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Is Daily Homework Necessary
Is Daily Homework Necessary?
姓名:刘同学学校:泰山学院附属中学分数:89 My name is Liu Ming.It is my honor to represent the fifth group to give our point for“Is daily homework necessary?”.About2/3of our group members think that different students have different ideas.Some of them think daily homework would take most of our time,and we have too little time for exercising,having fun,or reading books out of our textbooks.The others think daily homework is very necessary.For it can help us to catch up with our new lessons,remember the lessons we already learned.So we can get a better score in test and a better future for ourselves,or even give a better image to our teacher.My own point is that reasonable homework is very important for us.At the same time,too much homework is bad.In our life,there are too many new things happen each day.If we cannot do our homework,we will spend most of our time in them,and we will lose the time to study. And then,we can not have a better future.At the same time,if we spend all our time in homework,we will have no chance to know the now world!That would be even worse.So proper daily homework would be the best way for teenager that we can get leisure time,mor exercise,and more chance to know the world.Thanks!
文章衔接手法恰当;文章词汇表达比较灵活,高级词汇的使用要继续加强;作者句法知识很棒,适当增加从句的使用,会取得更不错的成绩。
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Is Daily Homework Necessary for Students 英语作文 日常作业对于学生是否必要_英语学习_外语学习_教育专区。Is Daily Homework Necessary for Students? Outline: Ⅰ...Is daily homework necessary for students_高三英语_英语_高中教育_教育专区。Is daily homework necessary for students? The school curriculum is becoming more an...Is Daily Homework Necessary_英语_初中教育_教育专区。初二推荐作文 话题:教育 Is Daily Homework Necessary? 姓名:刘同学 学校:泰山学院附属中学 分数:89 My name...Is daily homework necessary_高三英语_英语_高中教育_教育专区。属于一篇写作Is daily homework necessary? Recently our school students have had a discussion about...Is Daily Homework Necessary_英语_初中教育_教育专区。初二推荐作文 话题:教育 Is Daily Homework Necessary? 姓名:张同学 学校:泰山学院附属中学 分数:84 Is ...I Think Daily Homework is Necessary_英语_初中教育_教育专区。初二推荐作文 话题:教育 I Think Daily Homework is Necessary 姓名:田同学 学校:泰山学院附属中学 ...六、书面表达(20 分) 假如你叫刘明(Liu Ming),你班上进行了“Is daily homework necessary?”的分组讨论, 你代表第五小组,向全班用英语汇报讨论结果。请你...ending : So it is necessary for students to do daily homework.
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嵌入播放器: 普通尺寸(...Here is . 5.妈妈经常在除夕和全家人一起包饺子。Mum often . 七、书面表达 假如你叫刘明,你班上进行了“Is daily homework necessary?”的分组讨论,你代表第...【2013 江苏徐州】书面表达(共 20 分) 假如你叫刘明(Liu Ming),你班上进行了“Is daily homework necessary?”的分组 讨论,你代表第五小组,向全班用英语汇报...任务型阅读 Reading books is a good hobby for all kinds of reasons. First, reading books is fun. You can always keep yourself happy if you like reading. This is especially useful when the weather is bad. I 题目和参考答案——精英家教网——
暑假天气热？在家里学北京名师课程，
& 题目详情
任务型阅读（10个空格，每个0.5分） （5分）Reading books is a good hobby for all kinds of reasons. First, reading books is fun. You can always keep yourself happy if you like reading. This is especially useful when the weather is bad. It is a relaxing hobby too. You can really become lost in a book.Next, you can read a book almost anywhere： in a car, in a waiting room, on the plane, in bed—even in the bath. All you need is a book! Reading is a convenient hobby as it is easy to stop and then to start again.Another good reason for reading books is that it is useful. If you keep reading as a hobby, you will get better and better at it. This means that you will read faster and become better at understanding what you read. As your reading skill improves, you will probably find that your schoolwork becomes much easier. Many school subjects depend on good reading . And as you read, you will learn more and more.Some people say that reading is out of date. This is not true. You can also learn on the Internet. And the more you read, the better your computer skills will be . Reading is hardly out of date!Good readers are most likely to be good writers too. They are usually good at spelling as well, and have more things to write about.Reading books is a wonderful hobby, one of the best. What other hobbies could be more useful, or more enjoyable?根据短文内容，完成表格Reading is a good
1.2. for reading● Reading is
and it can also make feel _ 4.___● Reading is convenient because you can read at any
5. and any place as you like●Reading is
6.●It can make your understanding and your schoolwork __7._●Reading on the Internet can improve your
skills.●Reading is good for9._ . It can help you __10.
words correctly and have more things to write about
练习册系列答案
科目：初中英语
来源：学年江苏城南实验初级中学七年级上10月阶段考英语试卷（解析版）
题型：单词拼写
根据句意和汉语注释，写出单词的正确形式。1.I have many ____________ (爱好) like watching TV and listening to music.2.Are you and Jim in the same class? No, he is in __________(年级) 8.3.Who__________ (其他) in your class likes music, too?4.He wants to be a singer, I hope his dream comes _________ (真的).5.At __________ (周末), we usually go to the Drawing Club.
科目：初中英语
来源：学年江苏徐州宁海外国语学校七年级上第一次月考英语试卷（解析版）
题型：单项填空
—Are you Meimei? — A. I’m Meimei. B. My name is JimC. Yes, she is Meimei. D. No, I’m Jim.
科目：初中英语
来源：2016届陕西兴平市九年级上第一次月考英语试卷（解析版）
题型：完形填空
完形填空(共10小题，计10分)阅读下面短文，理解大意，然后从各小题的四个选项中选出一个最佳答案，使短文连贯完整。People say Lionel Messi is from
planet. He can’t stop
. In 2012 he scored a total of 91 goals and
the record. German Gerd Muller ever scored 85 goals in 1972 and set the record.The 26-year-old soccer player is only 169cm. But playing was never
for Messi. People call him “the Flea (跳蚤)” for both his speed
size. Thierry Henry said Messi was “able to dribble (带球) past people like they are not there.”Many people have compared Messi to the great Maradona. “They’re both small with brilliant (厉害的) left
that can control the ball as if it were a hand, that can beat people, that can score goals, that can change games,” said former Barcelona striker Gary Lineker.Messi is also a well-behaved young man.
many players, when he fouls (犯规), he never pretends (假装) to be hurt.
