Parody Books

"Lassie Come Home" is for kids; "Barking Her Way to the Top" is a grown-ups' collie story. Dog lovers, convinced their dogs are smarter than we give them credit for, can't help but laugh at the heroine Kukushka's treatment of her "dumb animal." Howard Rowland really got the collie personality down, pant. I mean, "pat." Since it's written by someone familiar with the excesses and clever hindsight government bureaucracies serve up, this book will also find fans among bureaucratic employees who think there might be a better way around all the red tape of their jobs.

Mr. Rowland makes this journey of an intelligent dog working her way to the top of a prestigious government language school in the Monterey area surprisingly credible. Read it and enjoy it. I did.

Mr. Rowland makes this journey of an intelligent dog working her way to the top of a prestigious government language school in Monterey, CA surprisingly credible. Read it and enjoy it. I did.

Rarely do you get as strong a feeling of an author so delighted as he wrote, positively grinning ear to ear. Refreshingly un-PC at times, Howard Rowland takes you on a quirky and surreal ride that unleashes an insider's contempt of government bureaucracy, as well as the depth of his love for the canine and linguistic worlds.

I'd highly recommend this tour de force, I enjoyed it immensely.

Anyone who loves animals and scorns bureaucracy will find "Barking Her Way to the Top" a treat. Our heroine, Kukushka, is a beautiful female collie with an unusual ambition, and the talent to realize it. Together with her master (?) and co-conspirator, one Roger Pyle, Ph.D., she sets out to be more than "just a house dog," and in the process turns a Government institute on its ear. That this institute lurches between political correctness and ingrained devotion to regulations, makes it ripe for the machinations of this dynamic duo. Dr. Pyle is a seemingly "normal" academic, and polyfluent (no kidding) linguist. His deceptive charm masks a truly Machiavellian cunning and inventiveness. When danger to his canine beauty turns her professor protector into a beast, he morphs into a slavering fanged avenger! Here the plot becomes thick with psychological, and even supernatural complications. A multinational cast of characters careens through these wittily illustrated pages, provoking grins and groans by turns. Most of all, this book--despite its surface risibility--shows to what lengths a man will go to honor his beloved animal companion.

Barry Trotter returns with another 'shameless parody', along with the furry Ermine Cringer and the dog brained Lon Measly. Raunchier, funnier, better, and has more of the arouma of cheese. Don't buy this book. Ok, do.

This is the 2nd book in this series I've read and GERBER continues to make me laugh and find clever ways to spoof Harry Potter. You must be a fan of Harry Potter to really enjoy these books or you won't get half the references.

I defninitely recomend this book.

Barry Trotter 2 by Michael Gerber is a facinating
and yet oh so dumb parody of Harry Potter. Unlike
the first book, Barry is 38, has kids, and is
balding. The main characters are basicly twisted
versions of Harry and co. For instance, Barry is
mean spirited, hot tempered, and other things I
shouldn't say. Ermine,(to some Hermione) Barry's
wife, is kind yet destructive, has a tendency to
show the faults in Barry and other things an average
wife would do. Their kids Nigel, a non-magical 11-year
old going to hogwash, and Fiona, a magical geinus, are
somehow unscaethed. There is also Lon, a quasi-canine
man-child that has a dog brain. You might be thinking
"What about Voldemort!?", well, this time, Valumart is
now a family friend. On to the actual story. The
book coins itself as an intriguing parody with
sphincter-tightening eroictisim. This is false,
the true plot is of Barry and co. going to Hogwash for
a class reunion. But as tragedy (not really) would have it
theheadmister, Dorco Malfesance dies. So, Barry and Ermine
become the new headmister. Then Barry somehow contracts
youthniasia and will die soon. I don't want to give away the story, so, I won't. The book has a lot of jokes and satire
that will entertain the ages of 13-27. Although the book
is good, the ending of the series so prematurely is
bad. Lets just hope Michael Gerber writes more books.

This parody is much more than a parody. At one point near the middle of the story the plot (if one can discern one) noticeably changes from simple random comedic parody to an independent commentary on prejudice and society which is more hard hitting than either the original of which this a parody or the first installment of which this is a sequel.

Also, it includes a very disturbing, yet pervasive explanation of conjuring as magical stealing of things already manufactured and owned by "Muddles." I remember such an explanation being proferred during an episode of the TV show "Bewitched" when Darin received a new space-age automobile prototype conjured up by a witch relative - which in actuality disappeared from its "mortal" testing facility the very same day initiating a nationwide search. Likewise in Hogwash, everything conjured is, in effect, instantaneously stolen from "Muddles."

It seems that the "Magickals" and the "Muddles" never were able to reconcile their mutual historical hatred for each other and this story comes very close to recounting a "final solution" whose end is the complete extermination of .... Well, you must really read the book. Not just an other sequel.

