Fantastic. Her life still resonates so strongly with me. Loved this book ( )

*Diets that don’t work
*The temptation of chocolate
*Recognizing that yes, you really do need nine pairs of almost but not quite identical black pumps
*The agony of swimsuit-trying-on season
*The endless search for the perfect jeans
*The elusive promise of cosmetics
*The fruitless search for organization and perfection

These are all themes that frequently appeared in the 'Cathy' comic strip over its 34-year run, and strip creator Cathy Guisewite has, not surprisingly, revisited them all in her book of essays, Fifty Things That Aren't My Fault (including, apparently, coming up with only 48 entries).

Added to that are further sources of angst from Guisewite’s personal life – being an empty-nester worrying about the innocence and vulnerability of her only child leaving home for college at precisely the same time she worries about the frailty and vulnerability of her aging parents. Those topics turn more heartfelt than humorous as one progresses into the collection, and the reader who is looking for laughs at their own foibles may find, instead, a great deal of soul-searching about trying to hold on to the people we love even as they are slipping away from us. ( )

I loved the Cathy comic strip. There were so many things in this book that I really could relate to...and there were so many things that I have friends that do the very same things that Cathy did in the same situations. The entries were funny, they were sad sometimes, and they were all thought provoking. Those readers younger than 55 will see what they will almost mostly have to look forward to...those of us older will just smile and nod...since we've probably been there and done that. ( )

This is the first publishing that Cathy G has put out in years. The mentality is the same as the Cathy strip--kind of a written version though. She touches on real life issues like divorce, parents getting older, etc. ( )

If you liked the "Cathy" cartoon strip, you will like this book, because it's the same but without the graphics. Cathy jokes and complains about her weight, how her clothes don't fit, her shoes, her parents, driving, shopping for clothes, food, temptations, her dog, etc. She is still whining and joking about those things, but since this is subtitled "Essays From the Grown-Up Years" she has also added topics about her college-age daughter and her 90-year-old parents. So there are lots of comic chapters about how she is now dealing with helping her aging parents who don't want her help. Some of the issues reminded me of Roz Chast's Can't We Talk About Something More Pleasant? and I'm sure many readers will be able to relate, as they identified with Cathy throughout her younger lifestyle experiences of dating, dieting, buying a bathing suit, etc.

The good things - Cathy is able to accurately and entertainingly describe dealing with her elderly parents: the computer, the worry about getting to the airport, the TV remote, her concern for their safety, etc. I liked her insight into how she cheats on her diets, explains her wardrobe size and style fluctuations, and interacts with her sisters regarding her parents.

I thought I would like this book more than I did. I think I had forgotten how much of a complainer Cathy was, and those jokes have gotten old. Or maybe I have? ( )