Humor Books

I'm sitting here in a double knit shirt , eating a mortadella and salami sandwich reconnecting with my Goomba roots after reading this. Right on the money for all the east coast Italian guys out there who grew up hanging around Goombas. You know who you are...pick this up and get real. You will immediately crave a big italian dinner, among other things.

Steve Schirripa's new book kept me laughing the entire time! In an age of celebrity diets and exercise programs, it is a needed relief! Great book!!

I just finished reading Steve Schirripa's new book "The Goomga Diet". The book is a hilarious, insightful and interesting look at one man's experience as an Italian-American and, of course, is a must read for fans of The Sopranos.

I loved this book and refer back to it often! The recipes, stories and humor are savory treats that satisfy the stomach and the mind! We should all (As the author recommends) live large and love it!

Steve Schirripa's "The Goomba Diet" does for Italian cuisine what "The Da Vinci Code" does for Catholicism -- the only difference is that once the Pope reads Schirripa's book, he's going to make Steve an official Saint. Following in the tradition of his previous literary masterpieces, ("The Goomba's Guide to Life" and "The Goomba's Guide to Love") Schirripa has accomplished the impossible by writing a book that's even funnier than his first two. Whether you're Italian or Jewish, fat or thin, heterosexual or a fanook, "The Goomba Diet" delivers a powerful message from which the world can benefit. And by "the world", I mean overweight Italian criminals indicted under the RICO Statute who enjoy Penne Arrabiata. Not only is "The Goomba Diet" superior to any book currrently on the New York Times bestseller list, but it proves why Steve Schirripa deserves to host his own late night network television talk show -- he's far more talented than Jimmy Kimmel, Carson Daly, and or that annoying Scottish guy on CBS. And if boring idiots like "Jerry R. from Montreal" like this book, then it can be enjoyed by EVERYONE.

Tom and Frankie, the two worst brother to brother connections ever, a family with two younger brothers but at an age of 11, Tom is really smart. He tricks and fools people to take their money. And which the great brain was born. But most of all, he always manages to swindle his little bother each time in his scams. Frankie couldn't take any more. It's time someone got him back. But with a small brain like Frankie's it's going to be hard.
These two brothers with a relationship like a cat and dog have to go through various mysteries solving them one at a time.
Starring the book The Great Brain Does It Again, is a terrific book with great characters with twists and turns on Frankie and Tom.
Tom is the same all the way through the book, dodging and overcoming everything Frankie tries to throw at him. But once Frankie stopped looking down on himself thinking he has a little brain. He found ways to use his brain for the better unlike Tom. In the end though, Tom learned the true meaning of brotherhood and friendship when everyone turned their backs on him with hatred. But still, he will always have a great brain and a money loving heart.
This book is great for everybody at all ages, especially between the ages of 6-13.

The book named "The Great Brain Does It" by John D. Fitzgerald is about two boys solving cases like thievery, stealing and so on.The main character is named Tom.Tom is a smart boy.He knew his alphabets, could write the numbers one thru one-hundred, and knew how to spell some words before going to school.He had help from his mama and papa though.The other character is Tom's brother which they don't mention his name,not until the middle of the book.He and Tom go solve a case which involves a stolen puppy,which by the way is theirs.They have alot of suspects and they're going to find out who stole the puppy.This is a very good book, and to make it better, I won't tell you what happens next.

Once again T.D. is stying to avoid open swindles, and in this book he once again earns some honest money. He also saves the town (of course expecting a reward), and does some actually downright nice things. It's rather obvious that the Great Brain is growing up, and he seems to get much milder as the series goes on. This was the last book published in the series during the author's lifetime, and it was a good end to the series. It looked as if Tom had finally given up the swindling business.

Overall grade: A

While the Great Brain aka TD was supposedly reformed two books back, he's at it again wheeling and dealing full force in this book. The Great Brain comes to the rescue in two to the chapters proving his worth to society. However, a couple other stories show his money-loving heart getting the best of him, but Papa manages to put TD in his place atleast once. This book and all the others ones in the series are super entertaining. I highly recommend this series to all ages.

