The Little Book of Heartbreak

I'm quite the cynic. Based on my circle of friends and coworkers I'd say it's what led me to journalism way back when and what has kept me in newsroom since. My cynicism also carries over to my bookshelf. I've always leaned toward non-fiction, and when I've chosen to read fiction leaned toward more realistic stories.

Which means no, I didn't read Twilight. Or Pride and Prejudice. Or anything that could be considered romantic literature.

But I was excited to read The Little Book of Heartbreak by Meghan Laslocky. When I read the back of the book, my immediate reaction was "Perfect! It's like SparkNotes for all those sappy stories I hate but should know about!" And it was way better than that.

The Little Book of Heartbreak: Love Gone Wrong Through the Ages is divided into five sections:

• History
• Culture
• Music and Art
• Film and Literature
• Conclusion and Practical Advice

My absolute favorite was definitely Culture. I loved learning about how heartbreak really does mess with our minds and about detachement theory.

As far as design goes, I like the simplicity of the cover with the basic line icons. Especially the dead bird, which also appears on the side. I find it pretty funny.

Obviously another highlight was this Harry Potter reference on page 11. After reading this, I knew I'd love the rest of the book:

I do have to say my one complaint about the book is the little breakout boxes that are scattered between chapters. They kind of reminded me of reading a book in middle school about boys or becoming a woman. I think I would have rather had a movie list at the back or at the end of each chapter. But this is just person preference. 

I can't say this book inspired me to read Pride and Prejudice or to see Twilight or suddenly believe these stories that I still find ridiculous. But I can say that I loved the historic side to The Little Book of Heartbreak and I'll be reading a lot more of Meghan's work. 

You can learn more about The Little Book of Heartbreak on Meghan's website. 

And because it is almost Valentine's Day, and almost February:
Field Notes Love 
& one of my favorite pieces from an Augusten Burroughs book

Augusten Lovin'

I've mentioned before how much I love Augusten Burroughs work. It's hard to pick a favorite book of his, mostly because they are each about such different phases of his life, but "Magical Thinking" is always a book I recommend. "Magical Thinking" is a collection of stories and one of my favorites is about his partner, Dennis.

"I watch him in the kitchen, and I think of how much it hurts to love somebody. How deep the hurt is, how almost unbearable. It’s not the love that hurts, it’s the possibility of anything happening to the object of your love. Like, I would not want Dennis to lose his mind. But I’d be much more fearful of me losing my mind, because then he’d be the one left alone.

Just like I want him to die first, so that he doesn’t have to lose me and then be alone. Or if I do have to die first, I want him to find another boyfriend beforehand, I want to hand-pick somebody and then get to know this person and make sure he’s up the task. I imagine there would be paperwork involved, with serious consequences if he breached the contract in any way. Love, unconditional. Or else you will lose your 401(k) plan, and your credit report will be forever destroyed, and there will be prison time."

Just a little bit of lovin' to celebrate Valentine's Day. 

The Single Penguin

This is so adorable, and sad.



(via Tumblr)