This book is the story of Anna Koval, a librarian who plays around with HTML (the primary attraction for me!) who creates a web journal that initially was just for practice, then for her friend Dale, then as an outlet for all of her issues, demons and dreams. Her entries are almost always humorous, and almost every time either an improved version of her reality or an out right LIE.Anna's broken up with her boyfriend, Ian, but writes as though they're still together. She starts to get fan mail, which fuels her writing/lying, and actually meets a couple of them -- a stalkerish girl, very S.W.F. meets Britney Spears, and a John Cusack character come to life, with whom she could fall in love (if it weren't for her supposedly current boyfriend, Ian).Why Girls Are Weird is sorta autobiographical according to the acknowledgements and an interview with the author at the end. I went to the website it was based on (which had been taken down three years after it was made, then brough back a year later). It had it's moments, but didn't hold my interest as much as the book. The book had several lines and quotes that I loved and bookmarked the ears, something I never do. Normally I just underline the bits, but couldn't find a pencil when I came across the first.Some of my favorites: "Hey, Anna. Can I smoke in your appartment?""Are you kidding? Even my cat smokes." "Only crazy people tell you that they love you so much they can't even see you. It's because they're trying not to kill you." "All of this confusion and heartbreak was because of binary code. I hadn't done anything spectacular. I wasn't even a real writer. I was just some girl in Texas making up a few stories, wondering what would happen if I pretended to be someone better than I was." And when Anna's father died... "Looking around this place he left behind -- at my younger sisters all grown up, starting their own lives wiht determination and self-esteem, at my mother who doesn't have to worry about how to pay for the house or pay the bills, or me, his oldest daughter, who lives on her own over a thousand miles away -- I'm starting to realize why he was so quiet those last few years. He was testing us. He wanted to make sure we'd be okay without him." I won't give away the ending, but this is a review so I must tell you what I thought about the whole book. It was funny in places, sad in others, never long-winded, but I imagine five years from now I will remember a few of these lines that really connected with me, but I won't be able to tell you who wrote it. It was good but not memorable.Would I read other works by this author? Sure. Maybe. Depends on the subject.
I absolutely love Pamela Ribon, and it upsets me that she doesn't have the popularity that she deserves in the book-writing-fiction-sphere, because she deserves it. Her writing is so natural and conversational that you breeze right through it with a smile on your face (or smirk), and hope that the book never ends. Her style is unique in that it is formed in a series of blog posts, letters, emails, notes, etc., which is great given the fact that that IS how Ribon actually started writing - through blog posts. Story-wise, I will admit I enjoyed Why Moms are Weird more than this one, but that doesn't take away from the fact that I enjoyed this story and found many laugh out loud moments, as well as many tear-jerking moments. Yes, Pamela is good.What I found a little annoying is the fact that she was so hung up on her ex and wouldn't stop obsessing about him, even though he was very obviously a jerk. Although, I can't hold that against her so much as I think we've all been through that experience where we obsessed over one worthless piece of s***, despite all the clear signs. What I found somewhat unrealistic, is the relationship that transpired over emails, between two complete strangers. Again, we've all had online relationships, but those have become much easier nowadays with the presence of social media that aids in stalking our love interests. I still thought it was a little off putting that they fell in love so easily after emailing, and one meeting. That being said, I still loved this book and recommend it to anyone looking for a light, fun, read.
What do You think about Why Girls Are Weird (2007)?
Anna's just broken up with Ian and she's totally in a slump about it, so her friend pushes her to just start writing again as a vehicle to bringing herself out of it. Anna does so, mostly on a whim, and creates an alter-ego called Anna K whose boyfriend, Ian, is incredible and worthy of writing updates about. Because of her quirky writing style and ability to make the situations come alive, Anna K gets some great new fans, including a girl who likes the fake version of Ian so much that she wants to try to steal him from Anna, and a boy who would be thrilled to date Anna (and she him) if she didn't have this pesky boyfriend. But when she shares enough personal details that she can be tracked, the people she doesn't want to see it may end up seeing a lot more of her than she ever intended, and it's awfully hard to tease out how much of Anna K is her and how much is who she wishes she was. . . .The delivery in this novel is superb--incredibly funny, full of self-deprecating humor and a female protagonist who knows exactly how pathetic and ridiculous she is sometimes, and both tender and zany moments that make you really care about Anna (and her ruse). I didn't agree with what Anna was doing and found her kind of unlikable at the beginning, but I liked the way she handled it and I especially liked the details of what it's like to be a minor Internet celebrity. (Been there!)
—Julie Decker
I loved Why Girls are Weird. I can't remember the last book that I read that I enjoyed this much. I didn't want to put it down and every time I had to I couldn't wait to keep reading it. The story centers around a woman named Anna who is in her 20s. After breaking up with her long time boyfriend, she starts an online journal about their relationship together as if they had never broken up and winds up amassing a large following. (Note this book was written in the early 2000's before blogging became mainstream and what it is today). She specifically winds up in contact with two of her fans and the story delves into her relationships with these two people as well as the people who are actually present in her real life. She struggles to balance the falsehoods she has told online with the person she really is. It was a fun read with a story that I found really engaging.
—Danielle
This is one of those books that sticks with you, even though it is chick-lit. It started out so innocent. Start a blog and write. But what happens when you suddenly have fans who are sending gifts and their best wishes? Suddenly you become two people: the real you and the blogger you.I loved this story and the characters I could totally relate to. I laughed, nodded along and generally felt she was writing about me and my experiences as a blogger ten years ago.A fantastic book and I highly recommend it!My Rating: 5 stars
—N.N. Light
