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Sweet Potato Queens #8
American Thighs: The Sweet Potato Queens' Guide to Preserving Your Assets
Aging; American; Audiobooks; Feminine; General; Humor; Literary Criticism; MP3 (Audio coding standard); Non-Fiction; Self-Help; Women
320 pages, Hardcover
First published December 30, 2008
About the author
Jill Conner Browne
36 books331 followersJill Conner Browne is the multiple #1 New York Times bestselling author of nine Sweet Potato Queens® books and has created a global phenomenon--6,200 chapter groups in 37 countries--based upon her philosophy and world-view as recounted through these rollicking, raucous and riotously funny essays. Women and smart men understand that the bawdy, sassy, down-to-earth humor is simply the vehicle by which the greater message is conveyed--that is, one of self-reliance and empowerment, inspiring all to do what makes their hearts sing.
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Displaying 1 - 30 of 136 reviews
May 27, 2012
Okay, you have to listen to Jill Conner Browne read this book. Her other books are also fun and hilarious, but I hadn't listened to any of them before. To hear it in her actual voice, that Southern drawl, is priceless.
I'm in my 30's and both my mother (50's) and I were in absolute stitches. Not the best thing to have happen while you're driving.
Ms. Browne brings her inimitable humor once again to the SPQ series and adds yet another wonderful book to the cannon. Short stories interspersed with "advice" (come on, a lot of it is tongue-in-cheek) that will make you want to pyp. (read/listen to the book, you'lll get it.)
There is some language in here so it's not for the faint of heart.
I'm in my 30's and both my mother (50's) and I were in absolute stitches. Not the best thing to have happen while you're driving.
Ms. Browne brings her inimitable humor once again to the SPQ series and adds yet another wonderful book to the cannon. Short stories interspersed with "advice" (come on, a lot of it is tongue-in-cheek) that will make you want to pyp. (read/listen to the book, you'lll get it.)
There is some language in here so it's not for the faint of heart.
September 29, 2009
Got through 68pp and quit.
JCB is now an INDUSTRY. She's very funny, but seems to think sprinkling each page liberally w/ words in ALL CAPS for emphasis just in case you MISS the POINT is a good thing. NOT.
JCB is now an INDUSTRY. She's very funny, but seems to think sprinkling each page liberally w/ words in ALL CAPS for emphasis just in case you MISS the POINT is a good thing. NOT.
April 21, 2014
I am probably JCB's ideal demographic - 50ish (heavy on the ish) Southern woman. I love these essays, quite likely because if I haven't lived them, I know someone who has. The SPQs take on life and love is very much spot-on. Parts were just worthy of a grin, while others had me rolling in the floor. Bless your hearts, if you don't understand…and I mean that in the nicest way.
Quotes to remember:
MOST women DO go for regular checkups - guys, as a rule, won't go until something blows up or falls off in their hand.
Today, I'm not so much interested in going to a nude beach - I would love to find a BLIND one, though.
Ahhh, my South - home of sweet tea, tall porches with ceiling fans, warm hospitality, and the most gracious hostility.
Failure to Frolic is a major cause of regret later in life.
Finally an SPQ recipe:
Pineapple Vodka: Get 8 or 10 (20 ounce) cans of pineapple rings packed in juice (not syrup). Drain the juice off as much as possible. Dump into a big container and pour a liter of good vodka over it. Put a lid on the container & store in the refrigerator & let sit there for 1 week. Drain off vodka and pour over ice. Some people freeze the pineapple rings and put in Sierra Mist; or can discard.
I registered a book at BookCrossing.com!
http://www.BookCrossing.com/journal/12551961
Quotes to remember:
MOST women DO go for regular checkups - guys, as a rule, won't go until something blows up or falls off in their hand.
Today, I'm not so much interested in going to a nude beach - I would love to find a BLIND one, though.
Ahhh, my South - home of sweet tea, tall porches with ceiling fans, warm hospitality, and the most gracious hostility.
Failure to Frolic is a major cause of regret later in life.
