Crazy Aunt Purl's Home Is Where the Wine Is: Making the Most of What You've Got One Stitch (and Cocktail!) at a Time

by Laurie Perry

She's back. And quirkier than ever. In her debut narrative, Drunk, Divorced, and Covered in Cat Hair, blogger extraordinaire Laurie Perry gave people a hilarious yet heartfelt glimpse into her misadventures as a recent divorcée with three cats, a slight wine and Cheetos problem, and scores of unfinished—and—uneven knitting projects. Now, in her second installment, she's done drunk-dialing her ex, and has moved on to make the best out of the "extra odd bits"—both in her knitting projects and in her life, from getting her house in order, or "procrasti-cleaning," to curbing expenses, from "green guilt" and pre-date nausea, to winning the battle of the bulge (think Spanx!).  Whether readers are Laurie Perry fans, or die-hard or beginning knitters, they'll find more adventures, eclectic projects, and, of course, more cocktails (and cats) on Laurie's quest to a make the most of life in a topsy-turvy world. The following knitting recipes are included, with matching wine
Knitted Holiday Pumpkin Cap, Santa Hat, Turkey Hat 
Retro Crocheted Toilet Paper and Toilet Lid Cozy
Personal Massager Cozy
Retro Faux-Macrame Plant Hanger
Knitted Date-Night Purse
Knitted Flower
Knitted Bracelets (or Anklet)

 

Genres: Knitting, Nonfiction, Humor, Memoir, Crafts, Biography Memoir, Comedy

224 pages, ebook

First published February 1, 2010

About the author

Laurie Perry is the author of "Drunk, Divorced & Covered In Cat Hair" -- the irreverent first-person narrative of a contemporary, displaced Southern woman facing life after her husband leaves her to "get his creativity back."

She is best known for her online diary, CrazyAuntPurl.com. It's a peek into the daily life of a woman who is trying to figure it all out, whatever "it" may be, with a fine assortment of wines, cats and post-divorce home improvement projects.

Her website has been featured in the Wall Street Journal, The New York Times, MSN.com, and has been nominated for a 2007 Webby Award. Perry has also been spotlighted in ForeWord Magazines ForePlay column, and Vogues "Knit 1" magazine.

Perry was born in Texas and has lived in the bayous of Louisiana, the backwoods of Mississippi, Alabama and Tennessee. She now lives and writes in Los Angeles.

Her book is available in stores nationwide on October 11."

Reviews

[Cupcakencorset · Rating 4 out of 5]

Crazy Aunt Purl’s second memoir makes me wish more than ever that she and I were neighbors. Her Southern upraising and ”accent” are as familiar to me as my own and they are endearing. The book is LOL funny in places and heartwarming/life-affirming throughout. And there are more knitting patterns than you’d expect at the end of the memoir part. I love anything Laurie writes and am a faithful reader of her blog, where I came to love her generosity of spirit and her pluck and her refusal to be a victim. This memoir just underscores my faith in her.

[Donna · Rating 3 out of 5]

I think this one was better than her first book, which, after enjoying Perry's blog over the years, I found a little underwhelming.

I especially loved the story about dating a guy that started treating her differently after he discovered her old blog posts and took them more seriously than he should have.

This is a fun, light read, and put the author on the unrealistically long list of writers that I'd love to have a drink or three with.

[Theresa F. · Rating 3 out of 5]

While I liked the bulk of the book, I LOVED the positive affirmation at the end. It was my favorite part.
Did I like it? Yes.
Would I reread it? Probably not.
Would I recommend it? Maybe.

[Wallis · Rating 4 out of 5]

Not as good as her first book, but the last chapter really spoke to me.

[Lynne - The Book Squirrel · Rating 5 out of 5]

Really funny and a brilliant read

[Susan · Rating 2 out of 5]

Some of this material was in Crazy Aunt Purl's blog, but it's not nearly as amusing in book form.