John Dennis Fitzgerald intended to chronicle his youth in Utah for adults, not children. His publisher thought otherwise and the result are these gems. I don't even call them children's lit gems because I find them just as enjoyable as an adult. Before I go on, you should know that Fitzgerald wrote one book about his youth that is for adults, called "Papa Married a Mormon". It is one of the most amazing books on the American west that I have ever read. Sadly, it is out of print, and you may, like me, have to pay an exorbitant sum to get a copy. Trust me, save up and do it. Now back to this book. Every single Great Brain book in the series is pure gold, and the entire set can be had cheaply, so I say buy them all at once. I "put my money where my mouth is" as Tom the Great Brain would say, and bought the lot.

I could definitely identify with some of the essays, but others bored me and I didn't finish them. The variety of emotions, situations, and life experiences were entertaining and did lead to some introspection. I wouldn't say this is a "must read," but it's an enjoyable book that was perfect to read in bits, as the 42 essays are short.

My book discussion group read Guilty Pleasures this month. It was the first non-fiction book we ever selected. The book is a lot of fun, but it has serious parts, too, so it made for a good discussion.

I love to read in the same way that some people love eating chocolates. Just as they disregard warnings as to caloric intake in making their selections and opt for the largest, darkest,or prettiest piece in the box, so, too, I disregard the admonition not to judge a book by its cover and often select a book by its size, heft, and cover. Guilty Pleasures meets all of my superficial criteria: it has a pleasing fit to the hand, a weight perfect for horizontally-inclined literati such as I, and an eye-catching cover filled with colorful shoes such that one's eye is drawn to the authorship on the suspicion (unfounded) that this is Immelda Marcos' work. Of course, as my chocoholic friends might say, "the proof is in the pudding" and the quality of a book is in the reading. Just as a square of fudge delights as it melts and clings to the palate, Guilty Pleasures delights the mind. Eight women writers unrepentantly share the joys they find in ordinary and not so ordinary pleasures running a quixotic gamut from taking antidepressants to applying toenail polish, from crossword fanaticism to extorting money from one's parents. The writing is refreshingly witty, wicked, and wise. Although these small gems of essays are assembled of necessity in an order, I recommend reading them haphazardly. After all, what chocolate lover would adhere to the map on the candy box, eating all the creams first before proceeding to the nuts? There are enough strictures in life! Just open the book and enjoy at random. And, yes, the next time you need to tote a small gift somewhere, you might forego the candy and bring along a copy of Guilty Pleasures. Think of it as a book lover's fudge!

These authors have tapped into a huge vein (keg?) of human experience. Each essay details a different furtive joy, and I could feel their pleasure even in the ones I couldn't identify with myself.
There are no morals given; no helpfull hints; just honest enjoyment of many things that may not fit our public personas or enhance our professional images. Before I even finished the book, I found myself mentally starting to examine my own guilty pleasures. It's so nice to know that I'm not alone in admitting that I do get a thrill out of a few somewhat dubious activities.
My daughter keeps dipping into this book, too. Obviously, it's appeal is multi-generational.

All the confessions in this book are deliciously guilty and are expressed in the picturesque language of poets and the best of literary writers.

I stopped reading the comics regulerly when Bloom County stopped. I didn't find the comics funny anymore. This work, which shows some of his earliest strips are funny, and if you understand the poltical references because you were alive then, which I was, it makes this all the more funny.

As one progresses through this book, as well as the other outstanding volumes in the Bloom County "Anthology," you remember the quirky concepts, ideals, and opinions of your childhood. You didn't understand much of the strip growing up, as I did, but in retrospect it offers a frank, comical, unyielding, and nostalgic trip through our lives. True Bloom county fans will share my utter sorrow when the last few pages bring an end to an amazing book. I hope Breathed has some more projects in the future.

This book was very sad.For those who have read Bloom County before it is a must read.And the ones who haven't,still,it is a must read.The ending to this magnificent comic strip was done in excelent taste.You can feel the sorrow as it is over,never to be done again.The charcters are great,which makes it so sad.It truely is a gift on what he did in this last book.I cried,I laughed,I jumped on dandylions.

