A Glorious Freedom: Older Women Leading Extraordinary Lives by Lisa Congdon

I've already recommended this book to a TON of people, so you might as well just go out and get ahold of a copy now.

This book is chock full of short biographies, brief essays, interviews, quotes, and illustrated portraits. The women featured have all done amazing things, and none of them "made it" until they were well into adulthood (No child prodigy here! Some of them didn't even get started until they were 70+ years old). You'll know a bit about some of them, but you won't have heard of every woman featured (I spent a lot of time Googling while I was reading), and there's something in every story to fascinate.

And the takeaway is this: we regularly live to be 90+ in modern society, so what are you going to do with the 30+ years after "retirement"? Why are you waiting to start doing the things you really desire?

Lost At Sea: The Jon Ronson Mysteries by Jon Ronson

New age zealots, the Alaskan townspeople who write Santa's return letters, and a horrifyingly large number of people who go missing from cruise ships - these are just a few of the interesting people you'll learn about in this book of stand-alone essays by British reporter Jon Ronson.

Ronson is a freelance journalist who gets to pursue crazy stories and fantastical personalities. He made a bit of money when a previous book, The Men Who Stare At Goats, was made into a movie starring George Clooney, so in these tales he travels the world and hunts down bizarre and unbelievable characters. Most of this volume's articles were previously published in The Guardian.

Many of the stories are funny and heartbreaking at the same time. Several of the people he meets would incite anger - if they weren't ultimately such sad, pathetic souls at the core of it: he takes a cruise with celebrity psychic Sylvia Browne, he hangs out backstage with the Insane Clown Posse, he gets profiled by the consumer target marketing company Experian, and he meets a guy who split atoms in his kitchen.

It's a fun book, but Ronson avoids drawing any real conclusions - you're left to ponder your own thoughts on the matter, in the end.

Quilting Isn't Funny by Megan Dougherty

Are you a quilter? Do you have a quilter in your life? Because this book is hilarious.

I've been a fan of Megan Dougherty since her first column appeared in Quilter's Home magazine years ago. When I read that first column, I knew this was a chick who understood humor - she can look at an everyday situation (like a quilt guild meeting) and mine it for pure comedy gold. It's the familiarity of Megan's comedy that makes it truly shine; you've been in these situations, but somehow you completely overlooked the humor she found there. She's the chick you want to sit next to in the back row to misbehave and snark with. 

This book is a compilation of material previously published in magazines or on her blog (bitchystitcher.com) with a bit of new to keep things fresh. This book is laugh-out-loud funny; read too much in a single sitting and I guarantee it'll build up to tears. I bought copies for all my quilting besties as holiday gifts.

Granted, if you're not a quilter this one's probably not your cup of tea. Don't know a fat quarter from a quarter auction from Fat Tuesday? It's probably going to sail right over your head. But that's the least of your problems - sheesh, I mean, all the cool kids are quilting these days. What's wrong with you?

Caveat: I helped copy-edited this book for Megan pre-production. But seriously - I've read this book multiple times and I LOVE, love, LOVE it.

From the Top: Brief Transmissions From Tent Show Radio by Michael Perry

Whether he's looking at the stars, admiring his young daughters, fixing a fence, humbling himself before his wife, or touring the country pitching his books, Mike Perry does a lot of thinking. Thankfully, he's willing to share his ponderances with us, because they're well turned, medium-deep, and often quite hilarious.

Some of those thoughts turn into books (if you haven't read Perry's books, drop everything and get one NOW!). Others are simply the little bits Perry talks about during intermission on the syndicated Tent Show Radio program; those intermission interludes are what's presented in this volume for the readers' (rather than listeners') enjoyment.

I have long believed Perry is the very best blend of intelligentsia and redneck. He's got an utterly amazing way with words (oh, the vocabulary!), and he certainly isn't hesitant about making himself the butt of jokes. What's especially nice about this book is that you can pick it up and put it down: open to any page, flip around, and it's all good. Since they're essays and ponderances, there's no chronology you have to follow.

Hyperbole and A Half: Unfortunate Situations, Flawed Coping Mechanisms, Mayhem, and Other Things That Happened by Allie Brosh

Allie Brosh is that wild sort of storyteller whose true tales should make you weep for her struggles but instead make you howl with laughter. And they're accompanied with her distinctive kindergarten-style MS Paint illustrations.

Brosh has a wildly popular blog (hyperboleandahalf.blogspot.com) that birthed this book; the publisher says half the book previously appeared on the blog, and half is brand-new material. Whether it's the story about her desperate efforts to eat somebody else's birthday cake as a child, or the challenges of adopting "broken" dogs you won't even mind if you've seen it before - it's worth the reminder.

Perhaps her most inspirational work is about her own mental health challenges. Brosh has been very open and outspoken about her struggles with depression and anxiety, and I think her brave, honest descriptions are an important part of the dialog. Plus, did I mention she's got a hell of a sense of humor?

I follow Brosh's blog, and I was anxiously awaiting this book. I'm delighted that the book holds true to her visual style, and I'm certain she'll attract many, many new fans with its release.

Shut Up, You're Welcome: Thoughts on Life, Death, and Other Inconveniences by Annie Choi

Annie's made a name by being crabby - but in a fun, funny, and rather endearing way. She's exasperated by her huge, traditional Korean family, yet she loves them to death - and you will too, reading these essays.

Each chapter begins with a letter to a place or thing (not really to a person) with whom Annie takes issue. In the letter she explains her feelings. Then, the stories told in the following chapter give you the background on why or how Annie formed her opinion of the DMV, or her curtain-less neighbor, or Caesars Palace ... just to name a few.

