Tag: Comedy Writing

Books, NonFiction

How to Date Men When You Hate Men by Blythe Roberson

RaeAnna

Worth a Read Yes
Length 272
Quick Review A humorously philosophical look into dating while being a cognizant human in this weird-ass century by a befuddled, professional twenty-something lady, who doesn’t hate men.  

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Stay away from me crazy man!
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Dating is awkward like this picture. | How to Date Men When You Hate Men by Blythe Roberson | Skirt Set | Headband |
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Kidding! We like each other 96% of the time. 

Dating, love, and relationships are weird. I think it’s always been weird, but it’s only getting weirder with technology and awareness about gender equality and all that jazz. Love has always been a topic of discussion, a point of ponderance, and the source of much pain and misery for as long as the written word has existed. Men and their thoughts have always been taken seriously. Women are still working towards that, but that didn’t stop Blythe Roberson from writing her own book on the topic. When I have a bunch of money, I will be handing out How to Date Men When You Hate Men to all my single lady friends. 

I may not completely understand or agree with all everything Blythe Roberson writes about the dating world, but that’s because we’re different ladies with different lives and different men have crossed our paths. She and I do say a lot of the same things like “53% of white women voted for Trump.” She is far better versed in pop culture references than I am, but I do love her inclusion of science, comedy, and literary references. She also mentions one of my favorite quotes by Edith Wharton in The Age of Innocence “Each time you happen to me all over again.” Bonus points.   

How to Date Men When You Hate Men has a few minor grammar errors, but they are easily overlooked. Roberson is completely open about romantic misunderstandings and how dating and men are hard. Because life and love is hard. It doesn’t get easier the older you are, but Roberson manages it with a sense of humor.

Roberson has this amazing writing style. There are moments of great depth followed by a cutting wit and silly observations. She’s smart without being pretentious and incredibly comfortable in her own brand of weird, “But there is something gratifying about being a social catastrophe.” She has long winded sentences akin to streams of consciousness bathed in humor peppered with personal anecdotes and side thoughts marked by parentheses. She writes like the 27 year old woman she is as if she’s pulling a friend into a fun conversation. How to Date Men When You Hate Men is honest, vulnerable, strong, funny, and insightful. 

I love the honesty Roberson has with her crushes, emotions, and obsessions. Although, she may have an unhealthy obsession with Timothee Chalamet… Then again, I have an unhealthy obsession with Scotland, bagpipe music, and men in kilts. So, who am I to judge. 

If dating is hard for you, read this. It won’t help you at all, but you will find a soul sister and a good many laughs between the covers of How to Date Men When You Hate Men. Even if dating isn’t hard for you or you’re happily hitched or you’re not interested in men, there are a lot of modern day funnies. 

Memorable Quotes
“though I adore men as individuals, I believe that as a group they’re systemically oppressing women.”
“It’s like trying to kiss your sweet crush while a cement mixer operated by Woody Allen is dumping raccoons on you.”

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Title: How to Date Men When You Hate Men
Author: Blythe Roberson
Publisher: Flatiron Books
Copyright: 2018
ISBN: 978125019421

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How to Date Men When You Hate Men | Skirt Set | Headband |
Books

The Girl with the Lower Back Tattoo by Amy Schumer

RaeAnna

Read Yes
Length 323
Quick Review Amy Schumer is a household name as a bold and open comic, movie star, TV star, writer, and more, but do we really know her?

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I live under a rock, so I had never heard of Amy Schumer until her 2016 movie Trainwreck. In the two years following, I have become a big fan. I love her honesty. She’s not perfect, but she is real. In The Girl with the Lower Back Tattoo, she ramps up her candor and imperfections even more. She becomes an even more relatable star as she humorously tells some of the ups and downs and face plants of her life.

I am drawn to people who deal with struggle through humor; probably because I do the same damn thing. Schumer’s stand up is hilarious and powerful and sometimes in your face. Her book is a subdued version of all of those things. She looks comfortable on stage for comedy shows. During interviews, she seems nervous and uncomfortable like she’d rather be any where else preferably not in the spotlight. Instead of entertaining on a stage or sitting on a couch for an interview, her introversion shines through. She is just that: an introvert. In her book, it feels like she gets to tell her story on her own terms without having the pressure of being funny.

I have always appreciated her unapologetic honesty. Her book is even more so. She talks about her family, her struggles, her relationships, losing her virginity, abuse, the road to success, having money, and so much more. She lets her fans and readers in and see what is behind her on stage persona.