This book is three or four things at once, and is surprisingly effective at more than one of them. Most of the attention it's received focuses on how it's an adult-themed and very reverent parody of the first three or four Harry Potter books. Names and so on are sometimes funny ("Girlrboy Rockhard" for the swishy Gilderoy Lockhart, played by Kenneth Branagh in the movie) and sometimes just dull ("Lon Measly" for Ron, Harry's pal). (In this review, I'll give Gerber's and Rowling's words together to help you along) Gerber wisely chose to make his Barry Trotter an older man, married, balding and with children, to make the sexual humor more amusing and less frightening. The plot of the book takes Barry to Hogwash/Hogwarts, where he's enchanted and becomes the head of the school amidst a mystery subplot which parodies the prep-school mystery atmosphere of the first three HP books. (The more dark and violent stories which begin with book four are not part of this spoof.)
The second thing that Gerber tries to do in this book is to make comments on the HP series and its relative worth. Unfortunately, he is too respectful of JK Rowling to feel as though he can really tear her apart for her clumsy tell-rather-than-show writing style, her reuse of plot devices and ideas, such as Animagi being the point on which the plots of books 3 and 4 turned, and her often very visible moralizing (on race, on the British class system, on the values of loyalty and love). It wasn't always clear to me why Gerber did the things he did, such as making Lon (Ron) a moron with a dog's brain. Was this because he thinks Rowling makes Ron stupid? I don't think that she does, although the movies basically edit the character (played by Rupert Grint, a much better actor than Chris Columbus allowed him to be) down to Harry's funny sidekick. The Ron of the books is the heart of the trio: a brave and handsome man who loves Harry as a brother. (Hermione is the head, Harry the hand)
This second goal includes Barry being the hero of a series of books which exposed the wizarding world to Muggle eyes, ending centuries of separation. This play-within-a-play theme is cute, and allows for a lot of funny bits, such as the scene in which a bunch of boys confuse Harry/Barry with Frodo and so on.
The third goal Gerber has, which is an admirable one, is a moral critique of the whole idea of a secret world of wizards and witches with powers which Muggles /Muddles do not have. In Gerber's madhouse-mirror of the Potterverse, wizards "conjure" things by stealing them from Muggles: the item disappears from a Muggle and reappears for the wizard. Likewise, castles and such are drafty, cold, and without toilets; the wizard village of Hogsmeade/Hogsbleed is a slum of casinos and brothels. Is Gerber saying that Rowling's dream-England of manors and castles and teashops is a sickly-sweet romantic dream, the work of a welfare mom living in Council housing? But Rowling's wizarding world sees poverty, bigotry, war and death...the critique fails for most of the book. The secret, for Harry Potter, is love. I find this more beautiful and moving than the coarseness that Gerber relies on.
The one place in which it succeeds is a passage which isn't funny at all. Mumblemore/Dumbledore is telling Barry about how magic brought about the Christmas truce in World War One, and the Muggles then began to fight again; the message is that if magic cannot make the world a better place, then it's useless and that wizards are morally bankrupt. Here Gerber sermonizes as fiercely as Rowling has been accused of doing. Rowling's wizards did not stop the world wars or the Holocaust, but the non-magical rulers of our world didn't stop them either. But in both worlds, when evil arises, good people fight it and often give their lives and sanity; Gerber's parodic tone would have been totally unable to cope with the harrowing scene in St Mungo's in the fifth HP bookm when the reader sees Neville Longbottom's parents, tortured into madness by a follower of Voldemort. (In general the darker tone of books 4 and 5 would be less suited for a parody of this type). Harry's forgiving (or at least showing mercy to) Peter Pettigrew for causing the deaths of Harry's parents is another almost shocking scene in the depth of its moral reasoning. The evil of Voldemort, who relishes torturing and even killing his own followers, is patently contrasted with the goodness of a man like Dumbledore, who heroically enters in the fifth book to rescue Harry and his friends from Voldemort. These aren't simply two morally equivalent groups in a struggle for power. They are true good and true evil, and Rowling makes the distinction between them very clear, as well as the fact that moral choices make us good or evil: there are no 'evil' races of beings here, as in Tolkein's world.
Overall, this book is funny in some places, silly in others, in one place, terribly profound. Not the funniest parody of this type, which is *Bored of the Rings*, and Gerber can offer nothing as deep, and, almost, as holy, as Rowling's lessons on tolerance, mercy, forgiveness and love. But the goals are admirable and this book was a lot of work. Not bad, Barry.

Although the authors could have done a better job proofreading -- they spelled both the words "Idiott's" and "Dummys" wrong in the TITLE, for gosh darn sakes -- I felt the book was informative and worthwhile for readers of any age, gender, or level of mental acuity. The book, which is clearly a parody and is obviously unaffiliated in any way with the official Dummys' and Idiott's guides that it mocks and spoofs, has definitely turned my frown upside down. If I could ever meet the authors, I would definitely ask them for a free copy of the book, but if they did not comply or couldn't understand what I was saying I would buy a copy with my own money. THE BOOK IS THAT GOOD.

