Bring Your Baggage and Don't Pack Light: Essays
- Downloads：1338
- Type：Epub+TxT+PDF+Mobi
- Create Date：2021-07-03 22:30:57
- Update Date：2025-09-09
- Status：finish
- Author：Helen Ellis
- ISBN：0385546157
- Environment：PC/Android/iPhone/iPad/Kindle
Reviews
Meg C
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• I was so excited for this ARC because Southern Lady Code was one of my faves from 2019。• Friends， this was not good。• Not good at all。 Just a lot of essays about how horrible it is to get old and the worst part is I didn't laugh ONCE！ Not a single chuckle！！！ • I was so excited for this ARC because Southern Lady Code was one of my faves from 2019。• Friends， this was not good。• Not good at all。 Just a lot of essays about how horrible it is to get old and the worst part is I didn't laugh ONCE！ Not a single chuckle！！！ 。。。more
Pam
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I received an electronic ARC from Doubleday Books through NetGalley。An amusing collection of essays for women facing menopause and figuring out what really matters in life。 Ellis captures the drama and the reality of this age。 She shares episodes from her life that so many will relate with。 The essays vary in length but all share that same bite underneath the topic。 Definitely one to buy for friends who need a pick me up or simply a laugh as they face life's challenges。 I received an electronic ARC from Doubleday Books through NetGalley。An amusing collection of essays for women facing menopause and figuring out what really matters in life。 Ellis captures the drama and the reality of this age。 She shares episodes from her life that so many will relate with。 The essays vary in length but all share that same bite underneath the topic。 Definitely one to buy for friends who need a pick me up or simply a laugh as they face life's challenges。 。。。more
James
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It's hard to write a book that makes the readers laugh and cry in the same line， but this one fulfills that promise， and then some。 Brilliant， witty， poignant， and laugh out loud funny。 Helen Ellis is a genius。 It's hard to write a book that makes the readers laugh and cry in the same line， but this one fulfills that promise， and then some。 Brilliant， witty， poignant， and laugh out loud funny。 Helen Ellis is a genius。 。。。more
Donna
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Reading "Bring Your Baggage and Don't Pack Light" is like sitting on the beach with your very best friends on a summer's day。 It's that good！This book is made up of 12 essays ---- and each and every one of them will make you laugh AND make you think。。。。and will remind you that you are not alone。While the title appealed to me， a middle-aged （okay。。。maybe a little more than middle-aged）， I feel like it will appeal to readers of all ages。 Something to look forward to， something to look back at fond Reading "Bring Your Baggage and Don't Pack Light" is like sitting on the beach with your very best friends on a summer's day。 It's that good！This book is made up of 12 essays ---- and each and every one of them will make you laugh AND make you think。。。。and will remind you that you are not alone。While the title appealed to me， a middle-aged （okay。。。maybe a little more than middle-aged）， I feel like it will appeal to readers of all ages。 Something to look forward to， something to look back at fondly， or something to help you understand the women in your life。#BringYourBaggageandDontPackLight #NetGalley 。。。more
Tricia
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Thank you to NetGalley and Doubleday Books fallowing me to read an ARC of Helen Ellis’s new book。Helen Ellis is what we in the South would call “good people。” A Southerner who now resides in New York City， of all places。 She's hilarious and her way of writing makes you feel like you're sitting there with her， all the while having a blast。 She shares stories about her husband， friends， and aging 。 。 。 and I find myself wishing that I could hang out with her and hear her outlook on life。 Thank you to NetGalley and Doubleday Books fallowing me to read an ARC of Helen Ellis’s new book。Helen Ellis is what we in the South would call “good people。” A Southerner who now resides in New York City， of all places。 She's hilarious and her way of writing makes you feel like you're sitting there with her， all the while having a blast。 She shares stories about her husband， friends， and aging 。 。 。 and I find myself wishing that I could hang out with her and hear her outlook on life。 。。。more
Rhiannon Johnson
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I received a copy of this book from the publisher in exchange for an honest review。I read this essay collection in a single evening and while I did laugh out loud a few times， they just didn't crack me up in the way that Ellis' previous essays have done。 Overall this collection was enjoyable， but not rave worthy。 Come chat with me about books here， too: Blog | Instagram | Twitter | Pinterest I received a copy of this book from the publisher in exchange for an honest review。I read this essay collection in a single evening and while I did laugh out loud a few times， they just didn't crack me up in the way that Ellis' previous essays have done。 Overall this collection was enjoyable， but not rave worthy。 Come chat with me about books here， too: Blog | Instagram | Twitter | Pinterest 。。。more
Kyra Leseberg （Roots & Reads）
