Humor Books

More than anything else, this book makes a great conversation starter to bring up the often-taboo subject of infant circumcision, more aptly called Male Genital Mutilation. It's a colorful and lighthearted look at one man's very real desire to have his normal, healthy, and functional prepuce back where it belongs--on his body.

This is a great book. Everyone should read it. The barbaric crime that is circumcision must end. Carl does a great job of expressing his feelings in a non-threatening way that may get the message across.

Three cheers for a great book!

How many times have you read the words "delightfully funny" and it actually be true? This is it. "I Want My Foreskin for Giftmas" light-heartedly critizes forced circumcision. It's an issue felt by many men but who have said nothing about it.

On a warm May morning in 1948 an unknown doctor assaulted my infant body and mutilated my penis. I have been angry about it every day since! Thanks to Carl Schutt my anger has found its voice. In "I Want My Foreskin For Giftmas," Schutt tackles a very adult topic from the perspective of a little boy who has been robbed of his birthright. That little boy was Schutt, but he also was me and millions of others like us. We were defenseless against doctors too eager to perform unnecessary surgery and parents too ignorant to stop them! This book is creative, funny, and irreverent. It is a great read for everyone and a primer for all parents thinking of taking from their sons what no boy should be forced to give away. Bravos for Schutt!

This offbeat book bursts with color, imagination, raw emotion, wit, and an idealism that challenges the reader to pause and ask, "What if we've been doing it wrong all along?"

The artist and author, Carl Schutt, combines art, craft, and folk art to create a book full of humor and social commentary about why we (Americans) insist on a surgical procedure that most pediatricians agree is painful and wholly unnecessary, i.e. circumcision.

The author creates a tone that is at one moment analytically irreverent about the outmoded Judeo-Christian holdover and in the next moment cloaks himself by assuming the voice of a forlorn, foreskinless child who wonders what it would be like to be whole again. The book's searching and fearless inspection brings into the fray parents, God, and yes...even Santa! No stone is unturned.

The author/artist is an iconoclast who finds a way to smartly broach a subject that could stand to be reexamined even though it remains, for the most part, unchallenged. Who can think of a topic so taboo that its first mention at a party full of urban hipsters would result in a choking halt in conversation?

Implicitly under attack is that uptight male machismo that says, "I'm cut and there's nothing wrong with me!" Well, what if instead of there being "nothing wrong" we could all strive for an ideal and, well, be intact and unmodified? Carl Schutt exclaims that circumcision is the male body image crisis equivalent to that of a middle-aged Orange County woman retooled by countless touches of the plastic surgeon's knife; and yet it's a body image crisis that our culture artificially creates, propagates, and hoists upon boys who are only days old. What if this should be changed? What if this could be changed? It's this sort of idealism and visionary spirit that makes this creation refreshing.

Visually the book appears to have been constructed from a million shavings of felt, paper, cardboard, and other banal materials; these common media are brought together by a hand fraught with an almost maniacal need for precision, energy, and speed.

"Foreskin for Giftmas" is the ultimate gift for enlightened parents-to-be, for people who are initiates in the "zine" culture, or anyone who appreciates a clever creation like this that pushes the edge of human understanding.

I really liked this book. It was short and extremely funny. I personally loved the hilarious quizzes.

I love the Happy Bunny. It was purchased as a gift so hopefully the recipient will like it as much as I did.

If you are looking for a laugh, this book will provide it! Jim Benton's humor may be offensive to some but as Happy Bunny says, "I know how you feel. I just don't care." This book makes a great gift for pre-teens on up. I love Happy Bunny!

It's soooooo funny. Happy Bunny makes me extra happy and my friends too. Happy Bunny is soooooo funny. Boys are stupid. Boys in my class.... when you see them that's all the proof you need.

This might have been the funniest thing I have ever read...I literally could not stop laughing. Terrific quick read that will leave you relating, comtemplating and pontificating all the while with a smile on your face.....

"Joke Stew" contains a wonderful variety of jokes, covering a great variety of topics and types of humor. There are a few with adult humour, but there seems to be nothing nasty or insulting or immoral or politically prejudiced (e.g., some other joke books starting off on page one with "Abortion" kinda kills the mood). "Joke Stew" is light hearted fun.

