Megan and I ventured out this breezy Thursday night to see Jennifer Weiner read from her long-awaited sequel to Good in Bed: Certain Girls.
I've seen Jennifer Weiner speak several times - I've been a fan of her and her work for years (who hasn't?)...
What I love is that even with 9 million copies of her books floating around the world - and that's not an exaggeration, by the way, 9 million actual copies, not hyperbole - she's just this amazing person who still remembers your name, tells stories about Rock of Love and agrees to take lame pictures with you: Exhibit A.
(I don't know why we're hovering over the poor woman like that)
We also met up with the ridiculously cool and talented Julie Buxbaum who was there as well. So, of course we had to rope her into a picture. We lured her in with a Dennis Lehane story...as you do.
It was one of those nights - perfect Santa Monica weather and a great crowd.
So we thought we'd spread the wealth.
We got an extra signed Certain Girls! Who wants it?
How about you leave your favorite Jennifer Weiner book in the comments, we'll throw your names into a hat (Fedora, perchance?) and pick a lucky winner!!!
28 comments:
Ooh, fun!!!! I need to get back to LA! Look at all the fun you're having with me! :-) Please tell me we can do lots of fun stuff this summer too!!!! (Am I over-using exclamation points? I think I am. Too much coffee this morning.)
Yay Jennifer Weiner! That was the best reading I've ever been to, and I definitely include my own in that.
Don't worry, Kristin, the fun never stops out here! And I firmly believe there can never be too many exclamation points!!!
!!!!!!
Haha! I love it. I continue to caffeinate myself. I continue to write. And now the chapter I'm currently working on is filled with people talking to each other WAY too excitedly. Must scale back on both the caffeine and the punctuation. Grr...
Seriously, that book reading sounds fantastic! Wish I could have been there! Megan, I'm curious what made it the best reading you've ever been to. The audience reaction? The passage she chose to read? Her reading style? Did she talk about the book a little?
You're so lucky to go to a Jennifer Weiner reading! One of my favorite books is Good in Bed and I was excited to find out that she wrote a sequel to it.
Here's why it was so great:
Jennifer Weiner is arguable THE biggest chick lit/women's fiction (whatever) writer there is, certainly in the American market. She is famous. The movie made of her book was in theaters, not on cable. She is The Shit.
So she really didn't have to be nice, and self-effacing, and walk in the room sans entourage and then change her shoes from comfy ones to cute ones that hurt. She didn't have to tell funny stories about her life, inviting everyone to feel as if she was our friend.
That was the real genius-- I felt like we were buddies, me and this famous freaking writer. Not only that, but I was buddies with everyone else in the room. She achieved this brilliantly, by her demeanor and her willingness to answer any question and what seemed like obvious enjoyment-- she looked like she was having fun, like she was thrilled to be there.
She's a class act.
And I'll point out that this is the exact thing she achieves with her book. She's awesome. Quite an inspiration.
Best. Reading. Ever.
ME ME ME! I want it!
Is it gone? Am I too late? Whaaaaaa!
My heart pumps Big Love for Jennifer Weiner. Listening to Good in Bed again on iPod right now.
Happy Friday girls!
Crap....I didn't read the rules before I commented! I got trigger happy.
My fav Jennifer Weiner book has probably got to be Good in Bed. I read it back in 2001 (I think....) and I've read it/listened to it over and over.
It single handedly launched my love for chick lit.
Wow, Megan, awesome answer! Thanks! Now I REALLY wish I had been there!!!!!!
I have to vote for Good In Bed. Such a great book. I have a certain group of books that are my "comfort reads" when I'm feeling down and this is definitely one of them. It gives me the warm and fuzzies every time.
Okay, I have to de-lurk here...
Good in Bed is pure genius. I bought a copy for several friends for Christmas immediately after reading it. It's still high on my list of faves, overall. It's so great to hear she's just also just a nice human being.
Incidentally (and I swear this is not any sort of sucking up), Conversations with the Fat Girl (which I fortunately stumbled across and read the week before Seeing Me Naked was released-- instant gratification!) is on that same list.
Jazz Bird!
I'm impressed because your icon moves!! HOW DID YOU DO THAT?!?!
And you can rest assured, that unlike Jennifer, I'm a complete douchebag.
(how's that for not being able to take a lovely compliment?!?!? Thank you so much...thank you for the compliment and for de-lurking!)
i too will de-lurk!
i just reread good in bed last week (in anticipation of certain girls!) and found it more awesome than the first go round, but i still get stuck on the ending... not the very ending the hospital part. and in her shoes, while i love toni collett, was better in book form. but my fave is "the guy not taken" LOVE. LOVE. LOVE. (suck up time: also LOVE LOVE LOVE "conversations with the fat girl")
SK!!!
Welcome! Thank you for de-lurking (and the compliment...)