The stories are a riot. Whether she's trying to get rid of her parents' kitchen table during their move or describing the quintessential American road trip in a station wagon full of Korean immigrants, the stories are highly relatable and downright hilarious. You want to be a part of her family just as much as you're delighted they're NOT your family.

This is one of the funniest books I've read in a while. Loved it, and I highly recommend you give it a try too.

No Kidding: Women Writers on Bypassing Parenthood, edited by Henriette Mantel

A lot of ink is spilled discussing the myriad of experiences of parenthood - but what of non-parenthood? Those who remain childless? Mantel has brought together a huge number of female writers without children to discuss (and often comically riff on) their childless state. You'll recognize many famous names, but lesser-known authors also have valuable contributions.

I thought the book was a bit too long (250 pages), as I found about two-thirds of the way through that I had stopped hearing anything new - that writers were just repeating what another had said previously.

But I found a lot to relate with, also. Some are childless 100% by choice, others simply didn't have kids by chance, bad timing or lack of opportunity. A few have regrets, but there's really a commendably wide variety of experiences and emotions expressed here.

Stuck in the Middle With You: A Memoir of Parenting in Three Genders by Jennifer Finney Boylan

In her third iteration of memoir, Boylan offers up her unusual perspective on the wonders and heartbreak of parenthood: after her two children were born, James transitioned into Jenny. Daddy was reimagined as Maddy.

Boylan's been over some of this ground in previous books, but here for the first time she's not using pseudonyms for people and places in her life; her sons requested that this time she use their real names, and she follows suit with many others that she'd altered previously.

The title is a bit misleading: while the bulk of the text is Boylan's experiences, there are also interviews interspersed between chapters (many famous friends, some regular citizens) that offer additional perspectives on parenthood. Some interviewees talk about their children, others are childless and talk about their parents. Some discuss both parenthood and being parented. They touch on absentee parents, death, disability, aging, adoption, and much more.

It's really that variety of experiences that makes this book all the richer. What are the commonalities of being a parent? For all the worry many have about ruining their children, others who had terrible childhoods discuss their survival and success.

I've long been a fan of Boylan, and this book is one I'll recommend heartily. It's both heartbreaking and hilarious, and it offers opinions and food for thought without seeming preachy or purporting to have all the answers.

Wild Delicate Seconds: 29 Wildlife Encounters, Black Bears to Bumble Bees by Charles Finn

Each essay is brief, so I was tempted to gobble up another and another, but I think they'd be better savored one or two at a time. Fans of Aldo Leopold will swoon - these are similar in tone, and perhaps more accessible (less scholarly) than his Sand County essays.

While not all of his 29 creature encounters are native to Wisconsin, local nature enthusiasts still will appreciate his reflective, observational style. The language is gorgeous, and Finn has a knack for simile. My only criticism may be that he's a bit heavy-handed with the religious, spiritual end of his reverie - but Finn's is an easy-going kind of "gee whiz, observing nature sure proves there must be a higher power!"

The Idiot Girls' Action-Adventure Club by Laurie Notaro

I had a couple of rather drunken years in the early 90's, and Laurie Notaro could easily have been my best friend. The stupid things she does (especially when drinking) are a page right out of my own book.

I don't know if this book is culled from Notaro's Arizona Republic columns, or if these are direct reprints. While some of the stories here seem a bit dated now, if you were a young adult in the 1990s you'll understand and recognize many of the references and situations.

I laughed out loud. And then I was glad I've grown up (some) since then!

Man with a Pan edited by John Donohue

Somehow the stereotype persists that women do all the cooking at home; if a man cooks, he's a professional chef. This book puts that idea on its head by asking 21 men who cook at home to write about their experiences.

Some discuss one recipe, others write about how they learned to cook. Many discuss the challenge of getting kids to eat anything but mac and cheese. A few of the writers are known foodies, a few are non-chef celebrities, and many of them are just regular guys who cook.

You've probably got to be a food geek to really enjoy this book - but if you're the kind of person who read cookbooks for enjoyment, you'll enjoy these "stories from the field" written by men who know their way around the kitchen.

The Guinea Pig Diaries: My Life as an Experiment by A.J. Jacobs

Jacobs has made a career writing about his social experiments: his first book was about reading the Encyclopedia Brittanica from A-Z, and his second was about living for a year following all the rules in the Bible. Each chapter in this book is a smaller experiment - outsourcing your life, absolute truth-telling, impersonating a movie star, etc.

I didn't realize when I ordered this book that I'd actually read his first book too; I didn't know it was the same guy. Jacobs is funny and, as he's told all the time, his wife Julie must be a saint for putting up with him.

Because he limits his social experiments to a month each, you don't really get bored with the idea. You get a taste of the benefits and drawbacks, then A.J. moves on to the next project. Many of the experiments are really interesting, and would be worth implementing into your own life, albeit on a more limited, reasonable scale.

Things I Learned About My Dad (In Therapy) edited by Heather B. Armstrong

Since I was about 7millionth on the hold list for Armstrong's new book, I thought I'd give this old one a chance. Armstrong wrote 2 essays here, and her husband Jon wrote one also. For fans of her dooce.com, it's just a bit more about her life.

Each contributor is a well-known blogger, and the theme of the book is fatherhood - be it as a father, having a father, or having a husband who's a father - any and all facets of fatherhood. Some essays are funny (actually, a lot of them are at least funny in part), and many are heart-warming. It was a perfect pre-Father's Day read.

The Customer is Always Wrong

"The Customer is Always Wrong: The Retail Chronicles," edited by Jeff Martin

This collection of essays covers all elements of retail service, and was pitched by book media as tragicomic and absurd ... I found it basically interesting, but not side-splitting.

If you've ever worked a crappy job behind the cash register, you'll find some kindred spirits and even a few chuckles here. Overall it's a nice selection of essays on a theme, just not as funny as it had been pitched.