Amanda

Didn't love every essay, but the ones I liked, I really really liked.

Loooooooove this book, down to every last character. It's so wonderful and I want to live in Devan's world.

I don't know. Not really all that relevatory - is anyone shocked that there's a “wedding industry” or that companies try to make money off of major life events? This is pretty obviously a pre-crash history as well; I'd like to see something about the rise of the DIY Pinterest wedding. The most directly relevant part was the epilogue, when she actually talked to real brides about why they did things and what weddings meant to them. I'm not a Bridezilla (good takedown of that term, btw), but I'm not a sheep, either, and I don't know that this book gives people enough credit for making their own choices.

This book built up some pretty high stakes ... and then took them all away. Sam's crisis of faith didn't feel that authentic to me, either. I could easily have read an entire book about just her family situation, but these other plots made it feel both overstuffed and somehow too slow? I don't know.

“I engineered a monster, cloned its brain from a human psychic, sent it to New York, and killed half of the city.” Really.

I can appreciate the work here and what a big deal it was for comics 30 years ago, but now ... meh. And the whole falling in love with someone who TRIED TO RAPE YOU thing? I know it's not the first or last time that trope will be used, but it's disgusting every time. Could've done without the excerpts from the pirate horror comic as well. Again, this is well done and definitely a comic landmark but it just left me cold.

Loved this. Especially how the three stories that seemed completely unrelated merged and intersected, and reading back over to see how perfectly set up that was.

This book created its own world and I was totally sucked in. I love Puck and Sean and Finn and Dory Maud; even the most minor characters felt real and the island felt like a place I might have read about before.

Like the blog, but more of a personal story/memoir than a how-to. Her wedding is not the wedding I want, but even for an offbeat-lite person like me (white dress and all), this is a good reminder that it's your wedding, so do what you like. And don't do what you don't.

I've read this like a million times, why isn't it on my Goodreads? Adore Ruby.

Did y'all know Diana Mitford was very very beautiful? I guess that makes marrying a fascist okay.

Reread 2012.

Betsy and the Great World is probably my least favorite of these. But Betsy and Joe is so wonderful.

“Did anyone ever tell you that you're a good dancer? - Joe”

SWOON.

Also the line that's something like “You think Les Miserables is the best book ever. I think it's Vanity Fair. Let's fight.”

SWOON? Or something. Basically, I have a crush on Joe Willard. Touchy as he is.

So great.

Light and mostly fun (though like every essay collection, some misses). Read last year when it first came out, reread this year because I was tired of reading wedding books but didn't want anything super deep.

This will probably be more useful as I get further into planning stuff, but yes.

Looooooooooooooved this book. Jed is a total dreamboat. And “I just don't think about you” is such an awesome brushoff, and no less than Don deserves.

I have a weakness for memoirs about leaving religion, especially ones written by women. This one started slow, but picked up after the marriage. Would've liked way more detail about how she made the decision to leave, but I enjoyed this.

Liked the first half or so more than the ending. I would really have enjoyed more focus on the relationship between Kate and Sarah, or Kate and her mother. The twist in the romance was resolved a little too easily for me as well.

Fast, beachish read, but meh.

Wish this had been about Alice, not Quentin.

“Do as you're told”? Oh, fuck off, Christian Grey. Also with the constant Mr. and Mrs. and the throwing screaming swearing fits over your wife not wanting to change her name at work and ... good lord. I guess those two deserve each other.

Cute, but nothing very life-changing.

Literally read most of this by the pool today. Perfect for that.

Again, good light summer read. Yay fluff!