Synopses & Reviews
From the beloved and bestselling memoirist comes a funny and affecting look at making the most of our friendships in an age of isolation. With her inimitable wit and disarming warmth, Julie Klam shares with us her experiences, advice, and insight in Friendkeeping, a candid, hilarious look at some of the most meaningful and enjoyable relationships in our lives: our friendships. After her bestselling You Had Me at Woof, about relationships with dogs, Klam now turns her attention to human relationships to great effect. She examines everything—from the curious world of online friendship to the intersection of friendship and motherhood. She even explores how to hang on to our friendships in the toughest circumstances: when schadenfreude rears its ugly head or when we don’t like our friend’s mate. Klam relays a mix of brand-new and time-tested wisdom—she finds that longtime friends really can grow up without growing apart; that communication is key; that friendship is one of life’s great, free sources of happiness; that you’re not a friend, just a doormat, if you don’t get back what you give—and her discoveries range from amusing to deeply important. Charming, bracingly honest, and compulsively readable, Friendkeeping is an irresistible book, a treat that you’ll want to share with your best friends right away. Brimming with keen observations and laugh-out-loud moments, it’s delivered in the lively, accessible voice that Julie Klam’s readers have come to know and love.
Review
"Julie Klam is like Proust, if he wrote about dogs instead of madeleines, wrote English instead of French, had better hair-and wrote exceptionally hilarious books that you can't help reading all at once."
-Patricia Marx
Review
“Julie Klam is one funny writer.”—David Rakoff, author of Don’t Get Too Comfortable and Fraud “[Julie Klam] can break your heart with one hand but then lift your spirits higher than a kite.”—The Huffington Post
Review
“[Klam’s] smartest book yet…amusing, poignant…a rollicking must-read.”
—People
“[Klam is] taking seriously something, namely adult friendships, that often turns into the wallpaper of cultural life: something that's there, and that's lovely, and that ideally you don't have to think about, but not something that you would delve into deeply.”
—NPR.org
“Klam addresses real relationships and the raw problems of human life... [and] shares her personal, honest, funny, and poignant friend experiences”
—The Atlantic Wire
“Klam's voice is often flat-out hilarious… [she] never fails to come up with terrific comic vignettes and sharp one-liners… highly entertaining.”
—Kirkus Reviews
“Julie Klam is one funny writer.”—David Rakoff, author of Don’t Get Too Comfortable and Fraud
“[Julie Klam] can break your heart with one hand but then lift your spirits higher than a kite.”—The Huffington Post
Review
“[Klams] smartest book yet…amusing, poignant…a rollicking must-read.”
—People
“The book you will want to give all your best friends, not as a nudge-nudge, hint-hint reminder of what it takes to be a good friend, but rather as a celebration of just how great friends can be. And if they (or you) pick up a few hints on how to be a good friend, so much the better for everyone. We all need reminding once in awhile that connection takes more than just showing up for drinks or a walk -- and Klam offers the reminders with her usual big heart, goofy humor, and open admissions.”
— The Huffington Post
“[Klam is] taking seriously something, namely adult friendships, that often turns into the wallpaper of cultural life: something that's there, and that's lovely, and that ideally you don't have to think about, but not something that you would delve into deeply.”
—NPR.org
“A smart read… with incisive one-liners and self-deprecating humor… Klam's warmth and wit is enough to keep this book light and engaging.”—USA Today
“Klam addresses real relationships and the raw problems of human life... [and] shares her personal, honest, funny, and poignant friend experiences”
—The Atlantic Wire
“A jolly, largehearted book…Julie Klam makes no claim to being a fancy expert. She has lived her expertise. Her own life is her source of knowledge… charming, nostalgic, informative.”
—The Washington Post
“These pages are strewn with nuggets of wisdom and witticism…[a] warm hearted book.”
—Dayton Daily News
“Klam's voice is often flat-out hilarious… [she] never fails to come up with terrific comic vignettes and sharp one-liners… highly entertaining.”
—Kirkus Reviews
“Klam is funny. Not cute or amusing, but laugh-out-loud, borderline too-much-information funny… With Friendkeeping, Klam proves that she is no one-trick pony.”
