What Would The Spice Girls Do?

This book was so refreshing to read.

The nostalgia was literally dripping off the pages.

I was an actual infant at the height of the Spicemania. I was legitimately 2 years old. But I do remember singing along to Wannabe while I played the Spice World video game on my Playstation. That being said, I definitely had a different relationship with the Spice Girls than author, Lauren Bravo had.

Regardless of what you know about the Spice Girls, you know the mass hysteria surrounding them was something that was going to be remember. What Would The Spice Girls Do? focuses on how 5 young girls from London ushered in a new wave of Girl Power. Scary, Sporty, Baby, Ginger, and Posh were teaching young girls that being a girl meant whatever you wanted it to be. It taught girls how to own their decisions, how to find their personalities, and how to be a bad ass female while doing it.

The rush of nostalgia transported me back to my childhood bedroom. It had lime green walls cover with posters from teen magazines, inflatable furniture, a soccer ball in the corner, and my very own phone line. Reading this made me feel like a little kid again. It made me realize how amazing it is felt to create my own persona. It made me realize how far we've come as a society and how willing we are to accept people for who they truly are. It's amazing and beautiful and a lot of it is thanks to groups like the Spice Girls who truly paved the way for the next generation of Girl Power.

The 2000s Made Me Gay

I'm a 90s baby.

I grew up in such a weird time because a lot of my experiences are the same as Millennials. But my sister, also a 90s baby, is Gen-Z; so I have a lot of those experiences too. But overall, we thrived in the 2000s.

 

When I saw the title of this book, I instantly pre-ordered.

We're currently living in the gayest decade of all time.

90% of my friends are a part of the gay community.

I'm an ally.

I was once described as being "too straight to watch Glee" which is still one of the funniest things I've ever heard. That being said, there's a lot in this book that I relate to and find absolutely hilarious. So instead of recapping the entire book, I'm going to hit on my favorite essays.

"Disney Channel Presents: Sappic Overtones"

This essay killed me because the day I read it also happened to be the day my coworkers and I were talking about old DCOMs and which ones were our favorite. I immediately mentioned all of the one's that happen to be talked about in this chapter. I mentioned Motocrossed, the movie where cheerleader Andi chops off all her hair in an attempt to compete in place of her motocross star brother. Then obviously I brought up Double Teamed, the movie that follows twin basketball stars who actually look nothing alike. We jumped to High School Musical, which stars one of Disney's most notorious closeted characters, Ryan Evans. 

 

But the one that really got me......Cadet Kelly. I actually watched this a few months ago and had all the same revelations as Grace Perry did. This movie takes place in a military academy for middle schoolers and holy shit. The sexual tension is RIPE with queer undertones. Anyway, I'm obsessed with this movie.

"Taylor Swift Made Me A U-Haul Dyke"

I'm not gonna lie, I'm a die hard Swiftie. So when I saw this essay, I quickly knew where it was going to end up. Grace Perry mentions finding T. Swift's album Fearless as a freshman in college. As she was still semi-closeted, she saw this album for what it really was, a story that never actually happened. Taylor Swift has notoriously written songs all about her love life, looking at you Joe Jonas. But in the last few years, the gay community as embraced Taylor Swift and speculated that she may be a wee bit gayer than she thinks. I've fallen down this rabbit hole too many times, and honestly I'm not, not convinced. But the hilarity behind Grace Perry finding Taylor Swift is that the angsty teen romance is exactly what Grace is looking for in relationships. The energy that comes with starting a new relationship is something that she thrives off of and it's all thanks to 16 year old Taylor Swift who sang about kissing in the rain.

"The Glee Bubble"

Now, I have watched my fair share of Glee because my sister was a theater kid, loved singing, and was overall just obsessed with the show. Like Grace Perry said all throughout the book, she didn't see many LGBTQ+ kids on TV or in books when she was growing up and figuring herself out. But Glee fixed that for the next generation. For those of you who have never seen Glee, it follows a group of theater kids, cheerleaders, and jocks all throughout their high school experience. It featured literally everyone, from LGBTQ+ students to disabled students to students of color. It gave them all a voice on mainstream television and we can thank the amazing Ryan Murphy for that.

I think the best part of this book is that Grace Perry created a masterpiece based on an entire generation of kids who had to figure it all out without the inclusivity we have today. Gen-Z as a whole has such an open mind and open heart. They have the freedom to explore their sexuality. Social media has created a space where teens today can be their truest self. They have access to so many resources that they never need to feel truly alone. I think it's a beautiful thing.

The Anthropocene Reviewed

My obsession with John Green started while I was in a reading slump.

My sister handed me a copy of The Fault in Our Stars, told me the ending, and walked away. Since then I've read literally all of his books. I've cried with Pudge. I laughed with Tiny. I've gone searching for Margot. I once wrote a research paper called "The Fault in Our Schools," where I talk about the dangers of book banning. So that being said, I will buy every single book John Green publishes.

The Anthropocene Reviewed isn't a teen novel. It's a collection of essays on a human-centered planet. Pretty much, it's nearly 300 pages of John Green reviewing various things in his life. Everything from Super Mario Kart to Canada Geese to The Notes App on an iPhone. He talks about becoming a father, the secrecy of a whisper, his pandemic research, even how to defeat a groundhog.

It just feels like John Green.

If you've ever watched his vlogs, you'll love this book.

His voice is so recognizable, it'll make the book easy to read.

I give The Anthropocene Reviewed five stars.

Looking for other John Green books?

