Year in Review: Funny Ladies
This year I wanted to read more books written by women, especially funny women. I watched Gilmore Girls as a child, watched Amy Schumer perform stand up as an adult, and currently watch my Twitter feed to find out what Anna Kendrick is going to say next. All of these books came out in the later half of 2016 and I flew through all three.
Talking as Fast as I Can: From Gilmore Girls to Gilmore Girls and Everything in Between (Lauren Graham, 2016)
How I stumbled upon it: I had heard about her book coming out (timed well with the release of the new Gilmore Girls series on Netflix) and I bought it on Audible as soon as it was released
What it's about: This is a series of essays from Graham's childhood and adulthood--including parts of the diaries she kept when filming Gilmore Girls. If you were a fan of the original Gilmore Girls, her anecdotes about her time with Ed Hermann, Kelly Bishop and Alexis Bledel are really touching. She also talks about growing up, living in Hollywood, and her time on Parenthood.
What I thought: I loved listening to this on Audible because it's just like Lorelai Gilmore reading a book to you! If you watched Parenthood (I didn't), you would probably get a little more from some of the stories. I liked that it was short but well curated; there didn't feel like there was a lot of content that was filler or unnecessary--it was all interesting and engaging.
You can get it here.
The Girl with the Lower Back Tattoo (Amy Schumer, 2016)
How I stumbled upon it: In the window of every bookstore in the city and airports.
What it's about: Amy Schumer's essays about her family, relationships, career, and love life. There is some humor sprinkled in, but many of the stories are her deep (and sometimes troubling) experiences with rape, her parent's affair, and losing friendship.
What I thought: I bought this book looking for a good laugh. The cover, the excerpts that were shared in PR fodder, etc., led me to believe that it would be a "Bossypants"-esque read. If you are looking for a stand up routine in writing, this is not the book. I was interested to hear about the things Amy struggled with growing up, but I was pretty disappointed that it was marketed as a "humor" book. You will like it if you are a die-hard Amy Schumer fan looking to learn more about her life, but it is not a casual or
You can get it here.
Scrappy Little Nobody (Anna Kendrick, 2016)
How I stumbled upon it: It was my Secret Santa gift at work this year!
What it's about: Anna Kendrick's experiences on Broadway as a child, acting in Twilight and Pitch Perfect as an adult, and her current comedy routine on Twitter in essay form.
What I thought: Anna is so self deprecating and the book was everything I expected after spending months crying laughing over her sassy tweets. She does a great job of encapsulating what it is like to be an adult but not feel qualified to be one, and I learned a ton about her backstory and how she ended up as an actor in the first place. She is one of the few people who truly comes across as down to earth and slightly weird as I imagine her to be in person. Here's a link to some of her best tweets, too.
You can get it here.
