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Someone Will Be with You Shortly: Notes from a Perfectly Imperfect Life
“[Kogan’s] wry observations of everyday life will hearten you on your worst days, validate you on your best, and make you laugh any day at all.” — Martha Beck, author of Expecting Adam and Finding Your Own North Star
“Someone Will Be with You Shortly is a delectable blend of wit, whimsy, pith, and poignancy. If David Sedaris were a girl... this is the book he’d write.” — Evan Handler, author of It's Only Temporary
Someone Will Be with You Shortly is a collection of the hilarious and poignant essays from beloved O Magazine columnist Lisa Kogan. Writing in the vein of Nora Ephron, Kogan has been called "the Erma Bombeck of our generation" (Kelly Corrigan, author of The Middle Place and Lift). In Someone Will Be with You Shortly, she brings her trademark humor to such real-life quandaries as single motherhood, aging, and sex.
“Someone Will Be with You Shortly is a delectable blend of wit, whimsy, pith, and poignancy. If David Sedaris were a girl... this is the book he’d write.” — Evan Handler, author of It's Only Temporary
Someone Will Be with You Shortly is a collection of the hilarious and poignant essays from beloved O Magazine columnist Lisa Kogan. Writing in the vein of Nora Ephron, Kogan has been called "the Erma Bombeck of our generation" (Kelly Corrigan, author of The Middle Place and Lift). In Someone Will Be with You Shortly, she brings her trademark humor to such real-life quandaries as single motherhood, aging, and sex.
212 pages, Kindle Edition
First published February 14, 2010
157 people are currently reading
972 people want to read
About the author
Lisa Kogan
2 books19 followersLisa Kogan is the Writer at Large for O, the Oprah Magazine, which has a circulation of over 2 million readers, as well as the author of a monthly column, Lisa Kogan Tells All, which deals with everything from her life as a single, working mother in New York City to her quest for a decent tomato, a comfortable sofa bed, and a good, solid dental plan. Prior to Oprah, Kogan, whose work has been anthologized in several collections, worked at 7 Days (which folded), Egg (which folded), and Mirabella (which folded)...Needless to say, Miss Winfrey was not aware of any of this when Lisa was hired. She also spent 7 years as the Writer at Large for ELLE magazine where her essays were once described as a cross between George Plimpton and Gidget.
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Displaying 1 - 30 of 207 reviews
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November 6, 2015Sorry - cannot finish this one. Half my life is over - cannot waste another second on books that make me go "Meh." So here is my review based on 74 pages:
I was hoping for the gut-busting hilarity of Laurie Notaro, but instead I was served watered-down Wendy Wasserstein. I wanted ROFLMAO, but didn't even get a small side dish of LOL. When your cover dares to ape the inimitable Harold Lloyd, you'd better be pretty damned funny! Ya think?
Every essay I read came across as just so much whining. "Wah! I have to watch someone else get married!" "Boo-hoo! I can't do the stuff I used to do because I have a baby now!" It's hard to empathize with someone who can afford a personal trainer... who then complains about her personal trainer.
If you are a single mom, obsessed with clothing, shoes and mani pedis - this book may make you smile. I decided to quit before she starts whining about how all those expensive Botox injections make her face tingle! Meh.
I was hoping for the gut-busting hilarity of Laurie Notaro, but instead I was served watered-down Wendy Wasserstein. I wanted ROFLMAO, but didn't even get a small side dish of LOL. When your cover dares to ape the inimitable Harold Lloyd, you'd better be pretty damned funny! Ya think?
Every essay I read came across as just so much whining. "Wah! I have to watch someone else get married!" "Boo-hoo! I can't do the stuff I used to do because I have a baby now!" It's hard to empathize with someone who can afford a personal trainer... who then complains about her personal trainer.
If you are a single mom, obsessed with clothing, shoes and mani pedis - this book may make you smile. I decided to quit before she starts whining about how all those expensive Botox injections make her face tingle! Meh.
