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Furiously Happy: A Funny Book About Horrible Things
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#1 New York Times Bestseller
In Furiously Happy, a humor memoir tinged with just enough tragedy and pathos to make it worthwhile, Jenny Lawson examines her own experience with severe depression and a host of other conditions, and explains how it has led her to live life to the fullest:
"I've often thought that people with severe depression have developed such a well for expe ...more
In Furiously Happy, a humor memoir tinged with just enough tragedy and pathos to make it worthwhile, Jenny Lawson examines her own experience with severe depression and a host of other conditions, and explains how it has led her to live life to the fullest:
"I've often thought that people with severe depression have developed such a well for expe ...more
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Fern Chasida
Yup, and she did a great job!
Community Reviews
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Start your review of Furiously Happy: A Funny Book About Horrible Things
Earlier this year, I was one of the lucky people Jenny sent an Advance Reading Copy of her newest book to.
The simple upshot? I loved it. I loved it even more than her first book, which I enjoyed so much that I bought multiple copies to give away as Christmas presents.
The bad news is that my life is such a bloody shambles that I didn't get back to her in time for a gushy blurb to make it onto the back of her book. (Not that she particularly needed one from me. She's got Gaiman, Allie Brosh, and ...more
The simple upshot? I loved it. I loved it even more than her first book, which I enjoyed so much that I bought multiple copies to give away as Christmas presents.
The bad news is that my life is such a bloody shambles that I didn't get back to her in time for a gushy blurb to make it onto the back of her book. (Not that she particularly needed one from me. She's got Gaiman, Allie Brosh, and ...more
my love for jenny lawson is NOT AT ALL creepy
jenny lawson, i wanna make you blts and braid your hair. i am really shitty at braiding, and my fingers will be covered in mayonnaise after making you all those blts, so it will probably get a little messy and crazy, but it's the thought that counts!! and since your book is basically a manifesto of owning one's messy and crazy bits and alchemizing* them into comedy gold, we should be all set.
this book is a little more personal that Let's Prete ...more
jenny lawson, i wanna make you blts and braid your hair. i am really shitty at braiding, and my fingers will be covered in mayonnaise after making you all those blts, so it will probably get a little messy and crazy, but it's the thought that counts!! and since your book is basically a manifesto of owning one's messy and crazy bits and alchemizing* them into comedy gold, we should be all set.
this book is a little more personal that Let's Prete ...more
Jan 12, 2019
Jesse (JesseTheReader)
added it
This book made me literally laugh out loud several times while reading it. There are so many hysterical stories in here and there were many times when I couldn't hold it together. I will say that sometimes it felt like the author was really (& I mean REALLY) pushing this whole I'M SUPER QUIRKY angle to her stories & it was hard to not see through that for me at times. Regardless this was a very interesting read & I can guarantee the fact that I'll be reading more books by Jenny Lawson in the fut
...more
Dec 17, 2018
Miranda Reads
rated it
it was amazing
Shelves:
2018-popsugar-reading-challenge,
audiobook
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The Written Review :
Be prepared for laugh-out-loud hilarity fro ...more
Don’t make the same mistakes that everyone else makes. Make wonderful mistakes. Make the kind of mistakes that make people so shocked that they have no other choice but to be a little impressed.
Upfront: I'm not very objective about this book because Jenny is someone I consider a friend (although we've only met once I think!) and I'm a huge fan of her blog, AND she blurbed my book. But I wouldn't have asked her to blurb if I didn't love her stuff, ergo it doesn't feel weird to say I loved this book. So take that how you will.
This review is based on an ARC too, BTW. Basically her original book is one of my faves (I read it before I'd met her or even read much of her blog, for the record) ...more
This review is based on an ARC too, BTW. Basically her original book is one of my faves (I read it before I'd met her or even read much of her blog, for the record) ...more
Jenny talking about her mental illness was really impactful and well done, but the rest of this book didn't really work for me. It felt like she was trying too hard to be funny by throwing together random words to make the most strange sentences possible. This might just be how she always talks/writes, but I have never experienced her in any way so I wasn't prepared for that. I'll definitely give her first book a read/listen, and I sincerely hope it doesn't include the word "awesomeness" as much
...more
Audiobook: 30-day trial with audible/Amazon.
I had no intentions of 'reading' this book ( I didn't request it from Netgalley as an early read), but then I read several positive reviews. ( one said its a 'must' read for everyone).
Plus, friends told me 'memoirs' by the author themselves, are good audiobook choices.
So... what the heck: free trial read!
The very beginning was great... ( out walking), I was ready to enjoy some laughs,
wisdom, and inspiration...
BUT SOON....
