Broken (in the best possible way) by Jenny Lawson

Title: Broken (in the best possible way)

Author: Jenny Lawson

Genre: Non-fiction, Humor, Autobiography, Mental Health

In Broken (in the best possible way), Jenny Lawson again writes from a deeply personal place of battling mental illness and physical ailments. She alternates between irreverently hysterical moments and to-the-bone honesty. Generally this is done by chapter, so if you're in the mood for only one of these feelings, you can skip around the book.

She does occasionally talk about body parts in less-than-gentile ways so those with delicate sensibilities may want to steer clear. For those of you already acquainted with Jenny and her typical antics, you will not be disappointed: animals, spousal debates, taxidermy, and embarrassing moments abound. If you want her rapid-fire story telling, try the audiobook format.

- Sarah R.

Check out Broken (in the best possible way) by Jenny Lawson @ the library!

You'll Never Believe What Happened to Lacey by Amber Ruffin & Lacey Lamar

Title: You'll Never Believe What Happened to Lacey: Crazy Stories About Racism

Author: Amber Ruffin & Lacey Lamar

Genre: Memoir, Humor

Meet Lacey, Amber Ruffin’s sister. She is, “Polite, beautiful, tiny, and Black”. Because of this people say the most ridiculous things to her. From being told it must be nice to have her picture on her checks (it was Harriet Tubman) to having someone put their hand into her hair, Lacy experiences racism in ways that are, frankly, unbelievable to a white reader.

Told by both Amber and Lacey, Lacey’s stories give readers a lot to think about. Some readers will nod their heads knowing this is all too real an experience, and others will have their eyes opened. Keep in mind, all of these stories happen from about 1980-today, so it isn’t just the past we are hearing about, it’s the now.

Raised by strong parents and growing up with other siblings, it is never left unsaid that a book about another family member would be much darker. Lacey is lucky in the sense that this is all that happened to her, however, as a white reader the fact that these things have happened to her at all is equal parts horrifying and eye-opening.

You’ll Never Believe What Happened to Lacey: Crazy Stories about Racism is a book of stories told with humor about things that are still happening to Black people today. Highly recommended for light reading on a heavy subject.

- Katie

Check out You'll Never Believe What Happened to Lacey by Amber Ruffin and Lacey Lamar @ the library!

Go to Sleep (I Miss You) by Lucy Knisley

Title: Go to Sleep (I Miss You)

Author: Lucy Knisley

Genre: Graphic Novel, Autobiographical, Humor

A new mom finds comfort in creating little drawings of the joys and obstacles of having a newborn baby. I found similarities between many of her thoughts to what went through my mind when I first had my child. Most pages had me giggling and showing the picture to my partner. I would definitely recommend this to anyone with kids and Knisley's other books have also proved to be a real treat!

- Gina

Check out  Go to Sleep (I Miss You) by Lucy Knisley @ the library!

Heads in Beds by Jacob Tomsky

Title: Heads in Beds: A Reckless Memoir of Hotels, Hustles, and So-Called Hospitality
Author: Jacob Tomsky
Genre: Nonfiction, Memoir, Humor

Jacob Tomsky lets you look through the peephole of the hotel industry from the point of view of an employee. He has worked in various positions: parking valet, head of housekeeping, and behind the front desk. He offers up salacious stories, travel tips, and life lessons. He also sprinkles in a little of his personal story and drops a few names to keep things interesting.

I never suspected how carefully orchestrated the hustles are, and I know the next time I find myself in a home away from home, I will have a whole new understanding and appreciation for all that goes into the hospitality business.

- Sarah R.

Check out Heads in Beds @ the library! 

Lessons from Lucy: The Simple Joys of an Old, Happy Dog by Dave Barry

Title: Lessons from Lucy: The Simple Joys of an Old, Happy Dog

Author: Dave Barry

Genre: Humor, Self-Help

If you're looking for a light-hearted*, but enjoyable read, this is your book. With Dave Barry's consummate panache he is able to marry laughs and lessons in this book about being more like his dog. With topics like being in the moment and letting things go, it is full of good reminders for us - though easier said than done (at least for me). 

*If all you want is the lighter, feel-good bits, don't read the last chapter to his book about his daughter's run in with transverse myelitis. That will make you cry - especially if you've borrowed the audio book and can hear him choking up as he tells the story about his daughter woke up paralyzed one day. It is well done, but nothing to laugh about.

