Monday, November 7, 2011

Spotted: Is Everyone Hanging Out Without Me? (And Other Concerns) by Mindy Kaling

Where: Q-train
Who was reading: A bobbing head in a fluffy white hat, only occasionally visible above the seething hoards packed into the subterranean clown-car I rode for today's morning commute.
Wasn't there just a thing on NPR about how the NYC subway sucks more than ever? Yes, yes there was.
But don't worry, things haven't gotten that bad... "We take every derailment seriously," assured one MTA official.
And if you're really into silver linings, overcrowding on the subway just might be the key to counteracting the breakdown of the American Family: "Another shove, Madame, and I'll have to marry you," one passenger was heard to remark.
But for those who are less-than-eager to enter into matrimony with some random groper... reading remains an option (provided they can find a few inches of space near eye-level and free of human flesh).
The book in a nutshell: Mindy Kaling's Bossypants.
Mindy Kaling in a nutshell [via the publisher]: "the obedient child of immigrant professionals, a timid chubster afraid of her own bike, a Ben Affleck–impersonating Off-Broadway performer and playwright, and, finally, a comedy writer and actress [noted for her work on The Office] prone to starting fights with her friends and coworkers."
For what it's worth: I've heard first-hand that the book is pretty funny. And at a signing, Ms. Kaling complimented a colleague of mine on her fashionable handbag. So there's that.

Thursday, November 3, 2011

Spotted: Sunny Chandler's Return by Sandra Brown

Where: A-train
Who was reading: A young woman with rigid posture and cat scratches on one hand.
To be fair... the scratches could have come from any clawed animal.
In Latham Green, Louisiana we lay our scene [an excerpt from chapter 1]:
"Who is she?"
"Her name is Sunny Chandler."
"You know her?"
"Since third grade."
"Really?"
"Might have been second grade."
"So she grew up here?"
"Yep."
"Where's she been?"
"All your life?"
The first man frowned as he looked down at the second man...

Criminy! What an opening! Where HAS she been? And why does this mysterious "first man" want to know? Is he attracted to her sexually? The cover art certainly evokes flames of passion. And what about that "second man," he seems to know an awful lot about Sunny Chandler. A suspiciously awful lot. What actually happened in third grade (or possibly second)? And how will first man get his lasso around slippery Sunny, when the secrets that surround her make her harder to pin down than a greased pig?
Only one way to find out: Read the book! ...Or actually, check to see if they made it into a Lifetime movie yet.