Review: Have I Told You This Already?

I, like many of my generation, watched every single episode of Gilmore Girls. Multiple times. Sure, the show and characters may not hold up these days, but I loved it and I loved Lauren Graham in it. I’ve read most of her other books and really enjoy getting in insight into her life so I was definitely interested in her latest book of essays, Have I Told You This Already?: Stories I Don’t Want to Forget to Remember. It was a lot of fun to read!

Here’s the book’s description:

Candid, insightful, and wildly entertaining essays about life, love, and lessons learned as an actress in Hollywood, from the beloved star of Gilmore Girls and New York Times bestselling author of Talking as Fast as I Can.
With her signature sense of humor and down-to-earth storytelling, Lauren Graham opens up about her years working in the entertainment business—from the sublime to the ridiculous—and shares personal stories about everything from family and friendship to the challenges of aging gracefully in Hollywood. In "RIP Barneys New York," she writes about an early job as a salesperson at the legendary department store -- and the time she inadvertently shoplifted; in "Ne Oublie" she warns us about the perils of coming from an extremely forgetful family; and in "Actor-y Factory" she recounts what a day in the life of an actor looks like (unless you’re Brad Pitt).
Filled with surprising anecdotes, sage advice, and laugh-out-loud observations, Graham's latest collection of all-new, original essays showcases the winning charm and wit that she's known for.

In an age where celebrity memoirs can be overly gossipy and tell-all-like, it was kind of refreshing to read Graham’s carefully curated stories. They were still so very her and gave some insight on her life, the work she’s done, and the people she’s met, but it was still very private. I totally respect that and appreciate her giving just as much of herself to us as she felt comfortable doing. And I didn’t feel like I missed out on any juicy stories. It was just like a friend with a super cool job was telling me some stories of her life. It had a good vibe! I think that vibe can be attributed to what the description calls “down-to-earth” storytelling. Graham wasn’t trying to shock us or spill all the tea. Just tell us some good stories.

While I got an egalley to review from the publisher, I ended up listening to the audiobook (thank you, library!) because Graham narrates it herself. That probably added a lot to my enjoyment of the book - it was almost like we were sitting together over a drink as she was telling me her stories. Not all authors (or actors) are good narrators but Graham is. It was a really satisfying listen.

This is not a long book, sitting at just 183 pages. I might be a little bit disappointed that it wasn’t longer but only because I feel like there are so many more stories Graham could have shared. I’m trying to tell myself it was as long as it needed to be but, honestly, I wish there had been more.

Have I Told You This Already? is a book for Lauren Graham fans. In this latest book of essays, she tells us a few stories from her life - both personal and professional - she thinks we’ll enjoy and enjoy them we do. If this one sounds like one you’d like to pick up, I’d recommend the audiobook so you can listen to Graham tell you her stories herself.

*An egalley of this novel was provided by the publisher, Penguin Random House, via NetGalley in exchange for review consideration. All opinions are honest and my own.*