- Sarah R.

Check out Lessons from Lucy: The Simple Joys of an Old, Happy Dog @ the library.

Hey Ladies! by Michelle Markowitz and Caroline Moss

Title: Hey Ladies!

Author: Michelle Markowitz and Caroline Moss

Genre: Humor

Hey Ladies! Such a simple salutation, but what follows is a years’ worth of communication, mostly through e-mail, between a group of 8 friends living in the New York area. It starts with January’s resolutions shared with each other, to February’s surprise proposal, and then the rest of the year is all about Jen’s wedding preparation and events.

Even if you don’t have a group of friends quite like this, it’s hard not to get involved with the friendship drama of these very different women. You’ll root for Nicole’s business startup, be flustered with Ali’s making decisions for everyone with a pretty steep price tag. You’ll follow Jen’s wedding drama, and hope that Gracie and Morgan stay as level headed as they are throughout it all. Caitlin, a wellness guru wanna be; Katie, an aspiring journalist; and Ashley, a teacher in Connecticut round out our group of 8.

Originally on the now-defunct site The Toast, this year-in-the-life book will have you laughing and being thankful you aren’t on the receiving end of these ladies’ e-mails!

- Katie

Check out Hey Ladies! @ the library.

We're Going to Need More Wine by Gabrielle Union

Sit down, grab a glass of wine, and get ready to dish with Gabrielle Union, best known for rolls in movies like Bring it On or TVs Being Mary Jane (or if you are a parent of young kids, the voice of Nala on the Disney Junior series The Lion Guard, but I digress).

We're Going to Need More Wine is part memoir, as Gabrielle tells the story of growing up in a very white neighborhood, with summers spent with her Grandmother in a very black neighborhood, and how she found her way into Hollywood, almost by surprise. Her book is part essays, as she reflects on growing up black, her passion for things like reproductive rights, social justice, cancer research, and being black and famous. Like conversation over wine with a good friend, she never gets preachy, just tells it like it is, and give you facts.

We're Going to Need More Wine is for anyone looking for a book that fills the heart and soul..

Check out We're Going to Need More Wine @ the library.

Shrill by Lindy West

Quick, name a few role models you had growing up that you could both relate to, and see your self growing into their role. Now think about those role models, are they people you want to emulate? Are they people you can emulate? Are they reasonable? If not, can you (again quickly) think of more people closer to your self that look and have lives similar to yours? If not, welcome to Lindy West's world.

Shrill, Notes From a Loud Woman is a collection of essays that tell the story of journalist Lindy West's upbringing as a "big boned" kid who chose the worlds of fantasy over the real. Who did a presentation about her love for TV, specifically comedy, to the disappointment of a favorite teacher, who stood up for herself by claiming who she was, and who starting speaking up for those who might not be ready to stand up for themselves.

Funny and powerful, reading Shrill will both make you laugh and think. West is a writer and without knowing it you may have read her work for other sites. Recommended for readers who miss The Toast, check out Jezebel on occasion, and just want to read about someone who has stopped apologizing for who she is. 

Check out Shrill: Notes from a Loud Woman @ the library!

I Hate Everyone, Except You by Clinton Kelly

Clinton Kelly perhaps best known for all things fashion on What Not to Wear and co-host of the The Chew, is back with an all new book filled with candid, hilarious, and often snarky essays on nearly everything under the sun. From his somewhat awkward childhood to his feud with Paula Deen over whether or not it's acceptable to eat a chicken wing with a fork on TV to what was supposed to a relaxing spa day with his best friend that turned into a muddy fiasco, Kelly isn't afraid to tell it like it is. While known for his TV persona, I Hate Everyone, Except You is an unapologetic, honest, humorous look at Kelly's life; one that we don't always see on TV.

Weddiculous: An Unfiltered Guide to Being a Bride by Jamie Lee

As a bride-to-be, the exciting yet daunting task of planning a wedding is before me. Jamie Lee's book Weddiculous: An Unfiltered Guide to Being a Bride has made that task a little bit more entertaining. Her book, part wedding memoir, part checklist/timeline, part comedy paints wedding planning in a completely different light. While the timelines and checklists are helpful when it comes to planning, perhaps it's Lee's comedic insights that make this book an entertaining read. Lee's not afraid to say it like it is when it comes to nosy parents, how expensive everything is, and the wedding traditions that new generations of brides could live without. Though sometimes Lee's humor is a bit much, the best advice to take away from reading Weddiculous is that the most important things about your wedding day is that "it's just the first day in a long and happy marriage."