September 26, 2010
Lisa Kogan really rubbed me the wrong way. To describe the pain I felt while reading this, imagine riding in a long car ride with a very annoying women who is blabbing about anything and everything. She continuously tells you how her life is better than yours, but she wants to complain about it over and over...You are driving the car and HAVE to sit there and listen while biting your tongue and just nodding politely. At the end of the trip you want to kick her out on the side of the road and leave her there to find another ride from someone who cares.
December 3, 2011
When you read a book like this you will be influenced to like or dislike the book based on whether you like, or can at least relate to, the narrator. I want to start by admitting that I did not like or relate to Lisa Kogan. She assumes that everyone is a New Yorker with New Yorker sensibilities. Maybe I have an unreasonable distain for that sort of ethnocentric world view, (I did have an ex-husband not to mention ex in-laws from the center of the universe). So I’m not going to rave about the book. But, I want to say a bit about the book apart from the author, because you might be a reader who feels differently. She did draw me in from the start and I did find myself turning back to the book in spare moments—it was easy to finish the book and I enjoyed her prose, even when she annoyed me. She is easy to read because the words seem to flow effortlessly. It’s not that easy to do, and I admire that facility of hers.
She aims to be funny. She’s sort of a middle-aged female Andy Rooney. But at some point in the book she surprised me with a disturbingly vivid health revelation that caused me to pass out in empathy. So, the writing impressed me even though the narrator didn’t. If you aren’t put off by the mid-life New York single mom thing, you might want to give this book a go.
She aims to be funny. She’s sort of a middle-aged female Andy Rooney. But at some point in the book she surprised me with a disturbingly vivid health revelation that caused me to pass out in empathy. So, the writing impressed me even though the narrator didn’t. If you aren’t put off by the mid-life New York single mom thing, you might want to give this book a go.
September 18, 2011
Lisa Kogan cracks me up. It's that simple. My sole complaint is that I couldn't read the last page, look up from the book and then have a lengthy conversation over bagels and schmear with Kogan about what I'd just read. I laughed out loud, devoured the book in a few days (savoring it over cozy lunch hours) and thought about how delighted my mom would be when I sent it to her.
One other reviewer on GoodReads knocked Kogan for her politics (which match mine exactly) and her religious beliefs (which are similar to mine). How anyone could buy Kogan's books without knowing anything about her (and her relationship with Johannes, and her approach to life) flummoxes me. It's not like these chapters weren't part and parcel of what she writes every month in O Magazine.
Indeed, that reviewer reminded me of the time my parents went to see Burt Bacharach and Anthony Newley perform. At the intermission, my father complained to my mother and asked, "So when are they going to start with the jokes already? This is enough singing!" My father thought they were a comedy act. It's one thing if that reviewer didn't think Kogan delivered the expected goods, but Kogan's book is pure Kogan, exactly what anyone who has ever read her (and laughed and laughed) would expect.
One other reviewer on GoodReads knocked Kogan for her politics (which match mine exactly) and her religious beliefs (which are similar to mine). How anyone could buy Kogan's books without knowing anything about her (and her relationship with Johannes, and her approach to life) flummoxes me. It's not like these chapters weren't part and parcel of what she writes every month in O Magazine.
Indeed, that reviewer reminded me of the time my parents went to see Burt Bacharach and Anthony Newley perform. At the intermission, my father complained to my mother and asked, "So when are they going to start with the jokes already? This is enough singing!" My father thought they were a comedy act. It's one thing if that reviewer didn't think Kogan delivered the expected goods, but Kogan's book is pure Kogan, exactly what anyone who has ever read her (and laughed and laughed) would expect.
December 11, 2015
I so wanted to like this book. I enjoy Lisa Kogan's articles in O magazine. She always cracks me up and makes me ponder things in the magazine.
Four chapters into this book I realized that Lisa Kogan is THAT person. The one who is charming in sound bites and elevator conversations, so one day you feel cheeky and invite her to lunch. Thirty minutes into lunch you are begging for a bad oyster and the food illness that follows. Which, FYI, you and Lisa Kogan would have that in common. She seems to have food borne illness more than a stray cat has fleas.
