I have discovered the joy that is audio
books. The fact that I want to read just about every book ever is a
mystery to no one, but sometimes I have to stop reading and, you
know, do things. This time spent away from books has always been a
sad time for me. Until I met audiobooks. Doing laundry has never been
better!
It all started a few weeks ago when I
finally decided to conquer my grandmother's flower beds. The
beginning of spring meant lots of weeding and the removal of great
amounts of fallen leaves...this would take hours. I decided that the
best way to go about it would be with a book. In some ways, I am a
lot like a puppy (mostly in that I am adorable, but also because I
have a short attention span) so I worried that I may not be able to
focus my full attention on a book while working in the yard. For this
very reason I chose a book that I hoped would be entertaining but
would not be difficult to fall mentally in and out of. I listened to
comedian Sarah Silverman's memoir, The Bedwetter: Stories of Courage,Redemption, and Pee.
Silverman is a comedian that is famous
for a certain kind of humor that can only be described as “potty
humor.” But what made me want to read her book is the way in which
she uses her grossout, controversial jokes. Silverman is a smart
woman and a savvy comedian – she attempts to build a greater
narrative surrounding her bits. Using juvenile humor she introduces
her audience to the the idiocy of racism or explains what it is like
to be gay (in that it is the same as being straight – all
relationships are weird). To the late night Comedy Central audience
(where Silverman's television show ran for three seasons) these ideas
were not the norm but were embraced by way of Silverman's style.
The best parts of the book were
definitely when Silverman wrote about her intent behind her jokes.
Especially when they failed by being misinterpreted. She writes about
being young and naive and learning on the fly. It is a good read for
anyone feeling lost or outranked in their profession. This was an
entertaining memoir and while it is ultimately forgettable (like all
celebrity memoirs) I am glad that I listened to it, and it made yard
work a lot funnier.
I never read memoirs by celebrities,
apparently unless they are by female comedians, but these books make
perfect listening – they are easy to dip into and out of as I have
time to listen and the authors reading their own words only make them
more engaging. I loved Bossypants by Tina Fey and Mindy Kaling's Is
Everyone Hanging Out Without Me is the next book I'll be picking up
on audio. I look forward to so many more audio books. It is a
decidedly different reading experience, and I'm getting to the type
of books that usually get pushed to the end of my TBR list
(especially memoirs and genre fiction). I'm reading more, I'm doing
more, it's perfect.
