Laurie Notaro is getting older, and it’s hitting her pretty hard. Which is good news for her fans. In her latest collection, EXCUSE ME WHILE I DISAPPEAR, Notaro tells all. Which will leave almost anyone of any age laughing out loud.

It all starts with Notaro’s hair. When she begins going gray, her sister, who is single, sagely advises, “You’re married…you have no one left to impress.” It’s that sort of prompting that sends her to the salon chair, paying dearly for two hours of chit-chat and color every three weeks.

"This is a book for high-spirited females like Notaro, anyone approaching middle to older years, and all who appreciate a realistic but waggish take on the human condition as seen in the 2020s."

Then Notaro meets up with a good friend who she has known for years and vaguely resembles. But now she has gone “a glorious silver,” which goads Notaro into following her example. She starts to realize that not being young doesn’t mean we should stop being ourselves.

Next come medical issues, invoking the need for invasive inspections. A routine colonoscopy necessitates a major fast and her orders to the physician: “Drug me like I’m Judy Garland.” She depicts such potentially humorous scenarios as trying to find a suitable new job, being forced to go back to the mic after a woman has died in the audience during her stand-up routine, and getting the puckish notion to stir things up online by posting that she is being driven crazy because “people have been walking in front of my house.”

The responses are fast, some furious, and she gets to shoot back with her well-phrased zingers. She insists that she owns her portion of the sidewalk and that “social intercourse,” suggested by one online participant, is the last thing she wants to see. Her clearly devoted husband comes into the picture as she is able to tease him as much as she wants, which pleases him. Most of the time.

With many subjects covered, all with the same subtle, oftentimes comically defiant infusions, EXCUSE ME WHILE I DISAPPEAR is poised to become yet another Laurie Notaro bestseller. It concludes on a poignant note as she and her husband decide to take care of their slowly fading faithful dog, evoking some philosophical issues as she realizes that “there are two old ladies living at my house.”

This is a book for high-spirited females like Notaro, anyone approaching middle to older years, and all who appreciate a realistic but waggish take on the human condition as seen in the 2020s.