Editorial Review

There's quite a bit of intelligent analysis and thought-provoking insight packed into the pages of Chuck Klosterman's Read more

Reviews (84)

I love Chuck!
I love to read anything Chuck Klosterman writes, even if he can sometimes be inconsistent.That being said, this book is frickin' great and is not the reason I find his writings occassionally inconsistent.I always recommend this to people who enjoy anything about pop culture and or just generally funny reads.So far everyone I have recommended it to has become Chuck fans!

People in glass houses...
When I read Chuck K., I feel like I'm coming home. It's like I'm having a deep, intense discussion with a college friend as Dark Side of the Moon is tripping in the background. I mean, I am a Gen X RAWKER about the same age, and with every page comes a new delight. When he mentioned "All For Leyna", a track on Billy Joel's Glass Houses I about Busted A Gut...it was my first vinyl at age 9.Chuck and I are soulmates.If you don't like his stuff, you just don't get it, and you weren't there.

Deep yet superficial?
Although I have a penchant for fiction, this book is very high on my list of works to recommend to other avid readers. Nobody can make a point quite like Chuck Klosterman. Granted, he sometimes supports his opinion by saying (in essence), "I believe this, therefore it must be so" -- but even then, he's so damn believable. (More often than not, though, he provides more than enough evidence to support his claims and opinions.) Chuck's essays in this compilation are easy to read, thought-provoking, humorous, insightful, and just plain fun. I'm a sucker for pop culture, and this book helps me feel better about that, in a way. It gives me proof that my intellectual side can somehow coincide with my lighter, more bubble-gum (read: guilty-pleasure) side. Thanks for that, Chuck -- and also for making me laugh and think at the same time. In my experience, that's rare. ... Read more

Subjects:  1. 1970-    2. American Essays    3. Civilization    4. Essays    5. Pop Arts / Pop Culture    6. Popular Culture    7. Popular Culture - General    8. Social Science    9. Sociology    10. United States    11. Social Science / General    12. USA   

Reviews (33)

I haven't laughed this hard in a long time!!
Women, it's very raw but you have to read this. You will be laughing so hard you cry! Need a stress reliever read this book!!!I can't wait to get her first 2.

Wonderful and heartelt
She did it again.. she made me sit up and take notice.. I loved it and I thought it was brave of her to open up. I am sending Belly Laughs and Baby Laughs to my best friend.. she can get her own Life Laughs!! I always feel that I am reading my own stories when I read her books.. I have a 4 year old and have been through a divorce.. God Bless You Jenny!

not as good as her 1st 2 books
this book was very disappointing. i LOVED her 1st two books. so when this book came out i was very excited. after reading it, i found it was rather dull and not very funny. there were very few parts that actually made me laugh, unlike her 1st two books. ... Read more

Subjects:  1. Actors    2. Biography    3. Humor    4. Love / Sex / Marriage    5. Marriage    6. Parenting - Child Rearing    7. Parenting - Motherhood    8. Television personalities    9. Topic - Family    10. Topic - Relationships    11. United States    12. Family & Relationships / Marriage   

Reviews (40)

Hilarious!
This was one of the funniest books I ever read in my life! I like how it's a religion that makes more logical sense than "real" religions, but is totally asinine. And some of the entries are just so out there they should make anyone laugh. It does make more sense that the creator of the universe was either stupid or drunk, given the state of things, than an omniscient, omnipotent, omnibenevolent being.

Painfully Effective!
This is, hands down, the absolute best parody of chemical evolution I have ever seen!

Science Triumphs!
Purchased after reading a review in Scientific American.It is a truly wonderful "defense" of Intelligent Design, written by a physicist using purely scientific methods and sure to sway any doubters.A truly hilarious work, it will be found particularly offensive by those who would most benefit from serious consideration of its contents.(I suspect will at least slightly offend nearly every reader.)I loved it! ... Read more

Subjects:  1. American Satire And Humor    2. Fiction - General    3. Form - Essays    4. Humor    5. Humorous    6. Religion    7. Topic - Religion    8. Fiction / Humorous   

Reviews (2)

Uproarious And Seditious - What I LIKE About The Funny Pages!
This comic isn't to everyone's taste.Let's get that right out of the way.It likes to talk about what the comics usually doesn't - death, sex, cynicism, other comics - and yet it does so in a way that you can't help but love.
Lot of laughs
This had to be great. I mean just the cover made me laugh and with Stephan Pastis's commentary and introduction, it was about the best comic treasury i have ever read. I have forty different comic treasuries and this is the crown of my collection. Thank you Stephan Pastis; you have made me laugh uncontrollably several times! Something that only the sarcasm, exagerration, and satire in Pearles Before Swine can do. ... Read more