It is a testament to the talents of Berke Breathed that well over ten years after he suspended "Bloom County," it is still sorely missed by its legions of fans, myself included. Once described as "Doonesbury with animals," "Bloom County" took on a life of its own, and what a life it was. "Happy Trails" consists of strips from the County's last year, and all the familiar characters are here--Opus, Bill, Steve Dallas, Cutter John, Milo, and Hodgepodge--as well as a couple of new characters who would star in Breathed's follow-up strip "Outland." Breathed's observations are dead on, and the strips will often have you thinking--once you get enough oxygen back to your brain after laughing so hard. With the possible exception of "Dilbert," no comic today has the fan loyalty that "Bloom County" did--and now that Charles Schultz is no longer with us, I doubt any will again.

Happy Trails begins with Opus deciding to get an illegal back-alley liposuction of his nose, and ends with him saying "Good-bye" to all of the familiar faces and places of Bloom County on the way to the sequel "Outland". On the pages that intervene Berkeley Breathed gets in some hilarious and dead-on pokes at religious fanatics, Donald Trump, Swimsuit Editions, and phone solicitors.

Not quite as coherent a collection as the previous books as Breathed tries to get in his "last shots" before retiring Bloom County forever, this book is still hilarious and interesting, and a must-have for those looking to complete their BC collection.

I really found myself enjoying this one--scene by scene it sincs up with the real Harry Potter 7, like when Lord Revolting devides his soul into a bunch of plot devices. Some of the humor pushes this more for twelve-year-olds and less for preschoolers, but I'd definitely give it to Potter fans.

In many ways, "Henry Potty and the Deathly Paper Shortage" reminds me of flicks like "Another Teen Movie", or "Scary Movie". The book, a satire, focuses on a major theme, Harry Potter, and pokes fun at the characters and plot devices from the many J.K. Rowling books that have been released. Reading Henry Potty, I did at times feel like much of the material consisted of inside jokes that I did not get, as I've only read the first Harry Potter book. I do think that for those who have read the entire Harry Potter series, they'll find Henry Potty quite funny and charming in how Valerie Estelle Frankel remakes the Potter through a wild, funhouse mirror of chaotic antics.

The reason why "Henry Potty and the Deathly Paper Shortage" reminds me of the parody movies is because of the randomness of some of the happenings throughout the text. I'm not so sure that there is a logic to some of the scenarios, but maybe there simply isn't supposed to be. However, I did find the book funniest when I could see the rationale to some of the satire, like the scene when the three heroes, Henry Potty, Really Wimpy, and Horrendous Gangrene, find one of the Plot Devices, the villain's Lord Revolting's ring of power. This scene is golden.

I also feel that my favorite character is Horrendous, who's the most intelligent of the three heroes, the most feisty, and the most frustrated by the idiots she's surrounded by. I also find it interesting how this story is about writing a story, and seemingly, writing a story badly, using cheap tricks just to make a story make sense. I am not a fan of the Potter books, and I get the sense that Frankel is not, also.

Overall, I found parts of this book very creative and easy to read, but the many random happenings at times threw me off and slowed me down.

Like any parody worth its salt this one takes aim at a very popular subject and bit-by-bit it pokes fun at every facet of that subject while at the same time taking the occasional pot shot at a few other related topics. Often times I actually find that I have more fun looking for the these little hidden references than I do with the main plot and this book gave me several little moments like that to enjoy.

I must admit that I did have a little trouble reading this book because at times it struck me as a bit juvenile but then I remembered that the suggested age range was 9-12 and I started trying to read with the eye of a pre-teen and then I found the book much more enjoyable. Many if not most of the gags revolve around things that might literally make the reader gag and it seems that the author has tried at times to be as disgusting as possible. I soon came to the conclusion that the target group really consisted of 9-12 year old boys and since I was once a 9-12 year old boy myself I could easily see the appeal of such humor to that group.

With that I mind I handed the book off to my seven-year-old grandson. He is not really all that familiar with Harry Potter so I didn't know how well he would relate to Henry Potty but he loved it and would sit and laugh hysterically as he came upon descriptions of various disgusting smells and sights. There is no doubt in my mind at all that to my grandson this book rates a solid five stars.