the field, he doesn’t go to the city’s bars or discos. Coach Pep Guardiola thinks that Messi’s relationship with soccer is just like that of a child
a toy. In both cases it is a relationship that brings
. Guardiola says, “When he’s happy, everything he does is quite excellent.”1.A. another B. others C. the other D. the others2.A. score B. scores C. scored D. scoring3.A. held B. set C. broke D. kept4.A. important B. exciting C. hard D. easy5.A. or B. but C. with D. and6.A. hands B. feet C. arms D. legs7.A. Like B. Unlike C. Dislike D. Just like8.A. Off B. In C. From D. On9.A. and B. of C. with D. for10.A. happiness B. sadness C. money D. Time
科目：初中英语
来源：学年陕西西安市八年级10月月考英语试卷（解析版）
题型：阅读理解
It’s important for us to be healthy. But how can we keep healthy? First ,you should eat fruit andvegetables three or four times a week. Then eat some tofu every day because it’s good for people, both the young and the old. Milk is also necessary(必要的)，especially for women. So you should have milk twice a day. It can help you to be strong. Next, doing more exercise is better. You can do morning exercises or evening exercises. After supper you should take a walk.1.Tofu is good for ____A. young people B. old peopleC. young and old people D. students2. Why do people have milk?A. It’s delicious. B. It’s a kind of drink.C. It’s bad for you. D. It can help you keep strong.3. You should have milk .A. four times a day B. five times a weekC. twice a day D. twice a week
科目：初中英语
来源：学年江苏沛县杨屯中学八年级上第一次月考英语试卷（解析版）
题型：单项填空
—We can have a day out tomorrow. Why don't we go fishing ?—________A. That's OK. B. What a great idea!C. Yes， you are all right. D. Thanks a lot.
科目：初中英语
来源：学年江苏靖江滨江学校八年级上第一次独立作业英语试卷（解析版）
题型：单项填空
When he walks_______ my desk，he knocked my books________ the floor．A． away B．past；ontoC．passed；off D．past；off
科目：初中英语
来源：学年江苏宁海外国语学校八年级上第一次月考英语试卷（解析版）
题型：阅读理解
One evening Charlie was on his way home from the railway station. When he turned round a corner, he heard footsteps behind him and he thought someone was coming near. He began to walk fast. The footsteps came fast, too. He slowed down. The footsteps also slowed down. Now he was sure that someone must be going after him. He tried to hide. Still the steps followed him. He didn't know how to save himself, so he jumped over some tall grass and hid himself in a cemetery(墓地). He threw himself down on one of tombs(坟墓).The man behind came near. Charlie could hear the man jump over the grass. Thoughts of thieves and robbers filled his mind. Charlie stood up and faced the man. "What do you want? Why are you coming after me?" He asked."I say," the stranger asked, "do you always go home like this, or are you taking some special exercise tonight? I want to go to Mr. Green's and don't know the way. The station master told me to follow you as you live next door. Excuse me for asking, but is there much farther to go before we get there?"6. 1.That day Charlie was ＿＿＿＿.A. leaving the station for a cemeteryB. walking slowly along the streetC. on his way to Mr. Green's houseD. on his way back home2.When he found someone following him, Charlie ＿＿＿＿.A. was too frightened to moveB. stopped to ask the man whyC. hid himself in a cemeteryD. knew clearly what to do3.Charlie went into a cemetery because he ＿＿＿＿.A. tried to get rid of the strangerB. got tired after a day's walkC. walked too fast and lost D. wanted to hide his things there4.When the stranger followed him into the cemetery, Charlie thought ＿＿＿＿.A. the stranger would ask him the wayB. the stranger would come to stay with himC. he was in danger of losing his money or even his lifeD. he could be asked about Mr. Green5. The stranger followed Charlie because ＿＿＿＿.A. he wanted to kill Charlie.B. he wanted to steal things.C. he wanted to go to Charlie's place.D. he wanted to go to Mr. Green's and he didn't know the way there.
科目：初中英语
来源：2016届重庆云阳盛堡初级中学九年级上第一次月考英语试卷（解析版）
题型：书面表达
书面表达。（15分）假如你叫王雷，是第一中学的学生会主席。在报纸和电视上看到有关报道，由于伊拉克战争，导致许多儿童失学，生活状况窘迫，许多孩子沦为童工，处境很悲惨，所以打算给全校的学生发一份倡议书，号召他们奉献爱心去帮助那些孩子们。(10分)提示: warm houses, smile on one’s face, community service, go to school, rich, end the war, live a happy life, the war on Iraq
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你可能喜欢It’s June, so I might as well post about the books I read in April. THERE WERE A LOT. This is due partly to just choosing good books, and partly to choosing quick books. Also I listened to a lot of these on audio (every one of the celebrity memoirs was audio, and all were read by the author, and that was a really enjoyable experience), which definitely helped speed up the reading experience.
Going to be a little briefer than usual in my recaps this time, because if I’m not, I will probably never finish this post. My attention span lately is like that of an erratic squirrel.
Don’t expect a list NEARLY this long for May. My groove has slowed waaaaaay down, what with the end of school and just… life in general.
by Heidi Heilig
As the daughter of a time traveler, Nix has spent sixteen years sweeping across the globe and through the centuries aboard her father’s ship. Modern-day New York City, nineteenth-century Hawaii, other lands seen only in myth and legend—Nix has been to them all.
But when her father gambles with her very existence, it all may be about to end. Rae Carson meets Outlander in this epic debut fantasy.
If there is a map, Nix’s father can sail his ship, The Temptation, to any place and any time. But now that he’s uncovered the one map he’s always sought—1868 Honolulu, the year before Nix’s mother died in childbirth—Nix’s life, her entire existence, is at stake. No one knows what will happen if her father changes the past. It could erase Nix’s future, her dreams, her adventures . . . her connection with the charming Persian thief, Kash, who’s been part of their crew for two years.
This was a really fun premise (a TIME TRAVELING PIRATE SHIP, yes please) and I enjoyed the diverse and spirited cast of characters as well as the time-bendy hijinx. I never got quite as deeply engaged emotionally as I would have liked to have been — I was more interested in the imaginative world than I was invested in the lives of the characters —
BUT it still kept me reading to the end, and entertained throughout.
by Shusaku Endo
Seventeenth-century Japan: Two Portuguese Jesuit priests travel to a country hostile to their religion, where feudal lords force the faithful to publicly renounce their beliefs. Eventually captured and forced to watch their Japanese Christian brothers lay down their lives for their faith, the priests bear witness to unimaginable cruelties that test their own beliefs. Shusaku Endo is one of the most celebrated and well-known Japanese fiction writers of the twentieth century, and Silence is widely considered to be his great masterpiece.
This is probably the most challenging book I’ve read this year, due both to the subject matter and the sometimes rocky translation from the original Japanese. I had an extremely hard time connecting with the characters, which I believe was intentional, and as a story it’s just… really sad and depressing. Still, it was a deeply thought-provoking book and a hard look at a period of history I was previously ignorant of, so I’m absolutely glad I read it.
by Kiersten White
NO ONE EXPECTS A PRINCESS TO BE BRUTAL. And Lada Dragwlya likes it that way. Ever since she and her gentle younger brother, Radu, were wrenched from their homeland of Wallachia and abandoned by their father to be raised in the Ottoman courts, Lada has known that being ruthless is the key to survival. She and Radu are doomed to act as pawns in a vicious game, an unseen sword hovering over their every move. For the lineage that makes them special also makes them targets.
