Member Reviews
A fun sweet read! Highly recommend.
Many thanks to the author, publisher, and NetGalley for my ARC.
What in the World was a fun read away from my typical fiction and I loved it. This is the story of comedian Leanne Morgan's life as a Southern girl, wife, mother and comedian.
We saw Leanne Morgan perform last month and when she announced she had a book coming out, I hurried to get a copy from NetGalley. The central theme to her life is family is everything. She is a comedian whose fame didn't start until her mid-50's and in this memoir she shares growing up in a small southern town to a shop owner turned butcher family. She is open about mistakes made after leaving her loving family and then turning her life back around and finding a man who loves her well, but with few words!
I appreciated most about Leanne's story was that she had a chance at stardom earlier in life and it fell through, but she now sees that as a blessing so she could be home to raise her family. She is quick to give God credit for all her many blessings and protection. The book is very funny, but much of the material is the same as her show. Overall, it's a great read of perseverance and faith.
I received a complimentary copy thorough Net Galley, but all opinions are my own.
Rainy day reviews 🌧️☕️🎀
Confidence is an Inside Job by Ashley Henriott is such a beautifully written book reminding the reader to find their confidence in Jesus as the root of all things to fall in place. Our world right now is so bogged down with social media, that we forget that isn’t what is going to fill our cup. It’s actually depleting it. This book gives a chance for woman to remember our uniqueness and to not follow the trends. I adored these words and so enjoyed this read! Publish date is October 14. @ashley.henriott @waterbrookmultnomah
Prayer Journal for Woman by Sincerely Shanene is one I’m adding to my list of gifts for other friends. I love the beautiful layout, the scriptures were incredible, and it was so sweetly laid out. As a mom of four I don’t have much extra time, but this seemed like something moms could do in the morning or evening in their spare moment. Publish date is April 1. @higginspublishing @sincerelyshanene
What In the World?! by Leane Morgan made me bust out laughing SO much!!! Another great gift to give friends. I loved the honesty and realness of this book- reveling against the latest diets, having hormones, mean girls still, and wanting to rock out at a concert. I love when a woman is real and honest, and this is it! Publish date September 23. @leanemorgan @convergent_books
Radiant Radiant Radiant by Tess Whitehurst laid the red carpet for entering “middle age” and what that means for beauty, health, fashion, mindset, and who you want to be. There is journals, advice, and activities in this one. I love a good self help book, and this is perfect for that “now what” phase of life. True radiance is realizing there is no one like you and to run with that! Publish date is June 3. @tess4444 @quarterpubb
God Hears Her by Our Daily Bread. This. Book. Every. Woman. Needs. Like in your bathroom to start the day with or end it with. The scripture, the encouragement, the beautiful words, and the simplicity was so wonderfully put into this adorable book. Publish date is September 30. @ourdailybread
This book had me smiling the entire time. If you aren't familiar with Leanne, watch her comedy concert on Netflix(?). This is where I first heard of her. I was so pleased to see this book come out. The entire time I was reading it, I could just hear it in her voice. Leanne is one-of-a-kind, but so relatable. I feel she speaks for a lot of women. I'm not a mother, but I can relate to the love she feels for her family. Her relationship with her husband really rings true. I would happily give this book 5 stars, but I reserve that rating for true literary masterpieces. However, I can definitely recommend it to anyone looking for some light, uplifting reading.
Getting to read an advanced copy of this book was an absolute thrill, and I can't thank Penguin Random House enough for selecting me. I have laughed my way through the Leanne Morgan Netflix special, I'm Every Woman, countless times, and have seen her show live when she was in Richmond, VA. You might think there would be no new material for a book and she would just be rehashing material from her shows. Wrong! Her career, what it is today, was 22 years in the making, and she has a lot to say, and so many stories from along the way. There is some material you may have heard, but there is plenty you haven't. She muses on her early days, growing up in rural Tennessee, college life in the 80s and landing a husband with health insurance. It took her a long time to find her voice in her marriage and the world of comedy, but she has done it with drive, and willpower and an unshakeable belief in herself. Leanne Morgan is a mom of three, grandmother of two, plus a dog mom, and so completely relatable, that I am a huge fan. If you want to laugh until you cry, I definitely recommend, What in the World?! by Leanne Morgan when it is out in the fall.
Funny and relatable, Morgan tells her story of hard work, never giving up on your dreams, and God’s timing.
