First 10 Pages - Someday My Prince Will Come

What Remains: A Memoir of Fate, Friendship and Love

Summary:

""What Remains" is a vivid and haunting memoir about a girl from a working-class town who becomes an award-winning television producer and marries a prince, Anthony Radziwill, one of a long line of Polish royals and nephew of President John F. Kennedy. Carole Radziwill's story is part fairy tale, part tragedy. She tells both with great candor and wit.Carole grew up in a small suburb with a large, eccentric cast of characters. She spent her childhood summers with her grandparents and an odd assortment of aunts and uncles in their poorly plumbed A-frame on the banks of a muddy creek in upstate New York.
At the age of nineteen, Carole struck out for New York City to find a different life. Her career at ABC News led her to the refugee camps of Cambodia, to a bunker in Tel Aviv, to the scene of the Menendez murders. Her marriage led her into the old world of European nobility and the newer world of American aristocracy.
"What Remains" begins with loss and returns to loss. A small plane plunges into the ocean, carrying John Kennedy, Anthony's cousin, and Carolyn Bessette Kennedy, Carole's closest friend. Three weeks later Anthony dies of cancer. The summer of the plane crash, the four friends were meant to be cherishing Anthony's last days. Instead, Carole and Anthony mourned John and Carolyn, even as Carole planned her husband's memorial.
Carole Radziwill has an anthropologist's sensibility and a journalist's eye. She writes about families--their customs, their secrets, and their tangled intimacies-- with remarkable acuity and humanity. She explores the complexities of marriage, the importance of friendship, and the challenges of self-invention with unflinching honesty. This is acompelling story of love, loss, and, ultimately, resilience."

What Remains, is by far my favorite book, that I have read this year! Radziwill had me crying on just the 1st page and pretty much through out the book. Her writing is so unbelievably beautiful and earnest. The way she describes, death, fortune, her relationships, the Kennedy's is really just remarkable. I cannot recommend this book enough!  I will say that the beginning of the book is slower, since Radziwill is talking about her child and growing up. However, this part of the story is really important, it gives you a better understanding of who Carole really is and how being in the position she was in, was far from what she knew.

Is Everyone Hanging Out Without Me? (and other concerns)

Summary:

"Mindy Kaling has lived many lives: the obedient child of immigrant professionals, a timid chubster afraid of her own bike, a Ben Affleck–impersonating Off-Broadway performer and playwright, and, finally, a comedy writer and actress prone to starting fights with her friends and coworkers with the sentence “Can I just say one last thing about this, and then I swear I’ll shut up about it?”  Perhaps you want to know what Mindy thinks makes a great best friend (someone who will fill your prescription in the middle of the night), or what makes a great guy (one who is aware of all elderly people in any room at any time and acts accordingly), or what is the perfect amount of fame (so famous you can never get convicted of murder in a court of law), or how to maintain a trim figure (you will not find that information in these pages). If so, you’ve come to the right book, mostly! In Is Everyone Hanging Out Without Me?, Mindy invites readers on a tour of her life and her unscientific observations on romance, friendship, and Hollywood, with several conveniently placed stopping points for you to run errands and make phone calls. Mindy Kaling really is just a Girl Next Door—not so much literally anywhere in the continental United States, but definitely if you live in India or Sri Lanka."

WHY AREN'T MINDY AND I FRIENDS?!
Seriously, she is the perfect mix of everything I need and want in a friend. It isn't even funny. I love that this book isn't her trying to glamorize  her life or be over the top about it. She mixes the perfect amount of humility, dramazation and seriousness into her stories. This was a great read, to get my mind of life and to just relax and giggle.