Lada despises the Ottomans and bides her time, planning her vengeance for the day when she can return to Wallachia and claim her birthright. Radu longs only for a place where he feels safe. And when they meet Mehmed, the defiant and lonely son of the sultan, who’s expected to rule a nation, Radu feels that he’s made a true friend—and Lada wonders if she’s finally found someone worthy of her passion.
But Mehmed is heir to the very empire that Lada has sworn to fight against—and that Radu now considers home. Together, Lada, Radu, and Mehmed form a toxic triangle that strains the bonds of love and loyalty to the breaking point.
From New York Times bestselling author Kiersten White comes the first book in a dark, sweeping new series in which heads will roll, bodies will be impaled . . . and hearts will be broken.
This is historical fiction that reads like a fantasy, and I read it for two reasons: lots of strong buzz, and I really loved the narrator of the audiobook (she had previously narrated The Scorpio Races and the Ember in the Ashes books, which are among my favorite audiobooks ever). The writing and worldbuilding in this one was really strong, and I appreciated that every one of the main characters were markedly different from the archetypes we typically get in these sort of epic historical fantasies. I totally get all the glowing reviews. However, for me personally, I never really connected with this one, so this will probably be it for me with this series.
by Angie Thomas
Sixteen-year-old Starr Carter moves between two worlds: the poor neighborhood where she lives and the fancy suburban prep school she attends. The uneasy balance between these worlds is shattered when Starr witnesses the fatal shooting of her childhood best friend Khalil at the hands of a police officer. Khalil was unarmed.
Soon afterward, his death is a national headline. Some are calling him a thug, maybe even a drug dealer and a gangbanger. Protesters are taking to the streets in Khalil’s name. Some cops and the local drug lord try to intimidate Starr and her family. What everyone wants to know is: what really went down that night? And the only person alive who can answer that is Starr.
But what Starr does—or does not—say could upend her community. It could also endanger her life.
This was another book with a ton of early buzz, and one of the rare books I preordered without either knowing the author personally or reading any of her previous work (this is Angie Thomas’s debut). But wow, did it ever live up to the hype. This is the second of three books on racism and police brutality I’ve read this year (the last one will be in my May post), which is a hard subject both to engage with in life and to read about in fiction. But I thought this book did an excellent job unpacking its delicate subject matter, making me cry and laugh and above all, think. I loved it.
by Nicola Yoon
My disease is as rare as it is famous. Basically, I’m allergic to the world. I don’t leave my house, have not left my house in seventeen years. The only people I ever see are my mom and my nurse, Carla.
But then one day, a moving truck arrives next door. I look out my window, and I see him. He’s tall, lean and wearing all black—black T-shirt, black jeans, black sneakers, and a black knit cap that covers his hair completely. He catches me looking and stares at me. I stare right back. His name is Olly.
Maybe we can’t predict the future, but we can predict some things. For example, I am certainly going to fall in love with Olly. It’s almost certainly going to be a disaster.
Everything, Everything will make you laugh, cry, and feel everything in between. It’s an innovative,
inspiring, and heartbreakingly romantic debut novel that unfolds via vignettes, diary entries, illustrations, and more.
This is a tricky one to review because my opinion of it is highly influenced by how it ends, and I don’t want to spoil anyone. So let me just say that it is beautifully written and easy to read, with endearing characters and an interesting premise, and I absolutely see why it’s a bestseller and a movie. That said, I wish it had made some different narrative choices, but I enjoyed it for what it was.
by Anna Kendrick
Even before she made a name for herself on the silver screen starring in films like Pitch Perfect, Up in the Air, Twilight, and Into the Woods, Anna Kendrick was unusually small, weird, and “10 percent defiant.”
At the ripe age of thirteen, she had already resolved to “keep the crazy inside my head where it belonged. Forever. But here’s the thing about crazy: It. Wants. Out.” In Scrappy Little Nobody, she invites readers inside her brain, sharing extraordinary and charmingly ordinary stories with candor and winningly wry observations.
With her razor-sharp wit, Anna recounts the absurdities she’s experienced on her way to and from the heart of pop culture as only she can—from her unusual path to the performing arts (Vanilla Ice and baggy neon pants may have played a role) to her double life as a middle-school student who also starred on Broadway to her initial “dating experiments” (including only liking boys who didn’t like her back) to reviewing a binder full of butt doubles to her struggle to live like an adult woman instead of a perpetual “man-child.”
Enter Anna’s world and follow her rise from “scrappy little nobody” to somebody who dazzles on the stage, the screen, and now the page—with an electric, singular voice, at once familiar and surprising, sharp and sweet, funny and serious (well, not that serious).
This book does not contain any great insights or wisdom, and is pretty much the book-length equivalent of following Anna Kendrick on Twitter. That said, if you enjoy following Anna Kendrick on Twitter, this is a really fun, quick read, full of amusing anecdotes from Anna’s experiences on Broadway and in Hollywood.
by Amy Poehler
Do you want to get to know the woman we first came to love on Comedy Central’s Upright Citizens Brigade? Do you want to spend some time with the lady who made you howl with laughter on Saturday Night Live, and in movies like Baby Mama, Blades of Glory, and They Came Together? Do you find yourself daydreaming about hanging out with the actor behind the brilliant Leslie Knope on Parks and Recreation? Did you wish you were in the audience at the last two Golden Globes ceremonies, so you could bask in the hilarity of Amy’s one-liners?
If your answer to these questions is “Yes Please!” then you are in luck. In her first book, one of our most beloved funny folk delivers a smart, pointed, and ultimately inspirational read. Full of the comedic skill that makes us all love Amy, Yes Please is a rich and varied collection of stories, lists, poetry (Plastic Surgery Haiku, to be specific), photographs, mantras and advice. With chapters like “Treat Your Career Like a Bad Boyfriend,” “Plain Girl Versus the Demon” and “The Robots Will Kill Us All” Yes Please will make you think as much as it will make you laugh. Honest, personal, real, and righteous, Yes Please is full of words to live by.
Again, not a lot of huge life lessons or profound insight in this one, but it was really interesting hearing Amy Poehler talk about the journey that brought her to Saturday Night Live and Parks and Recreation. Amy has a sharp wit and is an engaging storyteller, and listening to this book made me want to rewatch Parks and Rec from the beginning, which is really never a wrong choice.
by Tina Fey
Before Liz Lemon, before “Weekend Update,” before “Sarah Palin,” Tina Fey was just a young girl with a dream: a recurring stress dream that she was being chased through a local airport by her middle-school gym teacher. She also had a dream that one day she would be a comedian on TV.
