Humor Books

Prgressive political commentary plus wicked sense of humor equals a thought-provoking and entertaining read. Even years after the publication, Bob Harris's observations on politicians, big business, oil, and the environment are just as prescient and dead-on as ever. Plus, you'll laugh harder than you have in weeks.

This is a really, really funny book. And you can see it's very, very well written because it gets a 5 star review from every single person who has ever read it. Bob Harris is really, really smart, as most of the earlier reviews have attested, and it shows in this very, very funny and very, very clever book. He really should have his own TV talk show, because this book is much funnier than David Letterman. Or maybe he should be a movie actor, and then maybe a movie director, the world would be much better place, and funnier too! :)

I got this book as a gift, and to be honest I had never heard of the guy, but I found myself laughing out loud in a lot of places. The essays are all short and bounce around between subjects, so it's an easy book to have around and read in short stretches. I don't always agree with everything, and if you like Molly Ivins or Will Durst maybe it's a fun read.

I really liked the chapter about the stock market, and how you can tell which way stocks will go by using very sophisticated ratios like that put-call ratio. I also thought that I should add a review since no one seems to have written one since September, and that's a shame for a book with so many incindiary insights.

For too long political humor was synonymous with cranky old men complaining that the audience stank. Bob Harris is young and full of piss and vinegar (organic) and not content to merely whine from afar. He tells you what Alex Trebek is really like and he's not afraid to get his hands dirty. He goes into the trenches to show how campaign financing really works and under the President's desk to show.... No one is spared. Doctors are dealt with appropiately (like self centered over indulged children) Pols are afforded as much respect as they deserve and no one or nothing that could possibly hurt you (science, media, economists, world leaders,oncologists etc.) escapes the cocked eyebrow of Bob Harris. What a tasty read.

This is an excellent and practical tome. My only complaint is that they didn't include this masterpiece of simplicity:

Worst. President. Ever.

Citizen posters at the acclaimed political web log www.dkos.com contributed ten of their best ideas for progressive bumper stickers to this effort. Exercise your First Amendment rights and have a good laugh!

The ten bumperstickers are:

Asses of Evil
Thanks for Not Paying Attention
Four More Wars!
More Trees, Less Bush
It Takes a Village Idiot
One Person, One Vote (*May Not Apply in Certain States)
Putting the "Con" In Conservative
We're Gooder!
Leave No Billionaire Behind

Bring Back Monica Lewinsky

These fabulous bumper stickers double as postcards, so I sent a few to friends. Then the other night, one of the recipients called me asking why I sent him a postcard that was blank white on the back. Apparently, the sticker came off in the mail. I'm putting the rest in envelopes before sending them, which kind of defeats the whole "postcard" thing.

These are great bumper stickers and they get the message out. Sadly, bumper stickers are all some people read...

I am a girl that never puts bumper stickers on her car, but damnit I had to do it!! I look in the review mirror and see people straining to read, and then laughing their heads off! What better way to prove your point than with humor! I loved every one of these stickers, and I wouldnt suggest mailing them out of envelope, they are so great mailmen will be stealing them :)

This book was SO funny - had me laughing out loud from page one! A GREAT gift idea for co-workers and colleagues. Definitely worth the read. Can't wait to get my hands on the next Stooples book!

When you set three wise guys loose in the office, you're going to get something unpredictable, funny and smart. "Wise" is the operative word here--all the things you were told not to be in high school. Or most anywhere else. Nothing is exempt! I wouldn't be exempt, or you, or the authors--everything goes. Go with it, you'll like it!

First there was Dilbert...funny, yet so close to the truth! Now comes Stooples: Office Tools for Hopeless Fools. I got hold of a copy, and I haven't let go or stopped laughing since!

It's essentially a table top book, although if you leave it on your corporate reception area table, it WILL disappear. Same for the washrooms.

At only $12.95, cheaper at Amazon, for this 128 page full color parody of an office supply catalog, it's well worth thinking about it as a Christmas stocking stuffer, your office gift exchange, or as a give-away at your office holiday bash. The authors will be on tour throughout the US in October and November just to make sure you got their message. You were warned!

