hootnanny

I love collections of humor essays because sometimes I just need a laugh. The wife has been away for a girls' beach weekend, so I need an extra laugh - especially after cutting lamination for 4.5 hours (not a dramatization). Celia Rivenbark is the master of guffaw-inducing material about life in the south. If you enjoy her work, you should enjoy my newest read. I'm always up for a new book of essays, so I was thrilled to see a new one on the featured shelf at the library. Hence how I stumbled upon People I want to Punch in the Throat. One of my great friends and former colleagues often speaks of punching people in the throat, so I was instantly intrigued. (Shoutout to my favorite MoWa DeLois!)
Jen Mann, author of a blog by the same title, presents a collection of short essays on everything from meeting her now-husband on AOL Chat and wearing overalls (shoutout to my beloved & Shalla who are trying to bring them back!) on their first "not a date" to the horror of a middle-aged woman asking for a dressing room at her garage sale so she could try on some $1 brassieres. The main people she seems to want to punch are the moms at her children's school - the ones who want her to employ "systems" for organization, create the most original crafts, and are disappointed in the lack of healthy offerings at the school carnival. In short, she would want to punch me in the throat. I laughed a good bit and finished it rather quickly, but I don't think Jen & I would be good friends.

3 (of 4) dusty book jackets.