I've been a real adult (the job-holding, do-my-own-taxes kind) for about 3 years now, but I still don't really feel like an adult. I knew I wasn't gonna read this book cover to cover, but use it as more of a checklist.

Some points I liked:
1. Remember your circle of concern versus your circle of action. Basically, decide what things you can change. Don't worry about the rest. (Chapter 1, Get Your Mind Right)

2. A bucket of dish-soapy water feels very Cinderella-ish. (Chapter 2, Domesticity)

3. For tens of thousands of years, we've prepared food and eaten together - it's sort of our species' thing. So don't be afraid to cook. (Chapter 3, Cooking)

4. Develop a good meeting face. I didn't realize until my husband told me that I have BRF. I had NO IDEA for 25+ years of my life. So sorry to everyone who thought I hated them. (Chapter 5, Get a Job)

5. Freeze your credit card. Like put it in a container with water and freeze it. (Chapter 6, Money)

If I could add anything, it would be that EVERYTHING takes more time than you think. I learned that grocery shopping includes checking out, loading, unloading, and putting your groceries away. Doctors appointments. Paying bills. Answering emails. So plan for it. And always carry cash.

I confess I have a hard time reading classics for pleasure. I'd seen the movie, Miss Pettigrew Lives for a Day, and I thought the book might ease the transition from the plot-driven novels I'm used to reading to slower more dense classics. I'm transitioning from fast food to vegetables, and this book was kinda like batter-fried zucchini. Delicious!

Recommended if you root for the underdog, if you enjoy a good transformation story (Rachel Leigh Cook in She's All That gets me every time), and for a brief social commentary on 1930's England.

Quotes:
Yet behind her solicitude, rather guiltily, Miss Pettigrew felt the most glorious, exhilarating sensation of excitement she had ever experienced. 'This,' thought Miss Pettigrew, 'is Life. I have never lived before." (page 11)

'For the first time in my life I am enjoying being with myself.' (Miss Pettigrew, page 166)

'Well,' said Miss Pettigrew grudgingly, 'he did kiss me good night. I understand it is the custom among people of your . . . your Bohemian tendencies.' (page 224)

Yes Please is a peek into Amy Poehler's brain. It's scatterbrained, messy, sometimes random and brutally honest. Anyone who identifies with Poehler will enjoy her crazy antics, the "back in the day" stories of her childhood (some hilarious, some sad), and inside scoop on SNL and Parks & Rec. She name-drops a lot too, fyi. Her refusal to be cynical is refreshing, and her love for her family and friends is endearing. I enjoyed the scrapbook feel of the book, with glossy pages of handwritten notes, funny pictures, and mementos. The section on her cast mates and friends from Parks & Rec is just the cutest.

Recommended if you're a secret optimist, if you binge-watched Parks & Rec on Netflix (I totally want to now that I've finished the book), and if you wanna treat yo'self to some humorous real talk.

Not recommended if you're not into the cute and upbeat vibe that Poehler gives off. Some of the sections seem a little moralizing (but not in any way false - Poehler's not a 26-year-old autobiographer, she's learned some things - and I heartily agree that the robots will kill us all).

Quotes:
Time passed and the world spun, but all that mattered was the thing in the room you were making together. (page 9)

I think we should stop asking people in their twenties what they "want to do" and start asking them what they don't want to do. (page 12)

Decide what your currency is early. Let go of what you will never have. People who do this are happier and sexier. (page 21)

Doing sketch comedy on live television while pregnant is like wearing a sombrero. You can pretend to be a serious person, but the giant hat gives you away. (page 29)

I suppose I am pre-peri-middle-aged. (page 97)

I want to have conversations about real things with people who have experienced real things. I'm tired of talking about movies and gossiping about friends. (page 101)

