Thoughts: Bossypants

Title: Bossypants
Author: Tina Fey
Year: 2011
Audiobook Length: 5 discs, 5.5 hours
First Lines: "My brother is eight years older than I am.  I was a big surprise.  A wonderful surprise, my mom would be quick to tell you."


I don't think it would be too bold to claim that Bossypants represents my ideal audiobook experience. There is truly something magical about hearing a book read by its author.  It doesn't hurt when the book is laugh out loud funny either.  Tina Fey is hilarious and listening to her only added to my enjoyment.

Bossypants is Fey's memoir and traces her rise to SNL and 30 Rock fame.  I actually learned quite a bit about Fey through her funny, often ridiculous, and sometimes profane stories.  She is obviously very smart and possesses an enduring ability to laugh at herself.  An additional benefit to listening to Bossypants is hearing the actual recordings of some of the SNL sketches for which Fey is known.

I will caution you not to listen to Bossypants if you do not want to hear foul language; it is used throughout the book.  I suppose it would be easier to sort of skim over it while reading, as opposed to hearing Fey scream it at you in the car.  Although I could have done without some of the language, I still appreciated Fey's wit and humor.  This was the perfect book to listen to on my drive home after a long day at work, especially when I needed a good laugh.

My Rating: 4 of 5

PS - 1. I admit the cover is pretty creepy.  2. I think one of the funniest parts of the book is titled "Suburban Girl Seeks Urban Health Care" (Disc 1, Track 5), in which Fey recounts her first gynecology appointment.

While I Was Away: Reading Overview

My reading has actually remained fairly steady over the last year.  This surprises me considering all that has happened.  I continue to be drawn to a variety of genres, although I definitely read more fiction than non-fiction.  I discovered some new favorites and reread others, tackled a few classics, experimented with my Kindle, and gave audiobooks another try.

I caught up with the latest adventures of Stephanie Plum and company, gave in and discovered that I am Team Eric, received an intriguing lesson in vocabulary, traveled with the circus, brushed up on my Greek mythology, started thinking seriously about becoming a librarian, traveled to several dystopian societies, and was reminded what it feels like to be a teenager in love.  The best part is that books allowed me to do these listed things and more!

Unfortunately, I doubt I will be able to write about all of the books that I read.  My memory is not always that good, hence my desire to blog about books in the first place!  I do hope to write about some of the books, particularly the ones that I loved or feel should be shared. 

Dracula Group Read: October 2011

I plan to participate in the October Group Read of Bram Stoker's Dracula hosted by Allie at A Literary Odyssey.  Leave Allie a comment to let her know you want to join in on the fun.  Then, just post about Dracula between October 16 and 22 and link back up to Allie's master post.  Easy!

BBAW 2011: Reading and Blogging

Today's BBAW Topic: Reading and Blogging

Book bloggers blog because we love reading. Has book blogging changed the way you read? Have you discovered books you never would have apart from book blogging? How has book blogging affected your book acquisition habits? Have you made new connections with other readers because of book blogging? Choose any one of these topics and share your thoughts today!


Attempting to book blog has certainly changed the way I think about books!  For starters, I now meticulously track my reading using both goodreads and my own bullet list in a Word document.  This satisfies two of my needs: making lists and remembering what I've read.

Blogging about books has also given me a more conversational style of reading, if that makes sense.  Now when I read, I sort of compose posts in my head as I come across intriguing quotes or ideas.  I imagine what I might say about particular aspects of the book if I were talking or writing about it.  Does this make me sound crazy?  I hope not!  I guess my approach to reading has changed, whether I wanted it to or not.  It seems I can't help myself now.

For me, I think the best part of book blogging is discovering new books through other blogs.  I've heard about more books than I could possibly ever read.  I've been exposed to fantastic new books before they became pop culture phenomena.  There is so much fabulous content out in the book blogosphere waiting to be discovered.  I'll never have to look far for a good book recommendation again!

BBAW 2011: How Do You Do Community?

Today's BBAW Topic: How Do You Do Community?

The world of book blogging has grown enormously and sometimes it can be hard to find a place. Share your tips for finding and keeping community in book blogging despite the hectic demands made on your time and the overwhelming number of blogs out there. If you’re struggling with finding a community, share your concerns and explain what you’re looking for–this is the week to connect!


