Tag: comedy

Book Review, Fiction, thriller, Uncategorized

They All Fall Down by Rachel Howzell Hall ~ Book Review

Morgan

They All Fall Down with candles

They All Fall Down by Rachel Howzell Hall
Forge Books
Genre: Mystery
Release Date: April 9, 2019
My Rating: 🍪🍪🍪

This book is a (somehow) light-hearted, modern twist on Agatha Christie’s And Then There Were None. I’m not sure if it was literally billed as such, but that’s exactly what it is. Miriam Macy believes she has been selected to be on a reality show, and in the face of her newly estranged relationship with her daughter, Morgan, her divorce, and the allegations that she bullied a girl to the point of committing suicide, Miriam happily jets off to Mexico in the hopes of restoring her image. She decides that if she plays her cards right, her daughter will soon see her as being cool and fun again, and, she will win the prize money she is told might await her at the end of the competition. Miriam is adorably delusional, which is part of her charm as a character, and also part of the reason I was ready for this book to end when I neared the final chapter. Although her lack of clarity on anything in her life is what defines Miriam, it became frustrating, rather than humorous, by the tenth time she misinterpreted her situation.

The actual plot of the book made for an easy summer read. Miriam and a series of other guests are boated over to a private island which holds a gorgeous mansion. Each one believes they were brought there for something that would deeply appeal to them, personally, be it a relaxing vacation, a business meeting, or a television competition. They soon find out that they were actually brought there as the dying wish of the lawyer with whom they all worked, and who recently passed away without any of their knowledge. Miriam is confused, but quickly readjusts her mindset, telling herself she’s honored to have been considered close enough to be invited to a memorial.

They All Fall Down Flatlay

The dining room of the mansion boasts an ornate table with imagery of individuals depicting each of the seven deadly sins (major flashbacks to the movie Seven when I read that part). As one by one, the guests begin to show up dead, the corresponding pieces of the table disappear, and it becomes clear that each guest represents one of the sins. I have to commend Rachel Howzell Hall for her incredible ability to write descriptive narrative. Each character was vividly different from any of the others, and they were all unique caricatures who were truly a joy to read (minus Miriam when she got annoying). I do want to make a clarification here: they were enjoyable to read because they were so detailed and so awful! I saw this book as a humorous update of the Christie tale, and in this case, I truly didn’t care that characters died because they were all the worst. The fact that Hall was able to make me despise so many people in different ways speaks to the quality of her prose, and added to my enjoyment of the book.

The final twists defining why this particular group was brought to the island were original and interesting, and the ending did manage to surprise me. Overall, I would recommend this book if you want a quick, lighthearted read, but other than that, it wasn’t standout.

My Rating: 🍪🍪🍪
Buy They All Fall Down on Amazon
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Book Review, Humor, Memoir, Nonfiction

My Squirrel Days by Ellie Kemper ~ Book Review

Morgan

My Squirrel Days with Cupcake

Scribner
Genre: Nonfiction, Comedy, Memoir
Release Date: October 9, 2018
My Book Rating: 🍪🍪🍪🍪

I was initially drawn to Ellie Kemper’s memoir because of the title. Having grown up surrounded by forest in New Hampshire, I took one look at the cover and thought, “Were those years, in fact, MY squirrel days?” Once the idea was planted in my mind, I realized that is exactly how I would classify my entire childhood (and maybe a little bit into the present? Who can say really). In any case, I knew I had to read this, plus, I love Ellie* in both The Office and Unbreakable Kimmy Schmidt.

I’m not sure that I’ve ever actually laughed out loud while reading a book before. I loved both of Mindy Kaling’s memoirs, and it’s been a while since I read them, so there may have been a chuckle or two going on while I perused those, but nothing earth shattering. My Squirrel Days had me consistently giggling to myself. Each essay that Kemper includes in her book is a precious nugget of humor that made me A. Want to meet her, B. Never want to stop reading, and C. laugh until I cried. (I refrained from this last one as much as possible because I wouldn’t want to soil the pages of such a fantastic read with my tears).

In addition to being funny, I found a number of these stories relatable beyond Ellie and my mutual childhood interest in squirrels. For instance, Ellie includes an entire story focused on her “fervent devotion to the sign-off “Best,” which I too, refuse to waver from at the end of every work email I have ever sent. Ellie’s also not afraid to make fun of herself. One of my absolute favorite stories she includes, towards the end of the book, centers around her being a little bit of a Hollywood diva. My favorite line from this segment is inserted here for your enjoyment:

“I don’t have a thong,” I said softly, my chin quivering. “I need to wear a thong underneath my Jeggings so there won’t be any underwear seams showing, but my thong isn’t here.”

Celebrities, they’re just like us. (Okay so maybe not all of the stories are that relatable).

With all the praise I’ve been aggressively throwing at this book, you may be wondering ‘Why only four stars then? What about the fifth?’ This guy got four stars for a couple of reasons. First off, it was too short. I know that kind of seems like a cop out “too much of a good thing” and all that, but really, this was a very short collection of stories. I guess it was probably on par with the length of most celebrity memoirs, but I was still disappointed with how quickly I whipped through it. The acknowledgments took up quite a few pages at the end, so I didn’t even realize my reading was about to be cut short when Ellie announced that she wanted to end her memoir with the word “pants,” and then proceeded to do so.

Additionally, I’m used to reading narratives with a little more grit, stories that are heftier, so flying through essays about thongs and lentils seemed a little, I don’t know, too easy? I felt like I needed to be reading something else concurrently in order to really be reading something, but I sped through the book so quickly that I didn’t even have a chance (see point number one about how short it was).

All in all, Ellie Kemper’s writing was delightful, and I can’t wait to see what the future has in store for her. If you’re looking for a fun light read, or just need a good laugh, I would highly recommend grabbing a copy of My Squirrel Days (and maybe a cupcake to go along with it).

*Referring to her by first name only may give off the impression that I know her — I don’t — including her full name was just getting repetitive.

My Book Rating: 🍪🍪🍪🍪
Buy My Squirrel Days on Amazon
My Squirrel Days on Goodreads