Walking a marathon is much, much, much harder than running one. Because everyone thinks it's easy.

Ever since reading How To Be A Woman, I've wanted to read more Moran. But for whatever reason I was being stubborn about reading Moranthology. Which is stupid. I don't have a good reason other than everyone (well Alice aka Reading Rambo and Laura aka Devouring Texts) told me to and apparently my reaction to being told I should read a book that I will love is "SHUT UP, don't tell me what to do!" Before I went on my trip I realized I was going to need some books so I may as well download this one. I mean, I was going to be in London and Moran is over there and would be referencing English things. PLUS this is a collection of essays meaning they are short and you can feel very accomplished as you speed through them.

I sort of loved this book. More than How To Be A Woman? Maybe. I haven't entirely decided. And to be honest, it's hard to compare the two since HTBAW had a theme running through it and Moranthology does not. Believe me, I mean this as a compliment. Her essays are all over the place in a wonderful way. There are serious essays ("I Know What It's Like To Be Poor. They Took Away the TV and We Cried"), ridiculous essays ("I Am a Dwarf Called "Scottbaio"), essays about celebrities ("Come Party with Gaga"), feminist essays ("Burqas: Are the Men Doing It?"), relationship essays ("Call Me Puffin"), essays review TV shows I have not watched but really want to based on Moran's descriptions ("Downton Abbey Review 2: 'SEX WILL BE HAD! SEX WILL BE HAD!'"). Just look at those essay titles, and try to tell me you don't want to read every one of them.

The only problem with this set of essays (and the fact that I read this on a Kindle) is it was over so quick, and without warning. It's not like with a story where you can tell you're coming to the end. The essays could have gone on and on and I would have been happy to keep going with them.

I have a hard time whenever I'm writing a review of a book I liked. So, as is my normal solution in times like this, here are a bunch of quotes to help convince you that you should just read this:

In many ways, this book might as well be called "Deduce THIS, Sexlock Holmes!" with a picture of me licking his meerschaum, cross-eyed and screaming. 

The last time I felt so embarrassed about the visible contents of my handbag was last spring, when I was carrying around a gigantic book on the history of the Ku Klux Klan. For two long months, that book made me want to shout, "I'm reading this because I know they were bad -- not to get tips!" to any halfway full train.

 Parents drinking is the reason you came into the world, and if we didn't keep doing it, then by God, it would be the reason you went back out of it.

Even this semi-review took me awhile to write because while looking for quotes to include I wanted to just start reading it again. And it's so easy to do. "Oh I'll just read one or two essays" and then suddenly half the book is done. If she'd like to come out with a follow up to this that is just MORE of her essays printed elsewhere, that'd be cool. I'd be all for that.

Title quote from page 49, location 859

Moran, Caitlin. Moranthology. Harper Perennial, 2012.