Humor Books

I found myself laughing out loud when I read this book. I love Stuart and the way he handles his family and life in general - a very good read!

I bought the book as a gift for a friend, and was thoroughly satisfied with it. It is really funny and I was really happy with my purchase.

I think it really would have helped. This book is supposed to be daily affirmations, but basically is Stuart's year long diary. He is a member of several 12 step programs, and has really learned a lot from them, and has made friends who also attend them. One thing he hasn't learned from these meetings is leave his extremely dysfunctional family alone and quit trying to solve their problems for them. What I like about his book:
Let go of the result.
If you're scared to do something, go ahead and do it, and you'll wish you'd done it a lot sooner.

What I thought was improbable:
Stuart taking multiple plane flights to visit his family.
Stuart going to bed for weeks at a time with Oreos, Hydrox, etc.
Stuart never has any day-to-day problems that the rest of us have.
His friends always have plenty of time on their hands to try to get him to get out of his bed and open up his door.
Andrea losing 140 lbs in about 10 months.

But other than that, this book has a lot to say. Franken is quite knowledgeable about codependency. It's worth reading, but you must have a sense of humour.

When Stuart Smalley first came out I didn't quite see the appeal. Now with 5 years in The Program, I finally get the joke. I have lent this book to a lot of folks in my home group and we all agree that it's pretty impossible not to laugh out loud while reading it. What a funny, smart insightful man. Seriously one of the funniest books I've ever read, though I might not have "gotten it" without my familiarity with 12 step programs.

I have read all of Al Franken's books up to this point with the exception of this one. I had been a fan of Franken since his days of Saturday Night Live, particularly his Stuart Smalley character. This book further demonstrates the depth and intelligence of his humor.

The book is very similar to the movie based on it (Stuart Saves His Family). Having already seen the movie, I was anticipating certain events in the book once I started reading. Despite my previous knowledge, I found the book to be laugh out loud funny. The humor of the Stuart Smalley character is based in him trying to help out others, yet being a mess himself as is demonstrated by his membership in several support groups.

Even people passing through my home who picked this book up from my coffee table and read a few pages have enjoyed what they read. It is not hard to get the joke. This is a easy, but fun read.

My daughter had been looking for this book for some time after seeing it on Reading Rainbow TV show. The book is fun for her (5 yrs old). Great buy at a great price.

I have an autographed copy of this book, and from the moment I read of a little girl with antlers, I was hooked. Years later, this story still captured me, enough that when my husband asked me what we would name our new little kitten, I piped up with "Imogene!". It fits, believe it or not, some of the time! This book I talk about with all the childhood wonder and love, and reverence due to it. Its the most wonderful book to read to a child, and the ending is just as fun! Too bad David Small hasn't written another book to follow up! I'd buy it in a heartbeat!! I treasure this book and I CANNOT wait to read it to my children!

This is a darling book! David Small has created such a lively story and pictures that my children have loved. We raised 4 kids who are now teenagers who fully enjoyed this book; they first saw it on Reading Rainbow. Now, we're starting over with a new baby who will undoubtedly wear out her copy of this book. As a former English teacher, I can say with authority that this is a childrens' classic and a must-have.

Our Daughter loves this book!!! Her Daddy is a deer hunter so seeing a little girl grow antlers is really funny to her!!

This book has received great reveiws far and wide. I hate to admit it, but I just don't see why. The protagonist, Imogene, wakes up with a set of antlers on her head. To many of us, this would be a big problem. But, Imogene doesn't seem to mind all that much. Her family, however, hates the whole idea. Now, in most children's story books, the protagonist is faced with a certain conflict and at the end of the story he/she has solved it and has grown somehow from the experience. In this story, Imogene isn't bothered by her problem and does nothing at all to solve it. In fact, the problem solves itself. She wakes up and voila, no more antlers. Instead, she had grown a new problem. (Another that she doesn't seem to mind.) In no way do I see that either Imogene or her family has grown or changed in any way. I admit, some of the situations are comical and in their own way pull the book along. But again, there is no solution to the problem and I have issue with that.

Since most everyone should be familiar with the basic premise of the novel by the time this review is read, I'll point out a few worthy considerations. Mapp and Lucia, the fourth volume in the Lucia series by the inimitable E.F. Benson, is simultaneously fantastic and sublime. Benson's brilliance is his ability to translate significant, though sometimes easily missed observations onto the page using the most exquisite and economical description possible. He manages to take some of the silliest social aspects of human behavior, renders it important, and turns it into a first-rate triumph. The reader walks away from Benson completely satisfied and certainly hungry for more.