Someday My Prince Will Come : True Adventures of a Wannabe Princess

Summary:

"Most young girls dream of becoming a princess. But unlike most girls, Jerramy Fine never grew out of it. Strangely drawn to the English royal family since she was a toddler, Jerramy finds Peter Phillips (the Queen’s oldest grandson) in a royal family tree when she is only six years old, and decides immediately that he will be her future husband. But growing up with hippie parents (who gave her a boy’s name!) in the middle of a rodeo-loving farm town makes finding her prince a much bigger challenge than Jerramy ever bargained for. She spends her childhood writing love-letters to Peter c/o Buckingham Palace, and years later, when her sense of destiny finally brings her to London, she must navigate the murky waters of English social circles, English etiquette and English dating. Along the way, she meets Princess Anne (Peter’s mother), befriends Earl Spencer, and parties with the Duchess of York. Yet life is not the Hugh Grant movie she hoped it would be. Her flatmates are lunatics, London is expensive, and English boys can be infuriating"

Plot: When I first read the summary for this book I legitimately thought that Miss Fine was clinically insane. However, I was pleasantly surprised by the story and it reminded a little of Eat Pray Love.. 

Characters: Jerramy is a lot like myself, so I found her to be a very likable person to read about. I also was highly entertained by her parents.

Pros: Entertaining, Wishful, Will Keep You Smiling and Laughing. Very relate-able narrative

Cons: My only gripe with this book would be a completely personal one, and probably the only time I stopped smiling through this book. Was the Republican "bashing" all though very briefly. I am Republican, so I get pretty offended when I get stereotyped. But just in general, I don't like irrelevant (it was completely irrelevant to the moments story line but could have been left out) political bashing on either side in my books and movies, I don't like the idea of ostracizing ones audience. Like I said, it was a personal issue, and basically the only issue I had with this book.

Final Thoughts: Definitely one of my favorite books. I could relate to Jerramy SO SO SO much. I come from a LONG line of Kings,Queens,Lords,Ladies,Knights and so on.. so, being Royal is something I have always hoped for and being a huge lover of history and etiquette. I just totally understood where she was coming from and my favorite part would have to be the idea of a Past Life, which I whole heartily believe in. This book, is definitely good feeling happy inspirational chick lit. 

My Zoo Family

O,k this is another one of those books that just doesn't quite fit my normal blogging format. I received this book as a gift from my Grandma Bumb and it was made in 1957 so it is quite old. The book is about the author and her husband who were just normal New Yorkers, until her husband friend got a job as a zookeeper at the Bronx Zoo and from there she mingled her way into caring for the baby and young animals. Basically that is the whole book, her talking about the animals she raised and the dilemma's they faced. It is a cute book, but not that well written in the sense that things needed to be ended and formatted better. As I read the book it definitely reminded me about how different the times were and couldn't help but think a million times, this would never be allowed now-a-days. Overall, if you are an animal lover you will like this book.

History Nerd Alert

This is the perfect book to review at this time, since I am currently doing research on my family as well as my fiance's. I read this book a little over a year ago and the reason I picked it, wasn't really for the normal reasons I pick a book..the title and the cover. Although, the cover is what  attracted me to the book, it was the fact that the book was based in 18th century Italy. I tend to glamourize history, but I have always loved the idea of living back in Italy,France and England from anywhere around the 1400's to the the early 1900's. I am just fascinated by history. Even if it wasn't as fancy as I picture it to be... none the less I love it. So, that is why I picked the book. What made it better was that Lucia was a real Venetian lady and that the accounts in the book were real.

The author Andrea Di Robilant is actually related to Lucia who is is Great-Great-Great-Great- Grandmother (maybe add another Great or two in there). He ended up visiting the family old home in Venice and finding letters that Lucia actually wrote to her Husband, Family and Friends.. and from that he used these letters to tell her story. Andrea Di Robilant starts out by explaining his families history and he does a good job at explaining certain things, but for the most part the story is all Lucia's words.

You may think that the book would be boring and to some it probably is.. you need an appreciation for history and ancestry, in my opinion. However, if you want to give it a try the story is almost that of a Jane Austen Novel.  Married young mostly for money, but she loved him... he cheats on her, they have kids, hes gone a lot, she takes a lover, they have a love child... It's a beautiful story about a women living in Venetian Society. The book isn't for everyone, but I most definitely recommend it.


