An Idiot Girl's Christmas

By Laurie Notaro

Funny Christmas-themed stories about the author and her family including stories about the neighbors like Frank, who electrified his yard to protect his Christmas decorations from vandals and Kyle/Lyle and Annie who refused to return the author's cheerful greetings and the two little neglected neighbor kids who used to bum food when their mother was too drunk to get out of bed. Also included are stories about Nana, author's grandma and also about her mother, who has turned worrying into a competition sport, leading to a showdown over a Christmas tree that the author kept standing clear into March. All the stories are amusing, all are familiar (who hasn't been embarrassed by the overly loud complaints of an elderly parent or grandparent: for me, it was my grandma who had to let the whole airplane know that she thought the service was lousy) and I thoroughly enjoyed reading them.

The Idiot Girls' Action-Adventure Club

By Laurie Notaro

Laurie Notaro is a humor columnist from the Phoenix, Arizona area. I was not familiar with her work till I read this book. She writes a pretty funny story if you don't mind that most of her humor is based on her escapades while being three sheets to the wind.
As I was reading these stories, I couldn't help but think that Laurie Notaro is either an alcoholic or well on her way to being one. The things she writes about were very similar to what I had read in the writings of admitted alcoholic, Augusten Burroughs. The difference is that Burroughs became aware that alcohol was ruining his life, while Notaro still seems to believe that alcohol is just a good way to have fun.
This attitude bothered me. I hope that she has matured since then and now realizes that alcohol is best enjoyed in moderation and that getting drunk off your ass is never a good idea. Not even when you are young and foolish.
The "idiot girls" mentioned in the title are only dealt with very briefly, the stories mostly center on the author herself.

If you enjoy stories about stupid young women getting even more stupid abusing liquor, then you'll probably like this book. As for me, I just hope that Laurie Notaro is now clean and sober. Living life as a drunk is no life at all.

Review from Publishers Weekly:    https://www.publishersweekly.com/978-0-375-76091-4.