ARC Review: Rob Delaney

Mother. Wife. Sister. Human. Warrior. Falcon. Yardstick. Turban. Cabbage. by Rob Delaney
4/5 stars
Spiegel & Grau, 2013
208 pages
Adult Memoir Humorous
Scheduled to release November 5

Source: Received an e-ARC from the publisher through Edelweiss.

Earlier this year my friend dragged a group of us to a comedy club. I wasn't much impressed with the opening acts but experienced some good chuckles from the main attraction, being this man Rob Delaney. Later I started following him on Twitter and then requested a copy of his book anticipating some laughs.

I'm pleased to say that I got them in this memoir although my lingering impression is that the book was just too short. I don't have a lot to say though I liked tracing Delaney's journey through alcoholism, injuries, depression, and ultimately recovery; he's lived for sure. I thought I'd share a few lines from the book to give you a taste for his writing style, if you are not familiar with his comedy (although he was voted "Funniest person on Twitter" at the Comedy Central awards so why don't you? ;)

For starters, there are some delightful turns of phrases such as:
"This boy might go on a killing spree one day, so distant is reality from his sad, flailing grasp"
"a beautiful, shimmering red flag"
"where my rented Nissan Altima so passionately kissed a branch office"

I think it's the descriptors "flailing," "shimmering," and "passionately" that really add the punch to these lines. Oh and I'm not giving you any additional context for these either-you will just have to pick up the book for yourself!

But because I'm so sweet, I will share a few longer (hilarious) quotes:
"Cheesecake...Who invented that? Probably Jesus of Nazareth. Or maybe Louis Pasteur. It makes me physically sick to think that Barack Obama won the Nobel Peace Prize, yet the name of the inventor of cheesecake isn't tattooed on Dick Cheney's face."
-When polling people at my office, 5 out of 7 people chose apple pie over cheesecake (though one did admit he'd take either), which is just a disgrace if you ask me. How do I work with these people???

"Willful ignorance or resistance of alleged facts has been a big ingredient in any success I've had."
-I actually kind of want to keep this in mind for future endeavors; who needs "reality" anyway?

Overall: I think if you enjoy Mr. Delaney's humor, you will enjoy this book. Check out his twitter to get a feel for his humor; be warned though that it's definitely adult unlike the MG/YA novels I more frequently review here.

Super Pop!

Super Pop! by Daniel Harmon
4/5 stars
Zest Books, 2013
279 pages
Non-Fiction Pop Culture

Source: Received an e-ARC via Netgalley in exchange for an honest review.

I absolutely adore trivia, lists, and pop culture so checking this book out was a complete no-brainer especially once I saw Liviana at In Bed With Books' positive review. I'm glad I checked it out because this book was so much fun! I don't have a lot to say about it other than I really enjoyed reading it.

I do consider myself pretty familiar with many areas of pop culture but I was pleased to discover even more new things. I did know a lot of the movies and books but there are also music, video games, and more that were new to me. I appreciated the chance to get some new ideas for entertainment to check out. The list topics are arranged in five areas and then pretty randomly within each category.

What I liked the most about the book was that it is not just lists. There are full-on (often very humorous) paragraphs explaining why something is on the list as well as providing bonus materials on occasion. I literally laughed out loud at several points and shared a few tidbits with the people around me.

Overall, I think this would be a fun book to keep as a reference, definitely something you would want a hard copy of rather than the e-book version I read. My copy featured black and white illustrations; I am wondering if the actual book has color to match the cover.

ARC Review: Also Known As

Also Known As by Robin Benway
4.5/5 stars
Walker & Company, 2013
369 pages
YA Comedy Mystery
Scheduled to release February 26

Source: Received an e-ARC via Netgalley in exchange for an honest review.

I've had mixed success with Robin Benway's writing, DNF-ing Audrey, Wait! due to its profanity but adoring The Extraordinary Secrets of April, May, and June. I was hoping my reaction to this book would be similarly positive and I am pleased to report that it is.

I found almost everything about this book delightful from our enchanting protagonist Maggie learning to negotiate high school for the first time as an undercover spy to her new best friend to the cute boy to her parents to the rest of the spy cabal. For years, Maggie and her parents have traveled around the world using their spy tactics for good. But now Maggie is taking the lead on a case while also posing as just any other high schooler to humorous effect.