If, in these post 9/11-Iraq War-Patriot Act days of ours you need a nostalgic throwback to when the Spice Girls and Survivor were the most disturbing things going on in American society, this book might do it for you. This book was written around the beginning of the period when our society truly started taking in REALLY dumb television and media and is incredible satire to that end. Of course, there are the requisite Clinton/Lewinsky jokes that were new then but beaten into the ground now. Not a bad read...I still open mine up every now and then.

As parodies go, it's almost as good as the National Lampoon Yearbook (the best parody of this kind I've ever seen) and much funnier than OJ's Legal Pad. I found myself laughing steadily while reading it, though I was able to eat a PB&J and drink milk without any milk blowing out my nose, which is why it only gets 4 stars. I'm gonna give it as gifts to several of my friends who could really use it. They think they're way too smart for their own good.

Although the authors could have done a better job proofreading -- they spelled both the words "Idiott's" and "Dummys" wrong in the TITLE, for gosh darn sakes -- I felt the book was informative and worthwhile for readers of any age, gender, or level of mental acuity. The book, which is clearly a parody and is obviously unaffiliated in any way with the official Dummies' and Idiot's guides that it mocks and spoofs, has definitely turned my frown upside down. If I could ever meet the authors, I would definitely ask them for a free copy of the book, but if they did not comply or couldn't understand what I was saying I would buy a copy with my own money. THE BOOK IS THAT GOOD.

I read "The Complete Idoits Guide For Dumies," and like my mama said, some books are good and some are gooder. This one is just plain gooder. I loved it lots. I would recomend this book for anyone who needs a better way to understand what being mentally slow is. My mama said that dumies is as dumies does, and I think that lady got something there. Thank you, mama, and thank you United States of America.

This book is not your usual writing manual. It doesn't have chapters, doesn't have an index, nor a table of contents. But this gold mine is worth digging in! Patrick wrote it as part of a fund raiser for the Endowment Fund for his university in the state of WA. Each page of this book is laid out in this way: it contains advice on different subject matters. Each page is written brilliantly, conversationally, and funny too. I have been writing freelance humor for 30 years now and . . . wow. It was such a treat to read McManus' advice. I sat there, turning those McManus pages and POW I'd get smacked upside-the-head with one piece of news and have to mark it, and then I'd read a few more pages and POW there'd be another nugget. If truth be told, I wasn't a Patrick McManus fan prior to finding this book at my library. I picked it up purely because of its title, because there are so few books on writing humor. But, as soon as I had it in my hands I had to order a copy for my own shelf. I highly recommend it for anyone who writes humor. But, actually, I highly recommend it for anyone who writes. When you read this book, sit down and get comfortable, but have a marker handy. You will need it.

As an avid fan of Patrick McManus I dove into this book with great anticipation. However, AS an avid fan I must say it was a little different from Patrick's previous works. This book is mostly a Q and A session with a fan named Newton who inquires about the writing process Mr. McManus goes through. The end of the book features more than just a couple of the author's classic stories. Even though the bulk of the book is a step away from the usual stories of hijinks and curmudgeondness, it is still a fun read and brings the expected stitches to the reader's side.

This book is an excellent text for those wishing to write satorical stories.His presentation of the technique is different from most texts. I learned a lot fron this book.

When I heard McManus had written a book on how to write humor, I almost started counting my royalties in advance. If the master is revealing all his secrets, I thought, now I'd be able to quit my dreary job working as a sex therapist and make a living writing humor, instead.

Well, it seems like McManus didn't put much effort into this one. There are very few techniques listed. A common McManus technique is something I call the "unattributed action." This is a sentence like: "The screams could be heard for miles." Now, of course, he would have set it up that we expect those to be the screams of children in the pool or whatever, only to learn that it's McManus himself screaming. This technique was not even discussed at all.
I imagined that the book would be a large collection of techniques like this and examples where he had used them in his stories. Unfortunately, there are very few actual humor writing techniques in this book.

Instead, we're left with a vague, "come up with a humorous idea," "write in scenes whenever possible," etc. That is about 10 pages in the book.

If you'll look at the sample pages you'll notice that even the table of contents is just a random hodgepodge of questions in no particular order. Most of them not actually about writing humor. Over 50% of the book is reprints of previously written material with BRIEF commentaries.

Now, I'm thankful that McManus even ATTEMPTED to share this information with us, but, sadly, it seems like he didn't put much effort into it.

Of course, because every teeny bit of information helps, you should probably read it anyway; but don't pay for it. It's not like you're going to have every other page highlighted. There are only about 10 sentences worth highlighting in the book.

One thing I DID like was the list of books and authors that influenced him at the end of the book. I will definitely be checking those out.

