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Standard Deviation
Standard Deviation | Katherine Heiny
The celebrated author of Single, Carefree, Mellow, returns with her debut novel a rueful, funny examination of love, marriage, infidelity, and origami. Simultaneously hilarious and heartbreaking, this sensational debut will appeal to fans of David Nicholls, Nick Hornby, Nora Ephron and Lorrie Moore
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review
emmaturi
Standard Deviation | Katherine Heiny
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Pickpick

I really enjoyed this book. Both main characters, Graham and Audra, are really great. It's funny, I definitely had a few lol moments. The only moan would be it just suddenly finished. I didn't quite understand why. Did anyone read this book?

jesseastin I loved this book! Loved the characters and definitely laughed while reading it. I think one of my sisters recommended it to me. 1y
35 likes1 comment
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Mrs_B
Standard Deviation | Katherine Heiny
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Smile everyone!

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Mrs_B
Standard Deviation | Katherine Heiny
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Pickpick

I liked it. Nothing much happens, but it is witty and funny. I was reading it in a cafe and an old man walked past and said “it must be a good book, you keep smiling!”

BkClubCare Thank you for posting on this! I couldn‘t recall the plot but knew I had read it; found my blog review and then discovered I had done a video review 😳. I had totally forgotten I had started such. Too funny (laughing at myself) 2y
55 likes1 stack add1 comment
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lauranerdette
Standard Deviation | Katherine Heiny
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merelybookish
Standard Deviation | Katherine Heiny
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Mehso-so

I read this book because the author's work has been compared to that of Laurie Colwin and it fit in wirh my summer of light-ish reads.
And... I found it kind of interminable but I was also intrigued by the seeming aimlessness of the plot. But still too long! I think my weariness eventually trumped curiosity.
In other news, I finished my last assignment for my Masters in Counseling today and I am SO relieved.

MicheleinPhilly Congrats!!! 3y
Prairiegirl_reading Way to go!!! 3y
Ruthiella Congratulations! 🥳 I liked this book, but I listened to it entirely on audio and the narrator was fantastic. 3y
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CarolynM That's great! Well done💐 Sorry you didn't like the book. I liked it a lot @Ruthiella 3y
merelybookish @Ruthiella I listened to it on audio as well. And I did appreciate Audra. But it just took me so long to finish. 3y
merelybookish @CarolynM Thank you! Yeah, I will give the author another try. Have you read anything else by her? 3y
CarolynM I've read her latest which I liked but not as much as this one 3y
63 likes2 stack adds8 comments
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amycollard
Standard Deviation | Katherine Heiny
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Pickpick

What a lovely book! I can‘t quite put my finger on why I liked it so much - there‘s not a lot of plot. It‘s a look at at a family mostly through the eyes of Graham (the husband), his wife Audra and their son Matthew who is somewhere on the Autism spectrum. At first Audra drove me crazy but by the end they had all grown on me and I loved them! It‘s a musing on marriage and parenthood that‘s so sweet and funny.

5 likes1 stack add
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la_rose_noire
Standard Deviation | Katherine Heiny
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Mehso-so

This was a strange read to me. Characters are interesting but there's really isn't a storyline. Just random events in a family's life.

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la_rose_noire
Standard Deviation | Katherine Heiny
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What a cozy Friday afternoon.
Goal 1 : Finish reading this fun novel.
Goal 2: Picking another novel fromage my TBR.
Goal 3: Do a quick clean up so my family won't notice I've read all afternoon. 😜

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la_rose_noire
Standard Deviation | Katherine Heiny
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Already in a #christmas mood !! It helps me forget we've been praticing #socialdistancing for over a month and still have weeks to go. #currentlyreading #cozyambience

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la_rose_noire
Standard Deviation | Katherine Heiny
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Starting this one today! #currentlyreading

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Howseldomtheydo
Standard Deviation | Katherine Heiny
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Audra tossed her nearly empty Cheetos bag on the coffee table. “Cheetos are just delicious while you‘re eating them,” she said. “But then you feel yucky afterward. Sort of like porn.” 😂
Katherine Heiny, Standard Deviation
Today‘s #audiowalk

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BittersweetBooks
Standard Deviation | Katherine Heiny
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With is better than without 💙

GinaKButler What a pretty rug! 4y
BittersweetBooks @GinaKButler thank you! It‘s our outdoor, deck rug 😎 4y
15 likes2 stack adds2 comments
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Victoria_Clyne
Standard Deviation | Katherine Heiny
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Pickpick

I really enjoyed this one but I'm not sure why. Its the story of a couple and their son from New York, nothing dramatic happens to them, they're just living their ordinary lives. I don't usually like books like this but this one was very readable. Its told from Graham's perspective. I loved his insights into his family and life in general. Reading it felt a bit like a guilty pleasure.

squirrelbrain I really like this one too and, like you, I don‘t know why! 5y
Victoria_Clyne @squirrelbrain I know this type of book normally bores me, its right up my sister's alley though. I think it says a lot about the writing. 5y
LeeRHarry I laughed out loud a couple of times in this one, would be keen to read more from this author. 😊 5y
CarolynM I'm a fan of this book too. 5y
Victoria_Clyne Me too @LeeRHarry and @CarolynM. Its quite the find. 5y
19 likes3 stack adds5 comments
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LeslieO
Standard Deviation | Katherine Heiny
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When choosing what to read next I chose the one with a Kate Atkinson blurb, since I just finished two books by her that I loved.

