Essays Books - Page 3

I Feel Bad About My Neck: And Other Thoughts On Being a Woman (Vintage)

Nora Ephron

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Customer Reviews:
Total reviews: 340 Average rating: 4.0 of 5

She Needs To Feel Bad About More Than Her Neck! 1 out of 5 stars.
5 of 5 people found this review helpful.

She should feel bad about wasting the readers' time with trite drivel. Don't waste your precious time.

I Feel Bad Abput My Neck 2 out of 5 stars.
4 of 4 people found this review helpful.

I didn't care for the attitude of book. It was a quick read and I did laugh at some of Ephron's stories but overall it wasn't I book I liked much.

I Feel Bad About My Neck: and other thoughts on being a woman 5 out of 5 stars.
0 of 0 people found this review helpful.

Excellent book! I got the book and the audio. I started to read the book and it seemed a little slow in capturing my interest... but I was going to read it any way. Then I had to travel so I took the audio... And let me tell you... it was wondrful. You just have to hear her talking. You have to hear her as she expresses herself on each of the issues she talks about. These are issues I and perhaps other women have forgotten about in years but today laugh or cry about. This book has a mixture of humor, aging, comedy; women's health blended in a memoir about Nora Ephron. You can read the book but you don't really know where she would place the pitch, pace and power of her words until you can hear her. Its like having her talk to you herself. Both book and audio are great. I recommend it... especially if you were born from 1950 on and if you have had a chance to either live in New York or just visit it from time to time... you will enjoy it!

Editorial Review:

With her disarming, intimate, completely accessible voice, and dry sense of humor, Nora Ephron shares with us her ups and downs in I Feel Bad About My Neck, a candid, hilarious look at women who are getting older and dealing with the tribulations of maintenance, menopause, empty nests, and life itself.

Ephron chronicles her life as an obsessed cook, passionate city dweller, and hapless parent. But mostly she speaks frankly and uproariously about life as a woman of a certain age. Utterly courageous, uproariously funny, and unexpectedly moving in its truth telling, I Feel Bad About My Neck is a scrumptious, irresistible treat of a book, full of truths, laugh out loud moments that will appeal to readers of all ages.

Stop Dressing Your Six-Year-Old Like a Skank: A Slightly Tarnished Southern Belle's Words of Wisdom

Celia Rivenbark

Amazon Price: $11.16 List Price: $13.95 Usually ships in 24 hours By: St. Martin's Griffin Amazon Marketplace: 73 new & used starting at $1.99

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Customer Reviews:
Total reviews: 26 Average rating: 4.5 of 5

sit back and laugh 5 out of 5 stars.
1 of 1 people found this review helpful.

This book kept me laughing out loud. It nurtured my inner slacker mom. I'd love to spend a week at the beach with the author. My brother-in-law will cook the shrimp and grits.

GET IT!! 5 out of 5 stars.
0 of 0 people found this review helpful.

I picked this up just because it was only a few bucks and the title was catchy. OH MY GOSH - this was a HOOT!! I was constantly reading passages out loud to family/friends. The chpts are short enough to accommodate a busy mom's life and provide much-needed comic relief to this stress-filled life. It was GREAT!

Editorial Review:

Celia Rivenbark is an intrepid explorer and acid commentator on the land south of the Mason-Dixon Line. In this collection of screamingly funny essays, you’ll discover:
 
*How to get your kid into a character breakfast at Disney World (or run the risk of eating chicken out of a bucket with Sneezy)*Secrets of Celebrity Moms (don’t hate them because they’re beautiful when there are so many other reasons)*ebay addiction and why “It ain’t worth having if it ain’t on ebay”*Why today’s children’s clothes make six-year-olds look like Vegas showgirls with an abundance of anger issues*And so much more! 
Celia Rivenbark’s essays about life in today’s South are like caramel popcorn---sweet, salty, and utterly irresistible.

The Darwin Awards 4: Intelligent Design

Wendy Northcutt, Christopher M. Kelly

Amazon Price: $8.37 List Price: $13.00 Usually ships in 24 hours By: Plume Amazon Marketplace: 135 new & used starting at $0.01

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Customer Reviews:
Total reviews: 30 Average rating: 4.5 of 5

Interesting stories, but crummy chapter introductions 3 out of 5 stars.
2 of 3 people found this review helpful.

