Leslie Jones once got so enraged at a Saturday Night Live colleague that she called up a murderer she knew and offered to fly him out to New York so hLeslie Jones once got so enraged at a Saturday Night Live colleague that she called up a murderer she knew and offered to fly him out to New York so he could kill this person. The murderer's response? "Les, it's Christmas. I just had a baby." The murderer suggested that Leslie simply stop communicating with this person "because it's cold in your shadow." Leslie tried this option and it worked! No homicide necessary! This audiobook is a wild, freewheeling, often teary account of the author's life, career, and philosophy. I enjoyed it very much, and I felt especially sympathetic to her when she revealed that she was unable to attend either of her parents' funerals because she was away making money to pay for those funerals. (One of her most strongly worded pieces of advice is to buy insurance so you don't burden others with those costs.) Today Leslie Jones lives in a 4,000-square-foot home in California with a swimming pool and a beauty salon and a pantry that is stocked like a 7-Eleven. And I'm so happy for her. She deserves all of that....more
Fascinating, often harrowing account of a long career as a death investigator in New York City. The author is no-nonsense but feels deeply and suffersFascinating, often harrowing account of a long career as a death investigator in New York City. The author is no-nonsense but feels deeply and suffers a great deal. Her account of succeeding professionally and creatively, despite troubles with alcohol and depression, was inspiring but never sappy.
Most interesting case, to me: a husband's diabetic overdose in which the wife and the husband's psychiatrist seemed to have a passionate connection and most likely got away with murder.
Most interesting scandal, to me: The author's supervisor and one of the author's coworkers both called off work "sick" one night and then got caught . . . cuddling . . . on a Jumbotron . . . at Yankee Stadium during a game. This would be fun office gossip except that the non-cuddling coworkers had to investigate more deaths that night, over a larger area of the city, and had to meet with the relatives of all the people who had died while hospitalized that day. This isn't like Office Space where people slack off and the TPS reports pile up but nothing really terrible happens....more
More of a memoir than a book of practical advice. In a nutshell: • Everybody's different. • If you decide to retire, make a plan for your retirement. • UMore of a memoir than a book of practical advice. In a nutshell: • Everybody's different. • If you decide to retire, make a plan for your retirement. • Understand that no matter how carefully you plan, circumstances will change and your wants and needs may change too.
I liked the idea that if you're able to find a job that you enjoy and that you're good at, work can be a form of continuing education.
López interviews celebrities, local heroes, spiritual leaders, friends, acquaintances, and regular people. But I would have appreciated interviews with economists, financial planners, and insurance experts. The author claims he hasn't got much money, but this is really a book for upper-class people with education and training and the chance to choose whether or when they retire.
The author is a little unusual in that he is 67 with an 18-year-old daughter, the result of a second marriage. He writes about her with great affection and admiration. But he barely mentions the two sons from the first marriage. He doesn't even thank them in the acknowledgments! Was the divorce so bad that they've never spoken to him since?...more
Economist interviews people doing various jobs or hobbies (including the sex workers of the title plus a big-wave surfer, a racehorse breeder, and a pEconomist interviews people doing various jobs or hobbies (including the sex workers of the title plus a big-wave surfer, a racehorse breeder, and a professional poker player) and describes how their jobs might relate to risks and rewards in the reader's life. A bit plodding in places, but I always enjoy learning about unusual careers....more
What's it like when your parents run a doll hospital? This lavishly illustrated biography explains. Beatrice Alexander, better known as Madame AlexandWhat's it like when your parents run a doll hospital? This lavishly illustrated biography explains. Beatrice Alexander, better known as Madame Alexander, grew up to become a female Jewish entrepreneur at a time when both those groups endured terrible discrimination. Her innovations for dolls (including less-breakable dolls that had eyes that opened and closed plus rooted hair) helped rescue her family from a bank failure. I didn't have any Madame Alexander dolls when I was growing up, but I definitely remember her high-fashion Cissy dolls with their glamorous wardrobes....more
Detailed yet appealingly upbeat overview of what LinkedIn is, how it works, and how it can make your life better. Mostly designed for workers who are Detailed yet appealingly upbeat overview of what LinkedIn is, how it works, and how it can make your life better. Mostly designed for workers who are recently out of school, but there's plenty of useful information for an oldster like me.
Here's some of what I learned:
• LinkedIn has an About section at the top of the page. Include keywords from the job listing (or from your industry generally) in the About section to get more attention from the ATS, or Applicant Tracking System, that will vet your application.
• If you want to email someone at a company but you don't know their email address, visit Hunter.io to help you find the email pattern for their organization. (In my experience, long-established and large companies such as Apple can be quirky in terms of email patterns, but this is worth a shot.)
• LinkedIn lets you do advanced People searches for specific job titles. Add the word "hiring" to this search to help you find out which managers are actively hiring right now.
