What am I Reading? - October 2021 - BRAT: An 80's Story

 I love Andrew McCarthy. Maybe it comes from his somewhat aloof but secretly sweet persona in all of those 80's movies, but I have always wanted to know more about his life. Whether it was confessing to Ally Sheedy he was secretly in love with her in St. Elmo's Fire, or charming Molly Ringwald in Pretty in Pink, he seemed like an old soul. What's his story?  At the end of the day, McCarthy's story is like many of his era- kicked out of high school, some teen movie era fame, some bad press, some drinking, more adult roles and a turn on Broadway, a few marriages, a stint as a travel writer, a Hollywood comeback story, and finding bliss in directing and booking tv roles in some of the hottest shows, like 13 Reasons Why and The Resident. It's the typical story, right? 

McCarthy has so much more to tell. He developed an addition to alcohol long before he became a Brat Packer, mostly due to troubles at home stat started around age 12. He looked for his father's approval for years and studied the craft of acting in the hopes of learning more about himself, and maybe finally accepting his family for who they are. 

Read this book if you're looking for a journey of self-discovery, and to learn more about Weekend at Bernie's II. I give it 5 stars! 

 

What Am I Reading? - September 2021 - The Rural Diaires

 Is there life after starring on a teen drama? This book picks up in Hilarie Burton Morgan's life after she left the CW behind and went in search of a home, a husband, and a  small town to raise her children. This breathtaking work made me often weep. Burton Morgan, her husband Jeffrey Dean Morgan, and actor Paul Rudd went in on saving their local small business and bringing a treasured candy shop to success in upstate New York. Learn more about Samuel's Sweet Shop. 

What Am I Reading? - June 2021 - The Wreckage of My Presence

 

I cannot remember the last time I've been reading lines from a book out loud to my boyfriend. He really started to enjoy some of the stories and passages, many of which I had heard outlined in Casey Wilson's podcast, Bitch Sesh: A Real Housewives Breakdown Show. Wilson discusses parenting, Real Housewives, getting fired from SNL, and shares many cringe-worthy stories about her beloved father, Paul.   

What Am I Reading? - July 2021 - Amish Romance Novel BEACH READ

This is one of the worst books I've ever read, hands down! Not only was there no action in this book, but the very act of letting your hair down was the shameful reason Nellie and Caleb's love could last. From what I gathered, this was 2nd in a book series of The Courtship of Nellie Fisher, set against the backdrop of Nellie's Amish community splitting to a more natural order. Jacob remains on the traditional side and Nellie's family has been leaning toward the more progressive order. Her sister even leaves home and buys a car! At the end of this book, Nellie ends up alone. What a snooze!

My main complaint with the book, was the confusing switch of narrative. One chapter would be from Nellie's point of view, then her father's, then a sibling on the other side of town, then a flashback to the accidental drowning of Nellie's sister. It was impossible to keep straight who was talking every time the POV shifted. 

What am I Reading? - April 2021 - Turning the Tables

 

It started with a table flip, and ended with a ride home from a federal prison... I was very familiar with the story of Real Housewives of New Jersey's Teresa Giudice, a seemingly short-tempered, cash-flashing housewife. In Turning The Tables: From Housewife to Inmate and Back Again, we hear more of the nuance of the story, concluding at the time of her release from prison in 2016. A collection of old stories, musings, and journals let us into the inner psyche of the woman, whose husband, "Juicy Joe" left  to begin his own sentence at the beginning of her freedom

The most straining part of this story was to see two people that seemed like they used to be so in love, now so broken. When reading about their heartfelt calls and visits at the Danbury correctional center, when  compared to the reality of their draining separation, I felt like I was missing a piece of the puzzle. Granted, both have served prison sentences, lost parents, and Joe was deported back to Italy by ICE since he was technically an illegal immigrant as a child and never got a green card.  I really have to thank Co-author K.C, Baker for whatever she did for this book, which I suspect is turning it from half sentences and incorrectly used phrases, and making it easy for a human to understand. Watching her speak to her friends and family on TV can be a stressful experience if you like to hear people speaking the Queen's English, but I digress..., I now can see some shred of humanity to this woman that I hadn't seen before. She cares deeply for her friends, her kids, and her family. She also believes in the importance faith, fitness, and being a polite housemate. I think her time away taught her some humility and patience, which she was in short supply of up until that point. After all, she did almost black out in rage and flip over a table in the middle of a restaurant... As Countess Lu says, "Money can't buy you class."

via GIPHY

I give it a 4 out of 5! Minus a point for Juicy Joe, just as person. 