She has seen both these dreams come true.
At last, Tina Fey’s story can be told. From her youthful days as a vicious nerd to her tour of duty on Saturday Night L from her passionately halfhearted pursuit of physical beauty to her life as a mother eating
from her one-sided college romance to her nearly fatal honeymoon — from the beginning of this paragraph to this final sentence.
Tina Fey reveals all, and proves what we’ve all suspected: you’re no one until someone calls you bossy.
Everything I said above about Amy Poehler’s book, just, ditto for this one, except substitute 30 Rock for Parks and Recreation. I’ve never watched 30 Rock beyond the pilot, which Tina says is terrible, but this book made me want to give it a try.
by Mindy Kaling
Mindy Kaling has lived many lives: the obedient child of immigrant professionals, a timid chubster afraid of her own bike, a Ben Affleck–impersonating Off-Broadway performer and playwright, and, finally, a comedy writer and actress prone to starting fights with her friends and coworkers with the sentence “Can I just say one last thing about this, and then I swear I’ll shut up about it?”
Perhaps you want to know what Mindy thinks makes a great best friend (someone who will fill your prescription in the middle of the night), or what makes a great guy (one who is aware of all elderly people in any room at any time and acts accordingly), or what is the perfect amount of fame (so famous you can never get convicted of murder in a court of law), or how to maintain a trim figure (you will not find that information in these pages). If so, you’ve come to the right book, mostly!
In Is Everyone Hanging Out Without Me?, Mindy invites readers on a tour of her life and her unscientific observations on romance, friendship, and Hollywood, with several conveniently placed stopping points for you to run errands and make phone calls. Mindy Kaling really is just a Girl Next Door—not so much literally anywhere in the continental United States, but definitely if you live in India or Sri Lanka.
I was surprised that of all the Funny Lady Celebrity Memoirs I read this month, Mindy’s was actually the one I related to the most. Which was odd, since I don’t think she’s actually the one I would most easily be friends with in real life, should the opportunity present itself. (That would be Anna Kendrick. For the record.) But something about the way she talked about herself felt really familiar to me, even though I can’t quite put my finger on why. As with the above books, this one was funny, engaging, and quick, but not life-changing.
by Shonda Rhimes
The instant New York Times bestseller from the creator of Grey’s Anatomy and Scandal and executive producer of How to Get Away With Murder shares how saying YES changed her life. “As fun to read as Rhimes’s TV series are to watch” (Los Angeles Times).
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 avoid 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: You never say yes to anything. Shonda knew she had to embrace the challenge: for one year, she would say YES to everything that scared her.
This poignant, intimate, and hilarious memoir explores Shonda’s life before her Year of Yes—from her nerdy, book-loving childhood to her devotion to creating television characters who reflected the world she saw around her. The book chronicles her life after her Year of Yes had begun—when Shonda forced herself out of the hous when she learned to explore, empower, applaud, and love her truest self. Yes.
“Honest, raw, and revelatory” (The Washington Post), this wildly candid and compulsively readable book reveals how the mega talented Shonda Rhimes finally achieved badassery worthy of a Shondaland character. Best of all, she “can help motivate even the most determined homebody to get out and try something new” (Chicago Tribune).
I am in a long-term committed relationship with Grey’s Anatomy. I have been faithful to that show for thirteen years, and fully plan to stick with it until one of us dies (preferably, the show will go first). So I was definitely expecting to like the book written by its creator, Shonda Rhimes, because I like her writing so much on television. However I was not prepared for just how inspired I felt after reading this. Not everything she talks about pertained to me, but it was just such an empowering and energizing read. I wanted to go build empires when I finished this book. And don’t worry, while she does talk about Grey’s some, watching thirteen seasons of the show is absolutely not a prerequisite for reading this book. It’s just a bonus.
by Cary Elwes
From actor Cary Elwes, who played the iconic role of Westley in The Princess Bride, comes a first-person account and behind-the-scenes look at the making of the cult classic film filled with never-before-told stories, exclusive photographs, and interviews with costars Robin Wright, Wallace Shawn, Billy Crystal, Christopher Guest, and Mandy Patinkin, as well as author and screenwriter William Goldman, producer Norman Lear, and director Rob Reiner.
The Princess Bride has been a family favorite for close to three decades. Ranked by the American Film Institute as one of the top 100 Greatest Love Stories and by the Writers Guild of America as one of the top 100 screenplays of all time, The Princess Bride will continue to resonate with audiences for years to come.
Cary Elwes was inspired to share his memories and give fans an unprecedented look into the creation of the film while participating in the twenty-fifth anniversary cast reunion. In As You Wish he has created an e in addition to never-before seen photos and interviews with his fellow cast mates, there are plenty of set secrets and backstage stories.
With a foreword by Rob Reiner and a limited edition original poster by acclaimed artist Shepard Fairey, As You Wish is a must-have for all fans of this beloved film.
The Princess Bride has been one of my favorite movies since I was itty bitty, and my favorite book since I first read it in high school. This was a really interesting look into the making of the movie, and the audio was a joy, with many individuals involved in its production, including Robin Wright, Billy Crystal, Rob Reiner, Wallace Shawn, and Chris Sarandon, returning to share their memories of that time. I particularly enjoyed the stories Cary shared about Andre the Giant, who sounds like he would have been an absolutely delightful person to know. Highly recommend this one for anyone who treasures the movie as much as I do.
by Mindy Kaling
In Why Not Me?, Kaling shares her ongoing journey to find contentment and excitement in her adult life, whether it’s falling in love at work, seeking new friendships in lonely places, attempting to be the first person in history to lose weight without any behavior modification whatsoever, or most important, believing that you have a place in Hollywood when you’re constantly reminded that no one looks like you.
In “How to Look Spectacular: A Starlet’s Confessions,” Kaling gives her tongue-in-cheek secrets for surefire on-camera beauty, (“Your natural hair color may be appropriate for your skin tone, but this isn’t the land of appropriate–this is Hollywood, baby. Out here, a dark-skinned woman’s traditional hair color is honey blonde.”) “Player” tells the story of Kaling being seduced and dumped by a female friend in L.A. (“I had been replaced by a younger model. And now they had matching bangs.”) In “Unlikely Leading Lady,” she muses on America’s fixation with the weight of actresses, (“Most women we see onscreen are either so thin that they’re walking clavicles or so huge that their only scenes involve them breaking furniture.”) And in “Soup Snakes,” Kaling spills some secrets on her relationship with her ex-boyfriend and close friend, B.J. Novak (“I will freely admit: my relationship with B.J. Novak is weird as hell.”)
