I've loved Jen Lancaster since I discovered her blog and then read her three subsequent books. Her first book, Bright Lights, Big Ass was probably my favorite and I was excited to read her newest which was just released. I got it from my library and finished it this afternoon while enjoying the sunlight and mild temperatures. It was a good read, but not as funny as the others. I give it a B.
From Amazon:
In Pretty in Plaid, Jen Lancaster reveals how she developed her hubris that perpettually gets her in trouble. Using fashion icons of her youth to tell her hilarious and insightful stories, readers will meet the girl she used to be.
Think Jen Lancaster was always "like David Sedaris with pearls and a super cute handbag?" (Jennifer Coburn) Think again. She was a badge hungry Girl Scout with a knack for extortion, an aspiring sorority girl who didn't know her Coach from her Louis Vuitton, and a budding executive who found herself bewildered by her first encounter with a fax machine. In this humorous and touching memoir, Jen Lancaster looks back on her life- and wardrobe- before bitter was the new black and shows us a young woman not so very different than the rest of us.
The author who shows us what it is like to wait in line at the unemployment office with a Prada bag, how living in the city can actually suck, and that losing weight can be fun with a trainer named Barbie and enough Ambien is ready to take you on a hilarious and heartwarming trip down memory lane in her shoes (and very pretty ones at that).
I enjoy reading memoirs, and I believe Jen Lancaster was the one who got me hooked on them. Memoirs are a good way to break up from reading all of the thrillers and dark stories I read sometimes. While Pretty In Plaid was enjoyable, I didn't like it as much as some of Ms. Lancaster's other books. I did like, however, the many different footnotes that she adds to the story but missed some of the emails and other things she used to break apart other stories. I guess because the story is broke apart by decades, specifically the 70s, 80s, and 90s, and email wasn't around then but I wish she had added more letters or something. It just seems like strayed a bit from her previous formats that I loved so much. While I enjoyed the book, I am glad I didn't buy the book, especially since it was in hardcover and that I read it so fast.
As always, I am not sure what I am going to read next. I still have two library books to read, but as I have been looking over them a bit more, they may be going back unread. I feel like maybe reading something off of my own shelves but who knows. Right now I plan on catching up on some tv shows and movies I have recorded and maybe giving my eyes a break. I probably will have tomorrow off from work since teachers do not get paid for the holiday if they call in the day after, so I will have some time tomorrow to get some reading in as well. I am so happy I was able to get so many books in this weekend as my monthly total was looking pretty grim. Well I am off to pay some bills! Happy Reading everyone!
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2 comments:
I enjoy reading memoirs too sometimes, especially the funny ones. This does sound like a good one. I'll have to look for her earlier books since you liked them even better. :-)
They are really quick reads and the perfect thing to pick up when you just have a few minutes to read. I highly recommend them!
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