Book Review: Bossypants

Bossypants has been a best-selling book and was highly suggested, so I picked up my Kindle to try it out. I didn't know much about Tina Fey before the book, I only know slightly more now, but enjoyed the easy read. She and I were meant to be brunette soul sisters. She's a wise-cracking, witty, tell-it-like-it-is kind of gal and I can appreciate that. She's just likable, gosh darn it.

There are so many good one-liners in her book, like "Gay people don't actually try to convert people. That's Jehovah's Witnesses you're thinking of." One chapter is devoted to her father and it's perfect. She quotes Colin Quinn after he meets Don Fey: "Your father doesn't f#$%*@# play games. You would never come home with a shamrock tattoo in that house." If you enjoy a nice chuckle every now and then she can deliver. I may even watch an episode of 30 Rock. Grade: B+

Wisdom from Hollywood

Occasionally there's a line in a movie or book that sticks with you, or causes you to think about a situation a bit differently. Here's to starting out Monday the right way!

Book Review: There Is An Urgency

True stories are often a little hard to believe, especially if portrayed on TV. There Is An Urgency, a book about a man as a child and later as an adult, is also hard to believe, but in a different sense. It's not like Papillon, The Long Walk, Alive, or Into the Wild, which are all good reads; however, each has some level of controversy regarding truthfulness or accuracy.

Mr. Love's trials and experiences in There Is An Urgency are so extreme and disgusting that it's nearly impossible to dispute it's legitimacy. His pain is something altogether different from other typical survival stories. His is a pain of an innocent child.

There Is An Urgency is graphic and not for the feint of heart. Read at your risk. Grade: B+

Book Review: Bitter Brew - The Rise and Fall of Anheuser Busch and America's King of Beer

Yep, it's a book about beer, Bitter Brew: The Rise and Fall of Anheuser Busch and America's King of Beer. I don't have any sources to back me up on this, but I'm pretty sure the majority of adults worldwide drink alcohol. So whether you drink or not, it might be a good idea to educate yourself. The Busch Family is a great place to start. The money and philandering will disgust you. The nepotism and adultery will shock you. The scandal and litigation will make you sick.

Yet, somehow, after reading this book, you'll be even more proud to be an American. Grade: A

Book Review: Crapalachia - A Biography of Place

Wow. After reading Crapalachia: A Biography of Place, I turned to the cover expecting to see the Coen brothers on the byline. Nope, it was Scott McClanahan. +Duck Dynasty ain't got nothin' on Crapalchia, which is a story about more than backwoods America. It's about connecting with humanity, regardless of how many teeth you have.

If want to experience West Virgina without actually visiting (because why would you?), read this book. Grade: A

Book Review: The Bedwetter - Stories of Courage, Redemption, and Pee

Dear +Sarah Silverman,

Thank you. Your stories about courage, redemption, and pee are inspiring. I now know that an overactive digestive system or an enlarged prostate isn't the end of the world. In fact, it's a blessing to pee and other stuff more than normal people. That's why we're skinny. Normal is boring. Your book isn't the greatest piece of literature. It's not steeped in historical urine. It's not exactly traditional -- at all. Here's what it is. It's honest and natural. It's refreshing. It's funny (for about 180 pages).

The Bedwetter: Stories of Courage, Redemption, and Pee is different. Yes, it has things like words, a forward, prologue, epilogue, chapters, and something that almost resembles a plot; but, each of these is written in Sarah's unabashed, unfiltered voice.

WARNING: While entertaining, this book is not for everyone. Mom, Dad, don't read this book. Grade B+

Book Review: And the Mountains Echoed

Do you ever feel like you need a good cry? Read Khaled Hosseini's book, And the Mountains Echoed. I've read The Kite Runner and recently reviewed A Thousand Splendid Suns and enjoyed both, but this book is something entirely different. It's almost like a collection of short stories all written by friends, relatives, and acquaintances. With each new chapter or story, you begin a new journey and find yourself trying to guess what connection the new character has to those you already know. Each story reveals a new layer of complexity and adds meaning to each life.

Reading this book will help you realize that your life right now matters, and your decisions will greatly influence generations to come.

OK, full disclosure, I didn't cry reading this book, but I did tear up several times. If you are a parent reading this book and you don't cry, you're not human.

It's thought-provoking. It's educational (yes, fiction can be). Most of all, it's difficult to summarize without spoiling; so, I won't. Grade: A

BOOK REVIEW: Escape from Camp 14

"Mom" is one of the most revered words in all of language. Not to Shin, a boy born and raised in a North Korean prison camp. To him, "Mom" was just another person to compete against for food.