This book was hilarious! For anyone who has ever worked in an office setting, it's a must-read when you need a good laugh. This would make a good gift for co-workers and bosses with a sense of humor!

This is one of the funniest office-related books I've read. These guys are cynical, sarcastic and have more insights in modern workplaces than most business consultants. If only we could buy these products--coffee mugs with your six-figure salary emblazoned on it and other ego-pumping products. It reminds me of the Alex Baldwin character in Glengarry Glen Ross, who plunks his Rolex on the desk in front of some loser colleague and says "Who am I? This watch cost more than you earned last year, that's who I am."
This book reminds me of when I got my first job in the early 90s. My predecessor cleared out the bookshelf and left only Dilbert's "How to Build a Better Life By Stealing Office Supplies," which turned out to be the best sources of career advice I had. Now, as I'm preparing to clear out of an office, I think I'll leave the Stooples book to my successor...

I designed shopping carts for 5 years. After I left that company, I saw this book. I bought it as a gift for my former boss who was the owner of the company that made shopping carts. I thought that he would get a kick out of it. Before I gave it to him, I decided to glance at a few pages and ended up reading through the whole book before I gave it to him. I sort of felt bad since the book is now officially used. He loved it anyway. It was interesting and it has inspired me to do something similar.

When I first heard mention of this book (in The Believer magazine), I laughed out loud at the concept...

I laughed out loud when it showed up on my doorstep, too. The effort and thought put into the development of this silly book is tremendous. The result is an excellent play on the concept of field identification guides.

Whenever people see this book on my coffee table, it becomes a conversation piece. Funny, funny stuff.

Received the book last week- funny read and the pictures are amusing for a while...then the "field guide" aspect of the book may be a bit too complicated for a "fun read". It's quite a complicated work-up that the author had contrived, and while impressive- I was using too much brain power while reading something that should be entertaining. I don't think I have enough room left in my brain to store field guide info on shopping carts- even just to make it til the end of this book! But maybe YOU do! :)

As a certified straycartologist I applaud the effort to publicize this issue. I only hope we can convince those crumb bums in Washington that expanding our coverage to the rest of North America can only be achieved with copious federal spending.

Like the question burning in the loins of Lewis and Clark before us, what will the West reveal? My crotch is afire with this question: what will the West reveal about...ourselves? [For full effect, deliver that last word in a fervent whisper]

This book is easily one of the top four reference guides for shopping carts available on the market today. It does an excellent job of covering the following topics:

* Shopping carts

Overall, I heartily endorse this product.

THIS BOOK IS GREAT. A BOOK ON SUGGESTIONS?? I SUGGEST YOU BUY THIS BOOK. ANYONE FROM NEW YORK WOULD LOVE THIS AS GIFT. THE AUTHORS, ILLEGAL ART, ARE REALLY ON TO SOMETHING HERE. SUGGESTIONS FROM CITY DWELLERS IN THE GREATEST CITY IN WORLD, NYC.

This book leaks out pure amazingness. The editors spared no one's beliefs, thoughts, or feelings while compiling this book-- and that's a good thing. Along with the funny things (i.e. "I suggest you give me the box"), there's whimsical advice, heartfelt thoughts, religious and political suggestions or observations, and truly thought provoking statements.

This book gives you a glimpse into the minds of strangers, and, no pun intended, pulls you out of your own box. It opens your mind to things you might not have ever even considered.

It's thoroughly enjoyable to read, and doesn't take long, so why not give it a try?

Thank you Illegal Art for giving voice to the people of New York City and beyond. The Suggestion Box is not only a mobile polling machine that
samples peoples views, it is a monitor for the state of various urban conditions.

Keep it Public.

Malachi Connolly

This book is a great collection of what those around you might be thinking at the time.
If you were sitting on the subway and could put a bubble with one sentance over everyone's head representing what they were thinking or feeling, this is what you'd come up with. The guy next to you might be saying "beer flavored nipples" and the woman across from you suggesting "Dave should stop wasting my precious time" Humorous, thoughtprovoking and entertaining, this collection of suggestions, thoughts and opinions of your fellow humans walking by you on the street and sitting next to you on the subway is worth the read and a fun experience.