Subjects:  1. Comics & Cartoons    2. Comics & Graphic Novels    3. Graphic Satire And Humor    4. Humor    5. Topic - Animals    6. Comics & Graphic Novels / Comics & Cartoons   

Editorial Review

Let's get this out of the way: David Rakoff is not David Sedaris. When you hear him being incredibly smart and funny on Read more

Reviews (54)

Keep it simple, stupid

Very good, very clever
Comparing David Rakoff to David Sedaris, while probably unavoidable, is more than a little disinginuous.David Sedaris writes in a way that is understated, even simplistic, yet which makes him easy to relate to.Reading David Rakoff, by contrast, is not effortless.His writing is more complex and more obviously literary, which makes it less immediate, and less relatable.He has a considerable intellect, and skill as a writer, and is not afraid to show it.As a result, there is a sense of effort, of him trying to say things in a way that is probably not as straightforward as it could be.That's only bad when it doesn't work, and during those times when it seems that he is trying too hard, or at least, too hard to be clever.Fortunately, that is not often.
brilliant!!
No other word to describe this collection of short stories, or rather essays on life in general.
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Subjects:  1. American Essays    2. Essays    3. Form - Essays    4. Humor    5. Literary Collections    6. Literature: Classics    7. Humor / Essays   

Reviews (22)

hilarious, irreverant, a great gift and a fantastic read for beginning knitters...
i consider this book a splurge, or a great gift to get a knitting friend - especially a beginner. it answers some of the OTHER questions you may have about knitting that aren't technical, such as...
Humorously Helpful!
There's nothing I like better than truly helpful lists and hints unless it is those same lists and hints dished up with a generous sense of humor.Stephanie had me laughing and reading out loud to my daughter-in-law and constantly exclaiming: "look at this!" while we drove to the yarn store for more supplies.So if you want a handy dandy list of typical head sizes or typical foot lengths (the kind of valuable info provided) topped off with WHO wears WHAT hats and WHY, you will love this book.The basics are addressed here, along with some fine points and finer observations that will have you consulting this book again and again.And if you want to relax and really enjoy your knitting - or your stash or your knitting thoughts (guilt-free) - get this book just to read for fun.It works either way.

Fun book for the knitter in you
I have only been knitting for 1 1/2 years, and I tend to be a rectangle knitter (scarves, afghans, etc.). This book makes me laugh and want to try new things. If you enjoy knitting, you'll enjoy Stephanie's unique look at all things yarn-ish. ... Read more

Subjects:  1. Crafts & Hobbies    2. General    3. Hobbies/Crafts    4. Humor    5. Knitting    6. Needlework - Knitting    7. HUMOR / General   

Subjects:  1. Calendar    2. Calendars & Diaries    3. Calendars - Humor / Comics / Games    4. Comics & Cartoons    5. General    6. Non-Classifiable    7. Humor / General   

Reviews (19)

What is a good read?
Bob Harris is a working-class guy who grew up near Cleveland, Ohio.Somehow he came to live in Los Angeles, California.Bob had an outdated degree in electrical engineering with a usefulness that "ended with Pong".Bob had watched Jeopardy! with his parents as a kid.He must have wanted to be on the show because he auditioned for it at least four or five different times.In fact, Bob doesn't remember how many times he took and failed the Jeopardy! test.What he does remember is that the last time he took the test he had decided that was going to be the last time he took the test.He passed it and that began a decade long "career" as a Jeopardy! winner and loser.Bob is a five-time Jeopardy! champion. He made it to the finals of a Tournament of Champions, completed in the Masters Tournament, and won a first round in the Ultimate Tournament of Champions.
He hits the Daily Double!!!
If you're a Jeopardy fan, you will enjoy this book I think.Harris offers a funny glimpse into the populat game show.As a former stand up comic, he at times is a bit over the top, manic and cloying in showing how clever or funny he can be.Nevertheless, he pulls it off with paralel themes between the game show (trivia) and key relationships in life.
Even the index makes good reading
Bob Harris, a one-time "B-minus-list comedian" turned five-time Jeopardy champion, has written a memoir centered around his experiences as a contestant on the show. His Prisoner of Trebekistan--a title hearing which Alex Trebek is said to have "smiled inscrutably"--is everything you'd hope for in a comedian's Jeopardy memoir. Harris proves to be an affable, goofily amusing escort through the various stages of Jeopardy playerdom, from the tests administered to would-be contestants through the mind games played backstage in the green room to chats with Alex mid-game. Having lived it, Harris is able to describe the life of a Jeopardy contestant in training. The regimen of study he adopted makes for fascinating reading: notebooks filled with information to be absorbed (lists of presidents and Shakespearian plays and European rivers), innumerable cartoons, very often buttock-related, drawn as mnemonic aids; Harris's lifestyle and living room rearranged to facilitate his "state-dependent retrieval" of information once on stage. (Which means that he ate green-room-style food for months and moved his furniture around so it resembled the Jeopardy set.)
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Subjects:  1. 1963-    2. Biography / Autobiography    3. Entertainment & Performing Arts - General    4. General    5. Harris, Bob,    6. Humor    7. Jeopardy (Television program)    8. Personal Memoirs    9. Satire And Humor    10. Television - General    11. Television Programming    12. Trivia    13. Biography & Autobiography / General   

