I Hate the Gym

The gym, for Kaminsky, is ""the epicenter of evil,"" and those who share this view will laugh their way through this viciously funny, step-by-step tour through a place ""chock full of sights, smells, and sounds you wish you had never witnessed."" She offers advice on self-motivation (make goals like ""one cocktail for every mile I run"") and appropriate attire, recommending readers ""go with the old T-shirt, loose sweats, and granny panties"" while admitting that she herself wears a thong (her explanation: ""I am a panty line Nazi. I'd hand out tickets to underwear offenders if I could""). For each area in the gym, from the weight room to the juice bar, she lists types of people one is likely to find: in the ladies' locker room, avoid ""the exhibitionist,"" and in the fitness room, look out for ""Mr. Midlife Crisis."" Her observations are caustic and often over-the-top--her suggestion for keeping weird people at bay is to act like a deranged character from One Flew Over the Cuckoo's Nest--but no one who picks up a book with this title is likely to be offended. Despite her caustic, exasperated tone and relentless wisecracking (or perhaps because of them), readers who share her love/hate relationship with the gym will find this a fast, laugh-out-loud read, especially for those days when the last thing they want to do is drag themselves to the gym.