Scrappy Little Nobody by Anna Kendrick

You may know Anna Kendrick from her starring role in the Pitch Perfect series, or perhaps her Oscar nominated role in Up in the Air. Maybe you recognize her as Jessica, the snarky friend from the Twilight movies. Or maybe you are one of the people who remember her roles in independent films like Camp, where she plays a "scary little girl". No matter what the role, there is no denying that Anna Kendrick is a actress on the rise, and Scrappy Little Nobody gives an inner look at how this all happened.

Anna describes her ascent from tiny Maine theater to Broadway to Hollywood with ease. Her first big break on Broadway was due to trusting parents sending her with her 14 year old brother to the big city on their own. Her breaks in movies come a little harder, as she explains to high school friends that the Sundance she is at, is the SUNDANCE where celebrities go. And while everyone else was staring college, she was giving acting a full on go, which forced her to grow up quickly. Even as her fame started to rise, her budget did not quite reflect that, and there are some regrettable fashion choices along the way.

Scrappy Little Nobody is one of those books you'll race through to laugh with Anna about her life, and ridiculousness of it all. Not quite a celebrity tell all, not quite a rise to the top story, but a life in progress view that will endure you to this performer. Fans of celebrity memoirs, such as Judy Greer's I Don't Know Where You Know Me From and Aisha Tyler's Self Inflected Wounds won't be disappointed.

Troublemaker: Surviving Hollywood and Scientology by Leah Remini

How does a brassy girl from Brooklyn get involved in and break away from something as controversial as Scientology? Leah Remini wants you to know like most things, it's complicated. Best known for her role on King of Queens, Leah has never backed away from a fight, or thrown herself in to something less than 100%. In Troublemaker, she tells the story of how her family got involved in Scientology, and eventually broke away from the church.

Like all good celebrity memoirs, she doesn't shy away from awkward moments growing up, gives us good backstage gossip, and opens the curtain on the secretive world of Scientology. You can only imagine sitting over coffee (or something stronger) and having her tell stories of her family, Tom Cruise and Dancing with the Stars. 

If Going Clear was a bit academic for you (or thoroughly fascinating), check out Troublemaker: Surviving Hollywood and Scientology by Leah Remini!

Why Not Me? by Mindy Kaling

The always funny Mindy Kaling is back with another hilarious read, picking up where her New York Times best selling Is Everyone Hanging Out Without ME? (And Other Concerns) left off. Why Not Me? touches on subjects like her days as writer and actress for The Office, writing, starring in, and producing The Mindy Project, how she truly feels about her friends getting married, awkwardly filming sex scenes, her friendship with B.J. Novak, and body image. And in true Mindy fashion, she goes off on ridiculously, funny tangents.

With her usual wit and charm, Kaling writes as if you're having an actual conversation with her over a cup of coffee or a few drinks. Just your average girl, she dreams about what her life would've been like had she not moved to LA and would've married a Jewish guy like she always planned. She understands what it's like to be thirty-something while all of her friends are getting married. Mindy Kaling candidly writes about her body, and how she's [still] learning to embrace her curves.With parts that are laugh out loud funny, Kaling's new book is difficult to put down. It's no wonder she's currently Hollywood's it-girl.

American Cornball: A Laffopedic Guide to the Formerly Funny by Christopher Miller

 

Not the foolish joke book or bathroom reader suggested by the title, American Cornball: A Laffopedic Guide to the Formerly Funny  is rather a thoughtful and detailed study of the history of humor in America. Using jokes, cartoons, postcards, movies, and radio and television shows, this book gives the reader a clear picture of the ordinary American’s sense of humor and how it has changed. The boarding houses and leftover hash that were a staple of humor during financial hard times are now non-existent, nor are there many vacuum cleaner salesmen or icemen still knocking on doors. Broad changes in the American way of life can be seen through the decades of jokes and cartoons in this book: the husband who washes dishes is no longer a laughingstock, although his frilly apron might be; men still ogle women but it is no longer their ankles that catch the eye; the Irish, who once bore the brunt of American ethnic humor, are now upstanding and successful citizens. Other nationalities have replaced them as butts of jokes. Hillbilly jokes still abound but now they are red-neck jokes. The author digs into the minutiae of humor: which middle initials are considered funny; why is the husband’s mother-in-law is funnier than the wife’s; is the trombone or tuba the funnier musical instrument? Some things never change, such as the speed with which anvils fall off a cliff or the incomprehensibility of modern art. Many formerly funny jokes would now be considered cruel and offensive. This book clearly explains why, in their own time, they were widely appreciated. And, after you read Christopher Miller’s examination of a psychologist’s five-page study on why children find the “moron throws a clock out the window” joke funny, you’ll realize (if you hadn’t before) that some jokes are best left unexamined.

