Shonda Rhimes

I found most of her lessons hard to relate to. The majority of the book was a list of her accomplishments and how she chose to attend events celebrating those accomplishments. Though I appreciate the effort she made by sharing her inner life and her efforts to improve it, she has made a dichotomy of introvert and extrovert where introvert is inherently bad and must be subverted. There are unhealthy ways to live for both introverts and extroverts who go too far in one direction. It also feels show more unfair to say that things turned out well for her saying "yes" to everything when everything she said yes to was inherently positive: talk shows, commencement speeches, weight loss, more family time. Everything seemed to turn out great just by saying "yes" but there has to be a lot more to it than that. The book starts with a great premise of making positive change, but the examples she gives are so specific to her life situation that it doesn't feel applicable to someone else. She is at the height of her career with three healthy children, supportive family, and stable finances. This way of life does not in itself take away her ability to be relatable, as can seen by how well another well known female public figure, Melinda Gates, speaks about empowering women in "The Moment of Lift." Gates excellently executes the premise of Year of Yes. Gates gives anecdotes from her life and how choices affected both her and the people around her (for good and for bad) and speaks about the general principles of empowerment. She was both humble and confident in her abilities. I did not get that same impression from Rhimes' "Year of Yes." Her discussion doesn't include how her "yes" affected people outside of herself and her "ride or die" friendships. I would have liked to see more of that and if others in her life had started to say yes too. And if they had, were they successful? Or was this just a lucky fluke? show less

Like millions of other people, I’m a fan of the Bridgerton books by Julia Quinn, but I was introduced to them by the Netflix series Bridgerton. With its modern spin on an inclusive Regency world, how could you not be bedazzled by the colours, jewels and food? This behind-the-scenes book is perfect for any fan of the show, and a great way to build up to Season 3 and Polin (that’s Penelope and Colin).

The book is lavishly illustrated with both posed photographs and behind the scenes shots show more of the shoots. It’s not uncommon to see Queen Charlotte sitting at a table laden with food in her OTT wig, surrounded by people in puffer jackets and jeans. At first it’s a little odd to see the contrast of history and modern, but you get used to it. (Also, you can pore over the detail of all the delicious looking food and flowers, something you don’t always get to dwell in the fast paced series).

Usually with a book accompanying a TV series or film, I can get through it in an afternoon. It’s usually a lot of pictures with not much text. Inside Bridgerton delivers on both the writing and picture front, which is really rare! It took me several days to get through this book. What’s also rare is that it goes deep – it’s not just interviews with the actors and a run down of episodes. The book assumes you, dearest reader, know your Bridgerton, and want more. It really does deliver on every aspect of production and goes in deeper to some key scenes, such as Daphne and Simon and the painting plus some lavish balls. I found the world building fascinating with the amount of detail that goes into everything from how quickly the actors speak to the use of silence to build tension. The way the crew shot Bridgerton was fascinating too, followed by editing done remotely due to the COVID-19 pandemic. It could have turned out messily, but it all worked brilliantly.

There are interviews and explanations from a lot of the crew that also go into detail, so much so that I find myself wanting to rewatch the series so I can pick up on the lighting, music and costume details. This is definitely a book worthy of the series!

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Holy cow, that was good in so many ways. I had initially just picked it up because I heard the audio (read by Rhimes) was great--I'm finding lately that I'm becoming increasingly inclined to check out an audiobook for its reader alone and not necessarily the story...weird. Anyway, it quickly turned into this mega personal moment, being so perfectly timed on the verge of graduating with this second >> Master's degree and maybe finally having all the free time that I never had during my 20s show more along with desperately not wanting to let myself fall into the hermetic life I got used to by necessity for earning a SECOND GD MASTER'S DEGREE while working full-time. Whew. Yeah so.

It really got under my skin. I could totally relate in just about everything she said, and BOY HOWDY! was I so, so, so, so relieved to finally hear a woman talk comfortably and assertively about the choice not to live with/marry her partner. I have never heard that from a woman, and I really, really needed to. I made a list a couple days ago of all the wonderful things I look forward to saying yes to once this last class is over (end of July!), things that will make my life a whole lot more fun and, more importantly, make me a better human being (hopefully). Long and short, it was a great pick-me-up without actually feeling like a self-help book...which it isn't. It's about HER, not you. (Oh yeah! I only ever watched maybe the first season of Grey's Anatomy waaaay back when it first aired...maybe if I ever feel like watching TV again, I'll start with Shondaland.) show less

When the Queen Charlotte television series was announced, I wasn’t that interested. But as trailers and snippets became more available, I was increasingly invested, especially when Julia Quinn announced that she was writing the novel. I still haven’t finished the TV series, but the book is a delight. This is the not only the story of a love affair, but how the world of Bridgerton came to be of mixed race and colour.

The story is a fictionalised version of the relationship between show more Charlotte, who was promised to King George of England as his bride. Charlotte is not happy about being forced to marry someone she’s never met and her first meeting with her future mother-in-law doesn’t make it sound promising. Add to it that none of the palace staff will give her insight into the personality of the king and it’s no wonder why she tries to climb the garden wall to escape her own wedding. It is here that she runs into a handsome man, who introduces himself as ‘just George’. Charlotte is intrigued and the wedding goes ahead. Sounds like the marriage will go well…right? Nope. George retreats from the newly renovated Buckingham House (Charlotte’s house) to his estate in Kew on their wedding night. It’s confusing and saddening for the new queen, in her isolation in a big house away from home. One of her ladies in waiting, Agatha Danbury (yep, that Lady Danbury) tries to help her out but she has her own issues to deal with (not the least the precarious position of the new ton and being married to an ancient old man). Gradually, Charlotte and George break down barriers and secrets as George reveals his illness and the pair fall in love. But it is a happy ending?

Julia Quinn has done well with this novel, which seems like it came from a script of the series. A lot of the dialogue is the same as the show (although it must be said that it is very witty and there are some very emotive scenes). It does feel like a bit of a novelisation though in that there’s not huge amounts of inner character monologue and it moves from scene to scene in jumps like a movie, rather than the gradual transition you get in a novel. This might have annoyed me more if I’d watched the show first, but when I watched the first episode it all seemed quite familiar. (Of note – there are some scenes from the first episode, including a pretty shocking moment, that are in the book but not the show. Also, there is nothing of present-day Charlotte and Lady Danbury in the novel. Violet Bridgerton is not even mentioned). However, it is a really fun read. The kind of book you can enjoy for the strong emotions and characters that suck you right into their world. I must admit to being a little mystified as to why Charlotte got her own show, but after reading the story, I get it. She’s a woman of colour, clearly intelligent and ready to speak her own opinions and really, the only time she could do that is as Queen. She’s very strong, particularly when faced with adversity, and it shows on the page.

I wish there had been more grandeur and social interaction (mainly because of how good it would look on screen), but the smaller cast and more intimate scenes just make the love story between Charlotte and George more intense. A fun read, and I’ve still got some of the TV series to enjoy.

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