Audiobook Review: Let’s Pretend This Never Happened

Let’s Pretend This Never Happened
By Jenny Lawson

Jenny Lawson is a bad influence. As I listened to this on my commute, I had the following conversation with my husband.

Me: (I’m in the car on my phone.) Hey, can you grab my purse?

Nick: OK. Where are you?

M: Driving to the eye doctor, but I forgot my wallet.

N: Ugh.

M: I just packed your lunch!

N: Are you coming back?

M: No, you need to bring it to me.

N: Ugh.

M: Oh, also. I don’t know where I’m going.

N: Ugh.

M: Please look it up.

N: (Gives me address.)

M: OK. I’m there. I love you.

::Later::

M: OK. I’m there. Walk in the door facing the hospital.

N: You want me to walk into the hospital?

M: No, the building facing the hospital.

N: In the hospital?

M: OMG! No!

Review

Jenny Lawson, who read this book herself, is incredibly entertaining in short doses. She’s almost a little too much for me to take at once. Don’t let that stop you from listening to this, particularly if you gain energy from other people’s energy.

Rating

Writing 3 out of 5 stars

Storytelling 4 out of 5 stars

Cultural Impact 4 out of 5 stars

Total 3.67 stars

Are you a Bloggess fan or is she too much for you as well?

Book Review: The Onion Presents: Christmas Exposed

Read Part 1 of my Humorous Holiday Season Book Reviews here. 

Well, here we are at the end of my two part series of humorous holiday book reviews, and we’re going out with a bang because part 2 is better than one!

The Onion Presents: Christmas Exposed is a collection of articles, infographics, and the like from the annals of The Onion’s many absurd satirical pieces of work. Because this is a collection of writings and graphics, I can’t review it in a typical way, so I wanted to share some of my favorite parts.

On page 30 and 31, The Onion writers shared some great Winterizing Tips:

Use phrases like “I love you” and “You are special to me” to create warm feelings in the home.

If flying above the Andes Mountains this winter, bring along plenty of extra Paraguayan soccer players.

In Out-of-Control Revelers Deck Shit Out of Area Halls (page 65), fictional Millicent Slopes had me rolling with laughter when she was quoted as saying, “Look at my halls. I can barely squeeze through there. Such was the force and vigor of their decking.”

Overall, this was a funny, quick read. Readers and lovers of The Onion will really enjoy this holiday collection. As always with The Onion, please keep in mind that it’s not real. 😉

Have you read The Onion Presents: Christmas Exposed? Have you read any other funny or good holiday books?

Book Review: Holidays on Ice

Finding holiday books that aren’t too preachy is a hard task. It really is. So in my search for a good holiday book, I decided that I would read humorous books this year. I chose Holidays on Ice by David Sedaris and The Onion Presents: Christmas Exposed.

Holidays on Ice, a collection of new and previously published essays and short stories, is funny, but not nearly Sedaris’ best work. I found myself laughing at Santaland Diaries, which I’d never read before. Dinah the Christmas Whore and 6 to 8 Black Men had me nodding in recognition and laughing all over again. But other than those three, this just wasn’t the greatest collection of his work.

I would imagine that someone as quirky as David would have some better holiday stories to tell. After all, I think the holidays are ripe with humorous opportunities, but this book just doesn’t show that. I will honestly say that I found it disappointing, which is really only because I have such high expectations for Sedaris.

I wouldn’t recommend this book. Instead, I’d recommend Me Talk Pretty One Day or When You Are Engulfed in Flames.

Do you have a favorite humorous book (holiday or other)? Do you have any funny holiday stories?

Book Review: Bossypants

By Tina Fey

To fulfill the humor portion of my 2012 reading challenge, I picked up Tina Fey’s Bossypants. A collection of stories about growing up and growing into her role as boss and the many awkward stages along the way.

I love Tina Fey, and I expected to laugh out loud, cry and possibly pee my pants while reading this. But I didn’t. It was still a really good book, though. Tina has a knack for writing and making herself relatable.

Tina comes off as very human in this book. She bounces from awkward and nervous to empowered in a natural, realistic way. I really hope this is the first of many books from her.

I really enjoyed reading this book, and I highly recommend it to others to read.