The Book Club

Book Review: Tina Fey's Bossypants

Title: Bossypants

Author: Tina Fey

Publisher: Reagan Arthur Books (2011)

Genres: Humor, Nonfiction, Memoir

Sub-Genres: Art, Celebrity, Coming of Age, Family Studies, How To, Television

Plot Summary: Fey, former head writer of Saturday Night Live and creator of (and actor on) 30 Rock (not to mention being famous for impersonating a certain former Alaskan governor), details just how she got to be where she is now. From stints in theatre camps to a summer job at the YMCA, Fey looks at where she's been, all with her unmistakable comic talent. She also addresses the questions that she's always asked, like being Sarah Palin and being a working mother, without ever missing a chance to  make a joke. She even manages to detail why she's not as pretty or as funny as you think she is.

 What I Liked: The book's funny. It's in Fey's voice. It's a pleasant, easy, and enjoyable read. In other words, this is the perfect, don't-have-to-think beach read for anybody who just wants to avoid the real world for a while and chill out, while laughing a bit along the way.

I enjoy Fey's sarcasm, especially at the moments where she actually seems vulnerable. When she talks about her high school experiences, her family, or the fates of her 30 Rock employees all hanging on her (rounded) shoulders, it seems real. When she talks about how much she did and didn't want to portray Sarah Palin on SNL, it was nice. She's frank about her own abilities and does a good job of pointing out that part of being a great performer isn't knowing what you're good at, but rather, what you're not good at.

What I Didn't Like: While the fun tone and jokes make this book easy-to-read, it also makes the book fall flat at times. The book itself can be read in a few hours, especially with those extra blank white pages taking up the ends of each book section (and there's about 10 book sections, so that's a whole lot of extra white space). In essence, the book just needed more.

Fey doesn't go into too much detail about any particular topic - mostly, she just skims through her life, makes some jokes, and then moves on. While she does have some moments of reflection (like on breastfeeding or Photoshopping), it doesn't seem enough to warrant a book. The book needed to have more actual Tina Fey and less Tina Fey the performer.

Memoirs, unlike stand-up or improv, require a frankness that most people simply cannot handle divulging. Here, I'm not sure it's really Fey's fault, as she seems to just be writing about what somebody told her to write about. Also, this caused the book to feel disjointed, without an overreaching theme connecting each section of the book. It's more like comedy snippets, than a held together book.

Similar Works: Books by Funny Women: Are You There, Vodka? It's Me, Chelsea by Chelsea Handler, Official Book Club Selection: A Memoir According to Kathy Griffin, and The Bedwetter: Stories of Courage, Redemption, and Pee by Sarah Silverman.

Books by TV Stars: Is Everyone Hanging Out Without Me? (And Other Concerns) by Mindy Kaling, Snooki's A Shore Thing, and Priceless: A Novel by Nicole Richie.

Another Book about Saturday Night Live: Live From New York: An Uncensored History of Saturday Night Live, as Told By Its Stars, Writers and Guests.

Buy It Here!: Bossypants

Last Thought: You'll laugh and you'll like it, but you'll read it in an hour and probably won't learn anything new.

Book Review: The Practical Writer

Title: The Practical Writer: From Inspiration to Publication

Edited by: Therese Eiben, Mary Gannon, and the staff of Poets & Writers Magazine

Articles by: Scott Bane, Helen Benedict, Tom Bradley, Melvin Jules Bukiet, Julie Checkoway, C. Michael Curtis, Natalie Danford, Michael Depp, Jacqueline Deval, Fran Gordon, David Hamilton, Amy Holman, Betsy Lerner, David Long, Noah Lukeman, Robert McDowell, Kay Murray, Gregory Orr, R. Eirik Ott, Robert Phillips, Joanna Smith Rakoff, MJ Rose, Guy Shahar, Jeffrey Skinner, Sol Stein, Michael Taeckens, Catherine Wald, Nicholas Weinstock, Kate Whouley, Rebecca Wolff, Hilma Wolitzer

Publishers: Penguin (2004)

Genres: Art, How To, Nonfiction

Sub-Genres: Publishing, Writing

Summary: A collection of articles from Poets & Writers Magazine, one of the preeminent writers' magazines published today, that covers everything a writer needs for a successful and happy writing life. The collection includes five major areas that include discussing ancillary jobs in publishing for a writer, how to work with publishing professionals, how to be a public writer and gain fans, how to submit to agents and literary magazines, and how to write a good book. The book also includes several appendices, including a listing of literary journals and their submission info.

