Such A Pretty Fat on Shelves Today

By Ali Trachta in Arts & Entertainment on May 6, 2008 2:45PM

Chicago writer Jen Lancaster is back with her third memoir, Such a Pretty Fat: One Narcissist's Quest to Discover If Her Life Makes Her Ass Look Big; Or, Why Pie Is Not the Answer, which hits bookshelves across the nation today. To celebrate the launch, the author kicks off her book tour in our hometown, making a book signing appearance tonight at Barnes & Noble in Lincoln Park.

If you’ve picked up any women’s magazine or watched an episode of Oprah in the last decade, you know that weight loss is a painstakingly pervasive topic, yet there always seems to be some new “answer” that promises to melt pounds effortlessly. (Note: we actually saw an ad for Motionless Exercise the other night. Sold.) Lancaster chronicles her stab at all these solutions (Atkins, Jenny Craig, Weight Watchers, the works) until she finally settles in with Barbie - the perky, blonde, perfect personal trainer whom she actually happens to like. Lancaster spares us from most of the sappy, spiritual awakening b.s. of weight loss, instead favoring relatable wit and charm as she tells her story of finally learning to leggo the Eggo.

Queen of fantastic titles, Lancaster's previous works include Bitter is the New Black: Confessions of a Condescending, Egomanical, Self-Centered, Smartass, or Why You Should Never Carry a Prada Bag to the Unemployment Office and Bright Lights, Big Ass: A Self-Indulgent, Surly Ex-Sorority Girl's Guide to Why it Often Sucks in the City, or Who Are All These Idiots and Why Do They Live Next Door to Me? You can also read her blog here.

The book signing is at Barnes & Noble, 1441 W. Webster, May 6, 7:30 p.m.