Humor Books - Page 5

Youth in Revolt: The Journals of Nick Twisp

C. D. Payne

Amazon Price: $54.95 List Price: $54.95 Usually ships in 24 hours By: Blackstone Audio Inc. Amazon Marketplace: 1 new & used starting at $34.62

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Customer Reviews:
Total reviews: 203 Average rating: 4.5 of 5

Fun and worthwhile, both as a writer and teen 5 out of 5 stars.
1 of 1 people found this review helpful.

1. Teens:

I read Twisp AND then I read a hundred Amazon reviews of this book afterwards. Did anyone notice that the ADULTS said teens don't talk like these characters while the 14 year old TEENS said "a teen can't find a better book?" I tend to trust the teen perspective.

As a young-adult writer, I've heard other published YA writers say that if your reader is 14, make your protagonist act and talk like a 16 year old. Payne may have just followed that rule a little excessively. I think the reason the dialogue rings true with 14 year-olds is not the choice of big words, but the shortness of sentences when people are talking. Listen to how Fantasy characters and adults in two-bit novels talk to each other and you'll see why so many books read like a bore.

2. Worthwhile reading for writers:

I found the brisk pace, sparse description, and almost-nilhistic absence of deeper message liberating. You won't find a block of scene-setting description anywhere in this book after page 50. Description is slipped in between dialogue, paper-thin, often as single words. Payne proves a good book just has to be entertaining; it need not wear a tie and spit out deep nuggets wisdom.

I can't wait for my niece (age 11) to turn 14 so I can send her my copy!

Editorial Review:

Youth in Revolt brings us the journals of Nick Twisp, California's most precocious diarist, whose ongoing struggles to make sense out of high school, deal with his divorced parents, and lose his virginity result in his transformation from an unassuming fourteen-year-old to a modern youth in open revolt. As his family splinters, worlds collide, and the police block all routes out of town, Nick must cope with economic deprivation, homelessness, the gulag of the public schools, a competitive Type-A father, murderous canines (in triplicate), and an inconvenient hair trigger on his erectile response--all the while vying ardently for the affections of the beauteous Sheeni Saunders, teenage goddess and ultimate intellectual goad.

Wigfield

Amy Sedaris

List Price: $26.95 By: Highbridge Audio Amazon Marketplace: 14 new & used starting at $1.90

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Customer Reviews:
Total reviews: 61 Average rating: 3.5 of 5

Russell Hokes: Great Journalist or The Greatest Journalist? 5 out of 5 stars.
1 of 1 people found this review helpful.

Wigfield represents the very best of quintessential small-town Americana. Built at the base of the pricey-but-worthless Bulkwaller Dam, Wigfield boasts sixteen gentlemen's clubs (including the premier T-- Time Show Palace, The Bacon Strip, The T--- Shop and The Muffeteria), several junkyards, a community theater with a troupe of semi-trained rabbits, and even its own local rag, The Wigfield Sporadic. Like many charming small towns, Wigfield is under attack; but the threat lies not in urbanization, suburban sprawl, factory farming or the like. Rather, that which shaped the proud town of Wigfield will soon be unleashed upon it if the government goons have their way. The Bulkwaller Dam is scheduled to come down - oh noes!

Luckily, journalist Russell Hokes is on the case. Sent by Hyperion Books to document the plight of America's dying small towns in 50,000 words or more (it's in the contract), Hokes arrives in Wigfield just in time! Between immersing himself in Wigfieldian culture and sidestepping his publisher, can Hokes prevent the flooding of Wigfield? Does anyone really care?

WIGFIELD: THE CAN-DO TOWN THAT JUST MAY NOT is a supersillious satire of small-town America. Admittedly, the comic stylings of Stephen Colbert, Amy Sedaris and Paul Dinello aren't for everyone, but I pity the fools. If you like Strangers With Candy, The Daily Show or The Colbert Report, then you'll love the saga of WIGFIELD.

In fact, reporter Russell Hokes of WIGFIELD is clearly the prequel to one Dr. Stephen T. Colbert, DFA, of THE COLBERT REPORT fame. From his trusting of the gut to his scorn for books, Hokes is the vision of Dr. Colbert in his early days. Both characters are somewhat dim, self-centered, obtuse, lazy, selfish, racist/sexist/homophobic, upper-crust anti-intellectuals. Even the various skits featured in WIGFIELD resemble those used on THE COLBERT REPORT: at one point, Hokes interviews himself, a la "Formidable Opponent," while Hokes's chat with Representative Bill Farber plays like an installment of "Better Know a District." Throughout the book, you can imagine Stephen the pundit cutting his chops on the story of Wigfield in the visage of Hokes the journalist. Brilliant!

