Parody Books

This is the best book I have read in a long long time. I couldn't put it down once I started reading it. The writing style takes some getting used to, but once you do, it rocks (. . .)

This is funniest damn book I've ever read...someone I know gave it to me, and I didn't know what to make of it at first, then I started getting into it. Then I couldn't put it down. I'm telling you, settle down one afternoon in a comfortable place with a box of Ritz crackers by your side and break out this book. Pure heaven!

This is the best book I have read since "Shaq Talks Back"!!!

Kulakarni and the members of the COD are comic geniuses. I couldn't put this book down. It was just so funny. The creative outpouring of this work would keep comedy writers in business for decades. So many wacky ideas. If you like to laugh, buy this book.

Absolutely brilliant. Kulkarni brings to life the malaise and drudgery of modern society with hiw whimsical look at office life, the men who work there, and the things those men think about. A marvel of anthropological and societal behavoirist study on our present culture and society. Its pretty funny too!

Peter Stein's book Age is Nothing: Attitude is Everything is a quick but inspiring and humorous look at aging. Instead of looking at the common ailments and ills of aging as a reason for frustration or depression, Stein urges readers to look at the humor and the possibilities in aging. Using funny and clever photographs and captions, Stein crystallizes what a dear departed friend of mine once said, "I can choose to be sad or I can choose to be happy. I choose to be happy."

This book is an inspiring book for all ages, but especially for those in middle and old age who are coming to grips with a fundamental fact of life.

A small, charming book, upbeat and delightful. Every older person should read and laugh with this book.

This little gem of a book was funny and inspiring (a unique combination!)! I particularly enjoyed the focus on keeping a positive approach to life, with great nuggets of how to remind yourself to live as an optimist. I also liked how this book can be read quickly, but is deep enough to be read again (and again) for additional inspiration.

I loved this book!! What a fabulous message for anyone, regardless of age. Whether you're in your 30's or 80's--live life to its fullest. These images of outrageous elders doing whatever the hell they wanted, was very inspiring. Consider this one as a birthday gift for someone who may need some attitude adjusting. Better yet, keep one in the bathroom for yourself on those days when you look in the mirror and start to moan about those new lines, gray hairs or simple pains that bum you out. It made me smile.

What a great little book! It's inspiring, humorous, and meaningful, all at the same time! The witty text and amusing pictures go together so well. Some pages strike home more than others, and this changes each time I look through this book. At under $10.00 it's a great gift for numerous people (especially as the holdiay season approaches), and I know many young people, as well as not-so-young people, will appreciate it!

This is the end of the Victorian age and the nineteenth century. Augustus Carp tells us about his life as a young man, brought up in a middle-class family. A nattering nabob, a supreme snob, an obnoxious boor, and a prig given to hourly flatulence. He spends his time correcting others to the point of suing them, while he himself is always right and, of course, superior to any human being. He keeps his mother as a slave and destroys those around him. Can the comeuppance be lurking in the future?

Find out by reading this very, very funny book. This is a fabulous satire of a morally uptight generation,

I have never been guilty of laughing out loud when reading a book, until now. Augustus Carp is simply irresistible, and the more supercilious and flawed his character is shown to be (through his own writings!), the funnier it gets; though not unaccompanied by a certain nervous introspection... after all, who among us is without some self-deluded failings? So it is humor (humour) with an edge, as is characteristic of all the best British humor. Like a good martini, it is dry and leaves you stirred, and perhaps chuckling a little helplessly...

I first became aware of this lost classic through Frank Muir's anthology of comic prose. I was lucky enough to find a copy in my local library and, following several hysteria-plagued re-readings, I decided to buy a second-hand copy. This book inspires devotees. I enquired after many newly advertised second-hand copies of the book online, only to be told by dealers that the book had been sold immediately on being placed online, and that, moreover, I was the sixth or seventh person to have asked after it. (I did manage to snare a copy eventually.) So Prion is doing the reading public a great service in rescuing the book from its undeserved out-of-print limbo. Augustus Carp is an anti-hero who can easily stand comparison with Waugh's greatest snobs, and as a bore and a prig he could almost have sprung from the mind of Patrick Hamilton (another neglected genius). Anyone who has ever felt that the Church is rather too keen to deny basic pleasures will find the book's feverish satire a tonic; loathers of hypocrisy will put it by their bedside tables; those who love to laugh will buy four or five copies for friends. It's that good.

