Books - Talk Nerdy to Me, Hey Hey Hey

Oh Robin Thicke.  I feel like you, too, are trapped by the male expectation to be a dirty hound-dog whilst keeping a good figure and being involved with copious hot babes.  Sometimes I think you just want to drink extra beers on the couch and fart loudly whenever Paula Patton isn’t around.

Blurred Lines reference aside, I have finally found something blog-worthy this week.  The last few weeks in May I went to a college graduation/mother’s day weekend and drank, then went to a wedding as my bestie’s plus one and drank, then went out for a friend’s birthday party last weekend and drank some more.  But you can’t blog about how much you drink, I mean you could but that’s oversharing.

In between these events, I have been reading like a beast.  Like, a nerdy beast.  Nerdy, because well….now nerdy is a good thing and reading books back to back to back is still within the realm of old-school nerdism.  It’s the best when you have a brand new library card and your library stocks a pretty good selection.

What have I been reading?  Well a combination of science fiction, short stories, blogger books, home décor, etc.  A real grab bag.

The Twelve

I didn’t finish this book until the bitter end, mainly because one third of it follows around characters that ultimately don’t matter to the core characters.  These are peripheral characters that only have minor influences on the main story.  Also a majority of the female characters are horribly clichéd.  They exist as love interests or eventual hostages, even the one who was a doctor. 

The Shining Girls

I did finish The Shining Girls.  It has an interesting premise but seemed horrifically brutal toward women.  The motivation of the killer was ill-defined and ultimately unsatisfying.  Also the time travel elements, while fantastical were neither well-defined or innotive.

Let’s Pretend This Never Happened

Okay, I loved this book.  Jenny Lawson grasps what makes our childhoods seem awkward actually can give us strength as adults.  Never judge on face value and treasure what makes you different.

Me Talk Pretty One Day

This comes quite close to Tina Fey’s Bossypants record for making me laugh out so many times.  Why I had never thought to pick up a David Sedaris book until recently, I’ll never know.  I suspect perhaps because his books are always soooooo popular, I thought somehow they wouldn’t appeal to my off-brand sense of humor.  Then I realized my sense of humor is pretty broad and all-encompassing actually.

I Was Told There Would Be Cake

I read this alongside with Me Talk Pretty One Day and was amused by the similarities both authors share living in New York City.  Working under crazy woman and the logistical nightmare that is moving in NYC. 

Woken Furies

This is the third book in the Takeshi Kovacs novel series, starting with Altered Carbon, which I highly recommend.  The author has a habit of introducing peripheral characters at length that ultimately slow down the pacing but I do enjoy his sci-fi world building skills.

You

From the same author as Soon I Will Be Invincible, this book follows the rise and fall of a fictional video game company.  The protagonist is ultimately not as fleshed out as the other characters and so makes for an unsatisfying hero but I did like the author’s insights into the video game industry, especially the parts in which the programmers have to expect and anticipate players that actively try to break the rules or system of the game, just because they can.

Tenth of December

Short stories aren’t really my thing but I have started to enjoy writing some of my own.  I wanted to see what a master of the short story writes about and was pleasantly surprised.  I didn't like every single story but the majority provided insight on some interesting characters. 

Home By Novogratz

I’m pretty much obsessed with the Novogratz style. I like that both Robert and Cortney originally came from the South and really balance each other.  Robert usually goes for weird funky lighting and art pieces while Cortney focuses on the nuts and bolts, like storage and comfortable furniture.  In this book they work with a variety of budgets, so you can find tips for copying their style no matter what your budget is.

So what are ya’ll reading these days?