Someday, Someday, Maybe by Lauren Graham

Goodreads Summary:

A charming and laugh-out-loud novel by Lauren Graham, beloved star of Parenthood and Gilmore Girls, about an aspiring actress trying to make it in mid-nineties New York City.

Franny Banks is a struggling actress in New York City, with just six months left of the three year deadline she gave herself to succeed. But so far, all she has to show for her efforts is a single line in an ad for ugly Christmas sweaters and a degrading waitressing job. She lives in Brooklyn with two roommates-Jane, her best friend from college, and Dan, a sci-fi writer, who is very definitely not boyfriend material-and is struggling with her feelings for a suspiciously charming guy in her acting class, all while trying to find a hair-product cocktail that actually works.

Meanwhile, she dreams of doing "important" work, but only ever seems to get auditions for dishwashing liquid and peanut butter commercials. It's hard to tell if she'll run out of time or money first, but either way, failure would mean facing the fact that she has absolutely no skills to make it in the real world. Her father wants her to come home and teach, her agent won't call her back, and her classmate Penelope, who seems supportive, might just turn out to be her toughest competition yet.

Someday, Someday, Maybe is a funny and charming debut about finding yourself, finding love, and, most difficult of all, finding an acting job.

My Thoughts:
I enjoyed this read. I think it was a great first book. It was a little on the predictable/ formulaic side of books, but I don't think it worked against the story to be that way.

Franny is a likable character and you really do care about what happens to her personally and professionally. I would have liked a little deeper look at what it feels like to be rejected all the time. While the subject was covered, it wasn't as deep as it could have been.

Lauren Graham's voice clearly comes out in this book. If you are a fan of her acting you will be a fan of her writing. I look forward to reading more from her. I recommend this as a light read to anyone who likes Lauren Graham's work and anyone who likes a chick read.

While writing this review I was listening to the Rachel Maddow show.

Orange Is The New Black by Piper Kerman

Goodreads Summary:

With a career, a boyfriend, and a loving family, Piper Kerman barely resembles the reckless young woman who delivered a suitcase of drug money ten years before. But that past has caught up with her. Convicted and sentenced to fifteen months at the infamous federal correctional facility in Danbury, Connecticut, the well-heeled Smith College alumna is now inmate #11187–424—one of the millions of people who disappear “down the rabbit hole” of the American penal system. From her first strip search to her final release, Kerman learns to navigate this strange world with its strictly enforced codes of behavior and arbitrary rules. She meets women from all walks of life, who surprise her with small tokens of generosity, hard words of wisdom, and simple acts of acceptance. Heartbreaking, hilarious, and at times enraging, Kerman’s story offers a rare look into the lives of women in prison—why it is we lock so many away and what happens to them when they’re there.

My Thoughts:

I picked this book up because I marathoned the Netflix series and finished it over a weekend. I wanted to know more about the truth behind that series. 

I loved this book. I learned so much about prison, the legal system workings, and the strength of people. The women in this book are stronger than I will ever be, they are serving time for a variety of reason and they are handling that with grace. I left this read wanting to get involved in fixing the prison system. At the very least you realize how close a lot of us are to getting locked up and not really deserving it. People make stupid mistakes but I don't think throwing everyone in jail is the answer to those mistakes.

I recommend this book to EVERYONE. I found it heartbreaking and fascinating.

While writing this review I was listening to nothing, it was awesome.

Deadly Heat by Richard Castle

Goodreads Summary:

Picking up where Frozen Heat left off, top NYPD Homicide Detective Nikki Heat pursues the elusive former CIA station chief who ordered the execution of her mother over a decade ago. For the hunt, Nikki teams once again with her romantic partner, Pulitzer Prize-winning investigative journalist Jameson Rook, and their quest for the old spy and the motive behind the past murder unearths an alarming terror plot-which is anything but ancient history. It is lethal. It is now. And it has already entered its countdown phase.

Complicating Heat's mission to bring the rogue spy to justice and thwart the looming terror event, a serial killer begins menacing the Twentieth Precinct and her homicide squad is under pressure to stop him, and soon. The frightening murderer, known for his chilling stealth, not only has singled out Nikki as the exclusive recipient of his taunting messages, he then boldly names his next victim: Detective Heat.

My thoughts:
As always this was an enjoyable read, just as we can always expect from Richard Castle. My only complaint is this book didn't have the same flow as the others. I was able to guess who and what was going on pretty early in the read. This didn't bother me, as I am not an avid mystery reader but I can imagine that may bug some readers. I am not someone who bothers trying to guess the bad guy so I was able to determine the who and the what without any effort on my part.

That being said, I think really enjoyed this book. It was the perfect escape from the daily grind. I enjoy the storytelling and the advancement of the Heat/ Rook relationship. There was more than one section in the book that made me laugh and there was more than one section that was full of intensity and I was genuinely concerned about Heat.

I recommend this book to fans of the other books or fans of the show, of course. But beyond that I would recommend this book to avid mystery readers, I think this series is strong enough to stand alone without the show as back up.

While writing this review I was listening to Charlie Rose on CBS This Morning.