Via Buzzfeed |
Kelly Oxford is an Internet-famous
housewife turned author who published her first book in 2013. Everything is Perfect When You’re a Liar
is a hilarious collection of essays that chronicles her life from her
misadventures growing up in Edmonton all the way to motherhood. Oxford’s
writing is marked by the same wry voice that’s made her a social media
sensation. She’s known for her sarcasm and in-your-face sense of humor; one of
my favorite tweets by her to this day reads, “The worst thing you could do to
someone is call them on the phone.” The stories included in her memoir range
from downright outrageous to almost sentimental and I highly recommend it to any
comedy fan. Her second book, reportedly titled I Can’t Believe I Forgot to Tell You This, is due out in the near
future.
The title of this
book is what initially prompted me to check it out because, hell, I wish I
would have thought of it first. Kaling’s career has really taken off since her
start as a college intern on Late Night
with Conan O’Brien. She’s since appeared as Ben Affleck in an off Broadway
play, done stand-up in New York City, written more than 20 episodes of the
popular NBC sitcom The Office, and written
and produced four seasons of her own series The
Mindy Project. Her memoir, published in 2011, begins with her addressing the
inevitable “Sure, you’re a woman in comedy but you’re no Tina Fey” comparison
head on. She writes, “I know, man. Tina’s awesome.” That line had me hooked. The book as a whole is a somewhat
messy collection of stories from her childhood that sometimes provides an
inside look into Hollywood culture. The book takes a lot of
sharp turns that may have done more harm than good in the context of
readability, but it genuinely made me smile. My favorite recollections were
those from her time spent working with Steve Carell on The Office. Her follow-up to Is
Everyone Hanging Out Without Me? will be published in September and I plan
to check it out if not for the literary value, but the unavoidable
entertainment value.
Via Buzzfeed |
Ansari totally nailed dating in the 21st
century in his new book Modern Romance.
Perhaps the reason I enjoyed this title so much is because the content really
rings true to my life. Seriously, you guys have no idea how much time I’ve
wasted stressing out over how to respond to a 2 A.M. text message from a guy
who’s only communication with me after three days of silence reads, “yo”. Or
how awful I’ve made myself feel after crafting the perfect, witty response to
said text message and receiving nothing in return but a “lol”…like, I know
you’re not really laughing, okay? Ansari took the time with this book to
address these issues in a humorous light that made me realize how ridiculous my
problems are. He teamed up with New York University Professor of Sociology Eric
Klinenberg to incorporate research the pair conducted involving various
cultural groups and their dating habits/woes. The book is more of a sociological study than anything else, but it ultimately held my interest as a Millennial who's just as confused by love as I am by my credit score.