In general, I found this book to be hilarious as Maggie definitely has a quick wit and she struggles to fit in (adjusting to homework is not easy!) Her new friend is a former mean girl and the cute boy is also the son of the target. Needless to say there are many complications but Maggie deals with them mostly with grace and as much honesty as she can. I really loved her and her parents, who have to take a backseat while their beloved daughter is out there-not easy for them all. I loved that spying is a family business, something that brings them together and allows them to appreciate each other's strengths.

My one quibble, which led to a deletion of half a star, was the conclusion to the big mystery which felt a bit too pat and rushed. I like that everything was concluded in this book instead of being drawn out over a series but I did still feel like a few scenes were perhaps excessive and that a tighter focus on the mystery would have been more appropriate. I almost forgot the family's reason for being in New York; after reading about Maggie adjusting to school, it almost seemed like the sole purpose was to acclimate her to a "normal" life.

Overall: Recommended for fans of Ally Carter's Heist Society series, when you just can't get enough of fun light fast-paced stories about spies.

Other Opinions:
Great Imaginations-3/5 stars
Jen Ryland/YA Romantics

The Woman Who Died a Lot

The Woman Who Died a Lot by Jasper Fforde
3.5/5 stars
Viking, 2012
363 pages
Adult Literary Humor Fantasy
Seventh in the Thursday Next series

Source: Picked up at library.

Again we have ANOTHER Fforde book that is NOT the sequel to Shades of Grey. What? I'm not impatient or anything. And who can really be unhappy to have another installment with the delighful Thursday Next?

Previous book One of Our Thursdays Is Missing was quite possibly my favorite in the series (maybe second favorite after first book The Eyre Affair). That book was largely set in BookWorld and was full of zany adventures and a robot butler, who is possibly destroyed as he is not in this book (I hope he is still functioning but can't remember). This book is focusing on an older Thursday recovering from injuries sustained last book as well as her husband Landen and actually including her kids Tuesday, Friday, and Jenny in addition to the evil machinations of Goliath Corporation.  Tuesday is trying to prevent a Smiting and Friday is dealing with the knowledge that he would have had a brilliant career in the ChronoGuard except that it was disbanded. Jenny does not actually exist; she is a mindworm put into their heads by Aornis Hades.

I had some trouble staying engaged with this book as I feel like it is slightly less literary than some of the other episodes. Thursday cannot read herself into books any more due to her injuries and Goliath's plots against her are as obscure as ever. However while I have previously enjoyed all the zaniness, this time it felt like too much. It all ties together-I can clearly see that Fforde knows what he's doing but it just didn't work for me this time.

Overall: Definitely a read for Thursday Next diehards (and you *must* read the previous books in order too) but it was a letdown for me.

 

Is Everyone Hanging Out Without Me?

Is Everyone Hanging Out Without Me? (And Other Concerns) by Mindy Kaling
Crown Archetype, 2011
219 pages
Humor
5/5 stars

Source: Library

After eagerly anticipating Tina Fey's Bossypants and being disappointed, I was a little leery of picking this up.  I know it's not fair to link these two funny ladies, just because they write and act on NBC sitcoms but they are somewhat linked in my mind because of those facts. Happily I was wrong to doubt because Mindy Kaling's collection was delightful!

First I love Kaling's sense of humor as evidenced by my adoration for many of her episodes on "The Office" as well as my love of Kelly. Kaling helpfully provides a list of where their personalities diverge although even after reading this book, I may conflate them a bit. She follows a rough chronological timeline of her life from awkward childhood to awkward adolescence through college and post-grad life going to work on "The Office" with some diversions about friendship and comedy and lots of comedic gems.

The chapters are amusingly titled and short, always a plus in my book. Besides sharing about personal experiences, there are also musings on what makes a great best friend and some concepts for movies she'd like to make (all-girl Ghostbusters remake). I wouldn't say this is a deep book with Kaling revealing her innermost self but I don't think it was meant to be so that is not a failing in my opinion. Instead it is a light and frothy afternoon read-I could not put this book down!

Overall: Certainly worth a read if you think you share a similar sense of humor to Kaling; I know I do.

