Comedy Books

I give the book 4 stars (probably 3.75) because of putting the witches through a new theme - vampires invading Lancre! This makes for a refreshing story in the Discworld series to date. However, the witches are still the same characters (of course), so the type of jokes and their behavior is nothing really new.

Overall, another great adventure. I guess you can only do so much with the same characters though.

Fans of Terry Pratchett already know the comic prowess the writer possesses, so as one of the later books in his Discworld series, Carpe Jugulum is not surprisingly funny.

For a first time reader, however, it is.

Although it takes a bit longer to digest some of the finer elements - the many different characters in the book, for example - once you get going there's no slowing down. The book practically flies by (though not necessarily on a broom) because the author visits a different character every few pages, so there is little lag in the book.

Also, the lack of chapters is a bit disconcerting, at first, but not a major problem.

'Jugulum' is not the first in the witches series thread, but it's not hard to pick up what's going on if you pay attention. I won't go into explaining the unique method Pratchett's used to compose the Discworld universe, but suffice it to say that everything is not linear in the least bit.

As far as the actual work of the novel goes, Pratchett does a great job pacing the hilarious adventures of the witches and vampires, and the utterly fantastic fantasy characters are so life-like you really lose sense that it's a fantasy novel at all. Satire is prevalent in the subplots, and Pratchett is very sly in his dealings with religion and religious indoctrination, both very important themes throughout 'Carpe Jugulum.'

Like the cover suggests, there's a bit of Carl Hiaasen (for the humor) and and Kurt Vonnegut (for the satire) in the book, and that's a huge compliment for a pure genre writer. Though pop fiction is hardly given the credit it deserves, I think that Pratchett's books - Carpe Jugulum, in particular - will survive for generations.

How can you not like a book about vampires and witches?

I've read nearly all the Discworld novels and I have to say this is one of the strangest. It's not very funny, for one thing, being much darker and with a more brooding tone than the others. It's in the witches subseries and it's about vampires (the title means "Go for the throat"), but unlike the teetotaling Black Ribboners in the other books, these creatures are downright evil in the classic 19th century fictional mold of the undead. The vampires come, of course, from Uberwald, and King Verence of Lancre (the Fool that was), in a spirit of evenhanded humanity, has invited them in for his daughter's naming ceremony. Of course, the only way vampires can enter a home is by invitation, and in this case, the king's "home" is the entire country. And they have every intention of making themselves at home. Granny Weatherwax, not having received her invitation, goes off in a huff, especially, since Magrat, the youngest witch (the Maiden) has been replaced by Agnes Nitt of the split personality. Magrat, now the Queen, is also a mother (or the Mother), which means Nanny Ogg is set to be the Crone -- which doesn't please her at all. Anyway, there's also a phoenix, and a singleminded Master of Falconry, and a doubting priest of Om, and Igor the driver (it's still his name at this point; he hasn't yet become "AN Igor"). And we get to meet the Nac mac Feegle, the six-inch-high "wee free men," who paint themselves blue and love to fight, drink, and steal cattle. (Well, they are Pict-sies. . . .) Pratchett is a highly original master of the language, with such gems as "I understood every word in that sentence, but not the sentence itself." He's also a master of stealth philosophy: "This was a test. Everything was a test. Everything was a competition. You had to make choices. You never got told which ones were right. Oh, some of the priests said you got given marks afterward, but what was the point of that?" Also: "Sin, young man, is when you treat people as things. Including yourself. That's what sin is." But, while there's some good, thoughtful stuff here, it's still a strange book.

The reviews here are quite varied on this book, they are all obviously written by Pratchett fans however one of the problems with being a Pratchett fan is that he has SO many novels that you are bound to find a few that aren't your taste. I personally loved this book. My favorite of Pratchett's creations include the Witches and the Guards series.

