Dad is Fat by Jim Gaffigan

Dad is Fat opens with a vignette about Jim and his wife/then-girlfriend's visit to a couple with a one-year-old. They were baffled by the couple's bizarre behavior and why they so resented Jim's desire to kick them out of his hotel room and take a nap. The friend tells him, "You will rue the day you took that nap." Only when Gaffigan and his wife had children later did they understand the comment. In similar fashion, you will probably not get the full humor of Dad is Fat unless you have at least one child. I probably didn't get the entire story as I have only one, as opposed to five.

Dad is Fat is essentially a collection of Gaffigan's observations about the trying yet humorous world of parenthood. I listened to the audiobook, read by Gaffigan, and was expecting to be laughing out loud for the next week of my commute. While the book was enjoyable, I didn't enjoy it as much as I expected to having also watched DVDs of the comedian. I think in large part this was because I was expecting more... well, comedy. It is funny, but largely tongue-in-cheek humor.

Also, to be perfectly frank, some of it scared me. I have one baby, and I live in a second story 2-bedroom walk-up in LA. Gaffigan has five children under the age of 8 and lives in a fifth story 2-bedroom walkup in New York City. Our situations are different enough that his life sounds crazy to me, but similar enough that there is sometimes a little too much truth in what he says, and makes me fear for the future, when I have more than one child and they are older and more mischievous.

However, most of the stories were amusing and definitely helped my commute pass faster. If you are a fan of Gaffigan and a parent, you will most likely enjoy this book.

3 stars

Warnings: Maybe one or two swears

Shakespeare Month, 2 mini-reviews, and hey, it's been a while

So... blogging. It's not so much been happening lately. The sad thing is I can trace the demise of my blogging life to when I started working night shifts. The good news is that I am back on days soon, hopefully for a long while, and it is New Year's Day, harbinger of all the best intentions. I can't promise I'll be perfectly consistent, but I'm not throwing in the towel yet, even if my "currently reading" button hasn't changed in over a year. (I'm still reading tons, just not writing on it).

I'm not going to be terribly organized about this because to be honest, the most important thing to me is to just keep going when I can. So this post is going to be random and all over the place.

First off, The Classics Club is hosting Shakespeare in January, a celebration of the Bard and his works. I have the best of intentions of reading all of his works at some point in my life, so I am looking forward to jumping head-first into this. I'd like to read/listen to 3 Shakespeare plays. I have an audiobook version of Hamlet and would also like to read King Lear and Richard II. They will be hosting a different event every month and while I don't plan on participating in every event, many of them appeal to me so plan on seeing more of that.

Finally, I finished two books today so I'm going to review them. I can't always keep up with blogging about all the books I read -- I read too many and have so many other obligations that sometimes they fall by the wayside. However, I have been fortunate enough to receive many great books from publishers and NetGalley and I want to attempt to review as many as I can. So... on with that.

Hyperbole and a Half by Allie Brosh

First of all, have you ever read the blog Hyperbole and a Half? I have been reading it for years and it is hilarious. She writes about her memories and simple every day emotions and events with a humor and bluntness that is refreshing and laugh-out-loud funny. I was very excited to see that Allie Brosh was writing a book from her blog; however, I was disappointed at how much of her content was simply repeated in the book. I was hoping to see more new stories. While there were some scattered throughout the book, they didn't quite live up to the original blog posts. Honestly, I'd recommend simply visiting her blog -- you could easily spend hours there (I have). However, if you want to get to the best-of posts quickly, the book is the way to go.

3 stars

Insurgent by Veronica Roth (Divergent #2)

I read Divergent about 18 months ago, and I liked it decently, although to me it didn't measure up to The Hunger Games, to which it is frequently compared. While I liked it, I wasn't overly excited to dive into the remaining books in the trilogy. However, with the final book finally out and the buzz surrounding the movie, I decided it was finally time to finish this series. I found Insurgent to be more compelling than Divergent. The characters and their choices are more complex than I sometimes see in YA and especially dystopian YA -- there are so many nuances to each decision. In that sense, Insurgent reminded me of Mockingjay. A war is being fought but there are more than just two sides, and each side has many flaws as well as merits. The adventure of the story kept me invested, and the many twists kept me reeling. While Insurgent is not a book that shattered my illusions or had a lasting impact on me, it was an entertaining read.

3 stars

Bossypants by Tina Fey

Title: Bossypants
Author: Tina Fey
Genre: Memoir, humor, celebrity
Publisher: Reagan Arthur Books, 2011
Source: Audiobook from library
Read for: Fun and madness

Bossypants is basically Tina Fey on: growing up, acting, making friends, creating a TV show, being Sarah Palin, comedy, cruises, and many other assorted snippets of Fey's life. The truth is, I don't really watch 30 Rock, and I only sporadically watch Saturday Night Live (sporadically as in, two or three times a year, usually when I am at home visiting my parents, as I actually am right now) (not that Tina Fey is on SNL anymore). I am also very conservative, both politically (except I believe in being green) and life-style-y -- but I still found this book absolutely hilarious. There were moments I laughed when I probably shouldn't have, but all in all this slightly irreverent, completely candid book was highly enjoyable for me.