The Fault in Our Stars

Paper Towns

Looking for Alaska

Will Grayson, Will Grayson

Turtles All The Way Down

Horrorstör

Two words: Haunted Ikea.

 

I was thoroughly spooked while I devoured every page of this book.

Grady Hendrix created the perfect amount of retail horror in this novel. It's set up to read like a catalogue that features all of Orsk's latest an greatest products. For instance, the Bodavest (item #5355666200) is a chair that confines movement and forces the occupant into total immobility; or the Jodlöpp (item #3927272666), an iron cap that forces the wearer into absolute submission.

If you've ever worked retail I'm sure you've thought, "I don't get paid enough for this shit." Well, that's pretty much how the employees at Orsk feel as they're wheeling a Brooka couch covered in poop off the sales floor. The employee entrance is broken. There's graffiti in the bathroom. There might even be a ghost. So when Amy is called into the office, she assumes the worst....she's going to get fired. Instead, her manager asks her and Ruth Anne to work an overnight shift patrolling the store. Strange things have been happening and Basil just doesn't want to lose his job. The three of them set out to find the person behind these disgusting acts.

Two other employees catch wind that there might be a ghost in the store considering the building used to be a penitentiary for the mentally ill. Trinity and Matt believe they could get some good footage for their hopeful Bravo series, Ghost Bomb. They sneak in through the employee entrance and get to work setting up candles and EVP recorders when the run into Amy and Ruth Anne on their first walk through.

Immediately spooky things start happening.

The bathroom walls are filling with graffiti.

There's a homeless man running through the store.

There's a seance happening while they wait for the police.

This is how they entered The Beehive.

 

Looking for other book by Grady Hendrix?

The Southern Book Club's Guide to Slaying Vampires

My Best Friend's Exorcism

The Final Girl Support Group

We Sold Our Souls

How to Sell a Haunted House

BadAsstronauts

Yearbook

 I would like to apologize to my friend Cassandra for accidentally finishing our book club pick before she even got her copy. Oops.

Seth Rogan delivered a hilarious memoir.

 

He starts by telling us how he got into standup comedy at like....12 years old. Standup wasn't just telling jokes, it was telling a funny story that happened to you that might feel relatable to an audience. So naturally, some of his first jokes were about his grandparents. That's who he spent time with, giving him ample opportunity to create content for his next act.

 

I think the stories he told from his teenage years were my favorite. He talked about awkward school dances, hanging out behind the 7/11, buying pot from a guy on a nudist beach, house parties, and so much more. It constantly had me laughing and reminiscing about my own teenage antics.

Yearbook definitely had a natural progression to it. Starting in his teenage years and working up to Seth's adult life now. I was completely unaware that he and his friend Evan wrote many of the movies Seth went on to star in. Superbad was literally based on Seth and Evan's high school experience; they even used this friends names in the movie!

I remember Pineapple Express catching my eye, Seth Rogan and James Franco? Count me in. I had just started watching it when my father came into the room and asked what I was watching. Within seconds we were both laughing. It just blows my mind to think that they both got their start on one of the most underrated television shows of all time, Freaks and Geeks. Jason Segel also starred in Freaks and Geeks, so hearing that Seth and Jason both auditioned TOGETHER for the role of Cheddar in 8 Mile, had me in absolutely tears from laughing so hard.

 

Everything about this book made me laugh. If you love Seth Rogan, you'll love this book.

The Complete Stories of Truman Capote

I'm obsessed with Truman Capote.

 

When I was at my local bookstore a few weeks ago, I got super excited when I saw a Truman Capote book I didn't have yet! So I bought it on the spot, got home to add it to my to-read shelf and realized......I already had it.

The Complete Stories of Truman Capote was the book.

It's a fantastic collection of all of Capote's early short stories. The best part of his writing is that usually there is a character that is incredibly similar to himself. Most of his stories are somewhat semi-autobiographical without blatantly telling his entire life story. Within this collection, there are many reoccurring themes. The sadness is seeped into the pages of each and every story. In my eyes, writing was a way for Truman Capote to expel his demons. It's beautiful.

Looking for other books by Truman Capote?

In Cold Blood

Other Voices, Other Rooms

The Grass Harp

Breakfast at Tiffany's

Music for Chameleons

Answered Prayers

Looking for books on Truman Capote?

Tru & Nelle

Tru & Nelle: A Christmas Tale

No Saints in Kansas

Authentic

I always wanted to be a little skater kid.

 

So, my freshman year of high school I finally bought my first pair of Vans. Some real cute purple and grey Authentic Era Vans, then set off to find my first skateboard. I ended up with a Sector9 long board and my obsession grew from there.

Naturally, when I was that the Founder of Vans, Paul Van Doren, was writing a book, I knew I wanted to hear his story. Did I really care about shoe production? Not really. But I was intrigued by the history of how and why Vans was created. Skaters embraced the Vans brand and Vans was willing to listen to what they wanted. Tony Alva, one of the original Z-Boys came into a Vans storefront and begged to just buy one shoe. Other skaters came in asking for better ankle protection, thus the SK8-Hi and jazz stripe was born. Vans realized they were really the only shoe company tackling the needs of extreme sports.

But more than that, Vans was the biggest family company around. Paul Van Doren rounded up all his kids and siblings and in-laws and created a company that would not exist without the help of the entire family. Which is why Vans relies on families. They rely on their workers, the whole team has always felt like a family.

I'm honestly obsessed with this book.

I loved reading about the skater kids coming in.

I loved reading about Vans Warped Tour.

I love how Paul Van Doren dropped shoes to raise horses later in life.

Everything about this book felt.....Authentic.