I'm sure the fourth installment can be read on its own, but I consider the first three in the series (Queen Lucia, Lucia in London : A Novel and Miss Mapp) indispensable in getting the most out of Mapp and Lucia. While all three are delectable entertainments (think social reality TV done to its fullest potential), this one departs its counterparts in a rather bizarre turn of events in the plot. Despite its absurd hilarity, it was logical and it worked, almost too perfectly.

Many thanks go to the originator (In Honor Bound) of this fabulous fondness for Lucia in our family. I am now officially and unashamedly a Luciaphile (would it be too much to admit that I've picked up a thing or two from her? Or would Benson be proud?), and I have no problems getting others on this habit. Just make sure you pair this series with your favorite treat--time with Lucia is worthy of indulgence.

Oover the last fifteen years I have been meaning to read certain authors. H.E. Bates, Anthony Trollope, P.G. Wodehouse, E.F. Benson and the like.

Last week I succumbed to a nasty bout of influenza and E.F. Benson. I had grabbed the slender volume of "Mapp & Lucia" from the library shelf and it had rested in my bookcase for almost a week. Not wanting to dull my brain with endless hours of television, I cracked open "Mapp & Lucia".

Ten pages into the book and I was hooked. Lucia, her period of mourning almost over is looking to regain her iron control on her hometown. First action, regain her star role as Queen Elizabeth in the village fete.

As I read Lucia's plots and plans, a strange thought hit me. Lucia is the creature Hyacinth Bucket (the main character of the BBC's Keeping Up Appearances) secretly dreams of being. Having taken over the fete from her dazed and confused friend, Lucia goes onto greater pastures, the hometown of Miss Elizabeth Mapp, reigning social goddesss.

Miss Elizabeth Mapp (known as Mapp) plots with her friends to rent out their respective homes a profit. Lucia and her best friend (a gentleman who brings to mind a cross between KUA's Richard and AYBS Mr Humphries) move and slowly begin to take over the town. Mapp is not pleased and a genteel war of one-upsmanship begins between the two ladies.

Drawings are rejected from the art exhibit, parties given, ownership of produce and fruit desputed with the poor town in the middle. Matters come to a head on Boxing Day (December 26) when Mapp decides to steal a longed for recipe that Lucia refuses to give to her.

Lucia stumbles on her rival in the kitchen and both women are swept out to sea on Lucia's kitchen table (yes, Lucia's kitchen table, this is a not a mis-type). The town mourns the two ladies as lost and the Great War of Mapp-Lucia as over.

Okay, enough said. You'll have to succumb to the collective charms of the ladies Mapp and Lucia yourself and find out all the bits I've left out. Now, I'm off hunt down and read the rest of E.F. Benson's wonderful books.

"Mapp & Lucia" is like reading Trollope's "Barchester Towers" with the gloves off. The teacup may be small, but the battles rumble like thunder on the bay. Lucia is incredible. She combines absolute self-absorption with ironclad charming resolve to succeed in her every endeavor. She really is wasted being queen of Society in a small English village when fulfilling the duties of Lord High Admiral would not cause her so much as a tiny frown.

Lucia is a newly minted widow in this hilarious outing. Her fires have been banked, and she is anxious to get back in the swing and show her mettle. She rents a house for the summer from the formidable Miss Elizabeth Mapp of Tilling. Miss Mapp is clearly the leader of society in Tilling and revels in her role. Lucia eyes the situation, and the lines are drawn in the most charming but resolute way possible Lucia is the richer of the two and possibly more clever, but Miss Mapp has some powerful advantages of her own. She has pride of place, a town full of quaking allies, and indomnable perseverance. When these two square off, the fun begins and doesn't let up.

This is a delightful read, a mood lifter of the first magnitude. "Mapp & Lucia" is my introduction to Lucia, and I cannot wait to further my acquaintance with this fascinating lady.
-sweetmolly-Amazon Reviewer

Read these books and discover the truth. It's all there -- the vanity, greed, passion, jealousy, and exultation. Don't let the objects of all these towering emotions fool you (lobster recipes, psychic bridge, red currant fool, babytalk Italian, dead budgies, suspect gurus, the Moonlight Sonata), it is the stuff of life!