In short bursts, Kogan is a delight.
In this book- not so much.
In some stories she is a single-mom (cue the violins), in the next story she is just as married as anyone else- damn you! She does it differently: he lives overseas 8 months of the year. In some stories she is just like you: poor, trod upon, single mom trying to make it in Manhattan. In the next story she is using Oprah's stylist and whining because she is weary of people asking her for Oprah tickets. That complaint is astounding because she drops Oprah's name so much- I was tempted to ask as well.
Four chapters into this book I realized that Lisa Kogan is THAT person. The one who is charming in sound bites and elevator conversations, so one day you feel cheeky and invite her to lunch. Thirty minutes into lunch you are begging for a bad oyster and the food illness that follows. Which, FYI, you and Lisa Kogan would have that in common. She seems to have food borne illness more than a stray cat has fleas.
In short bursts, Kogan is a delight.
In this book- not so much.
In some stories she is a single-mom (cue the violins), in the next story she is just as married as anyone else- damn you! She does it differently: he lives overseas 8 months of the year. In some stories she is just like you: poor, trod upon, single mom trying to make it in Manhattan. In the next story she is using Oprah's stylist and whining because she is weary of people asking her for Oprah tickets. That complaint is astounding because she drops Oprah's name so much- I was tempted to ask as well.
March 5, 2011
Bookclub selection: March 2011
A quick light read. The author has taken a somewhat unconventional path in her family life however, I'm not convinced she is entirely content. I don't think the reason why she isn't married to the father of her daughter is ever fully explained. I got the feeling that she would have liked a wedding...
The book was entertaining and light but I'm not entirely sure that it needs to exist. It seems to be one of those situations when a well connected person was able to get a book deal without actually having anything very important to say.
A quick light read. The author has taken a somewhat unconventional path in her family life however, I'm not convinced she is entirely content. I don't think the reason why she isn't married to the father of her daughter is ever fully explained. I got the feeling that she would have liked a wedding...
The book was entertaining and light but I'm not entirely sure that it needs to exist. It seems to be one of those situations when a well connected person was able to get a book deal without actually having anything very important to say.
April 27, 2014
I always enjoyed Lisa's monthly column in O magazine, so I decided to pick up this book. What we have here is a collection of columns that find Kogan musing on a variety of subjects from getting her teeth fixed to dealing with an annoying co-worker at the O office. The book is full of self-depreciating humor and at times Kogan is really funny. But one of the problems I had with some of this is that I can't relate to her single mother living in New York City and working for Oprah lifestyle. Overall, I found this book rather hit or miss. Some of the essays I enjoyed, others I skipped over.
June 12, 2013
Good beach read. A collection of short essays on becoming a parent, and also about where the author finds herself and her life as she approaches 50. The style is mostly enjoyable (I don't really mind the "obnoxious New Yorker" style, having been one myself), but the constant spilling out of lists (lists of likings, lists of yearnings, lists of achievements, lists of lists), even though it's prose-style and not bullet-point, gets a little tedious. Still worthy of a read if you like mid-life meditations by successful though insecure women. I'd pick up another book by this author.
January 27, 2016
I like Lisa Kogan's writing. So, imagine my delight when I heard she had a book out. Imagine my disappointment when I realized that at least half of it was columns of hers from O magazine that I had already read.
Please, authors, when you recycle your columns as a book, tell us. If we're already a fan, we've already read it!
Please, authors, when you recycle your columns as a book, tell us. If we're already a fan, we've already read it!
July 22, 2010
Like a painful coffee date with a wanna-be stand-up comic. Even the funny lines did not make up for the awkward pain.
January 17, 2016
Series of essays - none of which are outrageously funny or original.
May 2, 2023
Funny and enjoyable book. Easy and light reading.