It is rather sad to find this little gem -- masterpiece, even -- of British humour to be out of print. Written in 1924 by an an author who remained unknown until a couple of decades ago, it is a worthy successor to "The Diary of a Nobody". For the cognoscente certain phrases have entered the vocabulary: "Better 'tus than 'tin" and "The aunt who stood with my mother's mother at the foot of the stairs". Augustus Carp, the unflinching opponent of sin in all its manifestations, is a Really Good Man and a true Xtian.

I stumbled upon this book years ago and have read it three times. I hope others will stumble upon it too because Augustus Carp is one of the funniest books I've ever read. It is an anonymously written British satire pitched perfectly, a book that makes fun of religious hypocrisy without ever showing any signs of strain or going overboard - no mean feat given that the tale's narrator (Mr. Augustus Carp) is also the focal point of the humor. The book also contains some wonderful drawings of it characters and, even, some wonderfully pompous footnoting. Find it, read it, laugh at it.

this is the best book ever it tells everything about "Weritf Al" Yankovic and is very funny also see the Compleat Al the video of this book. also has pictures that made me laugh!!!

It sucked like rabbits!!!!! HAHFHDHFDGFDGFDGMOOOOHHAAHHAHAHAHAAHAHHASAAHHA

For any of you Weird Al fans, You'll love this book. It has many great colourful pictures of Al. This is a very rare book, so if you have the chance to get it, you should. I paid 3 times the cover price for my copy! It is pretty much based on the Compleat Al, but it's different in some parts. Not much though. Again, I liked this book, you will too. Even if you're not an Al fan. Very funny.

this was a great book. it had funny pictures of naked hamsters and the force ate a donut- i would give it a doller if it were alive. me and my friend Joe Blow(the most average man ever)thought is better than to hamsters with funny names such as chu-chu or mittens, the end

This is a funny but good bio/autobio of Al, even if it's from '85 and so much more has happened in the 14 years since. At least it tells you A LOT about his 'Early Years'. When some old fart like Bob hope (ugh, drop dead already!) writes a life story, it's so much that alot probably gets left out and doesn't sound as good anyway. Maybe al will write another one sometime, continuing where this left off.

This book came to me by chance and I had no intention of reading all of it. However, reading one fairy tale led to another and then another. Each story gave me a chuckle and several a hearty laugh. The old fairy tales take on an amazingly fresh feeling with Jasheway's creativity. Her writing makes it clear that she has spent many hours with her canine companions. She writes the bedtime stories with the insight of one who loves her dogs.

I found the book very entertaining and easy to read. At less than 100 pages, you may be tempted to read it at one sitting but if you do you will lose out on days of innocent "feel-good" entertainment.

This would be a great gift for dog lovers of all ages. It is the perfect gift for anyone who needs cheering up, or for yourself - whether you have a dog or not.

If you have a dog or just love dogs, this re-telling of classic fairy tales using dogs as main characters (dachsunds, chihuahuas, etc) is hilarious and so much fun to read. Saw this one at a friend's house, read it to my kids and knew we HAD to have a permanent copy.

"Bedtime Stories for Dogs" is one of the funniest and most CREATIVE books that I have EVER read. It is WONDERFUL for anyone who has a favorite dog and it makes a SUPERB gift. I have several at my house on hand as gifts and have already given many copies to my family and friends.

Leigh Anne Jasheway is a creative GENIUS. I was amazed at her humor and talent as she adapted fairy tales and nursery rhymes to a more "canine perspective." These stories are not "fluff." They show a creative talent that I sincerely hope Jasheway will pursue in additional works. The book is approximately 100 pages and on quality paper.

I sent one copy to my sister who is an executive in Colorado (with two degrees and a Masters). She was laughing so hard that she proceeded to call our mother long-distance and READ her one of the stories over the phone!

Some of the delightful stories include: "The Three Little Pugs," "Snow White and the Seven Chihuahuas," "Goldilocks and the Three Cats," and more. These are tales that will delight not only your pets, but are sure to amuse children and friends.

You will LOVE this book!

The author used just enough of the word "dog" to keep my dogs' attentions. How much more of these stories they understood is up for debate. Reading these canine versions of fairy tales and nursery rhymes was quality time spent with my dog children

So cute. This book has the cutest stories. I even bought one for the kennel I worked at. Good bedtime stories for dogs and people.

