Reviews (89)

Inspiring and delightful
A creative, inspiring book that brings a smile to my face and motivation to reach my true potential.I would recommend this book to anyone who ponders late at night if they are compromising great for good.

What a great balance, especially for a creative guy!
A friend had recommended "Hairball" to me, and it was one of those books that I absolutely devoured. MacKenzie's delicate tightrope of allowing just enough of the corporate bureaucracy to balance your freedom-loving creativity to keep you in orbit (hence the metaphor) is good reading for both bureaucrats and creatives. MacKenzie understands that both sides need each other to truly accomplish something in business or in life.

Very true
True, funny, inspiring.We can all learn to orbit the corporate hairball. ... Read more

Subjects:  1. Business & Economics    2. Business / Economics / Finance    3. Business Life - General    4. Business/Economics    5. Corporations    6. Creativity    7. Executive Management    8. Humor    9. MacKenzie, Gordon    10. Management - General    11. Notebooks, sketchbooks, etc    12. Advice on careers & achieving success    13. Business & Economics / Management    14. Business & Management   

Reviews (5)

Like curling up for delicious gossip fest with your best friend
In this laugh-out-loud collection of essays, Celia Rivenbark skewers the absurdities that we deal with on a regular basis. Kids, huzzzbands, celebrities, vanity - nothing is sacred.Perhaps what I enjoyed most about the book was the intimate, best friends tone Celia uses coupled with the most fabulous quips and turns of phrase - you can practically hear her delivering them.When you are reading the book, it feels like you're having a delicious gab fest with a dear friend.For example, in describing her daughter's overstuffed school bookbag "I tell you hons, sometimes I expect to pull a live squirrel monkey out of there".I couldn't help but laugh out loud at that comment because it is oh, so true with all the stuff kids bring home!
I laughed until I cried...
I picked up this book based solely on its title, and as a Disney-phile, I was hooked by the first paragraph as I saw how Celia Rivenbark minces no words as she "tells it like it is" about so many things in life.She's not afraid to address the topics that my girlfriends and I sit around and talk about (Krispy Kreme donuts celebrity craziness, and inappropriate clothing selections for the younger set), and she's not afraid to address the ones we don't talk about (like what happens when you're sick at your in-laws).
humorously places the subjects in a contradictory paradoxical light
These thirty-two essays, which divide into five parts (Kids, Celebrities, Vanity Flares, Huzzzbands, and Southern Style Silliness), are amusing satirical commentaries that use irony to lampoon "values".Whether it is the horde of politicians who share values with voters during election time (but not year round) or breaking bread with the Disney crowd, each entry humorously places the subject in a contradictory paradoxical light.Celebrity scent or slacker dads who are heroes when they put a toilet seat down, Celia Rivenbark rips the subject using lighthearted (sometimes right hooks ask morality drug czar Bennett losing millions at gambling, or the wannabe first lady "ketchup queen" meddling with the four year old, etc.) barbs.This is a terrific entreating commentary that reminds readers to "go Cheney" and look closely at the insincerity in life that leaves this reviewer thinking of changing thename of the Pygmalion Effect to the Bush Effect as he has made Iraq the center of the war on terrorism.
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Subjects:  1. American wit and humor    2. Form - Essays    3. Humor    4. Southern States    5. Humor / Essays   

Reviews (6)

One of the Worst Books I've Read
I loved the movie and really enjoyed the first book (though on a second read recently wasn't as impressed as I had been originally). But this book was painful to read. The characters were not believable. The story went nowhere. Tolkin seemed to use the space to rant about every topic he could think of. And, in the end when Bill Clinton joins, it was simply ridiculous. Don't bother with this book. What a disappointment

The Player Has Left the Building
I did not read The Player but really enjoyed the movie.So, based upon the great newspaper write-ups I anxiously awaited this book.Griffin is down to his last $6 million as a studio executive with an unhappy 40ish trophy wife when he realizes his executive days may be over.Somehow the initiative to donate $750,000 to be close to a near billionaire works and suddenly his strange journey begins.But under weird circumstances and is there another murder in his closet?
Fine book runs off the rails
THE RETURN OF THE PLAYER probably should have never happened: it's a sequel to a good book which was made into a terrific movie which achieved a certain mobius-strip-eating-its-own-tail iconography."Leave well enough alone!" would be the likely first cry if one heard a sequel being pitched.
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Subjects:  1. American Novel And Short Story    2. Fiction    3. Fiction - General    4. General    5. Hollywood (Los Angeles, Calif.)    6. Literary    7. Motion picture industry    8. Satire    9. Fiction / Literary   

