I read two five-star books in a row (this and this). It set the bar high – what to read next? To avoid a crash, I switched to genres that I don’t ordinarily go for. Firstly, a mystery – The Ending Writes Itself by Evelyn Clarke – and secondly, Bossypants, a memoir by comedian Tina Fey (and yes, I read lots of memoir but I know very little about Fey and certainly have not watched her television shows).
The Ending Writes Itself by Evelyn Clarke
A bunch of authors are sent to a remote island to write the final chapter, in the final installment of bestselling novelist, Arthur Fletch’s, most famous series. Here’s the kicker – Fletch is dead, and the mid-tier authors who have been selected for the task are in competition with each other to write the ending – a huge publishing deal is at stake.
I enjoyed Evelyn Clarke’s take on the ‘politics’ of publishing, and the characters were beautifully stereotypical. I say ‘beautifully’ because each author had their genre (romance, horror, sci-fi and so forth) and each was developed to either play to their genre, or defy it. Fun.
The problem I always have with mysteries is identifying who-dunnit early in the book, which means I’m simply reading to see precisely how it plays out. That happened here, so my level of interest waned, but the overall concept (which has a real reality-TV vibe) kept me going.
3/5
Bossypants by Tina Fey
As stated, I’m not terribly familiar with Fey’s work (and not sure why I even had this book on my shelf…). Anyway, it begins really well. Fey’s descriptions of her childhood and awkward teenage years were hilarious. There was also some really lovely sections about her parents – still funny, but also sweet.
I was still onboard for Fey’s university years. Her descriptions of improv prompted feelings of horror and curiosity (watching improv comedy makes me feel very stressed for the performers – Fey’s take on it made me think that I’ve never actually seen any good improv).
When she gets to the part about writing for Saturday Night Live, my interest faltered. There was a lot about the writing team, the process, particular hosts and skits. I kept going because I was reminded that Fey’s experience (along with that of Amy Poehler) was part of the inspiration for Curtis Sittenfeld’s outstanding novel, Romantic Comedy. So Fey gets some of my love by Sittenfeld-default.
3/5
Pingback: 20 Books of Summer (except that it’s Winter) | booksaremyfavouriteandbest
The Ending Writes Itself sounds like a fun diverting read!
Sometimes if I figure out the murderer early, I wait to see if they can make me doubt myself. That makes it more interesting.
I am interested in Tina Fey because of her political comedy but I’m not sure if read a memoir, just because I read few memoirs. I’m sorry you have had two 3/5 reads!
As someone who has closely followed Tina Fey’s career, and have been watching SNL for my whole life, I did enjoy the book. However, my problem with memoirs of people who are in the middle of their lives/careers is that if you don’t read them very soon after they’re published, you feel cheated that it ends so soon. And like with a mystery where you figure out “who done it” you’re just watching how things play out, but don’t get to see the reveal.
It’s always hard to find a good book after some fantastic ones. I had two deaths in the family right now and anything I touch doesn’t seem right.
Pingback: Things That Are Making Me Happy This Week | booksaremyfavouriteandbest