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The Tao of Martha: My Year of LIVING; Or, Why I'm Never Getting All That Glitter Off of the Dog
Goodreads Choice Award
Nominee for Readers' Favorite Humor (2013)One would think that with Jen Lancaster’s impressive list of bestselling self-improvement memoirs—Bitter Is the New Black; Bright Lights, Big Ass; Such a Pretty Fat; Pretty in Plaid; My Fair Lazy; and Jeneration X—that she would have it all together by now.
One would be wrong.
Jen’s still a little rough around the edges. Suffice it to say, she’s no Martha Stewart. And that is exactly why Jen is going to Martha up and live her life according to the advice of America’s overachieving older sister—the woman who turns lemons into lavender-infused lemonade.
By immersing herself in Martha’s media empire, Jen will embark on a yearlong quest to take herself, her house, her husband (and maybe even her pets) to the next level—from closet organization to craft making, from party planning to kitchen prep.
Maybe Jen can go four days without giving herself food poisoning if she follows Martha’s dictates on proper storage....Maybe she can grow closer to her girlfriends by taking up their boring-ass hobbies like knitting and sewing.…Maybe she can finally rid her workout clothes of meatball stains by using Martha’s laundry tips.… Maybe she can create a more meaningful anniversary celebration than just getting drunk in the pool with her husband....again. And maybe, just maybe, she’ll discover that the key to happiness does, in fact, lie in Martha’s perfectly arranged cupboards and artfully displayed charcuterie platters.
Or maybe not.
One would be wrong.
Jen’s still a little rough around the edges. Suffice it to say, she’s no Martha Stewart. And that is exactly why Jen is going to Martha up and live her life according to the advice of America’s overachieving older sister—the woman who turns lemons into lavender-infused lemonade.
By immersing herself in Martha’s media empire, Jen will embark on a yearlong quest to take herself, her house, her husband (and maybe even her pets) to the next level—from closet organization to craft making, from party planning to kitchen prep.
Maybe Jen can go four days without giving herself food poisoning if she follows Martha’s dictates on proper storage....Maybe she can grow closer to her girlfriends by taking up their boring-ass hobbies like knitting and sewing.…Maybe she can finally rid her workout clothes of meatball stains by using Martha’s laundry tips.… Maybe she can create a more meaningful anniversary celebration than just getting drunk in the pool with her husband....again. And maybe, just maybe, she’ll discover that the key to happiness does, in fact, lie in Martha’s perfectly arranged cupboards and artfully displayed charcuterie platters.
Or maybe not.
335 pages, Hardcover
First published June 1, 2013
156 people are currently reading
6965 people want to read
About the author
Jen Lancaster
30 books4,475 followersJen Lancaster is the author of her own memoirs including: as Bitter is the New Black, Bright Lights, Big Ass, Such A Pretty Fat, Pretty in Plaid, My Fair Lazy, and the newest: Jeneration X.
She has also dabbled with fiction in her first book, If You Were Here.
She has also dabbled with fiction in her first book, If You Were Here.
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Displaying 1 - 30 of 1,148 reviews
May 23, 2016
I worship Martha Stewart.
I see her as our nation's overachieving older sister. Like, I might resent her a tiny bit, but mostly I'm in awe of how she makes everything look so damn easy.
I've been called the "Martha Stewart of Central Pennsylvania" more than once. (Okay - twice.) Both times were by book club members impressed with my table laden with sumptuous desserts, and my impeccably decorated house. Little did they suspect that the desserts started life as boxes of cake and brownie mix, and that the other 364 days of the year when I'm not hosting book club, my carpets are smothered by an inch of Golden Retriever fur, and my well-chosen, quirky knick-knacks languish under a coating of dust. Though Martha's counters may gleam every day of the year, mine do not. BUT, what I have learned from her teachings is how a Herculean effort in the art of subterfuge can create the appearance of a well appointed, well organized and well scrubbed home. Go ahead . . . take a whiff.
The potpourri does an excellent job of covering the bullshit.
My point, I suppose, is that anyone can pull it together to "fake" perfection for an evening, but what would it be like to actually LIVE like Martha for one whole year?
Humorist Jen Lancaster decided to take that challenge, and this book chronicles her successes and failures. Some of them are pretty funny. I particularly enjoyed the attempt made by Jen and her long-suffering husband Fletch to create a magical Martha Easter. Instead of hard-boiling the eggs for coloring, Jen decided to blow the yolks out. Let's just say pretty much everything went wrong, and the couple ended up with eleven eggs out of six dozen. More fun times are had the next morning when Jen's well intentioned children's egg hunt devolved into a frenzied brawl.
I wish more of the book had been like this episode, in other words, more efforts to recreate specific "Martha-isms," and less tales of Jen's massive menagerie. (I LOVE animals, but reading about the joys and travails of cats and dog ownership was NOT the reason I picked up this book.)
Still, there are a lot of fun times and good things to be had here. I appreciate Jen's sense of humor and sportsmanship, so I'll go with four stars, though the last one is kind of crooked, and not covered in glitter.
We foolish mortals will never, ever be like Martha . . . but it doesn't hurt to try.
I see her as our nation's overachieving older sister. Like, I might resent her a tiny bit, but mostly I'm in awe of how she makes everything look so damn easy.
I've been called the "Martha Stewart of Central Pennsylvania" more than once. (Okay - twice.) Both times were by book club members impressed with my table laden with sumptuous desserts, and my impeccably decorated house. Little did they suspect that the desserts started life as boxes of cake and brownie mix, and that the other 364 days of the year when I'm not hosting book club, my carpets are smothered by an inch of Golden Retriever fur, and my well-chosen, quirky knick-knacks languish under a coating of dust. Though Martha's counters may gleam every day of the year, mine do not. BUT, what I have learned from her teachings is how a Herculean effort in the art of subterfuge can create the appearance of a well appointed, well organized and well scrubbed home. Go ahead . . . take a whiff.
The potpourri does an excellent job of covering the bullshit.
My point, I suppose, is that anyone can pull it together to "fake" perfection for an evening, but what would it be like to actually LIVE like Martha for one whole year?
Humorist Jen Lancaster decided to take that challenge, and this book chronicles her successes and failures. Some of them are pretty funny. I particularly enjoyed the attempt made by Jen and her long-suffering husband Fletch to create a magical Martha Easter. Instead of hard-boiling the eggs for coloring, Jen decided to blow the yolks out. Let's just say pretty much everything went wrong, and the couple ended up with eleven eggs out of six dozen. More fun times are had the next morning when Jen's well intentioned children's egg hunt devolved into a frenzied brawl.
I wish more of the book had been like this episode, in other words, more efforts to recreate specific "Martha-isms," and less tales of Jen's massive menagerie. (I LOVE animals, but reading about the joys and travails of cats and dog ownership was NOT the reason I picked up this book.)
Still, there are a lot of fun times and good things to be had here. I appreciate Jen's sense of humor and sportsmanship, so I'll go with four stars, though the last one is kind of crooked, and not covered in glitter.
We foolish mortals will never, ever be like Martha . . . but it doesn't hurt to try.
January 26, 2015
This is a humorous memoir about the year Jen Lancaster tried to be like Martha Stewart. She focused on getting her house organized, throwing festive parties, doing crafts and spending more time baking.
"I realize Martha Stewart isn't everyone's icon, but she is mine. I love her because instead of lording her superior skills over everyone and making them feel bad about themselves, she's out there breaking it all down for even the least talented among us."
Jen was inspired by Gretchen Rubin's year-long project book The Happiness Project (a memoir that I loved), and she thought that following Martha's principles would make her happier, but her project isn't nearly as organized or as well-planned as Gretchen's was. The Tao of Martha has several laugh-out-loud stories, and I also enjoyed the photos that Jen included of her various projects and pets, but there aren't any life-changing lessons in the anecdotes. I admit I had hoped for a more substantive memoir, but at least I could get that by rereading Gretchen's book.
Favorite Passage
[Lancaster remembers an episode from the reality show "Ice Loves Coco" in which the couple is looking at new houses.]