An attempt at a short summary:
The King of Lancre and his new wife the former Witch Margrat have their first child, and are holding the Christening ceremony. In The King's usual attempt to be "Modern" he invites the Magpyrs, a family of Vampires from Uberwald. Vampires of course cannot go where not invited, so they capitalize on the invitation to take over the entire country of Lancre. The Vampire clan however, is obsessed with becoming "Modern" and is quite Yuppyish. They have made themselves immune to garlic, sunlight, religious symbols, and just about everything else that normally works against Vampires. Meanwhile Granny Weatherwax's invitation to the Christening was stolen, so in a typical Granny fashion, she is off in a huff. The soppy priest of Om that comes to do the Christening becomes quite the major character, and the "Wee Free Men" make their first appearance. Add in Igor, the Vampire's henchman who wishes things would go back to the way they are, and the Falconer who spends most of the tale hunting down a Phoenix and you're in for a non-stop good time. Nanny Ogg and Agnes/Perditia Nitt are put into the position of attempting to rescue the kingdom from the Vampires without Granny.

The witches are all their standard unique selves, Granny stubborn as a mule but with a heart of gold, Nanny with her wild ways and lewd comments, Margrat with her new aged ideas but strong backbone when needed, and the newest of the coven - Agnes Nitt a very big girl with a thin girl trapped inside her. Agnes becomes a major character in this book and really develops her unique personalities. The Priest of Om also becomes quite an interesting character with his on again off again faith crisis. The Wee Free Men are entertaining, but hard to read, Igor is an absolute trip.

Some will say that this is a re-write of "Lords and Ladies" I personally didn't find it so. Sure bad guys arrive and threaten Lancre, and the Witches step up to do battle in their round-about humorous ways. But then again what fantasy/sci-fi/action or horror doesn't have bad guys showing up and good guys trying to stop them? Of Pratchett's novels I found this one to be much darker than the others because the Vampires are quite sinister for one of his villains. Still I found this to be an amazingly humorous tale. The bickering between the witches, the family fights between the vampires, Igor's wanting to make everything dusty and covered in spider webs and longing for the old-school days of his master, the Falconer's obsession with trying to catch a bird he's never seen, the Wee Free Men stealing anything they can get their hands on, and even Greebo.

The pace of the book is unbelievably quick, numerous characters come and go and you'll find yourself wondering how all of this will tie in together. But you can't put it down. I can attest to that first hand, I read way past my bedtime to finish the book because the action never stopped long enough for me to stick in a bookmark. The humor wasn't as non-stop as in some of his other books, but the funny parts were hysterical. I found that this book had far more meaning to it than many of the others.

If you are first time Pratchett reader, I would not recommend this book as a starting place because some of the history of the witches is almost required to get full enjoyment out of this story. I can't imagine that a first time reader would understand the concept of "Borrowing" from this book or get the humor of the "I ain't dead" sign. This is one of my favorite of Pratchett's novels so far.

I've read about half of Discworld now, and this is easily the weakest one. I'd almost say "it sucks" but shan't stoop to such a deplorable pun.

The plot seemed a rehash of Lords & Ladies, just swap vampires for elves and take out the Shakespeare homage. Worse, key elements of the plot, such as how Granny's "borrowing" works, are at direct odds with the rest of the series and cause a gaping plot hole [I'd elaborate on that except it's a HUGE spoiler.] Much of the plot requires "willful stupidity" on the part of the villains, which struck me as very contrived. The ending itself was unsatisfying, though perhaps Pratchett is planning on picking this up at some time in the future.

There are no laugh-out-loud moments to be found, and even the chuckles are few and far between. The closest to social insight is one of the characters' questioning his faith, and even that is dealt with better in Small Gods.

If you've never read any Discworld books before, don't start here, and in fact you can probably just skip this entry alltogether and still enjoy the rest of the series. If you do like Pratchett, well, still skip it, unless you have a soft spot for the Lancre witches arc or are a real vampire fanatic. Even then, keep your expectations low, so they won't be dashed like mine were. You have been warned.

