Furiously Happy

To start, this is probably the best book I've read this year, or even this century.

Jenny Lawson is a humor blogger who has used her platform to speak openly and honestly about living with mental illness. As someone else who lives with the struggles of severe mental health issues, it served as quite a validation. I can relate very much to Jenny's feelings of not being able to get out of bed and feeling like a failure for not accomplishing the same things as "normal people." While I agree with her that everyone's mental illness is different, it was nice to see that I'm not alone. In fact, I'm in pretty good company.

Jenny's perspective made the discussion a lot more palatable. Mental health is a serious issue, but talking about it in a show more serious tone is just depressing, and that's the last thing depressed people need is to be more depressed about having depression. Her stories are uproariously hilarious. I even found myself trying to squash a guffaw, as I was reading in public, which I managed to stifle into a mere chuckle that still collected some stares.

From being introduced Rory I and Rory II and their late night cat rodeos to Jenny's absurd arguments with her husband about cat lamination, there wasn't a single sentence in this book that I didn't adore, even the few heartwarming, tear-jerker moments. Honestly, the only reason I wanted to finish this book quickly was to get online and review it. (Also to order my own copy and her first book, Let's Pretend This Never Happened, since I borrowed this book from a friend.)

Overall, I absolutely, positively loved this book and would pass out copies to strangers on the street if I had that kind of money. show less

Furiously Happy has been a book on my TBR for ages. I enjoyed the chase of trying to find this book. Then lucky me has a special person in my life who managed to find me a copy. I got to borrow this book and binge it, and man was it exciting!

This book is full of wacky comedy about how mental illness can be wild but livable. Depression lies guys. Life may be awful sometimes, and we may feel like we're crazy, but we have ways to enjoy our lives and live.

There were so many parts of this book I related to, and even more that I was able to chuckle along with. With my own mental health issues, it was awesome to be able to read about someone else who experiences similar struggles and feels similar to me. That's awful to say, but it made me show more feel more... normal? Plus, Jenny puts it in a really amusing light all the while being totally real about it. All that and more made me respect Jenny Lawson beyond belief. It's hard to make a difficult topic like mental illness seem funny but realistic at the same time. Making tough times fun is the best way to get through them, especially in written form.

The late night comments had me laughing a fair bit, because we totally all do that. I wake up at night and think some of the weirdest yet most true and relatable comments. And yes Jenny, Benedict Cumberbatch is totally the Benjamin Button Alan Rickman, I totally agree. I too have thought something similar to that.

Also, the cover. Seriously, Rory is cool. Did you know there are two Rorys (is it Rorys? Rories? Who knows)? And they are both super cool and cute! Who knew taxidermy could be so wickedly awesome?

I can't lie, I needed some comedy like this in my life. It's real and tells a lot of truths, but it also just gave me giggles for days. This book is full of short blurbs, stories and comedy bits, so that made it easier for me to pick it up in bits. While I wanted to binge, I needed this level of funny for days.

I will admit, this is another niche book. You're gonna love it or you're gonna hate it and there seems to be no inbetween. I know reviewers who hate this book with a passion. I, on the other hand, found it ridiculously awesome and hilarious. It might not be your cup of tea, so reader beware!

Great job Jenny Lawson. Love it!

Five out of five stars! show less

I read all the praise Furiously Happy garnered on Amazon and goodreads, so I automatically felt wary: a book about depression and anxiety that was purposely funny? I admit I approached the book biased; I was sure it was full of platitudes and witty quips. I'm ashamed to admit I'd pigeon-holed the author's intent, and I was eventually proved wrong about my initial assumptions. When I started reading I couldn't tell if Lawson was being completely serious or if it was a kind of schtick. I was honestly ready to quit, but something kept me reading, and that is how I came to really really like the book - it grew on me. I finally "got" it.

I've read many books about mental illness and dare I say this is the funniest one. The stark realities of show more soul-crushing depression and debilitating anxiety are juxtaposed with her acerbic and self-deprecating humor. I learned to love Lawson the more I read, the more I got to know her. She's not just a victim of mental illness, she's a hilariously quirky person who is all too familiar with the depths of extreme mental illness (depression, anxiety, avoidant personality disorder). Her arguments with her husband Victor are pure gold.

Furiously Happy is madcap, eccentric, and yes, very funny. I'm giving this book five stars, because it's just plain awesome. show less

You guys. This book was exactly what I needed to hear.
“Pretend you’re good at it.” is my new mantra.