Very few art books make you open your mind and think like this one does; yes there are some expected suggestions but there are also some really weird no-one-person-could-make-this-stuff-up suggestions. There is a breadth, scope, emotion and imagination that couldn't come from fiction or conventional art. It really makes you think, laugh and wonder. A truly inspiring book, that is really good for angry New Yorkers, but I think the ideas will resonate wherever you are in the world.

Systemantics is a humerous look at the world of systems and how they don't work. It is a book of tongue in cheek rules that are not only funny but true. John Gall used humour to point out the fatal flaws in our approach to systems of every sort.

Discovering John Gall's book a view of life. Gall spells out the failings of, largely, cultural assumptions in the realms of education, food production, corporate culture and so on, in ways that are easy to understand despite complexities. Systemantics represents a collection rules and laws that characterize and define systems (from corporations, organizations, religions to families and other social groups), and Gall cites notable examples that have graced the headlines (from the mid-80s, in my edition). With humor and wit, Gall outlines potential and obvious pitfalls. Despite its age, this book is even more relevant today since much of what Gall elucidates is even more rampant than ever. Fans of Daniel Quinn (author of Ishmael, The Story of B, etc.) may find this appropriate to augment their interests.

I like this book. It contains pithy and often humorous stories that illustrate every point. It also provides catchy labels for each major concept so that the author's ideas tend to stick in your mind. For example, The Fundamental Law of Administrative Workings (FLAW). This book has stuck in my mind and it continually reminds me to think twice before expanding any of my systems - whether they be cooking systems or computer systems.

I read the previous reviews -- the most of them came from people with engineering bend. But this book is not only for engineers, it is for everyone - managers, politicians, lawyers, programmers, urban planners -- you name it. As the matter of fact, you will never read a newspaper the same way after being familiarized with Dr. Gall's book. The Diberterque environment of your office will not feel like something extraordinary after you realize that there are natural reasons why it has become Dilbertesque.

I know the author personally. As a lawyer and a former executive, I found the book insightful, hilarious, and - even - depressing. John does an excellent job of uncovering cultural blinders we all labor under. Our genes have not prepared us to work in the gigantic systems and organizations that provide, govern, and torture us. I enjoyed the second part of the book ("Applied Systemantics") more than the more conceptual first part. This book is an important antidote to Organizational Development hucksterism.

"She's faster than a speeding toddler, more powerful than a teen-age temper tantrum, able to leap loads of laundry in a single bound!"

Deb DiSandro wants to change the world one laugh at a time. She is a syndicated newspaper columnists and is famous for her "motherly misadventures." Her column is called "Slightly Off" and appears in (a local newspaper) every Tuesday.

She has finally compiled a number of her famous columns into one book. These are stories mom's will relate to and can appreciate.

This book is really a collection of humorous essays. For years Deb has perfected her comedy routine, which focuses on the many stages of motherhood. I was already laughing when reading the "contents" page. I love how she calls "holidays" something quite appropriate. The first line of the Introduction had me giggling and after that, I was just laughing through the entire book.

The Contents Include:

Battles Burbs, Bottles, and Binkies - Everything from labor to teaching phonics.
Toils with Tikes, Yikes! - Surprising information on brain shrinkage during pregnancy.

Divides and Multiplies? - The author experiences the joys of reuse, reduce, and recycle.
Scores As Supersupporter - Karate and other kicking good ideas.

Prevails Over Perils with Pets - "Mom's take care of dogs."
Duels in a Duo - Commitment or Committed? She tells all.

Tackles the Teenage Years - A Tour of the Teen Brain!
Defends Time Alone - Food Channel fun and cooking blues.

Survives the Holi-daze - An interesting "Grown-Up" Christmas wish, which shows even a supermom can have a warm cuddly view of how she wants Christmas to be. Ha, ha - you have to love the holiday letter. She saved the best till last.

A comedians look at the real world of motherhood! This is truly the most creative Account of Motherhood on the SUPERMOM planet!

