One of my favorite sounds in this world is the silence of a library interrupted by the thwack of flip flops against sand-scrubbed heels. This sound means summer reading, something that I have taken from playground days to be my favorite time of the year. A whole three months to read whatever and as much as I want.
When I opened up my iPhone's notepad and started writing out my Summer 2016 booklist, the second bullet read "Mindy's books!" My love for Mindy Kaling came way too late in my life, after years of my friends telling me how much I would love her and me ignoring them. Do you ever just want to hate something because other people tell you you shouldn't? Guilty, but sometimes it is worth it to back down and take other people's advice. So finally one day, I sat down and watched the pilot episode of "The Mindy Project" on Hulu. Watching the pilot turned into me plummeting into an obsession with all things Mindy.
What I don't want to be saying here is that Mindy is "real," but she is. She is unapologetically herself, something I desperately aspire to be. Mindy Kaling is an idol to me, someone I can turn to when I need to feel inspired. Reading her second book "Why Not Me?" was effortless and extremely fun, a lot like watching her show, "The Mindy Project."
It seems like everyone who is a celebrity can write a book, but that doesn't mean they all should. I have tried to read a few, like Amy Poehler's "Yes Please" and found it completely unsatisfying, unlike her awesome movies and TV shows. I got it as an audiobook for a drive up to Cape Cod with a friend last summer, and we turned it off not even halfway through. So, after that traumatizing experience with a celeb-book, I was skeptical with Mindy and really didn't want her book to damage my love for her.
Luckily, that didn't happen and Mindy Kaling's "Why Not Me?" made me fall in love with her even more. She talks about college, being in and out of a sorority, her start in television and what she really wants in her next relationship. She uses her humor throughout the whole book, and I found myself chucking to myself a lot. This was a light, breezy read that I found a lot of joy in reading. What I also found was a confidence boost, and the feeling of companionship as I read it. Mindy is confident, smart and knows exactly what she wants, she is something everyone should try to be.