In summary, though, save your money: You'll actually learn more just by analyzing his stories on your own, and asking yourself this question when you laugh: Why is this funny? and then by incorporating your answers into your own writing.

For those of us who write and want to inject a bit of humor in our writing, Patrick McManus has given us an invaluable tool with this book. It's not only instructive and reflective on what makes humor humorous, it's also a funny book in itself. It probably helps that I love to read McManus's wild stories and find them hilarious. But he's a good enough story teller that anyone will find him a good tutor. The only disappointing thing was to learn that many of his stories are complete fiction (and not loosely based on some real event in his past). He sure had me convinced.

Michael Carson's "Extreme C-Sections" is a delicious spoof of all things sci-fi. It is so densely packed with humor that the reader needs to take his/her time and peruse this book carefully to catch every funny nugget.

I would like the chance to hear author Michael Carson speak because I'm pretty sure his tongue is permanently planted in his cheek - and that has to make the act of speaking tough. I don't know a whole lot about this young author - only that he has a definite knack for comedy, is no stranger to science fiction, and that he has absorbed an extraordinary amount of pop culture knowledge in his twenty-odd years of human existence. He even knows a lot of the old school stuff that I wouldn't expect someone so young to be familiar with. I keep talking about Carson's age, and that is because this is a very youthful novel - Carson's never met a joke he rejected as too corny, and any old fogies out there probably won't understand or appreciate an author who has such unadulterated fun with his writing. Normally, I detest the least sign of authorial intrusion into a story, but it actually works well here (and the author's not the only external voice that turns up in these pages). Carson even goes so far as to insert himself as a character in the book - in a short and very funny episode.

Life on Earth in 9998 is pretty great, what with all of those "futuristic" gadgets everywhere. There's only one problem: all manner of aliens keep launching attacks on the Earth on a weekly basis. When I say Earth, I mean Earth 3, of course, as humans long ago had to abandon the polluted home world of their origin, then learned the hard way (on Earth 2) that intelligent, armed dinosaurs of their own genetic manufacture don't make for the most practical of planet protectors. Now, though, someone has come up with an idea that could end the alien menace forever. It's a perfect, wholly successful plan - which means, of course, that somebody screws up somewhere. Sure, the Independence Day race, the Mars Attacks creatures, the War of the Worlds Martians, and even Alf and E.T. have been defeated, but one race still remains out there (thanks to a postal error): man's most feared enemy, the Aliens aliens. Obviously, something must be done to take this last remaining threat out. Sure, the Aliens aliens can't get to Earth without finding themselves a human host, but the idea of simply leaving them be out there on their distant planet is shot down almost immediately. Instead, Earth 3 quickly constructs a huge space ship (the Spaceship Idaho), chooses a crew made up of representatives from all (and I do mean all) population groups, and launches a mission to travel to and blow up the Aliens' home planet. The group is led by old Oliver Naise - he's only thirty-four, but this is a world where no one over 30 is allowed to perform important jobs such as acting, playing sports, or saving the world, no matter how many times he's saved the world in the past.

Getting to the Aliens planet is easy; getting back home alive turns out to be the hard part. A spy in the crew's midst allows the Aliens to infiltrate the ship, which causes nothing but trouble, including a good many deaths - thank goodness they brought all those Extra crew members along with them. If that's not enough, the crew's cybernetic dog accidentally winds up in Kill the Crew mode, there's a small self-destruct issue that needs to be dealt with, a dark secret about Earth 3's government is revealed, and ... well, you don't expect me to tell you everything, do you?

Suffice it to say that anyone who enjoys science fiction and unadulterated satirical humor will get a big kick out of Extreme C-Sections. You will need a general awareness of prominent science fiction movies and related pop culture icons in order to fully "get" what Carson is doing here, but only the most fuddy of duddies won't know enough to recognize a fair share of the plot elements satirically skewered in this novel. Also, be prepared not to take anything too seriously because this young author will have none of that. I daresay that no one, not even Mr. Spock himself, could possibly read Extreme C-Sections without laughing.

Imagine a future earth (or earths, if you will) that have been perpetually bombarded by all the alien nasties that have inhabited the wide screen for the past 100 years. Martians, predators, even purple people eaters have been irritating us earthlings for thousands of years when this book takes place. We have conceded on earth to the lizards and have blown up a second and now on the verge of fixing the whole problem and blowing up all our enemeies we discover that we left one enemy out of the finally. Somewhere in the depths of space Aliens are preparing to put egg in our face one more time.

Have no fear. The furture has solved the challenge of having challenged with and ingenious system designed to encourage innovative solutions. The many layers of I Cup winnow and wean ideas until, finally, the best is it hand. Yes, we are going to save Earth Three by going off to where the aliens are and politely ask them to stop eating people. Soon with a scientifically diverse crew commanded by Captain Oliver Naise, the most important diplomatic mission in the universe is off to a flying start.

