I’ve always sort of liked Jennifer Weiner’s books. They are fluffy but generally well-written, normally set in the Mid-Atlantic, frequently feature dogs, characters are normal people and they are not too romance novel-y. I had read her blog back in 2002 (when even her publisher had to ask her what a blog was) and follow … Continue reading
Tag Archives: memoir
When in French : Love in a Second Language by Lauren Collins
Perhaps it was a mistake reading this right after Schadenfreude which I enjoyed so much. I had both out of the library and they seemed like a natural pair: both were written by American women writers who lived abroad in a country where English was not a first language. I was wrong. When in French is well … Continue reading
Schadenfreude, A Love Story: Me, the Germans, and 20 Years of Attempted Transformations, Unfortunate Miscommunications, and Humiliating Situations That Only They Have Words For by Rebecca Schuman
Schadenfreude almost made me want to go to Germany. Rebecca Shuman did a great job of weaving in her personal story (she basically became a German major–without knowing German!–because she had a crush on a boy in high school who introduced her to Kafka), the sites and sounds of Germany and Prague, and the struggles of … Continue reading
Hi, Anxiety: Life With a Bad Case of Nerves by Kat Kinsman
Kat Kinsman is a food writer so I’ve been familiar with her work and connected with her on social media for years so I was excited that she had a book coming out. It isn’t food related (although she does explain how she got various food writing related jobs) but you know I love a … Continue reading
Talking as Fast as I Can: From Gilmore Girls to Gilmore Girls (and Everything in Between) by Lauren Graham
I’ve been a Lauren Graham fan since I saw her on Caroline in City. I am possibly the only person who watched Conrad Bloom for the two or so episodes that actually aired because she was on it (and Ever Carradine, another fave). I, of course, watched Gilmore Girls. I even didn’t get to take … Continue reading
Where Am I Now? True Stories of Girlhood and Accidental Fame by Mara Wilson
I’m a little too old to have seen most of Mara Wilson’s movies. I’ve seen Mrs. Doubtfire but I certainly didn’t see a Thomas the Train Engine movie and while I probably would have like Matilda when I was younger, it came out when I was in high school so I was not the target … Continue reading
Give A Girl A Knife by Amy Thielen
Give a Girl a Knife was another case of a reading a book that I wanted to love but ended up only sort of liking. I swear I am not that picky! I loved the topics she covered–her weird rural no-electricity-no-water-homesteader-to-the-extreme life and her NYC fancy restaurant life (obvi, I’m a food blogger) but timeline … Continue reading
Let Me Eat Cake: A Celebration of Flour, Sugar, Butter, Eggs, Vanilla, Baking Powder, and a Pinch of Salt by Leslie F. Miller
I wish I liked this book. The concept was certainly compelling–a book celebrating cakes rather than simply being about making them–but ultimately it fell flat. I think what put me off was how the author kept switching back and forth between personal memories (occasionally not cake related, she writes at length about her mother and … Continue reading