Pratchett has repeatedly shown he can do better than this.

There is both good and bad to this book; but I'm happy to say that by the end, the good outweighed the bad and left me glad that I read it. The book has a well-crafted, detailed, and complex storyline, and is populated by entertaining if occasionally cartoonish characters. Fortunately, Armstrong's main character, Danny Pellegrino, is fully-developed and very engaging, and my interest in him more than made up for the foibles in some of the lesser players, and in fact kept me turning pages in the addictive manner of a craps shooter sticking around for one more come out roll even when the table seemed to be going cold.

As another reviewer mentioned, Armstrong very clearly knows his subjects, to the point where you would be very hard pressed to believe he hasn't either walked in Danny's shoes or known someone very closely who did. The level of detail he puts into his environment - be it "direct marketing," gambling, private aviation, small-time mobsters, etc. - is extremely immersive. Armstrong's love of detail is a two-edged sword, though, and where the book falters is in writing style. Armstrong makes the novice mistake through most of the book of "telling" rather than "showing" - piling on pages and pages of descriptive narration about even the most minor character, rather than letting his characters interact through action and dialogue to reveal what we as readers need to know. In effect, he tells the reader what to think, rather than letting us reach our own conclusions through observation; and I always feel like that sort of spoonfeeding is indicative of an author's lack of trust in his own ability to craft something in a way that the reader will naturally go where the author wants. So, at first, I concluded that Armstrong was a guy with a really great idea for a story whose skills as a novelist were not the equal of his imagination - but as he turned over more and more cards, he revealed his hand to be stronger than I first assessed. In the last few chapters - when Pellegrino meets the architect of the book's central gambling system - the mood, tone and style of the book change dramatically for the better. Unlike the narration-heavy first two thirds of the book, the last section is mostly dialogue - almost in the Socratic sense - revealing a philosophical ambition that I never saw coming during the early chapters. These final chapters are thought-provoking and genuinely moving in a spiritual way that made me take another look at the title with a sudden understanding that this book was not REALLY about what I thought it was about.

Without spoiling the ending, I'll say that the payoff when Danny learns the truth regarding the mysterious system is a deliciously fun twist that -- when I took the time to think about why I didn't see it coming -- made a certain statement on its own about human nature. While the resolution of the action portion of the plot (the mobsters chasing Pellegrino) is more contrived and less satisfying, the aforementioned spiritual aspect of the book seemed to speak directly to me and made a lasting impression that was far more than what I expected to get from this read. So, I really feel comfortable recommending this book, especially to someone who is not as picky as I am about style. It certainly delivers in terms of content, from the very detailed window it opens on the world of Danny Pellegrino's passions - gambling, flying, mail fraud - to the entertaining characters and plot line, right through to a surprisingly meaningful message.

An easy read and a amusing story, that well could be true. The characters are vivid and you probably will recognize several of them. Personally, I think the book would make a interesting movie, or certainly a TV show worth watching

"I absolutely LOVED your book. First, you pulled off a near impossible stunt here - you actually got me to read an entire fiction book from front to back in 2 days! I haven't read a complete fiction book in years (I am a non-fiction junkie)... but you certainly sucked me in with your book.

A fabulous read for anyone looking to escape with a great story - and learn a thing or two about the marketing business along the way.

Highly recommended read.

I passed up going out on a Saturday night to stay home and read GOD DOESN'T SHOOT CRAPS by Richard Armstrong. I was hooked from the first page. It's relentlessly readable, the definition of a page-turner.

Mr. Armstrong writes with an unhurried grace and a gleefully outrageous charm that sneaks up on the reader and holds him willingly captive. He possesses a virtuoso knowledge and the rare ability to make every character and situation believable and beguiling. Most impressive is the degree to which he deftly weaves the sordid with the sublime, the comic with the criminal.