I needed to take a minute to sleep on how to review this one, because I was a ball of emotions after reading it. If you are following my reviews, yes, I am reading this backwards. Reading publications backwards is so great because you know where they are, and get to see where they grew from as a person and a writing.

Anyway. Last night while I was pondering over what to write as a review we were watching tv, and it was like 2:30 in the morning. Nicholi wanted to switch from Frasier and we couldn't decide what to switch to, and I was like we need a show that puts you to sleep. And he was unamused. But I was like we could put it in show more the corner, take it out when it's time for bed. Which just confused him more. So I added, it needs to be scared. Which caused me to laugh uncontrollably as I tried to tell him, that it needed to be scared because when we pull it out of the corner it knows you're going to fall asleep in it, so it needs to try it's best to keep you away because no show wants to be someone's fall asleep while watching it. But I don't think he understood because I was laughing so hard and he gave me the annoyed sigh, and said something about wasting five minutes. In that moment I realized that I am furiously happy.

Even when my depression and anxiety have taken over my mind completely and I am doing my best to not show everyone that I am falling apart, I have figured out the few random things that make me laugh hysterically. And I can be in that moment in spite of my demons trying to tell me that I'm not worthy of that single moment of happiness.

Us: 2, demons: -1. Because they should get points taken away when they try and "wreak havoc in our minds", not given to them.

This book hit me harder than [b:Broken|54305363|Broken (in the best possible way)|Jenny Lawson|https://i.gr-assets.com/images/S/compressed.photo.goodreads.com/books/1597856341l/54305363._SY75_.jpg|84739109], and I think it's because this one is more focused on her struggles with depression and anxiety. For the first time, it really felt like someone understood what living with anxiety is like. I cried so much more while reading this once, just for the fact of being validated in my struggles. The way she can put mental illness into words that others can understand is awe-inspiring.

You will love this book if you love her blog. If you are a weirdo. If you suffer from depression or/and anxiety. If you need to escape into someone else's life for a bit? Whatever sinks, your submarine, I'm not hear to judge.

Quotes I want to remember:
"I wish someone had told me this simple but confusing truth: Even when everything’s going your way you can still be sad. Or anxious. Or uncomfortably numb. Because you can’t always control your brain or your emotions even when things are perfect. The really scary thing is that sometimes that makes it worse. You’re supposed to be sad when things are shitty, but if you’re sad when you have everything you’re ever supposed to want? That’s utterly terrifying."

"It is an amazing gift to be able to recognize that the things that make you the happiest are so much easier to grasp than you thought. There is such freedom in being able to celebrate and appreciate the unique moments that recharge you and give you peace and joy. Sure, some people want red carpets and paparazzi. Turns out I just want banana Popsicles dipped in Malibu rum. It doesn’t mean I’m a failure at appreciating the good things in life. It means I’m successful in recognizing what the good things in life are for me.”

“To all who walk the dark path, and to those who walk in the sunshine but hold out a hand in the darkness to travel beside us: Brighter days are coming. Clearer sight will arrive. And you will arrive too. No, it might not be forever. The bright moments might be for a few days at a time, but hold on for those days. Those days are worth the dark. In the dark you find yourself, all bones and exhaustion and helplessness. In the dark you find your basest self. In the dark you find the bottom of watery trenches the rest of the world only sees the surface of. You will see things that no normal person will ever see. Terrible things. Mysterious things. Things that try to burrow into your mind like a bad seed. Things that whisper dark and horrid secrets that you want to forget. Things that scream lies. Things that want you dead. Things that will stop at nothing to pull you down further and kill you in the most terrible way of all … by your own trembling hand. These things are fearsome monsters … the kind you always knew would sink in their needle-sharp teeth and pull you under the bed if you left a dangling limb out. You know they aren’t real, but when you’re in that black, watery hole with them they are the realest thing there is. And they want us dead. And sometimes they succeed. But not always. And not with you. You are alive. You have fought and battled them. You are scarred and worn and sometimes exhausted and were perhaps even close to giving up, but you did not. You have won many battles. There are no medals given out for these fights, but you wear your armor and your scars like an invisible skin, and each time you learn a little more. You learn how to fight. You learn which weapons work. You learn who your allies are. You learn that those monsters are exquisite liars who will stop at nothing to get you to surrender. Sometimes you fight valiantly with fists and words and fury. Sometimes you fight by pulling yourself into a tiny ball, blotting out the monsters along with the rest of the world. Sometimes you fight by giving up and turning it over to someone else who can fight for you. Sometimes you just fall deeper. And in the deepest, night-blind fathoms you’re certain that you’re alone. You aren’t. I’m there with you. And I’m not alone. Some of the best people are here too … feeling blindly. Waiting. Crying. Surviving. Painfully stretching their souls so that they can learn to breathe underwater … so that they can do what the monsters say is impossible. So that they can live. And so that they can find their way back to the surface with the knowledge of things that go bump in the night. So that they can dry themselves in the warm light that shines so brightly and easily for those above the surface. So that they can walk with others in the sunlight but with different eyes … eyes that still see the people underwater, allowing them to reach out into the darkness to pull up fellow fighters, or to simply hold their cold hands and sit beside the water to wait patiently for them to come up for air. Ground zero is where the normal people live their lives, but not us. We live in the negatives so often that we begin to understand that life when the sun shines should be lived full throttle, soaring. The invisible tether that binds the normal people on their steady course doesn’t hold us in the same way. Sometimes we walk in sunlight with everyone else. Sometimes we live underwater and fight and grow. And sometimes … … sometimes we fly.”