This book is a must have for aspiring comics and comedy lovers alike. Brown's book is a tool that inspires as well as guides those interested in the art of joke writing. The book includes a wide range of talent from legendary comics like Bill Cosby to the up and coming comedic stars of tomorrow. If nothing else the book allows the reader the opportunity to learn what makes these neurotic people tick.

Joke Stew is a great way for a reader to get in touch with his or her favorite stand-up comedians. It's a lot of fun to read over and over again as you try and remember your favorite jokes. Same recipe as Joke Soup, but with all new comedians and quotes. Great Book!!!

I have copies of both JOKE SOUP and JOKE STEW. I actually bought several copies of both to have on hand as gifts for any and all occasions. You'll find an amazing amount of comics and their funniest material in these books. Whether you're a stand-up comic yourself or you need to give a speech for any occasion, you'll find Judy's books invaluable as inspiration in writing your own funny jokes.

Joke Stew is fantastic! It's a lot of fun to have on your coffee table. You can pick it up and browse for hilarious observations on any subject (great for when you need a funny quote to begin speeches and presentations).

I am a big fan of the comic strip "For Better or Worse" and I subscribe to their monthly newsletter. What better way to learn Spanish than to read something that you enjoy. I'm having SO much fun with this book. I'm actually reading it out loud! This would be a great book for someone who knows a little Spanish...I wouldn't recommend it for a beginner.

It's an entertaining read and the book is filled with lots of practical words and idioms and of course the illustrations provide lots of context.

It's not just a bunch of cartoons with English translations. A lot of thought and care went into this book. There is plenty of description and explanation and the the cartoons themselves are arranged in order of simplest to most complex. A great book for anyone looking for a fun supplement to their Spanish learning. Highly recommended.

This is a fun book for learning spanish. The comics make it easier to remember different phrases. I recommend this book for anyone trying to learn spanish.

I bought this book to teach some Spanish to my classmates and they loved it because it is not boring. Besides, it is simple and what you learn is what people use in daily conversations. Also, One of my friends who is learning Spanish bought it and it is impresive how much she has learned with this book. Yo recomiendo este libro para personas que quieren aprender hablar Espanol. Es una excelente inversion.

You need to have a basic knowledge of Spanish to really get the most out of this book. However, if you have that, this book goes a long ways towards solidifing all those grammar rules and verb conjugation that you've been grappling with. The best thing about the book is that it's just plain fun to read. You're learning Spanish, but it feels like you're just kicking back and reading the funnies.

I like this book. You can keep it out on your coffee table for everyone to read. It's got short, funny sayings about parenting. It makes me laugh. It's also a great gift for baby showers!!!

"The difficulty in finding a baby-sitter will be in direct proportion to how desperatley you need one."
--From Motherhood is not for Wimps.

What mother has not experienced the last minute rush to find a baby-sitter when she has to dash out, and the usual sitter has just called to say she can't make it (probably cause she has a new boyfriend!) This book is funny and truthful about being a mom, and in the end reminds the reader that motherhood is the greatest job in the world!

Flipping through the pages of Motherhood is not for Wimps, I smiled at the trials and tribulations of parenting, expressed so well in this book. "So true, so true," I kept thinking!

Very humorous book. I think this book makes a great gift book for any mother, expectant mother, grandmother, aunt, anyone that has kids. This book had funny tid-bits I'd not seen before, and I thought it was original and funny. A great gift item.

The humor in Motherhood is not for Wimps is timeless.

This man is a genius, as much as for what he leaves you to imagine as for what he writes. Great entertainment.

I have always thought that Patrick McManus is the funniest writer on the planet. I read his stories when I need to laugh or relax. Sometimes I irritate my wife by reading it in bed. I try not to laugh out loud, but I only succeed in sounding like I am trying to muffle continuous sneezes.

