Hachette Books – Page 2 – …on the B.L.

Work Optional by Tanja Hester

February 21, 2019 RaeAnna

It’s hard not to feel like a pretty at Oak Alley. | Missguided Dress | Target Shoes | Jean Jacket | Sunglasses | Book

Worth A Read Yes
Length 288
Quick Review Whether you’re trying to retire in your early 40s or just trying to get a handle on responsible spending, Work Optional by Tanja Hester is a great motivational book.

Tanja Hester retired at 38 with her husband. She began her Work Optional life before her 40th birthday. In her book, she lays out the steps she and her husband took to save money without cutting back on the little joys.

Hester emphasizes the importance of balance. There is a balance between saving and living because living for retirement should not be the time people start living. We have only one life, so it should be a priority to enjoy all the moments of it.

Work Optional seems to be about money and finance. It is. It definitely is. More importantly, it is about prioritising or reprioritising based on the things that bring joy into one’s life. Hester spends the first part of the book discussing how to frame life and make a game plan in order to enjoy that life to the fullest. The next part is how to go about making that happen by making feasible financial plans. The last part is how to put those plans into action. Hester peppers the book with personal anecdotes and anecdotes from others who have also successful started making plans. The inclusion of others’ experiences helps cater to the vast variation of lives being lived.

Hester takes a topic and spins it into something entertaining and inspiring which could otherwise be incredibly dry and boring. Financial matters can be terribly unbearable to read if they are done poorly. Hester weaves the personal with the numbers to make the numbers into something relatable and worth working for.

I enjoyed reading Work Optional because it is motivating to spend on what is important and not on the unnecessary. I am lucky to work doing what I love, but someday, I would love to cut back those hours to enjoy living. This is a great resource to start planning for those days.

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Memorable Quotes
“I was barely out of college even I realized that I could be super successful on paper and even earn loads of money, but shirk probably ever fulfill me the way I hoped.”
“When it comes to sticking to financial goals, simple is virtually always better.”

[I love being able to travel with my work. I took these pictures at Oak Alley in Louisiana just outside of New Orleans. It was chilly, but I love this dress from Missguided. It’s a knockoff of a very expensive dress, which I bought for under $20. Yay sale shopping! A jean jacket goes with everything. Even on overcast days, I like to have a pair of sunglasses handy; these pastel purple shades are super cute and inexpensive. I’m also in love with my Target shoes.]

Title: Work Optional
Author: Tanja Hester
Publisher: Hachette Books
Copyright: 2019
ISBN: 9780316450898

Books, NonFiction

Miss D & Me

November 15, 2018 RaeAnna

Read Yes
Length 288
Quick Review This is one of those nostalgia filled, feel-good memoirs. If you’re a fan of old Hollywood, it’s a must read. Kathryn Sermak has a beautiful insight into the later years of the icon, Bette Davis.

Miss D & Me by Kathryn Sermak called my name the moment I realized it existed. In my late teens, I fell in love with old Hollywood movies. Rosemary Clooney, Marilyn Monroe, Katharine Hepburn, Ingrid Bergman, Barbara Stanwyck, Ginger Rogers, Vivien Leigh, and, of course, Bette Davis captured my attention. These were strong women; poised women; intelligent women; underestimated women. They were fascinating.

Bette Davis is an icon. She has been for generations. Kathryn Sermak was a young woman with almost zero knowledge of who Miss Davis was when she took on the role of Girl Friday. In the beginning, Sermak had no depth in the needs or wants of Miss Davis, but with time, effort, patience, and a lot of hard work, Sermak learned a great deal from an icon beloved by the world.

Sermak documents her years with Bette Davis in Miss D & Me as an assistant and a close confidante. The two women were on opposite spectrums of age and experience, but they made a bond that lasted. Sermak lived with Miss Davis through all the hardships of her last years including cancer, a stroke, her daughter’s betrayal, a broken hip, and more.

I absolutely loved reading Miss D & Me because it feels like you’re entering a very private area of Miss Davis’ life. You get to see the gracious woman she was along with the pain she hid from her fans. She had a beautiful and kind soul. I felt drawn to her survivor’s spirit.

