nomadreader

2014 was quite a year. I had a baby . And I kept reading (it's possible! It wasn't even hard!) I somehow managed to read 139 books this year (and no, that doesn't count any of the children's books I read to Hawthorne.) I read (significantly) more books in 2014 than I did in any other year in which I've kept track of my reading. In September, I hit 100 books . I've spent a lot of time thinking about why  I managed to read so many books this year, and I think it comes down to making reading more of a priority. I didn't watch nearly as much television in 2014 as I did before. And I didn't even see as many movies. I read. If a book wasn't working for me, I set it down and picked up another one. Sometimes I picked it back up again, but sometimes I didn't. And I gave up review obligations. I still read plenty of books from publishers, but I didn't commit to reviewing them on specific days. When I picked up a book, it was because I wanted to read it...

The backstory: I'm a fan of Amy Poehler, but I'm not a fan  of Amy Poehler. I don't watch Parks and Recreation , but I've seen some episodes. I do, however, lover her smart, observational humor. My thoughts:  Yes Please  is a multimedia memoir of sorts. It's part advice, part reflection, part humorous recollections, part traditional memoir, part essays, part commentary on career, marriage, divorce and parenthood, and all parts awesome. Its awesomeness came in unexpected ways, as well as expected ways. It's a very diverse book. There are fabulously funny lines, of course: "Is there a word for when you are young and pretending to have lived and loved a thousand lives? Is there a German word for that? Seems like there should be. Let's say it is Schaufenfrieglasploit ." But there are also fabulously wise lines telling truths that are both simple and profound: "Change is the only constant. Your ability to navigate and tolerate change an...