Much like Stephen Colbert's more recent I AM AMERICA (AND SO CAN YOU), WIGFIELD is clearly meant to be enjoyed as an audio recording. Colbert, Sedaris and Dinello give voice to all the characters themselves, at times crossing gender lines. Their collective range is just 360 degrees of awesome. Stephen as man-hating lesbian High Priestess Thea is simply priceless. WIGFIELD the book is hilarious as well, but the audio version will have you LOL!!!1!!!1-ing. If your library happens to have a copy of the print book, it's well worth a looksee, since there are a dozen or so photos of the comedians dressed up as their respective characters. Again, Stephen posing as a nearly-nekked Thea is - well, that alone is worth the price of the paperback. You'll want to blow that photo up and hang it above the fireplace, right next to the portrait(s) of Dr. Stephen T. Colbert, DFA.

"America, bend over and relax, you're about to get a Truthoscopic examination."

Editorial Review:

Wigfield is a small bucolic hideaway, situated in front of a massive dam which is about to be torn down by the state government to restore the salmon run. Wigfield's only hope lies in the self-righteous, self-involved "journalist" Russell Hokes, who arrives hoping to capture the quiet dignity of the disappearing American Small Town. However, Wigfield is nether quiet nor dignified. As the date of destruction draws nearer, Hokes casts about desperate to find something about Wigfield worth documenting. WIGFIELD is a razor-sharp satire by three major talents.

Sex Tips for Straight Women from a Gay Man

List Price: $12.00 By: HarperAudio Amazon Marketplace: 5 new & used starting at $32.98

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Customer Reviews:
Total reviews: 42 Average rating: 4.0 of 5

...Agree with rexross (previous reviewer) 5 out of 5 stars.
1 of 1 people found this review helpful.

I picked this book up at a bookstore and after reading a few pages had to buy it.
Now I am buying my fourth copy.
Whever I mention this book to a friend, they inevitably want to borrow it...and it never comes home to me again!
What does that tell you?
-- The authors are onto something :) And everyone seems to appreciate what they have to say.
I learned a lot from this little book, and love the drawings. It's done with a breezy chatty style, and opens the discussion about sex and pleasure without being too 'director-like' if you know what I mean. The humor is well done. Among other things, there are practical tips about being a thoughtful 'sleepover hostess' I believe I understand men's desires and needs better.

Treat yourself to this little book of jems!
I'm glad I did!

Editorial Review:

Co-written by a gay man, an entertaining, revealing, explicit sex manual offers tips and techniques, advice on the properly appointed bed and bedroom accessories, and reflections on love and lust. Read by Dan Anderson & Maggie Berman. Simultaneous."

The Truth (with jokes)

Amazon Price: $87.25 List Price: $87.25 Usually ships in 24 hours By: Brilliance Audio Amazon Marketplace: 7 new & used starting at $14.99

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Customer Reviews:
Total reviews: 485 Average rating: 4.0 of 5

Editorial Review:

Al Franken's landmark bestseller, Lies, and the Lying Liars Who Tell Them…a Fair and Balanced Look at the Right, was praised as a "bitterly funny assault" (The New York Times) that rang "with the moral clarity of an angel's trumpet" (Associated Press). Now, this master of political humor strikes again with a powerful and provocative message for all Americans.

Because after Lies, comes The Truth….

Al reveals the alarming story of how:
· Bush (barely) beat Kerry with his campaign of "fear, smear, and queers," and then claimed a nonexistent mandate
· Republicans decided that Terri Schiavo would make "a great political issue"
· Conservatives sought to undermine Social Security by using a strategy borrowed from… Vladimir Lenin
· Tom DeLay is just an absolute horror show

This is truly a book for everyone.

If you were a Bush voter, Al wants to set aside partisan bitterness and talk about the better future Americans can build together for their children, grandchildren, and great-grandchildren. (Generations beyond that will have to fend for themselves.) But first, Al must show you how Republican leaders are, at this very moment, betraying your trust and quite possibly lighting a Cuban cigar with a burning American flag or Bible.

If you're a liberal, this book is for you as well. Maybe even most of all. You will find evidence for what you already believe: that Al Franken is among America's finest prose stylists, and that the depravity of the Bush administration is only outmatched by the rot in the heart of the Republican Congress.

And finally, if you are a member of a future generation who has found this book in a pile of radioactive rubble, Al apologizes. Not because he didn't do his best to control the proliferation of nuclear weapons from rogue nations to non-state actors taking refuge in so-called "failed" states. But because his countrymen evidently failed to listen.

In any case, enjoy the book.