However, not everyone gets it. I have been shocked by watching people read McManus without so much as a smile (though most start snorting like wild pigs on acid) . My only guess is that getting McManus requires a couple things. First, it requires some understanding of his experiences. He absolutely nails all of the stupid things 'outdoors men (outdoors people)' do and think, but don't want anybody to know about. Second, you have to see the self-deprecating aspect of his humor. Third, you can't look for great literature in integrated books. Patrick McManus is an excellent writer, if you see these as independent stories simply collected in a volume. They are meant for adults who want to laugh at themselves. So, If you are willing to or already meet the above three criteria, you will love this book.

By the way, I am a professor of clinical psychology and (other than worrying a little about McManus) I sometimes recommend this and other McManus books. I do this with people who have racing thoughts and anxiety at bedtime, and when I believe they have the necessary experiences to find it funny. It often works quite well. I think of his stories as little pieces of happiness. (Oh, that even makes me sick to hear. Sorry)

This is the second collection of stories by Patrick F. McManus that I have read, and while he is compared to many notable names on the jacket, and I compared him to other humorists I like the first time I read his work, he deserves to stand on his own. It is not an issue of his being as good, nearly as good, or better than another humorist. He is unique and very special, Mr. McManus is an original.

I think the title of this collection, "Never Sniff A Gift Fish", is unfortunate for no such activity takes place within the book. Not unlike the dozens of stories on hunting and fishing, all he generally brings back from an outing is new humor; he apparently catches and shoots virtually nothing. As I mentioned after reading his first book, his friends will stop by and ask that he not even think about whatever it is they are off to hunt or fish while they are off doing it. He has said he is so bad entire states have banned him, as he can single handedly destroy tourism for a state, and no one will lend him small motorized machines as he invariably causes them to cease to function.

This collection is much earlier than the first that I read, and the stories contain wonderful bits about his childhood, and also as a new husband and a father. These are great stories, many that include his young family and virtually everyone is G-rated, place them on film and they would probably be made by Disney. This is great reading, great fun and wonderful humor totally lacking in pretense or show. If this man records his stories on tape I might break a rule that has never been broken, that of listening to an author as opposed to reading his book. And I don't hunt or fish, neither activity is necessary to enjoy these tales as they are about human behavior, his humans are just generally outside.

NEVER SNIFF A GIFT FISH
By: Patrick F. McManus

Have you ever heard of a great outdoorsman? You know, the one whose fly-casting technique can be compared to an old lady fighting off a bee with a broom handle. Or maybe the one whose attempts to pitch the family tent terrorized entire campgrounds. Well, for those of you who haven't heard of him, this book, will give you a little insight into the life of the great outdoorsman. Never Sniff A Gift Fish, is a great source for those useful camping phrases. Here are some of them.

Corn Flakes: A common camp food. Often eaten dry with salt and pepper since no one thought to bring milk.

Camping manuals: Books filled with ingenious camping tips which are forgotten the instant the camper sets foot in the field. "I read about a way to cook a chicken with a camera lens and a wire clothes hanger, but I can't remember how," he says. "Better just fry it."

Downwind: Whichever side of the campfire you happen to be on.
And who could forget "When hell freezes over": An expression used by wives and mothers to indicate the next time you'll get them to go on another camping trip.

This book is a hilarious combination of philosophy and fishing, all rolled into one. I loved the book, and I would definitely recommend this book to any outdoorsman, great or not, that has a sense of humor and a sense of what the author is going through.

i first theses books when i was ten years old and i haven't stopped yet.. we only have four books but i intend to get more of the books.. they are funny.. i like the one where he goes hunting on his bicycle and gets the deer stuck on the pedals.

I first met Betty McDonald when I read The Egg and I, back in high school in the Pacific Northwest in the late 1960s, and I was completely enthralled. First of all: she writes extremely well. Her sentences are terse and well-formed, and she has a knack for shaping quips of all kinds: the quick laugh, the sudden surprise laugh line, and the careful set-up gag. Most of all, though, I find myself laughing aloud (she's one of the few authors who makes me laugh aloud while reading) at the perfection of a sentence which is at the same time witty, perfectly balanced, completely appropriate, and completely unexpected.

