I have read Melanie's blog for years so I knew I would like this book. I enjoy her style of writing (witty and mindless). And I don't say mindless in a bad way, but rather mean that I can usually read it without having to think too much and get lost in the story (which is usually about nothing at all, as she'll often start the story by warning you) and still walk away having laughed and being glad I took the time to read it.
I felt the same about the book. It offered some background and additional stories for those of us who know her through the blog, but it didn't really go deeper than the blog does. I would love to visit with someone who read it who had never read her blog. I would be interested to know what it was like to read with none of that context, and if they were able to connect as much. I was secretly hoping for a little more depth with the book because occasionally she posts with depth, and I enjoy that side of her as well, but it's easy to understand that the book was intended to showcase the writing style for which she gained her current following.
The two most enjoyable quotes from this book are:
"Like Anne Lamott says in Traveling Mercies, 'I always imagined when I was a kid that adults had some kind of inner toolbox full of shiny tools: the saw of discernment, the hammer of wisdom, the sandpaper of patience. But then when I grew up I found that life handed you these rusty bent old tools - friendships, prayer, conscience, honesty - and said, Do the best you can with these, they will have to do. And mostly, against all odds, they're enough.'" (Page 24)
"Every mother knows the reason Robert Frost took the road less traveled is because he wasn't traveling with children who needed to go to the bathroom every thirty minutes. Otherwise he would have taken the road paved with McDonalds and truck stops with restrooms, covered by antibacterial soap and prayer. And that would have made all the difference" (Page 165)
Well done, Melanie. You do keep me laughing!