I became exhausted, or bore ...more
I’m having one of those rare days where I love people and all of the amazing wonder they’re capable of and if someone fucks that up for me I will stab them right in the face. ~Jenny LawsonI've shamelessly let Rocket Raccoon carry this review space since last year, and he garnered me 54 likes, so thanks Rocket! (I'm sure he would approve of my blatant exploitation even though he's the one being exploited).
I AM GOING TO BE FURIOUSLY HAPPY, OUT OF SHEER SPITE. ~Jenny Lawson
But enough is enough. ...more
DNF......I was so FURIOUSLY annoyed with this book. If someone is interested in a free copy, you can have mine. I got to Chapter 19 and said hell with it. Ramble, ramble, ramble. Maybe I was expecting too much, like her talking about her illness instead of shower curtains and her taxidermy animals or how she has every mental illness out there. Everytime I thought there would be a serious discussion she went off and ranted about fainting at the site of white coats or germs or the airport. She tal
...more
The manically happy raccoon amongst scattered glitter on the cover is the best part of this book. I find very little humor in mental illness, even when it's offered up by someone who doesn't seem to mind using her chronic depression and crippling anxiety as a vehicle to what she says are ridiculous stories. I agree with her word ridiculous. I guess it's good she can enjoy her mental illness, I'm quite sure most others would not find this possibility very doable.
Is it wrong to feel this book mig ...more
Is it wrong to feel this book mig ...more
I was given a copy of this book in exchange for an honest review.
Jenny Lawson is a women I have never heard of, but by the end of the book I realized that she is famous because people loved her writing. Her writing is extremely honest, funny and can be very inappropriate. Jenny kept talking about dead animals, and from reading about her first book I realized that she was a daughter of a taxidermist and that was why. There were moments in this book that I wish I had read her first book first beca ...more
Jenny Lawson is a women I have never heard of, but by the end of the book I realized that she is famous because people loved her writing. Her writing is extremely honest, funny and can be very inappropriate. Jenny kept talking about dead animals, and from reading about her first book I realized that she was a daughter of a taxidermist and that was why. There were moments in this book that I wish I had read her first book first beca ...more
Nov 29, 2015
Victoria Schwab
added it
This book is everything.
This book is furiously awesome. And I believe I'm mildly shrieking right now because IT WAS JUST WHAT I NEEDED TO READ. It's about anxiety and depression, written in a really random and crazy and hyperbolic way -- and it was perfect. It was a very ME book. Usually books about anxiety (yes, I raise my hand as an anxietier [that is a word]) trigger me off...but this actually calmed me in a way? Because the author is so wonderfully messed up and yet still managing to be fabulous that it gave me a l
...more
Like, I know depression is like totally a literal thing that feels like someone throat punched you right in the knee with a kitten fisted mitten. Also then stabbed you with a pen right after and I mean serves that asshole right for being a tiny ninja zombie baby from the Internet. Like omg, literally, right? I mean here's an awesome quote I made up about parsley and soup and lady parts. Hedgehog, goat, ferret, armadillo, baby. Right? I mean I love psychiatric hospitals for pain killers I was yel
...more
Bring on the madness—it has me hoppin’!
“Other people might battle a subconscious fear of adversity, failure, or being stoned to death, but my hidden phobia makes me faint at the sight of outerwear.”
Hard to resist, huh? This off-kilter memoir had me riding on my pogo stick while howling deliriously. A comic genius, this Lawson person.
My daughter gave me this book on Christmas Day. I hardly read hard copies anymore because the print is too small, so for about 5 seconds I wasn’t thrilled. Then I op ...more
“Other people might battle a subconscious fear of adversity, failure, or being stoned to death, but my hidden phobia makes me faint at the sight of outerwear.”
Hard to resist, huh? This off-kilter memoir had me riding on my pogo stick while howling deliriously. A comic genius, this Lawson person.
My daughter gave me this book on Christmas Day. I hardly read hard copies anymore because the print is too small, so for about 5 seconds I wasn’t thrilled. Then I op ...more
MY BLOG: Melissa Martin's Reading List
I thought this book was ↓
I have to say I laughed a lot at her humor, I found that I say some of the things that she says. I feel for her that she has all of these disorders because I have most of the same disorders that she has but I have a few more, and not everyone feels the same when they have these disorders, they have different phobias. But it's all scary and a suckfest! And unfortunately, most people just think your having them on or you should just ge ...more
I thought this book was ↓
I have to say I laughed a lot at her humor, I found that I say some of the things that she says. I feel for her that she has all of these disorders because I have most of the same disorders that she has but I have a few more, and not everyone feels the same when they have these disorders, they have different phobias. But it's all scary and a suckfest! And unfortunately, most people just think your having them on or you should just ge ...more
While I've been witness to MANY review bumps in my time here on Goodreads in order to "collect the likes," I may be the first user to ever DELETE MY OWN REVIEW and all of its likes. Sorry if this looks familiar, but yesterday I proved that a glitch in the system can, in fact, cause me to Darwin myself on the interwebs. Now on to the "new" review : (
Welcome to what was maybe the most epic of all epic buddy reads . . .