The most interesting part of Miss D & Me is in the very last few pages. Sermak talks about her last days with Miss Davis. At the time, Sermak was in a relationship listening to Miss Davis give advice on what women shouldn’t settle for and what they should expect from their partners. I couldn’t have agreed with Miss Davis more.

Miss D & Me solidifies Bette Davis’ role as an icon and a star; a term she very much earned through a lifetime of work.

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Memorable Quotes
“Only if she was perfect would she feel worthy of their love.”
“Walking away from a project she considered beneath her always put her in a good frame of mind.”

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Title: Miss D & Me
Author: Kathryn Sermak
Co-Author: Danelle Morton
Publisher: Hachette Books
Copyright: 2017
ISBN: 9780316507868

Books, NonFiction

Code Girls by Liza Mundy

October 23, 2018 RaeAnna

Read Yes
Length 448
Quick Review Women are incredible, and they have been forever. During WWII, women were finally able to contribute and show their worth as code breakers. They were so integral to the war effort, for the first time in the United States, they were actively recruited.

I have been wanting to read Code Girls by Liza Mundy for awhile, but I have been busy reading other things. This has finally come to the top of my reading list. Women have often been underrated and underutilized throughout history. During WWII, women were finally able to prove their worth as all the men went off to war.

Code Breaking was not a field of prestige. In the United States, it was hardly a field of study at all. Women were able to participate in code breaking due to the lack of barriers. When WWII broke, there was a scarcity of men. The military looked to the prestigious women’s colleges and school teachers. These women were smart, unattached, and usually had sturdy moral centers. They moved to Washington, overcame numerous obstacles, worked hard, and proved trustworthy. These women proved to the military, men, and the country they could be just as vital to the war effort as the men.

Liza Mundy explores the history, the impact, and the women in Code Girls. I really loved this book. It wasn’t a dry read. The personal stories of the women involved were beautiful. These women were vivacious, smart, funny, and complicated. They yearned for the same things we yearn for today. These women were taking part in making history. They were paving the road for women to have independence, jobs, and money of their own. The Code Girls were the first generation of women to truly have independence in their own right.

Some of my favorite parts about in Code Girls was the innate feminism that comes with women paving the way. The war turned gender roles right around. The men were the ones itching to get married, while the women were turning them down to pursue careers and independence. There was a huge variation in acceptability between the Army and Navy code breaking units. For instance, pregnancy was not tolerated in the Navy even for married women. The Army cared not at all. It’s also interesting to think about the logistical mess that was happening. Housing, feeding, transporting an army of people new to Washington was a mess. I couldn’t help but feel bad for anyone in need of housing.

Code Girls is such an empowering book. If the women during WWII could find success in an openly hostile environment, than we can continue the fight for equality. I highly recommend!!!

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Memorable Quotes
“Women were more than placeholders for the men.”
“All the girls were writing letters, often to lots of soldiers, and many received three or four or five letters a day.”
“”It’s Q for communications; you know, the Navy can’t spell.””

Title: Code Girls
Author: Liza Mundy
Publisher: Hachette Books
Copyright: 2018
ISBN: 9780316352543

Books

Born a Crime by Trevor Noah

August 20, 2018June 23, 2019 RaeAnna

Read Yes
Length 304
Quick Review Trevor Noah turns heartbreaking personal history into hilarity with his witty insights into people, society, and basic human nature.

Born a Crime by Trevor Noah | Skirt | Shirt

Trevor Noah is most widely known as the host of The Daily Show. His first book and memoir Born a Crime is truly a testament to all he has accomplished and overcome in such a short period of time.

Noah was born and raised in South Africa in the midst of apartheid. Born a Crime isn’t a cutesy title, nor is it a play on words. Trevor Noah was literally born a crime in his country. At the time it was illegal for a white person and a black person to have sex. He was the embodiment of his parents’ crime. A black mother and a white father. His life was in limbo in a way. Never belonging to one or the other, but always trying to get through.

He was raised almost exclusively by his mother. She seems like the kind of woman anyone would want for a mother-in law. Noah describes a strong woman. The type of woman who survives and even thrives in horrible situations. A woman of faith. A woman who wanted the best life possible for herself and her family. She earned an education and became a secretary in a time in a country it was all but unheard of for a black woman. Noah may be writing a memoir, but Born a Crime feels like a thank you letter to his mom.