"I realize Martha Stewart isn't everyone's icon, but she is mine. I love her because instead of lording her superior skills over everyone and making them feel bad about themselves, she's out there breaking it all down for even the least talented among us."
Jen was inspired by Gretchen Rubin's year-long project book The Happiness Project (a memoir that I loved), and she thought that following Martha's principles would make her happier, but her project isn't nearly as organized or as well-planned as Gretchen's was. The Tao of Martha has several laugh-out-loud stories, and I also enjoyed the photos that Jen included of her various projects and pets, but there aren't any life-changing lessons in the anecdotes. I admit I had hoped for a more substantive memoir, but at least I could get that by rereading Gretchen's book.
Favorite Passage
[Lancaster remembers an episode from the reality show "Ice Loves Coco" in which the couple is looking at new houses.]
One place had an amazing guest room, but that was a deal breaker for Ice. Great guest rooms are so welcoming that they encourage people to stay awhile, and Ice found that problematic. He said he wanted his guest room to express the sentiment, “Don’t get too comfortable here; motherfuckers need to leave.”
June 8, 2013
This is my least favorite Lancaster book. It's like it's written by a different person. Her debut memoir "Bitter is the New Black" is my favorite memoir because of Jen's snarky writing style AND the conflict in the situations of the book. Sadly, most people have been unemployed and frustrated in looking for a job. Even if Jen's sarcasm was occasionally grating, she and her also- unemployed husband were still sympathetic characters. Ten years later--not so much. There's no conflict, and Jen's writing style seems muted (possibly because her trademark footnotes have been discontinued for e-readers). This book is basically about an affluent couple who buys things in upscale stores, what they buy and how nice they are in the dream house. Yawn. It's a nice book, I suppose, if you like books by perfect people about their perfect lives and all the nice things they own.
June 13, 2013
it was kind of sobering to read this book & realize that cranking out a humorous memoir every year has enabled jen to buy a pretty fancy house with extra bedrooms & a great room, fifty rosebushes, & an in-ground swimming pool, & hire her husband as her assistant, & still have money leftover to outfit a prepper den in her basement, pay for several years of oncology for her dog, & drop money on random shit like duvet covers & multiple christmas trees. i had no idea that the publishing industry was still so lucrative for some people. she mentions at one point "doubling [her] workload" by writing fiction--specifically to make more money. that bothered me a little, because there are so many people out there who would love to publish fiction because they enjoy writing it, they feel they have a story to tell, etc etc. not just for a paycheck. but...i guess jen isn't exactly standing there with her hand out, demanding that people pay her. if she's found a way to make publishing pay her ever-increasing bills...good for her, i guess?
this is a bit of a stunt memoir, in that it's about jen's attempts to model her life after martha stewart's home organizing tips. i am a sucker for pretty much anything involving home organizing (why, i just cleaned out & re-organized my baby closet two hours ago! & assuming that my baby continues to sleep, my next goal for the day is to wash the inside of my refrigerator!), so i rather enjoyed that aspect of it, little as i could relate to the insane degree of conspicuous consumption. but jen's dog dies halfway through the book & it kind of casts a pall over the whole thing. she starts going on about "the tao of maisy" & it feels pretty shoehorned in & honestly doesn't really make a lick of sense. i feel for her--my cat just died a few months ago & i spent like an entire month crying. i don't know.
jen's books are always very readable & have this weird ability to suck me in (i'm not proud), but this one was kind of light on the joy & humor.
this is a bit of a stunt memoir, in that it's about jen's attempts to model her life after martha stewart's home organizing tips. i am a sucker for pretty much anything involving home organizing (why, i just cleaned out & re-organized my baby closet two hours ago! & assuming that my baby continues to sleep, my next goal for the day is to wash the inside of my refrigerator!), so i rather enjoyed that aspect of it, little as i could relate to the insane degree of conspicuous consumption. but jen's dog dies halfway through the book & it kind of casts a pall over the whole thing. she starts going on about "the tao of maisy" & it feels pretty shoehorned in & honestly doesn't really make a lick of sense. i feel for her--my cat just died a few months ago & i spent like an entire month crying. i don't know.
jen's books are always very readable & have this weird ability to suck me in (i'm not proud), but this one was kind of light on the joy & humor.
June 28, 2013
I am a huge Jen Lancaster fan who gives 5 stars to all of her books...until this one. While 'The Tao of Martha' is still a good book and one I'll re-read again I'm sure, it wasn't by far Jen's best effort. I read other fans' reviews on here to see what the general consensus was and it was verifying to read that I wasn't the only Jen fan disappointed in this novel for a variety of similar reasons.
A big reason why I think Jen's works are so successful is because of her realness, her down-to-earth way of writing, and her hilarious snark. For the most part of this novel, all 3 of those qualities are missing. The theme is lightly woven throughout the book and often you can easily forget the whole point of it as it seems more of an afterthought than a vocal point. Plus while I'm happy she has had great success and rightfully so, the relatability she used to have to her readers isn't all there - unless you too can afford to shop frequently at Whole Foods and spend money on alpaca wool to knit expensive scarves for your friends.
It was an overall good, fun read but one that was, quite honestly, disappointing for this loyal fan. I still can't wait to read her new fiction novel out next year but I hope her next memoir won't feel as forced or as unrelatable.
A big reason why I think Jen's works are so successful is because of her realness, her down-to-earth way of writing, and her hilarious snark. For the most part of this novel, all 3 of those qualities are missing. The theme is lightly woven throughout the book and often you can easily forget the whole point of it as it seems more of an afterthought than a vocal point. Plus while I'm happy she has had great success and rightfully so, the relatability she used to have to her readers isn't all there - unless you too can afford to shop frequently at Whole Foods and spend money on alpaca wool to knit expensive scarves for your friends.
It was an overall good, fun read but one that was, quite honestly, disappointing for this loyal fan. I still can't wait to read her new fiction novel out next year but I hope her next memoir won't feel as forced or as unrelatable.
May 30, 2013
Jen Lancaster is fantastic. I discovered her long after the Bitter Is The New Black days, but eagerly devoured her entire catalog faster than you can say "beloved pit pulls." I find her wit hilarious and refreshing, and she's an author I love so fiercely that I'll pick up her latest without even reading the book's summary.
So it was with The Tao of Martha, though the subject of Jen's stunt memoir is clear from the title. In an effort to clean up her rough edges, Jen embarks on a quest to channel Martha by organizing her home, revamping her recipes, starting new hobbies and much more. If Martha is so Zen and nonplussed, surely following her instructions for living and crafting will help her get there, too?
Though I went into Tao ready to chuckle along with Jen's latest antics, I just . . . found the book to be lacking. Her battles in the garden, attempts to sculpt a magnificent trick-or-treating experience for neighborhood kids and poignant stories of losing a beloved dog were well-told and worth the price of admission -- but on the whole, the humor and sparkle I expect from Jen was missing.
The story felt forced. I don't know how else to explain my feelings. Jen is obviously not Martha Stewart because, you know, none of us are -- a fact popularized by magazines and bloggers everywhere. Being "Not Martha" is its own thing, in fact (and a website). We all know Martha is the shining beacon of all mere mortals can never accomplish, and many embrace -- and even celebrate -- their imperfections and not-Martha-ness. So I guess I was waiting for . . . something more? Jen does experience growth and actually finds she enjoys some of new hobbies, but it wasn't enough.
Sadly, I just never felt attached to her journey -- plain and simple. But I still love you, Jen! And I'll still be eager to get my paws on whatever she whips up next. If you're new to Lancaster's works, Bitter Is The New Black is still my favorite read.
So it was with The Tao of Martha, though the subject of Jen's stunt memoir is clear from the title. In an effort to clean up her rough edges, Jen embarks on a quest to channel Martha by organizing her home, revamping her recipes, starting new hobbies and much more. If Martha is so Zen and nonplussed, surely following her instructions for living and crafting will help her get there, too?
