I acquired my copy of Such A Pretty Fat by Jen Lancaster from Costco (thanks, Marilee!) and wolfed it down in two days (it would have been one day, but my weekends are always busy). It was, as promised, very funny, but I wasn't prepared for the bitterness and immature selfishness that motivated the authors every move in the book. She is, to be blunt, a mean bitch, and though she admits this, Lancaster doesn't seem to think its a character flaw, or even a bad thing. Her complete disregard, and often outright contempt for anyone other than herself left me wanting to toss this book more than once in disgust. That kind of vanity and conceit make me ill, as a rule. However, Lancaster had such a hilarious take on the popular diets of the day, from Atkins to Weight Watchers, that I soldiered on, curious to see if she'd ever realize that only exercise and eating right were the path to real results with weight. After many failures, Lancaster signs up with a personal trainer named Bambi who has nerves of steel, and manages to whip her sorry tuchas into some semblance of shape, as Lancaster learns to eat in moderation through the Weight Watchers web site and their points program. The writing is modern and bloggy, but it moves at a smart pace and though I am not a fan of reprinted emails, they are used to good effect here. I'd recommend this book to others who are in the process of trying to diet and exercise, but only if they also have an appreciation for dark comedy and mean, conceited people. I'd imagine that people who love the TV show "House" (and Greg House's insane character) would find this book quite fun. As I believe in all things in moderation, however, I am not motivated to read any more of Lancasters sarcastic and rude rantings from the Windy City.
My Wish List for books this year is longer than normal because I didn't get any Barnes and Nobel Gift Certificates this year, alas!
But there's always Valentines Day, hint, hubby, hint.
Wish List (abbreviated, as there are always more books I find I want!)
1) An Irish Country Doctor by Patrick Taylor
2) Up and Down in the Dales and
3) In the Heart of the Dales by Gervase Phinn
4) Muse of Fire by Dan Simmons
5) Dewey, the Small Town Library Cat...
6) Hope's Folly by Linnea Sinclair
7) Longeye by Sharon Lee and Steve Miller
8) Among the Mad by Jacqueline Winspear
9) Dead And Gone by Charlaine Harris
10) Backup by Jim Butcher
11) The Graveyard Book by Neil Gaiman
12) Anasasi Boys By Neil Gaiman
13) Naamah's Kiss by Jacqueline Carey
14) Love Rosie and There's No Place Like Here by Cecelia Ahern
15) Fools Run and To Weave a Web of Magic by Patricia McKillip
16) King of Sword and Sky by CL Wilson
17) Runemarks by Joanne Harris
18) A butterfly and roses calendar
19) The Treasure Keeper by Shana Abe
20) Princess of the Sword by Lynn Kurland
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