alltheradreads's Reviews (1.9k)

I wasn't expecting to enjoy this one as much as I did! I wanted to mix up my reads this month with a more light-hearted fiction pick, and this was a great one. It helped that the author herself read this audiobook, and once I sped it up a little bit, I really actually liked listening along!

I read Kaling's first book and gave it the same 3/5 star rating... I just don't find them that funny. Maybe it's my poor sense of humor (quite likely, since many other people find her hilarious) buuuuut this one just didn't really grab me or make me laugh or anything. It was an okay read, but not one I'd recommend unless you're obsessed with her or think everything is funny, I guess!

I think listening to this one on audiobook ruined it for me. I wanted to like it (all the reviews I've seen from friends were 4 or 5 stars!) but just could NOT get into it. I really think if I had the book in hand, I would have flown through it and been much more engaged. I even sped up the reader to try to follow better...but couldn't. Maybe someday I'll try to give the physical book a read, but I just was not a fan and couldn't even finish it!

I'm a major fan of Shonda Rhimes, even when I'm cursing at my TV because she's killed off another one of my favorite characters or twisted the plot in a way that is just SO WRONG. She's a brilliant and wicked and wonderfully talented mastermind, and I adored her writing style (like I thought I would). It's funny and exactly like I imagine getting coffee with her in person would be. I resonated with much of her story, of being an introvert afraid to step out of a comfort zone and do scary things, and so appreciated her transparency as she spent a year saying yes to all those terrifying things, to a fantastic end.

The cover of this one is truly SOMETHING. It will grab your attention, that's for sure! I was so curious about this one from the moment I saw it. The cover says "exploring creativity with innovative chefs" and I knew I would find it fascinating, and I did. It's an awesome collection of the most interesting and unique conversations with chefs, accompanied by really cool (and sometimes gross if you're a meat-averse vegan!) food photography. This will be one I'll keep on my coffeetable as a conversation starter for sure. I loved the behind the scenes look into the food and restaurant industry, and Questlove's perspective as a "drummer, producer, musical director, culinary entrepreneur, and New York Times bestselling author" gives it a really fresh feel. These conversations were so cool to me-- the art and science and creativity behind food is exhibited here in a truly engaging and mindblowing way. If you are interested in foodie culture at all, definitely grab this one! It's a work of art in and of itself.

With all the news headlines telling of black lives taken prematurely, brutally, and unfairly, I've become much more aware of both the brokenness around me and the privilege within me. It's been hugely eye-opening to realize how my own identity as a white, college-educated, salaried woman puts me in a bubble that protects me from so much danger, while people of color live in fear with a constant need to fight for their safety. It's sickening to realize. Books like this one are powerful beyond words. My eyes are more open now to what it means to be black in America in 2016, and although it wasn't easy to read, I am so grateful to have read it. I'm convicted of the ways in which I, too, have been one to judge or ignore or look down on others who are different from me. I'm broken by the truth that there isn't a neat and tidy solution to racism and injustice. I don't want to stay sheltered by my privilege but instead to step out of the bubble and into the brokenness where I can listen to stories like this one, let my heart be broken, and steep my soul in the truth of the world around me. I do not have answers. I do not know solutions. I know I can listen to what people of color are saying. I can hear their stories instead of silencing their voices. I can choose to not live like those before me who put people down because of skin color or ancestry or geography. I can start by opening myself up, and I'm grateful that this book could be part of that. Please read this one.

This book was fantastic. The chapters bounce around to different characters, all people who have immigrated to the United States from various South and Central American countries for different reasons. This book is poignant, beautifully woven together, and dripping with the passion and struggle that comes with pursuing the American dream for the good of family. It opened my eyes to what coming here must be like for so many, and I couldn't put it down. I think Americans need to read more books like this one so the compassion and grace that drips from its pages will seep into our own lives and change the way we interact with the incredible people who have come to make a home here.

This is my first Gladwell read, and it was a solid one. There are some fascinating ideas and concepts in this book based on in depth and thorough research. At times, I found that certain chapters kept dragging on which caused me to lose interest and skip ahead a bit. If you've ever wondered about what makes things all of a sudden go viral or become popular, what makes things work, what makes ideas or products spread, or anything along those lines, give this book a read! I can't wait to read other things by Gladwell. (Also-- watch this TEDtalk by him if you want a taste of who he is!)

I loved The Alchemist by Coelho, and wanted to read more by him-- this one is similar in that it's short, reads easily, has religious themes and a moral undertone to it. I didn't love it as much, though. The main religious theme was about the feminine side of God (as the Catholics call the Virgin Mary, etc) and I wasn't entirely resonating with the way it all was presented. I read this in about an hour though, so if you're looking for a quick, poetic read, you would enjoy reading Coelho.

Okay, so I should probably start this by saying I don't think I've ever actually seen Mindy Kaling in anything...I've never seen The Office or The Mindy Project, so I really don't know much about her except what snippets and commercials and stuff I've seen. But...I loved Amy Poehler's book, and I saw this at the library and thought it would be similarly amusing and fun to read, so I read it. I really just didn't enjoy it, though. I think if I already knew and loved Mindy, it would have been better. It wasn't bad by any means, it just wasn't really that exciting and it wasn't very funny and it didn't really seem to say a whole lot... I guess it wasn't ever meant to be serious literature though so maybe I should just take it for what it is and move on! Okay, moving on.