Let's not end of African baby rape (or start with it, for that matter.) Let's end by pointing out all the positive ways you can scare yourself and feel alive. You can tell someone you love them first. You can try to speak only the truth for a whole week. You can jump out of an airplane or spend Christmas Day all by your lonesome. You can help people who need help and fight real bad guys. You can dance fast or take an improv class or do one of those Ironman things. Adventure and danger can be good for your heart and soul. Violence and desperation are brutal things to search out. Why search out the horror? It's around us in real ways every day. I'm talking to you, the people who made that movie The Human Centipede. No more Human Centipede movies please. (page 130)

I swear, if I could eat my children, I would. (page 300)

I'd vaguely heard of Nasty Gal and seen #girlboss online, but had never heard Sophia Amoruso's story before. The book is a mix of reminiscing the "good ol' days when I was young and stupid", "older sister" advice for starting a business, and some self-awarded accolades (well, it is Amoruso's book).

If everything in the book is true, serious respect for Amoruso. I know that memories can be glossed over and idealized - "My time hitchhiking across the country was the best time of my life!" is probably really sleeping in alleys, dumpster diving, and eating scraps... you get the picture. Its crazy and makes for great stories, but lots of dangerous s*** happened too. I hope this book doesn't paint an unrealistic picture for younger girls who want to get into the fashion industry.

That being said, the book is a fun, easy read. I enjoyed Amoruso's #realtalk style - from the fashion advice and insider info to unashamedly admitting to Googling everything to taking screenshots of her bank account balance (a little self-assuming, but whatever). She even writes, "I know, first world problems."

Recommended if you want some friendly advice on working in fashion, if you want a fun beach read, if you feel different from the other girls in your high school and want a feel-good success story from someone on the fringe.

Quotes
I'm born in San Diego on Good Friday, which was also 4/20 ... Let me assure you that the only thing I smoke is my competition. (page 3)

Even a freegan knows to invest in new underwear. (page 104)

Life isn't about finding yourself. Life is about creating yourself. - George Bernard Shaw (page 138)

Things may come to those who wait, but only the things left by those who hustle. - Abraham Lincoln (page 179)

I figured it out by doing what I think is one of the best strategies for learning anything anywhere: I Googled it. (page 185)

For us, its never been about boobs and butts, but waists and hips ... and the styles that show them off. (page 222)

Clothing is ultimately the suit of armor in which we battle the world. When you choose your clothing right, it feels good. (page 225)

I picked up this book for its whimsical title and cover. I'm always down to learn something new while being entertained, and the reading about East African birds proved to be a treat, especially with the pencil drawings introducing each chapter.

This story reminded me of Major Pettigrew's Last Stand, as well as a book I'm currently reading, Miss Pettigrew Lives For a Day. Both stories about the quiet and unassuming little guy or gal, these novels highlight the adventures they're led to in their quest for love. The message: Sincerity and gentility win out in the end.

Recommended if you enjoyed the aforementioned books, if you like quiet, non-flashy heroes and heroines, and if you're part of the Quiet Revolution.

Quotes:
But despite the looks on the faces now before him, still that small flame was not quite extinguished. There was something inside him, something deep in his heart, that assured Mr Malik his invitation to Rose Mbikwa to accompany him to the Hunt Club Ball was not a joke at all. (page 63)

I suppose there must be some disadvantages to being a bird. Having no lips or teeth, for instance, presents severe limitations to facial expression - and no doubt to the clear enunciation of some of the fricative consonants. ... But the really good thing about being a bird (with no disrespect to any ostriches, emus, or penguins who may be reading this) is that you can fly. (page 137)

Intriguing concept; cheesy execution. You know when you grimace when you see some guy singing karaoke and belting his heart out to girl ballad? You just can't turn away, right? That being said, I breezed through the book, and it did keep me guessing. I just hate those one liners that seemed to show up at the end of each chapter. Such as,

"I can't stop thinking about that smile she gave us, that sneer. It was almost triumphant. We need to get away from here. We need to get away from her."

[Suspenseful music. Fade to black.]

