Review: We Should Hang Out Sometime

WE SHOULD HANG OUT SOMETIME
Josh Sundquist
Non-Fiction/Humor
336 pages
Little, Brown BFYR
Available Now
Source: BEA

THE STORY (from Goodreads)
Josh Sundquist only ever had one girlfriend.
For twenty-three hours.
In eighth grade.

Why was Josh still single? To find out, he tracked down the girls he had tried to date and asked them straight up: What went wrong?

The results of Josh's semiscientific, wholly hilarious investigation are captured here. From a disastrous Putt-Putt date involving a backward prosthetic foot, to his introduction to CFD (Close Fast Dancing), to a misguided "grand gesture" at a Miss America pageant, this story is about looking for love--or at least a girlfriend--in all the wrong places.

MY THOUGHTS
We Should Hang Out Sometime is a fun foray into the dating history of Josh Sundquist, a man who lost his leg to cancer at the age of nine and has since gone on to be a paralympic ski racer, motivational speaker and more. The setup of this book is analytical in nature, an experiment Josh sets up wherein he methodically reviews his encounters with girls from his young teens through early twenties in order to better understand why he's never had a girlfriend. His recounting of these interactions is charmingly self-deprecating, and his writing style is so beautifully smooth and flowing that we suddenly find ourselves two hundred pages in before we even realize we’ve read a chapter.

In addition to the endearing conversational-style quality to his writing, Mr. Sundquist excels at bringing choice moments to vivid life, perfectly capturing they type of social ineptitude we’ve all experienced time and again as we’ve attempted to navigate the emotionally treacherous labyrinth that is interacting with the object of our affection. His younger self obsesses over every small gesture or word spoken by the girl he’s interested in, constantly questioning the meaning behind them and then running through every possible response to those various meanings in his head before deciding to move forward with one. His fear of rejection with the young women detailed in the book is palpable and more than understandable, memories of our own experiences causing us to stress on his behalf and then smile in knowing sympathy when his courage fails him and he puts self-preservation ahead of open communication.

We Should Hang Out Sometime is perfect for those looking for a little something different, something that will make them laugh and relate completely to a young man in search of acceptance from others when the acceptance he really needs is from himself. Josh’s story imparts a beautiful message when our time wandering through his embarrassingly cute and sometimes-sour experiences comes to an end, leaving us with a strong desire to see where his motivational speaking career will take him next so we can enjoy what he has to say in person.

Rating: 4/5

Find Josh:

Website • Facebook • Twitter • Goodreads • Amazon

This book was given to me by the publisher at BEA free of charge for the purpose of a review. 

I received no other compensation and the above is my honest opinion.

Pam Reviews: The Art of Neil Gaiman

I'm super excited today to welcome my mom back to the blog to review a very different type of book than is usually featured here. Yay for stepping out of comfort zones! My mom is an extraordinarily talented illustrator, so when a review request came through for a book featuring the artwork of Neil Gaiman, I jumped on it and asked if she'd like the chance to share her thoughts on it from a fellow artist's perspective. This book is more textbook in nature, so she focused on just one chapter in particular. Welcome back to Supernatural Snark, Mom!

THE ART OF NEIL GAIMAN:
The Visual Story of One of the World's Most Vital Creative Forces
Hayley Campbell
Non-Fiction
320 pages
ILEX
Available Now
Source: Received finished copy from publisher for review

THE BOOK (from Amazon)

With unprecedented access to Neil Gaiman’s personal archives, author Hayley Campbell gives an insider’s glimpse into the artistic inspirations and musings of one of the world’s most visionary writers.

Over the last twenty-five years, Neil Gaiman has mapped out a territory in the popular imagination that is uniquely his own. A master of several genres, including, but not limited to, bestselling novels, children’s books, groundbreaking comics, and graphic novels, it’s no wonder Gaiman has been called a rock star of the literary world. Now, for the first time, Gaiman reveals the inspiration behind his signature artistic motifs, giving author Hayley Campbell a rare, in-depth look at the contents of his personal notebooks and early work, even some of his abandoned projects. The result is a startling, intimate glimpse into the life and mind of one of the world’s most creative visionaries. The book is the first comprehensive, full-color examination of Gaiman’s work to date, tracing the genesis of his creative life as a starving journalist in the UK to his life as a successful comic book writer and, ultimately, a bestselling novelist.

Complete with running commentary, interview text, and annotated material that contextualizes the visual material, this deluxe compendium contains never-before-seen material and promises to be every bit as inspired as Gaiman is himself.

PAM'S THOUGHTS
The Art of Neil Gaiman is a remarkably in-depth biography that covers many aspects of his lengthy career, but where it truly comes to life is in the showcasing of all his incredible works to date. One cannot help but marvel at his creative genius, applied across several media such as novels, picture books, comics, radio plays, TV stories, theater, movies and more. The sheer number and diversity of his works is mind-boggling. Throughout all seven chapters, readers will discover an intensely detailed presentation of each of his works, complete with some of his handwritten notes and sketches as well as photographs, anecdotes and commentary from his numerous collaborators. I loved that he not only shares amazing insights into his work, but also into himself, the truest art in The Art of Neil Gaiman.

I was asked to focus on a particular chapter of Gaiman's book, and I chose one that highlighted some of his short stories and poetry, but most interestingly for me, his picture books such as Coraline and Fortunately, The Milk which were my first exposures to Gaiman's work. Gaiman openly reveals his personal perspectives, feelings and memories, giving us a peek into the inspiration behind the creation of each fantasy work so that readers can fully appreciate the scope and depth of his imagination. His picture books reflect his knowledge of children, their nature and essence, and what exactly it is to be a child. This review, encompassing a very small segment of one chapter, doesn't begin to scratch the surface of this phenomenal collection of works, so I encourage you to discover all its wonder for yourselves!

The Art of Neil Gaiman is an impressive and informative book that will surely amaze any reader. I did feel at times that the visual presentation of each full color page was slightly distracting with so many competing elements (including the text hugging the centerfold), but that small drawback did nothing to dim the brilliance of Neil Gaiman and his storytelling genius. This book is outstanding.

Rating: 5/5

Find Neil:

Website • Facebook • Twitter • Goodreads • Amazon

This book was sent to me by the publisher free of charge for the purpose of a review. 

I received no other compensation and the above is my honest opinion.