Thursday, October 8, 2009

Bright lights, big...sigh

Jen Lancaster. You know I love her. I tell everyone I know they should be reading Bitter is the New Black and Such a Pretty Fat...seriously, read them. They are so touching, I even lose sleep over them, remember?

But then I read Pretty in Plaid, and didn't talk about it here because I thought it was fun but not as fun as the others. And now I am reading Bright Lights, Big Ass...that should be AWESOME, right?

Only...

Only I feel if I say what I am thinking about it so far I am betraying Jen, whom I love so much. Her novels are incredibly personal and you really do feel like you know her. Even though that's crazy talk.

But in a way, I also feel betrayed. What about me.

I'm 100 pages into the book and have yet to feel Jen's pain OR laugh out loud.

The book just isn't speaking to me, I'm not relating to it, which is ridiculous because how does a book about living in Chicago by a hilarious writer NOT speak to me...right?

So now I'm on the fence. I have a bookshelf of books marked To Read and yet here I am trudging through Bright Lights because...I feel I should...it might get better...I am delusional...?

Upsetting. UPSETTING.


“However, when some random girl, naked as a jaybird, strolls into the Quiet Room of the Thousand Waves Spa and spends ten minutes bent over right in front of me with her little brown starfish waving hello to God and everyone while she paws through the magazine rack in search of the most current issue of the New Yorker, please know the line between “appropriate spa behavior” and “graphic peep show” has been crossed.”
That's funny, right? Why don't I think this is funny? Is it all this depressing YAL I am reading?
Usually HILARIOUS Jen Lancaster

6 comments:

  1. I am NEVER afraid to give up on a book. Especially 100 pages in. And even when everyone says the book is awesome and life changing, blah blah blah.

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  2. Heather - what I hear you saying is I need to sack up. this is the same advice the madre gave me. it has never been a problem for me in the past.

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  3. I agree - if you find that you are dragging yourself through a book and thinking about all the other books you could read....it's time to put it down.
    (Jen Lancaster is on my list, I wish I could comment further on her writing!)

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  4. i was a fan of that book. wait until the squirrels. but perhaps i read it long ago and am having false fond memories?? my vote is to stick with it!

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  5. Could be you're plodding through on hope. She hasn't disappointed yet, so hanging by a thread is more faith than Claire actin' all stubborn.

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