Humor Books

Pam Johnson founded "The Secret Society of Happy People" and found herself grappling with holiday newsletters, worldwide press coverage, a spirited debate on "Politically Incorrect", and asking state governors to proclaim National Admit You're Happy Day. In Don't Even Think Of Raining On My Parade: Adventures of The Secret Society Of Happy People, Pam shares with the reader her perspective on living, enjoying, and celebrating what life has to offer, and presents a spectrum of happiness showcased through insightful stories, thoughtful observations, and witty pieces by other writers. Don't Even Think Of Raining On My Parade is highly recommended for inspirational self-help reading lists and library collections.

This book is two books in one! It tells the reader in chronological order the fences Pam had to jump to get her idea to become reality. With sheer determination and a humorous way of viewing events, Pam succeeded in her quest. The book also is loaded with entertaining stories demonstrating the 21 types of happiness. It was a quick, delightful read.

This book provides a humorours look at how her "Secret Society" got started. The stories of her adventures with the media, politicans, and the public in general are funny. She reminds us fo how lost "happiness" as become, but more important how we should NOT rain on someone else's parade. This easy to read and entertaining book would make anyone a great gift.

Pam's book is an easy to read, humourous look at how hard it is to spread a little happiness. It takes the reader on a chronological journey with Pam as she heads towards making her passing thought of a Secret Society of Happy People into reality. It also contains entertaining stories demonstrating the 21 types of happiness. A fun, quick read that left me smiling

Pam Johnson's "Secret Society Of Happy People" is one of the most unique and yet simple ideas I have ever heard of. Unlike so many other "feel-good" authors of today, she does not suggest that we deny our true feelings or the unhappy realities of this world, but to make a point of expressing our feelings of happiness as and when they arise -- without feeling guilty or inappropriate for doing so. There is a good chance that we are all a lot happier than we think we are! This book also raises awareness of how we allow other people's negativity to zap the happiness right out of our lives. "Don't Even Think of Raining On My Parade: Adventures of the Secret Society of Happy People." chronicles the author's diligent and courageous undertaking to bring acceptance back to the concept of feeling good. It's a wonderful read.

This is a rare book, and Jesse Reklaw is clearly a rare sort of guy. He adapts and illustrates these dreams once a week for his "Slow Wave" page, and for a few small newspapers, and each one is a lovingly crafted work of art. Frequently hilarious, often disturbingly insightful, and always completely far out, this book and the years of work it represents is clearly a very special labour of love.

This book is great for a coffee table timefiller, but don't be mislead into thinking it as superficial. These little works bear a second or third reading over time. The disturbing night-works of the contributors are full of details and angles that'll have you twisting your neck trying to get into the minds of the dreamers depicted here. Buy it. Love it.

Incredible (third)-eye-opening toons that will appeal to the armchair Freudian or Dadaist in all of us. Floppy logic, zen-like revelations, and surprising celebrity cameos. Salvador Dali, meet Harvey Pekar. Published by Shambhala-- synchronicity or symbolism?

Jesse Reklaw's Dreamtoons is a strange mix of dry humor and strange situations. Everyone dreams, and those who are fortunate enough to remember some of their more insane dreams seem to have found Jesse. His illustrations are clean and add a lot to the dreams. His editing means no more run-on dream sequences, just great entertainment. I sometimes found myself thinking "Someone just made that up", and then remembered some of my dreams. Yes, they did just make that up, but they happened to be unconscious and drooling at the time. For 8 bucks, you have very little to lose, and a lot of great entertainment to gain. I've read it 3 times now and still enjoy many of the cartoons.

That's what I did. Jesse's deadpan cartoon renditions of people's wacky, surrealistic dreams are hilarious. Don't read this book in bed if your spouse is trying to sleep (although you must admit, it'd be thematically correct).

Send Jesse Reklaw a description of one of your dreams, and he might make it come to life . . . in his weekly comic strip "Slow Wave."

"Slow Wave" is available in several underground newspapers and on his web site. This book collects the first few years' worth of strips.

Despite being limited to four panels, Reklaw manages to convey the essence of his collaborators' dreams. Some are disturbing; some are very funny;, all have the twisted logic and unsettling creativity of authentic dreams. Reading them is not only a pleasure, but oddly reassuring: It's nice to know that other people have dreams just as, if not more, bizarre as mine.