October 17, 2010
Down-to-earth columnist, Lisa Kogan, from "O" magazine, takes us on a delightfully funny romp through all those moments in real life—you know the ones: when we feel less-than or not-enough; when we feel judged or criticized; or when our lives seem simply more than we can take. As a parent of a six-year-old daughter who was born when she was in her forties, Lisa Kogan knows what it's like to be a single parent. For even though she shares parenting with her partner, he spends more than half the year 8,000 miles away.
In sharing those moments, a writer like Kogan brings us to laughter and causes us to mark the page so we can share with others; she makes us nod to ourselves, acknowledging that we've been there and done that; and in the end, she simply inspires us to smile all the way through to the very end.
Here's a sample of what I'm saying. This excerpt is from a chapter about bad haircuts, which, in the overall scheme of things, don't seem all that earth-shattering, but when it's happened to you, you want to read about how someone else's perspective can...well, put things in perspective:
"Three days after the fatal haircut, on the way to a much-needed eyebrow and upper-lip waxing, I ran into an ex-boyfriend and his adorable young wife. Had I not been so flustered, I could have avoided the entire episode by insisting I was Gene Shalit. It was later brought to my attention that I also had a quarter-size patch of macaroni and cheese encrusted on my T-shirt...."
"Someone Will Be with You Shortly: Notes from a Perfectly Imperfect Life" is jam-packed with these kinds of incidents, including lists of things that you've experienced yourselves and wished you'd thought of telling.
It's the kind of book that makes me recall all of my embarrassing and less-than-stellar moments in a kinder way.
Five stars!
In sharing those moments, a writer like Kogan brings us to laughter and causes us to mark the page so we can share with others; she makes us nod to ourselves, acknowledging that we've been there and done that; and in the end, she simply inspires us to smile all the way through to the very end.
Here's a sample of what I'm saying. This excerpt is from a chapter about bad haircuts, which, in the overall scheme of things, don't seem all that earth-shattering, but when it's happened to you, you want to read about how someone else's perspective can...well, put things in perspective:
"Three days after the fatal haircut, on the way to a much-needed eyebrow and upper-lip waxing, I ran into an ex-boyfriend and his adorable young wife. Had I not been so flustered, I could have avoided the entire episode by insisting I was Gene Shalit. It was later brought to my attention that I also had a quarter-size patch of macaroni and cheese encrusted on my T-shirt...."
"Someone Will Be with You Shortly: Notes from a Perfectly Imperfect Life" is jam-packed with these kinds of incidents, including lists of things that you've experienced yourselves and wished you'd thought of telling.
It's the kind of book that makes me recall all of my embarrassing and less-than-stellar moments in a kinder way.
Five stars!
October 18, 2011
I couldn't decide between 3 and 4 stars at first, and writing this a few days after reading it, I did find that not many details if the stories stayed with me. But on the other hand I do remember giggling as I read on my lunch break, nodding along, and feeling genuinely touched on some occasions. Can I relate to this 49 year old disputedly single mother in New York full of insecurities... as a childless 34 year old in Nevada who is pretty comfortable with myself... not so much. But her storytelling still made me feel like she'd be someone I could sit and talk to. The first paragraph set the tone for me and made me grin... I liked how she introduced herself and how despite all her claims of being scared of everything, having strange if not totally bad luck, and sounding like someone who doesn't know any of the right answers, she still manages to wrap up many stories with a moral or at least a summary that sums the story up perfectly. A blurb on the back jacket mentions David Sedaris, and I'm not sure I'd have made that connection at all...but the one comparing her to Erma Bombeck seems right on the money...she tells her own stories with personal observations that resonate even if we don't have much else in common. In the end, I'm not likely to be able to retell you any of these stories, but I remember that I enjoyed reading it.