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3。5 starsHelen Ellis has a surprising sense of humor that will make most Southern ladies clutch their pearls。 I adored her short story collection American Housewife and was charmed by her essay collection Southern Lady Code。 Now she returns with more essays in Bring Your Baggage and Don't Pack Light。This time around she mostly muses on aging as she nears 50。 It had a Nora Ephron vibe， which made sense when I saw the title of the last essay: I Feel Better About My Neck。 This is a super short coll 3。5 starsHelen Ellis has a surprising sense of humor that will make most Southern ladies clutch their pearls。 I adored her short story collection American Housewife and was charmed by her essay collection Southern Lady Code。 Now she returns with more essays in Bring Your Baggage and Don't Pack Light。This time around she mostly muses on aging as she nears 50。 It had a Nora Ephron vibe， which made sense when I saw the title of the last essay: I Feel Better About My Neck。 This is a super short collection， really an afternoon cover-to-cover read， but each is entertaining with her trademark sense of humor。 It didn't pack the punch of her previous books for me but I still enjoyed sitting down with it for the hour or so it took to read。My favorites here were The Last Garage Sale， a nostalgic look at her parent's shedding years of collected stuff in their final move; and I'm a Believer！， a highly quotable list I'd call her guide to life。"I believe the older the friend， the longer the lunch。 I believe the better the friend， the messier my house can be when she visits。" *"I believe in buying the next size up because I was not put on this earth to fit into and contain and restrain the largeness of my life。" *"I believe in hole-punching seven-year-old tax returns to make confetti。" *I recommend this book to readers who appreciate humorous essays。Thanks to Doubleday Books and NetGalley for providing me with an ARC in exchange for my honest review。 Bring Your Baggage and Don't Pack Light is scheduled for release on July 13， 2021。*Quotes included are from an advanced reader's copy and are subject to change upon final publication。For more reviews， visit www。rootsandreads。wordpress。com 。。。more
Basic B's Guide
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Helen Ellis is your poker playing， no bullshit and unfiltered backup plan bestie。 This collection of essays made me think about growing older and having a good laugh about it。 I especially loved the opening chapter “Grown-Ass Ladies Gone Mild”。 As sassy as always， fans of the author and anyone approaching middle-age will especially enjoy this one。Thank you Doubleday for the gifted arc。
Cindy H。
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Thank you to NetGalley and Doubleday Books for gifting me with an ARC of Helen Ellis’s new essay collection。 In exchange I offer my unbiased review。 Helen Ellis is “my kind of people。” Hilariously funny， sharp， honest and able to recognize the humor in everything。 She’s your number one backup plan， and makes you feel good about your lumps and bumps。 This collection of essays was absolutely fantastic！ Each one was 100% relatable。 I enjoyed every essay and laughed out loud numerous times。 I admit， Thank you to NetGalley and Doubleday Books for gifting me with an ARC of Helen Ellis’s new essay collection。 In exchange I offer my unbiased review。 Helen Ellis is “my kind of people。” Hilariously funny， sharp， honest and able to recognize the humor in everything。 She’s your number one backup plan， and makes you feel good about your lumps and bumps。 This collection of essays was absolutely fantastic！ Each one was 100% relatable。 I enjoyed every essay and laughed out loud numerous times。 I admit， I shed a few tears during her essay about her friend group titled “Grown-Ass Ladies Gone Mild。” Helen reminds me of David Sedaris and Jenny Lawson and I can’t think of a better compliment than that。 Although I read this book in digital form， I’ve already pre-ordered the audiobook， as I can only imagine how brilliant it’s going to be hearing this read by Helen Ellis。 。。。more
Jan Thullen
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Funny， clever， and occasionally cringe for me。 Love a good book of funny essays。 Beach bag ready， this one。“I wore all black because I myself am a pop of color。” 🙂
Emily
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I won a Goodreads giveaway copy of Bring your Baggage & Don’t Pack Light。 Thankfully it arrived on my way out the door for a week by the ocean & was the perfect beach read！ It’s also funny enough that I didn’t mind cackling by myself in front of a bunch of strangers。
Nancy
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Another wonderful， funny book from Helen Ellis。 So glad I started reading her books。 I could have read this in a day if I wasn't working。 So funny and relatable， if you are a woman of a certain age。 I will definitely be recommending it。 Another wonderful， funny book from Helen Ellis。 So glad I started reading her books。 I could have read this in a day if I wasn't working。 So funny and relatable， if you are a woman of a certain age。 I will definitely be recommending it。 。。。more
amanda eve
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I'm a big fan of Ellis's essay collections， but this one wasn't my favourite。 It's just as funny and bright as her other books， but these are more memoir-esque， making them more maudlin and sentimental。 I'm a big fan of Ellis's essay collections， but this one wasn't my favourite。 It's just as funny and bright as her other books， but these are more memoir-esque， making them more maudlin and sentimental。 。。。more
Lis