For maximum effect, savor the strips a few at a time.

I'm a busy guy who generally reads fiction before bed to relax. This book kept me up way too late laughing and wondering for several nights. I really enjoyed the colorful characters, offbeat predicaments, and a peek into a world quite a bit diferent from my own. Highly recommended.

You must buy this book!! I dont read much but the cover caught my eye, I finished in one sitting..So funny and keeps you turning the pages!! Oh yeah and I look pretty cool walking around holding it!!!

This book was by far my favorite summer read. DDW is so funny, original, and each scene proved vivid and and charming. I literally LOL'ed while reading this, and that RARELY happens. Big ups!!

Once I found out what the premise for the book was I had to get it. I mean a doughy 30 something jewish guy who is secretly a ghost writer for a gangsta rapper named Oral B, come on. It is almost a Farrelly brothers movie with that alone. The book has plenty of twists and Rotter's ability to translate rap colloquialisms into written text is mind blowing.

One of Wally's freestyle rhyme's cracks me up the most. "I'm stoned and I'm spinnin' and the chronic got me feelin' like I'm Lionel f$ckin' Riche and I'm dancin' on the ceilin'." Too funny

The book is quick to get into and hard to put down.

This is a very funny book: great characters, great plot and wonderfully funny diaglog, rhymes and rapping. I look forward to more books from Gabe Rotter!!

after reading this book. After all, they have tiny brains. My daughter (6) is very afraid of the dark and started talking about monsters when she was about 4. They would come and go, but were always very scary. Now she is an expert on them. She is still scared of the dark, but not because of the monsters. The illustrations and text are very funny. I enjoyed reading this book almost as much as she did.

My boys love this book. My boys are like most 4.5 year old boys filled with imagination. There are always monsters in our house usually about 5 years old and under 4 feet tall. The pictures and illustrations are hilariously funny. Even us parents have enjoyed this book. The boys love to make up monster names in the back of the book. This is a book that will be read for many years in this house. And yes if you are wondering everytime there is earwax coming out your ears your imagination must be running wild.

My son checked this book out from the library. They loved it so much we ended up buying it. It takes any childhood fears of monters away. The book is fun and silly for children and adults.

My six year old thinks this book is great. I bought this and "Everything I know About Pirates" and he loves both.Recommended for boys aged 5-9.

This is just a plain FUN book!!! I loved it from beginning to end. I've got to get the one he did about Pirates now! The kids I've showed it to, loved it! The illustrations are well done and very funny. The text is hilarious!

You have to be a computer geek to understand the humor. If you are, and especially if you have a unix/linux background and/or have worked with internet or other computer support you will find this one of the most hysterical comics around.

"Three steps to completing your initiation as an Evil Genius:
1. Adopt ominous accent."
"Checkski."
"2. Never, ever smile."
"Checkski."
"3. Bring a wealthy, monopolistic multinational corporation that sells crappy operating systems to its knees."
"Am thinkink there is no way of doink number 2 and 3 at same time."
- Pitr, reading EVIL GENIUSES FOR DUMMIES

The comic strip USER FRIENDLY maintains a continuous storyline, so EVIL GENIUSES IN A NUTSHELL picks up where the first collection, USER FRIENDLY, left off. The main characters - the staff of Columbia Internet - were introduced in the first book.

Written and set during 1999, the year that THE MATRIX and STAR WARS I: THE PHANTOM MENACE were released, there are lots of then-topical references (such as the completely empty offices of Columbia Internet on May 19 and the ultimate possible evil release date for Quake III).

For instance, during one of Stef the marketing guy's dust-ups with Erwin the AI, Erwin is temporarily loaded into a Furby's toy body. (Gentle readers might remember the talking stuffed toys after a little thought.) After Stef destroys it and Erwin retaliates, Stef finds himself in big trouble with the NSA. :) At one point, Erwin ends up talking like Yoda after being stuffed into a reverse-Polish-notation calculator.