What am I Reading? - March 2021 - Natural Disaster

 

My bookshelf gained a new book this month! Over the pandemic, I have fallen in like with ABC's Chief Meteorologist, Ginger Zee. She forecasted and broadcasted from her basement for most of 2020, letting her hair's natural curls take center stage and  parenting while on live TV when her kids interrupt her reports, as seen in this clip  from Access Hollywood. 

I began following/stalking @Ginger_Zee on Twitter early in the pandemic because she seemed  like a relatable person on-air. I quickly learned that people direct message and @ her daily, dumping on  her fashion and hair choices (as Stephanie Tanner says, "How Rude!") She takes this abuse with grace and poise, reaching out to the fans and defending herself and her fashion choices. She wants to make every hater into a follower, and she does this well. 

In early Winter 2020, I discovered the  Narcolepsy 360 podcast, where a recent guest was, you guessed it, Ginger Zee. I learned she has suffered from the disease since her teen years, and had battled it while working through on-site storm coverage and 10+ weekend shifts earlier in her career. I immediately ordered myself this book, which catches us up to the present.  

Through reading this story, I learned about a courageous woman whose love of storms in her childhood propelled her to study meteorology in college. I had no idea schools offered degrees in meteorology. The chapter about her work covering Hurricane Katina is heartbreaking, and shows her heart and courage.  I give it 5 out of 5!

One Paragraph Movie Review: Crazy Rich Asians

Crazy Rich Asians is the movie America needs right now. with romantic comedies only popping up on Netflix these days, its nice to see a love story on the big screen. As an audience, we can put aside all of the fighting an unite against two legendary movie villains, the mother in law and the mean ex-girlfriend. Rachel Chu (Constance Wu) is a completely relatable heroine;  an educated, average woman who wants to make a good impression on her boyfriend's family. Here's where the crazy rich part comes in: Nick (Henry Golding) forgot to mention he is living in America to avoid having to take over his family business; and they are one of the richest families in Thailand. While Rachel fights mean girls and wins the heart of Nick's grandmother, she is supported by her college roommate Piglin (Awkwafina), and her kooky family. It's a enjoyable escape filled with fabulous destinations, beautiful clothes, and the message that money can't buy happiness.  Plus, there's a chase to the airport. What more can a girl ask for?

Crazy Rich Asians was adapted from the novel by the same name, written by Kevin Kwan. 

Drew Barrymore Pens A New Delightful Celebrity Memoir

Image from Celbzz
I would do this if I had a memoir!

     My name is Kelly and I love reading celebrity memoirs! Since the beginning of 2017, I have already sailed through three. I enjoyed delectable presents from my book club bestie including  TGIT Shonda Rhimes's  Year of Yes and Glee star Naya Rivera's Sorry Not Sorry.

     I chose a book for  my recent trip based on my current TV binge. I finished watching Netflix's The Santa Clarita Diet and 90's fan girl-ed out over how much I adore Drew Barrymore. Her Fall 2015 book Wildflower is full of interesting stories that kept me turning pages. I can't stop laughing about her RV trip with Nancy Fallon where they drove the vehicle into the roof a gas station in a rough part of New Orleans.There's lots of great moments Drew from her learning how to be a mom, to a survivalist  trip with the Charlie's Angels girls. Barrymore reflects on her unusual childhood, famous relatives and and teenage addiction with poise and patience.GRADE: A

You Remind Me of the (Literary) Babe

     PureWow put out a fascinating and adorable article about baby names based off of literary characters. I seriously hope people are thinking hard before they christen their baby Hermione (Harry Potter) but I did see some cute ideas based on some charming kids' books and movies of my childhood.

• Ramona (Ramona Quimby, Age 8; Beezus and Ramona) By Beverly Cleary                     (The movie is Ramona and Beezus).  Please do not name you child Beezus!
• Harriet (Harriet the Spy) By Louise Fitzhugh
• Winnie (As in The Adventures of Winnie the Pooh) By A.A. Milne                                Jimmy Fallon's daughter is named Winnie, from Pooh  or The Wonder Years? 
• Finn (The Adventures of Huckleberry Finn) By Mark Twain                                             (and the underrated  90's movie Tom and Huck with Jonathan Taylor Thomas)

I would also add to my list: 