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She has a very self-deprecating sense of humor. I appreciate this because I too spend most of my time pointing out my flaws. Although, I hope she could see herself the way so many people see her: as a smart, talented, beautiful woman. It is obvious she deals with self-esteem issues sometimes bordering on ‘does she have any self-confidence at all?’ But I would love to meet a woman on this earth who doesn’t. This book was written two years ago, and it’s evident the themes in her latest movie I Feel Pretty have been long lasting themes in her own life.

Candor is one of the most notable points in her memoir. She talks about her parents honestly. She has no qualm about critiquing or slamming present and past self. Her inclusion of diary entries is hilarious and wonderful. She includes footnotes, which are equally funny. It takes a lot of lady balls to let the world see the ridiculousness that is teenage diaries.

Schumer is a born storyteller. She has a tendency to meander through her stories and chapters by adding one or three tales on her way to making her main point. They may or may not have something to do with her point, but they are all entertaining.
I highly suggest The Girl with the Lower Back Tattoo to anyone who enjoys a good laugh and a multidimensional memoir. I know I do!

Memorable Quotes
“If you’re a true introvert, other people are basically energy vampires.”
“I don’t know what a hedge fund is. I want a hedgehog fund.”
“…nobody can be innocent and wise at the same time.”
“This is how we were raised: we were always oppressively OKAY.”

Title: The Girl with the Lower Back Tattoo
Author: Amy Schumer
Publisher: Gallery Books (Simon & Schuster)
Copyright: 2016
ISBN: 9781501139888
Books

Is Everyone Hanging Out Without Me?

RaeAnna

Difficulty: II
Length: II
Quick Review: Mindy Kaling is sweet, hilarious, honest, and absolutely fabulous in her memoir about being a successfully awkward human being.

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I love Mindy Kaling. Not just because she’s a woman of color succeeding in a white, male dominated field. She’s hilarious! She’s smart! She’s confidant! She’s stylish! She’s true to herself. She is everything a young woman should aspire to be. I’ve been following her career for a good while now, but I never picked up her book. Why? No idea.

Is Everyone Hanging Out Without Me? (And Other Concerns) is great title. A mouthful, but I think that’s kinda Kaling’s style. If you’ve ever heard her speak, you’ll hear her voice coming through from word one.

Kaling grew up with a brother. Her parents set her up to be funny as they dressed their children as genderless as possible. I think it worked out for her. She grew up, went to Dartmouth, moved to NYC, wrote a play with her best friend, moved to LA, wrote for the Office, and that’s where her book ends, but it’s nowhere near the end of her success. Since the publication of her book in 2011, she has found even more awesomeness. She talks about all of these experiences for the good, the bad, the weird, and the memorable.

Honestly, all of her candid awkwardness gives me hope for my future.

Her writing style is really straight forward. It reads the way she speaks in interviews. She is realistic, funny, relatable, and truly genuine. She isn’t trying to give advice, but she does in many ways. Through the telling of her experiences, she could potentially ease the minds of so many girls who don’t peak in high school… Let’s be honest, that should never be anyone’s goal. She has this amazing honesty in her writing as she dives into her quirks, her mistakes, her friends, and her success. She tackles everything with a truly laugh out loud way with words. So much so, I think this book could have earned her a place in the looney bin with her fantasies – a nicer word for delusions – if she weren’t so awesome and successful as a writer and actress.

The book has a few grammar mistakes. They are by no means glaring, but the editor could have edited a tad better.

I personally enjoyed the section where she discussed the franchises she would develop herself, INCLUDING the girl gang ghostbusters… I hope she earned some royalties off the idea because she predicted it five years before the movie hit theaters. I’m now eagerly awaiting her other ideas.

I highly suggest this book. It’s a quick read but entertaining.

Memorable Quotes:
“When Your Boyfriend Fits into Your Jean’s and Other Atrocities”
“I went to Dartmouth to pursue my love of white people and North Face parkas.”
“If you’re a kid who was not especially a star in your high school, I recommend going to a college in the middle of nowhere.”
“Also, chubby people can never truly pull off ethereal the same way skinny people can never be jolly.”

Title: Is Everyone Hanging Out Without Me? (And Other Concerns)
Author: Mindy Kaling
Publisher: Three Rivers Press (Crown Publishing Group – Random House)
Copyright: 2011
ISBN: 9780307886279