Are You Kidding Me?!

Are You Kidding Me ?!  is a humorous and honest look at the world. There will chuckle and you might relate to a couple of things.

I'm not in Lesley Crewe's demographic--I'm Generation X, single, childless, grew up in Florida, and currently live in Alabama. She is a 60-something columnist from Nova Scotia. So I'd never heard of Crewe. However, I was hoping for a good laugh.

Crewe is funny, in a self-effacing homemaker way. She mines comic territory similar to Erma Bombeck's. Unlike Bombeck, Crewe stays fairly close to home. She takes joy in the little things and takes nothing for granted. Her deep love for her family shines through.

Are You Kidding Me?! is a compendium of columns of the same name written for the Chronicle Herald, as well as some for Cape Bretoner Magazine and Cahoots Magazine. It encompasses 20 years. She organized columns by subject rather than year: Subjects include The Kids, The House and Home, The Body, The Food, The Husband, the Fauna, The Writer's Life, These Days...and the Good Old Days, and The Miscellaneous Observations (and Irritations). 

I liked the last two sections best, and was particularly amused by "Lady of the Flies", which explores what would happen if ordinary middle-aged women went wild like the boys in Lord of the Flies. (A whole lot more objects would be thrown and many more children would cry, among other things.) 

I believe that if I were more in the demographic for Crewe's column, I would have found this book much more amusing. I did, however, chuckle quite a bit. Are You Kidding Me?! definitely chronicles a life well lived, well loved, and well written.

This book made me literally laugh out. This book is comprised of columns written by the author on a variety of topics. I really enjoyed picking up and putting this book down whenever I felt like it as it was easier to just read a few columns at a time. The columns are really relatable and enjoyable to read.

I've enjoyed many of Crewe's fiction and being a Nova Scotian, I appreciate that she is a local author and writes about the area I live in. This collection of her columns was humorous and I really enjoyed a lot of the stories - even laughing out loud at times. I'm not quite her target demographic but I still enjoy her writing immensely and I know that this collection will resonate with a lot of fellow Atlantic Canadians.

What can I say?  I laughed out loud so hard I couldn’t read the passages to my husband.

This book is a series of articles written by Leslie Crewe in newspaper and magazine articles.  The author covers a variety of topics.

The book is laid out in short sections that make it perfect for reading when you only have a couple of minutes at a time.  

This is a must have book.  Even if you read her columns previously, you must get this book and reread them.  You will not regret it.

I dare you to not laugh while reading this book!


I received an ARC from Nimbus Publishing through NetGalley.  This does not affect my opinion or rating of this book.  I am voluntarily submitting this book.

Are you Kidding Me?! Lesley Crewe?!!!!!!  Have you been living in my house and watching my life unfold?  This book is hilarious.  Each and every story a delight.  An author who sees the humor in every situation and writes about it with wit and candor.  My only criticism is that this book didn't have even more stories.