Laurie Notaro was billed to me as the new, female David Sedaris, or Augusten Burroughs (sp?) because of her autobiographical vignettes and smart wit. Some parts of this books (which I think was her first) made me laugh out loud, but lots of parts just made me cringe. I hope she has dealt with her drinking issues in ways besides just writing about them! Not necessary to read cover-to-cover, although some stories build on previous info.

For a book that is supposed to be funny, it wasn't funny at all. Couldn't read past page 30. I guess, it just not my cup of tea...

Ha! This book reminded me a lot of my college days, er..late 20s, early 30s...Shit, who am I kidding, there are still parts of current life that I can relate! Quick, funny read based off of her real life newspaper column.

I bought this book at a used book store for something light and silly to read between serious works of fiction. , but this book was just too dumb for me, I got over laughing about drinking stories in ninth grade. It is hard for me to believe that she has published 11 books..

This book is seriously LOL funny! SO very refreshing. The fact that each chapter/essay is short was great in allowing me to read bits and pieces throughout the day.

I could totally relate to her when she writes about Martha Stewart, I feel the exact same way. And I actually laughed so hard I snorted when I read the Taco Bell chapter.

If you want something easy, funny and light to read, this is your book. I so badly want to be her best friend and I will definitely be reading her other books!

pretty funny stuff. short stories a la sedaris/burroughs style.

This book was disappointing for some reason, although it should have occurred to me that a book filled with essays about drunken escapades doesn't make for the best reading; one is advised, rather, to participate in drunken escapades of their own. Mostly I can't believe that this is a book. I mean, really? If I wrote stories about all the times I got drunk and dragged grocery carts up to rooftops and hurled them off, or got drunk and shot bottle rockets at crack dealers, or got drunk and peed my name on a wall but ran out of "spray paint" at R-O-B, then broke down and started sobbing hysterically at the injustice of it all, would you really want to read that book? I mean, really? Is this what it takes to get published these days?

But hey, at least my escapades were funny. Laurie Notaro? Amateur, that's what.

This is a fun, light read. It's one of those books that makes you feel better about your life because, "Hey, at least I'm not as gross as she is!"

I really wanted to love this book. It had so much promise at the beginning! It wasn't really BAD, mind you. It was okay. It was meh. (This is why I gave it two stars instead of one.) As a collection of essays, you know that there really isn't going to be much in the way of cohesiveness to it and I understood that going into it. Also, there was the idea that this was set up from newspaper columns that the author wrote. That's fine as well. I understand that.

Still, there was something about her tone throughout most of the book that grated on my nerves at times. She seemed like the lazy, whiny relative that just WON'T GO AWAY. There were times that I laughed, for sure. Other times, I was just thinking, "Oh. My. Gosh! THIS is why your life is like that! Quit whining and DO SOMETHING ABOUT IT!!" I honestly felt like I was reading something by any number of annoying relatives that you hope never find out your address, phone number, Facebook name...just...stay over there, please? I promise I won't call the cops if you do.

As much as parts of this book annoyed me, that still won't stop me from checking out her other books. I mean, there are times when it takes a book or two to get used to the way someone writes. Maybe it's a first novel and they haven't quite grown into themselves as a writer yet. I just don't know. So, I'll take a look at some of her other stuff and keep my fingers crossed that she makes her writing seem less "GeeeeeeeeeeezMOM!" and more "Ha! This is what happened to me and I learned to laugh at myself later!"

This book had me laughing so hard, I actually woke up my roommate thinking I was sobbing! The author does a great job of telling a hysterical story about life on the edge of counter-culture- joking about the substance-abuse problems of close friends, hiding cigarettes from the trainers at the gym and loser pot-head ex-boyfriends. She also has a way of making real-life situations (getting a flat tire on the highway, stretching out too-tight jeans) seem humorous. While it may not be for everyone, I love her writing/story-telling style.

This is the second memoir by Laurie Notaro that I have listened to., THe first she did herself and I was pleasantly amused. This one has someone else doing the narration. Hillary is dry and boring! That si the LAST thing I want in what is suppose to make me laugh! Also this one seems even more over the top from her last book. Combine this together, along with her other books and it is WAY too unbelievable. I get you make the situations funnier and bigger than the really are but I am starting to question what is remotely real for Laurie. Now some stories did pull a grin or two. And I could even sort of relate to a few moments. But overall, this fell flat for me. And Hillary's voice did nothing for helping me stay awake like I had hoped when I choose this audiobook!

I normally don't read nonfiction books, but after reading Apron Anxiety by Alyssa Shelasky (a food blogger) over the summer, I've been dying to pick up another nonfiction book with that same kind of fun, witty voice. I saw the cover of this one at the library and just new this was the perfect book to satisfy that need!

I have no idea who Laurie Notaro is, but her bio says that she's a columnist who has written quite a few books filled with her essays. This one was definitely an awesome place to start when it comes to Laurie's books. She has had such an interesting life, so I had a blast hearing about the bizarre things that have happened to her. While I was reading this, I just couldn't believe how boring my life seemed compared to hers. I guess that's why she's written so many books and I haven't!

It doesn't even seem like Laurie has set out to make her life interesting; cool things just fall into her lap. Whether it's two little girls dressed in tutus showing up on her doorstep to clip her hedges or analyzing the different types of public restroom users, something unique seems to always be going on in her life. The only part that bothered me, though, is all of the smoking. I get that smoking was a huge part of her life, but I cannot stand smokers, so it grossed me out every single time she mentioned smoking so much. I know this really shouldn't bother me, but that's a pet peeve I can't seem to get over. I think to any other reader, they'd really enjoy Laurie's stories and what witty commentary she has to share about everyday life.

Overall, all of the stories in this book were funny and fresh, just what a girl needs to read when she's feeling a little down in life. No matter how much you think you're life sucks, there's always an upside or a way to make life seem like an adventure. This was a pretty quick read and I'm really excited to see what else Laurie has to share in her other books!