Mindy turns the anxieties, the glamour, and the celebrations of her second coming-of-age into a laugh-out-loud funny collection of essays that anyone who’s ever been at a turning point in their life or career can relate to. And those who’ve never been at a turning point can skip to the parts where she talks about meeting Bradley Cooper.
I didn’t enjoy this one as much as Mindy’s first book, and didn’t connect to her nearly as well this time, but it was still an enjoyable read. During some of her essays, which wandered far from her actual life to indulge in pages of “what if” scenarios, I found myself checking my metaphorical watch. But overall, it was quick and fun and entertaining, if not stellar.
31. by Jacqueline Woodson
Raised in South Carolina and New York, Woodson always felt halfway home in each place. In vivid poems, she shares what it was like to grow up as an African American in the 1960s and 1970s, living with the remnants of Jim Crow and her growing awareness of the Civil Rights movement. Touching and powerful, each poem is both accessible and emotionally charged, each line a glimpse into a child’s soul as she searches for her place in the world. Woodson’s eloquent poetry also reflects the joy of finding her voice through writing stories, despite the fact that she struggled with reading as a child. Her love of stories inspired her and stayed with her, creating the first sparks of the gifted writer she was to become.
I’m not normally one for books written in verse, or poetry in general, but once I settled into this one, it was lovely. Despite the author’s childhood looking very different from mine, there was much I could relate to in who she was as a person, and when I didn’t relate, her beautiful words made it easy to imagine. I still don’t think I’m going to gravitate towards books in verse, but I very much enjoyed this one, and am glad I read it.
by Courtney Stevens
As the tomboy daughter of the town’s preacher, Billie McCaffrey has always struggled with fitting the mold of what everyone says she should be. She’d rather wear sweats, build furniture, and get into trouble with her solid group of friends: Woods, Mash, Davey, Fifty, and Janie Lee.
But when Janie Lee confesses to Billie that she’s in love with Woods, Billie’s filled with a nagging sadness as she realizes that she is also in love with Woods…and maybe with Janie Lee, too.
Always considered “one of the guys,” Billie doesn’t want anyone slapping a label on her sexuality before she can understand it herself. So she keeps her conflicting feelings to herself, for fear of ruining the group dynamic. Except it’s not just about keeping the peace, it’s about understanding love on her terms—this thing that has always been defined as a boy and a girl falling in love and living happily ever after. For Billie—a box-defying dynamo—it’s not that simple.
Readers will be drawn to Billie as she comes to terms with the gray areas of love, gender, and friendship, in this John Hughes-esque exploration of sexual fluidity.
Courtney is a friend of mine, which was how I was able to get my hands on an early copy of her third novel, which will hit bookstores in August of this year. Something Courtney has excelled at in all of her books is writing them from a place of sincere honesty, even when it’s not pretty or neat. In Dress Codes, she takes a deep look at complex themes of friendship, love, family, gender, and sexuality, all in the context of a rural town and her main character’s own deep faith. I rarely see the subject of faith approached so frankly in YA, especially when tangled with sexuality, and loved Courtney’s empathetic and nuanced examination of both through her characters. If you’re a fan of contemporary YA narratives and complex, honest characters, definitely pick this one up in August.
Yes, I am aware that we are double digits into May and I am just now posting my March roundup. No, I do not have a good excuse, unless you consider “every time I look at my computer and consider writing words of any sort, I become overwhelmed with the sudden desire to nap” a good excuse.
I haven’t been napping every day, for the record. But with my brain chanting “NAP! NAP! NAP!” at me like a frat boy at a keg* every time I sit down in front of my laptop, there are only so many words I can get it to squeeze out. And considering that I am also supposed to be writing a book right now (to my agent, if you are reading this, I SWEAR I’M WRITING IT. RIGHT NOW. Just, you know, not right NOW), I have been spending the 500-1000 words my brain will deign to produce each day on said book.
Writers, never brag to people that you are a “fast drafter,” because if you say this enough times your muse will come out of the bathroom mirror like Candyman**, except instead of killing you it will shrivel up like an old raisin, and you will stare at it in horror, and from then on you will be creatively constipated and it will be entirely your own fault.
So anyway, I have not been able to write much, and what little I’ve written has not been in the form of blog posts. I’m sorry. But not that sorry, as I really do want to finish drafting this book.
Anyway! Here is a very belated March post. I didn’t read as many books this month as last month, mostly because I decided to tackle some pretty lengthy books, some of which I still haven’t finished, but I at least hit my book-a-week minimum goal (yes, this does mean I am reading multiple books at once, and yes, I realize this isn’t the most conducive method to actually finishing books, and no, I have no intention of changing my approach).
Plus April was pretty respectable, which, realistically, I will probably blog about sometime in July.
Guys, I am just trying to be honest.
*in movies, that is, as I have never actually witnessed this behavior in real life. But I’m assuming this is a thing that happens, because it is in pretty much every college movie ever, and why would it be there if it wasn’t true? Surely college movies are true to the Typical College Experience, unless of course you had my college experience, which was great for me but which most people would probably consider Astoundingly Boring.
** I have also never actually seen Candyman, does he come out of the mirror? I imagine something very much like The Ring, but maybe it’s not like that at all. I suppose I could look up the scene on YouTube, but if it is even marginally like The Ring that would be a terrible idea, because The Ring made me have to cover my television set with a blanket and sleep with all the lights on for three weeks.
THE BALANCE OF POWER HAS FINALLY TIPPED…
The precarious equilibrium among four Londons has reached its breaking point. Once brimming with the red vivacity of magic, darkness casts a shadow over the Maresh Empire, leaving a space for another London to rise.
WHO WILL CRUMBLE?
Kell – once assumed to be the last surviving Antari – begins to waver under the pressure of competing loyalties. And in the wake of tragedy, can Arnes survive?
WHO WILL RISE?
Lila Bard, once a commonplace – but never common – thief, has survived and flourished through a series of magical trials. But now she must learn to control the magic, before it bleeds her dry. Meanwhile, the disgraced Captain Alucard Emery of the Night Spire collects his crew, attempting a race against time to acquire the impossible.
WHO WILL TAKE CONTROL?
And an ancient enemy returns to claim a crown while a fallen hero tries to save a world in decay.
This is the conclusion to the Shades of Magic trilogy, and in my humble opinion, it’s the best book of the series. All the threads that have been painstakingly crafted throughout the first two books finally are able to come together in exciting and unexpected ways, and I laughed, cried, and gasped as these brilliant characters fought their way to the end of the story. It’s really difficult to deliver a satisfying ending to a series, especially one with as many moving parts as are in Shades of Magic (I believe A Conjuring of Light has something like 14 point-of-view characters), but this one sticks the landing so hard it might actually have fused to the ground.
