The past few weeks have been a whirlwind of life for me, and truthfully, time snuck past me. I am sure the Jenny Lawson, better known to many as “The Bloggess”, would understand why it took me a bit longer than usual to read her memoir, “Let’s Pretend This Never Happened”.
A girl from texas, Jenny takes readers on an (ever-questioning, “is this real?”) journey through her life. Her roots are in a small town named Wall (hello, I connect as I was a toddler living in “don’t sneeze or you’ll miss it” Wall, Pennsylvania). I’d say her dad and sister’s roles in her early years are more explored than the relationship she has with her mother, but you can tell that her family experiences shaped her life.
Anyone who runs into a deer carcass sure has a story to tell, and tell she does. I related to many of Jenny’s stories about growing up in a small town. Throughout the reading, I laughed and I also shook my head. Not every story was completely believable, but I hear that’s how she writes.
Jenny and I have a number of things in common. We could tell you funny HR stories. We both have a daughter. We both have mother-in-laws who have couches you “aren’t really supposed to sit on”. We both spent our early years in Wall (and we can’t make that up). We both (hopefully?) make people laugh. We both have felt like we never really fit in. We both have Twitter accounts (she is @TheBloggess, I am @mrsgregwillis). We both blog. (You can find her blog at TheBloggess.com.) And, we both have (probably?) never read each other’s blogs.
I know, I know. I am a blogger and have never read her work. But that is all about to change. Now that I can say I really enjoyed her stories, I am sure I’ll enjoy her blogs. She’ll just have to forgive me if I am a few weeks behind.
All in all, Jenny’s memoir was a good, light-hearted way to zone after some crazy days the past few weeks. And, she may have even inspired me to get working on my 30 by 30 goal to have 4 chapters of a book written. We’ll see. At least I won’t be a huge competition for her…because my parents made sure I had a fun childhood, but not the kind of childhood where you wake up to a dead squirrel. Bread bags boots, however? Check!
If you want to read more, head over to the BlogHer.com discussions we’ll be having on the book (and feel free to join in). Or, follow Jenny, or heck, pick up a copy of the book yourself!
Disclaimer: This is a paid review for BlogHer Book Club but the opinions expressed are my own.