Hilarious, Fresh, and Insightful
921399
Don't be mislead by the title into thinking you have to be from, or in (or otherwise inoculated with the sensibility of), California to enjoy this book.  Even if you've never stepped foot in California, or have never heard her hilarious and consistently luminous commentaries on NPR, you've just got to read this book!  Believe me, if you like David Sedaris, or breathe air, you'll love this book!
3376782
A couple years ago, I was able to hear Torry Martin speak at a conference and I remember his lesson being one of my favorites that year. He was funny and his advice was practical. So when I saw this book up for review, I knew instantly that I wanted to read it. And am I ever glad that I did.

Of Moose and Men is a hilarious read. Torry's sense of humor shines through in every story that he tells, and I flipped through the pages faster than I would have imagined. Yet each chapter ends with a serious moment, where Torry explains just why he told that story and the lesson that he learned from it. The scriptures and insights he gives are powerful, and the simplicity of the moments God used in his life truly spoke to me.

There is a lot to think about with this book: what things we deem important or else take for granted, and how we interact with God in our everyday lives. I appreciate Torry's honesty as well as his wit when telling of his past, even though there were some moments that made me cringe. I highly recommend this, even for those who don't normally read non-fiction, as Torry Martin's (and Doug Peterson's) way of writing is easy to follow and very relatable.

I have provided an honest review after having received a copy of this book through the Book Fun Network.
4593913
This book is the perfect blend of hilarious, fascinating and totally applicable. The stories that illustrate the concepts are modern and clear, and the concepts themselves become a paradigm shift that you can't unsee in your own life and the lives of those around you. This book should be a must read for not just for anyone who is interested getting married, but anyone who is intersted in real relationships in any setting. It's concise length and easy style make it a perfect gift for all of my non-committal friends and relatives....and I got through it in just a couple of days, and really learned a lot about myself in a way that I could immediately start working on some essential challenges.
2469022
What a funny-smart book! I was expecting the laughter (I had read an excerpt and laughed out loud more than once) but was happily surprised by all of the not-shoved-in-your-face insights and thoughtfulness. The author is candid and self-revealing in a refreshing way. I loved falling in love with her! Reading The Anti-Officer was, for me, a lot like spending quality time with a fantastic friend who is mostly different from me while being foundationally similar. I will certainly read more from Sonja Landis!
4945070
This is a wonderfully insightful and enjoyable read.  I stumbled across Crazy Aunt Purl's blog on-line and was immediately sucked into her world of cats and knitting and post-marrital breakup mahem.  This book is a down-to-earth and humorous view of "how did this happen to me and what do I do now?"  If you're getting divorced or not, or a knitter, or not, or a woman, or not, there's something to make you laugh in this book.

She explains being raised as a southern woman in the most delightful descriptions.  I love her abuse of math in her "eleventy-nine" exaggerations and bizarre word problems ending with which song will be on the stereo.  I love her knitting, her cats, her outlook.  The fact that she can laugh at herself, and recognizing her need to make changes and laugh at those changes as well is refreshing and courageous.

She provides hope and humor and knitting recipes.  It's hard to beat that!
1298680
Another hit from the author of last year's best self help parody. Whether you want a light read full of hilarious insights, or actually need a kick in the ass to get your "life" together, this book has what you're looking for. This is the type of book that you buy someone as a gag gift, and then read and keep for yourself because it was more honest and insightful than you ever expected. Highly recommend to the well-put-together and deviant alike.
3591027
Workplace Survival Guide reads like an episode of Arrested Development.  The author quickly sucks you in to a seemingly endless wave of clever jokes, humorously accurate observations, and random asides in a way that makes you wish that everyday life could be so witty.  Plus, the truthiness of the content will make any twentysomething that's been working or looking for work mutter "so true" while equipping those who are about to embark on this part of their life with the every-thorn-has-its-rose kind of attitude that will guide them through it.

This book is a refreshingly fast-paced onslaught of deftly delivered humor that still manages to be surprisingly spot-on in its observations of this odd and exciting period of time in our lives.
4577697
Insightful, hilarious, and fun - this book was a joy to read. Definitely get the actual book, rather than the kindle version, as the book is composed of colored drawings, just like the author's blog. Though this was a really quick read (the book is basically a gathering of cartoon-style annotated drawings), it was well worth the money. I read the book over a couple of evenings as my husband watched tv and I'm sure I was really annoying to him, as I kept laughing out loud and insisting on showing him pages from the book that were particularly hilarious.

Some of the book is repeated from the blog, but a large part of the material is new. It was well worth the price!
4705816
This was a very enjoyable read - very funny and very true comments about what life is like after college.  I am 24 years old with a Master's Degree, minimally employed, and single.  Needless to say, I am very much in a quarter-life crisis and this hilarious book offered comfort and gives people in their 20's a chance to laugh at their situation and take comfort that they are not alone.

The book picks up a lot from the blog, but is also loaded with new material and new, witty comments about a typical 20-something year old's love life, career life, and social life is like.