If you think things went (or will go) smoothly then you have no idea what an extreme c-section is. Michael Carson weaves an inordinately complicated tale of treachery, outlandish in jokes, and bald faced lampoonery. A lighthearted romp through the travail of discovering what it means to be dinner in space. You are either going to believe that this book is a funny horror story or you are going to quietly beat yourself to death with a heavy irony. I found it enjoyable since, as an elderly science buff I recognized, most of the obscure references. This is a great book for snickering, and these days a good snicker is hard to find. There are a lot of interesting ideas in it and one has the suspicion that when Carson returns to sanity he will become a writer to watch for.

[Review copy provided by author]

Have you ever noticed that, taken as a whole, science fiction tends toward serious stuff? There are a few that try at humor and humor through exageration, especially movies (Mars Attacks), but mostly we science fiction writers are too taken with the grandiose. C-Sections provides a welcome interlude where we can sit back and laugh at ourselves, and perhaps puncture the bubble of grandeur that we tend to surround ourselves with.
Thank you, Michael Carson!
John Cooley, author of "Dear Madman" (sadly ? a very serious novel)

Extreme C-Sections is a very funny parody of all your favorite science fiction movies -- and a few classics from other genres you will be sure to recognize. Having managed to rid themselves of such alien invading races as the Independence Day aliens and the One-eyed, One-horned, Flying Purple People Eater, the people of Earth face one last menacing enemy: the most dreaded alien threat of all -- Aliens. An organization comprised of Earth's randomly chosen and extemely mediocre problem-solvers is called upon to brainstorm a solution. Merely avoiding planet LV-426 (because the stomach-bursting aliens have no ships of their own and can only stowaway on others' ships) is rejected, because Earth is not the kind of planet to sit around and do nothing, by gum! Instead, they decide to send an eclectic crew comprised of all races, genders, and sexual orientations (plus a couple hundred Extras as bait)and wipe out those Aliens once and for all. With the crew of the Spaceship Idaho led by over-the-hill Captain Oliver Naise (he's 34), Earth is sure to be victorious, unless a government conspiracy intereferes ... Readers will enjoy the satire and wit of this new author, IF the whole book doesn't get prematurely shut-down by Agent Smith for making fun of The Matrix.

Dianne K. Salerni
Author of High Spirits: A Tale of Ghostly Rapping and Romance

If you're stuck in a rut--weakly lifting your middle finger only when you've been cut off in traffic and otherwise resorting to lackluster verbal retorts, you need this book! We have so much in this world to get mad about and so few gestures for expressing that anger...until now. Blank, Blank and Moore offer a lavishly illustrated, thoroughly researched compendium of insults that will leave you (and your middle finger)itching for a conflict!

Bored of the usual 'birds' ? This one is way fun!
Buy this book& have some friends over for a little fun and stress release.
The book describes birds like "the Cell Phone" (good use for those on it when driving, or those while you are say in the movies and won't shut up) or 'The Transformer' then there's the basic "Pristine" & "Vulgar" & in the not potent enough reject section, The"Saloon"
just to name a few.... (left me wanting more...)

We've all been there. Somebody pisses you off by something they did or said. You're left standing there, mumbling, murmuring, stuttering, your lips unable to produce that perfect reply that will completely devastate your opponent, making him or her whither so that they're the one who's speechless. The essential comeback usually arrives too late, after the incident has long since passed, and you shuffle on with life cursing your slow-reaction time, vowing not to let it happen ever again. But of course it'll happen again....

... that is, unless you get your hands on The Field Guide to the North American Bird. When words fail during your next clash with the Belligerent Bastard or the Snooty Salesperson, you'll never have to worry about getting the mumbles or murmurs or stutters ever again. In fact, your mouth's mutiny won't even be an issue, because with the Bird Book you'll be letting your fingers do the talking this time. And the person on the receiving end of your digital fury will never know what hit 'em.

OK, I know, "fingers" in the plural might be a little too much talking than is probably required. You may only need the one digit for the job--that's how powerful are the middle-finger gestures hilariously described by Adam Blank and ingeniously illustrated by Michael Moore. Straightforward and user-friendly, this book is your one-stop field guide for engaging in the subversive art of birding: It's the ultimate self-help book, a self-defense manual, and the perfect tool for imaginative self-expression, all rolled into one handsome volume with an attractive cover.

Frankly, words fail to celebrate the genius of this welcome effort.

The book is a fun guide to the finger. There's a bunch of different types, but the book is lacking. The illustrations are excellent and add to the humor of the book.

Once in a great while a book is authored that is so profound, so intellectually stunning, so spiritually affirming, and so sexually stimulating, that it becomes part of our shared heritage.

This is that book.

