Alexa’s a Spy and Other Things to Be Ticked off About, Humorous Essays on the Hassles of Our Time by Dorothy Rosby

"Part comedic call to arms and part tongue-in-cheek tirade"

Synopsis -

"Alexa’s a Spy and Other Things to Be Ticked off About, Humorous Essays on the Hassles of Our Time" is a low-brow look at high-minded living, a good-natured (mostly) rant about some of the challenges we face and some of the annoyances we deal with just because we’re alive and trying to thrive at this moment in history. Part comedic call to arms and part tongue-in-cheek tirade, "Alexa’s a Spy" goes after, among other things, spammers and scammers, clutter and litter, intrusive technology and uncivil discourse. Too much stuff, too much noise, too much to worry about. Not enough patience, not enough kindness, not enough…chocolate? As a syndicated humor columnist, Dorothy Rosby has been ranting for more than 20 years in publications across the West and Midwest. If her latest book doesn’t change the world, and most likely it won’t, we’ll at least go down the tubes together, knowing how really foolish we’re all being.

Review -

In my teens I was introduced to writer Erma Bombeck who found a way to see life's frustrations through the lens of humor. Fortunately many new authors have arisen to fill that void. Dorothy Rosby is one.  Alexa's A Spy is her third book in this genre and after reading it, I am definitely going to have to check out her first two.

Rosby has the knack of writing as if she's sitting at a table with you, telling you something hilarious, all while sharing a cuppa. The slices of life she writes about are personal, everyday occurrences we can all roll our eyes at, and and shared in a way that will put a smile on your face.  I was not surprised to learn she won awards for doing humorous speeches. That skill shows here. Each chapter stands alone making the book perfect for today's busy lifestyle. Having a tough moment? Try taking a 5 - 10 minute break to read a single hilarious chapter to lift those spirits.  As I read, I found myself thinking time and time again, what great fodder these chapters would be for a stand-up comedy routine.

  • Be Glad You Can't Take it With You - "If you’re ever tasked with cleaning out your parents’ home, I can almost guarantee that as you’re working you’ll be repeating the following mantra: 'I will never do this to my children. I will never do this to my children.' And while you’re chanting, you’ll be filling boxes with everything you want to keep."
  • May I Speak to a Real Person, Please? - Ahh speaking to those recordings, "Now we spend our days emailing faceless companies, being put on hold by people who may or may not go to lunch while we wait, live chatting on our computer with technicians who can type faster than we can and talking to recordings, my personal favorite."
  • Vexation and Obfuscation in Communication -  I know I'm tired of trying to read legalese.  "As it is my best translation of any financial document I get in the mail is, 'Oh! Is that you, customer? We didn’t really think anyone would read this far.”
  • Lake Heyhowareya - "The whole ritual [of greeting someone] is so automatic that I can envision my coming across someone who’s just fallen off a ladder and saying, “Heyhowareya.” 

A great read to help you let go of those frustrations and find a way to just laugh at them. I highly recommend it.

Buy the Book: Amazon ~ Add to Goodreads

Meet the Author - 

Read a fab author interview HERE!

Dorothy Rosby is a syndicated humor columnist and author of two other books of humorous essays "I Used to Think I Was Not That Bad and Then I Got to Know Me Better" and "I Didn’t Know You Could Make Birthday Cake from Scratch, Parenting Blunders from Cradle to Empty Nest." She’s working on her fourth and hoping to give it a shorter title—something like "Wow" or "Best Seller." She lives in the Black Hills of South Dakota, 20 miles from Mount Rushmore, something she’s very proud of even though she’s not on it. Yet.

Connect with the Author: website ~ twitter ~ facebook ~ goodreads


Comments

  1. Than you soooo much for the wonderful review. You made my day!

    ReplyDelete

Post a Comment