Moranthology

Brilliant. I picked this book up on an accidental whim. I had extra time in town before work and ran into our local used bookstore to find something to read as I forgot my book at home. I happened upon this and since How To Be A Woman has been on my TBR list for ages, I decided to go ahead and take this home with me. I read it all in a couple of days, between jobs. Caitlin Moran is hilarious, intelligent, and relatable. This collection of essays is just personal enough to have not only made me laugh and cry, but made me feel like I know her. If I lived in the UK, I would buy newspapers just to read her column. Her interview with Lady Gaga is one of the best I've ever read, and when I read her review of Sherlock, I felt like I was hearing Moriarty say, “I will burn the heart out of you” again for the first time. I got chills.

I laughed, I cried, and I'm so looking forward to picking up her other work in the future.

Probably a 2.5 but upgrading because I agree with her views on library funding and the welfare state in general. Her essays about growing up in poverty were also quite touching. Plus, Moran is a very very funny woman, though some of the essays sometimes border on the silly side. Good thing I listened to this on audio so I was only half-listening when she writes about fish or the royal wedding or British politics (of which I know nothing about). Still a very enjoyable read if you get her brand of humor.