PICTURED: Kelly (duh), Mitchell the Book Boar, David Hasselmouse, Vixen, Fr ...more
Welcome to what was maybe the most epic of all epic buddy reads . . .
PICTURED: Kelly (duh), Mitchell the Book Boar, David Hasselmouse, Vixen, Fr ...more
"There will be moments when you have to act like a grown-up. Those moments are tricks. Do not fall for them."
I won’t say too much about Furiously Happy, because I really think the element of surprise is one of the best things about the book. Most of the stories in this book are downright bizarre, and on more than one occasion I thought to myself, “There is no way that actually happened”, and then BOOM, the author provides photographic evidence, and blew my mind once again.
"[...] my friend...more
Freakin' hilarious!🤣 I don't feel so bad about being so crazy as hell after reading this book!!!
This book was really enjoyable! I started it as a physical book and thought it was great, and I finished it with the audiobook and liked that as well! Some of these stories were SO powerful and well-written, and I was underlining them like crazy. It's such a candid and unfiltered book about the experience of mental illness, and I could relate so much to parts of this. However, in the middle of the book, Jenny starts getting really off-topic and just begins telling random funny stories. Don't get
...more
Hilarious and heartfelt. More serious than her first book, but still incredibly genuine and never lacking her sardonic wit. If you are looking for a touching and uproariously funny memoir about what it means to be a human, you've found it in this book.
Jenny Lawson may not appeal to all readers, but I love her stuff. Her books are like open diaries and sometimes you just have to look away, but I always find myself looking back. I loved her first book and this one was even better.
In addition to being, in my opinion, uproariously funny, Jenny is a poster child for the millions who suffer silently from mental illness and the social stigma that goes along with that. She has more than embraced her condition, she's transcended it into a weird alter ...more
In addition to being, in my opinion, uproariously funny, Jenny is a poster child for the millions who suffer silently from mental illness and the social stigma that goes along with that. She has more than embraced her condition, she's transcended it into a weird alter ...more
When my husband found out this book was coming out he says
"Is that by the same person who wrote that book you sat on the couch laughing while reading?"
"Yes, yes it is."
"Ugh."
Much to his pleasure, this book had the same effect. He's the Victor of my world but I suspect if a third book rolls around he'll make me vacate the room and read it elsewhere. I truly have never laughed so much while reading as I have while reading both of her books.
Jenny is a magical unicorn of a human and I strongly enc ...more
"Is that by the same person who wrote that book you sat on the couch laughing while reading?"
"Yes, yes it is."
"Ugh."
Much to his pleasure, this book had the same effect. He's the Victor of my world but I suspect if a third book rolls around he'll make me vacate the room and read it elsewhere. I truly have never laughed so much while reading as I have while reading both of her books.
Jenny is a magical unicorn of a human and I strongly enc ...more
I don't want to put others off this book because even though it wasn't for me, it may be just the thing for another person. Despite living with depression, something I work on every day to keep in it's place (don't know how else to describe my personal struggle with it) and doing a pretty good job most of the time, I wasn't able to connect with the author's experiences that she relates in the book. We all have our own journey and she makes that very clear in her intro.
My brain just rebelled aga ...more
My brain just rebelled aga ...more
I'm sorry that Jenny Lawson got dealt a bad hand in life, but honestly, she is a terrible writer. This book is filled with completely uninteresting anecdotes about falling asleep on her arms and them going numb that I thought would somehow tie into her daily struggle. but no that was it. Hilarious. There are several one-liners that would be cute little twitter posts, but listed out in a book is simply tedious. Moreover, the insights into mental illness are so superficial that only people who are
...more
Furiously Happy: A Funny Book About Horrible Things, Jenny Lawson
The title refers to Lawson's philosophy of being "furiously happy" after becoming so depressed that she eventually decided to force herself to be happy out of frustration and spite, driving herself to adventures and experiences in order to build happy memories to sustain her through bouts of depression. This propels her to do such things as travel to Australia in order to hug a koala while wearing a koala suit, to wear a fancy ball ...more
The title refers to Lawson's philosophy of being "furiously happy" after becoming so depressed that she eventually decided to force herself to be happy out of frustration and spite, driving herself to adventures and experiences in order to build happy memories to sustain her through bouts of depression. This propels her to do such things as travel to Australia in order to hug a koala while wearing a koala suit, to wear a fancy ball ...more
So good. Listened to the audiobook, which was narrated by Jenny herself.