Finally an SPQ recipe:
Pineapple Vodka: Get 8 or 10 (20 ounce) cans of pineapple rings packed in juice (not syrup). Drain the juice off as much as possible. Dump into a big container and pour a liter of good vodka over it. Put a lid on the container & store in the refrigerator & let sit there for 1 week. Drain off vodka and pour over ice. Some people freeze the pineapple rings and put in Sierra Mist; or can discard.
I registered a book at BookCrossing.com!
http://www.BookCrossing.com/journal/12551961
June 30, 2012
I have several complaints about this book. 1.) The Southern "voice" is so over-the-top that it's hard to understand. I'm sure this lady is funny in person, but on paper it just looks like a bunch of ridiculous metaphors. 2.) I like a good rant as much as the next person, but a book chock full of them? Not so much. Come on, you've gotta have a point in there somewhere! 3.) Ease up on the CAPS LOCK for pete's sake! The pages look like the ravings of a 13-year-old girl, not a grown-ass woman!
March 6, 2015
Just enormous fun! Snarky, witty, occasionally dirty, this was just a rambling fun romp into the life and observations of the Sweet Potato Queen. And it includes recipes! Some of them are waaayyyy too Southern for me (read: walking heart attack waiting to happen), but a couple of them sound really good! Like the pineapple vodka!
March 2, 2009
There was one funny story, but it was mostly pretty rambling.
November 12, 2010
I have read all of Jill Conner Browne's books and American Thighs does not dissapoint. I am only a bit younger than she is so I can really laugh with her and certainly not at her
April 29, 2019
This book is a series of funny anecdotes from a Southern woman whose claim to fame is declaring herself the Sweet Potato Queen in the annual St. Patrick's day parade in Jackson, Mississippi. I listened to the audiobook, read by the author in her Southern accent, which added to the charm of the stories. There were times when I laughed out loud, and I enjoyed the Southern perspective on things. Many of the stories in this book are about growing older and how women's bodies change and lose all of the appeal they did when they were younger, and I didn't like the negative attitude about aging. The author tells the story about how she warns her 20-year-old daughter that she should enjoy wearing bikinis now because one day she will turn into her and have old, saggy thighs that must be covered up, etc. The author laments about how she misses the days when she was young and skinny and wore backless dresses, and how she, and other women of a certain age, can't wear that stuff anymore. I guess I expected more rebellion against "old woman" stereotypes from the Sweet Potato Queen. I do see the changes in my own body as I grow older (lately I see my chin sagging!), and I understand they can make funny anecdotes. I especially loved the mention of the woman who suddenly realized at the age of 45 that she now has her mother's butt. I can relate to that!
July 8, 2013
I can only truly enjoy JC Browne's books by listening to her reading them. As she was spinning her yarns while I cooked and cleaned over a few days, I thought, hmmm "haven't I heard this one before?" And that is the downside to her brand of storytelling, it can feel repetitive. However her story about the fabulous Ester and how this character came into the Sweet Potato Queen world and how she is leaving it, redeemed the whole dang thing. Because I love a story that can make me cackle but also tug at my heartstrings.
June 2, 2014
Could not finish reading, between the casual use of EVERY swear word out there and, how shall I say this delicately...Delicately? She doesn't know the meaning of the word. For instance in describing body hair. Then there is her need to use CAPITALIZED words FOR EMPHASIS EVERYWHERE until they BECOME ANNOYING instead of amusing. I tried but two chapters (if that) in I gave up.
February 4, 2009
This books is kinda funny, but lost my interest after awhile.
February 14, 2018
Got to where I couldn't wait to finish this book. Very self-serving, talking about her followers who come once a year for a parade, and who have chapters across the country. Thought it would be hilarious, but I only really got a good laugh about twice. Did she really have to discuss traveling with a vibrator in your suitcase?
Written by a fellow young senior citizen, this book is a bunch of essays about women trying to look their best and working with the body they have been given. Hairstyles, first kisses, weight, sports, fashion, travel, and men are some of the subjects discussed. Queens (older women) and Larva (younger women) are written about, with frequent Capitalized Words for emphasis. Best story was one about the woman who was admired for her pouffy Dusty Springfield hair, until one day after a roller coaster ride the secret of how she achieved her hairstyle was embarrassingly revealed.