Editorial Review

"Nick Naylor had been called many things since becoming chief spokesman for the Academy of Tobacco Studies. But until now no one had actually compared him to Satan." They might as well have, though. "Gucci Goebbels," "yuppie Mephistopheles," and "death merchant" are just a few endearments Naylor has earned himself as the tobacco lobby's premier spin doctor. The hero of Read more

Reviews (96)

A Great "Non-PC" Satire
It's hard to find someone who roots for the tobacco industry.I sure don't, having lost loved ones, directly and indirectly, to smoking.I guess I'd be listed as, in Nick Naylor-ese, a "Gasper."Yet you can't help but love a guy who is depicted as completely, utterly, amoral, as Chris Buckley has done in this great book.
The Hilarity is Deadlier than Vermont Cheese
This book will make you want to smoke and puke at the same time. Devilishly funny as Nick Naylor lobbies for America's number two most preventable killer, the tobacco industry. Vermont Cheese being the number one killer. But suddenly Nick is kidknapped by supposed anti-smoking puritans and nearly put to death by being mummified in Nicotine patches. Something that can give the heaviest smoker a heart-attack. And the plot thickens when the FBI is accusing Nick of kidknapping himself to further the tobacco cause. This is a hilarious novel I am glad to have read as an ex-smoker. I give it four stars.

A decent book, but a better movie
This novel is a satire telling about the career choice of one Nick Naylor. He "pays the mortgage" by being the chief spokesman for the main tabacco lobby.He justifies the killing of 465,000 people a year by claiming that smoking really is not bad for you and that much of the scientific data cannot be backed up.He becomes a character the reader loves to hate.The story is mainly one of satire towards the political correctness of Washington's finest, but he develops some sort of plot when Nick is kidnapped and covered in nicotine patches. Ironically, the event left him unable to smoke.
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Subjects:  1. Fiction    2. Popular American Fiction    3. Satire    4. Smoking    5. Tobacco habit    6. Tobacco industry    7. Tobacco use    8. Fiction / General   

Reviews (66)

I Really Like The Theory Represented In This Book, BUT..........
No pun intended, BUT I have a problem with the word fart.
A Great Addition...
I bought this book for my daughter & we really enjoyed reading it.It was so funny that I had to share it with my sister & her baby boy.Clearly, she loved the book just as much as we did because she never returned it!So, now I have to buy it again, because it is a great addition for any child's library.

Hilarious!
This book is the funniest book ever!It also happens to be a great way of explaining the very human function of gas in a nice, simple way (which makes it great for kids).I have to admit, I buy it for my adult friends (who happen to have kids) and they get a huge kick out of it.Everyone Poops is a good one too, but this one is a classic. ... Read more

Subjects:  1. Children's Books/Baby-Preschool    2. Children: Preschool    3. Concepts - General    4. Digestion    5. Flatulence    6. Health & Daily Living - General    7. Juvenile Nonfiction    8. Juvenile literature    9. Humour   

Reviews (2)

Penny Arcade = Great Web-Comic
Penny Arcade is a comic that has been around for almost a full decade now, so it is nice that this year they are finally releasing a series of books that bring the comics into our homes without the need for a computer and internet, excluding how you buy the book itself.
Good collection of a great Webcomic
Penny Arcade isn't my favorite webcomic (that honor goes to PVP), but it's up there, and I'm very happy that Dark Horse comics has begun reprinting the entire run of the series. This second volume collects all of the strips from 2001. Holkins and Krahulik don't use many long-running storylines or, for that matter, any continuity at all, so you can't really expound upon the stories here. Holkins also includes some of his vintage blog posts, detailing stories such as how a rat infestation led to his eviction and tne now-classic "Walnut Saga," which are amusing stories as their own right. The strips are as sharp and clever as ever, without any of the early strips where they were still trying to find their groove, such as those we found in volume one. The book is backed by images from the Penny Arcade card game and some unpublished concepts from Holkins and Krahulik to fill out the book. Some of the stuff at the end feels kind of like padding, but it's still a fun read. ... Read more