E F Benson's characters are just sublimely and achingly funny, it seems with Mapp and Lucia he was aiming to scrutinise and satarise the nosensical heirarchy and rivalry of bored and over privelaged upper middle class folk.
This aspect of the British Class system was one he knew well and which was breathing it's last in the times in which Mapp and Lucia live, witness the somewaht irritating coldness with which the Ladies treat their Maids, Drivers and Shop staff.
Lucia is the dominant character, lithe, fashionable and razor sharp while Mapp is clumsy, mumsy and opts for bulldog tactics.
The two appear in many novels, Lucia more often and one cannot help wonder if she was based on a Lady whom Benson was ever so slightly in love with, but here they meet for the first time, as Lucia moves to "Tilling" for the summer in Mapps rented out home "Mallards". The array of colurful charcters they surround themselves with and draw into their delighfully bitchy and cunning war agaisnt each other, are of equal delight, of particualr note are Quaint Irene and Georgie. Perhaps seen as little more than bohemian in their day but doubtless these characters would now be seen as obviously Lesbain and Gay; with the former being in love with Lucia. A daring inclusion in Benson's time but subtle and beautifully inclusive one.
Fans of these deliciously naughty pair should see the 1986 TV series which is available on DVD. Geraldine McKewan (of current Miss Marple fame)is petite, pretty, acid and simply perfect as Lucia while Prunella Scales (Cybil of Fawlty Towers) brings Miss Mapp to dusty, dowdy and bullish life! Excellent stuff!
The series was filmed in Rye in Sussex, home town of Benson, it used many locations close to his home (Lamb House), such as the lovley houses of Watchbell Street (My favourite being No 11 which was used as Godiva's house) and "Twistevens" shop on Mermaid Street, actually a Tea Room in reality.
WELL WORTH A VISIT! Literature fans may also wish to know that Lamb House was once home to American novelist, Henry James before Benson's time. One can also visit Benson's Grave in the town. Benson was Lord Mayor of Rye for a while and the river "Tilling"-ton flows through the town.

Michael Snyder's has written a brilliant debut novel. It's funny, thoughtful, with one great character after another. But for me, what made My Name Is Russell Fink a cut above the rest, was the way it managed to juggle its themes and storylines seamlessly and to such a satisfying end.

It's true to life in that way. Russell is a struggling salesman, trapped in a narcissistic loveless engagement, he continues to deal with guilt over the loss of his sister, and he's investigating the murder of his clairvoyant basset hound (which, come on, how cool is it to have a pet that can see the future?).

Any of these would plotlines would be more then enough for your average book.

But Snyder's story is smarter then that. He understands that in life problems don't come to us one at a time--so why should they in our stories? Russell is just starting to understand one issue when another pops up. It seems that it'd be easy for him to drown everything around him but he doesn't. And for that he's heroic. He continues to search for who murdered his dog, to find true love, to find faith, to reconcile family, and maybe in the own process to regain his soul.

His journey is unique, funny, sometimes sad, but always engaging and worth the read. I saw a lot of myself in Russell and imagine you will too. I think that's why he's such a memorable character and this is such a memorable book.

Now stop reading this and get yourself a copy.

Unique writing voice. Wonderful characterization. Great story. You will love Russell Fink (and new author Mike Snyder).

My Name Is Russell Fink by Michael Snyder--what can I say? Along the lines of Nick Hornby's About a Boy and High Fidelity and Richard Russo's Straight Man, Russell is a guy who can't seem to grow up and get his life together. A closet artist, he's living with his parents, working as a salesperson for an office supply company, and engaged to a drama-queen because he can't seem to ever make a clean break. He's never really made a decision that he could call his own.

Until he discovers his dog dead.

Now, Russell has to deal with the guilt that he might have contributed to Sonny's death through alcohol poisoning (on top of dealing with the guilt almost his whole life of giving his twin-sister cancer), investigate who else poisoned Sonny, move out of his parents house, and figure out how to make a sale in order to keep his job. On top of that, he's falling in love--and the girl ain't his fiance.

It's funny, folks. These characters, strange as they are, are real.

And you know how I love my metaphors. Oh, the metaphors! "Sleep eludes me like a watermelon seed on freshly waxed tile." Or "the whole break-up ordeal feels as hollow and pointless as renouncing my spleen." And they're all over the place!

