Bossypants, Vault of Walt, & Lockdown

Bossypants - Tina Fey - 275 pages
43) A biography 

Biography, memoirs, thoughts on life in general collected from living through varied experiences, you can take your pick. For me, the pick was pretty simple when it came to choosing a biography. I've wanted to read this book since it came out but never got around to it. I actually decided I'd like to listen to the audiobook for a couple reasons including it being the only copy at my library... The big one was that Tina actually gets to read the book to you, which feels much less like a book and more like she's giving me life advice over a phone call while sharing funny stories about her childhood, career, and parenting style. It's so perfect to hear her deliver those jokes instead of trying to read it, I know a few would have gone over my head. The only down side was the lack of pictures (since you can't download and look at a .pdf on your laptop while you're driving).
I say this in the most loving way, it's scatterbrained. All the stories are great, but what one has to do with the next... I guess you'd have to look to the name of the book to link them all together in any kind of attempt at cohesion. Honestly though, if you love Tina than this is the (audio)book for you. I confess I've not seen more than four episodes of 30 Rock, but I didn't feel like I was left out of anything in the book. So if your knowledge of Tina Fey is passing ("Didn't she portray Sarah Palin on SNL?" "Yes.") you will get a kick out of this book. Recommended for older fans of Tina, there's some strong language included.

The Revised Vault of Walt - Jim Korkis - 282 pages
32) A book you own but have never read

The subject of the day is: Disney
A helpful guide to cast member abbreviations and lingo:
Cast Member - An employee of the Walt Disney Company
The Mouse - Mickey Mouse
D.U. - Disney University, orientation building in Florida
WDW - Walt Disney World
My good friend sent me this book last year for Christmas and I was so excited to read it, but at the time I was actually working for The Mouse and therefore, had ZERO time to read. Thank this reading challenge for forcing me to dig through the pile of things I brought home from WDW and find this book. It's a collection of stories about Walt Disney. The things he did in his free time, his favorite foods, the changes he made to his films as we know them today, his original plans for Disneyland, it's all here in this book. It was fascinating for me to learn more about Walt, not the typical things you learn at D.U., but the stories Korkis searched for and found that otherwise may have faded away in time. I think this book is a really great read and recommend it if you like Disney; I certainly learned a lot about Walt and the old animation studio.

Lockdown - Alexander Gordon Smith - 290 pages
17) A book that scares you

At least... I think I was scared for a second or two...
The reason this probably didn't scare me very much is that it was all so unrealistic. I couldn't fully buy into this world where children were framed for murder and given a life sentence in an underground prison where they can do anything they want to you and no one cares. With dogs who have see through skin. I don't know. Even when I read it late at night and turned out the lights, my imagination never created a monster coming to kill me.
I'm also aware that I'm nitpicking. This is the kind of book my brother probably would have read in junior high (he hasn't read more than six books in his life). It's in it's right niche where it is. So why did Goodreads think I would love it? I have no clue. Horror in all forms is not my cup of tea (except The Walking Dead, I don't know why) I HATE being scared, that's why I choose a young adult book instead of, say, a Stephen King book. Sure, I'll be a little scared for the sake of this book challenge, but not terrified. I think I got grossed out more than scared, I mean seriously, how many times do the character's have to puke? Nitpicking. Anyway, if you know a young boy who doesn't like to read, maybe look into this one. Of course, if you think it sounds interesting, be prepared for a whole lot of nothing to happen through this book and leave you on a cliffhanger. Let me know if the second one is better.

Read on,

Jamie