Booknote: The Life-Changing Magic of Not Giving a F*ck

Sarah Knight, The Life-Changing Magic of Not Giving a F*ck. New York: Hachette Audio, 2015. ISBN: 9781478966142. 

Genre: humor, nonfiction
Subgenre: parody, Marie Kondo, stuff about life, self help
Format: electronic audiobook
Source: Overdrive system of the Madison County (KY) Public Library.

This is going to be a "quickie" booknote. I read this a while back, so I am giving readers now some quick impressions then highlights of my reading notes. This is one of those books I read, then kept on reading other books, and I sort of forgot to write out the full review. So I am doing it now before I forget again so I can record it.

This is a parody of Marie Kondo's The Life-Changing Magic of Tidying Up. I have not read Kondo's book nor seen her show or whatever on whichever streaming service it is in. So I am coming to this book as is, i.e. with no prior knowledge since I did not learn the book was a parody until later (or rather I knew it was parody; I just did not what the exact subject of the parody was). I read this as an audiobook, and that experience was just OK. To be honest, the narrator reminded me a bit of Jen Mann narrating her book People I Want to Punch in the Throat (link to my review of that), and not in a good way. Still, this book offered enough to keep me amused, and in the end I did like it. Thing about the book is that, though it is parody and comedy, it says just enough, specially as it applies to workplaces, that it comes across as more reasonable and realistic than many actual self-help and/or business books. I do not know if the author intended it that way, but it does work that way. Still, I am not sure if I would read any others by this author. I may decide on an individual book basis.

3 out of 5 stars.

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Additional reading notes:

•  From opening disclaimer: if you get offended by anything in this book, you really need this book.
•  A key question asked in the book: Does something annoy you? If  it does, stop giving a fuck about it (from the disclaimer). To be honest, this is not bad advice, specially for someone like me who really is at the "All Out Of Fucks To Give" stage. 
• Not giving a fuck defined: ""Not giving a fuck means not spending time, energy, and/or money on things that don't make you happy or improve your life, annoy, so that you have more time, energy and/or money to devote to the things that do." Sounds pretty reasonable to me. 
• The author adds that you need to keep in mind that there are some moments you should give a fuck about. If something does not annoy you, and it gives you joy. Simple.
•  From the book: Stop spending time with people you do not like doing things you do not want to do. 
• Seriously, this should be a given. 
•  Not giving a fuck is also about managing time better too, not being an asshole.
• Interesting point from the book: it is hard to get fired from a job you do really well. Thus, figure out what parts/details of said job you can afford to not give a fuck about, thus likely improving your quality of life, for example dress codes (dress comfortably but still professional of course) and certain meetings (get that time back). The meetings time is something I can relate to and that I think I should work on more. Let us be honest, in academia and academic libraries, there are a lot of meetings that could just be an e-mail. 
• Important to set your boundaries for what you will and will not give a fuck about, then stick to them. Again, be honest and polite.
•  Great idea: having a personal policy as part of your boundaries. So you can say, I have a personal policy of not doing blank because if I do one I have to do them all (so I do not do any). That way, you do not express preferences either, i.e. I would not want to choose one over the other which could make someone feel bad or such, and I can't afford it.
•  Unlike expressing an opinion, of not liking something for instance, a personal policy is usually not something people are willing to debate. They may try to debate your opinion, but once you lay down  the law with a personal policy, that is the end of the story for everyone else.
•  Note: there may be times you DO need to hurt people's feelings, where it  is OK.
• To be honest again, this is something people need to learn and also learn how to deal with it when it happens to them. No one said life is fair, and if someone does not lay off when they should, then it should be fair to let them have it. 
•  The Irish Good bye: leaving a party without telling anyone. I had no idea this was a term; it is the kind of thing I have done now and then as an introvert. I definitely concur it is highly recommended. 
• For a mission statement, imagine a bunch of cigar smoking monkeys clacking away. More useful. Sounds about right, applicable too in library world and higher education when you think about it.To be honest, a lot of those monkeys could likely write a better mission statement than most folks in places like academia. 
• A lot of the third part in the book is specific examples of how not to give a fuck. This one is a bit on the lengthy side compared to the rest of the book.
•  The book apparently comes with some charts and diagrams that she refers too throughout the book. Naturally, with the audio edition,  you miss that.

