General Books - Page 6

Dress Your Family in Corduroy and Denim

David Sedaris

Amazon Price: $10.19 List Price: $14.99 Usually ships in 24 hours By: Back Bay Books Amazon Marketplace: 174 new & used starting at $1.01

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Customer Reviews:
Total reviews: 314 Average rating: 4.0 of 5

This book is a truly enjoyable read. 5 out of 5 stars.
0 of 0 people found this review helpful.

If you like the dry wit of David Sedaris you will love this book. Even if you don't know who he is, once you have read the first page you will probably love this book.

Seeing the world through the author's eyes for a while helps us to remember the little absurdities we experience every day and, somehow, cherish them for a moment rather than let them drive us stark, raving, looney.

Thank you Mr. Sedaris, for reminding us to treasure even the stranger moments that make up the life of a human being.

Editorial Review:

In this phenomenal #1 bestseller, David Sedaris plays in the snow with his sisters. He goes on vacation with his family. He gets a job selling drinks. He attends his brother’s wedding. He mops his sister’s floor. He gives directions to a lost traveler. He eats a hamburger. He has his blood sugar tested. It all sounds so normal, doesn’t it?

Yet Sedaris lifts the corner of ordinary life, revealing the absurdity teeming below the surface, exposing a world alive with hidden motives and obscure desires. In DRESS YOUR FAMILY IN CORDUROY AND DENIM, one of the wittiest and most original writers at work today gives us his richest book yet.

Stiff: The Curious Lives of Human Cadavers (MP3)

Mary Roach

Amazon Price: $19.99 List Price: $19.99 Usually ships in 24 hours By: Tantor Media, Inc. Amazon Marketplace: 21 new & used starting at $11.44

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Customer Reviews:
Total reviews: 360 Average rating: 4.5 of 5

Interesting and entertaining 5 out of 5 stars.
0 of 1 people found this review helpful.

This book is a great read. It reads like a journalistic series, with each chapter its own article. It's an easy, engaging read, really thought-provoking and informative and funny.

Could not put it down! 5 out of 5 stars.
0 of 1 people found this review helpful.

This books was so fascinating and had me laughing out loud. I have been recommending it to everyone. It's true that you probably don't want to read it while you are eating, but I think it is fantastic. Read it!

Fascinating Read! Well Researched and Goes into Great Detail of Options for Those Thinking of Donating Their Corpse to Science! 5 out of 5 stars.
0 of 0 people found this review helpful.

I found this book to be really interesting. Obviously I'd thought of organ donation before but had never really even thought about the other valuable uses my corpse could have to society. I've learnt a lot from this book, even about what happens to the human body in general if you just stick it in the ground. I think this book is a good thing for those who want their body to go down one of these community beneficial paths when they no longer can use it themselves, to give to their relatives who will be ultimately giving the go ahead, so they can understand the answer of why and more likely respect your wishes. It's also just a fascinating read for those who wonder exactly what happens to a corpse as it decomposes? How do airline investigators use bodies to find out if there was an explosion and not just the burning of the ocean waterskin from examining the corpses? What do the people who use these bodies for their own surgical educational requirements or as researchers think of the corpses? How do corpses and parts of them help prevent injuries and deaths in the automobile industry?

There's just so much information in here, you wouldn't have come across before unless you've researched it before in textbooks and journals. That's the thing about this book, the style is well written for your everyday person, it's not textbooky or medical journally in style. In fact as the chapters go on, Mary roach seems to increase the amount of humour in the footnotes and so on. It's a non fiction adventure that reads like a fiction novel, like in the first chapter (about heads for surgical training) , where she had her arch nemesis the head lopper lady who was giving her dirty looks and on the phone trying to get rid of her. That sort of stuff being included just made the tale that much more readable, relatable and put you in the room amongst the action.

You won't necessarily agree with the author's opinions, I certainly don't agree with her doing what the family members want and not the deceased wishes but she does present her arguments well for her opinions. Nor is the writer a comedian so you're not going to falling out of your chair laughing, think normal journalist humour when you see it on TV or in print, it's like that.

