Tina tells her tale

Bossypants
by Tina Fey

Last weekend I had the great pleasure of listening to Tina Fey’s book Bossypants read by the author herself. Not only is the lady fantastically funny, she’s also got something to say. Plus, on the audiobook, she does the Sarah Palin parts in her Sarah Palin voice. And, if you’re anything like me, you’d be very interested in Fey’s own take on the Palin phenomena and her role in it. Fey isn’t writing a straight memoir here. The breakdown is something like this:

46% Celebrity memoir
28% Essay collection
12% Feminist manifesto
9% Stand-up routine
5% Self-help manual

She does cover the major highlights of her life (roots, family, education, career, marriage, motherhood, and miscellany) in a semi-chronological fashion. The book is made up of two dozen or so short chapters, each an essay. Some of the essays are very personal, such as a portrait of her father, or the tale of her disastrous honeymoon. Others were about female empowerment, such as chapters on body image and the fact that women can be just as funny as men.

Speaking of funny… I don’t think it will come as a surprise to anyone that Tina Fey is hilarious. I laughed out loud through this entire book. I’m sure it was all the more amusing coming straight from her mouth. (By the way, I was surprised to learn that she’s not a half-bad mimic. She does a passable take on Lorne Michaels, Alec Baldwin, Amy Poehler, and other recognizable friends she quotes within the text.) While some chapters were incidentally funny, a handful of them were loosely disguised comedy bits.

It was amusing the way she kept divorcing herself from celebrity. She spoke about glamorous movie stars as though she hasn’t made the lists of Hollywood’s most beautiful and powerful. Somehow she’s retained an everywoman quality that leaves her relatable and approachable. By the end of this slight book, I felt I knew a lot more about Fey. I liked and respected her even more than I had going in. And I was thoroughly entertained. I can’t ask more than that.

Mailbox Monday: Pulitzer Day Edition!

Hey y'all, sort of getting a late start this week, with all the Pulitzer excitement.  But it's still Monday (barely), and boy did some awesome books come in this past week!

The Devil Colony
by James Rollins
Release date: 6/21/2011
Source: The author

I CANNOT WAIT TO DIVE INTO THIS BOOK!!

Jake Ransom and the Howling Sphinx
by James Rollins
Release date: 5/3/2011
Source: The author

I know!  An embarassment of riches!  Jimbo rocks, and it's good to be me.  This got an awesome review in Kirkus, BTW.  They said, "Rollins' second Jake Ransom adventure is tighter, more magical and more thrilling than the series opener. Likely to win Jake more fans, this will have adventure seekers of both genders clamoring for volume three."  I'm clamoring already.

Machine Man
by Max Barry
Release date: 8/9/2011
Source:  Electronic galley from publisher

Yeah, I know that cover image sucks, but it's the best I could do.  More importantly:  New novel by Max Barry!  Or newish, at least.  New in this form.  New to me.  And get this, it is being widely reported that an adaptation of this novel will be Darren "Black Swan" Aronofsky's next film.  Very cool!

The Dolphin in the Mirror
by Diana Reiss
Release date: 9/20/2011
Source: Electronic galley from publisher

You know me, I love the sea creatures and the science.

The Invisible Bridge
by Julie Orringer
Release date: 5/4/2010
Source: Aquired in the PBT book swap

Thank you, Care!  I can't believe how festive your package was!  What a treat.  Now, I just have to find the time to read this doorstop of a book.

The Door to Lost Pages
by Claude Lalumiere
Release date: 5/3/2011
Source: Electronic galley from the publisher

The review of this novel in PW caught my eye, and the publisher was kind enough to supply me with a copy. 

I'd Know You Anywhere
by Laura Lippman
Release date: 8/17/2010
Source:  Paper galley from publisher

Megan at HarperCollins was kind enough to send a galley in honor of the novel's trade paper release.  I actualy read the hardback last year.  It was excellent!

Domestic Violets
by Matthew Norman
Release date: 8/9/2011
Source: Electronic galley from publisher

I think I saw this compared to Tom Perotta, or blurbed by Tom Perotta?  It was good enough for me.

Bossypants
by Tina Fey
Release date: 4/5/2011
Source: Purchased with Audible credit

Tina Fey is awesome.  'Nuff said.






Books finished this week:

The Girl in the Garden by Kamala Nair

The Door to Lost Pages by Claude Lalumiere

Long Gone by Alafair Burke

Bossypants by Tina Fey


Currently reading:

The Tragedy of Arthur by Arthur Phillips

The School of Night by Louis Bayard


And what books did you acquire this week?  What are you reading?  Let me know in the comments!