"Waiting On" Wednesday: Why Not Me?

"'Waiting On' Wednesday" is a great way to get excited about upcoming releases - you get to share which not-yet-released publications you can't wait to read!

This week, I'm waiting on:

Why Not Me?
By Mindy Kaling

Publication Date: September 29

I loved her memoir Is Everyone Hanging Out Without Me? (And Other Concerns), which I listened to as an audiobook. It was really great hearing her read the book because she's so funny and has a great way of telling stories!

From Goodreads:

In Why Not Me?, Kaling shares her ongoing journey to find contentment and excitement in her adult life, whether it’s falling in love at work, seeking new friendships in lonely places, attempting to be the first person in history to lose weight without any behavior modification whatsoever, or most important, believing that you have a place in Hollywood when you’re constantly reminded that no one looks like you.

In “How to Look Spectacular: A Starlet’s Confessions,” Kaling gives her tongue-in-cheek secrets for surefire on-camera beauty, (“Your natural hair color may be appropriate for your skin tone, but this isn’t the land of appropriate–this is Hollywood, baby. Out here, a dark-skinned woman’s traditional hair color is honey blonde.”) “Player” tells the story of Kaling being seduced and dumped by a female friend in L.A. (“I had been replaced by a younger model. And now they had matching bangs.”) In “Unlikely Leading Lady,” she muses on America’s fixation with the weight of actresses, (“Most women we see onscreen are either so thin that they’re walking clavicles or so huge that their only scenes involve them breaking furniture.”) And in “Soup Snakes,” Kaling spills some secrets on her relationship with her ex-boyfriend and close friend, B.J. Novak (“I will freely admit: my relationship with B.J. Novak is weird as hell.”)

Mindy turns the anxieties, the glamour, and the celebrations of her second coming-of-age into a laugh-out-loud funny collection of essays that anyone who’s ever been at a turning point in their life or career can relate to. And those who’ve never been at a turning point can skip to the parts where she talks about meeting Bradley Cooper.

What are you waiting on this week?

Paula McLain & Elizabeth Hay Blogger Reception | Event Recap

Elizabeth Hay's His Whole Life and Paula McLain's Circling the Sun

Hi everyone! A couple of days ago I had the opportunity to meet two wonderful authors, Paula McLain and Elizabeth Hay.

Some wonderful bloggers and I attended the Blogger Reception at Oliver & Bonacini's, where we chatted over pizza and wine (which I was quite busy eating, and so forgot to take a picture, whoops!).

Paula McLain, author of The Paris Wife, talked about how she loves to delve into the personal lives of different historical figures - in her upcoming book Circling the Sun (review coming soon!), she tells Beryl Markham's story.

Seating in Oliver & Bonacini's

Elizabeth Hay, author of A Student of Weather, discussed how she first began to think of His Whole Life (review also coming soon), a story about relationships, friendships, people and how these things sometimes fall apart - with the image of the boy, Jim, in the back seat of a car.

Both ladies were so kind and interesting to listen to. It was a fun night (we even ended up talking about lipstick at one point) and I'm so grateful I got to spend time talking to two wonderful authors, the awesome Random House ladies and other great bloggers.

You can read my review of Circling the Sun here!

"Waiting On" Wednesday: Slade House

"'Waiting On' Wednesday" is a great way to get excited about upcoming releases - you get to share which not-yet-released publications you can't wait to read!

This week, I'm waiting on:

Slade House
By David Mitchell

Publication Date: October 27

The description is intriguing and the novel sounds so suspenseful...plus, it has to do with Halloween and I love pretty much everything that involves Halloween!

From Goodreads:

From “one of the most electric writers alive” (The Boston Globe) comes a taut, intricately woven, spine-chilling, reality-warping short novel. Set across five decades, beginning in 1979 and coming to its electrifying conclusion on October 31, 2015, Slade House is the perfect book to curl up with on a dark and stormy night.

What are you waiting on this week?

2015 Reading Challenge | Progress Post

A book set in a different country - Circling the Sun by Paula McLain

This beautiful story about the strength of the human spirit is set in Kenya. The descriptions in the story made me feel like I was there - and Kenya itself feels very much like its own character in Paula McLain's upcoming novel!

You can read my review here!

Photo Credit: I added text to the original "book sale loot" by Ginny via flickr in accordance with the Creative Commons Attribution-ShareAlike 2.0 Generic License.

"Waiting On" Wednesday: You're Never Weird on the Internet (almost)

Hi all! Recently I've been really enjoying the "'Waiting On' Wednesday" series on other blogs, so I thought I'd jump in and do this series myself.

It's a great way to get excited about upcoming releases, as it gives you the opportunity to share which not-yet-released publications you can't wait to read!

This week, I'm waiting on:

You're Never Weird on the Internet (almost)
By Felicia Day

Publication Date: August 11

From Goodreads:

From online entertainment mogul, actress, and “queen of the geeks” Felicia Day, a funny, quirky, and inspiring memoir about her unusual upbringing, her rise to Internet-stardom, and embracing her individuality to find success in Hollywood.

The Internet isn’t all cat videos. There’s also Felicia Day—violinist, filmmaker, Internet entrepreneur, compulsive gamer, hoagie specialist, and former lonely homeschooled girl who overcame her isolated childhood to become the ruler of a new world…or at least semi-influential in the world of Internet Geeks and Goodreads book clubs.

After growing up in the south where she was "homeschooled for hippie reasons", Felicia moved to Hollywood to pursue her dream of becoming an actress and was immediately typecast as a crazy cat-lady secretary. But Felicia’s misadventures in Hollywood led her to produce her own web series, own her own production company, and become an Internet star.

Felicia’s short-ish life and her rags-to-riches rise to Internet fame launched her career as one of the most influential creators in new media. Now, Felicia’s strange world is filled with thoughts on creativity, video games, and a dash of mild feminist activism—just like her memoir.

Hilarious and inspirational, You’re Never Weird on the Internet (Almost) is proof that everyone should embrace what makes them different and be brave enough to share it with the world, because anything is possible now—even for a digital misfit.

What are you waiting on this week?