South African apartheid was awful. I haven’t done a whole lot of research into it beyond the bare minimum because it makes me nauseous, which is exactly what it should do. Reading Noah’s memoir reinforced these opinions of mine, but he presents his story in a much more palatable way because he’s funny. Like myself, he has a dark and matter-of-fact sense of humor. Reading Born a Crime almost feels uncomfortable because of the jokes he makes.

Noah has an intense insight into how people function in society, which comes from being on the outside his entire life. He wasn’t included in any group because he wasn’t white; he wasn’t black; he was colored, but didn’t belong there either, so he observed.

Born a Crime is separated into three parts, which are basically about his childhood, adolescence, and young adulthood. Each chapter begins or ends with a one or two page bold section giving historical, familial, or cultural context to what he just said or is about to say. He has an incredibly no-nonsense way of writing. When things can be funny, he lets them be. When things are sad, depressing, horrific, he lets them be. He is honest about South Africa. He is honest about his feelings and opinions. He is honest about himself. There’s a transparency to his writing, which is rough to read, but much needed when it comes to stories of abuse, racism, and more. It’s hard not to hear his voice as you read it

One thing I had no idea about in South Africa is the fact Hitler is a common-ish name there. I definitely had a tiny giggle fest when I read the story about the time Noah accidentally brought Hitler to a Jewish party. Fun fact: Noah also accidentally burned down a house when he was a little kid.

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Memorable Quotes
“I eventually decided black people needed more time with Jesus because we suffered more.”
“… language, even more than color, defines who you are to people.”
“A dog is a great thing for a kid to have. It’s like a bicycle but with emotions.”
“That was my mom. Don’t fight the system. Mock the system.”

Title: Born a Crime
Author: Trevor Noah
Publisher: John Murray Publishers
Copyright: 2016
ISBN: 9781473635302

Books

I’ll Have What She’s Having

May 19, 2018 RaeAnna

Read: Yes
Difficulty: II
Length: III
Genre: NonFiction – Literary Journalism
Quick Review: Romcoms were changed by the iconic Nora Ephron when she began making her movies in the 1980’s.

Happy Birthday to Nora Ephron!

Erin Carlson’s I’ll Have What She’s Having is named after one of the most iconic lines in Romantic Comedy. Nora Ephron was a creative icon as she pushed the genre into the modern age and had a hand in some of the most talked about movies of their time and today as a talented journalist, screenwriter, producer, and director. I grew up on Ephron movies; some I didn’t even know were Ephron movies – My Blue Heaven. She was born in New York City, but moved to LA as her parents’ screenwriting career blossomed. Never getting over her love for NYC, she moved back and never really left. Her career started out as a hard hitting journalist. She went through the dissolution of two marriages including a high profile marriage to Carl Bernstein before marrying her true love Nick Pileggi. Ephron was propelled to even greater success as a screenwriter with When Harry Met Sally. It was the first of what would be her trio of iconic films: Sleepless in Seattle and You’ve Got Mail. Though, her Hollywood credits extended much further.

Carlson tells Ephron’s story through the making of the three iconic films. Although, it’s not the only story being told. The story of the actors, crew, and Hollywood were also unfolding throughout the book. Ephron was a unique woman combining type A personality, warmth, drive, ambition, inclusion, and so much more into a pint sized woman. One of the things that really stood out about her was her ability to collect talented people utilizing their ideas when it added to a project. Collaboration was a word people used to describe her. She was a legend in her own time. People simultaneously loved and were intimidated by her. There’s a sense of her being completely fabulous yet transparently flawed.

It’s hard not to be drawn into the book because so many of us have a special place in our hearts for these films. Carlson has a big story to tell, and she does a very good job of covering this topic. She writes with a strong sense of humor and a style that can be described as bouncy. It is apparent she has so much admiration for Ephron.

