DISTURBING AND FUNNY !!
926116
Loved this book. Shows one hell of a man evolving from an American Demon to one who repents and is a shining light to most !!
1621695
Less and less of what is self-labeled as "humor" these days causes me to laugh.  Bill Cosby's "I Am What I Ate . . . and I'm frightened!!!" is a happy exception.  Many people claim that comedy is all about timing . . . which can be hard to do in a book.  But with deft twists that I defy you to see coming, he takes you down a laugh-ridden labyrinth of all the foolish things people do about their health.  What makes the humor especially powerful is that Mr. Cosby is frequently telling stories on himself.  But at the same time you'll recognize yourself . . . and people he knows in these stories.
The basic set-up is that Mr. Cosby is excited about turning 65 . . . because he can spend his social security check to secretly buy food that his wife doesn't want him to eat because it's unhealthy.  She runs the check book on a tight leash (with frequent cross-examinations about spending), so this is a real boon.
That happy thought is muddled, though, when Mr. Cosby goes to have a physical.  He finds that he has the body of someone much younger than 65 . . . except for a sky-high cholesterol level and a partially blocked carotid artery (the one that takes blood to the brain).  Suddenly, he has visions of all that unhealthy food he has eaten all over the years.  Ugh!
From there, Mr. Cosby takes you on a funny excursion into all of the other ways that our bodies run down hill (age, hair loss, joints that wear out and physical conditioning), the ways we rationalize "not" doing what we should (conveniently forgetting, changing our focus and simply making up crazy excuses) and the foolish ways that doctors try to overcome our self-destructive tendencies.
Then, he looks around to see the bad habits that others have . . . and also rationalize (drinking, smoking and binge overeating), and finds similar room for humor.
If you are like me, you can almost hear Mr. Cosby's voice as he delivers these wry witty commentaries on the human condition.
What makes them so funny is that he's not exaggerating very much!  People are really funny about their vices.
All those who really love food will get the biggest kick out of seeing their obsession exposed.  As one such person, he had me laughing aloud during many points in the book.
The book also contains occasional illustrations by George Booth that add to the fun.  My favorite is the one on the back cover of the dust jacket.
To give you a flavor of the book, let me share a few quotes from the last chapter:
". . . three choices everyone has:  Don't go to the doctor at all.  Just ignore everything until one day your eyeballs roll up under your eyebrows, your body slumps forward, and you wake up in traffic in the back of a large, strange vehicle."
"Why is she anemic?  Well, from the blood tests it seems that she's lost three-fourths of her blood.  They took her blood to find out why she's losing blood."
One of the great beauties of this book is that each story builds on the previous ones . . . so new information creates humorous echoes in your memory that remind you of the rest of the book.  The cumulative effect is marvelous.
As I finished the book, I began to wonder why we are so perverse in harming ourselves.  Sure, Mr. Cosby has provided lots of "excuses" but we're all smart enough not to believe our own excuses.  Maybe we just want to be indulged like most of our parents did while we were little . . . but no one does any more now that we are grown.  It that's the case, find your indulgence in less unhealthy ways.  Remember, 65 is coming for most of us!
4394841
Wow!!! this movie is a trip. I didn't know whether to laugh, squirm, or get up and go to church. Sick, disgusting, immoral, sexist, and down right distasteful. I LOVE IT!!! Caution: Some women may find this movie somewhat offensive.
736955
Crazy funny book!!  I loved it!!  A series of short stories which could be read one at a time---a must read!
4694619
This is one of the funniest books I have read! I seriously laughed out loud during the whole thing. At one point my husband made me read him an excerpt because he didn't believe a book could be that funny. Please write more!!!!
1772124
Dick Bouvier has created a world that dances between the sexual and the grotesque in this riveting dark comedy. Funeral homes offering two for one deals, eastern European rappers promoting cars worse than Pinto, the interact love life of a 400 lbs car salesman, and of course sex puppets...
I guarantee you have never read anything like this!

Now that Bouvier has created this world I look forward to the (hopefully!) next book focusing more on each individual character, new and old, and see how they make it in FLorida. There is a strong foundation here, a love child between Kurt Vonnegut and John Waters,which will have you laugh, cry, and question what you truly find acceptable in society. Bravo Bouvier!
3196873
I loved this book!!  David Sedaris'  tongue in cheek humor was right up my alley.  I laughed until I cried.  His style is reminiscent of Erma Bombeck and Fannie Flagg,although much naughtier.  The language  can be a bit shocking, but I give it a thumb's up for offering  a humorous look at life.
3853012
Very funny...  If you find the sick and perverted funny.  My only gripe with the book is the first person narrative.  I HATE when books are written in 1st person.  But that's just me. If you liked Fight Club, you'll probably like this too.
2396346
The Minotauress is the most disgusting, sick, perverted piece of literature I have ever cast my eyes upon. It's absolutely fantastic and hilarious too as the story reaches its conclusion. The Spermatagoyle is a genius creation and had me chuckling merrily to myself.

It's not just disgusting though. The story is very well written, with a humourous narative style and captivates from start to finish.

Bravo, Mr Lee. I look forward to reading more of your merry carnage!
2996919
Easy reading and supper funny! I highly recommend this book!!!
2764559
For me to rate this movie anyone and everyone who reads this needs to keep in mind that I hate, HATE, musicals (I would rather have my teeth drilled with an old rusty spoon, than watch movies like Greese, Oklahoma or A Sound of Music!), but this movie was so funny and so downright WEIRD! It is so odd and funny, so goofy and weird, and if you like Susan Sarandon like I do, seeing her in her undies is great, and seeing Tim Curry (who is a great actor!!) dressed as a weird, vampire alien monster murderer woman--ish thing is so darn funny, watching this movie for that alone is worth it!!! I would compare this to Fear and Loathing in Las Vegas with Johnny Depp and it is worth seeing at least once just for the humor and weirdness!
4595971
Despite the tragedy of the storyline and the callousness of the lead characters, I promise you are going to get several belly laughs from this twisted piece of literature.

