Herding Cats (Sarah's Scribbles)

by Sarah Andersen

[llamareads]

My response when I hear a new Sarah’s Scribbles book is coming out:



This is the third of Ms. Andersen’s collections, which are a combination of her web comics, new material for the book, and a short essay illustrated with comics. I’ve read, reviewed and enjoyed the previous collections (Adulthood Is a Myth and Big Mushy Happy Lump) and this is (delightfully) more of the same. You can expect lots of comics about cats, procrastination, Halloween, anxiety, and more! While many of the comics continue to be hilariously relatable, there does seem to be a higher percentage of “more serious” comics, with topics from the 2016 elections to women’s place in society. Ms. Andersen treats them with the same relatability as, oh, taking your bra off less than a minute after you get in the door.



My favorites of her comics are always the ones dealing with mental health. From the bad thoughts spiral, to randomly remembering an embarrassing moment that happened years ago, I’ve always found these particularly relatable, and I enjoy how they’re both respectful and gently humorous. A reoccurring theme is where one thing goes badly and ruins the entire day, from forgetting your headphones to not being able to refold shirts while shopping.



It also felt like there were more “warm hug”-type comics, ones that celebrate friendship and the simple things, from that awesome noise scissors make when cutting wrapping paper to venting to friends. I thought this provided a good foil to all of the “the world is ending!” and more serious comics.



There’s only one essay in this book, and it’s called “Making Stuff in the Modern Era: A Guide for the Young Creative”. As someone who’s neither young nor creative, I wasn’t expecting to get much out of this, but it is still applicable to pretty much anyone. In her typical fashion, it’s about ignoring the haters – both external and internal – and just doing your thing. Taking criticism – whether constructive or not – is something that I think many people, myself included, struggle with.

Overall, if you’ve liked the previous collections, you’re going to like this one! I can’t wait for the next one, either!

I received this book for free from NetGalley in exchange for an honest review. This does not affect my opinion of the book or the content of my review.