[Chris · Rating 4 out of 5]

"Like its predecessor, ""Crazy Aunt Purl s Drunk, Divorced and Covered in Cat Hair: The True-Life Misadventures of a 30-Something Who Learned to Knit After He Split"", this is a book that, for all its humor and irreverence, is about personal growth. Follow along with Laurie Perry as she makes her New Year s resolutions (#7: Try Something New [and Not Just a New Food] ), then tries to achieve them throughout the year.[return][return]This was a great read and you definitely do not need to be a knitter to enjoy it, although there are some fun (and funny) knitting and crochet patterns at the end of the book. (I am so going to make the braided icord rug.) My favorite lines from the book are about meeting and speaking with sock knitters: Eventually they found me and talked soothingly to me, and told me stories about how easy it was and how quick, portable, and fulfilling sock knitting could be. I m sluttish and easy when it comes to craft cults, so it didn t take much convincing. *ahem* I may have said those same things to knitters who d never tried knitting socks before. :) (Please note that I received this book from the publisher for review.)"

[Jessica · Rating 4 out of 5]

A great book if you've ever been through a divorce or are thinking about one. It even made me want to take up knitting. It used to knit pot holders. She gives much more interesting ideas.

She talks about a time period called the Fear Life "days become so insulated and alone that even things I love to do -- like travel--world be too scary.... is total seclusion...(p.44) I can relate to it to a certain point. It made me realize other people have been through it before. No one talks to me about it or rarely. It is sort of tabu in the people I hang around or work with. But it is a huge part of my life.

It was also silly and funny. She went to such extremes. I loved the way she started dating. When she got out of her new relationship she said, "Robert was proof that good guys were out there..." (p. 179) I sometimes wonder because I never even see anyone.

[Nick · Rating 5 out of 5]

I started reading this at the Dr.'s office with my son. Luckily we were in the exam room because I was laughing so hard I had tears rolling down my cheeks and couldn't breathe!! Her tries at meditation were hysterical, as were her forays into the dating world. The best was the knitting resolution. Here are some quotes:

"I guess I just hadn't considered that people with access to inexpensive, mass-produced Walmart socks actually chose to knit them instead, not until I took up knitting myself and me Them: the Sock People."

"Working with double-pointed needles kind of makes you feel like you're doing Xtreme Knitting and you should be televised for ESPN."

"Here's the one thing the Sock People forget to mention...the second sock is just the stepchild of the first sock's exuberance." -Gloves too Laurie!!

Very very funny!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!

[Jenny · Rating 4 out of 5]

I love Laurie Perry's humor! This book is like a funny Eat, Pray, Love with cats and wine/whine thrown in. I hope that is more Laurie Perry in my future. For now, I will have to get my fix on her blog.

Now on to the food! Every book has food.
"And there is virtually no food on the planet that can't be made with zucchini. You can make spaghetti with zuke noodles instead of real pasta. You can make bread, cakes, muffins, puree, soup, stew--you name it, and you can probably put zucchini on it." Laurie then proceeds to fry a giant zucchini plant that could probably feed the entire city of Los Angeles.

I hope you read this book and enjoy. She is hilarous!

[SeaBae · Rating 4 out of 5]

I love Crazy Aunt Purl, y'all. Love. Her. And I want to love her books. But...while I thought this book captured more of the magic that is her blog than did the first, it still wasn't all the way there. Like eating a low-calorie microwave meal that claims to be "Top Chef Restaurant Ready" but at the end of the day, it's still frozen chemicals in a cardboard box.

Not that this book is a microwave meal - it's very entertaining, witty, and fun - and if you're not a regular reader of the blog, it qualifies as a gourmet meal indeed. But some of Laurie's vibrant voice is missing from the book for me. Luckily, she still writes the blog so I'll see y'all over there.

