A book by Robert Urban
Lick the Spoon
Family chaos. Midlife surprises. Another perfectly sensible plan that did not survive contact with Tuesday.
About the book
There is usually a story in the mess.
Lick the Spoon is a collection of personal stories and observations about the ordinary situations that become funny after you have had a little time to recover. Food, family, embarrassment and the stubborn decision to remain optimistic all have a place at the table.
I am interested in the moment between being certain you know what you are doing and discovering that you very much do not. That is fertile ground for comedy. It is also where a surprising amount of adult life takes place.
This is my tenth book. By then, you might reasonably expect me to have developed better judgment. I had, however, developed a fairly reliable habit of writing things down. Lick the Spoon puts that habit to work on the disasters, small pleasures and awkward recognitions that make everyday life worth telling someone about.
Optimism has to survive the actual day.
It is easy to feel optimistic before anything has happened. The more interesting test comes later, after the family has weighed in and the day has acquired a plot. The humor here leaves room for both the frustration of the moment and the affection that survives it.
If you like personal nonfiction with a conversational voice, this is a place to start. The point is recognition: that small, slightly uncomfortable feeling that somebody else has also been a fully grown adult with no useful explanation for what just happened.
Read it, then compare notes.
For a reading group, the conversation can begin close to home. Which moment reminded you of a story your own family keeps telling? When does embarrassment become funny enough to share? What changes when the person telling the story makes himself part of the joke?
Those are discussion prompts for readers, and an invitation to bring your own stories to the table. There is usually no shortage.
Before you choose
A few reader questions.
Is Lick the Spoon a cookbook?
It is a humor and personal-story collection. Food is part of the material, but this is a book to read for the stories and observations.
Do I need to read Robert Urban’s earlier books first?
You can begin here. Lick the Spoon stands on its own, and the related books below offer other places to go afterward.
Which edition do these publication details describe?
The details here describe the paperback listed under ASIN B0FQCW98V1 and ISBN 9798298467643. Amazon also lists a Kindle edition; check the selected format before purchasing.
Pull up a chair.
Open the Amazon listing for Lick the Spoon to choose an edition, check current availability and find your copy.
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