As for me my favorite part of the book came when the author lampooned J. K. Rowling's decision to inject controversy into her series by announcing after the last book came out that one of the main characters was gay. Because this is a parody of the final Potter book that character is already dead but his ghost keeps popping in and asking, "Did I mention that I was gay?" In many ways this lovable ghost comes across as much less silly than Ms. Rowling and her announcement. Parody with a bite, I love it!

I can't say that as a whole this was one of the funniest books that I have ever read but then again I am well beyond my pre-teen years. Still, the writing was crisp and the dialogue was very well done even if some of the jokes did blow past my gross threshold. Most importantly though my grandson really enjoyed this book and it actually kept him interested and that is quite an accomplishment. I might not have given this book five stars but my grandson most assuredly did and on this one I am going to go with the opinion of a true expert.

A really good poke at a sacred cow. I would advise the author not to make her whereabouts known for fear the legions who love the real thing pay her a visit. I've seen a couple of the Harry Potter movies on TV and so know what the real thing is. The author's done a superb job of debunking them.
The dialogue fitted the characters perfectly, and from what I remember of the real movie characters was a good send-up of them and the plot lines and the backgrounds they operated in. The little vignettes and mentions of other books and settings slotted in perfectly- the mention of the novel The Line, the Winch and the Protractor made me spill my tea I laughed so hard. So, all in all, a really good hatchet job and thoroughly enjoyable.

First of all, I haven't read a story lately that made me laugh out loud so much. What a breath of fresh air! I wish there were more stories with this type of humor, and I wish I were this witty! The scenes flow so well, and the dialogue's great fun.

This is going to be a real gem to those true fans of the Harry Potter series. It might even encourage them to write a parody or two.
Overall, I really like this, and would recommend it to my own teens, who grew up reading Harry.

It may seem like a bizarre sort of set of verses to read to children, but my mother grew up with it, and I think my grandfather did, and it didn't give them nightmares! Kids get caught up in the pattern of the words and adults enjoy these catchy verses as something quaint and charming.

Unlike most of the appreciators of Hilaire Belloc's comic verse for children, I first came to these wonderfully droll verses as an adult (I was brought up on Samuel Hoffenstein and Ogden Nash), but I have grown to love them as if I had known them since my earliest years (hey, that's the start of "Lord Lundy"). In his "Beasts", "Cautionary Tales" and "Peers" verses, Belloc achieves a delightful synthesis of the fearless straight-ahead gaze of childhood (in the tradition of "The Story of Augustus, Who Would Not Eat His Soup") with the style of absolutely dead-pan English humor (e.g. Stephen Potter's "Gamesmanship"). Do not neglect the verses in "Peers" and "More Peers"; "Lord Hippo" and "Lord Lucky" are the equal of "Matilda" and "Jim". Note for Lord Peter fans: Dorothy L. Sayers has Peter Wimsey quote several times from these Belloc poems.

I learnt lots of these poems as a child in school - perhaps I had a teacher with a wicked and somewhat warped sense of humour! And I have never forgotten how wonderful they are. My personal favourite is about poor Jim, who gets into so much trouble, but the others are equally delightful.

These gleefully moral tales are never out of date. Children will be naughty, and a good rhyme has a timelessness of its own. Share them with your own children and be amused together!

Outrageous, yet, delivering a straight-forward moral lesson, Belloc's cautionary tales are classic.

This is an excellent book. It is small and pocket-sized so my children can handle it very easily. This book is advertized as being a hardcover when it actually is not. It is still worth it to get it, though.

"OVER 400 HIRSCHFELD DRAWINGS AND PHOTOGRAPHS MANY NEVER BEFORE COLLECTED
Essays by Whoopi Goldberg, Arthur Miller, Mel Gussow, Kurt Vonnegut, Grace Mirabella, Louise Kerz Hirschfeld, and Nina!