This story deals with forgiveness and the issue of the problem of evil. It's honest. There are no easy answers. Between laughing at the witty dialogue and the quirky characters, you'll find yourself grappling with the same question Russell does--if God is good, where is He?

I've read this book in its entirety twice. There are few books I do that with. I suggest you read it at least once.

Russell Fink, the main character in the novel, is a man with many issues. At his core, a painter, he's trapped in a job he hates, selling office products. He's engaged to a woman more enamored of fame than Russell. He lives with his parents--his father, a disgraced faith healer and his alcoholic mother. His older brother Peter has money issues in the form of bookies, bets, and lack of cash to pay them all off. But most of all, Russell carries deep within the grief and guilt of his twin sister's death years earlier. Sonny, Russell's aging basset hound is his closest friend and confidant. Throw in a college friend he fell in love with years before, her eccentric inventor cousin, Dan, a mysterious private investigator, and Russell's life is anything but boring.

A good first novel from this author and I look forward to reading more.

this was one of the many books i get sent in hopes that i'll read and review them on my blog. i love that, but can't get to many of them (many are on my "to read" pile in the hope that i will, eventually, get to them!). but this one, from my own parent company, zondervan, caught my eye as a potentially unique book of christian fiction. and i was right in that -- it is not like most (or any?) christian fiction. which is probably a major reason i loved it.

russell fink is a slacker, to put it bluntly. really, just a loser with a loser job, and a horrible fiance, and a closeted alcoholic mother, and a disgraced faith healer father, and... the list goes on. oh, and an old dog russell likes to get drunk on whiskey-soaked doggie biscuits and who, russell is convinced, is somewhat prophetic or clairvoiant when doggie-drunk. yeah. did i say it's christian fiction?

oh, and the story has a doggie murder mystery in it. and a roomate who's engaged to an astronaut.

ok, i'll stop with the details, because i might scare you off. michael snyder (the author) is one of those writers who makes me jealous. while truly enjoying the story, i was regularly distracted with the thought, "oh, man, that was a great sentence -- i wish i could write a sentence like that." and, of course, there are some wonderful and noble themes, some coming-of-age stuff, some coming to terms with one's own parents and past stuff, some relational stuff, and -- mostly -- some "what to do with a god who just doesn't make sense to me" stuff. not a bunch of pretty and easy resolve, as you might expect from christian fiction. more great questions than great answers.

Jim Tooney, is certifiable. This was excellent. The characters are all so memorable and completely well rounded. Thx.

I bought this book for my Dad as a birthday present because he loved this comic. I read it before I gave it to him, but I had to stop several times because I was paralyzed with laughter! This is definitely the funniest book I have ever read. After I read it, I immediately went out and bought the first book Ate That, What's Next. I was quite dissappointed in it. Then, I reread it about a month later and was in tears again! The simple reason: it's a great book, but this one is absolutely the best and I was expecting too much. Ate That was hysterical too, though just not as funny as Poodle: The Other White Meat. You should probably read Ate That first. Both books are great, and I can't wait to read the new third one, The Illustrated Guide to Shark Ettiquette!

My wife's favorite current comic strip, Sherman's Lagoon, has another anthology collection out, and this is it. We get to see Sherman visit Venice, disguise himself as a human to rescue a friend, and deal with a military drill. No sidesplitters but definitely entertaining.

This book by J.P. Tommey is very witty and very funny. I reccomend this book to people who like to laugh.

This second collection offers us another look at the adventures of the funniest sea-dwellers known to man. There are several hilarious storylines here, including invasion from Navy Seals, Hawthorne's adventures off-island, Fillmore's trip, once again, to Ascension Island, the gang raising a baby sea turtle they call Clayton, the return of sun-loving polar bear Thornton, Sherman and Ernest's trip to Atlantis and, of course, Sherman's attempts to impress his girlfriend Megan. This is a great work of art and writing that anyone can enjoy, not just fans. It is always funny, often hilarious, and I am proud to own it. I'm sure you would be too. Thanks for another great book, Mr. Toomey!

I just picked up the hardcover edition yesterday at the bargain section of my local bookstore. Once I started reading it I couldn't put it down. It's in chronological order of R. Crumb's work broken into chapters. Each chapter starts with a write up by him telling about what was going on in his life at that time, and how some of the drawings came to be. I find him to be a fascinating artist. He bares his soul in his work, not really caring how he appears or what people think.

