Summer Reads: Exploring the world of the Super Rich

I have been reading a LOT lately. Nick and I have been spending a lot of evenings hanging out on our front porch with a glass of wine, and I've been using the lull in TV season to catch up on some fun reading. My taste in books leans toward fiction, although I do reach for the occasional biography or fashion book here and there. One of my favorite books this summer is actually a sequel to a book I read last year, so I wanted to talk about both.

I first read Crazy Rich Asians last year. It tells the story of economics profession Rachel Chu who travels to Singapore with her boyfriend Nick Young for a wedding, and to meet Nick's family. Rachel  doesn't know that Nick's family is in the top 1% of wealthiest people in the WHOLE WORLD.  What follows is a fun family saga and peek into what it must be like to have unimaginable wealth. This is a super fun read for any lover of fashion and travel: lots and lots of designer name drops, and the book takes you from NYC to Singapore to Hong Kong and London and Paris.

China Rich Girlfriend, released earlier this summer, is the sequel to Crazy Rich Asians. Rachel and Nick are back, and so are a host of new characters. This books stands alone, but it does make references to the earlier book, so I recommend reading both. They are such fun reads that it really won't take a lot of time to get through them. I can't talk about plot too much without giving away plot points from the first book, but lets just say that the sequel is even more wild than the original! Perfect summer reads!!!

So what are you reading this summer? 

Summer Reads and Podcasts

Summer TV sucks. This is the time of year when Nick and I get sucked into Netflix marathons. This year I've been trying to read more and following my obsession with Serial earlier this year, I've also been trying to listen to more podcasts.

I just finished two books this week, one fun and one a little educational.

First up, Leave Your Mark by Aliza Licht. Aliza is the voice behind DKNY PR GIRL-- an incredibly popular twitter account, with over 500,000 followers. Aliza's book is an advice book, told through her own experiences and what she's learned through them. The book is split into four parts-- the first two discuss career and the last two are focussed on personal branding. The book is a quick read, and while its interesting to learn how she got to where she is, the advice itself is probably best suited for someone who either hasn't started their career or is in their early stages. If you're in your 30s like I am, and/or have hit your stride in your career, you may or may not get a whole lot out of this.

In the VERY fun category, The Andy Cohen Diaries is a good old-fashioned diary chronicling a year in Andy Cohen's life. But Andy Cohen being Andy Cohen, its a really interesting life. Andy is BFF's with Sara Jessica Parker and Mark Consuelos and Kelly Ripa (among many others). He's also the boss of all the Real Housewives, and between the anecdotes from the set of Watch What Happens Live, and his adoption of his adorable pup Wacha, I'm convinced that he and I are destined to be best friends too. I really enjoyed this book-- it definitely lends itself to lazy days on a beach.


And finally, in the podcast category, I recently discovered Tom and Lorenzo's Pop Style Opinionfest. This is such a fun, gossipy podcast that really feels like you're just hanging out with friends. You might even laugh out loud. Lots of pop culture and judging. And as Andy Cohen says, when is watching (or in this case listening) and judging not fun?

So, if you're looking for some light reading or listening this summer, I hope I've given you some options you enjoy!

Recovering from Downton Abbey

I've previously blogged about my obsession with Downton Abbey, and Season 3 did nothing to dim my enthusiasm. I'm not going to give anything away about the season, but suffice it to say, there were MANY EXHAUSTING EMOTIONAL ups and downs. For those of you who watched the entire season, you know exactly what I mean....

If the season left you wanting more, albeit with a little levity, I invite you to read Agent Gates and the Secret Adventures of Devonton Abbey (note: its available in kindle format as well!)

I only just started the book, and I absolutely LURVE it so far!! Of course, there is the added appeal of it being a comic book, which makes it an even faster read!! If you do pick it up, let me know what you think! Maybe we can even do a book club meet up (aka excuse to drink wine)?!

Reading for the love of it

I'm sorta sad that Borders is going, going, gone. I hadn't been to a bookstore in a while, but I stopped by Half Price Books on Saturday, and it reminded me of just how much I love books and bookstores! All those colorful book jackets, and the smell of paper.... I've been reading on a nook I purchased early last year, but there's nothing like the touch and feel of a real book.

In my zeal of book buying, here's what I left with:

Its all fluffy and fun, and I absolutely luuuurrrvveee it!! Light summer reading- perfect for a beach, poolside, or on a plane!!! What are you reading this summer (I'm looking for more ideas)?

Hunting for Vampires

Are you intrigued by the title? : ) This is a slightly longer post than normal, but please stick with me: its fun and different!

So back in the days when my life wasn't quite so busy, I used to read a lot. Mostly fun fiction, and always before bed. Its something my parents have always done, so it was a tradition I followed from childhood until quite recently. Part of the allure of fiction was the ability to immerse myself in a different time and place, and the best part was that reading before bed always gave me REALLY interesting dreams!! I hadn't read a book in quite some time, until I was contacted by the fabulous Adrianne Ambrose: a former Clevelander who just so happened to have written a work of fiction, with Cleveland as the lead character. Obviously, I was intrigued. I immediately purchased the book, and started reading. And I was hooked! Fangs for Nothing is the story of teen vampire hunters, who stumble upon vampires in our VERY OWN CITY!! I'm not going to ruin the story for you, but lets just say if features awkward teens, beautiful people, touches of a cult, and of course vampires. Its a really easy read, and like Twilight, it moves pretty quickly, but unlike Twilight, it has a almost self deprecating sense of humor (a little like Clevelanders). 