And there are plenty of fantasy elements (at least, if you're in management, you can tell yourself that's all they are). Crud the demonic entity, saying that Microsoft is passé, changes over to AOL. The techies have a holy war over which of the various flavours of Linux is The One (TM). Erwin tries to nuke a spammer, with Russia and China joining in. Pitr tries to solve some budget problems by seeking refunds for all the copies of 5 different versions of Windows Columbia Internet has acquired with their hardware. When Microsoft's anti-Linux team arrives, the coders do the logical thing: they sic the thugs onto Stef. Erwin messes with Stef's head when they get him back, almost turning him into a techie ("I'm thinking I should've taken the blue pill"), but Delilah from MS sales re-education changes him back. In between, the techs play with Half-Life, Alpha Centauri, and Rainbow Six. (When a Terminator-like engineer's brain is replaced by a Pentium III chip, our heroes only notice him because his shotgun is a cool Quake weapon.)

*No* real life techies would try to shop a colleague onto the graveyard tech support shift, would they? No sleazy marketing guy would order sleek new computer gear just to impress a good-looking female techie would he? Just fantasy elements.

Right.

Not many Y2K strips, although the techies do prepare, because while Columbia Internet is compliant they're betting that Windows isn't, and that their clients will blame them. (The next collection, THE ROOT OF ALL EVIL, deals with the post-Y2K letdown.)

New characters:
- Artur the possessed engineer, who talks like Ahnold
- Matt the sea urchin, a new friend of Dust Puppy's rescued from a sushi bar

If you enjoyed User Friendly, you'll want this sequel. If you
haven't read User Friendly, then you'll want to look at that one
first, since this one follows it. Or go to userfriendly.org and
sample a few of the strips there -- but it's hard to take the
website to the bathroom with you or leave it on the coffee table
for family or friends to discover. Hence, the printed book.

This book picks up where User Friendly left off, and it's more
of the same. The quality of the strips has not dropped off; if
anything, these strips are better than the first ones. I quite
thoroughly enjoyed it. See also Root of all Evil.

Follow the guys from Columbia Internet as they work through the day to day tasks of tech support with really stupid customers, deciding which Linux distro to install, and tips on fragging the enemy. As you read you will find that there really is such a thing as a stupid question.

This book holds a little entertainment for anyone that is interested in computers. Admittedly, there is a certain level of Linux understanding to enjoy the Microsoft jokes. I would not buy this book for the technophobe in your life.

The book is dated now (who really remembers what happened on May 19th 1999?). But that is part of the fun, trying to figure out what the world events were at the time of writing.

There is something for all you computer geeks. A parody of Lord of the Rings and quite a few references to the Phantom Menace will keep you in stitches. There is even a romance that buds at the end of the book. I think it is all fake though, or at least cannot be long lived. Have you ever heard of geeks and romance going together?

This is one funny book. It truly captures the the world of IT, but puts a humorous slant to it. I read it almost from cover to cover and now frequently pick it up when I am in need of a laugh. I also like to post some of the topics on the door of my office. That bugs the heck out of our NT server folks, the jibes are a little too close to home for them.

Far Side really doesn't need a review. It's hilarious and anyone who has ever read it will agree with me. It's a classic! My favorite one from this book is the fear that no matter where you are, a duck a watching you. Too funny!

Gary Larson has created the funniest cartoons in the history of mankind. Unlike other comics you do not need to read them in a series as each individual cartoon tells its own hilarious story in a stand alone fashion. Therefore you do not need to have read the previous volumes to enjoy this edition to its fullest.

Fourth in the series of Far Side collections, the 1994 originally released Gallery 4's cartoons come from the smaller books Wildlife Preserves, Wiener Dog Art and Unnatural Selections. This volume is forwarded by Robin Williams who gives a four paragraph opinion on Larson and his work. Far Side Gallery 4 also have a unique cover where the lenses of the woman's glasses have been cut out, meaning when you open the cover, still viewing the exact same drawing, the glasses are on their own on the next page. This however does mean Gallery 4 has the most fragile cover of all the galleries.

A mixture of four comics to a page and full page comics make up this volume, most are black and white but with the occasional coloured pages every now and then. Classic Far Sides in this volume include aliens with the moon landing astronauts in a jar about to shake the jar to see if they'll fight, the hospital for mothers whose children stepped on sidewalk cracks, the famous Mr Ed verse Francis the talking mule debates, punk accountants and many more hilarious cartoons such a chicken reading a sign on the other side of the road saying Why Do You Need a Reason?