I have the hardcover edition. I collect Robert Crumb's works and this is a favorite of everyone looking at my collection. It you are an art student this along with his Gotta Have'Em Portraits of Women by R.Crumb is good resource material. I'd give The R. Crumb Coffee Table Art Book in (hardcover) ten stars if I could. I have not had the opportunity to look at the soft cover version but I would bet it is well done.

This book is the ultimate Crumb. You won't be disappointed if you love his work.

Just about every huge page (this book is big!) is filled with inspired color drawings from the legendary underground artist. Crumb gets very personal in this book, it's incredibly honest and, at times, deep. He takes the reader on a nostalgic journey through his childhood, life, and career. It's about growing up, finding the artist within, and adjusting to the insanity of the world. Or, you can simply read it for the edgy, often sexual comics. Either way, this is a big heavy book that is hard to pick up, but harder to put down.

A generation ago, American poets such as Sylvia Plath, Robert Lowell, John Berryman, and Anne Sexton gave birth to a genre that's come to be known as "confessional poetry." Their verse revealed intimate facts about their lives that simply weren't spoken of in polite company: fears, phobias, sexual hang-ups, pettiness, depression, suicidal tendencies. Some of their work wound up being rather pathetic, more confessional than poetic. But when it was good, it invited readers to face their own demons.

Robert Crumb, whom the art critic Robert Hughes has called the "Breughel of the 20th century," is a confessional artist whose chosen genre is comics. For 50-odd years (with the emphasis on "odd"!), R. Crumb has explored his many identities and personae in thousands of sketches, drawings, and paintings. The R. Crumb Coffee Table Art Book is actually an autobiography put together from a handful of the work Crumb has produced over the years. It's interspersed with essays by Crumb on his childhood, school days, the hippie scene in San Francisco, his marriages, his "personal obsession with big women," his spiritual yearnings, and his love of old music. Taken together, it's a fascinating portrait of a man who's dared to explore some of his deepest and darkest places, and to do so (at least sometimes) publicly.

Crumb believes that the pivotal moment in his personal and artistic life was the period in the mid-60s to the early 70s when he dropped acid on a regular basis. Although he sometimes worries that he might've fried his brain, he also thinks that the LSD trips liberated his psyche and helped him break through to new and deeper levels of creativity. The LSD was, he tells us, his "road to Damascus."

Perhaps. It's true that Crumb's work has changed over the years--it's become more brutally honest, more introspective, darker and at the same time funnier. Perhaps the LSD had something to do with it (although, personally, I quite dislike some of the work that comes from that period, finding it rather flat and silly). But I suspect that the single greatest influence on Crumb was his childhood and his family, especially his brother Charlie, who seems to have been just as much a genius as Robert. Crumb the man really is the child of Crumb the boy. The LSD may've helped Crumb get in touch with the raw energy generated from those days.

Crumb has become notorious for the sexuality of some of his comics, and has taken his share of political correct knocks. But The R. Crumb Coffee Table Art Book makes clear that the bottom line of much of his art is his existential need to explore and expose the shallowness and absurdity of much of modern life. Above all, as he tells us (p. 247), he wants to tell the truth, not only about himself but about us as well. Whether it's in the pages of "Zap" or "Weirdo" comics, or in panels featuring Shuman the Human or Mr. Natural, Crumb continuously questions racial, sexual, cultural, and artistic conventions, pushing the envelope as far as it can go and frequently causing readers discomfort. There's also a longing on Crumb's part for deep meaning in a universe that appears crazy. This most often reveals itself as nostalgia for bygone days (his love of "old" music, for example), but also more explicitly as a yearning for a god that he can no longer fully believe in and frequently mocks.

Reading R. Crumb is an intense experience. Like all good art, his stuff can make one laugh with joy or send shivers down the spine. The R. Crumb Coffee Table Art Book is a good place to start if you're just discovering Crumb, and an equally good collection to help long-time admirers get some idea of the big picture of Crumb's work and to better appreciate its depth. It's also a good catalyst for getting in touch with one's own multiple identities.

I grew up with Melinda's maternal and paternal family, even though the author was a tadpole when last I saw her. As an author myself and a retired English teacher, I find Melinda's talent with her craft endearing, stimulating, hilarious, and very sensory. So many of her adventures were (and are) my own, even though we're a generation apart; she makes me see, hear, smell, and taste my own childhood in that small Alabama town.

Melinda reminds many of us that we're not only "GRITS" (Girls Raised in the South) but also "SWAGs" (Southern Women Aging Gracefully) and damn proud of it!!!

