*taps microphone* Is this thing on?
Last January I decided not to sign up for CBR12 because I was anticipating the arrival of my son and figured I wouldn’t have a lot of time to devote to reading and reviewing. Between maternity leave and a pandemic related furlough I spent 4 months trying to stay sane when the only person I saw all day, every day didn’t speak English and required me to wipe his butt 10 times a day. I don’t think I read a single book from February 20th through July but I did read a lot of Twitter at 2am and binged watched the entire Netflix.
I still don’t have a lot of time to read (mostly because I discovered Tik Tok?) but I missed having a goal to strive for especially now that my free time is so minimal and of course I have always loved the community and their recommendations. I am working from home now and a big portion of previous years’ book reading was done through audiobooks on my 30 minute (one way) commute so I am dipping my toe back into CBR with a smaller than before goal of 52 books. And 52 reviews…. Which are always the hardest part!
“Catching greenlights is about skill: intent, context, consideration, endurance, anticipation, resilience, speed, and discipline. We can catch more greenlights by simply identifying where the red lights are in our life, and then change course to hit fewer of them.”
First up we have Matthew McConaughey’s Greenlights which was exactly what you’re expecting from a book written by Matthew McConaughey. He had this weird connecting aspect to the all the essays of saying “green lights” at the end to show how even when he was facing obstacles he could see how life was giving him the “green light” to keep pursuing his dreams? I kind of got a self-help vibe every now and then but over all this is a pretty standard memoir. He opens with his childhood in Texas and his college years as a Longhorn in Austin as well as his foray into acting. He talks about his family growing up as well as the family he has built with his Brazilian wife, Camilla, without revealing too much because this is just a 300 page book written during a pandemic when there aren’t a lot of movie roles.
“Me? I haven’t made all A’s in the art of living. But I give a damn. And I’ll take an experienced C over an ignorant A any day.”
Anyway, he studied film in school (despite planning to be a lawyer his whole life) and his first role, as Wooderson in Dazed & Confused, was while he was still a student. I think the most interesting part of the memoir was how he planned the McConaissance! He intentionally took a break from rom-coms, even though he admits they were light and breezy to film plus paid extremely well, in the hopes that he could get back to more meaningful work. He turned down a few roles and didn’t work for a couple years so he could fly under the radar. After his brief hiatus he became an interesting hire again and was cast in Lincoln Lawyer. Also! He takes credit for the term McConaissance~ he claims that when talking to a reporter he made up an interview where someone else used the term because he knew he couldn’t say it himself.
3.5 Stars
You’re back!!!!! Yay!!!!!!!!
I appreciate that McConaughey is up front about how he managed his image and career. I might even tolerate him as the governor of Texas if he gets rid of Abbott.