• On the main LinkedIn page, go to Jobs > Interview Prep for sample questions and practice opportunities.
• https://www.thejobinsiders.com/book allows you to get a free deck that sums up some of the most important points in the book and gives you an idea of the book's style and tone.
• https://linkedin.github.io/career-exp... lets you look for new career paths and job opportunities using the skills you already have. I didn't find this very helpful, but it may work for you.
• The authors believe that LinkedIn Premium isn't worth the cost for most people, but they enthusiastically recommend a free trial, which lasts a month. The Premium version includes a Company Insights section that lets you look at hiring trends and other data. This can be useful while you're researching and during an interview.
• https://theorg.com/ has a massive collection of org charts, so you can better understand the structure of a company you're applying to.
• If you're interviewing with a hiring manager, try to get them talking about themselves. Ask them what drew them to the company and what they find satisfying about it. This helps to build a bond with them.
• One of the authors of this book has a site called https://www.breakinto.tech/ , which I found useful. I've never considered a career in market research, but I have some of the skills for it....more
"You're important for people who don't look like us. For the first time, the world sees us as we should be seen, as equals, as intelligent people."—Dr"You're important for people who don't look like us. For the first time, the world sees us as we should be seen, as equals, as intelligent people."—Dr. Martin Luther King, Jr., talking Nichelle Nichols out of quitting Star Trek
Simple yet appealing biography of the actor/ballet dancer/singer. I never knew she wanted to quit Star Trek because she felt her character wasn't properly developed the way many of the male characters were. Also, later in her career, NASA asked her for help recruiting female and nonwhite astronauts. She said yes but told NASA if she found qualified candidates for them and then saw that only white men were selected, she would personally sue the space agency. They listened....more
I think small kids will love this because of the STOMP! STOMP! STOMP! STOMP! and the WHOOOOOSH and the SCREEEEEECH. Colorful, appealing art. Minor quiI think small kids will love this because of the STOMP! STOMP! STOMP! STOMP! and the WHOOOOOSH and the SCREEEEEECH. Colorful, appealing art. Minor quibble: Why don't books about firefighters ever mention the smell of a fire and its aftermath?...more
"Anna kept practicing night and day. She knew that only hard work transforms talent into genius." Delightful biography of ballet's greatest star. Quirk"Anna kept practicing night and day. She knew that only hard work transforms talent into genius." Delightful biography of ballet's greatest star. Quirky yet appealing illustrations give a sense of motion. I even liked the moral of the story: "true success doesn't lie in the applause of others, but in the accomplishment you feel every time you give your best."...more
Great title, but the author struggled with shaping the material.
This is a revenge book: Francart got fired, after reporting years of sexual harassmenGreat title, but the author struggled with shaping the material.
This is a revenge book: Francart got fired, after reporting years of sexual harassment and abuse from a superior, because people at her job believed she was writing a book about her work. She wasn't, but she decided to write one since she suddenly had free time. (Her abuser eventually resigned, but not until after she left the job. It sounds as if nobody was willing or able to back up Francart's complaints, but after she left another person or people reported other bad behavior.)
A deputy coroner is someone who arrives at a death scene, evaluates the corpse for injuries, takes samples to send to toxicology, and talks with the decedent's family members. Francart had worked in the travel industry for many years but started volunteering for the coroner's office. She had just gone through a divorce, she had two sons to care for, and she needed something meaningful to fill the weekends when she didn't see them. Eventually she got a full-time job in a funeral home and continued to volunteer for the coroner on weekends.
The author believes in ghosts (including ghosts of pets), poltergeists, reincarnation, psychics, guardian angels, angel numbers, and many other signs and portents. I don't share those beliefs, but maybe I would if I'd had her experiences in work and life. Francart has been abused and assaulted at many times in her life, and I hope she's able to find peace. At the time of writing, she was hanging out with members of a motorcycle club and felt respected and protected.
I wish there had been more material about her work for the funeral home and the coroner and less about psychics and spirits. Also, I wish her editor had stripped the clichés out of the book and encouraged Francart to find better words than "wonderful" and "amazing" to describe her own mother....more
"In a sea of danishes, I get a bagel." —Burrows's comment on finally being allowed to direct an episode of The Mary Tyler Moore Show ("Neighbors") in "In a sea of danishes, I get a bagel." —Burrows's comment on finally being allowed to direct an episode of The Mary Tyler Moore Show ("Neighbors") in the fifth season, only to find out that the script was lacking. He turned a poor script into a decent episode and got a lot more work on many shows as a result.