Written by a fellow young senior citizen, this book is a bunch of essays about women trying to look their best and working with the body they have been given. Hairstyles, first kisses, weight, sports, fashion, travel, and men are some of the subjects discussed. Queens (older women) and Larva (younger women) are written about, with frequent Capitalized Words for emphasis. Best story was one about the woman who was admired for her pouffy Dusty Springfield hair, until one day after a roller coaster ride the secret of how she achieved her hairstyle was embarrassingly revealed.
August 22, 2026
I fell in love with the sweet potato queens back in the early 2000s. So when I saw this in the library, I thought, I loved the first two books and now that I’m not only Southern but a middle-aged woman, wife, and mother, I’m sure I will relate even more. However, that was not the case. Although her writing still carries an air of humor, I find the self deprecating and insulting language she uses about herself and the people she knows, to be horribly outdated. Our society is working diligently to encourage body positivity, accepting different body types, and loving ourselves ‘as is,’ that reading horrible nicknames like “geezer“ about aging and “turtle belly“ concerning white bodies on the beach, to be abhorrent. In the 40 pages I read, I found myself grimacing, more than smiling, or chuckling at the jokes. I’ll hold onto the memories and recipes I have and loved from her first two books, but I won’t reread them or pick up another one.
December 21, 2017
This book had a few funny thoughts - I listened to it on audio and did not worry about what I was missing if I had to turn down the volume to do something - not sure I could have gotten through the written version.
November 29, 2016
Definitely not as funny or entertaining as the SPQ's Book of Love. An extra star because I love her voice, which is the main reason I finished the book.
June 12, 2017
It was pretty good. I like her stories.
November 19, 2017
Funny - she started the sweet potato queen; from Jackson
April 23, 2018
2.5
"American Thighs" was funny in a light and fluffy way, but as I was listening I kept on thinking about the next thing I was going to read. I just wasn't as engaged as I normally am with a book.
"American Thighs" was funny in a light and fluffy way, but as I was listening I kept on thinking about the next thing I was going to read. I just wasn't as engaged as I normally am with a book.
September 11, 2018
She’s just plain funny
December 13, 2021
I didn't like the first chapter, so I quit reading
June 18, 2026
So funny and realisitc!
August 28, 2015
Having previously written books on finding a man, planning a wedding, raising kids and coming through a divorce, Browne's latest offers hilarious tips on enjoying our inexorable trudge into Geezerdom. Browne is already checking off the days until November 23, 2012, when she turns 60 and can move into a retirement home; at 80, she plans to start smoking again. Looking back at her youthful follies (like slathering on baby oil for all-day tanning sessions), she warns, Karma is listening and she has ears like a bat. She and her sister have a pact to Get the Pillow (smother the other in her sleep) when the time comes. In Browne's case, that will be if I start watching reality TV, quoting Dr. Phil, riding roller coasters and seem to have forsaken bacon in favor of anything soy. While exhorting the pleasures of giving in to comfortable sandals and roomy underwear, Browne, in her best book yet, offers laugh-out-loud, slightly off-topic digressions (she passionately defends the term brick shithouse and rebukes tummy-control swimsuits).
February 13, 2017
I quit after forcing myself to read a couple of chapters. I've been happy with a couple of other books by her, but won't read any more.
April 24, 2014
I may have preferred to read this rather than listen to it. Although the author's accent does add flavor, she read so slowly that it diminished the experience; 7 disks should've been 6 or even 5. This was my first Sweet Potato Queens experience & I see how she turned it into a "movement". Parts of this book made me snort aloud & hit the reply button- the tale of a young woman falling into a "big giant cow" at a fair being my favorite. I feel like I spent a reunion weekend with my southern sorority sisters, telling "remember when" stories over LOTS of cocktails- many laughs, not much substance. When she goes for substance at the end, it fails- a whole book of funny tales capped by "sage tips on how to live & appreciate life" felt disjointed & preachy. It's really a 2.5 star book for me- I'm a southern woman who can relate to this stuff & appreciates a good laugh, but they don't give 1/2 star options.
October 14, 2010
I have read most of the Sweet Potato Queens books so far. At first I was disappointed in this one. Reason? The picture of the author on the dust cover, shows us that she appears to be a petite, attractive brunette, instead of the big-boned, brassy, gum-snapping woman she portrays herself to be in this series of books. So I felt that maybe these books are more comic fiction than about real women who eat too much and talk when they shouldn't (which is the reason I read the first several books in the first place.)