Dave Barry's Complete Guide to Guys

Dave Barry

List Price: $7.99 By: Audio Literature Amazon Marketplace: 9 new & used starting at $0.76

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Customer Reviews:
Total reviews: 44 Average rating: 4.5 of 5

Dave Dave, he's the man, if he can't make you laugh, nobody can 5 out of 5 stars.
2 of 2 people found this review helpful.

What I love about Dave is he's a regular guy....and yet, he's so darn funny! Here he is writing about what he knows best - guys. I laughed so hard that tears were rolling down my face........and I wasn't even past the introduction! Seriously though, this book should be required reading for any girl planning to get married or just moving in with a guy. It might save them some grief later on. Heck - it could even save a marriage or two or thirteen! Dave so hilariously shares with us all the mysteries of being a guy - from scratching (still chuckling about that chapter) to urinal etiquette, fear of committment to special medical conditions such as memory lapses. He truly says it like it is and oh, it's said so well. There's only one other humor writer who has made me laugh so hard I peed my pants (thanks a lot, Jarod Kintz) but Dave rates right up there for Guy Most Likely to Make you Pee.

Editorial Review:

For thousands of years, women have asked themselves: What is the deal with guys, anyway? What are they thinking? The answer, of course, is: virtually nothing. But that has not stopped Dave Barry from writing an entire book about them, dealing frankly and semi-thoroughly with such important guy issues as:

- Scratching
- Why the average guy can remember who won the 1960 World Series but
   not necessarily the names of all his children
- Why guys cannot simultaneously think and look at breasts
- Secret guy orgasm-delaying techniques, including the Margaret Thatcher
   Method
- Why guys prefer to believe that there is no such thing as a "prostate"

Sweet Potato Queens' Field Guide to Men: Every Man I Love Is Either Married, Gay, or Dead

Amazon Price: $16.95 List Price: $16.95 Usually ships in 24 hours By: Random House Audio Voices Amazon Marketplace: 13 new & used starting at $5.97

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Customer Reviews:
Total reviews: 9 Average rating: 4.0 of 5

Just didn't have the old magic 3 out of 5 stars.
6 of 6 people found this review helpful.

My wife and I have loved the Sweet Potato Queen books from the beginning. Reading them together became something of a ritual for us. This book, however, left us both rather disappointed.

Jill Conner Browne is a very talented writer, no question about that, and her latest book did offer several laugh-out-loud moments. Her descriptions of the various types of men (and the women who are involved with them) was very funny. She devoted one brief chapter to explaining why "he" didn't call, which combined humor and down-home good sense as only the SPQ can do.

However, Conner-Browne's distinctive literary voice has changed over the years, and not for the better. In one chapter she goes on endlessly about her plastic surgery experience, from which she recuperates with a shopping spree. In another section, she describes her experience with acuptuncture, blissfully glossing over the expense of it. Previously, the SPQ came across as folksy and full of love-for-life. In discussing her high-priced indulgences, however, she comes across as spoiled and decadent. This kind of self-worshipping prattle distances her from those of us who don't have endless piles of money, and frankly makes her book less enjoyable to read.

Mind you, this doesn't mean that the latest SPQ book isn't worth reading. My wife and I agreed that we were both glad we read it. However, we also agreed that compared to the previous books in the series, it just wasn't as good.

Editorial Review:

The Sweet Potato Queens like men. They like them so much that they have devoted an absolutely inordinate amount of time to the pursuit of men, marriage, and great sex. And then, when that doesn t work out, they've devoted an inordinate amount of time to divorce, gittin another one and having great sex with him instead. The Sweet Potato Queens' Field Guide to Men is the Queens manifesto on all matters of the heart, featuring tales from Queens around the world, plus the continuing adventures of the women you've come to know and love (and envy just a little bit). In this audiobook, Wannabe Queens everywhere will learn: the difference between a Bud Spud, a Spud Stud, a Crud Stud, and other Studs; T.G.S. (Typical Guy S***); Man Ears and Other Guy Stuff; and still more about The Promise.

Lake Wobegon Days (Lake Wobegon)

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Customer Reviews:
Total reviews: 37 Average rating: 3.5 of 5

Not even remotely funny or entertaining 1 out of 5 stars.
2 of 14 people found this review helpful.