The Darwin Awards are dedicated to those who "do a service to humanity by removing themselves from the gene pool," that is those who kill themselves (or at least try to) in a gloriously shining example of blatant stupidity. This is the fourth book produced in celebration of such stupidity. Now, I must say right off that I did not read the print edition of the book, but listened to the audiobook, so some of what I have to say may not apply to other editions of the book.

Overall, I found the stories to be interesting. I liked how the readers tried to accent their voices to go along with the stories - affecting an Australian accent when discussing an Australian winner, or a Romanian accent when discussing a Romanian winner, and so forth. The stories were nice and short, which made them great for car rides of any length.

What I didn't like was the chapter introductions which discussed subjects such as DNA, the aquatic ape theory, AIDS, and so forth. These sections were a mixed bag - some were interesting, and some boring - but, none of them had anything to do with the Darwin Awards. I would rather that the creators of this book had slipped in stories of famous deaths in history, or something having ANYTHING to do with the Darwin Awards. They were too long, too boring, and jarringly out of step with subject of the book.

So, while this is a good audiobook with some great Darwin Award stories, it is poorly constructed, damaging the listening experience. On the whole, I give this audiobook an extremely guarded recommendation.

Editorial Review:

Over 1.5 million copies sold in this New York Times bestselling humor series

With over 1.5 million copies sold, the Darwin Awards series is the alpha chimp of humorous human mishaps. Despite being an international bestseller, and inspiring a movie—The Darwin Awards—these cautionary chronicles have failed to stop another generation of Darwin Award winners from steering motorcycles with their feet, heating lava lamps on stoves, using liquid soap as brake fluid, and drowning themselves in the kitchen sink.

Filled with more than 100 new tales of evolution in action, plus science essays and a parody research paper supporting Intelligent Design, The Darwin Awards 4 shows that when it comes to common sense, natural selection still has a long, long way to go.

Happier: Learn the Secrets to Daily Joy and Lasting Fulfillment

Tal Ben-Shahar

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Customer Reviews:
Total reviews: 45 Average rating: 4.5 of 5

No-Nonsense Happiness Info 5 out of 5 stars.
134 of 135 people found this review helpful.

I really liked this book. Although I wouldn't say I'm a particularly unhappy person, who couldn't benefit from some more happiness? While doing a little searching on the subject of happiness, the book caught my eye with its bright red and yellow cover. Glancing through the book, the infomation caught my attention.

I guess what I liked best about it was the realistic approach of the author. Right off the bat, the book makes it clear that the goal should not so much to be happy, but rather to be "happier"- hence the reason for the title of the book. As the book points out, trying to be happy suggests it is a point you reach and then you've "made it." Wrong. Nobody goes around in a perfectly blissful state all the time and pursuing such a goal is doomed to fail. Instead, trying to be "happier" is a much more realistic goal- and suggests that it is more of an ongoing process, rather than just some state you finally reach. So how does the book intend to make one "happier"?

In two words, the research. Since the author teaches a class in positive psychology at Harvard, the book's tips to increase your happiness, such as setting goals and expressing gratitude, stand on solid ground. I believe most readers will find them pretty doable.

So to sum things up, I found the to be pretty quick read. Not only does it explain the happiness research and give you practical happiness boosting tips, it just might help you re-frame your whole idea of how to pursue happiness. Other evidence-based happiness books readers may want to check out include Finding Happiness in a Frustrating World.

Editorial Review:

Can we really learn to be happy? Yes, we can. Each semester, nearly 1,400 students sign up for Harvard professor Tal Ben-Shahar's life-changing class, "How to Get Happy." Currently it's the hottest course at Harvard, taken by 20 percent of its graduates.

In Happier, Professor Ben-Shahar brings the ideas of the Ivory Tower to Main Street, distilling the lessons and exercises from his course into a slim volume of practical wisdom. Grounded in the Positive Psychology movement, based on years of researching the works of scientists, academics, and philosophers, Happier emphasizes the importance of pursuing a life of both pleasure and meaning.

Happy Endings: The Tales of a Meaty-Breasted Zilch

Jim Norton

Amazon Price: $10.17 List Price: $14.95 Usually ships in 24 hours By: Simon Spotlight Entertainment Amazon Marketplace: 34 new & used starting at $8.52

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Customer Reviews:
Total reviews: 167 Average rating: 5.0 of 5

Editorial Review:

Jim Norton is a pervert

in the truest sense of the word. The physical equivalent of a tall slug, he pays top dollar for massages with happy endings and is fascinated by shitty sitcoms and fat girls. He is also, at times, racially offensive and morally repugnant. He spares no one in his comedy -- least of all himself.