I don't recommend this book if you can't stand this type of writing, obvs. But if you just want a fun, suspenseful read, give this a try. Maybe you'll solve the mystery faster than I did. ;)

Stardust reads like an adult fairytale, centered on a love story with some witches, spells, kings, ghosts, unicorns, and magic on the side. I enjoyed Gaiman's take on an original story. If you're a wordsmith like me, I enjoyed the quaint language from the little man, who I would have loved to get to know better ("beg your puddin'", "the likes of me treasures a fine mushrump", and "find our skellingtons picked clean as whistles"). Charming, whimsical, and a world I'd definitely want to find myself lost in.

Now, to compare the movie: I watched the movie earlier this year, on Valentine's Day; maybe that's why I think so fondly of it now, and why I wanted to read the book. The movie wasn't at all what I was expecting - it was better, with its visuals of delightful English villages, fairy world, and folksy charm. The film is more light-hearted, but I enjoyed the departures from the book, including some more time on the Perdita and the climax at the witches' castle at the end.

I recommend both the book and the film if you like new twists on fairytale stories, English folklore, and quests for true love.

Quotes:
"Do your kind sleep?" he asked her. "Of course. But not at night. At night, we shine." (Tristran & Yvaine, page 102)

"Love," he explained. She looked at him with eyes the blue of the sky. "I hope you choke on it," she said, flatly. (Tristran & Yvaine, page 110)

"The squirrel has not yet found the acorn that will grow into the oak that will be cut to form the cradle of the babe who will grow to slay me." (The witch-queen, page 122)

There was a skyness to the sky and a nowness to the world that he had never seen or felt or realized before. (page 178)

He wondered how it could have taken him so long to realize how much he cared for her, and he told her so, and she called him an idiot, and he declared that it was the finest thing that ever a man had been called. (Tristran & Yvaine, page 236)

Loved this book/play. I admit, I saw the film first, which is quite true to the dialogue, but perhaps takes liberties to make it funnier with more bumbling, exaggerated characters than even the novel writes. The humor is witty, biting, comical, and satirical. Characters say one thing and do another, and its all so perfectly ridiculous. Enjoyable light read.

I have to admit, I scanned about half of this book and used Shmoop to clarify what I didn't understand. Not that the book isn't accessible or hard to read, its just long and dense. I like to read several books at a time, and its not my preference to sit down and read one long novel for a week. So nothing against The Moonstone! It was a great story. Recommended if you want to pretend to be a detective and slog through a bunch of notes to figure out a truly mind-blowing mystery.

Quotes:
When I wanted to go upstairs, there was my wife coming down; or when my wife wanted to go down, there was I coming up. That is married life, according to my experience of it. (Betteredge, page 11)

Lord bless us! it was a Diamond! As large, or nearly, as a plover's egg! The light that streamed from it was like the light of the harvest moon. When you looked down into the stone, you looked into a yellow deep that drew your eyes into it so that they saw nothing else. .. We set it in the sun, and then shut the light out of the room, and it shone awfully out of the depths of its own brightness, with a moony gleam, in the dark. (page 63)

I like reading a Christian-labeled novel every so often: no cussing, no graphic sex, a more positive outlook on life. But I still like the author to have some talent. Randy Singer writes cheesy, one-dimensional dialogue. While the plot isn't bad, its delivered like you're reading a middle school novel where EVERYTHING IS SPELLED OUT FOR YOU. Singer also uses a lot of references to other books and films. Whether its because his descriptive writing isn't strong, or because he wants to seem cool and with it, I'm not sure. I will say its a light, easy read and if you like John Grisham, maybe you'll enjoy this book.

Quotes:
But in real life, the waters were murky and the game was played on the fringes of morality. Landon didn't know if he could live in this kind of world. (page 69)

"Look on the bright side," Harry said. "Under Virginia law, killing a pregnant woman counts as two murders. We can double our fee." (page 117)

It wasn't quite Mission Impossible "this tape will self-destruct in five seconds" assignment, but it might as well have been. (page 139)