Definitely 20 Stars!

~The Rebecca Review
Author of Seasoned with Love: A collection of
best-loved recipes inspired by over 40 cultures

Someone once said, "Laughter is the best medicine." If that's true, then I've been healed. Deb DiSandro's book "Tale of a SLIGHTLY OFF SUPERMOM" had me in stitches.
She drew me into her zanny world and helded me captive.I smiled, I chuckled, and I laughed out loud. At times the stories she shared about her family brought nostalgic thoughts of my own family, and I, like Deb, longed to hold those memories tight and never let them slip away.
Here is a book that can bring a smile to Mom, on Mother's Day, a grin from Grandma, on her birthday, or laughter to any woman, who is about to face motherhood.

Deb's adventures in child rearing make a refreshing and hilarious break in an otherwise stressful day. Her humorous way of looking at the most difficult or unpleasant aspects of living with kids is all her own. Just when you wonder how she does it, she shares moments that make it all worth while. Great for moms-to-be, Mother's Day, or anyone who has spent ten minutes with a whining two-year-old in the mall.

Deb Di Sandro's laugh out loud account of the trials of SuperMom puts her squarely in line to succeed Erma Bombeck as the poet laureate of suburbia.

Deb DiSandro made me laugh, and for this grandma brought back memories of my days of motherhood. In her essay, Bring Back Grandma's Beauty Shop, Deb gave me permission to take care of myself. I have been fortunate to have Deb as a writing instructor and have enjoyed her as a speaker. I could hear her voice through her words. And, as my daughter Susan in Portland, Oregon, shared, "I love Deb's book. She is hilarious and I can relate."

Ok, so I don't even usually read for "fun." But, I my sister had this book so I read it a while back, and it was HILarious! THen, luckily, she still had it. So I just read it again yesterday. It made me laugh just as much as it did the first time I read it! PLus, it's easy enough to breeze through in just one sitting because it's so good. Even though I'm only 20 and not necessarily in the age range that this book seems to target, I can definitely still relate to certain parts. I rate "The Moe Chronicles" the best book I've read so far when it comes to humor! It's the type of book you just can't stop to put down the first, second, or even third time you read it! I don't have one bad thing to say about it....

This was given to me a gift recently, with a short explanation of how it was decided that was for me. That was judged by the cover: a crudely drawn man sitting on a couch, clutching a beer in one hand saying somewhat jocularly "I should write a screenplay." Needless to say, though I'm only 18, I enjoyed this book immensely, and look forward to having similar experiences to draw experiences from. Yes, I was kidding, but when Erik Moe looks back on them, even the most horrible of all the mundane catastrophies abound in urban life seem funny.

I grabbed this book right off the sale rack and flipped through exactly one page and went up and bought it. I'm not what you'd call an 'impulse buyer' (read cheap). This book is for anyone who is 25-35. In that age group this book is nearly autobiographical! For anyone who's ever spent more on a case of beer than they have on that week's groceries. Read this. There are only about 5 books that are truly funny in my opinion- this is one of them.

Woo-hoo! Go you crazy Moe! You rocking, sleazing, bad-copywriter-drawing, carnivorous creative director-dream-having crazy piece of wordboy. You're an inspiration, Moe, to anyone who ever got laid off from an ad agency, watched bad TV with his pixel-monkey, went without for more days than any man should and really truly believes three chords and a Mexican-built Stratocaster makes for an instant ticket to Credville. Why'd they stop printing your book Moe? Why? Whyyyyyyyyyyyy!

(I know this review is already here under another @ress, but I wanted to put it on my member's page...)

A friend and I stumbled across this book in a Barnes & Noble three years ago, and though we opened our copies to different pages, we both started laughing so hard we were doubled over, and we couldn't get to the cash register fast enough. I let people borrow my copy occasionally, but only for short times and after extracting a promise to care for it. Erik Moe captures *everything* about the awkwardness of transitioning from kid to adult in your 20s, watching your friends get married, being stuck in the lame dues-paying job with jerk coworkers, struggling to become a grownup while still enjoying the things you loved in college. I can't do this book justice with mere words. Find yourself a copy!

