From its col­or­ful cov­er, and its unusu­al pre­sen­ta­tion, one knows that Ency­clo­pe­dia of An Ordi­nary Life will be some­thing out of the ordi­nary. Amy Rosen­thal is an author of adult and children’s books, and a con­trib­u­tor to mag­a­zines and NPR. Rosen­thal claims she is writ­ing nei­ther a mem­oir nor an auto­bi­og­ra­phy, but a per­son­al ency­clo­pe­dia of her own ordi­nary life. Her ideas are refresh­ing and the pre­sen­ta­tion is clever as she tells her sto­ry, with often fun­ny and dark humor, of her life from A – Z. Illus­trat­ed with pho­tos, draw­ings, and repro­duc­tions, Rosen­thal speaks about every­thing from bro­ken items to ency­clo­pe­dia spines to laun­dry bas­kets, to thank­ing a stranger for tak­ing your pic­ture. The idea is nov­el, and her sense of humor has moments of great­ness. Her unusu­al humor and insight make this book a fun read.