Books about celebrities – Equal Opportunity Reader

[REVIEW] The Idea of You, by Robinne Lee

The Kindle cover of The Idea of You, showing the very pretty kissing couple from the film adaptation, is propped up on a dining table against a woven handbag behind a wide green mug of milky coffee, next to a blue and white chinaware planter.

(You can find this book here.) I wasn’t really planning on reviewing this age-gap, popstar, Amazon Prime-adapted romance but it’s weirdly icky, so let’s discuss. It’s fine that French-American gallery owner Soléne is 20 years older than her 20-year-old lover Hayes. It’s fine that he’s a member of the world’s biggest boy band. It’s fineContinue reading “[REVIEW] The Idea of You, by Robinne Lee”

[Review] Snowglobe, by Soyoung Park, translated by Joungmin Lee Comfort

A Black woman's hand holds up the icy Kindle cover of Snowglobe in front of a laptop background displaying a frozen mountain range.

(Buy this book here.) This was…cute. That’s not really what I was expecting when I cracked open this Korean YA novel that’s been billed, somewhat stereotypically, as The Hunger Games meet Squid Game. Really, it’s more like Snowpiercer meets Mean Girls meets The Parent Trap. Korean teen Chobahm lives in one of many tiny villagesContinue reading “[Review] Snowglobe, by Soyoung Park, translated by Joungmin Lee Comfort”

[REVIEW] I’m Glad My Mom Died, by Jennette McCurdy

A Kindle displaying the weirdly cheerful cover of I'm Glad My Mom Died stands on front of a black, dead TV screen.

Buy this book here. (Content warning: child abuse) I feel like the best thing I can say about this book is that the title is a lie. While child star Jennette McCurdy describes the emotional, physical, sexual and financial abuse her overbearing stage mother perpetrated in painstakingly gory detail here, you never really get aContinue reading “[REVIEW] I’m Glad My Mom Died, by Jennette McCurdy”

[REVIEW] Making A Scene, by Constance Wu

The bright red book cover of Making A Scene by Constance Wu, who is depicted in black silhouette. The background is the interior of a non-descript, grimy subway car during a morning commute. A Black woman(Mel's) hand holds the book.

(Pre-order this book!) I’m not really into celebrity culture and I’m not sure I would have read this if Scribner Books hadn’t kindly sent me an ARC. But I’m SO glad they did. What I thought about Constance Wu before reading this: Um…she was good in Crazy Rich Asians I guess. She was the momContinue reading “[REVIEW] Making A Scene, by Constance Wu”

[REVIEW] The Chiffon Trenches, by Andre Leon Talley

(Buy this book here.) I was a very casual fan of the iconic fashion editor Andre Leon Talley. I remember seeing him on television shows in the 90s and early 2000s and being struck by his grandiosity. I also noticed him because even then I had a laser eye for #ownnormal fam living their biggest and bestContinue reading “[REVIEW] The Chiffon Trenches, by Andre Leon Talley”

[REVIEW] Homey Don’t Play That!: The Story of In Living Color and the Black Comedy Revolution, by David Peisner

Tablet displaying colorful cover for the book Homey Don't Play That. The tablet is lying on a red blanket, surrounded by multicolored balls of yarn.

(Buy it HERE.) I’m often grateful that I came of age during the 90s. While I didn’t have the easiest of childhoods (who did?) there was something magical about the Black cultural renaissance happening in that decade. Hip-hop, neo-soul, comedy, tv shows, literature, films–there was something special happening then and I’m glad it was theContinue reading “[REVIEW] Homey Don’t Play That!: The Story of In Living Color and the Black Comedy Revolution, by David Peisner”

[REVIEW] The Meaning of Mariah Carey, by Mariah Carey

(Buy it HERE.) 🎶⠀This isn’t the best book I’ve read all year, but it’s certainly the most surprising. I was expecting Mariah Carey(the glamorous award-winning diva) to fill a few frivolous pages with brand names, romantic liaisons and shady entertainment gossip with a few childhood anecdotes sprinkled in. What I was not expecting was MariahContinue reading “[REVIEW] The Meaning of Mariah Carey, by Mariah Carey”