Non-Fiction Reviews

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

Author: Mindy Kaling

Rating: 5 stars

I loved this book! I’m not really a fan of The Office, so I didn’t actually know who she was when I first started it.  Full disclosure, I won this book.  I am so glad I won it though, because I honestly thought it was fantastic.  It definitely helps that she’s a professional writer, and she’s funny.  I felt like she was honest about herself, and life, which made the book so much better.  I also feel like she really had some good points, especially about high school.  She also has a very dry and sarcastic sense of humor, much like I do, which I enjoyed.  While it’s not a long book, it’s definitely one worth picking up.

Buyology: The Truth and Lies About Why We Buy and the New Science of Desire

Author: Martin Lindstrom

Rating: 4 stars

This was a very interesting book to read, and almost a little scary.  Lindstrom showed how little power we actually have over what we buy, and that’s a little creepy.  The book is based on a group of studies Lindstrom did, but he’s a good writer, so it’s not dry and quite readable.  He also revealed quite a number of things about marketing that surprised me.  For example: Warning labels on cigarettes can actually trigger people to buy more, not less.  Overall, a must read for anyone interested in marketing, and one I suggest for anyone who buys things.

Dust Bowl Diary 

Author: Ann Marie Low

Rating: 3 stars

I had to read this book my last year of undergrad for my History of North Dakota class.  The book itself is Low’s diary from 1927-1937, with narrative by Low (written later) thrown in to fill in some of the blank spots.  I thought it was especially interesting to read a first hand account, not only of the Dust Bowl’s impact on rural communities, but of how the people actually felt about projects like the Civilian Conservation Corps, etc.  She also went to Jamestown College, which as many of you know is where I went, so it was kind of fun to read about my school 75 years ago. This book should be read in every ND History class, high school and college.

Dirty Sexy Politics 

Author: Meghan McCain

Rating: 3 stars

This book was not at all what I was expecting.  Surprisingly, that was both good and bad.  I was expecting more insights into the issues the Republican Party is currently facing, since she alluded that that would be the basis of the book near the beginning.  The book itself seems more of a memoir of a typical 20-something girl on the road.  While that wasn’t what I was expecting, I definitely enjoyed that insight.  Some of the negative reviews I read before reading the book seemed to be a little over-sensitive to her content, and personally, I appreciated her honesty.  She doesn’t always paint herself in the best light, but I truly believe she was honest to the the experience. I feel that she wrote what she truly felt in the moment, and that made the book much more enjoyable for me.  She did show some bias, but she was talking about her father, so that didn’t really bother me.  It also helps that she’s a good writer.  If you’re looking for a really politically driven book, I don’t think this is the book for you.  However, it was well-written, and definitely worth the time spent reading it. 

The Horizontal World: Growing Up in the Middle of Nowhere 

Author: Debra Marquart

Rating: 2 stars

This is another North Dakota memoir, this one from the 20th Century.  It’s a memoir of the author’s growing up years in ND in the 1970s, if I’m remembering correctly.  This one only gets two stars because, while she is a good writer, the writing style was not one that I favor.  She seemed to jump around a lot, and there didn’t seem to be always a very good flow between stories and chapters.  She also did have a tendency to come off as whiny at times, which I didn’t really like. However, it was an interesting story, and the cover is gorgeous. :-)

Chelsea Chelsea Bang Bang 

Author: Chelsea Handler

Rating: 1 star

I didn’t even finish this book.  Actually, I didn’t even make it past the first chapter.  I picked it up because I loved Mindy Kaling’s book, and I’ve seen Chelsea Handler’s show a few times, and thought she was kind of funny.  However, the first chapter of this book was so not funny, and inappropriate, I felt.  I’m not a prude by any stretch of the imagination (wait until you see what books I’m going to review when I do paranormal/urban fantasy) but I just felt that what she wrote about in the first chapter was inappropriate.  And it honestly turned me off so much, that I didn’t even go any further than that.  I returned it to the library, and I don’t think it’s one that I’ll try again.  It gets one star because she’s not a terrible writer, and I may still try a different one of her books, since others who have reviewed this one say her earlier efforts are much better.