This like all Larson's work is a must own!

Gary Larson in this includes some great ones like theres a dog with like 50 people following him he says, "I can't smell a damn thing." Plus there's a foreward by king of comedy from mrs. Doughtfire Robin Williams. Here's somhing he says in it. "I really like the way he draws humans. Maybe someday scientists will dig up his cartoons and think that the 20ith century man has a rarely big nose and buck teeth."

This book is a real HOOT!

I guess the thing that makes Larson's cartoons so different is that his mind is just a little further off in space than where most of ours dwell.
Reading a whole book of these cartoons is a very different thing from looking at individual cartoons over an extended period.After 10-15 pages your mind tends to get climatized to this thought process and his cartoons almost start to feel like the normal ,rather than perverse, way to look at things.
We all need this exercise in mind-stretching and it is great to do it with humor.
I strongly recommend it to anyone who is not already a fan of Larso;myself for instance,at least until now.
If there are a few cartoons in the book that you did not "get";it simply means your mind is not totally warped yet.Just keep at it,you'll make it!
Enjoy !

Gary Larson is by far the most genius, the most innovative cartoonest ever to hit the world. This gallery has a forward by Robin Williams and tons of Larson's best work. You can't not love his sense of humor (and definitely check out the Prehistory of the Far Side).

It wasn't my choice to go into exile, my family moved to New England when I was a kid. I've lived here since, but Texas has always still held my heart. This book is a great tribute to the great Texan way of life. It's a fairly good illustration of Texas and Texans, and it does contain a few good chuckles, I wish there were more though.

I bought this book for my mom, a proud Texan who hasn't lived there since shortly after she got married, some 50 years ago. But she related to everything in this book and laughed so hard she couldn't talk. Over the years, I've bought my fussy mom countless presents, but this is the first one I felt she really liked.

Even as a non-Texan, I found the book to be hilarious (my mom called me up and read the whole thing to me over a few nights). I don't even like Texas (too hot and buggy for my taste), but after hearing this book, it kind of made me want to move there! This would be a GREAT present (or gift to yourself) for anyone who loves Texas, anyone from Texas, and anyone about to move there (fixin' to be Texan).

We are thinking about making a move to Texas from California, and I wanted to learn a little about the culture. This book teaches you everything you will need to know. I couldn't put it down. It was hilarious!

I am one on those people who is trying to get to TX as fast as I can, but I am stuck here in Tennessee until my son turns 18. This book offers a humorous look at life--Texas Style!! My favorite chapters are about food and pick-up trucks!! And there is a fun quiz at the end of the book!! It keeps thoughts of the LONESTAR state close to my heart and makes me want to head out West!! I recommend this book for anyone who loves the state of TEXAS!!

Helen Bryant has summed up everything you need to make the transition from being "from someplace else" to being a Texan, all in a compact and witty book. I lived in Houston and San Antonio for 17 years and I'm fixin to go back (from California) so I thought I'd better brush up. I feel ready, now.

After I finished the book I wrapped it up and gave it to friends, native Southern Californians who are soon to make Fort Worth their home. If you are bound for Texas, read this book first!

Food Play is clever, and gave many, many laughs. It's good, creative, innocent fun, suitable for any age, The photographs have good, clear color and lighting. The imagination of the "artist" is inexhaustible, who seeems to discover expression in most unusual sujects. I highly recommend it as a thank-you gift, a cheer-up thought, or just an unusual choice to amuse and delight.

I LOVE this book! I've had one for a while and bought this one as a gift. There are many wonderful ideas for both adults and kids, and I've done it with my grandkids as well as my friends. VERY FUN!

My wife is a teacher and loves this book. We have ordered 3 more as gifts.

Item was a gift and recipient was pleased. Very ingenious ways to "play with your food."

FOOD PLAY is an unique and adorable book suitable for any age person. My grandchildren to whom I gave the book were amazed and tickled by the expressiveness of the food faces and I was astonished at the imagination that created them. The fact that collectively several of them also tell stories is also great fun. I recommend this book for everyone.

What a great way to learn the rules of golf and etiuqette! I appreciated the golf etiquette tips and terminology that you may not find in other books or fellow golfers may be hesistant to tell you. A must read for all women golfers!