• Logan (Bruno, Aussie boy baby sitter from The Babysitters Club) By Ann M. Martin
• Sheila (Otherwise Known as Sheila the Great) By Judy Blume                                             Also in: Superfudge, Tales of a Fourth Grade Nothing, Fudge-A-Mania
• James (James and the Giant Peach) By Roald Dahl 
• Jessica/ Elizabeth (Sweet Valley Twins, Sweet Valley High) By Francine Pascal                    Also in : Sweet Valley University, SVH: Senior Year, and a future movie

Ryan Reynolds- Superhero and Super Harvey

     Today marks the release of hottie Ryan Reynolds' new superhero movie, Deadpool. This is Reynolds' second movie as a comic book hero, and truth be told, his previous attempt at saving the world in  The Green Lantern was rough to watch.  At least he got Blake Lively as his wife (eventually) out of that flop. From what I've seen, Deadpool is a head-to-toe masked  fighter who was disfigured. He covers himself up, hiding behind his slick moves and sarcastic wit. And important to note, has a naked fight scene, which might be worth the price of admission.



 
  However, my favorite Ryan Reynolds role will always be the first Harvey Kinkle in the TV movie that launched the show Sabrina the Teenage Witch. He was a total babe in a tracksuit this 1996 movie with Melissa Joan Hart. Unfortunately, he didn't make the jump to the show, as he was replaced with Nate Richert, who looked better in the 90's than he does now. Accodring to MJH's book , (Melissa Explains It All) they were lip locking back then. Sigh!

Book Club: Can I Get A What What For Jane Austen

     My book club recently finished ready Mindy Kaling's Why Not Me?, an engaging set of essays that detail life in Hollywood, struggles with weight and working out, camp, filming a TV show, dating a White House bigwig, having life-draining friends, and finding a person who is truly your "Soup Snake." We give it a wholehearted thumbs up. It was impossible to read the 200+ page boon in segments over 4 weeks because we just wanted more. Special shout out the the chapter where Mindy imagines her Rom-Com life as a Latin teacher at a hip NYC prep school. Two thumbs up from the whole group!

      Our next target is Laurie Viera Rigler's Confessions of a Jane Austen Addict, because we've already read Pride and Prejudice enough times. A 21st century woman ended up trapped in Regency England after some troubling times. You know there is not enough wine in those times to drown your misery of having to put on a corset every day.

Cheers til next time, book friends!
 

Book Club: Let's Get Chatty With Mindy K

     I'm starting a book club with some dear friends and I can't wait! We're reading Mindy Kaling's second book Why Not Me? I can't wait to dive in! This book is a follow-up to Kaling's first book, 2012's Is Everyone Hanging Out without Me (And Other Concerns).

The creator of Hulu's successful The Mindy Project finds a way to bring her everyday Hollywood problems and childhood traumas to the audience with humility and grace.

What's Up With Wayward Pines- w/ Spoilers

I am addicted to this show. I usually don't enjoy stories about dystopian worlds, but somehow the Matt Dillon pulled be in to his seemingly perfect town and his fight to get out of there.

     Matt Dillion plays FBI agent Ethan Burke and he  ends up in the quaint town of Wayward Pines, Idaho after a "car accident." Somehow everyone in the town ended up there after a car accident. Strange, no? When he drives out of the town, the road leads right back in again and there' a large electric fence around the perimeter.The town's rules include: always pick up the phone and do not speak of the past.

     Ethan's wife Teresa (I'm giving a shout out to Shannyn Sossamon for getting a new acting gig, it's been slow since A Knight's Tale) and son Ben end up in an accident too and get deposited in the town, and they meet a cast of characters, including Ethan's  missing partner and former lover, Kate (Carla Gugino). Kate says she's been married for 12 wonderful years to the wonderful toy maker Harold, but she only went missing 6 weeks ago from Seattle. Sound weird yet?

     Don't worry, it's about to get stranger. The town hospital is patrolled by a super creepy nurse (Melissa Leo) that wears whites for work and black leather and braided hair when she goes to the town to take care of business. The town sheriff (Terrence Howard) is going around murdering people in the town square and telling them their cars were totaled in the "accidents". Then he dies and Ethan is appointed via mailbox note that he is the new sheriff. Plus, the only school, Wayward Pines academy, is teaching more than math and science, it's brainwashing the youth to lead a new generation based on on one fact:

Here's why:(SPOILER)
     Wayward Pines is the only town left  of civilization after humans began to mutate and become "abbeys",  a wild hyena-like creature that destroy and eat everything in sight. The year everyone has woken up in is 4028, when crazy scientist David Pilcher (Toby Jones) deemed it would be safe to start the human race again. Pilcer and his sister Pamela (the crazy nurse) began kidnapping people that would be frozen in pods and awakened when the abbey infestation was mostly done and the earth would be all green again. They tried to tell people what had happened, but they all went mad and killed themselves or others (so now this is the second society of 20+ years).