It's hard to believe this is his first novel. He achieves effects that seem to elude the talents of more prolific authors. I found myself laughing out loud at some sections and driven to profound thought by others. Mr. Armstrong tackles the deep, eternal mysteries of life, wraps them in a cross-country tale of greed and gangsters, and infuses every page with his personal warmth, cheerfulness and wit.

You get the singular feeling he really ENJOYS these characters and the situations they find themselves in. And that infectious delight spreads to the reader, making the narrative spring to life in a most pleasing and winning way.

Ambitious, literate, supremely hilarious and with the ultimate unexpected ending, it's a story that stays with you and provokes you long after the book ends. Buy it, read it, love it -- today.

God Doesn't Shoot Craps was an excellent read. Entertaining, thought provoking and insightful. 5 BIG stars to Richard. Great work - can't wait to see the movie!

All of the essentials of a great novel come together in this intro. I would most definately want to read the rest of the novel.

This is an amazingly unique book. Not the usual lights, pearly gates, and glowing angels. The way the author begins this book forces you to finish it. Its unconventional, imaginative, and highly entertaining. I would definately recommend this book, again and again.

After reading the prologue, I was hooked! I can't wait to read more! It's refreshing to see a book written from such a different perspective. I'm excited to see where it goes...

This was a very interesting take on what happens after you die. I love how neurotic and self absorbed the main character is so far. I enjoyed how the tone of the novel changed when the main character was speaking. I really felt like I was having a mental conversation with him and I could understand why he was so upset about the book incorrectly written about his life. It gave me some insight into why ghosts may haunt a person or a place. I can only imagine how I would feel if I were in his place. If you're into stories that take a taboo or scary topic and inject a bit of humor to make it more palatable, I think this would be a great short for you to check out.

I enjoyed the different layers of the author's writing. The expository nature of the writing painted a picture of the events as they unfolded, however, like a puzzle you were only given a piece at a time. Not only did the picture get filled in, but the boundaries became bigger as you read deeper into the story. It was a fun read, and I appreciated the irony of the character's reaction to the "book within a book", as this itself is a book within a book. At the end of chapter 3, I find myself looking foward to the rest. If you like a mystery to be solved that doesn't slap you across the face with its storyline, I recommend you read this!

"Dave Barry Does Japan" is funny. I caught myself laughing out loud. Dave's approach tells a lot about Japan from an American perspective, though I am not sure I'd recommend it to my Japanese friends. It is a little irreverent.

I'm not a big book-reader, and I never thought a book could be laugh out loud funny until I found Dave Barry. You'll find yourself bursting out with laughter... and then realizing that everyone around you is staring at you, wondering what was is so funny.

One of the best Dave Barry books, and one of the funniest books ever. Short, but amazing. I know nothing about Japan and I'm not planning on going there ever, but it was just great. As with most Dave Barry books, what you'll actually learn from the book is pretty limited.

I also recommend Dave Barry's greatest hits, a compilation of his best articles that he's written for the Miami Herald.

I got this as an audiobook for a long drive (South Florida to MD) and it was an excellent choice. Some 'place-related' humor can only be appreciated if you have traveled to that place... but Dave Barry's stories of unfamiliar foods and trying to find an address in a city with no street names... those were stand-alone hilarious! I only wish that parts of it did not have "R-rated" language, because I would love to share it with my sons. If you like Dave Barry's style of humor, you will not be disappointed.

... but at least he admits he's being lazy!

Dave Barry has always struck me as the 'guy' version of Erma Bombeck. You always know when the twist / joke is coming, and a little goes a long way.

If you've ever lived in Japan, like I have, you will find this a bit too light. It was good for a giggle, but that's all. Nothing to take too seriously. I think I finished it in a day or two.