Now, in this outrageous, blisteringly funny collection of essays, Norton tackles the topics that are near and dear to his heart: from public events like the legendary Voyeur Bus incident on the Opie and Anthony Show, which culminated in all involved being taken to jail, or seeking a hug from his childhood idol Gene Simmons, to deeply private moments, including a teenage Jim's embarrassing poetry-writing attempts while in rehab, and his inexpensive sexual experience with an unwashed MILF (a Monolith I'd Like to Forget). His stories are raw, searingly honest in their attention to detail, and most of all, hilarious.

Filled with personal photos and nearly fifty candid and uncompromising essays, Happy Endings is one of a kind...and probably best read on an empty stomach.

Uncle John's Bathroom Reader Extraordinary Book of Facts: And Bizarre Information (Bathroom Readers)

Bathroom Readers' Hysterical Society

Amazon Price: $12.21 List Price: $17.95 Usually ships in 24 hours By: Portable Press Amazon Marketplace: 43 new & used starting at $9.48

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Customer Reviews:
Total reviews: 12 Average rating: 5.0 of 5

Editorial Review:

Uncle John's Bathroom Reader Extraordinary Book of Facts combines the most intriguing, enlightening material from nine previous Bathroom Reader favorites into one concise volume. Flush with delightfully useless — and sometimes even useful — information about sports, movies, music, politics, American and world history, and much more, the book is the most extensive reference guide in the series to date. Contained within this handy, portable tome are the fascinating narratives, terrific trivia, and easy-to-read lists that fans have come to delight in, as well as quotes, facts, findings, and historical tidbits. Weird and wonderful factoid footers on the bottom of each page are perfect for super-quick trips, while quizzes and puzzles enliven lengthier stays. Arranged for simple and speedy reference, the book is the perfect companion for trivia buffs and knowledge junkies who need a quick, fun read not just “at the office,” but in airports, waiting rooms, while traveling, or for any other moments that would otherwise be wasted.

Barrel Fever: Stories and Essays

David Sedaris

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Customer Reviews:
Total reviews: 117 Average rating: 3.5 of 5

Very good, but not as good as Me Talk Pretty One Day 5 out of 5 stars.
0 of 0 people found this review helpful.

I prefer Me Talk Pretty One Day, my husband prefers this one. Both excellent books!

I love this book 5 out of 5 stars.
0 of 0 people found this review helpful.

So I feel compelled to write a review. This book is absurd. It is perverse. It sometimes is uncomfortable to read. I didn't love it the first time I read it and it has grown on me like a fungus. I certainly understand why lots and lots of people don't like it but I would like to impress on those who are reading the reviews that the book is not BAD, just a little unpolished. It seems that the speaker is a chain-smoking, neurotic, self-absorbed, outcast whose mind can never slow down. And these are those 3 am rants that pop up in his brain. Any they are funny, in a really dark way.

Funny, but not his best 3 out of 5 stars.
0 of 0 people found this review helpful.

Like the other Sedaris books I've read, this one was at times laugh-out-loud funny. Especially the fictional account of the author's gay love affairs with the people most likely to take offense at being included in such a story: Mike Tyson, Charlton Heston, Bruce Springsteen, etc. The essays and stories in the middle weren't as funny, though, and overall this isn't his best book.

Editorial Review:

Short stories and essays by an apartment cleaner and a popular commentator for National Public Radio highlight the absurd behavior of modern Americans, such as the suburban dad who saves money by performing surgery at home. Reprint. 25,000 first printing.

I'm a Stranger Here Myself : Notes on Returning to America After Twenty Years Away

Bill Bryson

List Price: $25.00 By: Broadway Amazon Marketplace: 85 new & used starting at $0.44

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Customer Reviews:
Total reviews: 229 Average rating: 4.0 of 5

Editorial Review:

The master humorist and bestselling author of A Walk in the Woods now guides us on an affectionate, hysterically funny tour of America's most outrageous absurdities.

