Paper & Glam Book Club | Year of Yes by Shonda Rhimes

Year of Yes by Shonda Rhimes

Publisher: Simon & Schuster, September 2016

Genre: Non-Fiction, Lifestyle

Pages: Paperback, 352 pages

Rating: 3.5/5 stars

Summary (chapters.indigo.ca):

She’s the creator and producer of some of the most groundbreaking and audacious shows on television today. Her iconic characters live boldly and speak their minds. So who would suspect that Shonda Rhimes is an introvert? That she hired a publicist so she could public appearances? That she suffered panic attacks before media interviews?

With three children at home and three hit television shows, it was easy for Shonda to say she was simply too busy. But in truth, she was also afraid. And then, over Thanksgiving dinner, her sister muttered something that was both a wake up and a call to arms Shonda knew she had to embrace the challenge: for one year, she would say YES to everything that scared her.

Review:

Let me start this review by saying that I am a die-hard 'Grey's Anatomy' fan and have seen every show at least twice so when I saw that Shonda Rhimes book was up first for my book club, I was excited to pick it up.

At first, this book was everything I was hoping it would be... funny, interesting and very easy to read. Turns out that pre- "Year of Yes" Shonda is very similar to myself and I was able to easily identify with many of the situations she found herself in, and dreading. I loved reading along as she worked her way around her fears and tackled many of them head-on and proved that, even when it seems hard and/or scary, putting yourself out there is worth it in the long run.

Where I feel the book fell short and, for me, moved from 5-star territory down to 3.5-star, was after that year was up. Whether it was that the book was too long or the chapters feeling like they belonged in another book, I can't for sure say why my feelings started to change. The voice of Shonda just seemed to go from a relatable person to someone that I found myself not really liking... she came across a little obnoxious and a little to entitled (yes, I know she's the Queen of Tv, but you know what I mean). I'm overjoyed that she found her happy but... I just had a bitter taste in my mouth as I finished reading.

Overall, it was definitely a worthwhile read but just fell a little flat at the end and I honestly feel like it could have been so much more.

The First Fifteen Lives of Harry August by Claire North

The First Fifteen Lives of Harry August by Claire North

Publisher: Orbit, October 2014

Genre: Fiction, Science Fiction/Fantasy

Pages:  Paperback, 405 pages

Rating:  3/5 stars

Summary (from chapters.indigo.ca):

SOME STORIES CANNOT BE TOLD IN JUST ONE LIFETIME.

Harry August is on his deathbed. Again.

No matter what he does or the decisions he makes, when death comes, Harry always returns to where he began, a child with all the knowledge of a life he has already lived a dozen times before. Nothing ever changes.

Until now.

As Harry nears the end of his eleventh life, a little girl appears at his bedside. "I nearly missed you, Doctor August," she says. "I need to send a message."This is the story of what Harry does next, and what he did before, and how he tries to save a past he cannot change and a future he cannot allow.

Review:

TOO MUCH DETAIL.  I can't start this review off any other way.  I picked this book up because it was highly praised by a booktuber I watch and I loved the premise of it but man, it's a 400 page book that should have been a 200 page one.  If half of the fluff was removed, this would have been a 5-star read instead of pushing myself to call it a 3-star.

Taking the 'fluff' out of it, I really enjoyed the story.  Harry August is a great character to follow and I did enjoy learning bits and pieces from each of his past lives but found it a little confusing when the author would jump from one life to the next without much warning.  I would have preferred if we met Harry in his first life and moved naturally through instead of jumping all over the place and back again.  Maybe that is my distaste for time-travel books... I didn't really think about that aspect before I jumped in so you have to take that with a grain of salt.

All in, I have such mixed feelings after reading this book... I really want people to read it because it makes you think but, I can't recommend it because IT WAS DRY!!  Ugh, not really the way I was hoping to kick off my 2017 reading.

Bookish Resolutions for 2017

WOW, it's officially 2017 and if you are anything like me, that means it's time to start some goals/resolutions for the upcoming year.  While I have health and happiness/family goals, what I am going to share with you today are my bookish goal for 2017.

1. Goodreads Reading Challenge - It's been a couple of years now that I have been doing the Goodreads Reading Challenge and I always set my goal to 25 books because I don't want to overwhelm myself... we spend a good amount of the summer on the ball field.  However, this year, I will be increasing that total to 35 books.  A nice, attainable goal!  You can follow along with my progress by becoming a follower/friend on Goodreads.
2. Paper & Glam Book Club - I have done a dedicated post on the Paper & Glam Book Club so I encourage you to read that (here) but quickly, I will be joining everyone in reading each of the monthly book picks and partaking in the group chat.
3. Fiction/Non-Fiction/Classic Ratio - I think this should have been my #1 resolution because I honestly think it will be the most challenging.  I am a die-hard fiction fan... more so adult fiction but I also enjoy reading young adult stories... basically, any and all fiction is my jam.  In 2017, I would like to incorporate more of the other genres into my reading because I feel like I am missing out on some amazing stories because my mind is narrow and limited.  While I intend to try for one non-fiction and one classic a month, I may switch that up as I go along so stay tuned... I will definitely keep this updated.  Thankfully, the Paper & Glam Book Club crossed over with this resolution a little as the book list for the year includes both of these genres... YAY!
4. Book-Buying Ban - This will be a short lived goal but I would like to read ALL of the books on my bookshelf at home.  Basically, those books that I have already spent money on adding to my personal library, that still need to be read.  I purchased them for some reason so let's knock this off!  I will still be able to borrow books from the library but nothing will be purchased (unless through gift cards, etc) until the shelf is empty!

So there you have it, my 2017 New Year Bookish Goals!  I will do an update quarterly to let you all know how the goals are going.

Paper & Glam Book Club | 2017

As we are in the last month of 2016, it's time to start thinking of plans for the new year and as I have decided that reading will be my new, born-again, passion, I thought joining a book club would be a fantastic idea.   While I love to socialize, I am still, what I would classify as an introvert (with an A-type personality... does that even exist?) so I prefer the online type of community as opposed to an actual meeting, at someones house with real people.  With all that in mind, I decided to join the Paper & Glam Book Club run by Lisamarie (YouTube/Goodreads).

Thankfully, Lisamarie makes it super easy to see if you will be interested in the club's book picks by releasing a dedicated video, showcasing each of the books.

What I love about her list for 2017 is that it is a good mix of fiction, non-fiction and classics.  Being a huge fan of fiction, I think that this will be the perfect way for me to get into reading more non-fiction and even pick up some of the classics... I always want to but just never seem to 'find the time'.

So, if you are interested in joining a book club for the upcoming year, but weren't sure where to go, consider the Paper & Glam Book Club... we can read together and discuss books online!

Paper & Glam Book Club Goodreads page: here
Paper & Glam YouTube channel: here
Paper & Glam Facebook page: here

While you clicking links, add me as a friend on Goodreads as well... click here!