Though I went into Tao ready to chuckle along with Jen's latest antics, I just . . . found the book to be lacking. Her battles in the garden, attempts to sculpt a magnificent trick-or-treating experience for neighborhood kids and poignant stories of losing a beloved dog were well-told and worth the price of admission -- but on the whole, the humor and sparkle I expect from Jen was missing.
The story felt forced. I don't know how else to explain my feelings. Jen is obviously not Martha Stewart because, you know, none of us are -- a fact popularized by magazines and bloggers everywhere. Being "Not Martha" is its own thing, in fact (and a website). We all know Martha is the shining beacon of all mere mortals can never accomplish, and many embrace -- and even celebrate -- their imperfections and not-Martha-ness. So I guess I was waiting for . . . something more? Jen does experience growth and actually finds she enjoys some of new hobbies, but it wasn't enough.
Sadly, I just never felt attached to her journey -- plain and simple. But I still love you, Jen! And I'll still be eager to get my paws on whatever she whips up next. If you're new to Lancaster's works, Bitter Is The New Black is still my favorite read.
August 16, 2013
I've never been a Martha fan, but I like Jen Lancaster, so I got this book. It's just okay. There are a few funny parts, but most of it is hard for the average reader to relate to. For example, when Jen wants to have a party, she calls people to clean the house and pool, takes linens to the dry cleaners, and shops at Williams-Sonoma and Whole Foods. When Jen wants to "garden", her "rose guy" doesn't show her how to prune the sixty rose plants she already has; instead, he plants her a "cutting garden". (And, of course, he's just in charge of the roses. The rest of the yard is taken care of by a team of landscapers.) One of Jen's prized pit bulls has cancer, so she spends thousands of dollars on chemo, emergency vets, and "hydrotherapy". Jen has lots of first-world problems that are solved by thinking like Martha does. This might work for someone who has a lot of free time and money so that she can think about how organizing her closets with matching jars from The Container Store brings a sense of Zen calm, but just left me uninspired. I didn't enjoy the book and have no renewed desire to declutter my junk drawer. Meh.
November 15, 2015
My rating: 2.5 of 5 stars
'...ready or not, happiness, here I come.'
Organization = happiness? That's what Jen Lancaster has set out to prove. Her life is in dire need of some organization not just within her house but in her life in general and she thinks that in doing so she'll be less stressful and have more happiness. She decides to emulate the Queen of Organization: Martha Stewart. The Tao of Martha is her personal accounting of incorporating Martha's ideals into her daily life, both when it goes right and when it goes horribly wrong.
Having read all of Jen's memoirs, it's become a requirement to pick any new ones up even if they have steadily declined over the years. I'm thinking it's a combination of lack of new material that's actually worth writing about and a dramatic change in lifestyle from what we originally saw in her first memoir 'Bitter is the New Black'. In 'Bitter', Jen is a much more relatable person as she's struggling to survive as her and her husband both are unemployed. With each memoir she is slowly transforming into the person who talks only of her cleaning ladies, monumentally expensive landscaping plans and her shopping excursions to affluent stores that I couldn't even afford to breathe the air of. While the writing still manages to sustain (somewhat) the snark that we've all come to know and love, the stories have become achingly superficial. Prime example:
'Shoot, I haven't even reserved an organic turkey yet! ("I'll take 'The Most OverPrivileged First-World Complain to Ever Be Uttered' for a hundred, Alec!")'
Admitting that you're being shallow still doesn't make it funny.
While there were a few laugh out loud moments, I found the majority of 'Tao' to be incredibly boring. Early in the beginning there's a 7+ page accounting of her cleaning her desk which includes an itemized description of everything she had stored from over the years. (Considering she just moved/bought her house a few years ago, all this excessive garbage she dragged to the new house makes it even less funny. Like the broken wine glass shards. Really?) One thing I've always loved about her memoirs is how each chapter is a story in and of itself but in 'Tao', again, wondering if she was just running out of material, there were several stories that lacked any sort of point and entertainment value (and a few stories that were entirely way too personal and included info I would rather just not know). Like the chapter where we receive entirely way too much info regarding her digestive system. Or the chapter where she discusses her massive love for zucchini for several pages. Or the bit how she's attempting to figure out why her roses are dying when her friend points out that she probably shouldn't be watering them with a high pressure hose (duh?)
While the funnies were lacking in consistency, this was still a fun and easy read that also managed to teach me a few things:
-15 pounds of Easter candy for 9 kids = bad math.
-When gardening make sure you don't wear your older underwear so ticks can't crawl up and attach themselves to your lady-parts.
-If I start stocking up on emergency rations, six jars of marshmallow fluff is not essential.
-If my doctor ever prescribes me Ambien, I'm chaining myself to the bed.
'...ready or not, happiness, here I come.'
Organization = happiness? That's what Jen Lancaster has set out to prove. Her life is in dire need of some organization not just within her house but in her life in general and she thinks that in doing so she'll be less stressful and have more happiness. She decides to emulate the Queen of Organization: Martha Stewart. The Tao of Martha is her personal accounting of incorporating Martha's ideals into her daily life, both when it goes right and when it goes horribly wrong.
Having read all of Jen's memoirs, it's become a requirement to pick any new ones up even if they have steadily declined over the years. I'm thinking it's a combination of lack of new material that's actually worth writing about and a dramatic change in lifestyle from what we originally saw in her first memoir 'Bitter is the New Black'. In 'Bitter', Jen is a much more relatable person as she's struggling to survive as her and her husband both are unemployed. With each memoir she is slowly transforming into the person who talks only of her cleaning ladies, monumentally expensive landscaping plans and her shopping excursions to affluent stores that I couldn't even afford to breathe the air of. While the writing still manages to sustain (somewhat) the snark that we've all come to know and love, the stories have become achingly superficial. Prime example:
'Shoot, I haven't even reserved an organic turkey yet! ("I'll take 'The Most OverPrivileged First-World Complain to Ever Be Uttered' for a hundred, Alec!")'
Admitting that you're being shallow still doesn't make it funny.
While there were a few laugh out loud moments, I found the majority of 'Tao' to be incredibly boring. Early in the beginning there's a 7+ page accounting of her cleaning her desk which includes an itemized description of everything she had stored from over the years. (Considering she just moved/bought her house a few years ago, all this excessive garbage she dragged to the new house makes it even less funny. Like the broken wine glass shards. Really?) One thing I've always loved about her memoirs is how each chapter is a story in and of itself but in 'Tao', again, wondering if she was just running out of material, there were several stories that lacked any sort of point and entertainment value (and a few stories that were entirely way too personal and included info I would rather just not know). Like the chapter where we receive entirely way too much info regarding her digestive system. Or the chapter where she discusses her massive love for zucchini for several pages. Or the bit how she's attempting to figure out why her roses are dying when her friend points out that she probably shouldn't be watering them with a high pressure hose (duh?)
While the funnies were lacking in consistency, this was still a fun and easy read that also managed to teach me a few things:
-15 pounds of Easter candy for 9 kids = bad math.
-When gardening make sure you don't wear your older underwear so ticks can't crawl up and attach themselves to your lady-parts.
-If I start stocking up on emergency rations, six jars of marshmallow fluff is not essential.
-If my doctor ever prescribes me Ambien, I'm chaining myself to the bed.
May 10, 2013
Well. I think I would like Jen Lancaster in person, all her bubbly self deprecatory, pitbull loving self. I think.
And because I think I'd like Jen, if she were really my cool friend who was struggling with trying to emulate Martha, I'd likely be on the sidelines cheering and determined to give her five stars: one for the pitbulls, one for the effort, one for the small bits of humor, one for her attempts at honesty, and one just because.
But it's really a 3 star book for me, sorry.
Now, true confession, even in the years in which I lived in a handbuilt, slightly falling down tarpaper covered cabin with three babies and a zillion cats and dogs and my earnestly political partner, I would sneak peeks at magazines like Martha's, dreaming of a time in which my life would be pretty and organized. Didn't fit really well, of course, given that there I was trying to boil the cloth diapers for my babies and hang them outside avoiding the deer and bears, and working on getting the political newspaper that would Save the World done, but...I understand the longing.