     To recap, everyone was taken by 2014 (Ethan was investigating kidnappings for the FBI when he got taken himself). Pilcher and his followers woke up first and formed command center to govern the lives of people. Every conversation and movement is tracked with camera, microphones and tracking chips.Worst of all, there's no cable or music left, except for  the guy that plays piano on the radio at nights). At least there's a beer hall!

     As for the people in the 2nd society, only the teenagers are told the truth. The creepy teacher Mrs. Fisher (Hope Davis) instructs the older students and takes them into a room under the school to conduct instruction for how life will be with the first generation, a group that knows the truth about the future and has not been in the world too long to have a major freak out about jumping 2,000 years into the future.

Youre Move, Pines... What's next?

Reading Into the Past- Don't Do It

   I was feeling nostalgic for the books of my youth because of this terrible Winter, and I reached for the dark and mysterious California Diaries serious from the Babysitters Club. I chose the first (Dawn's book) about 8th grade life in Southern California. For those of you trying to remember who Dawn is, she is the earthy hippie babysitter who moved to Stoneybrook, Connecticut with her mom and younger brother Jeff. After becoming friends with shy Mary Anne, Dawn and MA discovered their parents used to date in high school and dawn's divorcee mom and Mary Anne's widower father rekindled their romance and re-married each other. Dawn, like her brother before her, got tired of all the snow (who can blame her) and moved back to Cali to live with her dad and his new wife, Carol.

   These California kids were a lot more "real" than those Baby Sitters. Dawn, Sunny, Maggie, Duckie and Amelia (and not Jill, she was a stick in the mud). These kids go to high school parties, they kiss people, they drink beer, and they cover their parents' secrets. In its purest essence, it was everything me and my 4th and 5th grade friends imaged 8th grade would be (in out 90210 world). Each book is written a diary entry, and I found Dawn's diary extremely whiny for a thirteen-year- old girl (THIRTEEN! YOU'RE THIRTEEN?)- The European Guy to Stacey in The Babysitters Club Movie.

(Paraphrased from the entries) ...Wah, we have to go school with the older hgih schoool kids, I'm so nervous. Wah, my stepmom is having a baby, and my dad won't lvoe me as much. Wah, we're thinking of sneaking out to a high school party and I'm so scared, plus my best friend is having a wild streak"....

   That being said, Dawn was never my favorite baby sitter (respect the boss lady), but she was supposed to be one of the more open minded sitter girls, and when she got into hanging out with the West Coast kids, she was even more of a baby than Mallory.

Grey... I Quit

   In a recent post, I delved bravely into the world of 50 Shades of Grey. I have now finished all three books, and I can't help but think it's all overrated. Anastasia Steele is by far, one of the weakest female heroines in recent literature, tied for a very close first with Bella from Twilight. I don't want to read a story where the girl constantly complains about her rich boyfriend buying her extravagant gifts and giving her the business. Where is the story here? Is Christian's dark orphan child past really enough to make him a borderline sociopath?

   My friend recently raised a good point. She asked, if I ran into a guy like christian in the street, would I go anywhere with him, run off like Anastasia does... I her gave a firm, "Not more than a coffee,"on quirky gorgeous billionaires.Then she asked, what if he was an auto mechanic? On that thought, it became clear. (The answer was more of a hell to the no on that one).

   The only reason christian Grey is so alluring is because he's a billionaire. Yes, he's powerful, flies planes and looks like a Calvin Klein model, but he is rich. He can pay to make any nuisance go away,  throw money until you change your mind, and take you on fantasy dates that make The Bachelor look boring. Nobody in these books is really worry much about the normal things (losing a dry cleaner ticket, paying off the Visa bill, a friend who has a truly heinous haircut and does not want to hear she looks bad..). But maybe that's all 50 Shades is, a welcome escape from reality.

A Note: I Can't Quit You, Grey

The Grey I'm referring to is not Meredith Grey, but the elusive "50 Shades of..." Christian Grey, a fictional sadist that I cannot get out of my mind. It took me 8 days to plow through 50 Shades of Grey often dropping E.L. James' 400+ whopper on the floor next to me bed as my eyes drooped shut. It took me 7 of those 8 days to realize the front cover of the book is a Gray tie.

