Jen Lancaster

Recounts the author's search for domestic bliss as she embraces the word of Martha Stewart and attempts to follow her in all things, from closet organization to stain removal, with laughably disastrous results.

My Year of LIVING, Or why I'm Never Getting All that Glitter Off of the Dog

The Tao of Martha

Melissa Palmer

Book #39 Read in 2013
The Tao of Martha by Jen Lancaster

I love Jen Lancaster's non-fiction. Her books crack me up with her sarcasm and her wit. In this book, Jen has decided to live 2012 following Martha Stewart's wisdom--regarding cooking, holidays and living. Each chapter details a task/thought/goal that Jen is working on following Martha's thought process. Some chapters show more success reached than other chapters. Along with Martha, Jen details her life--a sick dog, a great and supportive husband, a health scare of hers, in such a way that readers will feel so bonded to her that it will be like chatting with a good friend. 

Several times I laughed out loud while reading this book. Jen tells of her cat on prozac and since I have a cat on prozac too, I could totally relate. Her health scare was something that I could relate to as well. The ups and downs of marriage, while maintaining your sense of humor, seems familiar. I recommend this book; I enjoyed it a lot.

I received a copy of this book in exchange for a review through the Amazon Vine program.

http://melissasbookpicks.blogspot.com

Kourtney

Jen Lancaster is one of my favorite authors. I love the sarcastic wit, the funny stories that make me laugh like crazy, and the crazy stories of animals gone awry. With this iteration, it felt like reconnecting with an old friend. She shared her funny stories, her tales of health concerns, and the pain in losing a loved one that had me in tears. After the recycled blog posts of a book (Jeneration X) it felt good to read original stories again. As many have mentioned, the footnotes are gone, which felt a bit odd as I equate them with her memoirs. What kept me from giving this rating 5 stars? The stories felt a bit forced. I know she explains how she came to live her year under the Tao of Martha, but to me? It just felt like she has run out of things to write about. It pains me to type this, but I just couldn't connect with her anymore. One of the reasons I loved Such a Pretty Fat and My Fair Lazy was that I could relate to her stories, her feelings and the sarcasm. I didn't have that same connection with this book. At least I can now read how the other half live...with glitter.

The Tao of Martha My Year of LIVING, Or why I'm Never Getting All that Glitter Off of the Dog

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