Thank you to Net Galley for an ARC.
I'm a huge Leanne Morgan fan. She always makes me laugh out loud. I could watch her videos endlessly. So, I rushed to get tickets to her show when she was performing near me. When a dear friends mother's funeral was scheduled for the same time as the show, I had to do the right thing and go to the funeral. So, in the world of Leanne, it was a "God moment" when I got approved for an early readers copy of her book. The book does not disappoint. There are plenty of laugh out loud moments, but there's also so much wisdom in the book. Although I'm a Northerner from the suburbs, there's so much to relate to in the book. I loved reading about the ups and downs of her journey. Now, she's got to do a show again near me.
I love Leanne Morgan! I saw her perform at Zanies in Chicago July 2019 and I’ve followed and lived her ever since.
This book is exactly her humor and heart on the page. She shares so much about her life and I appreciate her openness, straight on her stories from her childhood, early adulthood heartaches and challenges to Chuck and her kids, to her success after 50(although you can read about her successes as a wife and mother throughout)!
I laughed out loud a couple times while reading What In The World?
Everything she wrote I could hear her say in her sweet accent. I loved this book so much!
What in the World?! By Leanne Morgan
It is an autobiography from a small-town southern woman and the highs and lows of a life as a daughter, wife, mother, grandmama, and comedian/actress. It is a deep look at how women struggle to attain their dreams and make sacrifices out of love for their families. She does mention several traumatic experiences that change you. As Southern women, we have societal expectations to do it all with a smile on our faces. I have followed Leanne Morgan for a couple of years. She is hilarious and is fun! I was so excited to read her book. And in her perfect style, she never disappoints. I enjoyed learning more about her life before the kids and her husband. It reveals the birth of her charismatic personality, search for love, heartache, professional struggles, and work ethic sprinkled with laughs. I can't tell you how much it means to know that I am not alone in my struggles to be a working mom and a good partner, I am so glad I got to read this book. It was a glimpse of hope that I needed, it is going to be okay and that all of that work was worth it. If you do anything this year, let it be to read this book.
In exchange for my honest review, I received an ARC copy of the ebook from Netgalley and Convergent Books. Thank you for the opportunity.
Leanne Morgan’s standup routines crack me up, so I was excited to read this book. It tells about the ups and downs of her life with some humor thrown in, but I was honestly expecting more humor.
Her stories toward the end of the book were good reminders to appreciate all we have in life. I enjoyed reading this!
Something only a few people know about me is that I really like stand-up comedy, so I had to read Leanne Morgan's memoir WHAT IN THE WORLD?! as soon as possible (publishes September 24, 2024).
This is a light memoir, as you might surmise from the title, perfect for the porch or reading where you might be interrupted. Leanne has either had a relatively trauma-free life or she has chosen to focus on the humorous parts. Aside from a quickie marriage when she was young to a not-so-nice guy, she had an enviable family life growing up. After she gets to adulthood, the memoir mainly focuses on the indignities of getting older and her horny husband who doesn't talk that she turns into a part-time stand-up career while being a mom. There are some chuckles, but the themes do get a little repetitive.
What I really like is that her voice comes through loud and clear in this memoir. I did read it with my eyes instead of listen to it, and even so I could still hear her voice talking to me.
One caution. Leanne Morgan is a traditional Southern Methodist woman. She believes strongly in traditional male/female gender dynamics. So there were some things that made my skin crawl as I read due to having very different values than she does. For example, she talked about prostituting herself to her husband (her words) to get new curtains, new shoes for her kids, etc. Thankfully the memoir doesn't touch on politics since I can surmise that Leanne and I do not share any political views.
If you're in the mood for a light memoir from a comedian and are in your 40s or older, I think you might like this one.
Leanne Morgan's story is absolutely fabulous. She is very down-to-earth and funny to listen to. I would recommend this book to anyone who wants a fast, light read.
Have you ever read a book and instantly thought to yourself "I'd like to meet this author?"
That's kind of the experience with Leanne Morgan's "What in the World? A Southern Woman's Guide to Laughing at Life's Unexpected Curveballs and Beautiful Blessings."
"What in the World?" exists squarely within the realm of memoir meets humor, a sort of autobiography sub-genre that seems to invite participation by those in the comedy world. Indeed, that's the case here with Morgan, a late 50's comic who has found her success later in life with her familiar and relatable tales on everything from rebelling against the latest diet trends to dealing with being perimenopausal mean girls to attending rock concerts in her middle age and her lovely yet polar opposite second husband named Chuck.