Subjects:  1. Computer Games    2. Form - Cartoons & Comics    3. Graphic Novels    4. Graphic Novels - General    5. Graphic Satire And Humor    6. Humor    7. Video & Electronic - General    8. Comics & Graphic Novels / General   

Reviews (18)

Catori Satori
I never cared for that Mutts comic strip in the newspapers.Too cute and not funny.Maybe it's because I'm an adult.And maybe I have no excuse for reading the comics at all at this point.I don't know.But McDonnell's characters and light touch work well in this context, in a kid's book.
*** simply enchanting ***
Recommended for anyone, any age, i.e., everyone ~~ Patrick Mc'Donnell's comic-book is a gift that I imagine anyone would want to receive.The Gift of Nothing is warm, crystal clear and gently instructive.It's a little story about giving a very big gift, of the self.

Sweet little story
If you like the comic strip, you'll enjoy the book.Mutts always makes me smile.The Gift of Nothing is a simple, happy and heartwarming, little story. ... Read more

Subjects:  1. Animals - Cats    2. Animals - Dogs    3. Cats    4. Children's 4-8 - Picturebooks    5. Children's Books/Ages 4-8 Fiction    6. Children: Grades 1-2    7. Fiction    8. Friendship    9. Gifts    10. Juvenile Fiction    11. Preschool Picture Story Books    12. Social Issues - Friendship    13. Cartoons & comic strips    14. Comic book & cartoon art    15. Humour collections & anthologies    16. Juvenile Fiction / General   

Editorial Review

From the author of Read more

Reviews (24)

Funny but a little sad too
I absolutely loved James Lileks' two previous books and found them achingly funny, but like several other reviewers, I found "Mommy Knows Worst" to be tinged with sadness at times.Yes, it was very funny, but on the other hand I ended up feeling so sorry for mothers that actually followed this kind of advice (like my mother) and kids who were subjected to it (like me) that it tempered my enjoyment somewhat.
MOMMY KNOWS WORST is filled with hilarious moments and fine vintage illustrations from the times.
Parents with a sense of humor remaining about their profession will appreciate Mommy Knows Worst: Highlights from the Golden Age of Bad Parenting Advice, which gathers past parenting neuroses from the 1940s and 50s. From 'delicious' baby laxatives to boiling baby's milk, MOMMY KNOWS WORST is filled with hilarious moments and fine vintage illustrations from the times.
A Strange Little Book
I thought this latest book by James Llukes would be sidesplittingly funny, but instead it was an insightful book on how far we've come in the last century about parenting. There are some bizarre moments, such as the newspaper filled home birthing room and some rather odd advice on parenting, and in all its a good book. ... Read more

Subjects:  1. General    2. Humor    3. Parent And Child    4. Parenting    5. Parenting - General    6. Satire And Humor    7. Topic - Family    8. Humor / General   

Editorial Review

A collection of stories and essays by humorist and NPR commentator David Sedaris based upon his own experiences and the hidden perversity that can be found in Anytown, U.S.A. Here are images and blasphemies that nice people don't dare look at--blatantly exposed and told with the clear, casual voice of intimate knowledge. Sedaris' humor is born of compassion and his tales range from the sharing of cheery Christmas letters featuring infanticide, to experiences of the Gay and Famous (Charlton Heston and Elizabeth Dole, for example),to the lives of siblings named Hope, Faith, Charity and Adolph and to alcoholics and chain smokers you can laugh with. ... Read more

Reviews (112)

David Sedaris: The Early Years
Barrel Fever
No thank you.
Pedestrian, insipid, and banal are all descriptives with more life than what is encountered in this collection of bleh.
Not for everyone...
This is David Sedaris' first book. If you like his collections of essays, you won't necessarily enjoy this. The first story, Parade, is about all the male celebrities the narrator has slept with. Glen's Homophobia Newsletter Vol. 3, No. 2 is just that, and involves Glen bitterly recounting unrequited love with a cashier. Giantess is about Sedaris trying to publish some fetish erotica. Definitely not the usual ex-pat-from-a-crazy-family stories he's so widely known for.
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Subjects:  1. Fiction    2. Form - Essays    3. Humor    4. Humorous    5. Fiction / Humorous    6. Fiction anthologies & collections   