I purchased this book as a Christmas gift for my sister. I enjoyed the book when I read it. I am still waiting to hear if she enjoyed it as well.

Everything about this book was great. So TRUE! If you are a woman in the South, you will really dig this book!

I have laughed and cried (from laughing) through this book! I feel like this is the story of my life sometimes. Great read...especially for 40-somethings and up! Or mothers of any age...I'll be reading more by this author.

Though I am from a different region of the South than the author, the truisms smack you in the face like the humidty on a hot Southern summer's day. She has captured the essence of all of us who were reared in the South. And it is true, that most of us over a "certain" age prefer red lipstick. After all, Revlon wouldn't lie to us, would they?
I vary between gales of laughter and nodding in agreement while reading and wish someone were here so I could read it aloud to them.
She has captured our little customs, the SOP of our daily lives in a way no Yankee could ever do, but still it is an inspiration to those women who grew up North of the Mason-Dixon line and want to understand the mystique of Southern women. Men should read this as well. It is full of insights on how to survive with a Southern woman in a close personal relationship.
G Hileman, Middle TN and now FL

I just have to say alot of people said what this is about. About a girl that is gothic scarey and 4 boys that are beautiful as the light of the sun trying to make her a lady to get free rent. If I was them I do it too man, "free rent oh yeah" You get some new art in the manga, that is really new to us. But in anycase the art you learn to love I did. Just because this manga series is just so funny. Every page I was laughing so hard I couldn't even finish the page. You start looking at the art as if it beautiful the first couple of pages. I love the art now these people look Japanese. KEWL. I fell in love with these characters. I have alot of manga all kinds. But this is new to me, it's funny, cute, funny, and you get some romanitic times. I just love it. Just go to a book store and read the first one and if you don't like it. Then something is Seriously wrong with you. This is SO FUNNY PLEASE IT IS SO WORTH THE MONEY FOR TYPE OF PEOPLE IT'S JUST SO FUNNY YOU CAN'T SAY NO. OK maybe you can but don't.

One more thing this series goes to 20 volumes I checked it out. So I got 6 to go now. But they're not going to be out till next year. :(. I really do hope you like this series, as alot of people did here.
Later and Smiles ;P

I am not, by a long shot, what you would call an avid shoujo manga reader. It was actually never even my intention to read this, but my sister put a little annoying bug in my ear so (needless to say) I decided to give this manga a shot. I could not have been more grateful for actually doing so. This is, by far, one of the best mangas that I have ever read. The characters are highly entertaining and well developed, the art is beautifully done, the storyline is just awesome, and the author's ability to thrown in serious issues (such as self-esteem, beauty, and self-acceptance) is just amazing. It can be a bit over the top sometimes (not in an angsty way thank goodness), but its a comic so all is well!

I'm actually able to read and understand the Japanese version of this series, so I'm lucky enough to have read all the way up to vol. 19. All that I can say is that I'm still a fan, I will always be a fan, and I hope that you will become one too. The Wallflower isn't for everyone (obviously), its a little bit on the gothic side and sometimes that turns people off. I'm no goth either, but I can set aside my personl preferences to read and enjoy these books like there's no tomorrow. They're just that good.

the description doesn't do it justice; it comes off sounding like another coming-of-age girly story(which i guess it is but in a fantastic weird way). I give it five stars but with a few draw backs.
The good:

the most hilarious story i've read. i've never laughed so hard; Sunako is just awesome and completely different than the squealing girly mold of most shoujos. The leading lady is a horror obsessed recluse thrust into the light of four normal, handsome boys. The artwork ranges from mostly cute, funny chibi form to incredible beautiful artwork (mostly when Sunako is pissed or dressed up). There are some actual real poignant points in the manga. One scene that that i enjoyed was in the middle of 'turning Sunako into a lady' Sunako sits in her room surrounded by her horror comforts and asks Jason 'if they took away your mask and your chainsaw and made you be something you aren't what you would you do, Jason?' or something to that extent.

A couple of bad points:

though i'm going to get flamed for this the leading four men are waaaay too girly. Kyohei looks like a woman. Look at the front cover! If you didn't know any better you'd think it's a woman. I had a lot of trouble seperating the boys because they pretty much looked alike. Though the general thought is unique and funny there isn't a lot of go power for this manga. the slapstick gets old fast and starts to meander and looses the plot thread. you could read the first manga and be satisfied without reading the rest, i mean you can pretty much guess how it will end.
so. buy the first one and enjoy a laugh.

