Review: Forever Barbie

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Rating: ★★★★

I received a copy of this book for free from the publisher (Liveright) for promotional purposes. 

What an insightful look into the world of Barbie! 

This book was originally published in the 90s, but this edition has a new preface which does discuss the Barbie movie. In the preface, the author also discusses that she left the book unchanged so it’s a large reflection of the 90s. 

The title states this book is an “unauthorized biography,” however, only the first few chapters feel like a biography. If you are looking to read a comprehensive history on Barbie, this book isn’t it. This book offers a lot of commentary on Barbie and people’s complicated relationship with her. Some of it feels a little out there (like The White Goddess chapter that discusses how Barbie is similar to ancient fertility idols), but there were a lot of interesting ideas presented (I really liked the discussion on Barbie and class mobility). The book also discussed things I never knew about like the Barbie board games, books, and comics from way back in the day. 

I liked that this book had a concluding chapter. I always hate it when nonfiction books don’t have one. My biggest takeaway from this book came from this chapter. The author writes, “People project fears and prejudices into her; when a person talks at length about Barbie, one usually learns more about the speaker than about the doll” (pg. 264). That is so true. Barbie has never been the enemy, people just project their owns ideas and feelings onto her. 

Overall, I recommend this book if you’re looking to explore Barbie on a deeper level and don’t mind the 90s influence. 

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Review: Dressing the Part

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Rating: ★★★★

I received a copy of this book for free from the publisher (Harper Books) for promotional purposes. 

This was a very fun inside look into the world of TV fashion! 

The book showcases a wide range of television shows, spanning all decades and genres. It is divided into different chapters based on style (ex. period shows, working women, and glamour to name a few). This organizational method worked so well (way better than it would be if it were chronological). I thought the selection of shows was very spot on and I liked that a few reality shows were also included. I even discovered some shows that I never heard of (like Moonlighting starring Bruce Willis and Cybill Shepherd).

The writing style is very entertaining with a lot of clever references weaved throughout. There were also interviews with some of the costume designers. However, I felt that the book could have gone into the fashion a bit more. A lot of it was just background and recapping the show. I wanted more information on the clothes themselves. 

The photos in the book are really large and colorful, making this a great book to display on your coffee table. (Although I would have liked captions describing the clothes in the photos)

Overall, this is a stunning book! I recommend it for fashion and TV lovers. 

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Review: For Your Consideration Dwayne “The Rock” Johnson

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Rating: ★★★★★

I received an ARC of this book for free from the publisher (Quirk Books).

This book is what dreams are made of! I liked Dwayne Johnson before reading this book, but now I LOVE Dwayne Johnson.

Going into this book, all I was expecting was a silly little book about Dwayne “The Rock” Johnson. What I got was a fun book about Dwayne Johnson that also offered insightful commentary about masculinity and privilege. The book discusses how Dwayne Johnson challenges traditional notions of masculinity. For example, most of his love interests are age appropriate, which is becoming increasingly rare to see in movies. The book also highlights the fact that Dwayne Johnson is half black and half Pacific Islander and therefore did not have the same privileges as some of his fellow white action stars.

This book is also hilarious. It has fun extras like a quiz on which Rock character you should take to prom, a Rock version of the Oscars, and a ranking of his catchphrases. My favorite was the section on the Rock’s road to EGOT (an acronym that stands for Emmy, Grammy, Oscar, Tony). The author came up with three theories on how the Rock can win all four awards. They were laugh out loud funny.

I also liked the short afterword the author wrote detailing how the book came into fruition. You can tell that he really loves and is passionate about Dwayne “The Rock” Johnson.

Overall, I recommend this book to both die-hard and casual Dwayne Johnson fans. This book will make you love the Rock even more than you already do.

This is just the first book in Quirk Books’ For Your Consideration series, and I cannot wait to read the next installment. It just so happens to feature my new favorite actor and current celebrity crush, Keanu Reeves.

Review: William Shakespeare’s Much Ado About Mean Girls

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Rating: ★★★★★

I received this book for free from the publisher (Quirk Books) in exchange for an honest review. 

OMG this book was hilarious! Mean Girls is one of my all time favorite movies so I was so excited to read this book. 

This book is basically the entire Mean Girls movie turned into a Shakespearean play. The author did an amazing job translating it into a Shakespeare play. All the iconic lines (“You go Glen Coco!”, “The limit does not exist”, etc.) were given a Shakespeare makeover. Even “Jingle Bell Rock” which is played in the iconic Christmas show scene got translated. 

The author also did a good job putting in stage directions. The movie does jump around a lot and the author managed to make it work by utilizing a balcony. I totally want to see this play come to life on the stage! 

The book also has cute little illustrations throughout which were a nice touch.

If you are not familiar with Shakespearean plays, the author does include some helpful notes at the end that explain the elements. 

Basically, I loved how the book made Shakespeare so accessible to modern reader by combining it with a movie a lot of people know and love. It helps makes Shakespeare less intimidating. 

Overall, this is a must read for all Mean Girls and/or Shakespeare fans. I also recommend it for people looking for an introduction to Shakespeare but may not be ready for his actual work.