I agree with the majority of reviewers here, but I think you have to be an intelligent reader to appreciate it. For example, on page 20, in golf the author discourages distracting activities while opponents are playing, but you could disturb opponents, especially musically competent ones, while you yourself are playing, "by constantly whistling a phrase with one note - always the same note - wrong." In the footnote he actually writes the musical notation of a suggested phrase, the horn motiv from Wagner's Ring, with the second note changed from an A to a D# with a glissando (sliding up to the high note). I laughed out load before I even tried to play the phrase on the guitar. I realize that some won't see the humor here, but what incredible depth in the descriptions of these tactics!

I first bought this book, thinking it would be along the lines of Sun Tzu meets Frazier...I wasn't disappointed, but the '50s writing style is not fluid to read

This tome offers a complete introduction to the theory and practice of gamesmanship. Though some of the ploys are outdated, if properly executed, these gambits will most certainly put the gamesman in the one-up position. The coverage of countergamesmanship, while sparse, is essential reading for gamesman at any level.

This book instantly turned me into a Potter fiend, and I subsequently tracked down first editions of all four -manship books. This is dry, deadpan British humour at its absolute finest - I've never seen an American writer come close, except for Mark Twain.

I came across this at some rummage sale, and once I started reading it I was instantly hooked on Potter's dustbowl-dry wit and bought all his other books. Each is outstanding, but this is still the best. For the uninitiated, this has nothing to do with playing games; it has everything to do with attitude, games people play with and against one another in life, and poking fun at our egos and self importance...and the egos and self-importance of others. There's no explaining Potter's humor - you either love it, or you don't get it at all. I love it. Even the 'diagrams' are absolute screams. Only Wodehouse was as funny or funnier than Potter.

I thought this book was great. Amid the overly-medical 'guidance' books and judgemental, cat-fight inducing blogs, this book was a beacon. There's no 'tone' to deal with or anyone forcing their pregnancy views on you -- just real women having a whole bunch of things go wrong and making the best of it.

It's also nice to read how you can plan all you want, but be prepared for things to go awry. The best part was, I could relate (on some level) to every single story in the book, and just the commiseration aspect of it was theraputic!

Moms love to tell pregnancy and childbirth war stories. Perfect strangers feel free to tell you about the agonizing hours they were in labor and all the medical emergencies they ever experienced, witnessed, heard of, or dreamed up.

How refreshing, then, to have this book. They Lied! True Tales of Pregnancy, Childbirth, and Breastfeeding is full of true stories, but they are the kind of true stories that new moms and moms-to-be really need. They are hilarious, heartwarming, and just plain fun. Be sure not to miss Christine Riley's "Confessions of a Seatbelt Zealot" wherein a very-pregnant woman gets stuck in her brother's car, or Amanda Euringer's "No Small Potatoes" where a new mom finds out that there are huge and unexpected cultural differences between the east and west coasts. I had to put the book down in the middle of both of these stories because I was laughing so hard.

Now that's the kind of stories a new mom needs.

You truly can't understand the total experience of pregnancy, childbirth, or breastfeeding without reading this book! Sure, you can go out there and get the lowdown on medical "stuff" but what fun is that? This book is a great diversion from the so-called popular pregnancy books out there that claim to have the answers to everything. You'll feel better just knowing that we've all been there in uncomfortable, hysterical, and embarrassing situations that those "other" books just don't talk about! Besides, after all the uninvited belly rubs, pounds gained, and "leaking" breasts - who couldn't use a laugh?

As an internationally published humor writer, I am proud that I have a personal essay entitled "Call a Pain a Pain" in this hilarious book. Finally - a chance to vent to people other than my children about some of the frustrations I had with childbirth and breastfeeding. Now, after more than two decades, my kids can share their guilt with the world. Plus, "They Lied!" is the ultimate baby shower gift that says, "Hey, congratulations! You look like you need a laugh about now." This book rocks!

As a mother of 2, I'd like to recommend this book as a baby shower gift. Who needs all those pairs of little socks?