Book #22: Adulting: How to Become a Grown-Up in 468 Easy(ish) Steps by Kelly Williams Brown

I came across this book pretty randomly--a FB friend posted a link that had a list of "10 steps to becoming an adult," by Kelly Williams Brown, and mentioned that they came from her upcoming book Adulting. The list was funny and accurate enough that I decided to reserve it at the library.

This book is exactly what it sounds like it's going to be: tips on how to become an adult. It seems to be aimed right at the graduating-college crowd, so I am WAY advanced for it. Not. There are plenty of tips in here that I think I really could use. Some of them are practical ("Buy toilet paper in bulk") and some are more mental ("Remember that you're nothing special") and all of them have Brown's hilarious and witty commentary emphasizing and explaining how these steps contribute to you becoming an adult. I definitely laughed out loud many, many times at her metaphors and explanations. For example, this line still makes me laugh: in talking about not bringing anyone else to a job interview: "As far as the employer is concerned, you just emerged, Aphrodite-like, out of the sea foam and into the office park, the winds of your own competence wafting you safely to shore with five minutes to spare."

Although I AM pretty grown-up--hahahaha just kidding, let me re-phrase that. Although I have been living on my own for several years and am married and have a kid, and therefore have mastered many of the practical elements of "adulting," like cleaning up after myself and regularly checking to make sure our bills are being paid, I think this book was still worth reading, for fun and for some other good tips. I have already tried to do a few of the steps she names, like adding some important numbers into my phone (non-emergency police number, insurance, and poison control). I am seriously tempted to re-skim the book and write down a few other steps to remember them because they were good ideas. And, it was funny! Win win.