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Solutions and Other Problems
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For the first time in seven years, Allie Brosh—beloved author and artist of the extraordinary #1 New York Times bestseller Hyperbole and a Half—returns with a new collection of comedic, autobiographical, and illustrated essays.
Solutions and Other Problems includes humorous stories from Allie Brosh’s childhood; the adventures of her very bad animals; merciless dissection of ...more
Solutions and Other Problems includes humorous stories from Allie Brosh’s childhood; the adventures of her very bad animals; merciless dissection of ...more
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Hardcover, 518 pages
Published
September 22nd 2020
by Gallery Books
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Popsugar 2021 #31 A Book by a Blogger, Vlogger, YouTuber, or Other Online Personality
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It's been a while since I've read a graphic novel, or a collection of humorous essays. In fact, I think this is the first time I've ever read a collection of humorous essays that is also a graphic novel! Brosh is so good at mixing the absurd, funny, poignant and heartbreaking moments of life into a page-turning joy-ride. The illustrations are perfect. The stories are relatable and ridiculously true-to-life. The friend duct-taped to a chair in the family driveway? No, I can't explain it. You'll j
...more

oooh, goodreads choice awards finalist for best humor 2020! what will happen?
backtracking to add this to my book riot challenge:
fulfilling book riot's 2020 read harder challenge task: #4 Read a graphic memoir
NOW AVAILABLE!!!! FINALLLLYYYYY!!!
Sometimes all you can really do is keep moving and hope you end up somewhere that makes sense.
no spoilers, but since everyone wants to know—was this book worth waiting more than five years for?
YES. DON’T BE A DUMMY, OF COURSE IT WAS!!
it is bigger, funnier, ...more
backtracking to add this to my book riot challenge:
fulfilling book riot's 2020 read harder challenge task: #4 Read a graphic memoir
NOW AVAILABLE!!!! FINALLLLYYYYY!!!
Sometimes all you can really do is keep moving and hope you end up somewhere that makes sense.
no spoilers, but since everyone wants to know—was this book worth waiting more than five years for?
YES. DON’T BE A DUMMY, OF COURSE IT WAS!!
it is bigger, funnier, ...more

I really don't understand why people are getting upset about the publish date. I consider her first book one that changed my life. It made me laugh, cry and gave me a better understanding of myself dealing with depression and anxiety. I am just so thankful that she has another one in the works and would happily wait years to experience another one of her pieces. Be patient my friends. I have no doubt that it will be worth the wait.
...more


I'm leaving this unrated (for now) because I feel conflicted. As you may or may not know, I leave books unrated when I feel that no rating properly reflects my feelings.
This book started out amazingly. I was so, so excited to read more of Allie Brosh's work as Hyperbole and a Half is one of my all time favorite books and I have reread it so many times. My body was literally quivering with excitement and joy.
The first couple stories were hilarious as in made me literally laugh out loud hilarious ...more

An artist's nihilistic musings on her life, told in deceptively simple graphic essays. I have seen this book shelved in both Humor and Memoir; I think her first book sits solidly in the former category and this one, published years later and with a decidedly grimmer outlook, belongs more securely in the latter.
...more

When considering what to write in this review, I had a lot of thoughts floating around in my head akin to, “a book doesn’t HAVE to funny to be good, you just made a pre-assumption the author is funny,” “it’s not up to you to decide how someone gets to describe their experiences,” etc. Which are both true. But they also obscured the fact that, at the end of the day, I didn’t enjoy Solutions and Other Problems very much.
I wanted to. Oh, how I wanted to. Like every other person and their mother on ...more
I wanted to. Oh, how I wanted to. Like every other person and their mother on ...more

How am I just hearing about this?
Not until next year...
...more
Not until next year...


