The World Record Book of Racist Stories by Amber Ruffin and Lacey Lamar (★★★★★)
Audiobook • Libby • Nonfiction (Essays) • 2022
Short synopsis: Recounting the wildest tales of racism from their parents, their siblings, and Amber’s nieces and nephews, this intergenerational look at ludicrous (but all too believable) everyday racism as experienced across age, gender, and appearance will have you gasping with shock and laughter in turn.
This book was so hard to read, and I don’t blame anyone for choosing not to read it. Amber and Lacey do a great job of trying to insert some gallows-type humor into the book, but they also allow space for the hard stuff to be the hard stuff. This is their second book, their first one is mostly about Lacey’s experiences with racism while living in Nebraska and working in corporate-style positions. In this book, we get stories from their parents, their sisters, and some of their friends. It’s not a fun read, but it is an important one. I am committed to reading these uncomfortable books because it’s the very least I can do as someone doing the work of antiracism.
Romantic Comedy by Curtis Sittenfeld (★★★★★)
Print • Owned (Book of the Month) • Contemporary Romance • 2023
Short synopsis: Sally and Noah meet on the Saturday Night Live-esque showed called The Night Owls. Sally is a comedy writer on the show while Noah, a successful pop musician, is the guest star. After a fun week together of collaborating on sketches, Sally develops a massive crush but someone as hot as Noah wouldn’t be interested in her, right? Two years later, they’re in the middle of a global pandemic and they start emailing each other.
This book was so sweet. I just loved it! The book was broken up into three sections: the week that Noah was hosting TNO (2018), the email messages Noah and Sally sent to each other (summer 2020), and their reunion in California (2020). Each section was so different from the other and just so interesting! I loved following Sally and Noah through a “typical” week of working on a SNL-type show. (It sounded so very exhausting!) I’m not someone who watches SNL regularly, but I will watch clips on Youtube here and there, so I have a passing familiarity with it and it was fascinating to learn more about the process of how a show like this gets made. When the novel moves forward in time and switches formats, I wasn’t sure how I felt about things but I quickly got sucked in. I’m learning that I don’t mind a Covid subplot in a story; perhaps because Covid didn’t affect my life in any life-altering ways (which is such a privilege, I know!). It’s interesting to see how authors use it as a plot device. Anyway, I really loved the emails that Noah and Sally exchanged and the way they flirted with each other but in a very cautious sort of way. Flirting is so scary when you don’t know if the other person reciprocates your feelings! The final section where they finally reunite (Sally takes a long road trip to his house in California, rather than flying) was really sweet and I was just gaga over the two of them. I love how this was a later-in-life love story (they were both 39, so not over-the-hill by ANY means but most romances involve people in their twenties so this is an outlier) and the way they communicated with each other. It was just everything I wanted!
Have I Told You This Already: Stories I Don’t Want to Forget to Remember by Lauren Graham (★★☆☆☆)
Audiobook • Libby • Nonfiction (Essays) • 2022
Short summary: Lauren Graham opens up about her years working in the entertainment business and shares personal stories about everything from family and friendship to the challenges of aging gracefully in Hollywood.
Oh, it breaks my heart to give this book such a low rating because I love Lauren Graham so much. But this essay collection was just not very good. It felt chaotic at times, boring at others. I found the humor to be a bit tired. Another reviewer mentioned how Lauren just seemed sad in this essay collection, and I had the exact same thought. From the publication date, I assume she wrote this book not very long after her relationship of 11 years ended, and there’s a part of me that wonders how different this essay collection would look if she had more space from that devastating breakup. There were some really strong essays (she seemed to be especially great when talking about her life in Hollywood) but mostly, it wasn’t as introspective as I wanted it to be and there were some problematic essays (like spending time at “health camps”) that she didn’t fully address. Like, I understand that being an actress means maintaining a certain weight in most respects, but I wanted her to further interrogate her feelings on the matter. All in all, not an essay collection I would recommend unfortunately.
What are you reading?
Everyone loves Romantic Comedy so much and I find myself oddly resistant to reading it for no good reason. You know what will happen is five years from now I’ll read it and I’ll be all “hey, do you guys know how amazing this book is?” and you’ll all collectively roll your eyes at me.
So I don’t generally enjoy celebrity memoirs, as you know. And it’s because I think a lot of celebs aren’t good writers. I am sure Lauren Graham has a lot of interesting insights and stories to tell, but why would we assume that because someone is a good actor that they’d be a good writer?