In this book, Escape from Camp 14, Shin's story is so outrageous, it's difficult to believe. But this story is less about escape and survival, and more about the absurdity of the modern human condition. Shin takes the reader inside a cruel prison camp and inside his uncivilized mind. His story educates about the society and atrocities of North Korea. But most of all, Shin's story takes the reader to a place where most cannot relate: the results of possibly the most totalitarian, repressive state to ever exist -- and the world, for the most part, has turned a blind eye. This is a must read: A-

BOOK REVIEW: A Thousand Splendid Suns

Khaled Hosseini, author of The Kite Runner, has a unique way of turning fiction into education. A Thousand Splendid Suns does more than tell a story of two Afghan women enduring their lives among constant war. For most American readers, it will stir up an uneasy feeling of ignorance. Life is more than the walls around you. Across oceans in different continents, there is perspective that cannot be seen sitting at home, except possibly in Hosseini's books. While A Thousand Splendid Suns doesn't reach the intensity of The Kite Runner, it's still a good read: B-

BOOK REVIEW: OPEN - Andre Agassi's Autobiograpy

I love tennis. It seems so simple, yet, it’s very challenging. Andre Agassi, a tennis great, hated it. To him, tennis was the enemy. His father forced him to play. The media created his bad-boy image. His body paid the toll of years of training. It was only after Andre left the game, I like to think, that he fell in love with it. His book, Open, begins at the end and then rewinds to the start, where Andre begins his battle with “The Dragon,” a souped-up-by-dad ball machine. For a tennis fan, there is no reason to not read this book: A-

Andre’s divorce from Brooke Shields, his courtship with Steffi Graf, his school for the underprivileged, and his blatant honesty is refreshing. It humanizes a modern star athlete. It makes me want to play more tennis, but more importantly, it helps me understand and appreciate those that truly love me.

Thanks, Dad.

BOOK REVIEW: Orange is the New Black

Much fanfare has been made about new, original content on Netflix, like Orange is the New Black, for example. Call it new and original if you like, but Orange is the New Black is based on the true story of Piper Kerman's yearlong sentence in prison.

Regardless of whether or not her short time of petty crime should be celebrated with a TV series, Kerman's book looks inside America's prison system -- and boy, is it bad ... not the good bad, either. Prison should be uncomfortable, yes, but why not also use it to help people? According to Kerman, the US prison population has more than quadrupled in the last 30 years, a trend unlikely to change anytime soon.

Kerman survived prison, in fact, she thrived in prison. Her positive outlook and willingness to help others helped her make friends. Prison helped her discover something she thought she would never find: her identity. Orange is the New Black is a good read: B+

BOOK REVIEW: The Skinny Rules

Bob Harper from The Biggest Loser has been my latest inspiration. Although, I've only watched his show a handful of times, his book really made an impression on me. On a recent trip to the Saguaro library, the yellow cover caught my eye. The Skinny Rules lays out a list of 20 rules for "getting thin." I was intrigued. I'm not overweight, but over the past few years I've been on a health-kick, and why not learn more? I still occasionally summon my inner fat kid and eat three Paradise Bakery cookies ... in one sitting. I'm a work in progress people. Don't judge.

Each rule has a reason behind it, which Bob describes in great detail. Possibly my favorite part about this book -- Bob provides meal plans and recipes! I think this is the hardest part of eating healthy, but this makes it so much easier. Here are my favorite rules, and the ones that made the biggest impact:

RULE 1: Drink a large glass of water before every meal -- no excuses!
RULE 2: Don't drink your calories.
RULE 7: No carbs after lunch.
RULE 17: Eat your vegetables -- just do it!

You'll find a copy of the 20 rules posted on my fridge at home, and on the peg board in my office at work. I look at it every day. I'm not doing everything on the list yet, but I'm getting there. These rules, in combination with my workout schedule, have made a difference. I can feel it. I'm starting to see it little by little. Grade: A

Book Review: The Great Bridge

OK, David McCullough is a great author. His voice emotes national pride and it also helps me sleep at night. After watching a 60-Minutes special about him and learning that he writes all of his books on an old-school typewriter, I decided to check out one of his books: The Great Bridge - The Epic Story of the Building of the Brooklyn Bridge.

I lived in NYC for some time, so this topic really intrigued me. If you can make it past page 200 of

this massive book, you might find some borderline interesting historical facts, maybe even some fun pictures. Sure, John Roebling and his son, Washington, were instrumental in building America’s iconic bridge. And yes, building such a huge piece of architecture that still stands and represents all-things America was an amazing feat, but take my word for it, reading this book does not do the Brooklyn Bridge justice.

Visit New York City. Take a train to Chinatown and eat something scary. I suggest Saigon Bakery. The Big Wing Wong is good, too. Then, walk across the Brooklyn Bridge from Manhattan to Brooklyn. Walk back. The bridge is about one mile in length. The bridge was completed in 1883. Men were submerged in a makeshift type of bottomless submarine as they dug the foundation. Many men died and many more suffered from bends. Sometimes we take things like bridges for granted. Don’t, people, just don’t. Grade: C+

How to Enjoy Running

Have you ever read Christopher McDougall’s Born to Run? If not, turn your computer off and make your way directly to the local library. Do not stop at McDonalds on the way. This book will change your life.

For years, I’ve despised running. Exercise, for me, had to include a ball, club, or racket. Now, I look forward to running. I take shorter strides. I run on the balls of my feet (midfoot strike), and I’m fully equipped with all I need: Nike Free 3.0 Version 5 running shoes. Version 5, not version 4.

Yes, it’s true. Nike is largely to blame for most heel-striking runners, but it is also making barefoot running look less dorky than Vibram (five-finger shoes). I only have one thought when I see a man wearing these glove-like shoes: GROSS. 

Oh, I’m also eating better. Born to Run is a must read. My next challenge, running down a deer! Grade: A