What I'm Reading

I got several new books for Christmas that I can't wait to start reading! (And a shout out to my brother-in-law Greg who was the only one brave enough to actually gift me some of the Kindle books I had on my wishlist this year - it might take a while for society to get used to giving digital gifts that can't be wrapped or opened, unless you count opening your email.)

Anyway, first up - Bossypants by Tina Fey. Finally! This book went on my wishlist ages ago and I was seriously sad when I thought I wasn't going to get it. Thanks, hubs! Tina Fey is an all-around hilarious woman, and this book had me snorting with laughter. It was also a fascinating look behind the scenes at SNL and 30 Rock. Plus Fey is honest about what it is like to be a woman in comedy, a woman in general, and a working mom. She's relatable without trying to pretend that her life is just like mine, because let's face it, it's not. Very funny.

Another book I can't wait to dive into just finished is by another funny female, Mindy Kaling of Is Everyone Hanging Out Without Me (and Other Concerns). Kaling is hilarious on The Office and has a refreshing real-girl-I-could-actually-be-friends-with voice. I love that she's not afraid to admit that she loves her parents and loves hanging out with them. Not many 32-year-old famous Hollywood-types will cop to such things. She's also very open about the fact that she believes in love and marriage and family - things she can't wait to have. It seems like many women these days feel obligated to put marriage and family on hold so they can focus on careers and it's almost lame to think about marriage as a forever-commitment. Nice to know someone else out there holds the same values that I do. I really enjoyed reading this book, and it was a great follow-up to Bossypants.

It's obvious in reading both these books that Kaling and Fey were both destined to make it big. As a teenager, Fey was directing  summer community theatre and Kaling was busy writing scripts. It's not something they accidentally tried one day as a bored 20-something and just happened to be brilliant at. They already had more than average God-given talent and then worked hard at it for years. It brings to mind the theory of success put forth in the brilliant Outliers by Malcolm Gladwell  - some people have a head start at making it big. That's another must-read book, if you're looking for recommendations.

The other thing I've been thinking about a lot is my New Year's Resolution for 2012 and here it is: (you'll see why it fits with the title of this post in a second): I'm going to reread and consecutively watch all the Harry Potter books/movies. Sure I've read them all before, but with long gaps inbetween the books. I've never sat down to read them all back to back. Other book series I want to reread like this include The Chronicles of Narnia and The Lord of the Rings (wow, I'm really flying my geek flag now), but those will have to wait until I get this HP goal under my belt. My bother is currently going through the series as well, so perhaps we can have some viewing parties together.

Now, I know this isn't the loftiest of resolutions. We'll call it my yearly reading resolution. I should also probably make a few more, like "floss daily" and the obligatory "exercise more". But I think it's a fun one and just challenging enough given my busy life that I'll feel accomplished if once it's completed.

So what about ya'll? Any good books on your reading list? Any resolutions you want to share?