Then We Came to the End

Then We Came to the End by Joshua Ferris

A fantastic debut novel from Joshua Ferris about a Chicago marketing firm's employees. Ferris delves in to their work lives with intimate detail on their fears of being laid off, their attitudes towards each other, and how their personal lives affect their work lives. Though many of the characters face depressing situations, the novel is very funny and witty, full of truth about workplaces- how coworkers tease and pull pranks on each other, workplace gossip, and office pariahs. Each chapter could stand alone as its own story detailing the various going-ons in the office, such as the stealing of each other's desk chairs, the rumors surrounding their mysterious boss, and bizarre reactions from the laid off employees.

I breezed through this book, each chapter, though about the mundane and ordinary, seems full of excitement and hilarity. Easily the best book I have read in years.

IS EVERYONE HANGING OUT WITHOUT ME? by MINDY KALING

Is Everyone Hanging Out Without Me (and other concerns) is a collection of essays written by the adorable and honest Mindy Kaling. (Kelly from The Office) If you are looking for something spicy and scandalous, this is not your book. Mindy talks about happy and innocuous issues like weight, fashion, and friendships. She is a big fan of monogamy and not a fan of one-night stands... Chelsea Handler fans may not be amused. Instead, Mindy talks about her journey to Hollywood and the people who helped her get there. It's an interesting look at how to become a comedy writer/actress in Hollywood without changing yourself. It was not laugh out loud funny like Tina Fey's Bossypants, but it was cute-funny and lighthearted.

The Great Fitness Experiment

I just finished reading The Great Fitness Experiment: One Year of Trying Everything by Charlotte Hilton Andersen. It's all about the author's experience of trying different forms of exercise to find out what was most effective. I figured it would be like a women's version of the popular 4-Hour Body .

Each chapter describes a different month in which Charlotte tried a new workout and sometimes, a diet that came prescribed with it. She also writes a personal essay that relates to health and body image. She gets pretty personal with her essays and you'll find out about her struggles with self image and where they originated.

Some of the different workouts she tried were Functional training, Double Cardio, CrossFit, Tracey Anderson's celeb workout, and Jillian Michaels. Though Andersen is honest about the results of her workouts, it is still somewhat hard to say which was the most effective at helping her obtain her fitness goals. Some months saw her gain weight in muscle, others saw no difference, and a couple showed some weight loss and fitness gain. Nonetheless, I learned a lot about the benefits and pitfalls of these different workouts that will be useful to my fitness regime.

This is a recommended read for lady athletes and health buffs.