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Something That May Shock and Discredit You
Something That May Shock and Discredit You | Daniel Mallory Ortberg
From the writer of Slates Dear Prudence column and literally the funniest person on the internet (Rachel Fershleiser, co-editor of the New York Times bestseller Not Quite What I Was Planning) comes a witty and clever collection of essays and cultural observations spanning pop culturefrom the endearingly popular to the staggeringly obscure. Sometimes you just have to yell. For New York Times bestselling author of Texts From Jane Eyre Daniel Mallory Ortberg, hes mastered the art of poetic yelling, a genre surely familiar to fans of his cult-favorite website The Toast. In this irreverent essay collection, Ortberg expands on this concept with in-depth and hilarious studies of all things pop culture, from the high to low brow. From a thoughtful analysis on the beauty of William Shatner to a sinister reimagining of HGTVs House Hunters, Something That May Shock and Discredit You is a laugh-out-loud funny and whip-smart collection that is perfect for fans of Chuck Klosterman and Patton Oswalt and for those who dont take anythingincluding themselvesmuch too seriously.
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LiteraryinPA
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Pickpick

So, so thought provoking and interesting. I read Daniel Mallory Lavery‘s first book Texts from Jane Eyre when he was Mallory Ortberg, and the trademark humor and broad literary references were present in this latest essay collection. If you are Catholic and better acquainted with Greek mythology, you will get even more of the allusions than I did. Lavery examines everything from a transmasc lens and generously shares many insecurities and joys.

LiteraryinPA Note that some printings of this book, like my library‘s copy, list the author as Daniel Mallory Ortberg. The very last essay explains that close to the publication of the book, he separated from his given family and marked that by taking his wife‘s last name, Lavery. 3mo
IuliaC 😻 3mo
dabbe 🖤🐾🖤 3mo
66 likes1 stack add4 comments
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LittlebearReads
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Mehso-so

It‘s ‘aight. I started this in January, thought I was going to DNF about 7 million different times, and then finally plowed through it in a weekend. It‘s not a hard read, or a bad read, it‘s just a little bit too erratic for my brain. NOTE: Litsy has an incorrect last name for the author, it‘s Lavery, not Ortberg.

LiteraryinPA My physical book from the library says Ortberg is the last name. I guess the author must have changed it for a later printing? Either way, I just started this and am excited! 3mo
LittlebearReads @LiteraryinLawrence Interesting! He has a whole thing about his last name at the end of the edition I have. 3mo
6 likes1 stack add2 comments
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Eggbeater
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Mehso-so

Much of this book was over my head because I didn't grow up with biblical stories and I was not able to follow the references and I had trouble grasping the author's writing style. I did appreciate some of his humor and I respect anybody with the courage to transition and to write a unique book about it

3rd book read for the #MarvellousMay #Readathon @Andrew65

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Clare-Dragonfly
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Pickpick

It took me FAR too long to get through this book, but I‘m going to go ahead and blame that on the pandemic. This is a delight. Funny, moving, poignant, hilarious, beautiful, cringey, and did I mention laugh-out-loud? Only Danny Lavery, I think, could pivot directly from Dante‘s oeuvre to The Music Man and have it make sense.

I ended so far from my goal for #24B4Monday that I‘m embarrassed to admit my total, but I‘m pleased that I finished this!

30 likes1 stack add
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Clare-Dragonfly

The chapter on Gomez and Morticia Addams and their trans-4-trans energy is giving me LIFE. My husband and I find their relationship extremely relatable and I‘m going to have to make him read the chapter, too. And I‘m utterly tickled by the idea that Danny and his wife Grace have a similar relationship. #24B4Monday

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Clare-Dragonfly
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OK, I‘m joining in on #24B4Monday. Does today count? I guess so, it‘s in the graphic! I‘ll aim for 12 hours of reading, but more importantly, I hope to finish the tagged book. And of course I‘ll start reading HPOotP for #PotterADay! ☺️

Andrew65 Yes any time on Friday, Saturday or Sunday 😊 5y
22 likes1 comment
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Clare-Dragonfly
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This is the BEST summary of Sir Gawain and the Green Knight I have ever seen.

Kimzey 😂 5y
Sweetkokoro Ok this is the best and funniest summarized version of Sir Gawain and the Green Knight and I love it. 5y
30 likes2 stack adds2 comments
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Clare-Dragonfly
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It is taking me for-freaking-ever to finish this book, but it just delights me every time I do pick it up.

26 likes1 stack add
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brandybear22
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This so resonates with me-especially with the Bible verses and growing up in the 90s. And here, I‘ve just shaved my head today.

7 likes1 stack add
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Clare-Dragonfly
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I‘m a little bit behind on Little Women for book club. I‘m a lot behind on Something That May Shock and Discredit You. I‘m still going to work, and it‘s been really hard to concentrate on anything other than the news and discussions related to COVID-19. Harry Potter is an excellent escape, though, and I‘m on track with #PotterADay!
#BookReport

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Victoriahoperose
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Pickpick

I liked the topics in this book and the fact that the author was very open and went into writing this without holding anything back. The essays were interesting and entertaining. At times, I didn‘t love the style writing and felt like it was a bit disjointed. But, I thought the point of this was strong and I enjoyed it.

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Clare-Dragonfly
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#WeeklyForecast
I will read up to chapter 36 of Little Women and try to get about 2/3 through Something That May Shock and Discredit You. (Wow, autocorrect helped me fill in that long title!) I also get to start HPGoF for #PotterADay!

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Clare-Dragonfly
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Excited to start this one! I love Danny Lavery.