Reviews (347)

A Two For Effort
This book is written from the viewpoint of a flaming socialist with the attitude that anything white or European or is overly valued in American history textbooks.Loewen does have many valid points about what history textbooks omit, but the degree to which he is clearly slanted to the left is ludicrous."Lies My Teacher Told Me" could have been an amazing book, but all it did was aggrivate me and motivate me to write a 23 page paper debunking half of what the author wrote, much to the dismay of my idiotic Sociology professor.The only reason I didn't give the book 1 star is because the overall intent and effort put forth were good, but the book as a whole is just far too biased.

an important book
Interesting, informative, and should be required reading for high school and college students.

A mixed review
I have mixed feelings about this book.
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Subjects:  1. Historiography    2. History    3. History - General History    4. History: American    5. Indians of North America in te    6. Indians of North America in textbooks    7. Study & Teaching    8. Textbooks    9. Thanksgiving Day in textbooks    10. United States    11. United States - General    12. United States History (General)    13. History / General    14. Humour    15. USA   

Editorial Review

It's been 25 years since Garrison Keillor first began charming audiences with the goings-on of the strong women, good-looking men, and above-average children in his mythical Minnesota town. Keiller's storytelling alchemy (part literary orchestra, part gossip), gentle humor, and deadpan (or is that just Midwestern?) delivery are what have made Read more

Features

• Audiobook

Reviews (9)

More Fun Than A NPR Membership Drive
As someone who has relied heavily on NPR almost since its inception in 1970, I've logged many an hour on the banks of Lake Wobegon, smiling as Dusty and Lefty chewed on cowboy philosophy and thrilling at the adventures of Guy Noir, Private Eye.What I found most alluring about Prairie Home Companion was the format itself, homage to the great days of radio when audiences imagined pictures for themselves.This was a marvelously collaborative process whereby, as Stan Freiberg once observed, it really was possible to fill the Grand Canyon with Jell-O.
Narrow Slice of the Pie
I purchased this 25th anniversary collection with great anticipation and, have to say, I was surprised and disappointed to find that this compendium consists ONLY of Garrison's monologues with a few musical selections thrown in.This collection has none of the short skits, Guy Noir bits, or cast-inclusive pieces of brilliance that punctuate and vary the pacing of the live radio show.Don't get me wrong, Garrison's stories are wonderful in themselves and quite enjoyable, but I feel that a 25th anniversary collection should consist of more than just this one aspect of the show.If, like me, you want a more rounded Prarie Home experience, you'll need to buy some of the other Prarie Home CD releases to suppliment this purchase which, I think, is a shame.This collection should be clearly labelled as monologues & music, not as an overall collection of the show.

Great Entertainment for a Road Trip
We listened to this CD set on a recent trip between California and Colorado.The time just flew.Garrison Keillor moves so smoothly from hysterical silliness to poignant truth-telling.He's an absolute master storyteller... we keep thinking he just can't get any better, but he does. ... Read more

Subjects:  1. Audio Adult: Books On Tape    2. Form - Essays    3. Unabridged Audio - Humor    4. Religion / Spirituality   

Reviews (1)

Classic Pilkington
For those of you who are familiar with the Podcasts done by Ricky Gervais, Steven Merchant, and everyone's favorite round-headed idiot, Karl, this is a great book, albeit somewhat redundant but never tiresome.It is comprised primarily of the transcripts from the show, yet there are many pictues and musings straight from Karl that are very funny.I thought it was great and I never get tired of listening to Ricky and Steve gang up on Karl, and reading it was great too, especially when you only have to imagine Ricky's high-pitced cackle as opposed to letting it rip through your ear drums every 10-15 seconds.
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Subjects:  1. English Satire And Humor    2. Form - Essays    3. Humor    4. Humor / General   

Reviews (2)

I can hardly wait!
What a great item!I am buying this calendar for my entireChristmas list.The countdown has already started in my house, and perhaps this calendar will help make it go by faster.

