Book ~ "Pretty in Plaid" (2009) Jen Lancaster

From Amazon ~ Funny girl Lancaster has crafted a successful career by honing the breezy, bloggy style she first exhibited in Bitter is the New Black. Her latest, in part a backhand to the resurgent 80s fashion trends, is sure hit resonant, hysterical notes for anyone who came of age in the era of the Preppy Handbook. Authorial voice is at the heart of Lancaster's charm, and she chronicles her early 20s-blunders from fashion and finances to academics and retail jobs, with a candor that few will be able to resist. Lancaster confesses to a fascination with plastic (the material, not the credit card), gloating over her impressive new Liz Claiborne bags, and difficulty finding faithful friends, even (especially) in her Greek affiliations ("Even though I read Seventeen and Glamour every month, I'm already thought of as the Jean Jacket Jackass in my rush group"). Falling somewhere between David Sedaris and Laurie Notaro, Lancaster's goofy charm will no doubt continue to win fans, as well as influence the next generation of sardonic, winning, self-effacing memoirists.

After all my growling a couple weeks ago about not particularly liking Lancaster in Bitter is the New Black, I liked her in this book. There was no arrogance or shallowness ... just a comic and sarcastic tone as she talks about past experiences.

I remember very well the scary styles of the 1980s (she spends a lot of the book in this era).

I'd definitely recommend this book ... I enjoyed it much more than Bitter is the New Black and would continue to read future books of hers.