Image Credit: Todd Williamson/WireImage.comThe Office fans have further reason to smile today. In addition to being a few hours away from the new episode “Secretary’s Day,” Random House’s Crown imprint has announced plans to release a book by Mindy Kaling in fall 2011. Kaling plays the boy crazy yet lovable Kelly Kapoor, who often steals scenes with her ridiculously inappropriate office behavior (lying about being pregnant, performing as a member of the diva duo “Subtle Sexuality”). She is also co-executive producer of The Office and has written 18 episodes of the show over the course of its six seasons.
Titled The Contents of My Purse, Kaling’s collection of comic essays will detail moments from a woman’s life, including everything from relationships to fashion. Crown describes Kaling’s collection as a mix between Kaling’s own blog Things I Bought That I Love and Nora Ephron’s popular Broadway play Love, Loss, and What I Wore. (Kaling appears to be a fan of Ephron’s, signing her blog posts “Mindy Ephron” and listing the writer-director’s You’ve Got Mail as her favorite film). Kaling took to her Twitter account earlier today to describe the book in her own words: “My book will be essays and personal anecdotes, pictures, fashion, and general opinionated bossiness about how women should live” and “My book will be about being over 30 and settling. ‘Find the Right in Mr. Wrong.’”
With a deal to write and star in a new NBC comedy, as well as being in the process of writing her first feature-length film, The Low Self-Esteem of Lizzie Gillespie, Kaling is poised to become a new version of Ephron for the ’10s. Her rabid fan base (which includes over 1 million Twitter followers) revels in her quirky thoughts and silly comments, as well as smart criticism on the portrayal of women in film and television (“NO MORE TYPE A PERSONALITY WOMEN IN ROMANTIC COMEDIES WHO HAVE TO LEARN TO PUT THEIR CAREER ASIDE TO FIND TRUE LOVE”).
The success of female comedic authors like Chelsea Handler, and the popularity of The Office and Kaling herself, leads me to believe that The Contents of My Purse will be a surefire hit, or at the very least an enjoyable read. I’m already planning on pre-ordering. What do you think, Shelf Lifers? Interested in reading Kaling’s book? Or are you holding out for Dwight Schrute’s Memoirs from a Beet Farm?
Good for her. I didn’t know that she was a writer too.
I loved reading her blog and twitterings. I’m so looking forward to buying and reading her book! Love her!!!
Mindy Kaling is great, I can’t wait to read her book and see the movie she’s writing. I want to see her star in a movie!
I agree with the above junior assistants at Mindy’s publicist’s office: she’s great!
Mose will write a tell-all about the underbelly of Schrute Farms.
Some of the funniest Offices are ones she’s written. I will be buying the book when it comes out.
Mindy Kaling is amazing. I will absolutely be buying her book and watching anything she does.
She is so great! I will be buying this as soon as its available.
I love her. We met her once at a UCB show and she was beyond nice! This on top of the fact that she’s amazing in The Office/at writing episodes means I am definitely buying this.
Mindy Kaling is my idol. She can do no wrong in my book and now she’s got her own book. I’m so excited!!!
I’m so reading this book. But Mindy’s going to be in a new NBC comedy? Does this mean she’s leaving The Office? I will die without Kelly Kapoor.
Is there any way to obscure the fact that I wrote all but one of the above posts?
Is my name spelled correctly now?
Rich: Nice work. We’ve got to keep her name in the news somehow. Angela Bromstad’s all but writing off her deal; maybe a book’s our best hope.
I’m definitely gonna buy the book. And i’m glad to see smart female comedians getting work. Tina Fey, Amy Poehler and Mindy Kaling.