Most reasonable people ruminate on the ever-coarsening of society and ask how we got to this point. Blank looks at society and asks if we are coarse enough. What he says is, "No." But in this, as in all things, Blank is an enigma--a mystery wrapped in a riddle wrapped in a comfy fleece blanket when he watches t.v..

I give it nearly my highest rating (4 porkchops out of 5) because I feel he made up some of these dramatic gesticulations just to pad the length in some sort of shady "bonus" arrangement. He may have narrowed the margins too. But still.

This book demonstrates that there are many, many ways to physically contort yourself in aid of insulting someone. The conservative cognoscenti--you know who they are--once formed a "prayer circle" around Ten Speed Press to prevent it from leaving the premises. In fact someone from Georgia promised in a chilling phone threat that the venerable publishing house would get "blowed up real good-like" if it ever got published. Luckily, the First Amendment and questionable taste prevailed.

Read the book THEY don't want you to read! As an added incentive you'll get a 40 second recorded phone call from Blank thanking you for your purchase, and by purchasing you'll help support his quest to finish his pretentious, ponderous follow-up tome: "A Brief History of Time: The Revenge."

This book is a humorous look at today's PC office environment and how it's gotten so out of control. While intentions may have been good, it is obvious that all the PCish corporate policy gobbly-gook has backfired and is hurting companies. Kathleen is able to point out those shortcomings in a hilarious and illustrative voice. The book is an easy read and one that will have you laughing out loud and recognizing many of her characters as those in your own life.

Here's hoping that this self-described speeding-ticket collector, high-heel wearing, gun toting, bumper sticker thumper, big hair with a can of hairspray, Southern lady has a few more books in her!

I was curious about this book as I heard the author being interviewed on my local talk radio station. I read it in one night and it was awesome! I laughed at so many parts; she talks about wharton graduates and how they brag about themselves and how elitist they are. She also makes fun of "environmental wackos" and how they have steered office politics.
She makes fun of every kind of bad boss you could have not to mention liberal elites and how they treat both conservative and non-liberal types in the office. Her pet names for the personalities in the office (Chapter 2) is reason enough to buy the book; the descriptions are very funny but correct on so many accounts! Liberals are going to hate this!!

The chapter on Guns and being a firearm owner is great. I had no idea the prejudice against gun owners in the workplace. I have a gun and never thought about how it can create problems with anti-gun lefties.
She also talks about how God and Christian values are being erased in the corporate environment. She is right, you can't even say "Bless you" anymore when someone sneezes.

Great gift for a college graduate or someone just getting into the corporate environment but a must-read for conservatives everywhere!!
The Ann Coulter of Corporate America is born!!

You'll love it!

Thankfully, I didn't have to pay for this book. I found it on top of the trash at work and decided to give it a read. What a bunch of non-sense. This woman is paranoid to an extreme not previously envisioned. Somehow she has this delusion that everything that happens to her that she doesn't like, is based on some fantasy liberal agenda. Junk. Don't waste your money. Now I know why one of my co-workers threw it away.

In a day and time where the corporate world has gotten to PC for it's own good, Kathleen Kelly's book brings focus back to center.

I often times caught myself nodding as I read along, thinking of having dealt with many of the same situations and how many times I had asked if we all needed a ribbon because someone showed up for work that day.

I highly recommend this book!!!

Kathleen really takes today's "corporate America" in hand with this book. You'll laugh, relate, and at times, feel your blood boil in righteous agreement.

Much in the spirit of Loren Coleman's various field guides to cryptozoology comes this, slightly more tongue in cheek, guide to North America's resident monsters - bigfoot, ogopogo, chupacabras, the Jersey devil, mothman and so forth. Arranged by geography, this book covers all manner of iconic monsters and bogeymen from the United States, Canada and even Mexico, diving them into categories like 'lake/river/ocean monsters,' 'reptilian humanoids' and 'phantom animals.' Wide and far ranging, this book draws upon sources as diverse as Native American mythology, the 'fearsome critters' of lumberjack lore, UFO sightings and, of course, cryptozoology (that is, the search of as of yet unidentified animals such as bigfoot, the Loch Ness monster and such).

In spite of the cute, humorous tone the book takes, which I found charming actually, it IS a really good catalog of Amercian folklore. As I said before, it is arranged by region so you can easily find the various iconic legends from in and around your own neck of the woods. For example, the South includes things like the wampus cat, Hopkinsville goblins, Flatwoods monster and Carolina lizardman, the Midwest covers critters like the Enfield horror, Minnesota iceman, shunka warakin, Beast of Busco and hodag, and the part on the Canada mentions the mannegishi, waheela, wendigo and Thetis Lake monster, amongst many others. Further material includes a chapter on other American monsters ('rods,' black dogs, devil kangaroos, fresh water octopi and the like), information and terminology on cryptozoology, notes on vampires, werewolves and zombies, how to go monster hunting, famous monster carcasses, a short time line and a couple of cases studies. And, as an added bonus, at the end of the book is an 'official monster hunters' map.