There are some areas of the death industry that aren't delved into much or at all such as what goes on in a normal funeral situation. A few months ago I read a funeral industry set fiction novel called Weepin' Willie which is a very good book but also gives a fair amount of history and interesting facts as told by the mortician (Willie hence the title) on the funeral industry and dealing with dead bodies. If you like this book, you'll enjoy that one as well!

This book never really went into if any of these options organise taking your corpse for free or even pay your estate for it. Funerals are expensive, if they did this would increase participants purely for the financial relief to their families. I would think the plastic surgery industry should (with the exception of severe burns reconstruction and things like this). I'd certainly consider it if money went to people in my Will by doing so, but wouldn't just to benefit some ageing or vain person who wants to look better or younger.

Editorial Review:

For 2,000 years, cadavers---some willingly, some unwittingly---have been involved in science's boldest strides and weirdest undertakings. In this fascinating, ennobling account, Mary Roach visits the good deeds of cadavers over the centuries and, in so doing, tells the engrossing story of our bodies when we are no longer with them.

You Are a Dog: Life Through the Eyes of Man's Best Friend

Terry Bain

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Customer Reviews:
Total reviews: 14 Average rating: 4.5 of 5

Editorial Review:

A hilarious, captivating commentary that gives us--finally--a true dog’s-eye view of the world.

• The Sofa: “The sofa is Position One. The sofa makes you feel as if you are with your people even when your people are gone.”

• The Toilet: “The advantage of drinking from the toilet is that the water is always fresh.”

• The Baby: “Often known as She Who Randomly Flings Food from the Table, the baby has the most flavorful, ever-changing face of all your people.”

“After reading You Are a Dog, you will start thinking like a dog.” --Bash Dibra, celebrity pet trainer and author of DogSpeak

“You Are a Dog should be the talk of every dog run in the U.S. With humor, and more bite than one might expect, Terry Bain helps us to see the world through the eyes of our dogs, and to look at their lives in fresh and insightful ways.” --Jon Katz, author of A Dog Year, The New Work of Dogs, and The Dogs of Bedlam Farm

“Terry Bain has cracked the canine code to demystify those charming, endearing, and occasionally bizarre habits our beloved dogs exhibit. You Are a Dog is equal parts witty and warm, sweet and sympathetic--read this and be destined to meet your dog at a richer, deeper level.”--Dr. Marty Becker, veterinary contributor for Good Morning America, author of The Healing Power of Pets

Eats, Shoots & Leaves

Lynne Truss

Amazon Price: $10.17 List Price: $14.95 Usually ships in 24 hours By: Penguin Audio Amazon Marketplace: 60 new & used starting at $1.80

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Customer Reviews:
Total reviews: 544 Average rating: 4.0 of 5

Your library has 10 copies of this book--guarenteed! 1 out of 5 stars.
3 of 5 people found this review helpful.

If you must: I suggest your local library. That, or you could buy it used. They are currently selling used copies of the hard back for one cent.

That's about all it's worth. Her information is fair, but her attitude is horrible. She insults every facet of the very audience that is asking her for help.

It gets folks fired up, doesn't it? 4 out of 5 stars.
1 of 2 people found this review helpful.

My punctuation is definitely not perfect, but I enjoyed "Eats, Shoots & Leaves" a lot because I too am frustrated by the insanity that has writers putting an apostrophe before the "s" in any word ending in that letter! Drives me batty! I believe that the author has toungue planted firmly in cheek and found myself laughing all the way through her book. I am glad that even in punctuation, humor can be found.

It also heightened my awareness of "writing right" and made me want to do a better job of using reference guides to understand why things are done as they are, instead of just going by the seat of my pants and "I think it looks right, oh I'll just throw in some more commas."

Editorial Review:

A New York Times Bestseller

In 2002 Lynne Truss presented a well-received BBC Radio 4 series about punctuation which led to the writing of Eats, Shoots & Leaves. The book became a runaway success in the UK, hitting number one on the bestseller lists and prompting extraordinary headlines such as "Grammar Book Tops Bestseller List" (BBC News). With over a half million copies in print in England, Truss is ready to rally the troops on this side of the pond with her rousing cry, "Sticklers unite!"

