That Just Happened!

So I just finished “Drop Dead, Gorgeous” by Mary Janice Davidson.  I must say I really love Davidson’s Vampire Betsy series, but this one didn’t measure up to those books.  There was also a pretty graphic sex scene, which I could of done without, to be honest.  It’s getting a little late and I don’t really want to read about someone getting down and dirty.  Perhaps if I read it a little earlier in the Read-A-Thon I would have been in a better humour.  Overall, I thought it was okay.  The story wasn’t spectacular either, and although you can read this book on it’s own, it is a little obvious it is part of a series.  Some of the parts seem really drawn out and there is nuggets of info about the characters that seem to need some more explaining.

My back is starting to get a little stiff from doing most of my reading lounging on the couch and I am getting a little peckish, but overall I am feeling pretty good and getting ready to start on my next book.

For those of you who are still reading/cheerleading, here is a little pick-me-up

Aren’t they just so cute?  How can you not smile at those faces?

That Just Happened!

Griffin, Kathy.  Official Book Club Selection.  Ballantine Books (2009).

Official Book Club Selection is Kathy Griffin unplugged, uncensored, and unafraid to dish about what really happens on the road, away from the cameras, and at the star party after the show. (It’s also her big chance to score that coveted book club endorsement she’s always wanted. Are you there, Oprah? It’s me, Kathy.)

Kathy Griffin has won Emmys for her reality show Kathy Griffin: My Life on the D-List, been nominated for a Grammy, worked and walked every red carpet known to man, and rung in the New Year with Anderson Cooper. But the legions of fans who pack Kathy’s sold-out comedy shows have heard only part of her remarkable story. Writing with her trademark wit, the feisty comic settles a few old scores, celebrates the friends and mentors who helped her claw her way to the top, and shares insider gossip about celebrity behavior–the good, the bad, and the very ugly. She recounts the crazy ups and downs of her own career and introduces us to some of the supertalented people she encountered before they got famous (or, in some cases, after fame went to their heads). Word to the wise: If you’ve ever crossed Kathy Griffin at some point in your life, check the index for your name.

Along the way, Kathy reveals intimate details about her life before and after she made the big time. She opens up about everything from growing up with a dysfunctional family in suburban Illinois to bombing as a young comedian in L.A., from her well-publicized plastic surgery disasters to her highly publicized divorce, and more. Only in this book will you learn how the dinner table is the best training ground for a career in stand-up, how speaking your mind can bite you on the ass and buy you a house, and which people in Kathy’s life have taught her the most valuable lessons–both inside and outside the entertainment industry. And as if all that wasn’t enough, there are also dozens of exclusive and somewhat embarrassing photos from Kathy’s own collection–featuring the diva of the D List herself, with her old nose as well as her new one, plus celebrity friends, foes, frenemies, and hangers-on for you to gawk at.

Refreshingly candid, unflinchingly honest, and full of hilarious “Did she really say that?” moments, Official Book Club Selection will make you laugh until you cry, or just puke up a little bit.

Random House

First off, let me say that I love  Kathy Griffin’s stand up and I watch “My Life on the D List”.  I think her routines are hilarious and I can’t get enough of the celebrity gossip.  That being said, I really felt as though that humour was kind of missing from this book.  There were a couple of times I chuckled out loud, and the one part I LOL-ed at wasn’t even written by her (hint: Emmy speech).  I appreciated her candid approach to this book, and at times I definitely could tell it was her sense of humour, but sometimes I felt like she relied on someone else to write the story.  It was pretty interesting reading about how so many actors got their start at the same places in LA.   It’s kind of a “How-To” that way.  I also felt that the stuff she writes about her parents is so great.  If you’ve seen the show you’ll know that they are lovely people with such love and humour.  It was so sad watching the episode after her Dad passed. 

 However, the description on the cover makes it seem like there is so much focus on the celebrity part, but I didn’t feel like that was the point.  I also could have done without the chapter of emails between her and “Woz”.  I know she likes to Google herself every day, so I am a little hesitant to write anything but a glowing review, however, if I learned anything from this memoir it was that honesty is always the best policy…or at least the most controversial. 

I would recommend this to anyone who likes Kathy Griffin and would like to read more about where she’s from.  I would also recommend it to anyone who enjoys celebrity memoirs.  I would probably say this is a Read it if There’s Nothing Else for anyone else.

Shulman, Polly.  Enthusiasm.  G.P. Putnam’s Sons (2006).

 “There is little more likely to exasperate a person of sense than finding herself tied by affection and habit to an Enthusiast.” Julie knows from bitter experience: her best friend, Ashleigh, is an Enthusiast. Ashleigh’s current fancy is also Julie’s own passion, Pride and Prejudice, and the heroine’s quest for True Love. And so Julie finds herself swept along with Ashleigh, dressed in vintage frocks and sneaking into a dance at the local all-boys’ prep school. There they discover several likely candidates for True Love, including the handsome and sensitive Parr. And Julie begins to wonder if maybe this obsession of Ashleigh’s isn’t so bad after all. . . .

Barnes and Noble.com

Last week I had posted a review for The Grimm Legacy   and I was looking forward to reading Shulman’s first book Enthusiasm.  I guess I liked the first one so much, I had expectations that were a little high for this one.  It’s not that I didn’t like this one, I was just expecting a little bit more.  This was a completely different book than Grimm.   There was no magic in this one, or fairy tales.  Just an age-old tale of two teens that had a crush on the same guy.  I did like that both girls were mature about it and there relationship didn’t end, and they didn’t fight over him.  I appreciated that both girls seemed to put a great emphasis on their relationship with each other.  I also liked how the book centered on Pride and Prejudice  by Jane Austen, one of my favourite books.  How often have I read it and wondered what doing a Quadrille would be like, or playing a game of Whist?  And these two get to do it!  Fun times!

I thought overall this was a well-written book about friendship, first crushes, and family relationships.  One thing I must say is that Shulman does seem to have a thing against Step-mothers…

I would definitely say this was a Read it if There’s Nothing Else.