There is no way that Slapstick is over-rated. I just read this in honor of Kurt Vonnegut's passing (re-read). I read all of his books around the mid to late 80's. I think I've gone back and re-read all of them for the second time, but this was the third time I've read Slapstick. It really just dosen't get much better than Vonnegut does it? I really enjoy reading his speech and letter stuff, plus his later books, but then when you go back and read one of the "heavy hitters", it just is really out of control isn't it?! The first four books I heard about from Vonnetgut where Galapagos, Slapstick, Cat's Cradle, and Deadeye Dick. I had heard about Slaughterhouse but hadn't read it. I read those first four and that was it, my mind was blown, I simply had to read ALL of this man's writings, and I have never been disappointed. Some of his material is lighter, some mind blowing, but it is ALL amazing stuff. Hey, this is just because I care man. cheers

This is an absolutely bizarre story, even for Vonnegut. It is hilarious, but for me most of the humor is far too dark and poignant to be 'laugh out loud' comedy for anyone who hasn't yet hardened themselves to dark, depressing satire.

Because Slapstick is a portrait of cultural loneliness and human whim - mostly as an American phenomenon. The plot is a collection of lost childhood and the real dangers we are willing to ignore in order to pursue social networks and happiness.

A quick read, packed with gargled nonsense and satire that 'comes off' only to the extent you jibe with Vonnegut's sense of humor. In that vein, the ending is quite good, and it all comes together much better in reminisce than perhaps it does throughout.

I think people rally around this novel because of Vonnegut's slipshod consistency (in popular consciousness) during his late period, which this story precedes slightly (or, heralds?). If you're just starting with Vonnegut, the classics are: Cat's Cradle, Sirens of Titan, Slaughterhouse V, and Breakfast of Champions. I would recommend any of those titles (in roughly that order) before this one.

Such was the world Dr. Wilbur Daffodil-11 Swain tried to create as the west disintegrated around him. As the President of the United States, Swain promised relief from the isolation modern society has created--a system of family networks, randomly created, and a set of rules. No, you don't have to love them, or even like them much--but you owe them, as they do you.

But Wilbur was too late, and as he writes his memoirs he sits in an abandoned NYC, one of few survivors of two massive pandemics. The world has long ago exhausted its supply of fossil fuels, and uncontrolled scientific progress has unleased the forces of gravity that used to hold the physical world in place. Not the bomb, but just as bad. He's with his granddaughter and boyfriend, who hope soon to become the slaves of the one person who's stumbled upon the antidote to the green death.

More than thirty years ago Vonnegut offered up this view of the apocalypse, and his foresight was stunning. Some find this book funny, and it's certainly a massively entertaining read--but I found it scary. The threats Vonnegut wrote about in the mid-70's are more real than ever, and technology has only increased the noise level along with our isolation.

But even in this dark world, Vonnegut has let a little light in. His granddaughter is pregnant. And how did she make it halfway across the country in all the chaos to jopin Wilbur? By relying on her computer-generated family. No love, no passion, few expectations--help each other out is all.

Vonnegut is a master. So many of his works are perceived as sophisticated young adult sorts of books, but that certainly shouldn't scare anyone away. The plots are fantastic, the language silly, the characters far from realistic. But there are a lot of layers here, well worth your time.

Slapstick is a true Vonnegut classic. At its simplest, Slapstick is the story of a brother and sister isolated from their family due to birth defects (both mental & physical) and their life's journeys once they are seperated from each other. Of course with any Vonnegut story their are many twists, turns and sub-stories contained within the bigger story. Slapstick is also the comical tale of the end of the world as we know it and what leads us there.

The writing of Slapstick is great and very easy to read. You can read this story in only a few sittings but as with any Vonnegut book the story can get confusing to follow at times. Although I highly recommend reading this book, If you have not read any Vonnegut before I would suggest reading either 'Mother Night' or 'Slaughterhouse 5' first to get acquainted with his unique writing style.

