Why Is My Mother Getting A Tattoo?: And Other Questions I Wish I Never Had To Ask (2009) - Plot & Excerpts
There's a genre I have in my head that I call "women who should be famous instead of Sloane Crosley." I have nothing against Sloane Crosley personally, and I've heard from people who've worked with her that she's nothing but lovely, but I think her writing is boring and not funny. And women like Rachel Shukert, Julie Klausner, and Jancee Dunn are funny. I loved Jancee Dunn's But Enough About Me, which was a collection of essays about her years as a celebrity interviewer, and this book, which focuses more on her family, was even better.Thinking about it more, my real problem with Sloane Crosley's essays is that I don't think she takes any risks. She does nothing that would risk ridicule, either in her life or in her writing, and while that's probably an admirable way to live your life, it doesn't make for interesting books. i have almost nothing to say about this book. it's another goofy funny essays ripped from the headlines of the authors personal life. the conceit here is that the author's family is constantly getting up to wacky & hilarious shenanigans. which...sure. let's go with it. they do crazy things like argue for five hours on the phone over which dessert to make for xmas dinner. or there was the time when the author's mom decided to get a raven tattooed on her wrist even though she's old. are you laughing yet? if so, you'll enjoy this book more than i did. i didn't hate it...it was just okay. though, if i read many more books like this, i am going to go into some kind of insane mental tailspin, wondering how all these writers who are essentially just the dave barrys of the 21st century secure agents & publishing contracts while i agonize over self-published zines that maybe 1000 people end up reading. i'm trying not to think about it too hard.
What do You think about Why Is My Mother Getting A Tattoo?: And Other Questions I Wish I Never Had To Ask (2009)?
Funny snippets of life with the author's quirky family and friends, and I mean that in a good way.
—MiaVirginie
Dunn's humor tends to feel forced, but there are a few good bits in her essays.
—Tprincess
I enjoyed this book. Just fun stories about the author and her quirky family.
—97djhanson
