Book review – The whole shebang! Sticky bits of being a woman by Lalita Iyer

My rating: 4.5 stars!!! Loved this book!

Book & Author: The whole shebang! Sticky bits of being a woman/ Lalita Iyer

Genre: Funny/Non fiction/Feminist humour/Essays

Ok, I know this is a little out of character for me- posting a book review just within a day! Especially when I mentioned in my last post that I’ve been falling behind my reading goals for the year. But before your conclude that I have cheated, I’d like to clarify, that this isn’t so. It was just a combination of a day with no office work or child to look after and this short and extremely funny book that I picked up to read- the result- finished a book in a day!! And I have to thank a friend who recommended this book to me- absolutely loved it!

Again, this is an Indian author I knew nothing about, until this friend suggested her book to me via an article. I quickly looked her up and started following both her blogs- and I have to say, Lalita Iyer had me hooked right from her blogs and I couldn’t wait to read this book of hers.

I wasn’t disappointed at all. She covers a lot of subjects- all women related and her take on them in each chapter. Her take is hilarious and almost 90% of the time I felt as if I was reading about my own thoughts on each subject and that’s what made this book so special to me. I didn’t learn anything new, nor was this book an award winning fiction (not that I’m aware of)- it just made me nod my head in agreement and laugh out loud, which I hadn’t done in a long time. I love books and I like to read books I can discuss and learn from, but there are some books that become special, just because they become a friend to you, while you are reading it. This was one such book:) Thank you Lalita Iyer, for writing such a brilliantly funny and honest book on what is like being a woman.

Although I might have literally highlighted the entire book on my kindle, here are some of my favourite lines/passages from her book. I will absolutely recommend this book to all my girl friends- read it, if you want to feel like you’re talking to me and want to have a laugh in general:) And let me know your thoughts too..

Balancing your period with the rest of your life was what the rest of your life was going to be.

When men ask me if I’ve put on weight, I say, “I gave birth. What’s your excuse?”

I find that food memories often have more texture and meaning than almost anything else. Very often I remember nothing of the places I visited, but I can taste them in my mouth.

The point is: our imaginary lovers seem to be going through the rest of their life quite breezily without us. Because love is mostly a woman thing: the chase of it, the romanticizing of it.

For the longest time, it’s been our friendships with other women that has allowed us to become who we truly are, as opposed to say, marriage or family.

I found change to be my most reliable companion.

I realised my child deserves the fuller, happier version of his mother. The writer. The feminist. The traveller. I was constantly rearranging my life so that the self-respecting feminist, the loving mother and the ambitious writer could coexist. It was hard. It still is.

Also, it is November already! How the hell is it November already?! Bloody cold November..where did 2017 fly by? 🙂