Audie Award Nominee, Humor, 2013
For fans of Tina Fey and David Sedaris - Internet star Jenny Lawson, aka The Bloggess, makes her literary debut.
Jenny Lawson realized that the most mortifying moments of our lives - the ones we'd like to pretend never happened - are in fact the ones that define us. In Let's Pretend This Never Happened, Lawson takes listeners on a hilarious journey recalling her bizarre upbringing in rural Texas, her devastatingly awkward high school years, and her relationship with her long-suffering husband, Victor.
Chapters include: "Stanley the Magical, Talking Squirrel", "A Series of Angry Post-It Notes to My Husband", "My Vagina Is Fine. Thanks for Asking", and "And Then I Snuck a Dead Cuban Alligator on an Airplane".
©2012 Jenny Lawson (P)2012 Penguin
"How the Bloggess almost made me crash my car!"
Oh, I do so adore The Bloggess! She has the most amazingly twisted and wonderful way of looking at the world that I’ve ever encountered. And since the audiobook is narrated by the woman herself, it makes the book that much better. She swears! She screams! She has silly asides! And to cap it all off, she has out-takes at the end! My only problem listening to this book is that I listen while I’m driving (I should have known better, probably), and there were several times I feared for my life, driving down the road with tears streaming, face contorted in laughter, afraid I’d crash the car at any moment. She’s just that damned funny. BUY THIS AUDIOBOOK!
My favorite genres are absurdist humor, Sci-fi & modern fantasy, but, as you can see, I'll read just about anything. Don't mind the typos.
"Brand new fan"
Super fun, bright and refreshing. Jenny Lawson is like your best friend/alter ego with no filter, ADHD and a blogging problem who says the things that you are embarrassed to even think about. I loved every minute of it.
"Cute story, light entertainment."
Jenny's no Sarah Vowell or Tina Fey but the story is an enjoyable romp through her life. Not a rib splitter but rather a light, easy story with some fun and humorous interludes. This is one of those books that I can't imagine being read by other than the author and Jenny does a fine job of narration. I'd give it a 3.5 overall if that were allowed.
"Actually, not for fans of Sedaris and Fey"
I *really* wanted to like this book. Maybe diehard devotees of Jenny Lawson's blog might like it more than I. I thought some of her essays were great, but couldn't stand an entire book of her. It was just... too forced.
No.
Probably not.
I would have trimmed a lot from the book as a whole. Jenny is witty and touching, but her sarcasm and schtick wore thin on me after the first half of the book. Her journey of self-awareness feels contrived and forced--- as if her editor told her that she had to summarize what she learned and how she grew from each anecdote. Her essay about miscarriage and living with chronic illness was really powerful and moving. Her father is fascinating, as is her upbringing. I would have liked to hear more about her parents.
And whoever told her to SING the chapter titles should be fired. That was just cringe-inducing.
Commuting and writing from Northern California.
"OMG! Do NOT drive your car while listening!!"
The performance of the narrator is fantastic and so is the story line.
It's funny LOL, so much so tears were flowing and a tragic story, one that is all to familiar (well somewhat). I loved it so much, I bought copies for my friends and family.
Thank you for your witty story and voice to tell this. Much appreciated.
"Like Mother Teresa, but better!"
Unicorn Success Club
I can recite the whole thing from memory.
I'm gonna have to go with her performance of Jenny Lawson, aka "the Bloggess." She nailed it.
I'm actually legally dead, having died of laughter. In lieu of flowers, buy this book.
This book is funnier than the Bible.
"If you like The Bloggess, check this one out."
Everyone has read Jenny’s blog, The Bloggess (and if you haven’t, why the hell not?), and her debut memoir is just like it, full of crazy things she does, awkward conversations she has, crazy texts she shares with Victor or sometimes, dark places she finds herself when her anxiety or depression take hold. The chapters are individual stories, told in chronological order.
Jenny states in the beginning that most of the stories are true, and even though she says only names and dates have been changed, you have to wonder if everything else could really be true. If so, she’s had quite the life! There were a few stories or mentions that I recall from reading her blog, but most everything in the book was new to me.
The way she deals with the setbacks and disappointments in her life are wonderful; she is a great example of how humor can make most anything better. There are some truly sad parts, like her many miscarriages, but she continues on. Though it’s sad at the time, she can look back later and find the funny. She talks a lot about her husband, Victor, and I just adore him. He has (almost) the same sense of humor as Jenny, and he has the patience and understanding of a saint.
My only complaint is the audiobook. I adore Jenny Lawson, but her voice grates on my nerves. A lot of the time, she spoke in a monotone, with hardly any inflection. Several times, she would read a long paragraph or story (in a monotone), and her voice would get this gravelly sound. It got so bad I wanted to say “Clear your throat already!” And for some strange reason, she sang the chapter titles. Not very well. For those reasons alone, I would suggest going for the print version instead of the audio version.
If you like The Bloggess, or awkwardly funny situations, check this one. Beware the salty language.
"Every "ing" is pronounced "ink""
Different narrator would have made this better. Sorry Jenny, I just can't get past your saying "ink" instead of "ing" for all words ending in "ing" and boy, there were a lot of those words. I think in this case I would have preferred reading the actual book. Or sayink in your language, I would have preferred readink the actual book.
Nope.
Yep.
Dissapointink narratink
"DO NOT WASTE YOUR MONEY! THIS IS HORRIBLE!"
I have listened to dozens of books and have never written a review. I'm just not the reviewing type. However, I am compelled to write now because this BY FAR the WORST book I have ever listened to!! If there was a way to demand my money back from Audible, I would be doing that right now. The author's voice is annoying and the stories that she tells range from stupid to ridiculous. They aren't even kind of entertaining. If what she is saying is even close to the truth, the author should be locked up and submitted to intensive therapy immediately. The fact that she is a mother and is a lunatic is frightening, not funny. And the fact that she can't end most stories without a PS and a PPS and a PPPS and a PPPPS and that even after the 6th PPPPPPS the ending is completely moronic and uninteresting makes the listening brutal. If you are looking for a biography or a memoir there are so many better options. This is pure stupidity. Don't waste your time.
"So not David Sedaris"
It's the shtick of all the cutesy asides to the listener, in a voice that grates on the nerves.
Sorry.
No. Could have been funnier with editing and someone else reading it.
no.
She has some great material, minus the shtick and her voice.