Commentary by Hirschfeld Throughout.
[from the book of the back cover of the jacket]

What a joy of a book. Not just the great grafics but very interestng information about the Great Hirschfeld

I really enjoyed looking through this book. I am absolutely in love with theater and I love seeing how he depicts all of my favorite shows and actors. He's been through the "Golden Age" of theater and has also done so much work for modern entertainment. I also have tons of fun looking for all the hidden "Nina"s. Just in case you might not know what I'm talking about, let me explain. After his daughter was born, Hirschfield began hiding her name in his drawings. The number by his "signiture" indicates the number of "Nina"s in the drawing. "Nina" is also written all in caps. Because of this, this book is not going to be just some ordinary coffee table book that only his fans might check out. It could also be a great deal of amusement for those who like to play the kind of "Where's Waldo" games.

Al Hirschfeld rose above titles like "cartoonist" and "illustrator", and every other tag specifically applied to visual artists who inject design and humor into their work. His intelligent blend of the caricaturist's eye and the designer's sense of the beauty in flat forms add up to an entirely unique contribution to twentieth century popular culture- and a highly influential one. His recent passing at age 99 marks the end of the century that he witnessed and commented upon so wittily and so stylishly. His legions of admirers (and imitators) will be well served by this 1999 book, assembled by the artist himself, with an excellent selection from his career, his invaluable commentary, and a fairly satisying selection of his amazing (and less celebrated) color work. The reproductions are fine here, and the volume is designed and presented well. It can only be hoped that more comprehensive releases and reissues of earlier books are in the near future.

Here is the indispensible Hirschfeld book - a must for any fan of his work, or of line in general. From his earliest pieces, all the way through his long career with New York theatre, his work is showcased - and done so through his eyes. Each piece is described by this great artist - his inspirations, methods, and thoughts. I cannot imagine a better way to present his wonderful drawings, and I am so very, very thankful that this collection was printed before his death. Although, yes, the work would show just as beautifully without, his commentary alongside each piece just opens up an entirely new viewpoint. This is a truly timeless book, and I highly recommend it.

This collection of parodies inspired by anagrams of the authors' names is absolutely hilarious, furiously witty, and truly amazing in its technical virtuosity. Heaney's ability to mimic the poetic styles of the writers is stunning, and the fertility of his comic imagination seems to have no limits.

My favorite: A reworking of Geoffrey Chaucer as a narrator of the rise of Starbucks Coffee!

A lovely little book that has proven to be a wonderful introduction to classical poetry in our homeschooling family.

Francis Heany hits the nail on the head with each of these brilliantly conceived bits. He has a chameleon-like flair for clicking into the rhythm, style and voice of each writer. It's just uncanny. Also, the stories he explores based on the anagramed writers' names are a riot.

We had relatives visiting, and my husband's niece was in tears from laughing so hard at Robert Frost/"BrR, Footrest". Who else would come up with a surreal combination of "Stopping by Woods on a Snowy Evening" and the opening credits of "The Dick van Dyke Show"? Absolutely brilliant stuff.

Looking for a great gift for your friends who love a good juxtaposition of classic literature and popular culture? "Holy Tango" of Literature should be on your shopping list!

It takes a certain amount of talent to write a good pastiche, particularly, I think, of poetry. And it takes a certain degree of twisted brilliance to come up with the idea of writing parodies based on anagrams of the author's names. But it takes nothing more than genius to capture each author's style absolutely dead on, weave in a host of clever pop culture references, and produce something that pleases the frontal lobes of the brain even as it mounts an all-out tickle war on the funnybone. This book is a work of absolute freakin' genius.

I should note, by the way, that you really don't have to be a lit geek to enjoy this. I hardly consider myself a poetry connoisseur, but I recognized the great majority of the pieces being parodied. Heaney seems to have stuck to the author's most famous works, many of which are familiar from high school English classes. And even the ones whose source I didn't recognize entertained me. Which, when you think about it, is all the more impressive.

This is wonderful stuff by a true comic polymath. Just read "Likable Wilma" by William Blake, which begins, "Wilma, Wilma, in thy blouse, Red-haired prehistoric spouse" , and you'll know what I mean. I have a conflict of interest here (I drew the pictures) but I laughed hard at Francis Heaney's work before I got tangled up with it, when I first saw it in Mirth of a Nation. Buy The Holy Tango today! The children of America should be committing it to memory!