The thing about Jen's book, though, is that while it chronicles that year of LIVING it ultimately seems spotty and classist and shallow. She is constantly setting forth to buy her way to organization and peace. And this overides the warm heart of moments like her time with Maisie the pitbull (confession, the store manager of my bookshop is a rescued pit named Champ). Plus, this book is terribly ephemeral. Her pop culture references are already moving to out of date status. And that's sad.
But I wish her well.
Oh, PS, I read an ARC. And I truly hope that the very fuzzy photos in my copy will be replaced by stunning, full color, excitingly crisp ones in the actual published for sale book. It would be a good thing.
And because I think I'd like Jen, if she were really my cool friend who was struggling with trying to emulate Martha, I'd likely be on the sidelines cheering and determined to give her five stars: one for the pitbulls, one for the effort, one for the small bits of humor, one for her attempts at honesty, and one just because.
But it's really a 3 star book for me, sorry.
Now, true confession, even in the years in which I lived in a handbuilt, slightly falling down tarpaper covered cabin with three babies and a zillion cats and dogs and my earnestly political partner, I would sneak peeks at magazines like Martha's, dreaming of a time in which my life would be pretty and organized. Didn't fit really well, of course, given that there I was trying to boil the cloth diapers for my babies and hang them outside avoiding the deer and bears, and working on getting the political newspaper that would Save the World done, but...I understand the longing.
The thing about Jen's book, though, is that while it chronicles that year of LIVING it ultimately seems spotty and classist and shallow. She is constantly setting forth to buy her way to organization and peace. And this overides the warm heart of moments like her time with Maisie the pitbull (confession, the store manager of my bookshop is a rescued pit named Champ). Plus, this book is terribly ephemeral. Her pop culture references are already moving to out of date status. And that's sad.
But I wish her well.
Oh, PS, I read an ARC. And I truly hope that the very fuzzy photos in my copy will be replaced by stunning, full color, excitingly crisp ones in the actual published for sale book. It would be a good thing.
May 3, 2013
When I see Jen's books on my "picks" for Amazon Vine, I do a happy dance because there are few authors that I look forward to as much as her. I've especially missed her over the past year or so since her blog posts have been waning and her Ambien fueled twitter binges have seemed to come to a stop (the reason behind this is explained in this book BTW). While she's still "out there" and has had a few wars on Facebook she's not been around so much and she's definitely a person that I can always count on to make me smile with her wit. So, when I saw this book in my list of the month I clicked on that sucker as fast as possible and stalked the UPS man until it landed in my lap and proceeded to devour it in a day.
This latest installment in Jen's memoirs may be my favorite. I can't quite put a finger on it but I think it's because it's the most balanced of all of her memoirs. Most of them are non-stop laughs, which don't get me wrong - I enjoy, but this latest installment has not only the laughs but it is tempered by real life problems such as a sick beloved pet and health scares. Sometimes life isn't all fun and games and I think I liked reading a book that had the full range of what life in a year is really like. This book had me laughing out loud but it also had me crying (damn you Jen!) and I think that's why I really liked this one.
The Tao of Martha follows Jen in her quest for 2012: embrace Martha Stewart in everything from cooking to organizing to decorating and everything in between. I'm kind of in awe of how well the year went for Jen and it makes me think that maybe, just maybe, I'm not too far gone in my slovenly ways to be saved by Martha-ing up my house too. I don't know that I'll go as far as hitting up The Container Store and making my own labels but it's fun to read about your average every day person turning themselves around in a year... with a side of wit of course.
If you're a fan of Jen Lancaster I think you'll definitely enjoy this latest book. Bonus? Not a single blog post has been used. Not that it bothered me in the past but I know a lot of people were. Bonus of the bonus? Copious amounts of pictures? Finally the Martha Stewart buttercream on the cake? NO MORE FOOTNOTES! Now you can read this book on your Kindle without any finagling or cursing! *throws confetti*
This latest installment in Jen's memoirs may be my favorite. I can't quite put a finger on it but I think it's because it's the most balanced of all of her memoirs. Most of them are non-stop laughs, which don't get me wrong - I enjoy, but this latest installment has not only the laughs but it is tempered by real life problems such as a sick beloved pet and health scares. Sometimes life isn't all fun and games and I think I liked reading a book that had the full range of what life in a year is really like. This book had me laughing out loud but it also had me crying (damn you Jen!) and I think that's why I really liked this one.
The Tao of Martha follows Jen in her quest for 2012: embrace Martha Stewart in everything from cooking to organizing to decorating and everything in between. I'm kind of in awe of how well the year went for Jen and it makes me think that maybe, just maybe, I'm not too far gone in my slovenly ways to be saved by Martha-ing up my house too. I don't know that I'll go as far as hitting up The Container Store and making my own labels but it's fun to read about your average every day person turning themselves around in a year... with a side of wit of course.
If you're a fan of Jen Lancaster I think you'll definitely enjoy this latest book. Bonus? Not a single blog post has been used. Not that it bothered me in the past but I know a lot of people were. Bonus of the bonus? Copious amounts of pictures? Finally the Martha Stewart buttercream on the cake? NO MORE FOOTNOTES! Now you can read this book on your Kindle without any finagling or cursing! *throws confetti*
June 26, 2025
Reread on 5/27/2024:
It appears I have mellowed a bit since the first time I read this book. This was the first book of Jen Lancaster's that I read, and since then I have read all her other memoirs. With those books in mind, I can see how much she has grown and matured over the years. In this book she takes responsibility for her own happiness and for the most part, she succeeds.
I still have a quibble for her lackadaisical attitude toward the dogs and cats misbehaving. I do not find dogs and cats using the house as a bathroom amusing. Unless you have all hard-surface floors (which Jen doesn't), no matter how well you clean, you are living in filth.
I was sympathetic to both Jen's and Fletch's reaction to the loss of their dog, Maisy. It hit them hard and took quite a long time for them to even begin to heal. Getting another dog when they already had two dogs and five (six?) cats, three of which were practically feral, does not seem to be a good idea. I have always said the only way to heal a broken heart from losing a pet is to get another pet to love - but in most cases it is wise to wait more than just two or three months. But to each his/her own.
Original review: Funny book. I enjoyed most of it. I say "most" of it because these people do not have a clue how to take care of animals. Dogs pooping on the floor, cats jumping on kitchen counters, dogs chewing up furniture, shoes, and everything they can get hold of - all this despite having a dog trainer come in regularly to teach them commands like "sit" and "stay." The author's apparent indifference to the unacceptable behavior of her pets was a constant irritant as I was reading this book, and although humor books are among my favorites since they can act as an antidepressant, I'm not sure whether I will read any of her other books. Her irresponsibility when it came to spending money was also galling. Going into debt to stock up on supplies in case of a zombie apocalypse is beyond irresponsible.
The book is funny. It reminds me somewhat of Julie and Julia in that the author is a spoiled, unlikeable brat but her antics are funny at times, and her sarcastic attitude is amusing. Her elitism is not, however. Amusing, I mean.
So be warned: You may like the book but not the author. Or, if you are closer to the author's age, you may like her better than I did. If you enjoy humor, give it a try.
It appears I have mellowed a bit since the first time I read this book. This was the first book of Jen Lancaster's that I read, and since then I have read all her other memoirs. With those books in mind, I can see how much she has grown and matured over the years. In this book she takes responsibility for her own happiness and for the most part, she succeeds.
I still have a quibble for her lackadaisical attitude toward the dogs and cats misbehaving. I do not find dogs and cats using the house as a bathroom amusing. Unless you have all hard-surface floors (which Jen doesn't), no matter how well you clean, you are living in filth.
I was sympathetic to both Jen's and Fletch's reaction to the loss of their dog, Maisy. It hit them hard and took quite a long time for them to even begin to heal. Getting another dog when they already had two dogs and five (six?) cats, three of which were practically feral, does not seem to be a good idea. I have always said the only way to heal a broken heart from losing a pet is to get another pet to love - but in most cases it is wise to wait more than just two or three months. But to each his/her own.