All in all, theres plenty of stuff here to entertain anyone from a young horror movie fan to a seasoned cryptozoologist, and everyone in between. Whether you take it out in the field on your search for, say, a skinwalker, the Lake Tahoe monster, thunderbird or New England's Dover Demon, or just decide to stay home and read it from the comfort (and safety) of your armchair, you'll find plenty of beasties that go bump in the night. Enjoy... at your own risk, mwahaha...

Reminiscent of "The Field Guide to North American Monsters" published several years ago, this fun little handbook is actually quite helpful and informative. Covers over one hundred mystery monsters from Canada to Mexico, including helpful drawings of many of them. Urban legends or real creatures, the reader is left to ponder for themself.

This book is just wonderful. I'm an RPGer and sometimes run horror games for my friends. Its so cool to have this handy little guide to help me inject more 'real world' monsters into my games.
Not to mention how some of the entries really sparked my interest in these monsters.
I like books like this one and the Zombie Survival Guide that treat their subject matter as if it were real.
If you want a fun read or just fodder for campfire stories I highly recommend this one.

Any fan of cryptozoology will dig this reference guide. The entries are not very long, but this is a field guide and not an encyclopedia. What they lack in length, they make up for in quantity, pretty much everything is covered in here from your backyard bigfoot to lake monsters and even aliens.
I was thrilled to find one of my local cryptids mentioned in the book (the Gloucster serpent). And you may just be surprised and learn there may be a cryptid or two lurking in your neck of the country. Go out and explore!
Going to visit the family in another state? Look it up in the guide and see what you can keep an eye out for while you're there!

Monster Spotter's Guide to North America is an exciting field guide to more than one hundred mythical (or are they?) and folklore monsters reputed to roam the North American continent, from the Sasquatch of the Pacific Northwest to the hideous Mexican goatsucker called El Chupacabra. Penned with a witty edge by monster enthusiast Scott Francis, and illustrated with black-and-white sketches by artist Ben Patrick, Monster Spotter's Guide to North America is sure to delight anyone with a keen interest in bizarre or even macabre beasts of legend. Quick-reference boxes for identification of key monster traits, a glossary of cryptozoology terms, a remedial course in common monster knowledge, case studies, and more fill this fantastic reference.

If you like your satire served with brilliant wit with a touch of irony and a side of righteous anger, then Anatole France (the pen name of Jacques Anatole François Thibault) is your writer. You can credit Anatole France, winner of the 1921 Nobel Prize in Literature, with the famous maxim: "The law, in its majestic equality, forbids the rich as well as the poor to sleep under bridges, to beg in the streets, and to steal bread."

Penguin Island starts with a fantastic premise. A missionary, half blind, comes across the island of penguins and baptizes them. Up in heaven, confounded with this act, the Lord gives the birds souls and intellect. France then uses his new civilization to satirize almost anything within range of his scathing intellect. The book generally parallels the development of human civilization. The longest chapter, the story of Pyrot and the 80,000 Trusses of Hay is a blistering critique of the French government's frame-up of Alfred Dreyfus. This chapter alone justifies the price of the book.

For those who have come to this review through my Tour de France history or my cycling commentary, it should be noted that the Dreyfus Affair was the proximate cause of the creation of Tour de France.

Anatole France is a genius. I heartily recommend this book.
-Bill McGann, Author of "The Story of the Tour de France"

This book is almost one hundred years old and it is still very relevant as a source of universal unchanging truths.

I am reading it as an E-book in the original French. France has a lovely style in his native language which is at the same time poetic, erudite and easy to read. Reading classic satire makes you realize how we are fundamentally the same and will probably never change. I was struck by a section punctuating the conclusion of the Pyrot ( Dreyfuss ) affair in which he comments that it was back to business as usual:

"The government remained under the control of the major financial institutions, the army dedicated exclusively to the defense of capital, the navy served only as a source of orders for the steel industry and the rich refused to pay their fair share of taxes. The poor, as before, paid for them."

Sound like any place you know?

If satire is your thing this is good stuff. It helps to be familiar with French pomposity and European history.

This novel simply isn't like anything else ever written.

A monk visiting an island populated by nothing but penguins accidentally baptizes them, and the saints in heaven debate what is to be done, since baptism can only be done to those with souls. The conclusion is to make the penguins human! The remainder of the book is a history of Penguin Island, which is a clever parody of European history. It may not be everyone's piece of pie, but I defy anyone to say that they have seen its like before.

those blasted penguins were baptised and changed into penguins! this satire depicts the history of France! enjoy! :)

A pious monk discovers a previously unknown island. He is half deaf and more than half blind with age. Even so, he can see that the diminutive people here are gentle, serious, and not yet Christian. He performs a mass baptism, not realizing that he has created Christian penguins.