Hm. I’ll try to find something more to say. Other than life is hard.
*
I thought about it overnight. I struggle so much. Every day, every hour, sometimes every minute is a new paradigm. My impressions of life, my feelings, my senses, my mood, energy, everything shifts on a dime sometimes. Often. I was hoping Allie would make me laugh the way she did with her first book. Can't say I was expecting it, exactly, because I know better, on a conscious level, than to let expectations lead me. But yes, I ...more
*
I thought about it overnight. I struggle so much. Every day, every hour, sometimes every minute is a new paradigm. My impressions of life, my feelings, my senses, my mood, energy, everything shifts on a dime sometimes. Often. I was hoping Allie would make me laugh the way she did with her first book. Can't say I was expecting it, exactly, because I know better, on a conscious level, than to let expectations lead me. But yes, I ...more
![[Name Redacted]](https://images.gr-assets.com/users/1347082397p2/287915.jpg)
So apparently in the last three years:
--Her sister committed suicide.
--Her marriage ended (she now lives in Denver, he now lives in Seattle).
--She had a cancer scare.
--She required major surgery.
--She has redirected her efforts into public speaking and abandoned her blog.
--This book has been canceled by the publisher.
So...DANG.
UPDATE: It's been three more years, and since then she has...disappeared. No new posts. No new book (it was canceled, finally) and no-one has heard anything from her. We ...more
--Her sister committed suicide.
--Her marriage ended (she now lives in Denver, he now lives in Seattle).
--She had a cancer scare.
--She required major surgery.
--She has redirected her efforts into public speaking and abandoned her blog.
--This book has been canceled by the publisher.
So...DANG.
UPDATE: It's been three more years, and since then she has...disappeared. No new posts. No new book (it was canceled, finally) and no-one has heard anything from her. We ...more

Jun 12, 2020
Nenia ✨️ Socially Awkward Trash Panda ✨️ Campbell
marked it as wishlist
OMGGGG IT FINALLY HAS A RELEASE DATE YAAAAAASS
2020 BITCHES
Not gonna lie, the first book made me feel really, really seen during a period of depression, so I am super super excited for this follow-up because I want to be SEEN again :D
I want a copy of this so badly T_T
2020 BITCHES
Not gonna lie, the first book made me feel really, really seen during a period of depression, so I am super super excited for this follow-up because I want to be SEEN again :D
I want a copy of this so badly T_T

I would wait a thousand years for this book because I know it'll be great, take your time Allie Brosh <3
...more

3.5 stars
Who has not seen the comics/stories by Allie Brosh? Case in point:

I was a follower of her blog, which is also the title of her first book (Hyperbole and a Half) and loved her work. But then she practically disappeared right when her book became a best seller. It was strange and worrying. This second book explains a lot about why she seemingly fell off the face of the earth for years, and well, it's not a humorous story unfortunately for her. And it's also a little unfortunate for the re ...more
Who has not seen the comics/stories by Allie Brosh? Case in point:

I was a follower of her blog, which is also the title of her first book (Hyperbole and a Half) and loved her work. But then she practically disappeared right when her book became a best seller. It was strange and worrying. This second book explains a lot about why she seemingly fell off the face of the earth for years, and well, it's not a humorous story unfortunately for her. And it's also a little unfortunate for the re ...more

After seven years of waiting, I finally read it.
It was worth the wait y’all.
——————————-
Something good is finally happening in 2020!
Seriously though, Hyperbole and a Half: Unfortunate Situations, Flawed Coping Mechanisms, Mayhem, and Other Things That Happened, and especially "all my fish are dead" literally changed my life.
------------------------
Amazon just emailed me. There is no longer an expected release date.
In happier news, here's a corgi butt.
...more
It was worth the wait y’all.
——————————-
Something good is finally happening in 2020!
Seriously though, Hyperbole and a Half: Unfortunate Situations, Flawed Coping Mechanisms, Mayhem, and Other Things That Happened, and especially "all my fish are dead" literally changed my life.
------------------------
In happier news, here's a corgi butt.


