Book#34: LibraryLove June 22, 2010

A Little Bit Wicked: Life, Love and Faith in Stages by Kristin Chenoweth

Book description~ In this lively, laugh-out-loud book, Kristin shares her journey from Oklahoma beauty queen to Broadway leading lady, reflecting on how faith and family have kept her grounded in the dysfunctional rodeo of showbiz.

When I travel for business, I’m constantly going going going all day 99% of the time. Then there are the few and far between times when I’ll have 20 minutes before the next “thing” when it’s handy to have a casual read nearby. For times like the latter, I pack books that I can easily pick up and put down. I got so much more than I bargained for with singer, actress AND comedienne, Kristin Chenoweth’s memoir. Her book kept my interest but it was so nicely ‘chapterized’ that although it was sequential, it allowed me to read it casually when the time allowed (on the plane, before bed, etc). This book was laugh-out-loud funny, down-to-earth, and sweet like slice of cherry pie.  Chenoweth has an honest and genuine voice throughout the novel; I really commend her. I expected this to be a McMemoir and was pleasantly surprised. What? You’ve never heard the term McMemoir before?? You know, the just-add-ghostwriter and stamp with a glamorshot of the celeb-of-the-month on cover and voila, instant bestseller? We’ll now you’ve heard of it! Luckily for Chenoweth, this was not the case for A Little Bit Wicked. I first saw Chenoweth in her cutesy-yet-multifaceted character, Olive Snook, in the gorgeous albeit short-lived Dramedy, Pushing Daisies. When her show(s) were canceled, in addition to all her Broadway work as Glenda the Good Witch in Wicked, she also did a multi-episode cameo in the hit tv-show Glee. She was SO funny on Glee, I actually wish she would have been cast instead of the current actress cast as the guidance counselor. I digress…

Chenoweth’s memoir is written clearly, with a concise and conversational tone. She opens up her heart, soul, biggest fears, dreams, failures and heartaches to the reader and I absolutely adored her every step of the way. As I’ve got to jet back to another session, I’m keeping this one short and sweet.

Highly recommend you pick up this book for a quick and fun summer beach read.

Before I go, here are a few of my favorite Kristin-isms from the book:

“Sometimes you nail it- sometimes you’re the best- and you still don’t get it. Whatever you do as a performer, you have to do it for the performance. You can’t do anything with the expectation of winning an award. It’s best if you learn that now.”

“Some relationships aren’t meant to be Great Love; they’re meant to be like a hot fudge sundae- enjoyable but not something you can actually live on.”

4.5/5 stars

34 down, 18 to go!

In progress, Bitter is the new Black

Xoxo,

Library♥Love

Book #3: Fabookulous January 26, 2010

A Little Bit Wicked: Life, Love, and Faith in Stages by Kristin Chenoweth

Book description: You might know her as a Tony Award-winning Broadway star, who originated the role of Galinda the Good Witch in the smash musical ‘Wicked’ and won a Tony for 1999’s ‘You’re a Good Man, Charlie Brown’. Or you may recognize her from her starring roles on TV- ‘The West Wing’, ‘Pushing Daisies’, ‘Sesame Street’…oh, and her Huge Hit Sitcom ‘Kristin’ on NBC. (Huge hit. L.A. breast-implant huge. Ask either of the people who watched it.) Or maybe you saw her sexy spread in FHM magazine? Or her appearance on Pat Robertson’s ‘The 700 Club’? Kristin is a wonderful collection of contradictions- but everyone who’s ever met her remembers her as the little girl with the big voice. At four foot eleven, Kristin Chenoweth is an immense talent in a petite but powerful package.
In this lively, laugh-out-loud book, Kristin shares her journey from Oklahoma beauty queen to Broadway leading lady, reflecting on how faith and family have kept her grounded in the dysfunctional rodeo of show biz. The daughter of an engineer and a nurse, Kristin was singing in front of thousands at Baptist conventions by age twelve and winning beauty pageants by age twenty-two. (Well, actually she was second runner-up almost every freaking time. But, hey, she’s not bitter.) On her way to a career as a professional opera singer, she stopped in New York to visit a friend and went on a whim to an audition. Through a combination of talent, hard work, and (she’s quick to add) the grace of God, Kristin took Broadway by storm. But of course, into every storm, the occassional drizzle of disaster must fall.
Filled with wit, wisdom, and backstage insight, A Little Bit Wicked is long on love and short on sleep; it’s essential reading for Kristin’s legions of fans and an uplifting story for anyone seeking motivation to follow his or her dreams- over the rainbow and beyond.

Ok, this book was fantastic! Kristin Chenoweth is hilarious and this book was a laugh out loud read the entire time. Not a full fledged autobiography, this book tells stories of her life and career and how her faith and finding love played into it thus far. She is proud to be from Oklahoma and proud to be a Christian in Hollywood, though not everyone agrees with her views; this is detailed further in the book.
I loved this book, I loved Kristin’s stories, I loved her attitude and positive outlook, I love her friendship with her best friend Denny (who I’d like to meet now), and I recommend this book to anyone looking to get to know a laid back, dedicated, very talented, ambitious woman in Hollywood. She might only stand 4 feet and 11 inches tall but she is a talent powerhouse that has no limits.

5 out of 5 stars.

Closin’ the books on #3…49 to go for me!

Fabookulous