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| Things I Learned About My Dad: Humorous and Heartfelt Essays, edited by the creator ofwww.dooce.com | 
 enlarge | Creator: Heather B. Armstrong
Publisher: Kensington
Category: Book
List Price: $19.00
Buy New: $8.85
You Save: $10.15 (53%)
New (37) Used (20) from $6.82
Avg. Customer Rating:  28 reviews
Sales Rank: 107905
Media: Hardcover
Number Of Items: 1
Pages: 270
Shipping Weight (lbs): 0.8
Dimensions (in): 8.3 x 5.5 x 1
ISBN: 0758216599
Dewey Decimal Number: 306.8742
EAN: 9780758216595
ASIN: 0758216599
Publication Date: May 1, 2008
Availability: Usually ships in 1-2 business days
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| Customer Reviews:
Was hoping for more, but am still glad I supported these bloggers May 6, 2008
23 out of 25 found this review helpful
I was disappointed in the book, I'll admit it. At times reading the essasys felt like deja vu, as a lot of the meat in some of the works had been featured previously on their personal websites. Both of Heather Armstrong's essays have, in part, been featured on her blog (Dooce) before.
Since I knew the outcome of the stories a lot of the excitement was lost. I was hoping for a new voice from her and it wasn't there. Especially considering this was her book, I expected the most from her (perhaps somewhat unfairly.) True, collections often feature writing that has been showcased elsewhere, And each writer that pulls from their own material, does add to it, but it didn't quite work as a whole.
This is not true, however, of all of the pieces. I truly enjoyed Doug French (of Laid off Dad, whose blog I had not read before this) and Jim Griffioen (of Sweet-Juniper, whose blog I do read) as stand alone works.
There are other strong essays in the collection, but none that rival Doug or Jim's. The other stronger essays felt like great blog pieces, but only average non-fiction pieces.
If you enjoy the bloggers featured in the book, I think you will enjoy the book. And it is worth purchasing just to support the bloggers and writers you enjoy on a daily basis. But this isn't a book I will keep coming back to.
The book simply doesn't stand alone as a collection (Doug & Jim's pieces are the exceptions.) Without the back story of the bloggers the book lacks real substance and makes it an unlikely gift, which is unfortunate.
And I know this is super picky, but the pull out quotes throughout the book drove me mad.
Bloggers, not Writers May 3, 2008
21 out of 27 found this review helpful
I have been reading Heather Armstrong's website for 5 years and have enjoyed the blogs of several of the other writers involved in this book. I was excited to see these bloggers try and hone their stories into compelling essays.
Sadly, I think most of the stories miss the mark. All of the stories would make for fantastic blog entries but frankly, I expect a little more than that from the books I read. I expect a book to be well edited, have made good aesthetic choices and that each author have something new to say using precise, unique language. Most of these stories are lacking on at least one point.
I still think the book is an accomplishment for these bloggers, I'm always glad to see them being taken more seriously and hopefully by reading this book you'll be exposed to a worthwhile new-to-you blogger.
However I think the truth is that most bloggers are not writers. Blogging and writing are different skills in my mind and I think some of the bloggers should stick to their medium.
 A book to browse at the doctors office, but not worth the C-note. May 9, 2008
19 out of 23 found this review helpful
I read this whole book in about 1.5 hours. I will admit to skimming some parts, parts that were seen before in blog entries. It was like reconstituted writing and that actully irritated me, I paid to read things I could get for free on the net. Wow I sound like Homer in the beginning of the Simpson's movie.
The only essay that really stood out as awesome was the author Jim Griffioen (of Sweet-Juniper) that one gave me goosebumps and made me cheer for him. The rest screamed, "I'm a friend of the editor."
This reminds me of my old high school newspaper mostly when I was the editorial editor. It was put together always on stressful deadline, it was full of budding talent but no Hemingway's or even Grisham level for sure.
I know some of these people have writing gigs besides their blogs, but I'm thinking blog writers don't do so well in print. Don't give up your day jobs guys.
Wanted to Love It... But Didn't May 12, 2008
15 out of 15 found this review helpful
I was very excited for this compilation -- most of my year is spent buying grad school text books and things I don't necessarily deem "fun." On top of that, I really wanted all of these authors to succeed. Several of the authors' blogs are on my most-read list, and a couple of them are individuals whose words have really touched me in times when I needed it most (Heather Armstrong is one of those authors).
Unfortunately, in many cases that did not translate to the printed page. I was disappointed that much of Armstrong's contribution was published on her blog (for free, as someone previously noted), and Alice Bradley's essay in WonderTime, to which I subscribe. That eliminated quite a bit of the best writing in this book. I enjoyed a few of the other essays, but several just seemed to hint that perhaps the editor was hesitant to edit these online celebrities... or the essays were beyond saving, regardless of editing.
The fact that I was able to support these folks in what they aspire to do, however, still makes me happy. To those who comment on Dooce's "self-promotion," she's a business woman whose commodity happens to be herself and her words. She's entitled to promote herself. While I don't consider myself a diligent Dooce devotee, her words have pulled me through difficult times as a mother and I respect the ambition she and Jon Armstrong have in tailoring their family according to THEIR rules. These reviews are not intended to rate your feelings about Heather Armstrong (if they were, I'd tack on another star). They should rate the work.
Very uneven May 10, 2008
13 out of 18 found this review helpful
Reads like a bunch of high school essays for the most part. The one I enjoyed was from Laid Off Dad-very touching. If you want to read gems dropping from the MacBook of Ms. Armstrong, I suggest reading her blog for free instead of spending money on this uneven collection.
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