ONLY THE FEDORA WILL TELL WHO SHALL WIN!!!!
Guy Not Taken...so good.
I've gotta vote for Good in Bed, too. It seriously made me fall in love with reading in a completely new way, and inspired me to want to write books myself. It also got me so obsessed that I would read Jen's blog DAILY (she was one of the first and greatest bloggers, as far as I'm concerned). I even emailed her several times, and she wrote back! I felt so special every time I got my own, personal email back from her. She seriously is the coolest. :) XO
Liza--
No worries, I totally understand the compliment thing ;) You still rock. I'm really hoping there's more in the works.
I really wish I could take credit for the record icon, but it's not my work.
It's an animated gif file, though (vs. a jpg or regular gif). You can have several images and save them as animation. It's pretty cool. (And I feel like a giant dork for knowing any of this.)
Count me in as de-lurking for Jennifer Weiner, though I hate that we have to choose a favorite. I would also have to go with Good in Bed because it really changed my perspective on the books I read. I found the ending to that book so satisfactory because it was happy, but it wasn't neat and tidy. It was realistic, in a fictional way. Now, all of the books I treasure and re-read have these endings (including most of the ladies on this blog!). Sigh. Thanks, Megan and Liza, for this opportunity! I only know 1 other person who reads Ms. Weiner's books, so I'm enjoying all the love!
My favorite was Good In Bed.
Here's a funny story ... I lent my friend that book. One day she was reading it at her son's pediatrician's office and another mother hissed at her "do you think that's an appropriate book to be reading here?" LOL! I can't wait to lend her Seeing Me Naked!!
One of my ultimate favorite Jennifer Weiner books is "In Her Shoes" for sure. Love the complicated relationship between the sisters. Very well done!
Would love to get my hands on her newest book! :-)
Don't know If I'm too late, but I'm crazy for GOOD IN BED. CRAZY!
I so want in on this give away-I worship Jennifer Weiner! It's so hard to pick just one. I would have to say In Her Shoes is my favorite (so far). Liza and Megan-I'm charmed by you being such fan girls when you're both great writers yourselves!
I'm still a huge fan of In Her Shoes. Love the sister dynamic so much.
Oh, it sounds like you had a ball, and to meet Jennifer Weiner is very cool. My favorite of her books is Good in Bed. How wonderful there is a sequel. Yay!
I have to say Good in Bed and Certain Girls rank as my favorites of 'em all, even though I HEART everything Jen writes.
BTW, sooo cool that you're with Jen and Julie, who I have gotten to know both of them!
Also, Liza Palmer, I totally name-dropped you when I met with Michele Biedelspach at a conference the other day because I sorta know Celia Johnson (eds at 5Spot, but you probably already knew that! But I TOTALLY NAME DROPPED YOU AND YOUR FIRST BOOK, AND HEY, YOU DON'T EVEN KNOW ME! I'm such a book whore!!!
So, in continuing with the book whore theme, don't enter me in this contest, but if any of you would like to enter into an Emily Giffin Love the One You're With contest, pop on over to my Manic Mommy blog and enter to win her latest! I'll be giving away four signed copies -- contest begins tomorrow!
Thanks!
I have to say Good in Bed and Certain Girls rank as my favorites of 'em all, even though I HEART everything Jen writes.
BTW, sooo cool that you're with Jen and Julie, who I have gotten to know both of them!
Also, Liza Palmer, I totally name-dropped you when I met with Michele Biedelspach at a conference the other day because I sorta know Celia Johnson (eds at 5Spot, but you probably already knew that! But I TOTALLY NAME DROPPED YOU AND YOUR FIRST BOOK, AND HEY, YOU DON'T EVEN KNOW ME! I'm such a book whore!!!
So, in continuing with the book whore theme, don't enter me in this contest, but if any of you would like to enter into an Emily Giffin Love the One You're With contest, pop on over to my Manic Mommy blog and enter to win her latest! I'll be giving away four signed copies -- contest begins tomorrow!
Thanks!
I can't believe Jennifer Weiner was in L.A. and I missed it! She was fabulous at Vroman's a few years back.
"Good in Bed" ranks in my top 5 favorite books of all time. I was reading it the week before my wedding, carrying it every where with me, and my Grandma thought I was studying up for the wedding night! She kept trying to discretely cover it up when we were out together, setting her sweater just so, so it would cover up the title.
My favorite Jennifer Weiner book is "Good in Bed." I loved the story arch, and it was heart wrenching turn with Cannie's baby. Please enter me in the drawing if it's still going on.
Warm regards,
Michelle Lauren
You guys are all so lovely in that last photo!!! Quite the assemblage of talent. :)
I love what you said about JW, Megan--you summed her up perfectly!
(Good in Bed is my favorite, but I find something to love in all her books!)
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