This is the third collection of Laurie Notaro books that I've read - I'm a fan. I like self-deprecating humor and confessions of adult stupidity. There's not nearly enough of that in everyday life. Like all collections of essays, there are some that are stronger than others but that's to be expected. This is not a book with an overarching theme or lesson learned. You will not be moved to the point of tears when Laurie learns something new about herself - you will just laugh out loud and annoy your family by reading sections out loud.

I got about halfway through this book before giving up. There was nothing wrong with it, it just wasn't for me. It reads like a blog, each chapter being a new post. And I read enough blogs online to want something different in a book.

Holy crap I loved this book. I laughed out loud on the bus during my commute more times than I can count. I'm sure my fellow passengers thought I was crazy. Notaro isn't afraid to say what everyone else is thinking & rarely says. Can't wait to read more of her books.

I wanted to like this book, but I just couldn't get into it. Had I realized it was a collection of columns rather than a progression, I may have enjoyed reading it more in its original format with monthly pauses in between magazine clips. Unfortunately, linking the columns together into a book just left me de-sensitized to Notario's inflated prose. When everything is a big deal, and every line is forced to be funny, the writing falls flat with me. I like a foundation, a build-up, a crescendo, and a dessert. A book should be a good mental meal for me, not a microwaved soup I'm chugging in the car. Notario's frantic style was unsavory to me. I put it down after page 65 and decided to leave it be.

Though Notaro writes with a hilarious, amusing tone - I didn't find this book great. Yes, it kept me entertained but I found it hard to read more than two or three chapters at a time. I surely wasn't bored, but I can't imagine that I'll remember the tales from this book long after reading it. My two favorite chapters were probably "The Sims" and "Babyless." Some of the stories were hard to believe, and I actually pity Notaro if that is the life she has to live!
Despite the critism, the book was pretty good. Not the best, but good.

Some of the stories in this book are so funny I couldn't help but laugh out loud (my favorite was about the author playing the Sims with her husband) and at some points she her self-depricating humor just became redundant and boring. I'd recommend skipping around the stories. It was nice to have a book I could pick up and put down for weeks at a time and not need to following a continuous story.

If you like rambling tangents, this is the book for you. I felt like I was stuck at a dinner party next to one of those loud talkers who thinks her stories are infinitely more interesting than they really are.

Started off pretty funny, ended sour. This felt like a book written to specifically piss off ex-coworkers. "Hey, look at me, I'm on the NYT best seller list! Bet you wish you didn't fire me!"

She's got a pretty negative/cruel attitude that is hard to relate to.
I wish she would write about people she likes rather than people she hates.

A collection of autobiographical essays from one of the funnier writers I've come across. Though in places too acerbic to be truly uproarious, once you get into Notaro's groove her rants and tangents range are pretty darn funny. There were times I laughed aloud - no mean feat, considering I was reading this on an exercise bike. Her descriptions of the tampon flying out of her purse, the spontaneously exploding pants, and her attempts to "love everybody" while at CostCo on a weekend were particularly memorable. A short book, but good for a quick laugh.

This is a collection of short-essays on life as a thirty-something humor columnist -- autobiographical. The style is reminiscent of David Sedaris -- wittyy commentary on relationships, work and a good dose of making fun of herself. This book was published in 2004, and perhaps some of the essays were written earlier. Because she references pop culture so much (ie. remember the swing dancing gap ad for khakis?), the book feels a little bit dated. Though at times this was laugh out loud funny, overall, Laurie is a bit too cynical for my tastes.

Laurie has now gotten married I think I need to go back and find Autobiography of a Fat Bride: True Tales of a Pretend Adulthood I’m guessing this is the one I missed but I will definitely rectify that!

I loved the chapter about her mother’s trip to Italy that one made me laugh so hard! This book is fun because Laurie is married now but is still not interested in having kids and the chapters that deal with that are very funny! The Disneyland chapter will give you a good guffaw! And the trip to Mexico was too funny, her poor husband!

Laurie’s books are so fun and I highly recommend them to anyone with sense of humor!

4 Stars

I am almost finished with this book and although I find Laurie Notaro hilariously funny at times, I've decided that she does best when she relates her stories in a "short & sweet" way. Those are the ones I tend to like the best --- some of the others are just too long and too involved. They become almost irritating and I wish she would stick to relating only one funny incident at a time. I don't think I will try any of her other work. Her first book was definitely her best, in my opinion.