Available only in Core 7.

The Dangerous Book for Dogs: A Parody by Rex and Sparky

Joe Garden, Janet Ginsburg, Chris Pauls, Anita Serwacki, Scott Sherman

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Customer Reviews:
Total reviews: 15 Average rating: 5.0 of 5

Editorial Review:

A LAUGH-OUT-LOUD PARODY: AN lLLUSTRATED GUIDE FOR--AND BY--DOGS, UNLOCKING THE MYSTERIES OF DOGHOOD AND TEACHING THEM HOW TO DO THE VERY ACTIVITIES THAT HUMAN SOCIETY SAYS ARE WRONG.

The Dangerous Book for Dogs asks a simple question: isn't there more to being a dog than wearing a mini cashmere sweater and riding around in a $400 evening clutch? What about the simple pleasures of life -- feeling the wind in your fur, digging up the grass beneath your paws, smelling another dog's butt? Isn't that part of the great joy of being a dog?

Written (with help) by dogs and for dogs, The Dangerous Book For Dogs provides insight on everything from the tastiest styles of shoes to chew to the proper method for terrorizing squirrels. It also contains portraits of noble dogs throughout history, the mysteries of cats and humans, and everything else your dog ever wanted to know but was afraid to ask–like how to make toys out of human's household items, or how to escape from a humiliating reindeer costume.

Generously illustrated with drawings by cartoonist Emily Flake, this hilarious parody is for good dogs, bad dogs, and the millions of people who love them.

Rex and Sparky wrote this parody without authorization (because they are dogs and they do what they want.)

Waiter Rant: Thanks for the Tip--Confessions of a Cynical Waiter

Steve Dublanica Aka The Waiter

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Customer Reviews:
Total reviews: 155 Average rating: 4.0 of 5

A fascinating read 4 out of 5 stars.
0 of 0 people found this review helpful.

In "Waiter Rant: Thanks for the Tip--Confessions of a Cynical Waiter," Steve Dublanica chronicled his life working as a waiter in a high end restaurant. The author wrote about the challenges of being a waiter, with its irregular hours, inconsistent pay, and the difficulties of satisfying customers. This read like a memoir, and the author started the book by explaining how he became a professional waiter.

It was a fascinating read for me as the author provided gossips and information from the front end of the restaurant, unlike Anthony Bourdain who provided the perspective of the kitchen staff. It was just interesting to learn about how the restaurant business work, and life from the waiter's perspective. The writing was clear and conversational, which makes this a quick and fun read. Highly recommended.

Editorial Review:

According to The Waiter, eighty percent of customers are nice people just looking for something to eat. The remaining twenty percent, however, are socially maladjusted psychopaths. Waiter Rant offers the server's unique point of view, replete with tales of customer stupidity, arrogant misbehavior, and unseen bits of human grace transpiring in the most unlikely places. Through outrageous stories, The Waiter reveals the secrets to getting good service, proper tipping etiquette, and how to keep him from spitting in your food. The Waiter also shares his ongoing struggle, at age thirty-eight, to figure out if he can finally leave the first job at which he's truly thrived.

Uncle John's Triumphant 20th Anniversary Bathroom Reader (Uncle Johns Bathroom Reader)

Bathroom Readers' Institute

Amazon Price: $12.89 List Price: $18.95 Usually ships in 24 hours By: Portable Press Amazon Marketplace: 46 new & used starting at $8.75

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Customer Reviews:
Total reviews: 17 Average rating: 5.0 of 5

It Was 20 Years Ago Today Uncle John Taught the Band to Play! 5 out of 5 stars.
2 of 2 people found this review helpful.

For trivia fans, 1988 stands as a landmark year. 1988 was the year "Uncle John" and the Bathroom Readers' Institute published the first BATHROOM READER volume containing interesting and oddball facts. That first book ran to 224 pages and cost $9.95. And now, praise be, here we are celebrating the 20th anniversary with this whooping 597-opus sure to delight all lovers of knowledge.