Carlson writes incredibly well with her own style. The book includes excerpts from the script, anecdotes, and tons of quotes. The quotes are funny, sweet, honest, and add so much depth to the book and Ephron. Carlson includes tons of pertinent facts about Ephron, crew, actors, companies, locations, and history. These are really wonderful. Due to the immense amount of quotes and excerpts used the style and syntax can get very complex. Carlson increases this complexity as she peppers the book with her own opinions and thoughts about certain aspects. She is fostering a feeling of friendship between herself and the reader, which supports the style of film Ephron made. However, these personal opinions made the syntax even more complex. Sometimes it detracted from the reading experience because I would get distracted by the interesting side notes. Footnotes might have been a more effective way of communicating some of the side information.

I really enjoyed reading this book. It was wonderful learning so much history and backstory to some of my favorite movies growing up. I sped read this book in a day, a Sunday. After reading it, I had a movie marathon to watch all three of the iconic films because it truly made me nostalgic.

Memorable Quotes:
“Sleepless, Stressed, and Addicted to Starbucks.”

Title: I’ll Have What She’s Having; How Nora Ephron’s Three Iconic Films Saved the Romantic Comedy
Author: Erin Carlson
Publisher: Hachette Books
Copyright: 2017
ISBN: 9780316353908

Books

Keep Marching

May 1, 2018 RaeAnna

Difficulty: II
Length: III
Quick Review: A look into the pitfalls, the successes, the struggles, the reality of being a woman in the United States today.

Kristin Rowe-Finkbeiner is a founder of MomsRising and works tirelessly to promote women’s rights through public speaking, campaigning, writing, and, yes, marching. Keep Marching is a look into the status of women in the United States. It’s incredibly well researched and accessible. I will refer to the author as KRF for the rest of the post because it is simpler.

I am always wary of feminist books, especially when written by white women. Feminism, historically, has left women-of-color out of the narrative, out of the statistics, and out of the picture. From the beginning of Keep Marching, KRF preaches inclusivity and intersectionality. Thankfully, she follows through.

I don’t want to give too much away. KRF discusses topics falling into three categories: Our Money, Our Bodies, Our Communities. Under these categories our right to choose, pay gap, motherhood, immigration, laws, and more are discussed at length.

Full of statistics, Keep Marching is both distressing and shows signs of hope for women and society. Motherhood is a recurring topic as it is a central component in many women’s lives, even those who are not mothers face obstacles based on reproduction. Women of color are often overlooked, and KRF includes statistics to show just how left behind they are. The stats are often given for women as a whole, but also given based on ethnic background, socioeconomic background, motherhood status, and more.

The book is separated into three parts discussing different topics in chapters. The reader is not bogged down solely in statistics. There are many anecdotes supporting her claims and statistics. The stories also show the struggles every day women face from all backgrounds. They ground her argument in reality. At the end of each chapter, there is a short section about taking action. In case the chapter sparks your interest or lights a fire under your butt, you now have a resource to help you know where to start.

As a cofounder of MomsRising, KRF has been a part of legal reform on state and federal levels. She often reiterates the phrase “we won” giving a sense of hope. An important theme to keep repeating. If we connect, support, fight, and raise our voices as a group, women can win. When women win, society wins. KRF gives many examples showing that when women win we all win. Investing in the future and success is an investment in society. She gives a lot of statistics on how society improves when women are involved at all levels because people need proof to take women seriously…. Or at least, that’s my experience.

It feels like Keep Marching is directed at white women. It is important to educate all women, but KRF makes it important to highlight the battles woc face. White feminists have left this group of women out of the discussion, and KRF is doing her best to include them. I was really impressed by the fact KRF focused so much on the different groups making up women. We are a group, but we are a diverse group, most of whom are consistently overlooked.

None of the information was new to me, but KRF does an excellent job laying out the information in an appealing and educational format without losing the reader.

Title: Keep Marching; How Every Woman Can Take Action and Change Our World
Author: Kristin Rowe-Finkbeiner
Publisher: Hachette Books
Copyright: 2018
ISBN: 9780316515566

Title: Born a Crime Author: Trevor Noah Publisher: John Murray Publishers Copyright: 2016 ISBN: 9781473635302

Title: Born a Crime
Author: Trevor Noah
Publisher: John Murray Publishers
Copyright: 2016
ISBN: 9781473635302