A teacher in high school (in the mid 80's) turned me on to Kurt Vonnegut -- there were a few of them there in the front corner of the library (amid the other V's, and between the U's and W's). I started with Breakfast of Champions and read my way through the few our library stocked. Then I started buying them. I found, after reading several, that any book by Kurt Vonnegut presents you with laughs and giggles, but when you're done, you realize he's also slipped you a heavy dose of melancholy/sadness.

Slapstick is the one I've read a few times (I also especially enjoyed Bluebeard, one of his later, and over-looked novels.) This one is the story of twins who fool everyone into thinking they are idiots, when in reality, they live in a secret space, and study literature, math, science, and create wonderous works of great understanding. They realize, when they are apart, that they are not nearly as great-minded as when they work together. A simple lesson, yet profound.

I am saddened by the death of this great author, but happy that I have him (in letters in words on pages) on a bookshelf in my living room.

The instant I began to read these few pages of the book I was instantly hooked, not only on the content but the style and punch of each sentence. Fast moving with no uneccessary frills the reader gains new relevant information about the character and the direction the story is taking us.
I just want to get my hands on the whole book so that I can sleep nights.

Excellent style, content and presentation

I really enjoyed reading this excerpt. I like the main character, although I agree with at least one other reviewer that her reactions to some traumatic events might have been more believable had they been bigger (find your lover in bed with another? Should be a big thing), but she was interesting and funny enough that I could get past that. I'd be interested to see what comes next.

From the opening line "Sometimes I feel like I belong on the short bus", I knew this was going to be a great ride. Addison Holmes, an entertaining heroine, could be your best friend if you were lucky enough. She's the friend you could end up in jail with and say "wasn't that fun??" Ms. Hodge uses her literary illusions and analogies to keep the reader engaged and waiting to read the next page. I was disappointed that the 'short' had to end without more clues to escapades in Pine Cove. I loved what I read and look forward to the rest of the story... and many more adventures from Addison in the near future.

Excerpt was such a tease...like eating just one potato chip. Addison is funny and engaging and I was disappointed when it ended. Very easy to get involved with the witty and entertaining Ms. Holmes. I can tell the author knows about small towns and all the oddball characters that reside in them. Good Luck!

Thoroughly enjoyed this! Sounds like real people. I work for a small school district and this is very believable! I'd love to read more about Addison and her adventures.

Laurie Notaro's books are chick lit for chubby girls with tattoos, and (according to my own) their Phyllis Diller-loving mothers. She had me chuckling aloud all day long at the beach. AOFB is one of her strongest collections of her perfectly witty tales of everyday things (like taking down the Christmas tree in March, taking her cat to the dentist, babysitting and shopping with her nephew, using her husband's toothbrush to scrape cat crap off her shoe, dealing with her crazed mother) told in a priceless and hilarious style. In this book, she concentrates on meeting, marrying, and living with her husband. A terrific, hysterical, can't-put-it-down, and all-too-realistic book. Grade: A+

Very funny book--think Erma Bomback on crack. Found myself (52 year old grandma) laughing out loud.

I actually had to throw the book into the garbage before I even got half-way through.....I just don't get all the great reviews.....Unless you are still in high school, have half a brain and no sense of humor, this book should not appeal to most people. I would give it a negative number if I could.

I found Notaro hilarious in *Autobiography of a Fat Bride*. However, at times, I felt that Notaro was overly hilarious as if she had to be funny in every sentence.

Nonetheless, I laughed while she recalled her younger days in regards to dating and men before finding the "one". And married life was not at all what she expected. Along with married life comes with duties, pets, home, housekeeping and a whole lot more. Notaro addresses just about every single thing. Notaro has a whacked sense of humor.

I'd definitely pick up another book by Notaro.

This is my first Laurie Notaro book and it was by random fate that it got thrown into my carry-on bag while packing for a trip to the beach. I got some funny looks and even some comments about the interesting title. To be fair, most people probably overheard me laughing out loud, gasping, or shaking my head and saying "oh my gosh" because the book is so genuinely funny. I easily found myself engrossed with the whacky, loveable, relatable main character.

