I loved this book. I knew nothing about Laurie Notaro nor had I read anything of hers before. But, I thought it looked funny, so I got it from my library. First, her writing is hilarious! She writes in such a way that I feel as if I'm sitting with her having a conversation over dinner or coffee. The analogies were so funny & creative that I had to highlight & make note of the ones that had me laughing out loud. I marked something in every chapter - literally.

Like I said, I knew nothing of Ms. Notaro before reading this book, but quickly found out how many similarities we have being from an Italian family. I, too, could write a book about the all crazy things my mom has said & done. Some were VERY similar to Laurie's mom - her stories were hilarious & I'm glad she chose to share them with us. There was no disrespect - in fact you can feel the love she has for her mother through her stories.

The love for her grandparents was touching & endearing. Having been so close to mine & cherishing the time I had with them, I was touched by the ones Laurie shared - especially the Nancy Sinatra one. That was fabulous. Frank Sinatra meant a lot to my family too and I'm so glad she ended her book with that story.

Overall, this was a fun & fast read. I'm glad I went out on a limb to read it. Ms. Notaro does not disappoint. I can't wait to read more of her books.

Upon discovering her, I fell deeply and relentlessly in love with Laurie Notaro. Her self-effacing wit and sharp commentary on the ridiculousness of life are wonderful. I found in her someone willing to own up to those moments of foolishness in life--I share with her the nagging feeling that I'm fooling everyone into thinking I'm a Grown-Up Who Can Handle This. Best of all? She makes me laugh so hard I cry.

Hysterical true life tales of a real NY Italian girl who grew up in Phoenix, AZ. Includes crazy mother, sweet Nana, and assortment of lunatic boyfriends, girlfriends that are ride or die and a lifetime of antics that will have you howling!!

I read my first Laurie Notaro book when we lost power for four days due to a tornado. One night, I sat in the dark, wearing a head lamp, reading, laughing, completely unmindful of the fact that we had to flush our toilets with buckets of water.

Two months later, we lost power again for four days. By day three, I knew what I had to do...read another Laurie Notaro book. Her stories sometimes shock me and make me laugh out loud at the same time. I have recommended her books to many of my friends who have a broad tolerance for the foibles of others and need some amusement.

That being said, I liked this book less than her first one, only sightly. There were a couple of stories where I found myself thinking that her life had settled out quite a bit and without things being completely messed up, she had much less to write about. I read all of Jennifer Lancaster's books in order and had this same experience. The more stable and satisfying life had become, the author's need to write was alleviated. I highly appreciate Laurie Notaro's gift for transforming her own misadventure into amusing tales. I recommend that one of her books be included with your disaster-preparedness kit.

While I didn't like this one as much as the first one (heartbreak is always so much funnier than finding love and happiness, don't you think?), it was still a fun, funny, quick read. I love the way her vignettes all mesh together to tell one complete story, but each chapter is also a short story that can stand on its own. It's definitely worth a read.

Sophomore novels rarely surpass that debut novel in quality, but Notaro throws that assumption completely out of her way with this second collection of essays. It’s even more enjoyable than her first book, The Idiot Girls' Action-Adventure Club: True Tales from a Magnificent and Clumsy Life. Be prepared to read it and laugh - some of the essays actually caused tears of laughter to roll down my face. It’s a really fun read. Yes, Sedaris continues to reign as the Master of the Essay, but Notaro’s essays here are so much more enjoyable and a lot less grotesque than those in her first collection. I definitely plan on keeping an eye out for her other books!

Of all the essays in the book, though, “The Craft Toothbrush” particularly stands out. Just thinking of it now STILL makes me laugh. There are many other wonderful essays in the collection, but that one is my personal favorite.

I have read this book at least twice before. I love Laurie Notaro. She is absolutely hilarious and has such a talent for hyperbole, comedic timing, description, and endearing self-effacing humor (as she faces all the things we all do). Because I recently got engaged, I had to reread her autobiographical account of her own courtship, engagement, and foray into married life. It was wonderful and so true. And a refreshing break from the hellscape of bridal magazine advice. Love her. Grade: A+

I can't say that I loved this book, but it was entertaining at times. After the first 20-30 pages, I almost put it down. But I hate to not finish a book, so I stuck with it. It did pick up and was pretty funny at times, but other times it just seemed like rambling and whining. Overall, it was decent but not something I would call up my friends and demand that they read.

Vapid but thinks it's funny. I think. Why do some people think that others will be mightily entertained by their ego? This book screams 'Notice me! Notice me!'. I did and was unimpressed.

This author reminds me a lot of Jennifer Lancaster, but from more of a white trash background instead of a sorority sister. The book reads a lot like a blog, with the individual chapters loosely connected but free to wander over the current and past events in Laurie's life. I liked the The Idiot Girls' Action-Adventure Club quite a bit and this one isn't quite as good, but good enough to keep reading the next installment of Ms. Notaro's life.

Laurie Notaro's funny essays about married life are actually pretty spot on.

I think you either love Laurie Notaro or you hate her. I checked out this book and her "Idiot's Girl Adventure..." book at the same time from the local libraries and read them back-to-back. Looking at the reviews I can see some people really love her style and some people hate her stuff.

I'm in the middle. I have respect. True the books weren't what I expected but they did seem to move in a chronological way through adulthood from getting married to babysitting her nephews to dealing with pets and jobs and drug tests and whatever...

Each chapter ends with a punch line that sometimes feels over the top. But I get it. She's writing humor. She even teaches a class on how to write humor. She wants this stuff to look easy but I'm sure she and her editing team put a lot of work into getting this stuff "just right".

I didn't love it, and I didn't hate it, and I have no desire to write like she does so I won't be signing up for the class.

If you are thinking about reading her books read the reviews first. She's got a new one coming out in March 2016 and I know there are some people who can't wait for them. Me? I might check it out from the library but I'm not going to pre-order it on Amazon or Barnes & Noble.

Oh, and she made me feel old by saying she felt old when she was getting close to 34. Thanks for that Laurie. Really.