I really hate to say this (and I see I'm going to be in the overwhelming minority here) but I didn't care for this book nearly as much as the first one. I got halfway through before realizing most of the stories felt "meh". Made it 3/4ths of the way through before putting it down yesterday. And I honestly had no interest in finishing it but did for the sake of review.
Every. Single. Story in the first book is either hilarious or sad & hilarious. Most of the stories in this one are "okay" and for ...more
Every. Single. Story in the first book is either hilarious or sad & hilarious. Most of the stories in this one are "okay" and for ...more


Author Allie Brosh
In 2013 Allie Brosh published "Hyperbole and a Half", an assemblage of humorous and touching snippets about her life, rendered as cartoon drawings with captions and anecdotes. The following years were challenging for Brosh, but she continued drawing and writing, and the result is this follow-up book, which - though still funny - tackles some difficult issues.
In "Solutions and Other Problems", Allie writes about trapping herself in a bucket as a toddler;

having a five-year-old ...more

I had this long conversation with a friend of mine today about the need we all seem to have for answers. We call it different things but it all sort of boils down to this weird, innate need to understand what in the hell we're meant to be doing here. We, as a species, really can't seem to bear the idea that there isn't some grand plan in place that would explain the casual suffering, the loneliness, the soul destroying pain we all suffer through. We do not under any circumstances want to confron
...more

This was worth the wait (~5 years!, not complaining, you just need to know how much of a wait it's worth) - and I'm so, so happy that finally there is something that 2020 cannot ruin. Tempting fate? Maybe. Sorry Allie Brosh. But at the very bare minimum I can't be forced in any way to un-read this book.
As per usual with Allie Brosh and the mix of drawn and written storytelling that makes up her previous book and blog Hyperbole and a Half, there are pieces of this that are actual-laugh-out-loud f ...more
As per usual with Allie Brosh and the mix of drawn and written storytelling that makes up her previous book and blog Hyperbole and a Half, there are pieces of this that are actual-laugh-out-loud f ...more

3.5
Hand me some ice
First of all, hand me some ice (or a bag of peas will do) because my poor wrists are achy after holding this square rock for hours. Yep, this book is heavy, and I don’t mean intense (though at times it really is pretty deep). I mean that this book is literally heavy—518 pages in a hardback. And to keep the pictures from being see-through and wrecking the back of the pages, the publisher used a thick paper stock. So not only is the book 518 pages, it’s a leaden 518 pages. My wr ...more
Hand me some ice
First of all, hand me some ice (or a bag of peas will do) because my poor wrists are achy after holding this square rock for hours. Yep, this book is heavy, and I don’t mean intense (though at times it really is pretty deep). I mean that this book is literally heavy—518 pages in a hardback. And to keep the pictures from being see-through and wrecking the back of the pages, the publisher used a thick paper stock. So not only is the book 518 pages, it’s a leaden 518 pages. My wr ...more
![destiny ♡⚔♡ [howling libraries]](https://images.gr-assets.com/users/1557144778p2/15335689.jpg)
Jun 11, 2020
destiny ♡⚔♡ [howling libraries]
marked it as to-read
Shelves:
owned-physical,
owned-tbr
This is finally ACTUALLY happening. I've been waiting so damn long for this and I'm so emotional right now. Allie Brosh is literally a huge part of why I'm still on this planet today. If you'll all excuse me, I'm going to go sob for a while. 😭💖
...more

I read a Kindle e-edition borrowed from the library due to the continuing pandemic and my branch library is not one of the branches that has opened for borrowing paper books.
I’ve been waiting for this second book for year. I loved the first book by this author/illustrator, Hyperbole and a Half: Unfortunate Situations, Flawed Coping Mechanisms, Mayhem, and Other Things That Happened. (I have gone to her blog and also thoroughly enjoyed it.) This book wasn’t exactly what I’d been expecting which w ...more
I’ve been waiting for this second book for year. I loved the first book by this author/illustrator, Hyperbole and a Half: Unfortunate Situations, Flawed Coping Mechanisms, Mayhem, and Other Things That Happened. (I have gone to her blog and also thoroughly enjoyed it.) This book wasn’t exactly what I’d been expecting which w ...more

