Fifty Fifty Book Round Up: 1-5

I just finished books 1-5, so I decided I'd speak on each of them.  The books are obviously taking longer than the movies, but I think I'll be able to catch up over the next few weeks and the holidays.

1.  Is Everyone Hanging Out Without Me?  (And Other Concerns) by Mindy Kaling (9/30-10/3).  It's funny and cute.  And Minday Kaling seems like a genuinely nice person.  I think my issue is tha I read Tina Fey's book first, so the whole time I thought "this is really funny... but it's not Tina Fey funny".  Worth a read and would make a good gift for someone.

2.  Brave New World by Aldous Huxley (10/3-10/7).  This is a great read.  And quick.  I also think dear Mr. Huxley is onto something with how the future will be.  Everything will be despensible and synthetic, and if you don't buy into it you'll be cast out.  I strongly recommend it.  I also read that he had the misfortune of dying the day of JFK and C.S. Lewis, so it was completely overshadowed.  But yeah, great book.

3.  Naked by David Sedaris (10/11-10/18).  I am a fan of Sedaris essays, and he's had a crazy life.  It also takes talent to find humor and tenderness in every moment, such as the death of his mother and his crazy (and dangerous) stories of hitchhiking.  Ricky has a ton of Sedaris books, so I'm looking forward to reading the rest over the year.

4.  Lolita by Vladimir Nabokov (10/18-10/23).  I really hated this book.  I get that it's a classic and the protagonist is supposed to be the anti-hero, but I couldn't get beyond the idea that he was raping his stepdaughter the whole time... who was 13.  (Spoiler alert, he has sex with his pre-teen stepdaughter the whole book)  Maybe I'm not smart enough, or cultured enough, but I hated this book so much.  Wow.

5.  Kitchen Confidential by Anthony Bourdain (10/24-11/2).  This was a nice book to read following up after Lolita.  Bourdain is entertaining and it's an engaging read.  His writing style is just like how he talks on his shows, and he looooooves lists of different ways to describe things.  Still, he's had an interesting (and off beat, since most people aren't professional chefs) life, and it's fun.  Lots of swearing.