Why was I reluctant

To read Wow, No Thank You?  Maybe because I thought Samantha Irby was one of those actresses on Saturday Night Live.  I am not a big Saturday Night Live fan at all.  But I should have listened to my dear friend Rebekah.  She loved it and I did, too!  This lady is quite funny!

The Tricky Thing about Short Stories...

is that sometimes they are uneven, especially when written by different authors.  I have to say that was NOT the case with Black Enough:  Stories of Being Young and Black in America.  It was edited by Ibi Zoboi and I have read two of her books and one of her short stories and I loved them all.  I also loved so many of these stories...like the guys growing up the south and falling in love.  This was just such a great collection of voices that not only need to be heard but man...the world is so much better when they are. 

More than "for fans of..."

I have ranted about the "for fans of" and "for those who like" in book blurbs and I have to say this one really bugged me.  Unteachables is by Gordon Korman who has long proven to be one of the best writers for children and/or tweens and to say that "for fans of...." about one of his books just seems to reduce the book to seeming like one capitalizing on what's popular at the time. 

The Intro

was worth the whole book, but the whole thing was great.  Everyone You Know is Going to Die, and Then You Are!  Is an interesting title and very true and hilarious but for sure for adults!  I had not heard of Moshe Kasher.  And well, I didn't know he wasn't dead (it says so in the intro) but I am glad he isn't!

Hey, YEAH! Why is that?

Totally hilarious.  But MORE!  I know W. Kamau Bell from CNN and I think he is brilliant and bold and yes, hilarious.  Face Full of Flour was all of those things and more.

Word By Word

is an lecture of sorts, done as a result of the great success that Anne Lamott had with her book Bird by Bird which I hope to read very soon.  Word By Word is great though.  And it makes me want to read the book even more.  There is so much more here than advice for aspiring writers.  And today I even wrote 400 plus words!  So thank you, Ms. Lamott for your continued wisdom and joy.  It was cool listening to this after having finished the latest Jack Gantos book, on the same topic but for kids, but man, really for anyone.  I wonder if Gantos and Lamott have ever met.  I bet they would get along very well!

Mr. Gantos

makes me proud to be from Western Pennsylvania.  With my Western PA accent and all.  I do feel embarrassed by it sometimes.  I know that many consider it to be low class and look down upon me for it.  I understand.  So when I hear Jack Gantos, brilliant man that he is, speaking with such a thick WPa accent, it honestly can bring me close to tears.  Writing Radar: Using Your Journal to Snoop Out and Craft Great Stories is a fantastic book in that it is completely hilarious and entertaining, just like all of his books, and it also give excellent help and instruction for aspiring writers. 

Incredible

The Incredible True Story of the Making of the Eve of Destruction was not INCREDIBLE as in 5 Star, but it was good.  I enjoyed it because I really resonated with Laura's worry about the nuclear war.  I was 13 in 1984 and she is 16 (although she does seem a lot younger than 16 in some ways, but it might just the narrator).  I remember the fear!  I remember talking to my dad about it all.  I remember War Games and I remember learning about MAD and I remember the Doomsday Clock but most of all, I Remember...Mama.  I AM SO POP CULTURE HIP! 

Ahem.

Anyway...I liked this.  It was weird and a little hard to follow on audio and I would like to see the book to see how it is laid out, but it was enjoyable.  I just don't know how enjoyable it would be for someone who did not live through the 40s, wait, I mean the 80s! 

A Sweet Story about Death

Yes, Have a Nice Day is about death!  But it's not a downer.  I swear.  It's one of those audible originals and it narrated so well!  It stars Annette Bening, I LOVE her!  And Kevin Kline and Billy Crystal.  Kevin Kline is the President of the US (again!) and Ms. Bening is the First Lady.  All of them are just excellent and it really does make one think, "What would you do, if today were your last day on earth?"

Slacking

Slacker is a book that I know will have much appeal.  It is funny and it short and it is well done.  I will easily be able to recommend this book.  I just didn't give it the full five stars because it wasn't for me. 
The cover turns me off right way because while I know the animal on the cover is a beaver, it just reminds me of that horrible movie Caddyshack and with the whole gopher subplot going on and I really, really found that movie repulsive most because of the swimming book incident.  In fact, completely because of the swimming pool incident because it is just that awful.  So right away I am judging a book by its cover for a completely ridiculous connection that isn't even there.
Many apologies to Mr. Korman who really is a great writer. 
The book features a kid who is a slacker, except when it comes to gaming.  And the rest of the story I really liked, but the whole beaver angle, even without the cover issue just didn't appeal to me.  Still, I can recommend this book to others who aren't as ridiculous as I am! 