Original review: Funny book. I enjoyed most of it. I say "most" of it because these people do not have a clue how to take care of animals. Dogs pooping on the floor, cats jumping on kitchen counters, dogs chewing up furniture, shoes, and everything they can get hold of - all this despite having a dog trainer come in regularly to teach them commands like "sit" and "stay." The author's apparent indifference to the unacceptable behavior of her pets was a constant irritant as I was reading this book, and although humor books are among my favorites since they can act as an antidepressant, I'm not sure whether I will read any of her other books. Her irresponsibility when it came to spending money was also galling. Going into debt to stock up on supplies in case of a zombie apocalypse is beyond irresponsible.
The book is funny. It reminds me somewhat of Julie and Julia in that the author is a spoiled, unlikeable brat but her antics are funny at times, and her sarcastic attitude is amusing. Her elitism is not, however. Amusing, I mean.
So be warned: You may like the book but not the author. Or, if you are closer to the author's age, you may like her better than I did. If you enjoy humor, give it a try.
September 19, 2013
I've read several of Jen Lancaster's books and she is very funny. This one is also touching (I won't give away the reason why). In this book she decided to devote a year of her life to living like Martha Stewart. The most important lesson she learned (or as she puts it - the Tao of Martha) is "the only way to fail is not to try." Words to live by!
January 5, 2014
I like Jen Lancaster. I really do. I read BRIGHT LIGHTS, BIG ASS and I thought it was a very fun read. She was charming and sassy, and I liked reading about her take on life. I still liked her while reading THE TAO OF MARTHA, where she aims to get happy by living like Martha Stewart for a year, but this book absolutely reeks of "I'll come up with some precious thing to do for a whole year so I have something to write another book about." Lancaster is at her best when the ridiculous things of life are just so absurd that they have to be written down. Most of this book was the opposite - there was very little in this book that was worth writing about.
And if you are going to do a project where you come up with something precious to do for a year, make it something really hard. Julie and Julia is one of the best in this genre simply because what Julie did - cooking Julia Child recipes every. single. day. - is a near-impossible feat. Throwing a few parties and organizing a couple closets over the course of the year isn't that hard, and other than those things, Lancaster just found ways to ascribe Martha-like sentiments to all the other things going on in her life so they fit the book theme.
I'll save my vent on her excessive spending being at odds with her image of herself as "frugal" for the girls at Book Club, but I will say a party at Jen Lancaster's house does sound like a really lovely time.
And if you are going to do a project where you come up with something precious to do for a year, make it something really hard. Julie and Julia is one of the best in this genre simply because what Julie did - cooking Julia Child recipes every. single. day. - is a near-impossible feat. Throwing a few parties and organizing a couple closets over the course of the year isn't that hard, and other than those things, Lancaster just found ways to ascribe Martha-like sentiments to all the other things going on in her life so they fit the book theme.
I'll save my vent on her excessive spending being at odds with her image of herself as "frugal" for the girls at Book Club, but I will say a party at Jen Lancaster's house does sound like a really lovely time.
June 18, 2013
I had read some of Jen Lancaster's books before, so I was familiar with her humorous writing style. I was also pleased with the cover of the book, which promised an experiment of living the Martha way which wouldn't quite work out. That was the truth, to an extent, but overall I wasn't pleased with the book.
The first few chapters were entertaining. She does have a very funny way of writing and her good intentions didn't always turn out as planned. However, toward the middle of the book, things really got slow. She writes quite a bit about her own life including her past financial struggles, her husband, and her animal-abundant household. Reading long, drawn-out sections about the ill health of one of her dogs, while definitely sad, veered the book waaaaayyyy off topic and it was a chore to get through it all. The end of the book, with the associated festive holidays, did pick up, but by that time I had pretty much lost interest.
Also? Quirky writing styles are funny the first, oh, 237 times. After that, it starts to lose its humor and becomes a bit tedious. I'm just sayin' . . .
The first few chapters were entertaining. She does have a very funny way of writing and her good intentions didn't always turn out as planned. However, toward the middle of the book, things really got slow. She writes quite a bit about her own life including her past financial struggles, her husband, and her animal-abundant household. Reading long, drawn-out sections about the ill health of one of her dogs, while definitely sad, veered the book waaaaayyyy off topic and it was a chore to get through it all. The end of the book, with the associated festive holidays, did pick up, but by that time I had pretty much lost interest.
Also? Quirky writing styles are funny the first, oh, 237 times. After that, it starts to lose its humor and becomes a bit tedious. I'm just sayin' . . .
February 26, 2021
Updated as of 2/26/2021: The re-read the bloom was off the rose for me. Probably re-reading all of the memoirs back to back like this was a terrible idea, but honestly this just didn't do much for me. Probably because I already 1) knew what was coming and 2) Lancaster goes off on random tangents towards Martha Stewart when bad things are going on in her life.
Jen Lancaster's newest memoir, "The Tao of Martha: My Year of LIVING; Or, Why I'm Never Getting All That Glitter Off of the Dog is laugh out loud funny and touching in parts.
Though I loved, "Bitter is the New Black", "Bright Lights" and "Such a Pretty Fat" I was less enamored with "Pretty in Plaid" and "My Fair Lazy" and felt downright hostile after reading, Lancaster's last memoir, "Jeneration X."
I felt as if the person that I loved to read about all these years was just some cool person I made up in my own head. I remember not believing that the Jen Lancaster that wrote, "Bitter is the New Black" was the same person who seemed to half-heartily write "Jeneration X."
So with some trepidation I selected this novel and I devoured this novel in hours. The Jen Lancaster that many of us have loved all of these years is definitely back.
Lancaster lets her readers know right away that she has had some set-backs in her life that had left her unhappy which I think may have colored her writing in Jeneration X. Right away she realizes that she needs to stop and re-assess what makes her happy and decides to start following Martha Stewart Living as she tries to get organized and settled into her new home. As someone who also bought a new house I have to say I felt for her on the things that she was dealing with regarding her party planning, gardening, and attempts to be organized.
I think Lancaster definitely hits on the fact that many women today do want to be like Martha Stewart in their day to day lives and would love to be able to take some twigs and turn it into a three story centerpiece. However, most of us do not have that skill, and her describing her attempts to be more like Martha often resulted in laugh out loud moments. My favorite section of this memoir was the Easter portion I actually started to cry I was laughing that hard.
I do want to know readers know that the footnotes are gone now so any Kindle people will not have to deal with the hassle of going back and forth in the book. One welcome addition is that this novel includes pictures of Jen, her husband, the dogs, and her friends in various points in the novel.
Picking up "The Tao of Martha" was like hanging with a long-time friend and catching up with each other over margaritas.
I definitely recommend to long-time fans of Jen Lancaster!
I received this novel for free via the Amazon Vine Program.
Jen Lancaster's newest memoir, "The Tao of Martha: My Year of LIVING; Or, Why I'm Never Getting All That Glitter Off of the Dog is laugh out loud funny and touching in parts.
Though I loved, "Bitter is the New Black", "Bright Lights" and "Such a Pretty Fat" I was less enamored with "Pretty in Plaid" and "My Fair Lazy" and felt downright hostile after reading, Lancaster's last memoir, "Jeneration X."
I felt as if the person that I loved to read about all these years was just some cool person I made up in my own head. I remember not believing that the Jen Lancaster that wrote, "Bitter is the New Black" was the same person who seemed to half-heartily write "Jeneration X."
So with some trepidation I selected this novel and I devoured this novel in hours. The Jen Lancaster that many of us have loved all of these years is definitely back.
Lancaster lets her readers know right away that she has had some set-backs in her life that had left her unhappy which I think may have colored her writing in Jeneration X. Right away she realizes that she needs to stop and re-assess what makes her happy and decides to start following Martha Stewart Living as she tries to get organized and settled into her new home. As someone who also bought a new house I have to say I felt for her on the things that she was dealing with regarding her party planning, gardening, and attempts to be organized.