March 29, 2010
Let me preface by saying this was the first book I downloaded onto my new Kindle, so I think I could have read the list of my dog" food ingredients from the label & still be entertained.:) But seriously, this book was laugh-out-loud funny and helped me laugh at the insanity of life & the things women worry about constantly. I "underlined" many parts, especially the part when the author says she is "closed for repair." I have wanted to say that often!! The only thing that kept me from giving this book 5 stars is the author's frequent political references. She has very strong liberal views & I do not. I respect other people's political views, but don't need them in my reading. But that's what makes our country so great, that we can each express our opinions. Although I will never be in awe of Michelle Obama or Rachel Maddow, I truly love this writer's work & her articles in O magazine. Great read that helped me keep things in perspective!!
April 2, 2010
I picked up this book on a recommendation from a friend, who hadn't herself read it yet but told me another of her friends highly recommended it for its laugh-out-loud value. That friend of a friend was right.
Lisa Kogan, in kind of a blog-like fashion, simply relates the daily ins and outs of her life. I related. I related even though I don't have kids and I don't have a high-end job on Oprah's "O" magazine. (Kogan is a writer for "O.") But damn, Kogan knows what real people experience with the minutiae of life -- and the minutiae of life is life, far as I'm concerned.
I laughed out loud more than once or twelve times, or whatever. I chuckled throughout. And I finished the book in about two days, just because it was that funny. You know, I adore serious mainstream fiction. I love provocative themes with well-crafted writing that manages not to stray into pretention. But now and then, I just want to laugh. This book did it for me.
Lisa Kogan, in kind of a blog-like fashion, simply relates the daily ins and outs of her life. I related. I related even though I don't have kids and I don't have a high-end job on Oprah's "O" magazine. (Kogan is a writer for "O.") But damn, Kogan knows what real people experience with the minutiae of life -- and the minutiae of life is life, far as I'm concerned.
I laughed out loud more than once or twelve times, or whatever. I chuckled throughout. And I finished the book in about two days, just because it was that funny. You know, I adore serious mainstream fiction. I love provocative themes with well-crafted writing that manages not to stray into pretention. But now and then, I just want to laugh. This book did it for me.
May 20, 2015
I can't believe this book has some horribly negative reviews. I am shocked! I can't imagine anyone not liking this book. It was one of my favorites, ever. I loved the memoir style written in chapters that had nothing to do with the previous one. It made for a fun read to be able to put it down and come back to a new mini-memoir. It was a while ago that I read it, and I still remember crying at the end, at the last page and it's sheer beauty, and at the fact that the experience reading it was over. Nothing really happens in the book, but that is what makes it all the more fascinating that I read it in a few days, when I am far from an avid reader! Lisa's unconventional life is inspiring. She is very very funny (the woman who didn't laugh probably doesn't laugh at anything - I would imagine). I recommend this book to everyone!!
February 13, 2011
Even her wit and quotability couldn't make me finish this book...
Talk about a rambling, indirect, mess! There was absolutely no thread to follow through her chapters, paragraphs, sentences, etc.
She should have just formatted (and publicized) it as a list of thoughts. It would have read better. Not to mention given the reader better warning as to whether they even wanted to read her laundry-list of thoughts, complaints, and observations.
I found out quickly that I did not. At least not in anything other than VERY small doses. Yikes!
Talk about a rambling, indirect, mess! There was absolutely no thread to follow through her chapters, paragraphs, sentences, etc.
She should have just formatted (and publicized) it as a list of thoughts. It would have read better. Not to mention given the reader better warning as to whether they even wanted to read her laundry-list of thoughts, complaints, and observations.
I found out quickly that I did not. At least not in anything other than VERY small doses. Yikes!
December 9, 2011
I'm currently reading on Daily Lit. Will I look up the book to read the whole thing? I don't know. She is vaguely like a cross between Sandra Loh and Erma Bombeck - with a completely different life. What I've read so far has varied from funny but forgettable and forgettable immediately. But there has been one essay that I found just smashing - a bit funny, but mostly yearning for a relationship that is over that captures a past that is gone forever and yet lives on. (Although I can't say I've had any relationship that approached the perfection hers did.)
July 22, 2012
Lisa Kogan is funny as hell. This is a great pick me up book when you just want something light to read. I devoured this book in a day or so. I knew I would enjoy it because her columns in O are always on point and witty.