Okay, don't take it all so seriously...it's just a ball right...so look at the darkside of the ball...the evils of golfswing-though...the art of club tossing, five mortal sins to avoid.....the truth about sandbagging.....how to be captain of your own ship (hmm thought it was golf...not sailing?) and being in the present moment ...golf is Zen but in what the authors call tghe putter in cheek book-- you learn how to lower your score...and improve your GOLF ATTITUDE -- NOT~! If you loved caddyshack-- you'll love this.....price is right-- every golfer in the world deserves this for birthday...or stock it in your Pro shop-- keep it on your shelf after a really BAD game...but it's a game remember and you can have a ball if you can't be the ball!

This book may not change your GAME - but it will change your attitude! And, attitude is 90% of the game ... the other half
is skill!

When I opened the package that contained a book "Being the Ball" by some guy calling himself Billy Balata, I thought that it had to be some kind of a joke. Like most Golf nuts, I enjoyed and still enjoy - "Caddyshack" as much as the next guy, but couldn't see how this book wasn't going to do the film a great disservice. I couldn't have been more off the mark....

I would recommend this book to anyone who has come to the conclusion that golf is as tough a game as there is to master -- we might as well laugh at our own shortcomings. Underscored throughout all of the examples in "Being the Ball" is that there is never a bad round of golf. It may be required reading for anyone who wants to share a round with me.

All I can say, is after reading this book and applying some of the principles, I cut 5 strokes off of my handicap. Enough said...

This is the "Texas Chainsaw Massacre" of golf books. It had a provocative, perky spirit that moved my heart with every stroke. It is refreshing to see the dawn of a rising star among golf's rigid thinkers and bad dressers.

Its creative, witty approach to presenting golfs important features makes it a must read for all golfers. Your mantra after reading "Being the Ball" will be "Billy, Billy, Billy" as you check the line of the most pressure packed putt of your life!!!

The book arrived quickly in excellent condition. It is a "kick", really funny
how the author took off on traditional Mother Goose rhymes and gave them
a Hawaiian flavor "Shark Boy ate no poi, his sister ate no fish, etc."
It does give some ideas about the traditions and language. B. Sahota

A reader from Sacramento, CA USA
My daughter loves it and found it the next best thing to Barney. We just put her down for the night and she went to sleep willingly and easily after our 5th reading. I like reading it to her because of the colorful artwork and because it reminds me of our last trip to Hawaii

This is a very amusing book sent to us by friends in Hawaii. The new words to old favorites are easy to remember. It is a great way to introduce children to common Hawaiian words and elements of Hawaiian culture. The illustrations are well done and colorful. "Go Go Gecko" and "Three Big Pigs" are our favorites. Don't be surprised if your children want Tutus and slippers! I would definitely consider giving Hawaiian Style Mother Goose to friends, especially those with a Hawaiian connection.

My daughter loves it and found it the next best thing to Barney. We just put her down for the night and she went to sleep willingly and easily after our 5th reading. I like reading it to her because of the colorful artwork and because it reminds me of our last trip to Hawaii

This is a very amusing book sent to us by friends in Hawaii. The new words to old favorites are easy to remember. It is a great way to introduce children to common Hawaiian words and elements of Hawaiian culture. The illustrations are well done and colorful. "Go Go Gecko" and "Three Big Pigs" are our favorites. Don't be surprised if your children want Tutus and slippers! I would definitely consider giving Hawaiian Style Mother Goose to friends, especially those with a Hawaiian connection.

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Something happened on my pages and it was good.

Uproariously good bathtub nosh.

I had only read one Hemingway novel but that was enough for me to laugh at every single story. Makes a perfect pick-me-up gift for anybody struggling with a Hemingway assignment or paper...

If you read Hemingway you will understand this book. He was a strong character and his personality runs through his work so well that it is possible to emulate him. This book contains one-page stories in the Hemingway style, submitted by readers. Some of the entries are roaring funny, some sublime. All are good writing. If you are a dull old fuddy-duddy you might not like this...loosen up. It's fun.

Hemingway lovers and haters will be able to unite over this superlative collection of schlock Papa. The stories are universally strong, including some real gems by the likes of E.B. White, George Plimpton, and F. Scott Fitzgerald, as well as a host of uproariously funny takeoffs by less well known authors. I nearly fell over myself laughing in the bookstore when I picked up a copy and randomly started reading. Highest recommendation.