After living in Britain for two decades, Bill Bryson recently moved back to the United States with his English wife and four children (he had read somewhere that nearly three million Americans believed they had been abducted by aliens--as he later put it, "it was clear my people needed me"). They were greeted by a new-and-improved America that boasts microwave pancakes, twenty-four-hour dental-floss hotlines, and the staunch conviction that ice is not a luxury item.

Delivering the brilliant comic musings that are a Bryson hallmark, I'm a Stranger Here Myself recounts his sometimes disconcerting reunion with the land of his birth. From motels ("one of those things--airline food is another--that I get excited about and should know better") to careless barbers ("in the mirror I am confronted with an image that brings to mind a lemon meringue pie with ears"), I'm a Stranger Here Myself chronicles the quirkiest aspects of life in America, right down to our hardware-store lingo, tax-return instructions, and vulnerability to home injury ("statistically in New Hampshire I am far more likely to be hurt by my ceiling or underpants than by a stranger").

Along the way Bill Bryson also reveals his rules for life (#1: It is not permitted to be both slow and stupid. You must choose one or the other); delivers the commencement address to a local high school ("I've learned that if you touch a surface to see if it's hot, it will be"); and manages to make friends with a skunk. The result is a book filled with hysterical scenes of one man's attempt to reacquaint himself with his own country, but it is also an extended, if at times bemused, love letter to the homeland he has returned to after twenty years away.

Dave Barry's History of the Millennium (So Far)

Dave Barry

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Customer Reviews:
Total reviews: 24 Average rating: 4.0 of 5

Editorial Review:

Thucydides, Gibbon, Tuchman, McCullough-to the names of the world's great historians must now be added the name of Dave Barry, who has taken a long, hard look at our new millennium (so far) and, when he stopped hyperventilating, has written it all down, because nobody would believe it otherwise.

In November 2000, the skies darken over Florida as hundreds of thousands of lawyers parachute into the state from bombers, while in 2002, the federal budget surplus mysteriously disappears ("Everybody looks high and low for it, but the darned thing is gone!"). In April 2003, no WMD have been found, but investigators do discover three barrels of lard, described by U.S. intelligence analysts as "a heart attack waiting to happen," while in 2004, an already troubled nation receives an even greater blow: the sight of Janet Jackson's exposed nipple. In 2005, Katrina, Cindy, Harriet, Martha, Valerie, Paris, Michael Jackson-women just got crazy that year-while in November 2006 . . . well, something happened; it'll come back to us.

Plus, an extra added bonus-Dave Barry's complete history of the millennium so recently (and unlamentedly) gone: Crusaders! Vikings! Peter Minuit's purchase of Manhattan for $24, plus $167,000 a month in maintenance fees! The invention of pizza by Leonardo da Vinci and of the computer by Charles Babbage (who died in 1871 still waiting to talk to somebody from Technical Support)!

Liberally illustrated with line drawings, filled with facts and commentary that will amaze your friends and confound your enemies (yes, we mean you, Osama!), this is the book that will finally earn Dave Barry his second Pulitzer Prize. And about darned time, too.

The Braindead Megaphone

George Saunders

Amazon Price: $11.20 List Price: $14.00 Usually ships in 24 hours By: Riverhead Trade Amazon Marketplace: 57 new & used starting at $6.68

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Customer Reviews:
Total reviews: 11 Average rating: 3.5 of 5

Profoundly Disappointing 2 out of 5 stars.
2 of 3 people found this review helpful.

This just seems to prove the difference between good fiction writers and good nonfiction writers. Saunders' fiction is wacky, hilarious, and profound all at the same time, which had led me to believe that this would be a good read. These essays, however, read like a middle schooler discovering that the world is corrupt for the first time. There's simply nothing particularly original, insightful, or even funny in there.

Editorial Review:

The breakout book from "the funniest writer in America"-not to mention an official Genius-a trade paperback original and his first nonfiction collection ever.

George Saunders's first foray into nonfiction is comprised of essays on literature, travel, and politics. At the core of this unique collection are Saunders's travel essays based on his trips to seek out the mysteries of the "Buddha Boy" of Nepal; to attempt to indulge in the extravagant pleasures of Dubai; and to join the exploits of the minutemen at the Mexican border. Saunders expertly navigates the works of Mark Twain, Kurt Vonnegut, and Esther Forbes, and leads the reader across the rocky political landscape of modern America. Emblazoned with his trademark wit and singular vision, Saunders's endeavor into the art of the essay is testament to his exceptional range and ability as a writer and thinker.