First question: Why do these guys know so much about makeup and hair and clothing? Does it say this anywhere? Near as I can tell they're supposedly "normal" high school students. Maybe I missed something.

Four devastating beautiful guys, "Creatures of Light", are offered free rent for three years if they can transform their landlady's niece into a lady of refinement. Too bad for them, Sunako is addicted to horror movies and hasn't taken care of her appearance in years. Her hair's overgrown, she has a uni-brow and pockmarked skin, circles under her eyes, and her clothing is stained, ill-fitting and falling apart. If she talks to one of the four for longer than three seconds, she'll melt or sprout a gusher of a nosebleed.

It's quickly apparent that Sunako is capable of great beauty - she's got a great body, and fabulous bone structure - but she lacks the desire or dedication to make it happen. So for the boys the challenge is not to change her outward appearance, but to invoke some inner changes to make Sunako realize there's beauty in the world and she isn't ugly and blah blah blah.

I'm sorry. I don't get this manga's popularity, other than the pretty boys. Is that all there is to it? The "guys" act more like a band of girlfriends, and the whole scenario comes off as completely unrealistic. Sunako is perfectly happy living her crazy, horror-movie life and the only reason these guys want her to change is to save their own hides. That's not cute or charming, it's cruel. They should leave the poor girl alone!

Yet the art is stunning. I'm the first to admit that. Hayakawa has a very unique style, inspired by Japanese musicians, and the delicacy and style of her characters helps make up for the uneven and strange storyline.

After reading through the other reviews I thought there wasn't too much to add, but . . .

I had to say something about the art. The art is extremely different. The author bases her characters on real Japanese musicians and due to this the characters actually look Japanese. Not a single character falls under the perfect looking, big eyed, shojo character that this type of work is prone to (think Fullmoon, anything by Yuu Watase). Due to this the art may be off putting to some. I think it is beautiful and completely original.

The only downside to the art is that Sunako (the main character) is usually drawn as a simple cartoon. When she is drawn she is beautiful and it makes you wish the author drew her like this more often. Also, the backgrounds are extremely sparse and sometimes there is nothing at all.

The plot lines (I have up to volume 11) are somewhat episodic (but there are cliffhangers), but it works. It feels like you're getting snipets of the life that the four boys and Sunako have together and their interactions. Plus, this is a truly funny book. Sunako tries to kill people, Kyohei is constantly being kidnapped or abused, Ranmaru has dated every women in the tristate area, and so on. There really is nothing like it.

All in all, if you want something funny, fresh, and original give this series a shot. Just know that you'll have to be patient to get the next vol. New works come out quarterly.

Bob Schwartz book is a delight. A joy to read and lots to laugh about. For more short easy-to-read family-related humor check out ParentLaughs: Quips, Quotes, and Anecdotes about Raising Kids. (also available on Amazon.)

Truly brilliant humor!! It doesn't matter whether you have children or not, this book will have you laughing from the beginning to the end. It's truly a must read book.

I have found that a quick fix to relieveing stress or if I just need to laugh out loud is to pick up Bob Schwartz' book and start reading --what a difference it makes... really, just ask my kids (or co-workers)!!

Very funny - been there, done that and it's ok. Get this for all of your friends!

For me the funniest thing I have ever read about becoming a parent was Dave Barry's infamous column on the birth of a child and that special moment when the doctor asks the new father if he would like to view the placenta (Barry suggests that particular experience is something that should be tacked on to criminal penalties). I bring that up that particular comedic reference point because the humor you will find in Bob Schwartz's "Would Somebody Please Send Me to My Room! A Hilarious Look at Family Life" is not like that. This is a kindly, gentler look at the "joys" of parenthood and of adults attempting to co-exist in a household with adolescents, at which point the notion of parenthood no longer seems to be an accurate description of what is going on.

In other words, ultimately the humor here comes more from Schwartz's observations than his jokes. These pieces have been collected from various magazines and newspapers. They are devoted to subjects from eternal concerns such as babies crying ("In the Shrill of the Night") to 21st century concerns such as the Harry Potter books ("The Sorcerer's Stone and My Cover Is Blown"). The pieces are arranged thematically with half of an eye towards the chronological experiences of raising children, so we begin with "'That's the Crib Post Up Ahead, Your Next Stop--The "Newborn Zone!"'" (I think I got the quote marks right on that one) and end in the vicinity of "Tag Teaming Family Life," which involves things like music clubs, food warehouses, and changing the diaper on the newest family arrival. So you can see that this one rally is all about the kids, no matter how much parents want to try and move the agenda to other subjects.