But by the end, I was laughing out loud, like I did through the other books. Still, now I feel somewhat like I did after reading "A Million Little Pieces" and finding out that James Frey was not who he claimed to be. This author talks a lot about not being able to fit her big butt in a chair, when in reality she appears to be anything but overweight.
But by the end, I was laughing out loud, like I did through the other books. Still, now I feel somewhat like I did after reading "A Million Little Pieces" and finding out that James Frey was not who he claimed to be. This author talks a lot about not being able to fit her big butt in a chair, when in reality she appears to be anything but overweight.
November 21, 2010
Queen Jill of the SPQ (Sweet Potato Queen) fame once agains pens a witty funny story for women of a certain age. If you are a "Lovely Larva" (<40) you may not appreciate the humor and stories of tanning (yes, guilty of the baby oil and iodine routine with Led Zepplin's Stairway to Heaven double album!), family, friends, fashion and hairstyles, football games and drinking, careers and hobbies until you become a woman who can be comfortable with YOU! Witty little vignettes of life that will have your memory remembering been there done that and have you laughing at the same time! Jill ended the book with a chapter called F-F-F-F-F-T after Fifty with some memorable advice and reminder of Psalm 118:24 "This is the day that the Lord hath made, let us rejoice and be glad in it!" Remember there is no looking back - just forward!
March 28, 2009
Jill Conner Browne never fails to make me laugh. This is a must read book for anyone over 45. In a discussion on memory, she said she made a pact with a friend who was getting forgetful also. They promised that whicever one of them was the last in possession of a brain cell would somehow kill the one who had lost all of hers. All of this is in context to the process of forgetfullness. My favorite comment from Queen Jill is that grandkids are the upside of Geezerdom...since those adorable babies turn into Teenage "Mutant Hounds" and (after all the parent of that child put you through) you can laugh and laugh at the grandkids teenage antics from the sanctuary of your own home. Ahhh...Justice.
December 1, 2010
You must read this as an audiobook to appreciate. Do not read if you are not at least 35 with kids or a husband or the humor may be lost on you.
If you are not from the south, there may be parts that clearly aren't as funny. It is a random monologue of amusing probably true stories in her
charming souther dialect, completely uninhibited and unabashed honest. If you don't like off color jokes, you won't appreciate. I however loved it and can't wait to read the SPH books, which are apparently funnier. I will get them all as audiobooks. If you truly thought this was self help and disappointed
that the content was what you were expecting, you need to lighten up and enjoy the easy humor.
If you are not from the south, there may be parts that clearly aren't as funny. It is a random monologue of amusing probably true stories in her
charming souther dialect, completely uninhibited and unabashed honest. If you don't like off color jokes, you won't appreciate. I however loved it and can't wait to read the SPH books, which are apparently funnier. I will get them all as audiobooks. If you truly thought this was self help and disappointed
that the content was what you were expecting, you need to lighten up and enjoy the easy humor.
April 11, 2011
Wow! Not really all that different from her other books, subject matter aside. JCB is VERY good at what she does. What she does is write southern women!
She is the Tyler Perry of Southern (wannabe) Belles. We may not always like what she has to say but you can usually make bank on it causing you to laugh out loud, even at yourveryownself!
My favorite part of her books is her ADD habit of getting off track and having the detour make me laugh until I ache. But even if she didnt crack me up, I would still read her books, for THE RECIPES she includes in every one of them! If southern decadence were a cathedral, it would be filled to the arches with potluck dishes made from these recipes!! Long live JCB!!!
She is the Tyler Perry of Southern (wannabe) Belles. We may not always like what she has to say but you can usually make bank on it causing you to laugh out loud, even at yourveryownself!
My favorite part of her books is her ADD habit of getting off track and having the detour make me laugh until I ache. But even if she didnt crack me up, I would still read her books, for THE RECIPES she includes in every one of them! If southern decadence were a cathedral, it would be filled to the arches with potluck dishes made from these recipes!! Long live JCB!!!
Displaying 1 - 30 of 136 reviews