Of course I had to learn more about Adrianne and her writing of this book, and she graciously agreed to a blogterview, which I will share with you below:

So why a book about vampires and vampire hunters?
I write video game dialogue and I was going to make a Choose Your Own Adventure game called Suck It! with a friend who is a programmer. He wanted to set it in San Francisco, NYC or New Orleans and that just felt really tired to me. I wanted to set it someplace unexpected like Cleveland. Well, he got lured away by a high paying gig, but I was still charmed by the idea of a vampire romantic comedy in Cleveland so I decided to write it as a novel.

Talk about your creative process: did you have an idea about the whole book before you wrote it or did it just come to you as you went along? Did you experience writers block, and if so, what got you through it?
Some of my friends who are writers insist that an entire book must be outlined in detail before they even write chapter 1. That’s good writing theory, but for me it doesn’t leave much room for the characters to take over and do their own thing. I set out knowing my three acts and the conclusion but then I like to see what the characters are going to do on their own once I know who they are. This does sometimes lead to rewriting so that the structure of the book is solid, but is a lot more fun for me to write.

If I get stuck, I go on a long walk and think about the story. That usually loosens things up. If I’m really stuck, I’ll go to hear an orchestra or go to a really long, really boring movie allowing my brain the opportunity to wander. I’m also lucky to have a creative husband. I didn’t really need to tap him for help on Fangs for Nothing, but he does have a lot of great ideas that I’ve used in other works.


As a Clevelander, I love all places you discuss in your book. But for the non- Clevelanders, why did you pick Cleveland as the setting for your book?
In addition to what I said in the first question - Cleveland is a great city with a bad reputation. I’m always surprised when people make snarky remarks about Cleveland. They obviously don’t realize it’s clean, it’s inexpensive, the people are nice, there’s tons to do, and you can actually park when you get there.

I know the city very well so I didn’t have to do a lot of research, I love the cool old history of Cleveland, plus I wanted to give my hometown some well-deserved love.


What do you miss most and least about Cleveland?
I miss everything about Cleveland. I visit for about six weeks total throughout the year and am always so happy to be home. I miss all the trees and grass and vegetation. You don’t realize how green Cleveland is until you live somewhere else. I miss the lack of hassle that is Cleveland. Whenever I’m home, I run around and do a ton of stuff because it’s just so easy and fun. I miss how you can go out for a cocktail or some really good food and not have to sell a kidney to pay the check. (I could go on but I’ve got to stop, this question is making me homesick.)

Okay, I guess I don’t miss everything about Cleveland because I don’t miss the winters. ;)


Are you going to write a sequel?
I have not decided about a sequel. I really like my characters so I’d be happy to make them run around Cleveland a bit more and get into trouble, but this is my first foray into ebooks so we’ll see how it goes. The short answer is – Probably yes.


What's your next book about?
I have another story coming out as an ebook within the next two weeks called Confessions of a Virgin Sacrifice. It’s a parody of the barbarian genre and came out with a small press several years ago. Oni Press has also contracted to put it out as a graphic novel and we’re on the hunt for an experienced illustrator with a hint of Frank Frazetta.


And finally, if your book were turned into a movie, who would be your choices for the main characters?Wow, this is a weirdly tough question. Back when I was first writing Confessions of a Virgin Sacrifice, (10 years ago…?) I knew who I thought would be good in each role, but I haven’t given it much thought to casting for Fangs for Nothing. But let’s see…

Sherbie – Hmmm – Someone like a slightly younger Joseph Gordon Levitt. Now who would that be…?

Xander – This is a tough one. Xander is tall, well built with black hair and electric blue eyes. Zack Efron’s got the dark hair and blue eyes, but not the stature. From back several years ago I’d say Michael St. Gerard, who has completely disappeared from Hollywood. To compensate for my lame answer I’ll share a little glimpse of Hollywood story – I was nominated for a WGA award for my work on a video game. (Lost to Star Wars) There weren’t any mega-big A list celebrities at the award ceremony, but there were plenty of A-/ B+ celebs. What’s funny is that everyone was much, much shorter than I expected. At least 2+ inches shorter than what is listed on their IMDB bios. I felt like there should be a disclaimer, celebrities may appear 2/3rds smaller than shown on TV.

Rini – Chloe Moretz maybe - ? – She’s way too pretty to be Rini, but doesn’t Hollywood always do that? Anyway, she’s saucy and she’s got a good voice so I think it could work. Abigail Breslin might also be good.

Lana – Can I say Emma Stone? I’m not sure she’s exactly Lana, but I think she’s fabulous and am glad she’s getting work.

Short Vincent – Romain Duris – French actor that was in Heartbreaker (there are subtitles, but well worth it – super funny)

Aerony – Okay, this one is easy – Aisha Tyler – Gorgeous and great voice. She does the voice of Lana Kane on Archer.



So in addition to graciously answering my questions, Adrianne has also agreed to host a fabulous little contest. She will be giving away not one, not two, but FIVE Fangs for Nothing ebooks!!! I'm not gonna lie, one of my favorite parts about reading the book was picking out how many CLE places I had visited!! And I'm proud to say I have been to quite a few!! The contest will run until Friday. You must have access to Kindle, either on your PC, iPhone, etc, or Kindle itself.


Here's how you enter:

1. Leave a comment about your favorite place in Cleveland (one entry). If the spot has a creepy past (which you must also share), you will get a bonus entry.

2. Follow me and Adrianne on twitter for another entry.

3. Tweet about the contest and link back to this post for another entry.


AND FINALLY (see, I told you it was a long post), if you want to hunt your very own vampires under the Detroit-Superior bridge, you should definitely consider attending the Ingenuity Fest Speakeasy Party, THIS Friday, July 15th. I attended last year, and it was such a ridiculously fun event that I naturally scooped up tickets for this year's event! So, hopefully, I will see you there!!


Good luck with the contest, and Happy Hunting!!!