Excuse Me While I Disappear: Tales of Midlife Mayhem

Notaro (The Idiot Girls’ Action-Adventure Club) riffs on her unpreparedness for navigating life after turning 50 and the surprising benefits of getting older in this tongue-in-cheek memoir. When Notaro eschewed her pricey hair colorist to let the gray grow in, she felt like she suddenly “disappeared” to grocery store clerks, perfume sprayers, and Best Buy technicians (a theory she proved by shoplifting). Initially upset, she soon grew to appreciate her new invisibility cloak, which prevented her from getting catcalled by construction workers. She also began to log her AARP mail as “death’s calling card” and bought a convertible (from which she belts out off-key ballads). Searching for answers for her “new old body,” she set up a middle-aged women’s Facebook group to ask: “Can bending over kill me?” (Quite possibly.) It’s a nonstop and often profane monologue of sardonic takes on menopause and midlife, shot through with off-the-cuff advice, the best of which amounts to get a good attitude and better health insurance. Notaro’s fans who’ve aged right alongside her will feel like they’re on a call with a best friend. (Nov.)