I recently borrowed “Let’s Pretend This Never Happened” by Jenny Lawson (better known as The Bloggess) from my local library. Yeah, I’m cheap. I was all set to buy it, then realise I could borrow it. Though I should have just bought it. It’s good.
Anyway, the point of this post is to give you some tips on reading this book. You see, this isn’t any normal book. It’s…well, the best general adjective (and complement) I can give this book is: inappropriate.
1) Forewarn your partner/family/housemates/dog/fish/kettle that you will start making strange noises around page 3. Confirm with them that this is laughter, not you having a mental breakdown and/or crying.
2) Opposable thumbs are important. Both in life and to read a book.
3) People look at you strangely when you giggle madly in public.
4) People who you don’t know but see every day on the train will begin avoiding you because of number 3.
5) You will get worried around page 60 about how much you identify with the book.
6) Reading this book in the lunchroom at work will force others to ask you what you’re laughing at. This is very hard to explain, let alone being highly inappropriate in most workplaces. See the story starting on page 52 if you want to imagine the conversation I had to have at work. These same colleagues have avoided me ever since.
Bonus tip: Take the book to the beach (see photo above), because taking the book to the beach is totally the same as a) taking the author on a free holiday and b) actually BUYING the book.
I tried to conduct a social experiment with this book by reading in a quiet carriage on the train. It’s the “book readers” carriage, after all. I wanted to see if I was “allowed” to read a book that made me actually laugh out loud (not just lol) without being shunned by society. It kind of backfired though, because I was having so much fun reading the book that I forgot to look for disapproving faces. I mean, occupational fail when you’re an anthropologist who forgets to observe society!!
Have you read Let’s Pretend This Never Happened?
No: go buy it!! NOW!
Yes: Good girl, time for a biscuit! Puppy want biccies?!
