Book Club: The Nanny Diaries

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Being on Spring Break really meant for me that I could sit around all day and do all of the leisure reading that I wanted to do. That's why your getting another book club post so close to the last one. "The Nanny Diaries" by Emma McLaughlin and Nicola Kraus is not as recently released as the other books that I have been reading and writing about, but it has been on my list for quite some time. I actually was not aware of this book until I had seen the movie--starring Scarlett Johansson and Chris Evans. I absolutely loved the movie which I saw in theaters when it came out in like..2007 (the book came out in 2002!)

I realized almost immediately that the book and movie were similar but by no means as close as some movies are to their literary inspirations. The story follows Nanny who is a senior in college and makes her money from nannying gigs around NYC. The focus here is on one family on the Upper East Side, the Xes who pretty much neglect their child. Nanny goes from being a part-time nanny to practically a full time caregiver and assistant to Mrs. X. She also plays witness to the drama and dysfunction of this family and marriage all while developing a relationship with a guy in the building "Harvard Hottie" <---Chris Evans in the movie...I swoon every time. ;)

I did like the movie better but at the same time I did very much enjoy the book! There is a sequel that I MAY get around to reading; not sure if that will be anytime soon. Anyway, I would recommend this book. I got through it rather quickly and found it quite entertaining.

<3 Ashley

Have you read "The Nanny Diaries"? Have you seen the movie? What are your thoughts?

Back to Business

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I cannot express enough how relaxing last week was for me. I'm going to be so upset when I graduate and Spring Break is not an option for me anymore. I will say that by Spring Break standards, it was rather uneventful--the struggles of the poor college student. I was quite alright with this though; after a week of study, study, study I was very happy to have the chance to just be lazy for 10 solid days. I'm talking sleeping in, camping on the couch in front of the television, making whatever food I want, and blazing through some leisure reading. I have another Book Club post in the works for ya already!

But that dreamy, relaxing week is over. It ended with the long and boring bus ride back to the 'Burgh yesterday. It's time to get back to business. We are in the last stretch of the semester and things are going to start getting busy for me all the while my friends and I are going to be planning as much fun as we can before we are separated for four long months. So I apologize in advanced if the posting is a little thinner than it has been--I think I definitely stepped it up this past week though! Time to attack the last of sophomore year!

<3 Ashley

Any other students on Spring Break have fun plans?! (I know a bunch have break this week!)

Book Club: Where'd You Go, Bernadette?

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If I haven't said so already I will now; college is not the place to read for fun. I honestly have no time during my day anymore to just sit down, put my feet up and read for a good stretch. Lately I have been waking up earlier to give myself a less rushed morning routine. I now wake up an hour earlier than I did before to have some water before I drink my coffee (a tip I picked up from my last book club read!) and in that hour I also catch up on some reading. This past weekend I was able to finish the latest, "Where'd You Go Bernadette?" by Maria Semple.

The book takes place in Seattle for the most part. A good bulk of the content is not so much narrative as is typical but is meant to be a compilation of important documents like e-mails, letters and reports to give the reader a little insight to a variety of characters and what they are thinking about Bernadette before and after she goes missing.

All the documents are compiled by Bernadette's daughter, Bee who is concerned with finding her mother while it seems like everyone else around her does not seem to be putting up much of an effort. Overall, I loved this book! I had heard A LOT about it; it seemed to be really popular around the holidays if I remember correctly. I admit the references to Seattle were kind of lost on me since I'm not familiar with it but that is in no mean detrimental to what I thought of the book. I definitely recommend it!

<3 Ashley

Have you read "Where'd You Go Bernadette?" What did you think? If you haven't read it, do you think you will?

Book Club: Gone Girl

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While working has taken up most of my holiday break (five more days!) one good thing that has come from this break is that I have had the time again to read a book. In school there is no time; I barely have time to do all the assigned reading for classes! Recently, I took to reading "Gone Girl" by Gillian Flynn. I had heard a lot of good things about this book and thought that it was time for me to follow the herd and read this book.

I loved it! It got to a point when I really could not put the book down. I'm not going to divulge too much of the plot to you; a man's wife goes missing and the whole Missouri town and her NYC parents begin a frantic search for here. The book switches perspective chapter to chapter from Nick's to Amy's diary entries up to the point she was kidnapped. Over the course of reading this book I had developed so many theories as to what had happened to Amy only to have another piece of information introduced in the next chapter that would kill that theory. "Gone Girl" is great at keeping the reader on their toes and making them think.

The ending is not what you would expect. By the end of the book I had so many feelings that maybe it was a good thing that the book ended. Seriously, I was in an empty room and yelling at the characters I was reading about off of my Kindle. If you are looking for the next book on your reading list, I definitely recommend making it "Gone Girl" by Gillian Flynn. I had a great time reading this novel!

<3 Ashley

Have you read "Gone Girl?" What did you think?

Book Club: Beautiful Ruins

photo above contains small excerpt from 'Someday, Someday Maybe' by Lauren Graham. Check out my post on that one here.