LauraBeth I‘ve heard great things about this and it‘s still on my TBR. Looking forward to hearing your thoughts! 5y
LeslieO @LauraBeth Love it so far. I love the characters and it's laugh-out-loud funny! 5y
38 likes2 stack adds2 comments
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CarolynM
Standard Deviation | Katherine Heiny
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Pickpick

I've been reading this book in short bursts on public transport and in coffee shops over the last few weeks and it's been perfect for that. The story is loose and rambling but the odd characters and wry observations are a delight. I found myself laughing out loud many times. I really sympathised with Graham in the conflicts, confusion and weariness he felt in his love for his wife and especially his son.

Cathythoughts Sounds good. I like this idea - a book just for taking out , alway there in my bag 🤔 I really like it ! I‘m going to be a copy cat 😀Thankyou 5y
erzascarletbookgasm @Cathythoughts nice idea, right? I think it will only work for me if it‘s a collection of short stories or a non-fiction, though. 🐱 🐱 😁 5y
Cathythoughts @erzascarletbookgasm it‘s a great idea ... I‘m trying to decide which book to pick for my bag ..... I think they are getting anxious on the shelves waiting for my decision 😂 5y
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CarolynM @Cathythoughts @erzascarletbookgasm I almost always have a book in my bag, but usually it's the same book I'm reading at home. It just happened that I was reading other stuff at home recently so I didn't take this one out. It maybe the fact this book was entertaining without being compelling contributed to that. 5y
TrishB Nice review 👍🏻 I always have a book in my bag too. 5y
Freespirit I do it too because I hate having nothing to read....I just can't take a borrowed book or one that's too big😊 5y
LeeRHarry Yep I laughed out loud at this one too 5y
BooknerdsLife @CarolynM Love the review and sounds like a great read! 🙌🏼📚💖 I really shouldn‘t but can‘t help to put this on my TBR! 🤣🙈 5y
BooknerdsLife @Freespirit Haha Same! I usually bring one of my own books with me while keeping the library book at home, & always have my kindle in my bag 😆 Thus the advantage of reading multiple books at the same time 😁 5y
Freespirit I haven‘t used my kindle for years @BooknerdsLife but I can see that would put it to good use👍🏼 5y
BooknerdsLife @Freespirit LOL The Kindle is like my Emergency Library 😂📚🙌🏼 5y
75 likes2 stack adds11 comments
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mija333
Standard Deviation | Katherine Heiny
Panpan

Goes on and on with nothing interesting ever happening.

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CarolynM
Standard Deviation | Katherine Heiny
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I hope my current read with a couple of gingerbread biscuits my daughter made will suffice for #booksandpastries
#riotgrams

Victoria_Clyne I'm reading this one at the moment. 5y
CarolynM @Victoria_Clyne Are you enjoying it? It's making me laugh quite a lot🙂 5y
Victoria_Clyne @CarolynM I am. I'm about half way through. It feels a bit like a guilty pleasure for some reason. 5y
Cathythoughts The biscuits look simply divine 5y
CarolynM @Cathythoughts They are delicious - she has it down to a fine art😊 (edited) 5y
61 likes5 comments
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CarolynM
Standard Deviation | Katherine Heiny
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Here's my nearest TBR stack. Yes, there's another stack behind (and several in the library)😥😏😂
#LiteraryLuck #TBRShelfie

Alwaysbeenaloverofbooks ❤️📚❤️📚 6y
LeahBergen I see Queen Mary! 👏🏻👏🏻 6y
JennyM Now, that is a nice tower of books 📚 You have great taste!!! 😘 6y
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LeeRHarry I‘ve just started Standard Deviation 😊 6y
CarolynM @LeahBergen I read a biography of her years ago and decided she was a dreadful woman so I'm looking forward to seeing how this one portrays her. 6y
CarolynM @JennyM Why, thank you kindly.☺️ 6y
CarolynM @LeeRHarry I looked at it several times last year when it was in the large format and decided against it, then saw it earlier in the week as a regular paperback and couldn't resist🙂 Are you enjoying it? 6y
vkois88 Nice picks. I'm interested to hear your take on the Queen Mary book. I read a book about her last year or the year before but it was drawn out and awful that I didn't retain any of the info 😔 6y
LeeRHarry @CarolynM not far along but so far so good 😊 6y
Rissreads Terra Nullius and Milkman were fantastic! There are Some books I‘ve not heard of in your stack, so now I must check them out! 🤣 (edited) 6y
CarolynM @Rissreads I really want to get to both of those soon🙂 6y
77 likes11 comments
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jouleian
Standard Deviation | Katherine Heiny
Mehso-so

