Wow, No Thank You | 
#weeklyforecast @Cinfhen
Continue Dr No
Finish Wow, No Thank You which I started today
Perhaps start Tess of the D'Urbevilles if I'm home from hospital tomorrow.
pickMy first Samantha Irby! I enjoyed her humor, and I was stunned by her openness. She candidly talks about her medical issues, body fluids, and worries. Her voice made her story of hard work and success fresh and engaging. The audiobook was read by the author, which showcased her storytelling abilities.
so-soSamantha Irby is one of those writers who I‘m sure is an amazing, hilarious friend. Unfortunately, I don‘t think a book is the right format for her musings. To be fair, I think this about many writers whom other people love (see: Jenny Lawson, Phoebe Robinson, et al). Irby‘s Wikipedia page refers to her as “a comedian, essayist, blogger, & television writer.” Each of the preceding titles seems like a better fit than “author” or “memoirist.” 👇🏻
“Writing a book feels like it should be an event — a thing that serious people sit down and plan to do. I‘ve never planned anything in my life. I still don‘t…I don‘t say this to brag. I‘m admitting to you that I‘m an ill-prepared child-person…I don‘t do anything hard because my life has already been hard…but they really did make it sound like something I could just wake up and do, which is my main criteria for 99% of the things I take on.”
“I can‘t cite credible sources and exhaustive studies to prove that growing up poor is basically a financial death sentence no matter how well you do later in life because I‘m not a sociologist writing a textbook but…if I had access to generational wealth, I probably could be a sociologist writing a textbook.”
pickFunny, chaotic, hilariously honest essays that made me want to read everything Irby has ever written.
My faves were 'girls gone mild', 'love and marriage', and 'hello, 911?'
#pop23 - rabbit on cover @Megabooks @squirrelbrain @jenniferw88 @Cinfhen @alisiakae @BarbaraBB @KarenUK @Laughterhp @Cortg @IndoorDame @Kelly_the_Bookish_Sidekick @MissHel @AshleyHoss820 @Ruthiella @OriginalCyn620 @BookBelle84 @jlhammar @graciouswarriorprincess
⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️
I need to LAMINATE this passage.
"I have often listened to the words a person I was in love with said to me & ignored what they actually meant, to instead project onto them what I wanted it to mean. That shit will keep you in a weird emotional death spiral for the rest of your relationship until you shake yourself out of it, & you don't deserve that."
There is a duality to knowing something with your brain, but not accepting it with your heart.
Bunnies for PopSugar! #pop23
@Megabooks @squirrelbrain @jenniferw88 @Cinfhen @alisiakae @BarbaraBB @KarenUK @Laughterhp @Cortg @IndoorDame @Kelly_the_Bookish_Sidekick @MissHel @AshleyHoss820 @Ruthiella @OriginalCyn620 @BookBelle84 @jlhammar
Today's book haul. OK... book hauls.
New book buying ban to be implemented soon 😬
HOW AWESOME ARE ALL THESE NEW BOOKS THOUGH?!?!??!
pickThis is great, a really enjoyable read. It's always good to hear a fellow supposed grown-up describe in detail how they don't know what the fuck they're doing either. She's hilariously honest about her chronic illness and her previous chaotic dating experiences. Definitely recommend listening on audiobook.
#ReadHarder challenge 19: a book by a POC that's about joy, not trauma.
Just got a friend request on Goodreads from some guy.
Checked out what he reads - I don‘t need to fill my feed with stuff i‘m not interested in.
And it‘s allllllllll stuff like this 🤦🏻♀️
Nope! 💁🏻♀️😂😖
pickIt would seem that Irby‘s schtick is to be confrontationally honest about the kinds of things most of us would rather die than talk about. Sure, plenty of people find her essays “gross” or “too much information”, but for those of us who find her honesty refreshing, she‘s a marvel. It‘s not going to be for everyone, but it sure is for me. Full review: https://keepingupwiththepenguins.com/wow-no-thank-you-samantha-irby/
bailedThis is a pan and a bail. I DNF‘d at about 60%. Was reading it for a book club. I thought it was going to be funnier. Or at least amusing and I found it to be neither. I felt like the author was trying too hard.
pickY‘all I laughed out loud until I cried more than once. It‘s amazing how she takes common day issues and breaks it down to pure hilarity. From grooming to dealing with a ghost I can‘t even. Worth picking up. #readingchallenge2022
so-so⭐️⭐️⭐️💫
I am not a great reader of essay or short story collections, so this was an interesting stretch for me. I laughed out loud *frequently* and enjoyed reading it, but then was always shocked with how much more there was to read & how long it felt like it took me to finish.