Seventeen-year-old Ismae escapes from the brutality of an arranged marriage into the sanctuary of the convent of St. Mortain, where the sisters still serve the gods of old. Here she learns that the god of Death Himself has blessed her with dangerous gifts—and a violent destiny. If she chooses to stay at the convent, she will be trained as an assassin and serve as a handmaiden to Death. To claim her new life, she must destroy the lives of others.
Ismae’s most important assignment takes her straight into the high court of Brittany—where she finds herself woefully under prepared—not only for the deadly games of intrigue and treason, but for the impossible choices she must make. For how can she deliver Death’s vengeance upon a target who, against her will, has stolen her heart?
I’ve heard great things about the His Fair Assassin trilogy for a long time, so I was excited to finally read the first book in Robin LaFevers’ historical series about assassin nuns. It did not disappoint, with intricate worldbuilding, fully developed characters, and beautiful writing. I did have some trouble connecting fully with the characters and investing in the conflict, so I’m not sure if I’ll keep going or not, but this book was well written and meticulously crafted, so if historical fantasy with a hefty helping of intrigue is your thing, I’d definitely recommend it.
A dangerous romance, a stolen sister, and the mythical treasure that could change everything. The first in the Uncommon World series of standalone novels, Waters of Salt and Sin combines the epic setting of Game of Thrones with the humor and romance of Pirates of the Caribbean—perfect for Sabaa Tahir and Sarah J. Maas fans! To save her sister from starvation and hold on to her relationship with Calev—the high-caste friend she secretly loves—Kinneret sets out for a lost island of silver. But when a madman enslaves her sister, Kinneret must make a deal with the local ruler: Help the leader find the island and secure the ruler’s place in history. In return, the leader’s fighting sailors will rescue her sister. Using Salt Magic to navigate cursed waters, Kinneret and Calev struggle to hide their taboo, caste-breaking feelings for one another, knowing if the ruler witnesses the attraction, she’ll cancel the agreement. But when Calev makes a terrible mistake, Kinneret must choose between the life of her only remaining family member and saving the boy she loves from a traitor’s death.
Alisha is one of my amazing critique partners and this is her debut fantasy, which I cannot speak totally objectively on (due to our aforementioned critique partner relationship) but I highly recommend if you’re searching for a new immersive fantasy with plenty of adventure, romance, intrigue, and pirates. Alisha weaves her prose with a deft hand and serves up a heaping helping of action, suspense, and swashbuckling fun. This is just the first book in her Uncommon World series, but the next one is coming soon, so get on it, fantasy readers!
Sierra Santiago planned an easy summer of making art and hanging out with her friends. But then a corpse crashes their first party. Her stroke-ridden grandfather starts apologizing over and over. And when the murals in her neighborhood begin to weep tears… Well, something more sinister than the usual Brooklyn ruckus is going on.
With the help of a fellow artist named Robbie, Sierra discovers shadowshaping, a magic that infuses ancestral spirits into paintings, music, and stories. But someone is killing the shadowshapers one by one. Now Sierra must unravel her family’s past, take down the killer in the present, and save the future of shadowshaping for generations to come.
I don’t read a lot of urban fantasy, but this one was a lot of fun, full of magic and twists and chalk drawings that come to life and run around the streets and walls of Brooklyn. This was an exciting, quick read, with a vibrant and diverse cast of characters and a world rooted deeply in the culture of the protagonist. It managed to balance its fantastic conflict perfectly with its real-world elements and kept the pace galloping along until the end. This book recently got optioned for a movie, and I really hope it gets made, because this story would be absolutely gorgeous on film.
Congressman John Lewis (GA-5) is an American icon, one of the key figures of the civil rights movement. His commitment to justice and nonviolence has taken him from an Alabama sharecropper’s farm to the halls of Congress, from a segregated schoolroom to the 1963 March on Washington, and from receiving beatings from state troopers to receiving the Medal of Freedom from the first African-American president.
I’ve never read a nonfiction graphic novel before, but this was an excellent one to get my feet wet. This book begins the story of John Lewis’s experiences during the civil rights movement, focusing largely on his first meetings with Dr. Martin Luther King, Jr. and taking the reader through the department store lunch counter sit-ins in the 1960s. This book was intense and moving, while also being hopeful and inspiring. There are three books so far in the March series, which I am eager to read, and will definitely be giving to my kids to read when they’re just a little older.
Despite February being the shortest month, I managed to blow right past my goal of one book a week, and actually wound up reading eight books. I don’t expect this breakneck pace to continue indefinitely (March is thus far proving to be much slower), but it was fun while it lasted.
by Sabaa Tahir
After the events of the Fourth Trial, Martial soldiers hunt the two fugitives as they flee the city of Serra and undertake a perilous journey through the heart of the Empire.
Laia is determined to break into Kauf—the Empire’s most secure and dangerous prison—to save her brother, who is the key to the Scholars’ survival. And Elias is determined to help Laia succeed, even if it means giving up his last chance at freedom.
But dark forces, human and otherworldly, work against Laia and Elias. The pair must fight every step of the way to outsmart their enemies: the bloodthirsty Emperor Marcus, the merciless Commandant, the sadistic Warden of Kauf, and, most heartbreaking of all, Helene—Elias’s former friend and the Empire’s newest Blood Shrike.
Bound to Marcus’s will, Helene faces a torturous mission of her own—one that might destroy her: find the traitor Elias Veturius and the Scholar slave who helped him escape…and kill them both.
So many times sequels fall short of whatever was special and captivating about the first book in the series, but this was not the case with A Torch Against the Night. Sabaa Tahir knocked this follow-up to An Ember in the Ashes out of the park, bringing back all the elements and characters I loved from the first book while adding fresh new elements that kept me utterly enthralled. One of my favorite secondary characters from the first book becomes a POV character in this one, which was a welcome surprise, and Tahir weaves the three narratives together seamlessly. I absolutely cannot wait for the third (but not final!) book in this series.
Also I listened to this one on audio, and it is spectacular. Honestly one of the best audiobooks I’ve ever heard.
by Malala Yousafzai
“I come from a country that was created at midnight. When I almost died it was just after midday.”
When the Taliban took control of the Swat Valley in Pakistan, one girl spoke out. Malala Yousafzai refused to be silenced and fought for her right to an education.
On Tuesday, October 9, 2012, when she was fifteen, she almost paid the ultimate price. She was shot in the head at point-blank range while riding the bus home from school, and few expected her to survive.
Instead, Malala’s miraculous recovery has taken her on an extraordinary journey from a remote valley in northern Pakistan to the halls of the United Nations in New York. At sixteen, she became a global symbol of peaceful protest and the youngest nominee ever for the Nobel Peace Prize.
