they're back. the twins who made it cool to read return to your bookshelf in author francine's pascal's sweet valley confidential. it's been 10 years since we last saw jessica and elizabeth wakefield- and a lot has happened. no longer bffs, the duo are now sworn enemies fighting silently from different coastlines. elizabeth's made the move to nyc, struggling to become a writer. jessica's planted herself in sweet valley, where she's playing the role of happy homemaker ... to (SPOILER) elizabeth's ex. the beach read follows the wakefields through their journey to reconnect and find themselves. if you weren't an avid fan of the original series, chances are you'll find it hard to keep up with pascal's unending onslaught of series references. the early chapters- split between the present and flashbacks- help those who aren't familiar catch up, but the stories not worth a first-timers, well, time. while just a few more than 200 pages, sweet valley confidential drags on-and-on, running in circles to a very predictable resolution. the side players seem under-developed (maybe because their histories can be found in the original books?) and the pop culture references are outdated (betsy johnson as the hottest designer? really?). unless you're a sweet valley o.g., or desperate, don't bother picking up the book- just wait for juno scribe diablo cody's big screen adaptation of the original books.
book review: bossypants by tina fey
now this is a book i can get behind. tina fey's foray into the publishing world is the perfect book to kick off summer reading season. it's short, it's fast-paced and- most importantly- it's hilarious. bossypants features a collection of essays spanning fey's (cartoonish) life, and teaches you how to raise a smart, funny, awkward, virgin daughter. no, really- fey promises that herself. fey is her self-depricating best when revisiting her childhood and early days as a struggling comedian, which make up the meat of the memoir. the book's slowest parts come near the end, but they're still peppered with funny asides and pictures (a picture book for adults!) as to not make you want to kill yourself. everyone- young, old, male, female or transgender- will find something to like (and laugh at) in bossypants.
if you're a fan of chelsea handler's book collection, then bossypants is the book for you. if you're not ... then, well, you should be.
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