[Jennifer · Rating 4 out of 5]

Laurie Perry's second Crazy Aunt Purl novel, Home Is Where the Wine Is makes for a light, witty and rather delightful read. Perry writes in such a manner that one feels as though one is conversing with her. A fun, witty and delightful read with bonus knitting and crocheting patterns. Home Is Where the Wine Is to anyone looking for a delightfully charming and witty novel to spend a cold afternoon reading.

[Elizabeth · Rating 4 out of 5]

This book is the second one I've read by Perry, featuring her essays on her life. This one focuses more on her life as a single gal, her goals to improve her life, and the funny things that happen along the way. It made me a laugh out loud in places, always a good sign. I appreciated her humor and her championing of single girl empowerment.

[Shawna · Rating 2 out of 5]

This one reaches and tries to be like the first one, but doesn't quite come off the same way. It's an enjoyable read, but not as witty and sharp as the first one. It feels as if Ms. Perry tried too hard to be the same woman who wrote the other book, however, she's not the same woman. She is reinvented and new. The book's voice should have reflected that a bit more.

[Melinda]

A nice follow up to Drunk, Divorced, and Covered in Cat Hair. It wasn't a continuous story like her first book, but the short stories had themes that connected and made sense. It wasn't quite as good as the first one, but her insights and comments were just as great! Once again, if I had my way, I'd have a quote book just for her books and blog.

[Topi · Rating 5 out of 5]

When I finished the final blog and flipped the page to find the projects, the voice in my head said, "Noooooo". I wasn't anywhere close to being done enjoying vicariously living Crazy Aunt Purl's life yet. I loved the bits about her forays into the dating world, and her acceptance of her status as Single and whole unto herself. I look forward to future books.

[Tevilla · Rating 3 out of 5]

Despite the title, this book has a lot to say about a woman coming into her own. Laurie Perry is a very good writer, and can bring forward humor, pathos and growth into a single sentence. I look forward to her next book. I love the ending...home is where you make it.

[Cheryl · Rating 4 out of 5]

Perry cracks me up with her laugh out loud attempts at self improvement. I especially loved when she decided to move bags of fill and realized that knitting was her only form of exercise.

Anyone who wants a laugh aloud fun read needs to read these books.

[Lucy · Rating 4 out of 5]

I love Crazy Aunt Purl. She's inspirational, makes me laugh, and makes me realize that in many ways I'm just like everyone else (apparently in ways no one really talks about in public). She's also the reason I finally really started knitting.

[Beth · Rating 5 out of 5]

Laurie Perry (Crazy Aunt Purl) always makes me laugh. I liked this book better than her first. There were a few stories that had me in tears because I was laughing so hard! Quick book and great read!

[Nicole · Rating 2 out of 5]

I wanted to like this since I do sometimes enjoy Perry's blog, but I ended up finding it boring. There wasn't nearly enough knitting content. I guess that's the part of the blog I relate to best. I haven't read her first book, and based on this one I probably won't.

[Jennifer · Rating 4 out of 5]

I ♥ Laurie Perry. Perfect book to curl up with in a bubble bath with a glass of wine and just chuckle.

[Nikol · Rating 3 out of 5]

Love her!

[Casey · Rating 4 out of 5]

Even better than her first book - charming, funny and touching.

[Melistress · Rating 4 out of 5]

Loads of fun. Again.

[Kristyn Redahan · Rating 4 out of 5]

Another one-day read. It took about 2 hours, but was enjoyable and I'd pick it up again.

[Andi M. · Rating 3 out of 5]

A really fun book from the author of Drunk, Divorced and Covered in Cat Hair. I didn't laugh out loud as much with this book as I did the first, but it was well worth the read.

[Eva · Rating 4 out of 5]

http://www.goodreads.com/review/edit/...#

[Lisa · Rating 4 out of 5]

I've been reading Laurie's blog for 4 years and finally got both of her books. I find her writing style very easy to digest, and found myself laughing out loud like I was talking with a friend.

[Suzanne · Rating 4 out of 5]

Totally fun. There's a little bit of all of us in each story.