Just counting the days!
If you can hardly wait for a new administration this calendar will help you count down the days! It is peppered with many Bushisms that will make you smile (or cringe!). Plus there's still plenty of room to write your own appointments. I can hardly wait until January so I can begin using it. ... Read more

Subjects:  1. Calendar    2. Calendars & Diaries    3. Non-Classifiable    4. Topic - Political    5. History / General   

Reviews (8)

Great present for girls
I gave this to my sister for her birthday and she loved the fact that I'd bought her a suitable girlie present. I definitely earnt brownie points.

I could have survived without it
What you have here is the book that's described as "the book that every woman needs to buy". Sold? Yeah, but only if you can get it cheap enough. And I'm talking DEAD cheap. Thankfully, my copy was cheap, and I also didn't buy it.
The Ultimate how to guide
This is possibly the best how to guide I have ever read.It covers just about anything you could ever want to do. It shows how to be stylish, polite, knowlegable, and classy.I absolutely loved this book and I encourage anyone who wants to better themselves to read it. ... Read more

Subjects:  1. Conduct of life    2. Etiquette    3. General    4. Life skills guides    5. Personal & Practical Guides    6. Reference    7. Reference And Information Services    8. Young women    9. Self-Help / General   

Reviews (44)

More appropriate for intermediate to advance readers
For someone who is new to probability theories and statistics, you might consider something else more basic and introductory.I've had classes in probability and number theories in college.This book stumped me.It could be retitled: Cartoons for Statisticians.Definitely not a book for beginners as it may have been intended.

Excellent Intro to Stats
Stats isn't an easy thing to learn, but the Cartoon Guide to Stats is the easiest way to learn the basics.In particular it makes hypothesis testing clear.Hypothesis testing is often one of the more difficult areas for new stats students to understand.
Fun & worthwhile
This book is, in fact, full of cartoons but, even so, is actually a useful statistics book.I am a chemist who has long forgotten her math and this book was suggested to me by a co-worker who was given the book (earlier edition) by her sister (a medical person).So, this book has a long history of being helpful to those of us in technical fields who are not math experts but who need occasional help with stats. ... Read more

Subjects:  1. Business & Economics    2. Business / Economics / Finance    3. Business/Economics    4. Caricatures and cartoons    5. General    6. Mathematical Statistics    7. Probability & Statistics - General    8. Statistics    9. Humour    10. Probability & statistics    11. Social research & statistics    12. Study Aids / General   

Reviews (1)

THIS IS SURPRISINGLY ENTERNTAINING!
The authors spent about four years collecting doodles from as many presidents as possible. The results are presented here. Did you know Hoover's doodles were used for a line of baby clothes? Did you know Johnson's administration was filled with doodlers? The authors give context to each president's times along with the reproduced doodles. I read about this book online, but when I actually saw a copy and picked it up, I was hooked! ... Read more

Subjects:  1. American - General    2. American Satire And Humor    3. Art & Art Instruction    4. Government - Executive Branch    5. History    6. History - General History    7. History: American    8. Subjects & Themes - General    9. Topic - Political    10. United States - General    11. United States History (General)    12. Drawing & drawings    13. English    14. Political leaders & leadership    15. USA   

Editorial Review

A travelogue by Bill Bryson is as close to a sure thing as funny books get. Read more

Reviews (244)

A major disservice to the book
The book THE LOST CONTINENT is an amazing captivating read.Bryson is truly brilliant in his descriptions.This CD totally KILLS that.First of all the narrator reads at a mile a minute, sometimes to the point where you can't understand him.And second, they abridged the CRAP out of it, cutting some of the most interesting commentary and actually cutting the entire SECOND HALF of the book!While the book is amazing, this particular recording of it should be avoided at all costs.

NOT HIS BEST WORK
I think Bill Bryson can be very funny. "In A Sunburned Land" was hilarious, whereas this was pretty much trite and dated humor. In fact it reminded me of the kind of humor undergraduate English Majors at overated eastern liberal arts colleges would find funny. The beginning of the book is an ongoing insult of everyone, the middle he calms dawn, and he ends really trying to force some funny. It's a very dated and poor effort by a usually funny man. Skip it.

