I've always been an avid reader, though I've recently found it difficult to find the excess time or energy to dive in to a new book. I love the written word, and I'm convinced that my early love of books helped me to become a skilled writer and eloquent speaker. It's been a challenge to make reading part of my routine again (I'm usually so exhausted by the end of the day that I pass out pretty quickly!), so I realized that if I combined it with my blogging calendar, I'd be able to reach my reading goals
and provide some different content for my readers – a win-win! I'm planning on making it a semi-regular feature, and first up for review is
The Book of Joan by Melissa Rivers.
In general, I am very much a fan of biographies and memoirs, especially ones that chronicle those in the entertainment industry. I love being able to peer into the lives of fellow performers (even when their books aren't especially well-written), and these books usually provide a lot of sound advice. I always liked Joan Rivers, and since I also have an incredibly close bond with my mother, I was eager to learn more about Melissa's and Joan's relationship. Overall, I enjoyed the book, though I felt the humor was forced at times (Melissa has an immense appreciation for her mom's humor, to be sure, but her own execution of it often fell flat). Joan had such a big personality, and I'm impressed by how skillfully Melissa held her own and learned to thrive while working so closely with her mom.
The book felt a bit scattered, and I wish Melissa's editors had been more unwavering in their duties, as there were some cringeworthy oversights that they failed to catch (though admittedly, they were things that most likely bother me more than they would the average person, i.e., the use of "guesstimating" and incorrect usage of semi-colons). Joan wrote two memoirs of her own, and ultimately, I wish this book had relied a little less on Joan's voice and comedic bits; although I was amused by all of the Joan-isms peppered throughout, I would have been interested to read a more focused account of their unique relationship. It seemed to me that Melissa feels like she has big shoes to fill in terms of comedy and tried too hard to make her jokes land. The book would've been a more successful piece if Melissa had simply remained true to herself and let go of the desire to make everything laugh-out-loud funny. Comedy doesn't work if you're trying too hard or if you're not being honest, and I wish those facts had been among the many lessons that Joan taught her daughter. However, writing a book is no easy task, and I think Melissa is to be applauded for the heartfelt moments that she did manage to include in this book, especially when Joan's sudden passing is still so fresh. It's clear how much Joan doted on her daughter (despite any jokes made at her expense), and finding out more about their bond was certainly the highlight of the book for me.
If you're interested in reading
The Book of Joan for yourself, you can find it
here!
Have you read any good books lately? Do you have any recommendations for my next review?
Outfit Details
Have a great Monday!
I received this book from the Blogging For Books program in exchange for an honest review.
