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

By: Jen Mann

Narrated by: Jen Mann

Length: 5 hrs and 18 mins

Publisher's Summary

For fans of Laurie Notaro and Jenny Lawson comes an uproarious and oddly endearing essay collection for anyone trying to survive the holidays in one piece. 

When it comes to time-honored holiday traditions, Jen Mann pulls no punches. 

In this hilarious collection of essays, Jen Mann, nationally best-selling 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. And even if she can't get out of attending another Christmas cookie exchange, at least she can try again next year. 

Praise for Spending the Holidays with People I Want to Punch in the Throat:

“Mann’s writing has transcended from witty anecdotes and complaints to notable satire. Hidden among the many laugh-out-loud zingers are lessons on how we relate to each other, and how ridiculous parenting culture has become.” (Associated Press)

“Following the success of her first book, she is now punching throats at holidays, starting from her being age two and continuing to the present, where she is a harried mother bemoaning not just Christmas but all holidays.... Harried holiday haters will chuckle and perhaps see themselves somewhere in Mann’s lifetime dislike of and misbehavior during America’s increasingly commercialized celebrations.” (Booklist)

“The cure for my cold holiday spirit this year is the sidesplitting new book by Jen Mann.... Mann delivers her signature punch lines and sharp critique on the oftentimes ridiculous shenanigans of the modern family. Her ability to make an otherwise boring subject come alive with colorful personalities, biting sarcasm, and impressively astute observations on suburban culture is what makes Mann so much fun to read and so easy to relate to.” (The Huffington Post)

“A lighthearted, laugh-out-loud book...with a feel of peeking into a diary.” (Mommy’s Memorandum) 

“It really does make you laugh out loud.” (Shooting Stars Mag)

“A quick and delightful read that you can sneak in right before bed or when the kids are finally napping.” (FangirlNation)

©2015 Jen Mann (P)2015 Random House Audio

Critic Reviews

"Jen Mann understands that wanting to be a good person and yearning to punch the deserving in the throat aren't mutually exclusive. At no time is this more evident than during the holidays. Buy this book if you're a fan of not spending the holidays behind bars." (Jen Lancaster, author of I Regret Nothing)

loved this book - full of laughs

You won't regret reading this. even if Kitts not around Christmas. I needed a stress buster, and this was out.

Did NOT laugh-out-loud

Perhaps this book would be more enjoyable and funny if read in print. I was distracted by the author’s narration the entire time. Some authors should not narrate their books. It felt unnatural and stilted and faked. I had no issue with the language, but at times the use of a curse word felt forced and like it was only put in the sentence to try to squeeze out a laugh. The stories in many cases could’ve been so much shorter- a lot of them just dragged on. The stories also didn’t fit the title in my opinion. I expected it to actually be about the types of people you want to punch in the throat but the stories were all retellings of various Christmases from the authors past. If it had been a longer book I wouldn’t even have finished it. I’ll be getting a refund from audible for this one.