I think Lancaster definitely hits on the fact that many women today do want to be like Martha Stewart in their day to day lives and would love to be able to take some twigs and turn it into a three story centerpiece. However, most of us do not have that skill, and her describing her attempts to be more like Martha often resulted in laugh out loud moments. My favorite section of this memoir was the Easter portion I actually started to cry I was laughing that hard.
I do want to know readers know that the footnotes are gone now so any Kindle people will not have to deal with the hassle of going back and forth in the book. One welcome addition is that this novel includes pictures of Jen, her husband, the dogs, and her friends in various points in the novel.
Picking up "The Tao of Martha" was like hanging with a long-time friend and catching up with each other over margaritas.
I definitely recommend to long-time fans of Jen Lancaster!
I received this novel for free via the Amazon Vine Program.
November 17, 2013
I liked it but not as much as her others. Her earlier books were funnier in a much more snarky way, which I love. I'm not much of a gardener so the chapters on gardening were a bit boring and slow for me. I do have a garden and I love it but it's my hubby who tends to it. I can't tolerate dirt. The smell alone makes me gag. And if there's a worm in the dirt...a slimy-looking worm with tiny clumps of dirt sticking to it? There goes the contents of my stomach...into said dirt. So the parts that involved digging and planting got skimmed.
One thing I didn't expect was going to happen to me while reading a book by Jen Lancaster was crying. There was a devastatingly sad part, and luckily I saw it coming because I do most of my reading at night, after washing my face and applying my anti-aging creams. I knew it was coming so I put the book down and decided to read it in the morning. Had I not done that I would have cried off some expensive eye cream!
Another thing I didn't expect in this book was the feeling of terror. The part where she had a mammogram and they called her because the radiologist found "a point of interest" had my heart pounding, especially since at the second visit they took multiple films and then did an ultrasound. I despise all things medical for personal reasons and this part hit too close to home.
The best part to me was when she was in Michael's, shopping for supplies to glitter her Halloween pumpkins after eating a bunch of cinnamon donuts, washed down with hot apple cider. Her intestines didn't respond well to what she had ingested and I laughed out loud at her descriptions of the shoppers and how she was desperately trying to get out of there in time to drive home to her own bathroom. That chapter was the Jen Lancaster I'm used to.
All in all, not a bad book, it was just different from what I remember reading in her previous books. If she writes another memoir I'll definitely read it.
One thing I didn't expect was going to happen to me while reading a book by Jen Lancaster was crying. There was a devastatingly sad part, and luckily I saw it coming because I do most of my reading at night, after washing my face and applying my anti-aging creams. I knew it was coming so I put the book down and decided to read it in the morning. Had I not done that I would have cried off some expensive eye cream!
Another thing I didn't expect in this book was the feeling of terror. The part where she had a mammogram and they called her because the radiologist found "a point of interest" had my heart pounding, especially since at the second visit they took multiple films and then did an ultrasound. I despise all things medical for personal reasons and this part hit too close to home.
The best part to me was when she was in Michael's, shopping for supplies to glitter her Halloween pumpkins after eating a bunch of cinnamon donuts, washed down with hot apple cider. Her intestines didn't respond well to what she had ingested and I laughed out loud at her descriptions of the shoppers and how she was desperately trying to get out of there in time to drive home to her own bathroom. That chapter was the Jen Lancaster I'm used to.
All in all, not a bad book, it was just different from what I remember reading in her previous books. If she writes another memoir I'll definitely read it.
This entire review has been hidden because of spoilers.
June 10, 2013
This is so not my usual thing, and I was surprised by how much I enjoyed it.
PLEASE NOTE: This is NOT a book in which the author guides you through the steps she took to live a more Martha-esque lifestyle. There's very little of a how-to nature here, and if you go into it looking for or expecting that, you may be disappointed. Read it for what it is, a memoir of the year in the life of woman determined to make herself happy while dealing with the first-world problems many of us allow to bring us down.
I NEVER watch the TODAY SHOW, but I turned on the TV, Jen Lancaster was being interviewed, and felt immediately drawn to her and this book. The concept reminded me of "Julie and Julia," a movie I really enjoyed, so I went to Amazon, downloaded the sample, and ended up buying the book because I didn't want to stop reading. (Yay instant gratification!)
Lancaster relates big events, everyday frustrations, and lessons learned with wit, vivacity, and a flair that will probably make you wish she were part of your circle of friends. There are many laugh out loud moments as well as times when she puts down the label maker and pushes aside the craft supplies to find that it's things like simplicity, planning, and preparedness that really make Martha Stewart Living possible.
PLEASE NOTE: This is NOT a book in which the author guides you through the steps she took to live a more Martha-esque lifestyle. There's very little of a how-to nature here, and if you go into it looking for or expecting that, you may be disappointed. Read it for what it is, a memoir of the year in the life of woman determined to make herself happy while dealing with the first-world problems many of us allow to bring us down.
I NEVER watch the TODAY SHOW, but I turned on the TV, Jen Lancaster was being interviewed, and felt immediately drawn to her and this book. The concept reminded me of "Julie and Julia," a movie I really enjoyed, so I went to Amazon, downloaded the sample, and ended up buying the book because I didn't want to stop reading. (Yay instant gratification!)
Lancaster relates big events, everyday frustrations, and lessons learned with wit, vivacity, and a flair that will probably make you wish she were part of your circle of friends. There are many laugh out loud moments as well as times when she puts down the label maker and pushes aside the craft supplies to find that it's things like simplicity, planning, and preparedness that really make Martha Stewart Living possible.
June 28, 2013
Odd. Jen Lancaster has made an industry of writing snarky memoirs but she's running out of material. Here she takes on a year long project to imitate Martha Stewart's style and try to find the secrets to happiness through domestic prowess. I did appreciate that Lancaster is respectful of Stewart's ideology, which is actually about reaching for elegance with ease and reviving traditional methods, rather than the fussiness or perfection that Stewart's critics misunderstand her to promote. But entertaining is really about achieving comfort for your guests and Lancaster writes more about herself, her pets and her homemaker husband than about the world outside. It's navel-gazing that's occasionally amusing, but ultimately wearying. The Halloween episode is telling: Lancaster decorates and overdoes the treats, dolls up in a costume, then waits for neighborhood kids who never come. She drunkenly tweets her devoted followers but misses the point: a good host is gracious always.
June 10, 2013
Not my favorite of her memoirs, did not cause any embarrassing laughing so hard I could not read moments as her past books have - but still enjoyable. A bit heavy on what felt like product placement though - if these companies are not paying her for all the mentions, they should be.
February 3, 2019
A very funny lady who tries to become like Martha Steward. She goes overboard on everything. Can anyone be Clone of Martha Steward. Yes if you have all the background help. Yet I enjoyed the story and will read more of Jen Lancaster.
June 9, 2013
All my reviews and contests! (oooo) are listed here Slave to Books
Okay, I’ve got a disclaimer I should probably make. I honestly LOVE Jen Lancaster. I was introduced to her books shortly after the premiere of Bitter is the New Black by a friend of mine I’ve long since lost touch with. The introduction to the book was simply, “You need to read her. It’s like an entire book written by someone i believe is your clone. Her personality and yours are almost exactly alike.”
Hmmm? To think there are more people as crazy as me out there was a little scary. But, nevertheless, I picked up the book and promptly fell in love.
I’ve purchased every book she has produced since then. I’ve also purchased her fiction novels. I’ve yet to read them. Only because of time and, well, I have other things I need to do. For example: I need to tell you how awesome this book is.
What I love the most about her books is that she is brutally honest. She is honest not just about the things she does but also about who she is. She tells you that she has no problem buying name brand goodies but cannot bring herself to buy new underwear. (I may have the same issue.) Or, that she has a love affair for Martha Stewart. (Also, I love all that is Stewart.)
