 |
Title: Bright Lights, Big Ass: A Self-Indulgent, Surly, Ex-Sorority Girl's Guide to Why It Often Sucks in the City, or Who are These Idiots and Why Do They All Live Next Door to Me?
Author: Jen Lancaster
Reading Level: Easy, quick read. Lots of anecdotes. Possibly a good commuter book, but only if you have the self-control to contain your giggling in public.
Amazon Average Rating: 4 stars (96 reviews)
My Rating: 4 stars
Keep/Borrow/Pass: Keep
Sample writing style: I huff on the couch for another minute, which is just enough time to vow that the TV cooking chick is now my sworn enemy. You, missy! Yes you with the EVOO and GB and LMNOP and the rest of the stupid abbreviations. Enough with your toothy Joker smile and al the giggling. If you’re going to chop, dice, or practically puree something, use one of those descriptive words and not “gonna run myknife through it,” because that doesn’t tell me anything. And how about a specific unit of measure and not just “eyeball it.” […] And please either turn up the heat in the studio or wear a looser shirt. ‘Cause I ordered the arugula, not areola, thanks (124).
First of all, that excerpt is from one of my most favorite parts of the book -- when Jen Lancaster goes off on Rachael Ray. Anyone who knows me knows that I am not much of a fan. Apparently, neither is Jen.
This book is the second in a series of memoirs from Jen Lancaster (The first being Bitter is the New Black) which I had read previously, long before I decided to start this little blog. I recommend starting with the other and reading in order, just because I love these books, but you can certainly pick this one up out of order without feeling lost.
I find that this book is one of those love/hate titles. You either "get" Jen Lancaster and relate to it, or you find the tone obnoxious. Clearly, I fall into the "relate" camp. The often over spoken, self-confident, and completely self-abasing tone is something a reader will wholeheartedly embrace, or get fed up with after a couple of pages. She is not shy with using footnotes to add additional details...about her life. Some find this interruption annoying; I find it funny. You be the judge.
For me, this title is the perfect stress release for times when you are just too lazy to do yoga (which is me a lot of the time). Lancaster says it all -- even those little thoughts you know you should not be thinking, but you're thinking them anyway -- and she lays it all out on the page. She goes there, and I love it.And just when you think the entire world is completely off its rocker, she makes you feel like you are not the only sane person baffled by how many idiots inhabit your living space.
The complexity and paradoxical nature of her personality also does the book complete justice. She curses like a sailor but is prudish when it comes to showing nudity in a spa, for example. The combination of these quirks make for some pretty interesting stories about home life that might otherwise be mundane. Everything is blown out of proportion, and after I read some of the stories, I left feeling relieved that I was not alone with my daily frustrations.
All in all, this was a very funny, easy to read book, but it was extremely difficult not to laugh out loud in public. That took some serious concentration and effort.
I wholeheartedly recommend this book, especially for one of those days when you're mad at the world and you're in the mood to complain to anyone who will listen. Lancaster is the perfect companion to vent with.
Just a word of caution: I brought this book into work and read it at my desk for my break. Of course, the boss walked by and wanted to know what I was reading. Oops.
No comments:
Post a Comment