Monday, September 24, 2012

Let's Pretend This Never Happened: A Mostly True MemoirLet's Pretend This Never Happened: A Mostly True Memoir by Jenny Lawson
My rating: 4 of 5 stars

I want everyone I know to read this book.

Frequently, I found myself laughing out loud while reading, "Let's Pretend This Never Happened", sometimes waking my boyfriend in the middle of the night. Then I would have to explain to him that I couldn't get the image of an OCD, JAMS-wearing, raccoon named Rambo, frantically trying to wash a bar of soap in the bathroom sink until his little raccoon fingers turn pruney. This is the sort conversation you will have with others while reading this book.

Aside from the rollicking hilarity that fills the pages of Lawson's memoir, she also writes candidly about her anxiety disorder and her struggle living with RA. Lawson writes intimately about her inner monologue and how it frequently becomes her outer monologue, about becoming a mother, and about her relationship with her husband, Victor.

Lawson's memoir is a quick read, but it is generous with humor and honesty. By the end of the book you'll feel like you've become friends with Jenny, and if you follow her on Twitter and her blog, you really are.


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Thursday, September 20, 2012

The Devil in the White City: Murder, Magic, and Madness at the Fair That Changed AmericaThe Devil in the White City: Murder, Magic, and Madness at the Fair That Changed America by Erik Larson


My rating: 4 of 5 stars


I really enjoyed this book. It has a little bit of everything: history, murder, ambition, art, spectacle, and much, much more. It was well-paced and never dwelt on any one topic for too long before bringing the reader back to a new, interesting event or person. It is full of fun and wonderful details and personalities. It brings the struggle and glory of the Chicago World's Fair to life, and made me wish I could have seen it myself.

Seriously, put it on your "to read" list. You won't be sorry.




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