The pages were filled to the margins with Bad Hemingway, and it was good.

Hilarious and too, too true. I learned to drive in and around Boston (took my driver's test at the Registry of Motor Vehicles near North Station), take pride in the dings in my car and consider driving in California a walk in the park compared to what I grew up with.

I especially appreciate the updates in this latest edition with respect to the Big Dig.

I'm not a Boston native, but moved here seven years ago. This book ... who wrote this? How did they KNOW? :)

I always thought of myself as a good Step 9 driver: granted, it took me two tries to get my license, but I've had exactly one parking ticket, I've been pulled over exactly once and got off with a warning, and every dent and ding I've put into the car has been below the deductible and couldn't be reported to the insurance company. After reading this book, it seems I am a bigger psychotic behind the wheel than I had known. I never thought that most of the manuevers listed here were borderline vehicular suicide, and I was even taught how to do the Boston Left Turn (you pull halfway out into the road, blocking the traffic on your left until a car coming from the right lets you go) in driver's ed. A lot of the diagrams are hilarious (you'll never make sense of Brighton intersection dynamics), and they also include the obligatory pedestrian scoring scale (you don't want to be Tom Menino or Mitt Romney). The best part is the epilogue describing the future of Boston driving--by the end of this century, it will become an Olympic sport, and the Central Artery Tunnel will become a pedestrian shopping mall.

This book is written to sound tongue-in-cheek, but having lived and driven in Boston for two years, I can assure you it's not. I've seen every manuever described in this book, some of them by the Boston and Cambridge PD. For anyone moving to Boston, this should be required reading. It will teach you how to make Boston Left Turns, how to park in Back Bay, even how to cross a street as a pedestrian. Yes, it's amusing, but it's also a survival manual. (Oh, also get your car licence changed before you try any of these--out of towners get ticketed for these moves. For in-staters, about the only way to get a moving violation is to hit a pedestrian voter.)

Driving in Vancouver can be a dicey affair, as many of the drivers here are very strange and don't appear to know what they're doing. It annoys my wife even more than it does me. When my wife and I were looking over a list of books to review, The Boston Driver's Handbook: The Almost Post Big Dig Edition jumped out at my wife. "That should be funny," she said. So I asked for it. Does it live up to its promise? One thing I do know. After reading this book, driving in Boston sounds even worse than driving here. And that takes some doing!

First, to explain the title (though readers in Boston will already be familiar with this). "The Big Dig" is a massive construction project that is intended to make the main artery of traffic through Boston go underground. It's been very expensive and it's tied up traffic since 1991. However, it's almost over. It's scheduled to be finished in 2005, which is why this is the "Almost Post Big Dig" edition. The authors, Ira Gershkoff and Richard Trachtman, wrote an earlier edition of this book which didn't include this information, though since it was written in 1994, I'm sure it had some information about the current state of construction at the time.

The book starts with a basic overview of driving in Boston. It tells us about the philosophy ("Commandment Number 1: Thou shalt reach thy destination as quickly as possible. Everyone and everything else be damned."). It talks about what kind of car you should drive. A sparkling new car is just an invitation to be hit, or at least bumped. The best kind of car is an old, beat-up car that already has plenty of bumps and paint scrapes. The authors then go into the street layout of Boston and how confusing it is. They say that there is no way that you can navigate by street signs. The streets twist and turn and confusing one-ways abound. The cool thing about this chapter is that they talk about every section of Boston, detailing the different traffic and parking problems that they present, like how street fairs in the North End can play havoc with basic navigation, sometimes absorbing drivers who are invited to join the fair and then never seen again. This was an extremely interesting section, especially for somebody who's completely unfamiliar with Boston. It may be even more so for the experienced Boston driver, forcing a nod of the head and an "amen, brothers!"

The third chapter is about the Big Dig, with the authors explaining just what is planned, what has happened so far, and what will happen once construction is complete. They tell how the Ted Williams tunnel is currently (or at least at the time of this book's writing) quite beautiful and relatively empty, but as people get wind of it, traffic patterns will adjust and it will become just as dirty and polluted as the other tunnels. One thing that just sounds horrifying is how the new Central Artery will only have three exits, while the old one had 27. I don't even have to live there to find that idea frightening. You don't have to be familiar with Boston to find this chapter interesting as an example of the lofty goals of major construction and how the reality of it usually doesn't quite fit. Again, the authors are quite detailed in telling how the construction has affected things, and they don't avoid giving the positives as well as the negatives here. They're just cynical, not unfair.