I AM MALALA is the remarkable tale of a family uprooted by global terrorism, of the fight for girls’ education, of a father who, himself a school owner, championed and encouraged his daughter to write and attend school, and of brave parents who have a fierce love for their daughter in a society that prizes sons.
I AM MALALA will make you believe in the power of one person’s voice to inspire change in the world.
I knew it would be difficult to listen to Malala Yousafzai talk about her life — the Taliban bombings, the pressure from her community to deny her her education, the constant fear, and, of course, the shooting — and while I was correct, I was unprepared for how uplifting it would be at the same time. In this beautifully written, honest memoir, Malala writes eloquently about her life growing up in Pakistan, not shying away from the ugliness she faced each day, while still embracing all the things she loved — and loves — about her home, her faith, and her culture. This book was eye-opening, and helped solidify the lines of a country and culture that had previously been dotted and fuzzy in my mind. While I Am Malala is, at times, absolutely sad and upsetting, ultimately it is an inspiring, hopeful accounting of a young girl determined to leave this world better than she found it.
by Jason Reynolds
Ghost wants to be the fastest sprinter on his elite middle school track team, but his past is slowing him down in this first electrifying novel of a brand-new series from Coretta Scott King/John Steptoe Award–winning author Jason Reynolds.
Ghost. Lu. Patina. Sunny. Four kids from wildly different backgrounds with personalities that are explosive when they clash. But they are also four kids chosen for an elite middle school track team—a team that could qualify them for the Junior Olympics if they can get their acts together. They all have a lot to lose, but they also have a lot to prove, not only to each other, but to themselves.
Ghost has a crazy natural talent, but no formal training. If he can stay on track, literally and figuratively, he could be the best sprinter in the city. But Ghost has been running for the wrong reasons—it all starting with running away from his father, who, when Ghost was a very little boy, chased him and his mother through their apartment, then down the street, with a loaded gun, aiming to kill. Since then, Ghost has been the one causing problems—and running away from them—until he meets Coach, an ex-Olympic Medalist who blew his own shot at success by using drugs, and who is determined to keep other kids from blowing their shots at life.
I don’t read a lot of middle grade fiction, but Ghost has come so highly recommended that I was super excited to read it, and am pleased to say it did not disappoint. The story of Ghost is simple – it follows Castle Crenshaw (who goes by the nickname Ghost, but only in his head), a kid with a few skeletons in his closet and not much drive, who decides on a whim to challenge the fastest sprinter on a local track team to a race, and ultimately winds up on the team himself. It doesn’t seem like a “troubled kid joins a track team” narrative should be all that compelling, but Jason Reynolds manages to make Ghost’s journey from delinquent to track star in turns heartbreaking, hilarious, and deeply moving. I loved this book.
by Margot Lee Shetterly
Before John Glenn orbited the earth, or Neil Armstrong walked on the moon, a group of dedicated female mathematicians known as “human computers” used pencils, slide rules and adding machines to calculate the numbers that would launch rockets, and astronauts, into space.
Among these problem-solvers were a group of exceptionally talented African American women, some of the brightest minds of their generation. Originally relegated to teaching math in the South’s segregated public schools, they were called into service during the labor shortages of World War II, when America’s aeronautics industry was in dire need of anyone who had the right stuff. Suddenly, these overlooked math whizzes had a shot at jobs worthy of their skills, and they answered Uncle Sam’s call, moving to Hampton, Virginia and the fascinating, high-energy world of the Langley Memorial Aeronautical Laboratory.
Even as Virginia’s Jim Crow laws required them to be segregated from their white counterparts, the women of Langley’s all-black “West Computing” group helped America achieve one of the things it desired most: a decisive victory over the Soviet Union in the Cold War, and complete domination of the heavens.
Starting in World War II and moving through to the Cold War, the Civil Rights Movement and the Space Race, Hidden Figures follows the interwoven accounts of Dorothy Vaughan, Mary Jackson, Katherine Johnson and Christine Darden, four African American women who participated in some of NASA’s greatest successes. It chronicles their careers over nearly three decades they faced challenges, forged alliances and used their intellect to change their own lives, and their country’s future.
After seeing (and loving) the film Hidden Figures, I was eager to check out the book and compare the real version to the Hollywood dramatization. And while, as expected, the movie took some liberties with timelines and character relationships, as well as introduced a few fictional conflicts for the sake of drama, I was happy to find that the impressive accomplishments of the women in the movie were all, in fact, real — and in many cases, far exceeded what was shown in the movie. While this book was far more factually than narratively driven, and therefore took me a little while to get through, it was fascinating and inspiring to read about the contributions of black women to both the space race and NASA as a whole, and I’m so glad that their stories are getting told.
by Dave Eggers
When Mae Holland is hired to work for the Circle, the world’s most powerful internet company, she feels she’s been given the opportunity of a lifetime. The Circle, run out of a sprawling California campus, links users’ personal emails, social media, banking, and purchasing with their universal operating system, resulting in one online identity and a new age of civility and transparency. As Mae tours the open-plan office spaces, the towering glass dining facilities, the cozy dorms for those who spend nights at work, she is thrilled with the company’s modernity and activity. There are parties that last through the night, there are famous musicians playing on the lawn, there are athletic activities and clubs and brunches, and even an aquarium of rare fish retrieved from the Marianas Trench by the CEO. Mae can’t believe her luck, her great fortune to work for the most influential company in the world—even as life beyond the campus grows distant, even as a strange encounter with a colleague leaves her shaken, even as her role at the Circle becomes increasingly public. What begins as the captivating story of one woman’s ambition and idealism soon becomes a heart-racing novel of suspense, raising questions about memory, history, privacy, democracy, and the limits of human knowledge.
I still haven’t fully unpacked all my feelings about The Circle. On the one hand, despite it being a little clunky in its prose and poorly paced, I was completely riveted by this book, and could not stop turning pages. It’s not short — nearly 500 pages — but I inhaled it in just a couple days. The near-future technological premise is plausible and creepy, and I was utterly intrigued by how The Circle slowly tentacled out until it touched every aspect of modern life. So obviously it was doing something very, very right.
On the other hand, Mae is an absurdly frustrating narrator who goes through absolutely no personal growth and shows no agency at any point throughout the story. None of the characters behave or talk in a believable way (particularly the female characters, who felt like they’d all been modeled after S Mae is so bad that I am honestly shocked Emma Watson agreed to play Mae in the movie), the pacing is incredibly uneven, and the ending is wholly unsatisfying, both emotionally and narratively. I sincerely couldn’t even tell you if I liked this book, or if I’d recommend it. All I know is that it infuriated me, I couldn’t put it down, I couldn’t stop thinking about it after it was done, and that I’m definitely going to see the movie.
by Jason Reynolds and Brendan Kiely
In this Coretta Scott King Honor Award–winning novel, two teens—one black, one white—grapple with the repercussions of a single violent act that leaves their school, their community, and, ultimately, the country bitterly divided by racial tension.
