I cannot resist
Yes, this is going to be an entire blog post about nothing other than the incomparable, amazing, Caitlin Moran.
Were to even start...well, to be honest, I could go on and on about her, but many of you, I suspect, have not yet been introduced to Moran. Today is indeed your lucky day.
A friend gave me a copy of Moran's book How to be a Woman just over a year ago and it has not left me since, though I have shared it with many. I laughed out loud until tears came to my eyes more than once while reading this book. It is quite possibly a terrible book to read in a library, coffee shop, or other such places where quiet or some level of reserve is expected. The looks you will get...but that's part of what makes it beyond fabulous.
This book is not a novel but rather one outspoken British comedian's rendition of what the modern woman is, or should be. Moran takes on the delicate and indelicate topics about women as a whole, addressing everything from shaving to the pornography industry with an easy aplomb that will leave you smiling, angry, and impassioned to make this world that we live in a better place for woman as a whole. A few tidbits from this book are pictured here.
But why am I writing about Ms. Moran today? Well, because her next book is finally here! And like the first, it is taking the world by storm. This summer, a couple of us had the marvelous pleasure of reading her first novel, How to Build a Girl, and were definitely not disappointed. It's anxiously awaited print debut is here. It's in the Library. You can check it out in print or audio format. Don't wait, run to the shelves now and get your copy.
Oh wait, you want to know what it is first...can you feel our excitement about this book? The main character of this novel, 14 year old Johanna, is actually a typical teen struggling with a family that is struggling in its own rights. As the oldest daughter with an out-of-work father and a mother struggling with depression, she finds herself drowning under the weight of caring for her younger siblings and trying to make her life look more like something that she wants it to be. Johanna does what so many of us have always wanted to do. She takes off and builds a new life from scratch, including giving herself a new name, image, identity, and a cause to fight for. "I want to be a self-made woman. I want to conjure myself out of every sparkling, fast-moving thing I can see. I want to be the creator of me. I'm gonna begat myself." This witty, sarcastic, tale of a girl becoming a woman in her own way is full of grit, tenacity, and hilarity. Johanna's journey will shock you, endear her to you, and feel all too familiar as she speaks with a voice that rages aloud the thoughts and ideas that have been in your own minds. It is absolutely not to be missed.
And of course, we love Caitlin Moran because she understands just how important reading and libraries truly are. To read more Moran, check out her weekly column on The Times website.
If you like her, we also recommend the following books:
The Year of Yes by Maria Dahvana Headley
Bossypants by Tina Fey
Not That Kind of Girl by Lena Dunham
The Handmaid's Tale by Margaret Atwood
Were to even start...well, to be honest, I could go on and on about her, but many of you, I suspect, have not yet been introduced to Moran. Today is indeed your lucky day.
A friend gave me a copy of Moran's book How to be a Woman just over a year ago and it has not left me since, though I have shared it with many. I laughed out loud until tears came to my eyes more than once while reading this book. It is quite possibly a terrible book to read in a library, coffee shop, or other such places where quiet or some level of reserve is expected. The looks you will get...but that's part of what makes it beyond fabulous.
This book is not a novel but rather one outspoken British comedian's rendition of what the modern woman is, or should be. Moran takes on the delicate and indelicate topics about women as a whole, addressing everything from shaving to the pornography industry with an easy aplomb that will leave you smiling, angry, and impassioned to make this world that we live in a better place for woman as a whole. A few tidbits from this book are pictured here. But why am I writing about Ms. Moran today? Well, because her next book is finally here! And like the first, it is taking the world by storm. This summer, a couple of us had the marvelous pleasure of reading her first novel, How to Build a Girl, and were definitely not disappointed. It's anxiously awaited print debut is here. It's in the Library. You can check it out in print or audio format. Don't wait, run to the shelves now and get your copy.Oh wait, you want to know what it is first...can you feel our excitement about this book? The main character of this novel, 14 year old Johanna, is actually a typical teen struggling with a family that is struggling in its own rights. As the oldest daughter with an out-of-work father and a mother struggling with depression, she finds herself drowning under the weight of caring for her younger siblings and trying to make her life look more like something that she wants it to be. Johanna does what so many of us have always wanted to do. She takes off and builds a new life from scratch, including giving herself a new name, image, identity, and a cause to fight for. "I want to be a self-made woman. I want to conjure myself out of every sparkling, fast-moving thing I can see. I want to be the creator of me. I'm gonna begat myself." This witty, sarcastic, tale of a girl becoming a woman in her own way is full of grit, tenacity, and hilarity. Johanna's journey will shock you, endear her to you, and feel all too familiar as she speaks with a voice that rages aloud the thoughts and ideas that have been in your own minds. It is absolutely not to be missed.
And of course, we love Caitlin Moran because she understands just how important reading and libraries truly are. To read more Moran, check out her weekly column on The Times website.
If you like her, we also recommend the following books:
The Year of Yes by Maria Dahvana Headley
Bossypants by Tina Fey
Not That Kind of Girl by Lena Dunham
The Handmaid's Tale by Margaret Atwood
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