dark job by a whiny hatchet man--read the later works
My overall recommendation is to read Bryson's brilliantly funny recent works, then go back to less recent works, then stop before you get to this one.As other discerning reviewers have noted (especially Amer-Aussie, whose spot-on review you really must mark as 'helpful'), Bryson looks for the worst in America and, surprise, he finds it.Sure, there's much that's funny here, but the humor gets swallowed up by the mean.
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Subjects:  1. 1971-    2. Cities and towns    3. Description and travel    4. Essays & Travelogues    5. Form - Essays    6. General    7. Humor    8. Social life and customs    9. Travel - United States    10. United States    11. United States - General    12. Travel / Essays & Travelogues   

Editorial Review

In nearly two decades as chairman of the board, Alan "Ace" Greenberg has successfully guided Bear Stearns & Co. through the financial marketplace's dizzying highs and sickening lows. His management philosophy, often credited to "advisor and mentor" Haimchinkel Malintz Anaynikal, was articulated over the years in a series of witty and revealing memoranda. Grouped by era and prefaced briefly by the author in Read more

Reviews (11)

Another former employee review
I see that a few of us formers have reviewed this book or the soft cover version. It was just last week that I was told of the book, and as one of the many who received some of the memos I found myself reminded of the important things in business ;) A real person should answer the phone - and before the 2nd ring! Don't waste electricity, paperclips or rubber bands. Don't go nuts purchasing things you don't really need in up times. Two head can purchase equipment at better prices than 1 head. The importance of catching mistakes, owning up to them, and not hiding things in the drawers. You don't have to do something just because others are doing it. You'll find great employees in downtimes. And... how determination is so much more important then some letters after your name (unless you're a DR of course). Great reminders... for all. Thanks for the memories and lessons.

Ahhhh...Corporate America!
As I was sifting through dust-ridden literature in my library, I came across this legendary book.I too am a former employee of Bear Stearns and remember meeting Mr. Greenberg during my frequent visits to the trading floor.
You may actually get the point of this book
Yes, this book is repetitive, but that is what makes it so great.Ace Greenberg repeats the same message over and over again.He emphasizes, cut costs, hire people during the downtimes, forget about strategy development and he does so with humor.The employees at Bear were fortunate to have such clear communication from the top.
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Subjects:  1. Business & Economics    2. Business / Economics / Finance    3. Business Life - Inspirational    4. Business letters    5. Business writing    6. Business/Economics    7. General    8. Humor    9. Leadership    10. Memorandums    11. Written Communication In Business    12. Business & Economics / Leadership    13. Management & management techniques    14. USA   

Reviews (6)

Great Read
A very chick-book, but so funny and touching.You almost put the book down and start trying to channel your own dog.Get this book!I can't wait to read her other stuff!

Thoroughly Enjoyable
Markoe's writing is lovely, and so easy to tangle yourself up in.It flows nicely, and keeps you interested at all times.
Laughed out Loud, Must read for dog lovers
I loved this light read. It was fun, made me laugh, and I identified with the thoughts and habits of the main character. Made me feel more normal for how I think about my dogs! =) ... Read more

Subjects:  1. American Satire And Humor    2. American Science Fiction And Fantasy    3. Dogs    4. Fantasy    5. Fantasy - General    6. Fiction    7. Fiction - General    8. General    9. Humorous    10. Man-woman relationships    11. Fiction / General   

Subjects:  1. American wit and humor, Pictorial    2. Art & Art Instruction    3. Comics & Cartoons    4. Editorial And Political Cartoons    5. Form - Cartoons & Comics    6. General    7. Graphic Satire And Humor    8. Humor    9. New Yorker (New York, N.Y. : 1925)    10. Art / General   

Reviews (47)

Hilarious........
This book kept me laughing for hours on end. I am from the south and had an occasion to spend 6 months in Greenville, Miss. recently, so having been there, met lots of natives, etc. made it even more comical. While reading the book you can almost hear the accent of the "Southern Ladies" in conversation. Gayden really has a way of turning mundane everyday life in the Delta, into one hilarious situation after another. I thoroughly enjoyed the stories and great recipes as well.

A taste of the deep south
I found this such a humorous and, for me, sentimental read. For each incident and character, I have enough life experiences in the deep south to be able relate the tale to characters and events in my past, including seeing ladies examine invitations from an angle to be sure they are engraved ("that beauty-graving is so tacky"). I am going to buy a couple copies for family members who I am sure will love this book as much as I do.

Sorry, but I didn't like it that much
The book was recommended to me by an elderly Southern lady with a great sense of humor, so I had high hopes.
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Subjects:  1. American Regional Cookery    2. American Satire And Humor    3. Cookery, American    4. Cooking / Wine    5. Entertaining - General    6. Etiquette    7. Form - Essays    8. Funeral rites and ceremonies    9. General    10. Humor    11. Regional & Ethnic - American - Southern States    12. Southern States    13. Southern style    14. Cooking / General