Well, *most* celebrity memoirs are ghostwritten so I don’t think the quality of the writing says much, honestly. I don’t think Lauren Graham uses a ghostwriter, though, as she’s written a fiction book along with two memoirs. And I actually really enjoyed the novel she wrote!
I am not sure if you would enjoy Romantic Comedy (I mean, I did give it 5 stars, haha), but stranger things have happened!
Oh yes, I had forgotten about Romantic Comedy but it’s on my TBR. I read Sittenfeld’s book of essays (can’t remember what it’s called right now) and enjoyed that. That first book- I think I’m going to be one of those people who doesn’t read it because it would make me too upset. I admire you for reading it though (and actually feel kind of guilty that I don’t want to read it!)
I think you’ll like Romantic Comedy – if you love a good romance. It definitely has that rom-com feel to it.
I keep seeing Sittenfeld’s name, and I’m not sure if it’s all one book or many, because I haven’t paid much attention to him. Maybe I’ll add this to my TBR list. I read 2 of Graham’s books, my husband gave them to me because I am a big Gilmore Girls fan. They were pretty good, though I think the novel felt similar to the essays, like maybe she wrote a novel about her experiences. It’s been awhile, maybe I’m remembering wrong. I didn’t know she and Peter Krause had broken up, that’s sad.
Curtis Sittenfeld is a woman, actually! She’s written a LOT of books, so that’s probably why you keep seeing her name around.
Yes, I think I remember the novel she wrote was very true to her own life trying to make it in Hollywood. Some of the essays in this book felt a little redundant since I’ve read both her novel and her first book of essays.
I am glad you loved Romantic Comedy as much as I did! I thought it was delightful. And yes to how exhausting putting on a show like TNO would be. I could never do that. That would probably be Phil’s dream job – being a writer on the show. He is very very funny and can probably handle chaotic schedules. I’m like NOPE!
I haven’t read any of Graham’s books. I will skip this one if I do. She must have broken up with Adam from that she she was on (blanking on the name – showing my age here!!). I always thought it would be so hard to play the sibling of your boyfriend but I guess that is what talented actors do! Disappointing to hear about the health camps….
Yes, I always wondered what it was like to play siblings on a TV show but date in real life! (And Parenthood is the show you were blanking on, haha!)
Romantic Comedy was so much fun! I loved how the format changed from section to section.
I might read Romantic Comedy, that seems like a fun read.
I have no idea who Lauren Graham is – I love an essay collection if it’s done well. Too bad it wasn’t!
If you’re ever in the mood for a feel-good show that is the height of early-aughts fashion, then you need to watch Gilmore Girls (Lauren Graham plays the main character on that show). She’s also on Parenthood, which is another excellent TV show!
I read Ruffin and Lamar’s first book on audio and it was incredible and funny, and eye-opening. I didn’t know they have a second book out – I’ll have to look for it.
I had sort of dismissed Romantic Comedy as one of those really popular books that I probably won’t love, but I do love a good epistolatory novel so now I’m intrigued!
I’m currently reading Ballad of Love and Glory by Reyna Grande about a Mexican woman widow who tends to the injured during the Mexican-American war and the Irish defector who joins the Mexican army and rises through the ranks. The writing is a little stolid, but this corner of history is new to me and fascinating.
Yes – definitely give this second book a try. They have so many stories to tell, which is really a travesty.
Only part of Romantic Comedy is epistolary, but the other sections are also told in an interesting manner so you might enjoy it!
Very good to know about the Lauren Graham book. I downloaded the audiobook recently but maybe I will return it without listening. I didn’t love Talking As Fast As I Can and… I don’t want this one to sour me on an actress I really like.
I forgot to say that you have me intrigued about Romantic Comedy! I have seen Sittenfeld books all over the place for years but I don’t think I’ve ever read one of her books. Maybe it’s about time!
Yeahhh… I love Lauren Graham and it makes me sad how much I disliked this book. If you didn’t love Talking as Fast as I Can, I’m not sure this one will do it for you, either.
Thank you for reading and recommending the hard books for us. I really appreciate it! <3
The Romantic Comedy sounds right up my alley!
I am reading Island Time.
I’d love to know what you think of Romantic Comedy! I think you might enjoy it!
Just bought Romantic Comedy on sale this morning (e book) and now I’m really looking forward to it!
I really need to read the first one, too, as hard as it is likely going to be. I appreciate so much how you take on the hard books and then share about how hard they are. You don’t gloss over it, which I really appreciate.