As the former tender of a very large garden, I can personally attest to the wisdom contained in the phrases in this book. It is easy for gardening to become a religion, the quality and appearance of your garden becomes more important that your own appearance. The dirt on your hands, the creak in your knees and the selective wear on your clothes all become badges of honor to you.
My favorite phrase in the book was, "Gardeners relax by doing hard work." That is so true, there is no better way of burning off the stress of your job than gardening to the point where standing up takes a major effort. If you have ever been bitten by the gardening bug, then you will love this book.

I saw Beverly Rose Hopper on TV discussing roses, so I figured she must be a real gardener expert. Beverly Hopper was also very humorous, so I bought this book, and I was not disappointed.

Beverly Rose Hopper is an expert on roses, and knows how to bring humor into the gardening world as well.

You can't go wrong with this book. How Does Your Garden Grow? makes a great gift for yourself or the gardener in your life.

Gardeners will love the humor in this book. Non-gardeners will laugh at the foibles that keep the gardener in their lives busy.

Written by someone you can tell is an avid gardener, I bought "How Does Your Garden Grow" for my mother, and she just loved it! She is a gardener also, and could relate to the wit and humor Beverly Rose Hopper shares in this book.

"Gardeners relax by doing hard work." Just one of the many quotes by Beverly Rose Hopper that are so true in this pocket size book. "A garden grows with love." "Give to the earth and it will give to you." This book is thoughtfully written and is a gardener's joy. Thank you Beverly Rose Hopper!

Love the read. Great book. At first I was a little skeptical about the whole having so many different stories in one book. Especially since a few aren't that long. But all of them were amazing and had that small additive that tied them perfectly together. My favorite was the last story. It was so good that it had me in tears. It also was the one to answer the question what else do these stories have in common aside from the hybrid children. THough word of advice once you reach that part of the story make sure you're not outside or anywhere else you don't want people to see you crying. Cuz I was walking around a book store reading this and about almost broke into tears. I making some really funny faces though. Anywayz great definitely worth the buy...

This is both one of the best and one of the most depressing manga's I've read. In fact on of the stories was so sad I had to call my sister crying. Something I have not done is a long time. However, for all that it made me cry it made me feel, and I do not regret reading it. Mind you not all the stories were that sad. The book is mostly of one shots that are connected to one another. While the others made me sad, they also managed to put a smile on my face. Only one the stories made my heart hurt with a untreated wound well after I finished the story, and I can say that after you have read this manga you will know the one I am right now writing about.
If you want fluff as most manga of this genre tend to have this is not the one you are looking for. However, if you love finding yourself in a emotional rollercoaster, both good and bad this is the piece you are looking for.

One of the absolute best yaoi manga in existence. It is definitely emotional as it spans three different couples that are all intertwined in a very interesting way. I'm not going to spoil but from the first chapter on this manga tells an excellent tale that at points will bring tears to your eyes. I know I cried when I read it.

Although the stories are generally short, they are sweet, sexy and fun. At one point I was laughing out loud as the hilarious conversations, they are perfect and witty! Also, the art was well done, and story lines not overly dramatic or unnecessarily angsty, each are different, so you get a range from simple fun to poignant loss each telling a tale of a hybrid child, a being created to change and grow according to their owner's needs and wishes. This is a great "introduction" for readers just beginning to enjoy yaoi. In fact, I have bought and given copies as gifts to friends though I always keep a copy for myself. Very enjoyable yaoi manga!

I really liked Hybrid Child. The stories were imagainitive and the art was beautiful. This manga is sweet and sad and humorous and just as good the second time around.

I was afraid when I bought this manga that I would end up with yet another man gets boy, takes boy, boy is submissive and learns to love type of story, but I was wrong. The author managed to give the "Hybrid Chld" in each story a strong, distinct personality and a caring nature that was returned by the human counterpart.

And the last story was heartbreaking, I cried at the end. And I rarely cry.

No hardcore sex...but it wasn't needed.