Reviewed by Susan Pettrone for Reader Views (7/07)

"From the Red Tees" is one of those books that every golfer needs. It is small, only 256 pages, but it is filled to capacity with common-sense knowledge, reminders and advice that even the most seasoned of golfers can take to heart and learn from. From the very beginning, "From the Red Tees" addresses the problems and important information female golfers need to know to play a round of golf and enjoy the experience as well. With lighthearted humor intermixed with information and tips for women golfers, this book proves from page one that it is a hit for women golfers of all ages.

Addressing preparedness is one of the chapter focus' within this book. From the first sentence of this chapter, it is made evident through storyline and easy-to-understand information that being prepared is essential to any golfer's game and something women in particular need to think about. Covering "what to wear," "sun protection" and much more, this is a chapter that even long-time golfers can benefit from, with its gentle reminders of essentials for the game. And on goes this fascinating book for women about the sport of golf.

Being somewhat of a novice myself in a family of avid golfers, I especially found chapter 4, "Fried Eggs and the Dance Floor," to be one of the best chapters in the book. With its explanations of the acronyms so often heard in golf, basic information on equipment and places, and of course, phrases heard on the golf course itself, this was a great way for me to study up on my terminology and jolt my memory with the terms used on the course without feeling as if I were playing `catch up' when I next visit the green. With its' somewhat confusing phrases for the new golfer such as "the beach," another way to say "sand trap," "choke down," a term used to describe moving ones hands further down on the club and "scramble," when everyone hits and you choose the next shot to be hit from the best shot in the group. I found this chapter to be exceptionally beneficial.

As this book goes along, the reader discovers a chapter entitled "How to succeed as a Mom and a golfer." I saw all too clearly the problems many women face when they have to choose between being a mother and a golfer. That is not to say that men don't have the same problems but let's be honest here; it is usually Mom who sacrifices her round of golf to play "mommy"" and rarely does Dad do the same. Being a mom and a golfer demands a certain amount of finesse, planning, and, of course, adaptability, in order to make the mix work. In this chapter, the reader can see a new way of looking at this problem and how to mix motherhood and sport, so that each works out fine.

I found "From the Red Tees" to be, not just informational, but entertaining as well, with its light-hearted humor inserted within the pages, and its basics of golf presented in a new way. This book would make an excellent choice for any and all the female golfers on your list. It seems to me that with all the high school golf teams in the country, this would also be a great gift for the younger female golfer in your life. She would benefit from the facts and from the perspective the author gives when discussing the game of golf and how it fits within a woman's life.

I have been an avid golfer for over 15 years now and for the first time, feel like I understand the dynamics at hand for womens golf. I have previously tried to bring my wife and sister along into the sport, but have failed miserably. This book would have been a perfect introduction for both me, and the women I was trying to teach.

This is a humorous and witty book for woman golfers. The authour shares stories we can all relate to and laugh at. The etiquette and terminology that is explained is helpful and can help beginner golfers feel confident on the course. It is also a great motivator for those of us who can't find the time to golf.

This is a fun & easy read! Palermo educates the novice golfer about proper course etiquette & terminology, and peppers her not-so-technical golf "manual" with humorous anecdotes. I highly reccomend Red Tees to any woman hesitant to brave the links - it will provide knowledge, confidence, and some laughs!

This is just a collection of Garfield comics you can get off the Garfield website. There isn't even any of the new stuff with Luz and John ending up together.

A great book if you like Garfield. I like the cat and the dog too. I didn't like how the man put the collar on the dog, it was cruel of him.

I have been a long time Garfield fan. While sometimes the strip seems to fall a little short, by and large it stays consistently funny. What I especially have liked about Garfield in recent years is that Jim Davis seems to have really cultivated his taste for the bizarre, so recent Garfield strips have often had a Far Sidian quality to them. This can especially be seen in the recent books, including this one.

I think this is a good book if you like garfield. I like when the dog and garfield dance. I didn't like when the men put the shock collar on the dog,that was mean of them.

While i don't have this book it still souds delightful!!!! After many years Garfield still puts a smile on your face! In this book it celebrates that as Garfield get older he still probaly the same and with his good and funny attitude. so enjoy as many others will enjoy i too!