But, to dedicate a year to how and who you think Martha is and emulate that lifestyle the best you can…well, that is definitely a great read. It totally was. Not only did it have her standard hilarious quips but it also included her brutal honesty. That is what I love most about her books. No one can mock you if you’re too busy mocking yourself.
I prefer to buy my books rather than borrow them. Sometimes I’m disappointed with a book and other times I’m not. This book is one of those books that you end up buying out right. Because, you know the second or third time you read it, it will still be funny no matter how many times you’ve read it. In fact I bet you will find new things you missed in this.
Rating: A+ honestly if I could create a rating higher than that… Oh, actually I can .. A+ x infinity = the rating that this book deserves.
Okay, I’ve got a disclaimer I should probably make. I honestly LOVE Jen Lancaster. I was introduced to her books shortly after the premiere of Bitter is the New Black by a friend of mine I’ve long since lost touch with. The introduction to the book was simply, “You need to read her. It’s like an entire book written by someone i believe is your clone. Her personality and yours are almost exactly alike.”
Hmmm? To think there are more people as crazy as me out there was a little scary. But, nevertheless, I picked up the book and promptly fell in love.
I’ve purchased every book she has produced since then. I’ve also purchased her fiction novels. I’ve yet to read them. Only because of time and, well, I have other things I need to do. For example: I need to tell you how awesome this book is.
What I love the most about her books is that she is brutally honest. She is honest not just about the things she does but also about who she is. She tells you that she has no problem buying name brand goodies but cannot bring herself to buy new underwear. (I may have the same issue.) Or, that she has a love affair for Martha Stewart. (Also, I love all that is Stewart.)
But, to dedicate a year to how and who you think Martha is and emulate that lifestyle the best you can…well, that is definitely a great read. It totally was. Not only did it have her standard hilarious quips but it also included her brutal honesty. That is what I love most about her books. No one can mock you if you’re too busy mocking yourself.
I prefer to buy my books rather than borrow them. Sometimes I’m disappointed with a book and other times I’m not. This book is one of those books that you end up buying out right. Because, you know the second or third time you read it, it will still be funny no matter how many times you’ve read it. In fact I bet you will find new things you missed in this.
Rating: A+ honestly if I could create a rating higher than that… Oh, actually I can .. A+ x infinity = the rating that this book deserves.
March 26, 2016
2.5 stars - It was alright, an average book.
Though I have a few by her, this is the first book I have actually read by Jen Lancaster, and other reviewers mention it is not her strongest book. With that in mind, I will eventually give her another go one day.
For the most part this was just discussion around a lot of first world problems with thousands of examples of how people can be wasteful with money. There were a lot of predictable and formulaic, but not funny, jokes (i.e., Dallas is mentioned, so we must reference big hair). I also found no inspiration on becoming more organized, so even that was a loss.
The only part of the book that held any true substance or emotion was when she spoke of her pets, which was touching but not enough to save the book (and also not light and funny, which is what was expected). Overall, a forgettable, but not painful, read.
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Favorite Quote: Funny thing about grief—you can’t run away from it. You can fill your days with activity and even leave town, but it follows you. Grief is the ultimate debt collector.
First Sentence: "You think Martha Stewart shoves her clutter in a gun cabinet?”
Though I have a few by her, this is the first book I have actually read by Jen Lancaster, and other reviewers mention it is not her strongest book. With that in mind, I will eventually give her another go one day.
For the most part this was just discussion around a lot of first world problems with thousands of examples of how people can be wasteful with money. There were a lot of predictable and formulaic, but not funny, jokes (i.e., Dallas is mentioned, so we must reference big hair). I also found no inspiration on becoming more organized, so even that was a loss.
The only part of the book that held any true substance or emotion was when she spoke of her pets, which was touching but not enough to save the book (and also not light and funny, which is what was expected). Overall, a forgettable, but not painful, read.
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Favorite Quote: Funny thing about grief—you can’t run away from it. You can fill your days with activity and even leave town, but it follows you. Grief is the ultimate debt collector.
First Sentence: "You think Martha Stewart shoves her clutter in a gun cabinet?”
December 12, 2015
This book was funny. It had me laughing out loud at work, which is frowned upon, but I couldn't help it. I work in a very quiet environment. Jen Lancaster wrote about her year of channeling Martha Stewart into her life. It was a fun read. I liked that she talked about her husband and her animals in a way that was endearing but yet it still seemed honest. This is 5 stars because I would read this again. She had some great one-liners.
May 8, 2013
MY THOUGHTS
ABSOLUTELY LOVED IT
In Lancaster's latest memoir, we learn how the Thundercats came to be, the loss of Maisy (I got a bit misty at this part) and the abuse she doles out to poor Fletch. I did get the impression that Fletch laughs at her behind her back at times and it is so refreshing to read that this pair are truly in love. I am also glad to know that she didn't buy her house because of the gun cabinet. I do follow her blog, so some of these stories were hinted at there, but when you read the fully fleshed out version, they become more real, more humorous and a bit more touching. Yes, Jen gets a bit serious in this one and we get to see a more grown up look.
I am also a bit sad that she is being contained from her public Ambien frolics. Those were some seriously funny situations. If you are a fan of Lancaster's blog, you will never forget the Barbie Doll Head situation. In her year of Martha, she tries crafts and actually find she can do some of the decorating and cooking just like the big M. I always pick up a few cooking tips from her books when she gets on a self-improvement thread. I was also inspired to clean out a few drawers until I decided I could just continue to contain my messes in cabinets, much like Jen used to. I wonder exactly how many of these habits she actually stuck with.
I also always come away with a few new addictions like One Kings Road. I am done decorating my house, but a girl can dream. That is part of the joy of reading Jen...you can live vicariously through her addictions and never get dirty yourself. Well, all except her garden when her friend and landscaper discovers why her garden isn't growing, (hint -- water is involved). Oh MY GOSH, THAT was truly a funtacular moment to some like me who would live outside among my roses as much as possible. I admit I am a bit jealous that she has room for sixty bushes for her cutting garden.
ABSOLUTELY LOVED IT
In Lancaster's latest memoir, we learn how the Thundercats came to be, the loss of Maisy (I got a bit misty at this part) and the abuse she doles out to poor Fletch. I did get the impression that Fletch laughs at her behind her back at times and it is so refreshing to read that this pair are truly in love. I am also glad to know that she didn't buy her house because of the gun cabinet. I do follow her blog, so some of these stories were hinted at there, but when you read the fully fleshed out version, they become more real, more humorous and a bit more touching. Yes, Jen gets a bit serious in this one and we get to see a more grown up look.
I am also a bit sad that she is being contained from her public Ambien frolics. Those were some seriously funny situations. If you are a fan of Lancaster's blog, you will never forget the Barbie Doll Head situation. In her year of Martha, she tries crafts and actually find she can do some of the decorating and cooking just like the big M. I always pick up a few cooking tips from her books when she gets on a self-improvement thread. I was also inspired to clean out a few drawers until I decided I could just continue to contain my messes in cabinets, much like Jen used to. I wonder exactly how many of these habits she actually stuck with.
I also always come away with a few new addictions like One Kings Road. I am done decorating my house, but a girl can dream. That is part of the joy of reading Jen...you can live vicariously through her addictions and never get dirty yourself. Well, all except her garden when her friend and landscaper discovers why her garden isn't growing, (hint -- water is involved). Oh MY GOSH, THAT was truly a funtacular moment to some like me who would live outside among my roses as much as possible. I admit I am a bit jealous that she has room for sixty bushes for her cutting garden.
June 26, 2013
Wanted a summer read, and after seeing the author on a morning program, got this on a whim.
First: Very enjoyable light reading, and laugh-out-loud funny in places. As another Goodreads reviewer has pointed out, it’s not actually a treatise on “how to organize your life Martha-style,” but it was well done. No regrets; it was what I wanted.
Second: Turns out, the author lives just down the road from my hometown. I enjoyed the occasional references to familiar places. Lovely nostalgia!
