Sunday, April 29, 2012

Book Review: Confessions of a Scary Mommy by Jill Smokler

Title: Confessions of a Scary Mommy: An Honest and Irreverent Look at Motherhood-- the Good, the Bad, and the Scary
Author: Jill Smokler
Enjoyment Rating: **
Source: Ordered new from Amazon
Books I've read this year: 60

I'm not sure where I came across this book. In fact, I think I might have thought I was ordering that book about why French moms are better than American moms. Regardless, once I got the book in my hands, I was a little bit disappointed. Jill Smokler is a blogger with a book deal, who managed to parlay decent writing skills, a shtick, and a personality that doesn't fear putting herself out there into not only a successful blog, but also a book deal.

Unfortunately, for someone who has been reading "confessional mommy blogs" for nearly a decade, this book didn't feel all that interesting or fresh. Sure, there were times when I laughed out loud, and I do appreciate knowing that there are other moms out there who secretly think one of their kids is cuter than the others or whose favorite time of day is bedtime (incidentally, the only reason I'm writing this post is because it's naptime, another favorite time of day), but I think I've gotten to the point as a reader that this shared camaraderie isn't enough-- the story needs to go deeper than "I hate my kids for giving me stretch marks-- even though I love them." I think that the book will appeal to fans of Smokler's blog, who have been reading her stuff for free for many years, but I'm not sure it will convert lots of new followers. 

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