Subjects:  1. Comics & Cartoons    2. Comics & Graphic Novels    3. Graphic Satire And Humor    4. Humor    5. Topic - Political    6. Comics & Graphic Novels / Comics & Cartoons    7. Graphic novels   

Editorial Review

Reacting to an itch common to Midwesterners since there's been a Midwest from which to escape, writer Bill Bryson moved from Iowa to Britain in 1973. Working for such places as Read more

Reviews (249)

Hilarious
I love Bill Bryson's books, even though I've criticized a couple of them. He's witty, urbane, insightful and an all around fun guy. In fact, he's my favorite liberal and one of only 4 or 5 with an I.Q. above 95. This book is just a wonderful insight into the mind of the British, and a sad eye-opener to some of the tragic destruction of the environment that made Great Britain what it was. If you want to have a wonderful, relaxing and quite funny journey through Great Britain from the eyes of an American who lived there for many years, do read this book. In fact read all of Bill's books, you won't be sorry. Thanks Bill, you're my hero!!!

Great stories, good humor, bad narration voice
The book is brilliant, no question about it. His stories are great, his humor dry and culturally insightful. The problem is that, like all audio books, the voice of the narrator can make or break the experience. And in this case, unfortunately, the voice of the author fails the material.
Laughs galore
This is the third Bill Bryson travelogue I have read.This has several laugh-out-loud sections, particularly if you have travelled in the United Kingdom.It is excellent for relaxing on weekends or on a plane.If you have never been to the UK and don't know any British people, then don't form all your opinions based on this one book, but Bryson does a good job distilling some of the differences between our nations into an amusing few hundred pages. ... Read more

Subjects:  1. 20th century    2. Bryson, Bill    3. Civilization    4. Description and travel    5. England    6. Essays & Travelogues    7. Europe - Gt. Britain/England    8. Form - Essays    9. Journeys    10. Topic - Political    11. Travel    12. Travel - General    13. Travel / General   

Subjects:  1. American Satire And Humor    2. American wit and humor    3. General    4. Humor    5. Humor / General   

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

Reviews (3)

rewriting parenting rules
aprils teenage years are forcing the patersons to rewrite the rules they have relied on for so long in regards for their parenting. The greated media threat to april's brother and sister was Mtv and keeping them from watching it was probably a simple task compared to what they are faced with April. Outside influences once thought to stop at the front door are easily accesable through the computer and satellite TV and the reality of how unsafe society has become. Face it, we all have a real fear of someone so desperate to kidnap a child they will break in to a locked home. Their fear has forced them to keep April within their sphere of influence evenif it means she has to work at the store along side her mom, something Elly never had to even think about when Micheal and Elizabeth were April's age. This book, even though its humor, is a brilliant editorial on the radical adjustments parents are making in their lives with the onslaught of the radical changes in our society.

If you mean April's turning into a BRATZ DOLL, why not?
Seems like all the young girls in the sweetsy comic strip are slowly turning into idealized supermodels lately. Even the blonde rugrat, Meredith, who seems to have inherited big, fat Angelina Jolie lips from her equally blonde mommy. And now ALL the nubile-aged females are ALSO developing these famous lips, Elizabeth and April included.
Another winner by Lynne Johnston
I adore this comic strip.It has been wonderful to see the whole family grow up before our eyes.
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Subjects:  1. Comics & Cartoons    2. Comics & Graphic Novels    3. Humor    4. Comics & Graphic Novels / Comics & Cartoons   

Reviews (2)

