I can’t honestly remember how I found this book. But a few weeks ago I saw it sitting on the bookshelf that I devote to books I intend on reading. So, I picked it up and read a few pages and busted out laughing! I then proceeded to voraciously read this collection of essays by Laurie Notaro about her effed up life and what it means to be a member of the Idiot Girls’ Action-Adventure Club. Laurie Notaro is my new idol, actually idol is probably not the best word because she’s made some pretty stupid decisions. Like when she decided that it was OK wearing just tights to an appointment with a doctor that was treating her for back pain, only to realize afterward there was a huge hole in the crotch–which the doctor got to see up close because he had to run different tests that involved moving Notaro’s legs around and checking her reflexes. She also once drove from Roswell to Phoenix eating nothing but Taco Bell with her friend Jeff, with the expected results.Notaro is a humor columnist and its amazing how she can make anything sound hilarious. Like when she becomes the new person of interest by two kids from her neighborhood, Casey and Staci, and their need for Notaro’s constant attention. I guess I would really not want to find myself in some of the situations she’s been in. Like when she was the sober friend for once (because she was broke and failed getting guys to buy her a drink) and she had to drive her friend Chris home and inadvertently had Chris’ ex’s head stuck in the car window because she was a psycho drunk. And when she had to wake up at an ungodly hour in the morning for jury duty, so she didn’t put too much effort into looking good and when she arrived at the courthouse a woman gave her some food…because she thought Notaro was homeless. But I would love to be able to have the wit and sense of humor that Notaro has, she even makes clearing out a room that has turned into a black hole of junk funny. Especially when she tries to be Martha Stewart and make it her office by purchasing a huge antique desk…that doesn’t actually fit through the door.Pick this book up if you want a good laugh!
Frigging hilarious.I, in the five short years since initially discovering this gift to reading, have purchased no less than five copies of this book. Five, because every time I give it to a friend to read, it doesn't come back to me. It will be six shortly, when my mother fails to return the copy I gave her last week. In fact, this book is so funny it caused me to disown her.I gave her a copy to glance through, but she actually started to read, and began to laugh with quick bursts of air. Then bursts of air and full-on laughing. By the time I tried to prevent a scene, she was laughing so hard her face had turned red and people were staring. Rather than admit I was with the nut laughing to herself, I walked away.This is how much I love this book.
Many funny stories don't equal a particularly funny book.This is a collection of newspaper columns that Laurie wrote as the humor columnist for Arizona Republic. Each 3-5 page story in itself was pretty entertaining in a whiskey tango kinda way - lots of chain smoking, excessive drinking, and lack of personal hygiene but with a humorous spin. However, the collection of all of the stories in one place, back-to-back, with not even a loose storyline to hold them together ended up being a redundant and quickly lost it's luster. I would have enjoyed them much more reading them in their original, once-a-week format.This was the first book Notaro wrote, I know that she has written many others, and I'm not above giving something else by her a whirl. In the short term though, I will most likely stick to Jen Lancaster and Chelsea Handler. I do have to give these conservative and slightly prudish women some credit though, they tell hysterical stories about trips to the gynecologist!
—Nicole
This book was disappointing for some reason, although it should have occurred to me that a book filled with essays about drunken escapades doesn't make for the best reading; one is advised, rather, to participate in drunken escapades of their own. Mostly I can't believe that this is a book. I mean, really? If I wrote stories about all the times I got drunk and dragged grocery carts up to rooftops and hurled them off, or got drunk and shot bottle rockets at crack dealers, or got drunk and peed my name on a wall but ran out of "spray paint" at R-O-B, then broke down and started sobbing hysterically at the injustice of it all, would you really want to read that book? I mean, really? Is this what it takes to get published these days? But hey, at least my escapades were funny. Laurie Notaro? Amateur, that's what.
—Robin
So, I don't know why, but I was underwhelmed. I guess it didn't really make me laugh as much as I'd hoped. I feel like Notaro is that absolutely hilarious friend in your life that you totally think should capture all of your group hijinks in a way only she can. You know the ones. Only your friends never do that, because as it turns out, you kind of had to be there. I felt like most of this stuff would be funny if you knew the people involved, or if you were drunk when it happened.It did have it's funny parts though, and I like the irreverence of much of it. I think part of the problem for me was the structure, I like short stories, but these felt . . . forced, somehow? Anyway, like I said, funny at times, I definitely chuckled, but maybe it had been built up too much for me.
—Miss Michael