⭐⭐⭐ This book was well written and had it's funny moments, BUT it was just a pinhole view of a family's life and it was rather chaotic and tangential. It felt like I only got the middle of the story and never got the beginning or ending. I really wanted to like it and at moments I did, but this book was just too far left field for me.

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AlexGeorge
Standard Deviation | Katherine Heiny
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Pickpick

Loved this funny, oddly touching book. A quiet treat.

Well-ReadNeck Ditto! 6y
19 likes1 comment
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Well-ReadNeck
Standard Deviation | Katherine Heiny
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Pickpick

Wow! I truly loved this novel that dives deep into the every day of marriage, parenthood and adult friendship. There were many laugh out loud moments, but underneath, great truths revealed. 👍🏼👍🏼

JennyM I really enjoyed her first, so #stacked 6y
108 likes4 stack adds1 comment
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Jebpix
Standard Deviation | Katherine Heiny
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Pickpick

Loved this book. Reminded me of Class Mom and Where‘d You Go Bernadette.

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KadeLexical
Standard Deviation | Katherine Heiny
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Pickpick

This writer took completely banal and commonplace life events and “normal” people and made it engaging, funny, heartbreaking and intense. Also a sweet and sometimes sad look into life with ASD.

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BkClubCare
Standard Deviation | Katherine Heiny
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“...There is just too much love loose in the world. Too much love with nowhere to go.”

27 likes1 stack add
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BkClubCare
Standard Deviation | Katherine Heiny
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This one is supposed to be Laugh Out Loud funny. Hoping! It‘s so healthy to laugh.👏🤣😆

Lauren.Archer You will. 😉 6y
30 likes1 comment
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carlalaureano
Standard Deviation | Katherine Heiny
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A Saturday afternoon with cat and book. Willow keeps giving me weird looks at my helpless chuckles... this book is just odd and charming and insightful and funny, all at the same time.

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jesseastin
Standard Deviation | Katherine Heiny
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Pickpick

I enjoyed this book and found it very funny, but I can see how it might not appeal to everyone. The characters are quirky and self-absorbed. I found them amusing, my mom found them annoying. She was reading this book at the same time I did and would text me things like “Are these people for real?” We had similar reactions to the movie “When Harry Met Sally”, which this reminded me of in some ways. I found the life observations funny and very apt.

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anniehartnett
Standard Deviation | Katherine Heiny
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This is pretty funny so far.

24 likes2 stack adds
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Jeanne_S
Standard Deviation | Katherine Heiny
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Pickpick

So lovely.

RaimeyGallant Welcome to Litsy! #LitsyWelcomeWagon Some of us put together Litsy tips to help new Littens navigate the site. It's the link in my bio on my page in case you're interested. :) 7y
1 like1 stack add1 comment
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janeycanuck
Standard Deviation | Katherine Heiny
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Pickpick

This was a nice, slow & steady read. Great cast of characters, thoroughly enjoyed it.

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kiminreverse
Standard Deviation | Katherine Heiny
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I had to get a root canal this afternoon, and my life has been insane lately given my sidejob as a dogsitter, so I took the rest of the day off and I'm spending it with books. This one is so funny and astute!

VeganCleopatra Adorable dog! 7y
12 likes1 comment
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spanda84
Standard Deviation | Katherine Heiny
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Day 1 of #ReindeerReads Standard Deviation is on my #TBR list!

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KerriArista
Standard Deviation | Katherine Heiny
Mehso-so

Altho i thought the writing was great and the characters were interesting and funny, there just wasn‘t much to the story. So I didn‘t find myself wanting to get back to it each night after I put it down. Took me a while to read and therefore that means to me, it was only so-so.

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Kaylamburson
Standard Deviation | Katherine Heiny
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Mehso-so

I really enjoyed this book until I got to the end and realized that it's one of those stories that has no purpose. I know that some people love stories that are just a snippet of someone's life, starting and ending at a seemingly random point. I can appreciate them when there is a bit more closure, but for me, this didn't work. It was so funny throughout, so I'm disappointed I didn't end up loving it.

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Kaylamburson
Standard Deviation | Katherine Heiny
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This book is making me LOL!! 😂 🤣 I haven't read a funny book in awhile, so this is perfect.

