical, useful ideas. I particularly recommend the section about friendships. I’ve been thinking a lot lately about what it means to be a good friend, how to break up with toxic friends, and what the appropriate boundaries are for what type of friend (I get SO much TMI!). Thanks for the tips Kelly!

This Week I Read…

I completely spaced out and forgot to post this Tuesday. I was sitting on imgresthe couch, thinking there was something I needed to do. I decided it was take a nap. So now here I am, posting my this week’s reads on Thursday (don’t even ask about yesterday, I have no excuse).

I finished the Princess Diaries! The last two books were so good I couldn’t stop reading. I spent all of July 4th with my face buried in book 10.

First up there was Princess Diaries IX: Princess Mia, then Princess Diaries X: Forever Princess.

imgres-1And finally, the one I’d been waiting to read for months, the reason I started this reading adventure – The Princess Diaries XI: Royal Wedding.

I was curious to see if, years after the last book was released, Meg Cabot could keep the story alive. And you know what? She did. It was like visiting an old friend you have  n’t seen in a while and picking up as though no time at all imgres-2had passed. I loved seeing what happens to Mia (and everyone else) after high school. It was fun and funny with just a hint of the very ridiculous.

This Week I Read…June 30th Edition

Welcome back to another edition of “This Week I Read.” Firstimages up was, surprise, The Princess Diaries Volume VII: Party Princess by Meg Cabot. I’m moving into the books I don’t remember as well, which only adds to the adventure. I mean, how did I forget Grandmere’s play?! It is a triumph my dear, a triumph.

I did take a break from the Princess Diaries this week because I watched the movie The Duff. I read the book, The Duff by Kody Keplinger, a few months ago soimgres-1 I was excited about the film. It did not live up to my expectations at all. See, the brilliant thing about the book is it deals with real issues, not issues adults think are appropriate for teenagers. The book is full of swearing, sex, alcoholism, bullying and more. The movie takes on some of that, well the bullying part, but makes it a cliche commentary on high school hierarchies that is disappointing and ineptly dealt with. The controversial material that makes the book one of the best contemporary YA novels I’ve ever read is dumbed down and ignored. No one is going to argue that cyberbullying is ok. But seventeen year olds who hate each other having meaningless sex and hiding it from their friends? Things just got interesting. So, obviously, I had to reread the book .

This Week I Read… (June 23rd Edition)

You may have guessed it – this week I read the next two books in the Princess Diaries series by Meg Cabot.

Fiimages-1rst up was The Princess Diaries Volume V: Princess in Pink, followed by The Princess Diaries Volume VI: Princess in Trainingimages

The fun thing about rereading books is that I generally remember the beginning and the end but I have no idea how the book goes from point A to point Z. Perhaps I have a bad memory. More likely it’s because I have so many books floating around in my head, it’s hard to remember all the nuances and plot twists. I can hardly keep those straight for the books I’m writing, let alone all the ones I read!

This Week I Read…

As I continue my re-reading of The Princess Diaries, there are so many things I’d forgotten about. I had completely forgotten, for example, the movie Blue Crush came out in the early 2000’s and that, for the first few years of the millennium, we were still using dial-up. I’m finding the books funnier this time around and I think it has to do with my distance from my teenage years. When I read them the first time, I was a teenager, I felt Mia’s high school angst. Now that I am no longer a dramatic teen myself, I am enjoying the books even more.

9372897800600960901This week I finished books three and four.

The Princess Diaries Volume III: Princess in Love

The Princess Diaries Volume IV: Princess in Waiting

This Week I Read…

Even though it was a crazy busy week, I still fit in time for reading (how can I not when my TBR shelves continue to grow?). Here are the books I read:

Bedwetter_cover Bedwetter by Sarah Silverman. If you, like me, love comedy memoir, this is a must read. It was hilarious and obscene, with lots of photos. I loved how honest she was about her life, particularly when she was talking about some of her moments of shame and the hate mail she’s received.

 

 

 

princess-coverThe Princess Diaries by Meg Cabot. In preparation for reading the eleventh book in the series, I am reading the first ten (as one does). I forgot how great these books are! They are fun, funny, and addicting in the best possible way. I forgot how much I love Grandmere. If you’ve only seen the movie, you’re missing out. Let’s just say the book Grandmere has tattooed eyeliner, drinks sidecars like they’re water, and dresses from head to toe in purple.

What are you reading this week?

In other, related news, my review for Plus One is up on the Smart Bitches, Trashy Books site! Click here to read it: Plus One Review by Celia