So Glad

I am not a huge fan of the books of Rebecca Stead.  I know she is a good writer, she just is not my kind of writer.  And I have enjoyed books by Wendy Mass, but they have all been on the just-a-wee-bit-too-long side for me.   And so I was not even going to read Bob, but man, I am so glad that I did.  I ended up loving this very sweet story.  Magical, indeed.  I loved it.  I don't know if it is Newbery stuff, but I really did love it.

And I Thought I Was Cool!

I remember one January when I drove from Pittsburgh to San Diego and I was so proud of myself.  Bicycle, from The Adventures of a Girl Called Bicycle, sets out to BIKE to San Francisco from DC! I LOVED this book.  I thought it was just so clever.  I can't wait until Christina Uss has a new book!
It really made me want to get into biking.
David Levithan, I am still trying hard not to be fat!  So don't worry!  And from everything I have read, biking is great for weight loss!  BUT my friend's brother was an expert biker.  And he was on just a regular ride and something was on the trail and he went over the handle bars and his helmet cracked and now he is paralyzed.  And I know that was a horrible, horrible freak accident, but it scared the heck out of me.  My heart just aches and aches and hurts and hurts for him.  He is a devout man, and he just wants to go and be with his Lord.  It is just such a sad and horrible time.
Ugh.

Folding

Folded Notes from High School is a book of letters and I love reading books like this!  I would have really liked it more if we would have found out some reason why Tara is SUCH a jerk!  She is like Margaret! 

Worth the Wait

Calypso is the first new book from David Sedaris is what seems like FOREVER!  It might not be FOREVER, but with Sedaris, I could greedily ask for a book a month!  I love that Mr. Sedaris reads his own audiobooks.  And I loved the mix of hilarity and thoughtfulness.  I simply love this man.   

Cousins

I have two cousins but they are much younger than I, as our fathers had a pretty big age gap.  When I read a book like How You Ruined My Life, I am glad!  This was a super-funny, just the right length book that avoided a lot of the things that could have easily ruined the book.

I Wonder

what the stats are on series that make it all the way to 12, like DOAWK and haven't lost any of their magic.  This has to be a record.  The Getaway is great. 

Next to Christopher Paul Curtis

You might be wondering what CPC has to do with Dory.  Well, I will tell you, next to the latest CPC book, this was my most anticipated release of 2018!  And it did not disappoint!  Dory has not lost her humor or originality or fabulousness.  She has just gotten better.  I don't remember her remember her being as vulnerable in the others and I love her even more!  Which I didn't think was possible!  Head in the Clouds is excellent.

Not Terrible, but...

The third installment of The Terrible Two, The Terrible Two Go Wild, was pretty clever.  There is no doubt that these guys are funny writers.  The only thing is that every adult in the book is a complete idiot!  I mean, I have to say that I find the principal to be a sympathetic character and I like the characters enough that I want to see how this develops and I do care!  And I am not ripping on how adults are portrayed because of any moralistic high-ground here, it's just that it doesn't seem realistic.  I mean, I hope that there is at least ONE half-way-non-idiot adult in the lives of these kids!  On the other hand, didn't all of the adults in Charlie Brown have a seriously hard time communicating?  So it happens!  Still I can recommend this series! 

Staying Fit for David Levithan

In my life long quest to be approved by David Levithan I am continuing my battle with the bulge.  Mr. Levinthan, I am 120.5 lbs, where I was 338 on December 31 of 2013.  I am 5'4.  I am good now?  Regardless, I am going to keep at it, Mr. Diversity!  I read Dave Barry's Stay Fit and Healthy Until You;re Dead is a great self-help book.  Especially when we read so much about the benefits of laughter.  Very funny. 

Spy vs. Spy

Spy School Secret Service is the fifth in the Spy School series and I feel like the pacing was JUST right for me as far as my weird tastes are concerned.  If you are the kind person who enjoys stories in which the hero is falsely accused for there is a case of mistaken identity and the majority of the book or movie is all about the person proving innocence, then we are not a like.  This stuff just drives me crazy!  I feel so bad for the person.  I can like the book or movie, but I have to skip to the end to make sure it all turns out okay!  But basically, I don't enjoy the experience at all.  I thought this was going to go down that way.  But I love Erica Hale and I love Stuart Gibbs and I love this series!  So all was okay!