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Kaylamburson
Standard Deviation | Katherine Heiny
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Still not feeling great and drinking lots of tea (probably drank 30 cups over the last two days), but climbing into bed early and hoping for a better day tomorrow back at the office. At least I got a lot of reading in! Goodnight, Litsy! 🌙💤 #bitmoji

DGRachel I hope you feel better in the morning! 7y
CocoReads Feel better! 7y
cobwebmoth Hope you feel better soon! 7y
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IamIamIam Oh no, you got hit with Con Crud!!! 🤢 Feel better soon!!! 7y
EllieDottie I hope you feel better soon! 7y
WarpedSweetness I hope you feel better. 7y
robinb Get well soon! 7y
Eggs May you feel improved tomorrow ❣️ 7y
GypsyKat Feel better soon! 7y
LeeRHarry Get well soon! 7y
Kaylamburson Thank you all so much!! I'm feeling a bit better today! My nose is clear, and hopefully my throats feels better once I'm up and drinking fluids! @DGRachel @CocoReads @cobwebmoth @IamIamIam (what's con crud?!) @EllieDottie @WarpedSweetness @robinb @Eggs @GypsyKat @LeeRHarry 7y
IamIamIam Con Crud is what you get after spending a few days at a convention in a hot stew of everyone else's germs. I must say, NYCC crud is pretty strong. I've gotten it before!! Lol 7y
Kaylamburson Oh no! I figured that's what it is. Ugh so gross. My boyfriend got it, too 😕. I tried to be so cautious about washing my hands! @IamIamIam 7y
IamIamIam Lol, it really is gross. Sunday is the worst because it's kids' day! Someone should make a comic book about it! Hope you feel better soon!!! It was all worth it in the end, though! I'm jealous that we didn't go this year! 7y
Kaylamburson Oh I can imagine! We went on the "light" days, too, on Thurs/Fri. Oh well, it was fun and worth it! You'll def have to plan for next year! Maybe all those cosplayers with gas masks are on to something... haha @IamIamIam 7y
moranadatter I hope you feel better soon! 7y
64 likes16 comments
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Kaylamburson
Standard Deviation | Katherine Heiny
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Up next on today's #sickreadathon is Katherine Heiny's Standard Deviation! I first heard of it from The Skimm and immediately put it on hold from the library as it sounds great.

Is anyone else always stacking the reading recommendations from The Skimm?

WarpedSweetness What is The Skimm? I don't think I've heard of it before. 7y
Lauren.Archer I do! 7y
Kaylamburson It's a daily email newsletter that is sent out every morning with a skimmed guide to the news. Basically it will give you a witty headline, tell you the basics about what you need to know about in the world, and then you can click on hyperlinks to learn more. They often have recommendations for books and wine, too! @WarpedSweetness 7y
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WarpedSweetness @Kaylamburson Thanks! I subscribed to it. :-) 7y
Kaylamburson Oh awesome!! I love it! There are a lot of times I don't want to read a full article, so this gives you what you need to know in smaller snippets. I read it in my way to work in less than five minutes and am officially an informed citizen, haha. @WarpedSweetness 7y
WarpedSweetness @Kaylamburson Yeah I like that. I don't always like having to watch the news or read a whole article. 7y
Kaylamburson Completely agree. And if it all just seems too much some days, you can delete it and stay in a happy book bubble, lol @WarpedSweetness 7y
48 likes8 comments
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Lizabella28
Standard Deviation | Katherine Heiny
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Latest bedtime reading 📖 📚 🛏

12 likes1 stack add
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nienke_beeking
Standard Deviation | Katherine Heiny
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Mehso-so

Just a fun read, but not my kind of book, because of the shallow characters and their white men's problems. They never looked outside their Manhattan 🏙 bubble. And oh, the irony - where was I reading this book...? That's right, in Central Park 🐿 🌿, the most Manhattan-like place of Manhattan...!

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wanderaven
Standard Deviation | Katherine Heiny
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karenna
Standard Deviation | Katherine Heiny
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Pickpick

Grab this book if you need a good laugh. Heiny deftly captures some of life's absurdities. While the plot elements strain credulity, the narration and dialogue are so entertaining and accurate that any flaws are forgiven (which actually mirrors one of the themes).

1 like2 stack adds
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Jas16
Standard Deviation | Katherine Heiny
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Pickpick

This book was fantastic! Funny, heart warming and full of moments that make you pause and consider your life. Graham is an Everyman narrator taking stock of his life with his overwhelmingly talkative wife Audra and son Max who has Aspergers. I highly recommend this one.

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ElishaLovesBooks
Standard Deviation | Katherine Heiny
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Pickpick

I really enjoyed this book about marriage and parenting. The characters are interesting and draw the reader in. Well- written and even has some funny moments!

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ElishaLovesBooks
Standard Deviation | Katherine Heiny
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Skeeterisme
Standard Deviation | Katherine Heiny
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Pickpick

Wonderful!