Even so, I‘m interested in going back and reading Irby‘s other works, so I‘m glad this was picked for my book club as it continues to push me outside my comfort zone.
bailedI‘m so sorry to my friend who lent me this, but it‘s really just not for me. I want to spend my time reading things I‘m fully engaged in and maybe I‘ll come back to this one day when I‘m more in the mood.
I live for a glamorous lifestyle blog featuring some gorgeous ingenue with piles of secret wealth that she never divulges to the unsuspecting slobs on the other side of the screen.
#FirstLineFridays
@ShyBookOwl
Was given this to read by a friend, not normally my style but going to give it a go! The bunny on the cover is so cute.
pickMuch better read with the eyes than with the ears. In turns funny, cringey, gross, and full of heart.
The wonderful @Avanders sent me a #justbecause fall package and I am just in love with all of it! I will be trying that Kahula coffee ASAP! 😁 Thank you so much! 🧡😊 I owe you one! 😉💚
Trying to do some of this beach reading all the people talk about. 🏖🏖📖😁
pickThis was super funny and relatable. I love how honest the author is and how she writes about her life in a way that makes you feel like you know her. This was super entertaining and just made me feel better in general.
"First of all, why you would ask a man anything is beyond me." ? I hope Sam would find it a little funny I used my breast pump to prop up the book for this photo ?
pick⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️ I wasn‘t exactly a fan of Irby‘s “We Are Never Meeting in Real Life” when I read it a couple of years ago, but wanted to give her another try. First - her book covers are fabulous. 🤩 Second - she‘s not afraid to talk about the weird, sometimes disgusting things in life, candidly and with fervor and humor. We can all relate to some degree. It‘s oddly comforting. Definitely reading her debut collection “Meaty” next.
Good morning, little fawn! 😍 #audiowalk #dogsoflitsy
“Apple put this new screen time feature on the iPhone that‘s supposed to, I don‘t know, shame me into putting down the drug they won‘t stop peddling to me??”
panI‘m sure Irby has a loyal following but it‘s not me. Finished only to put it in my “done” column.
pickSome books feel like tv and this is one of them. I listened to about half of it while I moved and trimmed my seedlings, without ever noticing how much time had passed. After that I needed a bit of a break... while it was an easy funny listen, some parts still had a stressful energy to them so I wouldn‘t recommend going thru the book too quickly.
#2021 #LGBTQ #BlackAuthors #WomenAuthors
pickThis book was very raw. I was not ready for it when I started it, but found my groove after a bit and ended up really appreciating it and relating to it. It talks of IBS, periods and poverty, but in a funny way.
pick⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️
Book #15: I tried to listen to this as an audiobook a couple times before settling in. But ultimately, I just couldn‘t stop listening. It was like cheesy popcorn or picking a scab. Totally impossible at times to tell if I like it or if it‘s making me feel weird. But ultimately, I love having so many feels and Irby is smart, perspective and her irreverence has me cackling in my car. I loved it.
I love quote bookmarks, especially when they match the book I am reading! This bookmark and the corresponding book were also from #QueerBookBox
pickMore self-deprecating, witty, gross and hilarious memoir essays from Samantha Irby that made me lol and feel less alone with my midlife anxiety and occasional curmudgeonliness. Bonus if you enjoy 90‘s pop culture references!
Up next: this.
You know when you look for a book for someone else, gift it and then can't stop thinking about it? That's how this made it onto my to-read. And then I got it in a subscription box (#queerbookbox) so it feels like fate.
I like to say how I want to read far and wide and keep my reading varied so I don't tire of any one genre/author. Well, this is the second queer memoir in a row. I'm sure it'll be fine but it goes against my habit.
pick5/5 ⭐️ I was having a bad day recently and wanted something funny and light to lift my spirits. I saw this was available on libby so I tried it and I'm so glad I did! I laughed out loud many times and related to so much of her life! Definitely need to read her other books now!
"My friend John runs a foot fetish porn site called Feetishes™, and when he told me about it, I wasn‘t grossed out or anything, because I would masturbate to two grandfathers fucking at a bus stop."
-"Body Negativity"
"Everyone thinks I‘m going to eventually die of a heart attack, but joke‘s on y‘all—it‘s definitely going to be of secondhand embarrassment."
-"Girls Gone Mild"
Mood.
pickHello, 911? Is it okay to ignore the laundry mountain because I want to keep reading?
Hello, 911? Can you send someone over to walk the dog?
Hello, 911? What do people do after finishing this book?
This was in my #queerbookbox today! I'm so excited, because it was actually fairly high up on the list of books I wanted to buy. I'll probably get around to reading this next month or so, which is sooner than I usually read QBB books 🤣
#queer #samanthairby
