Some Girls: My Life in a Harem (Jillian Lauren)

I've finished my first book of 2015 - which also fits into my 2015 Reading List!

I started reading "Some Girls: My Life in a Harem" because it was recommended by my mom. It's the story of a girl who moves from a difficult situation in the United States into a quite different situation in Singapore.  She is promised a large sum of money if she moves across the world to attend parties for Prince Jefri.  The ladies fight over his time and attention during their stays in Brunei.  She's treated fairly well, has caught the prince's eye, and receives quite the perks with this 'employment.'

Although the title and overall idea of the book may discourage some people from picking it up, I enjoyed Jillian's story.  Despite this book sounding like a "deep" content book, it was easy to read and wasn't a depressing tale of a girl's life-gone-bad. It was an interesting read and provided quite a different view than the reality that we see in North America.

I would recommend this book for those who like non-fiction books and for those who enjoy stories about people who live different and interesting lives.  It was definitely a book I would recommend to others! 


My 2015 Reading List Update

• A popular author's first book
• A book that was originally written in a different language
• A book written by an author with your same initials
• A memoir - Some Girls: My Life in a Harem (Jillian Lauren)
• A funny book
• A book with a colour in the title
• A book you own but have never read
• A book with a one-word title
• A book written by someone under 30
• A book you can finish in a day
• A book with non-human characters
• A book set during Christmas

Let's Pretend This Never Happened (A Mostly True Memoir) (Jenny Lawson, The Bloggess)

Where do I start with this book?  I have been following Jenny Lawson's blog, The Bloggess, for about 3 years now.  A friend introduced me to the blog and I loved reading it because it was so funny. 

Jenny Lawson has now written her Mostly True Memoir called Let's Pretend This Never Happened.  It was hilarious.  I was sitting outside reading and probably getting weird looks from my neighbours because I was laughing by myself.  They clearly hadn't read the book and just didn't understand how funny it was. 

To get a sense of her writing style and to have a few laughs, maybe check out the picture that cost her $300 to take, how she never dug up a human corpse, her metal chicken named Beyonce, or the time she saw a sasquatch on the road. (Seriously, you should read them.)

I read the book in two days.  I just couldn't put it down.  Her writing is easy to read, not to mention hilarious, and you just want to keep reading.  It made me smile so much and I was honestly laughing out loud and reading excerpts to whoever was in the room with me.  Her stories are so ridiculous and you start to think, "How can all of this stuff happen to one person?" or "If this happened to me, my re-telling of the story wouldn't be quite so funny" or "I have led a boring life compared to hers."  (Well, ok, I haven't led a boring life, just a different life.)

Hamlet von Schnitzel doing a little fishing.
He caught a fish.
It was bigger than he is. 

I almost feel as if I read the book too fast and that I need to re-read it.  Although I think it would be better to get the audiobook for a second-round of the stories because I feel it would be SO AWESOME to hear her expressions as she tells the stories in the book. 

I honestly hope she's not kidding when she says, throughout the book, "That story will be in the second book," because I really do want to read a second book by Jenny Lawson.  But for now, her updates on her blog will have to do...

And now, in the name of being ridiculous (which Jenny Lawson is a fan of), I have taken some pictures of Hamlet von Schnitzel visiting my place in Northern Ontario. 

Hamlet von Schnitzel enjoyed the sunshine at the lake. 
He may have gotten a sunburn, hence the pink-ish colour.
Either that, or my printer was low on ink.

For my Ontario friends, specifically those in the Toronto area, Jenny Lawson (aka The Bloggess) will be at Indigo Manulife Centre (55 Bloor Street West... The Indigo at Bay/Bloor) on Tuesday, August 7th, 2012 at 7 pm.  Please go.  She is hilarious.  I wish I could go.  (I, however, already have tickets to the Roger's Cup... I'll have to catch her on her book tour for book number two!)