It's been seven years since Allie Brosh's incredible Hyperbole and a Half. Turns out she's been going through some things. A cancer scare revealing a fruit salad of tumors, the loss of her younger sister to suicide, a divorce and the subsequent struggling with loneliness. Hardly fodder for hilarity.
But this is warm and funny and somehow avoids maudlin sentiment. Drawing yourself as an ambulatory tadpole with anime eyes really manages to leaven the mood. But don't dismiss the drawings as complet ...more
But this is warm and funny and somehow avoids maudlin sentiment. Drawing yourself as an ambulatory tadpole with anime eyes really manages to leaven the mood. But don't dismiss the drawings as complet ...more

I was really expecting to enjoy this, I loved Hyperbole and a Half but found this hugely dissapointing. I appreciate what a hard time this author has had, she must have had a heartbreaking time but I can't give this any more than 2 stars. I love this author's dog characters but even they weren't enough to make this more interesting or enjoyable for me.
...more

This book arrived at my doorstep and I almost couldn’t believe it. It’s real? Like, for real real? Because, like other lovers of the hilarious graphic memoir “Hyperbole and a Half,” I had abandoned any hope of a sophmore book years ago. But then I discovered “Solutions and Other Problems” the day before publication and 24 hours later was chuckling along once again with Allie Brosh, in awe that this moment had come. I’d forgotten how much I’d missed her work.
I don’t think this book was as good as ...more
I don’t think this book was as good as ...more

I hope you will allow me to tell a little story here. Some years back, I was going through a bad time with my mental health. It’s been, what feels like a lifelong struggle, but this was a particularly rough period. I had been in the hospital and was then moved to a sort of group home to recover more. One of the counselors there had two stories by Allie Brosh printed out and we read them as part of a group activity. They were about depression and were real and sad and funny.
I felt seen. Like som ...more
I felt seen. Like som ...more

I want this ALOT.


Check out my review on booktube: https://youtu.be/Ni5Ew74Hknk
...more

She has leaned into it. All of it. I have been on an existential journey.
I read this whole thing last night after I got home from work. My one complaint about it that I have right now is that hardcover is the wrong format for this book. My wrists hurt! It's so heavy! I mean, it's a beautiful book, but at points genuinely physically hard to read. I imagine if I had some sort of tablet or color Kindle that would be ideal. If you have arthritis or other hand/arm related mobility issues I feel this ...more
I read this whole thing last night after I got home from work. My one complaint about it that I have right now is that hardcover is the wrong format for this book. My wrists hurt! It's so heavy! I mean, it's a beautiful book, but at points genuinely physically hard to read. I imagine if I had some sort of tablet or color Kindle that would be ideal. If you have arthritis or other hand/arm related mobility issues I feel this ...more

Looks like I'm the dissenter on this one.
Hyperbole and a Half was, by turns, poignant, clever, insightful, and gut-bustingly funny. Some of the best sections involved the author discussing her battle with depression. While painful to read, there was a stunning clarity to the work. Through anecdotes and analogies, Brosh painted a comprehensible picture of a land which, thank God, I've never had to visit.
It's fairly clear, from the content of Solutions and Other Problems, that Brosh's life has tak ...more
Hyperbole and a Half was, by turns, poignant, clever, insightful, and gut-bustingly funny. Some of the best sections involved the author discussing her battle with depression. While painful to read, there was a stunning clarity to the work. Through anecdotes and analogies, Brosh painted a comprehensible picture of a land which, thank God, I've never had to visit.
It's fairly clear, from the content of Solutions and Other Problems, that Brosh's life has tak ...more

I love this book, and I love Allie Brosh. That is a little concerning because I think she may be the tiniest bit insane, but I not only understand her, I think she's hilarious. Her strange little drawings show me more that a museum full of great art.
I hope it doesn't take another seven years before we see her next book, but I can wait. She's not only a little bit insane, she's also brilliant. ...more
I hope it doesn't take another seven years before we see her next book, but I can wait. She's not only a little bit insane, she's also brilliant. ...more
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