You want to go through these pieces one or two at a time. "Would Somebody Please Send Me to My Room!" is one of those books that probably works best sitting on your nightstand so that you can read a chapter or two each night as a reminder that you really did plan on having children taking over your entire life. You are not the only one who does not remember how to do Algebra, has to clear a driveway of snow over and over again during winter, and who is seriously being dated by their music (and not in a good way). This book reminds you that you are not alone and that most of the time laughing is the superior option to crying. If you know a beleaguered parent or two (they tend to come in pairs when found in nature), then this could be an appropriate Christmas present.

I ended up rounding up on this one because of the illustrations by B.K. Taylor. All too often the illustrations in such books end up being rather inconsequential to the proceedings, but that is not the case her. My favorite (82) shows a smiling father comforting his crying daughter over the horrifically mislaid eye thingamajig of her favorite doll, but I also like the father and son confronting the wall of blue jeans (152), the Halloween candy thief (250), and, of course, Freud at the marshmallow roast (258). I also appreciate the fact that Taylor does a drawing for every single one of these 49 pieces, because on some of these there is no obvious visual joke to draw up.

"Don't put marbles down the garbage disposal" and "the shower curtain goes INSIDE the tub" are just two pieces of advice author Bob Schwartz has to teach his kids. If this resonates with you (you, there, fishing the peanut butter and marshmallow fluff sandwich out of the VCR) then this book is for you. The book is a combination humor and parental guidance, mainly reminding parents that children are, well, children. They aren't perfect, they don't reason well and well, *$%@ happens.

Bob's writing is like listening to a friend talk. His family has the same wacky traditions you find in any family-such as "Trombone Standard Time" (an incredibly accelerated time warp characterized by a half an hour of trombone practice that actually takes up only seconds in Standard Time.)

My favorite section is about how the two families (his and his wife's) celebrate Thanksgiving differently. Bob's family serves traditional foods, nothing more exciting than green peas on a plate. When, relates Schwartz, diced carrots were added one holiday to the peas, a family meeting had to be hurriedly arranged to vote on this new and strange addition. By contrast, his wife's family celebrates the holiday with ear-splitting karaoke, wild jello salads, jalapeno quiche and an uncle's rendition of "The Lion Sleeps Tonight" (one can only imagine this scene in one's head. Schwartz gives the barest of descriptions, I feel, because words fail him here!)

The book is something that most families will enjoy, and will give examples of child behavior and how to handle it with grace and humor that probably will serve to destress the harried parent. Fun book.

One of the funniest books I read all year. Timely, interesting and extremely original. Lord Whimsy is one-of-a-kind!

The human institution known as Lord Whimsy is tooo brave, too refined, too insightful for this epoch. A man of wit/ charm/ taste; Who could have predicted his astonishing insights amongst the garbage heaps peddled by the Amazon Empire? Huzzah! B-b-b-buy it!

the lord brings it home with this tome on tastelessness in america and how to combat it with dignified attire, prose and comportment. a must-read for all those seeking a return to what cannot come back, that is to say, 'civility.'

Wonderful, witty and a perfect guide for any young or young at heart Dandy. A welcome protection from the crass and dreary world of "reality tv", Paris,Britany and Nicole. An elysium

Imagine a book written by an early 19th century country squire and self-appointed dandy, musing on style and grace and the pursuit of butterflies. Imagine an English country version of a risible Proustian sensualist, becoming enchanted and then aroused by a work of art. This is the world of Lord Whimsy and his various and sundry thoughts and writings. An incredbile anachronism, full of humorous opinions on the pursuit of life dedicated to true beauty- - both in ones dress and in ones heart. It seems almost impossible that someone would write such a book in the 20th or 21st centuries. Each chapter is a self-standing essay on art, clothing, style, birds, bees, fantastic bicycles and life in the soporific langour of outer New Jersey pretending to be Dorset or Cornwall. I love this book, but someone said it is satire. I can't tell if it's satire or serious fun, as in "I am never more serious than when I am having fun." I await the opportunity, soon I hope, to meet his Lordship at one of his public readings. That will be something!