Currently Reading: The Girls of Murder City By Douglas Perry

Dirty Sexy Politics

This is the first time I listened to a book, and not read one. As much as I love to read books and prefer the book over Audiobooks and Kindles. I simply don't have money to always be buying books. So, when My mom got the new Nano and asked me to purchase some books, I took this opportunity to purchase Meghan McCain's Book. I was interested in reading this for several reasons.... one being that I am a moderate republican like, Meghan and the two being I voted for McCain and Palin...

The book, is basically about Meghan's life on her fathers campaign. I'm going to be honest, I expected more from the book. It is nothing too entertaining, except that you get to see what life on a campaign is really like. Although, I was not thrilled by this book.. I did enjoy it and would recommend it to anyone... even if you are not a McCain fan. Personally I really like Meghan, she is honest and is exactly the advocate the Republican party needs. Go pick the book up or download the audiobook...which is narrated by Meghan McCain, who has a great voice to listen to.

Currently Reading: Death of A Salesman By Arthur Miller

Chelsea Lately

Chelsea Handler is a talented comedian who now has her own show called Chelsea Lately on the E! Network. Chelsea always brings the laugh and although sometime she can go to far, she is hilarious most of the time. Each of her books are encounters of life stories from Chelsea's point of view...although you do find yourself at times asking "wait did this REALLY happen?!"

Handler's first book does not disappoint. You can hear Chelsea's voice clearly through the stories. All the stories some up the title; it's about Chelsea's sex life in the earlier years of her life.

Are You There Vodka, It's Me Chelsea. Is My favorite book of the three. Chelsea brings the laughs through her crazy stories about her life. Try not to read the book in public, it tends to make people think you are crazy when you burst into laughter; out of nowhere.

The most recent of the books and probably the book fans can relate to more, in the sense that it has the most recent stories. Meaning they correspond to the Chelsea we know now. Some stories are from the past but most are in the present. Personally, I think the book fell short... compared to her second book, but was not horrible.


Overall, Chelsea Handler really makes you smile and laugh, overall Happy. The books are great light reads and make great gifts for anyone.

Currently Reading: Twenties Girl By Sophie Kinsella

Eat, Pray, Love

I have finally finished this book! My goal was to finish the book before the movie came out but I missed this goal by 5 days... Oh, Where to begin?! By now I'm sure most people (mainly women) have already read this book or if not have gone and seen the movie or both. Either way here is my opinion (because it matters OH SO much) I truly enjoyed the book. Mainly, because even though there was a 15 year age difference. I feel like I have been there... I could relate to her (even if there were a few rude remarks against Republicans). I have been that depressed, I have felt that yearning, to want to be free and to want to explore, and to feel loved, not only by yourself but by someone other than your family. I get it! I could relate to her take on religion and especially God. I found myself almost feeling cleansed, as I read about her experiences. It's almost like my bible to happiness.

For those of you who don't know the book is about a woman Elizabeth Gilbert aka the author. Who after going through a divorce decides to pack up her whole life and live in three different countries. Italy, India and Indonesia. In each of these country she learns to experience new things and to really live her life by Eating, Praying and Loving.. which really brings the title full circle. The concept of how she wrote the book is clever as well and I like how you almost forget that the person in the book is a real person (again, it's the author).. I like that it gives me and other woman hope that they can REALLY have this fairytale.

I would definitely recommend this book to other people.. and I think it also makes a great gift. I am looking forward to seeing the movie and hoping that it doesn't disappoint. Also, I think I'm going to have to go on Amazon and Wish List her other book (which is basically a sequel) "Committed". I have seen the book before but have just passed it by and although I loved this book.. I wasn't really thinking about going out and getting "Committed" but now that I know it continues the authors story of her life after her trips to The Three "I's".. I cannot wait to scoop it up.

What's Next?
The book I plan to read next is a book I bought over a year ago at a thrift store and have been meaning to read it but kept putting it to the bottom of my reading list (which is LONG). So, I finally said "Screw it, it's now or never". It seems to be a short read (but who knows) The book is called "Asylum" by Patrick McGrath.