Handsome Book, Good Source For Appreciators Of Cocktail...
A handsomely bound book with lots of colour and a real feeling of nostalgia throughout.I thought the book was well set up for easy reading and the enclosed anecdotes were usually charming and interesting.Some very sharp looking sepia-toned photos throughout the book along with colorful graphics and photos.Nice reproduced images of the various clubs' promotional material as well.I would have myself liked to see more photos of the people who worked in these establishments in "action" so to speak.Meaning, photos of flashy bartenders mixing up a martini, or beautiful cigarette girls, or a waiter with a tray full of fancy drinks, etc.I would have also liked to know what ever happened to the clubs themselves after they closed.Were they bulldozed? Do some still exist albeit in another form?However, the book is one of the few tributes in printed form to the period of the luxurious dinner clubs and night clubs of the first half of the 20th century.That alone makes it a must have for enthusiasts of the long gone cocktail "set".I was in the club industry for most of my working years, so I do know a little of the lifestlye!Wish I could have been around the "French Casino" or the "Cocoanut Grove" back in the heyday.It looked like a marvelous time to be alive in America and enjoy the true meaning of "a night on the town".

Vintage Classics!
I am here to actually review the author, Susan. I know how hard she works and her committment to presenting the best is phenomenal. Susan is an amazing author and I am honored to call her my cousin!! ... Read more

Subjects:  1. Art    2. Comedy    3. General    4. Pop Arts / Pop Culture    5. Popular Culture - General    6. Performing Arts / General   

Editorial Review

This is a genius-level piece of writing that manages to blend literary biography with self-helpand tongue-in-cheek with the profound. The quirky, early 1900s French author Marcel Proust acts as thevessel for surprisingly impressive nuggets of wisdom on down-to-earth topics such as why you shouldnever sleep with someone on the first date, how to protect yourself against lower back pain, and how tocope with obnoxious neighbors. Here's proof that our ancestors had just as much insight as the gurus dujour and perhaps a lot more wit. De Botton simultaneously pokes fun at the self-help movement and makesa significant contribution to its archives. ... Read more

Reviews (100)

Proust and me
From being a bit of a science fiction junkie (because there was no sex in it) I've become a bit of a literature junkie. Joseph Conrad probably started it, but the non-SF novels of Philip K Dick had a big influence too. Gradually I've explored Turgenev, Huysmans, ETA Hoffman - as well as more traditional fare such as Dostoevsky, Eliot, Sands ..... (And the less traditional - Anna Kavan, WH Hudson, and so on). But not Proust.
How de Botton can change your reading of Proust
My 2006 reading project was to get through Marcel Proust's In Search of Lost Time and De Botton's book was a great help at the end.
Not profound?
Alain de Botton offers a charming overview of Proust's achievement with so light a touch that it cancels out all the usual criticisms of this fascinating writer as boring and tendentious. Which of us have the time to wade through seven volumes of Remembrance of Things Past? No problem: De Botton gives us a rundown on the oeuvre by isolating themes within the work, employing a framework of gentle mockery of the self-help genre - the temptation to turn to a great author in the hopes that he can provide us with a roadmap on how to live our lives. In the process he includes enough commentary and quotation to richly illuminate the extraordinary depth of insight and no-nonsense common sense running as a fine vein beneath the musings of this nineteenth-century provincial invalid, nowadays largely relegated to the ranks of the effete and irrelevantby those who have done no more than dipped into him. De Botton's achievement is to remind us of the unique dimensions of Proust's profound understanding of the art of living, even as he gently moves us away from the temptation to idolize the writer. De Botton concludes his book with the insight that "a genuine homage to Proust would be to look at our world through his eyes, not look at his world through our eyes;" adding this final dictum from Proust himself: "Reading is on the threshold of the spriritual life; it can introduce us to it: it does not constitute it." The final sentence of De Botton's volume sums up the conclusions of his own study: "Even the finest books deserve to be thrown aside" - words which offer the purest homage to the essence of Proust. Enjoy! ... Read more

Subjects:  1. 1871-1922    2. European - French    3. Humor    4. Humorous    5. Literary Criticism    6. Literature - Classics / Criticism    7. Proust, Marcel    8. Proust, Marcel,    9. Fiction / Humorous   

Reviews (12)

shoot for the moon
to succeddone must hire the stupid to confound the wise......3...2....1....ignition ....and lift off.....