Third: A potent reminder of why, once I achieved adulthood, I exited that area as fast as possible, and never looked back. While there is nothing objectionable in this book, it portrays the superficial, materialistic, white-privilege lifestyle that I found so unrealistic and undesirable. Except for valuing friendship and loving animals, there is no hint in this book of mature values such as depth of meaning, spiritual awareness, or concern for others.
Conclusion: Well put together, for what it is, but lacks any thought-provoking substance. I wish the author well, but my most potent memory of this work will be, “that’s why I had to escape, and thank God I did.”
First: Very enjoyable light reading, and laugh-out-loud funny in places. As another Goodreads reviewer has pointed out, it’s not actually a treatise on “how to organize your life Martha-style,” but it was well done. No regrets; it was what I wanted.
Second: Turns out, the author lives just down the road from my hometown. I enjoyed the occasional references to familiar places. Lovely nostalgia!
Third: A potent reminder of why, once I achieved adulthood, I exited that area as fast as possible, and never looked back. While there is nothing objectionable in this book, it portrays the superficial, materialistic, white-privilege lifestyle that I found so unrealistic and undesirable. Except for valuing friendship and loving animals, there is no hint in this book of mature values such as depth of meaning, spiritual awareness, or concern for others.
Conclusion: Well put together, for what it is, but lacks any thought-provoking substance. I wish the author well, but my most potent memory of this work will be, “that’s why I had to escape, and thank God I did.”
September 28, 2018
2.5 stars
This was a tough one to review. On one hand, I really loved this book. It made me laugh out loud several times, and it even made me cry (some of the chapters about Maisey were heartbreaking). However, as much as I'm not one to throw around phrases like "white privilege," the unnecessary spending, hoarding, and obsession with trivial things described in this book made my skin crawl.
It was like a real-life account of Kinsella's Shopaholic series, which I used to love until I realized they were accounts of a deeply disturbed human being with a serious addiction to material crap. The superficiality in both that series and Lancaster's memoir were discomforting.
Initially, I enjoyed Lancaster's tone so much I planned to read the rest of her books. But do I really want to read more from a woman who obsesses over finding the cord to her KitchenAid crockpot (which we're informed was a lovely cranberry colour, no less) or goes off the rails hoarding canned food and Twinkies in case of some impending apocalypse? Perhaps some of that massive income should be spent on a little therapy, and I mean that in the nicest way.
This was a tough one to review. On one hand, I really loved this book. It made me laugh out loud several times, and it even made me cry (some of the chapters about Maisey were heartbreaking). However, as much as I'm not one to throw around phrases like "white privilege," the unnecessary spending, hoarding, and obsession with trivial things described in this book made my skin crawl.
It was like a real-life account of Kinsella's Shopaholic series, which I used to love until I realized they were accounts of a deeply disturbed human being with a serious addiction to material crap. The superficiality in both that series and Lancaster's memoir were discomforting.
Initially, I enjoyed Lancaster's tone so much I planned to read the rest of her books. But do I really want to read more from a woman who obsesses over finding the cord to her KitchenAid crockpot (which we're informed was a lovely cranberry colour, no less) or goes off the rails hoarding canned food and Twinkies in case of some impending apocalypse? Perhaps some of that massive income should be spent on a little therapy, and I mean that in the nicest way.
June 15, 2013
Jen Lancaster is one of my favorite authors. I love the sarcastic wit, the funny stories that make me laugh like crazy, and the crazy stories of animals gone awry. With this iteration, it felt like reconnecting with an old friend. She shared her funny stories, her tales of health concerns, and the pain in losing a loved one that had me in tears. After the recycled blog posts of a book (Jeneration X) it felt good to read original stories again. As many have mentioned, the footnotes are gone, which felt a bit odd as I equate them with her memoirs. What kept me from giving this rating 5 stars? The stories felt a bit forced. I know she explains how she came to live her year under the Tao of Martha, but to me? It just felt like she has run out of things to write about. It pains me to type this, but I just couldn't connect with her anymore. One of the reasons I loved Such a Pretty Fat and My Fair Lazy was that I could relate to her stories, her feelings and the sarcasm. I didn't have that same connection with this book. At least I can now read how the other half live...with glitter.
July 13, 2018
Let me preface this by telling you how much I luuuuuuuuv Martha Stewart. I love her shows, her books, her blogs, her products, all of it ! Anytime I am throwing a party or hosting even the smallest of lunches I browse her website looking for new ideas and delicious recipes and she never fails me!
Now, I don't know much about Jen Lancaster but I stumbled upon a video of her promotion for this book a while back and thought it sounded funny enough. I mean the author is a sarcastic queen and what's more relatable than normal people attempting -and failing- to be perfect ?
Perhaps what I had overlooked is that Lancaster is far from the average person, she's loaded ! Sadly this year long adventure to become a domestic princess translates as plenty of trips to the supermarket and more calls to get her life arranged by professional help.
There were a few laugh out loud moments but overall, I felt totally disconnected from the whole thing and quickly got bored.
Oh well..
Now, I don't know much about Jen Lancaster but I stumbled upon a video of her promotion for this book a while back and thought it sounded funny enough. I mean the author is a sarcastic queen and what's more relatable than normal people attempting -and failing- to be perfect ?
Perhaps what I had overlooked is that Lancaster is far from the average person, she's loaded ! Sadly this year long adventure to become a domestic princess translates as plenty of trips to the supermarket and more calls to get her life arranged by professional help.
There were a few laugh out loud moments but overall, I felt totally disconnected from the whole thing and quickly got bored.
Oh well..
August 9, 2013
I laughed out loud at Bitter is the New Black, but enjoyed each memoir a little less after. The Tao of Martha is not funny, and reads like it was written quickly and not proofread very carefully. Some examples: "This looks like a plane wreck," "I'm sure other husbands have also stepped in to take over at the grill when his wife was...," "Wendy's silent on the other end of the phone." Thankfully I borrowed this from the library so the only thing I wasted was my time.
July 30, 2013
"The Tao of Martha: Or How I Sold a Bunch of Books Using Someone Else Fame". Simultaneously jumping onto the "Year of Living" trend (see The Year of Living Biblically: One Man's Humble Quest to Follow the Bible as Literally as Possible and many, many others) and clinging remora-like to Martha Stewart's brand name, conservative blogger Jen Lancaster is back with more stories about her (1) pets, (2) butt and (3) party-planning in order of reference frequency. Do friends' stories about their pets scintillate you? Tales of urine-spouting cats, vet-enriching dogs and the quest to adopt more of both turn you on? Great, cause Jen's menagerie (the physical book actually smells just vaguely of cat-produced ammonia) produces a never-ending series of repetitive anecdotes.
Of course, she does take a break from tales of Fido humping the ottoman to cover her next favorite topic - her rear-end. It sweats, gets bitten by fire ants, gets nudged off the couch by one of her not at all dormant-psychotic pit bulls, gets new underpants and does a lot of...well...you have one so you know. Again, if you crave tales of posterior but not in a suggestive way, this is the book for you.
Lancaster does weave in just enough Martha Stewart talk to justify the book's derivative premise. Largely, this revolves around parties (Jen ordered too many hot dogs, que lastima!), and home improvement (Fletch - her husband - bought a rototiller - que lastima!) Cynical readers will wonder why they just don't read Martha directly rather than Lancaster's secondary source interpretation of her dictates but these are the same worry-wart people who feel pit bulls as a species have statistically proven themselves to be dangerous that crossing the street to avoid them is not phobia so much as playing the probabilities. Generally speaking, given Jen works at home we spend nearly the entire book following her from on pet-hair covered room to another.
The books writing style follows the standard blogger first person unadorned reportage. This style with its lack of literary conventions such as foreshadowing and plot progression has inherent limitations as seen in the entire sub-genre (see I Suck at Girls). Lancaster's kung fu is no better or worse than the average and she occasionally produces the occasional laugh. But catch those laughs while you can as they are largely based on topical humor that will age quickly (there are a lot of "Real Housewives" references - (The Real Housewives Get Personal).
In short, one imagines Martha will not find this journeyman effort to be quite up to her own persnickety standards and neither should you.
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