You will find all this - in spades - in Onions in the Stew. It is a mellower book than the others, for many reasons; she was older when she wrote it - and, I think, happier in her second marriage; also, her already considerable skill at writing had grown. Her descriptions of Vashon Island in the 1940s are utterly perfect: beautiful, clever, and bittersweet all at once. Her descriptions of her husband and daughters - and others in her family - are full of warmth, and are at the same time completely clear-eyed and unsentimental.

Frankly, comparing Betty to Erma Bombeck is like comparing Julia Child to Rachael Ray. They can both cook - but, oh boy, I know whose house I'd like to visit for lunch . . .

I first read Onions in the Stew almost thirty years ago, in a Reader's Digest Condensed Books version, and I never forgot it. What a JOY to receive the complete version as a gift years later, along with The Plague and I, and Anybody Can Do Anything, when they were reissued by The Common Reader. I absolutely devoured them, passed them around among my friends & loved ones (keeping track of who had them, very uncharacteristic but they're the kind of books you never want to lose!!!!) and agree with every five-star reviewer here, especially "pony-express," that Betty is the best friend you never met. Also enjoyed the comment about how much fun heaven will be, to drink strong coffee & yak with Betty MacDonald. She is still as witty today as when she wrote her books, utterly classic and fresh, laugh-out-loud and tremendously endearing without EVER being cloying. Such a cut above. Her other books are equally wonderful, and I just wish more people were exposed to her; she's a tonic for stress, an antidote to depression. So glad there are others out there who love her as I do!

I've just finished the fourth Betty MacDonald memoir. Thank you Amazon for the access to all these out of print books!
I now know what's going to be fun in Heaven - chatting with Betty over strong cups of coffee.
These books were like discovering a new best friend. I've never been so entertained by reading. What a gal!

Having finished my previous book and waiting for Amazon's free shipping promo to buy more, I picked up this book collecting dust in my book closet. I was pleasantly surprised.

It is smart and funny and so down-to-earth that you have to instantly like Betty as your best friend. Althouhg I am not a big fan of women titles (those seems to dominate the New York Times bestsellers list these days), I laughed out loud on a plane from Washington DC to Houston on a business trip. Who knew that everyday domestic issues can be so light and funny?

Anyway, just try it. You will find it more enjoyable than you want to admit.

"The Egg and I." As I said in my review of the earlier book, although I found parts of "Egg" charming, the chapter on Indians made my part-Cherokee blood boil, and that other parts seemed rather mean-spirited as well.

There is none of the mean-spiritedness in "Onions", probably because, in spite of the various toils and tribulations of life on the island, Betty was basically happy there, as opposed to "Egg" where she was mostly miserable.

I loved the part about the small woman who loved to curl up on soft, comfy places like sofas, armchairs, and other women's husbands' laps. I wondered, though, why Betty didn't just ask her to step out into the garden and then drop-kick her across the straight to Seattle? I'm sure she could have gotten some of the other women in their circle of friends to help.

Many of the events she tells of show us that teenage girls have always been a handful, whatever they say. However, in spite of all the complaining and whining, the girls were willing to pich in; how many girls their age nowadays would have something like stuffed pork chops waiting when their parents came home from work?

While "Egg" left me wondering why anyone in their right mind would want to run a chicken farm in the middle of a howling wilderness, "Onions" made me wonder if living on an island might not be fun.

The book arrived yesterday and I spent hours last night perusing it learning about all things pirate. I'm not a pirate groupie or anything, but I got sucked in. I kept thinking I'd put the book down any minute to go fix dinner . . . watch TV . . . go to bed . . . you get the idea. The book is just fun. There is a hidden treasure quest at the back of the book. Even though the "contest" is officially over, I had fun just messing around with the clues, which would lead me to other discoveries, which would lead to even more cool stuff. Before I knew it, I'd lost the evening just playing with this book. It is certainly not a book you would sit down and read cover to cover, it's in more of a dictionary or encyclopedia format than a book of prose, but its entries are fascinating, and you can quickly while away the hours trying to solve the puzzle, learning the lingo for every situation a pirate might encounter, and learning to insult your friends and enemies in pirate-speak.
If you're even remotely interested in pirates, do yourself a favor and get a copy of this book.

