My Fair Lazy ~ Jen Lancaster
The full title is My Fair Lazy: One Reality Television Addict's Attempt to Discover If Not Being A Dumb Ass Is the New Black, or, a Culture-Up Manifesto. Lancaster made the New York Times Bestseller list ten times, before realizing she was pretty dumb, and also kind of an asshole. This book documents her quest to become less dumb, and less of an asshole. It documents several disconnected snippets of her life, really, but it's funny and well-written. I read each of the little placards under the paintings, so I've pieced together a vague understanding of why the Impressionist movement set the art world on its ear, but I'll be honest, I still prefer the older stuff. I love the French and Italian church paintings from the Middle Ages. But I'm also interested to learn more about who was the first to make the leap from religious art to secular. That couldn't have been a small feat. Who was brave enough to say, "You know what? Enough of Jesus. I'mma paint me this here bowl of fruit and then I'mma paint my girlfriend . . . naked!" p. 158