Anne Lamott is one of my favorite authors. She is funny, articulate, and wise. This was a pre-order. I tried to leave feedback for seller - there was no way to do that. So I have to do it here. The new book arrived with sticky stuff all over it. Mailed in the same box with plastic spoons - no protection for the book. Amazon gave me a refund of $3.95 for damage during mail. I accepted because I didn't want to hassle with a return. Disappointing.

No one knows better how to turn a phrase to produce a smile than Anne Lamott. Even when delving deeply into challenging topics and life experiences, she leads with vulnerability, is generous in sharing her own mistakes and pain and applies her skillful witty observations that can’t help but elicit a chuckle in her readers. She holds a mirror up and we recognize ourselves. Lamott applies humor so we can forgive ourselves and those who disappoint us. Her voice is neither preachy, scoldy nor prescriptive. Anne Lamott shows us, with honesty and deep humanity, how to live and let live.

Great book; beautifully written. A little too much god stuff. As an atheist, I really didn’t enjoy those elements but otherwise a lovely read.

It never fails. Whenever I go through something incredibly challenging in my life, Anne Lamott publishes a new book that speaks to me and helps me get through it. It happened when my oldest son began struggling with addiction. It happened when my father passed away. And it happened when I was unemployed and couldn’t find a job for 6+ years. Now it’s happening again. I was recently diagnosed with colon cancer and, at the time, thought my life was over. Nobody wants to be told they have cancer, and accepting the news was extremely difficult for me. But I went through the necessary surgery and my prognosis is good (thank God). Helping me through the process were a whole lot of people who showered me with love: my amazing wife, my family and friends, my coworkers, and the knowledgeable doctors, nurses, and hospital staff who cared for me with all their heart. Without them, I’m not sure where I’d be right now. “Even in the darkest and most devastating times, love is nearby if you know what to look for,” Anne writes in “Somehow: Thoughts on Love.” And that couldn’t be more true. Throughout the pages of this book, Lamott explores love and the many forms in which it can present itself. She tells us that “love is how hope takes flight” and that “life delivers the unbelievable so often that you might as well believe.” Read this book and you will realize: we *all* have an abundance of love in our lives, no matter what we’re going through. “When life has lost its promise, or disappointed us one too many times, when it is hard to trust again or feel alive and curious again, love beckons us over and asks, ‘Got a minute?’” My favorite story in this book is one Anne tells about a little girl who was having a hard time falling asleep, and whose mother told her everything was okay because Jesus was in the room with her, keeping her safe. To this, the girl replies, “I need someone with skin on.” Anne reveals that “this is the main instruction that I would leave my family in my swag bag of spiritual truth: be goodness with skin on." Whether you’re a longtime fan of Anne Lamott or someone who’s never experienced her writing before, you should read this book. Annie is the calming force we need in today’s world. The port we need in the storm that is life. And her words have been an elixir and a source of love for me since I discovered them years ago. “Good old love, elusive and steadfast, fragile and unbreakable, and *always* there for the asking: always, somehow.”

I ordered Somehow out of pure spite when I learned that the NYT had the colossal gall to give Anne Lamott's latest book a bad review. In my book, national treasure Anne Lamott can rest on a comfy couch with a cup of tea and never write another word again for all of her service to human kind. This brilliant writer/healer/guide has given so much of her heart and soul in nineteen books, I truly didn't care if her twentieth book's pages were completely blank. BUT alas she did it again!! Somehow cracks your heart wide open and then pieces it back together with love, humor and great insight as only Anne can. Purchase this classic! Read it, give it away, and then buy more to have your own forever copy and some copies to leave on park benches and in waiting rooms. The world needs this.

I love all of the Anne Lamott's work. This title is no exception. It is inspiring, reflective, contemplative, and funny all at once...class Anne Lamott. Her essays reflect her humility and insights regarding her own thoughts and behavior in relation to others. She is willing to say what many keep to themselves or do not even have the self-awareness to recognize. This is a great book for anyone who wants to understand themselves or others better.

I have at least half of all the books Ann Lamott has written, yet this one did not keep my attention. My favorite book by far is "Operating Instructions" that she wrote long ago. I will likely re-gift the book.

The author's voice is that of an everyday person with exceptional insight and an interesting life perspective on what it means to grow up in a dysfunctional family and learn how to live in faith as a recovered alcoholic. The stories she tells feel real and familiar and thereby have depth and power.

Enjoyed reading the book.

Relatable. Wise. Even funny at times. And so often I identify totally and get reenergised for the better living. Thank you Anne