Morgan isn't quite what we'd consider an "overnight" success, though her early attraction to the lure of Hollywood gave way to the realities of being a sheltered country girl. A graduate of the University of Tennessee, Morgan did the family thing - getting married, moving to Bean Station, TN (really in the foothills of the Appalachian Mountains not far from where my father's own family lived), and started raising a family.
It was when she started selling jewelry out of her own home that Morgan began to really develop her comedy voice. These sales gatherings became popular events, Morgan often using the parties to wax humorously about breastfeeding, hemorrhoids, and other maternal tales. When someone laughed to the point of peeing on the couch, Morgan finally figured out she may be on to something.
Indeed, she was.
We discover that relatable and funny "something" in "What in the World?" It's a collection that will tell some familiar stories for Morgan fans while serving as a solid introduction for those less familiar with her internet and stand-up presence. With a 100+ city tour in 2022, The Big Panty Tour, and a 2023 Netflix special, Morgan is defying the odds by becoming a comedy sensation in her 50s with the kids grown and Tennessee still a presence in her life.
"What in the World?" will resonate most completely with those who connect with her "Southern woman" humor and her relatable tales, however, Morgan writes in such a relaxed and comfortable way that she's the kind of author you'll end up wishing you could meet in real life. She's funny, kind, warm, caring, lives in a world in which many of us can identify. While it may sound like she'll primarily appeal to women, and many of her stories will be more relatable for women, Morgan's world is a universal world that should have everyone laughing and everyone completely charmed by one of comedy's rising stars.
I really don’t get how people can give anything below a five star for a book about someone’s experiences. It’s a five for me for two reasons: the first, I feel like I understand my mother a whole lot better. The second, I knew nothing about Leanne Morgan and I am happy I came across this book. Thanks to Netgalley for the ARC copy of the book.
Leanne Morgan's book is an absolute riot, delivering the same level of side-splitting humor you'd expect from her on stage. I laughed until tears streamed down my face numerous times throughout the read. It's like having Leanne herself narrate the book in your head!
What makes this book truly special is the peek into Leanne's life and how she got her start into the world of comedy. Her journey through motherhood is incredibly relatable, hitting close to home for anyone who's navigated the joys and chaos of parenting.
With its perfect blend of humor and heart, this book is more than just entertainment—it's a heartfelt gift waiting to be shared. Whether it's your mom, mother-in-law, or bestie who loves a good laugh, they're sure to adore this hilarious journey through the ups and downs of motherhood. So grab a copy, settle in, and get ready to laugh your socks off!
I coincidentally was approved for this book the night before I got to see Leanne Morgan give the keynote at the Texas Library Association's annual conference. The keynote and the book are hilarious, relatable, and a quick read. The cover is gorgeous and the content will have you chuckling until the end.
WHAT IN THE WORLD?! I don’t like to give ratings for memoirs. But, I will say I really enjoyed this quick read by Leanne Morgan. I listened to her on a podcast before, and found her comedy really relatable, charming and just fucking funny.
As a mom, wife, and someone always trying to fill a void of what’s next, I found this book really refreshing. Her story will make you laugh with her wit. A quick read that will put family and the simple things into perspective. I really enjoyed it!
I received a free copy of, What in the World?!, by Leanne Morgan, from the publisher and Netgalley in exchange for an honest review. I have never heard of Leanne Morgan, before I read her book. Leanne keeps it real, and tells it to you straight. I enjoyed reading about Mrs. Morgan.
You may know who Leanne Morgan or you may not but I'm sure you seen some of her YouTube clips talking about her family. She draws humor from the everyday minutia of family life. And she holds nothing back. She talks about her body in a way that many women of a certain age can relate to and even laugh about. She raised her family and collected many stories to share. She grew up in a rural area of Tennessee to hard working parents. She shares stories from her youth and even shared many of the mistakes she made along the way. She loves her husband Chuck even though there are days she would love to kill him. Who can't relate to that. She raised three kids but her love for her grandchildren rises above the love of her children. Read this book. You will laugh, yes you might even shed a tear or two but you will defiantly will be able to relate to the stories she shares.
Love Leanne Morgan. Knew I’d love her book. Excellent.
Thanks to author, publisher and Netgalley for the chance to read this book. While I got the book for free it had no bearing on the rating I gave it.