Check out a copy of American Cornball: A Laffopedic Guide to the Formerly Funny @ the library!

Craft Fail: When Homemade Goes Horribly Wrong by Heather Mann

In a world of pinning cute DIY craft projects on Pinterest and shopping Etsy for unique, one-of-a-kind items, we all stop to think, "Hey, I could totally make that." But thinking about and successfully executing a project are two completely different things...

In her book, Craft Fail: When Homemade Goes Horribly Wrong, Heather Mann, avid perfectionist, crafter, and blogger shares some of the most epic fails to be submitted to her "Craft Fail" titled blog. From marbled nail art that looks like a few bottles of your favorite nail polish broke open to completely gone wrong cakes, this book gives readers (including expert and novice crafters alike) comfort in knowing that not every project is going to turn out craft show worthy. 

This little book, filled with wit and pictures is a quick, hilarious read. Whether you steer clear of craft projects because you're afraid of failing or if you are constantly pinning to-do projects on Pinterest, this book is sure to give you a laugh.

Check out Craft Fail: When Homemade Goes Horribly Wrong @ the library today! 

Texts From Jane Eyre by Mallory Ortberg

This reviewer isn’t even sure where to begin with this book.  Imagine your favorite classic authors and famous book characters had access to cell phones.  Add in some goofy modern day language and text-speak and you have Texts From Jane Eyre by Mallory Ortberg.  The result is a book that will have you snorting and LOLing from the very first page.  Here is an example in the form of a short exchange between Jo and Meg from Little Women:

"MEG

MEG

MEG WHAT’S ALL THIS

WHATS ALL THIS I’M HEARING 

ABOUT YOUR GETTING MARRIED

tell me it’s a wretched lie

Jo I don’t know how many more times 

we have to have this conversation

I’ll have it a THOUSAND TIMES if I must

But yes

I’m still marrying John tomorrow

OH GREAT TRIPLE-HORNED GOD

Just like I was planning to yesterday

This is unbearable

And also last month

Answer me this, then

Who exactly do you think is going to play Mercy when 

we put on my version of The Pilgrim’s Progress this summer?

I wrote that part for YOU

Wrote it beautifully in fact

I don’t know darling

She gets a cracking scene with the villain Rodrigo where 

he tries to poison her and she screams and faints and everything

I don’t remember anyone named Rodrigo 

in The Pilgrim’s Progress

THAT’S NEITHER HERE NOR THERE MEG

I’m very sorry

This production will be ruined

Why don’t you ask Amy?

I’m not even going to dignify that with a response"

[end scene]

Ortberg takes you through the text convos of such classics as Rebecca, Hamlet, Les Miserables, Great Expectations and many more.  You’ll even get to see what Edgar Allen Poe was thinking while he wrote The Raven!

In all seriousness, this book is absolutely delightful and with the holiday season fast approaching, would make a wonderful gift for any classic literature lovers in your life. 

Check out a copy of Texts From Jane Eyre from the library today!

I Work at a Public Library: A Collection of Crazy Stories from the Stacks

As librarians, our job wouldn't be what it is without all of you, our beloved library patrons. Whether you're a librarian or a devoted library patron, there is no doubt that this book will make you chuckle while you're reading it. Compiled by Gena Sheridan, a public reference librarian, this book is just that..."a collection of crazy stories from the stacks." The author, in true librarian fashion, classifies the entries in terms of their Dewey Decimal number including such subjects as computers, reading interests and habits, human anatomy, and telephones.

These brief library anecdotes talk about interesting librarian/patron interactions, lost library books, and intriguing reference questions. If you're looking for a fast read, appreciate your local library (and its librarians!) take a little bit of time out of your day to read this book. It'll make you smile, shake your head, and go huh all at the same time. These are the things that library school surely didn't prepare us for.

And we promise, we're not collecting any stories.


Check out I Work at a Public Library: A Collection of Crazy Stories from the Stacks @ the library!