My Non-Horizontal Life

So I put off starting my book club book for quite some time as I had other reading and things to do, such as packing, moving, and writing a paper. I must also admit that I was kind of ambivalent about it, as I wasn't sure what I was getting myself into with this book. In addition, I do a lot of reading on the bus or metro, and this is not a book I really wanted to be seen reading in public. :-)

So, I finally sat down to read it last Sunday, and what a riot. I cannot believe I put it off for so long. And while I enjoyed it immensely, I remember often thinking, wow, did she really do that? Or, are her friends really like that? Because man, I don't know if I would call them friends, lol. In other words, as Mo mentioned, I am not sure how real all of these events actually are. I mean, I know it is possible to survive those kinds of nights because while I may not have had many, ok any, of them myself, I did go to college and see people who did. I am 99.9% sure that the events are based in fact but may be just a wee bit exaggerated since this is a book she is trying to sell here.

I'm not a prude, so while I may not have done anything that she has done, I wasn't put off or disgusted by her. In fact, I might have heard "worse" stories from friends, haha. The book did make me think about society a bit in. I mean, talking about sex is such a taboo thing; it is regulated beyond belief in movies and tv shows, and then here is this book that is laugh-out-loud funny, and it sells amazing. It is kind of like the "Girls Next Door" on E! and other things that have to do with sex. Society loves to be voyeuristic and look in other peoples lives and talk about their sexual proclivities, but it is still very puritan in nature overall. So, I wonder if this book would be as fascinating and sell so well in a society like France or Italy where sexuality is more open. In those places, while what Handler does isn't necessarily the norm, it isn't as taboo and crazy as it is here in the U.S.

I also wonder if people read this book and label Handler a slut, and if the same person would read this same book, but written by a guy, would he be considered a rock star? Oh the double standard.

A little problem that I had is that there was a lack of continuity. For example, in one chapter she talks about how she caught her boyfriend of over 2 years cheating on her, but in the chapter before that, she was talking about her (almost) one night stand with a midget in Mexico. So when did what happen? I wish there was more of a story arc then I caught my parents having sex, I had many one night stands and adventures with sex, I'm done having casual sex. I mean, really? Yes I enjoyed reading about it, but I don't know, I just wish there was a bit more to it.

Overall, I enjoyed this trashy read, and will probably be picking up some other books by her at some point. I laughed out loud multiple times, and while I don't necessarily believe all of her stories, it sure was fun going along with her on this crazy ride. Now however, I am going in the total opposite direction and reading Emma, by Jane Austen. Now those were some puritan times. :-)