From Publishers Weekly
The pseudonymous Mimi Smartypants, a Chicago writer and editor, started an online diary in 1999, leading to a book contract from HarperCollins UK and now publication in the U.S. She doesn't pretend this is a great literary feat; to her, it's like someone offering to publish your grocery lists. "You wouldn't even call yourself a 'writer' because dude, grocery lists? Come on." So don't expect heavy-duty style or even plot from this likable 30-something—she's just blogging, alright? Overall, Smartypants is something of a hypochondriac, with frequent passages on her colds and other ailments, like her "exquisitely painful leg cramps." Sometimes she drinks too much, with hangovers that tie into the hypochondria. The narrative's quirky images (e.g., too much caffeine makes the author's spine feel "like a glass harmonica") and odd suggestions (e.g., try hydrating those compressed-foam animals in a mouthful of beer) certainly give pause, as do her occasional word inventions (e.g., making muffins, she describes those "large lipomas of butter" trapped in the hand mixer). Nothing beats Smartypants's discussion of how the "pseudo-Aztec design" on the Tostitos bag resembles a uterus with ovaries. This is not a big book, but a funny little one, sort of Bridget lite.
(On sale Dec. 27) Copyright © Reed Business Information, a division of Reed Elsevier Inc. All rights reserved.
--This text refers to the
Paperback
edition.
Product Description
The energetic, inspired first book of Mimi Smartypants, who has kept a cult on-line diary for the past 3 years. Mimi has bags of attitude and a brilliant observational style that's fun, fast and frivolous. This is the real-life diary of a sassy, funny, straight-talking thirty-something Chicago girl who tells it like it is. Mimi first appeared on the hot internet site diaryland.com which hosts over 400,000 live diaries from -- mostly girls -- all over the world and has 800,000 registered users. Mimi became the most clicked diary and is now officially a web cult. Mimi lives in Chicago with LT (husband -- she was a child bride) cat (cat), Kat (friend, female, good for staying up late and getting into trouble in bars), travels the El (Elevated Railway), drinks beer (in bars) and occationally dresses up in twily dresses and makes like the undead at Neo's goth nights (it's an affliction she's trying kick). she is 30 years old (but looks younger), is 5ft 1inch (but looks taller), weighs (never weighs herself...it says 127 on her drivers license). She's left handed (she cannot do anything with her right hand -- except lift drinks at bars), she looks in other peoples medicine cabinets when the owner is not around, hates people saying ATM machine ( since the 'm' stands for machine already doh), has never had a cavity (wierd) and likes penguins. Most of all Mimi Smartypants gets it...and so do hundreds of thousands of her followers.