Edition 20 is the usual, entertaining collection of isolated facts, short two-four page articles on various topics and extended, multi-part articles on subjects like Music industry lawsuits, the history of bread, etc. along with the Word Origins, Court Transquips, Urban Legends, Strange Lawsuits, Bathroom Lore and other sections that have been a regular feature of the series. The series also retains its punny sense of humor as witness the following sections: Gnome Gnews is Good Gnews, The Ig Nobel Prizes and I Walk the Lawn.

Included in Edition 20 are articles on Historical Blunders, Animal Heroes, The Aloha Shirt, Weird Canada, Farts in the News, Odd Buildings, Car Name Origins, Weird Game Shows, Food Origins, Underwear in the News, The World's Oldest Calculator, Weird Wrestlers, Cockney Slang, Dumb Crooks, Comic Phrases and much, MUCH more! And all for $18.95...such a bargain!

You can't go wrong with this latest Uncle John Reader or any of the BR series ("Plunges Into," "For Kids," etc.). Total sales for the whole ball of wax is something like 7 million books so Uncle John & Co. must be doing something right. Pick up a copy of Edition 20, read and enjoy! Here's hoping we have another 20 years of Bathroom readers to look forward to!

Editorial Review:

Proving that some things do get better with age, Uncle John's Triumphant 20th Anniversary Bathroom Reader is packed with 600-plus pages of all-new material. Here, fans of “the John” can find all of their favorites: obscure trivia, strange lawsuits, dumb crooks, origins of everyday things, forgotten history, quotable quotes, dazzling wordplay, and much more. Celebrating two decades of royal reading on the throne, this edition plunges deep into history to reveal the origin of the Golden Rule and the history of boxing; flushes away all the fictions surroundings real-life sea monsters, and cowboys and Indians; and wipes out preconceived notions about how tastebuds work. Other sections dip into such topics as Viewmaster and the 3-D revolution; books by crooks; and the real-life Zorro. Equally suited for quick stopovers or lingering stays, this absorbing anniversary book is sure to entertain and educate readers while eliminating any traces of boredom.

The Truth About Chuck Norris: 400 Facts About the World's Greatest Human

Ian Spector

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Customer Reviews:
Total reviews: 54 Average rating: 4.0 of 5

Editorial Review:

The lowdown on the toughest, sexiest, and beardiest man to ever stalk the earth

Since its emergence from the bowels of the internet, the Chuck Norris Fact has roundhouse kicked its way into the world’s consciousness with all the vim and verve of its namesake. Singing the praises of his unequaled toughness, his mighty kicking feet, his indestructible beard, his frightening virility, and his ability to stop time by thinking about pineapples, The Truth About Chuck Norris is the one book brave enough to go behind the beard and reveal the real Chuck.

Ian Spector, webmaster of the site which started the meme and survivor of a real-life encounter with Chuck himself, has selected the 400 most kick-ass facts from his library of thousands, as well as illustrations as awesome as the man himself. This death-defying volume includes such awe-inspiring observations as:
• A cobra once bit Chuck Norris’s leg. After five days of excruciating pain, the cobra died.
• Chuck Norris can charge a cell phone by rubbing it against his beard.
• When an episode of “Walker, Texas Ranger” aired in France, the French surrendered to Chuck Norris just to be on the safe side.

• Chuck Norris was the first person to tame a dinosaur.
• Chuck Norris once visited The Virgin Islands. Afterward, they were renamed The Islands.
• Every piece of furniture in Chuck Norris’s house is a Total Gym.

A must-have paean to the archetypical American male and a bible of all things Chuck, The Truth About Chuck Norris is easily the most important book of all time.

The Jerk

Martin

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Customer Reviews:
Total reviews: 143 Average rating: 4.0 of 5

I'm not jerking your chain; this movie is really, really funny... 4 out of 5 stars.
1 of 1 people found this review helpful.

`The Jerk' is one of those comedies that is talked about by just about everyone; one of those comedies you feel almost incomplete if you haven't seen since everyone else around you has seen it and is always talking about it. Well, that's at least how it was with me until like a week ago when I finally got around to watching it.