The rest of the book is full of the basic and more advanced maneuvers that the expert Boston Driver has to learn. There's the basic cut-off, where you cut in front of the car next to you in order to pass the car in front. There's the sidesqueeze, where you ease into the other lane until the car next to you brakes to avoid hitting you. You then cut them off and go on your way.

The authors also tell about entering the endless traffic circles, really confusing left turns (one of the diagrams in the book is an intersection where you're actually going into the oncoming lanes in order to actually make it through the intersection before the light turns), parking, and many others. Some of the information would be useful here in Vancouver as well as any other cities where traffic is a nightmare. However, a large part of the book is based on Boston Driving culture, such as going the wrong way on a one-way street being the only way to get to some places. Thus, it's funny to read about, but don't try this at home. I especially enjoy the suggestion that parking and driving on sidewalks is sometimes necessary, as long as you look out for pedestrians.

The book is written in an easy style that is entertaining and won't take you too long to read. It's also a short book, which helps as well. I found the information on Boston and its environs to be fascinating, and it almost makes me want to go there, though there's no way I'd want to drive there after reading this book. There's no way I'd survive! The book is marred only by the final chapter (before the final exam), which gives there ideas for how Boston Driving will evolve in the next 100 years. It tries hard to be funny, but usually falls flat.

If you're planning a trip to Boston or planning to move there, this book could prove invaluable. Even if you're not, it's a funny look at driving in the wild streets of a city, and it just may make you appreciate your local traffic a little bit more. Either way, it's a fun read.

David Roy

Take the connived "reality" of Survivor to the traschan and instead allow your imagination, not to mention your funnybone, enjoy the utterly hilarious antics of these "Castaways". A truer group of fruitloops, nuts and flakes couldn't be found. This book is a delightful satire that makes Gilligan's Island look childish and Richard Hatch look like a wuss.

Arch paranoid survivalist Ryan is bound and determined with the help of her trusty sidekick "Tiffany the knife" to win enough moola to outfit her backwoods retreat with the finest security a government-suspecting person could buy. Her only threat comes in the very delectable shape of Shannon,the former assistant to the network's president of programming and now network mole. Seems Shannon has hot-wired Ryan's brain to lust mode. Throw in a bitchy producer, a Latin haridresser queen, macho builder, veterinarian, buff boy, professor, minister, farm girl, fashion model and several other stereotypes, you have the makings for one tearfully funny nightmare contest.

No stereotype is left unskewered and every hyberbole is used to its fullest. This is one heckuva romp through the worst case scenario of a show gone awry. Absolutely a re-read favorite of mine and great pick-me-up on a rainy day.

I thought this book was crazy! It was a psychotic version of Survivor with a touch of hot Monkey sex! Catsaway is a fun book that anyone who has ever watched reality TV will be sure to enjoy. I love Survivor and I loved this book for making fun of it! This book points out where we have come as far as TV expectations...which is pretty sad at times. This book is for entertainment purposes only and that is exactly what Blayne Cooper and Ryan Daly deliver. Castaway is wickedly funny and you will love the characters. The only question is will the girl get her girl and walk away with the million dollar prize? You'll have to read the book to find out! Castaway is a book that will take you away from your crazy life if only for a little while. Please read this book for what it is...a comedy and don't take it seriously. You won't be disappointed! Castaway will stay in my collection to read when I need a good laugh at life!

I've only seen bits of episodes of survivor but this was still incredibly funny. The characters are all caricatures, but still somehow real (too real!) I think the authors manage to insult every stereotype (earth momma, michigan militia, corp exec. etc. etc.) but keep you reading. Oddly enough, most of this romp could be believable, given what goes on T.V. and that just makes it all funnier. Touch of romance and tenderness and hot monkey sex adds, well, maybe not balance, but perhaps variety.Read it and prepare to laugh!

Castaway is one of the funniest things I've read in a long time! An absolute enthralling cast of characters who had me just about literally rolling around on the floor laughing. If only the real Survivor could be this way I might be tempted to watch it again. Two thumbs up!

Very funny and very clever parody of the Survivor tv series. Reality TV never had characters as wild as these! Smart, sexy and loads of fun. This one kept me laughing from start to finish.