What I Liked: Most often, writing books feature articles and advice only on one of two things: either getting published or the act of writing itself. This book, however, manages to cover a variety of topics, and then introduce several new topics that aren't as frequently developed. Writing is not an easy field to be a part of, and I think this book does a good job of balancing lofty writing goals with sensible, down-to-earth advice about actually making a go of it.

As with every collection, not every article can be as good as the next. But since this collection is pulled from several years worth of the magazine issues, it's actually nearly consistently good. There was only one big exception where I pretty much started to skim read the article just to finish it. The articles (again, since it's coming from a magazine) are also all very short, making this book easy to read. The appendices were a nice addition, but they actually take up about 1/3 of the book, so if you're expecting a lot of writing for your money, then this isn't your book.

What I Didn't Like: There simply didn't seem to be enough here. Poets & Writers seemed to say, "Hey, let's take our articles and make a book!" and that was the point of the book. There's no overreaching idea, nothing tethering the collection together. As a writer and publishing professional myself, there was only one article that really even presented information that I didn't already know (the one on independent bookstore owning).

Also, while I love the variety in this book and it covers topics that young writers definitely need to hear and most often don't hear before it's too late, it didn't really go in-depth enough for me. All the articles skimmed the surface issues and sometimes even failed to point out the common pitfalls. If you're going to do a book, at least slow down a bit and actually give the reader some more. Otherwise, it's like reading a magazine without all the pretty pictures.

Similar Books: Books on Writing: Reading Like a Writer, Bird by Bird: Some Instructions on Writing and Life, and 13 Ways of Looking at the Novel.

Books on Publishing: Publishing for Profit: Successful Bottom-Line Management for Book Publishers, The Complete Guide to Book Marketing, and Editors on Editing: What Writers Need to Know About What Editors Do.

Writers' Resources: 2012 Writer's Market, Jeff Herman's Guide to Book Publishers, Editors, and Literary Agents 2011, and The Writer's Legal Companion: The Complete Handbook For The Working Writer.

Buy It Here!: The Practical Writer: From Inspiration to Publication

Last Thought: A big collection of ideas that every writer needs to hear but also a collection that fails to hold it together or provide anything new.

Book Review: Michael Larsen's How to Write a Book Proposal

Title: How to Write a Book Proposal

Author: Michael Larsen

Publisher: Writer's Digest Books

Genres: Art, How To, Nonfiction

Sub-Genres: Publishing, Writing

Summary: A book written by a NYC agent that describes the basics of how to write a winning book proposal for nonfiction books. Book proposals are generally done for either agents or publishers. In nonfiction publishing, book proposals are generally written before the book is written, making them invaluable for selling the book.

What I Liked: This book is handy for any nonfiction writer who is seriously considering trying to get published. The advice is frank and realistic, and Larsen doesn't bother to sugarcoat the fact that it's much easier to get a nonfiction book published if you already have a national platform and damned hard to get published if you don't.

The book itself is written decently well, with its greatest strength being that it's pretty much as straight-forward as you can get. It comes with example book proposals and lists several other resources in the categories it covers. The author also continually updates the book, now in a fourth edition, meaning that it's still timely and decently up-to-date on the latest trends in publishing.

What I Didn't Like: The advice the book has is good, but it's really a skimpy book. I'll be perfectly honest and say that I picked up my copy at a used bookstore here in NYC and frankly, I'm not sure it's worth the 8 bucks I paid for it. You can find most of this advice on several agent blogs if you look for it, including examples of book proposals. Unless you're someone who needs a physical handbook instead of an online one, I'd stick to the internet for this one. Cause it's free.

Similar Books: Other Michael Larsen How Tos: How to Get a Literary Agent.

Other Book Proposal Guides: Book Proposals That Sell: 21 SECRETS TO SPEED YOUR SUCCESS and Write the Perfect Book Proposal: 10 That Sold and Why, 2nd Edition.

Other How to Get Published Guides: Thinking Like Your Editor: How to Write Great Serious Nonfiction--and Get It Published, The Forest for the Trees (Revised and Updated): An Editor's Advice to Writers, and Get Known Before The Book Deal: Use Your Personal Strengths To Grow An Author Platform.

Buy It Here!: How to Write a Book Proposal

Last Thought: Good advice, but not worth the money, cause the internet is free.