Yes, I did find my way out of my reading funk.  I was almost sorry for whatever book I picked up to read because it had the possibility to become the next discarded book.  Happily, I read one and that led to another and then another…

I Don’t Have a Happy Place by Kim Korson will be released on April 14.  This is Kim Korson’s first book.  If you would like to know more about her, you can visit her author web site.

Synopsis

Kim is not what you would call a happy person.  The subtitle for the book is “Cheerful stories of Despondency and Gloom.” In her mind, she does not blend in with the crowd easily. When confronted with a new group situation, she would zero in on the other person there that did not look comfortable and be friends with them.

Kim grew up in the 70s as a non-religious Jewish girl in Montreal, Canada.  Her father owned business manufacturing “inexpensive and unfortunate-looking ladieswear.”  Her mother was entranced by Phil Donahue and moved into the world of equal rights for women which translated into wearing pants, not cooking, and banning Barbie dolls form the house. Of course this means that Kim was ready to do just about anything to have a Barbie.

Now, throughout the book, Kim gives many examples of how she didn’t fit in or was not the most motivated person in the room.  Before moving, she reads the police reports like the Bible as a way to prove to her husband that they should not move.  Before moving to Vermont, she learned the predatory behavior of all the animals as a reason not to live there.

She finds a way to be unhappy in most instances except for one.  She did find one place that affected her like no other.  She was confused by the feeling.

Opinion

Perhaps it is my lingering “reading funk” hang over but I did not find this book to be a huge laugh out loud book.  I found it amusing and I liked it but the reviews would have you think that you will just laugh the whole way through. I am willing to bet that you won’t laugh all the way through.

I did find it easy to identify with her.  Which is a bit a a feat considering that she was a Jewish girl from Montreal and I was a Catholic girl from the Midwest.  Then again the feeling that you don’t exactly fit in is a pretty universal feeling.

But then there are times that I think too much was left out of the story.  There are some anecdotes about her husband that are humorous but part of the time I have no idea why he would marry her or put up with her.  While this can easily be said about my husband too, I wish that I could have seen more of how the relationship so that the stories would work better.

I wonder if the world sees Kim the way she sees herself in the book.

I liked the book – hey, I finished it. I found it to be an interesting read.  The stories pulled me in and made me smile.

Thanks for reading!
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