The film tells the story of Navin Johnson, a white man who was raised by blacks. After finding his rhythm he decides to leave home and spread his wings. He picks up a slew of odd jobs here and there before joining the circus and meeting the girl of his dreams and then accidentally making millions when he creates an odd invention that proves to be a hit. After making his money and squandering most of it he finds himself destitute and alone, yet again.

Like the tagline suggests; this is a rags to riches, to rags kind of story.

The script is actually really well written because it manages to be funny almost all of the time. There are a few scenes that don't quite work too well, but the films short running time also helps with keeping the pace brisk and so the film really doesn't have time to meander on the weak jokes; they just move right along to the ones that work. Steve Martin (in his film starring debut) is a comedian whom we all have come to know and love and respect, and this may very well be his finest hour. He is utterly hysterical, and he actually manages to bring a shade of humane naivety to his characters senseless acts. We actually really like this guy regardless of how stupid he is.

Martin is helped out by a large and impressive cast, everyone from Bernadette Peters to Catlin Adams to M. Emmet Walsh showing up to raise the roof. Walsh has a hilarious role here as the madman who randomly picks Navin's name from a phonebook and plans to murder him. The scene alone may be the best scene in the film and is well worth the cost of the DVD.

Truth be told, this is not everyone's cup of tea or type of humor. This is far more slapstick than intelligent, but I think you would know that already. If you are more into the mature comedies then this may not be for you, but if you can appreciate a good `over-the-top' laugh riot then this is a film you're going to want to see. You're bound to find a laugh somewhere, whether it's from the name of Navin's dog or from the discovery of Navin's `special purpose'; this movie is designed to tickle that funny bone.

The Devious Book for Cats: A Parody

Joe Garden, Janet Ginsburg, Chris Pauls, Anita Serwacki, Scott Sherman

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Customer Reviews:
Total reviews: 2 Average rating: 5.0 of 5

Laugh-out-loud funny 5 out of 5 stars.
4 of 4 people found this review helpful.

Over the years I've read many supposed-to-be-funny-and-clever little books about cats. This is because I live with a lot of cats and a lot of books, and people tend to think that if you like books and cats, then you certainly must find any book with "cat" in the title to be of significant interest. As a result, birthdays and holidays around here often end up looking like a collection site for a charity book sale drive.

And a lot of those little cat books DO end up going to charity, because frankly, quite a few are neither all that clever nor all that funny, in my opinion. There have been exceptions, but they are just that -- exceptions.

The Devious Book for Cats is one such exception. I received it the other day, and just flipping through and reading random sections left me laughing out loud. Really loud. Quite a few times. Given the current state of the economy and soaring prices for cat food and litter, I must tell you that I have not been in much of a laughing mood lately. The catnip budget around here has suffered quite a bit in recent months, just trying to put kibble on the table, you know. So this book is a welcome mood-brightener.

I like this book so much in fact, that I am ordering several more copies to send as holiday gifts. Anyone familiar with the feline lifestyle should find this book entertaining. The authors, Fluffy and Bonkers, have written an unusually creative, original and inventive guidebook.

And even though I am extremely busy these days watching birds out the window and napping, I am going to sit down on that book and absorb it more fully at my first opportunity.

Editorial Review:

Cats have nine lives. Shouldn’t they be lived to the fullest?

“Domesticated” does not mean “docile.” The ho-hum routine of sleep, eat, eat, and sleep is no way for any creature who ruled Egypt for a millennium to spend her day. It’s high time felines everywhere woke up from their cat naps and grabbed life’s strings with both paws.

The Devious Book for Cats offers today’s discerning kitties words of wisdom and advice on everything they need to know, from in-depth guides on cardboard boxes and catnip to a brief history of the Felinism movement. It provides fail-safe tips on waking a human when you want to get fed, choosing the purr-fect gift, staring like a pro, and making the most of superstitions. It also explains the undeniable allure of the Window, the terrifying specter of the Vacuum, and how you can groom properly in just the scant twenty-four hours allotted each day.

Cats: Discover the devious fun you can have when you’re the one in charge!