How to Be a Woman by Caitlin Moran My rating: 4 of 5 stars I really freaking liked this book, which is a light commentary on feminism framed around events in Moran's life as she ages from 13 to 35 years old. It's cheeky and borderline rude in parts, but the observations are so wise. There are gut-punch parts and laugh-out-loud on the train parts.I'm infertile, so the "Why You Should Have Children" chapter stung. But that's my own hangup. The next chapter "Why You Should Not Have Children" ...
Z: A Novel of Zelda Fitzgerald book review
Z: A Novel of Zelda Fitzgerald by Therese Anne Fowler My rating: 4 of 5 stars This is a fictionalized account of the life of Zelda Sayre Fitzgerald, covering her life from the night she meets F. Scott Fitzgerald until she leaves him, with a bit of end-story to tie up loose ends.Their relationship is ... difficult ... compounded by how absurdly women were treated at the time.It's beautifully written and has a quick pace that keeps you turning the page even though you keep muttering, "Zelda, ...
Catherine the Great: Portrait of a Woman book review
Catherine the Great: Portrait of a Woman by Robert K. Massie My rating: 4 of 5 stars What I knew about Catherine going into this book: She was a man-hungry woman who died while having sex with a horse.This book was 100% effective in disproving all of my Catherine knowledge. She was a wise, witty, and educated leader who used every awful experience delivered by her AWFUL childhood/teen-hood/20s-hood to get what she wanted. She loved philosophy and the arts. She was just as progressively minded -- ...
Notorious RBG: The Life and Times of Ruth Bader Ginsburg book review
Notorious RBG: The Life and Times of Ruth Bader Ginsburg by Irin Carmon My rating: 4 of 5 stars What can I say? This book made me happy and has something for everyone along the legal knowledge scale, ranging from infographics to annotated excerpts from Ruth Bader Ginsburg's opinions & dissents. It's chock full of family photos and funny illustrations. There is even a recipe.Above all that, it's the story of a woman who was told "you can do it!" and "you can't do it" at the same time, and how she ...
Come to the Edge book review
Come to the Edge by Christina Haag My rating: 4 of 5 stars At 43, I am too young to care about the Kennedys. They are a relic of generations before me, and I have the privilege (?) of seeing them both through more unbiased reporting and the lackluster current generation. JFK Jr included. But I heard this was a book about young love and I am a sucker for poignant love stories that don't pan out. Christina Haag is a fantastic writer. She made me care about these two super-privileged kids and their ...
The Martian book review
The Martian by Andy Weir My rating: 4 of 5 stars This was in the house because it was WM's school's "one book one school" choice for last summer.Since the movie is out and doing well, I thought I'd grab it and give it a read.I enjoyed it this book. There was a fair chunk of pages devoted to chemistry (how to make water, how to pull oxygen out of the atmosphere, etc) but even if you don't understand it (spoiler: I didn't) it won't hamper your progress or leave you out of important plot devices. ...
Mistakes I Made at Work book review
Mistakes I Made at Work: 25 Influential Women Reflect on What They Got Out of Getting It Wrong by Jessica Bacal My rating: 3 of 5 stars I popped this book on my list after watching the author speak on a panel at the 2014 Pennsylvania Conference for Woman. This was an enjoyable book, chock full of anecdotes from working women. I didn't expect for it to change my life or anything, but it's good to know that even large mistakes aren't the end of the world.It was very Smith College-centric. I'd have ...
Modern Romance book review
Modern Romance by Aziz Ansari My rating: 4 of 5 stars Why is it so hard to meet The One?In this book Aziz Ansari looks at the modern dating world in a way that only a stand-up comic who double-majored in business and biology can. It's humor backed up by data, which is always the way to my non-fiction loving heart.I thought it was going to be a completely different book and was pleasantly surprised. He stared a subreddit and held focus groups around the world to find out how people are dating and ...
In the Unlikely Event book review
In the Unlikely Event by Judy Blume My rating: 2 of 5 stars Forgive me, Judy, for I have sinned. I ended up skimming the second half of this book, and reading the last 3 chapters. I so looked forward to this book. Therefore, I was bitterly disappointed when I subconsciously started rooting for the third airplane crash to take out the entire Osner family.I didn't like the large number of characters. Judy Blume (#1 favorite author of my girlhood) lived in Elizabeth, NJ during the tine of the ...
The Crimson Petal and the White book review
The Crimson Petal and the White by Michel Faber My rating: 4 of 5 stars How far can one socially climb in late 1800s England? How is the process different for a prostitute, a businessman, a widow, a sheltered wife, and a child? That is what "The Crimson Petal and the White" is about, in a nutshell.This one took a while because my lending period expired halfway through. I'm glad I was patient though because I found this book to be a very rewarding read. The plot? Honestly, there's not a lot of ...
The Cuckoo's Calling review
The Cuckoo's Calling by Robert Galbraith My rating: 3 of 5 stars British supermodel Lula Landry tumbles to her death from her third-floor balcony on a freezing cold night. Although all signs point to suicide, her brother John Bristow thinks there is more to the story. So he hires private detective Cormoran Strike to get to the bottom of it. Cormoran has his own problems -- kicked out of his home by his ex, broke, and injured from a tour in Afghanistan. But he and his (temporary) assistant Robin ...
Heartburn review
Heartburn by Nora Ephron My rating: 4 of 5 stars Successful cookbook author Rachel Samstat just found out that her husband was cheating on her. She also happens to be seven months pregnant with their second child. This book, though classified as fiction, is based on the demise of Nora Ephron's marriage to Carl Bernstein. Despite the somber subject matter, reading this book is like sitting with your funniest girlfriend as she tells her tale of woe. And every now and then, Rachel gets so worked up ...