I needed this book. It is a perfect way to escape the daily turmoils of just trying to make it. Kogan is the friend that says what everyone else is thinking, but does not have the balls to say out loud. I love it!
I am on a budget and have been checking books out of my local library, but I definitely plan to purchase this title in the near future.
I needed this book. It is a perfect way to escape the daily turmoils of just trying to make it. Kogan is the friend that says what everyone else is thinking, but does not have the balls to say out loud. I love it!
I am on a budget and have been checking books out of my local library, but I definitely plan to purchase this title in the near future.
July 26, 2012
Lisa Kogan used to have a monthly column in "O" magazine that I looked forward to reading every month. I haven't seen it in the last year or so and I was glad to come across this book which is a collection of essays. I was a little disappointed that so much of it seemed to be material I had already read. It basically seems like a collection of work that has already been published in "O" magazine. However, I am home from work with a cold and it was nice to enjoy some light, humorous reading while I am sick.
August 23, 2011
If there would be an inbetween 3 and 4 stars, that would be where I'd put her. Didn't love her as much as Laurie Notaro or others. But did like her. My favorite bit is where she's talking about how her best friend Mark dies of Aids in 1994 and she can't go to the diner they went to because it's too sad and now the diner is a bank.
That was the poignant point to it. Funny and some right on bits.
That was the poignant point to it. Funny and some right on bits.
May 24, 2012
Meh. There were some perfectly beautiful moments in this book that were completely overshadowed by Kogan's insistence on turning every little story into some neat and tidy anecdote that supposedly taught some sort of life lesson. I tagged the number of pages/points that actually impressed me and at the end of the book, seven pages stood out. The rest was just fluff.
Kogan's letter to Amelia Earhart was a nice touch, though.
Kogan's letter to Amelia Earhart was a nice touch, though.
July 27, 2011
This book made me genuinely laugh out loud...over and over! Lisa Kogan's observations on life, as compiled here in the form of short stories, are witty, honest, and heartfelt. While she may be complaining about a given situation, she sure does approach it with a comedic attitude. If you're a woman anywhere from mid 20s to late 40s, I'd venture to say there's something in here you can relate to.
April 29, 2012
My first-ever Kindle app book (I know--I was a little slow to jump on that wagon), this one is laugh-out-loud hilarious. Touching and truthful, don't be surprised if you finish it in one sitting. The only reason I didn't is because, @ the time, I couldn't figure out how to work the !@#$% Kindle. ;-)
June 25, 2012
Bought the book due to rave reviews on Amazon; however, I was horribly disappointed to find that it was just a bunch of endless ramblings about mundane and self-inflicted drama. Apparently the author has a column in `O' Magazine, which further establishes any reason I have for not reading the magazine.
September 11, 2012
This book is me. I am this book. The only thing missing is the part about my 30s (and 40s). I was bookmarking the book with passages I wanted to share with my best friend. After I had tagged about half the book (and read 100 pages in one day) I finally just order a copy to be surprise mail to her house! LOVE. THIS. BOOK!
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September 24, 2012I'm going through my books and adding ones I've read but didn't get around to putting in Good Reads. I can't honestly say that this book was a good read. In fact, it didn't really leave any longing impression with me at all. However, I've read other reviews and it seems some people loved it. So, if you like humor, why not give it a try.
December 11, 2012
This book gave me what I was seeking: many laughs, and the occasional shift in perspective that allows a person to see something previously viewed as mundane in a more meaningful light. I quickly realized that I'd already read these essays at least once before in O Magazine, but, even on a second read, most of the pieces offered, at minmum, some amusement, and, on occasion, genuine uplift.
May 24, 2014
Saw Lisa speak during a women's conference. She cracked me up, so I decided to read her book. Lisa did not disappoint! Not only was she witty, but I had many laugh out loud moments. Our goal in life should be to laugh more and laugh often. If yours is, read this book, it will be worth your time.
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