James Burrows has a specialized job: he directs sitcoms. (He directed one movie and didn't like the whole process.) Burrows is generous with credit, especially to writers and actors. He praises "Teddy" Danson to the skies and is complimentary to most of the other people he mentions. However, he gives mixed reviews to Shelley Long (very talented and a great "center" for the show but sometimes difficult to work with) and Dave Foley (funny but not a "center" and unable to play a romantic lead). The only person he is completely negative about is Rob Schneider. I didn't even know that guy had a sitcom, but he did (with Cheech Marin!), and it lasted one season. Burrows loved working on Friends and said it's the only show he knows of that has five "centers"—five actors who can each carry an entire series. Burrows contends that he is the one who advised the Friends cast to negotiate their contracts and salaries together so that executives would have a more difficult time pitting them against one another....more
Reprints of Keefe's magazine journalism. This book taught me that a "writearound" is a piece in which the main subject is alive but doesn't consent toReprints of Keefe's magazine journalism. This book taught me that a "writearound" is a piece in which the main subject is alive but doesn't consent to be interviewed by the reporter. So instead, the reporter interviews people who know or knew the main subject. Keefe says that many reporters don't like writearounds, but he did one on TV producer/Survivor creator Mark Burnett that I thought came out well. Keefe contends that he learned more about Burnett from interviewing his two ex-wives than he would have from talking to the man himself.
To me, the most interesting article in this collection was the one about spree killer Amy Bishop because she and I come from the same hometown....more
Well-researched, appealing, entertaining, wonder-filled account of the different types of senses certain animals have and how they differ from humans'Well-researched, appealing, entertaining, wonder-filled account of the different types of senses certain animals have and how they differ from humans'. There are also some interviews with humans who have become proficient at using senses that some animals use, such as a blind person who has used echolocation since early childhood. Audiobook narrator is excellent, though I still don't know if the author's corgi is named Tycho or Typo. Either would make sense, since he writes about science. I mean the author, not the dog, of course. :-) ...more
Very compelling memoir of a man who discovers at age 16 that he has a rare, inherited condition that is quickly destroying his optic nerve. He takes uVery compelling memoir of a man who discovers at age 16 that he has a rare, inherited condition that is quickly destroying his optic nerve. He takes us through his high school, college, and graduate schooling and his difficult transition to adulthood and independence. Also, he describes his friendships and many relationships. The first wife does not come off well, but do first wives ever come off well in memoirs?...more
"You see these empty hands? One day they'll hold everything I want."
Biography of the famous and beloved artist. A few sentences were clunky, but that"You see these empty hands? One day they'll hold everything I want."
Biography of the famous and beloved artist. A few sentences were clunky, but that often happens with translated works. More of a focus on biographical details than on particular works of art. Appealing color palette. Great introduction to this artist. ...more
Practical advice on making decisions, choosing paths, and reframing how you and others look at things. Examples were somewhat repetitive—I got sick ofPractical advice on making decisions, choosing paths, and reframing how you and others look at things. Examples were somewhat repetitive—I got sick of hearing about the Seattle Seahawks....more
A guy is out walking his dog when he finds a keychain that has what appear to be three human bones on it (small ones). He turns it over to police. TheA guy is out walking his dog when he finds a keychain that has what appear to be three human bones on it (small ones). He turns it over to police. They take it to Sue Black, forensic anthropologist.
Do they have a cup of tea before they get down to business? Of course they do. This is Scotland.
So the cops say, "This is just some fake nonsense left over from Halloween, right?" And Sue Black says, "I'm sorry, but these are the three bones of the left index finger of a male who was between 15 and 25 at the time he lost the finger." So the police go door to door trying to find out whose finger bones they are.
Turns out a guy accidentally severed his finger when he was 16 (power tools, no safety guards) and they couldn't reattach it. He asked if he could keep the finger. Hospital staff agreed. He boiled the finger, bleached the bones, and showed them to his friends from time to time, often at Halloween. Then he made the bones into a keychain with some silver wire. On Valentine's Day several years later, he gave the keychain to his girlfriend. (Black quips that she may have been expecting a diamond ring for her own finger.) She got so mad that she threw the keychain in the bushes, where he couldn't find it after hours of searching. He was very glad to be reunited with those bones.
Sue Black's second memoir about her career is full of fascinating, shocking stories like this one. She is compassionate about crime victims and sympathetic to their families. ...more
Compelling reporting as usual from Michael Lewis. He exposes frauds and liars (which is especially upsetting because this book is about threats to pubCompelling reporting as usual from Michael Lewis. He exposes frauds and liars (which is especially upsetting because this book is about threats to public health), but he also looks for the helpers. He finds people who somehow manage to work around bureaucracies and others' petty concerns so they can get things done. It's fascinating to find out how these helpers find and recognize each other and then combine their skills and talents as they work together....more
Delightful account of the writer-actress-comic. I didn't know that her parents nicknamed her Mindy after a sitcom (presumably Mork & Mindy?) before shDelightful account of the writer-actress-comic. I didn't know that her parents nicknamed her Mindy after a sitcom (presumably Mork & Mindy?) before she was even born. I like that there's no attempt to make her look super thin in the illustrations....more
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