Booknote: The Making of the Godfather

Mario Puzo, The Making of The Godfather: an Original Essay. New York: Hachette Audio, 2013. Read by Max Casella. ISBN: 9781478926887

Genre: nonfiction
Subgenre: films, books, essays, Hollywood
Format: electronic audiobook
Source: Overdrive system of the Madison Library (KY) Public Library

This book is more like an extended essay where Mario Puzo discusses how he wrote the book and turned it into the motion picture that would become the famous film. Puzo is pretty straightforward and honest in the essay. He admits that The Godfather was not his best novel; he wrote it to make money. As for the film, he realized early on that he had to write it so he could then go on to write the books he actually wanted to write. In many ways, he is just a guy who wants to make a living out of his writing and so he writes what will make money while using that money to live on so he can  write what he really wants. In the end, Puzo concludes that writing books is better than Hollywood.

The book also offers some interesting bits of trivia, such as:

•  Puzo claims that when he wrote the novel, he never met a mobster. That happened after the book became famous. At some point, a story, more like a rumor, circulated that the Mob paid him a hefty sum to write the novel as a PR  move.
• On making a million bucks or so from The Godfather. On  the  one hand, much of it went to taxes, debts, agent fees, lawyers, and other expenses, so he was not rich yet. But the part he did manage to get, he lived it up and spent it  as fast as it came in. Go figure.
• "Accountants who make profits disappear like Houdini." This is Puzo's remark on the movie world and how they make money (and make it disappear so as not to have to pay certain people, like those who actually make a film). This  is still an issue to this day, but I am sure many  of today's actors. writers, so on, have better lawyers to watch their interests.
• Puzo clarifies that the Johnny Fontane character in the book is NOT based on Frank Sinatra. Sinatra still thought it might be, and  he fussed. In a chance encounter, which was not Puzo's idea, a millionaire friend wanted to introduce Puzo to Sinatra; Sinatra was basically a serious asshole, definitely not like Fontane.

This book first came out in 1972, which is the year the film came out. It gives a bit of insight into the context and times in which the film was made from the book. The narrator of this version has a nice, strong voice which makes me wonder how close is it to Puzo or not. Overall, it was an interesting book.

Booknote: Seriously. . . I'm Kidding

Ellen DeGeneres, Seriously. . . I'm Kidding. New York: Hachette Audio, 2011. ISBN: 978-1-60941-041-4.

Genre: nonfiction
Subgenre: autobiography, humor, celebrities
Format: audiobook on CD
Source: Berea branch of the Madison County (KY) Public Library

Much of her humor is observational humor. We also get some silliness along the way. The book has 57 chapters, mostly short segments ranging from one minute to about six minutes in length. The reading time runs for about three hours. The topics she discusses range from bits of her life to observations about people in general. Fans of her show may like this book.

Let me highlight a few elements of the book that stuck with me:

• In the opening, she does her best to be warm and personal, bringing a bit of the charm she uses in her show. In the first chapter she talks a bit about her experiences, including the difficulties of writing, even as this is her third book. She does not just read the book; she performs it. On writing and words, she states: "It's not the size that counts. It's the way you use them in sentences, paragraphs, and slam poetry." 
• In chapter 9, we get some musings from her journal. This is again more performance as she talkes about her then new talk show and later hosting the Oscars. Later on she gives some insights on her time being a judge at American Idol. Yes, as she tells us, there is a difference between watching the show at home and actually judging contestants in person.
• She talks about the overall laziness of people and reality shows. She sees a day coming where there will be a reality show to elect the U.S. President. Given the 2016 Presidential Election in the U.S., we may not be far from that vision. 

Overall, she has a very pleasant reading voice; it can be a bit calming at times. The humor is light, but there are times when she is clearly pushing a bit more. In other words, she seems to be out of things to say, so adds some filler in. The book is all in all a very mellow and lightly entertaining read. I liked the book, though it feels more like an extended monologue.

3 out of 5 stars.

This book qualifies for the following 2016 Reading Challenges: