Is It Just Me? by Miranda Hart

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Publication date: 2012 (UK, release in US 1 Apr. 2014)
Publisher: Hodder & Stoughton
Pages: 323
My rating: 4 stars
Ages: 18+

From British comedian, sitcom writer, and actress, Miranda Hart, comes her first book, Is It Just Me? Part memoir, part manual (or, "miran-ual"), Hart writes on 18 different subjects from relationships to Christmas, sharing her own hilarious stories and some inspiring insights with the hope that it isn't just her. Speaking both to "my dear reader chum" (or, MDRC--which I started to say in my head as "ma-drick"--something I like to think Hart would appreciate) and her 18-year-old self, Hart gallops through the pages of her book with humor and wisdom.

There are several things I really enjoyed about this book. First, it's written exactly how Hart speaks. I became a fan of Hart first from PBS's "Call the Midwife," then from her sitcom "Miranda" and have watched several interviews. Having the book written as if she really is talking to me, as her MDRC, makes it so much more approachable. Second, I'll tell you now, it's not just Hart. It's me, too! There were so many times in her book when she was regaling the reader and "Little Miranda" with some awkward story and I thought "That's totally something I would do." There were even a few times I wondered if she had been spying on my life, it was so accurate. Third, there was so much to laugh about, even apart from her stories. Hart makes up words, or combines words in funny ways. She points out her puns, or if she rhymed.

I did read the British published version of her book. Because of the absolute British-ness of it, it may be hard for the average American to understand some of the references or language. I'm not sure what the American published version will do about that, but that's the only reason I gave it a four. I'm an anglophile, but there were some nuances that I still didn't understand.

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