Melificent

iRead: American Gods

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I started reading American Gods almost 2 years ago while traveling for work. I ended up being robbed while on vacation shortly after, and the book bag they took had this little book tucked away in it. It wasn’t until recently that a friend bought me a new copy that I began to read it again. I was newly inspired to pick it up again when I found out they would be making a show out of it on Starz and it was headed by one of my favs, Bryan Fuller.

Needless to say, I was really pumped to get started and wrapped up in one of Gaiman’s worlds, as I have never read any of his work (I know, gasp). Unfortunately, I really can’t say I dug it much. This will be a somewhat spoiler-free review, but if you prefer to go into it completely in the dark, then do not click below.

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iRead: Harry Potter + The Cursed Child

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I have been hearing so many opinions about Harry’s newest adventures in the script for The Cursed Child, and here is mine.

I was beyond excited to have more Harry in my life, so I devoured this easy read in two evenings (quite the feat when you are a new mom). It is so important to remember the format of this “book.” It is a script, it is meant to be acted out on stage, so sometimes it may read flat. It also doesn’t flesh out the world the way we are used to reading with JK. That is because it is meant to be fleshed out on stage, and I’m sure is mindblowing and gorgeous. These are things to keep in mind before reading this “book,” and things that I have seen that are popping up in reviews as strikes against it, which isn’t fair.

With that said, lets get into the SPOILER FILLED review. You have been warned. Do not continue if you have not read the script or do not to be spoiled.

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iRead: Yes Please

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I’m coming at you with another book review this week, and I’m happy to report that I thoroughly enjoyed this one. Next on my list was Amy Poehler’s Yes Please, and I was really excited to dig into it. I’ve been a big fan of Ms. Poehler since becoming a huge follower of Parks and Recreation during my pregnancy. It was my happy place and helped curb my anxiety after experiencing a loss. It means a lot to my fangirl heart. Her character, Leslie Knope, is basically what every woman aspires to be (or should), and I was happy to read that Amy was not Leslie, but someone I could relate to even more.

Yes Please gives you such a candid look into Amy’s life, and I think it especially spoke volumes to me because of the stage of my life that I am in. As a new mom in her mid-30’s trying to navigate through a world of new experiences and challenges, this book made me feel like I wasn’t alone. And not only was I not alone, but if I met Amy freaking Poehler for drinks, we would have so much common ground to talk about. And that felt refreshing.

I won’t go through the entire book, but some of the highlights that really spoke to me were the following:

“Good for you, not for me.”

This is a phrase that Amy discovered works best when you don’t agree with someone, but at the same time do not want to offend or belittle them. I think it’s so powerful and I’ve been using it a lot since finishing the book. She used it in reference to her onscreen and real life friend, Rashida Jones, who decided to give birth to her kids without any drugs and man, could I relate! I could have never passed on my epidural, but a lot of my friends have. I do not upturn my nose to their decision – good for them, not for me. I wish more people could use this mentally instead of all the verbal attacks I see being tossed around on social media. Being a woman is hard enough before everyone decides they need to judge every single one of your decisions and hold them under a microscope. Lets try to live in harmony, ok?

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iRead: Geek Girl

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It’s been quite awhile since I’ve posted this feature on my blog (embarrassingly over a year ago), but now that Luna is a little older, I find myself having some time for reading again during her naps. Naturally, I’m still chugging along in comparison to my childless days, but I want to make sure I continue reading because it’s one of my life’s little pleasures. And unfortunately, the book I came to share with you all today did not bring me much of that.

Geek Girl by Holly Smale is an international bestseller, but it left a bad taste in my mouth. It’s about a geeky teenage girl that’s awkward and a little Asperger-y. She has a beautiful best friend and a mean girl at school that picks on her. She ends up being scouted by a modeling agency because *surprise* she’s really beautiful under the ugly sweaters and bad hair. Although she does not care for fashion at all, she decides to become a model and the face of a brand she has no idea about to escape her life as a “geeky loser.”

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iRead: The Fangirl’s Guide to the Galaxy

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I couldn’t have loved this short and adorable guidebook to being a fangirl by Sam Maggs any more. Seriously. I found myself squealing, “yes!!!,” multiple times while reading certain passages and often read them aloud to my husband (to his constant chuckles). It basically contains everything needed to know about living the fangirl life, except what made this book special is that it spoke about fangirls in a positive light. Oftentimes the word is used in a derogatory manner, and I really appreciated that this book celebrated the fangirl with constant reassurance that you do not have to apologize for your strong feelings, uncontrollable actions and quirky habits. Paired with interviews with some pretty important ladies in the geek world and an entire section dedicated to feminism, it is the perfect gift to either give yourself or that geeky girl in your life. In fact, I plan on circulating the book around my circle of geeky girlfriends.

My absolute favorite part of the entire book though was the section dedicated to #thatconlife as I have affectionately hashtagged it. It detailed every single detail of convention culture whether you are a newbie, a cosplayer or a seasoned pro. Whatever Sam discussed, she was right on point – down to the con crud (I suffered from this illness a few years back after SDCC, and it was beyond awful) and post-con depression (I got this pretty bad after last year’s SDCC).

Basically, pick up this amazing book if you would label yourself as a geek girl, are dating a geek girl or would like to (wink wink). It’s a quick and enjoyable read with a lot of resources that are sure to make you smile and squee (sometimes all at once)!