Definitely worth picking up, regardless if you are a successful 20-something year old or you are like me and just hoping there is a light at the end of the tunnel.
1872227
This book is hilarious, and has insightful perspectives. Jarett Kobek has an original, fun, and layered writing style. I've shared this with many people.
2314233
I am going to start by saying how much I love the format of this book. It's not quite short stories or essays, its more like what you would expect from a blog entry. To me this book is like a years worth of blogging neatly packaged up with some awesome artwork into a convenient package.

This guy could be a stand-up comedian I would imagine. He has an interesting way of viewing life, and manages to find the humor in most every situation. I particularly love how he can write in a way that anyone can identify with. Either you have been there, or know someone who has been there which makes the stories that much more hilarious. The author doesn't take things to seriously and the reader will love him for that!

One of my favorite stories "Hair", is about the strange places we find hair, and how evolution should have taken care of this issue by now. Another favorite starts with the words "You might be a hot mess if..." and is fantastic! "Grumpy Old Men" is hilarious because, lets face it, we all know one!

All in all this book is great. I highly recommend.
3970868
I bought Last Blind Date for my wife on someone's recommendation.

I picked it up after she'd fallen asleep with it in bed, the book falling to my side of the bed (for some reason everything she reads falls to my side of the bed). She'd been laughing to herself for the past hour which was a bit annoying since I was trying to read a book on the restructuring of our intelligence system in the wake of 9/11. So I picked it up and began rummaging the pages. An hour later -- and now 2 in the morning -- I was way into it.

I've read a few of the reviews here, but this is more than a funny, witty, breezy read about relationship. It's also filled with insight, and not just about relationship.

She understands New York, and holds up a mirror to it, like no New Yorker could.

And read the chapter on her brutal, short stint as VP at a woman's TV channel (Lifetime?) It's funny, yes. But that's because the sharpest humor comes from pain. And she reveals this painful experience with a vulnerability that alludes most men (unless you're a stand up comic or have written a memoir about becoming a crack addict who ends up in a dumpster with your kidney removed). But it is also a cautionary tale about decisions made for the wrong reason and the frightful business consequences of poorly formed corporate cultures.

I recommend this book with great delight. It's sweet spot is def women. But I know more than a few straight men who could learn a thing or two about relationships, generosity, staying positive -- and even a few brilliant pearls about doing business. Maybe I'll have the balls to buy them a copy.
828270
This book made me laugh out loud so many times that my hubsband kept giving me funny looks as I read it. Even though the book is filled with hillarious tounge in cheek quips, it is also an insightful look at some of the greatest problems facing the "new" church. The book tackles weighty issues such as absolute truth, calvanism, the authenticity of the word of God and more. Finally, someone "contemporary" takes a look at how the "emerging church" has some disturbing currents under it's pretty, glassy surface. And, it's funny!!!

Thanks, Thor. You better be working on your next book already...
2510258
Hilarious. Honest. Witty. Refreshing.
What an interesting look into the African culture through the eyes of this family. This book had more laugh out loud moments than anything Ive read this year and yet also caused me to think on a deeper level than most.
Brad Canfield has a gift with words and insight.
3669751
I picked up this book a few weeks ago at the urging of some friends.  Not quite sure what to expect, I found myself glued to the book.  At times it's laugh out loud funny (the subway people thought the guy giggling at a book was a weirdo), romantic, and sometimes sadly truthful.  It's a true telling of one man's funky quest to find what works for him and what doesnt. It's told with an outlook and unique insight into the non traditional thinker's head and truly asks and answers the question; what do you want to be when you grow up?

This read is an adventure and a half!

Highly reccomended
1229282
This book is hilarious! Insightful, philosophical, and inspirational while it dabbles on sarcasm and humor. I'm keeping it in the bathroom for guests this holiday! ;)
1787570
Saw this on Stephen Colbert and it seemed like it would be an amusing read. It is indeed humorous, even laugh out loud funny in parts. Jacobs' has a keen eye for popular culture and his intertwining of those observations with more serious matters lends a style that is quite engaging.

Yes, it's light-hearted and his "experiments" are obviously vehicles to generate comic material. But, there's more going on here. You can definitely read this as a serious review and critique of various ethics and self improvement topics. Even the experiments that aren't specifically about self improvement contain bits of introspection about human behavior that border on profundity. I found myself ricocheting from laughter to contemplation. So much of popular non-fiction is affected with a bewildering sense of self-importance with hundreds of pages of filler  around a single idea that would be a worthy subject of a magazine article, but shouldn't have been expanded to book length (I'm looking at you Malcolm Gladwell). For me, at least, a book like this that presents a variety of those kinds of ideas is an excellent way to learn about those topics. Jacobs' critical assessment and humorous observations on various lifestyle issues can be counted on to be revealing about the true benefits of the techniques and entertaining at the same time. This might be a worthwhile new genre in non fiction.

Oh, by the way, I wrote this because I like seeing my words on amazon.com.