A few weeks ago, I was going through the vast space that is the internet and rediscovered Lauren Conrad’s Summer Reading post. I scrolled through all of the book options, adding each one to my Amazon wishlist. One that I was able to get on my Kindle through the library was Jess Walter's “Beautiful Ruins.” Boy did I love this book!

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Overall, it is a love story that takes place on an Italian coastal port. The characters are a mix of fictional and real (actor Richard Burton has a substantial role and Liz Taylor is mentioned over and over.) The story is set in the 1960s during the time that the film Cleopatra--starring both Burton and Taylor--is in production in Rome. Another actress from the film, Dee Moray, is sent away to a village on the coast while she is recovering from an illness (this is a huge conflict itself in the book, but I won’t ruin it for you!) There she spends a few days in the Hotel Adequate View owned by a young man named Pasquale who cannot help but fall for her beauty. Her stay, however, doesn’t last very long due to some very Hollywood scandals.

In this novel, the time period and setting are constantly changing from chapter to chapter--most take place in Italy in 1962 and present day Los Angeles where Pasquale has traveled all these years later to find Dee Moray. This changing is not a bad thing, I found. I think it allowed the author to really cover all her bases with character backstories and allow the audience to really learn about what all these characters have had to go through over time and what makes them the way they are. I thought that despite all the time travel, the book still maintained fluidity and made perfect sense to me. I would definitely recommend “Beautiful Ruins” by Jess Walter.

<3 Ashley

Will you read “Beautiful Ruins?” What books are on your reading list?

Book Club: Someday, Someday Maybe

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Aside from floating in the ocean waves on my vacation, I spent a lot of time camped on the sand or lounging poolside with my eyes glued to my Kindle. Vacation is always a great time to catch up on reading you may have let slip over the past few months. I had promised myself that I would start and finish "Someday, Someday Maybe" by Lauren Graham on vacation. I almost fulfilled that too--I actually finished it the night we got back home.

The story follows Franny Banks, an twenty-something aspiring actress in 1990s New York City. Franny's interest is in theater but all she can seem to nab is commercials. Suddenly, things begin to look up for Franny after a Showcase, which she totally thought she blew, when she manages to get an agent, a new romantic interest, and some new jobs. But as I'm sure we all know, the good times don't always last or they really aren't that good when you start to think about it. Franny is elated when her agency offers her a part in a movie, but becomes nervous and doubtful when she realizes that she has a nude scene.

I really did enjoy this novel; it was definitely a good one to take on vacation. I appreciated the character's struggles and weaknesses and could also relate to her inner monologue and way her mind worked. My mind can be that erratic and all over the place as well. The ending was a little different, and left kind of open for maybe another book. I really would like to know more about the characters after what happened in this novel. I would definitely recommend reading "Someday, Someday Maybe." Check it out here!

<3 Ashley

Have you read any good books lately?

P.S. I have just started another book (trying to read as much before school when I am made to read textbooks and other novels against my will) titled "Beautiful Ruins"by Jess Walter. So far so good! Expect another review after I finish it! :)

Book Club

Well they must have sensed my excitement at a three day weekend because last night I got a call to cover an 11-5 shift today. Oh well...I just have to keep telling myself, 'I'm getting paid for this.' Regardless of the quick ending, this weekend was lovely and relaxing. I am almost done reading The Devil Wears Prada.

Since I turned in a bunch of my textbooks to Amazon I have been buying up books on my Kindle. The next two books I have lined up to read have me very excited. After I finish this one, I will immediately be jumping into the recently released sequel Revenge Wears Prada (here) by Lauren Weisberger. Then after that--considering my schedule--I imagine I will be reading Someday, Someday, Maybe (here) by Lauren Graham on the beach in July. I have read a lot of good things about this book so I do have some expectations going into it.

What books are you reading this summer?

<3 Ashley

My 2013 Reading List

If you are merely getting acquainted with me right now, one thing you must know is that I love to read. I relish those moments when there is nothing for me to do and I can sit/lay down and read a book that I do not need to write an essay on. Unfortunately, I was not able to get through my entire 2012 reading list thanks to senior year of high school and fall semester of college (why so many reading intensive classes?!) My big triumph was completing Chanel: A Woman of Her Own by Axel Madsen. It was a great book and I do recommend it. But this next year will be different! I happen to know that one of my Christmas gifts happens to be a Kindle, giving me the opportunity to sort out my book hoarding problems. Just recently I bought three new novels that I guess will for now be my last physical book purchases. With that said, here is my 2013 book list!

1. Pride and Prejudice Jane Austen
2. Sense and Sensibility Jane Austen
3. Emma Jane Austen (I recently bought all three of these Jane Austen books, so I would love to get them read!)
4. The Devil Wears Prada Lauren Weisberger
5. Coco Chanel: An Intimate Life Lisa Chaney
6. Audrey: Her Real Story Alexander Walker (about Audrey Hepburn!)

In reality...this is probably a stretch for me to finish all of these books within the next year considering school and work, but who knows! Hopefully I do find some free time!

<3 Ashley

Any books you are looking to find the time to read?