Actress – …on the B.L.

Worth A Read Yes
Length 320
Quick Review Meryl Streep has the most Academy Award nominations of any actor ever. There’s a reason for that, and Erin Carlson dives into the why in Queen Meryl.

Reading Queen Meryl by Erin Carlson in Houston, Texas. | Dress | Shoes | Watch |

Happy Publication day to Erin Carlson and Queen Meryl from Hachette Books. I like Erin Carlson as an author; I like Meryl Streep as an actress. The combination makes for a great and informative read.

Meryl Streep has become an enigma. She is probably one of the greatest movie stars to have ever lived. With 21 Academy Award nominations, it’s hard to argue the contrary. She has had her critics, like all great artists do. Through it all, she has brought characters to life on the stage and the silver screen. She has not let age or Hollywood hold her back from telling complex stories with grace. Erin Carlson brings this magnificent woman to life in her latest book Queen Meryl.

Beginning in Meryl’s formative years, Carlson looks at what transformed Mary Louise, the girl, into Meryl, the artist and actress. Carlson follows Meryl Streep’s career from stage to film, documenting the most important phases in her career and life. Meryl Streep has spent her career choosing films with care to tell women’s diverse stories. From Kramer vs. Kramer to Out of Africa to Silkwood to Mamma Mia to The Devil Wears Prada and so many more.

Carlson allows Streep a voice by quoting her often throughout Queen Meryl. Pulling from speeches, history, friendships, interviews, and more, Carlson creates an image of the woman and the artist fighting for visibility and change through her work and activism. Streep is funny and self-deprecating while still exuding assuredness.

Queen Meryl includes breaks for history lessons, speech snippets, critical responses, and more. The book also includes sketches of Streep throughout her career before every chapter. A few iconic photos are used at key points. Each chapter begins with a memorable quote from the movie Carlson will focus on during that chapter. It is obvious that Carlson is in awe of the legend and the woman; her ability to speak directly to the reader about her own emotions is a good pairing for the seemingly warm and hilarious Streep.

I highly enjoyed reading Queen Meryl by Erin Carlson. I have loved Meryl Streep for as long as I can remember, but there was so much I didn’t know about her life and career. She is inspiring as a person and activist. I hope the world remembers her as the complex and interesting woman Erin Carlson paints her to be.

Memorable Quotes
“Allow me to describe the plot of this 1977 gem of a movie that you should drop everything (except this book) and watch immediately…”
“Despite her perfect image, Meryl wasn’t immune to insecurity – especially during dark nights of the soul when the mind tends to ruminate on uncertainty, regret, and rejection.”
“Meryl avoided doing films that sexualized her or made her a prop to a male lead.”

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Title: Queen Meryl; The Iconic Roles, Heroic Deeds, and Legendary Life of Meryl Streep
Author: Erin Carlson
Publisher: Hachette Books
Copyright: 2019
ISBN: 9780316485272

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My dog is my life. Don’t mess with her. | Pajamas | Headband |

201908025791917848371230665 — I will do many, many things for a picture for the blog. | Shirt | Shorts | Shoes | Sunglasses |

I’m going to be embarking on a lot of new things here …on the B.L. Because I love blogging and writing, but I want to do more of the things that bring me happiness and fulfillment. Books and book reviews are great, but I need to write about other more important-to-me things. The things I’m going to be writing about more don’t always exude happiness and rainbows. I don’t want to be a total downer because I spend most of my time laughing, so being Eyeore all the time on the blog would be an utter betrayal of who I am.

On Mondays, or on as many Mondays as I can manage, I will be posting 11…, which is a new blog series I’m introducing today! It will be a list of eleven things, people, places, whos-its, whats-its, and randoms on whatever topic I decide to write about on that particular day. Most of them will be humorous, some will be informative, some will be dark, and there will be everything in between. For the very first 11… I will be talking about myself because I haven’t done a random list of things about me in a good while. So why not now!

5’10” I am super tall for a lady and technically for a man. The global average height for a man is 5’9”, so technically I’m better than over half the men in the world. Or at least, that’s what I’m telling myself. (I have tiny feet for my height: a size 7. This is directed at all the weirdos who message me about my feet on Instagram. Now you know, go away.)
Musically Inclined Fun fact, I’m a classically trained pianist. I’m rusty, but it’s all there still! I can play the flute and was in a super select flute choir all four years of high school – I hated it and regret it, but it’s a fun(?) fact. I was also in choir in college – it’s how I met Alex of the many blog posts – and have a five octave range. My car singing is legendary, and everyone who’s experienced it is now deaf.
Bollywood I have an undying love of Bollywood movies. In my dreamer’s heart of hearts, I want to be a Bollywood star. They make me happy when skies are grey. I have been obsessed since college. If I ever get the chance to be in a Bollywood movie, I would die happy. So please let me know if you know of an opportunity.
PTSD I have it. It’s a long-ass story, and I will get to it, but today is not the day!
Carousels I LOVE carousels. On my 23rd birthday, I made Kelsey (my best friend til death us do reunite in the place I will never again experience a chill) ride a carousel with me eight times. The only reason we stopped is because she gave me the look. If I see one, I will squeal, jump, and point. Words will not come out of my mouth, but I will grab your arm and tug – pull with great force in the direction of the carousel – to indicate I want a ride or twelve.
Polyglot Technically, I speak five languages. I’m a native English speaker. I have proficiency in French and Russian. I can get myself around the respective countries with my German and Spanish.
Chinese Food I believe with absolute certainty that Chinese food has magical healing powers. When I am sick or suffering from any ailment, Chinese food will help if not completely fix the situation. I have yet to be proven wrong.
Professionally Trained Ballerina For a very long time, I dreamed of being a professional ballerina. I worked super hard at it and didn’t completely suck. I ended up quitting due to injuries and being super tall and my parents’ poverty. I still love dancing more than just about anything. Fun fact: Ballerinas are not tall individuals.
Private Plane I secretly not so secretly want a private plane. This is absolutely unrealistic, I know. I want one because I want to see the world with my dog, and I think this would be far easier if we had a private plane because we could go wherever whenever without worrying about a dog on a plane with other people and their allergies. Really, it would be a public service. I did the math, I only need 99.99 million more dollars to responsibly buy a private plane and the staff it requires. I’m saving.
Pantsless I am pantsless 87% of the time because I’m a stay-at-home dog mom. Kidding kind of… I’m a dog mom, and I stay at home, but really it’s because I work from home. I’m a freelance writer, editor, and translator. It’s a great gig. I love it, even though my social life pretty strictly involves baby talk to a nonhuman. If you need a writer, hit me up. I promise I will try harder with your work than with my blog.
Three Majors and An Emphasis in Four Years I somehow managed to graduate college without ever checking into a hospital for exhaustion in four years with degrees in Literature, French, and Russian with an emphasis (basically a minor) in Literary Analysis and Translation. It’s basically a degree in reading super good.

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