I'm Not the New Me

I read McClure's newest book, "A Wilder Life" that can't possibly rate less than five stars in my opininon. After much enjoying McClure's humor in that book, I ordered "I'm Not the New Me". I felt a kindredship with McClure in "Wilder Life" as she goes searching for her childhood memories via her connection with Laura Ingalls Wilder. I have also had an obsession with all things Laura Ingalls Wilder since childhood. When I found her 'weight loss memoir' I was interested. I have also always had a weight problem and I am currently in the Weight Watchers program, as was McClure at the time of this story. While I enjoyed a great deal of the humor here also, I found a very different McClure than the one who comes across in "Wilder Life". This show more book was written about six years earlier, so we all change and grow in that kind of time span.

I did still have some good chuckles with this book and I certainly related to her self esteem struggles combined with her weight loss efforts. However this book truly is a memoir about that time of her life where she started her journal-blog and connected to others via the internet. Its about her dating life during that period and how that affected her. This is not a moivation weight loss journey. In fact the book ends as McClure comes to terms with her weight problem and her mother's weight struggles during McClure's childhood and how that affected her in adulthood. McClure actually starts gaining some weight back by the close of the story. I'd like to think that the point is that she is ok with that but I'm not really clear if that is the case.

Still I find Wendy McClure a relatable, likeable person and I flew through the story in a few hours. The Weight Watcher's receipe cards from the 70's were pretty gross and funny and probably those alone were worth the price of the book, although I wish there were more of them. show less

I knew I'd like this, because it was a book I bought based on my appreciation for the blogger author. McClure has an excellent way of looking at the love/hate relationship that women can have with their bodies, and the whole conflict that comes from wanting to lose weight to feel better about oneself even while feeling like you shouldn't have to. Emotional and funny.

I always feel this is wrong to say about memoir but I wanted it to be funnier. And it didn't have a good ending. I mean it didn't end badly, in fact it was positive. But with memoir in the back of your mind you know the person is real and usually alive. There is no end. With fiction the characters are not real so I accept they end, their story at least. So this ended but it wasn't satisfying. But it reasonated with me since I'm currently trying to lose weight.

Picked this up cause I'd followed, and loved, her blog for ages. Wasn't my favorite memoir type book ever, but it was a quick fun read. I think I like her snarky stuff at Television Without Pity and her blog better than her book length stuff. Maybe. Or maybe I should just read another one of her books.

'm Not The New Me is the memoir of Wendy, someone I link to on occasion. The book wasn't as satisfying as some of her better rants, like the Dove girls controversy, but it did make me laugh several times. I completed this book while at the facility, waiting on other groups to get their acts together so I could run my tests. It also included more of the 1974 Weight Watchers' Recipe Cards than she has published online.

Very well-written book, but I had trouble identifying with the author's story; young(er), female readers should have a much easier time in that regard.

I treated myself to this book after finishing an obnoxiously thick political text. The fact that I devoured the thing in under fifteen hours kinda makes me sad. Such a tasty treat should last longer.