My Dad Wrote a Porno Review

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This is the second book I’ve finished in a two day period—something I’m pretty sure I’ve never done before. However, I should probably mention that the main reason I read this book so fast was because I had to sit in Chapters for hours post-tornado to charge my devices and briefly connect with the outside world. Also, I had literally nothing else to do.

Regardless, I have never laughed so hard while reading a book.

I’m a huge fan of the podcast version of “My Dad Wrote a Porno.” (If you haven’t listened to it yet, get thee to iTunes immediately!) I always listen to it whenever I’m commuting and I have a very hard (pun very much intended) time keeping my laughter to myself. Belinda Blumenthal’s world is simply unlike any other—I dare you to not bust up laughing while listening to the podcast or reading the book.

This book is a fully annotated version of Rocky Flintstone’s original masterpiece Belinda Blinked 1. It comes complete with liner notes that say what we’re all thinking, and it even has insights from Rocky Flintstone himself—I never knew how much I needed his insight on the art of writing “good” erotica).

Plus, it’s structured like a novel study guide—the podcast hosts/authors include hilarious context notes, talking points, and activity suggestions (“try having a conversation where your partner is not allowed to respond for 30 seconds”). Also, this book does the world a public service by including a diagram of the female reproductive system—there is absolutely no circumstance where someone’s penis needs to touch the cervix, let alone travel all the way around to the ovaries.

Overall, this was the funniest book I’ve ever read, and I highly suggest it for your next book of the month pick—and all the activities included after each chapter should be mandatory.

P.S. I Still Love You Review (To All the Boys I’ve Loved Before Book #2)

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I read this book in less than two days. I haven’t read a book that fast since I was 10 and had no responsibilities. Granted, my power was knocked out thanks to a killer tornado and I had literally nothing else to do—but I still call it an accomplishment.

I’ve been pretty pumped to read the second book in this series since I finished the first one not too long ago. I remember being so excited to read about a relatable female protagonist who happened to look like me—biracial teen coming of age stories are hard to find, y’all.

That being said, I was worried I’d be disappointed with the second book. Could lightening really strike twice?

Well, dear reader—in a word, yes.

When I read the first book, I was merely taken along for the ride. Jenny Han weaved so many twists and turns throughout the story—I felt like I was hanging out in Lara Jean’s head. I mean, I was, but still. It had been a long time since I was so removed from my own life and so involved with a book protagonist’s life.

With book two, I felt pretty much the exact same way. All I knew going in was that John Ambrose McClaren was going to show up and complicate things. And even then, the story was never about him.

The beautiful think about these books, and this one in particular, is that it’s never about a boy—whether that boy is Peter or John or Josh. It’s all about Lara Jean developing and growing up. In this book, the main conflict wasn’t really with John and Peter—it was about Lara Jean and Genevieve.

It’s so refreshing to read about a female lead who loves love and loves romance, yet the book’s main focus is almost entirely on herself as a person. And that’s something more girls should be reading in their YA fiction.

Bachelor Nation Book Review

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Full disclosure: I’ve never seen a single episode of The Bachelor or any of the other shows in the franchise. But I’ve always been fascinated by the show and how obsessed everyone is with it.

So when I saw Bachelor Nation was available to borrow from my local library, I knew I had to pick it up and give it a read. And much like the devoted “Bachelor Nation,” I tore through this book like I was running out of time.

*insert Hamilton reference here*

The book’s written by Amy Kaufman, a reporter for the Washington Post who recaps episodes of The Bachelor and the various spin offs. She inserts herself in the narrative of the story, but not in a way that’s self-serving or intrusive. Rather, she explores the world of The Bachelor through the lens of a fan learning about how the sausage is made.

It’s an incredibly fun read that goes through the show’s history and process, and as someone who had never watched the show, I couldn’t tear my eyes away.

The lengths the producers will go in order to get what they need for good TV are both horrifying and brilliant—Kaufman even includes a section comparing law enforcement interrogation techniques to what the producers do in their interviews (spoiler alert: they’re scarily similar). We all know reality TV is manufactured to some degree but based on what happens behind the scenes on The Bachelor, I feel like you might as well be watching regular scripted programming.

One of the most fascinating aspects of the book is the exploration of why we even watch the show—especially in 2018. Each chapter is spaced out with a little anecdote from celebrity fans about why they watch the show. To me, it seems like a combination of cynicism and romanticism—we love to hate watch the ridiculous antics on the show, but deep down we want to believe in true love. We just don’t think The Bachelor is the way it’s gonna happen.

Overall, this book is a frothy, interesting character study on America’s favourite reality show and the people who watch it. If you love the show—or even if you don’t—I highly suggest picking it up and giving it a read—the book is just as addicting as the show.

Star Wars #9 (Princess Without a Planet) Review

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I thought this review would just be an Instagram post, but it turns out I have a lot more to say than I thought I did.

Let’s start with the cover for Star Wars #9—I think both the cover artwork and the pull quote are a little misleading. I understand this is an issue that’s part of a larger series and I am reading it out of order, but I purchased the ebook under the assumption that the main focus of this issue would be Leia in Alderaan’s ruins.

This was not the case.

Leia was only in the first five or so pages of the story, and while her storyline was very interesting, there wasn’t nearly enough for my satisfaction. Leia, Han, Luke, and the rest of the characters were very much in-character for their storylines (thank you, Legends universe!), but the cover and pull quote weren’t reflective even of Leia’s storyline.

On another note, the artwork is incredibly well done but didn’t feel true to how the characters actually look, in my view. It felt too comic-book style for my liking—it felt too slick and stylish. It didn’t have the heart seen in other Star Wars graphic novels and comics. While the actions were in character, the art didn’t seem to match—I barely recognized the main characters.

All that being said, I still really enjoyed the overall storylines and I’d like to read the whole long-term story. But just reading this issue fell a little short for me.