Comedy is the best and dating apps are the worst

I've Got This Round: More Tales of Debauchery by Mamrie Hart was just what I needed after the last couple of books. Without realizing it, I desperately required a fresh dose of humor and Mamrie's voice in particular pulls one out of their own funk and reminds them that life should be fun. If you want to read a book by someone who feels like they are in your corner and rooting you on then you are in the right place. She has inspired/reminded me to continue to live authentically and for me. Also, I should travel more. Like a LOT more. If you've never heard of Mamrie I highly recommend you do two things: Watch her YouTube channels and read her first book. After you've done those two things you'll have a better understanding of just what you're getting into by diving into her second book which focuses less on the distant past and more on living in the moment. In I've Got This Round Mamrie set out to make moments that could be turned into a book and she succeeded with flying colors. She tests out a dating app which I had never heard about before and then I heard about it again the week after I finished reading this. (It's called Raya and I think it's for celebs. Full disclosure: I never researched it.) She goes on crazy trips with friends where everything is planned last minute and insane things happen. Some of the stuff that happened was so surprising that I literally looked up from the page and stared into space for several minutes. (I so badly want to tell you which things I'm talking about but I don't want to ruin it for you.) I have no idea how someone can consume the amount of alcohol that Mamrie does and still function as a normal human. It does make for hilarious content though so...worth it? This is a fun read that still manages to have a lot of heart. If you enjoyed You Deserve a Drink (the book and/or her YouTube show) then you will undoubtedly love its sequel. 10/10

Source: Amazon

What's Up Next: The Last Black Unicorn by Tiffany Haddish

What I'm Currently Reading: Death of a Hollow Man by Caroline Graham

**If you're interested in buying this book or any books really, you can click here or here. The first will re-direct you to AbeBooks and the second will re-direct you to The Book Depository. These are great websites for purchasing books (AbeBooks carries inexpensive used and out-of-print books and The Book Depository ships free everywhere in the world). Full disclosure: I will receive a commission on all sales made by following either of these links. I wouldn't recommend a site that I didn't use and you are under no obligation to purchase anything. :-) **

Ridiculously raunchy

I'm almost sad that I've already finished You Deserve a Drink (although my fellow commuters are probably glad they won't have to witness my random gigglesnorts). It's exactly what it advertises. If you're looking for a quick read that is alternately hilarious, disgusting, and borderline unbelievable then you're on the right track with Mamrie's debut novel. She shares stories of her childhood up to the present day which almost entirely revolve around her unique talent of getting herself into unusual predicaments (mostly due to alcohol). Forewarning: Alcohol, illicit substances, sexual escapades, and naughty language abound in You Deserve a Drink. Did I just hear you all run for the nearest bookstore? Also, if you do read it and find it's amazingly hysterical then I highly recommend you check out her YouTube channel here.

Next up is a book that 1. I purchased solely because I watched a film based on a short story in this collection and 2. I had to search far and wide for because it's not really in print anymore. I'm talking about The Thurber Carnival by James Thurber. I can hear you all scratching your heads in confusion. Did you guys see The Secret Life of Walter Mitty starring Ben Stiller? WHY NOT?! Okay, well it was originally a short story written by James Thurber for The New Yorker. It's a poignant, heartfelt story of a man who lives almost entirely in a fantasy world in his own head...until he goes on an epic adventure and discovers just exactly what he's made of. IT. IS. AWESOME. This book includes several pieces which were originally published in that paper and was a bestseller when it was published in 1945. I will readily admit that I'm going into this with extraordinarily high expectations because that movie blew my mind (and the soundtrack is one of my faves). Wish me luck!


Quick note: If you have any recommendations please leave a comment below and if you're reading along with me I'd love to hear your thoughts on these books as well. I hope you're having a fantastic summer and that you'll visit the blog again. So far, I'm sticking to the weekly posting schedule and in some cases I've been posting more than once. In order for you to stay abreast of my postings, follow the blog so that you'll be notified via email. :-)

Warning: This book is not for the faint of heart

Ureneck clearly feels passionately about this subject. It's evident in his writing and his description of the events which unfolded. He used data from a variety of sources including interviews of family members of those directly involved with the evacuation of the Christian refugees in Smyrna. Going into this, I had absolutely no knowledge of this event and I now feel that I am informed enough to have a discussion about the events of that fall of 1922 (and early spring of 1923). According to the author, the event is mostly unknown to those residents now living in the area (called Izmir now) and the man Asa Jennings has been left out of most published accounts. It's hard to believe (and sometimes not so hard) the level of violence that humans can inflict on one another. I don't think it will ever be possible to truly ascertain the numbers of people which were killed during the massacre described in this book. When will humans stop trying to destroy one another? If you'd like to gain more knowledge about an area of the world that is very relevant in the news these days (I'm talking about Greece, guys) you could give The Great Fire a shot.

I'd like to move onto something a little more lighthearted. I've had this next book ready and waiting to be read for quite some time now. I'm talking about Mamrie Hart's debut novel, guys! You Deserve a Drink: Boozy Misadventures and Tales of Debauchery promises to be as hilarious as the YouTube channel of the same name. Each story from Mamrie's past is accompanied by a cocktail (she was a bartender so it's totally legit). You can drink along as you read! Note: I do not drink but I think she's hysterical so I am VERY excited for this one.