Funny Female (non)Fiction, submitted by Naomi
December is a lovely month for a cozy read and a good laugh. You want something fast and light that will leave you in as good a mood, or even better, than it found you in. It’s the ideal time for a book that’s goes perfectly with a warm fire and a hot cup of coffee.
These three memoirs, all written by women authors, cover a wide range of topics from motherhood, pet-ownership, and goose attacks to writing, acting, and Ultima Online.
You're Never Weird on the Internet (almost)
Felicia Day has become a geek icon, creating and starring in The Guild, one of the first runaway hit web series, which was inspired by her love for World of Warcraft. She has appeared on Buffy the Vampire Slayer, Supernatural, Dr. Horrible's Sing-Along Blog, The Magicians, and the Netflix revival of Mystery Science Theater 3000.
You're Never Weird on the Internet (almost) is a love letter to growing up in the early years of the World Wide Web and the strange, yet memorable and impactful, communities that formed. Day also dives into her unusual childhood, her love of video games that would shape her future career, the launch of her web series and the web channel Geek and Sundry, as well as her encounters with some of the darker aspects of the modern online world.
The book is funny, heartfelt, and interesting. For fans of all things geeky, it is a delightful journey through a familiar world, while for newcomers to this corner of the internet it makes for an interesting and amusing introduction. Day does not shy away from both the challenges and difficulties as well as the highs and joys of the path she has taken, and the result is a delightful book about the road less traveled.
Hyperbole and a Half features a series of essays, all of which are accompanied by Brosh’s unique art style. While most of the book covers light, funny stories from her childhood (the one about her, her sister, and her mother getting lost in the woods is a particular highlight!) and adulthood, she also talks honestly, yet hopefully, of her struggles with depression in two essays that first gained attention and respect on her blog.
The combination of art and words makes Hyperbole and a Half a light, fast read, and the two mediums go together beautifully, each enhancing the other. It is a good, solid chortle. Plus: there be dogs!
In this collection of essays, originally published in 1957, Kerr covers topics of motherhood, living in the suburbs, and just the various quirks and eccentricities of life. While written over five decades ago, the stories are still relatable and endearing today. She also talks about the theater world that she was part of both as wife of one of the leading theater critics of the day, and as a playwright herself.
The style is lighthearted and friendly, feeling like a nice chat that is sure to put a grin on your face. The mother of four rambunctious boys (at the time this book was written - she would go on to have two more children) she is never cynical even when writing about the many challenges of being a mother.
Please Don't Eat the Daisies would go on to be adapted into both a 1960 film and a 1965-1967 television show, and Kerr also wrote a number of sequels. If you are in need of a comfort read, look no further.
