Laughing IS Conceivable: One Woman's Extremely Funny Peek into the Extremely Unfunny World of Infertility: Lori Shandle-Fox

"This little ebook was written by a humor writer and former stand-up comic while she was in the shoes of her one fertility treatments -- uncertain of the outcome.  It has been downloaded by 1000s of fertility patients and professionals who believe that, even in this overwhelming, emotionally, mentally, financially, & physically draining time in a person's life, laughter really is the best medicine."


***I FINALLY get to post this review!  I originally wrote it on 12/18/17 and now, on 6/7/2019, I am finally allowed to post it!  When I read this book about a year-and-a-half ago, I had no idea I'd have to postpone this review for such a long time.  I picked it up right after we were told that the next step in our fertility process was IVF...and I was devastated.  I felt so broken, so useless, and so lost.  Why was conceiving no problem for so many and yet I was "unworthy"?  I was desperate (as was my husband) to find some way to cope with this all while maintaining the level of privacy I/we wanted to maintain throughout this infertility process.  This book is marketed to women in my situation.  Re-reading my review below, I didn't seem all that impressed.  I think, perhaps, I wasn't in a very receptive place (I was just downright angry and miserable), or maybe it was because I hadn't actually begun my own IVF process yet.  We didn't start prepping until early 2018 for what would turn into 2 IVF egg retrieval cycles.  Recalling what I do about this book, I think I would have appreciated some of it a lot more had I been going through IVF -- I don't know if I would have cracked up like some of the other readers did, but maybe I would have connected on a different level.  The book did do one thing:  it helped me not feel so alone.  I wasn't the only woman suffering through this and I won't be the last.  If you're more of a private person (like myself) and/or you don't have anyone close to you with whom you can share this experience or who can connect with you, then this is a good place to start.  It may help you feel just a little less lost and a little less hopeless.  Here is what I wrote back in 2017:

I’m planning on keeping this review private for the foreseeable future, mostly because reviewing this short book is a very personal revelation.  I picked up a little postcard advertising this book while in the waiting room at my fertility doctor’s office.  My husband and I have been trying to conceive since our wedding 1.5 years ago, but no luck.  I had a surprise PCOS diagnosis 1 year ago and, after countless tests, a surgery, monitoring, and numerous procedures, still no luck.  The last couple of months have been particularly stressful and painful for me and it seems only to be getting worse.  My poor, distraught husband has asked me to speak to someone about our difficulties in the hopes that it would make me feel better – for many reasons, I/we have decided to keep these issues private, if only to save ourselves from having to discuss every individual failure each and every time.  I feel it’s a very private matter and it’s no one else’s business.  Anyway, this book is supposed to be geared toward women in my situation; it’s marketed as having a sense of humor about the whole issue of infertility and all the crap we have to go through just to try to accomplish something our female bodies are supposed to do naturally.  Speaking first-hand, I can say this is a very personal, very raw, very difficult topic.  I was hoping that this book would do exactly what it was intended to do:  add some levity to the very serious and often heartbreaking situation of infertility.

This was a very quick read – much quicker than I thought it would be…I read it in less than 24 hours.  It was easy to read and well-organized.  While I found my mouth twitching at some of the scenarios and I highlighted several very relatable passages, it was not the crack-me-up, laugh-out-loud book I was hoping for.  Reading reviews on Amazon, it seems like the reviews are, for the most part, on very opposite sides of this spectrum.  People either cried from laughing so much, or they found it boring and filled with complaints rather than anything helpful or uplifting.  I am one of the rare middle-gounders.  I can sincerely appreciate what the author was trying to do.  It was reassuring to know I wasn’t alone in this (though I knew I never actually was, it was a way of seeing into someone else’s journey without feeling nosey or having to explain my own issues to put us on equal ground).  I didn’t crack up.  I think the closest I got was a small chuckle.  I think this could have been a much longer book; especially because it seemed like the author underwent a lot of treatment.  I get that it’s her choice to include as many or as few of her experiences as she wants, but I was given the impression that the book, itself, would have been longer.  I think it would have been more “helpful” had it been longer because she could have included more of her trials.  Maybe that’s just me.

Would I recommend this book?  I suppose.  I can see how it might help some women/people going through similar situations.  It does remind you that you're not alone, you're not the only one experiencing these feelings and this pain, but I did not experience the same solace other readers felt.  I say give it a go if you want!  Who knows?  Maybe it'll help you more than it helped me.  Happy reading (and good luck to all)!

Taming of the Shrew: William Shakespeare

I was so excited to read this play! I knew a little bit about the storyline and it made me all the more thrilled that we were going to read it in class.

Kate was awesome! She reminded me of a slightly more intense version of Beatrice from MUCH ADO ABOUT NOTHING (so, if you like strong female roles, check out that comedy as well). Patruccio was such a macho-man, full-of-himself type of guy that you really WANTED not to like him...however, despite that, I DID end up enjoying him! He was annoyingly charming and smart. Though he only wanted Kate because of her money, I like to think that he felt a little something toward her by the end of the play. The same goes for Kate. I believe that--much like myself--she ended up liking Patruccio in spite of what she wanted herself to feel. Part of this is probably from the fact that it's difficult to be in such a situation as they were in and not have some sort of shift in emotions.

Though a lot of people criticize Kate in the end for giving up on herself, I think it's not as bad as they make it. I don't much care for her language in her final speech, but it's a turning point for her character that I can understand--especially when one takes into account the period in which it was written.

We ran out of time for the year in my Shakespeare class, so we didn't get to watch any of the movies that were made from this play (no...I haven't seen 10 THINGS I HATE ABOUT YOU...I've seen bits and parts, but I want to be able to sit down and watch the whole thing to give it justice). I highly recommend this brilliant work by Shakespeare! It was an awesome, entertaining read if you take the time to learn all of the characters and appreciate their personalities.

Much Ado About Nothing: William Shakespeare

This play by the Bard, himself, has to be one of my favorites. I read this for my Shakespeare class and LOVED it. Beatrice with her whip-like tongue and Benedick with his sarcasm and biting attitude had to be my FAVORITE pairing by this famed playwright. One does, however, have to keep the time period in mind when reading this; as it makes ALL of the difference in appreciating the personalities and situations. I laughed aloud too many times to count. Dogberry deserves particular attention in order to see all of his aspects. Shakespeare put particular thought into him and he needs to be seen as such. As usual, the language was amazing. The imagery was beautiful. And the characters were awesome. I loved this work by Shakespeare and I recommend this one as a MUST READ.

Also, we watched the version by Kenneth Branagh in class and it TOTALLY made the play come to life. The directing was fantastic and the acting was outstanding (except for Kieanu Reeves...though that's another story entirely...). There were plenty of other bigger names in there that make it interesting even for those who are not Shakespeare-savvy. I absolutely loved this film adaptation and would gladly watch it over and over again!