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Y'all， this book was hilarious。 I laughed aloud， marked so many passages， and read tons of parts aloud to Jeff。 These essays were all about friendship， approaching middle age， sex， relationships， and being exactly who you are。It's the kind of book you want to share with everyone you know simply so they too feel more seen and less alone， especially in a time when friendships might have felt slightly more difficult to maintain through the past year。Thanks to Doubleday for an advance review copy - Y'all， this book was hilarious。 I laughed aloud， marked so many passages， and read tons of parts aloud to Jeff。 These essays were all about friendship， approaching middle age， sex， relationships， and being exactly who you are。It's the kind of book you want to share with everyone you know simply so they too feel more seen and less alone， especially in a time when friendships might have felt slightly more difficult to maintain through the past year。Thanks to Doubleday for an advance review copy - all thoughts and opinions are my own。 。。。more
Leanne
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I'll read anything Helen Ellis writes！ Hilarious！ I'll read anything Helen Ellis writes！ Hilarious！ 。。。more
Kim McGee
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I love Helen Ellis and her style of in your face but with a Southerner's grace of humor。 Her essays speak to all ages of women whether you are in that age range， will someday be in that age range or remember how crazy that age was ， the end result is always the same- giggle snort laughter。 From gaging their dinner guest's sex life， to girl trips， to garage sales these essays speak to women who are not afraid to stare fifty in the face。 Every time I read her I want to shout out "Right On Sister"！ I love Helen Ellis and her style of in your face but with a Southerner's grace of humor。 Her essays speak to all ages of women whether you are in that age range， will someday be in that age range or remember how crazy that age was ， the end result is always the same- giggle snort laughter。 From gaging their dinner guest's sex life， to girl trips， to garage sales these essays speak to women who are not afraid to stare fifty in the face。 Every time I read her I want to shout out "Right On Sister"！ She is a national treasure， a character and a spokesperson for telling it like you wish you could。 Fans of Erma Bombeck， Nora Ephron and Mrs。 Mazel rejoice！ My thanks to the advance copy。 。。。more
Debbie
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I love a book that finds humor in everyday life experiences and this one certainly does that。 Helen can be irreverent at times， but that's what's to love about her and this book。 As is true with most essay collections， I enjoyed some more than others， but there's an essay for every reader in this collection。 Even the acknowledgements read like another essay。 This is a fun， often poignant， quick read about Helen's life that readers can relate to。 I love a book that finds humor in everyday life experiences and this one certainly does that。 Helen can be irreverent at times， but that's what's to love about her and this book。 As is true with most essay collections， I enjoyed some more than others， but there's an essay for every reader in this collection。 Even the acknowledgements read like another essay。 This is a fun， often poignant， quick read about Helen's life that readers can relate to。 。。。more
Nicole
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***This review is for an Advanced Readers Copy I received through NetGalley***As a fan of Helen Ellis and her previous work Southern Lady Code and American Housewife， I had high hopes and I was not disappointed！ Well， maybe just a bit disappointed because the fun was over way too soon！ Her uncensored thoughts and experiences of modern-day mid-life for the middle to upper-class woman are both relatable and laugh-inducing。 Her wit and talent of story-telling have put her up there with David Sedari ***This review is for an Advanced Readers Copy I received through NetGalley***As a fan of Helen Ellis and her previous work Southern Lady Code and American Housewife， I had high hopes and I was not disappointed！ Well， maybe just a bit disappointed because the fun was over way too soon！ Her uncensored thoughts and experiences of modern-day mid-life for the middle to upper-class woman are both relatable and laugh-inducing。 Her wit and talent of story-telling have put her up there with David Sedaris as far as a must-read I will absolutely enjoy and tell my friends about。 The only reason I gave this book 4 stars is because I do wish it was longer。 A few more essays to sink into would have made it perfection。 。。。more
ladywallingford
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Right from the very beginning， this book made me chuckle out loud。 The author has a great humor all of her own about life， and I could really appreciate that。 She had a very strong beginning with the story about her lifelong girlfriends and about their life struggles， particularly one of her friend's struggle with cancer。 In fact， this story as well as the story about her father and his love of haggling stand out to me from all of the rest of the essays about life。 I also really enjoyed the fact Right from the very beginning， this book made me chuckle out loud。 The author has a great humor all of her own about life， and I could really appreciate that。 She had a very strong beginning with the story about her lifelong girlfriends and about their life struggles， particularly one of her friend's struggle with cancer。 In fact， this story as well as the story about her father and his love of haggling stand out to me from all of the rest of the essays about life。 I also really enjoyed the fact that this was a short and easy read， one that many people in the middle age range can appreciate because we've all been there or are about to be at that point in our lives。 The author stayed real but could inject humor into that realness， and I think people will appreciate that about the book as well。Thank you to Netgalley for this advance copy！ 。。。more
