Bloggess in Progress

I picked up blogger Jenny Lawson's surprise-hit new memoir, "Let's Pretend This Never Happened," at Barnes & Noble yesterday, then got cold feet worrying that it might have too much "mommy" in it. (She started as a mommy blogger and still has that daughter of hers.) What was I thinking? As this profile in today's New York Times confirms, the book is -- as I had already been told -- hysterical. (Back to Barnes & Noble I go ...) Read HERE.

Order the book HERE.

Book Shelf: Kathryn Harrison, Augusten Burroughs, The Blogess & Lizz Winstead

Finished one book and read another since my last post. Also wanted to mention two new and noteworthy titles this week:

A friend recommended "The Kiss" -- Kathryn Harrison's incest memoir -- to me years ago, but I just got around to remembering to read it when I heard she was a guest on Augusten Burroughs' Sirius/XM radio show. "The Kiss" is every bit as nausmerizing (nauseating + mesmerizing) as I was told, a stark and unromantic story that would make Oedipus painfully uncomfortable. (At the "height" of their affair, Kathryn moved in with her father, his wife and their children, aka her half siblings.) It was only as I read this curiously ethereal tale that I realized I had seen her on Oprah years ago -- which makes perfect sense given her pedigree as a writer/bulimic/anorexic/incest survivor. More info HERE.

Watch this clip to learn more about Augusten Burroughs' new self-help book, "This Is How." (I wonder if he and Kathryn had a Fucked-Up-Childhood-Off -- or if he at least gave her a free copy.) Order yours HERE.

My friend Ray Kruger's "45-Love" is for the hardcore tennis fan only, more of a match journal than actual memoir. Although he touches on childhood traumas and ongoing self-image issues, the real joy stems from his point-by-point descriptions of every match he's ever played, with hilarious details of players' cheating schemes, meltdowns and near fisticuffs. And kudos for giving a schizophrenic a ride home even after he'd beaten the nut 6-0, 6-0! More info HERE.

I only know Jenny Lawson because of her hilariously caustic tweets. But apparently she's better known as a Mommy Blogger (really???) and The Bloggess -- "Like Mother Teresa, Only Better" -- whose site has a huge following. (Where have I been?) "Let's Pretend This Never Happened: A Mostly True Memoir" is yet another attempt by a blogger to write a book, only this time I hear it's hilarious -- and selling like hot cakes. ("Even when I was funny, I wasn't this funny," blurbs Augusten Burroughs.) Marketed as of interest to David Sedaris and Tina Fey fans, consider this one high on my reading list. More info HERE.

And finally, comedian Lizz Winstead's debut collection of essays, "Lizz, Free or Die," comes out May 10. As the co-creator of "The Daily Show" and a frequent political pundit, Lizz is another one of my favorite people on Twitter, so I have high hopes for this one. The book says it's about how Lizz found her comedic voice, but having spent an evening with her last year, it's hard for me to believe she wasn't just born this way. More info HERE. To view the book's trailer, click HERE.

Oh, and raise your hand if you "borrowed" my copy of "Dress Your Family in Corduroy and Denim."

Get updates from the (212) on Twitter HERE and Facebook HERE.