Is Everyone Hanging Out Without Me? (And Other Concerns)

So, I've never taken part in a book club. This is partially because none of my friends are in a book club that I would feel comfortable joining. Sure, I could attend the book discussions hosted by my library, but again, the idea of just showing up and knowing no one makes me nervous. But when I heard about this online book club, I thought - I can handle this! Nothing to be anxious about, just read a book and share my thoughts.

You may have already guessed this from the post's title, but here's January's pick: 

Let me begin by saying I'd never heard of Mindy Kaling or watched The Office before reading this. BUT Shannon said the same thing before her review of the book, so I didn't feel too bad :) 

This is categorized as a memoir/collection of essays depending on where you look. It started out with a definite story-of-my-life vibe and then gradually became more essays, more random, and less memoir. Overall, I thought the book was okay. It certainly had some funny moments, and I really enjoyed the first half of the book. Reading about her childhood made me laugh and nod (I also had trouble tearing my eyes away from books to go outside and didn't learn to ride a two-wheeler until I was 10), as did her early days in NYC after college. 

But when she started detailing her work on The Office, my interest waned and then the book started to feel less focused, featuring such treasures as the one-page chapter In Defense of Chest Hair (what?!).

Scrolling through other reviews on goodreads, it seems this book has more appeal to people who already appreciate Mindy and have been following her career for some time, or people looking for a light-hearted, fluffy, quick read - this fits the bill.

And the book club continues next month with Unbroken!