This book is totally true, except for the parts that aren’t. It’s basically like Little House on the Prairie but with more cursing. And I know, you’re thinking “But Little House on the Prairie was totally true!” and no, I’m sorry, but it wasn’t. Laura Ingalls was a compulsive liar with no fact-checker, and probably if she was still alive today her mom would be saying “I don’t know how Laura came up with this whole ‘I’m-a-small-girl-on-the-prairie’ story. We lived in New Jersey with her aunt Frieda and our dog, Mary, who was blinded when Laura tried to bleach a lightning bolt on her forehead.
Earlier this month I spent the day at the Book Blogger Conference at BEA, where I listened to Jenny Lawson talk about her blog and her new book Let’s Pretend This Never Happened: (A Mostly True Memoir)
Let’s Pretend this Never Happened (A Mostly True Memoir) is a memoir written in Lawson’s signature random style. From her strange upbringing in rural Texas (her taxidermist father would routinely bring wild animals, like raccoons, into the house to become their “new pets”) to the author’s account of living with an anxiety disorder, Lawson has a gift in making even the most unfunny situations humorous.
If you grew up in the 80’s (like I did) then you’ll love all the pop culture references that Lawson mentions, including Freddie Krueger, Rainbow Brite and Thundercats. I could also appreciate this passage about woman bloggers, which made me giggle.
Women scare me enough, but bloggers can be even more frightening to deal with. Most bloggers are emotionally unstable and are often awkward in social situations, which is why so many of us turned to blogging in the first place. Also, they are always looks for something to write about, so if you f*ck something up it will be blogged, Facebooked, and retweeted until your death.
While this book isn’t for everyone (if you are sensitive to swearing, then back away from this book very slowly) it was the perfect book if your looking to read something that will make you laugh. In the end, reading Let’s Pretend this Never Happened is like sitting on your back deck, drink in your hand and cracking up with your snarky, foul mouthed best friend.
After reading her book, you can really appreciate how hard it must have been for Jenny to stand up in front of all us bloggers and talk to us!! I listened to the audio and laughed myself silly, but also came to appreciate the woman behind The Bloggess. Great review!
(I still can’t believe we were sitting in the same room and missed each other!!!!)
Yes, for someone who has an anxiety disorder I am sure public speaking isn’t high on her “to do” list! Sorry I missed you too!
I got to see Jenny at her first book signing in NYC on publication day, and she was hilarious. She has such wonderfully supportive fans, and it was a great reading and signing. I didn’t know much about her before that, but I gobbled down her book, laughing all the way.
I’m glad you liked her book as much as I did and sorry I didn’t see you at Justin Cronin’s table at BBC (I was one table over but never saw you)
I think I was too starry-eyed and jealous over the fact that he was one table over from me? Did you get an ARC of The Twelve the following day? If you did I’ll die of jealousy!
This is sort of an aside, but I took a presentation class for work and it talked about how difficult public speaking was before, and how difficult it is now in the age of social media. If you don’t wow the audience in the first 5 minutes, most likely, everyone at the conference will know it when the disgruntled participants slam you on Twitter. The flip side to that is true too. If they love you, scores of people show up late to hear what you have to say, after ditching the talk they were just at.
Scary, huh? To think that your presentation is being picked apart while you are talking! And then the idea of going back to READ what they had to say about you. Good lord!
Your absolutely right Ti! Everyone (including myself) had their smart phone out at BBC, Tweeting during the conference (and like you said, if people don’t like what they are hearing it is all over Twitter)!
I didn’t love this book the way most people have. I think maybe I’m too old for it.
I think Kathy you probably need a bit of a snarky sense of humor to enjoy Jenny Lawson’s book. I think you’re just too nice of a gal!
Oh, yes. People were talking about the Bloggess and I was thinking I had no idea who that was, but I have seen this book around. I just never made the connection! And, I think I made it before and then forgot again. It wouldn’t surprise me… Too many people to keep straight.
Sounds like the perfect book for me!