If Janet Ran It
The why and the whatnot
My husband coined If Janet Ran It for a blog I had over ten years ago, because I always had great advice that no one listened to. I gave up on giving advice, because I finally figured out no one takes advice they didn’t ask for. But I still like to share my thoughts on books I’ve read, particularly if said books make me nostalgic for the ‘70s, ‘80s, and ‘90s. I read a lot of celebrity memoirs, but I also dabble in juicy non-fiction and historical fiction. I’m just a middle-aged Gen-X cliché at this point. And I’m okay with that. I also wanted to regularly share the bits of media and pop culture I find entertaining, because you may like what I like. But it’s not advice!
I’m not a joiner, but Substack seemed like a great platform to share my love of books (and occasionally TV/music/pop culture) and also read other writers’ funny, interesting, and topical stuff without ads, angry comments, or staged videos. I like a newsletter. Sounds so old fashioned.
I don’t write book reviews. If I don’t like a book, chances are I didn’t finish. Life is too short to read stuff you don’t enjoy. Also, I’ve never written a book, so who am I to judge? You get at least two stars from me for getting something published.
I will, however, share a smattering of books that will serve as jumping off points for random thoughts that I think might be funny, entertaining, or interesting about life before Y2K. Remember Y2K? I was pregnant in December 1999, and I probably had just finished reading those 1999 publishing powerhouses Hannibal (still have mixed feelings about that one), Bridget Jones: The Edge of Reason (no memory of it, but I know I read it), Plainsong (beautiful), and Who Moved My Cheese? (just kidding, I’ve never read that). Good times!
I also really like trees. So you might see a tree or two. Because who doesn’t like trees?