Notes From the Bathroom Line

January 25, 2021
Comedian Solomon gathers dozens of pieces from female comedians in this bland collection of cartoons, one-liners, script fragments, songs, and comic essays. Themes run the gamut of standard stand-up fodder: dating undatable men, insecurities, becoming one’s mother, awkward social encounters, and obsessing over things then obsessing over being obsessed. The results tend toward the underwhelming (“taking my socks off and throwing them on the floor” is Naomi Ekperigin’s answer to the question “What’s a Bad Habit You’ll Never Get Rid Of?”) and common (the punch line of Mitra Jouhari’s “A Time You Sent a Text to the Wrong Person” is she sends a nude selfie she meant to send to herself to her aunt of the same name). There are some amusing pieces, including Alexandra Petri’s parody of a Star Wars novel as written by Ernest Hemingway, but they are outweighed by reams of banal material (“Different groups of people experience different aspects of my personality,” explains Rachel Sennott regarding her multiple social media accounts). Solomon aims high, but too often the pieces fall short.

March 26, 2021
One hundred fifty funny females times a million anecdotes, one-liners, insecurities, and mysteries of life equal one hilarious book. Editor Solomon's assemblage of comediennes tackle the great and not-so-great parts of lady life in a collection of comedy that's even better read out loud to your best girlfriends. Big names like Margaret Cho, Sasheer Zamata, Quinta Brunson, Samantha Irby, and Kristen Schaal contribute alongside tomorrow's stars. By giving her writers a free hand with their contributions, Solomon pulls together an impressive array of pieces in both written and visual formats; alongside sketches, scripts, one-liners, and the usual fare, we get comics, drawings, collages, a Choose Your Own Adventure-style story, an honest Outlook calendar, want ads, and even an original musical composition. If the bit doesn't land on the page, here's a hint: read it out loud to your bestie over FaceTime and wait for the snorts and giggles. This diverse collection finds the funny in nearly every wacky situation ladies can find themselves in. A much-needed dose of delight.

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