Hey there, Twenty-Somethings!
Ever wonder what kinds of books you should be reading during this pivotal time on your life? Maybe not, but nonetheless I am here to help! For years I’ve had people tell me “read this – it will change your life!” or “this is definitely a good book for your generation.” Generally, if the suggesters aren’t around my age, their recommendations are inaccurate and I end up with an irrelevant, boring self-help book about being a better person. My goal for these regular book reviews is to provide entertaining and helpful insights into books that actually are relevant to us twenty-somethings, and save you the time (and money – books aren’t free) of reading something that is not interesting or important to you.
I have a quite a list already of books, taken mostly from those lists we’ve all seen (“30 Books to Read before you turn 30,” “20 Books for Twenty-Somethings”), but those lists are often created by middle-aged people who have read these books recently and wished they had read them in their twenties. If you have a suggestion, please feel free to either email FTS or tweet it to me @SamanthaG2012. I hope you enjoy these reviews, and that they encourage you to read something besides your twitter feed and the stack of bills awaiting payment.
Book Review #1: Adulting: How to Become a Grown-up in 468 Easy(ish) Steps
Author: Kelly Williams Brown
Amazon.com Author Bio: Kelly Williams Brown is the founder of the popular Tumblr, AdultingBlog.com, and she is, in fact, sometimes, an adult. Previously, she was a features reporter and an award-winning humor columnist for the Statesman Journal, a daily newspaper in Salem, Oregon.
Outsider Reviews (or The Ones that Actually Matter in the Publishing World):
“These are the steps I wish I’d had before I grew up. Wait-What am I talking about? These are steps I will start using today! Kelly Williams Brown writes as charmingly and hysterically as she does helpfully. Get this book and grow up!” – J.J. Abrams – Writer, Director, Producer
“This hilarious and super-relatable how-to guide for acting like an adult … is full of aha moments.” — Cosmo
“Fun, chatty, and surprisingly informative…. perfect for the wayward 20-something, or 30-something, or…” — Publisher’s Weekly
Summary: Kelly Williams Brown becomes our steering wheel for navigating those years between college and the dreaded 30, giving obvious and not-so-obvious tips, pointers, and explanations for things that must be done in order to be considered a real-live adult. Ranging from things like letting your deodorant dry before getting dressed to how to properly and effectively hunt for an apartment, Brown covers every single detail you didn’t even think was important and makes it so. Using humor, wit, charm, and a bit of tough love, she invites you to take advantage of the knowledge all real adults wish they’d had in their twenties. The book reads like a handbook, and is quite easy to breeze through. It doesn’t have to be read cover to cover, either; if you prefer to read one section at a time, it works for that, too.
My Review: I found the book to be helpful and interesting, but a bit dry at times. I don’t suggest binge reading this one, simply because your brain will go into information overload and might spontaneously combust. Pull it out when you need some encouragement or are feeling like you’ll never ever ever get your shit together. She helps with that kind of thing. Take it in small doses; read a chapter a night or a week. More effectively, use it as a reference tool, because that’s really what it is – a very useful reference tool.
Why Twenty-Somethings Should Read this Book: Adulting is hard, and it’s not going to get any easier. This book can help us navigate these years a little more smoothly, without so many road blocks and detours. There is relevant information for all of us: early, mid, or late twenties. The book literally covers everything. How to care for houseplants, avoiding interoffice relationships, car maintenance, cleaning your apartment thoroughly, you name, it’s in there. It literally explains how to be an adult, and a functioning adult. Buy this book, all of you. Keep it on your shelf. Grab it when you’re not quite sure if you should ditch that bad relationship, or if it’s time to clean your toilet.