Lauren
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I’m definitely more of a fan of Helen’s short stories， but honestly anything she writes tickles my funny bone。 I love her dry humor and wit and how unreservedly she speaks of friendship， womanhood， and various other topics。 A great read， as always。
Grace Williamson
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Helen Ellis never fails to make me laugh out loud on public transportation with her wit， wisdom， and wisecracks。 This book is an absolute pleasure！
Victoria Lanigan
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This laugh out loud collection of essays follows Helen and her her friends。 A group of bad ass women she’s been friends with forever。。I feel like I just came off a grown ass ladies trip with my dance moms at our daughters’ dance competition。 Such a much needed weekend but more importantly being with friends that don’t judge。 That’s the running theme in her book。 Friends don’t judge each other’s baggage。。So many fun stories including her love for poker with this helpful advice， “If you can’t figu This laugh out loud collection of essays follows Helen and her her friends。 A group of bad ass women she’s been friends with forever。。I feel like I just came off a grown ass ladies trip with my dance moms at our daughters’ dance competition。 Such a much needed weekend but more importantly being with friends that don’t judge。 That’s the running theme in her book。 Friends don’t judge each other’s baggage。。So many fun stories including her love for poker with this helpful advice， “If you can’t figure out who the worst player is in the first thirty minutes， it’s you。”Each essay is comical but there is emotion， a cancer diagnosis， loss of a parent， plastic surgery and menopause when she questions， “Are you there Menopause？ It’s me Helen”。 Also， please read the short story on how she describes what a character is。 She nails it and it’s hilarious。 。This was a delightful， fun and relatable read coming off the weekend laughing my ass off with my best friends。 This book is about believing in the magic of life long friends and I can assure I subscribe one hundred percent to that philosophy。 。This would be the perfect gift for a friend and you to read together！ It’s released on July 13th。。Thank you #NetGalley and #RandomHouse for an arc in exchange for an honest review。 。#quarantine#foffimreading#bookclub#bookblog#bookreviewblog#bookaddict#bookcommunity#goodreads#bookishbounds#march2021#bookishladiesclub#bookwineandmetime#marchmadnes#bringyourbaggageanddontpacklight#helenellis#netgalley#randomhouse 。。。more
Sharnell Johnson
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I will read anything this Helen Ellis writes！ This is another hilarious book about Helen’s experiences with getting older， playing poker， and more。 I laughed at least once a page。 It was a quick read that didn’t lack anything。 I’m looking forward to her next one！
Ellen Rodgers Daniels
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This was exactly what I needed。 Helen never fails to deliver。 The lady IRL and her writing are incredibly ENJOYABLE！
Erin A。 Craig
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Full of the razor sharp wit Helen Ellis is known for， BAGGAGE was a gem of a read， each essay a different sparkling facet and set in gold。 Always relatable， always charming， I devoured this collection！
Caitlin
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This was an advanced reader copy through net galley。 This book made me laugh out loud， which I usually never do with books， but Helen Ellis is hysterical。 If you are a southern woman in her 40s or 50s， you will truly appreciate her stories。
Tana
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Advanced reader copy。 Fun read。 Her short stories make me laugh and cry。 Lovely way to spend an afternoon！
J
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I received an ARC from the author through NetGalley for an honest review。 Helen and her lifetime friends are having a reunion on the Redneck Riviera。 Nothing they have been through in life has ever broken the bond that these pushing 50 women have。 What is it like to be pushing 50？ Helen takes us along on her journey with her friends。 They don't see each other often but when they do， they have fun。 This book has some laugh out loud moments， I laughed quite a bit， sometimes because it was funny an I received an ARC from the author through NetGalley for an honest review。 Helen and her lifetime friends are having a reunion on the Redneck Riviera。 Nothing they have been through in life has ever broken the bond that these pushing 50 women have。 What is it like to be pushing 50？ Helen takes us along on her journey with her friends。 They don't see each other often but when they do， they have fun。 This book has some laugh out loud moments， I laughed quite a bit， sometimes because it was funny and sometimes because I am glad it didn't happen to me。 Helen asks， "Are you there， Menopause？ It's Me， Helen。" You have the hot flashes and other signs but your waiting for menopause to get it over with。 She talks about middle age sex， having fun and so much excitement that all you can do is scream。 It is a reminder to lighten up， don't take life so seriously， and sometimes just go have some fun。 。。。more
Cynthia
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I enjoy humor in my reading， but I don’t tend to laugh out loud。 This book made me chuckle and giggle。 Maybe it’s just the right book for me right now， but it was a great， albeit short experience。
Molly
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