Jenny talks candidly (and hilariously!) about her life and mental illnesses. I have anxiety, and although my experiences and disorders aren't the same as Jenny's I found myself relating to the fears and emotion behind nearly all of the situations she described. Her stories are outrageous and sometimes awful, but she always makes sure you know YOU AREN'T ALONE. I feel like I could listen to this audiobook forever and still ge ...more
Jenny talks candidly (and hilariously!) about her life and mental illnesses. I have anxiety, and although my experiences and disorders aren't the same as Jenny's I found myself relating to the fears and emotion behind nearly all of the situations she described. Her stories are outrageous and sometimes awful, but she always makes sure you know YOU AREN'T ALONE. I feel like I could listen to this audiobook forever and still ge ...more
I adore Jenny Lawson and her wit and humanity and bravery and just sheer weirdness.
This was one of the first memoirs I read when I decided to read more non-fiction (which by the way, brilliant decision on my end) and when I needed something fun and quick to read on my flight from hell back from holiday (I just have the worst luck when it comes to flying, but this time really took the cake) this seemed like the obvious pick. And I am so glad to have decided to re-read this. Jenny Lawson is an ab ...more
This was one of the first memoirs I read when I decided to read more non-fiction (which by the way, brilliant decision on my end) and when I needed something fun and quick to read on my flight from hell back from holiday (I just have the worst luck when it comes to flying, but this time really took the cake) this seemed like the obvious pick. And I am so glad to have decided to re-read this. Jenny Lawson is an ab ...more
3.5 stars
Jenny Lawson - born and raised in Texas - is a journalist, blogger, author, and humorist who suffers from mental illness. Lawson describes herself as having clinical depression, severe anxiety disorder, impulse control disorder, avoidance personality disorder, and depersonalization disorder (which makes her feel detached from reality). She also has rheumatoid arthritis, autoimmune problems, self-harm issues, trichotillomania (she pulls out her hair), mild obsessive compulsive disorder, ...more
There's nothing wrong with being optimistic or looking at the bright side of things, but I don't know about this book... I didn't necessarily dislike it, it was alright, I guess. But I don't like books about mental illnesses or books that try to find humor in situations that, no matter which way you spin it, just aren't funny. It reminded me of an Augusten Burroughs book, the type of humor that just seems forced and false more than anything else.
| topics | posts | views | last activity | |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Camis Book Club: Test | 4 | 3 | Jul 10, 2020 04:22AM | |
| Tampa Nerd Night ...: Furiously Happy – September 2017 | 2 | 3 | May 01, 2020 07:16PM | |
| The Manic Bookadi...: (Pages 205-325): And Then I Got Three Dead Cats in the Mail -> Epilogue: Deep in the Trenches | 2 | 9 | May 01, 2020 02:00PM | |
| The Manic Bookadi...: Welcome to the Manic Bookadillos! | 14 | 27 | May 01, 2020 01:53PM | |
| The Manic Bookadi...: (Pages 111-204): I Left My Heart in San Francisco. (...) -> An Essay on Parsley, Wasabi, Cream Cheese, and Soup | 9 | 10 | May 01, 2020 01:52PM |
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Known for her sardonic wit and her hysterically skewed outlook on life, Jenny Lawson has made millions of people question their own sanity, as they found themselves admitting that they, too, often wondered why Jesus wasn't classified as a zombie, or laughed to the point of bladder failure when she accidentally forgot that she mailed herself a cobra. Her blog (www.thebloggess.com) is award-winning
...more
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“When you come out of the grips of a depression there is an incredible relief, but not one you feel allowed to celebrate. Instead, the feeling of victory is replaced with anxiety that it will happen again, and with shame and vulnerability when you see how your illness affected your family, your work, everything left untouched while you struggled to survive. We come back to life thinner, paler, weaker … but as survivors. Survivors who don’t get pats on the back from coworkers who congratulate them on making it. Survivors who wake to more work than before because their friends and family are exhausted from helping them fight a battle they may not even understand. I hope to one day see a sea of people all wearing silver ribbons as a sign that they understand the secret battle, and as a celebration of the victories made each day as we individually pull ourselves up out of our foxholes to see our scars heal, and to remember what the sun looks like.”
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436 likes
“Like my grandmother always said, “Your opinions are valid and important. Unless it’s some stupid bullshit you’re being shitty about, in which case you can just go fuck yourself.”
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