What a timely topic for me!  The desire to be a part of the book blogging community is a major factor in my return to this blog.  There are so many people writing about so many books.  It still amazes me.  It is easy to spend hours clicking from one blog to the next and never run out of inspiration!

Conversely, because there are so many book blogs in existence, it is also difficult to find a niche in the blogosphere.  I felt like I was just starting to find my way with this blog last year, right about the time I stopped blogging (because I moved and started my first big girl job).  Going forward, I hope to truly find my tiny place in this community.

I was, and still am, intimidated by the enormous number of books that some bloggers are lucky enough to have time to read.  I feel inadequate by comparison, almost as if it is not worth my time to blog about books.  However, when I'm feeling discouraged I must stop and remind myself why I want to keep a book blog, no matter how easy it is to compare myself with others.  I want to be able to remember my thoughts and feelings about what I read in the future.  I want to read others people's thoughts about the books they are reading.  I want to be introduced to new genres and authors.  I want to (continuously) find books to add to my own reading list.

In 2010, I read 28 books (not including school readings).  I've read 30 books so far this year.  And I am PROUD of this, not embarrassed.  I never actively tracked my reading before that, but I'm pretty sure it was less.  So for me, this is an improvement!  I am pleased that I have found more time for reading and I want to keep track of it here.  I must remember this perspective when overwhelmed by the enormity of the book blogging community.  At the end of the day, I am doing this for me, for fun.  Of course, I would love to make some bookish friends along the way!

While I Was Away: My Life

I truly cannot believe that it has been a year since I started my first "grown-up" job.  It was the job and subsequent move that prompted my absence initially.  My apartment has turned out rather well considering I found it and moved in a two-week span.  One of my earliest purchases was additional bookshelves.  They weren't anything fancy and I've already outgrown them.  I've had my eye on several shelving units at Ikea for quite a while now.  It's just a matter of going and buying them.

I've adjusted to life here pretty well.  I've had the opportunity to develop some of my other interests that were put on hold during college.  I took a knitting class at a local yarn shop and finally learned how to knit.  I also took a basic cake decorating class at my local Michael's store.  I love the decorating; unfortunately, I also love the eating part, so this is definitely a hobby that I have to do with purpose! 

Unexpectedly, I've had to opportunity to travel for work and it has been wonderful.  In April, I spent a week in Chicago.  I fell in love with the city!  I've never thought I would like to live in a big city, but I'm pretty sure I could live in Chicago.  I went to the beautiful San Diego in May and took a few days off to visit my friend who works at Disneyland since I was so close to Anaheim.  This was my first trip to California and I intend to go back as soon as possible.  There is so much more to see in San Diego, much less the rest of California!  I also went to Omaha for a few days in June.  I had a delicious steak and walked to Iowa via the Bob Kerrey Pedestrian Bridge.

I got a Kindle for my birthday in March, which was great to have while traveling.  I love my Kindle, but I still love printed books, too.  I've been reading both while on hiatus from the blog.  And that is the extremely abbreviated version of the last year of my life.  The past year has been full of so many firsts, but reading has remained a consistent comfort.

Next Few Weeks = A Year???

I can do math and tell time.  I promise!  When I said I was taking a break for "the next few weeks," I truly meant it.  I did not expect to stay away from this blog for a year.  The longer I went without posting, the harder it became to jump back in.  And here we are.  In September.

Obviously, I've still been reading.  But I've come to miss writing about what I'm reading.  I especially miss hearing about the great books that other people are reading.  I discovered so many books this way and I probably wouldn't have heard about them otherwise.  

I found some posts that I had started, but I can't remember exactly what I wanted to say about those books now.  And that is why I need to start again - so I can look back and know what I read and how it made me feel.  From now on, this will be a scrapbook of sorts.  A place for me.  No pressure.  It will keep my thoughts organized and track my reading.  I will probably include some non-bookish content as well.  I want this blog to work for me.  However, my focus will be on reading. 

I plan to do some "while I was away" posts to get back into the swing of things.  I also want to tinker with the look and layout.  It is so exciting to rejoin the wonderful book blogging community and see what others are reading and discussing.  I'm happy to begin documenting my journey with books at Destination Well-Read again.