The Quirky Bookworm

Aunt Erma’s Cope Book is relatable humor for women everywhere. Most of us have so many changes as we get older, not only just with parenting, but with ourselves. We read self-help books on dieting, coping with stress, enhancing our beauty, and on and on it goes.

Bombeck writes about leaving notes for her children around the house as reminders such as “Clothes do not have feet. They cannot skip, run or walk. They must be carried to your respective bedrooms,” (Bombeck, p. 148). Her satire on marriage and child rearing is enjoyable to read.

Erma Bombeck’s book is recommended for those that have spent years trying to change, only to find at the end of the day we still have our preferences, quirks and remain true to ourselves. Click here to purchase.

Title: Aunt Erma’s Cope Book
Author: Erma Bombeck
Publication Date: July 1985
Page Length: 224

Humor Booklist

Title: What in the World?! A Southern Woman’s Guide to Laughing at Life’s Unexpected Curveballs and Beautiful Blessings
Author: Leanne Morgan
Publication Date: September 2024
Page Length: 240

I’ve been following Leanne Morgan on social media for several years. Her sarcasm and wit are perfection. She’s the modern-day Erma Bombeck. Morgan’s Netflix special, I’m Every Woman, made her an overnight comedic success. She currently lives in Knoxville, TN with her husband. They have three grown children. Click here to preorder What in the World?! and click here to visit the author’s website for a bio, merch, link to her podcast and more.

Title: Let’s Pretend This Never Happened
Author: Jenny Lawson
Original Publication Date: April 2012
Page Length: 336

Jenny Lawson’s humorous memoir, Let’s Pretend This Never Happened, details her awkward years throughout school. Lawson never felt like she fit into a crowd and discovered she wasn’t the only one. Purchase her memoir here and visit her blog here.

Title: Weird Things Customers Say in Bookstores
Author: Jen Campbell
Original Publication Date: January 2012
Page Length: 119

Jen Campbell overheard so many interesting conversations and questions at her bookstore that it prompted her to write Weird Things Customers Say in Bookstores. Purchase the book and visit her website here for links to the author’s YouTube channel and podcast. Weird Things Customers Say in Bookstores is a Goodreads Choice Award Finalist and Sunday Times bestseller. Campbell is a freelance writer, content creator and disability advocate.

Title: Fifty Things That Aren’t My Fault
Author: Cathy Guisewite
Publication Date: April 2019
Page Length: 336

Cathy Guisewite is the beloved creator of the popular Cathy comic strip (remember those??) from 1976-2010. The pandemic inspired the author to pen her frustrations again leading to her recent published works, Fifty Things that Aren’t My Fault and Scenes from Isolation. Click here to purchase and to visit the author’s website. Guisewite lives in Los Angeles, CA and has two grown children.

Title: There Are No Grown-Ups: A Midlife Coming-of-Age Story
Author: Pamela Druckerman
Publication Date: May 2018
Page Length: 288

Pamel Druckerman is a journalist, columnist, documentary producer and author of 5 books, including Bringing up Bebe which is optioned for a feature film. There Are No Grown-Ups is Druckerman’s humorous take on turning 40, including chin hairs, arm cellulite, and the blessing of not caring what other people think. Click here to purchase and for more information about the author.

Title: Hey Jesus, It’s Me, I Have Questions, Comments and Concerns
Author: Ellen Skrmetti
Publication Date: September 2024
Page Length: 224

Ellen Skrmetti was on the way to becoming a standup comedy star. Her first on-stage comedy show was a week before the COVID shutdown which led to Skrmetti showcasing her comedic talents on social media. Skrmetti gained millions of followers on during that time and the rest is history. Her first novel, Hey Jesus, It’s Me, is set to publish in September 2024. Click here to preorder and to visit the author’s website. Skrmetti lives in Hoover, Alabama with her husband and two children.

Title: I Just Want to Pee Alone
Author: Jen Mann and Mom Bloggers
Publication Date: February 2013
Page Length: 196

Parenting a toddler is a series of moments that make you cry, laugh, pull your hair and finding yourself giving any excuse to browse Target with a Starbucks drink in hand. It’s the equivalency of a vacation when deep in the trenches of parenting little ones. One of the only positives of the preteen stage is that you’ll have seconds to yourself because they’re too embarrassed to be seen with you due to their worst fear of people knowing they’re related to you. Jen Mann (author of People I Want to Punch in the Throat) collected essays from mom bloggers about going through the trenches of parenting toddlers. Click here to purchase and click here to visit Mann’s blog.

Title: The Honest Toddler
Author: Bunmi Laditan
Publication Date: May 2013
Page Length: 256

I remember reading The Honest Toddler at the height of Bunmi Laditan’s popularity as a mom blogger. She gives an approach to toddler parenting that’s full of satire and wit. I enjoyed the book because it’s relatable to parents deep in the trenches of toddlerhood. Laditan has been feature on Good Morning America, CNN, and The Today Show. Click here to purchase The Honest Toddler and click here to visit The Honest Toddler blog.

Title: Life is Funny Until It’s Not: A Comic’s Story of Love, Loss and Lunacy
Author: Chonda Pierce
Publication Date: May 2024
Page Length: 256

Emmy nominated Chonda Pierce was one of my mother’s favorite comedians. I’ve watched Pierce’s film Laughing in the Dark, and her story is one that has pain and loss from childhood to present day. Humor became her way to cope with the tragedies she’s endured. She’s been making women laugh for over 3 decades. Click here to purchase the book. Click here to visit the author’s website for tour information and bio.