MY INAPPROPRIATE LIFE

Chelsea Lately writer and producer McDonald (You’ll Never Blue Ball in This Town Again, etc.) offers a collection of stories about her personal and professional lives.

McDonald strives to be a good parent, be financially responsible, spend time with other parents in Los Angeles and take advantage of the perks of being on the successful E! show—e.g., hanging out with celebrities like Jennifer Aniston, who is a friend of McDonald’s boss, Chelsea Handler. McDonald’s goals often clash and result in humorous encounters. Fortunately, the author does not take herself, or any of the said goals, too seriously. Handler’s pranks provide plenty of fodder for the book, while other material comes from McDonald’s husband, a cheap, stay-at-home mortgage broker, parents who live next door, and a sister who asked her for an egg. The author laughs at herself more than anyone else, and her humor is very similar to Handler’s. Those who read My Horizontal Life might find this book to be the less-funny version. However, while Handler’s stories are mostly about being a single woman, McDonald looks at the perils of being a working mother, which should resonate with a large portion of her readers. Many of the stories center around parenting mishaps, such as when McDonald accidentally took her children to a debauched party in Las Vegas or when she dressed a teddy bear as a third child to be allowed in the carpool lane after she dropped off her children at school.

A mildly funny book lacking any key takeaways or lessons—good for somebody looking for an easy read to kill time.