Welcome to Litsy!

This is--sort of--my first #AuldLangSpine book. I'd already read Here for It by R. Eric Thomas, so instead listened to his next book of essays. It was just as good and very timely. Even though he's a gay Black man and I'm a straight white woman, I relate so much to his issues with mental health, and his continued work on his identity and his marriage.

Thanks to @monalyisha for her hard work hosting and @dariazeoli for a great list!

It's not hoarding if it's books.

This was a hilarious read, and great on audio. If you liked “Here for It,“ definitely check this out!

Using this to fill the #52bookclub24 prompt for a cover without people on it.

A great last book of the year! A funny and touching memoir.

I really enjoy R. Eric Thomas‘s narration, though I did prefer his first book Here For It, over his latest. This one features the pandemic (as it must—all the authors do something with it right??) and a bit of a melancholic feel throughout. Death and grief are present but lacked a meaningful impact for me. Nevertheless, I‘ll always be grateful for audio time with the author! He‘s funny though not overtly so, and seems to be a kind, standup guy.

I enjoyed most of this book, but it‘s not all laughs. The chapter that had the most impact on me was about grief and the mundane tasks that have to be done after someone dies.

This is not the kind of book I usually read, but it was great! I laughed out loud a number of times.

This evening‘s reading. Thomas is a writer whose essays I find to be funny and sad at the same time.

⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️ Thomas is such a funny and engaging storyteller! Loved this personal essay collection about moving back to his hometown (Baltimore), about midlife, Covid times, etc as much as I did his first book, Here For It, which I read in 2020, but def doesn‘t seem that long ago. Total time warp. Anyway, funny people are my favorite. “Same-sames” is my new favorite term. Also, the frog essay is one of the best I‘ve read in ages. Audio is fantastic!

Pretty brisk #audiowalk this morning. Champ and I are so ready for fall! 🍂🍁🐾

#dogsoflitsy

I listened to this one over audio & loved the narration. I resonated with Thomas on the whole subject of getting older & the direction that your life is going. I loved his insights. Some were hilarious: his trip to the ER & some were touching: the cemetery. He also discusses his move to a very red neighborhood with his husband during the pandemic. Definitely need to read/listen to his other book. #bookspin #nonfictionbingo prompt:same love

I'm feeling these essays so much, but this first sentence really struck a chord. It's so difficult and weird making new friends as an adult.

Highly enjoying this one.

#fantasticstrangelings #rericthomas #essays

This book is hilarious and touching, I cried with laughter and sadness.
Thomas covers moving back to his hometown of Baltimore, a bittersweet situation because he swore he‘d never go back but his family and past were there, and now so is his future. He talks about he and his husband buying a house in a red area during the pandemic and finding meaning of self.

Hysterically funny and surprisingly tender at moments, these essays cover all the bases of midlife: the day-to-day joys and struggles of marriage, the successes and detours of a career, personal ups and downs. There is such realness and honesty as Thomas shares many moments during his midlife/worldwide pandemic/personal emotional crisis. All with loads of his trademark humor, hope, and musical theater references. The audiobook is a MUST!

I came out of Eric‘s last collection, Here For It, bowled over by how much we have in common — & loving him for it. This book was the opposite! I realized how different we are. He‘s an extrovert; I‘m an introvert. He‘s a city mouse; I‘m a country mouse. He‘s a gay Black man in America. I am not. I love him for everything he is & everything he isn‘t, & especially for how he writes about it, finding earnestness, hope, humor, & honesty. 👇🏻

I think I‘m in the minority, but I liked this more than his first essay collection. As someone who had mixed feelings about moving back to her hometown and fitting in, I strongly related to Eric‘s mixed feelings about moving back to Baltimore. He dives deep into his marriage, loneliness, and weathering the pandemic. He also writes about leaving the security of his job at Elle to work on his own projects. A great, thoughtful collection!

An absolute delight. I loved his first book & couldn‘t wait to read this. He is so funny & reminds me a bit of Sedaris. This collection of essays includes thoughts on the pandemic & marriage. He blends humor with serious moments of grief. I loved it.

“All of which was to say, the world is so strange and so wild and sometimes so beautiful and I am so many different versions of myself away from you, but I‘m trying to share as much of it as I can.”

I don‘t know the author, but saw that some friends were enjoying this and my library had it, so I borrowed the audio. I laughed quite a bit, especially about the essays in which Eric and his husband turn the lawns of their new house into various types of garden and path, and the pond draws frogs and toads.

I think a fan would enjoy this more than I did, but I‘d call it a light pick for providing chuckles. (It‘s not all light material though!)

I love R. Eric Thomas, and I loved this even more than his first collection. I LOLed a bunch during this audiobook and found it to be a basically perfect listening experience. His narration is exceptional, which I suppose it would be because he‘s a professional storyteller (via The Moth, theater, etc. in addition to his writing).

I needed something funny, so I‘m so glad I cued this one up. As in his first book, Thomas takes stories from his own life and tells them with good humor, even if the topic is heavier. And he does a fabulous job reading the audio. Loved it!

I was listening to the Off The Shelf podcast today and was just thinking this book off essays about hitting middle life sounded good when I heard the publication date- 8th August… my 40th Birthday. I guess I‘ll have to buy myself a very apt birthday gift!