The book reads almost like a set of fifty or so short stories, which is perfect for those with short attention spans or if you only have a few minutes to spare it is great to fit in a chapter or two. Although the book is made of short chapters, Notaro dos a good job of tying in bits and pieces from the whole book and keeps the reader engaged.

This book absolutely exceeded my expectations. It's not another typical froofy girly book for and about brainless twenty-somethings. As a twenty something, I really could appreciate this book, but I think that a mature younger crowd or a youthful older crowd could easily enjoy this book just as much. Autobiography of a Fat Bride is a genuinely good read. Creative, engaging, funny... I look forward to checking out more of Laurie Notaro. If you're looking for a fun refreshingly good book, check this one out.

I guess it always amazes me when people write books about their lives and just lay it all out there for the world and their mothers to see. Mr. Kilmer-Purcell pulls a chunk of his life from when he first landed in New York and covers the good--meeting a rich guy with a nice apartment, the bad--drug and alcohol addiction, and the ugly--the crash and burn when it all crashes down, a drunk drag queen the morning after, etc. As a comparison you could say it's sort of like Augusten Burroughs book Magical Drinking as they are both advertising copy guys who drink and drug a whole lot. It's funny how that particular career seems to have generated a number of writers and also amazing how they continue to drink and drug yet never manage to be fired or lose their jobs. I did enjoy the book, he has a light breezy writing style that makes the funny and sad material compulsively readable. Being a 7 foot, in heels, drag queen named Aqua definitely portends itself to riotous happenings and there are quite a few related to good effect here. But it's his addictive compulsive relationship with his hustler crack addict boyfriend that drives the story along to it's ultimate ending. The fact that he has recovered himself enough now to be a writer and columnist for Out Magazine seems like it could be a story in itself. Somehow you want to know how he managed to clean himself up after the extreme highs and lows he went through all in years time, hopefully in the next non-fiction book he does he will cover it. I do recommend this book, not only as an enjoyable read but a handbook of what NOT to do when you first move to New York.

There is really not much to say about Kilmer-Purcell's 'I Am Not Myself These Days'. Simply put, it is my favorite book, a beautiful book, a book that I have read to pieces, scribbled thoughts in, and highlighted to smithereens. This book changed my life (how cliche) and I have since passed it on to no less than 10 of my friends, all of whom have written in the margins and underlined passages that scream out to them.

Read this book.

You will not want to put this book down. Look for Josh's next book which will be available in May.

This book is a must read for all those who are or have ever been involved in the gay club or bar culture and who enjoy witty banter and extreme circumstances. Surprisingly, given its content and focus on a twenty-something alcoholic advertising exec by day and drag queen by night and a high-end fetish prostitute, the book is incredibly insightful and well written, titalating for even the most discerning and well-read critic. It's truly a mix of fun and outlandish situations and commentary on life that is a great read.

This book definitely gives insight into a life few of us will ever lead; therefore a great escape. There are some dark topics which the author touches on but does not go into detail which keeps the book fairly light and really a story about relationships on a level that is relatable to all forms of relationships. I am being a book pimp and pushing it on all my friends and family. It is emotional and entertaining, an easy read. Loved it.

I laughed till I cried. I have shared this book with my daughter and several friends. I like the fact that the chapters are short. I'm reading everything by Laurie Notaro I can get my hands on.

Laurie Notaro's books are a must-read for the smart-alecks in the crowd. Smart, witty, clever...she fits the bill. Make a note of it...anything by Laurie Notaro is worth reading.

I haven't laugh this hard in a long time.... I was having so much fun that I gave one to my daughter and she would called me late at night, just laughing and telling me which page to go to and it was a great bonding experience........It is awesome! thank you Laurie!