Being a Minnesota resident all my life, a paying member of MPR (the irony of which you'll see below) and the product of a family of artists, writers and musicians of many generations (another irony which you'll see below), you think I'd be just as arty and fawning when it comes to Keillor's non-existent humor as the rest of the local artsy-farsty crowd. However, I'm here to tell you that there are a few smug little local Minnesota myths that many self-styled Minnesotans need to experience a sad realization in lieu of:

1) "Minnesota Nice" isn't particularly any nicer than the "niceness" in any other state despite how smugly the anchor people here GUSH(!) about it on KARE 11 and WCCO Channel 4 News or WCCO AM 830 radio. However: MN polite? Sure. MN possibly just might kill you with kindness? Quite possibly. Just try making friends with those same local self-described MN Nice types, and you'll quickly see what I mean. Indeed, many outstate would-be transplants who got the cold shoulder (no pun intended) have instead learned to call it Minnesota Ice, for they described their MN experience as one of loneliness and isolation, and if possible they soon moved elsewhere because of how cliquish it is here. Chances are many of them will be voting "not helpful" to this review as they aren't as "easy going" and "aw shucks" as they like to think they are.

2)During inclement weather, chances are anyone here who make the observation ("Nice weather, huh.") as their first example of alleged MN dry humor, clearly has little or no understanding of what dry humor actually is. Trust me, whenever many local types encounter the REAL DEAL they kind of go dull in the eyes at best, or think that you're being "negative" at worst. Either way, the recipients of your attempt at suble understated humor will be even be less inclined to act MN Nice. And it isn't sarcasm. Please look up the term before you say that you or anyone else has a "sarcastic" sense of humor. I don't think you'll describe yourself that way ever again. Rather, I you probably mean a facetious, drole, dry or even dark sense of humor. I strongly suspect that the previous two also enjoy the misconception that we all sound like the movie Fargo. Thank God that we do not. And such misconceptions about MN humor is a natural segue into my final and third observations since dry humor is being grossly mispresented by this book.

3)And finally: Garrison Keillor isn't funny. GASP! Sorry folks but it's true. And this book is no exception. Despite all their MFA and liberal arts degrees, the "arty" and "whimsy" types at NPR and elsewhere still can't connect the dots enough to see the glaring and ironic parallel between Keillor's humor and the fable about the Emperor's New Clothes. But then again we're the state famous for that sixties folk singer who never could sing worth a damn, and let's not forget that governor who wouldn't work and play well with others.

Don't get me wrong I love this state excluding its aforementioned smug self-deluded foolishness, and I've some wonderful friends and family here. Art is the one area of human endeavor that is wholly subjective. So if you like Keillor or not you don't owe anyone any justifications, BUT if you but into that argument pro Keillor's humor, then you must also accept against his humor as well. If you're anything like me, just the sound of Keillor's voice on NPR is enough to make me wince, groan, quickly change channels and second guess your decision to pledge to MPR. Consequently I never listen to the station on Sundays. And you'd be surprised what some think of him at the Literary Loft Center. I was. It ain't good. And the upshot is that Keillor's fans are much the like fans of soccer. They get all indignant whenever anyone doesn't share their irrational zeal as if other people aren't allowed to have an opinion, let alone, one that disparages either soccer or Keillor.

Editorial Review:

Garrison Keillor is the consummate storyteller, gifted with the rare ability--both in print and in performance--to hold an audience spellbound with his tales of ordinary people whose lives contain extraordinary moments of humor, tenderness, and grace. This exclusive recording of Garrison Keillor reading a carefully edited abridgement of the book and includes a few segments taken from live performances recorded during a fundraising tour for public radio stations in 1985. 1987 Grammy® Award winner Table of Contents Tape 1 Prologue; Home; Forbears; Sumus Quod Sumus; Protestant Tape 2 Protestant; Summer; School Tape 3 Fall; Winter Tape 4 Footnote (95 Theses 95); Spring; Revival

The Life and Times of the Thunderbolt Kid: A Memoir

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Customer Reviews:
Total reviews: 10 Average rating: 4.0 of 5

Editorial Review:

From one of the most beloved and bestselling authors in the English language, a vivid, nostalgic and utterly hilarious memoir of growing up in the middle of the United States in the middle of the last century. A book that delivers on the promise that it is “laugh-out-loud funny.”

Some say that the first hints that Bill Bryson was not of Planet Earth came from his discovery, at the age of six, of a woollen jersey of rare fineness. Across the moth-holed chest was a golden thunderbolt. It may have looked like an old college football sweater, but young Bryson knew better. It was obviously the Sacred Jersey of Zap, and proved that he had been placed with this innocuous family in the middle of America to fly, become invisible, shoot guns out of people’s hands from a distance, and wear his underpants over his jeans in the manner of Superman.