Nonetheless, I've had a little over a week to rest and recuperate from my experience with the elusive billionaire playboy CEO, and I ended up walking out of Target with book 2: Fifty Shades Darker. It nearly called to me as I walked by the book section, and with the attractive price of 12 fifty-something, (this week only), I'll soon be back in the land of mental torment.

Don't mistake me, I liked 50 shades, but I have a few thoughts. First of all, I want to shake Anastasia and tell her (and her Inner Goddess) that this relationship is neither healthy or normal. Also, the girl needs to lay off her English Breakfast Tea a bit.... the amount of caffeine she must have coursing through her veins at all times would make it impossible to function.

I also want to thank my friend for likening me to Katherine Kavanaugh the other night. Katherine, while being a devoted friend and complete busybody, needs to take a chill pill. And as for Grey, he's hot and a genius, but he's cray-cray. And can anyone explain how Anastasia attends Washington State University in Portland? Is there a Portland, WA, I don't know about?

To be continued.......

The One, The Only, The Great Gatsby

     He was the original forbidden fallen hero, the Edward Cullen darkness and Dylan McKay "devil may care" bad boy, and they called him Gatsby. I usually don't go down for Baz Lurman movies. I've never esat through an entire viewing of Moulin Rouge or Romeo + Juliet (ha, shocker), but I am so pumped for the reboot of  The Great Gatsby. Maybe I just love the idea of being stuck in the wild 20's, but it's intoxicatingly fun. Can you think of someone better to be Gatsby than Leo? And Tobey Maguire (glad to see the guy working again) as the bumbling narrator Nick? This is gonna kick butt! I can't remember the last time I was so excited about a movie.

A Note About the Heartbreak Survival Guide... BOOKS

In my last post, I outlined two great movies to get you over a heartbreak slump. Here is a book that will take your mind off why he forgot to call, or whatever.

Something Borrowed
* As of May 6th, it will be a movie too. I discovered it in book form first.

I am completely devouring Emily Giffin's "Something Borrowed." Very much in the vain of the movie The Romantics, its a simple story of two best friends and one guy. Rachel, the book's main character, is brunette, a lawyer, and always playing second fiddle to Darcy, her childhood best friend. Darcy has blonde hair, a perfect figure, men fawning all over her, a glam pr job she got with no experience, and a sense of entitlement that rivals the queen of a small country.

In essence, you can't imagine how Rachel has put up with Darcy for over 20 years because Darcy is the typical Queen B-eyotch (see Alison (Pretty Little Liars), Cordelia Chase (Buffy) or Lila Fowler (Sweet Valley High) etc... for more direction). So its natural to feel bad for Rachel when she gets drunk at her 30th birthday and sleeps with Darcy's fiance. At first, you're like, oh this is all she needed, just to feel good about herself. But the more you learn about Rachel and Darcy, the more you want bridezilla to suffer. As everyone keeps pointing out to Rachel that she's 30, single, and everyone else has moved on or is happy, you want to fight for her right to be 30 and a potential home wrecker.

SPOILER ALERT:
Rachel begins dating Dex's pal Marcus, and begins an affair with Dex. But she also begins dating Dex's pal Marcus. Emotions begin to get crazy as the wedding approaches (at the end of the summer). Its a constant balance of self-denial, self-loathing and freedom that keep you glued to Rachel's tale. Rachel saw him first, she was friends with him first, but she was scared, and Darcy won/stole him.

WHY YOU WILL LIKE IT:
Everyone has had Darcy as a friend before. You know the girl I'm talking about. She embarrassed you or ruined a good moment or told a secret, or took something you really wanted. We all have that in our life. Seeing someone fight back (even if it does involve stealing her fiance, which is frowned upon in polite circles), its cathartic on some level for the reader.

AS FOR THE MOVIE: The movie stars Ginnifer Goodwin as Rachel (hopefully with her He's Just Not That Into You charm), and Kate Hudson as entitled Darcy (perhaps with the How to Lose a Guy In Ten Days spunk and Almost Famous girlish attractiveness). Colin Egglesfield (hot chef Auggie from the Melrose Place 2009 reboot) is the man in contention. He's pretty dashing, although I liked him better with his chef scruff. For some reason, the character Ethan (a close friend living in London that the girls fought over at age ten) has become a major (and it seems present in NY) character, played by John Krasinski (Jim Halpert from The Office). What can I say, it won't bother me too much because I love Mr. Halpert.

SIDENOTE- Krasinski's humor saved the Streep-Baldwin contraption It's Complicated.