Notes: HP mentions. show less

I loved Let's Pretend This Never Happened: A Mostly True Memoir, I LOVED Furiously Happy: A Funny Book About Horrible Things . Lawson amazingly balances the reality of her mental illness with the hilarity of what it takes to live a furiously happy life. I laughed to the point of serious tears and possibly hyperventilating. I (again) kept Jesse awake with my laughter and this time forced him to read a couple of chapters ("I've Found a Kindred Soul and He Has a Very Healthy Coat" AND "I'm Turning Into a Zombie One Organ at a Time").

I appreciate Lawson sharing her story because mental illness IS far too often kept hidden away or ignored. I've lived with anxiety since before I knew it had a name. I've experienced very real Depression...some show more doctors would even suggest that I should be constantly medicated and not lightly. Everyone handles their illness differently and, like Lawson discusses, everyone's issues manifest themselves in wildly varying ways. I'm not a fan of medication, I've often found they make everything worse and after one medication it's scary to try another.

This isn't about me though, this is about an amazing book that will make you laugh until you ugly cry. Whether you live with mental illness or not: READ THIS BOOK. Because let's be honest, if you don't experience anxiety or depression or OCD or something, chances are high that you know someone that DOES live with mental illness of some kind.

(I wish the cover had the bottom half of a raccoon's face because I WANT a raccoon selfie and to freak people out while I'm reading this book...talk about an awesome opportunity for #bookface missed.) show less

This is the second book by Jenny Lawson, aka The Bloggess, following up on Let's Pretend This Never Happened. I'd maybe recommend reading that one first, although it's not really necessary, just because it introduces a lot of things about her life that are alluded to in this one, and also because it's freakin' awesome.

This volume, like the first one, contains some hilarious anecdotes from the author's life, often involving taxidermied animals and/or surreal arguments with her husband. It also contains some much more serious thoughts about her daily struggles with a host of mental and physical ailments, including chronic anxiety, bouts of depression, and an autoimmune disorder, and how she gets through through the dark times those show more things inevitably bring with them. More often than not, it's both of those things at at once, thus completely justifying the "funny book about horrible things" subtitle. I have no idea no how she manages that, but it's marvelous.

This book made me laugh out loud multiple times. It made me tear up a little once. And it gave me some actually really good advice about not judging yourself too hard. Mostly, through the whole thing, I just kept thinking that Jenny Lawson's brain may be a horrible jerk that keeps trying to kill her, but her mind is a goddamn delight. show less

4 stars. Jenny Lawson is definitely a very funny person. This book is a breath of fresh air because she is so honest, candid, and authentic. She is very self aware and uses it to her advantage by talking the reader through her thinking process. Her logic is bizarre but is also believable - which sometimes makes me wonder if I'm crazy too. But in the end, we're all a bit crazy and bizarre. It's just most of us have the mechanisms in place to reach more reasonable conclusions or refrain from acting on bizarre notions...(or we don't admit it). Anyway, I had many LOL moments while reading this book. But I also gained some understanding of what goes through the minds of those with mental illnesses. That's what I love about this book. Lawson show more is able to convey the serious content without making it overwhelming, insulting, and a guilt trip for those who are "normal". show less