—BookPage
“Julie Klam is one funny writer.” —David Rakoff, author of Dont Get Too Comfortable and Fraud
Review
and#8220;[Klamand#8217;s] smartest book yetand#8230;amusing, poignantand#8230;a rollicking must-read.and#8221;
and#8212;People
and#8220;The book you will want to give all your best friends, not as a nudge-nudge, hint-hint reminder of what it takes to be a good friend, but rather as a celebration of just how great friends can be. And if they (or you) pick up a few hints on how to be a good friend, so much the better for everyone. We all need reminding once in awhile that connection takes more than just showing up for drinks or a walk -- and Klam offers the reminders with her usual big heart, goofy humor, and open admissions.and#8221;
and#8212; The Huffington Post
and#8220;[Klam is] taking seriously something, namely adult friendships, that often turns into the wallpaper of cultural life: something that's there, and that's lovely, and that ideally you don't have to think about, but not something that you would delve into deeply.and#8221;
and#8212;NPR.org
and#8220;A smart readand#8230; with incisive one-liners and self-deprecating humorand#8230; Klam's warmth and wit is enough to keep this book light and engaging.and#8221;
and#8212;USA Today
and#8220;Klam addresses real relationships and the raw problems of human life... [and] shares her personal, honest, funny, and poignant friend experiencesand#8221;
and#8212;The Atlantic Wire
and#8220;A jolly, largehearted bookand#8230;Julie Klam makes no claim to being a fancy expert. She has lived her expertise. Her own life is her source of knowledgeand#8230; charming, nostalgic, informative.and#8221;
and#8212;The Washington Post
and#8220;These pages are strewn with nuggets of wisdom and witticismand#8230;[a] warm hearted book.and#8221;
and#8212;Dayton Daily News
and#8220;Klam's voice is often flat-out hilariousand#8230; [she] never fails to come up with terrific comic vignettes and sharp one-linersand#8230; highly entertaining.and#8221;
and#8212;Kirkus Reviews
and#8220;Klam is funny. Not cute or amusing, but laugh-out-loud, borderline too-much-information funnyand#8230; With Friendkeeping, Klam proves that she is no one-trick pony.and#8221;
and#8212;BookPage
and#8220;Julie Klam is one funny writer.and#8221; and#8212;David Rakoff, author of Donand#8217;t Get Too Comfortable and Fraud
Synopsis
From the beloved and bestselling memoirist comes a funny and affecting look at making the most of our friendships in an age of isolation.
With her inimitable wit and disarming warmth, Julie Klam shares with us her experiences, advice, and insight in Friendkeeping, a candid, hilarious look at some of the most meaningful and enjoyable relationships in our lives: our friendships.
After her bestselling You Had Me at Woof, about relationships with dogs, Klam now turns her attention to human relationships to great effect. She examines everything from the curious world of online friendship to the intersection of friendship and motherhood. She even explores how to hang on to our friendships in the toughest circumstances: when schadenfreude rears its ugly head or when we don't like our friend's mate.
Klam relays a mix of brand-new and time-tested wisdom, she finds that longtime friends really can grow up without growing apart; that communication is key; that friendship is one of life's great, free sources of happiness; that you're not a friend, just a doormat, if you don't get back what you give, and her discoveries range from amusing to deeply important.
Charming, bracingly honest, and compulsively readable, Friendkeeping is an irresistible book, a treat that you'll want to share with your best friends right away. Brimming with keen observations and laugh-out-loud moments, it's delivered in the lively, accessible voice that Julie Klam's readers have come to know and love.
Synopsis
The hilarious and heartfelt chronicle of a woman learning the secrets of love, health, and happiness from some very surprising teachers: her dogs.
Julie Klam was thirty, single, and working as a part-time clerk in an insurance company, wondering if she would ever meet the man she could spend the rest of her life with. And then it happened. She met the irresistible Otto, her first in a long line of Boston terriers, and fell instantly in love.