In a zany prose reminiscent of Candace Bushnell's 'Sex In The City' and the surrealism of Bret Easton Ellis's works, Palahniuk has written a twisted and sick tale of disfigurement, love, hate, and fashion here in Invisible Monsters.

Shannon McFarland's career as a picture perfect model was ruined the day her lower jaw was shot off while she was driving down the freeway.  Her best friend Evie Cottrell steals all her clothing while she is in the hospital, and her fianc Manus Kelley leaves her; but during her speech therapy classes she meets the enigma that is Brandy Alexander.

Brandy befriends Shannon, and together with friend Seth Thomas they set off on a wild cross country tour, viewing high end estates up for sale and stealing all of the prescription drugs from them.  But believe me when I say, nothing is as it seems in this crazy story.  You are in for several very big surprises.

Invisible Monsters is a book that is not about the plot, it is about the characters, and yet there are twists upon twists upon twists every turn of the page.  Who is Brandy Alexander?  Who is Shannon McFarland?  Who is Seth Thomas?  And who is Evie Cottrell?  You'll just have to keep reading.  Like me, you will probably wind out not caring about any of them, but they are going to make you laugh out loud with their outrageous plans and antics.

You'll have tears running down your face when Shannon's parents (in a flashback scene before her disfigurement) give her nothing but condoms for Christmas because her brother died of AIDS.  And the conversation around the Thanksgiving table turns to graphic depictions of hinder romping while they cower in unnecessary fear because they support AIDS families.  Be thankful these are not your parents.

Told oddly in a profusion of scene jumping, using the written word like flash photography, Palahniuk has written a psychotically offbeat tale that nonetheless will have you turning pages as rapidly as Brandy pops vicodin and estrogen.  I found it strangely enjoyable and morbidly compelling, and if you like screwy and disgusting stories, you will most likely love Invisible Monsters.  Enjoy!
717634
This is the kind of stories I can get behind.  Weird, disturbing, hilarious, and short and sweet.  Mr.  Strange delivers another successful punch to the cranium.  This is a cautionary tale about sleeping with gigantic serpents, or a ringing endorsement....depending on your fetishes.  Don't sleep on this story!  CUM (see what I did there) for the kinky monster sex and stay for the graphic, disturbing disembowelments.
3709448
This book is a great read. Very funny!! I could not put the book down, I LOVED it, I am sure you will also!!
296076
This is perhaps the most disturbing book I have ever read. I'm not into the "weird fiction" or horror genre but this book got passed around my family and I was curious. My brother literally had to get the book out of his house so he could go to sleep at night. My mother said she hated it, but wouldn't put it down. So I read it. Aronovitz' writing is is compelling and "true" in that the characters and their words/actions are natural, real, believable. That made the weird and creepy things that happened far more weird or creepy than one might normally expect from a genre book. I recommend this, but don't blame me if it gets to you.
1450102
I don't often read funny books...I don't know why, I probably should, maybe it would jolt me out of the perpetual bad mood I seem to be in these days, but the fact remains, I usually pass up the humor for a good spurge of gore or zombies with anger management issues; so when my husband handed me a book with probably one of the most intriguing titles I have read in a while... I just couldn't say no.

"The Reformed Vampire Support Group" by "Catherine Jinks" was hilarious. Not in a joke-after-joke-pun-after-pun way, but more the this-is-so-awkward-you-can't-help-but-laugh-at-it funny. Think "A Fish Called Wanda" meets "Grumpy Old Men" (come on...picture it...got it? Funny isn't it.)

The plot is written from Nina's perspective...she's a vampire (duh) but not the kind we normally think about. No, Nina and her band of vampire misfits are whiney, sickly, paranoid schizophrenics that spend more time in group therapy and fanging helpless gerbils than that do actually living their lives. That is, of course, until Cassimir (the original vamp) turns up ashes in his coffin and Nina decides she just can't take her pathetic life anymore. Her and friends (Dave the downer vamp, and a Catholic Priest) set out on a mission to track down the slayer and bring things back to order, only... after turning up at the wrong house they get more than could ever bargain for. (Lets just say a very angry puppy shows up.) The entire book is based around the groups fumbling attempts to be better than they are and to stop a slew of crimes that... incidentally they actually caused themselves.

There is an 80 year old granny vamp with bad hips and a crocheting fixation, a prescription sunglasses incident that has Nina a little wobbly, lots of angry bedroom captives, a failed arson attempt, a loopy newbie vamp that hurls while trying to hostage negotiate, creepy basements, and 1 very distressed mail carrier that jumps out of a 2nd story window.

The writing was charming, as if Nina was letting you in on little secret but sparing you the gory details, and the plot was extremely twisty turny but well executed. I laughed out loud several times, and at one point had the most bizarre, in my head, movie playing...but I will whole heartedly admit that I enjoyed it. So much so that I might actually consider reading the brighter side of life more often.

Happy reading my fellow Groupers and remember: if at first you don't succeed, cower in a corner till the bad man goes away.
473728
I loved this book!!! The book is as dark and twisted as it is funny. This horror story is part psychological thriller, part slasher film, and mystery. It's an easy read but also a deep thinker, the mystery keeps you guessing until all is revealed in a mind bending ending. I highly recommend this great novel!!!