I'm genuinely enjoying making more of a conscious effort to read. Whether it's over the weekend, on my lunch breaks or right before bed, I love spending a little time unwinding and surrendering my mind to a book. To my readers who are complete bookworms, this probably sounds like NOTHING. But for me, a gal who is NO GOOD at reading, it feels like a major accomplishment.
I have to say, I'm really motivated by my Goodreads account! Not only can I keep track of what I've read and what I want to read, but I also get to see the numbers. I'm a visual person, so when it shows me what percentage complete I am with a book or how many books I've finished so far for my 2019 reading challenge, I feel inspired to keep hustling!
Here are the books I read for March:
I first saw The Proposal when Reese Witherspoon announced it as the pick for her book club. I was attracted to the cover, naturally, so I googled what it was about. I picked it up on sale during a trip to Barnes and Noble and was so excited to read it because I hadn't read a good fictional book in a while. I was looking for the type of story that I couldn't put down.
To summarize, The Proposal is about a girl named Nikole who lives in California. The book begins at a Dodgers game, when her boyfriend of five months proposes to her. She had no idea and obviously turned him down. The entire ballpark is upset with her and as she's trying to get away, she runs into a man named Carlos Ibarra. He helps her flee the game and they end up talking more and more, which turns into a rebound relationship where all they do is eat food and hook up. They end up falling in love with each other at the end. (Big surprise.)
I am not the type of person to rip something to shreds, but I HATED this book. First off, the book could've been half the size if the author didn't make the characters overthink the same things over and over. Every chapter ended with sex, which is a writing style that doesn't interest me. And when Carlos has his epiphany that he's in love with Nikole, it's corny and completely ridiculous. I was so disappointed that this book was highly talked about, yet it was so bland and predictable. I was happy to be done with it.
"But I was right; I did have a good idea, and even just doing all of that research was me learning to trust myself. Once I learned to trust myself, my instincts, and my emotions, trusting other people was a lot easier."
I give it a: 1/5
After a disappointing book to start the month, I wanted to end it on a better note with something light and funny. I received My Squirrel Days by Ellie Kemper for Christmas and figured after how much I loved Mindy Kaling's books, I couldn't go wrong with this one. I sure do have a thing for celebrity memoirs!
If you haven't heard of Ellie Kemper, she played Erin Hannon on The Office, Becca in Bridesmaids and Kimmy in Unbreakable Kimmy Schmidt. But what we learn in the book is that Ellie is so much more than that. In fact, each chapter is titled as a different role, such as "Improviser," "Warrior," and, my personal favorite chapter, "Boss." With each chapter, she provides a glimpse into the different hats she has worn, writing about stories from her childhood, job experience and much more. Her comedic twist on each detailed story keeps you laughing throughout.
I know Ellie as Erin from The Office but haven't seen her other work besides a few guest spots in The Mindy Project, which is why I was excited to read this book and learn more about her. I knew it would be funny because of her quick sense of humor. Not only were her stories from growing up hilarious, but I was also fascinated with how she got her start in improv comedy, her interview with Saturday Night Live that didn't work out, and her experience working with Tina Fey. This was such a fun, easy read that I completely enjoyed. Ellie wrote the book as a way to get to know her with a writing style that is genuinely funny.
"The point is, sometimes it's good to be in charge. But also, sometimes it's less stressful not to have to do all that work."
"Have you ever noticed that when God closes a door, he opens a window? Neither have I. But I have noticed that timing and luck sometimes line up in such a way that you can catch a break."
I give it a: 4/5
On to the next,
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