Gmorning, Gnight by Lin-Manuel Miranda

The full title of this book is: Gmorning, Gnight - little pep talks for me & you.  What a cute title!  Love it.  The husband somehow discovered this little gem of a book and promptly checked it out of our local library for us both to read.  I've stopped asking where and how he finds these things - he's a voracious reader of all kinds of websites, newsletters, blogs, and social media - I can't keep all of his sources straight.  But I love it when he finds these awesome things and shares them with me.

I started and finished it in about 30 minutes on May 25th.  It made for an inspirational little read before bed.  This is derived from Lin-Manuel Miranda's twitter feed before the fame from Hamilton, the smash Broadway hit.  He initially wrote them for himself, as the note on the inside book jacket advises, "...Lin-Manuel Miranda as inspiring his Twitter followers with words of encouragement at the beginning and end of each day... But as Miranda's audience grew, these messages took on a life on their own."

I have to say - a few of these might have almost brought a little tear to my eye, and definitely brought a smile to my face, and a general feeling of happiness and encouragement - just as the book advertises.  The illustrations by Jonny Sun are just perfect for each of the greetings.

Here are a few of my favorite:

"Good morning!  Face the day!  If the day looms too large, kick it in the shins so it has to face you!"
"Good night.  Way to face the day.  Now climb into bed with the night and draw the shades"

"Gmorning! *quietly confident in the manifold gifts you possess, both known and unknown to you* Right behind you.  You got this."
"Gnight! *over here marveling at your manifold gifts and just how bright you shine, every day* Trust your gut.  Dream big."

"Good morning, you magnificent slice of perfection.  Yeah you."
"Good night, you generous helping of flawlessness.  I'M LOOKING AT YOU."

"Gmorning.  Crawl before you walk before you run before you fly before you ASCEND TO GREATNESS & get some food in you, maybe a banana.  Vamos!"
"Gnight.  Brush your teeth before you sleep before you dream before you flu before you CHANGE THE WORLD.  And stay hydrated!"

"Gmorning!  I wish you clarity today.  Clarity of thought, clarify of expression, and a direct line between what you feel and what to do about it."
"Gnight!  I wish you clarity tonight.  Clarify of self, clarity of purpose, and a direct line between who you want to be and how to get there."

We live in a world of criticism, critique, ridicule, shaming, etc., etc.  It's so refreshing to read this little book full of positivity, encouragement, uplifting thoughts.  No one is perfect, no one has all the answers.  If we can, even for a second, feel good and positive, and inspired - why the hell not?  Just do it.   Pick up this quick read - and read it.  I'm certain it'll bring a smile to your face and uplift you too. 

ps - I LOVE the things Jameela Jamil (from the TV show "The Good Place" posts on her instagram (here)).  She shuns body shaming, celebrity-endorsed weight-loss products, is a proponent of reproductive rights, good mental health, and body positivity.  Her words have an impact (positive) and make you think, although slightly different in nature from Miranda's, I love that she speaks out for what she feels is right.

The Mister by E L James

I heard about The Mister by E L James, of all places, on the Wendy Williams show...  Disclaimer:  I DO NOT WATCH THIS SHOW.  It was just on one morning and I happened to "see" the first 5 or so minutes of the show and Wendy was talking about it.  Now, I did read (and enjoy) the 50-Shades series of books.  I wasn't currently reading a book.  I was curious about what else she wrote about.  So, I asked the Husband to get this book for me from the library.  He's become quite the library aficionado.  He's my book sherpa.

I started this book on April 28 and finished it on May 13.

Where do I start...  I mostly enjoyed the book.  However - it was basically another 50 Shades retold in England.  There's a rich guy who sleeps around.  There's a meek, shy, not rich girl who is the rich guy's maid.  He becomes infatuated with her.  He starts sleeping with her.  He falls in love with her.  He has to save her from something bad.  And they live happily ever after.

Same plot, different character names.  Judging by a lot of reviews on Amazon, others feel the same.  I was hoping for more.  Disappointing.