What I Was Doing While You Were Breeding: A Memoir

I've recently gotten really into travel memoirs, mostly because I am really feeling the need to travel lately, but also because I won't be traveling much in the near future and thus turn to my tried and true books to temporarily transport me somewhere new. This book immediately jumped out at me for the title and pretty cover, and a few short days later I was reading it. This is definitely a book that you'll decide is or is not for you within the first few sentences, and luckily I liked Kristin and her writing style right off the bat. Each chapter is a different travel story and while some trips take place in the same country, each story is different from the last and equally as interesting as the others. If you're looking for a book that describes places, you'll probably be disappointed. Kristin's stories are focused on her travels, yes, but more so on the people (read: sexy men) she meets and falls in love with abroad. I found myself laughing out loud more than once while reading, even when I was in public and risked getting funky looks from those around me. Kristin is hilarious and I agree with other reviewers who said reading this book is like hanging out and drinking with your best friend while she tells you her crazy stories. You'll want to be Kristin's friend by the end, guaranteed. When Kristin isn't sharing details about her travels and international boyfriends, she tells the reader about her career as a comedy writer in Hollywood. It's a nice change up and break in between her travels, especially since work is such a huge part of her life in addition to her ventures overseas. I particularly liked Kristin's views on choosing one life path versus another and the fact that most of us often have some kind of longing for the path we didn't take - and that is OK. But she also discusses making major life changes and how it's a GOOD thing to sometimes miss what you had before even though you're excited about the new direction in your life, because it means you've traded "awesome for awesome." This is a great book to read if you need to laugh or just want to read about another woman's crazy adventures. Read it whether you're in a relationship or not, married or not, have kids or not. At the very least, I guarantee it'll motivate you to go "do something in the place you're supposed to do it." I know it did for me. Great, fun read!

A book deeper than I thought it would be. There is a good deal of insight into the soul searching for a woman who found out hard to settle down and bear children so decided to travel as much as she could instead. My first impression was it would be fun. Then I read a couple of reviews and I was hesitant. Bought it on a whim before a long flight and I finished it in 24 hours. It is mixed bag of a travel blog, personal memoir with interesting world views on a couple of subjects in one enjoyable package to read. This lady can write. Well. Easy, enjoyable writing. A brave memoir. Brave of her to go through the events and more importantly portray her feelings and experiences in that way. Braver still to publish it. Being a professional traveler I relate to some of the things the writer vividly describes in different corners of the world. What I like is her strong opinions about things and people and places. Does she sometimes sound racist? Not to me. It is actually a refreshing read of opinions in a world that is becoming so politically correct not offending anyone kind of grey matter. She has and talks about her opinions of different religions, or her view of them, different races and men and women and the countries she visited. People are entitled to have strong opinions about things and they have the right to talk about them. Readers can agree or disagree, the readers also have the right to do that. I love the book and recommend it to anyone to read with an open mind.

I bought this book for my first solo cross country trip. As a single woman in her late 20s, it seemed like the right fit. Other reviews I read said you’d either love or hate this book.. I felt somewhere in the middle. It’s a good story about going out and living your life. I felt like it took a little while to get started, but definitely had several good, steamy stories without being raunchy. It made me laugh out loud more than once, and was relatable in other areas. More people, especially women, should embrace experiences like Kristen!

As a single, successful, child-free 42 year old who loves to travel, this book REALLY struck some chords with me - big time. I loved it from the moment that I saw the title until the last page. Kristin Newman has some wickedly clever insights and does a great job of painting the joys of her experiences without overdoing it and making it all very real and relatable. I found myself wanting to highlight sections so much that I felt that I had to restrain myself so it wouldn't be one big highlight. Here are a few of my favorites: "I wanted love, but I also wanted freedom and adventure, and those two desires fought like angry obese sumo wrestlers in the dojo of my soul." "Then we were finally single, and kissed on a dance floor in Canada, but he promptly disappeared when we got back home, later explaining, 'We really could have had something if you weren't so successful.'" "because of how Argentina made me feel about me, in a way you flall in love with the crush at summer camp because he's the first person who's ever looked at you like that. Argentina made me feel backlit, like the girl who makes the music swell when the camera his her, like the girl who first broke your heart." "I read Eat Pray Love, which caused me intense stress due to how much I both hated the narrator for her self-involved, self-inflicted misery in the middle of a pretty amazing life, and deeply related to her, due to my tendency to be self-involved and inflict miser on myself in the middle of my pretty amazing life."

Didn't know what to expect going into reading this book. I thought maybe it was a self help guide to being independent and single. But after reading the sample on my kindle, I realized I couldn't have been more wrong. In a good way! This book is above all things honest. Kristin shares openly about her experiences in a way that is real and relatable but she absolutely does not tell you how to live your life. It's exactly what it says on the tin: a memoir. Very refreshing and actually laugh out loud funny! I couldn't stop myself laughing even in very public settings which at times was slightly embarrassing! However, on a more serious note, her adventures make you reconsider your priorities and how you see yourself in relation to your peers. Just in her telling her story, you can't help but do a bit of introspection along the way.

The book is terrible. Not worth the read.

Firstly, you need to know that the author writes for sitcoms, therefore meaning you will undoubtedly laugh multiple times. For me, this novel was responsible for series of stifled fits of laughter, as I read it while riding the bus to and from work. At the time, I was living and working in England, watching as the rest of the people in my life settled down to have families; this novel was the little voice that made it OK to be doing my own thing when the rest of my world would sooner have me home, married off, and breeding. Would I recommend it? Highly. In fact, I just gifted a hardcopy to a recently divorced friend who is now taking to her own adventure working abroad. This novel is for any woman with a sense of adventure and who is in need of a laugh.

I read this in a weekend, there are many things I relate to as a baby boomer travelling the world when l was young and the unexpected hook ups. It’s lovely that there is a uncomplicated happy ending.

Super lecture, bien sur on appréciera d'autant plus si on se retrouve dans le personnage, ce qui fut mon cas. C'est une bonne rigolade et ca fait toujours beaucoup de bien de se marrer avec son bouquin, qu'on soit dans le metro, le bus ou avachi dans son canapé ;)