You Don't Have to Understand "Southern Humor" to Laugh With Jeff Foxworthy
Anyone from "Small Town Rural America" will enjoy any and all of Jeff Foxworthy's humor (that is, if you have a sense of humor). I grew up in small Illinois town and I laugh my "tail" off when listening to Mr. Foxworthy.I know and have met his "people", been to his "places" and know and most likely did his "things".You do not have to know and understand "Southern Humor"--you just have to be able to use your imagination and/or experience.He is a God given JOY!!

TOTEM
totem (tot'um) v. and n. plural - Direct explanation of one's own narrative participation in a chain of events;at times, produces self-congratulatory patting oneself on the back for being able to state things correctly.
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Subjects:  1. American Satire And Humor    2. Comedy (Performing Arts)    3. English language    4. Form - Parodies    5. General    6. Humor    7. Rednecks    8. Southern States    9. Vocabulary    10. Humor / General   

Reviews (15)

More and More get fuzzy.
I adore the get fuzzy series. It doesn't run in our local paper so I have to buy the collections. It's wonderful. I love the intelligence and interaction of the characters. I've even got my six-year-old son hooked.

Dog and Cat Owners Prepare To HOWL!
Get Fuzzy is our favorite comic strip in our household.We have dogs and cats...one cat that has earned the new nickname of Bucky the Cat and one yellow Labrador who is definitely Satchel come to life!Non-pet owners will get a kick out of these great collections, but PET OWNERS, esp if you own a cat AND a dog, my best advice is Do Not Eat Or Drink While Reading...you'll ruin your Get Fuzzy Book for sure, or you may choke...either way no fun...otherwise ALL the Get Fuzzy Books are really fun...I've never laughed so hard in my life!If our cats and dogs COULD talk to us, I imagine it wouldn't be a lot different than the world created by the wonderful creator of the Get Fuzzy Comic Strips!GREAT PET OWNERS GIFT TOO!!!

great comic
I started reading this comic on Sunday newspaper until I bought the book.Love it. ... Read more

Subjects:  1. Comic books, strips, etc    2. Comics & Cartoons    3. Comics & Graphic Novels    4. Humor    5. Topic - Animals    6. Comics & Graphic Novels / Comics & Cartoons   

Subjects:  1. Art    2. Caricatures and cartoons    3. Cartoons and caricatures    4. Graphic Satire And Humor    5. Great Britain    6. Pictorial works    7. Social life and customs    8. Comic book & cartoon art    9. History / General   

Editorial Review

Go ahead and laugh at the title of this book, but admit it--do you know what a cytomegalovirus is, or how to get rid of one? (It's a little-known sexually-transmitted disease, and there's no known cure.) Dr. Ruth Westheimer has written a valuable reference for those who think they know it all--and for those who admit they know nothing. Westheimer covers male and female anatomy, masturbation, birth control, and the ups and downs of orgasms, along with many other very sensitive subjects--such as how to come out when you're married and have children. For parents who are having trouble talking with their teens about sex, this book could break the ice. It's especially worthy reading--for young and old alike--for Westheimer's candid discussions of the often-ignored emotional and psychological aspects of sexuality, from the effects of losing one's virginity to having cybersex to handling premature ejaculation and other sexual problems. ... Read more

Reviews (19)

Very Informative
This book is very clear and understandable.Everything you ever wanted to know about sex but were afraid to ask.

Too Many Blurry Pictures
This thing has caused a little rift between Wanda and me. She's not really the adventurous type. I, however, love to let my hair down and go hog wild. Actually, I try to keep my hair up in its ponytail when I can. (been told it makes me look like a much older, fatter Richie Sambora) I guess I'm just what some might call a free spirit. Me and the wife are a little mismatched in this sense, but we stay together for the sake of the girls. (3 more years)
Excellent Book
A must have for everyone.Since sex is a part of our lives we need to know everything about it, before we make important decisions. ... Read more

Subjects:  1. Family Relationships    2. Family/Marriage    3. Humor    4. Love / Sex / Marriage    5. Sex    6. Sex Relations    7. Sex education    8. Sex instruction    9. Sexual Instruction    10. Sexuality    11. Social Science    12. Sociology - General    13. Family & Relationships / Family Relationships    14. Self-Help & Practical Interests    15. Sex & sexuality