It was the title that caught my eye: I Lick My Cheese. Intrigued, I pulled it off the shelf and leafed through it. Inside, I discovered other puzzling passages like, “I needed that ham! Really needed it”, and, “House rule: No nose sucking.” Naturally, I took it home with me.
The subtitle, And Other Real Notes From the Roommate Frontlines, gives a clearer idea of what this book is about. Inside, author Oonagh O’Hagan relates the trials and tribulations of the modern roommate relationship, organized into chapters according to the most common points of contention; like, “‘You stink like a big fat stinker.’ Personal Hygiene and Other Notes from the Bathroom.”
For more roommate themed reading, also consider: Roommates Wanted : a novel by Lisa Jewel
“1990. Please write and tell me why you should live here. Toby Dobbs received a big Victorian house with too many bedrooms to count as a wedding present from his father, but his marriage is over within a month. Very alone, and very lonely, Toby posts an advertisement seeking the “Unexpectedly Alone” to become his roommates. Fifteen years later the wayward souls he takes in are still living with him, with no intention of leaving. 2004. Please tell me how I can convince you to move out. Toby Dobbs has met Leah Pilgrim from across the road, and they’re falling in love. But before they can begin a new life together, Toby and Leah must help Toby’s house of sweet slackers and lovelorn misfits grow up, solve their problems, and set themselves free. But can their new relationship survive the test? ” – Publisher
The Room-mating Season, by Rona Jaffe
“The year is 1963, and college friends Leigh and Cady are determined to begin their adult lives amid the cosmopolitan social whirl of New York City. An ad for roommates brings two more young women into the circle: Vanessa, a sophisticated airline stewardess, and awkward, needy misfit Susan. Leigh, Cady, and Vanessa become fast friends, united by their success with men, their good looks, and their social savvy. But Susan’s eccentricities grate on her roommates, and her clumsy bids for their attention ultimately end in tragedy. Jaffe traces the lives of her characters over the next four decades with wit and poignancy”.- Booklist
This pleasing little hardcover is filled with many wonderfully bizarre notes. If you’ve ever shared a space with a roommate, passages like the mystifying, “has anyone seen the kitchen??”, or the disturbing “why is my bed damp?”, may well provoke a rush of nostalgic emotion, or perhaps a deep feeling of gratitude that those years are well behind you.
For more roommate themed reading, also consider: Roommates Wanted : a novel by Lisa Jewel
“1990. Please write and tell me why you should live here. Toby Dobbs received a big Victorian house with too many bedrooms to count as a wedding present from his father, but his marriage is over within a month. Very alone, and very lonely, Toby posts an advertisement seeking the “Unexpectedly Alone” to become his roommates. Fifteen years later the wayward souls he takes in are still living with him, with no intention of leaving. 2004. Please tell me how I can convince you to move out. Toby Dobbs has met Leah Pilgrim from across the road, and they’re falling in love. But before they can begin a new life together, Toby and Leah must help Toby’s house of sweet slackers and lovelorn misfits grow up, solve their problems, and set themselves free. But can their new relationship survive the test? ” – PublisherThe Room-mating Season, by Rona Jaffe
“The year is 1963, and college friends Leigh and Cady are determined to begin their adult lives amid the cosmopolitan social whirl of New York City. An ad for roommates brings two more young women into the circle: Vanessa, a sophisticated airline stewardess, and awkward, needy misfit Susan. Leigh, Cady, and Vanessa become fast friends, united by their success with men, their good looks, and their social savvy. But Susan’s eccentricities grate on her roommates, and her clumsy bids for their attention ultimately end in tragedy. Jaffe traces the lives of her characters over the next four decades with wit and poignancy”.- Booklist