So begins France's straight-faced satire of the church, the state, and anything else he can think of. First, the innocents must clothe their nakedness. This creates modesty for them, but also creates immodesty, lust-inducing arts of skirt and bodice, and avarice for finer clothes and baubles. Next, they develop property law, proven by disputes over farmland. They create a noble class, when one demonstrates his nobility by killing another penguin and taking his land. They create a royalty, by means of fraud and extortion. They even create their first saint, the miraculous virgin Ste. Orberosia. She seemed best known for her miraculous virginity, which she proclaimed until her dying day (and we don't argue with saints). In fact, she was able to proclaim her virginity even after dozens or hundreds of encounters that would have destroyed it in less holy a woman - miraculous indeed. Perhaps the penguins weren't born subject to Original Sin, but they're mighty quick with the imitation.

The History of Penguinia moves forward, through ages of avarice, adultery, elaboarate scams, false accusations, and all the usual goings-on of the political world. The events are painfully funny, right down to the cynical, cyclical view of modern times, locked into an historical rhythm. The views are painful only because they're so very true.

I imagine they would have been even more true for me if I knew more about the political current events of France and Europe circa 1900, when this book was being written. I also suspect some wordplay in characters' names that would have been amusing if I knew French. It is a measure of Anatole France's genuius that now, nearly a hundred years later, it's still true enough for a modern reader, and one unfamiliar with the book's original milieu. I imagine this book will reward the prepared reader even more richly.

This is satire at its finest - funny, but with an edge, and funny because it's so very true.

//wiredweird

Very funny, as are the orher two titles in this series. Amazon should offer a package collecting all three- "Molvania", Phaic Tan" and "San Sombrero". There are several other titles mentioned in these books as future publications in the Jetlag Travel Series. I'll buy them when available. I'm particularly looking forward to "Travel for Seniors" with information on the twenty best places in the world to lodge a complaint.Iwant to know if Rick Steves' many books on European travel inspired the authors of the Jetlag Series to parody them. Please comment, Santo Cilauro.

While not quite as good as the first book on Molvania, San Sombrero is still a fun book and well worth the time to read it. It makes you even want to read the restaurant and hotel information for the twist they manage to work into them. Vive San Sombrero! Vive (insert name here), el Presidente!

I own the first two in this series (Molvania, A Land Untouched By Modern Dentistry, and Phaic Than, Sunstroke on a Shoestring). I bought this hoping it was half as funny, because they were hilarious. Imagine my pleasure to find that the third installment was new, fresh, and still very funny. I love to read these while I am travelling.

I don't go out of my way looking for comedy, but I found this in my parents' collection during a visit back home. Probably the more familiar you are with Latin America travel guides, the more you'll appreciate this book, which exaggerates the dangers of travel (disease, political unrest, insects, street food), and desperate living conditions, etc. as much as the guide books tend to downplay these conditions. This book is funny to me because rather than being absurd, it is loosely based on the (sometimes frightening) truth. The book is well-designed and illustrated- if you just looked at the pictures, you wouldn't know it wasn't a real guide book. Following are some excerpts (which are by no means highlights, as the humor is relentless):

"Be very suspicious about taking a ride in a cab where a 'friend' is accompanying the driver. San Sombreran taxi drivers don't have friends."

"San Sombrerans are passionate movie-goers, possibly because cinemas are the only air-condition buildings in town."

"Political instability has seen 17 different presidents take power in the past decade, the shortest reign being that of Alivio Escrevez who was assassinated halfways through his own inauguration speech."

Look, we don't know each other. I may be an inveterate exaggerator, right? I might give all fives on my Amazon reviews. I might detest conflict and only say nice things about books.

You don't know, do you?

So let me assure you that none of those things is true, because I'm going to make a statement that might seem ludicrous: SAN SOMBRERO is one of the funniest things I've ever read. My wife thinks so, too, and we don't agree on very much. Even my Rhodesian Ridgeback seems particularly jaunty when I'm reading SAN SOMBRERO.

An Aussie friend introduced me to the Jet Lag travel guide spoofs. SAN SOMBRERO is actually the third in a series but the first I've read. It doesn't matter where you begin, but - if you have ever read a serious travel guide of any kind (say, Frommers, Rough Guide, etc.) - then you'll *love* what these lunatics do with the genre.

SAN SOMBRERO is roughly based on Costa Rica, Cuba, and any number of other Latin American 'travel paradise' locations. Each time you think the authors have exhausted their uproarious takes on one of the conventional aspects of the genre, you turn a page and they hit you again.

It's inexhaustibly entertaining, right up to the 'insert' at the back of the book.

I can't wait to read PHAIC TAN and MOLVANIA.

Aussies, all is forgiven, even your abysmal cricket side and the freakin' long airplane rides it takes to get where you are. You can come home now and rejoin the family of nations.