You Had Me at Woof is the often hilarious and always sincere story of how one woman discovered life's most important lessons from her relationships with her canine companions. From Otto, Julie realized what it might feel like to find "the one." She learned to share her home, her heart, and her limited resources with another, and she found an authentic friend in the process. But that was just the beginning. Over the years her brood has grown to one husband, one daughter, and several Boston terriers. And although she had much to learn about how to care for them-walks at 2 a.m., vet visits, behavior problems-she was surprised and delighted to find that her dogs had more wisdom to convey to her than she had ever dreamed. And caring for them has made her a better person-and completely and utterly opened her heart. Riotously funny and unexpectedly poignant, You Had Me at Woof recounts the hidden surprises, pleasures, and revelations of letting any mutt, beagle, terrier, or bulldog go charging through your world.
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Synopsis
The secrets of love, health, and happiness gleaned from a life lived with dogs.
Julie Klam was thirty, single, and working as a part-time clerk in an insurance company, unable to meet a man she could spend her life with. And then it happened: she had a dream about a Boston terrier- a dream that practically hit her over the head. The companion she needed was not necessarily the one she'd had in mind.
As fate would have it, a dog is exactly the thing that she needed. The New York Times bestselling You Had Me at Woof is the often-hilarious and always charming story of one woman's discovery of all she really needed to learn about life through her relationships with her canine companions. Klam shares how her love for dogs and the lessons she's learned caring for them has shaped her heart. This is a funny, earnest, and emotionally compelling look at the surprises, pleasures, and revelations that happen when you let any mutt, beagle, terrier, or bulldog go charging through your world.
Synopsis
The bestselling memoirist shows how saving a dog can sometimes help you save yourself.
Julie Klam writes about dogs with a rollicking wit and a radiating warmth-as no other writer can. In her bestselling memoir You Had Me at Woof, she shared the secrets of happiness she learned as an occasionally frazzled but always devoted owner of Boston terriers. Now, with the same enchanting, pop culture-infused amalgam of humor and poignancy that reached the The New York Times and the Today show and won the hearts of readers across the country, she returns with more humorous insight into life with canine companions.
Klam focuses here on dog rescue, and its healing power not only for the dogs who are cared for and able to find good homes, but also for the people who bond with these animals. Klam became involved with rescue after years as an owner of purebred dogs. She was looking for a way to help and participate in a community, but she never imagined just how much she would receive in return. The dogs she has rescued through the years have filled her life with laughter and contentment, sorrow and frustration, and they have made certain that she never has a dull moment. Along the way, she has collected stories from friends who have also found that guiding dogs to nurturing homes made their own lives richer. These experiences, which show us that even in our smallest gestures we can make a big difference, inspired Love at First Bark.
Synopsis
From New York Times bestselling memoirist Julie Klam, a funny and affecting look at friendship in an age of isolation.
Facebook says you have hundreds of friends. So why can you name only two? Friendship today is more confusing than ever, and yet having someone to lean on and confide in is increasingly more important. Enter bestselling author Julie Klam, an expert on friendshiponline and offif there ever was one.
With humor and warmth, Klam shares stories that get to the heart of modern friendships, drawing in particular on her relationships with her four closest friends. From the relative value of secrets to the comfort of a confidant, from exciting social media friends to the ones who come to your party or meet you for lunch or go with you to a horrible doctors appointment, Klam explores every facet of modern friendship and peppers her stories with suggestions on how to make the most of it, and when to walk away. The result is a guide to making and keeping friendships that can stand the test of time.
Delivered in Klams inimitable, disarmingly accessible, and uproariously funny voice, Friendkeeping is a tribute to the powerful bonds we have with our friends and the singular joy these relationships create in our lives.
About the Author
Julie Klam grew up in Bedford, New York. After attending NYU's Tisch School of the Arts and interning at Late Night with David Letterman, she went on to write for such publications as O, The Oprah Magazine, Rolling Stone, Harper's Bazaar, Glamour, and The New York Times Magazine and for the VH1 television show Pop-Up Video, where she earned an Emmy nomination for Outstanding Special Class Writing. She married the show's producer, Paul Leo. They live with their daughter and three dogs in Manhattan.