The audiobook format was fantastic for this book. There were certain vocal inflections and tones that could not have come across in print, and for that I was extremely grateful that I chose to go with the audiobook on this one. My one regret is that I didn't realize there was a pdf file with pictures before I returned the CDs, so I missed out on all of the pictures Fey referenced in her story. If you go with the audiobook, make sure you retain access to the pdf (not that I saw it, but I desperately wanted to).

I think the parts of the book that most appealed to me were the ones that I could relate to personally. It was very interesting to hear about Fey's acting career and her celebrity encounters, but the most humorous elements were when she described her family, awkward friend and dating moments (oh my goodness, can we say late night hikes that probably never should have happened?), cruise encounters (the entire chapter I was nodding my head), and similar, more "relatable" content. Fey discusses body image constantly, referencing a scar she received from a slashing when she was a child (yes, really. I was shocked. She doesn't go into the story at all, but what a frightening thing to go through). She also makes a list of personal attributes that she "likes" about herself, which included heavy dark eyebrows and pigeon toes, both attributes I possess and could therefore heartily relate to. While the entire book was entertaining, moments like those would cause me to openly giggle whether I was on a walk with my headphones in or alone in the car.

Well occasionally the jokes became a little crass for my taste, for the most part I really enjoyed this book, and couldn't wait for the opportunity to slide in my headphones, whether that was my commute, a walk outside, or housecleaning. I think there will be few who close the pages/turn off the audiobook without a smile.

4 stars

Warnings: F-bombs, crass humor

Is Everyone Hanging Out Without Me? (And Other Concerns) by Mindy Kaling

Title: Is Everyone Hanging Out Without Me? (And Other Concerns)
Author: Mindy Kaling
Genre: Humor, memoir
Publisher: Crown Archetype, 2011
Source: Library
Read for: fun

My first reaction when I heard Mindy Kaling had written a book was to think, what? Isn't she the ditzy girl on The Office? What I wasn't aware of at that time was that she is actually one of the writers for one of the only shows I have ever found interesting enough to watch. Her book is a series of vignettes on her journey to writing comedy, friendship, dealing with body issues, and just plain chatter about life and randomness. If you are ever in the mood for girl talk and there just isn't anyone around, this book would fill your needs quite nicely.

The cleverness and appreciation for awkward moments that is prevalent in The Office is definitely present in Kaling's book as well. She pokes fun at herself and at Hollywood stereotypes while discussing some important issues, particularly for teenagers and women in their twenties. Kaling's road to success takes her through the uncertainty and occasional joblessness that I think most of us experience in our twenties, and they show her coming out at the other end victorious, with a well-known career in writing and acting. She describes some of the jobs she took before she found her place on the writing staff of The Office, including her cult hit "Matt and Ben," in which she dressed as a man and co-wrote with her best friend. She discusses the challenges of being the only woman on the writing staff and of dealing with disagreements among coworkers, and she manages to cover all of this with a sense of humor for her own mishaps and successes.

Beyond her work, Kaling also discusses more personal issues, such as her friendships with others, her experiences in high school, and her weight. She has an amusing list of rules for being a best friend (my favorite item: having the preferred female hygiene product of your best friend at your house for when they come over), and describes the way friendships change as you grow up and become interested in other things (the subject of the title essay). She discusses the way most movie and television stars aren't child wonders but hard-working, normal people who eventually find success and don't burn out early. And of course, she discusses her weight -- from taking pride in her small child birth weight (because that was the only time she was small, according to her) to describing what stylists prefer normal-sized women to wear (navy blue, with cap sleeves). I was a little disturbed when she mentioned that she was "chubby" and then disclosed she was a size 8. I don't consider Mindy Kaling to be chubby, first of all, just because she isn't a starving waif. And I know for many women and for myself, a size 8 is a goal, a skinny goal. (And for those of you skinny people scoffing at that, I am more than a size 8 and have been told by my doctor that I am at a healthy weight for my height and build). Referring to certain sizes is risky business in our uber-sensitive, weight-obsessed world, and it made me a little concerned for younger girls reading it who may be a healthy or thin size 8 and may think that it isn't good enough because the author referred to it as chubby. Anyway, end of little soapbox moment. Other than that, I found her insights on weight and eating amusing and could relate to many of them.

Overall, this is a fun little book that will have you laughing and wanting to share particular gems and anecdotes with your friends. Great for a trip or a beach read, it will satisfy any craving for some poignant humor about womanhood and success.

4 stars

Warnings: Some swearing, some slight innuendo