Bill Bryson’s first travel book opened with the immortal line, “I come from Des Moines. Somebody had to.” In this hilarious new memoir, he travels back to explore the kid he once was and the weird and wonderful world of 1950s America. He modestly claims that this is a book about not very much: about being small and getting much larger slowly. But for the rest of us, it is a laugh-out-loud book that will speak volumes – especially to anyone who has ever been young.

Never Sniff a Gift Fish

Patrick F. McManus

List Price: $16.99 By: DH Audio Amazon Marketplace: 9 new & used starting at $28.70

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Customer Reviews:
Total reviews: 10 Average rating: 5.0 of 5

so good you can't describe it 5 out of 5 stars.
6 of 6 people found this review helpful.

i first theses books when i was ten years old and i haven't stopped yet.. we only have four books but i intend to get more of the books.. they are funny.. i like the one where he goes hunting on his bicycle and gets the deer stuck on the pedals.

Addicting!!!! 4 out of 5 stars.
5 of 5 people found this review helpful.

Never Look a Gift Fish was my introduction to the wonderful world of Patrick F. McManus. Each story had me remembering similar incidents in my life, only mine were not near as entertaining.

While listening to these tapes during a cross-state drive to a football game, I caught myself driving slower as I approached my destination because I did not want to have to wait until the return trip to continue listening.

It is ironic that many of his stories are based on fishing because I, for one, am HOOKED!!

The Great Outdoorsman's Guide To Success 5 out of 5 stars.
5 of 5 people found this review helpful.

NEVER SNIFF A GIFT FISH
By: Patrick F. McManus

Have you ever heard of a great outdoorsman? You know, the one whose fly-casting technique can be compared to an old lady fighting off a bee with a broom handle. Or maybe the one whose attempts to pitch the family tent terrorized entire campgrounds. Well, for those of you who haven't heard of him, this book, will give you a little insight into the life of the great outdoorsman. Never Sniff A Gift Fish, is a great source for those useful camping phrases. Here are some of them.

Corn Flakes: A common camp food. Often eaten dry with salt and pepper since no one thought to bring milk.

Camping manuals: Books filled with ingenious camping tips which are forgotten the instant the camper sets foot in the field. "I read about a way to cook a chicken with a camera lens and a wire clothes hanger, but I can't remember how," he says. "Better just fry it."

Downwind: Whichever side of the campfire you happen to be on.
And who could forget "When hell freezes over": An expression used by wives and mothers to indicate the next time you'll get them to go on another camping trip.

This book is a hilarious combination of philosophy and fishing, all rolled into one. I loved the book, and I would definitely recommend this book to any outdoorsman, great or not, that has a sense of humor and a sense of what the author is going through.

Editorial Review:

One need never have held a rifle or put a worm on a hook to appreciate these nine hilarious tales of a sportsman's life in the Great Outdoors. 2 cassettes.

The David Sedaris Box Set

David Sedaris

Amazon Price: $44.99 List Price: $59.98 Usually ships in 2 to 4 weeks By: Time Warner Audio Books Amazon Marketplace: 18 new & used starting at $11.95

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Customer Reviews:
Total reviews: 27 Average rating: 4.5 of 5

Hilarious 4 out of 5 stars.
4 of 10 people found this review helpful.

I would've given it 5 stars but it should get about 4.8 stars.

This is a brilliant idea. For people like me who get too easily distracted to read for entertainment, hearing it being read for you is so much better.

And the material David has is great. I first learned about David by way of his sister's work on Strangers with Candy, and got a book after I saw David on Letterman. And then I remembered I get too distracted when reading for fun, which has been a life long deal. So I got this on audio and it is a blast.

Lost in Translation... 3 out of 5 stars.
2 of 51 people found this review helpful.

While it's great hearing David Sedaris' voice, it ultimately takes away from the experience. Sedaris' books are amazingly funny and dark; very witty stuff. They are best enjoyed in print form though, when the reader can inject their own tone and inflection into the words of the printed page. Hearing David Sedaris' interpretation somewhat lessens this experience.

However, if you're the kind of person who wants to enjoy a good book without the "hassle" of actually mustering the discipline to sit down and read (you people know who you are) then go ahead. But for all those half way intelligent humans who recognize the value of taking the time to sit down and turn the pages, just go buy his books and skip the audio versions. It's cheaper anyways.

In the end, while good, it's not worth it. Just buy the books.

Editorial Review:

All of David Sedaris' best in one box set, now on CD and at 20% off the combined CD prices of individual titles! The set includes ME TALK PRETTY ONE DAY with a full hour of bonus tracks not available on cassette; NAKED; HOLIDAYS ON ICE; and BARREL FEVER AND OTHER STORIES. This timeless collection combines poignancy, humor, and the sparkling imagination of one of America's best-loved humorists.