Hyperbole and a Half: Unfortunate Situations, Flawed Coping Mechanisms, Mayhem, and Other Things That Happened Hyperbole and a Half by Allie Brosh is not like any other book. I guess it is a memoir of sorts, but that really doesn’t tell you much. The quality of the book itself is worth the price of admission.…
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6 Questions to Ask Before Hiring a Ghost Writer People hire ghost writers for many reasons. Almost everyone has a story to tell. Whether it is a personal journey, a flight of fantasy, an inspirational tale, or business information, we all have something that other people will want to hear. Unfortunately, not all of us…
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When I was but a wee babe, the Partridge Family was a hit show. I loved it for many reasons, not the least of which was the existence of “Lori Partridge,” who justified my name as a cool-girl name. I still hold a grudge against the Romper Room lady for never saying she saw “Lori”…
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Furiously Happy: A Funny Book About Horrible Things by Jenny Lawson Furiously Happy made me furiously happy to read it, and just plain furious when it was over, because Jenny Lawson is so ridiculously funny and profound you can’t believe she’s a real person. She starts the book arguing with her mother about whether or…
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I am stupidly excited about going to Dayton, Ohio at the end of this month, even if it has triggered the worst of my social anxiety. I am attending the Erma Bombeck Writer’s Workshop. This is the kind of workshop that sells out in a few hours. I feel fortunate to be attending, though luck…
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It’s Not That I’m Bitter . . .: Or How I Learned to Stop Worrying About Visible Panty Lines and Conquered the World by Dr. Gina Barreca It’s Not that I’m Bitter, by Dr. Gina Barreca, is a somewhat philosophical, somewhat autobiographical, definitely funny book about professional, well-educated women. Dr. Barreca, a professor of English…
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The Last Roadshow by John Czarnota The Last Roadshow, by John Czarnota has a fantasic premise: Joe Knocker (not his real name) goes to the filming of Antiques Roadshow programs. He finds someone with a valuable piece of artwork, and then six months later (so someone at the Roadshow won’t be suspected). His network of…
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I am in desperate need of a haircut. My pin straight hair is too heavy and greasy to have any volume in these dry winter days, and so it clings desperately to my skull and the sides of my face in an effort to make my cheeks look as wide as humanly possible. Sometimes one…
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Queen of Your Own Life: The Grown-Up Woman’s Guide to Claiming Happiness and Getting the Life You Deserve Queen of Your Own Life by Kathy Kinney and Cindy Ratzlaff is not the kind of book I usually read, in that it is a sort of self-help book, full of self-affirming mantras and feel-good platitudes.…
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