Basicly a text book for pirate wannabes. Everything you wanted to know about pirates and more can be found in this book

Who would ever expect to find such a fun book! My daughter loves Pirates and I had read that Sept. 19 is talk like a Pirate book, she loves it! Only at Amazon would expect such a find!

You cannot believe the creative ways I've come up with to use this primer in my wprkshops on how to conduct English grammar lessons. By having a book that's so much fun (and so timely what with Johnny Depp looking adorable in dreadlocks and gold teeth) ESL and native-language grammar pupils really sit up and take notice. I love the look and feel of this book, too and apart from using it as a language tool, I'm sending it out as a gift to every 'pirate lover' I know!

THE PIRATE PRIMER: MASTERING THE LANGUAGE OF SWASHBUCKLERS AND ROGUES represents the only general reference to examine the language of pirates, offering up a pirate vocabulary complete with pronunciation and grammar. Three centuries of distinctive terms and usages from TV, literature and history blend into entries organized by 'oaths', 'commands', 'retorts' and more. Any writer involved in pirate representation needs thorough knowledge of the lingo, making THE PIRATE PRIMER a pick for any writer's library.

Diane C. Donovan
California Bookwatch

I really, really, really, liked this book. Pure genius. In hindsight, I wish my book had been more like this one.

Jim Meddick has consigned Robotman to exile in outer space since Primary Crullers was published, but Monty continues with Mr. Pi, Fleshy, Moondog et al to amuse us all.

This collection is from the Robotman days and is worth five stars from anyone. The Conspiracy Theorists strip alone is worth the cover price, and I have friends who have fallen off the sofa laughing at some of Meddick's pages.

I absolutely loved this book. Jim Meddick has a great sense of humor. Please do the responsible thing and contact your local newspaper. If they don't run "Robotman" in their daily comic section, they should. As a former newspaper reporter and editor, I can tell you that it was one of our most popular strips.

I bought this on a whim, actually. It turned out to be the best buy I've ever made. Satire doesn't get much better. I have the Robotman homepage as my startup page on the Internet. Sadly, it's hard to find Robotman collections in Sweden, you have to order them on-line if you want them. But the next time someone I know goes to the States, I'll have them buy all collections there is, just like I once bought all Calvin&Hobbes...

If you have read and liked Robotman before you will love this collection! It contains selected strips from around 1994 to the end of -96 (plus two sunday-strips from -97), including the X-File satire where the origin of Robotman and what happened to the Milde-family he lived with finally is revealed! My only complaint is that it doesn't include all strips there is. I want them all, everyone of them!

I consider buying a Pearls collection to be a health investment. Doctors say that laughing is good for your heart, and Pearls Before Swine has to have added at least a year to my life. I think this collection is all of 2005 comic strips, and I would recommend reading the previous 2 books BLTs Taste So Darn Good, and This Little Piggy Stayed Home. Or better yet, get the treasury Sgt. Piggy's Lonely Hearts Club Comic, which has both (and the Sunday strips are in color). I haven't read the "Lions and Tigers and Crocs, Oh My!" treasury yet but I suspect it has all the strips in this book.

Ever since I discovered PBS in our local paper I have been a devoted fan of Pastis' different? sense of humour. I have turned my friends and relatives on to PBS as well. I have made it a goal to buy all his books so I will have a complete collection that I can put beside my 'The Complete Far Side' and 'The Complete Calvin & Hobbes Collection'. PBS has earned the right to be in this great company.
Buy this book, in fact buy all his books; a mind this warped deserves to be rewarded.

Very funny, so much so that I read it through 3 times before I gave it to my parents to laugh and enjoy. I still get a smile when I thumb through it. Of all Mr Pastis books, you should have this one for sure.

Mandatory reading for Pearls fans, plus you'll gain new insights into the secret lives of condiments.

I am a huge fan of Pearls Before Swine, and bought this book to add to my collection. The comics are great!

My only complaint is, I already owned one of his anthologies: Lions and Tigers and Crocs, Oh My! All but about three of the cartoons in this book (Ratvolution) are in Lions and Tigers and Crocs. It was really disappointing to spend another seven or eight dollars for all the same cartoons.

Otherwise, it's great, classic Pearls.