Laurie Notaro is my hero. She has a great writing style. Her stories are hilarious. I suggest every woman who has ever struggled to fit in and do the right thing to read her books.

Although I feel compelled to note, right up front, that humor is tricky and what one person finds funny may not appeal to another, I still think this book is one that MOST readers will find laugh out loud funny. I love every book Notaro has written and they've found a permanent place on my bookshelf because they're guaranteed to lift my spirits on even the worst days.

Hers is the kind of humor that I'm tempted to call a combination of humor and self-help because I ALWAYS feel better about my life after reading about her misfortunes (but not guilty, because she is able to laugh at herself and, besides, her books sell well, so I figure any temporary humiliation is offset somewhat by that).

Notaro has a knack for being totally shameless about exposing life's various insults foisted upon her - and making normally dull subjects seem funny (everything from having kidney stones to finding herself traumatized and in a state of near nakedness, quite by accident, at Disneyland (yes, DISNEYLAND).

She is quick to point out her character flaws as well. She can be impatient, clumsy, drawn to the wrong type of boyfriends (until she found her husband) and prone to the most embarrassing experiences. Somehow this makes for a great read. I relate to her and I think a lot of others will.

I should note that this may fall into the type of book known as a "woman's book" and I'm not sure how many men will relate to this one. I hope I'm wrong about that.

The dating game, a game that (almost) everyone plays at one time or another, is filled with its own dangers and pitfalls, all for the same reward. "God is a Woman" is a humorous dive into this world, offering insights and wisdom in response to the countless rhetorical questions that everyone asks. Filled with hilarious anecdotes, "God is a Woman" is a great gift for anyone hacking through the jungle that is being a bachelor or bachelorette. Highly recommended for community library humor collections.

This book is one of the best I've read on dating; I usually feel like I have to choose between advice that doesn't feel useful (from women) or advice that feels a little too manipulative and artificial (from PUAs). This book is the only one I've read so far that seems to strike the middle ground, giving good advice which I don't feel ashamed for having read. So, thanks, Ian.

Unlike most of us - who take years of working at a sucky, thankless career to figure this out - Ian Coburn realized at 18 that life should be fun and full of crazy, wild adventures. He spent 10 years gathering them as a touring comedian and they are outrageous, laugh out loud funny. But he didn't stop there. He gave us advice about how we could have the same experiences mostly by just shaking off society rules that really have no merit when you get right down to it and think about them. Sometimes he tells me more about the industry of comedy than I care to know but the stories including celebrities like sexy Nikki Cox, Drew Carey (not sexy) and Damon Wayans more than make up for it. I predict Ian will be as popular as Tucker Max once more people discover him and his sites on the Internet. Tucker's book I Hope They Serve Beer in Hell is a must read, too. Note that both writers are from Chicago, the best city in the world! I'm sure that's by no coincidence.

When I heard this book was by a comedian I was expecting it to be hilarious since there is so much material that can be derived through dating, but it's not particularly funny. The dating advice this book has is decent, although pretty basic (which in my opinion is all that matters but it just isn't that interesting to read). The value this book had to me was that the stories are pretty interesting but they aren't going to shock you unless you and your friends were hermits in college and have never heard slutty stories or anything like that. There's a guy called Max Tucker who has some more outrageous stories which you can get online- just google him.

I only heard of this book because I listened to the author's review of The Mystery Method: How to Get Beautiful Women Into Bed. I found his insights to be very good so I got his book. Of all these books Amazon pushes this one is by far the best. It is funny like being at a comedy show. It is full of great advice. No manipulatoin or deceit or bs. It will teach you not how to be a pua or playa but instead a bad boy, which is what women want most, or any type of guy you need to be as the circumstances warrant. (From his MM review: "Pua's use a woman's insecurities to make her feel bad about herself("negging"); bad boy's use a woman's insecurities to make her feel good about herself." He's not a jerk and yet still does really well. Funny, funny, funny!