The Book of Eleven: An Itemized Collection of Brain Lint

by Amy Krouse Rosenthal

Presents random thoughts on different subjects, including movies, restaurants, death, olives, sex, and answering machines

Genres: Nonfiction, Humor, Memoir, Biography, Essays

122 pages, Hardcover

First published September 1, 1998

About the author

SHORT BIO:

Amy Krouse Rosenthal was.
She divided her time.


NOT SO SHORT BIO:

Amy Krouse Rosenthal was a person who liked to make things.
Some things she liked to make include:

Children's books. (Little Pea, Spoon, DuckRabbit)
Grown-up books. (Textbook Amy Krouse Rosenthal, Encyclopedia of an Ordinary Life)
Short films. (The Beckoning of Lovely, The Money Tree)
Guided journals. (The Belly Book)
Something out of nothing. (see above)

A longtime contributor to WBEZ and to the TED conference,
Amy lived with her family in Chicago and online at whoisamy.com.

Reviews

[Serena · Rating 5 out of 5]

probably my favorite book
read again on Monday 13/3/17, the day she died

[Jennifer Spiegel · Rating 5 out of 5]

I loved it.

Plain, simple.

It appeals to me wholeheartedly.

[Jinjer · Rating 5 out of 5]

Just a nice little book of 11 thoughts per subject. I read it in less than an hour but will treasure it forever. RIP Amy.

[Dawn Edwards · Rating 5 out of 5]

Very fun! i found myself thinking either that i wondered why i had never noticed what she was pointing out, or feeling better because someone else was admitting to thinking something that i have often wondered!

[Deb (Readerbuzz) Nance · Rating 4 out of 5]

I miss Amy Krouse Rosenthal. I know she can't read this review, but I still want to send this out into the universe: Amy Krouse Rosenthal didn't think like other people; she was fresh and alive and fun and fascinating and remarkable.

This was her first published book. It is probably not her strongest book, but, hey, I'm delighted that I discovered it. It's a jumble of useless and endlessly entertaining little facts all arranged in lists of eleven items.

Let me say it again: I miss you, Amy Krouse Rosenthal.

[David Geschke · Rating 3 out of 5]

I really liked this book a lot, but not quite enough to give it four stars. Took me almost two years to read it. I read it in the bathroom. TMI - I know. It can be really hard to read a book in the bathroom, the configuration between trying to keep the book open and take care of business, well... I digress. Back to the book:

I got it because my favorite number is eleven. Loved the idea, easy to read book with eleven thoughts on many different subjects. I like her writing style and sense of humor. I would certainly read more of her books because of this one. This would be a great book for a short plane ride. Or a two year read in the bathroom, it's good for that too. Funny and a little thought provoking at times. I feel guilty for not giving it four stars. I'd give it three and a half, maybe three and three quarters if I could... But I can't. Just buy it, it's worthwhile :)

[Samantha Grabelle · Rating 3 out of 5]

Cute. Funny. An interesting take on memoir stories.

Some poignant moments like "11 Thoughts on the End" - especially "When someone dies, I fell like the world should really stop, that we should be naked in the freezing cold and quit our jobs and suffer from their absence. That we should utter nothing but their name, over and over again until no other words make any sense. But the truth is, the person dies and minutes, maybe seconds later, we go out and grab a burger."

[Barbara · Rating 3 out of 5]

It was amusing. I think I picked it up at B. and N. and found it amusing enough. Didn't keep it though. I am having problems tracking the amusing books written by Amys that I read roughly around the same time.

[D'Anne · Rating 2 out of 5]

I think I would have loved this book when it was first published and would have thought it was amazing. That was in 1998. I was barely out of high school. So basically, this book was written for the 19-year-old me, and not the 36-year-old me.

[Jody · Rating 4 out of 5]

There were similar entries (some were the same) that were in Encyclopedia of an Ordinary Life that I recognized. I like Rosenthal's way of putting random thoughts in book form.

[Hannah]

I think I read this...pretty sure.

[Kristi Bast · Rating 5 out of 5]

I was laughing out loud on an airplane reading this book...loved it!

[Krissy · Rating 3 out of 5]

charming, witty and quick

[Karen · Rating 5 out of 5]

Amy Krouse Rosenthal could write a grocery list and I would enjoy it. That's almost what happened here.

[Kathy]

Such a fun read - brilliant author.

[Linda · Rating 5 out of 5]

Fun book to read. You can't help identify with many of her thoughts!

[Greta · Rating 3 out of 5]

I like the way Amy thinks. She amuses me. This book was randomly funny, curiously insightful and highly entertaining. Mind fluff, yes.

[Callie · Rating 4 out of 5]

Super fast read, very amusing. I enjoyed her "Encyclopedia" also.

[Amanda · Rating 4 out of 5]

This book was still as funny the 2nd time around as the 1st. LOVE Amy Krouse Rosenthal!

[Claire Newman · Rating 5 out of 5]

Quarter Read: 4
Genre: Nonfiction

Read this in an hour.... I loved it, all the humor and the bazaar topics and questions.

[Cathleen · Rating 4 out of 5]

Cute, quirky, typical Amy. You can see the spark that gave us her Encyclopedia on these pages.

[Leigh · Rating 4 out of 5]

great & quick read. had me shaking the bed with laughter so hard that z made me put the book away.

[Stacy Snyder · Rating 4 out of 5]

Perfectly titled. Would and have read multiple times and found random bits of information refreshing time after time. Perfect coffee table or funny bathroom book.

[Daniel · Rating 4 out of 5]

I love this woman's style so much. Someday I'll thank her for all the writing activities she's inspired in my classroom.

[Jessica Ranard · Rating 5 out of 5]

Always five out of five stars with you, Amy.

“Just look at us, all of us, quietly doing our thing and trying to matter. The earnestness is inspiring and heartbreaking at the same time.”

[Meredith · Rating 4 out of 5]

Tiny lists, tiny glimpses of a W H O L E person.

[Megan Kill · Rating 4 out of 5]

such a nice and quick little read! it feels rude for some reason to describe it as “a book of tweets written before twitter was a thing” but personally i love tweets and how people have always had the desire to share their quick little thoughts

[Kerry · Rating 2 out of 5]

This was just my notes app of unpublished tweets. Some of them were ok? Most read like Ellen Degeneres stand up ideas that were left on the cutting room floor. I think Amy and I would have been friends, but not because of this book.

[Deirdre K]

It’s quintessential AKR. I’m so grateful to Marné for sending it to me last year. I waited because I loved knowing I had something by AKR left to read.

I guess I’ll be reading her children picture books now.

[Library Loving Mommy · Rating 4 out of 5]

Read in one day - such voice and humor in her observations!