Hark! A Vagrant

Hark! A Vagrant by Kate Beaton
Drawn and Quarterly, 2011
166 pages
Humor; Comics
5/5 stars

Source: Library

Having come across the strip online, I was excited to pick up the book and receive more of Beaton's literature and history based humor. It's kind of nerdy, just like me!

I was so happy to open this book and see that the very first comic was one of my favorites: the Brontë sisters rating men (you can check it out here). Charlotte and Emily swoon over the douches while Anne scorns their poor taste in men (I happen to think that Rochester and Heathcliff are total douches and thus wholeheartedly concur). This is the comic that got me interested in reading Anne's books even though I have yet to do so. But I have good intentions! (2012 reading goal?)

The second comic is completely different with figures from Canadian history (which I can confirm because I googled all of their names). Although I didn't immediately understand it, there were still funny lines. There are other comics that also seem to focus on Canadian history that still worked for me; bonus: I got to look them up and learn more about our northern neighbor (hello Canadians!)

Don't worry, I'm not going to summarize every strip; I just wanted to a. show two I really liked and b. show the wide variety of topics that Beaton covers. It's mostly history and literature but sometimes just random silly stuff.

One thing I would have liked was Beaton's comments on every strip. She comments on some but not all. I collect the Pearls Before Swines treasuries specifically because Stephan Pastis provides (usually hilarious) commentary on almost every strip and I think that insight into the creator's mind is incredibly valuable and enjoyable for a reader. Perhaps Beaton will put out another collection with this additional information.

Overall: Definitely worth a read if you're part of the nerdy crowd...which includes you as you are reading this book blog :)

Cat Vs Human

Cat Vs Human by Yasmine Surovec
Andrews McMeel Publishing, LLC, 2011
153 pages
Humor; Comic
5/5 stars

Source: Received a free copy for review via Netgalley in exchange for an honest review.

Do you like cats? Well, I am the proud human of an adorable orange tabby who is totally the boss of our house and I am here to say that if you have any love for cats, you'll probably love this book.

First the cats look so cute! The main three are an orange cat (my favorite as he makes me think of my cat), a light gray, and a dark gray cat.  There is also a cartoon version of the author, her husband and their dog as she examines the place of cats and compares that to treatment of humans and dogs.

Some scenes seem to possibly come from the author's real-life while others are just representative of stereotypes (and sometimes of the realities) of being a cat lover.  Most of the comics made me smile and a few made me laugh out loud in recognition.  This was a fast read and I highly recommend it for lovers of cats and adorableness!

Fail Harder

Fail Harder by the failblog.org community
Andrews McMeel Publishing, LLC, 2011
182 pages
Non-fiction; Humor
3/5 stars

Source: Received an e-ARC via Netgalley in exchange for an honest review.

I love to laugh but I don't spend much time online at sites such as failblog.org. So I thought this would be a funny and quick read with new to me pictures. According to other reviews, these pictures have appeared on the site so if you're a long-time reader of the site who doesn't want to spend the money, this probably isn't for you.

As for me, most of the pictures made me crack a smile although a few were a little hard to see on my computer. I feel like this kind of book is better in person with the glossy colorful pictures and the ability to examine it more closely and in detail.  However none of the pictures made me laugh as much as I wanted to and because these are pictures, I could speed through them; it took me maybe 10 minutes because I was too impatient to savor the pictures.

Overall: Not as funny as I expected but a worthy book to buy if you want to support the failblog.

5 Very Good Reasons to Punch a Dolphin in the Mouth

by Matthew Inman
Andrew McMeel Publishing, LLC, 2011
152 pages
Humor
4/5 stars

Source: Received a free review copy via Netgalley in exchange for an honest review.

This is a hilarious collection of comics touching on a wide range of subjects.  My personal favorites are those teaching grammar points (such as when to use an apostrophe or a semi-colon) and those with cats.  Lately I have really been wanting a cat which is a huge no-no in my dorm but as I'm graduating this year, perhaps I will get a cat later.  I just miss our family's cat so much and some of the points made ring so true!

The only problem was that in digital format, it was hard to read many of the asides as the writing could not be made bigger.  I'm not entirely sure why but I think it makes sense.  Luckily I was already familiar with some of the comics so I could figure out what most of the words were.

Check out theoatmeal.com for more and to order your own copy!