i wish laurie notaro's books were funnier. this one elicited some chuckles from "the caramel apple incident" essay, but i had to slog through about one hundred pages of stories that are unfit to read while eating in order to get there. my other big complaint with all of notaro's books is that she over-reaches for the punchline or a conclusion to each tiny essay. i assume her books are collections of the weekly humor column she writes for her city newspaper, so they're being written on a tight deadline & she can't always wait for the funny to come to her. but still. her stuff is basically an exercise in taking a potentially humorous story & wringing the funny right out of it.

the good news is that you read one of her books & you start realizing that you--yes, you!--can find a publisher too if you just try.