Book Review: Talking as Fast as I Can by Lauren Graham

One-sentence summary:

Lauren Graham, star of such gems as Gilmore Girls, Parenthood, and Bad Santa, talks as fast as she can about her acting history in her autobiographical book.

As a die-hard fan of Gilmore Girls, how can I give Talking as Fast as I Can any less than five stars?

Lauren Graham is delightful. She looks at the entirety of her career with humor and a bit of soft-hearted sarcasm.

And she has pretty much the same feeling about season 7 of Gilmore Girls as I do.

One of the best things she talks about is the Kitchen Timer Method of writing she learned from her friend Don Roos. Here’s a summary:

Decide on Monday how long you’ll write on Tuesday, This is your sacred writing appointment which you must keep. No matter what.

Set the kitchen timer for an hour. NO INTERRUPTIONS!! No phones, no texts, no music with words, no kid interruptions, no internet, no reading, no pencil sharpening, NOTHING!

During this time, the only things open on your screen (or notebook, for analog types) should be your journal and your project.

Alternate between writing in the two things during the hour and doing absolutely nothing else. Even if the only thing you write in is your journal. Even if the only thing you write is “I hate writing.” Even if you write nothing at all and stare at your screen.

When the hour is up, stop. If you have another hour scheduled, take a quick break before diving back in. Don’t schedule too many hours in a day or you’ll set yourself up for failure or burnout. Try and do at least a little bit every day.

Graham takes a common-sense approach to most things in life. Exercise and eat well. Put down your phone and look up. Appreciate the moments in life that will be gone without you even realizing they’ve left.

Talking As Fast As I Can is good fun. Do yourself a favor and listen to the audiobook version of this book. Graham’s enthusiasm is infectious in the best of ways. I found myself smiling along with her.

And, yes! I agree that the Netflix season ender is more of a cliff-hanger than definitive ending. You know what that means, right? I expect…nay…DEMAND another trip to Stars Hollow soon.