Jen Mann

The author offers her witty, acerbic observation on life in suburban America, taking on topics like marriage, motherhood, and neighborhood politics.

Competitive Crafters, Drop-off Despots, and Other Suburban Scourges

People I Want to Punch in the Throat

"From the New York Times bestselling author of People I Want to Punch in the Throat comes a smart, funny, personal examination of what it's like to be at the crossroads of a woman's midlife crisis. Jen Mann had what appeared to be the perfect life: a successful career as a bestselling author and award-winning blogger, a devoted husband, teenage kids who weren't total jerks, and a badass minivan. So imagine her surprise when, at forty-seven years old, a midlife crisis kicked her straight in the ladybits. In an attempt to deal with the resulting range of emotions and physical changes in midlife, Jen posted a completely honest now-viral post, "Anyone Else Falling Apart Or Is It Just Me?" The response was instantaneous and overwhelming. Women from all over the country flooded the comments section, glad to see they weren't the only ones experiencing this feeling of isolation and dissatisfaction. It was the beginning of a movement. Midlife Bites encompasses these important conversations and observations, and creates a space and community for women to navigate through this major point in their lives, together, offering valuable insights and takeaways. Jen shares her own story as well as advice and wisdom from the online community she built. Please note, this is not your mother's midlife crisis. Different from the typical self-help book, Jen tackles everything that bites about midlife and nothing is off-limits with her no-nonsense approach. Subjects include: raging hormones; sex (after forty); finding your purpose; learning to make new friends (yes, even as a grown-up); moving out of your comfort zone; having conversations that count, no more small talk; and how to deal with rogue chin hairs (and other nuisances). Midlife Bites is Jen Mann's call to action. She is leading the movement to create a new space where middle-aged women can share openly and honestly with one another. This no-BS collection of essays will help start the conversation and keep it going, because as women, we all have a right to be happy, fulfilled, and to feel whole, no matter what stage of life"--

Anyone Else Falling Apart, Or Is It Just Me?

Midlife Bites

"In this hilariously irreverent collection of essays, Jen Mann, nationally bestselling author of People I Want to Punch in the Throat, turns her mordant wit on the holidays. On Mann's naughty list: mothers who go way overboard with their Elf on the Shelf, overzealous carolers who can't take a hint, and people who write their Christmas cards in the third person ("'Joyce is enjoying Bunko.' Yeah, Joyce, we know you wrote this letter."). And on her nice list... well, she's working on that one. Here, no celebration is off-limits. The essays include: You Can Keep Your Cookies, I'm Just Here for the Booze; Nice Halloween Costume. Was Skank Sold Out?; Why You Won't Be Invited to Our Chinese New Year Party. From hosting an ill-fated Chinese New Year party, to receiving horrible gifts from her husband on Mother's Day, to reluctantly telling her son the truth about the Easter Bunny, Mann knows the challenge of navigating the holidays while keeping her sanity intact."--

Yuletide Yahoos, Ho-ho-humblebraggers, and Other Seasonal Scourges

Spending the Holidays with People I Want to Punch in the Throat

If you've ever toiled away in a cubicle or sat through the third meeting your boss scheduled to plan another meeting, then you can relate to this book. This is the third book in Jen Mann's New York Times best-selling People I Want to Punch in the Throat series and it will not disappoint This is the book you'll want to accidentally on purpose leave on the desk of that blowhard in marketing. This is the book you'll just happen to drop next the microwave in the break room hoping that Jan in accounting reads it before she reheats last night's smelly leftovers for lunch. This is the book you'll mail anonymously to your micromanaging boss with certain passages highlighted. The Punch List: Company-wide happy hours. I barely want to work with you. I definitely don't want to have a beer with you. The Ivy Leaguers. You do know every sentence doesn't have to start with, "When I was at Princeton..."? The martyrs. You get sick days-use one. Stop dragging your sniffling, snorting, coughing, sneezing ass to work and infecting the rest of us. You're not that important. Advance Praise for Working with People I Want to Punch in the Throat: "I'm grateful to all of the people Jen Mann writes about in this book-the condescending managers, undermining editors, the plastic surgeon who helpfully offered free operations during a job interview, and the boss who fired her with a Post-It Note-because they made her into the rage-filled writer we all know and love." - Jancee Dunn, author of How Not to Hate Your Husband After Kids "I connected with Jen Mann's book more deeply than I'm comfortable with. It was brilliant and gross and hilarious and heartwarming and then hilarious again. I literally couldn't put it down. For what it's worth, the only book before this one that I read in one sitting without a break was Dances with Wolves. Don't judge me." - James Breakwell (@XplodingUnicorn), author of Only Dead on the Inside: A Parent's Guide to the Zombie Apocalypse

Working with People I Want to Punch in the Throat

My name is Plum Parrish, I'm fourteen, and I'm pretty sure I'm invisible. Not like super power invisible, more like loser invisible. There's a big difference. I live with my dad who doesn't realize that a job transfer to Kansas is not a promotion; my s'mother who thinks journaling, cheesy inspo slogans, and mani-pedis can solve my problems; and my twin brother Pax who is so perfect I'm convinced we share absolutely no DNA. Unfortunately, I'm not invisible to them. I love them, but they embarrass me on the daily. Honestly, they would probably say the same about me, because I'm weird, sarcastic, and just a lot. My best friend is ghosting me, and my other best friend is a teacher. The move to Kansas is my opportunity to reinvent myself and embrace my a lot-ness (yes, that is too a word). Sure, I will literally have to battle a live bat, a Queen Bee, and my unruly hair, but I will find my tribe and own who I am.

Queen of the Misfits

My Lame Life

Meredith Spidel

Nicole Leigh Shaw

I Just Want to Be Perfect is the fourth book in the bestselling I Just Want to Pee Alone series. It brings together 37 hilarious and relatable essays that showcase the foibles of ordinary women trying to be perfect. The cult of perfection is a thing. As women, we are constantly inundated with "helpful" and/or "ah-may-zing" tips to improve our looks, please our men, raise the next Einstein (in a wheat-free, dairy-free, and sugar-free environment), and feng shui the crap out of our homes. Whether it's the hot new diet that involves only eating what you can forage from the floor of your minivan, bleaching everything from your hair to your teeth to your butt hole, or clearing your clutter by mindfully thanking your ratty underwear for its long, dedicated service before you toss them, we've all tried something to be more perfect. We all try strive for perfection and balance in our lives, and most of us fail--spectacularly. These are those stories.

Jen Mann

Books

Your next favorite book is out there