I know Easter seems so long ago but during that time I gave up TV shows for Lent. That may sound silly but at the time a considerable amount of my days were being spent watching what I can only describe as epic dramas. Game of Thrones, Scandal, Orange is the New Black, House of Cards, The Vampire Diaries, Scandal...yes I said Scandal twice that show is too live!...the list is extensive and while I really enjoy watching them all I was very consciously aware of how much time I was spending attached to my laptop and how other activities I enjoy, I rarely was doing, one of the being reading. So since then I have been getting back into the swing of things and I thought I would share with you what I've had my nose buried in this summer!
"The book that will have you laughing with every page"
I am a Mindy Kaling fan.
First of all the award for longest book title goes to Miss Kaling, hands down, but in all seriousness if you're a fan of the writer behind "The Mindy Project" then you will be able to follow the witty quips and digressions of this book, her writing style is much like her comedy performances. But if you've never heard of her before that is not a problem because Mindy comedically walks us through her life from adolescence to adulthood covering her relationships, career progression, successes, failures and random thoughts through mini essays on each topic.
I don't want to spoil anything but I found this to be so relatable and honest, one point in-particular is when she shares how she scored her biggest break, being a writer for the US version of "The Office" thanks to the help of big time writer and producer Greg Daniels but almost lost her position for being too aggressive with her ideas. She shows how being confident in your abilities is great but don't forget a little humility goes a long way. There are even pictures of her getting zits before her interviews something every girl/guy can relate to! This book gave me some genuine laughs from funny anecdotes and left me able to still respect all of her hard work.
My only complaint is that I would have loved for some of the chapters to be expanded on in more detail but rumour has it she is currently working on releasing a follow up book so I may just get my wish!
Just because I love her so much I'm going to give "The Office" another go. I really hate when US versions of UK comedies are made and vice versa, I think the humour is lost between the remakes, but I've heard her performance as Kelly Kapoor is a must see!
In the introduction, she says she'd like to be friends with Beyonce. But after reading Mindy's book I think I'd like to be friends with her!
"The book that will inspire you that no dream is too big, if you want it work for it"
I read this book within the first 2 days of my holiday. You won't want to put this down, the hype around this book is warranted. A true rags (she was once a thief and ate a bagel from dumpster) to riches tale. Sophia is badass.
#Girlboss is a autobiography on her early life before her Nasty Gal success filled with loads of career tips, encouraging quotes and testimonials from other "#girlbosses" who have also made it successful in the careers. I particularly enjoyed the throwback posts relating to her process of building Nasty Gal she basically did everything from the styling, buying, photography, marketing. She wore all the hats of her business and made sure she did them well until she was in position to hire people to do it for her.
The more you read the book the more you realise how much the current success of Nasty Gal was never a thought fathomed by Sophia, she never expected to have a net worth of $250 millon her focus was on chasing her happiness. She realised through all the crappy jobs she had had, the one she loved, enjoyed and came naturally to her was the fashion business she had set up and she decided to pursue it.
If you've ever felt lost in on your life path, not sure of how to figure out what you should be doing or scared about making a career change you will benefit from this book! There is something for everyone, girl or boy, and even if going into the fashion industry is not what you want the underlying message is "Start where you are. Use what you have. Do what you can" be consistent and if its something you really want you have to really work hard and it will grab the attention of others.
The minute I put it down I had all these ideas to set up an eBay shop and had added a bunch of things on my to-do-list!
In other words, you will be positively influenced by this book to get up and make things happen!
I've not wrote a book review since I took Literature in secondary school! So let me know what you thought of it, whats on your reading list!
Lavinya x