A bag of chips. That’s all sixteen-year-old Rashad is looking for at the corner bodega. What he finds instead is a fist-happy cop, Paul Galluzzo, who mistakes Rashad for a shoplifter, mistakes Rashad’s pleadings that he’s stolen nothing for belligerence, mistakes Rashad’s resistance to leave the bodega as resisting arrest, mistakes Rashad’s every flinch at every punch the cop throws as further resistance and refusal to STAY STILL as ordered. But how can you stay still when someone is pounding your face into the concrete pavement?
There were witnesses: Quinn Collins—a varsity basketball player and Rashad’s classmate who has been raised by Paul since his own father died in Afghanistan—and a video camera. Soon the beating is all over the news and Paul is getting threatened with accusations of prejudice and racial brutality. Quinn refuses to believe that the man who has basically been his savior could possibly be guilty. But then Rashad is absent. And absent again. And again. And the basketball team—half of whom are Rashad’s best friends—start to take sides. As does the school. And the town. Simmering tensions threaten to explode as Rashad and Quinn are forced to face decisions and consequences they had never considered before.
Written in tandem by two award-winning authors, this four-starred reviews tour de force shares the alternating perspectives of Rashad and Quinn as the complications from that single violent moment, the type taken from the headlines, unfold and reverberate to highlight an unwelcome truth.
All American Boys was my second Jason Reynolds book this month (sidebar: I totally understand all the praise for Jason Reynolds now), and as with Ghost, it did not disappoint. It alternates between two points of view – Rashad, a black teen whose first chapter takes us up to and through the moment when he’s horribly, publicly beaten by a white police officer ove and Quinn, the white basketball player who witnesses the whole thing. While the subject matter is incredibly heavy and relevant, the book does a good job injecting humor and softness into the narrative, managing to keep the reading experience enjoyable while pulling no punches in the story. In addition to its excellent commentary on and insights into racism and activism, All American Boys tackles a subject I haven’t seen done successfully very often — what do you do when someone you love and respect does something monstrous — and manages to make everyone involved feel very human and even sympathetic, without ever making excuses or handwaving away consequences. This book stayed with me a long time after I finished reading it, and I would hope it makes its way into classrooms all across America.
by Aziz Ansari
At some point, every one of us embarks on a journey to find love. We meet people, date, get into and out of relationships, all with the hope of finding someone with whom we share a deep connection. This seems standard now, but it’s wildly different from what people did even just decades ago. Single people today have more romantic options than at any point in human history. With technology, our abilities to connect with and sort through these options are staggering. So why are so many people frustrated?
Some of our problems are unique to our time. “Why did this guy just text me an emoji of a pizza?” “Should I go out with this girl even though she listed Combos as one of her favorite snack foods? Combos?!” “My girlfriend just got a message from some dude named Nathan. Who’s Nathan? Did he just send her a photo of his penis? Should I check just to be sure?”
But the transformation of our romantic lives can’t be explained by technology alone. In a short period of time, the whole culture of finding love has changed dramatically. A few decades ago, people would find a decent person who lived in their neighborhood. Their families would meet and, after deciding neither party seemed like a murderer, they would get married and soon have a kid, all by the time they were twenty-four. Today, people marry later than ever and spend years of their lives on a quest to find the perfect person, a soul mate.
For years, Aziz Ansari has been aiming his comic insight at modern romance, but for Modern Romance, the book, he decided he needed to take things to another level. He teamed up with NYU sociologist Eric Klinenberg and designed a massive research project, including hundreds of interviews and focus groups conducted everywhere from Tokyo to Buenos Aires to Wichita. They analyzed behavioral data and surveys and created their own online research forum on Reddit, which drew thousands of messages. They enlisted the world’s leading social scientists, including Andrew Cherlin, Eli Finkel, Helen Fisher, Sheena Iyengar, Barry Schwartz, Sherry Turkle, and Robb Willer. The result is unlike any social science or humor book we’ve seen before.
In Modern Romance, Ansari combines his irreverent humor with cutting-edge social science to give us an unforgettable tour of our new romantic world.
When I picked up Modern Romance, I was expecting a book version of Aziz Ansari’s stand-up, where he talks about his awkward experiences dating and gets his audience to laugh about it. And while that is sort of what his book is, it’s really his interpretation of a heavily researched sociological study that he conducted in conjunction with an NYU sociologist. The results are fascinating, kind of scary (Husband read this book too, and both of our takeaways were that neither of us is ever allowed to die, because the world of modern dating is terrifying), and often really funny. Now, even though it’s clear he tried his best to be objective, it’s still clear in some of his conclusions that Aziz Ansari is not actually a social scientist, but I wasn’t reading a book by a comedian for the Accurate Science. So take the data presented with a few grains of salt. But for what it was — a humorous book on being single in the 21st century, written by a comedian and supported by his own extensive research — I thought Modern Romance thoroughly delivered.
As a bonus, know that if you listen to Modern Romance on audio, you get Aziz Ansari yelling at you for being lazy by asking him to read to you (even though I was totally listening while exercising, TAKE THAT, AZIZ).
by Emily St. John Mandel
One snowy night a famous Hollywood actor slumps over and dies onstage during a production of King Lear. Hours later, the world as we know it begins to dissolve. Moving back and forth in time—from the actor’s early days as a film star to fifteen years in the future, when a theater troupe known as The Travelling Symphony roams the wasteland of what remains—this suspenseful, elegiac, spellbinding novel charts the strange twists of fate that connect five people: the actor, the man who tried to save him, the actor’s first wife, his oldest friend, and a young actress with the Traveling Symphony, caught in the crosshairs of a dangerous self-proclaimed prophet. Sometimes terrifying, sometimes tender, Station Eleven tells a story about the relationships that sustain us, the ephemeral nature of fame, and the beauty of the world as we know it.”
I keep trying to explain to people what Station Eleven is about and failing miserably. It’s about an apocalyptic pandemic, certainly, and how humanity recovers in the aftermath, but at the same time, that all feels almost secondary to the heart of Station Eleven. It feels more accurate to say it’s an examination of relationships, art, and meaning, set against the backdrop of the period right before the end of the world, and the period after. Despite being centered around a cataclysmic global event, it’s not a very plot- there’s not really much of an arc, or even a main conflict, and when the book ends, there’s very little resolution. Yet for me, it worked, and when it ended, I was completely satisfied. What’s more, even though there wasn’t a lot of conflict or rising action to keep me invested, I found Station Eleven riveting, and listened to the whole thing on audio in two days. I’m not sure how to recommend this one, only that I}