Laurie Perry's site, Crazy Aunt Purl, was one of the first blogs I read on a regular basis. I was there from the beginning. I watched her learn how to knit, mourn her divorce, make toys for her cats, drown her sorrows in wine, start dating again, and finally find joy and happiness in her life. That's what this book is about: one woman who bounces back from a major life upset by using humor and knitting. Perry is sweet, funny, and real. She has loads of Southern charm, is a born storyteller, and has a great personality. She made me laugh many times and I really enjoyed this cute book. ( )

I liked this book alot. I thought that the writing was witty. Quite a few times I would start laughing and my dog would perk her ears up and give me that look like "what are you doing?"

Having been through a break-up (not a divorce, but a long-term relationship break-up) I could relate to just about everything that she was saying. And for me being able to relate to the characters is one of my must-have features for a book to be enjoyable. Also being that it was a book about knitting, I knew all of the struggles that she was going through. Not sleeping because you just want to finish one more row (that inevitably turns in to 20 or 50)!

I think that this is a good pick-me up book. If you're down it can make you laugh, which is always a good thing to me. While reading I found myself laughing not so much because she was going through it, but because I have gone through the same things.

I would recommend this book to anyone going through a tough break-up, a knitter, or just someone looking for something amusing to read. ( )

I loved this book! I laughed and cried throughout and totally identified with the author. I think any woman going through a divorce, looking for a new view on life, or just in the mood for a laugh should read this!!

Having been divorced at a young age myself, I can totally empathize with the loss and humiliation she describes. However, her struggle to regain some normalcy and self-respect really give you hope. She's funny, endearing, and self-effacing. Her blog (www.crazyauntpurl.com) is a must read as well. ( )

Months ago I posted about Crazy Aunt Purl scoring a book deal. I started reading Laurie's blog in March 2006 after someone (I honestly couldn't tell you who anymore) told me about a post about a trip to Paris in which she attacks a man that was bothering her and her friends with an umbrella.

Actually, after she whacked him upside the head with it she chased him down the street and yelled ""I'm from Los Angeles, motherf***er! I'll bust your ass!!" If there is one thing I recognize it is my kind of crazy and Crazy Aunt Purl was my kind of crazy. I hadn't laughed that hard in weeks. It was instantly added to my blog feeds and it has not left.

Late last week I wandered down to the bookstore to buy a gift for a friend and seeing they had Drunk, Divorced and Covered in Cat Hair: The True Misadventures of a 30-Something Who Learned to Knit After He Split in stock I added it to my pile. Then I went out of town for the weekend, taking it with me. When my friends saw it on their kitchen table they raised their eyebrows and I told them I was studying for my future life. Ok, so I'm not married. But I figure the day will come once again when I am drunk, single and covered in cat hair. After all, that's most of my life now if you take away the drunk part. Luckily while I was in the bookstore I also picked up some book darts (the best invention since books themselves) and I used at least half a dozen on this book. You know what that is? That's a sign I liked the book. A lot.

Read the rest here. ( )

From the back of the book.

If you've ever been dumped, duped, or three minutes from crazy, you'll love Crazy Aunt Purl. Side-splittingly funny and profoundly moving, Drunk, Divorced and Covered in Cat Hair is the true-life misadventures of Laurie Perry, aka Crazy Aunt Purl, a slightly offbeat, displaced Southerner trying to create a new life after her Husband leaves her to "get his creativity back." (Whatever that means.) But will she get her groove back in a tiny rented house, with a mountain of boxes, visible panty lines, and a slight wine-and-Cheetos problem?
"I was a thirty something woman living alone with four cats. I was probably going to be divorced. I was on the short bus to crazy. I pictured my Grandmother making hoop-skirted yarn cozies for the toilet paper. I pictured myself making doilies for furniture that I did not own. I saw my cats wearing knitted hats with lace appliques. From my vantage point, knitting seemed like 100 percent of some road I did not want to walk down."
Yet, surprisingly, it's knitting that saves her and emboldens her to become fully engaged in life again - to discover new friends; to take risks, however scary; and to navigate the ins and outs of the modern dating scene.
"Dating has changed in a decade. now there is a higher chance of meeting someone who has an Internet porn addiction than someone who has a job. In Los Angeles, your dinner companion might have served time in Pelican Bay or run a meth lab. Or, worst of all, he might spend all night talking about his agent, his craft, and what it means to grow as an actor. Then he'll ask you to read his screenplay."
And such is life in the quirky, irreverent memoir, a spin-off of the blog phenomenon, www.crazyauntpurl.com, one of the most successful online diaries in history, with an international fan base of readers. But don't worry, you don't have to knit to love Aunt Purl. You just have to know what it feels like to have loved, to have lost, or to have taken a leap of faith.
We've all been there. Pass the wine.

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Now if that doesn't make you hop on over to amazon to purchase the book right now, then you'll just have to be lumped in the swiss and ham category.

You will absolutely love this book, Laurie tells her tale with a blend of funny, witty, spunky, a little sad, and a desire to continue reading, all wrapped into one.

I decided that I was going to have a "me" day, so I drew a bath, poured a glass of wine, grabbed my book and my razor, thinking I would shave my legs after relaxing, as they were getting a little long. That was until i read Laurie's tale of the Epilady, and the hot wax incidents. My legs are still unshaven. It's still cool enough here in California that I can get away with jeans, or cargos for another few weeks. I may even been scarred for life, but thankfully, I had my glass of Bordeaux to help me through it.
I cried in Paris, and wanted to punch her ex- Husband, with all that "get my creativity back" crap. Somewhere, on one of the pages, I picked up some size 10 needles and some Frosty Green Medium Worsted weight yarn, and started knitting along with Laurie. I didn't make a cat tunnel, or a devil blanket, but it was sure great to pick up my needles again, after such a long time.

So, thank you Laurie, the motivation to go out and mayhap join a Stitch N Bitch in my area, for bringing knitting back into my life ( even though I've only really been on a 5 month hiatus,) and most of all, for the great read.

One day, maybe I'll look up from my knitting, and find a friend like you, across the table. ( )