Book Review: Year of Yes
Author: Shonda Rhimes (writer of Grey's Anatomy, Private Practice & How to Get Away With Murder)
Medium: Listened on Audible (which I highly recommend. It's read by the author. And I listened on 1.5 speed and got through in a Jif!)
Recommended by (and then lovingly pestered by): Tiffany Peterson...
Thoughts: This is the first book I have actually started and finished in 2 weeks in a long time. I have about 40 half consumed books on my nightstand, in my kindle app and on my audible. But I finished this one. While MY problem is that I should probably say "NO" more, what is magical about this book is the way she tells stories. I think all of my speaker friends should read this book (listening to this book is actually better) so you can see how she craft stories, uses track backs, and invites you in a very, very real way. Also, in full disclosure there is language in this book.
What I liked is that she's real. She's vulnerable and unlike other "Year of" books, she doesn't go in chronological order, she just shares the things she learned. I liked that approach.
Sidenote: This is where we're going to get a little dramatic. Back in the mid 2000's when personal blogging took the world by storm, I was a very late adopter. Busy with the career, then a baby I enjoyed reading other people's but was nervous to do one of my own. I wanted it to be a little different, and so I wouldn't start until I had a good idea. One night in 2008 while lying in bed after watching an episode of Grey's Anatomy, I realized that all the show titles were actually songs. One of the things I loved about the show was the soundtrack. That's when I started blogging. With my first post called "Even The Nights Are Better" and I talked about having my baby boy and that I wouldn't trade sleepless nights for anything. My blog was called "The Best of Times" and I subtitled it "Our Family Soundtrack". Listening to this book and how she loves music and dancing reminded me that Shonda Rhimes got me blogging. So there's a useless bit of trivia for you. Speaking of things my ears can't handle, I stopped watching Grey's about the same time Private Practice started. But I've always appreciated her craft and I keep up by reading show synopsis because Shonda really does "lay track" masterfully on the air and in print.