I can’t believe I’m only now finishing my first book of the year. It’s January 11th! What am I doing with my life??? Anyway, this was an excellent first book of the year. I can’t even tell you how refreshing it is to read a book written by a celebrity that isn’t a self-obsessed money grab that makes too much of too little (if any) substance. It’s also well-written. And entertaining. And informative. And helpful! Several years ago when Aziz Ansari was putting together some […]
How to be a Playa (or a Monogamist )
The audiobook version of Modern Romance is the perfect blend of pop science, humor, and social commentary. If you like romantic sexy times, your cell phone, and laughing, give the book a go. If you are cheating on your significant other, don’t listen to this book together. Your partner will probably figure out your secret and you will have a car ride full of uncomfortable silences and side-eye. Actually, maybe that would be the best for both of you in the long run. See, the […]
Looking for love in all the digital places
Aziz Ansari’s take on relationships was on my radar after seeing him promote it on late night television. I thought the concept was interesting: an academic examination of present-day relationships through the filter of comedy. Though I liked the book, and found the material intriguing, I can’t call the format an unmitigated success. I first came across Ansari during his hilarious turn as Tom Haverford on Parks and Rec and have seen a bit of his stand-up and he is refreshing, honest, and really quite […]
Celebrity Hero Gossip
Superman/Wonder Woman Vol. 1: Power Couple collects the first several issues of DC’s ongoing Superman/Wonder Woman series. This is another Charles Soule book; the man seems to be writing every major book that Mark Waid is not writing. I would ask how he does it, but he is a lawyer and hard-charging, self-doubting Type As love to take on more than they should so that makes sense. In a way, that’s one of the themes of this book. In this book, Superman and Wonder Woman […]
“He Texted?” Even the title sounds too high school for me
I received this book through NetGalley, some months ago, and have had a hard time reviewing it. I like to give all the books a fair shake, and I especially don’t like to write reviews were I didn’t like the book. But. I just didn’t like this book. Part of that is that the format – sample texts and responses from the ladies who wrote the book and a ‘panel’ of male text-perts who supposedly help them decipher the (apparently) unreadable text messages and offer […]
Dating in Saudi Arabia
When it came out, this book was actually banned in Saudi Arabia. It’s written in a mix of classical Arabic, Saudi dialect, and other foreign words thrown in to more accurately reflect the ways in which these characters would have communicated. These linguistic and stylistic choices are one of the coolest things coming out of MENA region literature – books and novels that are written in the same dialects spoken by ordinary people – not the formal Arabic of TV presenters and national speeches. The book […]